Chapter 76

That night, after Rin was invited to Yui's house for the first time and they played together.

Rin was about to check out the comedian from the comedy live DVD in Yui's room on her smartphone.

"Tomorrow, I'm having a party at my place, so Rio, come over! Yui-chan will be there too! You'll be the surprise guest!"

Suddenly, such a message came from Mizuna.

Why a party all of a sudden? Why Yui? There were many things that didn't add up, but since she had no plans for the next day and was just going to be idle, she replied with an okay.

Since it was supposed to be a surprise guest, she was told to keep it a secret from Yui and Yui-chan.

For Rin, being a surprise guest and attending a party at someone's house was a completely new experience.

(I wonder what we'll do at a party...?)

Half excited, half anxious.

The next day, Rin left her house alone and got on a bus heading to the station from a nearby bus stop.

She passed by the bus stop in front of her school and went straight to the front of the station.

Mizuna had said to come to her house after contacting her in the afternoon, but Rin, eager to get there early, decided to kill some time near the station.

Suddenly, she remembered that Yui had said something like, "Let's go shopping for clothes together sometime," and wandered around the clothing section of the department store next to the station for a while.

Just as she was about to leave, a message from Mizuna came: "Come over soon!"

She stopped browsing and headed for the Nago residence.

When she got off the escalator and returned to the first floor, she heard a familiar voice from a distance and glanced over.

(That's... Yui and Nago-kun...?)

They were dressed in dark clothes, which was unusual, and she almost mistook them for someone else, but it was definitely Yui.

And next to her, Yui was walking with her usual carefree gait.

Rin quickly hid behind something and changed direction to follow them, retracing her steps almost entirely.

They went up to the clothing section.

They seemed to be arguing about something, but Yui was raising her voice and seemed to be having fun.

Eventually, they split up, and Yui went out of the store alone.

Rin watched from a distance as Yui leaned against a railing, looking dazed. Suddenly, Yui turned around and looked around as if on guard, so Rin quickly turned and walked in the opposite direction.

Maybe she has a sharp intuition.

Rin went to the bathroom to hide and, as a precaution, put on a mask she had with her and tied her hair back with a rubber band to disguise herself.

When she returned to the store, Yui was twirling around in the fitting room, showing off her clothes.

(What is this...? She looks so cute... and her head... Yui...)

She had never seen such a high-energy Yui.

Rin had never seen this side of Yui before... it was completely different from the Yui she had played with yesterday.

(But she looks so happy...)

Thinking back, Yui's behavior yesterday was also a bit off.

She had been unusually concerned about Yui, asking things like, "Did she say anything else about me?"

"Look here! This way!"

It seemed that Yui was the one being willful, and Yui was responding in a way that didn't seem entirely unwilling. It was as if they were used to this kind of interaction, and it made sense that they were like this all the time.

And then, Rin's ears caught a decisive line.

"I'm a devil, okay? What?"

(So she's not a devil! Yui is the devil...!!)

For a moment, she doubted her ears, but Yui had definitely said that.

It was completely different from what she had said yesterday. What was going on?

Rin continued to follow them and observed from a distance.

The two of them, with their bubble tea in hand, moved to a table in the food court.

To avoid losing them, Rin bought a bowl of udon for camouflage and approached them from behind, sitting nearby with her back to them.

While slurping her udon, she eavesdropped on their conversation.

"What, you don't know the bubble tea challenge? Drinking bubble tea through your nose is super popular, you know?"

"Times are changing. Isn't that dangerous?"

"Exactly, it could be fatal. Instagram is a life-risking game."

(What a terrifying conversation...)

It was like the devil's whisper. Devil's talk.

"Here, I'll take a video, so try it."

"Do it yourself. You're a devil, right? It should be easy for you, Devil Yui."

"Hmm~ Will Devil Yui go viral? Is that silly?"

(Instead of exorcising the devil, she's letting it run wild! She's been taming it so well... not a priest, but a devil master...)

They were arguing about how to get the bubble tea pearls up someone's nose.

From the outside, it looked like a typical couple being affectionate, but their actual behavior, like blowing bubble tea through a straw, was on a devilish level that even a child couldn't keep up with.

(That's what it was... the two of them were in on it together! Devil Master Nago and Devil Yui...!)

Just as she was finishing the last bite of her udon, her phone rang. It was Mizuna.

But if she answered the call carelessly, she might be noticed by the two, so she rejected the call.

Immediately, Mizuna sent a message.

"Where are you, Rio? If you don't hurry, they'll be back!"

It seemed time was running out.

She didn't want to go to a party with the devils who had deceived her, but breaking a promise with Mizuna was also hard to do.

More than anything, she wanted to confirm something clearly.

Leaving the two still bickering, Rin left the department store and walked slowly to the apartment where Mizuna was waiting.

When she arrived at the street where the apartment was, Mizuna, carrying shopping bags in both hands, was just coming from the opposite side of the alley.

As soon as Mizuna noticed Rin,

"You're late! What were you doing?"

"Ah, sorry. I was just..."

"Here, carry this!"

The shopping bags in Mizuna's hands were stuffed with snacks and drinks.

Rin took one and followed Mizuna to a room in the apartment.

After placing the shopping bags on the table, Mizuna immediately started rummaging through them,

"We need to get ready quickly. Rio, help me!"

She started spreading out the snacks on the table.

Rin, who was thinking about something else, stared blankly at the scene for a while, then slowly opened her mouth to Mizuna.

"...I have something I want to ask. About those two."