How I Ended Up on a Date With a Pretty Girl Who Suddenly Confessed

"… I-I'm so sorry…!"

In a corner of the tent, still bustling with contestants who'd just finished the pageant, a girl facing the wall whispered in a hushed, careful voice.

"… Yes…! No, I'm fine, Boss…"

A tiny earplug peeking from her dark-brown hair, and a magic intercom mic clipped discreetly to the strap of her cute swimsuit. The tent was still full of people, but not a single one was paying any attention to the girl with her head down.

"That matter, I'll see to it. Definitely… yes, by whatever means it takes…"

Then, cutting her own words off without warning, the girl lifted her face.

For just a moment, her ash-gray eyes flicked after the figure of a girl leaving the tent, fluffy chestnut hair swaying behind her.

 

*

 

"… Looks like I overdid it just a teensy bit, didn't I."

Behind the makeshift stage, where Raul had been called out the moment the contest ended, a chestnut-haired girl let out a quiet sigh in the now-deserted space.

"Well, it's a shame, but it can't be helped. We'll have to ask the MagiVi customer to wait just a little longer…"

"Or, you know…"

… Finally back in his own familiar body, Raul gazed at the MagicPhone in his hand and spoke up, looking utterly worn out.

"Come to think of it, with this MagicPhone, switching in is one thing, but to switch back, all you have to do is flip the switch on the unit, right? You don't actually need to touch me directly…"

"Yes…"

"… So if you'd flipped the switch the moment you were done with your errand, you wouldn't have had to come all the way to the venue. You could've just popped straight back into your own body while it was still on stage during the contest…"

"Ah."

At Raul's pointed observation, Manager Seara widened her amber eyes.

"Raul-kun… are you… by any chance… a genius?"

… Liar.

At the Manager's wildly unconvincing reaction, blinking her eyes as if she'd only just now realized, Raul couldn't help his eyes narrowing to half-mast.

… No mistake about it, the Manager knew. She knew everything, and was just enjoying herself with it… damn it, sure I was rattled, but if I'd noticed sooner I wouldn't have had to disgrace myself like that…!

"Oh, that reminds me, Raul-kun. How was my body?"

At the Manager's casually tossed-off question, Raul couldn't help his heart skipping.

"Wha— d-don't say it with such a suggestive tone!!"

"Eh, you didn't look?"

At Raul's reaction, Manager Seara, of all things, looked genuinely surprised.

"I was so sure you'd have made me strike all kinds of unspeakable poses in front of the mirror, or observed every nook and cranny to your heart's content…"

"I-I did not!!!"

… Th-that's not to say the thought didn't cross my mind at all, but I was scared of being found out… at most, while waiting for Fino and Airi, I winked at a show window at the meeting spot, maybe pushed up some cleavage… no, that's not the point!

"And besides, weren't you the one who told me not to do anything weird, Manager!?"

When Raul cried out despite himself, Manager Seara cocked her head innocently.

"Raul-kun, you could've copped a feel or two if you'd wanted…"

"…!"

At those words, Raul's gaze was drawn, against his will, to the girl in front of him.

… He hadn't noticed before, but looking at her again now, Manager Seara's chest wasn't just bulging out the sides of her swimsuit but spilling out from underneath too, with overwhelming, abundant volume…

"… Just kidding. Heehee, no can do. I'm a chaste woman, you know?"

In front of Raul, who had unconsciously gulped, Manager Seara giggled and smiled.

… After a beat of speechlessness, Raul let out a small sigh.

"… Manager. I can go home now, right…?"

"Oh my, the sun's still high, and we came all the way to the sea. You should enjoy yourself a bit. There's also the festival's main event tonight, the 'Crown-Sending'…"

"Nah… I'm kind of beat…"

"My, my, what a shame."

The manager looked at Raul's listless face with visible reluctance.

"I was sure you were going to swim with Fino-chan and the others after this, so I put a swimsuit on you under your clothes…"

"Huh— wait, Manager!? You changed clothes in my body!?"

