Chapter 3, Part 2

[Knock knock]

Subconsciously awakened by the fourth knock, Airi Matsuzaka responded before even opening her eyes.

"I'm up."

The knocking stopped.

"There's cheese toast this morning, hurry up!"

"I'll be quick! Wait for me!"

She was immediately awakened by the recipe, crawled out from under the small blanket to make the bed, and changed into the dress that Yuichi had folded neatly and placed on the chair.

After changing, she stood in front of the dressing mirror, turning left and right, looking at herself, tossing her hair, adjusting the hem of her skirt, and even striking a pose to admire herself.

"Airi, stop looking in the mirror and go brush your teeth."

Even without pushing open the door, Yuichi Echizen knew that after taking so long, the person who hadn't come down must be dawdling in front of the mirror again.

It has always been like this.

"……snort."

Why don't you look at me more often when I'm so good-looking!

But she still obediently left the room to wash up.

Yuichi's cheese toast is the best ever! I'll always love the seasonings!

·

·

When Airi Matsuzaka finished tidying up and went downstairs, Yuichi Echizen had just heated up the milk.

As he finished setting out the plates and turned around, Airi was facing him menacingly.

Then strike a pose like Sailor Moon.

"In the name of the moon, I will destroy you!"

"Matsusaka Airi, come on!"

Yuichi Echizen understood; this meant he needed to cooperate.

So she straightened her expression and smiled, mimicking Airi's Sailor Moon pose.

"In the name of the moon, I will punish you! Echizen Yuichi here!"

Without pausing for a moment, the actions were perfect, but the words were extremely perfunctory.

Airi Matsuzaka didn't pursue the matter, after all, it was just a spur-of-the-moment thing for her, and besides, Yuichi had already cooperated with her.

She was very satisfied, and then obediently sat down next to Yuichi to eat breakfast.

"Huh? It's sweet milk!" Holding the milk cup with her name on it, she took a sip, exclaimed in surprise, and then gulped it down. Finally, she pretended to wipe her mouth with a tissue like a high-class silk scarf, and declared whimsically, "Milk has to be sweet to be called milk."

Yuichi Echizen stood up and started tidying up the dishes.

Having eaten the breakfast made by Yuichi and then having the dishes cleaned up and washed by him quite naturally, Airi Matsuzaka inspected the dining table and finally followed him into the kitchen carrying two milk cups.

She can't just be pampered and do nothing, can she? She's such a good girl!

Then Echizen Yuichi pushed her out of the kitchen and turned on the TV for her to watch.

...I didn't want to either, but Yuichi's refusal was so serious that I couldn't find a reason to argue.

"Yuichi, I want to eat grape-flavored ice cream."

"Shall we go buy it?"

here we go again.

Airi always wants to eat snacks regardless of the time.

"It will take at least an hour, I just finished breakfast."

It's only 8:30, too early.

Airi Matsuzaka behaved herself for a few minutes, with the TV on, but her little head was filled with a bunch of other things.

"Yuichi, I want to eat cake. There were some leftovers from yesterday..."

She turned around, lay on the sofa with a mournful expression, and stopped before she could finish speaking.

As if telepathically connected, Yuichi Echizen walked over from the kitchen carrying a small plate.

The plate contained the cake she wanted to eat.

You can only eat one piece.

He handed the plate to Airi, who was beaming with joy, and habitually gave her a word of advice.

"Mmm—"

Airi Matsuzaka, who was already eagerly swallowing the cake, gave a vague reply.

"..."

It's about time.

It's already 8:30.

The allotted time was sufficient for them to be discovered at this point.

The sirens wailed as they passed by, completely drowning out the television sound because they were so close to the street.

"So cool, Yuichi! I want to drive a police car too! Whoosh whoosh—"

The cake was a very small piece, cut to a size that Yuichi Echizen specifically wanted to give Airi a better appetite after her meal.

It wasn't too greasy, and it just satisfied her appetite so that she wouldn't think about eating snacks until lunchtime.

The sound of the siren stopped not far away. Airi Matsuzaka paused in confusion, carefully assessing the distance.

"Yuichi..."

She felt uneasy.

"It's so close."

What happened?

"That's an adult matter," Yuichi Echizen patted her head reassuringly, changing the subject.

"Let's just leave it alone."

"If you're not going to watch TV, go do your homework. Ask me if you don't understand something."

Homework and serious matters can always distract her, just like the allure of snacks.

Echizen Yu easily took Airi upstairs, and the two of them did their homework together.

Let's keep that trash away from Airi, and keep it that way.

#

If only things could always be like this.

Do you regret killing him?

There's no such thing as regret.

He calmly devised a plan, and then personally used his still-unskilled abilities to kill that person.

He later reflected on his feelings at the time, carefully discerned them, and after careful consideration, found no fear or unusual emotions.

Just like usual.

No, he keenly sensed that the fact that his answer was the same as usual already indicated that he was different.

When did people become indistinguishable from murderers even before their hands were stained with blood?

unimportant.

He kept watching, and as long as the people he was protecting were still alive, that was enough.

Airi is different from others.

He couldn't figure out what made him different from others, so he stopped trying to find out the answer.

As long as she's still here, that's enough.

Looking at her, he knew exactly what to do next. Without her, he was nothing.

No matter what it is, as long as it is done for Airi and for Airi's sake, then he will definitely accomplish it.

Actually, don't be fooled by the genius you all call me. In the end, I'm just a useless person.

A piece of trash who's almost insane.

A piece of trash who has nothing without Airi.

