4-112: Not a mory
“A true natural, huh. Anyway, why don’t you sit and eat already.”
Upon seeing Shinichi tilt his head, Monica shook her head and urged him to take a seat, prompting Shinichi to place a giant plate right in front of them.
“Want so?” Shinichi asked.
“Nah, I’m full,” Myuhi said.
“Sa. Just looking at that is enough to make anyone full. Don’t mind us and help yourself though,” Monica said.
Don’t mind if I do, Shinichi shrugged as he folded his hands to say grace and resu eating. That was food easily enough for dozens of n.
“Itadakimasu!”
At first, they were astounded by how gluttonous he was, but that soon turned into a wry smile, and they found themselves just watching him warmly. He had noticed that too, but he was more preoccupied with filling his stomach. Not that it took him much ti, of course.
“*Gulp… Thank you for the food!”
“That was fast!”
In less than 10 minutes, the mountain of food before him disappeared, and he put his hands together to thank for the food. A surprised voice resounded, but Shinichi ignored it as he made a satisfied face.
“Here. Hand towel,” Myuhi said.
“Thanks,” Shinichi said.
Myuhi was already used to his antics, so she just chuckled and handed him a towel. Monica looked at that oddly, but only for a mont before saying what she had on mind.
“So you can speak those words properly, huh.”
It was unthinkable given how forceful he had been yesterday, but Shinichi just laughed.
“Because I can do it. Whether it’s saying grace, or thanking soone, or apologizing, these are things that I can actually do. For soone incompetent like , doing the things that I can is the least I ought to do.”
He said in a sowhat spineless manner. Monica hadn’t expected him to sincerely answer like that, so for a mont, she found herself blinking her eyes before nodding with a smile.
Or so at least until Myuhi spoke up anyway.
“…He’s only like that when it’s convenient for him, though.”
“Ah…”
“…It’s annoying, but I can’t deny that at all.”
When he made a bitter face and said that, the two girls laughed. Was it really that funny to see him troubled and sulking, though?
“Fu fu… Ah, right. Let return this,” Monica said.
After laughing for a while, Monica took off the crescent pendant on her and handed it to Shinichi.
“Right.”
Shinichi accepted it and put it on himself.
As he fingered it to confirm that it was back on his neck, a question ca.
“Hey, Icchi, in the end, what is that? It’s you we’re talking about, so there’s no way it’s just a pendant, right?
What kind of mysterious power does it have?” Myuhi asked.
There was an emotion that betrayed her words, but regardless, Shinichi flicked the pendant and laughed.
“…Actually, it’s a prank soone pulled on .”
“What do you an?”
“That’s…”
To answer or not to answer. It wasn’t sothing he needed to go out of his way to ntion, and since he hadn’t responded to a similar question from her before the encore, it felt wrong to bring it up now. When he casually glanced at Monica, though, she returned his look with a wry smile and a nod. It seed she had seen through the reason for his hesitation and, in her own way, gave him permission to continue.
“…Well, we have ti, and it’s not that big of a story, so why not.”
He masked the odd sense of embarrassnt by lightly gripping the crescent-shaped object. By now, there was no trace of the fragile sensitivity that would make him tremble when recalling that mont. Maybe it was because he’d beco desensitized, having seen that incident every night in his dreams.
“I’ll skip the details, but this is a keepsake. I received it from a benefactor who was on the verge of death. She told never to give it to anyone.”
“That’s…”
“…”
Both Myuhi, who had spoken out, and Monica, who had fallen silent, seed taken aback by the situation Shinichi had described so bluntly. Their expressions, filled with uncertainty, seed to ask if this was really sothing they should be hearing.
Even though they had heard it was a keepsake, they likely hadn’t imagined it was sothing handed over at the very brink of death.
Shinichi ignored their reactions though with a hint of amusent and continued with his story.
“And the person responsible for that person’s death was none other than .”
When he recalled what he had done, he felt that even those words didn’t quite capture the gravity of it.
This caused him to stop speaking, as if those words were insufficient.
“Icchi?”
“Anyway, things got pretty chaotic, but once it all settled down, I started having the sa doubts as you. After all, being told not to hand it over made wonder if soone was after it. So, I decided to thoroughly investigate what kind of backstory this thing might have, but…”
“But?” Monica and Myuhi asked.
