Amagi Brilliant Park - Volume 4 - Chapter 1.2

Before the ritual began, Obiza presented three rules to be followed at all costs: 

First: All participants must do as Obiza says. 
Second: Even if the specter appears, all participants must hold off on attacking it until permission is given. 
Third: All participants must refrain from lashing out if Obiza touches Isuzu’s or Biino’s breasts. 
“Hey, what was that third one?!” Seiya demanded suspiciously. “That has nothing to do with the ritual!” 
Obiza clucked his tongue. “Tsk, you caught that, eh? You’ve got remarkable intuition.” 
“It has nothing to do with intuition!” Seiya objected. 
“Ah, can’t hear you!” Obiza replied airily. “Now, let’s get started; girlie, you stand right here. That’s right,” he encouraged Biino, “right at the center of the magical circle. The rest of you can stand at each of the points.” 
Listlessly, Biino headed for the center of the circle, while the others took their places the pentagram’s points. There were five of them—Seiya, Isuzu, Moffle, Macaron, and Tiramii—enough to cover each point. In fact, the actual reason Seiya had invited Moffle and Macaron was because Obiza had said they needed at least five people. 
“Now, according to my spellbook, we’ll be needing your cooperation to get us through the ritual,” Obiza told them. 
“You mentioned that before, but... how does this work, specifically?” Seiya asked. 
“To activate the spell, each person on the star’s points needs to say the proper words of power. I’ll be translating questions out of my spellbook; once you all answer correctly, it’ll activate the spell.” In other words, Obiza would ask them questions, and if they gave the correct answers, the exorcism ritual would proceed. 
“This sounds tough, mii...” 
“I thought we were just here to beat up a specter, ron...” 
“Isn’t there a faster way, fumo?” 
Ignoring the three mascots’ complaints, Obiza started up the ritual. 
“Now, let’s begin! Ico urem enrir swidaro! Great spirit, lend me your power! Ah, how do you read that again? That’s right, truth! Truth is words and words are truth! Th-Therefore I, Obiza, son of Goranbiza, h-hereby declare the five p... principles? The five principles of unity!” He sounded like a student who hadn’t done any prep work now ordered by his teacher to read aloud from the textbook. 
It had Seiya feeling nervous, but the magic circle had nevertheless reacted to the words of the spell, and was beginning to glow with a pale blue light. 
“Thou who standeth at the point of ‘wood!’” Obiza intoned. “Macaron, son of Secaron!” 
“Ron?” Macaron, who was standing at one point of the star, pointed at himself as if to say “what, me?” The crest at Macaron’s feet was shining with a strange green and brown light, probably indicating that that point represented wood. 
“Now, Macaron! Answer my question! Art thou prepared?!” 
“Y-Yeah...” Macaron replied uneasily. 
“Question the first!” Obiza announced. Dunnn! 
“...Who authored the Fujimi Fantasia Bunko light novel Tokyo Ravens?! One, Kagami Takaya! Two, Azano Kouhei! Three, Gatou Shouji! Four, Irie Kimihito!” 
“Huh, ron? Uh?” Bafflement flooded onto Macaron’s face. 
“...Which of the four will you choose?” Obiza demanded to know. “Time’s running out! You have five seconds! Four! Three...!” 
“Th-Th-Three, ron!” 
Bzzt! The buzzer sounded out, signifying a wrong answer. The magic circle channeled a powerful electric shock through Macaron’s body. “R-Ron?! Gwaaaah!” 
“Sorry, wrong answer! The correct answer is two: Azano Kouhei!” said Obiza, correcting him. “That popular novel spawned a series that got broadcast on Tokyo MX. Everyone should read it!” Applause rang out from nowhere in particular. 
“Ugh... ghn...” Macaron, on his hands and knees at his star point as smoke rose from his body, protested. “H-How was I supposed to know that, ron?! I can’t remember authors, ron! Even for something as famous as Att*ck on T*tan, most people don’t remember the author’s name!” 
“Oh, really?” 
“Besides, I thought this was an exorcism ritual?! Why are you giving us a multiple choice quiz, ron?!” 
“I’m just reading the questions as they come up in my spellbook,” Obiza explained innocently. “See?” Obiza held up the book to him. It was written in some strange magical language, so none of the others could read it, but the words were glowing in rainbow colors. Perhaps it was designed to create questions specific to their ritual. 
“I should tell you that the ritual can’t move forward until each person on a star point answers a question right,” Obiza told them. “So you’d better take it seriously!” 
“This is ridiculous...” 
“Wh-What a terrifying ritual, mii...” 
“Moffu. We’ll just have to give it everything we’ve got.” 
The group steeled themselves, and Biino was starting to look a little nervous. 
Seiya could feel a headache coming on, but it was clear that they wouldn’t be able to exorcise Bando Biino unless they went along with the ridiculous ritual. 
“You get it now, eh?” Obiza chuckled. “Also, if anyone other than the intended respondent answers the question, it’s disqualified. So stay alert!” 
“Okay,” they chorused. 
Well, whatever, Seiya thought. He’d just go along with it for now. 
“Next up! Thou who standeth at the point of ‘fire!’ Kanie Seiya, answer my question!” 
“Ahh... right, right...” Seiya hadn’t used his magic yet. He couldn’t imagine he’d miss out on anything by using it on the old man now, but then, he did have his “grenade rule”— He should try to make do with his own knowledge first. I’m the smartest one here anyway! I can answer most difficult questions with ease! Seiya told himself. Bring it on! 
“Question the second!” Dunnn! 
“...What was the winning horse at the 118th Emperor’s Cup? One, Offside Trap! Two, Silence Suzuka! Three, Stay Gold! Four, Mejiro Bright!” 
“How the hell should I know?!” Seiya screamed, clenching his hands into fists. I’m in high school! I know jack-all about horse racing! I barely even know that the Emperor’s Cup exists! Have they really run it over 100 times? And aren’t horses all basically the same?! Sweat was starting to flow down his brow. 
He cast a glance and saw Macaron (who loved gambling) waving his hands and feet all around and looking like he wanted to shout something out. He probably knew the answer, but there was no way he could communicate it to Seiya through gestures like that. And his sheep’s hoofs can’t flash any number past two! 
“Answer quickly!” commanded Obiza. “You have ten seconds! Nine! Eight!” 
Ah, fine, I’ll do it! Seiya used his magic. He’d have to steal the correct answer directly from Obiza’s mind— He didn’t want to get electrocuted, either. 
Since it was the magic he’d received from Latifah, the princess of Maple Land, it was powerful enough to work on anyone of any race, and he immediately heard the thoughts on Obiza’s mind. 
...I tell you, that Isuzu girl, has got the most amazing tiddies. Well, maybe not as great as Setsuko-san’s, but I wonder if I could get her to (redacted)... 
He’d missed his chance. He’d wasted his shot. Dammit, this is why we have the grenade rule! 
“Two! One! Time’s up!” Obiza announced. 
Electricity. “Gwaaaaaah!” Seiya screamed and collapsed under the force of his penalty. 
“Ahh, too bad! The winner of the 118th Emperor’s Cup was number one, Offside Trap! That was the 1998 race. Silence Suzuka had been in the lead, but she broke her left foreleg while running. They said she’d never recover and ended up euthanizing her...” Obiza added in a slightly pained voice. 
