Yeonu ran like mad.
"Chief!!!"
The moment she sent the call, Sohun's voice came through immediately.
[Yeah, I heard.]
"...I'm nearby, so I'm running as fast as I can."
[I'm heading there now.]
With those words, the voice cut off.
Hurriedly arriving at the stairs before the rooftop door, Yeonu slipped with a skidding sound.
And before her eyes.
"Save me!!! Kuaaaack!!!!"
She saw a male high school student desperately resisting a sticky black monster.
At this, Yeonu drew her sword and charged the monster.
—Shraaaack
—Kieeeek!!!!
"...!?"
But the monster was cut down with shocking ease.
"What...is this."
It had grown so weak that she wondered if it was even the same monster she had faced before.
But right now, her priority was taking care of the male student collapsed before her.
After confirming that the monster had vanished completely, Yeonu immediately tended to the student.
"Are you okay? You're not hurt anywhere?"
"...Y-yeah... Th-thanks to you."
The male student spoke, seemingly confused.
Letting out a sigh of relief, Yeonu smiled gently and patted his head.
"You held out well. Impressive."
"...Who are you?"
The male student asked.
Without a word, Yeonu smiled brightly and pulled a Forget-Me spray from her pocket.
"Sorry, but you'll have to forget. It shouldn't be bad for you either."
"...!?"
—Pshhh!!
"Sleep tight. I'll take you to the infirmary."
"Urk......."
The male student lost consciousness and collapsed.
Waving her hand to disperse the spray as much as possible, Yeonu hoisted the student onto her back and radioed again.
"...The situation is resolved."
[What happened?]
"A male student was attacked, but...it doesn't seem to be serious. I'll move him to the infirmary quickly."
[...You resolved it that easily?]
A puzzled voice echoed over the radio.
But since she had no other explanation, Yeonu simply answered that she had.
* * *
Sohun returned to the staff office.
And before Sohun came the Watcher and Yeonu, using counseling as an excuse to visit.
"Chief."
"It's Teacher, Yeonu."
"...T-tea...cher."
Though she had spoken brightly, her expression darkened when she said "teacher," perhaps because she wasn't used to it.
At Yeonu's side, the Watcher gave his report first.
"It seems there was a victim over there."
"...Watcher, use honorifics."
"Heh, no way, lowlife."
The Watcher said that it didn't matter anyway since he had already spread illusions around.
Sohun felt a throbbing headache but decided to let it go and focus on the report's contents.
"So, you said there was a victim."
"The rookie and the brat found a corpse. It seems to have been attacked by a monster...a female human's body with her upper half torn off, or so I heard."
"...…"
Yeonu's expression turned grim.
Seeing Yeonu like that, Sohun comforted her that it was all right before continuing.
"Any traces of the monster?"
"It was in the men's restroom, but they couldn't find any traces."
"...…"
"It seems something was interfering from the start; the rookie only noticed after that woman spoke to him."
"Then...Sion, he could have been in danger too."
Yeonu said this, looking at the Watcher.
To this, the Watcher nodded, saying something like, "Yeah, I suppose."
The situation had grown more complicated than expected.
There was clearly only one monster, yet it had been found at both schools.
It could use clones, but....
"Watcher, are all of that thing's clones merely illusions?"
"They are. Illusions created by its song."
The homeroom teacher's clone technique had been nothing but illusions, so it made no sense that they were encountering them now that its song could no longer be heard.
But Yeonu posed a question.
"...It definitely tried to harm him. But the male student didn't even have any life force."
"Really...?"
"Yes."
Yeonu remembered clearly.
The monster that had entranced her and exchanged several blows with her.
It wasn't a monster that would collapse so easily.
She wished that taking out that single one meant it was subjugated, but the situation didn't seem to be that simple.
"There are too few clues......"
Sohun said this, flipping through the notebook she had written in, and let out a sigh.
No answer was in sight; all she could do was sigh.
"...Do we have no choice but to sacrifice civilians?"
Sohun muttered.
Yeonu flinched at this, but since there was no other way, she couldn't say anything.
And the Watcher yawned as if to ask who cared.
"It's still the first day, so don't overdo it."
"...Yes, understood."
"Good."
After that, they decided to blend back into school life for the time being.
* * *
"S-senior......."
When I looked at my senior with worried eyes, he sighed and first took photos with his phone.
"The cleanup...ha, this is driving me crazy."
"...…"
"Sion, can you eat it and get rid of it?"
My senior asked, looking at me.
I flinched in surprise, and my senior stared blankly at me as if demanding an answer.
"I-I can't......."
"...Ah, right. It used to be a person, didn't I? I keep forgetting......."
