That day, after we wrap up our pretend family business, Abaddon and I go back home to the villa in Karuizawa we’re borrowing from Ms. Futarishizuka.
With dinner out of the way, I take a bath and change into my pajamas. At this point, all that’s left is to go to bed. I don’t have school tomorrow, so I can stay up later than usual, but I’m pretty worn out both mentally and physically, so I decide to turn in early.
One of the reasons for my exhaustion is the recent atmosphere at school; it’s been very awkward ever since the ski class, when Robot Girl destroyed everyone’s interpersonal relationships.
After being forced to come out about his sexual proclivities and relationships with women, Hayashida stopped coming to school. The girls all eye each other warily and act very unfriendly. Perhaps that’s why my classmates—both girls and boys—have increasingly been hanging around me. Just responding to them exhausts me.
My only solace is having regular conversations with my neighbor while we’re playing pretend family. But after lying down in bed, I start having trouble going to sleep.
A bunch of little things I don’t need to be thinking about now race through my mind, pulling me back from my fatigue-induced doze. When I’m in class, the clock seems to tick so slowly—but now it appears to be moving faster every time I look at it, bringing me ever closer to morning.
After I toss and turn countless times, Abaddon finally asks, “Can’t relax?”
I’ll ignore him, I think, I’ll pretend I’m asleep. I turn in bed, putting my back to where he floats at my bedside. Then I start breathing a little louder to make it sound like I’m asleep. I want him to stop talking to me.
But Abaddon just drifts over to the other side of my bed so I’m facing him again.
“You’ve been rolling around for almost two hours now, you know.”
“……”
He reminds me of a dog clinging to his master. He’s usually sarcastic, but he turns serious at the oddest times. He probably considers maintaining his Disciple’s health to be part of his job. All for the sake of our success in the proxy war, I’m sure.
“Anything bothering you?”
“Yes, so please be quiet.”
“Hey, you can talk to me about it, if you want.”
I open my eyes and look at Abaddon, who is floating right in front of me. He has a hand to his chest and a smile on his face. It’s enough to make him look like a cute little prince, but I know what he truly is.
“No, thank you.”
“Worried about the view-count contest?”
“……”
It feels like losing to simply nod and agree, but he’s right.
Everyone else is approaching the contest seriously, even Makeup. I can already picture it—a future where I wind up dead last. And if things don’t change, that’s just what will happen.
While I don’t stand to lose much for getting last place, I worry about what will happen if Makeup wins and my neighbor has to do whatever she says. When I consider that, I feel sleep slip even further away. And when I fantasize about winning, I’m wide awake again.
“I’m actually surprised. I didn’t realize you cared so much about the pretend family’s little events.”
“I’m not sure I’d say I care. But it’s hard to ignore when I’m constantly being reminded. Besides, haven’t you ever started thinking about something dumb right before falling asleep?”
“I’m not sure, actually. Humans and demons are pretty different.”
There was a period of time in early elementary school when a vague fear of death would always settle over me a few minutes after getting into bed. It used to really upset me. I’ve outgrown that feeling, but I can’t help wondering if my current problem is rooted in the very same thing. Then, like now, problems that seem trivial during the day suddenly feel oddly dire.
“If you really can’t sleep, you could try getting up and reading a book.
“…I guess.”
I hate agreeing to Abaddon’s suggestion so readily, but tossing and turning isn’t going to make me fall asleep, so I just nod and get out of bed. Just then, I hear buzzing from my bedside. The timing almost feels intentional.
My phone, set on my nightstand, is vibrating. I check the screen and see a message from the youngest daughter: Elder sister, may I intrude?
“A message? It’s pretty late. Who is it from?” asks Abaddon, peering at the screen from behind me.
“The youngest daughter wants to schedule an appointment with me, apparently.”
According to family rule number seven, we must respect one another’s private time when we’re not playing pretend family. Breaking that rule is grounds for punishment, as stated in rule number eight. Two strikes and you’re out. Robot Girl already has one strike on her record—which is probably why she wanted to check with me before barging in.
“What are you going to do?” asks Abaddon.
“If there’s some sort of problem, I’d like to know. She’s not as close with my neighbor and Futarishizuka. If I can get a handle on the situation, chances are good I can help them all out.”
“Yep! I agree!”
As I reply to Abaddon, I shoot back a message saying I don’t mind.
Seconds after I press SEND, I hear knocking at my window. The timing of her response is so perfect, I feel myself tense. I’m in my bed with all the lights out as the sound of knocking echoes through the silent room—it’s just like a scene out of a horror movie. A shiver runs down my spine.
“Is that her?”
“……”
I get out of bed and open the curtains. Robot Girl is outside. She’s standing stiffly upright, like always.