Macaron, deep in chagrin, began lashing out at Seiya. “Ron! You don’t know about that tragedy?! That common knowledge among racing fans?! How do you expect to be our acting manager, ron?!” 
“I don’t care about horse racing, dammit!” Seiya bellowed. 
“How can you be so useless?!” Macaron screamed back. 
“You got your question wrong too!” Seiya retorted. 
Ignoring the bickering Seiya and Macaron, Obiza continued solemnly(?) with the ritual. “We still don’t have even one correct answer. ...So, let’s keep it moving! Thou who standeth at the point of ‘earth!’ Yisuzurch Sentolucia, answer my question!” 
Isuzu, standing on the earth point of the star, froze up. Seiya knew her real name, but it still felt strange to hear it. “Very well,” she declared solemnly, “I’m ready.” 
“Question the third!” Dunnn! 
“...The chemical symbol H2O represents which of the following?” One, water! Two, steel! Three, plutonium! Four, trinitrotoluene!” 
Isuzu wavered for a second, probably wondering if it was a trick question, but then answered quickly enough. “...One?” 
“Correct!” 
Da-da-da-ding! The sound of applause and cheers rang out from nowhere in particular. The brown light at the point of Isuzu’s star glowed brighter than before. Isuzu put a hand to her chest in relief. 
“Well, nicely done,” Obiza complimented her. “Though I personally would’ve loved hearing you scream in agony when you got electrified, but... ah, well. At last, the point of earth is set to correct answer mode!” There was another round of applause and cheers. 
Where are those voices coming from, anyway? Seiya wondered. “Hey, wait! That question was a lot easier than mine and Macaron’s!” he objected. “I think there’s some bias going on with these questions!” 
“Is not!” Obiza retorted. “My spellbook knows what it’s doing!” 
“You...” Seiya fumed. 
Obiza ignored him and continued his hosting. “Now, thou who standeth upon the point of ‘metal!’ Moffle, son of Gnoffle!” 
“Moffu...” Moffle’s eyes glinted. “Heh heh... You’re in my territory now, fumo. A quiz like this is nothing to me, fumo.” 
“I like your spirit!” Obiza told him. “Now, answer! Question the fourth!” Dunnn! 
“...which of the following Japanese bureaucracies deals with matters of finance? One, Ministry of Foreign Affairs! Two, Ministry of Finance! Three, Ministry of Defense! Four, Ministry of Silly Walks!” 
Another easy question— That meant that they would clear two of the five points. Seiya put a hand to his chest and sighed in relief. Then... 
Wait. Wait a minute... Moffle wasn’t answering right away. His brow was furrowed and he was trembling as if fighting some internal battle. Hang on a minute! It’s obviously the Ministry of Finance! Why are you hesitating?! How can you not know something so basic? 
“Ngh... Moffu.” 
“Time is running out! Five! Four! Three...!” 
Moffle seemed to be thinking hard. Hang on a minute, Seiya thought. It can’t be... 
“N-Number four! Ministry of Silly Walks, fumo!” 
Bzzt! Electricity. 
“Gwaaah!” Moffle spasmed violently as the unseen audience roared with laughter. Despite the powerful damage being inflicted, Moffle’s expression reflected pure satisfaction. It’s as if he was saying, “Let it be so.” 
As black smoke rose out of Moffle’s body, Seiya barked at him angrily. “Did you choose the wrong answer on purpose?!” 
“M-Moffu... It’s an entertainer’s fate, fumo. When there’s a choice like that, we can’t help but choose the fourth option... *cough*...” 
“Are you stupid or something?!” 
“Ugh... what a dastardly question, fumo. Whoever thought these up is a real devil, fumo...” 
“...Whatever,” Seiya said in disgust. “Just lie there and die.” 
“Moffu.” Moffle died. 
“Thou who standeth at the point of ‘water!’” said Obiza. “Tiramii, son of Zevarmii, answer my question!” 
“Mii! I’ll do my best, mii!” Tiramii raised a hand, looking pumped. 
“Question the fifth!” Dunnn! 
“Which engine was used by the American Cold War-era supersonic recon plane, the SR-71 Blackbird? One, JT11D-20! Two, JT11D-21! Three, JT11D-22! Four, JT11D-23!” 
Tiramii faceplanted and pounded his fist on the ground. “That’s insane, mii!” 
It was horrible. Not even a total war maniac would be able to answer that one without Google. Even the pilots who flew the thing might not remember the engine number... 
“M-Most people don’t even know the Blackbird’s model number! And to ask for its engine... mii! Mii! I have no idea, mii!” 
“You’re running out of time! Three... two...!” 
“Mii! T-Two!” 
Bzzt! Electricity. “Gwaaaaaah!” 
“Sorry. The correct answer was number one! Incidentally, the engine used in the Blackbird was a Pratt & Whitney (abridged). ...And we’re back to the starting point now. Macaron-san, time for you to answer!” 
“R-Ron?!” 
“Question the sixth!” Dunnn! The SFX rang out mercilessly.

Obiza had claimed the spellbook was providing the questions, but there seemed to be some active malice in their presentation; everyone kept getting questions far outside of their field. No matter how smart the person might be, their question seemed specifically designed for them to be unable to answer. 
But Obiza kept reading them out, no room for argument or evasion... 
“Question the tenth! What’s the serial number of the Lambda Driver-mounted AS ?Laevatein?’s head-mounted Gatling gun? One, GAU-12/S! Two, GAU-15/S! Three, GAU-17/S! Four, GAU-19/S!” 
“Th-Three, mii! Gwaaaaaah!” Tiramii doubled over in pain. 
Another round of brutal questions went by. “Question the fifteenth! When Fujimi Shobo’s literature section chief, Morii, was a newbie, what extra did he try to package into Fantasia paperbacks, incurring the wrath of his superiors?! One, a Robot Damashii figure! Two, Matsuzaka Beef! Three, a Hermes bag! Four, Tenga!” 
“T-Two? Gwaaaah!” Seiya writhed in pain. 
Another round of brutal questions went by. “Question the twentieth! What is the name of the JR Tokai Line special express that takes passengers from Tokyo Station to Osaka Station in three hours? One, the Tokaido Shinkansen! Two, the Yamanote Line! Three, the Ginza Line! Four, the Trans-Siberian Railway!” 
“Four, fumo! Gwaaaaaah!” Moffle writhed and screamed (and deserved it). 
“Ahh... e-everyone...” Biino had been watching nervously the whole time, but now she finally cried out in tears. “Please... please stop this! I can’t let you suffer this way just for me! This isn’t right!” 
“Pipe down, girlie!” Obiza barked. There was a hard light in his eyes. “The ritual is a trial. It takes a strong will to endure this kind of suffering. The power of that will then feeds the magic circle, which will help to make the specter manifest!” 

“Oh no...” she wailed. 
“Besides, look at them; the eyes of these men, who won’t give in! They’ll endure any pain to save you!” He turned and pointed to Tiramii. “That there is the true brilliance of the soul!” 
“Mii! That’s right! This electricity is nothing compared to the punishment dealt out by Isuzu-chan, mii! Bring it on, mii!” Tiramii offered up a trembling thumbs up. 
