Chapter 13

……

What? Huh? What? Wh–what is that thiiiiiing?!

S–stop talking, Sena-kun! You’re going to bite your tongue!

Carry me more gentle, stupid! You’re sh–shaking me around, it’s scary!

You should be grateful! You were so scared you could barely move and I didn’t think you’d be able to escape. That’s why I’m carrying you like this!

I could have just left a hateful, uncute kid like you to die and got away on my own, you know!

Huh?! You saying I’m not cute? I’ll kill you!

If you want me to save you then stop saying you’re going to kill me!

Who even asked you to?!

……

Eek?! I–it’s throwing something! The monster just threw something sharp at us!

Whoa—It looks like it’s got some tools lined up around it and it’s throwing those…? It’d be bad if it got us in the head or something, so try to avoid them.

H–how do you expect me to avoid them?! It’s so dark I can’t see anything! You’ve gotta be my meat shield! That’s your job, right?!

Uh, no, it’s not like I’m your guardian or anything…?

……

Gyaaaaah?! It’s still throwing things! Hurry up and do something, stupid! Go destroy it like those guys on TV who’re dressed all funny!

I–I’m a model, not a hero! If that’s what you want, go ask Sagami Jin from Ryuseitai!

What? What’s a ryuseitai? Or a sagamijin?

Oh? He’s so famous, do you really not know him? Sagami Jin is an idol from Yumenosaki Academy, and he’s in a unit named—

I don’t know him. And I don’t care about anything other than me and Yuu-kun.

What a sad little life you must have.

Shut up! Shut up shut up shut up, I don’t want your pity!

Ow ow ow?! Don’t dig your nails into my face!

It’s not a wolf out front, a tiger out back—It’s a creep out front and a shitty brat out back!¹

What’re you talking about? I know you’re talking shit about me! I’ll kill you!

(Ngh? How the heck did this even happen…?!)

(Ugh, I want to go back to a peaceful life where my biggest problem was being bored! How’d I end up in a department store in the middle of the night being attacked by a monster? Am I in a horror movie or something?!)

(Who can I complain to? If I’d just stayed away from these annoying kids, I probably never would have had to go through something like this.)

(They’re still only kids, and they’ve lived such hard lives, but should I have just let them drown…?)

(Should I have pretended not to see anything? Not get involved and say I don’t know anything?)

(…Then I’d be no different from all the other adults I can’t stand.)

(The people at the agency, the workers on set, the parents who claimed to love their kids—)

(Not one of them ever took those kids seriously.)

(That’s why, in order to survive, they can only hold onto each other’s hands and support each other.)

(If I abandon these kids here, they won’t have anyone left on their side.)

(Those poor kids who’ve never done anything wrong—)

Kunugi! Kunugi-senpai!

What is it now?!

Your panties are buzzing!

What do you mean, my panties—Wait, my pants? Oh, is that my cell?

Your cell?

Oh, I guess that’s not what they call them nowadays… But anyway, who’s even calling me this late at night?

(Huh? Narukami-kun? It’s a call from him?)

(But I just sent him home…? Is he calling to apologize for all the trouble he caused today?)

(What a level-headed kid. Maybe he was putting in the effort to read my mood and figure out what the best thing to do was?)

(It’s admirable how desperately he’s trying to get us to like him.)

(It’s not childlike at all. Adults may not find it very cute—)

(But I think even that part of you is adorable, Narukami-kun.)

Hellooo? You got a call, didn’t you? Are you gonna answer it?

F–first thing’s first: We have to get away from that kigurumi and find a safe place!

Kigurumi? Is that that monster thing?

Yes! It’s so dark that it looks like a real monster, but monsters don’t exist—So there has to be someone inside that kigurumi!

We’re not being chased by a monster, we’re being chased by a pervert in a costume! But either way, this is a dangerous situation!

Hmm… So you think it’s a person?

If it’s a person, then it’ll hurt if you hit it, and it’ll die if you kill it?

I mean sure, but I’m telling you right now that I can’t get into a fight! I’ve always lived an honest life!

And this is what I get…! I’ve had it up to here, god!

I work so hard and I behave myself, so shouldn’t I be rewarded for that at least a little?!

Hmph… You’re not the only one working hard, y’know.

But whatever. If you’re not gonna answer your phone, I will. I’ve got time to spare since I’m being carried around.

You sure are taking it easy?!

It doesn’t look like the kigurumi thing can see good, so it’s moving slow. It can’t even hit its targets, either. If you just calm down, you’ll see it’s not that scary.

Umm, so I just push this button here? Or something? Hello?

…Um? Who’re you?

Hey, don’t answer my calls without permission! I keep thinking this but seriously, were you raised in a barn?!

Say all the bad things about Mama and Papa you want, but I’m not gonna let you say nothing about me.

Ow ow ow?! Don’t pinch my cheek! I can’t believe you’d actually attack a model’s face!

Mama and Papa are just so bad at a bunch of stuff. It’s why they mess up all the time. But they are doing their best, I guess—

So it pisses me off when anyone other than me says mean things about them.