Wednesday, November 2
8:00 AM
After turning off the alarm, I go back under the covers. But I can't fall back asleep because I start thinking about what happened last night. When I confessed, I wasn't sure if what I felt was love, but now, thinking about it, I don't regret it. I don't think I was wrong.
Still half-asleep, I look at Leya stretching under the covers. She looks back at me.
"Good morning, Leya..."
"Good morning, Ban..."
Seeing her smile warms my heart.
"Do you want to kill me with that morning smile?"
She smiles even more. Then thankfully, she gets up; otherwise, I might have had a heart attack.
"You should get up too, or you'll be late."
"Hehehe, I'm not a cadet anymore; I won't go to class."
I turn around in the blankets.
"Don't you want breakfast with me?" She asks with a very disappointed voice.
I shift the covers and get up, then suggest:"Croissant and cappuccino?"
She nods, smiling.
....
10:10 AM
I am in Mary's office.
I don't know why, but before every discussion with this woman, there's always an exchange of glances.
"Why do you seem so happy? I thought this job bored you... Or is it for another reason?"
She points to my neck.
I instinctively cover it with my hand... It doesn't take me long to understand why. Leya... She must have seen it on TV.
Mary seems amused, which makes me think...
She ignores my thoughtful look and starts reading some documents. Then she asks:"What do you think about the origin of demons? Were they created by humans? Why do some look like monsters while others have a human appearance? Only the latter have reasoning? Are they the ones controlling us?"
...
Thank God she stops talking; I thought she would never stop. It's the first time in my two lives that I've heard such a storm of questions.
I look at her open-mouthed...
This doesn't seem like a conversation, but rather a hellish interrogation.
"Instructor, with all due respect, how am I supposed to know these things?" I show a confused face.
She immediately retorts, as if expecting my response: "I don't want to know the truth because no one knows that. I want to know your truth... I mentioned it the other time, have you already forgotten?"
What is she talking about? My truth? My truth about what? That I come from another world?
She stares at me, waiting for an answer, then asks:"Don't tell me you don't know your truth... Yet in the last test, you put in effort..."
What test?
Oh... By "my truth," she means my hypotheses?
...
"What's your first question?" I speak with a somewhat disheartened voice.
That's because I can't lie. If I don't know the topic, I can make hypotheses, maybe even sensible ones. But if I know the truth... I can't deviate too much.
I have no choice but to tell her a small truth and then beat around the bush.
Why not tell her everything?
Just thinking about it, in my mind, hundreds of scenarios materialize where 99% of the time, I'm considered a demon and killed, and 1% considered a God.
In that test, I wrote only hypotheses because the author never clearly stated it. But if I were to tell her everything...
She would realize there's something strange about me.
"How did demons originate?"
"They originated... Hmm... from people's fear, and..."
She interrupts me, gesturing with her hand.
"I didn't ask for the conditions under which they originate."
...
"I don't know." I said it as convincingly as I could.
She smiles slightly, then states: "I don't believe you."
She shows me some sheets. Reading them carefully, I notice it's my handwriting. These are my answers.
Damn. I knew she would use them against me.
"You wrote six pages to answer that question, and you wouldn't know the one I just asked?"
"I'm not sure... about demons originating on Earth."
"What do you mean?" She asks perplexed.
She also looks at me with a strange look, as if afraid to hear my answer.
... And that's why I shouldn't have told the truth. However, what I'm about to say is just a hypothesis to her eyes. No one can ever prove it.
"I thought demons didn't originate directly on Earth but were transported here when conditions allowed."
"Why do you think that?"
...
"It's just that it seems strange that humans can create demons out of nothing..."
I say with innocent perplexity.
"And this place they come from..."
"I don't know... I was just making a hypothesis." I won't tell you more, my dear... I can't make hypotheses about hypotheses.
"In what way would they come to this world?"
"I don't know... I said it was a hypothesis."
"Are they able to come and go as they please? When killed with traditional weapons, do they return to that world, while using special weapons kills them permanently?" She resumes bombarding me with questions.
I remain silent. Maybe she's talking to herself.
Finally, I haven't told her much, and what I said shouldn't be relevant to the plot.
After about ten minutes, she starts talking again, concluding:"It's an interesting perspective."
She starts tapping slowly on the desk, with a perplexed face.
"So... Why would they come to Earth? Are they forcibly transported here, or are they free not to?"
