Chapter 7: Back to Normal, Awkward… and Forgotten

Chris and Issei ran into a problem on their way back. Walking together at night… with a tired Chris… and Issei practically holding her up so she could walk. No. There was absolutely no way they could enter either house without a solid story—especially for Chris. Issei was painfully aware that his reputation as a member of the infamous perverted trio had done him no favors with Chris's father, Masanori. Though not a man with a quick temper, any father would be furious when it came to his daughter.

The mere thought of Chris's father attacking him over a misunderstanding left the pair silently heading toward the Hyoudou house. Miki would be far easier to convince, but not without Chris doing some mental preparation first. They quickly stopped by a nearby convenience store to grab a few things to "accidentally step on" during their fabricated tale.

The plan? Blame everything on Yuuma Amano—or Raynare, as the self-proclaimed Fallen Angel called herself.

The fabricated story was simple yet dramatic: how the girl who invited Issei on a date turned out to be a sadistic and cruel woman with ties to the underworld. She'd manipulated Issei's loneliness to humiliate and exploit him, treating the date as nothing but a sick joke. Chris, having returned from a shopping trip by sheer coincidence, had stumbled into the chaos when Yuuma crushed her groceries. This supposedly led to a heated fight between the two women. They'd barely managed to escape Yuuma's "henchmen," saved only by the mysterious explosion at the park—a detail conveniently backed by the news.

Miki contacted Masanori and Sonnet to pick Chris up. Meanwhile, the police were given a physical description of Yuuma, complete with a photo. Issei felt a twinge of guilt about the whole thing, but Chris wore a sly smile, satisfied with their concoction. She viewed it as a test of the secrecy surrounding this so-called "supernatural world." Moreover, pinning the blame on Yuuma would make it harder for her to operate in public, forcing her to abide by certain rules or face trouble.

Before parting ways, Chris leaned in and whispered to Issei that she'd wait for him in the morning so they could strategize and figure out their next steps. Issei felt a bit relieved; he didn't fully understand what had happened, but at least he and Chris were in the same boat, willing to tackle it together.

—-

Issei had a hard time sleeping. The vacant expression of the girl who'd invited him out haunted him every time he closed his eyes. Sometimes, it morphed into a sadistic look, devoid of any soul. It felt like that was her true face—cold, empty, and cruel.

He questioned himself relentlessly. Had he done something to make her want to kill him?

The questions swirled in his mind, robbing him of rest. He managed to snatch only three hours of sleep before dawn, finally drifting off thanks to his mother rather than his alarm clock.

After a quick breakfast, Issei stepped outside. As promised, Chris was waiting for him at the gate, sporting the same dark circles under her eyes.

—Rough night? —Chris asked with a half-smile.

—Had better ones, —Issei replied, exhaling heavily.

—Fair enough. —Chris waved at Miki, who was standing in the doorway. —We're off, Miki-oba-chan! —Chris called out cheerfully. She still called Miki "oba-chan," a habit likely ingrained from their long acquaintance.

—Take care! —Miki happily replied, watching them leave together.

—-

There was an awkward silence between them until their houses were out of sight and no one was around. Issei was the first to break it.

—So, are we going to talk about it? Right? —Issei asked, his tone making it clear that this was a topic better left unspoken.

—Well yes… but not now. We'll be going our separate ways soon before we reach the academy. And honestly, walking and talking at the same time is already exhausting, considering how we've been since yesterday. Besides…

Issei already knew what she meant.

—Oh. Right. We shouldn't be seen together—it'd be weird and would hurt your reputation.

"You have no idea what would happen if I didn't avoid that," Chris thought, already imagining the chaos Aika Kiryuu would cause. She chuckled to herself. Better to deal with Kiryuu than Raynare. At least this brief humor gave her the fresh air she needed to keep up appearances. Though, in truth, it wasn't just her reputation at stake.

