Vol. 1 Chapter 1.2 – It Disappeared After I Brought It Home

It wouldn’t be strange if the rainy season had already ended—late June. In the pouring rain, Kaga Ryousuke was walking while staring intently at the cell phone in his right hand.

The gyudon (extra-large) he had bought in front of Asagaya Station for dinner dangled back and forth in its plastic bag beneath his wrist. Meanwhile, the umbrella in his left hand swayed gently as well.

Thanks to the heavy rain, Ryousuke’s body was getting wet here and there. But he paid no mind to that, and kept his eyes glued to the phone screen as if devouring it. On the screen, a girl in a black leather bikini holding a scythe was cheerfully speaking against a pop background tune.

『You’re troubled, aren’t you? You’re suffering, right? Iria is super, super worried about you.』

They looked like they were about to burst. Her breasts, that is—white, soft-looking breasts. Crushed tightly within the leather bikini, they looked like they might spill out at any moment.

『That’s why—Iria wants to help with your worries too.』

With that line, the breasts started to sway slowly and widely at first, then jiggled in small trembles.

Ryousuke’s finger immediately moved to rewind the playback by a few seconds. He repeated that several times, then let out a blissful【Fuu~】and finally resumed watching the video.

『Reliable and guaranteed support, a lifelong friend for your journey—if it’s a Shinigami Contract, then Merlot Life Assurance. We’ll definitely bring happiness to your life. That’s Iria’s promise!』

With a dumb smirk on his face, Ryousuke contentedly slipped the phone into his pocket.

“No matter how many times I see them, Iria-chan’s oppai are just… seriously outrageous.”

Iria was a rising gravure idol with an astonishing bust that clearly didn’t belong on a high schooler. Her bold, skin-exposing commercial pierced straight into the brains, lust, and loins of youth across the nation.

Ryousuke, a 16-year-old high school student who’d never had a girlfriend, was naturally one of them. He had even asked a friend to convert the commercial into a phone-friendly video, and ever since receiving it during lunch break today, it had been on heavy repeat.

“But man, those are amazing oppai. Maybe I should choose Melro just to get Iria-chan’s poster. Even in class, some people have started signing Shinigami Contracts.”

A Shinigami Contract. It was an agreement where a human offers up spiritual energy—unneeded after death—to a Shinigami. Ryousuke, being unstudied, didn’t know the details, but it was said that even the Shinigami themselves weren’t sure what happened to the soul afterward. For them, spiritual energy was the basis of life, so they were desperate.

As a result, the Shinigami formed organizations like insurance companies and ran around forming contracts with humans. Even producing commercials featuring popular gravure idols was all for the sake of increasing contracts.

Of course, signing the contract came with perks for humans too. Namely, that they would receive support from a Shinigami until the moment they died.

“But like… it’s not like there’s anything I particularly need help with. The support’s kinda half-assed too. Well, Yurieda-san from the greengrocer seemed grateful, though.”

Apparently, Yurieda-san’s mother-in-law often complained, 【My daughter-in-law won’t even make me lunch!】 So the assigned Shinigami would show up each time and remind her that she had indeed eaten. A surprisingly tedious job. Incidentally, her husband wished to become rich and asked for help, so the Shinigami introduced him to a lottery booth with a high win rate…

Well, in that way, the Shinigami did provide solid—and sometimes casual—support to those who signed the contract.

“Still, it’s not like Iria-chan herself would be supporting me. If she’d let me touch her oppai, I’d definitely consider it, though.”

With that hopeless line, Ryousuke shivered as his soaked body trembled.

“Haa~ The rain’s awful. Guess I’ll head home, eat my gyudon, and watch the DVD I borrowed.”

Naturally, the DVD was an adult one. With his parents overseas on assignment, Ryousuke lived alone, meaning he could shamelessly watch adult DVDs in the living room—a privileged life indeed. Although his school life was far from blessed—grades below average, average athletic ability, above-average lewdness, officially recognized as the school pervert, and completely devoid of any appeal…

“Don’t cry, me. Don’t you dare cry.”

Just as he was sinking into that little bit of gloom—

There she was. A red girl.

Amidst the pouring zaa zaa of rain, a girl stood on the roadside without even holding an umbrella. Her long hair, soaked and clinging to her body, remained a fiery red. Her white outfit stuck tightly to her figure, forcibly revealing a slender waist and barely-there chest to Ryousuke. Though she was tall, it wouldn’t be wrong to describe her as graceful or elegant. However, her body was too filled with vitality for that word to truly fit.

That dynamism undoubtedly came from her facial features. Slightly upturned eyes, a well-defined nose, firm red lips, a sharply drawn jaw—her looks were the very definition of beautiful, but more than that, they exuded a dignified strength. And yet, something felt off.

‘…Red eyes?’

He couldn’t make them out well through the curtain of rain, but her eyes appeared red. And within those eyes was an unbefitting, hollow glimmer. Realizing this, he looked at her again—and saw not strength, but a lost kitten, bewildered and with nowhere to go. Indeed, someone standing alone in a downpour like this without an umbrella was far from ordinary. Something bad must’ve happened to her.

And there was one more important thing.

No one—absolutely no one—offered a hand to the girl standing there soaking wet. People averted their gaze, looked down, and passed by, not wanting to get involved.

Ryousuke took a step forward, glancing sideways at those people.

“Well, yeah, it might get troublesome, but… can’t be helped.”

He had already decided. Girls are treasures. So even if it’s meddling or he gets hated for it, he’d cherish them whenever possible. And cherishing someone isn’t something you do expecting something in return—though it’s nice if you do get something. Ryousuke believed that acting on that principle was the true key to being popular.

“…Do you need something from me?”

The girl looked up at Ryousuke as he approached, her gaze clearly filled with hostility.

“Hmph, you’re after my body or something, aren’t you? Too bad. I’ve already beaten down all the guys like that. Do you want to end up hurt too?”

It was only when he got close that Ryousuke finally understood why no one had spoken to the girl. Without even trying to hide her suspicion or wariness, she was radiating hostility in all directions.

“See? You’re just like all the other smart ones. Hurry up and get lost.”

Even as he felt a sharp jolt of fear from her slash-like hostility, Ryousuke desperately raised his transparent vinyl umbrella over the girl’s head.

“Uh, an umbrella.”

“Didn’t I tell you to get lost already?”

She grabbed the handle of the umbrella and pushed it back.

“Y-yeah, but, well… I’ve made up my mind.”

“Made up your mind? What, you decided that any umbrella you offer, you’ll absolutely hand it over or something?”

“S-something like that, I guess…”

“Hah?”

