Ayane pushes twenty mosquitoes into the dustpan.
Is that the right timing?
How do I apologize again? Do I just do it now? Or just wait for the right timing? If so, when's the 'right' timing? When she looks vulnerable to an apology? How does that even look? Man, it's all in my head but when you try to actually do it… You just can't let it out easily. I don't do this very often. Apologizing (with immense guilt) to someone is not really my everyday thing—back when I was an exorcist and now as an average teacher. So I just take it as: Apologizing skill = 3.
Or I could just ignorre this feeling. That I believe I'm good at.
Sigh.
That's what I would have done back then if I had been me. I'm an entirely different man now.
"Ayane."
Ayane's eyes sweep to me.
"What?" Ayane speaks.
And that throws off my timing.
"Let's see…"
Ayane tears off her eyes and plants them back on the floor, "I'll wait, Sensei. Take your time."
I smooth down my shirt. Ayane is still sweeping, and she is almost done with the mosquitoes. She has to fill the dustpan three more times, and she's done. I'm planning to apologize before that happens, to avoid the awkward atmosphere later on.
We've been silent for a while now… I think that's her green light whatever my decision will be.
To think that she's even giving this chance to me… She is one different girl. I almost can't resist pinching her cheek. Anyway, at a time like this, is apologizing the right thing to say first?
I slow down my heartbeat and say calmly:
"Thank you, Ayane."
Her head tilts, "Hm, not what I expected you to say, but okay. Don't mention it," she scoops the last group of mosquitoes. "Things like this are a lot more easy than beheading hell creatures, anyway."
I can feel myself smiling.
"You really are a great girl."
A flush creeps across her cheeks. "Wh—what are you saying, Sensei?!"
Did I say anything wrong? Now that I repeat them under my breath... Man, my compliment skill is also three if I have to guess.
I explain, "I was just saying you're a good person."
Her shoulder slumps, "Sensei, put more thoughts in your words after this. Why am I teaching you this? I'm not the Sensei here."
That wasn't my fault. I had word-sicked… from a vampire.
And now we're getting distracted here.
I take a deep breath, "What I'm getting at… I shouldn't have hurt you before."
Ayane grabs her own hand. Her eyes waiting… She knows I'm not good at this but she still has the patience for it.
I continue, "And for that I'm sorry Ayane."
Ayane's eyes are soften. Her hand touches her forearm. "Sensei…"
The scene looks like something that would get me to tear up, but... a big question hit me with a bucket of Atlantis' water.
Ayane is being… soft? That's what she only does to ramen.
As if realizing that too, Ayane shakes her head. The graduation aura has disappeared.
"It's… It's all right," she closes her eyes as she says that with a tightened throat. "Ehem, I… Back then, I was also not in the right mind. I guess… I guess it's what we do in a spur-of-the-moment, right?"
"Maybe it was the ramen?"
"Certainly, nothing to do with ramen."
A chuckle escapes from me.
Ayane furrows her small face, "Do—Don't laugh!"
She is twisting her short blond hair with her slim finger. Her hand is still holding the sweep. Tightly. Ready for anything. Anything that comes from the front and the back. Holding the same way I was with an artifact weapon back when I was an exorcist master.
"Lately, something bothers me…"
Fire. Blood. Screams. Wails. Cries. Clank. Flesh. Dark blood. Order.
Protect humanity.
And.
Kill all hell creatures.
Why?
Because this world… is ours.
Only ours.
Fire.
Divine One.
Prophecy.
A friend.
I kill her.
Their hateful glare.
Vampire.
Ayane, "Sensei?"
Ayane's voice reaches me, "Sensei?"
I shake my thought away, "Wh—what was I doing again?"
"You said something bothers you," Ayane puts the sweep on the wall and steps toward me, "Sensei, are you okay?"
I scratch my head, "Sorry. It's just… I was thinking about what you said."
"What have I said?"
"About returning to the exorcism world."
Her face tightens, "Sensei… You don't have to be hard on yourself. Like I said… I wasn't in the right mind back then. I am just saying things. Selfish things."
The clubroom glooms. It's in a lot worse state than when it had a thousand mosquitoes corpses. A man in conflicts.
When I raise my chin… Ayane is just inches away from me. Her glares almost kiss my nose. "Sensei…" Her soft lips unwrap. "You might not remember this but back when I felt down someone said this to me. You don't have to do something in this world to be anything."
She pulls out her point finger and sharply plants it on my forehead. "You said to me back then... We only have to be someone."
To be someone?
"And here… Who are you?"
I'm…
Ayane smiles, "You are…?"
Huh? Why are you looking troubled suddenly?
"You are…"
She unsmile.
Her finger is falling down.
And she glances away, "I guess just Sensei."
…
Hey, I an expecting something cool but anyway.
