Monster no Goshujin-sama - Volume 8 - Chapter SS1

Extra Story: The Shut-In’s Companion

After dinner, I went to see Rose and Katou. When I asked Rose how her work was going, she told me that she’d finally managed to complete an imitation translation runestone. I gave it a try, then casually chatted with Katou about trivial stuff.

Some time after that, Rose asked, “Is something wrong, Master?”

“Huh?” I was a little taken aback by her sudden question.

Rose stopped her work and stared at me.

“What are you talking about?” I asked.

“I apologize if I’m misunderstanding. I just thought you’ve been a little restless since you entered the room,” Rose said, looking worried.

I was a little embarrassed to reply. “Do I really look that way...?”

“Yes. Did something happen?” she asked with a nod, looking dead serious.

Was I that easy to understand? I couldn’t help but smile bitterly at the thought.

“Well, more or less,” I answered.

“Is there something I can do?” Rose asked immediately.

I shook my head. “No. The sentiment is enough.”

“Are you sure...?”

“Sorry for worrying you,” I said. Rose looked a little saddened by this, so I added, “This is just something I have to do myself.”

“Something you must do, you say?” Rose repeated, cocking her head.

“Now that I think of it, Senpai,” Katou joined in, “you canceled your magic lesson with Shiran today, right? Also, Lily doesn’t appear to be with you.”

“Lily returned to our room ahead of me,” I said.

Katou was as sharp as ever. I could tell from this little exchange that she had a vague idea of what was going on. Not that she had any intention of saying more than this. She’d only hinted that she’d noticed because she wanted me to know that she would help if needed. She’d also done it out of consideration for Rose, so I was all the more grateful. In this one case, however, I wasn’t going to take advantage of their good will.

“All right then. I should head back to my room.”

I rose to my feet, and the two of them saw me out to the hallway.

“Okay.”

I psyched myself up and started walking. I stopped in front of the room I was using during our stay in Draconia. I hesitated for a moment. The wooden door seemed strangely heavy. Of course, this was just my emotions talking, so I threw away my hesitation, knocked on the door, and entered the room.

Inside was a girl sitting on a chair. She raised her head from the book she was reading, her flaxen hair swaying behind her. She had the same face as Lily.

“Majima.”

We’d arranged this meeting beforehand, so she wasn’t surprised to see me.

“Sorry to keep you waiting, Mizushima.”

“No need to apologize.”

Mizushima shook her head, but her expression was a little stiff. Was she nervous? There was an air of doubt about her.

“How about taking a seat?” she said.

Only then did I realize I’d been standing in the doorway. Apparently, I was the nervous one here. I let out a small sigh, then nodded.

“Yeah. I’ll do that.”

The only chair in the room was the one Mizushima had brought in, so I crossed to the other side and sat down on the bed. I faced her once more. I opened my mouth to say something, but I hesitated. My focus then shifted to her clothes.

“Your uniform...” I said.

“Huh?”

“You changed.”

“Oh, yup.”

Mizushima was currently wearing her school uniform. She and Lily shared a body. When Lily returned to our room ahead of me, she’d been wearing her usual white dress. In other words, Mizushima had gone out of her way to change before I arrived. Now that I thought about it, she’d also been wearing her uniform in the Misty Lodge.

“That dress is Lilz’s,” Mizushima said, but then she waved her hands in a fluster. “Oh. No, um, I don’t mean I hate wearing it or anything, okay?”

“Don’t worry. I didn’t think that.”

I wasn’t going to complain. Actually, I was grateful. Even if I knew it in my mind, my emotions and senses didn’t necessarily keep up. If she dressed like Lily always did, I might accidentally treat Mizushima the same way I always treated Lily. That would be very rude.

“Strangely enough, wearing my uniform seems to help me maintain my mimicry better. Maybe ’cause it makes it easier to imagine my own figure?”

“I see. The reason you wanted time was so that you could change, then.”

“Yup. Sorry for taking up your time.”

“It’s fine. I don’t really mind. I’m the one who called you out. Besides, I was talking to Rose and Katou, so it wasn’t a waste or anything.”

I’d dropped by Rose and Katou’s room because Mizushima had asked for a little time before we talked alone. Katou seemed to have figured that out too.

