Chapter 29: Tokisaki Kurumi’s Day of Suffering

This situation was within Chihaya Sayo’s expectations.

After all, at least for now, her own spirit power level was clearly a tier below Miku Izayoi’s.

If Rule were in control… maybe things would be completely reversed?

“All right, thank you, Yaye. You may go now~”

She waved lightly, dismissing the obedient maid.

When Miku Izayoi looked at the girl, her gaze held a bit more… smugness and confidence.

“How is it? My ability is above yours~ If you want… you can come study with me at Rindouji Girls’ High School. I just need to use my ‘Voice’ to control the entire class, and that’s it, right?”

‘Just… use her “Voice” to control the entire class?’

‘You really dare say that? They’re your classmates who spend every day with you. Aren’t you worried about what negative effects that might have on them?’

“It’s good luck for them to be your classmates~”

“Of course. Not everyone is qualified to be classmates with a peerless beauty like me~ The spirit power I bestow on them normally should be received with gratitude~ And if they please me, it’s not impossible for me to give them special rewards~”

‘She really has no self-awareness… What exactly do you think Rindouji Girls’ School is? Your personal harem?’

She knew she couldn’t have a deep discussion on this topic with Miku Izayoi, whose cognition differed so obviously from others.

Although she still wanted to experience school life, if it had to be in that way…

Especially in a bizarre place like the Rindouji Girls’ harem, it would definitely be unbearable, right?

As if imagining something terrifying, Chihaya Sayo shivered, shrank back, and shook her head.

“Better… better not? If emotions are suppressed for too long and can’t be released, something horrible might happen, and besides…”

After thinking it over, she guessed Miku Izayoi would probably say something cold-blooded like “If they break, just replace them.”

So Chihaya Sayo quickly added,

“Besides, I still have my streaming work to do. That’s my only source of income… so…”

“Eh? Sayo is surprisingly rule-abiding? Obviously, for beings like us, when we lack money, we can just use our spirit power to get plenty of money…”

“I would never do that!”

Chihaya Sayo jumped up like a cat whose fur had been rubbed the wrong way.

Her originally soft tone of voice also unconsciously grew louder.

“That’s my bottom line! Bottom line!”

“Bottom line?”

Miku Izayoi lightly tapped her chin with a slender finger, using her somewhat twisted thought process to search for a reason.

“Is it because of that kind of… chicken-soup reason, like money you earn yourself makes food taste better?”

“I…”

‘That’s not the reason at all, is it? Isn’t this just basic human morality? If I robbed people, how would I be any different from a bandit?’

Fine, although strictly speaking, she and Miku might not count as humans right now, and the Miku Izayoi before her clearly lacked normal human morals.

Explaining things like “morality” to her would probably only confuse her more, right?

Chihaya Sayo felt as if all strength left her in that instant.

She could only lean back on the sofa and weakly spit out a few words.

“Just… just take it as that kind of reason.”

Only…

Miss Miku, who had no self-awareness at all, cheerfully accepted Chihaya Sayo’s explanation.

Or rather… she hadn’t taken Chihaya Sayo’s reason to heart at all.

A complete egoist?

No, no, no.

Miku Izayoi’s situation seemed even more special and extreme than she had imagined.

She had once pitied a girl with such a twisted personality in her heart, but considering the girl’s hobbies…

Chihaya Sayo shuddered.

The warm Izayoi mansion suddenly felt like a bone-chilling ice cellar.

She couldn’t stay any longer.

If she stayed…

Glancing at the still gloomy weather outside the window, Chihaya Sayo spoke softly.

“Ah… I just remembered I seem to have clothes drying at home. They’ve probably all gotten soaked by now… I won’t intrude any longer. If there’s a chance later…”

“Eh?”

Miku Izayoi smiled slyly, but showed no intention of stopping Chihaya Sayo.

Instead, she took a light sip of coffee from the table.

“We can be considered ‘friends’ now, right? Miku wants to know where you live. It’ll be convenient for me to visit next time, won’t it?”

‘Friends? That word sounds terrifying coming from your mouth, you know?’

Chihaya Sayo swallowed and instinctively wanted to answer, but seeing the little-devil-like smug expression on the girl’s face, the words at the tip of her tongue were swallowed back down.

If Miku Izayoi learned where she lived, she probably wouldn’t have a peaceful night again.

After all, she didn’t believe that old antique security door could keep out a Spirit.

“Eh? Is it not allowed? I thought we were already friends. So…”

Miku Izayoi opened her mouth, cleared her throat, and a sweet, sticky, abnormal voice instantly numbed the girl’s entire brain.

“If we’re not friends, then I can also renege on our previous agreement at any time~ Just like this…”

“Stop, stop, stop!”

Already able to imagine what kind of terrifying act Miku Izayoi would commit, Chihaya Sayo hurriedly interrupted the girl’s casting.

Then she “willingly” exchanged address information with the calmly smiling Miku Izayoi.

