"Okay, this should be good enough, right?"
Yami looked at the neatly laid-out futon and nodded, though a hint of dissatisfaction remained on her face.
She had flatly refused to sleep in the same bed as me. Well, that's a normal thing for a girl. It's just that my surroundings tend to be a little different from the norm. On the other hand, sleeping in either of our rooms was also not ideal.
In the end, we decided to move the table and sofa in the living room and lay out a futon there.
The effect was supposed to last for about half a day. Based on that, considering the time classes end, this link should break sometime between the middle of the night and dawn.
Since summer vacation starts tomorrow, staying up late wouldn't be a problem. But I have an exciting plan to raid a research facility tomorrow night.
I'll be dragged around by everyone during the day, so I need to get some rest to prepare for tomorrow.
The raid has already been postponed by a day. Since this isn't a game, I have to take it seriously.
And so, tonight, I would be going to bed on the floor, still holding hands with Yami.
The living room was already empty. Only Yukina, who had helped me lay out the futon, remained.
"Alright. Well then, Senpai, good night. Please, don't do anything strange to Yami-san, okay? ...Although,"
Yukina shifted her gaze to the side. Of course, she was looking at Yami, who was standing beside me.
"With Yami-san, I don't have to worry about 'that' happening, do I? Please rest well."
"Yes. Good night."
With that, Yukina headed to her own room without hesitation. Yami must be quite trusted. I'd like to think I was trusted a little, too.
"We should get some sleep, too."
"Yes, we should."
Without doing anything special, we lay down.
...But then.
"Can't you sleep?" Yami asked me.
I guess she noticed because I had been shifting my position over and over, trying my best to get to sleep. I had closed my eyes for a while, so I had thought she was already asleep.
"Same goes for you. You're not sleeping either."
I honestly lay on my back and looked up at the ceiling.
I'd never really looked at this room's ceiling before. I've lived here for months, but this ceiling feels unfamiliar.
"Do you think I could sleep soundly next to you?"
"That's a good point."
"...That was a joke. Ever since I became an assassin, I've never truly slept peacefully from the bottom of my heart. Even when my eyes are closed, I'm only resting my body; I avoid deep sleep."
Did she mean that the "not sleeping soundly" part was a joke? If I said that, it would just ruin this peaceful moment.
"Not even since you came to this house?"
"There was that incident with Azenda, wasn't there? I've made enemies in many places. I never know when or where or who will attack me. I could be attacked this very second."
I couldn't imagine a life where you never know when you'll be attacked. She's been living a life that wears down your spirit.
She said it so nonchalantly, but I bet it's a pretty harsh life, even in this world.
"Before..." I started.
"Yes?"
I had to open my mouth.
"I said a lot of things about Vivio, right? Like how she'd still be attacked even without you. That was irresponsible of me. The fear of never knowing when you'll be attacked... I had no idea what that was like, but I acted like I did."
From the way she spoke, she must have been attacked many times in her life.
If someone throws a bomb into your hotel room while you're sleeping, it affects the people around you, too, even if they were only targeting you.
Yami was the one who understood the terror and harshness of that life the most. And I had used that without knowing anything.
"...Ah... no... now that I think about it, your point was valid."
The grip on my right hand tightened a little.
"Even if I were gone, there's a high possibility that Vivio Takahara could be harmed. Taking hostages is a common tactic for villains."
I don't think I was wrong about that. People's grudges can be a scary thing.
Azenda's energy, when he said he had lost everything, was incredible. He would do anything to bring someone down. Harming a little girl would be something he would do without hesitation.
"...So, I'm... grateful you stopped me back then."
"I see."
"...Forget I said that. I didn't mean it."
That's going a bit too far, I thought to myself.
After that, we fell into silence.
"..."
"..."
But I felt like the pressure of sleeping next to Yami had disappeared. My body felt instantly relaxed. If I just stayed quiet, I should be able to fall asleep.
"Ngh..."
Her grip on my hand tightened restlessly, as if she were hesitating.