“It turned out to be just a pendant,” Shinichi said.
“Huh?”
“Made by a run-of-the-mill craftsman, it was a cheap trinket that could be found at any roadside stall.”
“Hah?”
“Moreover, it was a mass-produced item. After desperately holding onto it for months, the sight of so many lined up for a child’s pittance almost made faint.”
Shinichi looked blankly into the distance as he recalled the pitiful him from back then. He looked as if he could fade to white at any mont, and the two ladies sympathetically wryly smiled.
“Ah… My condolences?”
“Thanks, I suppose. Anyway, I investigated it for a long ti to see if there might have been sothing to it after all, perhaps a power or a chanism of so sort, but in the end, there was nothing. Absolutely nothing.”
“Seriously!?”
“For real?”
“Yeah, so I thought maybe there was another aning to it. I figured maybe it held so sort of sentintal value or mory, but…”
“But?”
“Turns out she had impulsively purchased it just two days before the incident. Isis had a bad habit of collecting cheap trinkets from roadside stalls. And the pendant just so happened to be one of her hauls.”
A completely ordinary pendant. No powers, no chanisms, no backstory, and no sentintal value whatsoever.
That twist left the girls with their jaws ajar, and Shinichi laughed, as though to say that that was exactly what he wanted to see from them.
However, those expressions quickly turned into suspicion.
Both ladies were thinking of sothing different.
Myuhi seed to grapple with why soone would entrust such an object at the brink of death, while Monica wondered if he was telling the truth.
Well, he could understand. He himself had pondered the sa questions.
He was well aware of both of their concerns, as they were questions he himself had once faced.
“Seems like the both of you have sothing on your mind, but I reckon in Monica’s case, you’re more bothered about the voice that you once heard?”
“Huh? Oh, so that wasn’t just my imagination? It felt like soone touched my shoulder and told to calm down. The voice sounded feminine and really gentle. She told that everything would be alright,” Monica said.
“Sounds like sothing straight out of horror, but okay. You sure it doesn’t have any powers?” Myuhi asked.
“Positive. Though I’ve heard that voice countless tis myself, and others too when I lent it to them as a talisman. It’s a mystery, really.”
With the divine powers he possessed, Shinichi found it puzzling that nothing ca to light when he truly “looked” at the mysterious pendant, which had caused strange phenona multiple tis already. The key effects it offered were rely words of reassurance for ntal stability or warnings against hallucinations and illusions.
If there was indeed sothing unknown even to Shinichi, it would be the delicate imbalance between its concealnt ability and its subtle effects.
Moreover, unlike when it was lent to soone else, when he wore it, its effectiveness seed to diminish, adding to the peculiar nature of the situation.
However, sothing else caught Monica’s attention, and she wore a smile as though she’d discovered sothing intriguing.
“Others, huh? So what number does that make ?”
She asked, as though to imply that he only lends it to won. Perhaps she worded it as such, going as far as to ask for her rank among his won, to be seen as an adult older sister, but she was still too green behind the ears. Shinichi wasn’t one to be shaken so easily.
“Who knows? You’re the first person to find out it’s a nto, though.”
He didn’t lie and say that she was the only woman he’s ever lent it to nor did he give her a false rank. Really, it would be more apt to say that he simply didn’t rank the won he liked. Of course, he could have just dropped the question, but a woman he liked was asking, so he felt that he needed to respond sincerely in so manner.
“…”
“…”
As a result, one of the won made an astonished face, while the other beca red faced. Neither said anything, and for a while, they just looked at each other.
“See, Mo-chan? He’s always like this. Even if he has to dodge the question, he’ll make sure to tell you in a roundabout way that you’re special to him.”
“A bad man. A very bad man. I knew he was going to throw a jab, but it still ca harder than I expected. Moreover, it seems that he really only lends it to won. He didn’t deny it at all,” Monica said.
The two girls glared at him while pouring out criticisms, but Shinichi took it in a different direction.
“Co to think of it, it has been nothing but won. I’m actually realizing that just now. Don’t tell you’ve been picking them out?”