"Yes… is there a problem?"

In front of Raul, whose voice had gone shrill, Manager Seara tilted her head curiously.

… Not good. At the emergency siren wailing in his heart, Raul shook his head. If I keep talking to the Manager, my life bar is going to hit zero…

"… I'll leave those two to you, Manager. 'All-A', well, Airi aside, but Fino looks dead set on playing all out, so I'll be counting on you…"

"Ah, Raul-kun, wait."

Stopped suddenly in his tracks, Raul, who had already turned heel and started walking, looked back. Manager Seara had stepped close, and she gently took up his hand.

"This is something you worked hard to earn, Raul-kun. So please, you keep it."

Opposite his wristwatch, the Manager's soft fingertips touched the inside of his left wrist.

What the softly-smiling Manager Seara fastened there was a bracelet glittering with an "Iridescent Stone", and at the sight of the sparkling rainbow gem, Raul couldn't help the bewildered note in his voice.

"Eh… but I, even if you give me a bracelet…"

"Oh my, in that case, why don't you give it to someone as a gift? Iridescent Stones are gorgeous, and there isn't a girl alive who wouldn't be delighted to receive one, you know…?"

… A-a gift, for a girl…?

"Whoa… Raul, this is, this is super pretty… thank you!"

"… I… I've reassessed you, Raul Chaser…"

… In that instant, simulations of the reactions of the girls he knew flashed through Raul's mind.

"… I-I'll take it."

"Heehee."

Smiling brightly at the boy's response, the Manager abruptly placed a hand on Raul's shoulder.

"Raul-kun… thank you. Truly, for today."

A gentle voice that warmed his heart… Raul's pulse jumped.

"B-but, in the end, the MagiVi thing didn't work out…"

"Mm-mm… that doesn't matter."

In front of Raul, who was modestly demurring, Manager Seara softly turned up the corner of her lips.

"The way you always work so hard for everyone, Raul-kun… I really do think very highly of you, you know…?"

Manager Seara's smile, like an angel's. Feeling his cheeks color naturally, Raul muttered to himself in his chest.

… Sheesh, that's not fair. After all the awful stuff I went through today, when she thanks me with a face like that, I almost start feeling like maybe it was worth taking on after all…

"Oh, that's right, when you've settled on the sword you want, do let me know, all right?"

In front of Raul, the Manager spoke up as if just now remembering.

"There's a weapons shop I frequent, and the owner said if I asked, he'd quote me a price well below market…"

"… Wait, Manager! You knew I was planning to buy a sword with my bonus!?"

When Raul raised his voice, the Manager winked mischievously.

"The weapons catalog in the break room. That was yours, wasn't it, Raul-kun? … For Fino-chan's sake too, I hope you'll be able to get a good one, mm…?"

… So she'd seen through everything from the start, huh.

At the smiling Manager Seara, Raul couldn't help being impressed despite himself.

Come to think of it, at the family restaurant the other day, she'd been concerned about 'All-A''s diet too… a prankster, but kind. A little eccentric, but she actually paid attention to her subordinates… yeah, no, I really am no match for the Manager.

And then.

"?"

He suddenly felt someone's presence. Raul lifted his face, but in the direction he'd looked, off to the side of the stage, there was no such silhouette… I guess I really am tired.

"Well then, see you again tomorrow… take care, okay?"

Before Raul, who had cocked his head puzzledly, Manager Seara narrowed her amber eyes and gave a cute little wave.

 

*

 

"Raul was in the audience!"

Airi, wearing her navy swimsuit, shrugged her shoulders at Fino's emphatic words as they walked along the sand.

"… Are you sure you weren't mistaken? There were quite a lot of people, and his face is the kind you see anywhere…"

"No, I'm sure of it!"

But beside Airi, Fino declared it with full conviction.

"Over by the pillar at the back on the right… he disappeared right before the results were announced, but that was absolutely Raul!"

