Ch.5656. What’s Going On…?

Yes, I must have dozed off.

After Ellie left, no.

After Ellie was dragged away by Blanc.

I didn’t want to bother Arin…

So I just fell asleep. It was hard to deal with all those questions about whether I needed this or that.

Rather than finding it annoying… yeah.

It’s like that. Too much love is difficult for me to accept.

For someone like me…

After my nap, the sun was already setting.

At that time when the yellow sky shows a reddish twilight.

While I was sleeping, Arin was also taking a short nap in the chair beside the bed.

The redhead, perhaps with nothing left to monitor, or maybe just bored, had gone somewhere and wasn’t visible.

When I stirred and made sounds of waking up, Arin started to wake too, but I patted her gently back to sleep, clearing my drowsy mind.

Pushing away the hazy awareness.

Hmm, it seems Ellie hasn’t returned yet.

Is she still being tormented by Blanc…?

Sigh, whatever. Let it be.

Maybe Blanc took her away to give her a proper mental education.

There’s probably no specific reason why she only took Ellie.

I just need to lie here.

Living this luxurious life of simply feeling Arin’s warmth.

I’m not sure if I deserve such luxury.

Well, I’m afraid of what might happen if I don’t stay like this, what Blanc might do. So for now, just…

Right, let’s think of it as going along with her. It’s absolutely not because I’m afraid of Blanc.

Hmm… I wonder what Ellie is doing right now.

* * *

“Ellie. Well, what do you think?”

“Umm, this is more than I could ask for, but… to move all these belongings here…”

“You don’t want to make Bine do the work, right?”

“That’s right. If I could, I’d move everything myself.”

“Hmm, I still can’t trust you yet.”

“Come on, I’ve already told you how severe this contract magic is, and you still don’t believe me…”

“What if you change your mind?”

“I told you, you can read all my inner thoughts if you want to! Ugh… I shouldn’t have told you about contract magic. To cast contract magic and still be so distrustful.”

“Well, I’ll learn more about it first, then trust you afterward.”

“Surely you didn’t drag me all the way here just to show me this.”

“Of course not.”

“What is it then? You need to tell me so I can understand.”

“All the secrets that Bine and Eden hold, secrets you couldn’t bear to tell Bine. Spill everything here.”

“Ugh… fine. Sit down.”

“Huh? You’re telling me more easily than I expected?”

“No, it’s the contract magic… argh… seriously…”

“Hmm, is this going to be a long story?”

“Yes, it’s long. That’s why I’m asking you to sit down.”

“I see. Well, I’ll filter out any lies in your words as I listen.”

“You really… why are you doing this… casting such a malicious contract magic… if you’re so suspicious about this magic, why don’t you just ask your mascot? How long would that take! I don’t want to live under constant suspicion like this. I don’t!”

“Sigh… you should have behaved properly from when we first met. Right?”

“That was when I didn’t know you had Bine! Now that you have Bine, of course I’m cooperating! Plus, you’re holding my lifeline!”

“Alright, alright. Calm down. I’ll make things clear after I’ve learned everything. But first, I need to hear that story.”

“Sigh… fine… Even though Eden has already disappeared, those incidents that are deeply rooted in the monsters of Eden, and especially for Bine. Even how Bine came to join. It all comes back to Eden.”

“In detail, everything. Take as much time as you need. I can just tell Seohyun that moving your belongings took a while.”

“Okay. I’ll tell you everything…”

* * *

Yaaawn…

What time is it now…?

Judging by how dark it is outside, quite some time must have passed.

Ellie still hasn’t returned.

“Arin, was there anything that happened while I was sleeping? Oh.”

Arin is still sleeping.

That’s right.

She’s still a growing child. It’s natural for her to be tired after all the emotional stress of the past few days.

So, umm…

“Redhead. Do you know anything?”

I might as well ask the redhead who’s lying on the sofa, constantly staring at her smartphone.

“Huh? What are you talking about?”

“Well, I’m asking if anything happened. When will Blanc return? It seems like she and Ellie have been gone for a while.”

“Oh, she said she’d be back soon. She said they left a little while ago, so they should return shortly. Why, do you miss her?”

