Anya leaned on the sofa, slowly sitting down.
Should I leave… now?
But… is that really okay? Not to mention what Lirina might think… do I even want to leave?
…Why am I still clinging to some sliver of hope… thinking maybe it’s just some unexpected circumstance, so I can’t return on time…
No, this isn’t hope. It’s… because I don’t want to leave.
“Tch.” Anya frowned.
…Because I don’t want to leave here… don’t want to leave that adorable person… so I’m making excuses.
Yes… if I were someone protecting that person nearby, I should have appeared yesterday when I attacked her.
If I wanted to get someone from the demon world to take me away… I could have done it last night or this morning.
…Right… all my thoughts at this moment are full of excuses like that.
Trying to justify myself to Lirina.
“…Stop.” Anya muttered, grabbing her hair.
What am I doing…? I’m just a little succubus. All I did was take in the version of herself that tried to attack me, feed her, let her sleep… and even hugged her.
That’s it. That’s it! And now I don’t want to leave?!
…Forget it.
Forget it.
Anya grit her teeth, stood up, and walked to the window.
The fabric of her white dress stretched behind her back but quickly returned to normal.
“Cough!” Her face turned pale as she stretched forward to grab the window frame, narrowly avoiding a fall.
…Seriously, what am I even doing?
If I had fallen just now, I might have twisted my ankle… that pain would be…
“Of course… I was too confident about flying.” Anya muttered.
She had attempted to use her angel wings, but insufficient magic caused a forced interruption, leaving her dizzy and fatigued.
Damn it… what am I even doing right now…?
She closed her eyes tightly, careful not to touch her injured right foot, and slowly sat down.
“Ugh…” The nausea from the dizziness made her body shiver, but she held it back.
…At least the ramen bread was still delicious… I can’t throw it up.
…No, really… it’s because she bought it for me… that’s why I don’t want to throw it up.
…If I threw it up, she’d get worried and start asking questions… then calmly clean up after me anyway…
She opened her eyes slowly, her vision swaying and blurry.
“Ugh…” she groaned softly.
…It’s all your fault… You didn’t keep the promise you made… and now I’m suffering… all these messy thoughts… all these stupid actions…
It’s all because you… brought me happiness and then took it away… caused this!
Anya clenched her silver teeth, cheeks puffing slightly despite her thin face, and tears slowly streamed from her lost blue-gold eyes.
…Ah, yeah… I’m just an unimportant person anyway.
“Th… thank you for the meal.” Lirina swallowed the last bite from her plate and put down her chopsticks.
“You eat too fast…” Etsuyuki, sitting beside her, clicked her tongue. “Rina-chan… won’t you get indigestion?”
“Uh… hahaha, n-no, I’m fine.” Lirina scratched her head with a smile.
Everyone watched the unusual sight of Lirina. Normally she savored her food carefully, enjoying every bite, but today she kept shoveling it in—clearly in a hurry. It was obvious: something was urgent.
“Rina-chan… if you’re in such a rush, don’t worry about us. We’ll help her with her homework this afternoon anyway,” Kotoka spoke first. “You should go back first. It’s fine.”
“Y-yes…!” Lirina stood and bowed to Kotoka.
“Oh… is that really necessary?” Kotoka frowned but smiled. “Alright, alright. Go on then.”
Lirina nodded and quickly left.
A few seconds later, she returned, red-faced.
“My backpack… I forgot it…”
A few minutes after Lirina left.
“You really don’t care… about Rina-chan?” Motoko asked, chewing her fish.
“Motoko, that’s not right.” Kotoka frowned. “Rina-chan didn’t tell us on purpose. If she doesn’t want us to know, it’s rude to pry further.”
“Mm…” Motoko pouted but continued. “But Sister Kotoka… don’t you want to know more? Usually, Rina-chan is cheerful and carefree, but suddenly she’s so heavy with thoughts… and you don’t care at all?”
“Tch…” Kotoka’s eyes flickered but returned to her serious expression. “Even if I care, Rina-chan chose not to tell us. It’s not right to invade someone’s prIvaky!”
“Mm.” Everyone became quiet.
