Chapter 9: Chiyori

Ruko, Nio, and Hitoe followed Chiyori to a small back alley. "So, can anyone explain to me why we are being led to an alleyway?" asked Nio. The small Selector stops at the end of the alley and turns around with a playful smile on her face. "I'd prefer battling in a nice, quiet spot so no one else can see us," said Chiyori. Ruko and Hitoe worriedly looked at each other, while Nio is still as confused as ever.

"Speaking of, did any of you folks go to Iona Urazoe's fan event?" asked Eldora. Chiyori's expression instantly changed from cheerfulness to comedic shock by the Lrig's sudden question. Ruko clasps her fist to her chest while Hitoe took a short step back. Nio, on the other hand, did not respond as she heard Eldora. "You went, right?" Eldora asked again, "You know, we just couldn't make it there." "E-Eldora!" cried a flustered Chiyori.

During the day of Iona's fan event, Chiyori rushed into a constructed building. By the time she went in, she takes out Eldora as the door opens by itself and yells, "Open!" However, she just saw three grown men enjoying their lunch break. The small Selector looks around and notices there aren't any girls here.

"My kid here is lousy with directions," says Eldora as she shrugs, "It took a couple of hours, circling around the area over and over again, just to find the location earlier. The other day…" Before the Lrig continues explaining, Chiyori repeatedly flicks her finger on the card. "Eldora…zip your mouth! Zip it!" she angrily whispers as she continues flickering. "G-G-Give! I give! I give!" pleaded Eldora. "That girl got herself lost during Iona-san's fan event? No wonder she sucks at something," Nio says in her thoughts while rolling her eyes.

Chiyori later turns her attention back to the three girls. "So, anyways…" Chiyori continues, "The beautiful maidens' battle for their wishes is about to begin!" She throws her arm forward while holding Eldora and shouted, "Open!" However, nothing happened. Chiyori looks around as she wonders why she isn't in the Selector battlefield. "Huh? What? Huh?" "We…won't battle," said Ruko. Chiyori turned to them again and responded, "Huh?" "We're not going to battle," Ruko says firmly. Hitoe lowers her head while Nio looks at the Selectors with a confused look.

Eldora crossed her arms and leans back to the background of the card while she replied, "Oh my." "But, you're Selectors," Chiyori says sadly, "Your wish won't come true!" "Wish? What are you, a magical girl?" asked Nio. Chiyori drops her jaw after hearing what Nio called her. "I'm not a magical girl, I'm a Selector!" the small Selector exclaimed, "I don't even watch anime!"

"I guess you don't know what happens if you lose your battles," Hitoe says to Chiyori. "What…! Are…! You saying?!" Eldora asked in loud, smaller words. "I knowey," Chiyori answered, "Death awaits those who lost seven times…The Wixoss factors spread inside your body…then from the inside you go 'Kaboom!' 'Squish!' 'Splat!'" The small Selector made weird poses as she interpolates the sound effects.

"Like that time Ruko suspected that Haru's phone strap is a bomb?" Nio asked slyly. Hitoe barely jumped after hearing what Nio said, "A b-b-b-b-bomb?! In a phone strap?!" "What are you talking about?" asked Chiyori. Nio closes in on the grade schooler and puts her hand close to the latter's ear. "During Ruko's first day at Myojo Academy, she tapped on every bead in the strap to make sure it won't blow up on her," whispered Nio. Ruko, already embarrassed, grabbed Nio by the shirt collar and started to shake her until she gets dizzy. "Don't talk about something like that in front of a little girl!" Ruko exclaimed while her face is turning red as a radish. "I'm…just…messin'…with…ya…hey!" Nio defensively replied as she was shaken repeatedly.

Hitoe turns to Chiyori as Ruko stops shaking Nio. "What I'm trying to say is that if you lose three times," she explains uneasily, "you lose your rights and wish, then…" Ruko and Yuzuki remembered what Hanayo told them about losing three times in a Selector battle. Once this happens to a Selector, that wish becomes tainted and reversed.

"Wish tainted? Is that…a new setting?" Chiyori asked Eldora. The Lrig moves her palm to her head and cried, "Thank goodness…!" "My wish came true without relying on Wixoss," Hitoe told Chiyori, "So you should…" Ruko slowly looks down while the young Selector interrupts Hitoe and claims, "But, but, getting your happiness through battling is better…" "Winning in battle isn't going to make you happy!" cried Ruko. Yuzuki also remembers how she became an Lrig as Hanayo accepted her wish.

