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PART TWO – The Inquisitor Searches for Answers in Her Own Way
After going home from Emi's place, Suzuno knocked on the demons' door and Ashiya opened it. She offered her help with the dinner.
'We've run out of honey… I have to go to the supermarket. Until then, could you prepare the other ingredients?' Ashiya looked at Suzuno.
'Of course.'
He left and Suzuno started the preparations, but as fast as she could, which looked really weird behind Urushihara sitting calmly, occupied only with his laptop. Suzuno finished in about five minutes, and then, now at normal speed, sat down next to Urushihara. He noticed it but looked at her only a few seconds later without moving his head.
'What's that?'
'I want to ask you for a favor,' Suzuno said, looking through the window.
'Me?'
'Yes. I want to ask you to let me hold your hand.'
Urushihara turned to Suzuno with his head this time and with widened eyes in surprise.
'What? Why?'
'I just want to try something. The only thing you have to do is to let me hold your hand.'
'W-well, right… but I still don't understand.'
'You don't have to.'
'I don't really care anyway,' Urushihara shrugged his shoulder, then held out his hand. He continued his activity on the laptop while Suzuno held his hand for about twenty minutes, sometimes with both of her hands, sometimes with closed eyes, sometimes with puckered eyebrows, and then Ashiya and Maou arrived home, but neither Suzuno nor Urushihara seemed embarrassed because of it.
'We're home!'
'Hi,' Urushihara said in his usual bored tone, not looking at them.
'Good evening,' Suzuno said, not looking at them either.
'What's actually going on?' Maou asked.
'I'm trying out something,' Suzuno answered. Urushihara shrugged his shoulder.
'Okay…'
Maou changed his clothes while Ashiya finished making the dinner. After a few minutes, Urushihara started to feel a bit uncomfortable and give Suzuno frequent looks. She seemed to concentrate very much.
'Um… how long does it take?' he asked.
'I don't know.'
Urushihara turned back to his laptop but now after a few seconds he looked back at Suzuno.
'You're getting scary.'
At that moment, Suzuno let go of Urushihara's hand.
'Thank you.' She stood up. 'Now I'm sure I don't feel anything.'
Urushihara still didn't understand it, but was too lazy to ask, so just shrugged his shoulder again and turned back to his laptop. Did I hurt her with that? No, she's not a touchy person at all, and didn't sound like one either. Whatever, I don't understand it. I just said it was getting scary, not that it was bad. But why did she want to hold my hand? But I don't really care that much…
Suzuno helped lay the table and ate with the demons and with Emi and Chiho who arrived just before dinner.
After eating, they said goodbye and outside the demons' apartment, Chiho and Emi asked Suzuno about the plan.
'I asked good Hanzo to let me hold his hand.'
'What did you…?!' Emi was taken aback, just like Chiho.
'He let me. And I don't feel anything. Now I'm going home, I'm tired. Goodbye.'
She turned around and went back to her apartment.
'I think that was weird,' Chiho said.
So now it seems Suzuno's strange feeling was only a false alarm. But did it start something?