—Heh. It's your reputation too, idiot. You wouldn't want the guys finding out you're walking around with multiple women on a date. They'd probably beat you up. You're no Prince of Kuoh, so don't expect the girls to save you. You'd be fresh meat.

—Heh. Ouch. Honestly, I'd feel proud of that… but it'd be a short-lived pride. I don't want to die a virgin… Sorry.

Issei thought he'd put his foot in his mouth again, but to his surprise, Chris burst into laughter. It was a genuine, uncontrollable laugh, and Issei couldn't help but look at her in astonishment.

—Hahaha! Then let's make sure that doesn't happen… Meet me on the rooftop at lunch. I saw the access was closed, but the door isn't locked. Just make sure no one follows you after your lunch. I'll do the same.

With that, she quickened her pace.

—But we won't have much time to talk, —Issei called after her.

Chris turned to flash him an ironic smile.

—Oh, believe me. There won't be much to talk about when we're both equally clueless. It's just to pool whatever information we've gathered so far. The rest can wait until the afternoon.

—Until the afternoon…? —Issei questioned.

—Of course, idiot. There's no way I'm leaving you alone with a homicidal maniac hunting us, —she replied without missing a beat.

With that, the two parted ways, each heading to the academy on their own, pretending everything was fine. However, Souna-kaichou seemed unusually watchful of Issei, something Chris couldn't help but notice. Issei was chatting casually with his friends until, during one exchange, Chris found it odd how his demeanor suddenly turned serious while his friends laughed. He even seemed startled by something on his phone.

She couldn't pay much attention to it, though, as she was busy talking to Kaori. Strangely, Aika wasn't teasing her as she usually did. Instead, she was discussing other topics. Although Chris found it odd, it was a relief. "Thank heavens. We don't need to talk about boys every day."

During class, their lessons were repeatedly interrupted by Issei's loud snores, as he was caught sleeping several times. Chris, for her part, did her best to cover for herself, using her notebook and her arms to shield her from view. Both managed to sneak in a quick nap in their own way, which helped them prepare mentally for what lay ahead.

—-

Issei devoured his lunch as quickly as possible, nearly choking in the process. A few minutes after finishing, he excused himself from his friends, claiming he'd be in the restroom with a dirty magazine if anyone came looking for him. He had questions he needed Chris to answer. His pace was quick and focused, though he tried not to show how worried he really was. For the first time, he was taking things seriously.

Taking a detour to ensure no one followed him, he headed to the rooftop. As Chris had said, the door was blocked but not locked. Once inside, he found the rooftop empty. From the fence, he could see the entire campus. Taking a deep breath, he sat down to wait. After a while, the door opened again, and the girl he'd been waiting for entered in a rush.

—Sorry. Kiryuu-san can be like a flea that's hard to shake off, —Chris said, her tone calm. But when she saw Issei's face, her expression turned to concern. —What happened?

—I think this should be the first thing we discuss, —Issei said, handing her his phone.

Displayed on the screen was his photo gallery, filled with pictures of beautiful girls and some with his friends. Specifically, the ones from last Wednesday. Chris looked at it, puzzled.

—You're showing me this because…? —she asked, trying to piece together what he meant.

—The photo of Yuuma. I took it that day. And now it's gone.

—Did you delete it by accident? Maybe after showing it to the officer? I wouldn't blame you if you did, —she said, trying to reassure him.

—That's the problem. I didn't. It just disappeared. But that's not all—no one remembers her.

—What?!

—Yeah. I asked Matsuda and Motohama. Both of them thought I was talking about some fantasy. They'd seen her before, enough not to doubt her existence. What's worse, no one seems to recall that any girl ever asked me out. And I've got a good ear for rumors—if it happened, people would've been talking about it. But now, everyone thinks Yuuma is just some fantasy I shamelessly bragged about.

Chris stepped back, her face showing she was processing the revelation before stomping her foot in frustration.

—Damn it! I knew Aika was acting way too casual for a reason!

