When I pressed the reply button on the email, a girl fell from the sky.
I know you probably don't understand what I'm saying, but I don't understand it either.
(Hey, is he someone you know?)
(Uh, no, you don't have any idea?)
We spoke in hushed tones so the mysterious girl wouldn't hear us.
Even though he was a boy whose name I didn't even know, it seems a strange sense of cooperation formed between us, perhaps because we were faced with an unusual situation.
(There's no way I know any 3D girls.)
(Huh? Uh, yeah.)
(...Sigh, there's no point in staying like this.)
The male student turned to the girl and questioned her.
"Let's sort things out one by one."
First of all, who are you?
That's certainly something I've been very curious about. Something falling from the sky can't be just an ordinary thing.
"My name is Elysia de Rut Ima!"
Everyone calls her Elsie!
"I'm a demon from the Soul-Running Squad, dispatched from Hell!!"
...
It seems like this is someone I shouldn't get involved with.
The male student seemed to have thought the same thing, as he turned on his heel at the same time and headed towards the rooftop door.
"Okay, time to get to work! I'm so busy!!"
"It's Thursday today. Let's go buy a game."
"Oh, please be careful."
Your head might fall off!
...Huh? You're saying my head's going to come off now?
I instinctively put my hand to my neck and felt something hard there.
Is this...a collar?
"W-what is this!?"
Upon closer inspection, the male student next to him also has a collar around his neck.
"God and the princess made a pact with the devil."
The contract was sent, wasn't it? Addressed to Mr. Dokuro, the department head."
Poison, rotting?
Oh! That reminds me of that email from earlier!!
(Could it be that you also send emails!?)
(...Ah, that sounds very familiar!)
It's hard to believe when someone suddenly tells you they've made a deal with the devil, but they're actually wearing a collar...
What's going to happen to us?! Can we settle this devil's deal with money? Or will we have to pay with our lifespan or souls...?
"The contract with hell is harsh, so be careful, okay?"
If you fail to fulfill the contract or break it without permission, that collar will activate and rip off your head."
...I can't believe it, it was a life...
"Ahaha, ahahahaha..."
"Don't mess with me! Take it off already!!"
"It's alright! It'll come off once we catch the runaway soul!!"
Kaketama? Now that you mention it, I think they were saying something about a "runaway soul squad" earlier...
"What is a runaway soul?"
"A 'runaway soul' is the soul of a villain who has escaped from hell."
"If left alone, they'll cause trouble on land, so we're going around trying to catch them..."
"If you want to catch him, go ahead. Don't drag me into this."
"No, they're not easy to catch."
After all, they hide in the 'gaps in people's hearts'."
"A void in the heart?"
"Hey, there's no way you can catch something like that, right?"
"it's okay!"
Elsie declared with complete confidence.
"Basically, all you have to do is fill the void in your heart!"
And the best way to fill the void in your heart is love!
Please use the power of the God of Relief to fill the void in my heart!!
Is this male student the one referred to as the "God of Conquest"?
I don't really understand it, but maybe they're actually an amazing person?
"W-wait wait wait wait wait! Are you telling me to win over her?" reality
Huh? Are you in a hurry?
"Well, just a moderate amount, like, a kiss would be fine..."
"You idiot!!!! You're making a huge mistake!!"
"The only girls I love are 2D girls! I've never even held hands with a girl from that series!!" reality
So, in other words... this male student can't fill the void in his heart, and if that's the case, the runaway soul can't be captured, and in that case, we...
...Could this possibly mean we're in a desperate situation?
"No way! Isn't there anything we can do?!"
" Don't expect anything from me regarding that. Why don't you ask one of the girls over there?" reality
"Huh, me?! I-I'm totally not cut out for romance!!"
I've only ever talked to my dad, the photographer, the staff, and the fans!
Huh? That's surprisingly a lot? But romance is impossible for me.
"God, that's impossible."
"Why?"
"Because runaway spirits can only hide in the gaps in a woman's heart."
I see, in that case, there's no need for me to do anything.
It might be a different story if the other person had that kind of hobby... but no, let's not imagine that for now.
...Huh? Wait a minute?
"Um, if that's the case, why am I also under contract? I don't think I'll be of any use."
"I'd like to ask the diva to take care of what happens after the runaway soul is released!"
The diva is definitely me, right?
I've never been called that before, but...it's not worth correcting them.
"What do you mean by 'afterwards'?"
"Normally, demons use special tools to capture runaway souls, but I can't use those tools, so I need you to defeat them on the spot!"
"D-Defeat them!? N-No way!!"
All I can do is knock people unconscious with a stun gun!
"I'm sure it'll be fine for you, Diva!"
Since runaway souls draw energy from negative emotions such as sadness and resentment, you can defeat them by unleashing the opposite—positive emotions such as joy and gratitude!
With the diva's singing, we should be able to defeat those runaway spirits!!
"With my song?"
"Yes!"
So, the "they" and "they" mentioned in the email were referring to runaway spirits...
I don't mind singing, but... singing to criminals feels a bit strange.
"If all I have to do is sing, then I don't mind..."
"Wow, thank you so much, Princess!!"
"I don't mind, but... pushing them out of the void in my heart..."
I glanced at the god of fortune-telling next to me.
"That's obviously impossible!!"
"Please, God, do something about it!"
"It's not a matter of whether you'll do it or not, it's a matter of whether you can do it or not!"
"The strategies for winning over 2D girls won't work on 3D girls!!"
"Well, you won't know unless you try!!"
Well, I wonder? Surely that would be difficult?
But it's also true that this is the only person I can really rely on...
"Besides, our lives are at stake! Please, we beg you!!"
"Huh? 'We'?"
I couldn't believe it, but when I looked more closely, I saw that Elsie was also wearing the same collar as us.
So, if we fail to capture the runaway soul...
"...Well, I guess I'll just give it a try."
"Oh, God! Thank you!!"
"There's no guarantee it'll work out, okay? Don't hold a grudge if it fails."
"Of course, God!"
Hmm, I'm worried, but... it's not something someone who can't do anything should be saying.
It looks like we have no choice but to leave this to God.
"So, who exactly is the target?"
"Well, let's see..."
Ding dong ding dong
"...We'll continue this after school. Is it alright if we meet on the rooftop?"
"Yes! We'll be waiting!"
...For now, I'll just let them know I'll be late for my after-school work.