116 Plo (2/2)

Seiji stood up as fast as possible and backed away from her in an attempt to put some distance between them.

Hitaka woodenly looked towards him and was about to step forward again when she revealed yet another pained expression.

Her right hand loosened its grip on the longsword as it dropped and disappeared in a green flash just like the gun before it.

”Wahhhhhhhh!!” Hitaka clutched her face and screamed at the top of her lungs.

Seiji carefully observed her from a good distance.

He might as well… load now.

This was all he could do.

Just as he was about to load and leave this place, Hitaka’s shouting stopped.

”Ahh… Haruta-sama…” she said in a soft tone which was unfamiliar to Seiji.

Seiji paused for a moment in surprise.

Hitaka slowly removed her hands from her face. In her eyes was a look that Seiji had never seen her have before.

”I am the spirit… Inugami…” the hoarse voice stated.

Inugami? [TL note: Inugami is a Dog Spirit.]

”My contractor… can no longer… be saved…”

Seiji furrowed his brows.

”She can’t be saved… is it because she killed the person possessing the ‘Reaper’s Curse?’”

Hitaka… No, Inugami nodded while controlling the red-haired girl’s body with that painfully distorted expression.

”As Haruta-sama… stated… this… was a trap. Kill my… contractor… otherwise…”

Her right hand reached out and suddenly dragged the longsword out from some pocket dimension. She then tossed the sword to Seiji.

The sword twirled through midair and landed right at his feet.

”Hurry up… kill me…”

Seiji took a look at the longsword before turning back to Inugami/Hitaka.

”I won’t do it.”

‘I’ll save you all.’

He said the last sentence in his heart.

Then, he loaded.

The world sank into darkness before lighting up again.

Seiji returned to early morning when he had just woken up. It was his habit to make a save file every morning.

He slowly turned to look outside the window and saw that the weather was foreboding today with dark clouds in the sky.

He shut his eyes and sighed.

…

Just like the last time he went through this day, he went together with Mika and Kaede to school.

Seiji gave Hoshi a call after reaching school. He asked Hoshi to check Year 2 Class 4 to see if Shika Kagura had come to class today.

Hoshi happily accepted this task.

A few minutes later, he called Seiji back and reported that… Shika Kagura hadn’t come today. She claimed to be sick.

Later, once again.

Just like last time, Seiji received a call from Natsuya, and heard her explanation in the student council office.

This time, he didn’t leave as soon as last time.

”President, you investigated Shika Kagura and discovered her abnormality… but you didn’t do anything else. This means that you must have completely eliminated the possibility of her being a hostile Spirit-branded Retainer,” Seiji stated. ”Can I ask just how you confirmed this?”

Natsuya blinked in surprise.

”Apart from investigating her personal traits, I also sent someone to follow her every movement. I’m certain that she didn’t do anything while the enemy Spirit-branded Retainer was active. She definitely didn’t disappear or do anything else which seemed suspicious.

Seiji nodded.

”This does seem to eliminate the possibility that she’s that Snow Girl. However… I still feel like there’s something strange about it all.

”President, you should be able to feel it as well, right? A special existence like Shika Kagura transferring in to Genhana High School right at this period of time… Do you really believe it’s just a simple coincidence?”

Natsuya slowly began to furrow her brows.

”Haruta-kun, what do you mean?”

He was waiting for this.

Seiji took a deep breath.

”I… smell a plot behind all this.”