CapoExecutor: Thanks. I hope I didn't go over-the-top with the fanservice parts. I actually didn't introduce Bel Peol as the principal until Chapter 9. I figured I might as well bring her up now to remove any questions in the readers' minds as to where Bel Peol landed. Unfortunately, I've never seen the OVA, which stinks for me. Know where I might be able to find a streaming version of it?
ColinatorGX: Thank you. As to whom the Writer of Questionable Stories is conversing with... For now, that's a secret. *Grins* As for Behemoth's contractor... I'm still trying to figure that one out... Merihim will definitely be someone to look out for in this version of events, but he won't show up until later. Much, much later.
Timeless Echolocation: Thank you. Yes, Wilhelmina can still be very scary, even if she's not a Flame Haze here. Chigusa as the Specialist of Everything? Haha, we can only wait and see what will happen.
JohnPeacekeeper: You read that chapter twice? I'm flattered. As for Wilhelmina, she's probably more accepting of Yuji since she doesn't have her huge overbearing duties as a Flame Haze getting in the way. But you can be sure that if Yuji ever does something to hurt Shana... she won't hesitate to come after him with the kitchen knife. Yes, Khamsin here would definitely have a boy's mentality of girls. I came up with those new designs partly because I was a little... disatisfied with how they looked in the anime. As far as getting some artwork of their swimsuits in that chapter... Hmm... *Rubs chin in some thought* Well, we'll see... *Grins*
Isekaijin: Thanks. I will definitely try and finish this one to the end. Yes, this story IS random. It is a parody, after all. XD
"Huh. Well, that's odd."
The Writer of Questionable Stories looked up from a block of text he'd been in the middle of furiously editing.
"...What is?"
"I'm tracking a curious anomaly in the final section of this document. It looks like another role reversal... and it looks seriously skewed."
The Writer of Questionable Stories slammed the laptop shut and grumbled.
"Just when I thought I'd finally get a break... So who is it this time?"
"Tomboy and squinty-eyes."
"...Damn."
SHAKUGAN NO YUJI?
Chapter 1010: Unraveled Feelings
Summer's still here. That absolutely embarrassing day at Misaki Waterland is now little more than an unpleasant memory... although I guess not ALL of it was completely bad. It did have its fun moments.
Watching that idiotic pervert stalker Yuji frolic around in the water like that was an interesting sight. Seeing him swim and splash that day, most people would never have guessed that such a clueless guy would be an agent responsible for the balance between two worlds.
I don't have that luxury of ignorant bliss. After all, I'm dead. Yuji's constant presence next to me every single day slams that reminder home like an existential bullet.
"All right, start!"
"Hi-yaaaaah...!!"
With a yell of mock fury, Shana rushed Yuji with an arcing lunge. The wooden training stick in the young Mystes' hand traced a curving line in the air as it came down towards the Flame Haze standing in front of her.
Yuji sidestepped the blow, promptly delivering a vertical counterlunge with his own training stick.
KLAK!
Shana parried and somersaulted backwards, regaining her footing even as she rolled out of Yuji's reach. Leaping back into her fighting stance, Shana then rushed forwards once more.
KLAK! KLAK! KLAK!
Yuji smiled in good-natured amusement as he then countered with a sudden flurry of blows. Shana was hard-pressed to dodge and parry the rapid series of attacks, but somehow, she managed. With a final backwards leap, Shana landed lightly on her feet as she brought her training stick back up in the guard position.
Still smiling, Yuji lowered his training stick and nodded.
"Good one. I think that'll be it for today. That was a good practice spar."
Shana nodded back and shouldered her own practice weapon.
"Of course. You're not bad either, even though I think you take it too casually during a fight. Where'd you learn how to fight like that anyway?"
Yuji just continued to give off that enigmatic grin as he sat down on the apartment rooftop.
"That's a secret."
Alastor merely grunted in agreement with his Flame Haze's statement. Shana pouted and looked away in mild disgust.
"Hmph. Idiot."
Suddenly, the voice of Wilhelmina intruded upon the two. Shana's guardian was ascending the stairs. In her hands were a pair of water bottles.
