Melting Point (4)

I felt grateful that she indulged my whim.

She probably didn’t particularly want to go.

Even for a workaholic, working outside the Association office was a different matter.

But if there was a real problem.

It was that my body suddenly started showing red flags of fatigue.

“How did you know it was the 12th floor?”

“I know everything, including about you.”

“Ah, I see. That’s really good information.”

Her expressionless response to my slightly cracked voice made me a bit sad.

“Did you dislike being brought here without warning?”

Erica was silent for a moment, looking straight ahead.

The elevator was passing the 5th floor.

“It’s not that I dislike it.”

“Not?”

“The Association was stifling too.”

So you can be honest sometimes.

I felt relieved inside. Even her apparent humanity caught my eye.

“…Why are you looking at me like that?”

“Because you’re pretty.”

“Ha.”

The digital number 12 appeared, and the light of a new space greeted us.

Three rows of round tables placed in a vast space. Countless lights embedded in the ceiling.

There were definitely many people since it was the day of the committee meeting.

Standing amidst that atmosphere and noise, I could bear it better than expected.

After spending a few weeks calmly adapting to the outside, I was able to somewhat suppress my instincts by relying on medication.

“Ha, haaaam.”

…And the result of tossing and turning severely last night due to the side effects of the medication is probably the cause of this yawn now.

“…Are you sleepy by any chance?”

“Yeah.”

“Who was it that said they wanted to go for a walk…”

I didn’t know I’d be this sleepy.

I smiled awkwardly and quietly took a seat at the round table. It’s good that it’s in the back.

The people sitting here and there at the round tables were each talking about the delegation and the spirit realm.

The story that the committee was hastily convened thanks to an anonymous tipster, even though they couldn’t observe it. Anyway, the spirit realm is unsettling and makes one shudder.

As I was pinching my cheek to fight off drowsiness, Erica next to me suddenly caught my eye.

“Maybe.”

“Yes?”

“If I fall asleep in the middle…”

“Don’t worry.”

Huh?

“I’ll wake you up even if I have to inflict pain.”

Her expression was calm, but it was scary in a way.

“Th-thanks.”

Eventually, all the ceiling lights lost their light, and various colors spewed out as a huge screen turned on.

A man stood in front of the screen. He seemed to be the chairman.

“As a quorum has been reached, I will now open the 4th Magic Committee of the 140th Gyeonggi Provincial Assembly.”

A few pages of the screen turned, and then a map appeared with quite a few triangular red signs marked on it.

“I think the committee members also know that time is short, so with your understanding, I’d like to start with the main point quickly.”

Typical committees have many processes to go through before starting the main meeting. Many formalities are exchanged, such as introductions and appointing vice-chairmen, and following the agenda and various review reports is an example.

“Based on today’s anonymous tipster, we plan to quickly accept various alternatives.”

However, the Seoul and Gyeonggi areas had to prioritize speed in the face of impending danger. The committee is the same. After the aforementioned omissions, they focus on receiving opinions from committee members and engaging in discussions.

That’s how the proceedings flowed.

Ah, this is bad.

I feel like my fatigue is reaching its peak.

I held my throbbing head and looked to the side.

The chairman’s voice has long since faded away. All I can see is Erica’s focused face.

She’s pretty.

Ah, our eyes met.

Her brow furrowed.

I smiled slightly, but she turned her head and ignored me… I wonder if she’ll be able to do that in today’s hostage situation too.

The committee slowly came to an end.

As I had guessed, Seran had sent knight orders to each region. It seemed they were achieving their exploration purpose by sending knight orders composed of three spirits in armor to various important buildings and facilities.

They say it’s been a while since they received reports that large and small battles have started to occur because of this.

Probably committees or important meetings are being held in other regions too. The government would have sent high-ranking officials to convene committees.

The final agenda was decided after questions, answers, and discussions.

The knight orders sent by Seran did not take a consistent stance towards humans.

Sometimes they were hostile, and sometimes they showed no reaction at all.

The problem is that most of them have a negative impact. Even if they were treated well and sent back, there would be no human casualties, but the fact that they scan important facilities in each region couldn’t help but awaken anxiety.

Therefore, in the committee composed mostly of rankers, the final agenda regarding the disposition of knight orders invading Gyeonggi-do was:

If they are detected, they will be immediately killed.

We reached the voting process and received ballots, but I didn’t care either way.