"… Yes, yes."

"He must've finished his important business and come to play with us!"

"… Yes, yes."

"Hey Airi, can I go look for Raul a little?"

"… … You."

At Fino's excited face as she asked, Airi pressed a hand to her forehead.

"… We just got separated from the Manager a moment ago. What are you talking about…?"

… The tent they'd just been in, the pageant changing room. When Airi had glanced over, Manager Seara had been nowhere in sight…

"In the end, the Manager never came back, and the changing room got closed up. If you get lost on top of that, that'll be trouble, right? Until we find the Manager, no acting alone!"

"Eehh…"

In front of Fino, who muttered her dissatisfaction, Airi let out a long breath.

"… Besides, how exactly are you going to find Raul Chaser in this crowd, assuming he's even here at all?"

At Airi's question, Fino's big eyes went wide.

"Eh… um… probably, if I get close enough, I can tell by his smell."

"… As expected of a demonkin."

… Looking exasperated at Fino's not-quite-human remark… Airi swept her honey-colored hair back and opened her mouth.

"Still… isn't that thing a pain to carry? You didn't have to lug it all the way. You could've just had them deliver it later, like me."

The moment Airi's gaze landed on the Magical Negative-Ion Dryer that Fino had been carrying so preciously since earlier, the third-place pageant prize, Fino shook her head firmly.

"Mm-mm, I won it, so I want to carry it with my own hands… besides, I want to show it to Raul!"

"… What are you planning to do, showing him a dryer?"

In front of Airi, whose eyes couldn't help going half-lidded, Fino raised her voice as if remembering something.

"Speaking of which, Airi, you got second place, so you're cooler than me!"

"… Well, considering how spectacularly you self-destructed, being only one rank above you isn't something I can be entirely happy about, honestly."

Accepting Fino's admiring gaze, Airi muttered, looking just slightly embarrassed.

 

*

 

Whoa, there's even more people than there were earlier…

The scent of the tide, and the buzz of the crowd. The sand crumbling softly underfoot.

When Raul looked up, his vision filled with the deep blue sky against which the white clouds stood vivid, and a vast beach stretching on forever. And, looming with a presence that overpowered the cheerfully playing crowd in the foreground, a massive monument shaped like a tower, somewhat out of place for a seashore…

"Heeh… so that's the 'Crown-Sending' tower…"

Shielding his eyes against the piercing sunlight, Raul muttered to himself.

Come to think of it, it's been three years since I came to the royal capital, but this might actually be the first time I've seen it in person…

Even Raul, country-bred as he was, had heard tell of the 'Crown-Sending' held in the royal capital.

A section of the central Shinrurian Coast, together with the tower at its heart, is itself a single colossal magic item.

Every year, timed to the seventh month's opening-of-the-sea festival on its first day, the Crown of Light Festival is held: once a switch on the tower is thrown, the thousands of people gathered on the coast all touch the sand at their feet at once, and the magic gathered that way lights a flame at the tower's tip, as a prayer for the royal capital's prosperity… Or something.

Well, sure, the idea of operating a single magic item with a whole crowd of people's magic does sound kinda interesting, but…

Muttering this inwardly, Raul squinted as he surveyed the crowd around him. … Looks like the population density's about to get rough, and there are way too many couples… I can just go home and watch it on MagiVi, that'll be enough.

… Wait, come to think of it, tomorrow morning's the new-product study session. I have to come in early, don't I.

Reminded of his bleak reality, Raul let out a sigh.

Right, if 'All-A' and Fino and the rest spot me it'll be a hassle, so I'd better get going—!?

Without warning, someone tapped his shoulder.

Raul gave a start and looked back, and the moment he did, his heart leapt.

Glossy dark-brown hair, and a big pair of goggles. Set in a strikingly refined face, her impressive ash-gray eyes stood out.

