A party⋯⋯What should I wear? A tuxedo? Or maybe the gloomy hood that’s considered a wizard’s formal attire? Should I dress up as an impossibly dashing gentleman to boost Yuri’s spirits?
I know next to nothing about the parties held in the Extermination Squad, and it would feel awkward to rush over to Yuri now to ask. So, I decided to play it by ear.
Wouldn’t it be enough to check what Yuri is wearing and go from there? Pairing is important, after all.
Even if we didn’t match the party’s general dress code, maintaining some uniformity with your partner would always look better. I opened my Third Eye to glance at the house next door.
“Hmmmm…”
Yuri was making pained sounds as she intensely examined the few outfits hanging in her closet.
She had been like that for the last thirty minutes.
Thanks to that, I had also been stuck here for thirty minutes.
Calculating the time her gaze lingered on each piece of clothing and expressing it statistically, she spent 51.2% of her time on her usual formal wear and 48.7% on a flowing dress. It seems she was still torn between looking refined and feminine.
A dress⋯?Come to think of it, though Pink-Haired Lesbian used to tease me endlessly, I don’t remember her ever changing outfits. Well, apart from when she stripped to talk about seal release.
So, I was very interested in seeing Yuri’s new costume. I had a feeling it would suit her but might also look a bit unfamiliar. Given the original, she could probably pull off anything.
While I was pondering, Yuna’s voice floated down along the lifeline from high above.
-Hey, shouldn’t you be installing the Information Bombs⋯⋯?
“Right. But hold on a moment, Yuri seems like she’s about to decide. Look, she’s finally reaching out for something.”
-I can’t see that⋯⋯ and you said the same thing ten minutes ago. Instead of waiting for Yuri, wouldn’t it be better to do what you need to⋯⋯?
She had a point.
I got up and prepared to leave. The Extermination Squad party started around sunset, and it was still midday with the sun high in the sky. So, there was plenty of time left.
Since Yuri will probably stay in her house, preparing for the party, now was the best chance to move if I was going to.
I planned to finish installing the Information Bombs.
The Queen had been unusually quiet lately. It would be nice to think she had grown tired of this battle of offense and defense⋯⋯ but that was just wishful thinking. Reality’s rarely that kind.
She was likely working on her next move somewhere outside my sight. So I too had to keep moving, without rest. If she was gathering her strength, then I needed to gather mine too.
If I just followed through steadily and carefully, I could come out on top. That’s what I judged.
As much as the Queen was observing me, I was also observing her. Since entering this place, I have been gathering traces, analyzing her actions and behavior patterns.
The Queen was lighter than I had expected.
That is⋯⋯ in terms of informational density. Since succubi are half information-based life forms, I had expected that someone at the level of the Queen of Succubi would hold a staggering amount of information.
After all, she had subdued Yuri Lanster. Just as I feel intimidated by Yuna’s sheer mana quantity, I expected the Queen to wield a similarly large amount of information, like a server.
Instead, she was far lighter than the figures I had expected.
There were several explanations. Maybe she was⋯⋯ a commander type, something like a queen bee.
Her strength might lie in her ability to give orders to the various succubi under her. If that was the case, it would easily explain why her individual capabilities were lacking.
Under this assumption, her method of subduing Yuri Lanster may have relied on sheer numbers. Since her mission was the “Nest Entrance Closure Operation”, it would have been like fighting at the largest entrance of a beehive.
Yuri getting captured after fighting endless waves of attacking succubi—it was a plausible hypothesis. As far as I knew, she didn’t have any area-of-effect skills.
I gathered my belongings and left the mansion. After planting Information Bombs throughout the world, I would meet Yuri at the party in the afternoon.
If the Queen remained as quiet as she has been until now…
……
Click click click!
BOOM──!!
“Why are you acting up today of all days, damn it!”
I muttered, watching a building collapse. The resistance today was unusually fierce. It wasn’t even a critical moment, and I don’t think my actions had been especially aggressive.
It was hardly a crucial moment, yet the Queen was suddenly coming at me with everything she had. I was flustered.
Let’s think positively. If she’s voluntarily expending her own power, it was an advantage.
……
But how long was she planning to keep up with this?
The attacks were relentless. From the scattered fragments of information, I could sense the Queen’s fatigue. She had been bending the world around us for hours, so it was understandable.
Naturally, pushing herself this far was creating weaknesses. Tiny fragments of information had been drifting in the air for a while now. If I could carefully collect them, I would be able to learn more about the Queen who manipulates this world.
Like the fact that she has dark gray hair.
If this reckless offensive keeps up⋯⋯ Maybe, just maybe⋯⋯ I just might be able to pinpoint the Queen’s location and launch a counterattack.
