Chapter 12 - Even though he left it behind like this. You want it?

The boy who came to meet Yogiri called himself Fukai Seiichi.

He was trying to hide his face with his long hair, and it was difficult to understand his facial expression as he was looking down. Judging from the way he spoke, he was a boy who wasn't very good at socializing.

Yogiri didn't even know his name, and there wasn't a thing like him suddenly remembering it naturally. 'But, if there's a story, then I'll try to listen', Yogiri invited Seiichi into the room.

When Yogiri sat on the sofa, Seiichi sat on the opposite side. Yuugo and Yukimasa, who had been sitting originally, were gone already. It seemed that they weren't good at dealing with Seiichi.

"What's the discussion?" (Yogiri)

"...the discussion, yeah. Takatou-kun, well, I think there's no need to hide your need to deceive anymore. Okakushi-sama." (???->Seiichi)

Okakushi-sama. Hearing that name, Yogiri's body stiffened.

Only a small fraction of people should know that name.

"Who are you?" (Yogiri)

"A shinigami. Yes! To govern death, to grasp the life and death power over everyone, it's an absolutely unparalleled power! That's why, there's no need to entrust everything to Okakushi-sama anymore. Even Godmother-sama, she's deciding to appoint me rather than someone like you, the hopeless control1..." (Seiichi)

"I understand that too much can't be discussed, but then what did you come to do?" (Yogiri)

Conversation wasn't being engaged at all. Seiichi seemed to be drifting in a different world or something.

"Until now, fufu~. Despite being told to keep watch over you, I couldn't even see you directly, nor approach or talk to you...it's a really unreasonable story, don't you think?" (Seiichi)

"This guy is in the same class, right?" (Yogiri)

Yogiri asked Yuugo, who was in the back. He hadn't talked with Seiichi, but he barely remembered. He thought that it would be difficult to say he hadn't even seen him.

"Takatou is also foreign. It's the same class as always, right? I mean, this guy wasn't well-known from the start. After coming here, he went somewhere completely...I don't really understand what he's saying anymore." (Yuugo)

So, wasn't there no need to take him seriously? But, as Yogiri was thinking about what to do, Seiichi displayed movement.

He slowly raised his right hand, and took it in front of his face.

The reason he did such a thing in this scene wasn't known. As he was wondering, suddenly, Seiichi put his arranged fingertips into his right eye.

"!" (Yogiri)

Yogiri was simply surprised, not really understanding the significance.

Short shrieks were heard from behind. They were Yuugo and Yukimasa's.

While he was staring while taken aback, Seiichi took out his eyeball, and placed it on the table.

"Okakushi-sama, mustn't be, looked at directly. Due to that sort of law, my eye, was gouged and taken..." (Seiichi)

If he looked closely, it wasn't an eyeball. The size was similar, but no pupil was there, just a pattern was drawn for some reason. It seemed to be a kind of artificial eye, but even now he still didn't understand the aim.

"It is, the Saint Eye. This, is an eye that sees paranormal things. In a dim, faint field of vision, I continued to watch you the entire time..." (Seiichi)

"Such things as removing your eye, what do you want to do? Do you want to say 'it's my fault' or something?" (Yogiri)

"This, cannot be used anymore. After we came here, it lost the ability. Because, Godmother-sama's power, doesn't reach..." (Seiichi)

But, such a thing didn't become a reason to come before Yogiri's eyes and expressly take out his eye. There may be a theory passing within him, but it wasn't understood by Yogiri in the slightest.

It wasn't that it was dangerous. But, it was discomforting. When a incomprehensible existence was before your eyes, discomfort would well up.

Seiichi slowly stood up.

"The discussion is over already?" (Yogiri)

"Yeah. You aren't, releasing power, at all, I understand that. If it's like that, then you should do as you like. Later, this me, with this power, will take over." (Seiichi)

In the end, Yogiri didn't really understand what it was.

It appeared that he knew about Yogiri from before, but he couldn't quite understand what he was thinking.

"As I thought, he's strange, isn't he? I think he shouldn't worry about Takatou so much." (Yuugo)

When Seiichi left, the strained air filled inside the room finally slackened.

Yogiri picked up the sphere which was left as is on the table.

Things like geometrical patterns and letters were drawn as if to float on the inside. Though it may have been something great as a handicraft, it seemed to not have a special function.

"Even though he left it behind like this. You want it?" (Yogiri)

Yogiri presented it to Yuugo.

"I don't want such a thing! As I thought, you're also strange in some respects!" (Yuugo)

Being told that, Yogiri threw the orb away in the garbage can.

Thereupon, the sound of knocking was heard again.

"No way, he didn't come back, did he?" (Yuugo)

"What will it be. Maybe the discussion ended about now." (Yogiri)

Yukimasa said it was a meeting due to leader.

There were leaders in groups one through five, and the actions of the sage candidates were decided by the leader meeting.

By the way, groups six and seven were without leaders because they were groups to hold the unusable people, and they didn't have any right to speak.

"Good dayyy. Ah, Takatou-kun, can we talk for a bit? It seems that Ninomiya-san and Carol have a discussion." (Tomochika)

What came was Tomochika.

Behind her, two girls were accompanying her.

"...Say, why did you girls come to Takatou? Were you guys together with Yukimasa and Fukai as well?2 I've also been alone while taking this and that into consideration and talking...why don't girls come to a nice guy like me!" (Yuugo)

"That is...because different than Fukai-kun and Yuugo-kun, Takatou-kun's appearance is good...or something like that?" (Yukimasa)

In a state of 'I can't understand it', Yukimasa replied to Yuugo.

The corner of the garden of the residence that was the sage candidates' base.