"Dr. Tearju Lunatique..."
"Huh?!"
My heart leaped at her words.
I glanced over at Yami, surprised by the unexpected sentence, and our eyes met at the same time. It was the first time I had seen her face from the front today.
"Holding hands with you today reminded me of her."
I wonder what made her have a change of heart. I was just going to listen without saying anything.
"How about I tell you a little story from the past?"
---------
"So, Dr. Tearju Lunatique... she's your creator?"
"Yes. She's not my biological mother, but I am an artificial life form created with science, based on her genes."
Yami's Transformation Trans ability isn't a supernatural power. Well, I can't be sure that no supernatural power is involved at all, but it's mainly due to the action of nanomachines inside her body.
It wasn't something she acquired later in life; it was planned to be built into her before she was even born.
"In her teens, she was already an unrivaled genius in the field of biological engineering. Recognizing her skills, she was a part of a certain research institution. And... I don't know the reason now. I don't know what she was thinking. But in the end, she created me."
It's true that research to artificially create life is ethically complicated.
And when you add the Transformation Trans ability to it, it wouldn't be strange to have some bad thoughts.
"But that's just how it seems now. For me, who knew nothing, she was my light."
She said that Dr. Tearju did many things for her and taught her many things.
When they had free time, she would read her picture books. When they went out for experiments, they would pick flowers together in their spare time.
Her actions were in no way how one would treat a research subject. It was as if they were a real parent and child. Even in the extraordinary environment of experiments, she was trying to raise her as a normal human being.
Perhaps she sees herself from back then in Vivio.
"So, what is Dr. Tearju doing now?"
"I don't know. I don't even know if she's alive."
But Dr. Tearju was likely in the minority, or perhaps she was alone. To the other researchers, Dr. Tearju, who was educating her research subject in a way that would make her less valuable, must have been a nuisance.
Perhaps she was tolerated to some extent because she was an excellent researcher, but one day, that tolerance came to an end.
"The sponsors of the research institution, who wanted to sell me as the ultimate Transformation Trans weapon, decided to get rid of Dr. Tearju. The way they did it may have been a little rough."
In other words, she might not have just been driven out—she could have been killed. Well, a clandestine organization would likely resort to such measures.
Even though I had expected it, I couldn't help but feel angry.
"That's a messed-up story."
"Please calm down. There's no one left to take your anger out on."
The fact that there was no one left meant...
"Not long after, the research institution and its sponsors were completely destroyed, both physically and socially, by a joint force of the Bureau and Butei. They no longer exist."
That's a relief. I was worried it might be connected to the experiments on the sisters.
"It's all in the past... I'm sorry, I told you a boring story."
"No... If Dr. Tearju hadn't left the research institution, Yami, your life might have turned out differently."
"...There's no point in talking about what-ifs. The result is that this is the life I ended up with. That's all."
Yeah, that's true. I changed history once, but I can't just go back to the past whenever I want. If that opportunity ever presents itself, I will fight with all my might.
"More importantly, let's talk about you."
Yami said, changing the subject. Her red eyes, which glowed even in the dark, told me that since she had told me her story, now it was my turn to talk.
"I didn't want to say this in front of the others, but what are you hiding?"
"So it all comes back to that in the end..."
It seems she won't let me get away with it no matter what.
"Regardless of me, please don't make Yukina Himeragi or Asuna Yuuki worry. You have a record, don't you?"
"From the time of the incident with you and Tina."
I got yelled at so much that time.
"You're a strange person. You're lying here on a futon, holding hands with an assassin who was trying to kill you, and you're completely fine."
"And holding hands."
"You would risk your life for others. It sounds cheap when you say it, but the girls in this house were definitely saved by that—"
"...Oh, really?"
"I-I'm an exception, though..."
I couldn't help but grin at Yami's attempt to cover her words.
Bop.
"Ouch?!"
An incredible pressure was applied to my hand.
"Don't get carried away."
"Yes..."
"Good. (...But I'm the one who's stranger. Why do I feel so at peace with this man?)"
