I felt grateful for her accepting my whims.
It was probably not that she particularly wanted to go.
Even if she was a workaholic, working outside of the office association was a different matter.
However, if there was really a problem, it was that my body had suddenly begun to show the red signs of fatigue.
“How did you know it’s the 12th floor?”
“I know everything, including you.”
“Oh, I see. That’s really good information.”
What returned with my slightly cracked voice was an expressionless reply. I felt a little sad.
“Were you uncomfortable being brought here without any warning?”
Erica was silent for a moment, looking straight ahead. The elevator was passing the 5th floor.
“It’s not that I didn’t like it.”
“Not ‘didn’t like’?”
“It was a bit suffocating at the association.”
You can be honest too, huh. I felt relieved inside. Even the sense of humanity that emerged caught my attention.
“…Why are you looking at me like that?”
“Because you’re pretty.”
“Ha.”
The digital number showing 12 popped up, and the light of a new space confronted us.
Three rows of round tables placed in a vast space. Countless lights embedded in the ceiling.
Since it was the day of the committee meeting, there were certainly many people attending.
Standing in that atmosphere of scent and noise, I found it more bearable than I expected. After spending a few weeks calming down and adapting to the outside, I was able to suppress my instincts to some extent by relying on medication.
“Ha, haah.”
And the result of tossing and turning from the aftereffects of the medication from last night was the reason for my yawn now.
“…Are you sleepy?”
“Yeah.”
“Who was it that suggested going for a walk…?”
I didn’t expect to be this sleepy.
After a sheepish laugh, I quietly took my seat at the round table. It was nice to be in the back.
The people sitting at various round tables were talking about the delegation and the spirit world.
I had only heard it through anonymous tips, that the committee was called in a hurry. Anyway, the spirit world was apparently in turmoil, causing shivers.
Pinching my cheeks to fight off the drowsiness, Erica suddenly caught my attention.
“Um.”
“Yeah?”
“If I fall asleep in the middle…”
“Don’t worry.”
“Huh?”
“I’ll wake you up, even if it hurts.”
Her expression was calm, but on one hand, it was a bit frightening.
“Th-thank you.”
Soon the lights of the ceiling lost their glow, and a gigantic screen turned on, bursting with various colors.
A man stood in front of the screen. He seemed to be the chairman.
“Now that we have a quorum, I will open the 140th meeting of the Gyeonggi Provincial Council’s 4th Magical Committee.”
The pages of the screen flipped several times, and soon a map with a triangular red sign emerged.
“I believe you are all aware of the urgency, so I beg your understanding and will start with the main discussion.”
Typically, there are many procedures before starting a formal meeting: introductions, electing a vice-chair, etc., involving quite a bit of formalities, including the agenda and various review reports.
“Today, based on an anonymous tip, we plan to swiftly accept various alternatives.”
However, both Seoul and Gyeonggi had to heighten their urgency in the face of impending danger. The committee also focused on gathering opinions from members and discussing after skipping the preliminaries.
Thus, proceedings continued.
Ah, this is bad.
I felt like my fatigue was reaching its peak.
Holding my throbbing head, I glanced to the side. The chairman’s voice had long since faded away. All I could see was Erica’s focused face.
She’s beautiful.
Ah, our eyes met. Her brow furrowed.
When I smiled slightly, she turned her head and ignored me… I wondered if she would do the same during a hostage situation today.
The committee was gradually coming to a close. Seran had sent the knights to each region, just as I suspected. The armored knights, composed of three spirits, seemed to have been dispatched to explore key buildings and facilities.
I heard that battles of varying scales had started recently.
There must be committees and important meetings happening in other regions as well. The government would have sent high-ranking officials to hold the committee.
After a session of questions and answers and debate, the final agenda was decided.
The knights sent by Seran did not maintain a consistent stance towards humans.
They could be hostile at times and show no reaction at others.
However, the problem was that most had negative effects. Treating them well and sending them back would not necessarily prevent casualties, but it was impossible not to feel anxious about them scanning important facilities in each region.
Thus, in a committee primarily composed of rankers, the final agenda concerning the knights invading Gyeonggi was decided:
If they are detected, they will be shot on sight.
We reached the voting process and received the ballot papers, but it didn’t matter to me either way.
Whether there were casualties or the knights were killed, it wasn’t my concern.