"Truly, is it all right if I come up here?"
Yuji smiled and nodded over to the magenta-haired woman.
"Of course."
Nodding back, Wilhelmina tossed a water bottle to both Shana and Yuji. Yuji nodded his thanks and then began to drink. Still frowning, Shana opened her bottle a moment later as she headed over to the stairs. Yuji looked up from his drink.
"...Shana? Where are you going?"
"Nothing important, you idiot stalker. Just going downstairs to take a bath. I don't intend to go to school all sweaty like this, you know..."
With that, Shana left, leaving Yuji and Wilhelmina standing alone on the roof. Wilhelmina silently regarded the boy standing in front of her for a long moment before she spoke.
"...Truly, were you two practicing?"
Yuji smiled as he replied.
"Ah, well... Shana wanted to work on some of her moves. Since I'm... also a bit of a martial artist, she requested that I spar with her regularly in the early morning. She's pretty good."
Wilhelmina nodded.
"Truly, that would be so. After all, this one taught her in regards to her skills."
Yuji's smile widened.
"Ah, is that so? My compliments to the teacher. Shana's quite talented."
"Truly, this one thanks you."
After another moment of silence, Wilhelmina looked back over to Yuji.
"Truly... now, this one can confidently say that you are the first real friend that Shana has made ever since she came to this city."
Yuji looked up and blinked in mild surprise.
"R-really?"
Wilhelmina nodded.
"Truly, that is so. That is perhaps the biggest reason why this one is willing to accept your presence next to her. Truly, this one requests that you promise to continue to watch over her, in spite of her abruptness and lack of tact."
Yuji, not quite grasping the true extent of what Shana's guardian was implying, simply nodded indistinctly and looked back up at the morning sky.
"...I promise."
Sydonay groaned as he looked over his paperwork on the desk in front of him. Nearby, Bel Peol, the principal of Misaki High, glanced up in puzzlement from her own pile of papers.
"...You're in an awfully dour mood lately. Don't tell me you're feeling bad about refusing to tip the waiter at that restaurant last week after he took away your cigarette."
The gym teacher shook his head as he looked up at the principal, dressed in a dark business jacket and miniskirt.
"It's not that... It's... it's about Hecate."
Bel Peol grinned.
"Don't tell me... did that little Lolita of prayers coldly turn you down after you suddenly worked up all of your courage to confess your feelings to her?"
Sydonay grimaced.
"That's not it! Besides, I don't view her that way. I just... I'm fond of her, you know? Anyway... it seems like she's been awfully cheerful for the past few weeks. She doesn't pray as much, and she smiled! She smiled, TWICE in my gym class!"
Bel Peol raised an eyebrow.
"Isn't that a good thing?"
Sydonay snorted.
"Normally, yes... but I think her current little bout of smiles is due to..."
Bel Peol's grin returned as she crossed her arms and appraised the gym teacher sitting in front of her.
"Ohhh... I see. It seems that your favorite student's suddenly gone and fallen for a boy."
The gym teacher sighed as he nodded heavily.
"That's exactly it."
Bel Peol rolled her eyes as she began to return her attention to her paperwork.
"...If you ask me, I think it's the best thing to happen to her. She's always been so listless for a student. And if you're really her teacher, you should be rejoicing that she's suddenly found a reason to smile and be cheerful."
Sydonay simply settled for a grumble.
"...Yuji Hirai... Mrgrbrgh..."
Shana shook the water out of her hair as she stepped out of the showers in the girls' changing room. Tiriel, who had just changed back into her uniform, smirked in greeting.
"Ah, if it isn't our dear little Shana-tan. And how is your handsome 'stalker' doing?"
Shana scowled at Sorath's other half.
"He's just fine. Why do you ask?"
"Oh, nothing. I just noticed that he seems to be awfully close to you so often. Quite like Sorath and I."
Hecate, standing nearby and in the process of changing, looked up with an expression of mild bemusement. Shana turned bright red as a stray image of her frenching Yuji sprang up in her mind. She then quickly and furiously shook her head to clear out the offending mental picture as she advanced angrily on Tiriel.