“When Rina-chan wants to tell us, she will. So let’s not push it now. We all have secrets we can’t share anyway.” Kotoka crossed her arms.
Everyone nodded and continued eating.
Out the door, rushing to the bus stop. Waiting.
…1:10 PM…
Lirina panted, staring at her phone.
…What do I do? I didn’t make it back on time… I even tried to excuse myself thinking Anya might still be asleep… How pathetic…
Her brows furrowed tightly as she stared down the road, wishing the bus would appear around the corner any second.
If Anya is awake… she’ll blame me… She came here alone, found a place to stay, and I’m her only known friend… and I left her alone at home…
I have to apologize properly… sincerely…
She looked to the corner again. No bus.
Minutes passed. Still none.
…1:16 PM…
The early summer heat made Lirina sweat even more in frustration.
Finally, at 1:19 PM, the bus arrived.
She dashed forward, nearly tripping, startling the driver.
“Tatatatata…!” Her shoes pounded the ground.
She ran up the stairs to her apartment. On the third floor, running was faster than waiting for the elevator.
Her heart raced violently, mixing with her chaotic thoughts.
“Ha… ha… ha… ha…”
Her breaths came in ragged gasps, but she didn’t slow down.
…301, 302, 303…
304…
309.
She stopped, panting hard—her chest heaving so fiercely that Anya, watching from inside, couldn’t look away from the peephole.
Yet Anya stepped back a little, letting Lirina steady herself and pull out her key.
As the lock turned, Anya’s heartbeat quickened in sync.
…What is this feeling…?
Later, when Lirina recalled leaving Anya at home, she asked what she was thinking. Anya didn’t say anything. She just pushed Lirina onto the sofa.
“Because… I don’t know… I still don’t know.”
The lock clicked open. Lirina pushed the door.
The moment she stepped in, Anya reached out, covering her mouth, pressing her against the wall.
…Careful not to hurt her head… Anya even supported Lirina’s neck with her left hand.
Then she closed the door.
Lirina stared at Anya’s icy expression.
“Ugh… ugh?”
“Am I… unimportant?” Anya squinted her tear-wet blue-gold eyes. Against her icy gaze, they gleamed like golden ornaments on a sword hilt, sending a shiver down the spine.
“Ugh…” The suddenness and intensity of Anya’s gaze left Lirina frozen.
“Am I unimportant… Lirina?” Her brows furrowed. “Answer me.”
…My mouth is covered… how can I answer…? Lirina thought, reaching to hold Anya’s wrist.
“Ugh ugh… ugh…”
“You can just nod or shake your head.” Anya forcefully pushed Lirina’s hand aside. “One last time… Hmph.”
Anya looked fragile, weak… but her anger wasn’t frightening. It was heartbroken.
I just want to hold her… she’s really… so sad.
Her heart ached, feeling all the tangled, negative emotions radiating from Anya—anger, disappointment, hurt.
It was because Lirina had broken her promise… that faint scent of resentment was still detectable.
“Am I unimportant… answer me, Lirina Hayur.”
Lirina shook her head.
A/N:
Reese: “Sssslurp… sssslurp…”
Ivak: “Hm? Reese, what are you eating?”
Reese: (holds up a lollipop)
Ivak: “Oh, a lollipop. Hmm… so many things in this world don’t exist in heaven… no wonder everyone wants to come here… wait, Reese, let me see that lollipop…”
Reese: (raises it again)
Ivak: “…That’s a super deluxe limited edition… I barely got some in stock… trying to make a little profit…”
Reese: “Mm… Store manager?”
Ivak: “It’s fine… you can eat it. Just… don’t eat too many later… or we won’t be able to have meals…”
Ivak: “So, Miss Harts, what do you think? My marketing strategy isn’t too bad, right?”
Anya: “……”
Ivak: “Don’t be so gloomy. Lots of girls were taking photos with you and getting autographs, my shop sold a ton of clothes… today was really profitable… hoo hoo hoo.”
Anya: “……”
Ivak: “Ah, come on now. Look at the little girls complaining because you were frowning—smile, Miss Harts~ I’ll even increase your pay by… hmm, cough cough, 500 yen. Smile, Miss Harts~”
Anya: “…Really, you’re killing me with that.”
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