The new resident

A girl stood at the door. The girl.

Her black hair was messy, strands falling and covered her right eye. The other eye was dark, tired, and heavy, as if it hadn’t known rest for days.
She wore a plain white tank top, a short black coat that slid smoothly over her shoulders, black shorts, thigh-high tights, and dark boots as well.
...And a busty as well.

Yeah, that’s her. The Goth.

The same woman who scarred my forehead with a knife. I had to hide it with my bangs. But well, since I died, I no longer have it.

S-She’s going to live here!?

THIS ISN’T THE KIND OF HAREM I ASKED FOR!

Ruma’s reaction was immediate. She practically snapped her neck trying to look up as far as she could, her eyes were wide in disbelief.

“W-WHAAAAAT?! ANFANG SAID WHAT!?”

To that, Gota simply yawned, stretching her arms lazily.

“Buahhhh… Took forever to convince him, but he finally gave in. Honestly, I barely slept today.”

“N-No way you’re living here! W-We… we…” Ruma grabbed her chin, her eyes moving around like she was desperately searching for a lame excuse. Suddenly, she raised her finger as if she’d found the perfect one.

“WE DON’T HAVE ANY MORE ROOMS!! S-SO YOU’LL HAVE TO SLEEP WITH... THEO!!”

A-AH?! WHY ME?! And that's a stupid excuse! This mansion has dozens of rooms, it’s practically endless!

And why doesn't she want Gota to sleep here? Weren't they all like friends from the same group?...

But… if she actually believed Ruma, and really wanted to… share my bed… maybe, just maybe, I wouldn’t—

“No problem. I’ll take the sofa.”

…

Right. Of course. Like hell I’d sleep in the same bed as the woman who killed me.

Without another word, Gota walked past Ruma, her steps slow, and her lips curved into a lazy smile. She headed toward the stairs, toward me and Mochiko.

“HOLD IT!!”

Mochiko jumped forward when Gota was less than 5 steps away from us. She raised her staff, frowning with the intensity of a stage actor delivering a the climax of a show.

“If you’re not a wizard, then I HAVE NO OBJECTIONS AGAINST YOU JOINING!”

...Was that really necessarily.

Gota chuckled in amusement.

“Haha, don’t worry, little Mochi. You know my fighting style.”

“L-LITTLE WHAT?!”

“Ah, sorry, Mochi-Mochi. Guess I’m just a bit sleepy.”

“M-MO WHAT?!”

…Mochi? Isn’t that some kind of food? Who the hell names their kid after a dessert?
But well, it’s actually Mochiko, so maybe there’s another meaning behind it.

Still, it's such a same, seeing this now: I’d never taste the real thing. No mochi, no foods I never got the chance to eat. I could eat here, sure, but the taste would always just be a reflection of what I believed it was, never the real flavor.
Ah, at least there must be foods in this world that don't exist in real life, right?

While Mochiko’s cheeks burned red and her grip on the staff tightened, Gota simply passed between us. 

She leaned close to me, whispering in my ear, her words were very slow and deliberate.

“Do you remember my last words that day? I came here to fulfill my promise.”

My blood froze.

I remembered. Clear as day. "I'll be watching you. Every step. Every word." 

So that’s it. That’s the real reason she’s here. To watch me. Nothing else.

And with that, she just went upstairs.

“Y-YOU FATASS! DON’T THINK THIS HOUSE IS ALL YOURS!!” Ruma shrieked after her.

No reply came.

I had always thought Grimwerod’s members were close, that they were some kind of tight-knit group. But seeing this… maybe that was just my imagination.

“Ugh, that fatass is always so annoying. Great. Now I’m stuck living with a bratty loli, a fatass goth, and a weak guy.”

…Weak guy? Well that's true.

“H-HEY, HEY, HEY! W-WHAT DID YOU JUST CALL ME?!” Mochiko’s face twisted in outrage.

“A brat.”

“N-No, before that!!”

“Ohhh, before that~… Lo—”

“SHUT UP, YOU STUPID BUSTY!!!”

…Was that supposed to be an insult?

“Is that the best you’ve got? You’re just jealous~”

“S-SHUT UP!!”

Watching a loli and a busty ginger squabble over body types… Truly funny.

Then Mochiko turned on me, her face defeated, but not giving up, full of determination.
And blushed too...

“Y-You!” She jabbed her finger at me, like I was her trump card. “TELL ME A BAD THING ABOUT HER!!”

“Hah! A bad thing about me? This guy—”

“She’s ginger.”

Uh? Why did I said that!? Instinct, maybe. I don’t even dislike redheads. But I remembered how that joke was thrown around in North Park.
It’s a shame I’ll never see another new episode. I really loved that show.

“G-Ginger?! W-Why would that be a bad thing—”

“HAH! THAT’S RIGHT! YOU’RE A GINGER! MUAHAHAHA!!” Mochiko laughed like she’d just won the war.

“T-T-That’s NOT something bad!!” Ruma roared back.

And there I was. Watching a loli mock a ginger.
What a day.

Hours later, I was sleeping on my bed.
Not actuallly sleeping, doing nothing.

It must bee around six p.m. I'm lying here for three hours already, too drained to move. My eyes feel heavy, exhaustion finally catching up to me... 

It seems I'm almost sleeping—

“HEY YOU!!”

A voice cut through my sleeping progress. At my door stood Mochiko, practically vibrating with excitement.

Ah. The “dummy test” again, probably—

“Wanna hunt with me?”

Her eyes shone, like those of a person speaking about the thing they love most in the world.

“Hunt? What do you mean?”

“Tsk. I keep forgetting you know literally nothing about magic… In short, every wizard here has their own monster count registered on their guild card. It updates automatically with every kill. Once we hit a certain number, the guild rewards us. And in the late afternoon, the monsters are in huge number, so…”

She shifted, suddenly defensive.

“I think I’m still around fifty! D-Don’t judge me! I just turned fourteen! B-But maybe it’s way higher! The card’s in the guild, not here!”

Wait. Guild? THERE WAS A GUILD THIS WHOLE TIME?!

“C-Could you explain the guild, please?”

“…Do you even know what an Suicider is?”

“N-No…”

She sighed “God, I’m not your teacher... Fine. I’ll explain on the way.”

“Ok…”

“So come on, let’s kill some monsters!… D-Don’t get the wrong idea! I just need someone to help me!!”

She should probably be doing this with Ruma, but somehow, comparing the two of us, she felt like I’d be a better partner.

“But uh… what am I supposed to do?”

“Be a bait, obviously! You an attract the monsters in, then I annihilate them with my magic!”

S-SHE WANTS TO USE ME AS A BAIT JUST SO SHE CAN KILL THEM ALL-

“O-Ok…”

Her expression brightened, her chin slightly lifting proudly.

“I knew you’d say that! Who wouldn’t want to help the future greatest wizard in the world?! I'll be waiting for you outside.”

And just like that, she was gone.

I collapsed back into my bed, staring at the ceiling. My body screamed for sleep, my eyelids dragged down by fatigue, but…

"Come on. I already agreed."
I think I'm going to die soon.