JohnPeacekeeper: One of my favorite scenes as well. I never get tired of seeing Yuji being such a clueless, hapless idiot. I just hope I can deal with Yuji and Keisaku's eventual re-match to come with as much aplomb.
CapoExecutor: Hah! Let's just say that one might really be able to call her "The Specialist of Everything" since she can actually cook as well. As for Johan and Pheles... That's a loooong way off. XD
"...Was it really necessary to leave the last section at such an escapist form of a cliffhanger?"
The Writer of Questionable Stories grumbled.
"Picky picky picky... Don't nitpick so much. And anyways, it's not like I'm just leaving the whole thing hanging for a month or so. Suspense is the spice of life."
"Wasn't that 'variety'?"
The Writer of Questionable Stories rolled his eyes.
"Blah blah blah."
SHAKUGAN NO YUJI?
Chapter 2715: Irrespective Thoughts
Yuji gasped for breath, bracing his legs into the concrete of the school rooftop as he struggled back to his feet.
Keisaku gave his fellow Flame Haze a wolfish grin.
"You're not half-bad, withstanding a shot like that. Now let's see you handle me when I'm being serious!"
Marcosius guffawed with glee in turn.
"Hoohah! Let's smash and brawl!"
Yuji coughed as he brought up his arms.
"Why are you even doing this!? Shouldn't you be going after the Denizen!?"
Alastor's voice came in, heavy and grim.
"There's no use talking to them at this stage. Once those two make up their minds to offer battle, there's no negotiating. Only way out of this now is to either win... or lose."
Yuji scowled darkly as he barely managed to leap backwards in time to dodge an incoming blast. The Chanter of Elegies had transformed into the shape of a massive, violet-furred werewolf, with sharp claws and rending fangs. Alastor's voice held a note of alarmed warning as he spoke.
"The 'Toga', the battle-dress of the Chanter of Elegies! Be careful! That's not his real body!"
Yuji grunted an affirmation as he threw a curving fireball. Keisaku merely breathed his own gout of purple flame, overpowering it with a single blast. The Chanter of Elegies laughed mockingly.
"This is ALL you've got? And to think that I originally came here expecting a challenge-"
Keisaku's gloating was abruptly cut off as a trio of fireballs suddenly broke through the breath of flame that the Chanter of Elegies had breathed. Slamming into him with considerable force, the attack shoved the antagonistic Flame Haze backwards. Keisaku's voice now held a grudging note of respect.
"Hmph. Not bad. An attack within an attack, eh?"
"So, another brutish Flame Haze has made their appearance here. I guess I don't have any more time to waste on a Mystes. That's too bad."
"...Mistress, shouldn't we act? The longer we wait..."
The Huntress shushed her doll with a slender finger and began to lovingly caress it.
"No, there is no need, my darling Friagne. It seems that those two imbeciles are busily engaged in fighting eachother. How sad. They're stupid enough to even turn on their own kind. But now on that matter..."
Marianne looked down at the gleaming depths of the Crystal Altar and scowled darkly, as several representative tongues of azure flame winked out and disappeared.
"...Some insolent upstart appears to be consuming my Torches... and it took me quite a bit of effort to properly place them there."
Friagne broke in, a note of worried concern in his voice.
"But... if the Flame Haze are busily engaged with each other, who is eating the Torches?"
Marianne angrily shook her head.
"Something that's not a Flame Haze, that's for certain. Perhaps... another Denizen? But I will find out soon enough. I will not let this plan for bringing us eternity come to ruin, not when we are so close in sight to the finish."
Marianne lovingly and obsessively looked down at Friagne.
"Soon... soon you will have an actual existence of your own, rather than relying on my own Power of Existence every three days."
"Mistress... You are doing far too much for a humble Rinne. I would have been happy enough with this bond we share..."
The Huntress began to nuzzle the doll.
"Oh, my precious little Friagne... you are far too good to me..."
The cheeseballing, vomit-inducing scene would go on for the rest of the day.
Yuji lightly landed on his feet as he summoned another volley of fireballs in a wide, curving arc. The Chanter of Elegies simply vaulted over them and responded in kind with a volley of his own fire.
Alastor spoke.
"Tell me something, Chanter of Elegies. Who is your prey in any case?"
Keisaku grinned.
"Hmph. We came here while tracking down that damned little temptress, Leanan-sidhe."
Alastor's reply held a tone of shock and surprise in his voice.
