A day like any other. I arrived at the Association Building with a fresh step and naturally headed to the top floor.
I carefully opened the office door. It would still be an uninvited intrusion to them; I planned to act as if I was there to meet only Erica.
The reason? It was something trivial.
I wanted to have bingsu with Erica.
I’ve gotten used to being alone, but my desire to be with Erica in everything has grown immensely. Although I had gone to the café and the association together before, most of it was for work; we hadn’t had any personal time to recognize each other.
Lately, I feel like I’m only acting on instinct.
I’m desperate to see her pupils at least once more. Surely, it can’t be love.
As I gently closed the door I had just opened, I reached a conclusion.
I would have to think seriously about it later.
Whether love is permissible in this desperately impoverished life.
Looking around, I quietly sat on the chair that was casually placed beside me.
If I just stay still, Erica will probably come out to greet me with a frown when she discovers me.
I’m looking forward to the reprimands she’ll pour on me.
I exhaled for a moment.
The office was noisier than usual. The director, visible in front of me, wore a serious expression… Ah, and Erica is there too.
“Gates again, at all times, seriously.”
“I guess it’s another high-rank layer issue?”
The director held his forehead in his hands.
“Yeah. The Union Department confirmed it.”
“What about the crack progress?”
“It’s not serious yet.”
An employee approached the director and handed him a piece of paper. The smooth way he flipped through it and tossed it on the desk showed his skill.
“And…”
Oh, our eyes met.
When I smiled back at her, this time Erica frowned and held her forehead.
Since I’ve already been caught, I might as well be bold.
“Hi.”
I didn’t like the noisy environment, but the fact that I wasn’t attracting attention from those around us felt good.
“I came because I missed you.”
Erica’s face suggested that she wouldn’t even want to see me, but the director remained surprisingly calm. I guess since he had only shown a non-threatening appearance at the association, he seems to be adapting quickly.
“I suddenly really crave bingsu.”
“And?”
“So I came to you! Can I come to the top floor in the future?”
“…”
The training disguised as a hostage situation is soon. But before that, I want to take a short break and indulge in my own desires.
Bingsu enjoyed together, facing each other while seated.
It must be very sweet.
At least I think so.
“Why am I…?”
“Hmm?”
“Ah, right. Was I?”
The response I received was a nod after refusal. I remained silent and just smiled, but I felt pleasantly surprised that she was following my words.
Though she frowned, it didn’t matter.
It seemed like she was always busy working, shouldn’t she take a break?
“Is it that place in front of the station?”
“You knew?”
“Go ahead and wait for me.”
After that brief exchange, Erica turned her head back to the piece of paper.
I smiled gently as I turned and left the office.
Once outside the association, the weather was cool. The temperature was just right, neither too hot nor too cold. I might check the weather news when I get home.
Since meeting Erica, I’ve been gradually increasing my mundane actions. I’ve let myself sleep in and read books.
This is an extension of that. Café, walks, desserts. And the little stories that come with them.
I don’t know what I wish to see in this entangled life.
I walk again.
Maybe I’ve improved a little.
On the crumbling street that is fading away, there weren’t many bright places.
It was surprisingly difficult to find shops that operated normally.
I’m glad I found this place.
Bingsu.
In a locality decorated with a white snowfield, the colors of blooming flowers blend together.
Yeah.
It looks delicious.
Thinking that, I walked the remaining distance.
I opened the cold entrance and stepped inside.
Huh.
That’s strange.
Why is there no one here?
All I could feel was a chilling sensation.
In a place where the beings that should definitely be present were absent.
Inside the store, the calmness and tranquility were mixed, and I blinked for a moment.
But that moment was brutally shattered by the loud noise that hit my ears.
“Fire!!”
Bullets.
The unusual intersected with my daily life.
I felt a surge.
With the pain hitting my body, a red sea poured out.
Amid the overwhelming clamor, I held my ears and collapsed.
Countless foreign objects pierced through my tattered clothes and lodged into my body.
It hurts.
The harsh noise filled the space, and the smoky air suffocated me.
Caught in the hail of fire, I crashed into the back wall.
Savior.
The savior who saved the human realm.
I almost killed Seran.
Staggering, I rose.
Great swords pierced into my abdomen one after another, forcing me down.
I am pierced.
Well.
No matter how I think about it, that isn’t the term.
The day the massacre began.
