C237: Chance Encounter (4)
Next chapter Thursday.
"So how did you two meet? What's your relationship?"
Casey immediately asked Selina a question after joining their tables together.
Selina, who was trying to question what she was doing, answered as if she was caught up in the baptism of questions flying like a rapid firearm.
"Well, Mr. Rudger and I are teachers of the same year."
"Wow! Really? May I ask what your major is?"
"Spiritual Studies."
"Oh! That's cool! Spirits? Usually, people say that it's hard to learn that unless you're born with an affinity."
"Right?"
Originally, she was supposed to be angry, but she was swept away by Casey's words because Selina was weak.
Rudger looked at Casey's behavior with disapproval but Casey ignored Rudger's gaze and naturally continued the conversation.
"So what brings you here with Mr. Rudger? It's a date, right?"
"Oh, no! What do you mean a date! It's not like that!"
Casey felt as if she had been stabbed by a needle at Selina's violent reaction.
Selina seemed to like Rudger but Casey felt sorry for her.
'Such a pretty girl fell for such a bad man.'
In fact, Rudger's behavior was nothing more than his attitude toward his co-workers but she made it like an unrequited love. Furthermore, Rudger's real identity was not as demure as he seemed.
'I can't do this. I'm going to help you.'
Casey was going to interrupt Rudger's date passionately, as if she were saving a person. Then Selina couldn't resist her curiosity and asked.
"Well, how did you two get to know each other?"
Selina sensed that there was something between Rudger and Casey.
Casey's behavior of recognizing Rudger and talking to him naturally was the same, but she didn't show her feelings normally, so she showed off that she didn't like Rudger.
'It's not an ordinary relationship since Mr. Rudger responded like that.'
Although Rudger's reaction was no different from irritation, Selina felt that it was similar to the behavior shown between close friends.
'It's probably an illusion, right? It's an illusion.'
Casey prayed earnestly.
"Oh, you…You mean this guy, right? We just came across it by chance. Of course, we're not that close. That's about it."
"You don't have to worry too much because you're a useless person who only bothers me."
Casey was furious at Rudger's reply.
"What? No, wait. Isn't that a little too much to say?"
"I just said the obvious thing."
"I agree with that."
Betty, who was still listening, also helped Rudger.
"It's funny. You're worse than an inconvenience."
"Hmm…Isn't that your personal opinion?"
Selina's complexion darkened when she saw the two squabbling.
'You two are very close.'
Selina's eyes turned to the fork in her hand.
'What is this?'
Casey trembled at the sudden chill and she just felt that her life was threatened.
Casey looked at Selina. It may be an illusion, but her eyes looked empty as if she had a moment of darkness.
'It's probably not, right? It's an illusion, right?'
When Casey thought so, Rudger looked down and saw that small mouse was looking up with a note in his mouth.
'Hans?'
Rudger naturally accepted the note from the mouse, just in case others would see it. The inside of the note contained a warning message.
'Did someone follow me?'
Rudger deliberately pretended not to know anything and acted naturally. If he shows it here, the person following him may notice something strange.
Rudger handed a nut to the mouse that brought the note, saying, "Good job."
The mouse bit it with its front teeth and quickly backed away.
The mouse, trying to escape the public's gaze and return to its owner, moved under the table but brushed Casey Selmore's ankle.
"……!"
Casey shuddered at the touch of her ankle and her head didn't understand what happened now.
The mouse that she hates so much touched her body and her instinct recognized it in a very instant at the same time she also acted.
Casey used her mana and the moisture in the atmosphere quickly began to gather around her as a large spray of water spewed out to the outside of the restaurant.
The tableware flew away and the table flipped over.
It was a bolt out of the blue for the people inside the restaurant, and people walking through the streets outside stopped and watched the scene.
"What's going on?"
"Did the sewer burst?"
As people's eyes turned to one place, a wet mouse crossed the street and returned to Hans.
The mouse proudly showed the nuts he was biting and raised his front feet as if to be praised by Hans.
"Uh……"
Hans felt something was wrong.
* * *
"Oh."
Before Casey Selmore started the spray Rudger moved quickly as soon as the mana reaction came out of her body.
Immediately, he got up from his seat, approached Selina, and instantly used a spell with [source code].
He created a protective magic to protect Selina and him. Soon after, the spray broke out, but Rudger's quick response did not cause any damage to the two.
"Miss Selina, are you all right?"
"What? Yes."
It happened so quickly that Selina was late to grasp the situation and it wasn't until Casey magic broke out that Selina realized that Rudger had saved her. And the warm yet tough hand that holds one of her shoulders must be Rudger's…….
Selina's face was red and exploded.
"Well, well, Rou, Mr. Rudger. The hand…"
Looking at the restaurant that quickly became a mess, Rudger caught Selina and led her.
If it wasn't for this chance, he wouldn't have had a chance to get rid of that annoying woman.