… It's the girl from the pageant earlier. Sonia-san, I think she said her name was…

"Ah, uh, um! Earlier, that, I, um…"

Reflexively remembering the sunscreen-spraying incident in the changing room, Raul started to apologize… but partway through, he remembered.

Come to think of it, that was the Manager's body. In my own body this is the first time we've met… wait, then why is she calling out to me?

Knowing the girl's two-faced nature, the one in the changing room versus the one on stage, Raul couldn't help wearing an expression that was half wariness, half confusion… and in front of him, Sonia smiled brightly.

"Nice to meet you, I'm Sonia. Hey, what's your name?"

"Hu— wait, m-me!?"

… Wait, why is she asking me my name out of nowhere!?

When he noticed, Sonia's face was so close it was throwing him off balance.

Eyes clear as glass, gazing up steadily at him. The cleavage wrapped in her cute swimsuit was unavoidably entering his field of vision…

Thoroughly flustered, Raul stammered out his answer.

"I-I'm Raul Chaser…"

"… Heeh… so you're Raul-san…"

As she spoke, Sonia's soft fingertips brushed lightly against Raul's arm.

So close her breath could've grazed his cheek, the ash-gray eyes peering up at him through her lashes suddenly narrowed.

"I think… I might've fallen for you at first sight, Raul-san…?"

And in that instant,

At the unknown sensation pressed against his lips, Raul's eyes flew wide open.

"…!"

… Unable, in the suddenness of it, to even register what was happening.

As if every nerve in his body had collected at that one spot, only the softness conveyed through the small place where he and the girl were joined ruled his senses—

"… Raul Chaser."

A voice with a familiar ring to it suddenly cut into Raul's perception.

Coming back to himself with a jolt, Raul looked back over his shoulder, and what flew into his sight was honey-colored hair and a navy swimsuit…

… There. Airi stood there with a stunned expression, and beside her, Fino blinked her aqua-blue eyes. The two girls were standing right there.

"…!"

In that moment, words abandoned him.

In front of Raul, who froze with his arm still gripped by Sonia, Airi pursed her lips tightly and abruptly turned her back, her long hair streaming.

"… Fino-san, let's go!"

"Eh, but, Raul… ah, wait…!"

Pulled along by Airi, who walked off without brooking any objection, Fino looked back at Raul with a reluctant, confused expression…

In no time at all, the figures of the girls receded into the distance.

Raul, who had been watching them go in a kind of daze, suddenly couldn't bear to stay still.

"… … Hey!!"

Reflexively shaking off Sonia's fingers, still wound around his arm, the boy took off running with a flustered voice, practically tumbling.

 

*

 

"… Aw."

Watching the boy who'd dashed off so vigorously, the girl pushed her goggles up onto her hair and muttered, looking disappointed.

"And I was so close, too… geez, your timing's terrible."

The sensation of the "Iridescent Stone" still lingered on her fingertips.

"… Well, it can't be helped, I guess. Next time, I won't let you get away, okay?"

Narrowing her ash-gray eyes, gazing wistfully at her right hand… the girl swept back her dark-brown hair and let out a small sigh.

 

*

 

"Wait, 'All-A'! Fino!!"

Nearly colliding with strangers on the sand, almost getting his feet caught in it, he somehow caught up with the two of them. The moment she heard Raul's voice, Fino turned around with a faintly relieved expression.

"Raul! Hey, Airi! Raul came—"

"…!"

But Airi, pulling Fino along by the hand, didn't so much as slow down. She actually walked faster… wait!

"H-hey, hold up, I said wait, 'All-A'!!"

And in that moment.

Stopping abruptly, Airi looked back over her shoulder and shot Raul a cold glare.

"… Why are you chasing after us?"

"Huh…"

For an instant, his answer caught in his throat… eventually, Raul opened his mouth hesitantly.

"That's… I mean… y-you guys ran off, so…"

"… Well, it'd be wrong to butt in on you when you're with your girlfriend, wouldn't it."

"Wha— g-girlfriend!?"