"Yuji and I are NOT like that! NOT AT ALL!"
Preoccupied with her vehement denial, Shana completely failed to notice the bar of soap that was lying on the floor in front of her. Not surprisingly, Murphy's Law took hold a moment later.
Shana slipped and fell.
"Kyaaaaa...!!!"
THUD!
Groaning as she struggled to regain her lost footing, Shana suddenly heard a voice yell in alarm. It was a familiar voice.
"Shana! Are you all right!?"
Looking up, still crimson-faced, Shana found herself staring at Yuji, who had apparently rushed into the girls' changing room upon hearing her shriek. Seeing the intense look of concern, worry, and anxiety on his face, it took her brain a brief, belated moment to register the fact that she was still stark naked. Tiriel giggled.
"My oh my... Boys these days... So naughty!"
Hecate simply blinked.
"...Hirai-kun."
At that, Yuji's eyes suddenly took in the room that he was standing in... and his face flushed crimson as he realized the circumstances he was currently in... and the view that was in front of him.
Bel Peol paused and looked up from her paperwork, a mild look of puzzlement on her face.
"...An earthquake?"
After a moment's pause, the principal of Misaki High shrugged and turned her attention back to the papers on her desk.
Khamsin looked up from his lunch at Shana as she angrily tore at her bun of melon bread.
"...Hmm? That's odd... Where's Hirai-kun?"
Hecate nodded.
"That's right. I haven't seen him since that incident in the locker room this morning."
Khamsin blinked.
"I didn't hear anything about this-"
Shana snorted, interrupting Khamsin's remark.
"Hmph. I don't even want to think about that clueless idiot right now! Geez, seriously..."
At that moment, Yuji walked into the classroom, holding his lunch of riceballs. He was still sporting a black eye and some bruises. Seeing Shana sitting nearby, his face brightened.
"Ah, Shana! Sorry about this morning. Can I-"
Shana simply looked away angrily and refused to speak to the hapless Flame Haze. Taken aback by her refusal to speak to him, Yuji looked over at Shana with a downcast expression on his face.
"Shana, look, I apologize. If it's about the fact that I saw you na-"
Yuji's words were cut off as he found himself staring at the blade of Shana's katana, poised just over his throat. Shana's outstretched swordhand was visibly trembling.
"Go away. NOW. I... I don't want to speak to you, I... I DON'T EVEN WANT TO SEE YOU!"
"But Shana... I was just-"
"Shut up, shut up, SHUT UP! GO AWAY!"
Looking visibly hurt and confused, Yuji quickly picked up his lunch without another word and left the classroom. Khamsin watched his classmate leave and raised an eyebrow. He turned to Shana.
"Well... that's definitely not a normal reaction. What happened?"
Shana chewed angrily on her melon bread.
"None of your business."
Khamsin kept his eyebrow raised, but said nothing more.
Hecate stared at Shana for a long moment, then got to her feet and walked out of the classroom as well.
Yuji stared up at the clouds in the noontime sky as he half-heartedly chewed on his riceball.
"Shana's really mad at me today. Why...?"
Alastor's voice quietly edged in.
"It's only a guess on my part, but I would imagine that you gave her quite an embarrassment when you thoughtlessly rushed into the changing room this morning."
"But..."
Suddenly, another voice broke in.
"...Hirai-kun..."
Looking over his shoulder, Yuji found himself staring at Hecate, standing near the rooftop doorway. After a moment's silence, the young teal-haired girl walked over.
"I thought I might find you here."
"Hecate-san..."
Yuji looked away sadly.
"Is there something you wanted?"
Hecate sat down next to him and resumed eating her lunch as she spoke.
"It seemed like you could use some company."
Yuji sighed.
"Ah, that's right, I haven't apologized to you either, yet. Sorry if I bothered you this morning."
Hecate shook her head.
"It's not really your fault. You only came into the changing room because you were concerned with Shana's well-being, yes?"
"Well, yeah, but..."
Hecate smiled slightly.
"In truth... I feel somewhat... envious."
