Chapter 72
I take a deep breath. I'm standing in front of the school entrance and notice a small note stuck to the gate. "Come in, it's open!" with a drawing of a little bat. I open the gate and close it behind me, causing the note to disintegrate. I climb the stairs of the old building and stop in front of the door, before knocking.
"Come in!" Rias' voice is heard.
I open the door and walk in. They all turn their eyes to me, especially Rias, her face lighting up when she sees me.
"Senji, glad to see you with us." She said, rising from her chair.
"Good evening president, everyone. First of all, I'd like to apologize for this message without warning you of anything. I'll answer any questions you may have." I say to Rias.
"Your request for help? At last Senji, you know very well now that we're here to help each other." Rias explains with a smile.
"I know... But with what's been going on, I thought you'd try to avoid anything remotely related to Darwin's Game."
"On the contrary Emiya-kun, to prevent such a situation from happening again, President herself had begun to prepare a way to keep a better eye on Fuyuki." Kiba explains.
"That's right, but when I received your plan, I thought it was the best solution, leaving you in charge, since you're part of it." Rias agrees.
"Besides, Minori-sensei warned us that you had a plan you were going to launch as soon as you got out of hospital, so we've been waiting for that, fufufu." Akeno chuckles.
"Obviously, it suits her to talk too much... Anyway, it served its purpose. By the way, thank you Asia, for bringing them the flags." I pat Asia on the head.
"No problem Senji-san, I'll always be here to help you!" She declares.
"Well, otherwise, how do you feel?" Rias asks, with a look of concern.
"It's okay, I've lost a little weight and muscle, that's all. Now I just have to double my exercise to get back what I lost." I explain, flexing my biceps.
"Don't overdo it right now, your body as well as your mind has been under a lot of stress, so take it easy again okay? Go find out what counter-shocks you can get." Rias asks
"About that... I must..." Rias puts a finger to my lips, stopping me from speaking.
"You want to apologize? There's no need Senji, you're the only person here who doesn't need to apologize." Rias explains, withdrawing her finger.
"But I almost..." She shakes her head.
"The fox demon tried to kill us, but you stopped him, you probably don't remember, but you held the fox demon back, it was incredible to see. You stopped it or made it change direction. I've never seen anyone with so much willpower, especially after what happened." Rias recounts.
"Fufufu... you were no less terrifying in that form, we could hardly breathe when we were next to you." Akeno added, licking her lips.
"In any case, we're the ones who owe you an apology, so excuse us, we failed, we could have acted much sooner but we were blind." Rias bows her head, followed by the others.
"Um... No, it doesn't, I feel like we're reversing roles..." I scratch my head. "...Thank you... thank you for fighting for Youta. I'll never forget it."
"We couldn't cross our arms while you and Youta were the prey of a manhunt." Kiba said.
"But hey, now that it's all over, we have to move on, don't we?" Rias says, sitting back in her chair. "And let's get on with our lives as Kuoh's student and the devil of the occult research club, shall we?"
We all nod together.
"Very good. Then let's start with this. Senji, do you feel ready to accompany Asia?" Rias asks.
"For?" I ask.
"Her first job as a devil, delivering leaflets to Fuyuki's inhabitant." She answers.
"Ah that's right, haven't you already started?" I ask Asia.
"No, I wanted to wait for you..." She answers shyly.
"You had asked that you accompany her at least the first few nights, so we waited until you got out of the hospital to start, but now that you're here." Rias snaps her fingers to reveal a bag full of leaflets on the table. "Asia, your job starts tonight, if Senji's feeling up to it, but above all I don't want you to force yourself."
"No, everything's fine. Asia, it's your choice." I turn to the little blonde.
"Let's go!" She said cheerfully.
"Perfect! Go on then! I'm counting on you to do your job perfectly, my lovely servants!" Rias exclaims.
"Yes!" We respond with Asia.
I pedal at high speed through the streets of Fuyuki, with Asia clinging to my back. I look on the gps to see the nearby red dot, indicating a house. I stop in front of it, letting Asia get off and put a leaflet in the mailbox, before getting back on and setting off again at full speed.
The same leaflets that saved my life several months ago. An object to summon a devil, I was amazed to see how supernatural races are just part of everyday life, I knew they existed but not so integrated into our society.