I forsook my true self.
I forgot the guilt and sadness that came with taking lives.
I felt joy as I trampled on hundreds of people.
Under the pretense of sweeping away the spirit soldiers wielding spears, under the guise of saving the human realm.
I swung my sword.
When the massacre unfolded, I laughed.
The dance of blood enveloped the place, and I collapsed once more.
I cried out. I dejected myself. I pressed down on myself and injure myself.
If the crimson footprints left by such a twisted existence are salvation,
then your disgusting intrusion that intentionally let spirit soldiers loose in the human realm.
Must be expressed as a means of reforming humans whose reason begins to rot under magic.
“Stop!!”
My body shattered countless times and rejoined.
My heart burst and regenerated multiple times.
When the floor engulfed in flames and inside the store,
the thick smoke filled the place, when the bullets and sword strikes pouring down on me ceased.
I drooped my head and extended my hand.
Cold and firm.
A single red flower fell onto my palm.
The petals scattered and spread through the space.
The reverberations intertwined, and the currents stirred. A massive quill, like the sea, spread out in a jolt. Awakening the ground and piercing the air.
I heard screams. The death throes and cries of agony mixed together. The noise mixed and became a ruckus.
What am I?
What is the mixed version of me.
I’ve wrestled with this question for a long time.
I still don’t know.
Again.
Bingsu.
In a battle resembling a snow-covered mountain, an avalanche rolled down.
Life’s corpses decorate the dark colors, crushed beneath snowballs and massive rocks.
A spoonful scooped out, and a scream rang out.
I put it in my mouth.
The crunchy ice melted in my mouth.
It’s not good.
“Ha… Ha…”
I’m late.
“Hurry back.”
“……Orly.”
Erica.
My goal, my daily life, my salvation.
“I killed people again.”
A white sword was raised and pointed at me.
Her pure white pupils looked not at me, but at those torn and no longer human.
“What am I?”
Would you define me?
“What, what exactly.”
As our bewildered faces met, I shut my mouth.
Yeah.
That’s right.
I don’t even deserve to lament.
What I am permitted is merely to carry out the plans for you.
“Shall we do a dress rehearsal?”
“……”
I stretched out my arms.
“Kill me.”
Please.
Cut me off. Crush me. Trample me mercilessly and bring me down.
Swoosh.
The blade is always sharp. The curve slicing through the air is as splendid as ink spattering on a white canvas.
But it’s slow. So leisurely and comfortable that I can see my body, materials, and the fleeting colors.
I took a turn in place. The droplets of blood disturbed the air, coalescing into a single scythe. I swung it down and shattered the long blade. As I burrowed inside and sunk my foot into her abdomen, Erica was flung away.
I shattered the scythe and transformed it into a great sword. As I charged and swung it, Erica, now awake, raised her sword to meet mine. Two points on her shoulders glowed yellow. The point where the red and white swords clashed sparked with fire.
With an explosion, the currents trembled and soared. The tables and chairs were swept away by the wind, making a crashing sound. Glass windows shattered, and the building began to crack.
Watching Erica slammed against the wall, I exhaled.
Time to start slowly and cautiously. It’s about igniting a small flame to spark the radiant sun. It might be difficult now, but I believe the end will surely be beautiful.
Because you are the world I long for.
I don’t want to cause you pain, but I just hope you can forgive this twisted me who wishes to do so.
Looking back,
I sometimes think it’s too much that I’m only sending Erica in response to the chaos I caused.
Or perhaps it’s a strategy targeting my surprisingly favorable view of her.
Anyway.
The ice chunk in my mouth is absolutely tasteless.
I want to spit it out.
But since I’ve made it this far, I guess I have to force myself to finish it.
[Orly.]
Even with that gaze, you won’t give it.
[How about taking a break for a while?]
You’re quite the wicked spirit, aren’t you?
Rest in a place like this?
Where corpses lay sprawled?
I let out a hollow laugh as I rummaged through Erica’s fallen presence beside me.
A small, adorable phone.
I pressed the emergency call button, and the dial tone rang.
On the other end, urgency seeped through the voice that soon connected.
I scooped a handful of bingsu into my mouth and adjusted Erica’s hair while I spoke.
“Multiple casualties at the Union Department, one ranker from the association severely injured.”
It’s strawberry-flavored. No, is it chocolate?
“Bingsu store. Hurry, please.”