“I mean, girls are something to be cherished… I mean, uh, even if I don’t get anything in return, that’s fine. Expecting something in return is, like, lame, right?”

“You… are you stupid?”

That dumbfounded tone finally made the tension drain out of Ryousuke. The next moment, he let go of the umbrella handle. The girl hastily grabbed it again to stop it from falling.

“What’s your deal!?”

“No deal, really. That umbrella’s yours.”

“What about you?”

“Eh… nah, it’s fine, my place isn’t that far.”

Now that the fear-induced tension was gone, he could appreciate it again—she really was a beautiful girl. His heart started to doki doki race.

“What’s your intention?”

“I told you, it’s the umbrella—”

“I get that you’re giving me the umbrella. That’s not what I mean. Why are you giving it to me? Like I said before, if this is some pickup attempt, I’ll knock you out.”

“Pickup, yeah… well, maybe it kinda is.”

Ryousuke lifted his chin slightly and scratched his nose—then noticed it. The girl who had just been throwing harsh words at him was, rather politely, holding out the umbrella to make sure he didn’t get wet either. Thanks to that, despite having handed it over, Ryousuke wasn’t really getting rained on.

“What are you smiling about?”

“No, it’s nothing. Anyway, about why I gave you the umbrella, right?”

“Yeah, that. Everyone else ran away. So why didn’t you?”

“To be honest, I’d be happy if this turned into a pickup. But that’s not the reason.”

“Not the reason? Then what is?”

Hearing Ryousuke’s words, the girl looked back at him with eyes that openly radiated doubt.

“I told you, I try to treat girls with care. And why do I do that? Basically, it’s because—I really, really love girls. So I treat them kindly.”

“…Haa?”

“No, seriously—girls are the world’s treasure, right?”

He clenched his fist and shut his eyes tight.

“They’re cute, and the sexy parts are sexy, and um… anyway, for guys, girls are like—boobs and boobs and butts and legs and napes—all kinds of dreamy stuff packed into a treasure chest!”

He opened his eyes and saw her—the girl looking at him with a face like she had just witnessed something utterly disappointing.

“Aaaaagh, damn it───────! I totally… totally got too fired up! I overdid it! I just blew what will probably be the one and only chance in my whole life to meet a real beautiful girl… Damn, damn it all!”

As Ryousuke shed sincere tears of regret, the girl suddenly burst out laughing.

“Kusu, Ahahahaha. You’re a weird one, aren’t you?”

“Yeah, sorry about that. I’m already used to being treated like a weirdo.”

“Well, whatever. I feel a little better now, so thanks. Um, what’s your name?”

“O-Oh, I’m Kaga Ryousuke!”

He hurriedly blurted out his own name.

“Fufu, Ryousuke, huh. Thanks again—for the umbrella, too.”

What is this? This feeling—something he’d never felt before. Is this what it means to be popular? Could this be the peak of his life?

“To be honest, I was a little hurt that everyone ignored me. Sure, I get that it’s a hassle, but still.”

Maybe being an adult means avoiding troublesome things as much as possible. In that sense, Ryousuke, who was smack in the middle of his hormone-fueled youth, might still be a child. But he didn’t think that was a bad thing.

“Really, it’s laughable how unlucky I’ve been today…”

As she said that, the girl bit her lip in pain, as if struggling. Then, she fell silent with her head bowed, as though deep in thought. Just once, she glanced up at Ryousuke’s face, then shook her head left and right. After that, she looked down again and said nothing.

The rain was growing even heavier. If they stayed here any longer, they’d get even more soaked. Realizing that, Ryousuke made a decision. He gathered his courage and took the plunge.

“U-Um, I-I mean… if you want, that is, only if you really want to…”

“Oh? Are you trying to take me home with you?”

Girls really were mysterious creatures. The girl who had just been biting her lip now flashed a mischievous, provocative grin. And worse, she hit the nail right on the head about what Ryousuke had in mind. He was so shocked he couldn’t even speak, just flapping his mouth silently like a fish.

“Fufu, sure. Though, just so you know, I’m turning down any pickup attempts.”

She gave a chuckle and began walking. The umbrella moved away from above Ryousuke’s head, and the rain suddenly poured down on him.

“You’re going to show me the way to your house, right? Or… are you going to pretend you don’t want to be involved after all?”

“I’m already involved, aren’t I!?”

Panicking, Ryousuke dove back under the umbrella—right beside the girl.

“Well… yeah, I suppose you are.”

“Hm?”

“No, it’s nothing. So, which way’s your house?”

“Ah, just follow me.”

As he started walking, Ryousuke reached for the umbrella. He couldn’t let a girl keep holding it forever. He was taller, after all, and the girl had to keep her arm awkwardly raised.

“It’s fine. It’s a small thing, but think of it as my way of saying thanks—just a feeling of appreciation, okay?”

Saying that, the girl didn’t give in, and in the end, she held the umbrella all the way to his front door.

“This is your house? Just a regular detached home, huh.”

The girl looked up at the house in front of the gate. It was a typical two-story detached house, with about ten steps from the gate to the entrance overhang. Under the eaves, Ryousuke’s beloved dog Caesar was wagging his tail. It had been sunny when he left earlier, so he’d let the dog out, but with this rain, it seemed eager to be let back in.

“Oh, what a cute dog.”

As the girl said that, Caesar trotted over and held out his left front paw pon for a handshake.

“Aha, what a polite boy.”

Smiling gently, the girl took Caesar’s left paw in her right hand—

“──!”

—and gasped.

“Aah, sorry. He’s wet, right?”

“Eeh? No, I’m fine. It’s just a little damp.”

“Hmm… Well, whatever. Let’s go in.”

Feeling a bit unsettled for some reason, Ryousuke took a step forward—

“Ryousuke, right?”

The girl called his name with a serious tone. Maybe it was the tension and caution that came from a girl entering a boy’s house?

“No, you’ve got it wrong. Seriously, I swear this isn’t a pickup thing. I won’t lay a hand on you or anything! Uh, I mean, if there’s something bothering you—yeah—I’ll listen! I’ll do anything I can to help!”

“You mean… you’ll be my strength?”

Her voice sounded like she was seeking confirmation.

“Yeah, I’ll do anything. I’ll give it my all.”

“Anything?”

“Yeah! As long as it’s something I can do, I’ll do anything.”

He flashed a smile, showing his teeth—though it felt like a weirdly strained smile. Not that there was any shining sun in this pouring rain to back it up. Still unaware of that self-critique—

“Thank you. You’ve really helped me. I was struggling with this for a while, but if you’re saying that, Ryousuke…”

The girl let the umbrella fall and stepped forward, placing her rain-soaked left hand on Ryousuke’s shoulder.