The Watcher, who had been asked to handle the corpse, suddenly went out of contact.
Just when I wondered if something had interfered,
[I have returned after a brief talk. I shall tell you the meeting details later.]
The Watcher returned and enveloped the corpse in black smoke.
"Ah, you're back, Watcher."
[Are you pleased to see me when this is not even my main body?]
"I am."
Senior Minjun nodded.
The Watcher let out a sigh as if finding this pathetic, and instantly disposed of the blood and corpse spilled on the floor.
"Tell me the name. I need to find her and take care of it today."
[Very well...Kim Haru, I believe she is from class 4.]
The Watcher said this and told us to go check the attendance register.
We said we'd do it later and nodded.
"Then...once we find out and go look for her, we just need to spray this."
My senior took out the Forget-Me spray.
I nodded and slipped out of the restroom.
"By the way, you didn't see the monster?"
"Huh?"
"The monster. You said it was wandering around."
"Ah...I-I only saw the corpse, I didn't even see its tail......."
"It has a tail?"
"Ah, n-no...it's a metaphor......."
At my words, my senior said it was dull and told me to go to the infirmary for now.
"Let's waste some time in the infirmary for now."
"Ah......."
Honestly, I had wanted to attend class.
But since my senior seemed unwilling to attend class, I nodded helplessly.
"I already explained your situation, so they'll probably allow it."
"...…"
"You don't care if your grades suffer, right?"
"Ah...no, I don't."
When I nodded, my senior said "good" and moved toward the infirmary.
* * *
The infirmary lights were off.
"Is...is anyone here...?"
"Is no one here?"
My senior tilted his head as he spoke.
I also looked around, examining the infirmary.
The infirmary somehow gave me goosebumps.
And from inside the infirmary, a beautiful woman sprang out.
"Oh my...what brings you here so early in the morning?"
The woman appeared with a bright smile.
Before I could even be on guard, the woman turned on the lights and smiled, telling us to sit before her.
"...Be careful. Stay alert."
"...Yes."
Answering my senior for now, I sat expressionlessly before the school nurse.
"What brings you here? Are you sick?"
"Uh...umm...I just have an upset stomach...a-and, I-I have anthropophobia...!"
"Oh my, I see."
"The kid's been in a lot of pain."
"Is this person your friend?"
"No, he's my twin brother."
My senior answered with a brazen face.
I nodded and quickly feigned illness, saying I wanted to lie down.
"U-umm...I don't feel well, so would it be okay if I rested? A-and, I'd like it if my brother could stay with me too."
"Sure, go ahead. What class?"
"W-we're in class 3."
At this, the teacher smiled and wrote our names on the attendance sheet.
"Class 3, Sion Lee and Minjun Lee...right?"
"Yes......."
"Alright."
Thinking that my senior's surname had changed, I lay down on the bed.
* * *
As I lay in bed, my senior drew the curtains for me.
And my senior sat down before me, leaning against the wall with a sigh.
"Haa...what a mess right after vacation ended."
"D-do they hear us?"
"Ah...probably not? The Watcher laid down a smoke screen."
"I see......."
"I begged him to make it so that requests made by thought would be granted."
My senior spoke with a snicker.
'Doesn't he...do all of that anyway?'
To me, who had thought he did all of that by default, my senior seemed strange, but
[He does indeed do it all. But is it not laughable that he thinks himself special?]
'Watcher...!?'
[Oh, you are speaking only inwardly, clever one. Impressive, most impressive. Only you can hear me, so continue doing so.]
The Watcher snickered as he said this.
For a while, I had to listen to both of them at the same time, reacting differently with my head and my mouth.
[Are you not being tiresome? Ha, and I truly cannot kill that wretch either.]
'Y-yes, that's true.......'
[That was quick. What are you saying? He is clearly your senior.]
'...?'
I had to endure the Watcher's strange insults about Senior Yeonu, or
"But Sion, you're actually pretty cute if I look at you?"
"Hiiik...!?"
"Wh-why...?"
I struggled so as not to become my senior's crazy plaything.
"U-umm...I really can't do this anymore...dying hurts and it's scary......."
"...I won't."
"Ah......."
"I won't use a gun."
"...!?"
"I'm sick of it. Stabbing and cutting directly like Yeonu...the reactions are much more delicious."
I wondered if he was truly insane, but I couldn't argue back at all.
The Watcher whispered to me that I was pitiful.
[Poor thing. Once that one bites, he never lets go.]
'Ah.......'
[Well then, do your best, Plaything Number Two.]
Plaything Number One giggled and cackled.
Tears welled up in my eyes, and I screamed inwardly that I wanted to live.