In that moment, in front of Raul, whose voice had jumped, Airi arched her finely-shaped brow.

"… Your 'important business' was cheering that girl on, wasn't it?"

Airi's tone was sharp, prickly, accusatory, and at her words, Raul belatedly recalled the exchange in the changing room.

That's right, I said I had important business today and couldn't come… damn, so that's what this is!

Finally understanding the source of Airi's anger, and wanting only to clear up the misunderstanding, Raul spoke hurriedly.

"Th-that's wrong! The important business, that was…"

"… I mean, if you've got a girlfriend that cute, of course you'd prioritize her over cheering us on."

"H-hey! Listen to what I'm…"

"She lost to Manager Seara by a narrow margin, sure, but your girlfriend took first place, didn't she. Good for you. You must be feeling pretty proud."

Refusing even to listen to Raul, Airi rattled on in a sardonic tone.

Sensing the unusual atmosphere, curious glances were being thrown their way from up and down the sand…

"I'm telling you, you're wrong!!!"

At Airi's unyielding attitude, in his panic Raul ended up shouting.

"I've never met that girl before in my life! On top of that, today was the first time…"

"You meet her for the first time today and you're already kissing her!?"

"That's why I said it's…"

"… … I'm disappointed in you, Raul Chaser."

Cutting straight through Raul's words as he tried again to protest, the look Airi turned on Raul was scornful, frozen cold.

"… I thought you weren't that kind of person."

Spitting it out in a tone that pushed him away, Airi once more turned her back on Raul.

"…!"

Leaving Raul frozen there in place, Airi set off walking briskly.

Fino, caught in between, looked back and forth between the two of them helplessly… eventually, she shot Raul a glance as if she had something to say, pursed her lips tight, and pattered off after Airi.

Bathed in the gazes of the people around them, Raul alone was left standing there.

… What the hell, deciding it on her own like that… and Fino too, siding with 'All-A' over me…

Watching the two of them disappear into the crowd, a faintly unpleasant feeling bubbled up in Raul's chest as he stood there.

I mean, who do they think it is that's always looking after them, anyway…

And then, a soft, springy sensation suddenly pressed against the arm of the fuming Raul.

"…!?"

"… Heehee, by any chance, were you feeling kinda… jealous?"

A girl's teasing voice at his ear. Raul whipped his face around as if struck, and there was Sonia, the goggle-girl from before, clinging to his arm… wait!?

"S-Sonia-san!!?"

"But… that just now, that was kinda harsh, wasn't it?"

Looking up at the flustered Raul at point-blank range, Sonia spoke in an indignant tone.

"They didn't even listen to what you had to say… poor Raul-san…"

"…!"

Sonia's words, picking up on the irritation in his chest. Raul's heart lurched, and Sonia suddenly leaned in to peer at his face.

"Hey… by the way, those two just now, which one was Raul-san's girlfriend…?"

Gazing steadily into Raul's eyes, Sonia narrowed her ash-gray eyes and asked… At the somehow earnest look in her gaze, Raul couldn't help getting flustered.

"… N-neither of them is my girlfriend, really…"

"Whoa, then Raul-san is, like, single right now!?"

The moment Raul hesitantly answered, Sonia raised her voice happily.

"Wow, maybe this is fate… hey, in that case, why don't you go out with me?"

Looking up at Raul from a heart-skipping distance… in a sweet tone, Sonia proposed.

 

*

 

… Th-this can't be happening…

Raul repeated it to himself for what felt like the hundredth time.

This has to be a dream, or something…

"… What's wrong, Raul-san?"

Glossy hair, and eyes framed by clear-cut double eyelids.

A heart-stoppingly cute girl, clinging coquettishly to his arm and gazing up at him…

Walking the couples-filled beach alongside Sonia, Raul muttered to himself once again.

There's just no way a cute girl like this would ever confess to someone like me…

Suddenly remembering the changing-room incident, Raul checked his fluttering heart.