"Leanan-sidhe! Can it be...!? In any case, there's no real reason to be pursuing her! She isn't a threat to humans!"
Keisaku's werewolf face held an expression of contemptuous disgust.
"No threat, you say!? Every Denizen is a threat to humanity by the simple fact that it exists!"
Marcosius laughed like a tipsy man on happy hour.
"Gufawhahahah! And we're just doing our job by hunting down every last Denizen! We'll crush, we'll smash, we'll rend, we'll tear them into itty-bitty pieces and stamp on the remains until there's nothing left!"
"Wave and wave, wave some more! A tidal wave to even the score!"
Keisaku breathed another gout of flame as he leaped high into the air. Yuji shielded himself by forming a nimbus of his own crimson fire, then retaliated by re-forming his shield into a flaming spear and hurling it at the Chanter of Elegies. Keisaku's voice crowed out.
"Hah! Too slow!"
Even as Keisaku began to move in order to sidestep, however, the head of the spear suddenly split and divided into a myriad of keen, homing bolts of fire. Yuji's voice rang with purpose.
"Gae Bolg!"
"Graaaargh!"
The hail of flaming spearheads hit home, piercing Keisaku's werewolf-form in a multitude of places and breaking the Chanter of Elegies' eldritch form into a shattering cloud of purple-furred fragments.
Keisaku dropped to the ground, heavily battered, but still standing and still defiantly clutching the opened Grimoire.
"Gurgh... That was quite impressive. But I'm not through yet!"
Before Yuji could make reply, however, the door to the school rooftop opened with a slam.
"Yuji!"
The Crimson-Eyed Blazing-Haired Hunter turned around in dismay as he recognized the owner of the voice.
"Shana! Get back-"
Alastor's broke in with urgency.
"No! Don't drop your guard...!!"
"...A single dram, a single drop! Take a hit and watch him plop!"
BAM!
Yuji's eyes widened as he felt the shock of the violet firebolt slam into him. The fierce velocity of the attack lifted him off his feet and slammed him off the railing that ringed the school rooftop, sending him falling to the ground below. Shana dashed over to the railing.
"YUJI...!!"
Keisaku got to his feet.
"Hmph. Well, that's that. I've got to thank you, little girl. If it weren't for the distraction you brought in just now, I would've had a hard time with him."
Shana clenched her fists as she angrily whirled towards the Chanter of Elegies and pulled out her katana.
"You! You... you bastard Denizen!"
Keisaku grinned.
"Hold yourself back, little girl. I'm not interested in hurting humans... or Torches, or Mystes. Not my style. I'm a Flame Haze, just like your friend over there. Gave the Crimson-Haired Burning-Eyed Hunter a name, did you? Just like naming a favorite pet?"
Shana's eyes narrowed.
"You...!! It's nothing like that! And anyways, if you claim to be a Flame Haze, how can you turn on your own kind!?"
The Chanter of Elegies snorted.
"Just because we all call ourselves 'Flame Haze' doesn't mean that we always act in concert with each other. All of us have our own opinions, priorities, and methods of upholding our missions and duties as Flame Hazes. And just like now, those differences in some cases bring complicated difficulties. I simply dealt with him now to remove a potential future inconvenience."
"But you...!"
Keisaku waved a dismissive hand.
"Anyways, enough talk. Maybe you should go tend to your friend down there. One of these days, perhaps, we'll meet again. At that time... maybe I'll find out your reason for being able to move in the Seal with such freedom, hmm? Ah, but before I forget..."
The Chanter of Elegies snapped his fingers. In a matter of moments, the damage to the school rooftop was completely repaired. With a final wave, he hopped aboard the Grimoire and flew off out of sight.
Shana gritted her teeth as she tightened her grip on the hilt of her katana.
That bastard...! How dare he... Yuji!
Turning away, Shana quickly hurried downstairs to ascertain the other Flame Haze's condition.
"Hirai! Eh? Not here again, huh? That must be quite the flu..."
Margery Daw sighed as she checked off the entry in the attendance book. Khamsin leaned over in Shana's direction as he gave a whisper under his breath.
"Hey, Shana... you wouldn't happen to know where Hirai-kun really is or how he's really doing, do you?"
Even in a whisper, Shana stammered.
"It... well, it's just like as was mentioned. He's been pretty ill lately."
"Ehhh... An entire week? That's some flu all right..."
Even as Margery loudly cleared her throat and pointedly glared in their direction, forcing the two to turn their heads back to their desks, Shana sighed as she thought back.