“Oh, yeah, have you spoken with Katou yet?” I asked.

Katou and Mizushima had been close friends. They’d been together when Takaya Jun had taken them away from the Colony. Now that it was known that Mizushima was inside Lily, I figured the two of them would have plenty to talk about.

“Mm-hmm. We spoke. It was the day after we all talked in your room. Mana called me out. She cried, even though there’s nothing for her to apologize for.”

They’d escaped the Colony together, but Katou had been saved, whereas Mizushima had passed away. Even if nothing could’ve been done about it, Katou obviously felt deeply guilty for having survived on her own.

“If Rose hadn’t been there to calm Mana down, it might’ve been a bit of an ordeal,” Mizushima added. “Rose really saved me... Well, Mana was the same as usual. She’d predicted that it would end up like that and had already asked Rose to stay with her.”

“It’s hard to tell whether she’s breaking down or keeping her cool, huh?”

“Seriously.”

We both laughed, but I knew that my smile was a little stiff. I knew the reason for this too. When I reunited with Mizushima, I felt awkward around her, but hadn’t been able to settle that because of the topic of my lost memories.

Mizushima was now one of our traveling companions, though. So long as I was with Lily, I couldn’t sever ties to Mizushima, seeing how they shared a body. I couldn’t let things between us remain uncomfortable. I’d asked for this meeting today so we could clear things up.

“Mizushima,” I said very stiffly, correcting my posture, “I have to apologize to you.”

Her eyes shook. Her smile had already vanished. She was a clever girl; she could probably guess what I was getting at.

“Apologize...? What for?” she asked flatly.

I felt like I’d just swallowed a lump of ice, but I couldn’t stop here.

“I used you. I fed your body to Lily.”

A repulsive image came to mind, one I couldn’t wipe away. Not that I had any intention of forgetting it.

“I need to apologize for that,” I said.

“But it was necessary, wasn’t it?” Mizushima asked expressionlessly.

I nodded. “Yes. If I hadn’t done that, I probably wouldn’t be here today.”

“The same goes for me,” she replied indifferently. “I was supposed to be dead already, but because of a bunch of coincidences, I’m here today. That only happened because of what you did that day. I’m actually satisfied with the present. I’m grateful, Majima.”

“That still doesn’t change what I did.”

“You sure are serious.”

I caught the slightest hint of inconcealable anger in her words. Lily acted like a human by using Mizushima as an example, so they had many commonalities. Having so much experience with Lily, it wasn’t all that hard to sense when Mizushima was keeping a lid on her emotions. She certainly hadn’t forgiven me for what I’d done. I could sense it.

“I plan on doing anything I can to take responsibility,” I said.

The person I needed to make amends to the most in this entire world was right here, and I was going to do so no matter how much time it took. I’d resolved to take responsibility for what I’d done to her. Nonetheless, if Mizushima had no intention of forgiving me, this resolve meant nothing.

“I understand,” Mizushima said coldly. She rose from her seat with a clatter. She remained expressionless as she stood before me. “Is that all you wanted to talk about?”

“Yeah.”

“I see. Then that’s all for today.” Mizushima nodded, but her eyes didn’t meet mine. She kept them glued to the ground. “I’m glad we could talk today. All right then, I’ll switch out with Lily. I’m going to change, so could you give me a little time again?”

“Sure.”

If she was going to change, then I couldn’t stay in the room. Even if this was just an excuse to drive me out, I had no choice but to abide.

“Okay, later then,” I said, standing up from the bed.

“Mhm.”

Mizushima responded to me, but she still wouldn’t look at me. For some reason, my heart really hurt. I told myself that I didn’t have the right to feel this way. The only thing I could do for her was to take responsibility for what I’d done. That was all. There was nothing else to it...

However, I’d misunderstood absolutely everything, and I only realized I had shortly after this.

When I passed Mizushima to leave the room, I heard a sudden voice.

“Aagh. Jeez. I guess I’ve got no choice.”

I couldn’t consider the meaning behind those words; it just wasn’t the time for that.

“H-Hyah?!”

