Busted
Same time, behind another school building (B wing). Eris Betelgeuse, who had been waiting for Ichimaru Shiki, suddenly muttered in a grumpy voice.
“What’s the deal? Why isn’t he here yet?”
This guy... he didn’t mix up the spot, did he? She’d only said “behind the school building,” but wasn’t it obvious she meant the same place they’d met last time? If he’d gotten that wrong, he was an idiot. And if he hadn’t but was just late anyway, that was downright insolent.
“Ugh, he’s just so annoying.”
Eris didn’t hide her irritation as she kicked at the ground. Just try showing up even later. I’ll chew him out so hard his creepy grin freezes in shock.
‘...S-sorry I’m late! Lady Eris!’ Imagining Ichimaru Shiki groveling before her, Eris’s lips curled up smugly. His sinister smile always threw her off her game, but not this time. She vowed it silently—then grumbled again.
“When the hell is this guy gonna show?”
“Mind if I borrow a moment of your time?”
After school, in an empty alley. Girl A—Tachibana Sawako—approached me with a shy expression and soft voice. Her family name was... Tachibana, right? So her full name would be Tachibana Sawako.
...This is pretty unexpected.
It had been a whole month since high school started, but aside from saving her from slipping on the stairs on the first day, we had no real connection. As a fellow Class A student, we’d crossed paths in the classroom a few times, and I barely remembered her name—that was it.
—Classmate, and friend (of my friend Eris). That’s all I’d thought our tie amounted to. This was truly out of left field. I didn’t peg her as harboring a grudge deep enough for a duel challenge, or someone with that kind of guts...
A jumble of thoughts raced through my head, but I kept my face neutral and replied casually.
“Haha, I’ve got all the time in the world. So, what’s on your mind?”
I figured I’d chat a bit to sort my thoughts and buy time. But...
“Ichimaru-kun.”
She wasn’t in the mood to wait. Sawako’s cheeks flushed bright red, her trembling voice laced with shyness, but she didn’t avoid my gaze. Tense as she was, she forced a beaming smile and pressed on.
“I-I know this might rub you the wrong way, but... I’ve been watching you this past month. It’s not long, but I feel like I’ve gotten to know you pretty well. ...How kind you are, Shiki.”
Sawako started listing virtues I hadn’t even realized I had.
“You rush to help friends when they’re in a pinch, always speak in that cheerful voice, and your kind smile is just... nice.”
“Running around on the sports field looks so energetic, and when we talk, you know so much—it’s smart and cool. Hehe, like the perfect mix of brains and brawn?”
“You’re always awesome, but that first day we met... saving me like it was nothing? That was the best. You were my hero then... and I guess hearts don’t play by the rules.”
All the while she spoke, her fidgety hands finally clasped mine. So nervous—her breath quickened as she looked at me.
“So, I wanted to tell you how I feel.”
But then she took a deep breath, her smile blooming like a flower.
“I like you.”
Girl A, Tachibana Sawako, confessed.
“Ichimaru Shiki, I like you.”
In an unexpected place, from an unexpected person—a heartfelt confession. Whether it was love making her glow or just my attention now, her innocent face brimmed with more vitality than I remembered, and she was beautiful.
Still, feeling a stir in my gut, I wore my usual smile.
“...I see.”
A mask of a smile before her pure, unflinching sincerity.
She’d watched me all this time and liked me—who wouldn’t be grateful? But my response in this world had been set since I arrived.
“I’m sorry.”
The fresh bloom of her lips soon wilted in sorrow.
As the sky began to dye in golden sunset hues,
“What the heck? Why’s he taking forever?”
Eris kept grumbling, but suddenly anxiety gripped her.
...He didn’t ditch me, did he?
Maybe calling her behind the school was a bad idea. She couldn’t picture just chatting in the classroom, so she’d set this up—never dreamed she’d wait this long.
“...I’m seriously gonna kill him.”
If she’d known she’d be standing in the cold wind, she’d have just confronted him right there. Her anger boiled higher; she itched to grab him by the collar when they met.