Immediately after the fight between Yuji and Keisaku...
"Yuji! Yuji! Are you all right?!"
The Flame Haze painfully got to his feet. Numerous scratches and bruises were evident on his body and clothes due to the attack and subsequent fall he'd taken. But the worst part was the look on his face.
It was unreadable, it was incongruous. But it was, all the same, a look that harbored indescribable pain. Shana stopped dead in her tracks, her voice laced with anxiety and worry.
"...Yuji... does something hurt?"
Yuji smiled weakly.
"Er... not really. Just... tell everyone that I've gone home sick, all right?"
"But Yuji...!"
The Flame Haze stopped her with an upraised hand. His voice was as cold as ice.
"Don't follow me."
Shana froze. She would remain stock-still for the next few hours, staring at the spot where Yuji had been standing, even though he had long since already left.
Shana sighed in frustration as she slammed the memory shut like a displeasing book.
Honestly, that idiot stalker... Going off for a week and never showing up...
Shana clenched a fist. She didn't even notice the pencil breaking in her hand as she looked out the window.
Yuji... Where in the world are you...?
"Mmmrf... smrch..."
Yuji sat on the school rooftop, eating a riceball. Alastor's voice was laced with a hint of concern.
"Aren't you distancing yourself a little too much from her?"
Swallowing his mouthful of seaweed and rice, Yuji blinked.
"Mmm? Alastor, that's odd."
"What is?"
"That's the first time I've heard you refer to Shana as 'her' and not 'that Mystes'."
Alastor's reply came back a little flustered.
"W-well... She has shown herself to be a little more than just a usual case, I suppose. But anyway, back to the question I asked you before: Aren't you distancing yourself from her a little too much?"
Yuji's face once again had a pained look.
"It's better this way, Alastor."
"Mmm. Maybe. Maybe not."
Suddenly, another voice broke in upon their conversation.
"...Hirai-san?"
Alastor immediately clammed up. Yuji spun around to see Hecate standing in the open doorway of the rooftop entrance.
"Ah? H-Hecate-san? What are you doing here?"
Hecate quietly walked over to the railing before she spoke.
"I often come here in order to pray when nobody is around. Speaking of which, I heard that you were out sick. Why are you here, then, instead of home?"
Yuji remained silent. Hecate didn't attempt to press him for the answer either. Instead, she quietly looked out at the surrounding cityscape as she spoke.
"Hirai-san, would you like to go somewhere with me after school?"
Yuji looked up and blinked in some astonishment. Hecate repeated herself.
"I said, would you like to go somewhere with me after school?"
At a loss for words, the young Flame Haze struggled for an answer.
"E-erm... sure."
"Well, that should make sure that we're left in peace for a sufficient length of time. I doubt that the Blazing-Eyed kid's going to stir up much trouble for us in the near future."
Marcosius sighed.
"Ehhh... in a way though, that's liable to be a bit boring. I was hoping to fight him again. He wasn't a bad fighter in a scrape."
The Chanter of Elegies grinned.
"Don't worry. I'm sure we'll have plenty of future opportunities. Flame Hazes are immortal, barring any unfortunate incidents, after all. Now then... back to our real matter at hand. To find Leanan-sidhe. We'll need a person who properly knows the city like the back of their hand... Hmm?"
"I told you, quit bothering me! Don't you creeps know that when a woman wants to be left alone, she wants to be left alone...!?"
Keisaku turned around to find a mature, well-endowed blonde woman, dressed in a purple business dress and miniskirt, being hassled by several men. Before the Chanter of Elegies could properly respond to the situation before him, however, one of the men fell to the pavement like a rock, having been kicked in the groin by a stiletto high-heeled shoe.
Having seen their comrade join the shades of the temporarily-dead, the rest of the men grew enraged.
"YOU BITCH!"
The woman simply decked another one with a rocketing uppercut. Before she could do much more damage, however, one of them managed to sneak up behind her and grabbed her arms, preventing her from moving. She struggled to free herself, cursing vigorously all the while.
"LET GO, YOU DAMNED FIENDS!"
One of the men, apparently their leader, spoke up with a beastly grin.
"Not yet, you boozing tramp. Giving some of our friends here such painful memories... it would only be polite of you to erase them with some more pleasant ones. How about you-"
THWACK! THWOCK! POW!
