Disclaimer: I own nothing, this is purely a fanfic for enjoyment.
Cross-over from various games, books, anime, manga, and movies.
The familiar characters you see here belong to their respected authors and owners.
"Speech"
Time*
Chapter 61: I Can't Explain
"I can explain!" I shouted quickly, raising my hands slightly in a defensive gesture before Momoyo decided to fight Mai to the death.
Unlike the situation with the other girls, this one was different. I needed Mai alive, for many reasons I couldn't afford to explain right now.
"Oh? Do you?!" Momoyo snapped, her sharp glare locked on Mai instead of me. It was as if she'd decided the one who just spoke was Mai, not me, her fury directed entirely at her.
"Yes, she's part of a secret organization, the same as I am." I said, letting the words slip out, a half-truth wrapped in a convenient lie.
Both Momoyo and Mai froze, their disbelief perfectly mirrored as they turned to look at me at the exact same time. Their reactions couldn't have been more synchronized if they'd rehearsed it.
Then, without warning, a brief spark of Spirituality flared within me, and a vision of the future tore into my mind, fleeting but vivid. I saw them… Momoyo and Mai… not glaring at each other, not trying to kill each other, but fighting together. Shoulder to shoulder. Their teamwork was seamless, brutal, and terrifying, a force that could tear through anyone standing in their way.
…Yeah. Not exactly the kind of future I wanted to witness. But given my luck, I couldn't say I was surprised either.
"I was informed of Mai's dire situation and went ahead to rescue her." I explained immediately, trying to defuse the storm brewing within Momoyo before it escalated any further. "As you can tell by her bloody clothes, she barely survived long enough to send out a distress signal to the organization."
Momoyo didn't seem convinced. Her glare remained locked on Mai like a predator sizing up prey. "…So you're not fucking her?" Her tone was cold and sharp enough to cut steel.
Before I could even respond, Mai tilted her head slightly, smirking despite the dried blood staining her clothes. "I wouldn't mind." She said with playful provocation. "He's cute."
That single comment was enough to make the temperature in the room spike. Momoyo's jaw tightened, her knuckles cracking as her entire body trembled with contained fury. I could practically hear the vein threatening to burst on her forehead.
This… was about to turn ugly. Fast.
"Right… time for everyone to sleep."
I pulled out the Slumber Charm, speaking the incantation in Ancient Hermes. A faint pulse of Spirituality rippled through the air, invisible but suffocating, and within seconds, the room went silent as Momoyo, Mai, and everyone else within a massive scale dropped into deep, dreamless sleep.
Everyone except me.
I barely managed to push through the crushing effects by quietly shifting the weight of the charm's effects. Through the thin wires I'd secretly attached to both Momoyo and Mai earlier, I siphoned off just enough strain to keep myself conscious. They wouldn't even realize it happened.
Even so, my body wavered, my vision blurring at the edges. A heavy yawn forced its way out of my throat as my eyes grew damp and tired, my lashes sticking slightly from the tears gathering at their corners.
I stared down at Momoyo's sleeping form on the ground, her usual fierce expression softened into something almost serene. Then my gaze drifted away, lingering on the ceiling for a moment before settling back on her.
Why… do I find Momoyo being jealous hot?
I pinched the bridge of my nose, sighing softly.
I blame the madness of being a Beyonder.
"Wait… what was Momoyo saying before?" I muttered under my breath, rubbing at my temple as the drowsiness from the Slumber Charm still clung to me. "Something about… going somewhere?"
I tried jogging my memory, but it was like grasping at nothing. With a soft sigh, I switched over to the Paragon Pathway and invoked the Recall Ability. A spark of clarity surged through my mind, and in an instant, everything returned with perfect precision.
"Ah… right. We were supposed to go spend time visiting a friend of Momoyo's grandfather."
I smacked my fist into my open palm, wearing a dull, unamused expression, then switched out the Paragon Pathway and replaced it with the previous one.
Crossing the room in silence, I walked over to the sleeping Momoyo. Her breathing was calm, her expression peaceful. I gently scooped her up and carried her over to the bed, where Mai was already sleeping. Carefully, I lay Momoyo down beside her, making sure not to disturb either of them.
My attention shifted to Mai. Extending a thin wire, I connected it to the fruit bowl nearby. One by one, the vibrant fruits darkened and shriveled, aging in seconds as they absorbed the burden of Mai's hidden wounds. Within moments, the once-fresh fruits had rotted into withered husks.
I conjured a tiny spark of Spirituality flame, tossing it over the bowl. The decay burned away instantly, leaving behind only faint traces of ash.
Walking to the window, I pushed it open, letting in the cool morning air. A soft breeze swept through the room, carrying away the faint smell of rot and smoke, replacing it with silence and calm.
What am I supposed to do with Mai now?
I leaned against the desk for a moment, staring at her sleeping form. Sure, I could just send her back to where she was before… but she wasn't fully healed yet. That was a risk, and honestly, I wasn't in the mood to gamble with her life, not after everything I'd just done.
