Chapter 39

After leaving Suzuna at home, Yuki and Miki headed to the station together to see Miki off. Suzuna pouted and said, "Yui-chan, come again soon!" as they parted, but Miki didn't seem too bothered.

Walking down the dimly lit street, Yuki and Miki made their way through the alley.

"Sorry, I'm late," Yuki said.

"It's okay, it's okay. Actually, if I got home too early, my sister would probably complain, 'Elementary school student?'"

Miki giggled. "What's wrong, Yuki-kun? You're so quiet. Ah, could it be... hehe, are you in love? Are you in love with Miki-chan?"

At that moment, Yuki felt a shock like being struck by lightning and suddenly looked up, trembling.

Until now, he had completely forgotten. She was... the one who had captivated countless boys next to her, the seasoned "Next-Seat Killer."

Yuki rewound the time in his mind and quickly deduced the sequence of events. Could this all have been part of her grand plan... or even an unexpected irregularity she had exploited?

This was the true seriousness of the "Next-Seat Killer."

Yuki glimpsed a deep darkness in her. How terrifying. What kind of past must she have to have become this way?

Still, he couldn't give up now. He had decided to watch over her warmly.

"Take it easy, take it slow..."

"Miki..."

Yuki lifted his head and looked at Miki with the gentlest eyes he could muster. Miki's relaxed expression suddenly tightened.

"Hey, I... about Miki..."

"Y-Yes!"

Miki straightened up, her back stiff. She seemed flustered, as if her intentions had been seen through, and she averted her eyes. But she tried to hide it by looking back at him with determination.

She was ready to fight. The demon that had nested in her heart, which had eventually earned her the nickname "Next-Seat Killer."

(Then I'll shatter this illusion... no, wait, that's not right.)

He wanted to, but he restrained himself. Instead of confronting her head-on, he would embrace and heal her.

"It's okay, I won't abandon you, Miki."

"Wh-What? What is that?"

"Huh?"

They stared at each other, and a mysterious stiffness set in. Miki's eyes widened as if to say, "What else are you going to say?"

So, Yuki wrapped his arms around Miki, just as he had with Suzuna, and gently patted her back.

"Kyaa!?"

He heard the demon's final scream. Finally, she was purified...

Just as Yuki was feeling overwhelmed with emotion, Miki suddenly grabbed his head with a force that felt like it could crush it and pulled him away.

Taking a step back, Miki's face turned bright red, and she crossed her arms in front of her chest.

"W-What are you doing all of a sudden!? S-Sexual harassment, sexual harassment!!"

"Huh? Was that not okay?"

"N-Not okay, and there's a certain order to these things... What are you thinking!? And didn't you just do that to Suzuna!? Don't reuse it!"

"Let's take it easy and try our best."

"What are you talking about!? I told Suzuna that, but Yuki-kun, you should be a bit more anxious! You just hugged me and acted all calm!"

Miki was making a lot of noise. It seemed the purification had failed. It was too late, and it was time to be quiet. Yuki raised his index finger at Miki, and she quieted down, but then glared at him fiercely. She was not going to be easy to handle.

"An idle god invites no wrath," Yuki said, turning on his heel and starting to walk again. Miki followed silently.

As they approached the main street and the station came into view, Miki finally calmed down and walked beside him.

"Phew... Well, we'll continue the fake relationship, right? I said it, so there's no choice. Or, if it's too much trouble, maybe we could just... really..."

"But when I think about it, it was just a big lie. And you even said she was so cute."

"Why do you have to ruin it? She's cute, right? If you had a girlfriend like that, she'd be super cute, right?"

"Sure, Miki is the cutest in the world."

"Are you making fun of me?"

By the time they finished talking, they had arrived at the station. There were still quite a few young couples hanging around near the entrance. When they reached the ticket gates, Yuki turned to Miki.

"Can you get home by yourself? Should I walk you home?"

"No, no, I can get home!"

"Okay, then."

Just as he was about to say goodbye, Miki suddenly looked at Yuki seriously and said, "But I was a bit surprised. Yuki-kun always seems so relaxed, but you have a serious side too..."

"Ah, this time I was caught off guard... I'm in trouble, I'm in trouble."

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"When you react like this, I get a bad feeling... a bit."

"Eh?"

A few days later.

"Yuki-kun, I don't have any friends, so I don't want to go to school~" Suzuna, clutching her game console, refused to get out of bed in the morning. Yuki dragged her out of bed with all his might.

"That's terrible, Yuki-kun, that's terrible! I don't care anymore! I'm running away! I won't come home late!"

"Have a good day."

"Yuki-kun, be more passionate! Remember that day! Stop me, hug me gently!"

And so, Suzuna gained another skill. This is where it ends.

The first volume of the book includes additional scenes from Suzuna's perspective and a closing scene, enhancing the content up to this point. It also includes a short story, "Sleeping Beauty," which describes Suzuna's life at school afterward. Please enjoy it.