V6: Chapter 69: Illusion and Vanity... What's that?

Chapter 69: Illusion and Vanity... What's That?

I was enveloped in a warm, drowsy sunlight.

I felt like something important had happened... but I couldn't quite remember.

"Shizuku, breakfast's ready?" (Mom)

"Hmm? Oh... I'm coming."

Well, that's fine, I thought to myself.

Right now, I have to eat breakfast first... Huh?

Did I oversleep? Me, waking up at the same time as breakfast—but that doesn't matter.

I went down to the living room and surveyed the table; breakfast was already laid out.

"Today's breakfast... is..."

Steaming hot white rice and crispy bacon. The fried egg on top is just the way I like it, runny...

"Shizuku, your hair's all messy. You should go to the bathroom and fix your bedhead first."

"Ah, okay... I understand, Dad..."

My dad told me to go to the bathroom.

For some reason, the house feels unusually spacious, and I feel a strange sense of unease about it.

I splash cold winter water on my face and spray hair styling spray at the roots of my hair.

The bathroom, with its three sets of toothbrushes lined up, is crowded with people, especially in the morning.　

"Okay, Daddy will fix your hair for you."

"Oh, it's fine, I'm not a child, I can do it myself."

"It's faster to have someone else do it than to do it yourself, right?"　

The brush glided smoothly through my hair, combing it through.

It's certainly faster than checking my appearance in a mirror.

But surely there are better ways to treat a teenage daughter?

Even as I thought that, I continued to observe his face in the mirror as he moved the brush.　

His eyes, so gentle that you wouldn't think he was a man, made me certain that I inherited them from my father.

He looks so young, beyond just trying to look young, and has a slender face.

Nevertheless, his rough, rugged hands exuded undeniable masculinity.　

"Okay, this should be good enough. Mom's waiting, so let's have breakfast."

"Yeah, thanks."　

Finally, I dry my hair with a hairdryer, and there I am, just like always... my adorable self.

Nothing is out of the ordinary; it's just another normal day.　

"You two are going to be late for work and school, you know? Hurry up and get ready."

"Yeah, I know, I know. So then..."

My mother, who was already seated at the table, urged me to eat quickly.

Just like always... Just like always...　

"Shizuku? Aren't you going to sit down?"　

Dad is calling, and Mom is looking over at me with a worried expression.　

Every day was just like any other, with Mom there...and Dad there.

This is... such a convenient thing───　

"...It's a dream."

My awareness suddenly becomes clear, as if a channel has been switched.

Once I realized it was a dream, it was all very fragile.　

If you think about it calmly, you'll gradually be able to sort out the situation.　

A room with no sun in sight and poor ventilation.

This room is probably located in the basement.　

How long has it been since I arrived here?

Judging by how hungry I am, I don't think it's been that long.　

My physical condition is the same as always, and nothing unusual happened while I was sleeping...or so I think.

I certainly didn't faint, and I think I would notice if someone was touching my body.　

I fully expected to experience "that kind of thing," but it seems that's not the case.　　

The only thing that is certain is...　

"...A magic spell with bad taste."

["Hmm, did you not like it?"]　

All that matters is that the dream I'm having now is likely the dream that the Demon King was showing me.　

["I've heard that humans are creatures who tend to reminisce about happy times."]

"Because I never spent any time with my dad. I don't have any memories worth recalling."

["I see, I'll keep that in mind for future reference..."]　

He appears to possess human-like nuances, but it seems to be merely trying to understand humans, and his understanding is rather coarse.　

Such a shallow, low-resolution, superficial landscape.　

"And besides..."

And what about that?　

I was inwardly surprised that he seemed more willing to talk than I expected, but I exchanged words with him in order to understand him.　

"My Dad's face doesn't look old at all. It's exactly like the picture on the family altar."

["That's true, isn't it? Hahaha, it was full of flaws."]　

But surprisingly, the conversation isn't going badly at all.

It doesn't seem like he hold a grudge against me, so what exactly was his motive for plotting something like this?　

A demon with the appearance of a young human, yet who refers to himself as "I"

But the one standing before me...is probably the real thing... right?

No, he definitely has a physical form.

I touched his hair in a dream—the feeling in my hand confirmed it was his hair.　

With an hour, Gracia and the others will probably be able to manage to evacuate my mother.

In other words, I probably don't need to worry about that anymore.　

But perhaps that is also possible────　

["Whoa, it would be wise to refrain from any strange ideas, wouldn't it? Of course, I have a special plan prepared."]

"...Would you tell me?"

["I'll just say that when the time comes, that's when it matters. Though I don't think it will come... Better safe than sorry, that's what someone like me would say."]　

I expected this. He's really a pain.　

To begin with, I'm not particularly good at verbal battles.

Perhaps I should listen to the other person's request first, before I start thinking about it.　

"What on earth is your purpose of doing something like this?"

["Satellite. Because I want Satellite."]

"So, for what purpose...?"

["It's exactly as the words suggest, nothing more and nothing less."]　

I was taken aback by the answer, which was completely unexpected.

I have absolutely no idea how that could lead to a demon invasion...　