I look at her curiously; she asks too many questions.
"Is it important?" Her gaze becomes surprised; perhaps she didn't expect such a question.
"Of course, it's important. If we find out where they come from, we might find a way to prevent them from coming here. We'll have to continue seeking the truth. That's the only way we'll know how to act."
Good luck, then.
....
It's 11:45, which means we've been talking for almost 2 hours. This discussion has tired me out.
She takes off her glasses. Only now do I notice she has black irises, which match her silver hair a lot.
"Before you go, what do you think demons want in this world? Why do they attack people, why do they kill them? If they come from another world, then it's not a matter of survival anymore... Or is it because they can't go back there anymore?"
Ah... she asks too many questions.
"Instructor, you ask too many questions."
"It's in our nature to ask questions..."
She seems really depressed. I've never met someone with a greater hunger for knowledge than her.
Anyway, I should start going.
"Tomorrow... Come again at 10 tomorrow."
"Okay, see you tomorrow, Instructor."
I run away. I prefer her authoritative side to the depressed one.
Anyway... If she survives, she'll see for herself what their true goal is.
....
1:15 PM
I'm in the refectory, eating with the others.
Today we have ravioli in sauce for Leya and me.
"Are you seriously going to become... an instructor?" Toki asks with a frightened look.
"Assistant instructor." Koto clarifies.
"I truly don't understand how it's possible. Don't tell me that..." Kairi interrupts herself and starts looking at me with an investigative gaze.
The others begin to look at her.
"... She didn't expel you because she also fell in love with you?"
I look at her with resignation. They still believe I feel something for her.
Someone steps on my foot, and I think it was Leya.
I give her a glance, but her expression remains indifferent.
"Nothing like that happened, although... I think she's hiding something from me."
"Hehe" Kairi covers her mouth with her hand, but I ignore her. I don't have time for this nonsense.
I continue eating, thinking about Mary.
It wouldn't make sense for her to make me her assistant just because she wants hypotheses about demons. What I can't understand is... why should she give credence to what I say? On what basis does she believe that what I tell her is closer to the truth?
I don't understand...
In any case, I don't think she's in love with me, even though it might seem like the only logical answer: she doesn't want me expelled because she would stop seeing me.
But I've never interacted much with her... So, is it love at first sight?
I shudder at the thought...
...
Nah... the more I think about it, the more I believe I'm making things up. She simply thirsts for knowledge and would do anything to gather information.
That said, I refuse to dwell further and resume eating.
"Another cadet has disappeared..." Kairi reports in a low voice.
This should be the second one.
"Why aren't the instructors saying anything then?" Toki seems annoyed.
"They're probably not sure of the situation. They don't know how they disappeared, so from their perspective, telling the cadets would only cause more alarm... assuming they were kidnapped or killed." Koto speaks with an almost inhuman calmness. But that's what I like about him; he rarely succumbs to panic.
I look at Leya, who hasn't taken her mouth off those dumplings.
I just hope this arc ends well... at least for both of us.
"Setting aside these bad news... I notice there's a strange atmosphere between you two!" Kairi points at me and Leya.
"Yes, it's true. I've noticed it too!" Koto adds.
"I haven't noticed anything." Great Toki, you said something good for once!
Trembling, Leya continues to eat, pretending not to have heard Kairi.
To get out of this situation, I can only mimic Mary's attitude.
"What do you think has changed between us? When did you first notice it? Do you think there's a reason behind this change? And if there is, is it positive or negative?"
My barrage of questions seems to have an effect, as Kairi looks away and starts whistling.
Koto looks at us with a smile. It probably amuses him how the situation has unfolded.
...
After finishing eating, Leya and I walk back to our room together.
We're alone along the way.
"Can I go back to staying with you now?" She asks with great anticipation.
I look at her with perplexity and say, smiling: "Aren't you already doing that?"
She returns the smile and takes me under her arm, squeezing it tight.
Reflecting on the morning experience, I can't help but remember something, so I tell her: "By the way... Mary saw your little gift."
"Hehehe" She responds with a strange laugh.
...
Wait... could it be...
Was that the reason? Did she mark her territory this way?
I look at her with a hint of terror, to which she confesses: "I saw it in a series..."
I knew it.
"Around 4:00 PM, I'm going to the gym, are you coming with me?" I change the subject, sensing a bit of fear.
She nods.