2

Morning, third day after the battle at the warehouse.

Inside the first-year cla.s.sroom.

"Morning, Ruirui."

"Yahhoo~ Tenka. Morning."

"Geez~ Raika kun too. You are absent for two days just like Ruirui. You are making me feel restless."

After taking a seat next to Maria, Tenka exaggeratedly jump up at me.

"I think you love us way too much, Tenka."

Ruirui laughed and answered her.
That girl is not in fighting condition yet, but she has recovered enough to attend cla.s.s.

"I missed seeing your face too, Ruirui chan."

Kunisaki declared so to Ruirui and joins the conversation.

"Eh~ I thought Kunisaki was sad because you missed looking at my b.r.e.a.s.t.s?"

"No way——!"

"Ahahaha. I was joking~"

After being reunited with Ruirui who has been absent for a while, the three of them happily chatted.

I was watching them at the corner of my eyes when my neighbour Maria talked to me.

"Raika san. Today is the physical fitness measurement day. You remember?"

"Oh, you are right."

The physical fitness measurement day is roughly two days after school admission.

This event is something ordinary in high school.

While talking about that topic, Hakonogi Sensei eventually arrived at the cla.s.sroom.

"Morning~, return to your seat……."

Hakonogi sensei talked with his usual lethargic voice.

Kushinada Himeko is absent today as well.

"Ah~……. last night, we received reports of new missing students.As I said over and over, please refrain yourself from going out at night."

After he finished taking attendance, Hakonogi sensei atmospheres changes and gives a serious vibe.

I already heard it from Maria. During my two days absent, the student missing case continues.

In relation to Kushinada Himeko, whether she is the preparator——or a victim——that much is still unknown.

We discovered a corpse of a girl before we met and fight her.

Afterwards, I make a confirmation with the missing list again. That corpse is one of the missing students.

If, if this continuous disappearance case was caused by a same preparator, then chances that other students are………

I grit my teeth.

The girl"s corpse was gone the next day after our fight with Susanoo.

Was it the Sacrament Management Organization? Or did the criminal retrieve back the corpse for further uses?

In any case, I couldn"t get any further clues.

If Freyja"s guess is correct, the missing people are some catalyst for a large-scale operation.

The sense of uneasiness that Maria felt drifting across the land.

If it is an influence from the large-scale operation, the range and the scope of the effect are very likely to extend to the entire island.

Though, the core information for the underlying incident is still covered in mist.

Most probably, we should deal with this situation before taking on Susanoo.

"Well then, that is all for today."
The homeroom is over while I was still thinking.

Getting too immersed in thought makes me a little bit thirsty.
I get up from my seat.

"Where are you going?"
Kunisaki asked.

"I"m going to get some drinks."

"But the cla.s.s is starting soon?"

"Faster go, faster finish drinking."
I said and left the cla.s.sroom.

The drinks vending machine is at the second floor of this building. I have purchased from it before.

I planned to quickly buy a canned coffee and finish it fast.

However, there is already another person who came before me.

Right in front of the vending machine that sell my favourite coffee.

I"m out of luck, but there is still time before the lesson begins.
Buying a drink won"t take long anyways.

I made my mind and went to that vending machine.

That"s when the other person noticed me approaching.

Our eyes met each other.

My mind went oh my?

That was because I"m familiar with this little girl.

She was the short little girl that I pa.s.s through when I was sending back Kushinada senpai back to the North Dormitory.

If I’m not mistaken, her name is Emily.

Strange coincidence.

Emily quickly lost interest in me and faced back the vending machine.

She tapped her student notebook to the electronic reader and her credit balance was read.

Then, to buy her drinks, she raised her hand to the vending machine.

*beep**beep*

*beep**beep**beep**beep*

bibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibi

She began to press the b.u.t.ton with great speed.

Not only that, she never pushes the same b.u.t.ton.

She starts pressing b.u.t.tons for different drinks starting from the bottom left.

*clang**clang**clang**clang**clang**clang**clang**clang*

The drinks continue raining down the vending machine crazily.

"H, hey."

Emily looks back after hearing my voice.

"Do you need anything, commoner?"

What came out from her mouth is a condescending tone that didn"t suit her height.

It surprised me somewhat, but my mind immediately come to sense.
"No, before buying another new drink, why don"t you take what you have bought first? It"s already jam packed."

