[06 — Ruru?]

That same night, I decided to walk through the forest...

"Ah! What the hell were you thinking?!"

KLANG—

I kicked a rock.

It made a weird 'thud' sound as it landed somewhere in the bushes. Kinda sounded like it hit something.

"Who the hell asks a question like that?! 'Ain~ are you a witch~?' Ahhhh! Idiot, idiot, idiot!!!"

What were you gonna do if she wasn't asleep, you moron?! You're so exhausted you can't even read the room?! Put yourself in her shoes! It's obvious this is something she doesn't want to talk about!

"But... I had to know, right? Like... how am I supposed to deal with things without information?"

No! That's just an excuse. And you know it. Admit you were wrong!

"It's not an excuse… I just—" I started, but stopped the moment I realized madness was leaking out my ears.

Anyone watching me right now would probably assume I was schizophrenic.

"Sigh." I took a deep breath and looked up at the sky.

It had been a while since I'd really stopped to pay attention to the world around me...

The scent of grass, the cold wind slipping through my shirt, the undeniable beauty of the moon escaping behind the clouds, even the itch of mosquitoes landing on my skin.

For a second, I thought about how a normal person would probably find this kind of connection with nature beautiful—like a way to escape reality.

But for me…

Those damn crickets were starting to get on my nerves.

"Ah… I miss you, Abobora-kun."

*

Fwoosh~

"W-where the hell did that Markus run off to in this cold? I don't see him anywhere." I muttered

"Destroyer-sama... Destroyer-sama."

"…Hm?"

The exhaustion was hitting me harder than ever. Not only was I talking to myself, but now I was also hallucinating.

"Oi... over here, Destroyer-sama."

"Desu...toroya? Me?" I pointed at myself.

There, half-hidden in the bushes, was a girl with braided white hair staring at me weirdly. Her blue eyes were beautiful, but what stood out the most was the bright red bump on her forehead.

I had no idea who she was, but I got a strong feeling that dealing with her was going to be a pain.

"Tch… just a squirrel." I shrugged.

"Hey! Hey... Why are you pretending you didn't see me?! Get back here!"

Seriously... what a long-ass day...

She stepped out of the bushes, holding her forehead. That bruise looked fresh.

"Destroyer-sama. It's me."

Normally I'd have ignored her. But the way she called me—and the fact that she was kind of annoying—gave me the feeling there might be something more going on here.

"And by 'me,' you mean?"

"Huh? What do you—" She cut herself off mid-sentence, like she'd just remembered something.

"W-what's wrong with you?!"

She brought her legs together and stood ramrod straight, almost like a soldier. Then she placed a hand over her chest like someone straight out of a TV drama.

Even I had to admit: it was kind of embarrassing to watch.

"I am Aria Deberia... the... r-rule…"

"Sorry, what? I didn't catch that last part."

"My name is Aria Deberia...the ru…"

It was hard to tell in the low light, but I think she blushed a little.

"Sorry, I still didn't get that." I stepped closer to hear better.

"I said I'm Aria Deberia! The Rule of Thunder!!!"

"Ugh! My ears! R-Ruru?... pfft... what kind of lunatic comes up with a name like that?"

Oops... guess I said that last part out loud.

"Y-you're the one who told me to introduce myself that way, you bastard!!!"

M-me? I'd never—no, wait… that does sound like something I'd do.

"Ah…" She straightened back up. "Even so, you're amazing, Destroyer-sama. How did you know I was hiding here?"

"K-knew?"

"If you saw me, you could've just called out. You didn't have to throw a rock at my head…"

…Shit! So that's what the sound was earlier?!

"Ahem… I just wanted to test if your reflexes were still sharp. Gotta say, I'm a little disappointed."

I shoved my hands in my pockets like that would somehow make me sound more convincing.

"H-hai?... I'm sorry for disappointing you, Destroyer-sama."

She didn't sound sorry at all.

"You're forgiveeen…" I yawned.

I'm the one who owes her an apology…

…Doing this was risky, but...

"Anyway, Ruru. Mind telling me where you've been? You're pretty late."

"L-late?! I told you to wait for me outside the inn, and you just vanished! Do you have any idea how hard it was to track you down?!"

"Euuk!"

So this is where my real 'guide' had gone off to.

"I knew something was off the moment you said you wanted to come to Blessom. But I didn't think you'd be this unpredictable."

"Wait, so the idea to come here was… mine? I mean… of course it was mine." I scratched my eyes.

"Han? Destroyer-sama, are you even listening to me?"

…Damn it. I can't focus.

"Of course I am."

"Great! Because now it's your turn to get lectured! I don't know where you got the idea that the cure would be in some remote backwater town like this, but if you really thought—Wait... what's that in your hand?"

