A Ray of Hope
After parting with a beaming Leo, I returned to the Counseling Room and spoke to Orca. "If you're tired, you can sleep, Orca. You look exhausted."
"I was going to, even if you didn't tell me. I was bored out of my mind, you know?"
Orca grumbled, complaining that she had almost fallen asleep even though she knew she shouldn't. I let out a soft chuckle, recalling how she had gone out of her way to watch Leo's duel despite her complaints. So dishonest. If she was worried about her friend, she could have just said so.
"I'm sleeping. Don't touch me."
"We'll see. I'm not sure if that's entirely up to me."
"...? What's that supposed to mean?"
"Oh, nothing."
"Tsk, nonsense."
Well, I didn't think it was nonsense. But since it was something Orca absolutely must not know, I kept my mouth shut and lit some incense. This should do the trick.
Sure enough, less than ten minutes after the incense was lit, Orca drifted off to sleep. And when Orca slept, the devil residing inside her would manifest.
...Though lately, for some unknown reason, she hadn't been showing herself much.
To be honest, I was a little anxious. I might have a wealth of information, but I didn't know everything. Had something gone wrong because I placed Haze under Hypnosis? The thought kept nagging at me.
Haze really needed to show up. Without Haze, Orca was just a bad-tempered delinquent...
I stared at the sleeping Orca for a long time. ...Is it a bust today too? Just as I sighed and turned my attention to my laptop to play some games, I saw Orca's hand twitch.
"...Damn it. This feels awful."
"Hello, Haze."
"Don't greet me! It's disgusting! ...Hello."
I greeted Haze, who had begun to control the sleeping Orca's body. Anyone else would have been horrified to see a Devil Possessed victim casually exchanging pleasantries with the devil inside them. Yet, despite her irritation, Haze returned my greeting.
"You say that, but your body is quite honest."
"Th-this is all because of you!"
"Is it? I wonder."
"Grrr...!"
I chuckled as I watched Haze gnash her teeth at me while neatly folding the blankets. Every time Orca woke up, her surroundings were spotless, leading her to believe I was the one cleaning up after her... I wondered how she would react if she saw this. Just imagining it brought a smile to my face.
"Damn it, why do I have to suffer like this...! Forcing me to do these things...!"
"I never forced you to do anything. I simply made it so that doing good deeds makes you feel happy."
"Shut up! Ah—no. Please be quiet! Do you have any idea how I feel right now?!"
...I really couldn't stop teasing her. Her reactions were just too good. Seeing someone with Orca's cold, prickly face react so dynamically was incredibly entertaining, and I found myself teasing her almost on instinct. Besides, she wasn't even human; she was a devil. Watching a devil choke back profanity and desperately filter her language was a comedy goldmine. What other devil in the world would ever act like this?
"Haze, do you happen to have any friends?"
"...I do. Why?"
"Oh, no reason. I was just wondering how your friend would react if they saw you like this."
"...!"
Ahaha. Look at that horrified expression. This was what made Orca and Haze so delightful. Their personalities were similar yet subtly different, making them feel like twins. It was highly entertaining to watch Haze show reactions that Orca would never, ever make.
"..."
Uh-oh. She was sulking. I must have gone a bit too far with the teasing because her reactions were so amusing. If I pushed her any further, she would definitely shut her mouth like a stubborn child. ...How did I know? Because I had already experienced it once. While Orca puffing out her cheeks in a pout was adorable in its own right... now was not the time for that. It was time to get down to business.
"Well, alright. Haze, let's get down to business."
"...What is it?"
"You haven't been showing up in Orca's body much lately... I was wondering if there was some kind of problem."
I had wondered if it was because I tampered with her mind, but no matter how much I thought about it, that didn't make sense. If that were the issue, she wouldn't have suddenly stopped appearing; she wouldn't have manifested from the very beginning. Why would Haze, who had relentlessly tried to seize control of Orca's body, suddenly refuse to come out?
"...It's nothing. I'm just in a bad mood."
"A bad mood?"
"I saw something filthy."
Something filthy...? I couldn't quite grasp what Haze meant. Filthy? Did we have a cockroach in the Counseling Room?
"Did you see a bug or something? If there was one, you should have told me..."
