Chapter 16: Frustration. To hell with everything!
[Congratulations, baby! Mission complete.]
[Reward points issued. Current total: 51 points.]
[You’re amazing!]
The system’s cheerful notification rang in her mind, but Someya Sara didn’t feel happy at all. Slandering people like this; after she died, the Yama of the underworld would definitely punish her severely.
Whimper!!!
She crouched with her head in her hands, terrified that the next second a Hell Girl holding a straw doll would appear behind her, whispering, “Your grudge has been heard. Shall we make a contract?” before dragging her straight to the Tongue-Ripping Hell.
Just as the girl was trembling in fear, footsteps sounded from the stairwell.
Low, soft, almost weightless, like a twenty-one-gram ghost crawling out of an underground coffin, barely making a sound as it touched the ground.
Before Someya Sara could react, the person was already up.
Houya Riai.
The neighbor next door. The exact person Someya Sara wanted to avoid right now. She wore the same black dress as yesterday, only the cuffs and collar edged with thin white piping. Black stockings too, though the hem was so long they reached her ankles; impossible to tell if they were thigh-highs or ankle socks.
Clearly, she really liked black.
Which meant her mood was just as dark.
Boring.
Irritated…
Everything was irritating.
Her long hair hadn’t been dried last night; it was a messy, damp clump sticking to her face this morning, irritating. Her nails were too long; they got in the way while painting, irritating. Hearing that name—Aizen Sou Hazuki—last night made her want the woman dead, dead, dead, irritating.
Thinking about the couple next door probably tangled together in bed while she couldn’t sleep, twisting and moaning and clinging, made her lower belly feel heavy and hot. She’d have to change the sheets again…
Tch. Disgusting, irritating, jealous, envious.
Everyone just die.
Aizen Sou Hazuki, Hoshiori Tsukiyo…
Let everyone die already.
↑
Those were Houya Riai’s hollow, seething, dark thoughts on the way to the rooftop.
She had come up here to stand at the edge, look down at the ant-like people scurrying below, and imagine them all falling from the roof one by one.
Instead, she found a girl crouched in the corner, delicate shoulders trembling, looking terrified out of her mind.
In that instant, strangely, all the dark emotions surging inside Houya Riai suddenly… calmed.
If she had to describe it:
It was like scrolling through endless “Your Name” yuri doujins, Crying Mamba’s “Elbow of the Lost,” or the pure Chihaya Aine candy compilation ⚡🍬 that required payment to even look at the thumbnail, and suddenly stumbling upon a video of a little loli in white stockings.
Yes…
Pure salvation!
“Sara-nee?” After a moment, Houya Riai glanced at her hesitantly. “You’re…”
Was she pretending to jump again to get Tsukiyo-nee’s attention?
She almost said it, but decided it was too mean and changed her question.
“Dye-someya-san, what are you doing up here?”
Someya Sara froze at being called “nee.”
Eh…
Someone taller than me is calling me big sister!
Happy.JPG
Super happy.JPG
Watching its host get giddy over a simple honorific, Xiao Nuosang fell silent and began to doubt whether they could really live up to the Main God’s expectations this time.
“Sara-nee?” Houya Riai tilted her head, a trace of barely noticeable confusion in her voice.
Only then did Someya Sara snap out of it and hurriedly explain.
“Ah… um… just getting some fresh air.”
She was obviously lying.
So to Houya Riai, it looked exactly like last time, pretending to jump to get Hoshiori Tsukiyo’s attention.
Idiot.
Thinking this, Houya Riai’s gaze swept over the girl.
So cute…
Really, really cute.
The eyes were slightly dim from blindness, lacking some sparkle, but they were such a clear blue you could still see stars inside. Beautiful.
Transparent, porcelain skin; soft pink lips like eternal cherry blossoms; innocent cheeks; petite, delicate frame; an aura that screamed “please don’t bully me”; everything she liked.
Hoo…
Houya Riai pressed her tongue hard against her back teeth, forcing her breathing to calm, and spoke in her usual listless tone.
“Sara-nee, you don’t want Tsukiyo-nee to hate you, right? There’ve been some nasty rumors online lately. You shouldn’t do things that make her angry.”
“The jumping thing last time was enough…”
She paused, watching Someya Sara, then continued.
“If Sara-nee tries jumping again, Tsukiyo-nee might actually get mad. Doing the same trick too many times to get attention…”
A faint, shallow smile appeared on Houya Riai’s normally expressionless face.
“…makes people hate you.”
Eh?
How does she know so much about my family?
Someya Sara vaguely felt something off. In the original host’s memories, Houya Riai was a gloomy, apathetic beauty who never seemed interested in anything.
The post she could understand; it was all over the internet.
But the rooftop incident? In the original host’s memories, only she and Hoshiori Tsukiyo knew about that.
[Beep.]
Just as Someya Sara almost asked, “How do you know?” the system voice suddenly rang in her head.
[Temporary Mission: To maintain the original host’s sensitive, paranoid, and neurotic image, please reveal to Houya Riai in the following conversation that Hoshiori Tsukiyo has actually betrayed you.
Requirement: Earn Houya Riai’s sympathy.
Reward: 10 points.]
Someya Sara: “…”
“What’s wrong, Sara-nee?” Houya Riai tilted her head. “Am I wrong?”
[You can do it, baby!] Xiao Nuosang cheered.
“Mm…”
And so our Miss Someya Sara could only nod, steel herself, put on a pitiful, wronged expression, and continue along Houya Riai’s words.
“You already know… but Tsukiyo-nee barely comes home anymore. She ignores my calls. What else can I do? I-I just wanted her to care about me a little more…”
She lowered her head, voice trembling with fake sobs.
“But she said I’m so annoying. Said that a blind person like me should be grateful she’s keeping me fed instead of begging on the street…”
“Is that true?” Houya Riai stared straight at her. Hidden beneath pale pink bangs, those gray eyes gleamed with something greedy and excited.
“Mm…”
Someya Sara felt a little guilty from the question, but thinking of the mission she nodded hard and kept making things up.
“She even said someone blind like me should feel lucky anyone took me in, that I shouldn’t ask for too much or pry into her private life.”
“How awful…”
Houya Riai’s voice was soft, as if comforting her.
But in the shadow of her bangs, one dimple appeared on her pale cheek, and her eyes narrowed in pleasure.
“Tsukiyo-nee actually said that to you.”