Chiyori pulls out a small novel from her bag and starts flipping pages. "Yessy, I know!" she claimed. She later stops at one page and shows the monochromic picture to them. "'How an Lrig is born'! The second volume of the Wixoss Novel! Wixoss 2! The Flames of Void Play the Victory Song of Oblivion! And that's how you get your wish to come truey!"

"That's a very long title," said Nio, "Are you sure you're not a fan of Attack on Titan?" "I've already told you, I'm not an anime fan!" Chiyori pouted loudly, "And no, I don't even watch shows as gory as Attack on Titan!" "So, you're not even a —" Ruko quickly covered Nio's mouth before she can say anything else. "Don't tell her things that would break a child's innocence!" Ruko exclaimed.

Yuzuki realizes that there is only one more thing the small Selector did not know. "Hitoe…show her to me," she calmly demanded. Hitoe flips her card and shows Chiyori her Lrig. "Say, Chiyori," the Lrig greeted the young girl, "Do you…remember me?" Chiyori curiously looks at the card Hitoe is holding onto until something brightened Eldora's mind.

"Ah! I knew it! I thought I sensed something I felt before!" Eldora said to herself before turning to Chiyori, "Chiyori, Chiyori! You remember her, don't you?" "What?" Chiyori responded confusingly. "She's the one who beat you in your very first battle you offered!" Eldora pointed out. The small Selector speechlessly recognizes the identity of the red Lrig and takes a step back, followed by a big, flat, "Whaaaa?!"

She then gets close to Hitoe as she looks closely at Yuzuki. "What?! Why are you a card?!"

"My wish came true, and I replaced my Lrig," Yuzuki answered solemnly. "Oh, really? You too?" asked Eldora. "Look carefully… This is what happens!" Yuzuki remarks to Chiyori, "I can't go to school or eat ice cream anymore. Even the person I love…" Ruko still has the images of Tama refusing to accept Ruko's wish stuck in her head. "Even if you win in battles, you're going to become just like me!" Yuzuki said firmly to Chiyori before turning to Eldora, "Eldora, was it? If you're an Lrig, then you must know about that white windowed room, and that girl, Mayu! Are you letting her battle knowing what happens?!"

"White windowed room? Mayu? What is she talking about?" Nio becomes even more curious as she listens to Yuzuki's warning. Eldora shook her head and told Yuzuki, "Well, my memories have been fleeting recently, and I have no idea what you're talking about." Chiyori took a step back and drops her knees to the ground while looking down. "It seems she understands now," Hitoe says to Ruko. Ruko nodded to her before turning to the small Selector, "Now that you know why, you shouldn't battle…"

"I hate to say this to you guys, but I don't think she gets it clearly," said Nio. Ruko turned to her and asked, "Why not?" But before Nio could answer, a trembling Chiyori suddenly rose up and shouted, "Chance!" The small girl the spins back like a ballerina while being happily delusional. "It's exactly the same as the novel!" she said cheerfully, "The heroine becomes a card and the story is to be continued!" She then stops spinning and clasps the novel to her chest. "Going to the world of Wixoss is like, Chiyori's dream come true!" Yuzuki is left baffled of Chiyori's delusional demeanor, while Nio lands her palm on her face. "What. An. Idiot," Nio exaggeratingly thoughts to herself.

Chiyori takes Eldora off of her goggles and asked her, "Say, Eldora, what name would suit better for me when I become an Lrig?" "I don't think you need one…" the Lrig said in a deadpan tone. The small Selector pouted as she does not take Eldora's response too easily. "What? Eldora, I bet you think Chiyori can't get her wish to come true!" "No-I-believe-in-you-from-the-bottom-of-my-heart," Eldora responded in a robotic monotone. "What's with the monotone?" Chiyori asked impatiently.

While Chiyori argues with Eldora, Nio suddenly asks, "How long have you been babysitting this girl?" The small Selector puts her Lrig back to the top of her head between her goggles as Eldora is about to answer her question. "How long? My mind is a little foggy nowadays. So, I would say about over a month. Hey, wait a minute…" Eldora widens her eyes as she began to realize something before turning to the young girl. "Chiyori, you thought there are three Selectors, didn't you?" she asked. Chiyori nodded. "Yeah. Why?" The Lrig looks up to Nio before pointing at her while her arms are shaking. "I don't know how or why, but that girl can actually hear me." "What are you trying to say?" Chiyori asked confusingly. "That girl…" Eldora appallingly uttered, "…is not a Selector!"

