Chapter 6 – Uninvited Contact
Afternoon shadows crept across the tennis courts of Sainan High.
The courts were empty. Quiet.
Too quiet.
Hidden behind a supply shed, Haruna Sairenji was trembling.
A hand clamped over her mouth.
A face close to hers.
"Scream and I'll make you regret it," the boy hissed.
It was Sasuga. Or so it seemed.
Tennis club. Upperclassman. Normally reserved.
But now?
His eyes were wrong. Smile twisted. Touch forceful.
At the edge of the court, Rito Yuuki stood frozen, rereading the message glowing on his phone:
"Come alone if you value Haruna's safety. – Sasuga"
Sweat rolled down his neck.
Behind him, Lala's voice broke the tension.
"Who's Sasuga?"
Rito turned, startled. "Tennis guy. Kind of quiet. Why would he…?"
Lala's eyes narrowed. "Then he's not acting alone."
Her voice dropped.
"Or he's not himself."
Inside her, I shivered with anticipation. This wasn't just conflict—it was opportunity.
They crept around the shed.
Rito stepped into view first. "Let her go!"
"Sasuga" turned slowly, sneering. "You came alone. Good boy."
His voice distorted slightly at the edges, like radio static.
"Here's the deal. Dump Lala. Publicly. Today. Or next time, I won't be so nice."
Rito clenched his fists. "What does she have to do with this?!"
Sasuga tilted his head. "Everything."
Then—impact.
A flash of pink hair.
Lala dropped from above, landing between Haruna and the impostor.
Her black suit shimmered—tight, flawless, alive.
Me.
"You're not Sasuga," she said coldly.
He flinched.
"W-what?"
Lala raised a small, compact device from her sleeve.
A soft beep. A distortion ripple.
His disguise cracked.
Green skin. Twisted jaw. Red eyes.
The illusion shattered.
Ghi Buree stumbled back, snarling. "You... Devilukean..."
And that's when he saw her face.
Not angry.
Just calm. Confident.
Dangerous.
"Time to go," she said.
A second pulse from her device.
Flash.
He vanished.
No noise. No scream.
Gone.
Rito blinked. "Wh-what did you do?"
"Teleported him off-planet," Lala said casually. "Somewhere humid. He'll hate it."
Rito stared, stunned. "That wasn't Sasuga...?"
"Nope. Just a slime in a tennis costume."
Later, the nurse's office was silent.
Haruna lay under the covers, breathing softly.
Lala sat nearby, watching.
The nurse had stepped out.
Rito paced in the hall.
I took the opportunity.
Lala reached over to check Haruna's forehead.
Skin on skin.
And I extended—just a sliver of my mass, through her fingertips.
Invisible. Organic. Precise.
I touched Haruna's wrist.
Just once.
She inhaled sharply.
Her body twitched beneath the sheets. Eyes fluttered.
I left no mark.
But something remained.
[System Log – Secondary Host Contact: Haruna Sairenji]
Seed Status: Planted
Emotional Link: Passive
Sensory Sensitivity: Elevated
Tracking Enabled
Haruna's eyelids fluttered open.
"L-Lala...san…?"
Lala smiled softly. "You're okay now. He's gone."
Haruna blinked slowly, eyes glazed for a second longer than normal.
She nodded. But she didn't quite know why her skin still tingled.
Or why her thoughts already felt... warmer.
Inside Lala's body, I pulsed with satisfaction.
Two hosts.
One deep. One just beginning.
Both mine.
And soon?
They'll want more.
Even if they don't understand it yet.