'I didn't expect it, but it worked.'
Casey probably acted like that because of the mouse. In other words, the series of events that happened now was an accident.
Rudger thought it was rather fortunate that Hans warned him about someone following him.
The best option was to take advantage of the current disturbance and leave the restaurant so Rudger immediately took Selina out of the restaurant. The action was so stealthy and natural, that the eyes could be deceived.
"Wait a minute!"
Casey immediately tried to catch Rudger, who disappeared with Selina, but the situation was not on her side.
"What the hell is going on here?"
Casey, who detonated a water bomb inside the store, was embarrassed by the eyes of those who rebuked her.
"Oh, no, so the mouse……."
"What? What do you mean? What do you mean mouse when our restaurant is so clean? Are you sure you saw it right?"
"No, I didn't see it, but I acted reflexively."
"So you did this without any conviction?"
Casey had nothing to say, even with ten mouths.
Obviously, it felt like a mouse that passed by her feet. However, the mouse had already disappeared, and now it was unclear whether it was a real mouse.
'No way. This guy?'
Casey immediately recalled Rudger's face.
The idea that Rudger might have played a trick to get rid of her was crazy. However, no one could listen to her voice even if she complained of injustice immediately.
The guests who had their meal interrupted were staring at Casey with cold eyes.
"Betty! Help me!"
Eventually, she asked Betty for help, but there was no reply from her either.
"Betty?"
Looking closely, Betty was stiff in her posture and Casey felt sick the moment she saw it.
'She got water in her body?'
Betty is an automaton composed of very precise machines. It is said that she is waterproof but the effect is not that good since she couldn't withstand the water spray.
Betty's body, which had stopped, tilted to the side and fell to the floor. The manager of the restaurant, who saw the scene, hurried up to Betty, examined her condition, and shouted in surprise.
"She's dead!"
"She's not dead!"
"She doesn't breathe! So she's dead!"
"That…!"
That's true.
Casey was stunned.
"What? A person died?"
"Is it murder?"
"Oh, my God. Murder in broad daylight!"
The atmosphere of the store was unusual. People who checked what happened outside also heard the news and rumors began to intensify.
"Oh, my God, a murder in a restaurant."
"Murder in such broad daylight. Just how much she hated the other person?"
"It's not like that!"
Casey protested, but no one believed her.
"Argh! Rudger Chelici!"
There was nothing she could do but shout the man's name out loud as she watched Rudger disappear with Selina.
* * *
Selina thought she was dreaming.
Rudger protected her, even held hands and led her.
She wanted to hold his hand a little longer but she didn't want to miss this warmth.
The fantasy moment ended in the end. Rudger, who decided that he was far enough from the restaurant, stopped and let go of her hand.
"Ah."
Selina lamented because she wanted the moment to last longer.
"I'm sorry, Selina."
"Yes?"
Selina asked back in embarrassment at Rudger's sudden apology.
"You must have been interrupted by me for no reason."
"No, Mr. Rudger has done nothing wrong."
That's what she said, but it was painful for Selina to be disturbed from her long meal.
'What's next?'
Originally, she was going to decide on the next destination while eating leisurely. However, a series of unintended incidents disrupted her plans and now she had to make an excuse not to be separated from Rudger.
Rudger stared at Selina silently.
'At the restaurant a while ago, I had a strange feeling.'
For a moment, he felt appalled by Selina.
'Does she still have the remnants of Esmeralda?'
No. She Esmeralda disappeared so maybe there was a remnant of Quasimodo.
"Teacher Selina."
"Yes?"
"I have a question for you. What happened to your spirits after the festival?"
"Ah."
Rudger's questions were quite rambling, but Selina felt relieved to be able to continue the conversation for now.
"For now, I signed a contract with a new intermediate spirit, but the children I used to call are still resting."
"I see."
On the last day of the festival Selina's three intermediate spirits spent too much energy fighting Quasimodo and were resting now.
In other words, there is a big gap for Selina, who used to have three intermediate spirits. Fortunately, Selina seemed to have signed a contract with a new spirit.
"Do you happen to know which spirit you have signed the contract with?"
"First of all, there are two spirits. One is the Spirit of Water, and the other is……."
Selina showed a moment of hesitation as she tried to speak and Rudger was suspicious of her appearance.
"What's the other one?"
"……Don't be surprised. I haven't shown it to others yet."
Selina whispered quietly so that only Rudger could hear it, then closed her eyes and called her spirit.
Selina put her hands forward and Rudger's gaze also naturally turned to her palms.
Soon Selina's magic disappeared, and a ball of black cotton appeared on her palms.
"This is…"
"It's a spirit of darkness."
"Spirit of darkness?"
Rudger was surprised and looked at the black ball of cotton on Selina's palm. Then the ball of black cotton opened its white round eyes and rushed toward Rudger.