… Th-that's right, don't get tricked! This girl's true colors are absolutely the other ones! Both her attitude at the pageant and her attitude now have got to be an act…

"No way… I-it's embarrassing when you stare at me like that, you know…?"

… At the bashful expression that crossed Sonia's face the moment their eyes met, Raul's voice wavered.

"Uh… th-that… w-why, with someone like me…"

"… Hmm, do you really need a reason for love at first sight…?"

In the girl's sweet, dreamy voice, Sonia's fingertips reached out as though to take his hand, casually drifting toward Raul's bracelet-glittering left wrist…

"!!"

The moment her hand was about to touch it, struck by sudden self-consciousness, Raul yanked his hand back… and at Raul's reaction, Sonia's eyes narrowed slightly.

"…!"

… C-crap, did I just mess up!?

For an instant, Raul's heart skipped at the briefly displeased expression the girl had shown, but Sonia quickly resumed her charming smile.

"Hey, Raul-san, what do you do for a living?"

"Eh…"

Caught off-guard by the sudden topic, Raul stumbled.

… Even after promising Fino and the Manager he'd aim higher, Raul's complex about his profession still lingered.

If only I could answer 'hero' here, it'd sound so cool… Shaking off the temptation, Raul opened his mouth reluctantly.

"… I-I'm a clerk at a magic shop."

… Somehow lowering his eyes. The moment Raul answered, Sonia's eyes widened.

"Wow, that's such a wonderful job!"

"Huh?"

It wasn't the reaction he'd been expecting. In front of Raul, blinking dumbly, Sonia smiled and cocked her head adorably.

"Guys who're good with magic items are super cool, and you seem really earnest, Raul-san… you must be popular with the customers too, huh?"

"N-no, that's not…"

"Mm-mm, I can tell. I'm sure of it!"

Brushing Raul's back as he demurred, Sonia gazed deep into his eyes.

"… I'd kind of like to see you at work, Raul-san, doing your best…"

… At Sonia's whispered words from beneath those upturned lashes, Raul couldn't help going slack-jawed.

Th-this girl, isn't she actually a really good kid? On top of that, the way she understands me on a first meeting, like she really gets me…

Maybe, Raul thought. Maybe the changing-room one was the act, and the pageant and this side are her true self…

"S-so by the way, Sonia-san, you're an ME, right?"

Cheeks heating suddenly. As if to hide his giddiness, Raul forced his voice bright.

"That 'Magic Construction' you did earlier, I, um, got really absorbed watching it…"

… However.

"Eh?"

At Raul's question, for some reason Sonia looked caught off-guard… after a beat, she narrowed her eyes, looking somehow amused.

"Heehee, you've got it wrong. Sonia isn't an ME…"

"Eh… but, then, what exactly…"

"Mm… that's a secret."

Giggling, Sonia leaned her lips close to Raul's ear.

"I'll tell you later, slowly, okay? Just the two of us…"

The girl's breath tickling Raul's ear.

Hugging Raul's arm tighter as he flushed crimson… gazing up at his flustered face, Sonia laughed pleasantly.

 

*

 

"… … Oh my, Visor-kun?"

… Suddenly called by name from behind.

The red-haired man with the shoulder bag turned around timidly, and the moment he confirmed the figure of the beautiful girl looking his way with a small orange magic desktop calculator in one hand, he cleared his throat as if to mask his agitation.

"Ahh… w-well… uh, maybe you've got the wrong person? Pretty young la…"

"… Those sunglasses are the ones we have on display by our register, aren't they?"

The chestnut-haired beauty's calm voice cut off the red-haired man's words.

A brief silence… and then.

"… Manager."

The man, having taken off the shades, conceded the fact with the look of someone who'd thoroughly given up.

"How… how'd you find out… damn, I knew it, I thought our eyes met for a second back there…"

"… It's not like I was even looking for you in particular, Visor-kun."