Today, devils have been known to fulfill the requests of those who have invoked them, no matter how small or large, depending on what the devil in question wants to do. Some are specialists in a certain field, others in another.
I still remember pedaling through Fuyuki to distribute the leaflets myself, but today I'm a driver for Asia.
"...Senji-san, do you really not mind?" She asks.
"No problem, on the contrary it reassures me to be with you." I reply. "If you want by tomorrow, we'll teach you how to ride a bicycle."
"I'm sorry... I've never had a chance to ride a bicycle... but I can walk..."
"I can't let you do that... I'm sorry Asia, it's purely selfish, but it worries me to know you're alone on the street at night."
And it's not just because of recent events, of course that's one of the main reasons, but the real reason is that Asia isn't used to Konoha life yet, having just arrived in the state of Konoha from northern Europe a few months ago, she knows next to nothing about Konoha culture.
She gained the ability to speak and understand all languages after becoming a devil, but it's another story to adapt to a new lifestyle. With the girls, we're teaching her the basics, but there's still a lot to discover.
And to top it all off, Asia is nice to everyone and doesn't really know how the world goes. There's no telling what kind of horror might be thrown at her.
So I asked Rias a few times ago to help Asia with her first devil's work. After explaining why, she readily agreed. So here I am with Asia clinging to my waist on my bike, pedaling through Fuyuki to distribute leaflets to the various residents who need them.
We pass a shrine, I stop and turn to Asia, who looks at me questioningly, so I point to the shrine entrance.
"Do you remember? This is a sanctuary, and since we're devils, we can't get in." I remind her.
"Ah yes. Devils aren't allowed in places where spirits gather and the local God lives, right? I have trouble understanding Japanese 'Shinto gods' because I'm a Christian..."
I know it's hard for her, who has been brought up with only one religion, to understand our culture. So we help her learn about the different places in Fuyuki.
We pass through the shopping alley, with its red cobblestones, darkened by the night.
"Oh boy, that reminds me to buy bread tomorrow morning, do you want anything special Asia?" I ask, slowing down to avoid jostling us too much with the cobblestones.
"Not really, their freshly baked bread is just delicious! It's more than enough, I love it!" She exclaims, waving at the bakery as we pass by.
I have to say that cycling in the starry night, with our warm coats on, chatting with Asia about mundane things does me a lot of good. I can feel the stress gradually melting away, in that much-needed calm.
"Senji-san, did you watch the movie 'Roman Holiday'?" She asked.
I'm searching my memory but almost nothing comes to mind apart from having seen the cover in an old store during a trip to Europe with Kiritsugu.
"It's an old film, isn't it? No sorry, I haven't watched it." I reply.
"Is that so..." Asia sounds a bit sad to my answer.
"But what about that film?" I ask.
"...It's always have been my admiration. It was just like this... However they were riding a bike in the film. Even so I... Ufufu." Asia sounds really happy now.
Even her arms around my waist tighten. I don't really understand, but if Asia is happy, then that's all I need.
Tuesday, February 21, 2023.
I'm waiting in front of the hospital, watching the latest news, and as the Hokage told me, there's nothing about me or the fox demon. I breathe a sigh of relief before the bus pulls up. Rain gets out, frowning at me as she walks towards me.
"Hello Senji, don't tell me you've been waiting by yourself for a long time?" She asks me, accusingly.
"A little quarter of an hour, it does me good just to be alone..." I answer, returning my phone.
"You know, with a trauma like that, you'd be better off surrounded by people you like, well, it's up to you..." She rubs her arms, her breath showing in the air. "Jeez, I don't know how you keep from getting cold."
"Cold? I'm not too cold." I say nonchalantly.
"Ah..." She frowns. "I remember, maybe it's thanks to the spirit of a dragon living inside you, turning you into a real radiator."
"Maybe, you want my coat?" I ask.
"..." She looks at me. "No thanks, it wouldn't suit me at all..."
"Let's go in then, before you freeze completely." We head for the hospital and I open the front door, letting her in. "So, I thought you'd finished with your e-mail discussions?"
