"Ayanokouji-kun, do you have a moment?"
She came. She was here. It was terrifying. I'd been feigning sleep
during class, pondering society's true purpose while I pretended to nap, when
the devil approached me. Shostakovich's Symphony No. 11 played in my
head, music that captured the sense of people fleeing from pursuing demons
and the desperation that comes at the end of the world. Right then, it was the
perfect accompaniment.
Even though my eyes were closed, I understood. I could feel the devil's
presence as she waited for her slave to awaken. So, as a slave, how exactly
could I get out of this situation?
My computer-like brain instantly executed all the calculations to arrive
at the answer I most needed.
Conclusion: I'd pretend not to hear her. I had dubbed this the "Sleeping
Strategy." If she were a kind girl, then she would say something like, "Aw,
well, there's nothing to be done. I'd feel bad to wake you, so I'll forgive
you. ★" "If you don't get up, I'll kiss you!" would also be okay.
"If you do not awaken within three seconds, I will bestow additional
punishment upon you."
"What do you mean, 'punishment'?" I asked.
In an instant, I'd abandoned my "Sleeping Strategy" and yielded to her
threats of force. Well, at least I offered some resistance by not meeting her
gaze.
"See, you are awake after all, aren't you?" she said.
"I know enough that I'm afraid to make you angry."
"Glad to hear it. Well then, may I have a little of your time?"
"If I refuse?"
"Well, even though you have no right to veto such a decision, I
suppose I would be exceptionally displeased."
She continued with, "And when I am displeased, then I will prove a
major obstacle to your school life, Ayanokouji-kun. For example, I might set
a great number of thumbtacks on your chair. Or, when you go to the toilet, I
might splash water on you from above. Or stab you with the needle of my
mathematical compass. Those kinds of obstacles, I suppose."
"That's nothing but harassment, or rather, bullying! And besides, that
last one sounds strangely familiar, because you've already stabbed me
before!"
I reluctantly sat up at my desk. A girl with beautiful, sharp eyes and
long black hair that framed her face stared down at me. Her name was
Horikita Suzune, a student of the Tokyo Metropolitan Advanced Nurturing
High School, Class D, and my classmate.
"Don't worry. That was only a joke. I wouldn't splash water on you
from above."
"What's more pressing are the thumbtacks and the compass needle!
Look at this! There are still marks from when you stabbed me the last time!
Will you take responsibility if it scars me for life?" I rolled up my right
sleeve and displayed my forearm to Horikita, so she could see the scars she'd
left behind.
"Evidence?" she asked.
"Huh?"
"What about the evidence? Did you decide I'm the culprit without
evidence?"
She was right; there was no evidence. Even though Horikita was the
only one in class close enough to stab me with a needle, I'd be hard-pressed
to call that definitive proof…
Well, I needed to confirm something first anyway.
"So, I'm required to help you? I've thought on it again, and, after all, I
—"
"Ayanokouji-kun. Would you prefer to regret while you suffer or regret
while you despair? Which would you like more? Because if you refuse meand force my hand, it will be your responsibility."
I was stuck with Horikita's two completely absurd choices. It appeared
she would not accept any delays. Though it was a mistake to make a deal
with this devil, I gave up and obeyed.
"All right, then. What am I supposed to do?" I asked, filled with
trepidation. Her requests no longer surprised me. I certainly didn't like how
this situation had turned out, but… I thought back to when I'd met this girl
two months ago, on the day of the entrance ceremony.