Chapter 2
How’d it go, Anzu? Did Sakuma-senpai say anything?
Mmph. He just dodged your questions, huh. That guy’s Ritsu’s brother, after all; he’s got a silver tongue…
He talks on and on, but you just can’t pin down what he really means.
Oh, don’t give me that look. It’s fine… Do you seriously think he’s some bad guy trying to trip us up?
Even if he were, it doesn’t diminish the value of what he’s done for us.
He’s been a real life-saver, and one of the biggest reasons why we were able to create this era of peace.
But if he turns out to be some shadowy villain who wants to crush us in his own hands… then we’ll just knock him out and get rid of him—Out with the demons~ ♪
Hmm, Sakuma-senpai said something like… try to decipher his true intentions? Uh-huh, then let’s do that.
Looking back on it, he’s always been like that. Always helping us to keep thinking, keep moving.
He never tried to force us to do things or tried to move us around like pawns.
He made us think for ourselves, grow thicker skin, get stronger, face our hardships head-on.
So I’m sure this time’s the same deal. He’s playing the villain as a test to help us grow.
But clearly we’re not playing on easy anymore… This is expert mode now, and we’re not getting any hints ♪
HaHa~ ♪ Are you talking about a game?
Uwah?! You freaked me out! How long have you been there?!
Sora was wearing an invisibility cloak! That was a joke, was it funny?
When something’s funny, you laugh! HaHiHuHeHo~… ☆
Oh, you’re Harukawa, from Switch…
Wait! You’re a demon! You haven’t been hit with any beans yet, so you’re not part of the staff!
Take this! Out with the demons, in with the fortune~!
HiHi~ ♪ You have good aim~ Very good ☆
When you see something really cool, you clap! Clap clap… But if you’re too accurate, it’s actually really easy to avoid it, you know~?
Whoa, who is this guy?! I’m throwing these beans from point-blank range, but he’s still dodging them!
Y–you little—! Quit moving around…!
Hey—Cut it out! Get back here~!
(Hm? Uh-oh! Sora is supposed to run across this hallway, but he can’t do that if Sally-san is in the way.)
(Can Sora get around him? No, it’s faster to go this way!)
HeHe~ ♪ Sorry, but please excuse Sora for one second!
Huh?! You—Wait, that’s dangerous! Don’t jump out the window! We’re on the second floor, you could get hurt if you fall!
No problem! The walls are the same as the ground for Sora! Nothing and no one can stop Sora~ ♪
Green light~ ♪ HaHiHuHeHo… ☆2
Huh?! He’s running on the school walls?! What is he, a ninja?!
C’mon Anzu, let’s go after him! Or try to catch up with him so we can put cushions down on the ground in case he falls!
“Fufufu. There’s no need for that, Sally-kun ♪”
Gwah?! What is it now? If guys keep scaring me I’m gonna have a heart attack! And you have me playing the straight man so much I can hardly breathe…!3
“Ahaha. It’s good to hear you’re having fun, Sally-kun ♪”
Wait, I know that voice. Is that Sakasaki from class A? Where are you?!
“Hmm… I thought you might not like being called Sally, since I’m neither Baru-kun nor Hokke-kun.”
“Just like the little kitten, you’re not the type to be easily swayed by magic.”
“That must be why you can befriend a vampire as if it were the most natural thing in the world ♪”
What are you talking about? Wait, I don’t have time to stand here and chat! Y–your Harukawa kid just jumped out of the window!
“That’s no problem. Sora is so light on his feet that he was once able to walk along the walls of a high-rise building until he reached the top.”
“In the worst case scenario, at this height he would still land unscathed even if he were to fall.”
You have got to be joking. Wait, no seriously, where is your voice coming from?
“Am I joking? Or am I serious? Knowing something with certainty is no fun; the joy exists in the space between truth and fabrication ♪”
Sora is singing the tune associated with the children’s game “mekakushi oni” or “blindfolded demon.” It’s similar to the game Marco Polo, and the person who’s “it” is blindfolded and has to seek out the other players only through the sounds they make.
Another children’s tune reference! Toryanse is the name of a song that portrays an exchange between a civilian and a guard. “Toryanse” itself means “you may enter,” so I chose to relate the line back to the game “red light, green light” to keep with the theme ☆
Mao’s positing them as a manzai act, where he’s the tsukkomi (straight man) and Natsume/Sora are the boke (wise guy).