"In writing, yes, but I wanted to conclude by seeing each other..." She looks at me, seeing that I'm staring. "Well all right, she was the one who insisted and I didn't resist..."
"I thought so, so off to her room?" I ask, climbing the stairs.
"No, we don't know which ear is dragging, we'll go to the roof, place a seal to muffle our discussion, it'll already be more discreet." Rain looks behind us and begins to hook the door to the roof.
It only takes her a few seconds to open the door, and we step out, closing directly behind us. Rain grabs her phone and sends a message to the kid. It only takes a few seconds before I hear rapid footsteps, then the door opens wide, showing the florist's daughter, a big smile on her face.
"Rain! Senji! Long time no see!" She greets us.
"Hi." I wave back.
"Hello Suzune." Rain greets.
"It's nice of you to visit me..." She said hesitantly.
"Don't get too excited..." But Rain cuts her off. "I came to tell you that I have nothing more to tell you about your father."
"Rain... that's a bit much." I say.
"It's okay Senji, I understand, please continue Rain." Suzune smiles at me.
"...As I explained to you by e-mail, he was taking part in a game in which large sums of money were wagered and he died during a game. That's all I know." Rain explains. "I'm aware that when you put it like that it sounds absurd, but..."
"..." Suzune looks at Rain, then at me, before closing her eyes. "No, I believe you! You don't look like you're lying!"
"Thank you, I'm reassured that my explanation is enough for you..." Rain sighed in relief, as if a weight had just disappeared from her shoulders. "Well, use the insurance premium wisely and be well."
"In fact, I don't intend to use that money." Suzune announces.
"What?" Rain couldn't believe it. "Are you kidding?! It's because he wanted you to heal that your father left it to you! Senji say something to her!"
"I know but..." Suzune continues. "I want to lead my life as I see fit, even if it has to be short!" I widen my eyes at this. "And I've decided to find out the truth! Please, tell me everything! What's this game my father used to play?! You know, don't you?!"
(She's taking us hostage...)
"Pretty smart kid..." Ddraig comments.
"Sorry, I can't tell you any more..." Rain looks away.
"Really not?" Suzune asks again, turning her gaze to me.
I look at Rain, who's clenching her fists in conflict. I'm about to say something but Suzune starts to leave.
"Very well, I'll manage on my own!" She announces. "I may be stuck here, but I can always afford to hire a detective."
"No way! It's too dangerous!" Rain exclaims.
"I don't care! It's my life, I'll do what I want with it!" Suzune counters.
Rain rubs her face, unsure of what to do, so I take over and walk over to Suzune, who looks at me quizzically.
"Darwin's Game." I say.
"Huh?" Suzune tilted her head, not understanding.
"Senji! Are you still going to tell her?! After everything that's happened?!" Rain asks.
"Sorry Rain, but I'd rather respect the will of a living person than that of a dead one." I stop her. "That's what the game in question is called, you've probably heard of it if you've been watching TV for the last few days."
"Hmm... Oh yes, it's coming back to me! They said it was an extremely dangerous game and that you should avoid it at all costs, and they kept showing the damage caused by..." She stops, understanding the seriousness of the situation.
"If you want to know the truth, find out. I won't tell you more to protect you." I say.
"But if you decide to play, know that you could lose your life!" Rain adds. "Think carefully before you take the plunge."
"One more thing." I put my hand on her shoulder. "This money is the fruit of his fight to save you, of all the love he had for you, so use this money, you wouldn't want all his efforts to be in vain, he wanted to see you out of that hospital, living your life as you see fit, you understand don't you?"
She opens her mouth, but closes it directly, not knowing what to say. I get up and head for the door, opening it to let the girls in. We separate from Suzune in front of her room, say goodbye one last time, then leave.
"Well, the worst has happened, she's become far too curious for her own good..." Rain sighs.
"Did you seriously think it was going to be any other way?" I ask, surprised.
"...You're right, it's just me hoping she'll move on, but this is her father we're talking about..." She turns her gaze to me, feeling guilty.
"Don't look at me like that, indeed I have no attachment to my biological father, but that doesn't stop me from understanding her frustration and sadness you know." I reassure her.
"Okay, sorry, I don't know how to do this... In a world like ours, where half the children lose a member of their parents, and there's me, my two parents who live quietly without worrying about anything... I swear." Rain rubs her eyes.