I've learned my lesson. I've also changed the subject, so I'll just go to sleep.
(Everyone wants to have that kind of closeness with Sho. If only I could feel that warmth with my whole body. Maybe then I'd understand why I'm staying here, Tia...)
Yami was looking at me as if she wanted to say something. I thought our conversation was over.
"What is it?"
"It's nothing... (It was on the tip of my tongue... 'I want you to hold me'... I must be crazy...)"
As I looked at the now-silent Yami, I realized that the magnetic force holding my right hand had almost completely disappeared.
"Huh?"
My right hand slipped away from Yami's.
"Whoa! What, that was fast! That's great! I'm free!"
She did say it was a prototype. The effect must have been shorter than they expected.
"...Does being away from me make you that happy?"
"Weren't you relieved, too? I'd like this to be the last time we ever have to do this—"
A tremendous impact hit my head.
---------
I had done it on a whim out of frustration. But I didn't regret it, and I didn't feel bad about it, either.
It was all Sho's fault.
"You didn't have to be that happy about it, did you?"
My hair, which I had formed into a giant hammer, returned to normal.
He always carelessly gets close to other women, but when he acts that way toward me... when he acts that way?
"When he acts that way, what...?"
My thoughts hit a wall I couldn't get past and completely stopped.
Yami turned her back on Sho and lay down on the futon.
"...Today really makes me remember the past."
Perhaps it was because she could feel another person's warmth right next to her, but how could she conveniently remember something like this?
A long time ago, Yami would often be held by Tier when she went to sleep. When Yami would ask for it, Tier would call her a little clingy, but she would hug Yami with a smile on her face.
So what?
What was the point of remembering something like that?
After all, there was only Yami and Sho here—
"I really must be crazy..."
She turned her body. The space that had been between her and Sho was almost gone.
She hesitantly reached out her hand and grabbed his sleeve.
"Good night..."
She closed her eyes, and after a while, I could hear her sleeping soundly.
---------
"Yukina, where are you going?"
"Ah! Kuro-san?!"
Yukina, who had been tip-toeing down the hallway, almost screamed at the voice from behind her.
"Didn't you say you trusted your big brother and Yami?"
"N-No, I was just trying to go to the bathroom..."
"You already passed it."
"I was actually going to the kitchen for a drink..."
"Yukina?"
"...Yes."
Yukina obediently confessed.
"Could it be, Kuro-san, that you were also curious and were going to take a peek?"
That was something Kuro would definitely do. She said it with a hint of hope, but the response she got back was,
"Unfortunately, you're wrong. I wasn't planning on going in there tonight."
"What?! Are you really Kuro-san?!"
"How rude!"
If this hadn't been a special building with soundproofing, they would have been arguing loud enough to wake up everyone else.
"If it wasn't for this situation, you two wouldn't even be talking to each other properly. Especially Yami."
"That's..."
"Things are changing, and Yami can't act on her own anymore. There's also the matter with a girl named Mere."
"Yes... but if that means Yami-san will become a rival, too..."
"We'll worry about that when it happens. That's a different problem. (Well, with Einheart and Kirin in the mix, I'd be in trouble if the pace picked up any more... But really, if Yami was going to leave, she would have left a long time ago. The fact that she hasn't means this place is a comfortable place for her... Ugh!)"
"But... it's Yami-san, you know? You helped her once, but that alone... she wouldn't fall in love, right...?"
"Even though there wasn't a dramatic event, you, who had no romantic feelings, fell head over heels in love in just a week!"
"Ugh..."
Yukina's expression became one of despair as she thought about herself.
"You don't have to be shy about that. In fact, Yukina, you're too shy. You need to be more aggressive. I'll even help you a little. So, let's not do it tonight, okay?"
"Yes... Thank you."
"I heard everything."
"You definitely didn't. I told you not to interrupt!"
Yo appeared out of nowhere. The troublemaker, with eyes glowing brightly, was determined to cause some mischief.
The skirmish between the three of them continued until dawn.
--------------------------------------------
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