Meow – Part 01
Today, I was set to go bowling with Orito. Because of yesterday’s rain, today brought some wonderfully overcast skies, so I managed to head out during the day.
Oh, right. Yesterday, after everything, we went out to grab some lunch boxes from the convenience store. And by we, I meant Sera. I lost count of how many times I heard Haruna complain she was hungry while we waited.
I met up with Orito at the station and decided to grab a bite first. We headed to a fast food joint nearby called Mask Donald.
Sounds familiar? Probably not the one you’re thinking of. This Mask Donald was the world’s only restaurant run by masked wrestlers.
“Welcome!”
A masked wrestler stood behind the register.
We ordered the standard Mask Burger sets. Orito added a Mask Shake (Mascaras Vanilla) and Mask Nuggets (Jushin Thunder Sauce).[1] I just stuck with the basic set.
“Would you like a mask with that?”
The wrestler gave me an intense look, but I immediately declined. For just 1,980 yen more on top of the 536-yen set (tax included), you could get a free wrestling mask. But who the hell needed that kind of weird bonus?
“Really? You sure?”
This guy was very persistent. He leaned in close with his stuffy-looking mask, hitting me with watery eyes like a chihuahua.
I sighed and reluctantly agreed to take the mask.
Stupid expense, sure. But getting stared at with those eyes was way too scary. I’d honestly have preferred getting glared at. I never expected the puppy eyes attack.
Anyway, once we finished lunch, we finally headed to our main destination: the bowling alley. Orito held his half-finished Mask Shake (Mascaras Vanilla). I held a mask.
We checked in, rented shoes, and picked our balls. Lately, too many things had been happening all at once, and I’d been piling up a ton of stress. Time to blow off some steam.
“Hey, Aikawa, check out the next lane over. There’s a super cute chick,” Orito said with a grin.
Staying in my seat, I casually turned my head to peek, then snapped my head back instantly.
“Hiyaah!”
Crash!
The sound came from right behind me. I recognized the voice. Pins crashed down.
“Yesss! Told you, I’m a genius! A brilliant and pretty Demon Baroness!”
Haruna bounced back to her seat, her cowlick wagging. With her were a dignified girl with jade eyes and another girl in full armor with a blank expression.
Yes, it was them.
Haruna, still wearing my T-shirt and jeans. Eu, suited up as usual despite the heat, with her plate armor and gauntlets. Sera wore a denim mini-skirt and a logo shirt, accessorized here and there. She really looked like a modern girl.
What the hell was Haruna doing here? Actually, Eu was the weirdest part. She came bowling? Did Sera invite them?
“Yo, Aikawa, what’s up? You’re looking kinda pale.”
Of course I was. I’m dead. No, wait. I couldn’t have people finding out I was acquainted with a gang of pretty girls.
Calm down. Count prime numbers. One prime… two primes. There had to be a way to avoid getting seen by them. But if it was my turn to bowl, I’d be exposed instantly.
I fired up my zombie brain. Then I noticed the 1,980-yen wrestling mask still in my hand.
This was it! I slipped the mask on and finally let out a breath of relief. I had shed my identity as Aikawa Ayumu and became Masked Ayumu! As Masked Ayumu, I was three times more degenerate than usual.
With the threat of exposure gone, I observed the trio from a distance with Orito.
By the sixth frame, Haruna had thrown nothing but strikes. Actually, all of them were bowling perfect games. Every scorecard was lined with identical marks.
“Whoa, those scores are insane. Are they pros or something?”
No pro would be practicing at a place like this. They just weren’t human, that’s all. Just a Magiclad Girl who couldn’t transform, a Ninja who craved blood, and a mysterious Necromancer, nothing more.
After Haruna, it was Sera’s turn. She stood up and picked up a ball.
“Hey, Aikawa! Check her out. She’s got an amazing figure.”
Orito was staring at Sera’s narrow waist. Yeah, I couldn’t blame him. I’d been just as stunned the first time I saw her.
“Here I go. Secret Art: Swallow Reversal!”
With a form so beautiful it could steal your heart, Sera launched the ball straight toward the front pin. It crashed through and kept going. In no time, every pin was down.
I figured I should say it anyway. Swallow Reversal had nothing to do with it.