In front of the muttering red-haired man, Magic Shop Leon, Royal Capital Store's Assistant Manager Visor, Manager Seara tapped the calculator and let out a sigh.

"I came with Fino-chan and Airi-san, and got separated from them. So I was tracking the location of the staff badges I'd given them to carry, and the calculator picked up a reading…"

"Wait…"

At her words, the Assistant Manager hurriedly fumbled at the breast pocket of his dress shirt, and the instant he found the staff badge, just as he'd suspected, still tucked inside, he pressed a hand to his forehead with a groan.

"Aaah… yesterday, when I changed clothes on the way home…"

… The staff badges Manager Seara had turned into magic items were transmitters that let her check her staff's current location.

Looking over her subordinate, who was utterly deflated at this unforeseen miscalculation, the Manager opened her mouth.

"… Still, it's unusual. You're such a homebody, Visor-kun, coming all the way to the beach is honestly a surprise… and bringing along a big MagiCam like that, what's gotten into you?"

"N-no, that's… I, I really love the sea…"

In front of the Manager, looking dubious, the Assistant Manager waved his hands hurriedly.

"R-right, I just came here to soothe a heart worn out by overwork by gazing at the calm wide ocean. I certainly didn't come to capture the Manager's precious swimsuited appearance on camera or anything…"

"Oh my, did you know I was entering the pageant?"

… Tripping over his own excuses, he ends up digging his own grave.

"Did Fino-chan or Airi-san tell you?"

"Ah…"

In front of Manager Seara asking with wide eyes, the Assistant Manager let his gaze wander for a while, and eventually opened his mouth as if giving up.

"… That… the MagiVi pre-order you were taking from a customer the other day, the delivery deadline was taking forever, wasn't it? So when I saw the merchants' association bulletin on your desk and noticed the pageant prize matched, I figured, ahh, she's definitely gonna make a move…"

"… Visor-kun, you were keeping an eye on the deadline of my pre-orders?"

"… Eh… ah… well."

In front of Manager Seara, whose voice rose involuntarily, the Assistant Manager narrowed his eyes.

"… Even you can make a mistake sometimes, right, Manager? If anything goes wrong, the Assistant Manager, that's me, catches the joint blame too… I'm a coward at heart, so I tend to be careful about that sort of thing…"

The Assistant Manager's words spilled out as if it were too much trouble to say.

At his typically negative remark, Manager Seara blinked her big eyes, and then,

"… Visor-kun, you really haven't changed a bit since the old days, have you."

She smiled softly, gently.

In front of the Assistant Manager, who flushed despite himself, Manager Seara's gaze suddenly drifted away.

"I've been thinking lately. Was what I did, defeating the [Demon King], really the right thing?"

Her long hair swayed softly in the sea breeze.

Looking with somewhat distant eyes at the people frolicking by the shore, at the words the girl quietly let slip, the Assistant Manager's breath caught.

"Raul-kun, and Fino-chan, and Airi-san, they're all such good kids… and I'm the one who took away their dreams and their futures. All of it, me."

"Manager…"

In front of the muttering red-haired man, the girl shook her head sadly.

"For my own selfish reasons, I twisted countless people's fates… I can't even fall back on the excuse that I was trying to save the world. Because… all I wanted was to avenge my brother, Elt."

"So," she said.

With the look of someone who'd made up her mind, the girl opened her lips as if steeling herself.

"So… if it's necessary, I…"

"… You haven't changed a bit either, Manager."

… And then.

A man's exasperated voice abruptly cut off the girl's words.

"You and Elt both, real good kids. Or rather, too damn serious for your own good…"

"Visor-kun…"

"… I'm on your side, Manager."

In that moment, in front of the girl whose eyes had gone round, the Assistant Manager brusquely scratched his head.

"That, uh… Seara-chan, you're still my and Elt's cute little sister, so… yeah."

A tossed-off, careless tone, but the moment she heard his words, the strained look on the girl's face softened.

"Thank you… Visor… oniichan…"

"…!"