"Good for you." I nod, making Rain turn her gaze in surprise. "It's our job to protect their little comfort, don't you think?"
"Absolutely." Rain smiled.
"By the way Senji-kun, I'm happy to spend the afternoon together, but aren't you and the girls supposed to be going back to school?" Chiyo asks.
"The school is closed until further notice. Haruko told me that the Eighth had attacked directly at the gate, so they're repairing and reinforcing the entrance, as well as putting up better security throughout the campus." I explain.
"I see, it must be complicated to manage, all the fallout from the Eighth's actions." She said, placing a new book on the table.
"Especially as there are none left... Anyway, have you made up your mind? Which book are you going to get?" I ask, watching her bring yet another book.
Chiyo, who had read all the books at home, asked to read more. So here we are, in the library for nearly an hour, because she can't make up her mind, moving through all the shelves filled to the brim with all kinds of books.
"Is it really only one book we can take?" She asks me, with sad eyes.
"The lady at the entrance clarified it herself, you have to make your choice." I say, starting to get bored.
"Um... Your girlfriend wants this one... this and this too..." She points to the various books spread out on the table.
"You've already read this one..." I comment.
"Yes, but the cover is different, so that means the contents must be different too, right?" She asks, but I don't know what to answer. "Ah, this book! I'd like to take that book!" She finally makes her choice.
Illustrated encyclopedia of local creatures. She takes it and we head for the counter to pick it up.
"How long would you like to keep it?" Asks the lady.
"One week should be enough?" I ask, turning to Chiyo.
"Yes, it's perfect!" She nods cheerfully.
"Very good! Here you go, thank you and have a great afternoon!" The lady bows.
"Thank you, good afternoon to you." I say as I take the ticket.
"Goodbye!" Wave Chiyo.
No sooner had we left the library than she opened the book and began leafing through it, stars in her eyes.
"Wooow! The little animals have so many different species and they're so clearly named! So many shapes and patterns too!" She comments.
Chiyo loves to read. She avidly reads the books in the house, from picture books to Kiritsugu's academic texts. So when she asks, we go to the library to find new ones, or even buy some. From her point of view, she's probably just amused by the strange explanations of humans. But since I like to read too, I'm glad we've found a common interest.
"Him! There's one I saw yesterday near the canal, a 'dragonfly'! And there are red ones too?! It looks like a sunset! It's so beautiful!" She exclaims.
"Yes, you can see them when the current isn't too strong." I add.
"I wonder why I'd never seen them before... Even though I've been around a lot of different, fascinating creatures..." She continues, plunging into her book.
"I think you can find quite a few of these little guys in the forest." I tell her, which immediately attracts her attention.
"Really?! Then let's go find plenty!" She takes my hand and we run toward the forest.
As soon as we enter the greenery, Chiyo can't hold still, glancing at the book and then all around her, searching for the slightest animal or insect.
"Let's hurry up and find them!" She notices a large snail on a leaf.
She turns her hair into a multiple tentacle and tries to catch him. I immediately stop her and show her how it's done.
"Listen Chiyo, you mustn't force yourself to take a snail or you risk hurting it badly, you have to pull gently and as soon as you feel it's no longer adhering to the platform it's on, then you can take it, just like that." I show her, gently taking the snail by the shell. "Look, it's going inside because it's scared, but that's how we observe them."
"Wow! They're so fragile and small! So we have to be very careful, okay! May I?" she asks, putting her hand in front of me.
I put the snail in her hand and she strokes it gently, without rushing it, then gently puts it back on the leaf it was on.
We continue our exploration, passing ladybugs, a line of ants, butterflies and more. I glance at the book, checking something, then look up, seeing Chiyo off, chasing a rabbit, trying to catch it with her tentacles.
I manage to catch up with her and stop her, so as not to go too far into the forest, not being at all equipped for a real hike. I give her back the book so that she can refocus on it, giving me a chance to catch my breath.
"Animals of damp places..." she reads. "Your girlfriend gets it now! There!" She points to the lake farther away. "Frogs! I want to hear them sing!"
"It's going to be tricky going through there, let's go instead..." I start but...
