Chapter 185: Early Summer
Vigne (→_→): "I haven't seen it, but the name alone sounds awful. It just sounds cursed."
Raphiel ((〃▽〃)): "Oh, come on~ don't let a silly name scare you off. Sometimes bad names hide good stories!"
"How can I not worry?!" Vigne snapped, crossing her arms. "The last time you told me to watch a movie, 'Peach Hero vs. Chrysanthemum Monster,' I thought it sounded weird—and it was so boring! Half the movie was them talking about fertilizer!"
Kouya sighed quietly, resting his chin on his hand as he listened. He knew this routine all too well.
Honestly, instead of calling it Pen Fairy vs. The Four Kitchen Gods, they might as well rename it Iron Pan Hero vs. The Three Sword Masters of Onion, Ginger, and Garlic. At least then it would sound like a culinary martial arts epic. Maybe they'd even attract hungry viewers.
And who knows—viewers might drool all over themselves from the sheer absurdity of it. Theaters could make a fortune just selling extra tissues.
Yes, drool. Definitely drool.
…
The next morning dawned with a hazy warmth in the air. The sun was already bright by the time Kouya left his apartment, adjusting his school bag over his shoulder.
He didn't make it far before he spotted Takanashi Rikka standing at the gate of the complex, waiting like a cat stalking its prey.
"Hero! Hero!" she called out, waving both arms energetically, her ahoge bouncing with every motion.
"Use my name," Kouya muttered, brushing past her.
"Uu~ Kouya-kun is being mean again!" Rikka pouted, her ahoge drooping like a wilted flower. But her mood quickly recovered as she rummaged through her bag, proudly producing a lunch box wrapped in a pink cloth.
"Hmm?" Kouya glanced at it skeptically.
"Well~" Rikka began, her eyes sparkling mischievously. "Last night before bed, I prayed to the Saint Chef and asked her to make an extra lunch. So tonight, you'll come with me to capture the sealed spirit, right?"
"No." Kouya didn't even hesitate.
"B-but you already accepted my offering!" she protested, holding the lunch box out dramatically as if presenting a sacred relic.
You think a single lunch box can buy divine intervention? What am I, a vending machine god?
Kouya sighed, rubbing his temple. "We'll talk after school."
"Promise?" Rikka beamed, tailing him all the way to the bus stop.
…
By June, spring's soft colors had melted into the lively warmth of early summer. The days were longer, the skies brighter, and the air carried a faint shimmer of heat.
The surest sign of the season wasn't the shorter skirts or black stockings that had begun appearing around campus—it was the constant, high-pitched chorus of cicadas that filled every quiet moment.
Somehow, people had long ago decided that cicada songs were the very definition of summer itself.
Inside the classroom, that sound was a faint background hum beyond the open windows.
"Vignette! Vignette!" Satania stomped over, cheeks puffed like a child about to tattle.
"What's wrong now?" Vigne asked gently.
"Last night I was watching the shopping channel, and this cicada outside wouldn't stop screaming! It was like, 'miiiiiiiiiin~' nonstop! I wanted to tape headphones to its ears so it could hear how loud it was!"
"I don't think cicadas have ears," Vigne said after a moment, trying not to laugh.
Wait, are you seriously implying she might actually try that?!
"W-who says they don't!?" Satania crossed her arms proudly. "I saw an experiment online! Someone cut off a spider's legs, and it stopped responding to sound! That proves its ears are on its legs! So I'm going to test it with a cicada too!"
STOP TALKING.
That's not how science—or biology—works! Cutting off legs doesn't reveal ear placement; it just reveals murder tendencies! And even if that worked for mantises, it doesn't mean cicadas have ear-legs too!
Vigne's expression froze. She wisely decided silence was the best option.
Meanwhile, Gabriel sat at her desk, chin resting on her hand, staring out the window with a faraway look.
"Gabi-chan, what are you doing?" Vigne asked, already suspecting the answer.
"Thinking about life," Gabriel said, her voice lazy and smooth.
"Eh? What about life?"
Gabriel pressed her cheek against her desk with a dramatic sigh. "I was wondering how nice it would be to live as a koala~."