And truth be told, using the fruits earlier was pure impulse. I hadn't even planned to do it; I just wanted to test if the Immortality Marble Glove's burden transfer would work that way. To my surprise, it did, flawlessly. …Then again, considering what the glove is, I shouldn't be surprised at all.
I rubbed the back of my neck, exhaling slowly.
"Ah, fuck it." I muttered under my breath. "I'll just… follow the flow of things instead of overthinking it."
That random vision from earlier was enough of a hint anyway. Momoyo and Mai are fighting together, like allies. If that's the future, then Mai's going to be sticking around whether I like it or not.
What does surprise me, though, is that Momoyo and Mai seem to get along better than Momoyo and Alucard ever could.
Then again… it is Alucard for obvious reasons.
I let out a long, weary sigh and walked over to the desk. Reaching into my backpack, I pulled out two sheets of paper and a pen. With practiced speed, I jotted down the necessary details, instructions, notes, and preparations. Folding one page neatly and setting it beside the now-empty fruit bowl. The second sheet was for Mai to deliver to Tesshin to help her situation.
Once I finished, I turned back toward the bed. Momoyo was still sound asleep, completely oblivious to the chaos that had unfolded earlier. Carefully, I scooped her up into my arms, cradling her weight effortlessly.
I spared one last glance at Mai, still resting peacefully, before turning away and carrying Momoyo out of the room, closing the door softly behind me.
Hours later*
"To think all I needed to do was rest my head on your lap for you to forgive me." I said dryly, my voice carrying just enough sarcasm to mask the faint exhaustion behind it. My gaze remained fixed on Momoyo's face as I lay there, my head resting against the warmth of her lap inside the gently swaying car. Outside the window, the scenery blurred past, and from the look of the passing signs, we were close to our destination.
Momoyo glanced down at me, her expression soft but her voice casual. "Well, you do seem tense about… everything, really. No matter how calm you look, I can tell." She ran her fingers lightly through my hair, almost as if she were trying to smooth out the tension herself. "I don't even see your smile lately. You need to relax more." She added gently, though there was a faint edge of concern beneath her teasing tone.
"Yeah…" I muttered, closing my eyes with a slight frown. "That's not happening anytime soon."
A comfortable silence filled the car after that, broken only by the faint hum of the engine.
"Miss, we're here." The driver announced, his voice cutting through the quiet hum of the engine.
I opened my eyes, letting out a soft breath as I sat up from Momoyo's lap. She frowned faintly at the sudden movement but didn't say anything, simply following my lead as the car rolled to a smooth stop.
The door clicked open, and I stepped out, the cool air greeting me immediately. I grabbed my backpack, along with the bag of offerings meant for Amaterasu, which I needed to deliver soon if I didn't want to find out the hard way that I wouldn't meet the demands of her contract.
Turning back, I extended a hand toward Momoyo. She didn't need the help; we both knew that, but as her boyfriend, this was the kind of thing a gentleman should do. She gave me a small, knowing smile as she accepted it anyway, stepping gracefully out of the car.
…If only I were just a gentleman.
Instead, here I was, a madman masquerading as one. A man walking the thin edge between control and chaos, carrying the power to drag the entire world into madness if I let myself slip, even for a moment.
I glanced at Momoyo as she brushed a strand of hair behind her ear, her attention caught by the view ahead. For a fleeting second, I envied her calmness, her ability to exist in this world without feeling the constant weight pressing against her sanity.
But envy wouldn't change what I was.
"So… now what?" I asked Momoyo as I shut the car door behind me, the soft thunk echoing briefly in the quiet surroundings. Almost on cue, the driver shifted gears and pulled away, the car disappearing down the winding road, leaving us alone.
"Now, we just wait." Momoyo replied calmly, folding her arms underneath her breasts as her gaze remained fixed ahead.
I gave a slow nod, letting the silence settle between us for a moment before turning my attention to our surroundings. The air here was cooler, carrying a faint scent of damp earth and pine. The road stretched forward, climbing steadily uphill, lined on both sides by towering trees whose branches swayed gently in the breeze.
And there, nestled deeper into the forest at the end of the incline, stood the mansion.
Massive. Imposing. The kind of place that whispered wealth and influence with every brick. Its towering structure loomed against the backdrop of the sky, its sharp, elegant architecture framed by centuries-old trees. Even from this distance, I could tell the estate must have cost a fortune to build and even more to maintain.
The kind of place where secrets weren't just kept… they were buried.
"By the way." I started as I glanced at Momoyo, hands slipping into my pockets. "Do you happen to know which of your grandfather's friends we're supposed to be meeting with?" My tone was casual, but in truth, I couldn't recall Tesshin ever mentioning this detail probably because I'd been too busy preparing charms to even bother asking.
"The Kagamiin family." Momoyo answered without hesitation, brushing a loose strand of hair behind her ear. "We're just here to hang out."
I gave her a flat look, one eyebrow raising ever so slightly.
She sighed at my expression, waving a hand dismissively. "Alright, alright… grandfather wants me to persuade the leader of the Kagamiin family to let their heiress enroll into Ishiyama High School."
I leaned back slightly, letting the information settle as I processed it.
"That's just random."