Meow – Part 02
“What’s up? You need something?”
“It’s about Miss Hellscythe.”
“Yeah, yeah, I screwed up, all right? Let’s just leave it at that.”
I didn’t want to think about it right now, so I brushed her off.
“She was deeply hurt. Back then, you said you couldn’t trust her. Why?”
“I gave my reason, didn’t I? There just isn’t enough proof to trust her.”
“Then do you have enough proof not to trust her? Are you sure that information is reliable?”
“I wanted something to believe in so I could verify that information.”
“You don’t trust the person who saved your life? I can’t wrap my head around it.”
“I know she’s a good person. I want to trust her. But honestly… I still have doubts. She never tells me anything. You can’t expect someone to understand you if you don’t say a word.”
I must’ve looked pretty sour. Sera slapped me across the cheek with her lovely hand.
“You know full well how much weight words carry for her, don’t you?!”
“No, I don’t,” I growled.
Sera frowned, clearly not satisfied with my answer. “Seriously?”
“Seriously. I also don’t get why you’re so worked up over this.”
“You mean to say you don’t know why she can’t speak, why she has to suppress her emotions? Nothing at all?”
She had a reason? I thought it was just a personality quirk or something.
“I don’t know a thing. That’s exactly why I don’t see her as someone I can trust. But hey, if you know, feel free to enlighten me.”
“I can’t tell you. But remember this, at least: there’s no kinder being in this world than Eucliwood Hellscythe.”
Sera turned on her heel and briskly walked away.
Come on, after all that, she just leaves? Now I was stuck with this weird emotion.
Anyway, we wrapped up bowling after that. I ended with a score of 170, while Orito had 113. With the kind of power I had, it was easier for me to knock down strikes than some average joe like him.
Oh, right. Those girls next to us bowled four consecutive perfect games. All of them. And they were all drop-dead gorgeous. Of course they got all the attention. Were ninjas even allowed to draw that much focus?
But seriously… how did they know it was me, even with the mask on? It was pointless, so I ripped it off and tossed it aside. If this were a wrestling ring, it might’ve been a hype moment.
“Guess I lost. Ayumu, you want anything?”
I think the deal was one manga. I didn’t really want anything now, so I just said, “Nah, I had fun. That’s enough.” We returned the shoes, paid the bill, and stepped out of the bowling alley.
Whew. I planned to just head home quietly, but as we passed a trio of punks swaggering inside, I caught one of them laughing and saying, “Think we’ll find any cute girls today?” That really bothered me.
Why, you ask?
Simple. Because of what the guy said. Judging by their look, those three punks would likely hit on them.
Was I jealous? No, not at all. Worried? Bingo.
I wasn’t worried for the girls. I was worried about those three punks. Sera, Haruna… no, Eu might be the scariest of them all. If those guys tried hitting on them, worst-case scenario, the entire bowling alley might get blown to hell.
Haruna’s high kicks were on par with pro fighters. Sera’s sword could slice a man clean in two without her breaking a sweat. And Eu? She had the power to bring the dead back to life.
No, no, no! Guys! Stay the hell away from them! Anywhere but there!
I dashed after the punks.
“Aikawa!” Orito called, confused by my sudden sprint, but I just waved him off without turning back.
“Be right back!”
I picked up speed. I had to make it in time. Where were they? Where the hell did they go?
I ran all over the bowling alley. But since it was the weekend, the place was packed. I ended up losing them in the crowd. I could only hope they hadn’t run into them yet.
After sweeping through the whole place, I returned to the entrance, where Orito was waiting. I couldn’t find them.
“Where’d you go?”
“Ah, just… the restroom.”
Then came a thud against my back, strong enough to knock the air out of me.
“Ayumu! Buy me clothes!” Haruna clung to me out of nowhere.
It looked like she was still riding the high of her perfect game. She dangled for a moment, then landed lightly on her feet. The other two were right behind her, of course.
“Aha! You do know them. Introduce me.”
Orito grinned as he fiddled with his signature feature, his spiky hair. But behind those glasses, his eyes weren’t smiling at all. I knew that look. He was bitter that I, of all people, knew these stunning girls. It was all over. I had no choice. I had to explain. We’d talk while walking to the department store.
Just as we started down the sidewalk, an ambulance pulled up to the bowling alley.
“This way! Hurry! None of them are breathing!” A panicked employee guided the medics inside.
I knew it.