"No, it's not a bug. I saw something far worse. And to think I showed that bastard this side of me... It's unacceptable..."
...Showed? Showed who, exactly? Unable to understand what Haze was talking about, I questioned her again.
"Wait a moment. Showed? What on earth do you mean by..."
"It—it's here again! It's that thing! Damn it. Why is it here...!"
"W-wait! What do you mean...!"
But I didn't get an answer. Haze suddenly snapped her head up as if sensing something, and with a look of pure revulsion, she dove under the bed.
...What in the world? Before diving under the bed, Haze had said, It's here again. Did that mean a presence dangerous enough to make her hide like this was approaching? Why? For what reason? My mind spun in confusion.
At the very least, nothing like this had ever happened in the game. Most scenes where Haze appeared led straight to a bad ending. While she occasionally popped up in special prologue-like events, an event like this had never existed.
...Which meant this was a butterfly effect caused by my actions.
*Knock, knock.*
"...!"
Someone was knocking on the door of the Counseling Room. ...Undoubtedly, the "filthy thing" Haze had mentioned. Given the timing of their arrival right after she hid, there was no mistake. Would a student visit the Counseling Room at this hour? I was highly skeptical. It was far more logical to assume it was something other than a student. Who could it be? Maybe an assassin? A headache began to form as all sorts of wild theories tangled in my mind.
"Is anyone there?"
"...Anastasia?"
I had been agonizing over whether to open the door, my head throbbing as I tried to guess who was outside. But the moment I recognized the voice, I threw the door open.
"Hello, Teacher. I apologize for the late hour."
"...It's fine. What brings you here?"
"May I come in for a moment?"
Wavy silver hair, eyes covered by a blindfold, and gold embroidery stitched onto a luxurious, pure white habit. Anastasia, the Watcher. She had paid an unexpected visit.
"Here, drink up."
"Thank you."
I had always known I would eventually meet all the playable characters. After all, my goal was to guide them toward a happy life. ...Even so, I never expected her to seek me out personally. She was a unique existence in this world. I never imagined she would come here entirely unescorted.
"...It's delicious."
"Thank you."
The Watcher, so named because she offered her eyes to God by covering them with a special blindfold. If devout believers were given a chance to meet her face-to-face, they would gladly offer up their entire fortunes. Why had someone like her come here? She shouldn't have given up yet. Burdened with a secret she could share with no one, harboring the vain hope of restoring everything to how it once was, she was the last person I expected to walk into the Counseling Room.
"...So? What brings the esteemed Watcher to my Counseling Room?"
"Aren't you praising me a bit too much? I am merely a student here."
"I don't know about that. Your position is far too high to call yourself a mere student. It's practically on par with the Imperial Princess."
"Ahaha..."
Now I understood why Haze had hidden. Anastasia possessed power and status that were exceptional even among the clergy. To a devil, she was nothing short of repulsive. ...However, one question remained. Why on earth had she visited? She was not someone who could easily voice her worries to others. In fact, her troubles were things that must never be leaked to the outside world.
"Do you have something on your mind?"
"...No. I came to see Miss Orca."
"Orca...?"
"Teacher. You might think this is absurd. But I... I witnessed it."
"...Witnessed what?"
Anastasia spoke with her hands clasped together, unable to hide the tremor in her voice. She looked like a believer who had finally found salvation.
"A devil! There was definitely a devil! That day, during the friendly match! I saw a devil!"
The friendly match. ...There was a time when she and Orca were together. Was she referring to that moment?
"Well, of course. Orca is a Devil Possessed, after all."
"No! It wasn't Miss Orca! A devil had taken complete control of her body!"
"..."
Only then did I realize what Anastasia was talking about. During the match, Orca had fallen asleep for a brief moment. Because Orca's eyes had remained closed during that short nap, I hadn't given it much thought. But in hindsight, it was obvious that Haze must have taken over her body. And Anastasia was the Watcher. She would easily recognize when a devil had taken control of someone.
"Even though a devil seized her body, it did absolutely nothing and simply handed control back! I have never seen such a thing in my entire life!"
"...I see."
"Do you not know anything about this, Teacher?!"
"..."
I couldn't see Anastasia's eyes behind her blindfold, but I could practically feel them sparkling with intense hope. ...Damn it. We have a situation on our hands.