Sera turned on her heel without cracking a smile and calmly returned to her seat, like knocking down all ten pins was expected.
Then it was Eu’s turn. She rose unsteadily. It looked like she was being pulled forward by some invisible force rather than walking on her own. She stumbled toward the ball, picked it up with both hands without even putting her fingers in the holes—probably because of her gauntlets—and tiptoed to the lane before letting it go.
Thump! Rumble.
The ball rolled at a snail’s pace, wobbling left and right, but somehow slid right between the one-pin and three-pin. Slowly, one by one, the pins fell, until eventually, all of them were down.
What shocked me most wasn’t the strike. It was Eu, who did a tiny little fist pump. I doubt anyone else noticed, but I was sure of it.
Haruna dashed in just as Eu stepped away. The moment the pins were reset, she hurled the ball.
“Hyaaah!”
There was so much force behind it that I thought it might bounce off the lane. But it cleanly took out all the pins again. She’d probably been bowling like that the whole time.
Once they each racked up another strike, we figured it was finally time for our game to begin.
“All right, Aikawa! Let’s not lose to them!”
No way. We were just regular humans.
Worried I might crack the floor or break something if I overdid it, I gently tossed my ball. It picked up speed and slammed into the pins, scattering them. Except one.
“Damn it.”
I glared at the lone survivor. No way I was letting it off easy. I had to settle this score. I grabbed the returning ball and immediately threw again with everything I had.
I knocked the pin down. It made a nasty cracking sound, but whatever. Spare.
I pumped my fist and returned to my seat, where Orito welcomed me with applause.
“You suck. Your focus is absolute garbage.”
That wasn’t Orito. The voice came from behind.
I turned around and saw Haruna grinning smugly down at me—at Masked Ayumu.
“Uh, h-hi there,” Orito stumbled over his words, clearly thrown off by the pretty girl.
Haruna stared at his face like a cat that had just spotted something twitch, her cowlick bobbing a few times.
After a moment of thought, she said, “Um… Xiahou Dun?”[2]
Who the hell is that supposed to be? The military general?
“It’s Orito,” I corrected softly without looking at her.
“O… Oberstein?”
“He’s not the Dry Ice Sword,[3] no. Actually, who are you supposed to be?”
“Huh? What are you saying? And why the heck are you wearing that thing?”
I didn’t want anyone thinking I knew these superhumans. If word got out we lived together, I’d be the subject of some crazy rumors at school.
“Haruna, it’s your turn.” Sera called out to her.
Nice. Sera always came through.
Haruna furrowed her brows and tilted her head in confusion for a moment, but as soon as she realized it was her turn, she bounced off with a smile. Good grief. Thanks, Vampire Ninja.
“She’s cute, but… kinda weird.”
Orito cackled as he watched Haruna. Had he already glimpsed her true nature? Terrifying.
“By the way, Ayumu. Why are you wearing that thing?”
And here I thought she understood the situation.
“Hah hah hah! I am not Ayumu Aikawa. I am… Masked Ayumu!”
“I see. You’re three times more disgusting than usual.”
Guh!
She shredded my spirit with a single casual line. And the fact that she didn’t say anything else after made it cut even deeper.
“Aikawa, do you know this chick?”
“Don’t be stupid. Like I’d ever be acquainted with someone that gorgeous.”
“Yeah, true. Huh, but wait. Didn’t she call your name?”
“You’re just hearing things. Hah hah hah!”
I thought he wouldn’t buy it, but Orito just agreed and laughed along. Thank god the guy was an idiot.
By the time the first game ended and I came out of the restroom, Sera was waiting for me. She stood there with her arms crossed, a serious look on her face. It looked like she wanted to talk, just the two of us.
1. Keiichi Yamada, better known as Jushin Liger and later Jushin Thunder Liger, is a Japanese retired professional wrestler and mixed martial artist, signed to New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) as a trainer.
2. Xiahou Dun, courtesy name Yuanrang, was a Chinese military general and politician serving under the warlord Cao Cao during the late Eastern Han dynasty of China.
3. Pau von Oberstein is a character from Legend of the Galactic Heroes who served as both an admiral in Lohengramm’s fleet and an advisor to Lohengramm himself.
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