It was absurd and she would consider it an affront to the analytical spirit in which she based her life were it not for the fact that she had better things to do than wasting her time on refuting silliness.
Other student council members would at times tell her about hanging arenas, spiraling stairwells, Rose Brides with magical swords, and to top it all upside down castles that spun in the sky. She did not precisely know how the delusion was so disseminated but it was obviously a kind of visual trick or perhaps even a hallucination. So when she had to interrupt a rather important experiment because some idiot with a rose crest ring wanted to speak to her Namie was less than amused.
"I don't know anything about any of that."
Shizuo was stunned by her audacity.
"Like hell I'll buy that! Just tell your goons at the student council to leave Izaya alone. What has he even done to you? I've been living with the guy for a while now, he wouldn't harm a fly."
Shizuo did not even notice that he was assuming that the purpose of the duels entailed hurting Izaya by default. The fact that this was a sort of cognitive bias did not of course occur to him precisely because it was so.
"My 'goons'? You can tell them yourself. I don't command them."
"If not you then who?"
Namie shrugged and tossed her long hair over her shoulder.
"Some person or persons that go by the name of 'End of the World'. In other words, you are dealing with irrational people that cannot be reasoned with."
"So you don't take any part in these duels?"
Namie folded her arms. The ring sparkled oddly in her finger, it was a dissonant note in her highly practical attire.
"No. No, I don't. And before you tell me about any castles allow me to inform you that there is such a thing as magnetism and devices that could accomplish such a feat without any hocus pocus. Not to mention tricks of light."
Shizuo was silent for a while.
"I don't think you'd be saying that if you'd fought in that arena."
"Shizuo-kun, I am a busy person. I have many things to attend to and cannot waste my time on silly fantasies. Now if you'll excuse me I have some gene sequencing to do. Science, it works."
She did not add 'bitches' but it was patently obvious in the way she spun on her heels and trotted away.
"I guess this means one less duelist to worry about, huh Izaya?"
"It seems so, Shizuo-sama."
"Great."
"Erika, what do you want-"
"Just come with me!"
Shizuo was reluctant to follow Erika anywhere after the duel incident but she seemed back to her chirpy self and gingerly dragging him up the arm up a steep flight of stair.
"When there's a duel, an opening appears here. If you go all the way to this balcony you can watch it."
"Not that again…"
"Don't worry, I didn't bring you here for that. I wanted to talk to Izaya and this place has a certain scenic beauty to it."
Shizuo was learning suspicion.
"Really?"
"Totally! You see, I have a story in mind and I need to draw Izaya. He's the main character."
"What kind of story?"
"Izaya is an informant in Ikebukuro and causes all sorts of mischief with his cleverly manipulative ways."
"What's that about?"
"Fiction, Shizuo! Fiction. Don't be mad, I have nothing against you. So can I draw Izaya?"
Erika batted her eyelashes and held her sketchbook with both hands as she peered into Shizuo's eyes for effect.
"Don't ask me, ask Izaya directly…he's standing right there."
Erika giggled.
"Heh, okay, let's try that. Izaya, can I draw you for my manga project?"
"If Shizuo-sama says so."
"See?"
Shizuo sighed.
"Izaya, just tell her what you want."
"I do not care either way."
"Yes! That is as close to a 'yes' as the Rose Bride will ever get!"
Shizuo frowned. Something was amiss here.
"I wanna be present in these drawing sessions. I'm still not sure you won't go all crazy again and try to hurt him."
"Aw, you really are a nice guy aren't you? So protective. It's all good, it'll be even better with you there."
They took a seat at the bottom of the stairs.
"Izaya as an informant, huh…what gave you that idea?"
"I don't know. It just came to me, just like that."
She snapped her fingers.