"WHAAAT?!" The three Selectors and Yuzuki were shocked that Nio is able to speak to Eldora. "What do you mean she's not a Selector?! I thought Selectors can only see and hear them, right?!" Chiyori asked while panicking. "True," Eldora spoke nervously, "But I actually sensed two Lrigs from the group. This one, on the other hand, is no ordinary girl."

"Ruko, do you know about this?" Yuzuki asked Ruko. Ruko shook her head. "No. I didn't…I didn't know Nio is able to hear an Lrig's voice like that," she said anxiously. Nio sighed as her new friends and Chiyori are still in shock. "Oh, boy. Looks like the cat is out of the bag," she said unperturbedly, "Yes, you're right. I'm not what you can call a 'Selector,' but I can hear your voices."

"Then, why didn't you tell us?" asked Yuzuki. Nio turned to the red Lrig as Hitoe gives the card to her. "I didn't want to make a scene when I met Hitoe," Nio answered. "Then how is it possible for you to hear Yuzuki and Eldora?" asked Hitoe. Nio leans her back to a wall as she begins her explanation. "There are people born with special instincts that no ordinary human can develop. With these instincts, we can gain unique sensualities, such as smelling someone's presence or seeing the unseen."

Ruko remembers about the bus driver telling her that the members of Class Black are not normal. "Does that mean all of the students of Class Black are born with these instincts?" Ruko asked. Nio nods her head once and replied, "That's right!" Ruko takes out a piece of paper and a pen from her handbag. She opens it, which shows a list of all of her classmates of Class Black, and marks off Nio's name with her pen.

"What's with the list?" asked Yuzuki. Ruko turned around and showed the list to them. "These are the list of Students from Class Black. The ones I crossed out are not the Selectors." Hitoe widens her eyes. "You mean…there's a Selector in Myojo Academy?" Ruko puts the list back in her handbag and shook her head. "I'm not sure," she doubted, "I just hope there isn't."

"Ru." Iona's voice suddenly came into Ruko's head. "Say, Ru…?" Ruko tightens her grip on her handbag as she couldn't handle her anxiety. "Stop…" she muttered, "Stop!" Ruko runs away from the alley to keep her distance from starting a battle. "Don't run without telling us, Ruko," cried Nio as she dashes after her.

"What's wrong with her?" Chiyori asked. Eldora shook her head. "I don't know, but it looks like she seemed troubled about something." Hitoe looks with awe and confusion after Ruko ran off. "Did you see how fast Nio-san runs?" she asked. "Yeah," Yuzuki replies with her eyes widened, "It almost felt that she runs like a ninja or something."

Ruko stops under a bridge to catch her breath with Nio catching up to with less effort. "Hey, Ruko, what is going on with you?" asked Nio, "You seem to feel down for some reason." Ruko leans back to the wall while looking down. "Nio, you can hear Lrigs even if you're not a Selector, right?" Nio nods her head. "True. Why do you ask?" Ruko clutches her fist as she stood up straight. "If so, then…" She takes Iona out of her handbag and shows her to Nio. "Why didn't you tell me you can hear her as well?!" Ruko angrily cried out.

Tears slowly drops from Ruko's eyes as Nio starts to feel perturbed about what to say to her. "I…didn't tell anyone because people might think I'm crazy," she said, "Don't worry, I haven't told anyone. Plus, you haven't had any ice cream before we bumped into this Chiyori girl. How about some frozen yogurt instead?"

Ruko leans back to the wall and sits in a fetal position. "I'm not in the mood right now," she replied depressingly. "You should have battled her, Ru," Iona told Ruko calmly. Ruko shook her head. "I'm not going to battle!" she cried. "You want to see Tama, right?" Iona asked, "That wish may come true…If you battle…" Ruko shook her head with despair, "No. I…I won't." "Then why do you still have me?" Iona continues to smile at her without changing her expressions. "If you're not going to battle, you should throw me away."

Ruko holds onto Iona tightly as she slowly raises her arm, but she couldn't throw her down. "I knew it. You want to do it…" said Iona, "Such attachment…" Nio lowers her legs as she puts her hand on Ruko's shoulder. "Ruko, I don't know what sort of problem you have with Iona-san, but what if there is no other choice?" "She's right, Ru," said Iona, "What if there isn't a choice?" Ruko says nothing as she sits almost motionlessly.

Hitoe manages to find Ruko as she sees Nio comforting her. "I wasn't going to ask but…why did you bring that Lrig with you?" asked Yuzuki, "Don't tell me you wanted to battle…" "If you battled again, there's no telling what would happen," said Hitoe. "She's right," Yuzuki said firmly, "Tama disappearing…Iona becoming Ruko's card…No one could have expected it! Something worse may happen next!"