Yuji blinked.
"Why's that?"
Hecate was quiet for a long moment, giving Yuji a sidelong glance before resuming the conversation.
"...Just because..."
As Khamsin finished with his lunch, he looked back over to Shana.
"Young lady."
Shana looked up in irritation from her melon bread.
"...What do you want?"
"I think you should apologize to Hirai-kun. I don't know exactly what transpired between you two this morning, but I do know that it doesn't help to hold such a grudge against him."
Shana grumbled angrily as she got up from her desk and turned to leave.
"I know, I know, you meddling geezer! Geez, I'm not an idiot... Fine, I'll go and apologize to him..."
"...So that's how it is, right?"
Hecate nodded.
"That's how it is."
Yuji smiled.
"Thank you, Hecate-san. I feel a lot better now... and a little relieved. If what you say is true, then it shouldn't be too hard to apologize to Shana now."
Hecate nodded. As Yuji got to his feet, she spoke again.
"Don't be a stranger, Hirai-kun."
Smiling, Yuji nodded again as he walked back over to the rooftop entrance. As he walked inside, however, a hard voice stopped him in his tracks.
"...So, you were talking with Miss Convent, were you?"
Looking over into the shadows of the stairwell landing, Yuji found himself staring at Shana. Her arms were crossed, and she had a glare on her face that had enough intensity in it to strip paint. Yuji frowned.
"You shouldn't call her that, Shana. She has a name too, you know."
Shana snorted in contempt. For some reason, the idea of Yuji jumping to Hecate's defense irked her.
"Hmph. As if an idiotic pervert stalker of a Flame Haze like you can talk. Who was it that made all that talk about Flame Hazes not having names?"
Yuji's frown deepened.
"Shana..."
The female Mystes gave no pause to her remarks, however.
"Honestly, why did I even bother to find you? Go back and talk to Miss Convent some more, since you seemed to enjoy it so much...!"
"Shana, why does it bother you so much when I talk to Hecate-san!?"
"It... it's not right!"
"Why isn't it!?"
"It... It just isn't!"
Yuji's frown took on a slightly perplexed tilt.
"What sort of reason is that...!?"
"Shut up, shut up, shut UP! A-anyways, if that's the way you're going to be, don't follow me around anymore, idiot!"
"Shana, if it was about the incident this morning, I just came in because I heard your screaming. I thought-"
The female Mystes angrily whirled on the hapless Flame Haze.
"And that gives you an excuse to get a peek at me unclothed!? You were probably having fun watching Miss Convent in a state of undress as well! Your cluelessness is driving me up the wall, so let me make this clear! Stop following me all over the place! QUIT STALKING ME!"
Yuji's face tightened as her words hit. After a moment of silence, the Flame Haze quietly spoke.
"...Is that really want you want?"
In the back of Shana's mind, a small voice seemed to whisper to her that she might have taken her words a bit too far. However, the Mystes' injured and embarrassed feminine pride was still holding precedence.
"Are you deaf and stupid, you clueless idiot!? Go and bother someone else! Go bother Miss Convent for a change! Stupid pervert stalker!"
"..."
Looking as though he'd been gut-punched, Yuji began to slowly walk away, stiff-legged. After a moment, he turned and looked back over his shoulder at Shana.
"I know that I'm stupid. You've made it clear before. You don't have to repeat it to me so much..."
Turning away, Yuji wordlessly headed downstairs.
The next evening...
Wilhelmina looked up from her ramen cup.
"Truly, is something the matter? You did not come home with that young man. He also did not come this morning to train with you."
Shana's eyes narrowed, staring down at her own cup of noodles without taking a single bite.
"It's nothing... Everything's fine."
An upraised, flabby hand of sickly grey. A Seal circle. And familiar shades of crimson fell upon the streets.
Yuji looked up in alarm, roused from his solitary musings.
"Alastor!"
"Mmm. I felt it as well."
The Flame Haze quickly got to his feet and prepared to move when Alastor spoke again.
"...Wait, are you simply going to go after it without waiting for her?"