["I researched the human world thoroughly, meticulously, in preparation for the invasion. And then, Magical Girl Satellite... I came to know you. A shining star that crushes evil and helps the weak. At first, I thought you were a nuisance... but the more I studied you, the more I found myself drawn to you without realizing it. And this is what I came to think."]

["I want to make Magical Girl Satellite mine"]

"Ah, ah... uh...?"　　

The conversation has taken a turn, so... does that mean he was after my body all along?

But what if that were the case? But I... I have someone I've decided on in my heart.　

["I know you will absolutely never surrender to any external enemy... Therefore, I'm planning to hold the ceremony one week from now."]

"...What?"

["It's a ceremony. It's a meeting of the families and various other things... I guess you could call it a wedding ceremony for humans?"]

The scene gave me a strong sense of déjà vu, and I involuntarily squinted.

This is a scenario that you might have seen somewhere before, also known as "tempura rice bowl" scenario　

Although it's different from that time in that it's more meticulously prepared and forceful...

Their motives were eerily similar.

["Oh, I'm so looking forward to it. I've already had your wedding dress prepared. I'm sure you'll look stunning..."]

"Huh, what...?"

["Until then... let's deepen our mutual understanding. Right, Satellite?"]　

...Why do demons place so much importance on process and order?

I've thought this ever since Lux... but if she's a succubus, that's fine, just fuck her once and you're done.

I'm absolutely certain that some love stories start with coercion.　

["Well, let's have lunch first. I hope you like the food from the demon world..."]

"When did this happen...? No, it was from the beginning."　

The dishes laid out on the table were of unfamiliar shapes, but all I knew was that they were food. To eat or not to eat... I realized that it wasn't realistic to decide not to eat them.　

Humans can survive without water for approximately three days.

Since there's no guarantee I'll be able to leave here in three days, I have no choice but to accept whatever he offer me.　

The only thing I could figure out was that the roasted meat was probably from a pig-like demon.

I managed to swallow the words "I wonder if they ever cannibalize each other," but I didn't actually say them out loud.　

After finishing the meal, there were no particular symptoms such as numbness in the hands or feet, or any abnormalities in thinking.

Presumably, there was no poison in the lunch... or so I thought.

Unless it's completely tasteless, odorless, and a slow-acting poison, it's unlikely... but that's probably not the case.

All questions like "Where am I?" were evaded.

I could force my way out, but in that case, I'm afraid of the "special plan" he mentioned.　

And above all, I myself am in this situation—no, never mind.　

"You could use my magic to do something or power up..."

["I had considered that, but it ended up being merely a secondary objective. More importantly, even if I were strengthened, I wouldn't stand a chance against a Magical Girl like Gracia ​​if she were to directly confront me. Besides, the original purpose of the Demon King was..."]

Suddenly, something resembling a display appeared before me, and the scenery projected onto it was the same barren landscape I had seen earlier.　

["As you can see, the demon world is a ruined world. Most of the land is barren, and there are many inferior species that are twisted and unable to reproduce without abducting females from other races... It is truly a ruined world. It's gotten to the point where they can't function as a whole unless they steal resources from other worlds... you get what I mean?"]

That seems to be the reason why the demons... or rather, the External Enemies, continued their invasion. I had always thought it was strange that there were no females among the external enemies like goblins... so that explains it.

["For example... there's a race called succubi, and while they've improved now... apparently they were terrible a few hundred years ago. After all, they wouldn't accept anything other than 'that'."]　

A species with a terribly twisted origin, surviving by mating with males and females of other species in dreams and draining their life force.

While it has recently taken on a strong role as a luxury item, it undeniably represents a distortion when viewed from the perspective of the species as a whole.　

["However, they are not clever enough to unite such races and invade other worlds. Therefore, we Demon Kings were created as the standard-bearers for invading other races."]

I thought that if I could find out what they wanted, I could then uncover their weaknesses and find clues, but...　

["The first Demon King conquered three worlds with his immense strength, and the second Demon King attempted to invade the world with his magical abilities. And then I was born. With the abilities and wisdom I was given, I prepared to begin my invasion. I thought and thought and thought—perhaps for thousands of years? And then I finally realized, ironically, because of the role I was given to think...?"]

"...To what?"

Although I felt uneasy about the phrase "thousands of years," I urged him to continue the story.

["Is it really necessary to faithfully abide by the roles and responsibilities assigned to us?"]　

It sounds simple when put into words, but it deviated from the concept of a Demon King.

The mentality that allows one to so easily abandon the mission they have been given.　

Up until now, every Demon King had flaunted the 'power' they possessed.

However, he will disguise himself as either a human or a fool if it serves his purpose—and will not show himself on the battlefield.　

That felt terrifying.　

["A false sense of mission instilled in me. I simply couldn't find any value in sacrificing myself for it, so I came to one conclusion."]

"Well..."

["That's right! I want to make you, Magical Girl Satellite, mine!"]　

It was chuckling.

I sense a clear attachment to me, yet there's something about it that feels off.　

But I didn't know what its true nature was.

Turning back to me as if finished, he looked at me in good spirits and continued speaking.　

["That's enough about me, now tell me about Satellite... and about you! Tell me about your glorious heroic tale and the story of a kind-hearted girl... okay?"]　

Time passes, like a continuously flowing waterfall; it cannot be stopped.　

Who will benefit from that...?

Nobody knows yet.