“Eh—w-wait, even if you’re grateful, th-this is kinda fast…!”

Amid the heavy downpour, Ryousuke was flustered as she pulled him even closer. Maybe she was so happy that she just wanted to hug him? Maybe they’d kiss next? Was this that moment where he finally leveled up in life? All sorts of wild thoughts raced through Ryousuke’s head—

“I’m sorry.”

The girl, her eyes cast downward, spoke.

Words Ryousuke couldn’t comprehend. But before he had time to question their meaning, a searing impact tore through his chest. Somewhere deep inside—maybe his heart?—it was rapidly growing hotter. No, maybe this was pain?

He looked down to check his chest. Honestly, it made sense that it hurt. A short sword was deeply embedded in his chest. And unbelievably, its gleaming blade was slowly sinking deeper into his body…

“Eh, huh… Is this thing… actually stabbing me?”

Unable to stay standing, Ryousuke’s knees gave out. The strength drained from his body, from his very soul. Everything felt heavy. It was like his consciousness was slipping away.

‘So… this is what it feels like to die, huh…’

He felt death. And in that moment, a strange desire began to well up within him. His strength was draining like it was being sucked away, yet something within his heart fought back—an emotion rising from deep inside.

“Eh, I can still move!?”

Guh, Ryousuke mustered strength into his body and looked up at the sky, then clutched his chest and stared at the girl.

“R-Ryousuke…”

“Thanks for the dream, ugh… even if it was at the end… ngh… I really appreciated it…”

He smiled at the groaning girl. That was all he could manage. As Caesar’s footsteps approached—

“Ryousuke… I’m sorry.”

He heard the girl’s whisper and Ryousuke’s consciousness faded completely.

Watching Ryousuke, completely still, the red-haired girl—Lisara—murmured:

“It’s okay, puppy. So, could you please let me come inside?”

Caesar obediently moved aside. More than that—when Lisara tried to somehow lift Ryousuke’s body, Caesar pushed from beneath with his head to help. At that, Lisara gave a bitter smile.

“If you were human, this guy wouldn’t have had to go through this, you know.”

※　※　※

“Aaah, that felt good.”

Lisara stepped out of the shower, wrapping a bath towel around herself in high spirits. But that sense of calm was quickly consumed by rising—anxiety.

“Ugh, why can’t I find them!?”

As she carefully dried her long red hair with a hair dryer, Lisara shouted in irritation.

According to the information Kyuru had stolen from her father, there should still be an undiscovered Singular within this city.

Lisara had more than enough confidence. Certainly, it was difficult to locate a Singular who had yet to awaken their potential. However, as someone who had earned her First-Class Shinigami license as second top of her class, there was no way she would fail to find them.

And yet, despite covering the entire city with a detection spell array, and narrowing the range with an exhaustive close search, there had been no response. She had walked the city streets countless times and scanned every location thoroughly.

By the time she realized it, she was nearly out of the spiritual energy required to maintain her existence in the human world.

“Yeah, I do feel bad about what I did to Ryousuke. He was so kind to me… But if I explained everything honestly, anyone would’ve run away. I had no choice but to do it that way.”

She murmured at her reflection in the mirror, almost as if trying to justify herself.

“But yeah, I should explain things properly. Considering what’s ahead, it’ll be inconvenient if we don’t build a proper relationship.”

As she adjusted the flow of her bangs, Lisara smiled.

“First, I should carry him from the hallway, where he collapsed from exhaustion, to at least the sofa or something. Just waking up in a different spot gives a different impression, right? Alright, ordinary human… Wait, I need to watch how I say that. Since he’s lacking in talent, he’ll probably stay asleep a little longer. So first, I’ll borrow some proper clothes, and then… let’s do our best!”

Switching off the dryer, Lisara slipped on a dress shirt.

※　※　※

‘Huh?’

That was Ryousuke’s first impression. The hallway floor of his own home looked chou shikinkyori—ultra close.

Strange. He should’ve been dead. Proof being, his body wouldn’t move a single inch.

‘But I’ve never heard that the floor in Heaven looks exactly like my house’s. Then… could it be—I’m a jishibaku-rei!?’

[earthbound spirit / restless ghost]

A young, handsome man stabbed in the chest, meeting a tragic end, now bound to the hallway of his own house by deep regret. That must be it.

But why the hallway? The moment he wondered that, a certain memory resurfaced.

It was when he was ten years old. He had discovered, like a flash of lightning, something incredible. Crawling belly-down across the hallway floor, he found his groin area—felt strangely good. He’d done it over and over again, until his confused parents asked, 【What are you doing?】

Back then, little Ryousuke had answered with a bright smile and flushed cheeks,【K-a-i-k-a-n】. Naturally, his future became a very real concern for them after that. K-a-i-k-a-n¹

‘Wait, seriously? I’m stuck in this hallway as a ghost because of that? If anything, I should be in front of the TV. That’s where all my youth bloomed! I still wanna watch the DVD I borrowed!’

A TV that plays erotic DVDs night after night. That… would be true horror.

Just then, the sound of a door opening came from the changing area at the far end of the hallway, followed by light footsteps approaching.

‘That means… it’s that girl from earlier!’

The very one who stabbed Ryousuke. Even though he was kind to her, instead of falling for him, she shoved a blade into his heart. Sure, he said he didn’t expect anything in return—but getting killed? That was a bit much.

‘But still… she was a real beauty. No chest to speak of, but those hips were amazing and her face was flawless. Thanks to that, I even tried to act cool and thanked her at the end…’

The light suta suta footsteps steadily grew closer.

‘Yeah… I mean, she killed me, but I got to meet a beautiful girl like that. Honestly, just having a beautiful girl do anything to me is already a miracle. Wait,【do anything】sounds kinda erotic… No, this isn’t about 【Nani】the generic word—it’s about【Nani】as in that!’

---

[TLDR: He starts with “nani（何）” = what

Then turns it into “Nani（ナニ）” = slang for male genitals

Which makes “do something to me” sound like “do that to me.”] 

---

Call him stupid if you want—but Ryousuke was a high school boy who died without ever even having a kiss.

Just then, those idiotic thoughts were cut short. The footsteps stopped right in front of him. Then the girl’s voice fell from above.

“Still not awake, huh. Well, he is a mediocre person… I mean, someone without talent, so I guess it can’t be helped.”

‘As I thought, she’s the girl who did something to me… Wait no, that sounds too clean!【Nani】as in【what】just won’t do—it’s no good! It has to be—yeah, that【Nani】!’

“Ugh, he’s lying diagonally, so I have no choice but to step over him. What a pain.”

