Chapter 46: ACT.15 "Old Story"

“Shiki, what kind of existence is Satsuki Yumizuka to you?”

On the way to finally confronting TATARI, Sion suddenly brought this up. Unlike when she recounted her relationship with TATARI to me just now, her gaze was sharp.

“What kind of existence, you ask...”

I was confused by Sion’s question, as it was abstract for her.

Moreover, although she looked sharp, I sensed a hint of fear in Sion, and it seemed like she was struggling to process her emotions after encountering some unprecedented, unknown reality...

For the sake of relieving the tension here—

1. She's the new maid at the Tohno household, yeah!

2. She's just a friend.

3. For now, I totally don't know, you see. Hahahaha!

4. I call a powerful enemy my friend!

“She's the new maid at the Tohno household, yeah!”

“...............................................Excuse me?”

I said that with an earnest, determined expression. Hearing the unexpected answer, Sion was confused.

It was super effective!

...However, this wasn't entirely a joke; it was actually true, and there was a reason for it. The cause was her inability to walk under the sun after becoming a vampire, which meant she couldn't lead a normal life as a human. It was simply impossible for her to return home, and considering potential contingencies, it was better for her to stay at the Tohno Mansion where they could respond.

So, she is currently settled in the position of "a protected/fostered demon within the Tohno household," and she spends her days working as a new, night-shift-only maid alongside Kohaku and Hisui at the mansion.

Officially, a cover story is being established:

“Satsuki Yumizuka, who was reported missing, was found, but due to family circumstances, she took a leave of absence from school and was transferred to the night class while working as a live-in maid at the Tohno Mansion.”

Necessary paperwork is being submitted, suggestions are being implanted, and alibis are being constructed. In a little while, re-enrolling, albeit in the night school, is not just a dream.

As for the Tohno family's reaction to Satsuki working as a new maid, Akiha feels responsible because if she had just killed Roa—or rather, SHIKI—Satsuki wouldn't have become a vampire.

However, since they both carry the "demonic nature" and face problems they can't reveal to the normal world, Akiha and Satsuki's relationship is not bad. Although they once tried to kill each other, they have come to accept that it was unavoidable.

Hisui was initially cautious when an outsider arrived, but she now recognizes Satsuki as a reliable person who doesn't steal her job of waking me up in the morning and is helpful with heavy tasks.

Surprisingly, Hisui volunteered to take on the role of teaching Satsuki maid etiquette. When she suggested it, not just Akiha and I, but even Kohaku-san was surprised with an expression I'd never seen before—was that her true face?

Kohaku-san is favorable towards Satsuki, saying, "I caught Shii-jiro!" Satsuki, in turn, harbors goodwill towards her, calling her 'an interesting person,' but I sometimes feel like she is gauging how to maintain distance. I don't know the reason, but their relationship isn't bad, and they often play games together.

By the way, having a female friend since middle school working as a maid at home...

The situation is exactly as Kohaku-san teased: “It's like an erotic game, Shiki-san!”

I was used to seeing her in her school uniform or casual clothes, but the maid outfit, similar to Hisui's, feels fresh, and when she's in work mode, she calls me 'Shiki-sama' in a tone similar to Hisui's, which makes my heart pound.

Her basic working hours are at night, but she wears white gloves and a hood for protection against the direct sunlight at dawn, and since she sometimes operates with Ciel-senpai and Arcueid at night, her shoes are sturdy lace-up boots. Thus, her exposure is quite low, giving her an extra ten percent of purity compared to Hisui.

Furthermore, when she wears the maid uniform, her hairstyle is a ponytail—one I quite like but haven't seen recently. When I sincerely begged her on my hands and knees, as the mansion's owner and a friend, Satsuki was completely put off. But since her hair had grown long, she made it into a ponytail, and she even agreed to a photo shoot in the end.

Maid outfit! Classmate! Ponytail! Now, I want to say out loud: It's a bargain sale of fetishes!

I've got the answer. It's alright, sensei. I'm going to do my best from now on—

“Shi...ki.”

There was a purple demon there. It was wreathed in roaring flames.

“I’m not angry, so please answer me after seriously considering it, okay? Okay?”

Sion smiled gently. Yes, now that I look closely, she is quite a beautiful woman.

However, I wish she didn't have a visible vein pulsing on her temple, and I wish she wasn't pressing a handgun against my head—

“Hahahahaha, Sorry, sorry, Sion. It was just a joke to relieve the tension, a joke.”