Shinichi grabbed the crescent moon necklace and eyed it suspiciously. He wasn’t joking. He was genuinely considering that that might have been the case. That’s why a sigh naturally ca from sowhere.
“A natural airhead in the strangest of places.”
“Who get drawn into his own world for the strangest of reasons; what a troubleso guy.”
The two won grumbled among themselves, but the tone behind their grumbling was gentle, not a hint of rejection for the boy.
Interestingly enough that gave them an aura just like that of a pair of older sisters watching over a young boy.
“Ah, going back to the topic…” Myuhi said.
“Hmm?” Shinichi said.
“Was it because it had such a strange power that she entrusted it to you?”
Myuhi wore a face that seed to say that she could understand if so, but Shinichi, who returned to reality, imdiately shook his head and his hands, as though to say that that absolutely couldn’t be the case.
“I get that,” Myuhi said. “And the person has already passed, so it’s all speculation, but given how the pendant is what it is, I can’t think of any other reason why she might’ve given it to you.”
As he fiddled with the crescent moon by his neck, a complex mixture of emotions surfaced on him.
Smile.
Exasperation.
Longing.
Regret.
Gratitude.
Irritation.
Affection.
And finally, frustration.
“Well, she got in the worst way possible. I used to cry often over trivial things when I was younger, but that was the first ti I was made to cry by soone else. If it were when they died, that would be one thing, but I was made to cry again several months after they had already passed.”
Even though he was so sure that he’d cried all of his tears out the first ti around.
“She made you cry? Twice?”
Myuhi couldn’t believe it, but Shinichi nodded. And when he rembered that day, his face was filled with satisfaction, a satisfaction that quickly turned into that of defeat.
“She warned not to do anything stupid.”
“Don’t tell …”
“Yeah. It was pretty dangerous. I was about 80% responsible for their death, and my benefactor just had to die right in front of . Of course, i wanted to kill myself.”
The girls went solemn. Shinichi laughed to try and cover up the bitter feelings, but apparently, it was in vain. Perhaps, the two won had imagined the sight of them losing their benefactors themselves.
“I knew in my head that that would just make their deaths pointless, but even then, I couldn’t stop the thoughts. It didn’t help that I was a complete ss after the incident.”
In the end, his rampage would eventually be stopped by a certain factor. Though Isis’s intentions were not involved in that, he still wonders what would have happened if he hadn’t been entrusted with the necklace at that ti.
There’s no point in pondering such a “what if,” but he couldn’t confidently say that he would’ve been fine without her pendant.
“Maybe she knew that would happen, that’s why she insisted on entrusting it to . It didn’t matter if it was just a temporary fix. If it could give a reason to keep my life and mind intact until I could recover enough to uncover the truth behind the necklace, it was enough.”
During the incident, Shinichi had been too overwheld to even say anything clever, yet despite all that, she made a life-threatening effort to save him, hoping that he could remain unchanged even in the future, and she did it with such a thoughtful gesture(prank) too. She did all that while she was dying, and even right at the very end, she made sure to smile.
“What’s troubling is that’s the third ti she’s saved … Seriously. Don’t go keeping people in debt when they can’t pay anymore, you fool.”
“Icchi…”
Once, when he had wandered into another world and nearly died on the streets. Twice, when he was saved from being used as a vessel for the resurrection of an evil god. And now. Yes, this would be the third ti. He was just too indebted to that sister.
“As a result, I am eternally in her debt. I never did manage to catch up to her.”
As if voicing a grudge, he held up the crescent moon pendant and cursed at it. But seeing his expression, Monica smiled gently, and with a mix of questioning and certainty, she said.
“It sounds like you wanted to be seen as equals.”
Shinichi was montarily caught off guard, but he quickly let out a snort with a hint of awkwardness and a bit of embarrassnt.
“…It’s frustrating to always be on the receiving side.”
Was it the typical stubbornness of a young boy? Regardless, true to him, his response was neither an outright affirmation nor denial, but rather a blunt expression of his feelings.
But Monica didn’t tease him and just said, “I know.”
She probably shared his feelings in that she too has only been receiving kindness from her own benefactor.
“Icchi, what kind of person was she?”
Myuhi wore a thoughtful expression.
