Elongated ears like a elf's, crimson eyes like blood-red gemstones, jet-black hair with bewitching purple lipstick, and a tall, voluptuous figure.
When these traits converged in a single woman, only one word could describe her.
—Succubus!
At least, that was what Eriri thought upon seeing Enigma in person.
Yet, half an hour later...
At Sensō-ji Temple, before the stone bridge, Eriri sat crouched on the steps, cheeks cupped in her hands, staring blankly at the large lantern bearing the character for "memorial" hanging in the distance, as if lost in thought.
She seemed to have been sitting there for a while, her vacant eyes fixed on the lantern as though her soul had departed.
Barring any interruptions, she might have remained like that for a long time.
However, roughly twenty minutes later, the sound of conversation and footsteps suddenly approached.
"In the end, it seems we made a bit too much for the midnight snack..."
A gentle voice—the kind that instantly made one think the speaker must be very good-natured—rang out.
"Well, what can we do? We unexpectedly ran into Mahiru-san, and following her suggestions, we ended up making a lot more Japanese dishes than planned. It just sort of happened—I didn't mean for it to turn out this way."
A hoarse yet somewhat childish voice responded to the first.
"But wasn't it you, Senior Kisara, who kept asking Mahiru-san about Japanese dishes that restore energy?"
"And wasn't it also Mahiru-san who insisted on cooking all those dishes as midnight snacks?"
"Are you sure this is really okay...?"
"With Senior's appetite, he'd definitely finish it all."
"Um... that's not really what I was asking about though..."
Under Eriri's vacant gaze, Kisara carried a multi-tiered food box that nearly touched the ground as she walked alongside Megumi Kato towards the stone bridge.
Soon after, Kisara, walking on the right, noticed Eriri sitting on the stone steps.
Kisara paused in surprise before asking curiously:
"Isn't that Eriri?"
"Why are you sitting here? Didn't you go to the vigil?"
Hearing this, Eriri remained motionless in her seat, only her eyes turning towards Kisara.
After observing the demon girl's childish, adorable face, she murmured:
"So much more innocent than that face..."
"Huh?" Kisara blinked at this seemingly random comment, then glanced at Megumi. "Did I do something just now?"
"Not at all." Megumi shook her head while asking, puzzled: "Besides, this doesn't seem to be Senior Kisara's issue, but rather Eriri-san's own problem?"
Megumi paused before adding:
"She seems to have suffered quite a shock."
"But she was supposed to be at the vigil? How could she have gotten shocked there?"
Kisara now eyed Eriri suspiciously:
"She wasn't like this even when Mr. Robert died, was she?"
"Well, that may be true..." Megumi showed slight hesitation: "But that doesn't seem like an appropriate comparison..."
"Though we all know what really happened with Mr. Robert's death..."
As she spoke, Megumi noticed Eriri's expression twitch slightly at the mention of Robert.
Realising something, Megumi suddenly said:
"Could it be... Mr. Robert—No, Miss Enigma has already arrived?"
"What? That demon from the Hell Sect?" Kisara immediately became alert, putting down the food box. "Megumi, watch this for me. I'm going to check."
With that, Kisara quickly moved past Eriri, stepping onto the stairs towards the funeral hall.
But just as she passed Eriri, the latter reached out and grabbed her.
Kisara stumbled from the pull before steadying herself on the steps, turning around angrily:
"What are you doing? Senior's in danger!"
Still holding Kisara's hand, Eriri merely tilted her head and said lifelessly:
"It's already been resolved."
Then Eriri raised her gaze, looking at the area below Kisara's neck and above her stomach before suddenly remarking:
"Seems much smaller than hers... probably about half the size?"
Hearing this random comment, Kisara went "Huh?" before looking down at herself and immediately covering her chest:
"Where are you looking?!"
At this moment, Megumi effortlessly carried the food box over and asked quietly:
"So right now in the hall... It's just Director, Mrs. Sayuri and Miss Enigma together?"
"And... It's not dangerous?"
"Yeah." Eriri released Kisara, turning her head back as she answered in a hollow tone.
"Huh?"
Kisara started in surprise, suddenly realising something as she glanced towards the hall. Then she turned back, giving Eriri a pitying look:
"So your father... no, your mother... no, I mean that Enigma has already been captured?"
Eriri nodded silently, continuing to stare at the funeral lantern ahead.
Seeing this, Kisara asked curiously:
"I can somewhat understand why you're so despondent, but what are you doing sitting here?"
After a moment's silence, Eriri replied: "...Keeping watch for them."
"Keeping watch here?" Kisara blinked, her expression turning odd.
"I was at the entrance before," Eriri said faintly. "But it was too noisy there, so I came here instead."
"Sound?"
Kisara blinked in surprise. Before she could say anything, she saw Megumi Kato spreading a cloth on the temple steps and opening a food container, apparently preparing to have a late-night snack right there.
Witnessing this, Kisara asked curiously, "What are you doing, Megumi?"
"Hmm?"
Megumi placed the small gridded side dishes from the top layer of the container onto the steps and looked at Kisara in confusion:
"Isn't it inconvenient to go inside now?"
"Besides, yesterday was the last solar term of spring. The nights are still quite chilly, so I thought we might as well have some supper first to warm our stomachs. Otherwise, waiting outside for too long while cold and hungry would be rather uncomfortable, wouldn't it?"
Hearing this, Kisara frowned deeply. After pondering for a long while, she suddenly realised something. She glanced towards the entrance, then gave Eriri a strange look before silently sitting down on the adjacent step.
Eriri seemed somewhat surprised by this: "I thought you'd charge in impatiently."
Kisara mumbled, "I was going to, but wouldn't that possibly upset Shu-kun?"
Eriri responded with a cold laugh: "Heh, how utterly pathetic of you!"
"Maybe so." Kisara replied nonchalantly, then casually added: "Still better than your situation though, with both your parents inside, isn't it?"
At these words, Megumi suddenly interjected:
"Senior Kisara, Eriri-san is already crying, so it's best not to say more."
"Eh?"
Startled, Kisara turned to look at Eriri, who was already sniffling, and said somewhat guiltily:
"If you can't handle it, why pick a fight with me..."
Eriri wiped the corners of her eyes with the back of her hand and muttered:
"It's not that I can't handle it... I just... just have complicated feelings..."
"So, would you like some soup?" Megumi offered the pre-prepared winter melon and spare rib stew.
Eriri looked up at Megumi, then at the soup before her, and finally drank three bowls through her tears:
"It's really delicious..."
"Somehow... tonight doesn't feel quite so unbearable anymore..."
As Eriri sighed with emotion, time gradually crept towards midnight.
...
3:30 am.
Luo Shu, who had just started his late-night meal, was startled by a message sent directly via the Divine Pantheon Reconstruction System's chat group by Yukino Yukinoshita:
"What's going on?"
"...La Folia was attacked?"
"What happened this time?"