—How did it end up this way... This is a problem... How can I make her calm down... Oh, maybe Keena hates dogs? Hmm, in that case I just need to do something about the dog, right? Once I do that, I might be able to talk to her...
Akuto scooped the dog up from behind. Then, he handed the dog over to one of the onlooking female students. Confused, the girl asked Akuto what to do. But she seemed to be an animal-lover at her core, as she tightly held onto the dog. Akuto told her he was leaving the dog in her care, and went back to tracking Keena, who was still running around in confusion.
Akuto began losing track of her as he was solely relying on the hair ornament to guide him, but Keena seemed to be losing steam. Now she was slowly making her way through the school building with a clear goal.
—I wonder if it’s better if she doesn’t see me?
Akuto hid himself behind one of the corners in the hall while he searched for the hair ornament. Keena seemed to think that she had given Akuto and the dog the slip, so she didn’t appear very cautious as the hair ornament floated down into the school basement.
Akuto made sure she didn’t notice him tailing her as he followed her to the rarely-used school supply room. The door opened, the hair ornament went inside, and the door slammed shut.
—There doesn’t seem to be anyone else around there... If I step in there, I should be able to talk with her. No, if I walk in now, she’ll still be naked... Oh, she must have gone in there because that’s where she left her clothes. In that case, I just have to give her time for her to put on her clothes...
Akuto waited there for a while. Then, he walked quietly to the storage room, then quickly opened the door and slipped inside.
“Eeeeek!” There was a scream.
Akuto saw Keena’s naked body standing there, holding her underwear as she was about to get dressed.
—Does putting your clothes on really take that long? Akuto’s surprise paled in comparison to Keena’s shock. She seemed to have forgotten that she could make herself invisible as she tried to make her escape from the storage room. Obviously, she remained completely naked during all of this. However, the only way out of the storage room was the entrance, which was where Akuto was standing, having just closed the door behind him.
“Aaaaahhh!” Akuto panicked. He watched helplessly as Keena she dived toward him.
Thump!
Bumping their heads, the two of them tumbled down onto the floor. Various piled-up rulers and spare blackboard erasers came crashing down, covering the both of them as they lay there, their bodies tangled together on the floor.
“Oh, s-sorry...!” Akuto suddenly realized he was on top of Keena and moved to get up.
“Eek! H-Hold it!” Keena yelped, and clung onto Akuto. She was holding onto him from below.
“Oof! C-Could you let go of me?”
“N-No... You’ll be able to see me if I do!” Keena’s face was crimson red, and from below him she entwined her arms with Akuto’s even further.
“B-But, isn’t this even more embarrassing?”
“Then what am I supposed to do?!” Keena pressed her body against Akuto’s as she began wailing.
“Uh, w-well, my eyes are closed right now, so you can let go. While they’re closed you can put on your—” Akuto closed his eyes as he spoke but Keena shook her head vehemently.
“I can’t trust you! I’m sure you’re gonna open your eyes right away and start slobbering all over my body, and laugh at me, and say stuff like ‘Heeey cutie, that’s a mighty tight bod you got there!’ I don’t care how serious of a guy you are, it’s just the way men get in situations like these and they’ll never change.”
“I’m pretty sure this situation’s way more awkward, though...”
“But whatever, now is now, right? Nothing more’s gonna happen if we stay like we are now, so it’s fine. Plus, I know you’re a kind person.”
Akuto cocked his head in confusion at Keena’s words.
“If you really think I’m a nice person, then you should know I mean it when I say I’ll keep my eyes closed...”
“Those are two different things. Even nice guys become completely different when they think about dirty things.”
“You know...” Akuto was exasperated, but somehow this hopelessly idiotic back and forth had gotten so comical that he let out a small chuckle.
“W-Why are you laughing?” Keena was puzzled, but Akuto’s laughter soon started spreading to her as well. “He... Hehehe... Laughing like this is kind of fun.”