Shinichi noticed that, but he felt it was best not to probe into it, so he just shrugged and gave a casual reply.
There was no need to reflect on it anyway. Isis’ image was still etched firmly in his mind.
“Isis? She’s a good for nothing woman. She was good at looking after others, but she was violent, forceful, pranked everyone around her just to see their reactions, then laugh after the commotion she caused. She was trouble through and through.”
That’s why his comnt, which didn’t seem like sothing one would say about a benefactor, caused both Myuhi and Monica to tilt their heads, prompting them to look at each other again.
“You realize you just described yourself, right?”
“Maybe that’s why you got along,” Myuhi sighed.
Shinichi tilted his head. “What?”
“Nothing. It’s just that she went out of her way to save you, so aren’t you being too sloppy with your life?”
Shinichi frowned. “I’m trying not to be though.”
He was aware that the things he did were dangerous and placed a heavy burden on him, but he didn’t treat his life carelessly.
Having received such advice and reprimands frequently, he was actually being more careful than most would think.
But of course…
“Exactly how are you not being sloppy?” Monica and Myuhi asked.
Clearly, neither of two ladies were buying it.
Shinichi had anticipated them to disagree but this much was unexpected.
“I an, I’m still alive, ain’t I?”
“What ridiculous thing are you saying, now?”
“Look, I’m here because there are people that sacrificed themselves for , so my life isn’t really just mine anymore. So, I might be able to live however I want, but I don’t have the right to choose how I die.”
That was the conclusion he reached after uncovering the truth behind the pendant. He had been saved thanks to the sacrifice of a benefactor, and he even received help post incident.
In the end, life persisted through the consumption or sacrifice of others.
That was sothing that the boy had only once known in his mind, but now he knew it by experience.
Isis paid a price to ensure that he would be able to remain as he was, so he couldn’t live in a way that was unlike him.
And he wouldn’t let anyone, not even himself, take this life away.
To reconcile this subtly contradictory stance, he would simply have to live as he wished within the limits of not dying.
Ironically, despite becoming an extraordinary existence, it was a way of living that was very much within reach.
“…So, in other words, you’re just not planning to die by anything other than old age? Wow.”
“This has long gone past the level of trouble. My head hurts.”
However, despite explaining as such, not a hint of understanding could be seen from the two. One of them looked up to the ceiling, while the other buried her head in her hands.
It seed less about denying his way of thinking and more about the incredulity of him saying such a thing.
They appeared to be struggling to comprehend how he could hold such thoughts while still being capable of acting so recklessly.
anwhile, Shinichi too was at a loss. Had he said sothing strange again?
He had ant to be sincere. Sure, he was at sowhat out of touch with the normal, but he hadn’t ant to trouble them. Alas, the result was a pair of troubled girls.
“You know, that Isis might actually pulled off sothing incredible, don’t you think?”
“If not for that nto of hers, he would have probably crossed so strange line already. I an even now he thinks everything is fine since he still has 1HP left.”
However, the two of them seed to think there was no point in trying to explain it and just looked at him with a mix of exasperation and reproach.
Feeling sowhat uncomfortable, Shinichi let his gaze wander.
He knew that trying to explain any further would just land him in deeper troubles, so he decided to just let the matter slide.
With a deep sigh, the two girls began discussing among themselves. As for whether that was a consultation or a complaint, it was hard to tell.
For the sake of his own ntal well-being, Shinichi consciously ignored the sound of their voice and gazed into the distance.
Ah, what beautiful stars.
──How did that proverb from your country go? Learn from the mistake of others and better yourself?
However, the person in question picked up a sowhat dejected voice, and when he reflexively turned his gaze in the direction of the sound, he spotted a blonde nun that was sowhere between visible and invisible, displaying a face filled with anguish and exhaustion that she had never once shown when she was alive.
──I did think we were alike, but not to this extent… These girls are going to have a hard ti.
With a wry smile, he watched as she muttered to herself. Was this really just an illusion? Or was it sothing projected by the pendant?
She, whose very soul had vanished right before his eyes, could not possibly be a spirit.
Even when he fully unleashed his power to ‘see,’ nothing made any sense.
But this ti, there was one strange point that he could understand.