Meanwhile, Seiya, Moffle, and Macaron were slumping, looking as if they were on the verge of giving up. 
“I-I’ve had enough, ron...” 
“When are we going to get real questions?” 
“Moffu. I want a beer,” they each said in turn. 
“I’m still the only one who’s gotten a question right. Would you kindly hurry up?” Isuzu muttered while fiddling leisurely with a puzzle game on her smartphone. 
“Um, I feel like... Tiramii-san is the only one who really does want to help...” Biino pointed out, causing the rest of them to straighten up immediately and protest. 
“Th-That’s not true, fumo!” 
“W-We’re working hard, ron!” 
“C-Come on, you’re an important part of our cast,” the three insisted. 
Isuzu also nodded firmly (though her eyes remained locked on her smartphone screen). “There’s no need to worry, Bando-san. Tiramii is correct in that I have been training them constantly. They’re not going to give up over such minor doses of pain.” 
“Ahh...” Biino didn’t know what to say. 
“Besides, if they run away now, I’ll punish them.” Isuzu smoothly pulled out her musket. 
“Darn it... it always leads to that,” Seiya observed wretchedly. 
“So annoying, fumo.” 
“Ron. You know, people hate violent heroines these days...” 
“Question the twenty-first!” Obiza declared, blasting through the stagnating atmosphere.

The ritual(?) continued. When they reached the 27th question, Seiya finally got one right. 
The question was “Who was the first Japanese winner of the Nobel Prize for Physics? One, Barack Obama. Two, the Dalai Lama. Three, Yukawa Hideki. Four, Winston Churchill.” 
All of a sudden, an easy question. Only one of the answers was even Japanese. 
“Th-Three...” he stammered. 
“Correct!” 
Da-da-da-ding! The fire symbol at Seiya’s feet shone with red light. Exhausted, he sank to his knees. “Come on... what was all that suffering for, then?” he asked exasperatedly. 
“Couldn’t tell you,” Obiza told him. “I’m just doing as the spellbook dictates.” 
“Dammit,” Seiya mumbled. “Once we get out of here, I’m burning that thing...” 
“What was that?!” 
“Uh, nothing. Just keep it going.” Seiya waved a hand in annoyance. 
Obiza snorted at him and continued with the questioning. “Question the twenty-eighth!” 
The brutal questions continued. They went around twice more. On the 34th question, Macaron finally got his right answer. The question was, “What was the winning horse at the 118th Emperor’s Cup? One, Offside Trap. Two, Silence Suzuka. Three, Stay Gold. Four, Mejiro Bright.” 
“One, ron...” 
“Correct!” 
Da-da-da-ding! The wood symbol at Macaron’s feet lit up with symbolic green. “...Wait, that was the question Kanie-kun got wrong the first time, ron!” 
“Oh, was it?” Obiza asked innocently. 
“...Ugh, even repeating questions. It’s like... some really cheap quiz game? The ones you have to memorize are the worst, ron!” 
“Question the thirty-fifth!” Was this the power of age? Despite all their complaints and objections, Obiza remained completely unflappable. The questions continued. 
They went around three more times, to question 42. There, Tiramii finally got his question right. The question was, “Which of the following rappers titled their autobiography The Ice Opinion? One, Iceberg Slim. Two, Ice T. Three, Ice Cube. Four, Vanilla Ice.” It sounded ridiculous, but... 
“Ah, which was it, which was it... I dunno, mii! T-T-Two, mii!” 
“Correct!” 
Da-da-da-ding! He appeared to have guessed the correct answer at random; it almost felt strange that they hadn’t got one right that way before. 
“Whew...” Tiramii wheezed. 
“Now, only one remains! Moffle-san, good luck!” 
“M-Moffu...” 
“Question the forty-third!” Dunnn! 
Moffle got a similar question to the ones he’d been receiving previously. “What is the name of the Japanese samurai philosophy as written about by Nitobe Inazo? One, Bushido. Two, Kishido. Three, Kendo. Four, Hokkaido.” 
“F...” Moffle began to say, but a murderous glare from the group caused him to hesitate. 
“F...?” they said together. 
“F... F...” he subsided. 
The group stared at him as if to say, “If you don’t answer this one seriously, you’re dead. We’re sick of this. We want to move on. We worked hard to get our own questions right. If you give a stupid answer just to get laughs... you know what will happen, don’t you?” 
“Moffu...” Moffle’s paws trembled. He seemed to be fighting a powerful internal struggle. Perhaps he was wondering: If I answer number one right now, will it make me a failure as an entertainer? “F... F... F...” 
“F... what? Time’s running out. Please answer the question. Five, four...” 
“F...” 
“F...?” 
“Ngh...” he choked, then screamed, giving in to the peer pressure despite overwhelming sorrow. “One! It’s one, fumo!” 
He even has tears in his eyes, Seiya observed. What an absolute moron. 
Of course, that was the right answer. Da-da-da-ding! 
“Yes, correct!” Obiza exulted. “At last, the five elements are united! The ritual moves on to the next stage!” 
The five points of the pentagram glowed even brighter than before. There was a dazzling swirl of light. The symbols of the five elements poured into the center of the circle, merging together and teeming with mysterious power. Magic particles danced, darted, and wove around in geometrical patterns. 
There was a flash— A bright flash. At last, the five powers merged into one, which enveloped Biino’s body. 
“What’s happening?!” Seiya demanded to know. 
“Something’s coming, mii! Something’s coming, mii!” 
The spell responded to the massive power being channeled into it, and the five lights flashed on and off, blindingly. 
“M-Moffu!” 
At last, a fissure rent the air, bursting with particles large and small—which formed a line of letters that sparkled before their eyes. “Stage One: Multiple Choice Quiz Complete!” the letters read. “Move on to Stage Two: True or False Quiz! Each participant must get five questions right to move on! Good luck, everyone!” 
“...And there you have it!” Obiza sang out. “Good luck, everyone!” 
Moffle and the others deserted their star points and bum-rushed Obiza, abandoning all pretenses of respect for the elderly to punch and kick him as hard as they could. If Isuzu hadn’t stopped them with her usual musket, they probably wouldn’t have stopped until he was seriously disabled.

Sadly, the old ogre was as tough as his appearance presaged. Despite being badly wounded, shoulders heaving, he informed them, “You have to follow my directions in order to complete the ritual,” and so they reluctantly engaged in the true or false quiz. 
The ceremony proceeded, Various things happened. They cleared the second stage. 
This was followed by the third stage—a buzz-in quiz—and they all gritted their teeth and completed it. 
The magic circle shone brightly, and the words “All stages cleared!” appeared in the air above them. A fanfare rang out from nowhere in particular, accompanied by applause and cheers for their noble fight. 
“I-Is it over?” Seiya whispered. The rest of them just stood there limply, feeling half-dead. 
“Yes! Well done!” Obiza complimented then all. “...Now, before I activate the spell, let’s announce the rankings! In first place, Isuzu-chan! In second place, Kanie Seiya-kun! In third place—” 
“Nobody cares about that!” Seiya yelled. 
“But the quiz for viewer giveaway—” 
“Just do it already!” 