Akuto got a good look at Keena’s face up close and for a second, he was convinced that she was the girl from the orphanage.
“Hey, I’m not sure about this, but... Did we meet once before, a long time ago?” Akuto asked, and Keena stared at him in wonder.
“Huh? I don’t think we have.”
“Wai— then why did you try to become my observer when we first met and why do you keep following me around?” Akuto was taken aback from her unexpected response and asked her in utter confusion. Keena looked perplexed, as if she couldn’t understand what he was so confused about.
“Huh? Didn’t I already explain that to you?”
“You haven’t.”
“I told you, I like relaxing in that bamboo grove.”
“No, you never actually told me that...”
“What’s not to understand?”
“Eh?” Akuto gave Keena a blank stare in response to her odd remarks. “You like it enough to skip school?”
“That’s right. After all, my magic grades are terrible.” Keena spoke to Akuto as if she were deigning herself to explain the obvious to a complete idiot. “If a person like you comes to my resting place, then obviously that means there’s some deeper meaning to our meeting, right?”
“Meaning...?”
“Every encounter is a work of fate, don’t you agree? While sometimes it’s better to forge your own path, you have to try and let it guide you or you won’t be able to enjoy life to its fullest,” Keena rambled freely. “So if you thought of me as your observer, I figured that’s what I’d become. Although, I have no idea what an observer even is.”
“You don’t?!” Akuto said sharply, but it seemed to fly right over her head. Or rather, she seemed to have become exasperated at Akuto’s dull wit.
“There’s no problem even if I don’t understand it, right? If I’d like to become an observer, then I’ll become what I believe an observer should be. I don’t see any problems with that, do you?”
“That’s a strange theory...”
“It’s not a theory. It’s fact. I’ve always been known as a woman who can tell fact from fiction. Ever since I was little, I’ve worn a hair ornament with real jewels in it. It’s not just some toy,” Keena said, and shook her head to show Akuto. Her hair ornament was shaped like a bird, and had real gems embedded in it.
—She really is wearing that hair ornament...
“That’s what I mean! Don’t you remember?”
“Remember what?”
“I gave you that hair ornament, right?” Akuto anticipated that this would jog her memories, but Keena remained dubious.
“That can’t be true.”
“Alright, then how did you get that hair ornament?”
“That’s...” Keena sunk into thought. “Um... I don’t remember.”
“Oh, come on!”
“What, I really can’t remember,” Keena calmly declared.
Akuto was at a loss for words, and Keena boastfully continued on.
“But I understand if you want to believe that you gave it to me. In other words, you want to believe that your encounter with me was fate, like I thought it was.”
“Huh...?”
—Now that I think about it, what was my reason for chasing after her again? She ran, so I followed? Was that it? No, I just wanted to determine if we had met before. If we haven’t, then she’s just some random person. But this is the first girl who’s responded to me like this... Wait, what am I even thinking?
Akuto
had become confused.
“Thinking about it like that is more fun, right? I’m positive all people feel that way,” Keena said, smiling. Seeing her carefree smile, for some reason Akuto was convinced by Keena’s words.
After that, silence filled the room. The moment Akuto tried to say something to break the awkward silence, a voice suddenly rang out from above.
“Your behavior appears to be criminal in nature.” The voice was Korone’s.
Startled, Akuto looked up.
Korone was looking down at him. He hadn’t heard a door open, which means she must have teleported here.
“C-Criminal?”
“I have a strong suspicion that you sexually assaulted her.”
“Wai—I didn’t do anything like that!”
“I don’t believe you can dispute that, given the current situation.”
“You know the situation perfectly well, don’t you?! She can’t wear clothes when she is making herself disappear—”
“That and how you’ve managed to force yourself on top of her are two different issues.”
“Um...” Keena interrupted Korone and Akuto as they were arguing back and forth with one another. “If it’s a crime, what will happen?”