"A koala? Like a mascot?" Vigne blinked. "You'd probably make an adorable one."
"No, no…" Gabriel's voice was muffled by the desk. "I mean I just want to sleep and eat all day like they do."
Truly, a lofty and meaningful dream.
Except koalas don't have WiFi. No phone, no games, no streaming shows. There's no way this lazy angel would last even a day like that.
…
The school day rolled by lazily, the air growing warmer with every passing hour.
When classes ended, Kouya reluctantly followed Rikka to a small grassy hill near their apartments. The sunlight painted the sky in soft gold, and a gentle wind brushed past, carrying the faint scent of wildflowers.
Below the hill stretched a small lake, its surface glinting like glass. Joggers passed along the shore, and a few ducks paddled lazily near the reeds.
"This is it!" Rikka declared, her ahoge bouncing proudly. "Yesterday, I sensed a sealed spirit struggling to break free here. Our mission is to capture it before it unleashes chaos!"
Kouya sighed. "You've definitely been watching too much anime. Let's just go home."
"Nooo!" Rikka clung to his sleeve, eyes wide and pleading. "Just wait a little longer, please! I swear you'll see it!"
She dropped to the ground, rummaging in her bag again before pulling out two rice balls wrapped neatly in seaweed. "Let's eat our energy provisions first!"
"Energy provisions, huh? Pretty sure those are just your sister's rice balls," Kouya said, deadpan.
"They're Momotarō Rice Balls!" Rikka declared proudly. "Once you eat one, you'll gain the power of divine beasts—wah! N-no, not my cheeks!"
Kouya withdrew his hand, exhaling heavily. "You're hopeless."
"It's okay," she said seriously, her gaze distant. "Before every battle, one must restore their mana. Otherwise, the cost could be fatal!"
You're a low-defense mage who roleplays too much. I'm not even in this game.
"Which one do you want?" Rikka offered, holding both out like treasure.
Kouya took one, biting into it slowly. "Your sister still working overtime?"
"Mhm," Rikka nodded softly. "The Saint Chef shoulders the fate of the world…"
Translation: she's just working hard to pay rent.
Kouya chuckled but didn't push the subject.
When Rikka finished eating, she looked extremely pleased with herself. "All done!" she announced, brushing crumbs off her uniform.
Kouya gave her a flat stare. "You inhale food faster than anyone I've met. If you studied math with half that speed, you'd already be top of the class."
Above them, the sun sank into a fiery orange glow, painting the sky with streaks of red and purple. The world grew quieter, only the sound of cicadas and the soft whisper of wind remaining.
At some point, Rikka had curled up beside him and fallen asleep, her ahoge swaying gently as she breathed.
Kouya sighed, leaning over to tap her shoulder. "Wake up, sleepyhead. Time to go."
"Mm…" Rikka blinked sleepily, then gasped as tiny orbs of light floated through the air. Fireflies. "It's here! The sealed spirit's magic! I can feel it gathering! The time for judgment has come!" She whipped out her black umbrella dramatically.
Smack!
A firm flick to the forehead silenced her incantation.
"Ow! Hero's bullying me again!" she whimpered, rubbing her head.
Kouya pointed lazily at the glowing insects. "Those are fireflies, not spirits. Catch one if you want. Then we're heading home."
…
A few days later came the school's annual sports festival.
Every school had one, though each did it differently. Kouya's school held two every year—spring and fall. The spring one was more of a celebration than a competition, with the whole campus buzzing like a festival.
It wasn't all bad. There was laughter, food stalls, cheers from the stands—and Vigne's promise.
To motivate Kouya to participate seriously, she promised that if he helped their class win, she'd visit his home and cook him a full course meal herself.
Needless to say, he gave it his all.
When the closing ceremony ended that afternoon, the golden sun dipped low, bathing the campus in a nostalgic light. Students chatted and laughed as they walked home, their shadows long and stretched.
Kouya, exhausted but oddly content, carried his bag back toward the apartment complex.
Reaching the second floor, he slowed to a stop.
There, sitting quietly by his door, was a slender girl in a white dress. A small ribbon was tied at her chest, her hair swaying softly in the evening breeze. hugging her knees as she waited.