It was, long ago, a way of addressing him from when they had all been still very young.

In front of the girl wearing her angel-like smile, the Assistant Manager turned his gaze away, looking embarrassed…

… And behind the two of them.

Killing their footsteps, two shadows were closing in, inch by inch.

 

*

 

"Kyaa, cold! It feels nice…!"

"…!"

"Hey, Raul-san, come on, hurry up over here?"

Glossy hair tugged by the sea breeze. The flawless lines of the figure wrapped in the cute swimsuit.

Toes dipped in the surf, Sonia laughed cheerfully as she looked back over her shoulder, and Raul couldn't help his heart pounding.

Led by the hand by Sonia, he had been brought to a far-off stretch of the coast, a rugged, rocky patch of sand.

Even with the beach packed thick with people, somewhere this hard to swim and without a single stall naturally drew only a sparse few. The wave-sounds that had been drowned out by the crowd's noise until just now could now be heard distinctly.

The wet, heavy sand clung to the soles of Raul's barefoot feet.

When he walked over to the surf as invited, a chilly wave covered his ankles.

"Hey, Raul-san, come over here…?"

Splashing the waves as she approached, Sonia suddenly gripped Raul's hand tight.

"…!?"

Before he could react, he was pulled into the shadow of one of the large rocks poking up out of the water here and there.

Just like that, as if cornered, he was pressed up against the rock face, and gazing steadily at the flustered Raul, Sonia pressed her enchanting body close.

—… Wait. Th-this situation, that's…!

"… Finally, just the two of us, huh…?"

Bringing her face close enough that her lashes nearly brushed Raul's cheek, at Sonia whispering up at him from below, Raul was thoroughly thrown.

"Wait… e-even so, this kind of thing, it's, um, going a little too fast, don't you think…"

"Heehee… not at all, no it's not?"

Watching Raul's flustered, voice-cracking reaction with amusement, Sonia gently slid her fingertips across the boy's chest.

His heart inevitably hammering. Raul gulped…

"Because… we don't have all that much time left, you see—"

"!?"

A numbing impact suddenly ran through his abdomen.

In that instant, the strength drained from Raul's limbs and head…

"… Heehee, sorry, Raul-san?"

Through his fading consciousness, the sound of Sonia's giggling laughter.

"I would've liked to play a little longer with you, but I'm a busy girl too…!?"

"Ungh… wh-what was, just now…"

And then, as she reached for the bracelet-fitted left wrist of Raul, the girl froze stock-still.

Her ash-gray eyes, opened so wide they looked like they might spill, stared at Raul as he protested and rubbed his stomach. After a beat, Sonia cried out, utterly thrown.

"Wait!? Why didn't the 'Breaker' trip at 5,000 ampyle!? An ordinary person would easily stay knocked out for five whole minutes at just 1,000 ampyle…!?"

"Eh… ah, 5,000 ampyle is just barely within my limit output, so… wait!?"

Pressing a hand to his still-foggy forehead, Raul answered offhand, and the moment he noticed the item in Sonia's hand, his eyes flew wide.

A cylindrical object with what looked like a switch button at one end. It was a shape he'd seen, in a familiar form, just a few days ago… wait!

"That, a ShockGun… wh-why does Sonia-san have an illegal item like that!?"

"… Aw."

In front of Raul, who was thoroughly taken aback, Sonia swept back her long hair and sighed.

"I'm a pacifist, you see, and Raul-san seems like a nice person, so I wanted to settle this peacefully if I could… but if the ShockGun doesn't work, well, what can you do."

As she spoke, what Sonia drew from her hip pouch was a gun of a design Raul had never seen.

The barrel was thick and stubby out of all proportion to the slender grip nestled in the girl's hand…

"Wha—"

In front of Raul, who was leaning back against the rock, Sonia smiled brightly.

"Hey, Raul-san… would you give me that bracelet…?"

A gun muzzle wide enough to swallow him whole was leveled, dead-on, at Raul.