──That’s odd, she usually just says one or two words, so why is she so talkative this ti?
Within his mind, he consciously reached out, and surprisingly, though he did feel it might work this ti, there was a response. The conversation with the voice of the pendant, which had never happened before, began in a surprisingly casual tone.
──Duh! I got to hear such a good song, and so much of it too. I’m brimming with life right now!
──What’s that supposed to an? You trying to say that you’re holy or sothing?
──Ha, look at this twisted, cowardly boy barking like he’s sothing special! Who could possibly be as divine and beautiful as this sister!
──Please. Don’t praise yourself. I’ll concede you’re a beauty, though.
──Huh? You don’t acknowledge my being a sister!?
──You’re surprisingly attached to that job, huh.
──Fighting nuns are all the rage, you know.
──Sure, sure.
──Don’t speak monotonously in your head!
They spoke casually. That was sothing they couldn’t do back when she was still alive, but sohow, he didn’t regret it at all.
Then again, it was probably because the language barrier was gone that they could talk like old friends.
If not that then, maybe they just knew each other too well now, or maybe it was because they were too similar.
“…”
Shinichi wore a tense face as he turned away from the fox and the songstress. Apparently, Isis could talk more now because of MOnica, but regardless, she has never appeared just to chat or put Shinichi at ease.
──You know, right?
Perhaps that’s why, Shinichi’s face, which responded with nothing more than a nod to the suddenly solemn voice, beca sowhat bitter. This was an evaluation, or so sort of harassnt where she would criticize all of his mistakes.
──You might have talked big and said that you bought ti, but really, you might not even be able to do that.
It felt as though she were calling him a fool. This was undoubtedly her forcing him to look at the worst case.
Apostle armants that made the impossible possible.
Apostle armors made from fitting those into Garesto’s armor.
Silver Giants, the fake apostles, that were dangerous precisely because of their instability.
Above all, the fact that so many have already been mass produced.
To be honest, if it were just these, it wouldn’t be a problem. Even if a large army ard with them were ford, Shinichi would be able to win.
In fact, anyone else would also have a good chance of winning so long as they had Monica’s song.
So, what was the problem…?
The problem lay in a fundantally simple yet obvious ‘question’ that, depending on the answer, could overturn everything.
How was the research, developnt, and mass production of those made possible?
That was a realm far beyond the reach of any known or unknown research whether it was on Earth or Garesto.
That’s why it stuck out like a sore thumb.
It was like seeing a civilization develop a string phone only to then develop a smartphone.
In fact, the gap was even bigger, but Shinichi didn’t know how to describe it.
Regardless, the question remained.
How were such advanced technologies made possible?
Was a secret society responsible for it? Were the advancents made by fusing Earth and Garesto tech so significant?
Have all the exorcism techniques and knowledge supposedly kept secret from most of the world been absorbed?
Has there been an influx of extraordinary geniuses?
──I see you’re running away from reality as usual.
It was curious if she could read his mind or not, but the ghost mocked him again.
A frown threatened to co out, but Shinichi desperately kept it at bay.
Because a part of him could understand it calmly.
That was a probability so slim, but that was precisely the worst case that she was referring to.
Fusion of technologies between different worlds. Research that has been ongoing for hundreds of years. Countless powers and knowledge of exorcism. The frequent ergence of geniuses.
Honestly, even with all of that combined, that was a realm that could not be reached.
Interference with causality.
Manipulation of events.
Materialization of consciousness.
Denial of the impossible.
Above all, the power that has been emitted, albeit still distorted, undeniably possessed qualities of the divine realm.
If it were possible to reach that point with those ans, humanity would have long beco ‘demigods.’ They would have beco creatures infinitely close to the divine had they possessed such wisdom.
However, the apostolic weapon he had easily neutralized up close was not a technology that the current humanity could reach irregardless of ti.
The divine authority and perception he had acquired told him that.
That was a realm that, as a species, they would have to raise their intelligence by at least three ranks to reach.
Hence why it remained a distant future no matter how many miracles humanity accumulated.
Yet, those giants did exist.
So what did that entail?
There could only be one answer.
Soone or sothing must’ve bestowed it upon them.