“...Boring. Fine, I’ll do it.” Obiza snapped his fingers. The magic circle sparkled brightly again in a multitude of colors, and the impressive-looking symbols danced and darted, completing the spell (...or so it appeared). 
“It seems to be for real this time,” Isuzu said. Seiya knew nothing about magic, so all he could do was brace for whatever was coming. 
“Yeta uras nor arno ervan wal irdoi! I, Obiza, son of Goranbiza, command you! Spirit that possesses Bando Biino! Rise, and be manifest!” 
The symbols surrounded Biino’s body. 
“W-Wah... what?!” she stuttered. 
“Don’t move!” Obiza commanded her. “Stay where you are!” 
There was another blinding flash. When the light cleared, they could see an exhausted-looking Biino standing erect. Behind her was a man clad in black. He looked to be about twenty years old, with pale skin and slick, sparkling black hair. Although he was a man, there was a bewitching quality to his almond eyes. He was smiling coquettishly and hugging Biino tightly from behind. Biino hung in his arms, face pale, as if unconscious. 
“......” Seiya found the scene reminiscent of a butterfly trapped in a spider’s web. “I-Is that man the specter?” 
“That’s right,” Obiza told him. “That appearance is temporary, of course. They don’t usually take on physical form; it’s that spell of mine that’s made him manifest.” 
“Hmm...” Seiya had been picturing something a bit more appropriately specter-ish... a skeleton in a black hood and cape, perhaps. Instead, the specter possessing Biino had a radiant quality. Of course, he was not as handsome as Seiya himself— Yes, he looked a bit pallid, really. Seiya was still by far the most attractive man here. 
“Well, Kanie-kun. What should we do now?” Isuzu asked. 
Why would you ask me? I’ve never talked to a specter before either... he thought. “Er... I’m not really... sure...” 
“Are you feeling cowed because we’re dealing with someone more attractive than you for once?” she asked. “Please try to get a grip.” 
Bullseye. “Wh-What?! That’s not true!” he protested. “Completely not true!” 
While Seiya engaged in his emphatic denials, Tiramii began shouting at the specter: “Hey, you stupid specter! We’re gonna make you pay for hurting Biino-chan, mii! So give us your name before we kick your ass!” It was an utterly straightforward request. For once, Seiya was relieved to have someone as oblivious to social niceties as Tiramii around. 
My name? Heh... I have none, of course...? The specter’s voice echoed across the stage. It was as fine a voice as his appearance would suggest. 
“G-Guh...” 
“Kanie-kun, do you feel like you’ve lost again?” Isuzu asked. 
“Y-You don’t have to harp on every little thing! Leave me alone!” he barked back, holding back tears. 
“Kanie-kun, Isuzu-chan, shut up, mii. ...Hey, specter! Don’t act cool just because you don’t have a name! I guess I’ll have to call you Specter Vomitty Pukington, mii!” 
“Ron... Heh heh... Vomitty... hahaha...” This apparently tickled Macaron’s funny bone, because the mascot began trembling with mirth, face bowed. 
The specter’s expression betrayed neither amusement nor anger. ?Very well. You may call me by whatever name you like. The nature of words of power is that they reflect back upon the speaker— Ugly words will merely befoul your own souls...? 
Seiya cast a glance at Obiza. He nodded back, expression serious, as if to confirm the specter’s words. “Be careful, Tiramii-don. He’s right about words of power. If you hit him with ugly words, it’ll just weaken your own soul, which’ll make our exorcism harder to perform.” 
“Okay then, Specter Vomitty R. McPukington! Hands off Biino-chan right now, mii!” 
“Didn’t you hear him?!” Seiya demanded. 
“I think befouling his soul might be making him stronger, fumo.” 
“R-Ron... V-Vomitty R... bwahaha! Hahahahaha!” 
“I really don’t understand Macaron’s sense of humor...” Isuzu slumped while Macaron rolled around on the ground. 
It was the group’s usual antics, but the specter didn’t seem bothered in the slightest. Acting like it was all white noise to him, he merely took Biino’s slender jaw in his hand and drew close to her cheek, as if to whisper sweet nothings into her ear. ?Leave this girl? You ask the impossible.? 
“I’m not asking, mii! This is a get-out-before-I-beat-your-butt situation, mii!” 
Heh. A ridiculous proposal.? 
“Take this then, mii!” Tiramii pulled a metal bat out of his pouch and charged the specter fiercely. He’d probably realized that using explosives might catch Biino in the attack, but— 
“Don’t you do that!” Obiza warned him. He’d warned them before they started not to attack without permission, but Tiramii must have forgotten about that over the course of the long quiz ritual. 
“Grrrrrrr! Feel the power of my anger and my love!” He leaped forward and swung the metal bat down as hard as he could on the specter’s head. 
But the bat just swung through the air and hit the ground. 
“Mii? ...W-Well, take this, then!” He swung again, and again, the bat didn’t even make contact with the specter. 
Such a pointless act...? The specter glared at Tiramii. Just then, there was an “accident”— The metal bat slipped out of Tiramii’s hands, hit the ground, bounced back, and struck him right in his own face. 
“Gbwah!” Blood spurt out of Tiramii’s nose, and he toppled over. 
Normally he would have taken it as Tiramii just spontaneously self-destructing, but Seiya knew who they were dealing with. He knew that the specter had used his curse power to make it happen that way. 
“Tiramii?! Damn you! You’ll pay for that, ron!” Macaron shouted angrily. He pulled out a bike chain he’d been hiding somewhere and charged boldly for the specter, swinging it around. “Hey, you! Don’t you move, ron! Take this!” 
Heh...? 
But just as the chain was about to make contact, Macaron’s foot slipped. “R-Ron?” He fell flat on his butt, causing the chain to snap like a whip and hit the sheep-like mascot right in the face. “Ngaaaaa!” Macaron screamed as he rolled around, bleeding. 
“M-Macaron?! To hurt him so badly he screams like a beaten henchman... Moffu, you’ll pay for that!” 
“Stop it!” Obiza warned Moffle against charging forward too. “The specter hasn’t taken physical form yet! Your attacks won’t work! They’ll bounce back and hurt you instead, like you just saw!” 
“Then I won’t use a weapon, fumo. If I charge chi into my fists to magnify their power and slam that into him...!” Moffle dropped his hips and charged up his chi. “Here I go, fumo! Specter Vomitty R. McPukington! Receive the strike of my soul!” 
“Don’t do it, damn you!” Obiza bellowed. 
“Raaaaaaaaagh!” 
“Listen to me!” 
Moffle charged forward. Mysterious power charged in his paw, poofing into existence as a pale blue flame. 
He really does seem to get stronger or weaker as the situation demands it... Seiya thought as Moffle charged the specter. 
“Even if he doesn’t have physical form, he can’t stand up to this attack! My secret technique, the Tenma Fukumetsu Ken! I’ll have him on his hands and knees, coughing up blood, fumoooo!” 
Fool...? 
“Moffu?” With a glare from the specter, Moffle tripped, did a somersault, then smashed into the ground. His flame-engulfed fist hit himself in the face, and while the impact itself didn’t seem to hurt very much, the release of the fiery chi caught Moffle’s whole body in a fireball. 