“Hmph. The tension certainly lessened, but I report that a feeling called anger is escalating within me.”

...Oh, God. It seems she wasn't pleased.

“In the first place—I attacked Satsuki Yumizuka with the intent to kill once. Isn't Satsuki Yumizuka an important person to you? Despite that, why are you accompanying me to subjugate TATARI? I cannot understand.”

...It seems that not just Satsuki, but I, too, am an incomprehensible existence to Sion.

But, this is reassuring. Sion's concern was just about something like this.

“No, Sion. If you bring that up, I split Arcueid into 17 pieces, Ciel-senpai tried to kill Satsuki with anti-vampire gear, and Akiha tried to kill her by draining all her body heat, which was far more serious and certain to kill Satsuki than you cutting off her two arms.”

Right now, our relationships are like going out to play or dating. But the catalyst for our meetings was always a killing match.

Ciel-senpai tried to subjugate Satsuki as a vampire. Satsuki ate Ciel-senpai's leg with the sensation of eating fried chicken. Akiha tried to kill Satsuki by turning her into a living mummy. As for me, I once reduced Arcueid to scattered pieces.

And yet, now we trust and rely on each other. If one looks back at the causal relationships, it's an absurd relationship in many ways. I can understand Satsuki's reasoning when she grumbled that our personal relationships were a 'killing love relationship.'

“.....................I apologize, but the more I learn, the less sense it makes.”

Sion clutched her head as if struggling with a headache. It was as if she had peered into the abyss.

“I already saw it. Yes, I saw it. To discover my own nature and contradictions, mediated by Satsuki Yumizuka of all people, and to learn a fact I would have been happier not knowing, a troublesome fact... truly.”

Sion let out a sigh.

“Huh? Is Satsuki that amazing?”

It was unexpected for Sion, who is far smarter than me, to evaluate Satsuki as a troublesome existence. She is undeniably at the bottom of the hierarchy in this town teeming with witches, Executors, mages, and vampires.

“Are you, the foremost anomaly, the one to say that! First... we've strayed from the topic. I will ask again. Shiki, what kind of existence is Satsuki Yumizuka from your perspective?”

Sion asked with a sharp gaze accompanied by reason.

“Well, even though Satsuki is now a vampire, a Dead Apostle, to me, she hasn't changed from the friend I've had since middle school, a relationship that won't easily break... Yeah, I was a broken existence, and since neither of us was 'normal,' I guess we just found ourselves together?”

“A broken existence...?”

Against Sion, who seemed to harbor doubts and imply that mages like them were far more broken, I spoke not to the person in front of me, but as if narrating about myself to myself.

I recounted my early childhood, my roots—the name Nanaya, and my amnesia regarding SHIKI and that incident.

I spoke about getting these 'eyes' after a near-death experience. And meeting 'sensei' and learning how to live.

Furthermore, I spoke about not knowing my real family, my biological mother and father. Having no memory of them and, ultimately, being kicked out of the Tohno house once.

Growing up in the branch family, the Arima house. And then returning to live in the Tohno house again.

After telling her all of that, I concluded.

“In that way, my existence is a bit special compared to the general public. I understand death too well, I've seen through it too much; I'm a broken person.”

Moreover, my body is weaker, more fragile than other people's. There were times when this was pointed out with malice or goodwill, and I felt inferiority.

And after acquiring the 'eyes,' I understood how fragile the world I believed in was. And how easily things die.

That's why I had a detached view of myself. I was an observer of this world.

In the midst of that, I met Arihiko Inui, who was the same kind of person. If it weren't for him, a fellow broken individual, Shiki Tohno would have wasted his irreplaceable childhood.

Furthermore, when I entered middle school. I met one more similar companion.

“Satsuki is my kind of person; beneath the surface, we're very much alike. Even now, she has found a compromise in her position and behavior, but when we first met, Satsuki struggled because she couldn't reconcile her mind and body.”

I clearly remember her sullen face during middle school. I knew her name only from the overheard stories of her heroic and infamous deeds in elementary school. I had heard rumors that there was a strange girl who claimed to be a boy.

And children are beings whose distinction between good and evil is incomplete, like fairies in stories. Since they can't control their emotions, fights break out easily, and they innocently resort to violence against 'foreign elements.' So there was bullying, and Satsuki seemed to respond with roughly the same amount of violence towards her tormentors.

What's more, she reportedly meticulously gathered evidence of the bullying and aimed for a lawsuit, somehow... Despite her cute face, I only heard uncharming stories unbefitting of an elementary school student.

