Chapter Twenty-Five: Gears
Tengu City Mall.
Afternoon.
"...so? Where the hell even are we?"
Those words left the lips of a girl.
A girl appearing to be around the age of a middle-school girl.
Possessing long blue hair, tied up in a ponytail, with some bangs left out.
While still wearing her military-like outfit, she stood out like a sore thumb.
Even though it was working hours,
..the mall was still bustling with people drifting between shops and cafés.
Not to mention,
She was inside a huge mall.
One so huge she didn't know where to turn to.
Its ceiling stretched so high it could've stacked four buildings on top of each other.
And it was styled in glass that formed an arching dome overhead.
Because of that–
Ambient natural lighting filled the mall.
Stalls spread out, spacious and large, with many beautiful decorations and flowers.
"My~ so this is the scenery Claire gets to enjoy every day. I'm getting a bit jealous."
...slowly, Mana turned her head to the left.
Yes, this crazy woman happened.
Since leaving the Tengu Base, their supposed destination had been her nephew's house.
Well, supposedly.
Yet, somehow, she found herself here.
In a mall of all places.
Then again, she found it funny how she was, according to the mission, 'guarding Maya.'
Honestly, she didn't even see the point.
But since Maya was her superior, she had no choice but to tag along.
"…Hmm, say, Mana-chan, what do you think if I bought something for Clair?"
Right now however,
woman's expression was far from her usual demeanor.
It wasn't one of the dead seriousness whenever it came to work matters.
...If Mana had to describe it in a word: airheaded.
"So many stores to check, hmm…"
Crossing her hands under her chest, with one under her chin, she glanced around.
Regardless of her personal feelings, she pointed far off.
Mana pointed to a particular store.
"How about that place?"
Saying that,
Mana raised a finger upward.
As though counting, she raised another one.
"You could also get him some souvenirs too."
"Is that so~? Hehe, you know so much, Mana-chan."
Maya said it with what looked to be a genuine smile.
That smile caught Mana off guard for a brief moment before she shook her head.
"…Shall we go then?"
"Yes, let's!"
Like an overexcited child, Maya followed close behind Mana, darting into store after store.
To her, the price tags meant nothing.
It didn't matter the amount.
In the first place, her salary was in the millions, and even more so due to the nature of her job.
Plus, she earned it in dollars, whose exchange rate was higher than the yen.
It was only natural that she would spoil Morgan rotten.
...perhaps, if Morgan knew no better, he'd have let her.
But that's not the focus here.
No... 'It just had to be me.'
Mana came to a stop, with heavy footsteps.
Both hands… occupied by a mountain of shopping bags.
One by one, her superior had casually dumped them onto her.
At this point, she was less an escort and more a pack mule.
Hell, she'd rather face "Nightmare" in a death match than go through this again.
But...
"Mhm~ I feel like this still isn't enough."
Both were already standing at the waiting side of the mall, tucked with steel-lined chairs,
a perfect spot for taking a break.
However, those dangerous words reached Mana's ears right then.
Oh, hell no.
"Kuh—wait. Isn't this a little too excessive?"
"Eh?"
Maya froze mid-motion, turning her crimson eyes toward Mana.
Her expression said, go on, I'm listening.
For a brief moment, Mana's grip on one of the shopping bags tightened.
…No point dwelling on it.
"Uhm… wouldn't he be overwhelmed if you suddenly bought this much? From the way you talk…"
You're an overbearing person.
Of course, she couldn't say that aloud.
She didn't even know who this nephew was in person.
but judging from what she'd heard from her superior—
he didn't exactly seem thrilled about his aunt's "intense" personality either.
"Eh? Is that so? Clair would hate it?"
Maya placed a hand over her head.
Her expression twisted with a frown as though she'd just been handed a moral dilemma.
Like that, she began mumbling that under her breath.
"N-no. Auntie just wants to make you happy."
Naturally,
Mana found that… weird.
She suddenly felt an unpleasant feeling well up from her heart.
One that made her stomach churn.
"B-but, for now, I believe this is okay!"
Mana quickly corrected.
Then, as if to reassure Maya–
She smiled brightly, clutching the mountain of shopping bags in her hands.
If one counted it.
...those bags were reaching twenty already.
Yet, no matter how heavy it was,
Mana, who had undergone 'human enhancement surgery,' could easily carry that amount.
One could say Maya was efficient in her own way.
