“I can’t… I can’t do this with just a pencil… Can’t even use my fingers… I can’t…”
We were in the final match. I was fighting against Sherry, and it was intense. We had both won all of our other matches, and Sophia-san had won third place. First and second place, of course, would be decided by this match.
I’m tired; do I really have to do this? I thought, but when the audience started shouting, “Don’t run away!” and, “Keep on fighting!” and, “You can win this, Yuria!” I didn’t really have a choice. However, I’d been instructed not to use my Demon Eyes anymore, so I really was fighting with just a pencil. I’d managed to win my matches thus far, but Sherry was definitely a tough opponent.
I lost.
Exhausted and unable to maintain [Invisible Blade], I admitted defeat. It was just too difficult. I gave my all and really felt like I’d learned a lot… but I still felt bitter.
“Ugh… I lost… Damn it…”
“You’re… really one hell of a monster, aren’t you? Even with a sole pencil as your weapon, I just barely managed to win.”
As I lay spread-eagled on the ground, a crowd of students gathered around me.
“Me too! I thought you looked really cool out there… it was amazing!”
“As your classmate, I’m proud of you!”
“Ahhh… my precious…”
As the crowd kept shouting my praises, Cyrus-san approached us. “Alright then. Sherry, Yuria, and Sofia will be selected to accompany the expedition. We’re leaving tomorrow. Also, I have something I need the three of you to do tonight, so keep yourselves free. Yuria, please bring them to that place from before. You should arrive, oh, around 8:00 PM.”
“Oh, okay. I’ll take care of it.”
I can finally go home, I thought, but suddenly someone called out to me. The arena was empty, and the only two people left were me… and Keith.
“Yuria…”
“Keith, do you need something?”
Is he here for revenge? I’m not bound by Cyrus’ restrictions anymore. I have my knife, and I can use my Demon Eyes. If he tries something, I won’t hold back, I thought. However, what happened next came completely out of left field.
“I’m sorry!”
“Huh?”
“Well… I’ve done some pretty awful things to you…”
“…It’s fine. But I am curious – why’d you bully me the way you did? It felt strangely half-hearted.”
“That’s, well…”
“Hm?”
“I like Sherry.”
“Oh. So it was jealousy, then? Because Sherry and I used to practice together?”
“…Sorry. I know it was petty of me. But, to me, it looked like you came out of nowhere and suddenly stole her away from me… so I just… I told the others to apologise to you, too, but I decided to do it first. I’d like to ask for your forgiveness,” he said, starting to prostrate himself in front of me. I stopped him in a hurry.
“Wait! I said it’s okay… it’s fine. It’s all in the past, anyway.”
“I’m sorry… I’m really sorry…”
“From now on, I’ll invite you when Sherry and I practice together.”
“Really?!”
“Yeah, sure. I’ve no intention of getting in the way of your crush. I’ll support you.”
“Yuria you… you’re a really good guy… you’re like a god…”
“Wait, wait! Don’t get down on the floor like that!”
He was so deeply in love that his jealousy took over, leading him to bully me. He probably thought that if he bullied me too much, Sherry would notice and hate him. Pretty cute, isn’t it? As I thought that, I suddenly remembered something. I forgave Keith since all he really did was pour water on me every day. But… if I end up meeting those three again… If I get a chance to meet Dan, Rebecca, and Aria again, what will I do?
***
“And… we’re here.”
“Pretty small place.”
“Yeah, it’s a lot more modest than I was expecting.”
That night, I brought the two of them to the house I first met Cyrus-san in.
By the way, Sophia and I have become quite close recently, so I don’t use honorifics with her anymore.
I wonder what he needs us to do, I thought, opening the door. Cyrus-san invited us into the house, a smile on his face. “Nice to see you three again. Come in, come in.”
“Please excuse us,” we said in unison. When we entered the house, we saw a breathtakingly beautiful woman. No, wait, is that a doll…? But she’s staring at us, and she just smiled. She’s human. I’ve never seen a person with such a well-balanced face before, though.
Her face was so perfectly even and symmetrical; it seemed almost fake. Her platinum-blonde hair flowed like silk down to her shoulders. And, most of all, there was her chest. Overwhelmingly large and undoubtedly eye-catching, I had no choice but to pay close attention to it. Staring at her, entranced, I swallowed hard.
Cyrus-san began to talk, “I’ll introduce you. This is Lianne, the Third Princess.”
“It’s nice to meet you. I am Lianne.”
She’s beautiful. Just the sight of her had completely stolen my sense of reason. Suddenly, I felt a sharp pain in my leg. “Ouch!”
“Quit looking at her like that, you pervert,” Sherry said after hitting me. She’s right. I’ve gotta get it together, I thought.
We said our greetings to the princess. Then, Cyrus-san moved on to the main subject. “The three of you are going to be guarding the princess. I’ll be leading the expedition at the front, so I’d like you three to make sure she’s well-protected in the Twilight. Well, all you really have to do is ride in the carriage with her. If something happens, protect her with your life. If anything does happen, Yuria-kun is fully capable of handling it alone, but I had to say it.”
“Understood, sir. We’re proud to take on that role.”
That seemed to be all he needed from Sherry and Sophia, so they went home. However, I stayed behind. Apparently, Cyrus-san had something confidential to tell me.
“Yuria-kun, Princess Lianne can sense the density and concentration of the Twilight. It’s quite a bit like your ability, [Extra]… Would you like to see it?”
“Is that okay?”
“She was the one who asked for this. Since you’re strong enough to become humanity’s hope.”
“Yuria-san, please be at ease. My ability shall not cause harm to you.”
“U-understood.”
At that moment, the area around Princess Lianne began to glow red. She stared at me and said, “Dark… It’s even darker than Cyrus. Far too dark. Rather than clinging to your body, it feels more like the Twilight has completely integrated into your body… That’s what it feels like. I’m quite shocked to see that humans could integrate so completely with the Twilight. A normal person would long be dead.”
“…Am I going to die?”
“Not at all. Rather, I’d say you’ll live quite long. You and Cyrus both – your bodies are closer to being demons than humans.”
“I thought so… I see…”
I wasn’t that shocked. I’d expected my situation was something along those lines, after all. What’s important is the ability to move forwards, no matter what I am. To fight the demons and to serve humanity – that’s what’s important.
“Thank you. Even if that’s all I could learn, I’m grateful to you.”
“Not at all; I must thank you for coming this far to meet me.”
And so, I finally managed to find out what was really happening with my body.