Fear and exhaustion weighed her body down. In the aimless, directionless darkness, the only thing Natsumi could do was keep running.
She didn't even have the strength left to wonder why she wasn't just flying.
The overwhelming burden had crushed her reason, leaving only the most primal instincts.
A pitch-black hand loomed in the air, ready to descend at any moment. Countless black-and-red tentacles chased her from behind.
In this endless darkness, even Natsumi finally ran out of strength. She could only watch as those tendrils wrapped around her, lifting her up like a broken doll, before the dark hand clenched her in its palm.
The phantom pain of shattering bones jolted Natsumi awake, realizing it had all been a dream.
Of course! It had to be a dream! She was a Spirit—how could she possibly be toyed with and bullied so mercilessly, utterly powerless to fight back?
But then came the confusion.
Where… was this? An unfamiliar room?
The sleek, metallic silver ceiling filled with a technological aesthetic made Natsumi turn her head in puzzlement, trying to get a sense of her surroundings.
But the moment she turned, a feeling of every hair standing on end instantly swept through her body. In her extreme terror, she was robbed of even the ability to move.
It… it was that demon!
Seeing the black-haired girl sitting by her bedside, Natsumi didn't dare make a sound.
But how could Dark Amber not notice she had woken up?
"You're awake already. Does your body still hurt?"
Dark Amber's smile carried a strong sense of warmth and approachability.
If Natsumi hadn't already carved this face into her DNA out of fear, she would never have associated it with the person who had tormented her before.
It had been a nightmare of an experience.
Natsumi even felt it would have been better to faint or die on the spot.
Yet despite such severe injuries, she was always injected with just enough strength to stay conscious at crucial moments, and her wounds never worsened no matter what she did.
Simply put, it was the feeling of being unable to live or die.
Seeing Natsumi trembling like a frightened quail, Dark Amber felt satisfied inwardly, but feigned concern on her face.
"Is something uncomfortable…? Or are you hungry?"
"N-no…! Don't come near me!"
Seeing the other girl about to reach out and touch her—perhaps because her gentle expression restored some of Natsumi's ability to move, though the lingering fear didn't vanish—Natsumi scrambled backward in panic, tumbling right off the bed.
"Are you okay!?"
Dark Amber was pleased with her reaction.
However, since she wasn't Dark Seele at the moment—the earlier venting had already improved her mood considerably—there was no need to keep tormenting this coward.
So, she circled around the bed, adopting a careful and harmless demeanor as she drew slightly closer.
"Don't be afraid. Seele won't hurt you. Just relax, okay?"
"…"
Gasping for air, Natsumi still felt wary and uncertain. But she understood, more or less, that she was safe for now.
The other girl didn't seem as terrifying as before; her expression was normal, like any ordinary girl.
The two maintained their distance for a while. Finally, Natsumi stabilized her emotions.
Realizing her pitiful state had been fully witnessed, she felt both wronged and angry—yet lacked the courage to lash out. That anger was like a flame easily snuffed out, giving way instead to a sense of reckless resignation. 'Whatever, let it be.'
"You… are Natsumi, right? You've been asleep a long time. Are you hungry? Would you like something to eat?"
Dark Amber asked.
"…No."
Natsumi didn't really want to reply, but she was afraid the other personality might emerge and cause trouble again, so she answered sullenly.
She had more or less figured out what had happened. Her actions had probably provoked the other personality inside that girl—that's what that Eileen had said, anyway.
Just as the atmosphere was growing stiff, a mechanical door sound clicked open nearby.
"Is Natsumi awake already? Why are you two…"
The one who entered was Shiori, coming to fetch Seele for a meal.
Since Natsumi hadn't woken up, and Seele felt terribly guilty over her coma, she had volunteered to keep watch.
Shiori had decided to eat alone in the sickroom, but considering how much Seele had helped them this time, she couldn't really leave her there by herself.
"Si-since this girl's awake now, let's all eat together!"
Tohka hid entirely behind Shiori, only peeking her head out from Shiori's right shoulder.
She, too, felt a lingering fear toward this short-haired girl. With her spiritual power sealed again, Tohka believed it best to keep a safe distance.
But since Shiori insisted on inviting them to eat, Tohka was prepared to brave it for Shiori's sake.
"…Alright. Natsumi, will you come with us?"
Dark Amber nodded at the two, then glanced toward Natsumi, who was curled up in the corner.
"I'm not going."
Her tone was cold and stiff.
Dark Amber had only asked to maintain her persona, not really expecting her to agree.
Seeing her still immersed in fear, Dark Amber put on a restrained, somewhat helpless expression and stood up, saying to Shiori, "We can have someone bring Natsumi's portion later. She's… quite resistant to Seele."
"She's resistant to the other Seele, right?"
Shiori couldn't quite understand Tohka and Natsumi's reactions.
According to Tohka's account, the three of them had been trapped in that space for who-knows-how-long—it felt endlessly drawn out.
Although Ratatoskr speculated it might be related to 'time feeling slow during study, fast during play,' Tohka had flatly denied that.
Compared to Tohka, who had merely been toyed with, the other two had suffered far more—not only did it look painful, but they also couldn't pass out.
That Ellen had even lost consciousness and fallen to the ground after the black sphere vanished.
But… all of that was done by the other Seele. No matter how dangerous and terrifying that Seele was, it had nothing to do with the kind, gentle Seele here now.
"We are both Seele."
Dark Amber said this, then looked at Tohka. "Seele wants to apologize to you. Because of Seele, my other self did terrible things to you."
"It's fine… I don't mind anymore!"
She minded immensely, but Tohka didn't dare say it, replying only in a stifled voice.
Shiori wasn't sure how to ease the tension between them either.
But from their exchange, she gathered that Seele and her other self had a very close relationship—close enough that either would share responsibility for what the other did.
This bond surprised Shiori a little. After all, in various comics and stories, a protagonist's alternate personality was usually dark and evil.
Well… based on Tohka's description, the other Seele did seem pretty dark and evil…
But there was definitely something different about the relationship between Seele and her other self.
An alternate personality that got angry when the main personality was bullied… sounded kinda cool…
A spark of middle-school chuunibyou spirit flickered faintly within Shiori, but she quickly suppressed the thought.
"Then let's go eat first. I'll ask a staff member to bring a meal over later."
--+--
T/N: I have a Patreon! Webnovel will get 3 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.