Just as the girl lifted one leg to straddle Ryousuke—

“NANI（ナニ） da, NANI（ナニ）! What did you want me to dooooo!?”

That soul-shaking roar from the very depths of his being—happened at the exact same moment.

“N…ani（なに）?”

The girl froze in shock. In that instant, Ryousuke, whose limbs had been completely motionless until now, suddenly sprang up with power through them. But just before he could get all the way upright, a light, soft fabric draped over his head.

“Huh?”

He stopped moving at the sensation of the soft cloth, then noticed something red right in front of his eyes.

“Huhhh?”

He turned to the left—white skin. To the right—the wall of the hallway through a gap in the fluttering cloth. Forward—red something again. Looking closely, he could see what looked like fine strands bunched together.

Then, an idea flash in the back of Ryousuke’s mind. To confirm it, he lowered his gaze slightly, just slightly—

“HIGYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!”

Before he could, the girl let out a scream worthy of a death cry.

“Wait, could this be…not the Peach Blossom Spring, but between her legs? No, worse—her crotch!?”

“NOOOOOOOOOO!!!”

A sharp, piercing scream, and with it, a chilling sense of death brushing his nape. Acting on instinct before thought, Ryousuke threw his upper body forward and swept his legs out. The girl, who had been just about to drop a brutal elbow on his skull, lost her balance spectacularly—

“Kyan!”

—and landed butt-first right on Ryousuke’s shoulder and neck.

“Gueeeeh!”

The sudden weight made Ryousuke let out a crushed-frog-like noise as he desperately planted both hands on the floor, getting into a crawling stance to support Lisara’s weight.

“Wha—kyah—h-hey, wait!?”

Lisara started flailing on Ryousuke’s back, having completely lost her balance.

“S-stupid!”

Then she slammed her full weight down onto his shoulder and head. Unable to endure it, Ryousuke collapsed flat onto the floor.

“Yaaah—wh-what are you doing! Kyaaan!”

With a goin—a heavy, dull impact—

“──!!”

A voiceless scream escaped the girl.

Right beside Ryousuke’s face, now pressed flat against the floor, the back of the girl’s head perfectly slammed down. Clutching her head in both hands, she began to shiku shiku sob. It must’ve hurt a lot. But Ryousuke, unable to think of what to say, could only mutter the most honest thing that came to mind.

“Yo…”

“Wh…what!?”

“Surprisingly…”

“Surprisingly…?”

“Surprisingly heavy, aren’t you, Ojou-san.”

The girl shifted her head and looked his way. Red hair—behind that luxurious curtain, her red eyes flickered and shone like flames, locking onto his gaze. And for some reason, they laughed together. 【Ahahaha】with a dry laugh.

The laughter stopped and both Ryousuke and the girl shouted in unison:

“I’m gonna kill you!!”

“No way!”

The girl’s body bounced on his back. A bad feeling tingling down his spine, Ryousuke quickly rolled to the side.

The girl’s foot slammed down where Ryousuke had just been lying. Tch—she clicked her tongue and raised her foot again.

Fearing the stomp, Ryousuke rolled once more.

“Rolling around in a narrow hallway is useless resistance!”

But the girl had already read Ryousuke’s next move. As he finished rolling and ended up on his back, she brought her foot down right toward his face. The sole—soft, white, and fresh with not a trace of calluses—closed in on him.

‘Ah… I wanna get stepped on.’

Don’t call him a pervert. Even if it’s just a sole, the thought of being touched directly by a girl’s skin—it’s only natural to want that. It’s proof he’s a healthy young man. And if the other person is a beautiful girl, even if it means getting stepped on, isn’t that… a reward? Within just a fraction of a second, such thoughts raced wildly through Ryousuke’s mind.

“What’s with that satisfied look on your face!? DIEEEEEEE!”

“Crap! My delusions got the better of meeeee!”

Just as Ryousuke accepted death, it entered his vision again. Right next to the thigh the girl had raised—was a modestly gathered patch of red.

“Red… hair?”

The girl’s foot froze. She backed off, straightened the hem of the shirt and her face flushed bright red.

“Wait—that’s my dress shirt!”

What the girl was wearing was nothing but a single men’s dress shirt. Below the waist—nothing. Because it was a man’s shirt, it hung loosely, and from its hem extended her smooth, pale legs.

Even though she had buttoned it all the way to the top, the front of her chest still showed exposed skin.

“W-W-What kind of outfit is that?!”

“I didn’t have a choice, okay!? It was the only clean thing I could find! Why was there only one dress shirt in your dresser!?”

Still red-faced, the girl raised her voice in protest. Even though she was the one who had put it on without asking, why was she the one yelling at him? That question floated in Ryousuke’s mind as he tilted his head slightly.

“Hmm… Ahh, yeah, I guess I ran out of clean clothes. Been raining a lot lately, you know?”

“W-What were you planning to do about today’s underwear!?”

The girl asked hesitantly, nervous.

“Uhh… performance testing for febreze?”

“NOOOOOOOO!! Y-You did wash them properly, right!?”

Faced with that question, Ryousuke stopped and thought for a moment.

“Y-You’re lying…”

“No no, they’re clean! Umm, I think… it was before I changed clothes last time, so…”

“When was the last time you did laundry!?”

“Eh, well, it was before I changed clothes—”

“I don’t want to hear it!”

The girl covered her ears and shook her head. Then, as if expelling all the air from her lungs, she let out a long sigh.

“Haa~ No wonder there was only one dress shirt left.”

“You’re noisy. You’re the one who put it on without asking… Put it on—wait, took it off and then put it on?”

The words snagged in the back of his brain. No… Ryousuke realized something that should have been impossible.

“I have a question!”

Shuta! He shot his hand up with force. Seeing this, the girl let out a soft sigh as if to say【can’t be helped.】

“Well, I suppose you have a lot of questions. Fine, I’ll answer what I can.”

“Are. You. No. Panties. Now?”

“…Huh?”

“Are you, right now, no panties!?”

Kachin—the girl froze. And then her face began to turn redder and redder.

“I knew it! I knew it was true! Damn it, why didn’t I look lower when I had the chance!? To have the paradise of manhood right before me, and I—ME—I…!!”

It was an unforgivable mistake. Normally, the usual Ryousuke would have absolutely looked. No—he wouldn’t have just looked, he would’ve locked on, sniffed, and gone all in!

“Damn… damn it all! My lust! My libido! What the hell happened to me!?”

As he cried out such brutally honest words, the girl’s body began to tremble.

“Tha────t does it. I’m killing you. I’ll kill you even if I die doing it. I swear on the pride of Lisara Restall—I’ll straight-up murder you!”