I propped my chin on my hand.
I felt grateful that Seran treated me well. After all, we had done quite a bit since the game era.
When did it go wrong?
Since when did he start calling me a savior and handing me a glass bottle filled with red fragments?
That was a bribe for me.
Since the day the world was born.
Since the day the scent of life took root, and the chaos ripped apart my ears.
As I watched him step into the spirit world, I silently stood in the human realm.
He turned his back and left.
He said he would gather power.
He despised noise.
I dropped the ballot paper into the box and returned to my seat.
“Erica.”
“What?”
“I have a terrible headache.”
Once the counting is done and results are revealed, the committee will be over. It should be fine to sleep a little.
“Er, Erica… I’m… sleepy…”
“W-wait a minute, the committee isn’t over yet…”
In the solemn and quiet atmosphere, I pretended to ignore Erica and gently leaned on her shoulder. I could feel her bewilderment from her skin.
“Open your eyes, just hold on a little longer…”
“Goodnight…”
Ah, this is so soft. I definitely can’t resist this atmosphere…
My consciousness faded away. When I returned, it was quiet.
It took time for my body’s senses to come back.
What I felt was the subtle touch of hair. A gentle caress brushed against me.
“Mm…?”
“Um, huh?”
When I looked beside me, Erica was rolling her pupils around.
“…Did you touch my hair?”
Erica was silent for a moment.
“…Yes.”
“Why?”
She narrowed her eyes and stared at me.
“I was going to pull it if you slept a little longer.”
“I don’t like being hurt.”
“But it’s okay for the person who brought me here without saying anything to fall asleep?”
That left me with nothing to say.
Looking around, most of the seats were empty, as if the committee had finished, and only a few people remained, including Erica and me.
“Let’s go now.”
“Yeah.”
It was hard to lift my stiff body. I went down the building just like when I arrived, taking the elevator.
As the drowsiness slowly faded and I took a breath of fresh air outside, it was Erica who broke the unintended silence.
“…You mentioned that the spirit world delegation was coming, right?”
I had said such a thing before coming to the committee.
“Yeah.”
“So you realized that fact…?”
“Isn’t that right?”
Even though Bloody had only sensed something, I had conveyed it to her.
But the words that followed were different from what I had expected, which I thought would be about how I knew.
“Why… did you tell me?”
Like making a pause, as if asking something you shouldn’t.
Her gaze was filled with curiosity.
“The committee is the same. It’s a deliberative institution where many rankers gather. There are specific details you can only obtain here.”
The autumn wind rustled the fallen leaves.
“As a member of the association, it’s different from merely following the association’s guidelines. If I hadn’t known about the agenda, it would have been difficult to attend this hastily convened meeting.”
A cool aroma tickled my nose.
“But why did you lead me here? Are you helping me?”
Her eyes were struggling to penetrate something.
Trying to dig it out and tear it apart, desperately reaching for something that may or may not exist on the other side.
“Y-you’re wanted, after all.”
“That’s right.”
I smiled slightly.
“You’re on a date with me.”
“It’s not a date…”
She tried to deny it but quickly redirected the conversation as if this wasn’t the topic.
“What’s the reason?”
The reason.
Indeed, it was a story that could not simply be satisfied by wanting to take a walk with someone.
Walking the streets with someone, going to a café, talking.
Was I willing to take the risk of being wanted to have such mundane experiences by applying for the committee?
Erica looked at me.
Her pure white pupils glimmered.
Yes.
I suddenly realized.
It was because it was Erica.
I wanted to do something with her, to spend time with her.
I wanted to be with someone I was interested in.
Having been ignorant of others for years, I was slowly stepping into the path of love.
In the absence of emotions, love that I could only understand theoretically.
I opened my mouth slightly. My lips trembled, making it difficult.
“I… like you.”
“Yeah?”
“I-I like you.”
A moment of silence passed, and seeing Erica frozen, I hurriedly opened my mouth again.
“Are you happy?”
“Yeah?”
“It was a joke, but judging by your silence, you must really be happy, huh?”
Erica let out a faint laugh.
“Ha, I’m the one who asked, so it’s my fault.”
Then she turned her head and walked away.
“Hey, wait!”
“Catch up, quickly.”
Her pace was so fast that it was hard to follow.