I shrug. What she said is true… I'm indeed somebody but really… Just Sensei, who teaches Science. Useless one at that for the students. Except, for one female student who has also been ignoring me.
"Only have to be someone," I repeat. "I said that?"
Ayane nods quickly.
Where did I get that from? A movie? If so, which one? Goddamit, I doubt it's an original line, anyway. Every cool line has been used today, nothing is original.
"You're not the only one who was wrong," Ayane sighs, "Sensei, you were always my admiration figure back then." She says as she sprawling her finger around, "I—I've always wanted to be an exorcist like you."
"I doubt I'm that awesome."
She raises her eyebrow. "You wipe a whole cult in a day… by yourself." Her eyes lock on me. "How is that not awesome?"
Uh…. I guess?
"But then you quit the exorcism world. I ask you why. But you just shrug the question away. And just continue living in this world as… well, just sensei."
She continues, "When I saw you like that, I was just… just a little disappointed."
Man, I never think of myself as an influencer. I don't even have a tw*tter account… Yet.
"Ayane…"
Ayane shakes her head. "I tried to convince you to come back. I thought I was in the right. But a few days later, I realized my mistake," she chuckles, "Sensei has taught me yet another thing."
"I did?"
She nods, "That everyone in the exorcism world is also human. If normal humans can be happy in this world, completely oblivious to the fact hell creatures are eating them... So do we. So do you."
Now that's just funny.
I pat her head and she (unwillingly) takes it.
"That makes the two of us."
"Sensei?"
"I meant that--"
Ayane sways away from my hand. "No, not that. Sensei…" She points at something.
I follow her hand.
She points at the coffin. "That coffin, I just realized it."
...
I laugh wryly, "O—Oh yeah? I didn't realize that too until a long time the first time I went in."
Ayane backs away, "Sensei!"
She quickly runs... and grabs the sweep. And raises it over our heads.
I pull my hands. "Woah, what now?"
Ayane looks at me with a terrified look, "Tha, that coffin is moving!"
The coffin is not moving. In fact, it's shaking.
My eyes droop down. "This will not look pretty."
Ayane shouts, "Is it a rat? Big rat? Inside? Sensei, answer!"
"H—How would I know?"
"It's your clubroom!"
"I—Okay, good point."
"So?"
I guess I have to just mix in the situation first. "It's not a rat."
Ayane guesses again, "Cats? Dogs?"
"Aren't you allergic to cat? You'd be sneezing by no."
I can see Ayane's hands trembling like crazy. And I couldn't help but to ask.
"Ayane… didn't you fight hell creatures almost every day? How are you this scared?"
"How?!" Her eyes becoming more glossy each second, "It's because… because… like you said back then too, The oldest and strongest emotion of mankind is fear, and the oldest and strongest kind of fear is fear of the unknown, so I guess it's that."
Okay, that just proves it. I'm stealing lines from famous normal people. I'm sorry Mr. Lovecraft.
Then she begins her panicky talk, "Well, if that isn't a rat or cat then that just leaves the worst ones. Big cockroaches. Maybe a gigantic spider. Brr, I hate spider. Fuck. Maybe the mosquito queen? That'd explain where all the mosquitoes come from."
How big is the mosquito queen inside your head? It doesn't even exist. They don't even need a queen like ants.
Despite being scared, Ayane strides closer to the coffin. The sweep is still up in the air.
The coffin is still shaking. Thud. A sound of struggle inside.
Ayane kicks the coffin five times.
I try to stop her. "Ayane."
But then...
A voice comes out of the coffin, "Stop."
Ayane turns to me, "Did you say anything, Sensei?"
I shake my head.
Ayane just ~must have been the wind~'d it.
She kicks the coffin again.
I probably have to do something here.
I reach my hand toward her. "Maybe we should stop."
"Stop?"
"Stop before it's too--"
Ayane gives it another kick. The last one.
A snobbish voice muffled out, "Do you have the brain of a cow? Stop!"
The coffin lids fall off and a white hair girl with glowing red eyes comes out.
Despite this, I continue, "--late."
The vampire is out.
Mission failed. The vampire and the exorcist are meeting face to face. One is glaring, and the other has the most confused face.
The vampire notices the sweep in the air, "Are you a maid? Great, I need one of your kind. Bring me blood."
Ayane's head rustles to me and looks at me with a 'What the fuck?????'
I can only sigh.
The vampire tilts her head. "Ah, you're not a maid. You don't have the cuteness for it. Wait… If that is so..."
Ayane turns back to the vampire.
And their voices overlap with each other.
"Who the hell are you?" (Ayane)
"Who the heaven are you?" (Vampire who still yet have name.)
The two of them look at me, waiting for an explanation.
"Um…" Fuck.