“My stupid self! Stupid stupid stupid! That was gonna be my first real step into adulthood—WAAAH!?”

A long-handled scythe—like something a true Shinigami would wield—was already in the girl’s hand before he realized it. And its blade tip was firmly pressed against Ryousuke’s neck.

“G-Gib! I give! I give, okay!? Getting stabbed in the heart was one thing, but getting my head chopped off? That’s serious! I’ll die! Decapitation means death!!”

Pikuri—the scythe trembled.

“Please! Anything but separating my top and bottom halves!”

“What happened to your upper half!?”

The girl snapped unintentionally, then slumped her shoulders as if drained of energy.

“…You’re hopelessly un-serious. I must’ve been an idiot to even feel guilty about what I did to you.”

The tip of the scythe withdrew from his neck, and in the next moment, it turned into light and vanished.

“I-It disappeared?”

Ignoring Ryousuke’s comment, the girl crossed her arms.

“You’re such a ridiculous guy. It’s stupid to even treat you seriously. Fine. If you don’t want to die, go to the convenience store right now.”

“The convenience store?”

“Buy me underwear there. I’d be even happier if you got me some clothes too.”

“I’m the one who has to go buy them?”

“Of course. What, do you expect me to go outside dressed like this?”

True… if she went out wearing nothing but a dress shirt, she’d definitely get arrested as a flasher. And it was raining outside too. It’d definitely go see-through. A wet, see-through, nothing-underneath dress shirt…

“Th-That’s outrageous… Absolutely unbelievable… Freaking amazing!”

“W-Why are you getting excited!?”

“No, it’d piss me off if someone else got to see something that amazing. I’ll go buy it myself.”

“T-That kind of rubbed me the wrong way, but… thanks.”

Though a bit wary, the girl gave a small nod of thanks. Intentionally ignoring the weird look she gave him—as if watching something truly bizarre—Ryousuke pictured the inside of the convenience store. He was pretty sure they sold underwear. That meant only one problem remained.

“Can I ask you something?”

“What is it?”

“…Size.”

At that, the girl’s eyebrow twitched.

“H-Hey, come on! It’s a necessary question, okay!? I wasn’t asking for any pervy reason!”

“………………o.”

“…Huh?”

Her voice was too faint to hear. It was so small and timid, it was hard to believe this was the same person who had just gone wild on him earlier.

“I said… the smallest one…”

“No way—it’s not the biggest size, right?”

“!!!!!!!!!!!!!”

The girl turned her back to him. Her shoulders trembled. Is she… mad?

“You can tell just by looking, right!? The smallest—th-the smallest size, okayyyyy!!”

Her shout came out in a teary voice, and surprisingly, Ryousuke felt a heavy wave of guilt wash over him.

※　※　※

“So, what the hell is going on? I don’t get anything anymore.”

Sitting on the floor, Ryousuke stared at the wall—which, thanks to his habit of skipping cleaning, had some pretty noticeable grime.

“Let’s see… Where should I start?”

Sitting on the sofa with her legs crossed, the girl spoke. Her gaze was fixed on Ryousuke’s back, which was turned toward the wall. The reason for this strange conversational setup was extremely simple.

The convenience store only had underwear.

In short, all she was wearing was a pair of panties and Ryousuke’s dress shirt—making it incredibly easy to see things. Dressed in such temptation-rich  attire, there was no way Ryousuke could hold back. His bloodshot eyes had sought out the—the paradise between her thighs.

The result? A head-on collision between his face and a cushion.

Which led to the current positioning.

“First of all… why am I even alive? I thought I got killed.”

“That’s rude. I didn’t kill you. You just fainted.”

“No, but I definitely remember a short sword guh stabbing straight into my heart!”

“I didn’t stab your heart. I stabbed your soul.”

“…My soul?”

“That’s right. I needed to borrow your spiritual energy to stay in the human world.”

“Human world…Wait, are you—are you a Shinigami!?”

“Yes. Lisara Restall. And I’m a First-Class Shinigami.”

She declared her name proudly.

But Ryousuke, being rather uneducated, had no idea how impressive【First-Class】actually was.

“Ah, right. I guess normal humans don’t really know about Shinigami ranks.”

“So then, what would a big shot like a First-Class Shinigami want with someone like me?”

He’d never heard of a Shinigami having any personal business with a random human. Sure, sometimes they interacted with humans for bureaucratic stuff—like making rules or contracts for commercials—but Ryousuke was just a regular high schooler.

‘Maybe… there’s a hidden secret about me or something?’

Just like a hero in anime or manga.

‘Like I’m the son of the Shinigami King or something!?’

Hope swelled.

“I don’t have any business with you.”

And just like that, hope deflated.

“Because you’re just a mediocre person…no, a talentless—no, better yet, a perverted mediocre person. That works.”

And he crashed straight down. He already knew he was a mediocre person, deeply and thoroughly. But hearing it pointed out still made him tear up.

“Then what the hell do you want from me!?”

“There’s supposed to be a Singular in this city.”

“Singular? What’s that?”

“Oops… I forgot. The term【Singular One】isn’t public knowledge among normal people.”

“Sorry I’m just a plain old average idiot from the general population.”

“A【Singular One】is a chosen human who holds the spiritual power of a thousand—or even ten thousand—people. They’re often called geniuses or heroes.”

Apparently, that had absolutely, completely, 100% nothing to do with Ryousuke.

“But are you even allowed to tell me that? Isn’t it a secret?”

“It’s fine. You’re never going to have anything to do with it anyway.”

What stung the most was that even he believed that.

“Anyway, I need you to understand the situation. I came here to find the Singular One and make a personal Shinigami Contract with them.”

“Personal? So that means you’re gonna be with that Singular One full-time or something?”

“Exactly. To guide their life in a good direction, a Shinigami is assigned to offer full support.”

“Heh… lucky bastard.”

Ryousuke couldn’t bring himself to care anymore. Even though it sounded amazing, it had absolutely nothing to do with him. It was one of those stories where the more amazing it is, the more detached you feel. He just couldn’t take it seriously.

“But I couldn’t find them. I spent the whole day trying everything and still nothing. To make matters worse, I suddenly lost contact with Kyuru in the Shinigami Realm.”

“Hmm.”

“What kind of half-assed response is that?”

“Nah, I’m listening, really. Yup.”

In truth, Ryousuke had been staring at a stain on the wall thinking,【That kinda looks like an elephant.】

“…Well, anyway. So with all that, I burned through almost all the spiritual energy I brought with me to stay in the human world. I was totally out of options.”

“Wait, Shinigami need spiritual energy just to be here?”