I point to the vending machine outlet that is already filled with juice cans.

I wonder when this girl is going to stop mashing those b.u.t.tons.

*beep**beep*

She continues to push the b.u.t.tons.

The outlet is now filled with cans. The vending machine is making a weird internal noise now too. I wonder how far she is going to go…….

"No, wait."

"If you mind then take it."

Emily said without looking back.

What a h.e.l.l of a person.

Should I leave her alone and buy my drinks from another vending machine?

No, if I do that then I felt like I"ve lost to her……

I mean, there is no way I"m going to leave someone like her alone……

Why should I meddle in something like this, no, it"s not like……is what I continue to have in mind.

"Haa……"

I thought my luck has run out. Then I kneel in front of the vending machine.

I took a look at the machine outlet again. As expected, the cans were stuck with each other, effectively clogging up the outlet.

This way I can only take them out one by one carefully.

I start to work while sighing.

Emily continue to purchase new drinks one after another.

She doesn"t seem to be grateful towards me who is coming to her rescue.

Seriously, what"s the deal with this girl?

『——why don"t you use your Devil Eye at her? You can make her the most obedient girl in the world you know? 』

……stop saying foolish things.

『——you are acting unusual. 』

Nope.

『——no, no, you really did. 』

Nope. You are persistent.

『——uhihihihihihihihi. 』

Especially in this situation, I want to be spared of Bálor foolishness.

For few minutes after, I was caught in collecting the cans blocking the vending outlet meaninglessly instead of Emily herself.

About time I stop this fruitless endeavour.

Suddenly, I noticed that she has stopped pushing the b.u.t.tons.
Finally, she is satisfied. When I bring my gaze upward,

That girl is stretching upward.
Apparently, her finger can"t reach the upmost row of the vending machine.

She is stretching them hard, even getting on her toe.

Even though she is a haughty girl, her height doesn"t stretch as well as her character.

And then Emily noticed my eyes.

Without saying anything, she resumes her meaningless efforts to push the top row b.u.t.tons.

Looks like she doesn"t want to lower her head for help in spite of being mean.

……sheesh, seriously.

Is this perhaps the reason why Ruirui said that I"m weak to women?

*beep*

I stand up and pressed the b.u.t.ton for her.

"Do you want to buy everything on the top row as well?"

"Umu."

Her replies are quick…….

While being about half in despair, I pressed all the b.u.t.tons on the upper row.

However, I took out all the drinks one by one.

"Here, are you satisfied now?"
I asked Emily.

Yet, her gaze is no longer on me. She is looking at the juices standing on the floor, a satisfying smile eventually appeared on her face.

That smile is pretty cute, but right now I don"t have the strength to care much.

I sighed, then turns to get my own coffee.

"……. gah."

A red display appeared on the b.u.t.ton that I tried to press.
It is sold out.

A different feeling compared to when he was cornered by Brünnhilde or when he witnesses it first Susanoo Regalia emerged. A feeling of utter despair.

That"s what I get for waiting.

I don"t feel like getting other drinks now.

Should I return back to cla.s.s?
An unproductive line of thinking in which normally wouldn"t be there comes crosses the mind.

So,

"You couldn"t get what you wanted?"

Unexpectedly, I was called out from behind.

When I look back, I found Emily has stopped focusing on her juices.

She is looking up at me.

"……. yeah."

I made a small nod.

And then, the girl.

"Umu, that"s right."

"Understood. In deference to your devotion, you can take away any one thing from here."

Emily said and shows a flock of drinks line up on the floor.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes. Sometimes, you need to give rewards to your people."

Haughty as always.

But those line came out from a girl.

There is no need for me to get irritated.

That"s what I said, but there is no way I can accept it unless I firmly planted that in my brain.

"Then, I"ll take this."

I picked up a small can of coffee.
"Taking a small one, are you satisfied?"

"This is fine."

Canned coffee is not a type of drink that you gulped down.

You need to slowly savour the taste to it fullest, but today I don"t have much time left for it…….

So, I thought, and the chime rang.

I endured to sigh as I put the canned coffee in my pocket.

Let"s drink it later.

"Well then, I"ll get back to my cla.s.sroom."

"I see."

Emily didn"t move from her spot.

I felt like there is not much meaning to ask her whether she will attend her cla.s.s or not.

I turned my back on her and quickly headed back to the cla.s.sroom.