Soone or sothing that already knows that, soone or sothing that already possessed it, and if this soone or sothing were to be given a na, then there could only be one. God.
──Yes, a god is among the enemies.
The ghost shrugged her shoulders as though that much was obvious.
──Whether that god is still there, or they just appeared to give them sothing to start with, either way, it should be assud that the enemy possesses at least knowledge of the divine realm.
The ghost continued, and Shinichi scoffed.
──What’s the point of assuming the lesser evil in the worst-case scenario?
──It’s still much better than how a certain soone ignored the possibility despite having suspected it.
He had done so in an attempt to get back at her, but she responded with logic, leaving him without a retort.
That’s right, yesterday, he had already realized that possibility. And yet, he deliberately chose to ignore it and fought the Snake anyway.
──Fine, let’s take your advice and assu the worst and say that that god is still ‘there’ at the core of their ranks. If so, then…
She didn’t bla him for that and just continued, but her sarcasm still made his cheeks twitch in response. He didn’t lash out, though. After all, this ghost was really nothing more than an illusion. Above all, she wasn’t wrong.
──With this incident, that entity should have realized that Masquerade is the sa sort. From here, what will happen next depends on their personality—whether they’ll beco more cautious or act flashy, whether they’ll start paying attention to you or begin avoiding you altogether.
Either way, it was a troubleso situation, regardless if it was to defeat that entity or to minimize the damage.
Only a god can deal with another god.
But in the truest sense, Shinichi wasn’t a god.
Even if he pretended to be sothing more than a monster and called himself an evil god, he was for now still human.
He has rely inherited so of the powers, abilities, and knowledge of an evil god.
If one had to, he could be referred to as a ‘pseudo-demigod’ at best.
Even though the ‘real thing’ can’t enter the world’s inner realm, if a fallen evil god of that caliber existed in a perfect state, not even he would be able to guarantee his own victory.
Revealing himself before knowing the extent of what ‘the Serpent’ was capable of was truly nothing short of foolish on his part.
──You knew it would beco troubleso, yet you didn’t bother to hide yourself at all! Moreover, not only did you bless the Songstress, you even blessed those girls too! There’s no covering that up. Seriously, you’d rather fulfill so girl’s heart than expose the enemy. Just how dumb can a person be?
But he couldn’t help it.
He didn’t want to lose sothing so beautiful.
He didn’t want to see those children cry.
He didn’t want to see those girls who thought so fondly of him hurt.
In an instant, the boy’s feelings passed on to the illusionary woman.
──You were always impatient. Ti and ti again, you try to balance things out by directing the repercussions towards yourself.Even though you’re so clumsy, sohow you’re really good at that. Honestly, it’s almost impressive in a way.
The ghost woman laughed dryly, but Shinichi couldn’t help it.
While there were ways to conceal things and protect Monica at the sa ti, Naless would have ended up paying the price.
Several of them would have died for sure.
When he thought of that woman trying to laugh off the death of her comrades, he couldn’t help but snap his fingers.
He knew that that would make things more troubleso, but Shinichi couldn’t stop himself.
Even though the power he possessed was not one that should be wielded so emotionally, he still did it anyway.
His was a great power that if wielded without wisdom would ultimately crush the small spark he wished to protect.
That’s why he wasn’t allow to make the slightest mistake, not the identity of his opponent, or the situation, or the strength he mustered.
He needed to focus solely on the situation that only he could confront.
A failure to do so would lead to the tragedy and lantations of powerless people.
So he desperately acted as though he could maintain control, but it was undeniable that he was struggling.
Because there were tis when he couldn’t hold back.
Just like this ti.
So, he braced himself for the harsh evaluation that was sure to co.
──Well, I’m sure you’ll be struggling a lot even after this, but good luck.
──Hah?
But in the end, what he was waitnig for didn’t co, and Shinichi was left stunned. A crescent moon smile turned to him.
──Hmm? Oh? Were you expecting to be scolded, you spoiled child?
──Wha!? After provoking thoroughly, you say that!?
──Because your problems are basically always the sa; they just vary depending on the situation. Honestly, I’ve grown bored by now.
──Bored? If things go poorly, I’ll have to fight a god!
──Hmm? So, what?
──Hah?