“As a minor, he will be judged as to whether or not he’ll go under juvenile probation. You have the right to judge his actions, and as such, whether or not he will be sent to a reformatory institution will be your decision,” Korone calmly explained, but Keena didn’t seem to understand her words.
“Huh? Oh... I see.”
“Don’t just agree with her! There won’t be any issues if you just explain to her that I didn’t do anything wrong!” Akuto had become desperate.
“Eh? Why do I have to?”
“Listen, if you just acknowledge that this was all an accident, then that means I didn’t do anything wrong!” Akuto said this, and the previously blank-faced Keena finally understood what Akuto was saying and gave him a big grin.
“Okay, so if it wasn’t against my will then that means it isn’t a problem?” Keena asked Korone.
“That’s correct.”
“In that case...” Keena faced Akuto. “If I tell her that, will you do something for me in return?”
“Uh...” Akuto was at a loss for words.
—What could this be... Either way, I can’t afford to get involved in any more trouble...
“Well, how about it? Well? Well?!” Keena urged Akuto on with a smirk.
—Was she was aiming to trap me from the very start? She isn’t just pretending to have forgotten about our past, is she? What if she’s been watching me ever since we were little...?
Akuto was too confused. He didn’t know what to think anymore.
“Well? Well?” Keena still urged Akuto to make a decision.
Finally, Akuto gave in.
“Okay, fine. So just—”
“There we have it, I was the one clinging to him.” Keena said to Korone, who seemed to be immediately convinced.
“I understand,” Korone said, then brought Keena her clothes.
“You agreed to that awfully quick...” Akuto averted his gaze and stood up.
It sounded like Keena was having Korone help her get dressed. Akuto heard rustling sounds and Korone giving Keena instructions, like to raise her hands above her head. After she told Akuto that she was done changing, Akuto turned around and took another look at Keena’s face.
Akuto couldn’t make out whether it was innocence or plain stupidity, but her expression was incomprehensible to him.
—What the heck is with this girl... Now, I have to go along with her wishes... What am I gonna do if she tells me to use my magic to make her money or something like that...
Even though he had the face of a villain, these were the virtuous worries that crowded Akuto’s mind when Keena flashed a smile at him.
“Alright, so about my request...”
“Okay.” Akuto was tense.
“Will you be my friend?”
“Huh?”
“Please be my friend.”
“...Okay.” Akuto nodded mechanically, but after a few seconds he realized what Keena had just said.
—Well, I definitely wasn’t expecting that... If that’s really all she means, then that’s fine, but... It seems too good to be true. I can’t shake the feeling I’ve just saddled myself with a life-long burden.
Then, the bell rang to signal the end of lunch time.
During the afternoon classes, Akuto once again became the center of attention. After all, Keena had barely attended any classes, and yet here she was being led into the classroom by Akuto.
“That’s incredible! That’s just like you, boss!” Hiroshi was the only one profusely excited by Akuto’s appearance.
All Akuto did was force himself to feign composure.
With classes over for the day, Akuto returned to the dorm and had dinner. Now, he needed to somehow get his emotions in check and steel himself to face the major challenges ahead.
—Alright, this is going to be tough...
Out of the corner of his eye, Akuto looked at the ever-expressionless Korone as she relaxed in his room. He had confirmed that she had a tail. During his free time that night, he had to pull the tail and deactivate her.
Watching her with a nervous expression, it seemed that Korone had grown suspicious and looked towards Akuto.
“What’s wrong? Your breathing is irregular.”
“N-Nothing, nothing at all.”
“You do not seem to be ill, but psychogenic factors can cause illness as well. Please be aware.” Giving Akuto a casual but rude reply, Korone solemnly returned once again to lying on Akuto’s bed.
—Damn it, should I just pull her tail here instead?
In order to keep an eye on Korone as much as possible, Akuto moved from sitting on the chair to his bed. He could reach her butt from here.
—Still, now that the time has come, I’m nervous...