Mizushima shrieked and tilted over. Had she been assaulted by a dizzy spell? I didn’t have time to think about that, though. I reflexively reached out and pulled her upright. Her body fell my way. It had all happened in an instant, so I lost my balance. Still, I was at least capable of catching a girl without falling. Or, I was supposed to be. When I caught Mizushima, my legs got strangely tangled up.

“Wh-Whoa?!”

What kind of coincidence was this? It was as if my legs had been swept out from underneath me. I could’ve managed had I braced myself, but the soft sensation entwining my legs made me hesitate. As a result, I stumbled and fell backward. I prepared myself for the impact while protecting Mizushima, but the impact came much faster and was far lighter than I expected. One beat later, I realized I’d fallen back onto the bed.

“That startled me,” I said, speaking my exact thoughts. “Are you all right, Mizushima?”

“Ow... I hit my nose,” Mizushima replied, lying flat against my chest.

This was a bit of a disaster, but nothing serious had happened. I felt relieved, but then I realized the position we were in.

“Jeez. How did this happen...?” Mizushima grumbled.

The top of her head was right in front of my face. Her body was laying on top of mine. I was used to the weight, but she wasn’t Lily. Suddenly conscious of the sensation in my arms, having wrapped them around her, I sprang back and let her go.

“Oh, sorry.”

I had nothing to apologize for, but I’d said it reflexively. I had nothing to feel guilty about either, naturally.

I tried to sit up right away, but something hindered me from doing so.

“Wait.”

I froze. Still lying on top of me, Mizushima had planted her hands against the bed. She looked down at me, her gaze earnest.

“Majima, you feel guilty about me, right?” she asked. It was as if her eyes were pleading with me. “You feel responsible, right?”

There was more sorrow than anger in her expression.

“Is...that all?” she asked, a tear forming in the corner of her eye.

The moment I saw it, I started to doubt myself. Had I misunderstood something? When I looked at Mizushima, I felt like I had. But what was it? What had I misunderstood?

“Hey, Majima? Do you remember that night?” Mizushima asked.

She hadn’t been very clear, but I knew what she was talking about right away. Her earnest expression and the way she straddled me overlapped with another girl in my memories. I recalled that night in the hut from several months ago.

After discovering the corpse of a girl I knew, I’d committed a necessary but inhuman act to survive. I now knew that my deadened emotions had been an instinctive defense mechanism to protect me from shock.

That night, because of everything that had happened, I’d felt like the weight of my emotions would crush me. I would’ve been done for on my own. I’d only managed to maintain myself because I’d had someone to heal, support, accept, and love me.

The girl from back then overlapped with the girl before me. Surely, I’d mixed them up... No, that was a lie; it wasn’t because of that. I felt certain of something. If I was wrong, Mizushima would never have asked me whether I remembered that night. Yes. Back then, Lily hadn’t been the only one I’d bonded with. There had definitely been someone else there.

After that, she’d vanished. Rather, she’d been lost to begin with. By the time I reached her, it was already too late. I wasn’t able to do anything. All I could do was fulfill her regrets. That didn’t change the truth of her death. At least, that was what I’d always believed.

But that wasn’t the case. She was here right now. She hadn’t been lost. She’d always been with Lily, right by my side. That was why she’d asked me if all I felt was guilt and responsibility. It wasn’t that she couldn’t forgive me for what I’d done to her that day. To her, none of that mattered. There was something far more important than that, so when I hadn’t touched on it at all, it had angered and saddened her.

I realized my misunderstanding now. So what was I to do? I didn’t really need to give it any thought.

“I remember,” I said, not even aware that I’d spoken. I unconsciously stretched my hand out and touched Mizushima’s cheek. “Yeah. You’re right. If I’m to take responsibility, then that’s far more important.”

One half of the warmth that saved me that night was right here with me.

“Sorry for being slow,” I said.

“Dummy...”

Tears flowed from her eyes. The warm droplets steadily dripped from her face and didn’t stop for a good while.

◆ ◆ ◆

How much time had passed? Mizushima kept her forehead pressed against my chest and didn’t move. After a while, the sensation of heat against my body was my entire world. The feeling of truly taking back something that had been lost was sweet. Mizushima likely felt the same way. She seemed satisfied.