"Pwa..?!" I hear her squeal in surprise.
"Chiyo-san?" I turn my gaze to her, to see her face covered in a spider's web.
"Ewww! This sticky stuff on me... No... I can't get it off..." She tries to pull the web but tears it.
"Oh, to be such thick webs, it must surely be a joro spider..." I look up from the book.
"Grrr, forget it first... Senji-kun, please take it away..." She asks me.
I reach up and gently remove the web from her face, and she shakes her head, tickled by the contact of the web on her nose. She holds out her hand, indicating that there's some, and I gently remove it. Then I take a small branch to remove what's left.
"See, there's nothing to worry about, it comes off easily so..." I check to see if the spider is on her, before placing the web-covered branch on the tree. "Okay, that's all there was."
"Oh grrr, why does the human body have so many senses of touch... I still feel like I have some on me!" She trembles, rubbing her hands over her arms.
"You're discovering new sensations, which I think is pretty cool." I say.
"Ah! Senji-kun, you're making fun of me! That's not nice!" She pouts.
"I'm very serious, at least next time you'll know what to do, that's how I learned too." I add, shrugging.
"Hmmm... Well, if you say so! But I intend to go and see those frogs! Let's go !" She regained her energy and headed for the lake.
"Wait, going through there is dangerous, we're not at all equipped for it..." I feel my head suddenly empty.
I lean against a tree, feeling my body suddenly weaken, my vision blurred and it's hard to hear what's going on around me, replaced by white noise.
(Shit, I'm still not completely recovered...)
"Senji-kun?! Is everything all right?! You're looking pale! Oh no I'm sorry, you're still recovering and I'm making you walk so much!" I hear Chiyo's panicked voice and see her holding on to me.
"It's okay Chiyo-san, I guess it's just my limit for today..." I say, straightening up.
"Let's go home, shall we?" She says, helping me walk.
"I don't mind, we'll go and see the frogs another time, I promise."
"Yes!"
Back at home, I made myself comfortable at the table with a hot chocolate, watching a documentary on the many species that have disappeared over time. Across from me, Chiyo continued to read the book, or so I thought, until I saw that she was staring into space.
"Chiyo-san, I told you everything's fine, there's no need to blame yourself." I comfort her.
"How do you expect me not to feel bad about it. When Fujimura-san explained everything to me, it was like my heart stopped... It was the first time I'd ever felt that way, and I hated it..." Chiyo pours out her heart.
"Chiyo-san... you didn't feel the fox demon's aura?" I ask.
"No... How is that possible?" Chiyo clenches her fists.
(Lilu and Alilu's barrier is truly incredible...)
"And what would you have done if you had felt it and I hadn't asked you to stay home?" I ask, making Chiyo look up at me, surprised at my question.
"What a question, I would have come to your rescue! I would have done anything to get you back!" She exclaims.
"I see... I'm glad you stayed here." I say, taking a sip of my hot chocolate.
"Huh?" Chiyo doesn't understand.
"Look, if you'd come and tried to get me back, you'd have used your powers, wouldn't you?" She nod. "It would mean saying goodbye to our quiet little daily."
"What do you mean?" Chiyo asks.
"You're the demon of the night Chiyo-san, if we ever found out you were living in a house with a group of teenagers, we'd have every cop and shinobi on our backs. You wouldn't be able to live here anymore, forced to go back to where you came from. And that's something I don't want." Hearing this, Chiyo bows her head, finally realizing what I'm trying to tell her. "Having you by my side is something I wouldn't change for the world, I don't want you to disappear, you'd make everyone here sad to boot. Everyone loves you, and I love you too. So please..." I don't have time to finish.
Chiyo climbs up on the table and jumps on me, hugging me. We fall backwards, hugging each other.
"I love you too Senji-kun! I love you so much! Then I'll listen to you! I'll stay here no matter what! To keep our little life quiet! I want to keep reading books with you! I want to keep walking with you and the girls! I want to keep sleeping with your warmth! I don't want to part with you!" Chiyo bursts into tears.
I comfort her, taking her in my arms and gently rubbing her back, the first time I've seen her like this. As Fuji-nee said, she's been under a lot of stress too, and it's about time it came out, so we can finally really move on.