Chapter 56
Chapter 56
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 56
Chapter Title: A Chaotic Date with a Beastkin and a Demon (5)
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Something wasn’t right.
My meeting with Ethan had made me realize it, and I immediately began to sort through the clues I had.
‘So that’s what the radio transmission I overheard was about. Answer, the girl I met this afternoon, is causing a problem in the subway tunnels big enough to warrant a police response.’
Of course, it made no sense to me.
Answer had neither the means nor the motive to cause such a problem.
A clumsy demon who trips over her own feet, who bursts into tears on the spot because some kids bought her a treat… was now on a rampage so severe that even the police couldn’t handle it?
Setting aside the possibility that Answer was hiding some incredible power, the Nighthaven police… couldn’t be that incompetent, could they?
‘In that case, there are two possibilities. Either the demon rampaging in the subway tunnels isn’t actually Answer, or… there’s a third party involved.’
My guess leaned more toward the latter.
The evidence was none other than the napkin contract Answer had given me.
The letters densely packed onto the napkin were trembling precariously, as if they might scatter at any moment—a sign that she was in a state where she could no longer maintain the contract.
In other words, something was terribly wrong.
So wrong that I might never see Answer again.
“Yuria! Look at this!”
While I was staring intently at the napkin, Sabrina, who had been busy fiddling with a device from her pocket, held the screen out to me.
On it was a live news broadcast.
The camera, likely mounted on a helicopter, looked down from a high vantage point. I could see the police busily controlling the crowd, preventing people from approaching the subway station.
Just how serious was this situation to require such a large-scale police deployment?
A sense of irreversible dread made me scowl.
[ “…We’ve received a report that a bomb has been planted in the subway tunnels. All trains passing through Libra Station have been suspended. The police have stated that they have no choice but to control the area for the safety of the citizens and ask for your understanding….” ]
“They just said it was a bomb… that’s a lie, right?”
“…”
I nodded at Sabrina, whose expression was grim.
If you had to choose between the information from a mere media outlet and that of a special police unit trusted by the chief himself… well, the police were obviously more credible.
This was likely an order pushed through by the Dragon Mayor.
He was the type to avoid, whenever possible, situations where a specific metahuman race was perceived as evil.
Whether a demon was on a rampage or a bomb had been planted, the subway would have to be shut down either way.
But considering the aftermath once the situation was resolved, it would cause less of a stir to claim some crazy group planted a bomb. That kind of thing was practically a daily occurrence here.
‘…Wait a minute. If this is how things are, then there’s still a way to help Answer.’
A ray of light pierced through the storm clouds in my mind.
If this was the current state of affairs… wasn’t there still a chance?
Let’s think. The worst-case scenario I’d imagined was Answer having already done something irreversible, with the whole world knowing about it.
In that case, there would be nothing I could do.
There would be too many eyes watching, and my intervention wouldn’t change a thing.
But since it was being reported as a bomb threat, and the story hadn’t been corrected… it seemed no one had been seriously hurt yet.
If so, and if I could somehow help clear up the misunderstanding surrounding her, she might be able to avoid being treated as a major felon.
‘Of course… it won’t be easy. I might even end up regretting trying to help.’
But thinking rationally, I had no reason to help her at all.
I had only just met Answer today, and she wasn't even a character from the original story—just another resident of Nighthaven.
The circumstances were completely different from what happened with David.
And yet, in a situation like this, I was going to willingly walk into a den of police officers, monsters who were stronger than me?
That was just a stupid, arrogant thought.
The best thing to do here would be to go home and pray things worked out.
And what if Answer had been putting on a facade, hiding her true intentions from me all along?
I’d be embracing the risk of wasting my time and exposing my identity for nothing.
Yeah. It’s better to just let it go.
No matter how I looked at it, this wasn’t a rational decision.
All I wanted in this city was to live peacefully without getting caught up in any incidents. Nothing more, nothing less.
—Oh, thank you so much for today! Bye, guys!
‘…Ugh, seriously!’
“Y-Yuria?”
The memory of Answer’s last words flashed through my mind, and I clutched my head.
My sudden outburst seemed to startle Sabrina, but I had no time to worry about her.
My chest felt heavy, as if a large stone were lodged inside.
I could just squeeze my eyes shut and forget about it, but I couldn’t bring myself to do it.
I almost wished Sabrina would just knock me out cold.
But in the end, when faced with the choice between regretting not doing something and regretting doing it…
It was probably better to just do it and see what happens.
“…”
Alright, let’s go.
I’ll check what’s happening to Answer, and if this is all something she wanted, I’ll wash my hands of it cleanly.
After steeling my wavering resolve.
I grabbed a bewildered Sabrina by the shoulders and gently pushed her in the direction away from the subway.
“Yuria…?”
“…”
“W-Wait! We’re going back? What about Answer!”