Issei looked confused at her outburst.

—She, Kaori, and Yui know we're childhood friends, but they haven't told anyone. They used to tease me about it all the time, but today was different. It was like there wasn't anything to gossip about. We actually had a normal conversation. And now that I think about it… your mom, Miki-oba-chan, didn't even tease us on our way to school this morning. Damn it, it all makes sense now!

Chris was nursing a headache while Issei fell into deep thought. In the end, no conclusions were reached.

—So… they erased everyone's memories?

—Yes, and not just that. It also means there are no walls they can't bypass. They were in your house, and even I didn't know.

—But wait… if they can do that, why didn't they just kill me then?

Chris analyzed Issei's point. He was right; there would've been no need for a date if that were the case. They could've killed him in his sleep, and that would've been it. Something wasn't adding up.

—...

—It might not have been them—the ones who want you dead. It could be that the ones responsible for handling information don't involve themselves in conflicts; they just erase evidence. There are too many questions, too many possibilities. —Chris sat down on the ground, deep in thought. Issei followed suit, both feeling defeated by this initial revelation.

—Yukine-san, what is all of this?

—I can only tell you my version, Issei, because honestly, I don't know much about the supernatural stuff she mentioned. And the worst part is, I think we're trapped." Chris's tone was serious, but she withheld the part about being from another world. "Besides, I didn't want to say this, but I've lost most of my memory from before last Friday.

—Wait, what? Are you okay?

—I'm fine. But if Raynare can do that, my memory loss is the least of our worries, so try to focus.

—... —Issei still couldn't bring himself to say Raynare's name. It hurt too much, but the fact that Chris had lost her memory also concerned him. "Then why did she…?" —Why did you follow me on my date? —he asked.

—...Because when I saw the photo you showed in class, I noticed it. I saw that fake smile, Issei. Only a few people can recognize it—those who know what it feels like to be deceived by it. I don't remember much, but I do remember someone else with that same smile… —Chris lied, but it was enough to make her point.

—Oh… —Issei's expression fell. —So, all this time, she was just using me. I guess I didn't handle things right…

—Hey. —Chris glared at him. —Don't even start thinking like that, and don't feel bad about her. I was there. During the whole date, you did your best to make sure she had a good time. You acted like a decent person every step of the way. Your only mistake was not seeing the trap she set—and let me tell you, it wasn't obvious. You're actually great at dates, and you'll get more chances. —She gave him a reassuring smile. —I was surprised you picked the romance movie, though. That was original.

Issei suddenly seemed a bit better, chuckling softly. —You know, I think you missed a detail—my first choice, the horror movie, was sold out.

Chris's jaw dropped before she burst out laughing at the irony.

—Then take my compliment back—you're terrible! Who doesn't know that's a classic date strategy in every cheap romance flick?

—Ouch. Harsh again. —Issei pretended to clutch his chest as if stabbed, but Chris's smile encouraged him. —...Thanks.

—No problem. —Suddenly, the school bell rang. —Well then. —Chris stood up, dusting herself off, and offered her hand to Issei. —We didn't get to talk much about the real issue, but if I pulled you out of your funk, I'll take that as a win for now.

Issei took her hand, and though it took a bit of effort on Chris's part, she managed to pull him to his feet.

—This afternoon, we'll go over what we figured out, so don't make any plans. And if we don't run into anyone, I'll show you all i have.

—Hey, speaking of that—are you some kind of magical girl? —Issei teased, a grin spreading across his face.

Chris, was now familiar with the manga in his room that hinted at his fondness for magical girls, raised an eyebrow before playing along.

—Yes, totally. I'm the type who waves a magic wand and strikes a ridiculous pose while covering my face with my fingers. Look, I'm Magical Girl Chris! Grow up already!

Both of them laughed as Chris struck a deliberately over-the-top pose. Feeling lighter, they headed back to class, ready to face the rest of the day. Neither of them realized their conversation had been overheard by someone else.