Margery blinked as the entire band of womanizing hoodlums suddenly slumped into limp unconscious heaps on the pavement. Looking up with not a little bit of bewildered astonishment, the Misaki High teacher found herself staring at a young man dressed in a dark brown trenchcoat, sporting a massive book on a strap at his side.
"Hello there, ma'am. I'd like to make use of some services which I'd like you to provide."
Margery lifted an eyebrow.
"Look here, kid... I appreciate you helping me out of a small jam, but don't get me wrong... I'm not a woman of the streets. I'm a respectable English teacher."
The kid chuckled.
"Haha... I'm sorry if I made you misunderstand. Let me put it this way: I'm new here, and I could use the expertise of a person who actually knows his or her way around this city. I simply figured that you would suffice."
Margery turned to leave.
"Sorry kid, I really don't have time for this. Perhaps you should-"
Suddenly, another voice broke in, high, wild with abandon, and gleeful.
"Hahaha, I told you, my woman-seducing love machine, Keisaku Satou! You shouldn't have bothered with this woman! Guhahahaw, I could smell the rank stench of booze on her breath from a mile away! Perhaps you should try those- Eeep!"
Margery gave the huge book a long hard stare.
"...Hey kid, did that stupid book just talk?"
Keisaku grinned.
"Yep. Marcosius here tends to give annoying speech-"
POW!
"Ooof!"
Without warning, Margery gave Marcosius an impressive right hook. She then turned back to Keisaku and flashed him a grin of her own.
"If you can tell that idiot Marco to shut up with his catcalling, I guess I might as well show you around."
Keisaku grinned back.
"Agreed."
As the bell rang, signalling yet another end to classes, Shana stepped outside the school gates. She paused, taking one last look around the school. Although nobody around her noticed, there was a look of worry on the young Mystes' face.
Yuji... You didn't go off and disappear, did you?
"...Did I make you wait long?"
"No."
Shana spun around as her ears caught a familiar voice.
Yuji...!?
Her eyes widened as she saw Yuji standing at a nearby street corner. Even as Shana was about to open her mouth to call out to him, however, another figure appeared and met up with the young Flame Haze. Shana stopped dead in her tracks.
M-Miss Convent!? What's she doing here!? And why's Yuji with her!? Why!?
Without a moment's hesitation, Shana followed after them as they walked off down the street, side by side.
"Wow, these stained glass panels are pretty impressive."
Yuji looked up at the windows as colored sunbeams danced on the floor of the hallway. Hecate nodded.
"They are indeed. I often find them pleasing to look at whenever I feel worried or bothered. This art exhibition is one of my favorite places. Ah, excuse me for a second. Please wait here."
Hecate turned to leave in the direction of the ladies' bathroom. As Yuji took a seat on a nearby bench, Alastor spoke up.
"...Are you sure it's okay like this? You've been staying too far away from Shana."
"It's all right. Besides, I can feel her presence. She's been following us, although I'm not exactly sure why."
"Still..."
"I told you before, Alastor... it's better this way. It's safer for her."
Shana couldn't help but grumble as she watched Yuji sit on the bench.
Honestly, that idiot stalker now forces me to be a stalker just to find out what he's up to!? Seriously, going to an art exhibition with Miss Convent of all things... Wait a minute, wouldn't that be... A D-D-DATE!?
"My, you must be fond of that boy over there, seeing how you watch him so intently."
Shana spun around, red-faced, as she found herself staring at a young woman with indigo-colored hair and eyes. The newcomer was swathed in a swirling white dress. In her hands was a small blue flame.
Power of Existence.
Shana backed away, a little fearfully. The violet-haired woman smiled gently.
"Ah, so you've noticed? Don't worry, I have no intention of harming you. Disturbing the balance of this world is not my intention."
Shana blinked.
"W-who are you, really?"
The woman smiled.
"My name is Leanan-sidhe. As you have already guessed, I am a Denizen of the Crimson Realm. But you may simply refer to me as Leanan."
Not too far away, a Torch faded out into a thin wreath of blue flame, which suddenly flowed into the Denizen's hands. Leanan-sidhe smiled as she cupped her hands and the flame vanished.
"As you can see, I do not eat humans. I simply eat dying Torches... thus, others from the Crimson Realm often refer to me as 'The Corpse Collector'. And your name would be...?"
"...Shana."
"Very nice to meet you, Shana. So you're a Mystes, aren't you? My, but you are an interesting one, having retained your sanity in the face of the truth... in regards to both of the reality around you, as well as that of your own inevitable disappearance."