I protect Airi not only because she will die soon without my protection, but also because I cannot live without her.

In that state, I was no different from death.

Yuichi Echizen, this excellence exists for the sake of protection.

It's a weapon, so hold on tight to me.

I don't want to be left behind by you, Airi.

Don't be afraid of me.

My guiding principle, my guiding light, my love, my thoughts, and my desires have always revolved around only you.

Love prevails over malice. Although I have been misled at times, I would rather hurt myself than hurt you.

#

I dreamt about the past again.

He was acutely aware of his current situation, and this long-standing vigilance could not be eradicated even in the realm of illusion.

But Yuichi Echizen seemed somewhat vulnerable at this moment.

Only when falling into a dream state do they slightly reveal their guard.

I am extremely tired.

He never stopped being on guard from the moment he opened his eyes, always at odds with everyone, but he didn't regret it. It's just... he had also thought about living a peaceful and ordinary life with Airi in an inconspicuous place.

There's no need to deliberately avoid crowds, distance yourself from society, or even have any interaction.

Are you very tired?

very tired.

But there's no way to stop.

Without him, Airi would have a hard time surviving on her own.

Despite the hardships of life, he still wanted to bring joy to Airi in this twisted world.

Even living in such agony is better than death.

Living is inherently difficult, but it's just more difficult for Airi than for others.

"Airi is sure to be a person with great fortune in the future."

He was so certain that he would say such things to Airi, and he himself was absolutely convinced of it.

The difficulties that God bestows must be followed by a great blessing.

If he hadn't thought this way, he wouldn't know how he could have kept going.

He did this to protect Airi, but why does Airi exist in the first place?

He did not believe he could become someone that Airi valued to the point of elevating her existence.

It's important, but not the most important.

At least for now, no one can surpass his position. He comforted himself with this thought.

If the meaning of existence is merely to endure endless suffering without ever seeing the edge of hope, then it is better to die.

If that were the case, he would definitely kill Airi with his own hands.

End his love.

His roots in this world.

#

Emi Amamiya is a strange woman.

Yuichi Echizen knew this from their very first meeting.

Extremely strong.

They possess the same power and belong to the same kind.

She asked, "Are you sorcerers?"

Before she asked that question, a subtle, unsettling hostility was hidden beneath her calm surface.

Yuichi Echizen didn't know if this was entirely directed at the "sorcerer" she mentioned.

But they are not.

"no."

Her guard visibly melted away, subtly, as if she were seeing a long-lost friend, her attitude becoming much warmer than before.

It was as if they had never met before.

This subtle enthusiasm came suddenly, but upon closer examination, it made no sense.

Moreover... Emi Amamiya doesn't seem to have a strong reaction to the curse on Airi.

She didn't even glance at Airi more than a few times, as if Airi were just an ordinary pretty girl.

Greet them as you would an ordinary person you find agreeable.

In Echizen Yuichi and Matsuzaka Airi's memories, this way of getting along was a long, long time ago.

Buried beneath layers of scars, the earliest days of childhood innocence.

That bubble, that illusion, constantly discarded and then picked up again. Words cannot articulate whether it is yearning or contempt.

In short, it's all in the past.

The appearance of Emi Amamiya constantly evokes their memories of a past when they were still living in a beautiful and safe place.

Like the precious memories of death row inmates before their execution, they may not be pure, but what they think of at such times is certainly not meaningless.

Like an elderly, frail man, confined to a corner that imprisons his body, recalling his past, perhaps with a smile on his face as he did when he was young when he was moved.

Gone and never to return.

The same applies to Yuichi Echizen and Airi Matsuzaka.

I can't deny that it was a beautiful time that moved me deeply, but I'm sorry, I have to move on now.

It's not that I didn't think about staying, but I can't, I have people walking alongside me.

No matter what, he will stay with me.

This person would go through fire and water for me without hesitation.

The first and last time I hurt someone, it was all for my sake.

Even if I lose hope, I will keep moving forward as long as he is with me.

Ai thought back to a long time ago when she really liked the police because they always acted as protectors and eliminated bad guys.

Now she thinks she still likes police officers.

She only likes to be a police officer who sees things through to the end.

Yuichi Echizen is one of them.

"I see……"

Amamiya Emi nodded seriously for a moment, then vanished without a trace. Echizen Yuichi vaguely sensed something, his blindfolded eyes precisely tracking it, but he found nothing.

I feel like... that's not what she meant.

The idea flashed through my mind, and then I had nothing left.

Yuichi Echizen looked away.

[Thank goodness, he almost found out!]

【That's amazing, but unfortunately, you're about to enter your death countdown~】

[Airi-chan's favorite person—can only be me. So, Echizen-kun, can you just step aside?]

You're such a nuisance.

“Amamiya Emi. Since you are not sorcerers, then you are my friends.”

My only friend is Airi-chan~

"From now on—please take care of me, Echizen-kun."

Emi Amamiya gave a perfectly timed smile, neither too enthusiastic nor contrived.

Of all the people I've met so far, only Emi Amamiya seems unaffected by Airi's curse.

Compared to the extraordinary, almost frenzied enthusiasm of others upon first meeting her, she appeared much colder.

Then, naturally, they met and spent time together.

Occasionally, Yuichi Echizen would break free from a state of mystery, only to be interrupted by Airi before he could fully appreciate it.

Amamiya Emi stood to the side and smiled at him.

Reserved, aloof, and indifferent.

Emi Amamiya is a companion, someone Airi identifies with.

He finally confirmed it.

And they paid a heavy price for it.