Having gotten the address as she wished, Miku Izayoi returned to her original demeanor and even waved at Chihaya Sayo, who was about to leave.

“Goodbye?”

“Goodbye…”

Chihaya Sayo felt uneasy.

Who wants to see you again? And besides…

She walked out of the Izayoi mansion’s main gate.

The rain outside had stopped, but the sky was still terrifyingly gloomy.

Rolling dark clouds churned and surged, as if they were unknown living creatures opening their great mouths and slowly pressing down on the entire city.

Under such gloomy weather, the whole city’s level of color was forced down several notches.

Although the buildings still had enough different tones to distinguish their parts, from a distance they looked as if covered by a gray-white filter.

Chihaya Sayo couldn’t help but recall the words she had heard from the enormous thing hidden in darkness when she was on the verge of death that day…

By the way, those were definitely the seductive, sinful words of an abyss, right?

After all, she wasn’t some brainless villain from a hot-blooded anime.

Did they really think that elementary-school-level eloquence could easily confuse her worldview and make her obey and destroy the world?

Don’t joke around!

Isn’t it better to just live well?

There were still so many sights in this world she hadn’t seen, so many delicious foods she hadn’t enjoyed, and in the future, games like SAO might come out…

The girl’s thoughts drifted further and further, but her gaze was unwillingly captured by a vivid bright red in the gray world.

If she wasn’t mistaken, that should be…

****

Today was Tokisaki Kurumi’s day of suffering.

She should have been beautifully waiting for her date with Shido Itsuka, then reaching the peak in gradually warming feelings, and afterward naturally becoming one with him.

That was how it should have been…

But…

Just passing through an alley, she was grabbed by the throat by a vicious beast.

The beast’s sharp finger bones were already pressed against her windpipe.

With just a little force, her life would end in an instant.

Maybe… the beast in front of her couldn’t bear to do it?

“Get lost! Don’t think I don’t know what rude things you’re thinking!”

Chihaya Sayo gritted her teeth and looked at Tokisaki Kurumi, who was clearly up to no good, and tightened her grip.

‘Hmm, this spirit power and strength level… it’s probably just a clone, right?’

But at least she could collect a little interest first.

If Tokisaki Kurumi hadn’t suddenly thrown her into the center of the battlefield, she probably wouldn’t have…

“Cough, cough, cough… let go, let go! Besides, look, we’re both standing here perfectly fine now, right? Don’t worry about such a small thing~”

“You actually have the nerve to say that?”

Although she still wouldn’t relent verbally, perhaps because she thought of something, Chihaya Sayo, who had her own principles, released her hand.

Tokisaki Kurumi’s body slumped softly to the ground, gasping for fresh air.

Because Chihaya Sayo had used too much force, her fingers had left a ring of red marks on Tokisaki Kurumi’s slender neck that wouldn’t fade for a while.

It looked quite… uniquely beautiful?

‘Tch, she clearly didn’t have any strange fetishes…’

“Ah… even though you say that, Miss Chihaya is still very gentle!”

Tokisaki Kurumi supported herself against the wall and barely stood up.

She took a small mirror from her pocket and smiled bitterly.

“Really… I still have to prepare for my date with Shido soon! Now that there’s this mark on my neck… it shouldn’t leave a strange bad impression, right? Or did Miss Chihaya know I was going to date Shido and do this on purpose…”

“Wounds of this level can be easily healed with your Angel…”

Chihaya Sayo rolled her eyes at Tokisaki Kurumi and tilted her head thirty degrees to avoid Tokisaki Kurumi’s somewhat curious gaze.

No matter what, saying it like that was just like…

A blush uncontrollably rose to the girl’s cheeks.

Chihaya Sayo could only lift her head slightly, trying hard not to let Tokisaki Kurumi see her current expression.

‘It’s all Tokisaki Kurumi’s fault!’

‘That way of putting it made it sound like she was jealous…’

‘Whether she was jealous or not aside, did she look like the kind of vicious side character who deliberately tripped people up?’

A smile appeared on Tokisaki Kurumi’s face.

As if she had expected it, she took out a cat-ear choker with a bell from her pocket and skillfully put it around her slender neck, covering the wound that couldn’t heal in a short time.

“How sly! You clearly know I’m not using my Angel’s power right now. Of course, if Miss Chihaya is worried, you can come with me too?”

“A threesome?”

As if realizing what unbelievable thing she had unconsciously said, Chihaya Sayo immediately shut her mouth.

“Oh my, what a remarkable idea! But you don’t need to worry about it. If you want a comparison, it’s more like… bringing your best friend along to a date with your boyfriend? Something like that…”

The corners of Tokisaki Kurumi’s mouth lifted slightly, forming a somewhat eerie curve.

Her gaze toward Chihaya Sayo suddenly became serious.

“Of course, if you’re willing, it’s not impossible. Today you could also visit Dream Island and experience something unprecedented~”

“Get lost! If you push me too far, I really will kill you!”

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