“Gubluuuuuuuuh!” He rolled around, letting out an even more henchman-like cry than Macaron had. When the flame went out at last, Moffle was on his hands and knees, coughing up blood. “M-Moffu...” 
“I told you!” Obiza said. 
The three mascots had been summarily disposed of. 
Isuzu, Obiza, and Seiya were the only ones left. It was the kind of situation that would spark an immediate reset-restore in an RPG. 
“Ugh... what are we going to do? He won’t talk, physical attacks don’t work... After all that work to summon him, we can’t do anything!” said Seiya. 
“Hmm. That sure is strange...” Obiza agreed. “Normally, a specter manifested through a ritual like this would be suffering and made to take physical form... but this one isn’t. Must be a powerful specter...” 
“What should we do, then?” 
Isuzu pulled out her musket and pointed it straight at the specter. 
“Sento, no!” Seiya objected. “Your gun can’t—” 
“Steinberger is a magical gun passed down in my family for generations,” Isuzu interrupted him. “It’s vanquished countless monsters and beasts. It’s not like a mere bat or a bike chain.” 
“But...” 
“And...” Isuzu loaded the gun. It looked like a front-loading musket, but for some reason it had a lever action rifle port. “The shot I just loaded is an exorcising round that I carry with me just in case,” she reassured them. “It’s different from the bullets I use for punishment. This is the shot I fired at that magician—the creature who once called himself Kurisu Takaya. It should work, even if the specter doesn’t have a physical form.” 
Now, that’s interesting. It does look like a magical gun... But even with a spiritual weapon, you can’t hurt me,? the specter smirked. 
“You can attempt to stop me with a curse if you wish,” she told it. “But I doubt you have the power to stop this magical round!” 
“Sento, wait!” Seiya yelled. 
“Begone!” Isuzu pulled the trigger, but the gun didn’t fire; it just let out a spark, and went silent. 
A misfire? No— Even before his mind could finish the thought, Seiya’s body moved. He ran at Isuzu like a shot. She wasn’t too far away, but it still took about two seconds to reach her. She was looking in confusion at the silent Steinberger in her hands when— 
“......!” 
Seiya plowed into her, and knocked the gun out of her hand. The gun burst just before it hit the ground. There was a deafening explosion; shards of wood and metal went flying. The fried gun barrel bounced and flew just past Seiya’s nose. 
Seiya, now lying on top of Isuzu, let out a deep sigh. He felt a few small points of pain here and there—some of the shards must have hit him—but none of them felt especially serious. “Sento,” he asked with some concern, “were you hurt?” 
“...No. I think I’m... fine,” she told him. 

Despite saying this, Isuzu seemed dazed. He looked her over. There were no obvious external injuries, but a magical weapon that she pulled out of her body had been destroyed... It must have done damage to her through some mechanic Seiya didn’t quite understand. 
Heh, too bad. Her gun really was powerful... Powerful enough to kill her. A pity you got in the way. I could have tasted even more powerful despair...? 
“Damn you...” Seiya stood up again and looked the specter up and down. 
He was mad. How long had it been since something had made him this angry? Certainly, he barked at his jabbering subordinates all the time, but the anger he felt now was of a rarer breed. 
He must have sensed Seiya’s newfound rage, because the specter smiled in delight. ?Well, what are you going to do now? Hit me? Use another cheap weapon? By all means, go ahead. Try whatever you like!? 
“Guh...” The specter was right. There was basically nothing that Seiya could do. Seiya was bright, athletic and handsome, but all within mortal levels. He couldn’t use superpowers like Moffle and he didn’t have a magical weapon like Isuzu. 
Fighting back the urge to fly at the creature and strike it, Seiya spoke. “...All right. Let’s talk.” 
Wait for your chance, he told himself. Wait for it. Just talk to him, and you’ll find a toehold somewhere... 
“Okay, let’s start here: Our goal isn’t actually to destroy you,” he told the specter. “We just want you to stop possessing Bando Biino and go somewhere else. Can I assume that’s not something you’ll agree to?” 
It is not. A host with a soul as strong and healthy as hers doesn’t come around every day.? 
“So you’re possessing Bando Biino because you like her?” 
Of course. This girl—Bando Biino—is a superlative mortal. Her heart is unfazed by suffering and adversity. She never resents those around her and her smile never wavers. One seldom meets a girl like her.? 
“I don’t understand.” 
Oh?? 
“Wouldn’t it be easier for you to possess someone with weaker will, someone more pessimistic? ...I agree that Bando Biino has a strong character. It must take a lot of work to break someone like her.” 
The specter laughed and stroked Biino’s jaw lovingly. ?Heh heh... Kanie Seiya, was it? You seem quite intelligent.? 
“Spare me the flattery. Answer the question.” 
There’s nothing more delicious than the despair of a mortal like her. Think about it. The despair of someone who’d lose heart over day-to-day melancholy, mundane quarrels with friends... It’s entirely commonplace. Don’t you agree?? 
“Hmm...” Seiya thought. 
You do understand, don’t you?? The specter smiled brightly. It was a smile of triumph, like he’d read Seiya’s mind. ?Indeed, it has no value. It’s like eating weeds. It sickens me! The sorrows of the weak, their petty internal conflicts... You expect them to satiate a palate like mine? Never! The more sublime the soul that breaks, the greater the pleasure it grants me!? 
In other words, the specter was saying that when a strong person like Biino—someone who usually stayed optimistic through hardships large and small—finally broke, the despair would be like ecstasy to him. 
I did so enjoy today. This girl—Bando Biino—has been hanging on by a thread. But she finally reached her limit. She ran off on her own, crying and screaming... how long it has been since I tasted tears so delectable?? 
“Hmm...” Seiya had gone beyond anger now. He was remembering something Latifah had once told him. The fairies of this park—the “real cast”—consumed animus, which amounted to feelings of mortal delight. Did this specter, then, feed off of “anti-animus?” Energy produced not from human joy, but human despair, anger, and other negative emotions? At the least, it sounded similar. Which meant... 
“So you’re saying you’re a connoisseur?” Seiya clarified. 
Heh heh... An accurate expression, mortal.? 
“Hm. Which means... which means... Okay.” Sorting through his thoughts at lightning speed, Seiya shot a glare at the specter. “You said before that it sickens you? So it’s like getting sick to your stomach after eating some disgusting food... right? So what if someone were to start talking about really trivial, stupid, petty kinds of despair? Would that hurt you?” 
It was time to place his bet. He’d used it at exactly the wrong time with Obiza before, but— It’s got to be now! 
He made his decision. Seiya used his grenade. He activated the spell he’d gotten from Latifah: the ability to read someone’s mind only once. He had no idea if it would work on this specter or not, but— 
He heard it. 
—Oh-ho! He’s a sharp one, isn’t he? The old man’s spell causes me to be affected by all words of power, the specter thought. Their pure despair, anger, and malice—all of it feeds me, and I don’t want it mixed with impurities. In other words, mixing animus into it would— 
Seiya ran out of time, and the voice faded out. But... “It’s enough.” A cruel smile appeared on his face. 
Heh. What’s enough? I haven’t even said anything yet...? 