"I'm really sorry!" (Ryouko)

So, a girl wearing a school uniform, with long black hair, was prostrating herself.

She seemed to be called Ryouko Ninomiya.

Of course, Yogiri didn't understand why she was doing such a thing at all. He was gradually getting tired from all the things he didn't understand from before.

"Look! Please apologize as well, Carol!" (Ryouko)

"Why? Why me?" (Carol)

It was the girl called Carol S Lain who returned it in haltingly spoken Japanese. With her blue eyes and blonde hair, there wasn't even a fragment of her looking like a Japanese person. In reality, she was an American.

She was also wearing a school uniform: it seemed there were many people who were using their uniform as casual wear.

"Please stop speaking haltingly! I feel sick!" (Ryouko)

"Well, that aside, why is there a need to apologize? Didn't the person himself say 'It doesn't matter'?" (Carol)

"The first gate is open! In other words, he's something that can cause an instant death if annoyed, no matter when or where! You should think that all of the classmates have become targets already. What can I do other than deprecating myself and praising him!" (Ryouko)

"What is this?" (Yogiri)

Yogiri, who got fed up with it, asked Tomochika, who led the two people.

"Well. Even with you saying 'what', they said for me to be the middleman because they want to talk to Takatou-kun." (Tomochika)

It seemed that Tomochika didn't fully understand the circumstances as well.

"There's no need to apologize, much less prostrate yourself, it's fine to not do such things." (Yogiri)

"But..." (Ryouko)

"If you say 'annoy', then that attitude is annoying?" (Yogiri)

Thereupon, Ryouko stop prostrating herself on the spot and stood up.

"In the first place, I don't know why you're apologizing." (Yogiri)

"It's the matter of having left Takatou-kun and others on the bus. I was confused by the sudden matter at that time, and without being able to resist against the command skill, and left you guys as is to set drift...when I returned to myself, we were separated a lot already, and I couldn't even retrace my steps after all this time. No! I hadn't even imagined that Takatou-kun was killed or something by a lizard like that." (Ryouko)

"HAHAHA! It's interesting that Ryouko, who's usually calm, is panicking." (Carol)

Carol was staring happily at Ryouko, who was flustered.

"Carol-san, no, Lain-san?" (Yogiri)

"Carol is fine~." (Carol)

"Then, Carol. You guys know about me, right?" (Yogiri)

"That's right. I'm from the『agency』, and Ryouko is from the『laboratory』. On that subject, I saw him come out from the room some time ago, but I wonder, is Fukai-kun from the『cult』? As far as I know, these three people are probably in the same class for the sake of observing Takatou-kun's movements." (Carol)

"Although I thought that there was no way that they'd leave me unregulated, I never thought that there were three people in the same class..." (Yogiri)

Yogiri breathed a deep sigh. He had tried to not have anything to do with his classmates, but he hadn't realized at all.

"Well, I thought that me being American and the like might be leaked out immediately, but it was kinda a let down because Takatou-kun did nothing, you know?" (Carol)

"I wouldn't fully doubt you just because 'you're a foreigner'." (Yogiri)

Any organization should have had scattered, painful eyes, and should not have done too much interfering. In fact, nothing had happened since his highschool enrollment, but it seemed that only surveillance was done.

"Come to think of it, Carol seems to not be afraid of me in particular, but are your thoughts different from Ryouko-san's?" (Yogiri)

"That's right~. That you can kill people just by thinking being heard by another party can't be helped, right? I don't know things like what irritates you by chance, and I have no way to express it except that such things are dependent upon luck already." (Carol)

"...You're saying all the arbitrary things you want." (Yogiri)

There wasn't even one time that he killed just because he was irritated. They were arbitrarily deciding that, and things like them being afraid were upsetting at best.

"The『laboratory』should know about Takatou-kun the most, so maybe she's scared by the things that I don't know." (Carol)

"I don't think things like apologizing to me need to be done, but if you want to apologize then I understand. Like I said some time ago, I don't mind, and if you have words of forgiveness, then I'll allow it. But, why is Dannoura-san with us?" (Yogiri)

"Right? If it's just apologizing to you separately, then I have no connection." (Tomochika)

"That is...if she came with me, then you might listen to my story a little..." (Ryouko)

Whether or not she felt like she was clinging to straws, she said that in a tiny voice. If she was a『laboratory』official, then she probably knew the achievements of Yogiri the best.

"What you're fearing is arbitrary, but can't you leave me alone? I'll make sure to have nothing to do with this." (Yogiri)

That an organization's official who knew Yogiri's power was in this world was surprising, but that didn't necessarily mean that anything changed. If they weren't hindrances to Yogiri and others, then there shouldn't be a problem.

"Really!? Then I-, I need to present my body! I have prepared myself!" (Ryouko)

"Hmm?" (Yogiri)

"Ahahahaha!" (Carol)

When what Ryouko was trying to say wasn't understood, Carol burst into laughter.

"This girl, it's like she's the type that thinks too hard and is forward~. The fact that Takatou-kun came until here with two people—just him and Tomochika—means he's probably doing things like that, and it looks like she's been under the impression that 'that's the reason she wasn't killed'~." (Carol)

"Wha!? There's nothing like that, you know!? You're misunderstanding!" (Tomochika)

Tomochika hurriedly denied it.

"But, isn't it strange~? A healthy male highschool student being together with such a cute girl highschool student and being able to restrain himself?" (Carol)

"Hmm? Aah, I didn't restrain myself in particular, it was in mo——" (Yogiri)

"Stop itttttt! Don't try to say lively thinngggggs!" (Tomochika)

Whatever Tomochika thought about, she was shouting while her face turned bright red.