──Since you feel like fighting, then you probably don’t plan on losing. And besides, you’re not the type to back down just because the enemy is powerful, right?
This was truly what it ant to be taken aback.
Yet he actually found himself agreeing with her.
He couldn’t quite understand it himself, but sohow, the frustration and pressure he felt just a mont ago had been significantly blown away just by talking to her.
But it would be too frustrating to admit that so easily.
──You speak as if it doesn’t have anything to do with you.
──I an it doesn’t? Ahaha!
──Right… I rember now… You were this kind of person!
She was a wicked person who stirred things up out of curiosity and then left it to the parties involved while enjoying the surrounding surprise and confusion from a distance. The more Shinichi rembered the details, the more he wondered why he even considered her his first love.
──Even if you praise that much, you won’t get anything from . Teehee.
──I’m not praising you!
The ghost received his heartfelt cry with a beaming smile and laughed heartily.
──Fuhahaha! Struggle and ponder, oh youth! No matter what you choose, there’s no escaping it. Whether it’s the path your heart desires or a rational choice, it all cos down to the situation. In fact, it’s common for both to be right and both to be wrong. The truly worst part is being cornered and not being able to decide, effectively abandoning everything. But of course, you won’t let that happen, right?
‘I’ll give you that much,’ the ghost seed to say with that sowhat haughty expression on her.
Ah, seriously, this woman…
──Whatever the outco, you’re just going to sulk anyway, so go ahead and indulge yourself. Don’t worry, there are plenty of won to comfort you! In that regard, you’ve done pretty well!
The exaggerated thumbs-up and the beaming smile both irritated Shinichi to an extre degree.
──Damn it… Give back the feelings of admiration I had for you!
Shinichi yelled back in frustration, only for her to continue giggling. Perhaps, the sight of him struggling was satisfying enough, but the ghost just kept laughing until finally she was gone.
“Damn it, that woman! Even after dying, she just does whatever she wants!”
The complaints he had when she left faded away along with his feeble voice. Still, it was that capriciousness that saved him in the past. She had recklessly put her life on the line, selfishly saved him, and then selfishly died for him. To this day, her figure remained etched in his mories.
“…Tch.”
He suppressed the urge to cry out aningless sentints with a click of his tongue and released the moon pendant he had been gripping so tightly. As he tucked it away in his clothing, he turned to the voices of the girls behind him.
It seed they were still engaged in a secret conversation and were huddled closely together, whispering about sothing.
However…
“…Maybe we should… Tie up… Make cry… Threaten…”
“Whip… Isolate… Ship off…”
He was startled by the ominous vibes that wafted through the words he overheard. However, he quickly composed himself and moved the empty plate that lay between them.
The two girls shot him puzzled glances, but he ignored them and with a fluid and natural motion ───── lay down.
“…Huh?”
“…Hah?”
For a mont, the two won wondered what he was doing and let out their voices dumbly.
On Myuhi’s right knee, on Monica’s left knee, on each of those was placed a head.
“…Lap pillow?”
“Double?”
“What else could it be? Anyway, let sleep for a bit.”
Shinichi spoke as though nothing could be more natural as he laid himself on the lap of the two girls, treating himself lavishly to the softness of the two won.
“The slight difference in softness between the two laps is pretty nice,” Shinichi said.
“Huh. Wait a mont, why are you deciding to be given a lap pillow all on your own!?”
For a mont, Monica found herself being dragged by Shinichi’s montum, but then she got her wits about her and protested. But Shinichi’s head that was moving on her lap was quite ticklish, so her face turned beet red. Moreover, to keep her from pushing him away, Shinichi told her the magic words.
“In that case, just consider it as one of my rewards.”
“Uu, that’s not fair…”
Sure enough. Monica couldn’t find it in herself to turn him away right after telling him to demand more from her.
But of course, one of the two ladies had nothing to do with that.
“Hey, wouldn’t that an I’m giving a lap pillow for free?”
“If you don’t like it, then I’ll move.”
“Hyan!?”
As Shinichi said that, he moved his head along with his fingers, placing them in such a way that they were just teetering on the edge of touching her thighs over her clothes. It was so sudden that Monica couldn’t help but cry out.
“I’ll just have the Songstress take care of then.”