Staring hard at Korone’s butt, Akuto began to feel like he was some kind of criminal. Lying on the bed, Korone’s panties were completely visible to Akuto, and as he started to reach for them, all he could think about was feeling like he’d become a molester or a rapist.
—Just a little closer...
He began sweating profusely. As he wondered if he’d be able to do this, his heartbeat rose excessively.
—Just a little bit more...
Knock, knock, knock!
“Aaaahh!” Akuto jumped up in surprise at the sudden noise.
Something had knocked on his window. Looking over like criminal caught in the act, he saw that Keena stood outside with a smile on her face as she knocked on the window.
—That’s right, this is the first floor...
Judging from her expression, it seemed that she hadn’t noticed what Akuto was doing. Trying to act casual, Akuto walked over and opened the window.
“W-What?”
“A friend doesn’t need a reason to come and visit, do they?” Keena said, hauling herself through the window.
“Ah, wait—”
“Friends, friends! Let’s eat together!” Keena thrust the bag of snacks she was holding towards Akuto.
“Is it okay for girls to come here?”
“Everyone does it. As long as they’re back in time, it’s fine.” Keena made herself at home by sitting on Akuto’s bed. Korone sat up and raised her hand to greet Keena.
“Welcome. All things considered, the fact that Akuto was able to make a friend is good for his mental health.”
“Riiight? Yeah, yeah. Korone, you get it!” Keena opened up the bag of snacks and laid it down on the bed. They were rice crackers.
“Hey, careful, don’t get crumbs on my bed.”
“It’s fine, I’ll wipe them off later.” Keena tore into the crackers with a crunching noise.
“Korone, want any?”
“While I’m able to eat food, expelling the waste is troublesome, so I will decline.”
“Reall
y? That’s too bad.” Clearly not thinking about what Korone had just told her, Keena seemed satisfied with the answer and nodded furiously before moving on and offering Akuto a cracker.
“Here you go~”
“...Okay, okay.” Akuto took the rice cracker and ate it.
—Now it’ll be even harder to try and pull Korone’s tail...
As Akuto thought this to himself, Keena suddenly put her hand on Korone’s butt.
“Korone, you can see your underwear if you lie down like that.”
“Akuto told me he feels tense if I don’t lie around when I’m in the room.”
“But he was trying to feel you up just now.” Keena looked accusingly at Akuto.
Akuto felt like his heart had stopped.
“It is not a crime to touch a Liradan’s butt.” Korone replied unexpectedly.
“It’s a bad thing to do,” Keena scolded Akuto.
—Now everything is even worse.
While Akuto continued to sweat over the plan inside his mind, he gave a faint smile.
“I-I understand. Rather, it’s just a misunderstanding...”
“Well, as long as it’s just a misunderstanding,” Keena said as she continued to chomp down on her rice crackers. Akuto only had one cracker but they began to disappear right before his eyes.
“Hey Ackie, so—”
“Ackie?”
“It’s fine if I call you that, right? You can call me Keenie.” Keena continued talking with no regard for Akuto.
“Ackie, do you like rice?”
“Rice?”
“Rice.” Keena nodded. “I’m not talking about rice in general, but normal, white rice.”
“Um... Yeah, I guess...” Akuto gave a vague nod in agreement, when suddenly Keena leaned towards him in excitement.
“You do?! Hey! In that case, you should have a rice cooker in here! If you did, I’d come here every day! I’ve been banned from having one in my room. As long as it’s in your room, it should be fine, right?”
“I don’t really know if it’s fine or not... but why a rice cooker anyway?”
“There are times when all I want to eat is rice. I mean, isn’t rice fantastic? It’s white and glossy, almost like a jewel, right? Being able to eat something like a jewel is amazing! It’s like thousands of pearls are rolling around inside your mouth, and then when you bite into them, the immediate fragrance and sweetness...it’s just...” For some reason Keena seemed to be completely in a trance as she went on about rice.
Demon King Daimaou: Volume 1 Page 10