Ruko stood back up as she looks at Iona. "But, I want to see Tama again…" she said drearily as she puts Iona back into her handbag, "I still…want to help Yuzuki…and everyone else…" "Even so…" Yuziki persuades Ruko, "You shouldn't battle!" "I know…" Ruko cried, "I know. But! What should I…!" Ruko feels even more discouraged as Hitoe walks towards her.

"I don't know what to do too, so let's all think together," said Hitoe. "Right. You're not alone, Ruko," cried Yuzuki, "We're with you. Let's all get through this, together!" Ruko begins to cry before she hugs Hitoe. "Hitoe…Yuzuki…"

Nio watches them in fathom as they both were in tears. "Now I get it," Nio said in her thoughts, "Ruko won't battle again since Iona became her Lrig. Even so, I can't let other Selectors get to Ruko if she gets dispirited like this." "Nio," Yuzuki speaks to Nio, "I know you're not a Selector, but…will you watch over Ruko for us?" Nio nods and affirmed, "You can count on it."

Iona stood back at the background of the card as she wonders. "There are too many things I don't understand. Why isn't Ruko battling? Like me, she seeks battles…and her wish…" Iona remembers about what Ruko said before putting her away. She brushes those words off her mind and thoughts to herself, "An Lrig can only accepts a wish they believe they make true. Despite abandoning the wish, why did she accept such an impossible wish in the first place? She believed she could make it true…" Iona slowly opens her eyes as she refuses to give up on Ruko's refusal to battle. "Ruko's Lrig…is me. I'll change Ruko…Instead of clinging on to an impossible wish…I want her to sense the excitement…To battle to her heart's desire…Along with me…"

Ruko and Nio said their goodbyes to Hitoe and Yuzuki as they head back to the dorms. By the time it was almost dark, Ruko and Nio went back to Room 7 in the Kisei Dormitory. "Whew, that was exhausting!" Nio sighed energetically after putting her bag on the table, "I'd never thought this trip would be tiring, but that was fun! Right, Ruko?"

Nio notices that Ruko is still looking down after everything that has happened from Chiyori's meeting to Iona's persuasion. "She's my clue…to find Tama," she muttered. Nio walks to her and pats her on the back. "Hey, don't worry about that too much," she said, "Sure, you have trouble about how to find this Tama you are talking about, but you can't let your friends stop you from doing so. Next time, you should have said that to them without any difficulty. And eventually, you can improve yourself, I promise."

Ruko wipes the tears off her eyes and wears a small smile on her face. "Thanks, Nio." Nio heads back to the coffee table and reaches out what's in the bag. "Okay, now that you cheered up for a bit, I've got special surprise for you!" Ruko widened her eyes. "Really?" Nio takes it out of the bag, which reveals to be the pink shirt with the see-through spots from the mall.

Ruko's expression changed to a mixture of shock and embarrassment by the time she sees the shirt. "Wh-wh-when did you get that shirt?!" she nervously asked with her face turning pink. "I bought it when you and Hitoe weren't looking," Nio laughed, "C'mon, try it on! I bet it'll look good on you!" Ruko takes a step back and shook her head. "No!" she cried. Nio jumps right at her with the shirt she is holding onto and a wild commotion occurs in the room.

Isuke opens the door to Room 7 with Haruki, Haru, and Tokaku behind her. "Hey, what's going on in here?" Isuke asked, "Are you two trying to make a…fight?" By the time they entered the room, they see Ruko almost in her underwear with Nio trying to struggle herself to get her wear the shirt.

"Dude, where did you get that shirt?!" asked a surprised Haruki. "I do not want to know what sort of places have you two gone to," Tokaku remarks in a deadpan monotone. "Are you trying to make Ruko-san wear that?" Haru asked nervously. Nio waves the shirt while trying to get close to Ruko. "That's right! Wanna help me out here?" A flustered Ruko shook her head and shouted, "No! Don't listen to her!"

Isuke clasps her hands together, "Don't mind if I join in for this little charade." "I'll pass," said Haruki, "I'm not gonna force a girl to wear something like that!" Tokaku slowly shook her head and starts to leave from the room. "This is getting stupid," she stoically said to herself. Haru tries to catch up with Tokaku as she leaves. "Hey! Wait up, Tokaku-san!"

And so, Nio and Isuke tried to force Ruko to wear the shirt until they get tired as night time approaches.

*Note: For those who are reading this, I do not own Selector Infected/Spread Wixoss and Riddle Story of Devil (or Attack on Titan). Both of these shows belong to their respective owners.