“Of course we do. It’s a completely different world. All Shinigami use a spell formula called《Existence Bond Raise》to stay active in the human realm. Normally we get spiritual energy from the humans we’re contracted to. But since I came on a temporary assignment, I stocked up on as much energy as I could before arriving. But I used way too many detection spells, and I ran out of power to keep《Existence Bond Raise》running.” skeletal shapes²

There were way too many unfamiliar terms, and Ryousuke’s brain couldn’t keep up.

“Y-Yeah, I don’t really get it, but… sounds like a pain.”

“It can’t be helped. This place is a foreign world to us. So, right when I was hitting my limit… I met you.”

At that point, Lisara let out a long sigh haa~.

“When you gave me that umbrella, you actually seemed kind of dependable for a mediocre man…”

“…Huh?”

“N-Never mind! Forget I said anything!”

For some reason, she got mad at him again. After that, an awkward silence lingered for several seconds.

“Right, right. It’s way smaller than I expected, but I did pick up a reaction that goes beyond an ordinary human.”

“Who the hell is that lucky bastard?”

“Your pet dog.”

“My dog? You mean… C-Caesar!?”

Yes, his beloved dog was actually a German Shepherd.

“Ugh, it’s your fault for giving him a name like that. I totally misunderstood!”

“Hey, don’t be rude! That name suits him—he is amazing!”

Ryousuke turned around, sat upright in seiza, and looked Lisara straight in the eyes.

“W-What?”

“Caesar, you see—became the top of the neighborhood dog society by the age of three. A young hero, I tell you! When I walk him, all the other male dogs tuck their tails and clear the way.”

“…Seriously?”

“And not only that! When it’s mating season, old or young, all the female dogs kyaa~n and snuggle up to him. He’s the number one dog they all want to be mounted by. Isn’t that awesome? Ehehehn!”

“Uh… well, um… I guess…”

“And compared to that, I, his owner, don’t even have a single girlfriend! Hell, the only thing I’ve ever done is tuck my tail and clear other people’s paths!”

He jabbed his thumb into his own chest, then held that pose for one, two seconds…

“Damn beast… What is this ridiculous gap in status inside my own household…”

“Um, could I… get back to the story now?”

Lisara had a rather troubled look on her face.

“…Yeah.”

Crushed by sheer sadness, Ryousuke could only give her a small nod.

“You’re sulking now. Well, whatever. I mean, I couldn’t possibly make a contract with a dog—Caesar, was it? Not with my pride on the line. So I felt bad for you since you helped me… but I followed the original plan.”

“Original plan? What’s that supposed to mean? What kind of value could a mediocre man lower than a housepet possibly have? No—none, there’s no way!”

“Why are you self-deprecating so hard!?”

“Then what? You’re saying even a loser like me has some value?”

“Yes. You did.”

Lisara nodded, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

“You did say it, didn’t you? That you’d do anything for me.”

“Well… yeah, I said it.”

Treating girls with care is kind of his personal motto.

“That’s why—I had you do it.”

Lisara poked Ryousuke in the chest with her index finger.

“My heart?”

“I told you—it was your soul.”

“That dagger, huh…”

He remembered it clearly. Just when he thought she was going to hug him from happiness, she stabbed that dagger right into his chest.

“Right. That dagger is the pride of the Restall family—【The Broken Sword, Gram.】It’s a super high-class treasure said to have been granted by a great and mighty god of war.”

“Pretty busted for a treasure, isn’t it?”

“It’s supposed to be broken, that’s the name! Well, rumor has it that it’s only short because it’s dormant, and when it awakens, it’ll return to being a full-length longsword again.”

“So it’s not broken—it’s just shrunken. And then it gets big again… sounds kinda like that.”

Ryousuke dropped his gaze to his waist.

Lisara followed his gaze before quickly snapping her eyes away. Ah, her face was a little red.

“Ahem! Anyway, Gram bears my personal seal of ownership. And I stabbed it—under your consent—into your soul. Do you know what that means?”

“Wait, hold on. I never gave consent to be stabbed.”

“Who was it that said,『I’ll do anything』?”

Ryousuke had no comeback. But still, who would’ve thought『anything』included being stabbed?

“Maybe the opponent was just too much for me…”

“Sure, I felt a little bad for tricking you like that.”

“A little!? That’s straight-up fraud!”

“Well, after getting peeped on in such a vulgar way, I think we’re even.”

Lisara nodded to herself in total self-satisfaction.

“Let’s keep going. Gram, with my seal, is practically a part of me. So basically, by stabbing it into your soul, it’s like I’ve embedded a piece of myself inside you. That means when I touch you, I’m touching Gram, which lets me draw spirit energy from your soul.”

“That’s… kind of a gross way to put it.”

“I get how you feel, but it couldn’t be helped. Even back then—and from now on too—I’ll need spiritual energy. Of course, if I made a Shinigami contract, I could get regular spirit energy from my contractor. But I didn’t plan to form a contract with you.”

“Because I’m a mediocre man, huh?”

“Sorry, but exactly. As a First-Class Shinigami, there’s no way I can form a contract with a plain old nobody. Sure, part of it’s personal pride, but the rest is about balancing relationships with other Shinigami.”

“By the way, that Gra-whatever—it can be removed if I want, right?”

“Of course not. It was stabbed in with mutual consent. To remove it, both parties—meaning you and I—have to agree to undo it.”

Lisara then flashed a wicked smirk and bowed her head in exaggerated politeness.

“Thanks for giving your cheerful consent, Kaga Ryousuke.”

“I feel like I just got totally scammed…”

“Oh please, it’s your fault for getting all giddy without asking anything first.”

Ryousuke could almost hear her words stabbing into his chest.

“But seriously, how come you’re doing fine with my spirit energy? I mean, I’m just a nobody, right?”

“Oh? That’s unexpected. You actually noticed something important.”

Lisara chuckled softly.

Ryousuke suddenly had a very bad feeling.

“It’s simple. I’m just that excellent.”

“Wow, someone’s full of herself!”

“Yes, I am. I excel at controlling spiritual energy. So even if the energy I’m drawing is nowhere near what normal Shinigami use, I can still maintain my presence just fine.”

Just as Ryousuke thought about picking his nose in defiance, he was pierced by a spine-chilling glare.

“Well, that should clear up all your questions now, right?”

“Yes, sensei!”

He snapped into a salute more enthusiastically than he ever had in class.

“There’s still more?”

“I mean, this won’t mess me up or anything, right?”

“Oh, don’t be silly. It’s totally fine, really.”

Lisara waved her hand back and forth dismissively.