Vowing revenge, Eris suddenly sensed something off.
Am I getting a little violent?
She’d never thought herself mean, but lately her words and actions felt harsher.
“...It’s all that guy’s fault.”
Ichimaru Shiki. Yeah, if that sleazy creep hadn’t gotten under her skin, she wouldn’t be snapping like this. He’d called their last fight a misunderstanding, but to her, it was anything but.
“Hmph, no matter how you slice it, he’s a bad guy.”
Frowning deeply, Eris Betelgeuse tilted her head, pondering his true nature. Talk of siding with justice, stopping the end times, doing good deeds... but writing him off as “good” would shatter her worldview built over the past decade-plus.
No, he was obviously bad. Did she really have to grapple with cognitive dissonance here too? Eris shook her head.
“When can I just smack him upside the head to feel better...”
“Eh? Smack whose head?”
“...?!”
The sinister voice right beside her made Eris jump in shock, freezing solid. Kikikik... She stiffly turned her head to see a face wearing that same creepy smile.
Late as he was, Ichimaru Shiki spoke nonchalantly.
“My apologies. Something urgent came up, heh, so I ended up a bit late.”
Snapping to her senses, Eris Betelgeuse glared daggers at the tardy offender.
“...You, how dare you show up so shamelessly—!”
“Haha, sorry for being late. So, as thanks, how about a nice gift?”
“...A gift?”
Thrown by the random pivot but intrigued, Eris cocked her head. Shiki nodded slowly with his usual sly grin.
“Yes, a very nice gift.”
The spot behind the school wasn’t exactly romantic, and handing over a gift right away would spoil the fun, so I grabbed Eris’s hand and moved us elsewhere. She griped the whole way, but after some back-and-forth, we toured Tokyo’s back alleys together.
A cute blonde kid and a narrow-eyed gentleman poking into alleys might look suspicious, so we stayed hidden with magic. Sneaky as it seemed, our activities were utterly above board.
Shwick—!
—Kieeeek!
I sliced through a tuna-head yokai in a sushi street alley. Tasty even in life, it felt great cutting with my short sword. Top of the twenty or so yokai I’d exterminated today.
“Hmm, brings back memories of my sushi shop days.”
Come to think of it, I hadn’t had sushi in a while. Time to fix that soon—then a grumpy voice piped up behind me.
“...So, where’s this gift?”
Turning, I saw Eris Betelgeuse standing with arms crossed, scowling. I’d hurried, but scattered yokai took time to hunt. The sunset had nearly faded; her face looked far wearier than at school.
“...You dragged me out to watch you hunt yokai? ‘Look how strong I am, doing good deeds’ or whatever?”
Impressive she’d stuck around this long on my word alone. That high was wearing off, so time for a fresh dose.
“Huhuhu, finally someone appreciates how strong I am and all the good I do! Most desirable indeed!”
“...Shut up and let’s just go home.”
“For this fine protagonist and first customer, Miss Eris, there’s a prize! Parapapara-parabam! Behold, gift-opening time!”
To her unimpressed face, I presented my masterstroke: the elixir—antidote.
“...This!”
A high mage after all, she had an eye for it. Eris Betelgeuse stared wide-eyed at the elixir in my hand—the pitch-black liquid bubbling oddly.
“...This is poison.”
“Tsk tsk, poison? It’s an elixir I poured my soul into crafting!”
“It looks like poison—who’re you trying to kill with these lies?!”
“Eh, not me, right?”
I didn’t wanna die.
“Looks aside, I slaved over it last night—give it a try.”
“No, why keep pushing me to drink it like you want me dead?!”
“Tsk, no more death talk! And anyway, it’s not for you, Miss Eris.”
“...Huh? Then who?”
The inevitable question came, and I dropped my voice gravely.
“Your parents.”
Eris, who’d bickered with me all evening, shot back flatly.
“You’re doing that creepy voice on purpose, aren’t you?”
Hmm, busted.