“…!”
Leave Answer to me. You go home.
As if to say just that, I confidently thumped my chest with my fist.
It seemed Sabrina was just as worried about Answer as I was, but it couldn’t be helped.
She was still a child, both physically and mentally. It was too dangerous for her to get involved in something like this.
In terms of combat ability, she might be one of the best for her age, but she was still a far cry from being on the same level as Alice or David.
Did my firm resolve get through to her?
Sabrina looked at me, bit her lip, and spoke with a face that looked like it was about to cry.
”…You’re trying to say I’d just get in the way, right?”
“…”
“I get it. I’ll do as you say, Yuria. It’s true… that I’m still not strong enough.”
Huh, she’s backing down so easily?
I blinked at Sabrina’s unexpected reaction.
I was sure she would have insisted on coming along, so this was a huge surprise.
Seeing my somewhat stunned expression, she gave a hollow laugh, as if it were obvious.
“I watched everything you did back at the hotel. How could I not know? I don’t want to ruin things because of my own selfishness.”
“…”
“…But still, don’t you dare do anything dangerous! I… Y-Yuria is more important to me!”
Sabrina grasped my hand with a somewhat desperate look on her face.
Her eyes shimmered faintly, as if she were looking at a treasure she couldn’t bear to lose.
I had no choice but to squeeze her hand back in acknowledgment.
The preparations that followed were brief.
I couldn’t very well run around a city full of CCTV cameras without a disguise, so I quickly scouted the area and used my psychokinesis to secretly pull a tablecloth from inside a closed restaurant.
I wrapped the tablecloth around myself to size it up and nodded to myself, thinking it would be enough to cover my body.
I never thought I’d be taking on this ghost persona again. I felt really bad for the restaurant owner. I’ll come back later and pay you for it.
“W-Wait…! Yuria, isn’t that outfit a little risky? If it gets lifted, you could be traced immediately.”
“…?”
“Let’s switch clothes. The dress I’m wearing is pretty common. You probably won’t get caught.”
Sabrina had a point.
What I was wearing now wasn’t off-the-rack; it was a custom-made maid outfit created by some eccentric scientist.
Wearing my overcoat and the tablecloth was uncomfortable, but if I took the coat off, I’d be in my maid uniform under the tablecloth.
But I felt bad about switching… what if the clothes got ruined? Are you sure?
When I tilted my head cautiously, Sabrina replied with a serious look that she wouldn’t blame me for something like that.
I flicked my finger, creating a makeshift changing room with the tablecloth in a corner of the alley where we wouldn’t be easily seen, and quickly swapped clothes with Sabrina.
Fortunately, there were no CCTV cameras or passersby nearby, so I wasn’t seen in an embarrassing state.
Still, the act of changing clothes in the middle of the city made me feel a little on edge.
“Heh, hehe… T-the clothes Yuria was just wearing….”
“…?”
“Sniff, ah, it’s nothing!”
As I was adjusting the straps of the slightly tight dress to make it fit, I noticed Sabrina nearby, burying her face in her shoulder.
Thinking she might be cold, I offered her my overcoat, but she just shook her head frantically as if that wasn’t it. What is up with her?
‘Oh, right. I should entrust her with this, too.’
As I was swapping shoes with Sabrina just in case, I remembered something I’d forgotten.
I can’t believe I forgot this. With that thought, I tapped the shoulder of Sabrina, who was now wearing my coat.
She turned to look at me, her body flinching with unusual sensitivity. I took off my fox mask and handed it to her.
Even if I changed clothes, it would be trouble if my mask was discovered. I figured I should leave it with her.
Besides, she was someone I could trust, someone who wouldn’t mind seeing my face.
“…Ah?”
Sabrina, who had been blinking blankly, now had eyes that were growing as wide as saucers.
My own bewildered, unmasked face was reflected in her trembling pupils.
Thump-thump!
For a moment, as silence fell upon us, I thought I could hear someone’s heart pounding violently.
***
Inside the dark subway tunnel.
The place was cold and empty without any running trains. A black-haired girl was walking precariously along the thin rail.
With her arms stretched out as if for balance, she looked utterly innocent, befitting her apparent age.
“Hmm, hmm, hmm~ When will I get to meet my dear brother~”
Within the girl’s black eyes, a faint purple light shimmered, like a drop of paint in water.
And from behind the path she had unsteadily traversed, an indescribably fierce scream echoed.
The black-haired girl was startled by the sound and inadvertently fell off the rail. Puffing out her cheeks, she muttered in a sulky voice.
“I told you it would’ve been better if you just listened. Why make me do things twice?”
With those words, the girl flicked her finger.
The scattered stones on the ground moved on their own, lifting her back onto the rail.
The girl spread her arms again and continued along the track. She looked just like an endlessly innocent child.