“But I did pass out earlier…”

“That was just shock from the contract forming. Happens sometimes. No big deal, really.”

The way she was clearly trying to reassure herself made Ryousuke squint suspiciously at her face.

“W-Why are you staring at me like that!?”

He kept staring in silence. Lisara began to groan uncomfortably, like a cornered animal.

“There is something, isn’t there?”

Lisara fell silent. She closed her eyes, furrowed her brow, and seemed to think hard.

After about ten seconds, she opened her eyes, met Ryousuke’s gaze directly, and finally began to speak seriously.

“Like I said before, Gram is stabbed into your soul.”

Her serious tone made Ryousuke gulp and nod instinctively.

“The tip of the blade has reached deep within your soul—where the essence of your life force is stored. That place holds your most powerful spiritual energy. Gram draws power from there. It’s way more than the spirit energy that leaks out naturally.”

“So that’s how you’ve been able to keep your body materialized here?”

“Exactly. Even I—an undisputed genius—couldn’t keep 《Existence Bond Raise》running just off natural spirit emissions. You passed out earlier because I drew enough spirit energy to keep myself here for a while.”

“You mean… from my life force?”

“Right. I extracted the thoughts and desires that drive you to live, and used them as spiritual energy. Think—does anything feel off to you? Like something’s missing?”

The way Lisara looked at him—it wasn’t teasing or mocking for once. She was genuinely concerned.

“Anything you usually feel that’s… suddenly gone?”

He thought for less than a second. The answer came instantly.

Why hadn’t he tried to sneak a peek beneath that red hair, to glimpse the paradise beneath? And more importantly—why, for some reason, was he just… satisfied with simply looking?

‘Why am I… satisfied just watching her? I mean—this is me we’re talking about. There’s a beautiful girl in nothing but a shirt and panties in front of me! Why the hell haven’t I jumped her like some Lupin/Fujiko-chan scenario?! Why!?’

Even though he thought that way, his mind couldn’t go any further and his body didn’t react either. Even if he couldn’t act on it, at the very least, he should’ve been fantasizing. Fantasizing and getting all haa haa. That’s exactly what a man’s instinct is supposed to be!

“Looks like something did come to mind after all.”

Fuu, Lisara let out a sigh.

“Yes, Lisara-sensei!”

A bead of cold sweat trickled down Ryousuke’s cheek as he raised his hand.

“Isn’t this, like… seriously not funny?”

“Ehe☆”

“‘Ehe’ my aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaasssssss!!”

Ryousuke couldn’t help but scream.

“Give it back—give me back my sex drive, my pervy spirit!!”

Lisara blinked, dumbfounded by his words.

“Um, with those bloodshot eyes, and the way you’ve been acting, I’d say you’re already pretty pervy though.”

“You idiot!”

“S-Sorry.”

Lisara apologized reflexively.

“Wait, why the hell am I apologizing!?”

“Shut up. Listen, this is about curiosity. I wanna see, I wanna know, I wanna remember. But for a man, it doesn’t stop there. It’s about haa haa-ing from what you see, actually haa haa-ing for real!”

Lisara simply stared at Ryousuke in silence.

“Got it now, huh?!”

Why did it feel like her gaze was freezing cold?

“There’s one thing I’ve realized. I think I’ve done something really great for all the girls in the world.”

“What the hell, I should at least be allowed the freedom to fantasize!”

“Maybe I should just suck out even more.”

Lisara muttered in a low, low voice. It didn’t sound like a joke at all—it carried a terrifying weight and tone.

“Wait, no! I beg you, if I lose any more of my sex drive, I’ll die!”

“Saying you’ll die if you lose your libido… you’re seriously hopeless.”

“Shut up! People have their own individuality, okay? And that individuality, it’s your fault that it’s been permanently erased!”

“Don’t be ridiculous. Humans aren’t that fragile. If you give it some time, your life energy will come back on its own. And I barely took anything earlier, it’ll probably return by tomorrow.”

“For real? You swear? Absolutely?”

“Y-You’re so desperate. I don’t think I took an amount that can’t recover. I did control myself, you know.”

“So if you had taken too much…”

“You’d suffer irreversible deep damage. To be blunt, you’d be a living corpse, yes?”

Lisara stated that merciless truth—calm and smooth.

“N-No waaaay—please! I’m begging you, just pull that Gram thing out of me!”

“I don’t plan to leave things like this either. Honestly, someone like you doesn’t deserve Gram anyway.”

“Then let’s do it—right now—just now—JASTO NAU!”

[TL:ジャストナウ] 

“Don’t rush. Why do you think I’ve been explaining everything to you so carefully?”

“Because… you’re nice?”

“You’re dumb.”

Her reply came back instantly, not even a half-second pause.

“Tch… You just casually said something I’ve been trying not to notice.”

“Good for you. Self-awareness is important.”

Lisara looked at Ryousuke coldly. He barely held up under that gaze as he glared back at her.

“So, in the end, what’s all this for?”

“To find the special person. With your help—since you know this city well—it’ll be much easier to locate them, right?”

“And once you find them, the contract gets lifted?”

“Exactly.”

Lisara nodded honestly. From the way she acted, she didn’t seem to be lying. But something felt off. If she didn’t want anything specific from Ryousuke, then there was no need to go this far. And yet, she stubbornly refused to let go of him.

“…Don’t tell me—you’ve fallen for me?”

“Do you really think that?”

“No… sorry.”

Ryousuke truly had no confidence in that.

“Geez, stop tarnishing my first impression of you more and more…”

“Hm?”

“Just talking to myself!”

Lisara shot him a piercing glare.

“But, still—if it’s not because you’re into me, then wouldn’t it be better to just go back to the Shinigami World? Stop dragging around some average guy like me. Wouldn’t that be easier for you too?”

“You notice the most annoying things.”

Lisara’s brow twitched slightly. Then she sighed softly.

“Haa… I’ve got my own troublesome circumstances too. Imagine—coming back to the Shinigami World, having lost all my spiritual power without forming a single Shinigami Contract. As a Restall, that wouldn’t just be embarrassing—it’d be a full-blown disgrace. And on top of that, I came here without permission. If I could get in contact with Kyuuru, maybe I could do some damage control…”

Ryousuke didn’t understand a word of what she was saying.

“You don’t have to fully get it. Just know that I’ve got my reasons, and I can’t go back. That’s why I need your help. Got it?”

There wasn’t even room to say『got it.』This was basically a threat, plain and simple.

“Don’t make that sulky face. I do feel a little bad for dragging you into this.”

“Just a little, huh.”

“I was feeling worse at the beginning. But now it’s dropping fast. Well, still…”

Suddenly, Lisara began giggling.

