So based on that, then I really needed to get him to fill me in.
“That’s stupid. Aren’t you and Nanami gonna stay by my side if anything happens to me? What happened to taking me on an adventure around the world?”
I mean, if things got bad, I was going to have to rely on him, wasn’t I? So I needed him to not keep secrets from me.
“Sure, I plan to anyway.”
“Then we’re both in the same boat here, right? In that case, you gotta spill it.”
A strained smile came to his face.
“…You got me there. All right, when the time’s right, I’ll tell you.”
“Okay, but do you seriously think it’s cool to stir up trouble with Leggenze like that?”
“It won’t be an issue,” he said, pointing a finger at himself. Then his tone got a little goofy.
“Since I—”
The words were something I had heard him say once before. But I didn’t find them ridiculous.
They sank straight inside me.
After saying good-bye to Takioto, I headed back to school alone. He was planning to skip the rest of the day. So I went straight to the Morals Committee room. Yukine had summoned me there.
It worked out perfectly really. It would have been a drag to head to class when morning period was almost over, for starters, and I wasn’t in the mood to sit in class anyway.
When I got to the Morals Committee room, I saw that Yukine was already there, along with Saint Stef.
“Sure took your time,” the Saint said, looking at me. Then she ordered me to take my seat.
“…Sorry, I had something to take care of.”
Yukine served me some tea.
“It’s fine,” Saint Stef said, bringing her teacup up to her lips. I thanked Yukine and took a sip of my own. I remembered this flavor. I had just drunk some at the Hanamura House, so I recognized it immediately.
“You’ve got something you want to say to me, don’t you?”
“…Yes, Captain, if I may.”
“Hey, Rina, no need to be so stiff. Captain Stefania, you didn’t call her here for an interrogation, right? So then, why not just talk to her like normal?”
“Oh, be quiet, Yukine. You do the talking, then.”
“Allow me. All right, Rina, just relax.”
Easy to say when you weren’t the one in the hot seat.
“We want to hear more about your situation, basically. Whatever you’re able to talk about.”
“You mean the demon stuff, right?”
“Right.”
Yukine nodded.
“Not sure if you’ll believe me or not, but I was raised by my mom, and I grew up knowing nothing about my dad. And according to what the demon I met in that dungeon told me…apparently my dad was a demon.”
“I see. That would explain why you can transform like that. It’s not that you’re part of the Church of the Malevolent Lord, is it?”
“No. I’ve got absolutely nothing to do with them.”
When I said this, Yukine’s expression instantly brightened.
“Really? Then there won’t be any problems. How are you doing?”
“Just fine, I guess? I feel refreshed, honestly.”
“I’m glad. I figured you were doing all right after hearing from Takioto, but I just wanted to make sure.”
“From Kousuke?”
“Yeah, he was really worried about you. He said you were pretty depressed and asked me to look after you.”
“Ugh, that guy…”
“Takioto and Ms. Sakura filled me in on a lot of stuff. They told me that you’re not dangerous. Not that I needed to hear that to know you were okay,” Yukine said with a smile.
“If anything comes up, come talk to me or the captain. Got it?”
“But…”
What about the Saint?
Right as I trailed off, the bell signaling the end of class rang through the halls.
“What about lunch? You bring your own?”
“No, I figured I’d buy it or head to the cafeteria.”
“All right, then how about you eat with us? We were planning on going to the cafeteria.”
While I was grateful for the invitation, I wasn’t too jazzed about the idea, since I had wanted to quit the Morals Committee altogether.
“Um, Captain Stef, so about that message I sent earlier asking to withdraw from the Morals Committee.”
“Oh, I deleted that.”
“D-deleted it?”
“Of course. Don’t think giving up on us will be that easy.”
As I stood there dumbfounded, Yukine looked at her Tsukuyomi Traveler before addressing Saint Stef.
“Captain Stefania, it sounds like we’ll have to put lunch on hold for a bit.”
“What does that mean?” Saint Stef said, displeased.
“Apparently Minister Benito and President Monica bumped into each other in front of a lot of other students and started arguing. They asked if you could come out and settle things.
“It had to happen right before lunch? Honestly…what a pain.”
She slowly got up.
“Should I come with you?” Yukine asked.
The Saint thought for a moment before shaking her head.
“No, you’re fine… Rina, you come with me.”
Hearing this, Yukine patted me on the shoulder with a grin.
“Ha-ha this sorta stuff’s going to happen a lot, so the sooner you experience it, the better.”
“Yukine, stop giving her weird ideas and get lunch ready for us or something.”
“Okay, got it,” Yukine said, giving me a big smile before leaving the room.
“Come now, let’s go.”
We both placed our teacups in the sink. Then we left the room and headed off to the quarrel in progress.
“Are you sure this is okay?” I asked.
“Is what okay?”
“I mean, I have demon blood in me, right?”
“Okay, so what? I make sure not to judge people by how they look. Though there are people like Takioto who are just as crazy on the inside as they look on the outside.”
Was that really true? Doubt swirled inside me. I mean, I was talking to a girl who had a position of power in Leggenze, the human supremacist nation that saw all demons as the enemy.
“…I’m saying you shouldn’t be so anxious about it. Do you not get it? Okay, so this is just a hypothetical. But what if I told you that I was an orphan who didn’t know what sort of blood ran through her veins? Or that I was saved by beastfolk and lived together with them? What then?”
“Huh?”
Beastfolk were loathed and despised within the borders of Leggenze. Conversely, the beastfolk should have resented the Saint, too. She was a central figure of the very religion persecuting them. So what was this about them saving her…?
“…Never mind. Forget it.”
I could sense that the Saint had her own complicated circumstances to deal with. My earlier conversation with Kousuke came to mind. Based on what he had said, and the implication of his words, maybe he already knew?
“Oh, that’s right, Rina. We both share a secret we can’t tell anyone else, right?”
“What secret?”
“That dungeon.”
I let out an uncomfortable gasp. I felt so mortified, I could barely contain myself. The memory made me want to crawl into a hole and never come back out.
“I don’t want that getting out, either. Does that make it a bit easier to trust me?”
“…It does.”
“Good. Oh right, about the demon stuff. If Leggenze finds out about it, I might not be able to do anything for you at that point. Even if I don’t act on it, some unsavory characters might show up and try to exterminate you. You better not let it get out there.”
I nodded, then decided to try bringing up what I had just been talking about with Kousuke earlier.
“So actually, I just saw Kousuke a little while ago, and he said something about helping you out when he talked about saving me.”
Hearing this, the Saint put her head in her hands.
“That idiot… He told you the same thing, did he? That’s absolutely impossible, okay?”
Her reaction told me that Kousuke had already talked to her about it.
“I think the same thing, but for some reason, I sorta get the feeling he might pull it off.”
“Why’s that?”
What Kousuke had mentioned earlier was something that would normally be considered impossible. Yet somehow, it also sounded like something he could wind up doing.
I didn’t know why, but I couldn’t help but think back on his face, brimming with confidence. For some reason, his smile made me feel like everything was going to work out okay.
What the hell. I might as well try channeling him a bit and say it like he would, overflowing confidence and goofiness and all.
“’Cause he’s gonna be the strongest in the world.”