Chapter 14: Open Sesame! Pink Heaven, Pure White Hell
The hallway was dim.
The patch of sky Jakui Rinrincho had been staring at was now completely swallowed by gray-blue dusk. One star, two stars weakly flickered between the city’s neon glow and the distant train whistle.
Thud.
A very soft sound. Houya Riai set down her easel and paint buckets. Perhaps the buckets were too full, or perhaps she dropped them a little harder than usual; deep ochre paint splashed over the rim and dripped onto the floor.
A few drops stained the ground, her black stockings, and the thick soles of her shoes. They looked like dried blood. She didn’t even glance down, just expressionlessly rummaged through her bag for keys.
Jakui Rinrincho noticed her fingertips.
Not just the fingertips; the cuffs of her sleeves, the front of her clothes, even strands of her pale pink hair were speckled with all kinds of paint.
What a strange person.
Thinking this, Jakui Rinrincho still stepped forward, wearing her flawless, practiced social smile.
“Excuse me.”
Houya Riai paused, turned her head, face blank.
“Yes?”
“My name is Jakui. I’m the current president of AKB Agency.” Jakui Rinrincho smiled and offered a business card. “Recently some false rumors about our agency have been spreading online. After a preliminary investigation, the person who started them seems to live in this building. Have you noticed anything unusual lately? Or… anything strange?”
Her words were polite, but the probing intent was unmistakable. Beneath gold-rimmed glasses, those blood-red eyes sharply watched for the slightest change in Houya Riai’s expression.
Houya Riai took the card, glanced at it once, and tossed it straight into the trash.
“Haven’t noticed. I’m very busy.”
With that, she ignored whether Jakui Rinrincho had more questions, pulled out her key, and opened the door with a click.
Jakui Rinrincho didn’t get angry at the rudeness. The polite smile remained on her face.
“Oh, by the way.”
Just as Houya Riai was about to step inside, Jakui Rinrincho lowered her voice.
“I have a friend who likes painting too. Her name is Aizen Sou Hazuki. Do you know her?”
Aizen Sou Hazuki.
The instant the name left Jakui Rinrincho’s lips, the air seemed to chill. Houya Riai’s hand tightened around the key so hard her knuckles went white.
“Don’t know her.” A second or two later, she answered.
“Is that so? Sorry for bothering you.” Jakui Rinrincho smiled lightly, voice lazy and careless, while quietly noting the sudden tension in the girl’s wrist.
*
Time: [20:04]
Half an hour after Jakui Rinrincho left, our terrified, limp-limbed Miss Someya Sara finally recovered enough to push herself up from the sofa.
“Phew…”
Like a survivor of disaster, Someya Sara flopped back down and poked Xiao Nuosang in disbelief.
“They actually just… left? They didn’t even hit me!”
Xiao Nuosang: “…”
Hey, baby, why do you sound almost disappointed?
It wanted to roast her but held back.
“Maybe because Tsukiyo wasn’t home?”
[Obviously!]
Xiao Nuosang nodded vigorously.
[The heroine Hoshiori Tsukiyo isn’t here, so the CG collection route can’t progress.]
“I see…”
Someya Sara sighed. This time had been terrifying enough; what would next time be like? Did she have to live in constant fear from now on?
“Sigh…”
Mission difficult, Someya Sara sighs for the second time.JPG
“Sigh…”
Mission difficult, Sara sighs for the third time.JPG
…
Xiao Nuosang couldn’t help reminding her.
[Baby, sighing is bad luck, you know.]
“I know, but I can’t help it… And no one’s around to hear me anyway…” It won’t affect anyone else.
Halfway through the sentence, the girl suddenly stopped, realizing Xiao Nuosang was right there and had heard every single sigh.
“Sorry, sorry, sorry! Xiao Nuosang, did it bother you?”
Truly a child of the gods.
Hearing the tiny, flustered apology (as if she were afraid of disturbing it), Xiao Nuosang thought for one second and made a decision that went against its ancestors.
It secretly turned on system vision for its host (without telling the Main God) and pulled a bunch of anime from the database: K-ON!, Hell Girl, Stars Align, The Demon Girl Next Door, Yuri Is My Job!… lining them up for her to choose from.
The trick worked instantly. Someya Sara’s attention was completely captured.
“Xiao Nuosang, Azu-nyan is so cute!”
“Really, really cute!”
Curled up on the sofa, Someya Sara stared at the screen where the cat-eared, adorable Azusa appeared. Her misty blue eyes sparkled, face full of “awsl~” adoration.
Xiao Nuosang crunched potato chips in system space.
[Baby, want some?]
Someya Sara: “Thank you!”
And so, our Miss Someya Sara ate chips, got lost in anime, and temporarily forgot all about the stressful mission.
[Baby, did you not watch much anime before?] Xiao Nuosang suddenly asked during the ending theme.
“Mm.” Someya Sara nodded. She loved anime, but…
“Back in school, my phone would always mysteriously disappear.” Her voice grew quieter, tinged with barely noticeable loneliness. “It was a semi-boarding school; we could only go home during winter and summer breaks. After it got lost too many times, Mom and Dad stopped buying me new ones…”
Why was it always your phone that vanished from the classroom? Not anyone else’s?
Think about what you did wrong.
And why did they only bully you?
Think harder.
…
Someya Sara slowly hugged her knees, remembering the time she finally mustered the courage to report her missing phone. The teacher had said exactly that.
Meanwhile, Xiao Nuosang’s chip-munching mouth froze.
Damn its stupid mouth!
Why did it have to ask that question?!
“But it’s okay now!” Suddenly, Someya Sara beamed, bright and open. “I have Xiao Nuosang with me, and we can watch all these amazing, fun anime together! I’m really happy!”
[Baby…]
Xiao Nuosang’s voice turned soft and gooey.
[From now on, whatever you want to watch; pink pika pika stuff, pure white JM stuff, or the recent tear-jerking tragic love stories; I’ll find them all for you in the database.]
Someya Sara didn’t know what “pika pika” or “JM” or “tragic love stories” meant, but Xiao Nuosang sounded so excited and eager; they must all be warm, wonderful things, right?
“Thank you, Xiao Nuosang.” The girl’s eyes curved into happy crescents as she nodded enthusiastically.