Leanan-sidhe paused.
"Or is it... that you have simply just resigned yourself to eventual non-existence?"
Shana looked away.
"I... haven't thought about it much lately. I try not to dwell upon it."
Leanan-sidhe was silent for a long moment.
"Well, then... in any event, why are you following that young boy, may I ask? He seems to have a peculiar... sense about him."
"Yuji? He's a perverted stalker of a Flame Haze."
Leanan-sidhe gave the boy a long glance.
"I don't recall ever hearing of a Flame Haze named Yuji..."
"That's just the name I gave him. He's really the Crimson-Haired Blazing-Eyed Hunter."
Leanan-sidhe stopped short.
"Wait... did you just say, 'Crimson-Haired Blazing-Eyed Hunter'?"
Shana nodded.
"Then... I would assume that Alastor is with him then?"
"Yes. Why? Do you know him?"
Leanan-sidhe nodded.
"Something like that, yes. So if Alastor is here... then I will most likely be able to avoid any futile battles."
Shana raised an eyebrow.
"Futile? But you're a Denizen, aren't you? Aren't Flame Hazes your enemies?"
Leanan-sidhe just smiled.
"Alastor and I... we have reached something of an understanding. As long as I do nothing to upset the balance of this world, then he leaves me in peace. As I have already mentioned, I only consume Torches that are on the verge of complete disappearance."
"But why are you consuming these Torches anyway? What would you need with all that Power of Existence?"
Leanan-sidhe gave an enigmatic smile.
"Suffice it to say, it is for a wish... A single wish that is my sole reason for living. My sole reason for existence."
"...So you get all of it, right, right?"
Margery Daw sighed and nodded.
"Yes, yes, I get it all, stupid Marco... Although a lot of it still strikes me as some sort of crazed fabrication that one would find in a cheesy light novel at a local bookstore. All of this 'Crimson Realm' stuff makes my head spin."
Keisaku paused.
"Ms. Margery, you wouldn't happen to know of any place where people gather in large numbers, do you? That would be a perfect place to find a high percentage of Torches."
"Torches, eh? So you can find a place to find your 'Denizen'?"
The Chanter of Elegies nodded.
"Right. My target usually hangs about in places where there are large numbers of Torches."
Margery blinked.
"Well, in that case... why not try out that station over there? Just past that intersection. A lot of people are often there."
Keisaku nodded.
"Well, then, I... Wait!"
Marcosius guffawed.
"Felt it too, eh, kid? This is high-quality Seal we're talking about! That's some Denizen on the other end of it. Feels like... it's the Huntress!"
Keisaku nodded and began to run, only pausing briefly to call back over his shoulder.
"Stay here! Don't get involved in this! I'll find you afterwards!"
Margery blinked in some confusion at his sudden exit.
"Eh...?"
The Huntress Marianne frowned as she looked over the street.
"...That's odd... I could've sworn that the trail of disappearing Torches ended up right here... Where did that impudent meddler go?"
Suddenly, her musings were cut short by a barrelling blast of violet fire. Looking up in vexed annoyance, the female Denizen swerved out of the way as Keisaku landed in the middle of the crimson-stained intersection. The Chanter of Elegies had a wolfish, bloodthirsty grin on his face.
"Well, well, well... Isn't this great, Marcosius? To think that there were two Denizens in this city... And the Huntress, to boot!"
The Claw and Fangs of Violation laughed with gusto.
"Hah! It's like hunting a mouse and finding a deer instead! Looks like hunting season's officially started!"
Within another second, Keisaku had transformed into his werewolf-form and began to furiously recite an improvised line.
"...Half a handful, a red sky to stop! Let them fall and see them drop!"
A flurry of purplish spears rained down from the heavens. Marianne smirked as she effortlessly dodged every one.
"It seems that you know of the one who's been eating my Torches."
"Hah! As if we'll let you have our damned prey! Leanan-sidhe is MY target!"
Marianne's eyes widened.
"Oh... so it's the Corpse Collector. Well then..."
Without further ado, the Huntress began to float away. Keisaku angrily spat a bolt of purple fire.
"Hold on a second! Where do you think you're running off to!?"
Marianne smirked again.
"Now that I know the identity of our little interloper, I have no further use for dealing with the likes of you. So long."
"Don't think you're getting away that quickly! TAKE THIS!"