What is she talking about now…

“No… It’s just boring to stay like this. Blanc won’t even let me use a smartphone. Time passes too… slowly when I’m just spacing out.”

“Really? Should I turn on the TV for you?”

“No. Didn’t you say they’ll be back soon? Well, and there’s nothing interesting on these days. Though, I wouldn’t mind the news…”

“You find the news entertaining? That’s an unusual taste.”

“Well, I used to watch the news often at Eden too. It’s interesting. Though I’m not interested in things like today’s magical girl news.”

“So that’s why you watched the news. Alright, I’ll turn it on for you.”

“No, that’s not what I—”

I shouldn’t have mentioned that.

Well, I should be grateful she’s turning it on at all.

Hmm, seeing that the cable channel was already on, was the redhead watching it?

Judging by how quickly she’s changing the channel, hmm…

“Well, there’s nothing wrong with watching such things. It’s actually surprising to see a student watching TV these days. Is it an interesting program?”

“Uh, huh? Yeah. I just turned it on because I heard kids watch it. I was curious. When you’re sleeping, I can only look at my phone, and even that gets boring.”

“Why are you so flustered? It’s not like it’s a forbidden program. It’s not rated 19 and over, is it?”

“Uh, yeah! No, it’s not. It’s wholesome and doesn’t have any violent content at all. Here, I’ve turned on the news. Now, let’s stop…”

“Hmm… For the sake of your honor, I’ll stop prying, but… hmm. Being interested in such things from a young age isn’t particularly good for development. Well, it’s an age of strong curiosity, but… you’re not quite a teenage boy, so I won’t worry about it too much.”

“I said it’s not like that! Really…”

“Ah. I usually knock before entering, but I’ll be more mindful. After all, it’s proper to respect one’s privacy.”

Yes, seeing her cheeks turn as red as her hair is amusing.

It was fun teasing the redhead, if not from her debut, then during our fights.

Like teasing her about still getting scolded by Blanc during that period when I was afraid of Blanc.

And the memory of blocking her mindless charges with one hand while mocking her.

Hmm, those were enjoyable times.

Even though it was work, there was a certain thrill when a new magical girl would grow and challenge me, and the ecstasy of giving them new nicknames.

“Ugh… really, this guy…”

Well, I’m not sure if this will boost my strength.

I wonder if this counts as an evil deed.

“Now, you don’t need to mind me. I’ll just watch the news here. Oh, but please refrain from watching anything too personal. I’m curious too, being human and all.”

“Argh… this guy, really…”

She clenched her fists and trembled for a moment, but since I didn’t even look at her, well. Her heavy breathing soon subsided, and she returned to a state of calm.

Like an idiot.

Hah, really.

That simple-mindedness hasn’t changed, then or now.

And so, watching the news about world affairs, politics, accidents,

where monsters appeared and which magical girl responded and won,

how villain appearances have increased, and the opposition party attacking, saying it’s all a welfare issue…

This chaotic world. It’s really interesting.

Why does this country have incidents every single day? There’s no rest.

And then, amid all the trivial social news, came news about Eden.

I thought they’d talk about me, but they only mentioned damage costs and government compensation.

Nothing about me at all.

How boring.

As one program ended and the weather forecaster was about to announce tomorrow’s weather,

the door opened, and Blanc returned.

Beside her was Ellie, who looked exhausted, barely holding onto Blanc’s collar as if she’d been dragged along…

“Welcome back… But didn’t I tell you not to treat Ellie roughly? This state doesn’t match our agreement.”

“Oh, starting with complaints as soon as I return? Don’t worry. She’s faking it. She was running perfectly fine on two legs when we arrived. Here, I bought food too.”

Ellie, standing behind, seemed too tired to speak and was just looking at me, silently pleading for help.

“Is that so? Ellie, come here. You look very tired. Blanc must have really worn you out.”

Yes, the perpetrator of abuse remains confident even in this situation.

“Oh, come on. We just had a comfortable sightseeing trip and a brief heart-to-heart conversation. And we’re late because I was getting some delicious takeout.”

“Bi-Bine… sa-save me… B-Blanc… Blanc… she… she… hic… sob…”

Her words contradict what she’s doing as she rushes to the bed and collapses…