Chapter 39: ACT.8 "Daybreak"

My consciousness slowly awakens.

My eyes are still closed, but I can sense the cold yet gentle flow of air, and the light filtering through my eyelids. Even I, who am insensitive, knew that morning had arrived after the night of that battle.

"......Mmm."

When I opened my eyes, the room was completely bright, and the familiar ceiling was clearly visible. Moreover, despite having been engaged in combat with TATARI, my mood and physical condition were good—which was unusual. This was despite my useless body, which struggles so much with waking up that even in a normal daily routine, Hisui usually has to wake me.

"Well then."

I took the glasses placed on the side table and lifted my face. I feel bad for Hisui, but since I feel good today, I'll just get up now. I have a ton of questions I want to ask Arcueid, Senpai, and Satsuki about what happened after that.

Just as I thought that and lifted myself up, I felt a strange sensation in my stomach.

I lowered my gaze to investigate the source of the discomfort, and I found it.

There was a purple-haired girl sleeping with her face resting on my stomach—it was Sion, wait.

"Huh?"

A foolish sound escaped my mouth at the unexpected person.

"No, w-why is she here?"

Sion and I were on non-friendly terms right up until the battle with TATARI. No, to be precise, we were trying to kill each other.

Why is the person involved in that in my room? And why is she sleeping with my stomach as a pillow? There are so many things to point out that my head is starting to spin.

"Hmm..."

While I was in this state of confusion, Sion woke up.

"Good morning, Shiki Tohno."

"G-Good morning."

I exchanged morning greetings with Sion, who heavily lifted her eyelids. However, Sion seemed to be groggy, as she is not a morning person. With no words needing to be spoken between us, silence continued for a while as our gazes met.

"Um, Sion-san?"

"............"

I plucked up the courage to call out to her, but the reaction was not favorable. The only sound coming from Sion was her breath, and combined with the warmth of her body that I could still feel, my son... wait, no!!

"Sion, how long are you planning to use my stomach as a pillow?"

"Pillow, pillow? Now that you mention it, today's pillow is warmer and more comfortable than usual... W-Wha-Wha-Wha-Wha-Wha!?"

Sion finally seemed to understand what I was saying. She sprang off the bed and away from me.

"Y-You, Shiki Tohno!! How dare you peek at a maiden's sleeping face!! Stay right there!! No, I shall punish you!"

"W-Why me!!"

Saying that, Sion suddenly got into a fighting stance. This is a total misunderstanding; I haven't done anything. Anyway, it's entirely Sion's fault for sleeping with my stomach as a pillow!

"You are right. I admit it was my fault for being careless. --- So, this is just me taking it out on you. Got a problem with that?"

"That's the worst!"

That's unreasonable! This is even worse than Akiha, who suddenly gets upset over trivial things.

"However, you are currently injured. It would bring no honor for me, an Atlas-affiliated magus, to punish an injured person. Therefore, I will forgive you for peeking at a maiden's sleeping face this time only."

"A-Ahahaha..."

It seems that she forgave me for seeing her sleeping face due to her own sense of pride. But the way she said it with such a self-satisfied expression somehow reminded me of Akiha.

Oh, now that I think about it, I hadn't asked the most important thing.

"Hey, Sion. Why were you next to me?"

In my perception of time, Sion was my enemy until just a moment ago. We found a common enemy in TATARI midway through, but that was it. We had never discussed forming a team at all. In the first place, we didn't have the time to. If anything defines our relationship, we are merely people in the 'back-alley' businesses who just met.

"That is..."

Sion equivocated in response to my question. And she turned away and fell silent, perhaps not wanting to say it.

I simply looked at Sion without saying anything. After staring at her for a while, Sion gave in first. Then, as if bracing herself, she lifted her face and began to speak.

"I felt uneasy looking at your sleeping face, so I just... kept watching it..."

"My sleeping face?"

Sion's answer was unexpected. Arcueid had said the same thing before. That I looked like a dead person and it made the viewer uneasy.

"I know this is rude to ask, but are you not afraid of death?"

Sion asked me. The answer to that has been decided from the start.

"Of course, I am afraid. If I take off my glasses, my surroundings are filled with death. I am the only one who understands and can bring about the collapse of everything by the slightest thing."

I still remember the sight when I woke up in the hospital after being killed by SHIKI and brought back to life by Akiha. The walls, the floor, everything around me was a space that I could kill with my own hands.

No one around me understood that. Afflicted by loneliness and anxiety, I went outside without knowing why, met Sensei, and was given these glasses. Sensei was someone who understood the nature of this power and taught me how to use it. If I hadn't met Sensei back then, the person I am now wouldn't exist.