“No, it’s more than enough,” Seiya told him. “...Hey, specter. Vomitty Pukington or whatever it was? Not that I care... I’d like to talk about myself for a while. Specifically, about my own life at school...” 
Heh. What are you talking about?? 
“Just hear me out. ...You see, I don’t have any friends at school. I feel uncomfortable all the time. You know how it is... I really hate people seeing me like that... so I go into the men’s bathroom...” 
As he spoke, Seiya wanted to start crying. But at the same time, he could sense a troubled, shaken element forming in the spirit’s composed face, and that filled him with an incredible feeling of joy. Yes, it’s just as I thought, he observed. No doubt about it. These kinds of stories were the ones this specter hated most. 
...Stop it.? 
“...I go into the men’s bathroom, and I eat my lunch alone in a stall. And... I’m sorry to get a little crude, but I eat curry bread a lot,” Seiya admitted. “Curry bread in the toilet stall... It could make you cry, right? But I just have to eat it. Try to imagine it. The feeling of that cold curry on your tongue...” 
Stop it.? 
“Then as if it couldn’t get any worse, sometimes someone enters the stall next to mine to do their actual business. They’ll be considerate with the flushes and such... but I can still hear the sounds. Imagine eating curry bread while listening to those sounds. You can, can’t you?” Seiya said, digging deep. 
Stop it...? 
“Of course, sometimes you get a real monster who shouts out, ‘Hey, I think someone’s eating curry bread in the bathroom! Gyahahaha!’ and such. I’ve had toilet paper thrown at me. Mops, too. ...I think that’s pretty close to true despair. Don’t you agree?” 
Stop it!? 
Yes! It’s working. It’s working! Seiya thought exultantly. But that’s about all a handsome, omni-talented person like me has to offer... I need a way to do more damage to him. What do I do? What should I do?! 
“R-Ron... If that’s how we’re playing it...” Macaron picked himself up, trembling. His nose was still bleeding in a ghastly sight, but he had overheard Seiya’s confession and seemed to realize its effectiveness. “I... I want you to listen to my story, ron. It’s a story about... my ex.” 
Stop it!? He must have anticipated how explosive this was going to be, because the specter’s voice lost all of its earlier confidence. 
“My ex-wife was a former idol,” Macaron continued. “She was beautiful back then. Still is, you know?” 
Please stop.? 
Don’t stop, Macaron! Seiya thought. 
“Well, she’d tell me a lot about what her life was like when she was in the business,” said Macaron. “She sold herself as a purity-type with long black hair, but the truth was, she was dating five men at the same time.” 
That’s the way, Macaron! Get him! 
Stop it!!? 
“The guitarist of her band, a producer at her agency, an executive at one of her sponsors, etc, etc...” 
Go, Macaron, go! 
Stop... Stop!? 
“The president of an IT company would even drive her to events in his Porsche. It was incredible. A woman like that, and she actually shook hands with her fans. It was awful, ron. Terrible, ron. ...And by that I mean the cruelty it took her to tell me, the man she married, about all that later on. It was horrible, ron.” 
...Stoooooooop iiiiiiiit!? The specter’s silhouette dimmed and began to flicker. 
“This is true despair, ron. Am I wrong? It’s despair, isn’t it?” 
Ggghk... hnngh!? 
It’s hurting him! It’s hurting him! Seiya thought frantically. It’s really hurting him! 
“Moffu. Looks like it’s my turn, fumo!” The specter shrieked as Moffle pulled himself, shaking, to his feet. 
Hrrgh...? 
“I don’t have a story as bad as Macaron’s, but I’ve been through a few hard times myself, fumo. Maybe I’ll tell the story about how the girl I loved for years and years got stolen by a king...” 
S-Stop it! No NTR, please! I can’t take it!? 
“Moffu. You should try it at least once. It’ll screw with your worldview, that’s for sure.” 
Help me!? 
“Moffu. Drink it down, fumo! The 25 years I spent with her! And the tragic end to it all!” (Content abridged.) “And the hardest part was hearing what they ate every night from the maid! That king ate nothing but zinc-heavy dishes! You know what that means, don’t you, fumo?!” 
Graaaaaaaaaaagh!? 
“And every time I had an audience, they’d be flirting with each other right in front of me, fumo! Right in front of me! Each time made me want to start a coup d’etat and raze the whole city, fumo!” 
Stop it! Please stop! Graaaagh!? The spirit writhed in agony. Moffle seemed equally agonized, tears flowing from his eyes, but the damage to the specter was far greater. 
“...Looks like it’s working, fumo. Okay! Someone pick up after me, fumo!” 
“Looks like it’s my turn, mii!” Tiramii declared, leaping to his feet. 
Erk...?the specter choked out.?No!.? 
“There are all kinds of women in the world, mii!” Tiramii went on. “But I can’t imagine any greater despair than having one send you 100 emails an hour telling you she’s going to kill herself, mii!” 
I don’t want to hear this!? 
“You’ve got to hear it, mii! Now, hear the obnoxious story of the craziest girl I’ve ever met!” (Content abridged.) “I’ve moved 113 times, mii! Each time she finds me! I get blood-soaked (censored) in my mailbox! It’s despair, isn’t it?! It’s despair, mii!” 
Hrggh... graaaahhhh!? The story of Tiramii’s old, bad love caused the specter to raise up a henchman-like scream. He sounded like an even more low-ranking henchman than Macaron and Moffle had. 
Obiza, who up until then had just been watching quietly, let out a shout of excitement. “Ah-ha... everyone! You’ve... you’ve almost got him in physical form! Endure it, dig deep... use your heads!” 
“Then old man, you say something, fumo!” 
“What? M-Me?” Obiza stammered. 
“You’ve lived a damn long time, haven’t you?! Say something, ron!” 
“Give us the pettiest story of them all!” Tiramii agreed. 
Obiza looked hesitant. “R-Right... Well, it’s not actually that great...” 
“Just confess already!” Seiya yelled at him. They were one blow away, but they had used up all their own stories of despair. 
The specter, who seemed wasted away, shoulders heaving, now curled his lips up in a smile. ?Heh heh... t-too bad... You almost had me, but... bwahahahaha!? 
But in the face of his seeming triumph, Obiza began to speak, forlornly. “Ah, well... I... I talk about Setsuko-san a lot, you know?” 
“Yeah, I remember, mii. She’s your sexy MILF assistant, right?” 
“She never really existed,” Obiza confessed sadly. “I made her up in my own mind...” 
Hrrrgh! Hraaagh!? The specter doubled over, and began to scream. 
“I drew pictures of Setsuko-san and even talked to them, but... she never came out of them,” Obiza sighed. “On nights around Christmas, I’d eat my convenience store lunches alone and cry myself to sleep. But no matter how I cried, no matter how I kissed and hugged her, Setsuko-chan never showed...” 
Gwahh... gwaaah... gwaghaaaaaah!!? The specter spasmed, as if struck by lightning. 
“Hmm... Considerable despair power, fumo.” 
“This watching-a-trainwreck feeling... it’s the real deal, ron.” 
“Especially the talk of Christmas. That’s dangerous stuff, mii.” 
A shiver went through the three of them. 
It certainly was powerful. Obiza’s pathetic story of despair caused the specter Vomitty R. McPukington (or whatever his name was; Seiya didn’t care) to take a fatal dose of spiritual damage, which caused him to physically manifest. Smoke rose up from the previously vague, flickering form. 