Yuji's voice was deadpan in reply as he leaped off the rooftop.
"It's all right. She won't come, after all. She doesn't want me to be hanging around her..."
Keisaku narrowed his eyes as he stared off in the direction of the disturbance.
"Hmph. You feel it, Marcosius?"
"Yep. Such a sloppy Seal, too. Feels like a Rinne gone wild. Aren't you going to go after it?"
Keisaku slumped against the balcony railing.
"I could... but no poems, no stanzas come to mind."
Marcosius snorted.
"Hmph. Eh, eh, eh... You really are in bad shape."
Keisaku nodded slowly.
"Mhmm. This is what your gloriously ugly tankard's come down to, now."
At that moment, the Chanter of Elegies noticed a figure leaping from rooftop to rooftop. Keisaku smiled sardonically as he softly spoke.
"Well, it seems like someone else has a lid on the situation anyway. Just let that kid handle it..."
Yawning, Keisaku walked back inside to take a nap.
Shana abruptly turned, looking out the kitchen window with a measure of alarm as she felt the Seal activate. Wilhelmina looked up from her ramen.
"Truly, something seems to be the matter with you this evening."
Shana turned back around.
"N-nothing. I just thought... of something."
Wilhelmina slurped some noodles as she spoke.
"Truly, what would it be?"
"I... I'd expected a friend of mine to come here, but nobody came. I..."
Wilhelmina looked up at Shana intently.
"Did you say something that made that friend feel unwelcome?"
Shana said nothing as she looked down at her own cup of ramen. After a moment's silence, Wilhelmina put down her chopsticks and looked out the window.
"...Truly, it is not easy to be with another person. But... truly, a good friend is not an easy thing to find in this world. It is all the more necessary to hold tightly to those friends you have."
Wilhelmina smiled vaguely.
"Truly, this one should scold that young man for failing to keep his promise to watch over you..."
Shana looked up from her noodles, her face blushing for all it was worth.
"W-Wilhelmina! I never said it had anything to do with Yuji..."
Wilhelmina continued to give Shana her vague smile.
"...Truly, is this one mistaken? But he is the only one who comes to mind when you mentioned a friend."
Shana was silent for a long moment. Then there was a sudden scraping of chair legs on the wooden floor of the apartment kitchen. Looking back over, Wilhelmina watched Shana quickly get up from her seat and nod politely.
"Thank you for the food. I need to be somewhere right now. I'll be back soon."
Wilhelmina nodded in return.
"Truly, hurry back."
Yuji landed in the middle of the Seal, looking over the huge, massive bulk of lard that was slowly waddling over from one victim to the next, sucking out and chewing on their Power of Existence.
"Well... it's definitely a Rinne. It looks like it lost its Denizen master."
Alastor murmured in agreement.
"Indeed. And yet, it still uselessly struggles to retain its existence by preying off humans. Not that it makes a shred of difference to its overall fate. It'll disappear regardless of how much Power of Existence it takes in... After all, it can't use any of the essence it draws into itself."
Yuji nodded as he stretched out a hand and launched a single fireball at the Rinne's arm.
FWOOSH!
Screaming, the obese Rinne looked up in a mixture of astonishment, pain, agony, and fear as it noticed the Flame Haze walk in on the middle of its desperate meal.
"Ah! Y-you... Flame Haze! Tool of Destruction that took my Master from me...!! STAY AWAY!"
Yuji slowly walked forwards, burning off its legs with a wave of flame as it tried to waddle over to its next victim. Falling over into a clumsy, ponderous heap, the Rinne continued to struggle, flailing its remaining arm as it tried to drag itself over to another human.
"N-no...! My Power of Existence... I... I won't disappear! I WON'T...!!"
Yuji gave the Rinne a clinical lookover.
"It's quite... persistent. It's still alive, even with most of its limbs gone."
Alastor gave reply.
"Mmm. Most likely, the Rinne's actual core is quite small. Just make sure it can't reach any more humans!"
"Right."
Yuji reached out again. The Rinne's torso and remaining arm flared away in a blast of flames. There was a scream as the Rinne's head was left lying on the asphalt.