Even as the flames hit, however, they abruptly dissipated, leaving the Huntress unharmed. Holding up a hand sporting a silver ring with a red gem inset, Marianne laughed mockingly.
"Azure, my ring of fire-repelling!"
Keisaku and Marcosius both cursed mightily.
"What!? THAT'S NOT FAIR!! Get back here...!!"
However, it was far too late to take any further action. Within another moment, the Denizen had vanished. Keisaku dropped to the ground, his battle-form deactivated. His hands trembled as they tightly gripped the Grimoire.
"Damn it... Damn it... DAMN IT! STUPID BASTARD DENIZENS! STUPID CITY!"
The Seal expired, the shades of red vanished, and the flow of time resumed. The Chanter of Elegies, uncaring of whether people saw him or not, continued to scream and curse mightily, occasionally pounding the pavement with a clenched fist for good measure. Suddenly, a shadow fell over him.
Margery blinked.
"I take it that it didn't go so well for you?"
Keisaku grumbled and got to his feet.
"None of your business."
Marcosius laughed it off.
"Heeheehee! Ah, don't worry about him. In a matter of moments, my little bundle of teenage hormonal anger and issues, Keisaku Satou, will be right as rain again. He just has his moments."
Even as the Flame Haze turned to leave, however, Margery stopped him in his tracks with a single sentence.
"...You don't have a place to stay, do you?"
The Chanter of Elegies looked over his shoulder at the English teacher.
"What's it to you?"
Margery simply gave him a peculiar smile.
Yuji, sitting on the bench, blinked as he felt a familiar presence.
"...The Huntress is on the move again. Should we respond?"
Alastor gave a negative.
"No. The Chanter of Elegies is there. I'm sure that he will be able to handle it."
"Mmm. All right."
Alastor paused for a long moment.
"This behavior of avoidance isn't like you at all."
Yuji smiled weakly.
"Perhaps."
Alastor's voice suddenly turned grim.
"Your performance lately hasn't been doing too well. I feel that the Mystes has been more of a detriment rather than a help to you lately."
Yuji shifted uncomfortably, but said nothing. Alastor continued.
"Maybe then... it is time that we put an end to this problematic business and permanently destroyed the Mystes ourselves."
The Flame Haze's eyes widened in shock.
"...WHAT!?"
Leanan-sidhe paused as she reached the end of the staircase.
"Well... Perhaps on this bright note, we should part ways. You've told me all the information I needed to know. I will need to keep on moving. There are hounds out for my blood, and they have followed me to this city. It would not do for you to be caught in the middle. But before I leave... I will freely give information in exchange for your information freely given. If you have a question, ask it, and I will answer."
Shana paused for a long moment, then spoke.
"I... don't understand Yuji. I don't understand him at all. It's not a question, really, but... I can't stand him! And yet at the same time, I can't stand it when he's not there..."
Leanan-sidhe smiled.
"Ah, the struggles of a young woman. Well, it sounds as if your Flame Haze friend is someone deeply important to you. Have no fear, your answers to that dilemma will eventually appear, in time. But on that note..."
The purple-haired Denizen's face turned serious.
"...Are you really going to leave things the way they are? I haven't preyed on you yet since your flame still burns brightly. But... Never forget that I prey on weakened Torches, especially ones that do not care or are unable to make a significant difference or impact on their world in the long run. Are you going to remain a Torch that does not affect her world? Or are you willing to struggle in order to make a difference, no matter where you are, what you are, and what you do?"
Shana blinked in some confusion.
"...What are you...?"
Leanan-sidhe spoke gravely.
"The Huntress Marianne... she is planning to do something to this city. Something terrible. Everything in this city, not just the people... The houses, the trees, the rocks, the streets, the city's residents, everything... Everything will be consumed!"
I'd never really paid much attention to this city that I'd lived in. I'd always considered Misaki to be a pathetic dump with its only redeeming feature in the form of high-quality melon bread. And yet to think that everything... everything that I'd known and grown accustomed to would disappear... My chaotic world just suddenly grew a whole lot more chaotic.
"...Well, this is quite the literary mess you've cooked up. I wonder how you're going to handle this?"
The Writer of Questionable Stories shrugged.
"Same way I always do. A cup of guava juice won't hurt."
"Don't forget that guava juice is what caused it in the first-"
The Writer of Questionable Stories hastily covered up his ears with both hands.
"Not another word. NOT ANOTHER WORD! I'm NOT listening! Lalalalala~!"
To Be Continued...?