“‘TSUKIHARU, I had the wrong idea about you all this time. Thank you. I’ll listen to anything you say as thanks. To start with, won’t you do me the honor of drinking my blood?’ How does that sound for a thank you?”
“......” Azusa gave Tsukiharu the evil eye for his mimicry of her as they headed to the school gate together. Or rather, Azusa was heading to the school gate and Tsukiharu was following her.
“Hey, Azusa? Are you listening to me? I, at least, thought I was protecting you from the trio of weasels trying to cut you up.”
“Trio of weasels?”
Is he talking about the Japanese folklore monster thought to be a trio of weasels who appear in a whirlwind to cut their enemies to pieces? Azusa shivered, finally realizing the danger she had been in. Would that attack have been capable of cutting off my head in one blow? Would it have left wounds I could never recover from?
“Well, I’m pretty sure it was an attack of measly strength that would have only cut your cheek, but still…” Tsukiharu muttered quietly to himself. Azusa didn’t hear him. From what she knew of him, he was probably saying something bad, but she felt she should at least be polite, and turned to face him.
“I’ll say my thanks at least. Thank you, Tsukiharu. You saved me.”
“You’re welcome. So? What are you going to do to pay me back?”
“Excuse me?”
“I saved you because I wanted to be compensated for it.”
“You’re sick!” Azusa shouted.
“First, I would be overjoyed if you would let me drink your blood. Regularly.”
“I won’t!”
“Okay. I want to get to know you better, so let’s go on a date! Just the two of us! Without the Akaoni’s watchful eye!”
“That sounds like a flag for getting myself abducted and caged!”
“Don’t you want to test how far you have to be taken away for him to no longer be able to locate you?”
“I do not want to test that!”
“What will you agree to then?”
“I won’t do anything for you. I thanked you!”
“A simple thanks isn’t enough payment for saving your life.”
“……”
“…All right, let’s eat together then. Let’s have lunch alone together tomorrow!”
“Seriously?” Azusa’s determination wavered with him lowering the bar for what he wanted and how that measured up to him saving her life. Then he gave the final push needed.
“Then let’s do lunch with you, me, and Youta! I can’t do anything to you with Youta there, right? How about it?”
“Yeah. Well, if that’s all you want…” Azusa reluctantly nodded.
“Woohoo! It’s a promise!” Tsukiharu exclaimed with a twinkle in his eyes.
He really does seem like a normal boy when he acts like this. Azusa thought. As she watched him walk a little ahead of her with a hop in his step, she found herself unable to resent him as much as she had before.
“Hey, Tsukiharu? I was just thinking, earlier you mentioned Kouya is using his familiars to watch us. Is that true? Or were you bluffing?” Azusa asked once Tsukiharu mellowed.
“Hm? It’s true. See that cat?”
Azusa looked in the direction he pointed. A single black cat sat on a branch of a tree at the side of the campus. The cat closely watched them without moving.
Is that the same cat Kouya handed me the time I went into town?
“It’s been there since the day I brought up the deal with you, meaning it’s been around for a while now. You haven’t noticed?”
“No, not at all.”
“I believe he can see and hear everything the cat sees and hears. I’m pretty sure he would have come out to save you if I hadn’t. Well, pandemonium would have broken out if the Akaoni showed up.”
“You brought about your own form of pandemonium.”
“You think so?”
“I do.”
Crud, I’ve got a bad feeling about this, Azusa thought, a frightening realization dawning on her.
“Does that mean he overheard the promise...I just made with you?”
“Promise? You mean to have lunch together? Yup. In all likelihood, he heard.”
The blood drained from her face. Lately, Kouya spent every day drilling things into her like, “Don’t get involved with Tsukiharu. Don’t talk to him. Don’t touch him.” He more than once went into full-lecture mode whenever she greeted Tsukiharu, saying things like, “You lack caution!”
Every time she wondered how he knew about her interactions with Tsukiharu, but now she learned it was the cat. Convinced the cat ousted her, she shook her head.
That’s not the problem here! There’s a more important issue at hand! The critical thing is that I’ll have a full-course lecture waiting for me at home today! And I have a hunch today’s fit of anger is going to be leaps and bounds beyond what I’ve faced until now!
Azusa’s eyes spun and sweat formed on her hands and feet. Meanwhile, her legs gradually brought her closer to the school gate.
“You guys look awfully friendly.”
Azusa saw a monster at her destination.