Locate the control room, attack it, and seize GM privileges. I happened to still have Information Bombs I hadn’t installed yet. I had enough weapons.
While I was rejoicing at the opportunity.
A small worry began gnawing at the corner of my heart. The setting sun grated on my nerves. The party would start soon. I might be a little late, or perhaps miss it altogether.
Was the Queen trying to prevent me from attending the party? Why⋯⋯ would she do that?
Was there a reason she needed to obstruct my involvement this much? Even so, if she got herself caught, the game was over. No matter how I thought about it, it didn’t make any sense.
I wandered, unable to read the Queen’s intentions.
Time raced on. The sun slipped toward the horizon. Locked in this struggle between offense and defense, I was presented with two choices.
Should I go to strike the Queen’s neck like this?
Or keep my promise with Yuri?
Either could be a trap, or neither might be. With everything left uncertain⋯⋯ I had to choose.
===============================================================
Yuri ultimately decided on her formal wear.
She had briefly considered wearing a dress, and had even tried it on⋯⋯ but each time she saw her reflection and cringed at the skirt’s swaying, she abandoned the idea.
That man, ‘Mima,’ would surely find endless reasons to tease her. She couldn’t allow that.
Although she did want to embrace the festival atmosphere and dress up, wasn’t he someone questionable below the waist? She thought he would prefer her usual attire.
Besides⋯⋯ she didn’t want to hear malicious gossip. That was another reason.
What would they say if she showed up in a dress with a man? She could already hear their whispers in her mind. They would probably accuse her of seducing an agent because she couldn’t adapt to the Extermination Squad⋯⋯ that she couldn’t hide her true nature.
In her formal wear, she could at least defend herself. That he was just a friend. That all their dirty thoughts were just groundless lies.
Only by responding that way would they snicker and acknowledge her somewhat. After all, they were the type who thought the weak didn’t belong in the Extermination Squad.
The Extermination Squad… was a gathering of spiteful souls.
It’s a clan of vengeful spirits.
Words came after fists, and sympathy was scarce. Rather than empathizing with a comrade’s pain, they would sooner laugh at it.
That was why the words “Extermination Squad Party” felt so unfamiliar.
Yet she could vaguely understand its necessity. The purpose behind holding a party for a group like this was clear. Since most of them were wolves with their eyes rolled back, driven by personal vengeance, they clearly needed a leash to bind them together.
A bare minimum of bonds was necessary for them to operate as a unit.
“……”
Bonds of the unkind sort, ones Yuri herself was quite reluctant to accept.
In truth, Yuri was an outsider in the Extermination Squad.
They had their reasons for saying so. Because she was a woman, because succubi were dismissed as a completely useless race, because it was clear she would leave crying soon, because her hair was pink.
The exact reason didn’t matter. But somehow, she understood that they⋯⋯ derived half their amusement from tormenting her.
It would surely be the same at the party too. As soon as she arrived, they’d throw their usual harsh words. But this time, it didn’t matter. This time, she would be okay. Because ‘Mima’ would be by her side.
Though she didn’t know why, he seemed to genuinely like her⋯⋯ perhaps her only ally in this world.
Surely, they could have fun together.
Gathering her courage, Yuri stepped outside and knocked on Mima’s mansion door. Knock knock knock . There was no response.
Thinking he might be asleep, she knocked a little louder.
Still no answer. Pressing her ear against the door, she couldn’t sense any presence inside. Had he left the mansion? Maybe, something had come up unexpectedly.
Getting slightly anxious, Yuri clenched her fist.
No. It’s fine. He was often scatterbrained, so just like how he forgot about the letter he had to send to the Imperial Family last time⋯⋯ he’d probably just gotten sidetracked by some trivial matter and stepped out for a moment.
He hadn’t forgotten about her.
After all, they had made a promise. He even told her his nickname. He would come.
When they meet at the party, they would walk around together and talk. And she’ll proudly show off to the Extermination Squad members. That even without them, she had managed to find a friend like this.
Should she link arms with him? Maybe that would silence those who liked to pick on her. Would that be rude to Mima? No, he probably wouldn’t mind too much.
Such thoughts lingered in her mind for quite a while.
……
Though they called it a ‘party’, it wasn’t anything fancy or glamorous. Just several bonfires scattered around an empty lot, with hunted deer meat roasting over them.
A makeshift fence encircled the lot, with a single guard at the entrance—a middle-aged man with quite some experience in the Extermination Squad. His name was surely⋯⋯
“⋯⋯Rat?”
“A succubus.”
His brusque, clipped tone was rather welcome. Most Squad members added plenty of unnecessary, so she was actually glad to get such short responses.