Just to be sure, I asked Sera, “You didn’t kill them, did you?”
“Of course not. Vampire Ninjas don’t kill. Haruna just kicked them unconscious.”
Whew. Thank God.
All’s well that ends well, right? Those punks should count themselves lucky they only got hit with a high kick straight out of Pride FC.[1]
But still… I don’t know. It’s just that…
A small part of me kind of wished it had turned into a disaster.
Those three came from overseas. That was all I could say.
Where exactly they came from or what they were doing here—there was no way I could explain any of that. Revealing their true identities would be pointless. If I were in Orito’s shoes and someone introduced them to me like, “From right to left: Necromancer, Magiclad Girl, and Vampire Ninja,” I’d just go, “Huh?” and assume it was some weird joke. So I decided to play dumb.
And of course, saying “They all live at my place” was strictly off-limits.
“Where do you live?” Orito asked.
“Ayumu’s house,” Haruna answered without a second thought.
She didn’t give me a single chance to cut in, no time to cover her mouth, change the topic, or even yell, “Waaah!” to distract him.
“Aikawa, why didn’t you tell me? Didn’t you go on about how lonely you were?”
His glasses were terrifying. I’m sorry.
“I mean, it all happened so fast, y’know? I just met this tiny girl and the noble-looking one here too.”
“I’m just… shocked, I guess. That you were hiding something from me.”
Orito stared at me, dead serious. I got it. I really did. But the more he knew, the more likely he’d get dragged into my world. A world filled with constant battles.
“Sorry.”
“You told me now, so it’s fine. Anyway, uh… have you, y’know… done it yet?” he asked nervously.
If I said yes here, I’d probably get a funny reaction out of him, but I’d also risk spreading weird rumors and getting turned into a punching bag by Sera or Haruna. And I don’t mean metaphorically. I mean I’d literally be shaped like a punching bag.
“If I ever tried something like that, I’d get torn limb from limb.”
Sera and Haruna nodded in sync, confirming my statement. Relieved, Orito switched back to his usual annoying grin. With that, we headed off to buy clothes for Haruna.
Haruna walked up front. Orito and I followed, and Eu and Sera brought up the rear as we wandered through the department store’s clothing section.
Haruna didn’t seem satisfied unless she grabbed everything in sight.
“Oooh, that one’s cute! Look, Ayumu!”
I lost count of how many times I heard her say that.
Every now and then, I glanced back and saw Sera picking up trendy outfits with a hungry look in her eyes. She probably had a sharp sense for what suited her and went straight for it. Eu, on the other hand, just stared blankly off into space. Was she seeing spirits or something?
“Sera, if there’s something you want, just say so. I’ll buy it for you.”
“Are you sure?” Sera averted her gaze, clearly hesitant.
“Of course it is. You can be as bold as her.”
I pointed my thumb at Haruna, who was bouncing around in excitement. That little cowlick on top of her head bobbed like always. Sera must’ve noticed it too.
“But someone like me…”
“It’s fine, seriously.”
“But as your servant…”
“Ugh, enough. Then it’s an order. Today, you’re allowed to be greedy. A servant follows orders, right?” I said with a shrug.
It looked like this was the only way I’d get to give her anything.
“That’s cheating. But…”
She turned her back and started seriously examining the clothes. As she glanced over her shoulder, she gave me the faintest smile and whispered—so softly I barely heard it—a thank you.
My heart felt like it was about to explode just from those two words. It was like something sharp had stabbed through my chest. That brief little smile burned into my mind like a blurred photograph.
She really knew how to turn words into blades.
When I glanced away, I met Eu’s eyes. Her face was as blank as ever, a perfect contrast to the mess I was right now.
Suddenly, that weird feeling swelled and squeezed my chest tight.
“You know full well how much weight words carry for her, don’t you?!”
Sera’s words echoed in my head and wouldn’t leave.
Damn it. I grabbed Eu’s gauntleted hand and pulled her along.
“Hey, Aikawa! Where are you going?”
I ignored Orito and made my way to the elevator.
“Excuse me, do you think this would look good on me?” Sera said. “Haruna, this one’s cute too.”
Sera cast a quick glance my way. She had the look of a mother watching her kid go out on their first errand.
She was giving me and Eu some time alone. I owed her one.
1. PRIDE Fighting Championships (Pride or Pride FC, founded as KRS-Pride) was a Japanese mixed martial arts promotion company.
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