Managing human resources, that is.
"I see?"
Tilting her head to the side, Maya's furrowed brows slowly relaxed.
She bobbed her head up and down, muttering under her breath.
It was as though to reassure herself.
Finally, with conviction, she nodded.
"Y-yes. Clair would like it."
Seeing her spirits lifted, Takamiya Mana couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief.
Disaster averted.
For now.
"Alright, let's continue on! To the next place!"
Ugh~
Mana groaned, shoulders slumping under the "orders" of her superior.
Regardless, she trudged after the energetic trail of the overbearing aunt.
...but at this time, something else happened.
While that almost normal scene was playing.
A certain someone was watching from the corner of a nearby shop.
Pure coincidence, really.
But upon seeing who it was, her expression shifted to one of delighted surprise.
To think that her archenemy.
The girl who had killed her time and again.
…was now being used in such a manner.
'Interesting.'
As much as she would've loved to toy with her rival, she decided against it.
For now.
Thus, Nightmare turned away with an amused smile.
'Ufufu~ perhaps I should also drop by that school~ it would be such an interesting reunion.'
Don't you think~?
'My good sir~♡'
Without any of them realizing it, the cruel gears of fate had already begun to turn.
No, rather that-
It had begun spiral completely out of control.
People who shouldn't have had an impact on this world were now the ones turning its fate.
And it all began.
With a boy who should have been nothing more than a background character in the grand scheme of things.
Right now however, that person in question…
Raizen High
Afternoon Break.
"So? Care to explain why you've been looking so irritated ever since?"
It was now lunch.
Not much time left until the end of the day, and as usual, the male trio of Class 2-C had gathered in their habitual spot.
Behind the classroom.
With two of the trio sitting literally next to each other, it wasn't surprising this corner had turned into their unofficial meeting ground.
Yes, it was the resident trio.
Morgan, Tonomachi, and Shidou.
Morgan and Shidou sat at their desks, half-heartedly eating lunch, both wearing the same distant, distracted look.
And Tonomachi, as shameless as ever, had decided to attach himself to Morgan today.
At this point, Morgan had long given up trying to stop him.
Let the guy do whatever he wanted.
Now, though, Tonomachi turned his attention toward Shidou.
"And you? What's with that dazed expression?"
Unfortunately..
To the clueless Tonomachi, it was a blessings.
For Shidou however, since yesterday, it's been nothing but hell since then.
Apparently, the cause of this spacequakes are called Spirits.
...but according to what he heard, they don't intentionally cause it.
More so, there was only one way to save them.
Which was to date them and kiss them.
Honestly, it all sounded far-fetched. Saving someone by kissing them?
It was oddly specific.
And to make it worse, the organization dedicated to carrying out that mission,
…its commander, was his little sister.
Even till now,
'My head hurts just thinking about it all.'
Tonomachi's question barely even registered as Shidou sat there with his chopsticks frozen midair.
For a brief moment,
Morgan glanced over, but said nothing more.
'I too have problem of my own.'
He bitterly thought.
For good reason, he'd been avoiding thinking about them.
But even so, he knew he couldn't keep running forever.
'...family, huh?'
Sounds ridiculous.
Both in this life and the past one.
Thinking about it now wouldn't change anything.
Morgan thought, just about to take another piece when his chopstick clicked with something.
Tap~
He blinked.
'Mm?'
"Phew~ I'm stuffed, I'm stuffed~"
Hearing those words, Morgan adjusted his gaze right at his front where his friend sat.
Said male sat, patting his stomach with a satisfied grin stretching across his face.
Flashing a wide grin.
Morgan blinked once, then looked down at his own lunch box.
His box... his discounted bento. It had been devoured.
Completely.
Without a single grain of rice left.
Oh the misery.
At that moment Shidou looked up too, his face going pale as he stared at Morgan.
For some unknown reason he could see a faint black aura gathering around him.
Shidou instinctively knew.
"You f—ck—!"
Morgan was pissed.
Skillfully, he twirled one of the chopsticks in hand, before firmly gripping it, and motioning it forward.
In a stabbing motion.
"Eeek-!"
Tonomachi, finally registering the death glare, yelped as the 'stabification device' closed in very quick.
It looked like it was going to be too late when…
"Oi, calm down Morgan."
Shidou managed to jump in and hold Morgan's hand in time,
"Leave me alone, Shidou! I'll skin that guy alive and make him *****. You *****!"
