Chapter 84 An Uncrossable Distance
Evening sunlight spilled across the sky, staining the clouds red one by one until the whole horizon glowed with sunset colors.
The manor had quieted down again. The purple flames that once filled the garden had vanished without a trace, and the temperature had returned to normal—as if nothing had happened at all.
But of course, that was an illusion.
Mahiru had already gone back to her apartment to pack her things.
Leo had officially transferred one of the manor rooms to the angel girl, so she would soon move in like the other servants and become part of the household.
Yukino and Asuna wanted to help her move, but Mahiru declined.
"I want to say goodbye to my past with my own hands."
She left after that.
Both Yukino and Asuna sensed something in her tone and expression. Without speaking further, they returned to the basement and resumed training.
As for Utaha, she walked Eriri out of the manor.
The two were saying their goodbyes.
"You really don't want us to arrange a car to take you home?"
Utaha leaned against the gate, arms crossed.
"No." Eriri shot her a glare, sounding annoyed. "I need time to sort my head out. If I go back like this, my mom is definitely going to see through me."
Today had hit Eriri far too hard.
She needed time to calm down.
"You're just overthinking." Utaha's sharp tongue showed itself instantly. "When I first learned about all this, I didn't fall apart like you."
"That's because you're thick-skinned." Eriri fired back without hesitation. "Normal people don't just accept all this right away. And you're definitely not normal!"
"I'm not even human anymore." Utaha shrugged casually. "I'm a devil now."
"You've always been a devil." Eriri muttered, "Even without all this, you're still the witch of Kasumigaoka."
"Aren't you the real loser here?" Utaha raised an eyebrow, smiling without warmth. "Who was it that kept insisting the three of us were 'fooled,' and only she and Shiina-san were still normal?"
"Well, Shiina-san has joined us too. Sobu High's aloof beauties now number four—while you're all alone. That's a textbook loser outcome, you know?"
Eriri froze, speechless.
"You might as well join us." Utaha said lightly. "You're a blonde loser, but I don't think our president would mind taking you as a servant."
Eriri refused instantly.
"You go be someone's servant!"
To Eriri, willingly becoming someone else's servant was something only an idiot would do.
Especially for a pretty boy like Leo's group—becoming a servant to a girl their age? That was practically encouraging someone to commit a crime.
Why lower your own value like that?
Of course, Eriri didn't know the full story behind Yukino, Asuna, and the others. She didn't know Yukino and Asuna had died and been resurrected by Leo—repaying him with the life they shouldn't have had. That wasn't hard to understand.
Utaha herself had chosen reincarnation willingly, but she was a Sacred Gear wielder. The Church could view her as dangerous, unpredictable. If she joined the wrong faction later, she could be eliminated before she caused trouble. Her choice made sense.
But Mahiru?
Eriri truly couldn't understand.
Mahiru didn't need saving.
She had no threat to her life.
Her circumstances weren't desperate.
Her family situation was enviable.
Her appearance and grades were exceptional.
She was the kind of flawless girl adored by everyone—so why would she give up her humanity and become someone else's servant?
What was she after?
Was she… bored with being human?
Eriri couldn't wrap her head around it.
Immortality, supernatural power, eternal youth—those were tempting. But if the price was becoming someone else's servant, Eriri would pass.
And that was the crucial difference between her and Mahiru.
Mahiru had nearly lost hope in reality.
Eriri was still content with her life.
Her family was warm.
Her daily life was peaceful.
She could draw illustrations and manga she loved.
She had everything she wanted—nothing worth throwing away.
Eternal life wasn't something she cared about. She was young; her future was bright. Why give up her freedom just to become a devil?
Eriri had never once resented her life.
She was satisfied.
So there was no reason for her to ever think about becoming someone's servant.
Let alone giving up her humanity to become a devil—a target for the Church.
"Yeah… you have no reason to choose this path."
Utaha didn't find Eriri's rejection strange at all—it made sense for someone like her to refuse.
In fact, that was how normal modern people thought.
In this era, people already complained about being corporate slaves. Becoming someone's servant? Much worse.
If Utaha weren't a Sacred Gear wielder destined to step into the supernatural world—if she weren't someone whose power might someday cause disaster—she'd never have considered becoming a servant either.
Even if she had a slightly less comfortable life, she still wouldn't.
But fate had already chosen her.
With a Sacred Gear like Create World, rare and powerful, she would inevitably end up on multiple factions' radar. Eventually, she'd be forced to pick a side.
So why not choose someone she at least knew?
Yes, becoming a servant might feel demeaning.
But it wasn't like Utaha hadn't put in the effort—she tried approaching the Church, and the Church rejected her. What was she supposed to do?
Utaha was proud—very proud.
People at Sobu High were drawn to her, countless boys confessed to her, and she turned them all down brutally, sending them running with their egos crushed.
That kind of girl becoming a servant to a boy her age?
If you told the old Utaha that, she would've laughed in your face.
But she was also rational.
Everything has a cost. Nothing comes without payment.
So after being stonewalled by the Church, she came to observe Leo. After seeing what devil life was actually like, she took his Evil Pieces.
And the result wasn't bad at all.
Despite being a servant, Leo never acted superior. He treated them casually, comfortably, like equals.
Being a devil hadn't ruined her life. If anything, it made it more interesting.
She had supernatural power.
She'd visited the Underworld.
She contracted a familiar.
She saw countless things she once thought only existed in stories—and for a novelist, it was intoxicating.
So intoxicating, in fact, that her writer's block vanished. She had already finished the draft of Love Metronome volume seven, and her editor loved it.
She couldn't wait to show it to the person she once called "the harshest critic," just to see what score he'd give her this time.
All in all, Utaha was content. She had no complaints.
Their conversation faded into silence—one that was complicated and heavy.
"…I'm leaving."
Eriri looked at Utaha with a complicated expression, then spoke.
"Take care of yourself."
With that, Eriri turned and walked into the distance.
Utaha watched her back disappear.
For a moment, it felt like an uncrossable distance had formed between them.
One stood at the manor gates.
The other walked farther and farther away.
Their paths were diverging—maybe forever—leaving a faint loneliness in Utaha's chest.
"…You're not as rational as you think."
Utaha let out a small, self-mocking laugh.
But she quickly steadied herself.
Once Eriri's silhouette vanished completely, Utaha turned around and headed back to her new home…
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