“...............A mismatch between the soul and the body, or—”

“Sion?”

Sion muttered under her breath.

“No, Shiki. Please continue your story. Your account of your own existence and the depiction of Satsuki Yumizuka's character are very interesting. Please continue.”

“Yeah, got it, I'll continue.”

Prompted by Sion, I resumed my narration.

In middle school. Still physically weak, I often had to go to the infirmary. When things were bad, I couldn't walk there myself, so the class health committee member would be the attendant to guide me to the infirmary—and that person was Satsuki Yumizuka.

'Hmm... So this is what Tohno-kun looks like in three dimensions,'

I think that was the first thing she said to me. It was a curious way of speaking, rather than rude. I felt it was pure curiosity.

'You're in three dimensions too, Yumizuka-san.'

 ' 'I'm a visitor from another dimension.'

It was a nonsensical exchange. We weren't close yet, but she used 'boku' (I, used by males) and I thought she was the eccentric person the rumors described.

She fought with boys, couldn't relate to girls, and was isolated. Despite this, she studied diligently, keeping her grades high—a self-proclaimed male problem child.

But, since elementary school, everyone was afraid of the aura of 'death' I had acquired after my near-death experience, and they hated sitting next to me. Yet, she looked perfectly fine.

'Here, put out your hand. Or put your hand on my shoulder. You're struggling to walk by yourself anyway, aren't you?'

'Yeah, I am, but... Is that okay, Yumizuka-san? People will talk. Besides, I'm from the Tohno family, but I'm currently at the Arima house.'

Although it sounds ridiculous now, in middle school, simply touching between a boy and a girl led to teasing about them dating.

In addition, the Tohno family is famous in Misaki Town as the public face of a prominent financial group. Classmates who willingly associated with me, the 'troubled one' who was publicly cast out despite being the nominal eldest son, were rare.

'The speed of rumors spreading is like the speed of sound; there's basically no privacy. It's typical for the provinces. Besides, if you were truly 'troubled,' Tohno-kun should be called 'Arima-kun' by now. Since I'm still calling you 'Tohno-kun,' I don't think this is something we children need to worry about, do you?'

Satsuki scoffed as she said that. Looking back, I feel Satsuki had an intelligence that didn't match her age.

Yes, that's right. As I talk to Sion, I'm starting to remember. Furthermore, Satsuki said:

'Besides, if I suck up to Tohno-kun here, it will be advantageous for future employment, right? Hail the Minamoto Clan! Hail the Tohno Group! Viva, Boss Tohno Group! Just kidding...'

Ahahahaha, I couldn't help but burst out laughing at that. I almost interjected, 'Normally, people aim to marry into wealth!'

And then I was convinced. Satsuki Yumizuka was a 'not normal' companion, just like Arihiko Inui and me.

'You're strange, Yumizuka-san. No, you're broken, Yumizuka-san.'

'You say harsh things with a smile, don't you? But, broken, broken, huh... Well, maybe so. Let's get along from now on.'

That was how Satsuki Yumizuka and I met.

“So, well. That's how the three of us, with Arihiko, have been hanging out. It might be inappropriate for me to say this, but... the life of a regular person is, you know... I don't think it's an interesting story even for someone as smart as you, Sion?”

“That is not true. I gain a sense of superiority from listening to Shiki's old stories, and the depiction of Satsuki Yumizuka's character, narrated through your subjective view, is valuable as part of my data collection.”

Sion puffed out her chest with a smug look. I don't know why she gets a sense of superiority from hearing my old stories, but since the tension Sion had been holding with a tragic resolve is now released, I guess it's fine. But the phrase "part of my data collection" is so typical of Sion, and yeah, I like it.

“...Ahem! According to my calculation, we still have time. Please continue.”

“Hey, hey, are you sure about that?”

She asserted that there was time. But I feel Sion has the kind of intelligence where the goal and the means might become reversed partway through—I feel a little, just a little, uneasy.

“There is no problem! All we have to do is enter that building, isn't it! What is it? Weren't you intending to relieve my tension before the battle!?”

Flushing, Sion pointed at the towering building, 'The Shrine,' and yelled.

“Yes, yes, I understand.”

She was clearly getting agitated. Without mentioning that, I consented to her request, and to meet the expectation of the attention-seeking-class-president-type Sion, during the short time before the fight, I continued to tell Sion my stories and old tales.