"Wow."
"What a beauty."
People who were walking, going about their day, came to a halt when they saw a black-haired beauty.
It wasn't just any beauty—no, a lady who is beautiful is undoubtedly beautiful...
However, a young lady radiating happiness and joy from her face? That's another story entirely.
Right now, that girl is both. And that girl… is me.
Now, allow me to explain. You might think, "Ah, Shizuka, you dumb btch! You hypocrite! Why are you acting this way? Why didn't you fight to the death with Stella?!"*
And I'd say… ARE YOU A DUM DUM?!
I never hated Stella—or rather, Himeno-nee. No, I never hated her. Sure, I hated that she had to retire, but I'm not that selfish as to ignore the fact that she's my savior.
Now lookie here, no matter your moral alignment, everyone's grateful to their savior, right?
I feel the same way. I thought I'd have to fight the Stella Comet, but knowing I didn't have to—and that she even agreed with my cause—is just… great!
Now, I can truly liberate the world from stagnation!
And that—right there—is what made my day today.
A date with my idol!
Kyahh~ just thinking about it is making me squeal—
Ehem…
A-anyway, I had to leave early, so I didn't get to talk much with Himeno-nee. That's because I have a class at 1:30 p.m.
Aside from that, I'll just have to wait and see what IXX has in store for me.
In any case, after I finished all my classes for this afternoon, I made my way back to my dorm.
And this time, I can't help but feel more appreciative than ever. Because now I know who my sponsor is for my scholarship.
Yup! It's Himeno-nee!
Honestly, I was surprised myself. Usually, sponsors are never named—if it's an individual. If it's a company,
well, the best I'd ever hear from them is a simple:
"Good luck."
But that wasn't the case. When I first heard I was getting a scholarship, all I saw under "Sponsor Name" was just: ???
Yeah. Literally.
I wish I was joking, but I'm not.
I never really dug too deep because, well... what do I have against my sponsor anyway?
Because of them, mom doesn't have to toil more than she already should.
If it were some other person, I might've been forced to suck up to some old man in a suit.
But I'm glad it was Himeno-nee.
When I reached my floor, I stepped out of the elevator and went straight to my room without much thought.
After I closed the door, the smile on my face disappeared as I sighed.
I slowly made my way to my bed and flopped right onto it.
"Today has been a blast in many ways,"
I told myself, grabbing the nearest pillow to cuddle.
"I wonder how long it'll take for that stupid black rabbit to hand me my 「empire」."
I couldn't help but smile at the thought.
---
Meanwhile—
in a place with no sunlight, barren and lifeless.
In the far distance, a black castle stood. It exuded both a divine and unholy aura, its design intricate,
akin to the ancient churches one might see on Earth.
Inside the castle, however...
A black rabbit was undergoing a trial.
『Can you repeat what thou hast said?』
Atop a platform, a silhouette of a cat towered above the rest.
The black rabbit, by instinct, dared not make eye contact—its gaze fixed on the ground.
"The promising recruit I found... immediately choked me. It didn't even let me finish after I told her she'd won the trial and was chosen."
The entities present couldn't help but gasp—whether in confusion, rage, amusement, or all of the above.
The one who sat highest, however, made no sound.
『Ho? Then what happened?』
The black rabbit jolted.
"After she unhanded me, I took a moment to gather air into my lungs... then she inquired whether I worked alone."
『Clever. Did you confess?』
The rabbit looked away, then back at the silhouette.
"Initially, no. But I decided to be honest—lest she choke me again. I told her... that we have a council."
The room grew noisy as gasps and insults were hurled toward the black rabbit—none of which it dared to refute.
『Risky move, then?』
"She refused, but I was desperate, so I asked what she'd propose.
And she said she wanted autonomy.
And not only that—she also wants the seat of the Most High, and all our powers combined."
The room erupted once more. The other mascots screamed in outrage,
their cries echoing off the cold stone walls.
However, the cat overseeing the chaos did not silence them.
Instead, she spoke calmly—
as though chaos itself were part of nature.
『That young woman really has the audacity to ask that? ...Well, she's right. We are a losing faction.
We don't have as many cards as we used to. Very well. I'll see if she's worthy myself.』
The room went still.
To have the Cat herself test a human—
this was unprecedented.
-------------------
It's been two days, and so far? No black bunny in sight. Pfft, what a dumbass.
I still can't believe that rabbit got scared shitless just 'cause I decided to choke it.
It actually got scared!
I smiled as I strolled through the neighborhood, casually waving at the people I passed.
Stopped by the nearest store to grab some materials for a project that popped up in a minor subject.
"Meow~"
When I stepped out of the store, I looked down—only to find myself staring at a black cat.
"Hm?? Haven't seen you around here, kitty."
It's true. I walk around the neighborhood pretty often to maintain my reputation, y'know? I even made it a habit to take pictures and pet cats along the way.
But if I'd ever seen a black-furred beauty like this, I'd remember.
Which could only mean one thing…
I looked left and right, then grabbed the cat by the nape. Its eyes widened in shock as I dragged it behind the store I just came out of.
"Speak. Are you IXX?"
I said, dropping the cat.