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"Milady?"
Kujō Ayano glanced at the girl standing frozen in place, a knot of unease forming in her chest.
As a servant of the Suō family—and more importantly, as Yuki Suou's personal bodyguard—she'd been at her side ever since they'd entered school together, protecting her from every possible angle.
But right now, even though Ayano's eyes swept the area with practiced vigilance, there was nothing unusual.
What's going on?
"Ayano… did you just see something strange?" Yuki finally spoke after a few seconds of silence.
"…What?"
"Something terrifying. Like… a shadow straight out of a horror movie. A monster."
"???"
Ayano honestly couldn't tell if her mistress had a fever or was having one of her sudden "episodes" again. Yuki had shown odd "symptoms" before—saying bizarre things out of nowhere.
Still, she answered truthfully: "No, I didn't see anything."
"I see… then maybe I'm just one in a million. Lucky me."
Yuki muttered that as she turned around.
"Ayano, let me lean on your shoulder."
"Yes, milady."
The moment she stepped closer, Ayano felt Yuki's entire weight sink onto her. Her body was trembling ever so slightly.
"…Milady?" Ayano's voice was laced with confusion.What had she seen? Something so terrifying that it left her like this? But Ayano herself had seen absolutely nothing.
The truth was, Yuki had been badly shaken. The image of that spirit's collapse was still seared into her mind.It had probably been destroyed.Yet even knowing that, the memory made her scalp prickle.
If that monster had turned its claws on her instead—
At that moment, Yuki's eyes caught a figure across the street.
The sun was sinking lower, casting the world in deeper and deeper shadow. But strangely, the space around that figure remained lit, almost luminous.
"Huh? What… is that?"
A faint glow shimmered around him, flickering like an illusion.
Sniffling softly, Yuki widened her eyes and looked toward Rosen.
His form came into view—and at the same time, Rosen's gaze fell on her, a faint sense of familiarity crossing his mind.
Long, silky black hair. A sharp yet delicate face. And the uniform wasn't from Sōbu High—it was from another school.A beige jacket styled like a blazer, a red ribbon tied neatly at the collar, and a black pleated skirt that stopped above her knees. Between skirt and socks stretched smooth, pale legs that caught the dying light.
Combined with the little bits of conversation he'd overheard earlier, Rosen quickly pieced together her identity. A quiet laugh escaped him.
What a coincidence.
"You there, boy…"
Yuki, guided by some instinct, raised her hand and called out to him.
Her gray eyes shimmered as she caught her breath, her cheeks tinged pink from the lingering adrenaline of fear. The boy looked about her age—maybe a little older. She thought back to what she'd just seen, the terrifying spectacle still fresh in her mind.
And instead of doubting, she chose to believe.
Step by step, she walked toward him.
Yuki Suou.
Recognizing her, Rosen couldn't help but recall her role in the "original story."
A supporting character from My Neighbor, Airi, Who Mumbles Russian When Embarrassed.
Despite being labeled a side character, she'd had an unexpectedly large presence. In fact, at one point, her popularity even eclipsed that of the actual heroine, Airi Eniwa.
There used to be a saying: "If you don't have a little sister, you envy Sora. If you do have one, you wish she were Sora."
But in this world, you could swap "Sora" out for Yuki Suou—that was how high she ranked in the hearts of otaku.
Never thought he'd run into a "main heroine" type out here.
If the worlds were really merged the way he suspected, then the original protagonist of her story had probably vanished.
Couldn't be sure, though.
Either way, Rosen also realized she must have witnessed that spirit being annihilated, as well as his involvement. Otherwise, someone like her wouldn't have approached him so openly.
Just then, his Life Tree system stirred.
The girl before him matched the requirements for a contract candidate.
Well then.
A future filled with beautiful retainers? No way Rosen was turning that down.
Of course, he didn't act on it immediately. He just stood there, quietly watching her.
If his guess was right, he already knew what Yuki Suou was here for.
"That was you just now, wasn't it?" she asked, voice trembling but filled with excitement. "So… this world really does have supernaturals, doesn't it?!"
Her words tried to stay composed, but her sparkling eyes betrayed her true feelings.
Yuki Suou was a hardcore otaku.
And on top of that, a high schooler.
Rosen knew all too well what kids that age loved most: daydreaming.
Especially the hardcore otaku types—the kind who fantasized day and night about getting transported to another world and tearing through it like some unstoppable hero.
"..."
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