He motioned to the guest book. Yuri took the feather pen beside it and firmly wrote her name⋯⋯ and Mima’s.
Rat asked flatly.
“An outsider?”
“He’s not an outsider. He came with orders stamped by the Imperial seal, stating he would work with the Extermination Squad for some time.”
“I haven’t heard about such an official document… but since you’re not a fool, it must be true.”
Yuri inwardly let out a sigh of relief. She had been briefly tense, worried they might chase her away saying they couldn’t let her into the party.
Then, she lingered by the entrance.
She was reluctant to go in alone. She planned to wait at the entrance until Mima came. Noticing this, Rat frowned and said,
“…Still haven’t adapted?”
“Adapt, you say.”
Although Yuri instinctively hunched at his seemingly reproachful words, she mustered her courage and glared at Rat. His eyes were unreadable as she spoke.
“You’ll have to throw it away. You can’t chase after two rabbits.”
“What are you telling me to throw away?”
“Your heart, your future, your life—everything but revenge.”
Not reproach⋯⋯ but advice?
“Those who have lost everything can recognize those who still have something left. Because we can smell it. That’s why everyone hates you. Like starving beggars hating the rich.”
“⋯⋯I, I’ve lost too. My family, my village. So what do you mean when you say I still ‘have’⋯⋯?!”
“If you don’t understand, then leave the Extermination Squad. It’s painful to watch.”
Rat clicked his tongue, saying nothing more as he entered the empty lot. What was he saying? I too had lost many things and had come here for revenge.
Wasn’t this just an excuse? Just because they didn’t trust the succubus race, weren’t they simply rejecting her with vague justifications?
The sound of laughter and chatter could be heard from inside.
A cold wind stung her chest. She couldn’t seem to belong to any group. She couldn’t blend in among humans. Because they were wary of her.
She couldn’t blend in with succubi either. The Queen had burned her entire family, and Yuri despised the Queen with every fiber of her being.
Even the Extermination Squad, a gathering of people who shared the same wounds… people who had lost something, wouldn’t accept her.
She had been holding on, enduring even as they mocked her relentlessly. But sometimes it was piercingly lonely. She longed for the happiness of her past, one that she could never return to.
When she faced the reality that she herself had shattered that paradise, the weight of it became unbearably painful.
But next to him⋯⋯ she could forget such sadness, even if it was just for a while.
“⋯⋯When are you coming?”
Yuri muttered without realizing. Quite some time had passed already. Since she had notified him of the location of the party in advance, he shouldn’t have gotten lost.
Did he perhaps enter through the back door? Maybe they’d just missed each other and he was looking for her somewhere inside the party? Yes, why didn’t I think of that…?
The thought made her heart pound. Suppressing her fear with anticipation, Yuri walked toward the empty lot.
Yes, he wouldn’t break his promise. He had looked too excited when he heard about the party.
She searched for Mima among the laughing and chattering Extermination Squad members. Since he was sociable, maybe he had already made friends with someone and was mingling witht the others. She scanned the crowd.
But he wasn’t there. She couldn’t find him.
No. I just haven’t found him yet. She desperately tried to quiet the disappointment weighing heavier on her heart. Deliberately ignoring the mocking glances, she kept searching.
Swish.
“⋯⋯Mima?”
Someone placed their hand on Yuri’s waist. She turned around with a hopeful smile, but there was only an Extermination Squad member with a lecherous smile. He was heavily drunk, adn the smell of alcohol filled the air around him.
He was someone who often made suggestive comments at Yuri. His words slurred as he spoke.
“Who might you be looking for? If you’re looking for a man to have a solid meal with tonight, I’m right here in front of you. Hmm?”
“⋯⋯Don’t put your hands on me!”
She jerked away in shock.
No. It felt horrible, like a cockroach crawling inside her clothes. She was powerless, and could only tremble. But no one would help her. She knew that too well. It was frustrating and sad.
The most terrible thing was⋯⋯ that she was still secretly hoping.
Maybe, just maybe… Mima was hiding nearby and watching. That he hadn’t forgotten their promise and gone somewhere else. That he was just trying to play a little mischievous prank.
“⋯⋯”
Should I have given up earlier?
Should I not have expected anything from the start?
Am I too weak, feeling hurt and surprised by such petty harassment?
Should I become someone who doesn’t yield to anyone and doesn’t waver emotionally? Someone who returns mockery with mockery, who doesn’t flinch when poked at or shows the slightest weakness—a person who has buried her heart in stone.
But if I were to become that, to become an iron-hearted person who never shows tears or screams, it seems like that would be too⋯⋯ painful⋯⋯
===============================================================
“⋯⋯Was I too late?”
The party was already over.