The same quiet office but this evening it swirls with eeriness. For the first time, I look at this scene with different eyes. Once it's a place to build myself better. And now, I see a dark room to hide myself in.
And even my movement feels slow.
Clank. Clank. Clank.
As if to break my sudden entrance, Alyssa presses her keys loudly as her apathetic face turns at me.
The stone eyes reflect me. I hate it.
"You're late again." Ayane begins.
I didn't say anything for a moment.
"It's too late to be speechless now, isn't it? Everyone fills in their speechless quota in the gym back then."
I just don't want to say anything. I'm just tired now. It was two hours in the occult clubroom and it felt like three weeks. And to top of that, my plan to save the world didn't work as planned. I failed. And now all I see in front of me is trouble.
"Where are you looking at, Senpai?" Alyssa looks behind her and sees nothing.
What my eyes are seeing is the future and it's clogging. I don't think I'll like it.
Alyssa gets off her laptop, her eyes slightly bigger. "Senpai… Are you… depressed?"
I sigh, grabbing my bag. "I don't know if depressed is the right word now."
"You certainly look like it."
Am I?
"I'm just tired," I say.
"Are you referring to your club? I cannot think of anything else that could sap your energy," she blinks.
"Is it just me or you're trying to intimate me with your big vocabulary?"
"..."
"Now you're using silence."
She edges closer to me, "I was just speaking English, Senpai. You can use your science language with me if you want to."
What the hell is a science language?
Before I can say anything, Alyssa beats me to it, yet again. "What happened in your club?"
To summarize it, I guess: the chouunibyou girl in my clubroom is actually a vampire and she's getting dangerous. So I tried to kill her. And got interrupted by my student who later on becomes the co-president, got interrupted a second time by another student of mine who joins the club unexpectedly. After we made them leave, we decided to make a contract with death. And a grim reaper comes to bind life and death with me and the vampire.
Now I'm thinking of killing myself.
Funny story.
And all I can say to Alyssa is, "A lot."
She nods her head in understanding, "They do say teenager girls are a lot to deal with than the boys."
Yeah, add vampires in there. Probably it's more than a lot, not even exaggerating.
Alyssa opens her mouth, "Just take it easy today."
"Oh wow, you seem to show a lot more concern today." I say, wanting to tease like the usual more but I'm all out.
"It's only fair," Alyssa starts, "after all, you have more to deal with tomorrow."
"What do you mean?"
A long pause..... before she replies, "How do I say this…. Can I explain this in English?"
"You are speaking English."
Her eyebrows tighten, "Are we, Senpai? Are we?"
…
Are we?
I shake my head, "You're making me confused."
She crisply nods.
What, why is she so satisfied?
"I'm really sorry," she begins. "I just want to explain this the unhurtful l way possible. Unhurtful is not an English word, I just made it up, if that's not obvious. And also, this would be bad news for you. I don't think you'll like it," Alyssa says monotonously.
"...Okay…"
She looks at me apathetically, so much for the most unhurtful way possible if you are trying to deliver me bad news. "Madam told me to tell you to meet her tomorrow morning in her office."
Hm, well, that's not too bad--
"She says that while gritting her teeth."
--Okay, this is real bad. Madam is known for her, 'be kind, I double the kindness. Be worse, I charge you triple.' If she's gritting her teeth then she's bottling up her anger. Only to pop it out the second she gets to.
"I've been expecting that," I say with a short sigh. Why short? That's because I already sighed a lot and it's wearing off.
"You shouldn't have left."
"I have to." i tear our eyes contact off, "Thanks for telling me this."
I take a step away.
"Senpai." Alyssa stops me with her call.
"Is there anything else, Alyssa?" Then I realized, my tone is a little bit harsh and I gives an impression that I don't want to stay here long with her. I'm such a jerk.
"Are you mad at me right now?"
"N--no." I don't think so, Alyssa did nothing wrong. Maybe it's just, "I'm tired that's all. Sorry for the tone. I think I need an early rest."
Alyssa just stares at me for a while. Not apathetically anymore. Her eyes show the real concern of a friend. "Senpai," She says, not monotonously anymore but with emotion. "I just want to tell you I'm here."
"Huh?"
She continues, "If I can do anything to help whatever your situation now is, I will
"You just have to tell me,
"What's wrong?"
She says that as her nimble fingers run through her brown hair.
Alyssa is expression. That's something very rare.
My heart clenches when she finishes. I want to tell her. I want to tell her everything.
But I know better.
She's just an ordinary human.
I've learnt from my mistake years ago.
If Alyssa knows, she will have to take responsibility.
My lips curve up, "Thank you, Alyssa."
Her hand flies to her heart, "Senpai…"
And that's the last thing I saw before I walked out of the room.
And when I did, I came to realize something again.
Alyssa is one of the reasons I just can't kill myself.
'Not even him can take it away,' the voice of the vampire princess sings behind my ear.
…
She underestimated me.