“Great! Now we can do physical damage to him!” Obiza announced. “And... he won’t have any magic power left to curse us!” 
Guh?! I-Impossible!? said the specter, who was starting to panic. ?How can this be?!? 
The group’s eyes lit up in unison. 
“Yes! That’s the defeat flag, fumo! When he shouts ‘impossible!’” 
“Tiramii! Get him, ron!” 
“Mii! Leave it to mii!” Immediately, Tiramii hefted up the collapsed Biino at his side, leaped her away from the specter, then held aloft a remote detonator for his explosives. “Hey, Vomitty R. McPukington III! You’re in the range of the iTRAP, mii! Have a taste of the shaped charges I spent all night preparing!” 
W-Wai—? 
“What were you doing while Biino-chan was in the dumps? I bet you were laughing and enjoying yourself, mii! I might be a trash guy, but I don’t get pleasure out of other people’s suffering! In other words, you’re the real garbage here, mii!” 
S-Stop—? 
“I won’t stop! Die, mii!” 
Click. 
The module explosive that Tiramii had prepared launched out from the corner of the stage, tumbling end-over-end, in a perfect arc through the air. A small stabilizer controlled its orientation, and the sensor, which was connected to the iTRAP, detected its time-to-target to the millisecond. The shaped charge detonated. 
There was a flash and then an explosion, as thousands of liquid metal jets lashed at the specter from above, tearing its physical body to shreds. Its shriek of terror was drowned out by the park-shaking explosion. 
“Ohh... I no longer feel the specter’s presence,” Obiza announced. “It’s gone! You did it!” 
“Mii. Dirty fireworks...” 
Tiramii whispered with max grittiness, as he tossed aside the detonator switch. He seemed brimming with joy about finally getting to say the phrase, but everyone was so tired—Seiya included—that they couldn’t even bring themselves to groan. 

When the thick smoke cleared, they found a single small spider crawling around where the spirit had been. 
“...What’s with this spider?” Seiya asked Obiza. 
“That’s the specter’s remains,” Obiza answered him. “Well, I suppose that’s what he looked like originally. It only took on that powerful spirit form over the course of many years, spent consuming human despair and misfortune.” 
“Hmmm...” Seiya mused. 
“Might’ve happened over centuries, even. But he’s powerless, now; completely harmless,” Obiza reassured them. “You could step on him and he couldn’t do anything to stop you.” 
“I see. Hey, Bando,” Seiya called out to Bando Biino, who had finally opened her eyes under Tiramii’s care. 
“Y-Yes?” the girl replied timidly. 
“What should we do with him?” Seiya asked her. “We can kill him if you want, or let him go. It seems like you should be the one to decide.” 
On call, Biino tottered forward. She looked down at the spider, which was bravely struggling to escape, and seemed to think the question over. All she had to do was take a step forward and crush him, but she didn’t. 
How much pain had this insect caused her in her life? Seiya couldn’t even imagine. And yet... 
Biino whispered, as if to smother the fury rising in her chest. “I’m sorry. I don’t think I can kill him.” It was an uncertain voice, brimming with pain, but Seiya felt like he liked Biino now even more than before. Even Tiramii’s button eyes welled up with tears of emotion. 
“You’re going to let him go, then?” Seiya asked her. 
“No, I won’t do that either... I don’t want him to make trouble for someone else in the future,” she said. “Can’t I lock him away somewhere? I don’t mind taking care of him.” 
“Taking care of a spider?” he asked incredulously. 
“Yes,” Biino affirmed. 
Obiza had suggested that it had taken centuries for the spider to grow into a specter. It probably wouldn’t be an issue for a while, then. “...Very well,” Seiya agreed reluctantly. “Just don’t let him get away.” 
“Okay,” said Biino, with a smile of relief. “Thank you, everyone... I mean it.” 
“It’s nothing, mii. We’d do anything for you, mii!” Tiramii said, rubbing a finger under his nose. The others averted their eyes and gazed into the distance, as if deciding, “Sure, let’s let him take the glory this time.” 
“But... no one at any of my other jobs has ever been so nice to me,” Biino told them. “I’ll owe you all for the rest of my life!” 
“S-Stop it, mii... I’m blushing.” 
Biino quietly snuggled up to Tiramii. 
“This means you can keep working at our park, right? That’s all that matters to mii.” 
“Yes! I’ll do anything I can to help you, Tiramii-san and everyone!” she agreed enthusiastically. 
“A-Anything?! What do I say to that, mii? But if it’s true, if it’s true...” Tiramii, red-faced, was just hesitating over whether he should embrace Biino or not, when— 
“B-Biino!” a new voice cried out. 
“...?” Biino looked around to see who was speaking. 
“Mii?” 
They looked over and saw a young man in blue pajamas standing nearby. He looked to be in his very late teens. The young man had a slender, handsome face, and his eyes were filled with tears. He looked like he’d escaped from a hospital somewhere: he was wearing sandals, and there were marks for IV drips on his arm. 
Who could this be? The whole group furrowed their brows in thought. 
“Big brother!” Biino exclaimed, racing towards the young man. 
“Mii?” Tiramii bleated. “B-Big brother?” 
As the group stood there, stunned, Biino threw her arms around the young man and buried her face in his chest. “Big brother! You’re back in your right mind?” 
“I’m sorry, Biino!” her brother apologized. “I... I was in the hospital when suddenly, I returned to my senses! And I realized how... how awful I’ve been to you... I don’t know why, but the hospital discharged me right away! I really don’t understand it... why was I doing those awful things?” Biino and her brother hugged each other tightly. 
“It’s okay,” she explained. “The people here removed my curse, and that cured you, too.” 
“I see, I see...” 
“So you really are back to normal?” she asked. 
“Yes. I swear I’ll never hurt you again!” 
“Big brother... I love you!” 
The others watched this exchange with slackened jaws. Seiya and Moffle exchanged a glance (Isuzu was still passed out), brows furrowed and heads tilted. 
“Wait... did she say ‘big brother’?” Seiya wondered. “You think that’s...?” 
“Moffu. The big brother from her interview, fumo. The one in the tighty-whiteys with pantyhose over his face, brandishing a chef’s knife...” 
He was the pervert who’d stabbed Biino before her interview, then attacked Seiya and the others before getting knocked out by Moffle’s uppercut. He had appeared here, now, out of the blue, and he was hugging Biino. 
“So that really was just part of the curse...” Seiya said faintly. 
“I’m more shocked to see how handsome he is now that it’s gone, fumo...” 
“They also seem awfully close for siblings...” Seiya noted. 
Biino gasped as she realized the others were watching her display of sibling affection. “Ah. I... I’m sorry,” she stuttered. “Please let me make some late introductions. This is my big brother.” 
“I-I’m sorry about the trouble I caused you the other day. I’m Biino’s big brother. Thanks for taking care of my sister.” The brother bowed low to them, still in his pajamas. “Also, even though I’m her brother, we’re not related by blood.” 
It was quite a bombshell to drop so casually. “M-Mii!” Tiramii reeled backwards, waving his arms around. 
“H-Hey...” 