Of course, that action in itself had been nothing but a joke.
Maybe a bit too excessive to be called a joke, but still, his crash-out was valid.
He'd barely taken a bite.
Besides, it wasn't like he'd ever have actually hurt Tonomachi.
He hadn't even used enough force to begin with.
That was why Shidou managed to stop his hand.
If he'd truly meant to hurt Tonomachi, Shidou would've been too late.
"Gosh, seriously, you scared me."
Holding his chest, Tonomachi muttered that out loud before he could stop himself.
"What the hell did'ja say?"
Tonomachi swallowed hard, glancing away under Morgan's glare.
...Right.
Maybe he'd taken things a bit too far, too.
"Hey, after all, you both have been looking so gloomy lately. You can't blame me for trying to liven the mood up."
With that, the self-proclaimed clown let out a huff of mock irritation and reached into his bag.
A zipper rasped open,
followed by the soft clatter of something landing on Morgan's desk.
It was that particular one Morgan's usually buy, since the guy couldn't cook to save his life.
"...."
"...."
Both Shidou and Morgan just stared at Tonomachi, completely speechless.
Really, it had turned into quite an expensive joke, for both of them.
"I can't believe you."
Morgan muttered, pressing a palm to his forehead as Tonomachi finally sat back down.
"So? Are you finally ready to talk about what's eating both of you?"
Now that he'd said that, Morgan remembered—
For all his goofiness and lack of seriousness, sometimes... the guy did give good advice.
He was the type who somehow came through when things actually got serious.
"Fine. I guess."
Morgan exhaled through his nose.
As he did, the gossip-loving Tonomachi, and even Shidou, couldn't help but lean in, with full attention.
"A troublesome relative of mine is coming over. Normally that wouldn't be a problem, but…"
…But?
Shidou and Tonomachi followed the thread in their minds,
chewing quietly as they waited for the continuation like they were watching a movie.
However,
"It's that woman."
The line they'd been waiting for didn't come.
Morgan simply returned to eating, as if nothing had been said.
What was that about?
As curious as they were, both knew better than to pry into his family matters.
Even so, the air around them seemed to sink a little.
Regardless of that..
Tonomachi, being slightly autistic, maybe a bit insensitive too, blurted out,
"Say, I've been meaning to ask. Do you also have a sister?"
Like a shady dealer, he rubbed his hands together with a mischievous grin.
This time, both Morgan and Shidou were already aware he was trying to lighten the mood.
And maybe because of that, Morgan decided to humor him.
"Yeah. Though it's been a while… we're separated, after all."
Despite how sad that sounded,
He said it with a smile, one that made both of them pause, thoughtful.
"…I see. You two are the same, huh? Just two sides of a different coin?"
Ghk—!
Morgan almost choked on his food.
Hah!?
He quickly darted his gaze to the male in question, who was scrutinizing both of them with his hands under his chin.
For some reason, that was how it appeared.
And that seriousness made even Morgan pause.
But of course, Tonomachi obviously wasn't one to stay serious for long.
"So? So? How old is she? Probably the same age as Kotori-chan?"
Feigning cluelessness, Morgan ignored Tonomachi, turning his head to Shidou, sitting by his left.
He had an expression as though to ask, 'what's a Kotori-chan?'
While he indeed knew who Kotori was,
Since this was the first time they'd ever steered into this discussion, he feigned cluelessness.
If not, it would definitely be suspicious.
Nodding his head,
Shidou took out his phone, passing it to Morgan who saw an image of Kotori.
"I see. Yes, she would be about this age by now."
With a motion, he returned Shidou's phone back to him.
Now squaring his gaze on Tonomachi, who had both elbows on the desk,
…then his fingers entwined, covering part of his nose and mouth.
He looked every bit the shady schemer.
"Think about it. Let's stop being bros and become family, what do you say, my good brothers?"
Crack—!
Morgan's grip on his chopsticks snapped it clean in half.
Beside him, Shidou's expression could only be described as merciless.
"Wait, I was just joking, it's just a joke."
Geez, Shidou was one thing, but Morgan was also the protective type too?
He might have been spared from the first one, but the second try was not the charm.
"I will stop with the jokes now."
Holding his lips shut, Tonomachi said nothing more until the day ended,
as punishment, of course.
More so, as a reminder to both Morgan and Shidou.
Never let Tonomachi into the kitchen.