"NO! S-STOP! MY EXISTENCE! STOP TAKING MY EXISTENCE...!!"
Yuji snapped his fingers. Another flare of fire burned away half of the Rinne's head. The Flame Haze looked down at the Rinne without any expression on his face whatsoever.
"...I'm sorry about this. But what you're doing is useless. It's a waste. Stop it."
"NO! I EXIST! I WON'T DISAPPEAR! I WON'T-"
Another gust of flame. What was left of the Rinne's head scorched into a pile of ashes, revealing a pitiful, crawling thing that looked like a pile of worms and mold. It reached out with a tendril, attempting to latch onto another nearby victim.
"MY EXISTENCE! I EXIST! I...!!"
A final burst of scorching heat and flame, and the whole thing was over. Yuji exhaled and heavily sat down onto the pavement with little ceremony.
Shana dashed into the crimson shades of the Sealed area, looking about. Everything looked undisturbed.
I guess Yuji handled it just fine on his own. I... I guess he didn't want or need me after all...
Shana slumped down onto the sidewalk, despair trickling into her mind.
Yuji... I guess he doesn't want to see or talk to me now. I'm not surprised, with what I said to him yesterday...
A voice suddenly interrupted her thoughts.
"Shana? Why are you here?"
Looking up, Shana found Yuji staring down at her. The young Mystes quickly sprang to her feet.
"...Y-Yuji!"
The Flame Haze had a bewildered look on his face.
"Shana? I thought you didn't want me following you anymore. Then why are you-"
Shana froze, her eyes wide as her mind recalled the words she'd spoken to him the day before.
"...Stop following me all over the place! QUIT STALKING ME!"
Shana looked down at her feet.
Yuji...
Taking a deep breath, Shana quickly yelled out into the timeless, crimson silence of the Seal.
"...IDIOT...!!!"
Yuji blinked.
"H-huh?"
"I didn't mean what I said yesterday, you stupid idiot! I was just... I was just upset! And I... Yuji, I'm sorry! I'm sorry that I pushed you away!"
Shana angrily wiped at her face in an attempt to hide the tears that were threatening to spill. Breathless, she nonetheless rushed on with her words, her tone rising as she rambled on with her best attempt at an apology.
"I... Don't leave me alone! Yuji, don't stop following me, don't stop annoying me! I can't stand it when you're always around me, driving me crazy all the time... but I also can't stand the idea of you not being here next to me! It hurts... It hurts so much when you're not here next to me! S-so... just be a stalker! A clueless, idiotic stalker!"
Yuji stared at Shana as she got to her feet and leaned her head into the shirtfront of his gakuran.
"Shana..."
But then, his confusion melted away into a warm, brilliant smile as he grabbed Shana into a hug. His voice was curiously rough when he finally spoke.
"...I... I will. I'll always be around to drive you crazy... Shana."
Shana sniffed.
"Clueless idiot..."
Around them, the crimson shades of the now-receding Seal faded away into normalcy.
A trio of unlucky thugs vanished into shreds of azure flame. Footsteps pattered through the alleyway.
"There you are! Idiot, what are you doing, running off like that!?"
Squinted eyes stared over.
"S-sorry... I was just... I just wanted to..."
"Seriously, you're always making me worry all the time! Always making me wondering where you've gone, where you've gone off to..."
Maroon hair waved in the breeze.
"Sorry, Ogata."
"And quit saying 'Sorry' all the time, stupid Tanaka! It only makes me worry about you all the more!"
"...Sorry."
"GAH!"
Above the two, a figure of juvenile features and dark hair looked down upon them through oval eyeglasses and sighed.
"Honestly... those two... Why did they need to ask me to come along? Psh. What a complete waste of time..."
"So, it's those two, eh?"
The Writer of Questionable Stories nodded and held back the urge to groan.
"Yes... Gah, what a headache. As if my job weren't hard enough with all the displacements I have to monitor and attempt to fix..."
"Well... you know what they say... enduring adversity leads to enjoying prosperity."
"...Screw you."
To Be Continued...?