“What now? That came outta nowhere.”

“Surprisingly, I started thinking it might actually be kinda fun working with you. Fufufu, I mean, you’re a type I’ve never seen before, and yet you go spouting whatever you want to me, the Lisara of the Restall family.”

“Yeah well, it’s not like I meant to. I was soaking wet like a puppy, stabbed with a sword, found out you were a Shinigami—any sense of restraint, tension, or emotional barrier got smashed to bits right from the start.”

“That goes for both of us, don’t you think? We’re even.”

“Guess so. Oh right, speaking of which… I also saw your, uh, you know…”

He was about to say something, but his instincts made him swallow the words. Right in front of him were Lisara’s eyes, lifted like those of an oni.

“If you ever bring that up again… just assume your life is forfeit.”

“U-understood, ma’am!”

“Hmph. So, you’re going to cooperate with me, right?”

Even though she said that right after giving him a glare that could kill, Ryousuke found himself at a loss.

“I am kind of looking forward to working together with you, you know?”

She gave a kusu—a charming and captivating smile. He could tell it was bait to lure him in. He knew that. But still—

“Kuh, I’ve decided—I’ll treasure her. Even if I end up being treated like this in return!”

“If that dedication was meant for just one girl, it would’ve been really cool…”

“Shut it! I’m cooperating, so no complaints!”

“True. I’m not really in a position to complain, I guess. But Ryousuke, can I just say one thing?”

“What is it?”

“You’re an idiot, Ryousuke.”

She said it cheerfully, and he collapsed in place. Because he honestly agreed with her. Watching his slumped-over head, Lisara had a half-smile on her face, somewhere between a bitter laugh and a soft grin.

“Well, whatever. I got your enthusiastic consent, after all.”

Covering her convenience store panties carefully with her hem, Lisara stood and sat in seiza in front of Ryousuke.

“I’ve said it a few times already, but I’m Lisara Restall. Just call me Lisara.”

“I’m Kaga Ryousuke. Sixteen. My parents are stationed overseas, so I live alone.”

“I see. I’m about sixteen in human years too, so looks like we’ll get along fine. Looking forward to working with you.”

With that, Lisara extended her right hand. Her white, slender wrist made him nervous.

“What’s wrong? You shake hands in the human world too, don’t you?”

“Ah, yeah… looking forward to it.”

Still tense, he grasped the hand she held out.

“You don’t have to be that nervous.”

“Shut up, I’m not used to this!”

“Hmmm. You offered that umbrella so naturally, I thought you were used to girls.”

Letting go of his hand, Lisara tilted her head.

“Fuh, I may have played the gentleman, but I’ve never been rewarded for it! Heck, aside from my childhood friend, that was the first time I’ve shared an umbrella with a girl!”

“Wha—th-that kind of phrasing… stop it! It’s, like, kinda… embarrassing!”

“Huh, really?”

“Yes! That was my first time too, you know… Mouu.”

Pouting, she turned her head to the side. It was, unexpectedly, kind of a cute reaction.

“But yeah, you’re right. I guess I have caused you a lot of inconvenience…”

Still facing to the side, Lisara nodded repeatedly as if convincing herself.

“Yup, let’s do that.”

“Do what?”

“If we manage to find the special person safely, I’ll give you a reward. How’s that?”

“A reward?”

“Yes. As a Shinigami, I’ll grant you one wish—anything to make your life a little happier. If I don’t give you something in return for your efforts, it’d bring shame to the name Lisara Restall.”

“You don’t have to push yourself, you know?”

“I’m not pushing myself.”

“Anything?”

“Of course, outrageous stuff like『marry me』is off-limits.”

“Heh, I’m not that dumb. Let’s see…”

He thought about it—or rather, remembered. An image slowly floated into Ryousuke’s mind. Could it be that his will to live was already returning? His desires were beginning to take on clear form.

“Y-you’ve got a really smug look on your face right now…”

“I was deeply moved by that earlier naked with only a white shirt on. If possible, I would like to see it again—with black tights added for effect—”

DON! A sudden fist filled his entire field of vision, and Ryousuke caught it at the last second with both hands.

“Watch it, damn it!”

Lisara retracted her punch and tch, clicked her tongue in disappointment.

“Don’t tch me! Damn it, you better be serious about granting my wish! Don’t you dare try to back out when the time comes! That was my ultimate wish I just gave you!”

“That’s because you were saying something so vulgar! I, Lisara Restall, swear on my family’s symbol【—the Red Hair—】that if it’s a proper wish, I’ll make it come true!”

“Red hair, my ass. You just dyed it, didn’t you?”

“How rude! This is my natural color, NATURAL! I’m the first redhead born in my family in ages!”

Ryousuke thought for a few seconds and then clapped his hands together with a pon.

“Now that you mention it, that was red too.”

A chilling shiin silence fell over the room. During that moment, Lisara’s face turned beet red… then pale… then red again.

“Missing yellow… are you a traffic light?”

“No. I’m a killing machine.”

“What the hell is a killing machine?!”

“I am the one who slays Kaga Ryousuke and brings peace to all women in the world.”

Lisara stood up and extended her right arm forward.

“Ryousuke, I told you—if you ever brought that up again, your life would be forfeit.”

Above Lisara’s hand, twin flames slithered up like snakes, hissing as they raised their fiery heads. The flaming serpents quivered violently, then twisted together in a spiral and shot forward, transforming into a crimson-black scythe.

Yes—just like a true Shinigami’s scythe.

“This little one is, like Gram, one of the Restall family’s treasured relics. It’s a scythe engraved with my personal seal. I received it to commemorate passing the First-Class Shinigami exam. Its name is《Carnun Pladur》. Nice name, isn’t it?”

“No! I don’t want to know its name!”

“Oh? Don’t you want to brag in hell about the name of the weapon that killed you?”

“Don’t just assume I’m going to hell! I might go to heaven!”

While slowly backing away, Ryousuke had already come to a conclusion. The cold gleam in Lisara’s eyes—that was killing intent. He could feel it prickling on his skin—it was unmistakably killing intent.

With elegance, Lisara raised the scythe… and smiled.

“Fufu, let me know when you die. Whether it was heaven or hell you ended up in.”

“I can’t if I’m dead!”

Ryousuke sprang to his feet and bolted.

Shubaaan! — the scythe sliced through the spot where Ryousuke had just been.

‘I’m gonna☆get☆killed’

“Hey! Don’t run! If you’re a man, die with dignity and let me kill you! You enemy of womankind!!”

After thirty minutes of screaming and running…

At last, Ryousuke was caught and made to write【I have forgotten】a hundred times with his hands pressed together in apology…