"But still, I am here as a person living in this world. I think I just need to enjoy the moment as it comes."

I have a more fragile body and a shorter lifespan than most people. But even so, thanks to Sensei, I can continue to live and look forward.

What is Sensei doing now? A magus like Sion might know.

"I don't know where a Magician(Aoko) is, Shiki Tohno," Sion replied, as if reading my mind.

"Huh, is that so?"

"It is so."

I see. Sion is knowledgeable, just like Ciel-senpai.

Well, the conversation with Sion is nice, but I should get up soon... wait?

"What are you spacing out for?"

"Well, because..."

As I prepared myself to get up, for some reason, Sion held out her hand.

"I am just helping you get up because your physical condition isn't good. Got a problem with that?"

Sion said this as if to say, 'What foolish thing are you saying?' I don't usually get this much assistance when Hisui wakes me up, but since it's true that I am physically exhausted from the battle with TATARI, I'll accept Sion's kindness.

"Ah, thank you, Sion."

I reached out my hand as well, gripped Sion's hand, and tried to get up—

"Hmm, you are surprisingly heavy, Shiki."

"Well, I am a man."

That was Sion's murmur. It was an insignificant remark, but the incident occurred the very next moment.

"Whoa!?"

"Kya!"

Sion misjudged my weight. And I, who was pulling Sion's hand, miscalculated the force, causing us to lose our balance. As a result, we both tumbled onto the bed.

"Ow, ow, ow..."

My body groaned as Sion's weight fell on me. But it wasn't a bad thing; the weight of Sion and the sweet scent unique to a young girl made me feel... wait, no!

"Sh-Shiki."

More than that, she's close! The distance separating Sion and me is only a few centimeters. We can feel each other's warm breath and hear the thumping of our hearts. Only Sion and I are in this place right now, and the room is filled with a strange stillness.

"W-We magus have the absolute principle of equivalent exchange. If you demand my body as a reward for helping me, th-then, please be gentle..."

S-Sion-san!! What in the world are you suggesting!!? I only wanted that a little bit... wait, no, I didn't want it at all!

"Shiki..."

My name was called again. The tone of her voice was trembling, and the eyes that are usually dominated by reason were now shaking with the emotion of panic. Although I haven't known Sion for long, the gap she showed and the physical contact made me involuntarily swallow the saliva in my throat.

"Sion, I am—"

I was about to tell Sion, who had tightly closed her eyes for some reason and prepared herself for whatever was coming, that—

"Hmm... Even though I fought TATARI, Shiki is already setting up flags. You're living a good life, aren't you?"

If someone saw us like this, I would be ostracized by the Tohno residents. Specifically, I'd be half-killed by Akiha and Arcueid for sure. I was about to tell Sion to get off me, but everything was too late.

"Or have you already done it, and this is the 'I hope you had a good time last night' scene?"

Standing in the doorway was Satsuki, a girl wearing an out-of-season raincoat as a measure against the sunlight.

"I-It's not! It's a misunderstanding, Satsuki!!"

"Oh, I'd be happy if you could explain exactly what the misunderstanding is from your own mouth."

Among the somewhat noisy women of the Tohno household, Satsuki is a moderate who can get along with everyone: Akiha, Arcueid, Ciel-senpai, Kohaku-san, and Hisui. Conversely, this means that if she talks, this incident will spread evenly to the ears of all the "radical" women. I have to clear up this misunderstanding no matter what, or I won't be able to see tomorrow morning...!!

"Satsuki, listen closely... this is a drill! Yes, a drill simulating close-quarters combat with TATARI!"

"Are you referring to a night drill, then?"

Ah, the misunderstanding has deepened.

"If you want to train so badly, you should tell Akiha-san and Arcueid-san about this and play tag."

"That's literally an Oni tag!"

A game of tag involving a Vampire and a mixed-blood descendent of Oni? I would die! Speaking of which, Sion. The reason Satsuki is misunderstanding is you, so say something... what?

"No way..."

A pale expression crossed Sion's face.

"You, no, You are not such a—"

"What! I should have taken countermeasures, but I was read!?"

Satsuki, too, was stunned by something, leaving me out of the loop. What is going on?

"—Urghh!!! It finally makes sense! Why TATARI appeared at an unexpected time and place! ...Everything, everything is because of You, the anomaly and singularity of the world!!!"

"Whoa!?"

Sion leaped off the bed. As for me, I was flung off the bed and onto the floor. As I was falling, I nonchalantly thought, This is becoming troublesome again.

But that cheerful thought was blown away when, in my upside-down view, Satsuki's arms were blown off, and a blood-mist scattered.