Whether there were human casualties or the knight orders were killed. It wasn’t my business.

I rested my chin on my hand.

I felt grateful for Seran treating me well.

He and I had been quite active since the game days.

When did it go wrong?

When did he start calling me a savior and handing me glass bottles containing red fragments?

That was an attempt to persuade me.

Since the world was born.

From the day the scent of life took root and noise tore at the ears.

As I watched him begin to enter the spirit realm, I stood still in the human realm.

He showed his back and left.

He said he would gather strength.

Saying he hated noise.

I put the ballot in the box and returned to my seat.

“Erica.”

“What?”

“My head hurts so much.”

Once the votes are counted and the results are out, the committee is over. It should be okay to sleep a little.

“E-Erica… Sleep…”

“W-wait, the committee isn’t over yet…”

In the solemn and quiet atmosphere, I pretended not to notice and leaned slightly on Erica’s shoulder.

I could feel her bewilderment through her skin.

“Open, open your eyes. If you just endure a little…”

“Good night…”

Ah, it’s soft. This. I definitely can’t resist this atmosphere…

My consciousness cut off.

When it returned.

It was quiet.

It took time for the sensation in my body to return.

What I felt was a slight touch of hair. A feeling of fingers lightly brushing.

“Hm…?”

“Uh, uh?”

When I looked to the side, there was Erica, rolling her eyes this way and that.

“…Did you touch my hair?”

Erica was silent for a moment.

“…Yes.”

“Why?”

Erica narrowed her eyes and looked at me.

“If you had woken up a little later, I was going to pull it.”

“I don’t like pain.”

“Is it okay for the person who brought me here without warning to fall asleep?”

I have nothing to say to that.

Looking around, the committee seemed to be over as most of the seats were empty, with only a few people including me and Erica remaining.

“Let’s go now.”

“Okay.”

It was hard to raise my stiff body.

Just like when we came to this building, we took the elevator down.

As drowsiness slowly receded and I breathed in the outside air again, it was Erica who broke the unintended silence.

“…You said a delegation from the spirit realm was coming, right?”

I had said that before coming to the committee.

“Yeah.”

“So that fact… You noticed it?”

“That’s right?”

Although it was just Bloody vaguely sensing something that I relayed.

As if mocking me who thought the next words would be asking how I knew, the words that came out of her mouth were a little different.

“Why… did you tell me?”

As if hesitating, as if asking something that shouldn’t be asked.

She sent me a look filled with curiosity.

“It’s the same with the committee. A consensus-based institution where many rankers gather. There’s detailed information that can only be obtained here.”

Leaves fell in the wind.

“It’s different from me, who belongs to the Association, simply receiving the Association’s guidelines. This hastily convened meeting would have been difficult to attend if I didn’t know about the agenda.”

A cool scent tickled my nose.

“But why did you lead me here? Are you helping me?”

Those eyes were a struggle to grasp something.

A struggle to somehow dig up and tear apart, to grasp something that may or may not exist beyond that.

“Y-you’re wanted, aren’t you?”

“That’s right.”

I smiled slightly.

“And you’re on a date with someone like me.”

“It’s not a date…”

She was about to deny it, but as if realizing this wasn’t the point, she took control of the conversation again.

“What’s the reason?”

The reason, huh.

Certainly, just wanting to go for a walk with someone isn’t enough to satisfy this story.

Walking the streets with someone, going to cafes, having conversations.

Did I apply for the committee, shouldering the risk of being wanted, just to fulfill that level of selfish desire, to experience that level of daily life?

Erica faced me.

Her pure white eyes shone faintly.

Yes.

I suddenly realized.

It was because it was Erica.

Because I wanted to do something with her, to spend time with her.

Because I wanted to be with someone I’m interested in.

I, who had been ignorant about others for years, am slowly treading the path of love.

Love that I could only know in theory, in the absence of emotions.

I opened my mouth slightly. It was difficult because my lips were trembling.

“…Because I like you.”

“What?”

“Be-because I like you.”

After a moment of silence, seeing Erica frozen, I hurriedly opened my mouth again.

“Were you happy?”

“What?”

“It was a joke, but seeing you can’t speak, you must have really been happy?”

Erica let out a hollow laugh.

“Ha, really. It’s my fault for asking.”

Then she turned her head and walked away.

“Let’s go together!”

“Hurry up then.”

Her steps were so fast, it was hard to keep up.