“I feel it now! This is true despair, mii!” 
“T-Tiramii?!” 
“Siblings unrelated by blood! What’s with this eroge—or rather, modern light novel-like development?! I’ve unleashed my own greatest enemy on the world, mii! There’s no way to fight it, mii!” 
“Tiramii, calm down.” 
“Oh, a curse! A curse upon you all, mii! Despair, despair, despair! I’ll be the specter this time! That’s how much you’ve hurt mii!” Tiramii seized the former specter—the spider they’d stuck in a bottle—and began shouting at it in rage. “Hey! Vomitty... um... what was it again? Anyway, specter! Heed my call! I’m with you from now on! So be reborn! Be reborn and seduce me with your honeyed words!” 
“......” The spider said nothing. It just crawled around, panicked, in the bottom of its bottle. 
“Talk to me! You want some water torture? Will that get you to agree?! Oh, enough! Someone, anyone... I beg you, deliver mii!!” Tiramii’s wails echoed through the space in front of Maple Castle.

And so, Bando Biino’s exorcism ended. Over the next few days, they’d heard that her laid-up father had spontaneously recovered, the landlady who had abused her had returned to her kindly old self, their family’s financial situation had improved, and the mother and brother who had left them would be returning soon. That was all well and good. But thinking about the time frame, it seemed a bit strange that the brother who had been under the curse had come running immediately after the exorcism(?) had completed... 
“That’s how these things work. The presence or absence of the curse can affect the flow of events before or after it’s applied or removed,” Obiza said. “If the exorcism had failed, he wouldn’t have appeared. He wouldn’t have gotten permission from the hospital to leave to begin with. That’s just how it works; don’t think about it too hard.” 
Having seen quite a few odd magical phenomena already, Seiya decided, indeed, not to pursue the question any further. There were more important matters at hand. 
“Hey, Doc. I’d like to ask you something...” Seiya had said to Obiza after the exorcism was over. He might be a half-senile, self-interested old man, but he had, in fact, helped them to remove Biino’s curse. He was stupid and perverted and hard to deal with, but he did have appreciable skill. 
“What?” Obiza, who had been making preparations to go back to whatever magical kingdom he’d come from, furrowed his brow when he saw the seriousness on Seiya’s face. 
“There’s someone else I’d like you to examine. I suppose you could say she’s an aristocrat...” 
Seiya was, of course, referring to Latifah. Latifah was also suffering under the weight of an inscrutable curse— a different kind of curse than that specter’s, to be sure. But in the spirit of exhausting every possible avenue, Seiya decided to put the matter to Obiza. Of course, he’d heard that the kingdom of Maple Land had spared no expense trying to help her, and yet they still hadn’t cured Latifah’s curse. Even so, it felt wrong to just give up. If there was any chance at all that Obiza might help, shouldn’t he at least try? 
Obiza had agreed, and so Seiya (along with the now-conscious Isuzu) led him to the rooftop garden. Latifah, who had been informed of his coming in advance, seemed a bit troubled about the whole thing, but she bowed to Obiza nevertheless. 
“Ah... Doctor,” she greeted him. “I put myself... in your care.” 
“Good,” Obiza told her. “Now, take off your panties.” 
“O-Of course...” Latifah timidly reached for her skirt’s hem. 
Seiya hit him, Isuzu shot him, and they ended up forcing him to stamp a contract saying “I will perform no further sexual harassment while under Maple Land employ” in blood, and at last Obiza was pacified. 
“She was actually gonna take ’em off!” he spluttered. “Why did you have to get in my way?!” 
“Shut up!!” Seiya snarled. 
“You’re no fun at all,” the old man sulked. 
And so at last, the ordinary examination could begin. One hour later... 
“It’s beyond me,” Obiza said with absolute seriousness after concluding the examination. 
“It really is, huh?” Seiya let out a sigh. Isuzu did the same. She had likely also been holding onto hope, no matter how small it might be. 
“However,” Obiza added, “I recall reading about similar symptoms, similar wavelengths, in a book long ago. Yes, very long ago... from some distant, now-lost magical realm. If I can find the book, it might help us out, somehow.” 
“Really?” Seiya asked, 
“Of course, really,” Obiza asserted. “You think I’d lie about that? Of course, I also can’t guarantee it.” 
“Please, try to find the book!” Seiya begged. 
“Hm... well, if you insist.” Obiza said, backing off a little as Seiya leaned toward him. “But don’t go getting your hopes up. My memory’s fuzzy on this one. It might be easier to make Setsuko-san manifest and become my honest-to-goodness mistress than to cure that princess of yours.” 
“I don’t care. We’ll give you anything,” Seiya promised. 
“Well, all right. In that case, I might see you again some time.” With that, Obiza left the park behind.

“By the way, Kanie-kun...” Isuzu said, after he cleared up his general work that day. 
“What?” he asked. 
“I wasn’t able to say it before... Thank you for what you did.” 
“...? What do you mean?” Seiya asked. 
“During the ritual...” There was a hesitance in Isuzu’s voice. 
“Ritual?” he asked. 
“Bando-san’s exorcism,” she clarified. 
“Oh, right.” He finally remembered: Seiya had risked his life to save Isuzu when the specter had caused her musket to explode. 
“Knowing you, I had assumed that you would have left me to my fate,” she commented. 
“What an awful thing to say,” Seiya retorted. “I’m a good man; I’ll save a woman when I need to. It’s almost as if you haven’t realized how incredibly amazing I am yet.” 
He made it sound so casual that Isuzu’s shoulders slumped. “Yes, I see. I suppose you would say that.” 
“Yes, I would.” Seiya puffed his chest out and nodded. “By the way, I’m also the one who figured out how to beat him. I was very, very, very, very, very, very clear about that to Moffle and the others before, so that should keep them from mouthing off for a while.” 
“I’m sure they were extremely upset,” Isuzu replied. 
“Of course they were. After all, I am an incredibly talented man,” Seiya boasted. “It’s natural that I would make others jealous.” 
“I see...” 
“You do, do you? Then stop babbling and get back to your secretarial work. That’s about all you’re good for, after all!” Seiya laughed heartily. 
Isuzu couldn’t remain silent after that. She pulled her usual musket out from under her skirt and pressed it against Seiya’s chest. “It’s one thing to be conceited, but enough is enough.” 
“Whoa, whoa! Hold it! Isn’t that the gun that blew up during the ritual?” he demanded. “How can you be pulling it out now?” 
“Steinberger is my ancestral weapon, but we have about 50 of them in our family warehouse,” she told him. 
“And they’re all passed down through the generations?” 
“It means that I have a great number of spares,” Isuzu explained, “So it will be no issue if I stain one of them with your blood.” 
“Oh, boy. First you thank me, then you threaten me... It’s exhausting.” Seiya said with a sigh. “Well, I’m tired. If you’re going to shoot me, shoot me— I’m going home.” Showing no concern for Isuzu’s weapon, Seiya began to stride out of the room. 
From behind him, Isuzu spoke up. “Kanie-kun...” 
“What is it now?” 
She seemed about to say something, but then swallowed her words, and at last whispered, weakly. “Nothing... good night.” 
“Sure. Night.” With that alone, Seiya left Isuzu behind.