Before long, she got up, and our eyes met. If this were Lily, she would’ve smiled impishly and stolen a kiss from me or something. Of course, she wasn’t Lily. I didn’t confuse the two of them, and I understood they would react differently. The two of them occupied the same body, but they possessed independent personalities.

Even so, I hadn’t predicted how their reactions would differ. Had I tried to, maybe I would’ve been able to. Given her attitude while we were in the Misty Lodge, and given the reason she’d shut herself in, I already knew that this cheerful, lighthearted, and wise girl was also shy, awkward, and a late bloomer. Besides, everyone had things they weren’t good at handling.

The moment Mizushima met my eyes, she gave me a weird look. She’d likely been acting entirely on her emotions up to this point. Now, she’d come back to her senses and realized the situation we were in.

She was straddling my waist. We were all alone on top of a bed. Not only that, I’d been holding her until now, and we could both still feel the heat from each other’s bodies.

“Ah...”

She gasped and turned bright red with enough vigor that I felt like I could hear a sound effect accompanying it. Her reaction was so drastic that it caused me to jolt. That only made Mizushima panic more.

“H-Hang on. Um, this is— Hyah?!”

She pulled back immediately. However, she’d done so with so much force that she toppled backward and tumbled off the bed with a thud.

“H-Hey?!” I shouted.

I froze in astonishment but then got up in a fluster. She was on the floor, groaning, and sitting in an immodest position.

“M-Mizushima...?”

She started and looked up at me, her face red. Perhaps she thought that her reaction had been unsightly.

“S-Stop!” she screamed, tears in her eyes, waving her hands about like she was trying to hide her face.

“Huh?”

“Forget that just now!”

Even if I could...I didn’t know from what point to what point she wanted me to forget. Maybe she didn’t know herself. That was possible, considering how flustered she was.

Mizushima sat on the floor, utterly discomposed. But in the next instant, her expression changed to one of exasperation.

“What the heck, Miho...?”

It was a voice I was very familiar with.

Her face once more flushed red. “B-But Lilz! This is embarrassing...” the same mouth said in a miserable tone.

“Don’t ‘but’ me... That was just mean,” she said, sounding exhausted, as if there was no dealing with this.

If one didn’t know the situation, this would look like a one-girl comedy act. I could tell right away, though, that Lily and Mizushima were talking to each other.

“Miho, you know Katou told me that you were dense when it came to this stuff, right? Still, no matter how tone-deaf you are to romance, how could you possibly waste such a good mood like that? It all went up in smoke. I even went and helped you...”

At that point, I finally realized that Lily had made me trip me earlier. She’d come out for just an instant like she was doing now. It was quite the skill.

“Uuuugh...”

Mizushima plopped to the floor and put her hands against her red cheeks. Her eyes met mine. In an instant, her expression crumbled.

“A-Anyway! That’s how it is!”

After she yelled that cryptic phrase, Mizushima switched out completely for Lily.

“Huh? Hang on. Miho?!” Lily said, blinking in surprise.

Bewildered, Lily put her hand to her chest, but Mizushima showed no signs of resurfacing. After a full ten seconds, Lily grasped the situation and her brows drooped.

“Wow... She ran away.”

Of all things, Mizushima had deserted under enemy fire. Not that I was an enemy or anything. It just felt like the situation was pitiful enough for that phrase to fit.

“Miho, you chicken...” Lily said, slumping.

I couldn’t hold it in anymore and burst into laughter.

“This isn’t the time to be laughing, Master. Miho reverted back into a shut-in, you know? A chicken and a shut-in. She’s beyond help!”

“Really? Well, I guess so.”

Even as I spoke, I couldn’t suppress my urge to laugh. I’d thought Mizushima was the type of girl who could skillfully do anything. I didn’t know she had this side to her. It just felt so strange.

“So we’ll have to do something to get her to come out, huh?” I said, rotating my shoulder. “I need to take responsibility too, yeah?”

My meaning seemed to get across properly, because Lily smiled and nodded. Immediately following that, the girl inside her suddenly made a reappearance. Her cheeks red, her voice sounding both embarrassed and happy, she said a single word—“dummy.”