"Oh… this? Just a battle scar. A real man needs a few to prove himself—Hey! What are you doing?! You know how much effort I put into that bandage?!"

"Haha… effort? It looked awful."

...Ugh! How humiliating. I know it looked like crap, but only I get to say that!

"Done... that's how a real professional handles it." Her face was relaxed now.

"Tch… showoff."

…How dare she dismiss my hard work?

"Ah…" she sighed. "Destroyer-sama… what do you plan on doing now?"

"…"

Honestly... I don't know. This whole mess happened so fast I haven't even had time to breathe. I'm terrified of what'll happen when Dan wakes up... or if Maria decides to show her true colors. But the biggest threat right now is Markus...

"Nn…ha~! For now… I'll just observe. I need more info before making any decisions."

"Typical you," she muttered.

I tried to pick up on the nuances of her behavior, but it felt like I'd missed a lot already. And if I stayed there talking to her any longer, I'd probably say something I shouldn't.

So before I could slip up and break character, I turned around and headed back to camp.

I could get more info if I pressed Ruru, but that would also introduce way too many variables I couldn't control.

My senses were growing duller by the second, but if there was one thing I confirmed from this encounter, it's that this white-haired girl was anything but ordi—

"K-Katou-sama..."

"...!"

She… just called me Katou?

I turned to face her, only to find a completely different expression on her face.

I could see my reflection in her eyes.

And then, her lips moved, just once.

"Be careful."

"...Y-yeah… I will."

*

That damn Ruru… what the hell was that expression? Why was she looking at me like that?

No—worse: what the hell was my response?

I only answered out of instinct. It's normal to respond when someone says something like that, right?

It had to be the exhaustion. There's no way she'd catch me off guard if I was thinking straight.

No way.

But…

"Why does my chest feel so tight?"

Drip.

The first drop of rain landed on my face.

It was cold...

I wiped my cheeks with my sleeve.

"Ah…"

No clue what time it was, but I was sure it was already late. I had to find shelter from the rain.

With what little energy I had left, I ran through the forest, searching for the campsite. With no firepit, the moon was all I had to guide me, but all I saw were thick gray clouds overhead.

Each step felt heavier than the last, but I kept going. My brain had switched to autopilot, and even my senses were starting to blur.

Every tree looked the same. I felt like I'd been running in circles.

I ignored multiple system notifications and kept moving. Not because I wanted to, but because I had to. I had to go back. Or at least confirm where Markus was…

One or the other. Having both was more than I could grab.

"Gyah—!"

I tripped on a branch and tumbled down a hill.

Dirt filled my mouth. It tasted disgusting… but it was proof that some part of my body still worked.

For a second, I wondered if I should just lie there. If it was really worth getting up again.

It was a fleeting thought… but it echoed longer than it should've.

"No… not yet."

I clenched my fists and forced my arms to move.

My body felt stiff, but I didn't think anything was broken.

…Still hurt like hell, though.

When I lifted my face, I saw the tents. Just as I remembered them.

"Haha… I guess my luck's not that bad."

Now all that was left was to—

"Hold still, little one!"

A deep voice rang out with the wind. Not too loud, but easy to pick up in the silence. And if my senses weren't betraying me, that was definitely Markus's voice.

"...Found him at last."

From where I was, I could only see him from the waist up.

"What's he doing?" I murmured.

He was holding a book. Something was written on the cover, but I couldn't make it out from here.

"No need to worry, little monster. Says here if I hit the mark, you won't feel a thing."

"...Who's he talking to?"

I took a few more steps closer.

His expression was twisted like a goblin's, and his eyes were glowing red like a beast's. I saw a faint turquoise glow snuffed out in his hands, and the corners of his mouth curled into a grin.

For a moment, it felt like I was staring at the devil himself.

"The problem's gonna be all the times I miss! Hahahaha!!!"

"AHHHHH! LET GO OF ME, YOU BASTARD!"

"Grumpy—" I tried to shout, but a metallic sound cut me off.

A bolt of lightning passed right in front of me.

It was fast and hot. I could even smell the burning grass it left in its wake.

The flash lit up half the forest. Or maybe that was just my imagination.

All I could see was a streak of silver hair racing past me.

"Ru…ru?"

Grumpy was lying limp on the ground, and Markus had some kind of dagger raised above her.

I had to do something...

"Scream, you monster, scre—"

Markus froze mid-sentence.

His arms dropped to his sides like puppet strings had been cut.

A thin red line traced itself around his neck before little bubbles began to form.

Zslash!—

A crimson cloud exploded into the air. It was hot and sticky, the stench so strong I thought I'd vomit.

And then... one drop hit my face… 

Then another…

And another… until my whole body was drenched in that thick, clinging liquid.

"This...

…this isn't a game, is it?"