Monica found herself turning to Myuhi with a beet red face seeking help, eyes sowhat tearful as she seed to plead not to leave her alone. And Myuhi was not so cold blooded as to be able to ignore soone’s plight. In fact, a strange sense of duty began to sprout within her to prevent this man, Shinichi, from ruining this Songstress any further. Perhaps that’s why.
“Sheesh… Just do what you want.”
She resigned herself to her fate, her face too beet red. It was curious if Monica even noticed that Shinichi’s fingers were caressing Myuhi in the sa way as he had done her. Regardless, whether it was out of embarrassnt or sha, Myuhi too found herself smiling with a crescent moon smile at the face of the man lying on her lap.
“You really are a sexually harassing demon.”
“I can’t believe the naughty boy turned out to be such a perverted boy.”
The two ladies decided to counterattack as such, but…
“In that case, shall I act in a way more fitting such a deviant title?”
When Shinichi said that with a grin, the two won imdiately fell silent. The shade of red on them grew intense. It was curious what it was that they were imagining.
Shinichi laughed from the depths of his throat, but really, he was exhausted. And when the two ladies felt his weight bore on them fully, their gazes turned into that of suspicion. Shinichi t their gaze. His gaze as he looked at them was that of longing, like soone entranced by the stars in the heavens, yearning for sothing just out of reach, it was a gaze that held an unspoken emotion that could not be put into words.
“Huh?”
“Puh.”
Myuhi was confused, while Monica laughed. Ignoring the further bewildernt of the forr, Monica let her cheeks soften, the flush of embarrassnt completely gone from her face.
“You really are a brat, aren’t you? You pull a prank, then run out of strength. If you want to be spoiled, why not just say so?”
She spoke in a teasing tone, calling him an “attention-seeker,” but her gentle eyes conveyed a kind of affection, as if she found his inability to express himself endearing.
“…Well, excuse for being a troubleso brat.”
Shinichi retorted sulkily, having been effortlessly called out, but his cheeks were similarly relaxed, accepting her gaze.
“Hey, I didn’t go that far. I see you’re not denying it though.” Monica smiled mischievously and reached out her hand by reflex.
Those slender hands that have been grood to perfection brushed the black hair of the boy.
“Can’t deny it, can I?”
Shinichi seed to accept her caress, so Monica happily suggested.
“Oh, right. For your reward, so long as you pay attention to who’s looking, how about I give you the right to be spoiled by this big sister?”
“Don’t need it.”
“Oh, my, how stubborn.”
“I don’t have a hobby of being spoiled by an older sister.”
“Oh, really? Well, that’s fine too.”
“Mn.”
Monica blinked her eyes several tis, then in a roundabout way, she said that she understood. As the two decided on his compensation like that, the Songstress and the boy shared a laugh.
anwhile, he felt another pair of eyes looking at him. So, he turned to her, and upon seeing her expression, said.
“Aren’t you going to do it too?” “!?”
Was it because she had not intended to watch from so close?
Was it because the person herself did not understand her own loss of composure? Was it because she did not want to lose to the mutual understanding between Monica and Shinichi? Was it because she t his eyes? Or was it because—
“…Good grief, what a bad man you are.”
“A bit too late for that.”
—She didn’t want him to think that she didn’t want him to desire her?
The boy saw through it all and enjoyed her white fingers as they ca to caress him.
Myuhi’s face was not at all looking in his direction, but there was no hiding how happy she was now. It was to the point that Monica was both astonished and chard by her. anwhile, Shinichi let out a breath and quietly closed his eyes.
──Really, all that’s here is a no good man.
Although he couldn’t sleep, just the comforting presence next to him was enough to lessen the heavy weight he carried on his shoulders and heal him.
For a mont, the softness, warmth, and gentleness of these two won made him forget about his problems. At the sa ti, he resolved himself to solve those problems no matter what.
So he let out a gentle breath and enjoyed to the fullest the lap pillow provided by these two beauties.
That was the reward given in the backdrop of the concert after the battle.
As for whether that was luxurious or austere, that was a matter to be decided by a person’s sense of value, but surely, not one of those who feared Masquerade could possibly imagine it,
that the source of his montum was in fact this warmth.
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