Translator: Reflet

　This was a two-fold crisis .

　Youran as Director of the New Moon and Youran as a female were being targeted at the same time . If it were only one of the two, she could endure it, but if it came down to both of them, she definitely wasn’t having it .

　This was a situation in which both the public and private versions of her; everything was liable to be stolen .

　Youran was not the type of girl to sit and wait for death, and in this situation she had neither the experience nor the quarreling nature to remain calm .

　Dodging, she aimed for the door she had come through and broke out into a run .

　The only thought occupying her mind was that she must run away .

「You’re no fuuun」

　Instantly, Saekusa Tsuk.u.mo’s smile was right in front of her .

　His steps had revolved around her in a circle .

　Her shoulders s.h.i.+vered again . Though his face was in order, it looked to Youran’s eyes like a disgusting smile .

「There are a lot of things that I want to discuss with and tell New Moon-sama, and there are also things I want to ask . 」

「I-I have nothing to do with this! I have nothing to talk with you about . 」

「Has New Moon-sama eaten parent-child bowl soba before? It’s soba with chicken meat and egg-bound soup on top . It was being sold earlier at a major convenience store, but it’s a commodity that disappears in a ridiculously short time . 」

「W-What are you……」

　Tsuk.u.mo had suddenly spoke up, and his meaningless words further fanned Youran’s fear .

「I really liked that . They were not placed on rice, but soba . Putting the parent-child style in a field that’s generally different; reminds me of an attractive mother and daughter dropped suddenly from happy everyday life into debt h.e.l.l, presented to the yakuza . 」

「Prese――」

「And then, it disappeared from the storefront, so I thought to make it myself and had Chan Suu bake it, but as it was it had no art, and I thought to set things up on a shabby stage of an even newer element . You know, isn’t there the type of person who s.h.i.+nes when they’re being tormented? So not rice or even noodles; I thought to put them on bread . So what do you think happened afterwards? That’s right; it became a sandwich, and when I coated it with ketchup and margarine and put it on top of the roasted bread it was super delicious . Incidentally, is New Moon-sama still a virgin?」

「W-Why are you asking that question?」

「See, I can emit the white part, but I was thinking of having New Moon-sama emit the red part . Ah, well, maybe I’ll have New Moon-sama’s okasama emit the white part . It wouldn’t be half bad to scatter New Moon-sama’s virginity after she becomes able to lactate . 」

「――」

　She cowered, feeling madness from the man in front of her .

　Whether that was an act or his true nature was no longer clear . Not only his words, but his pupils were gradually gathering madness and replacing the once-rational person .

　He had pupils that could not be anything other than that of a madman .

　Swinging her right arm, she released a backhand .

　Her wrist was grabbed, and this time she brandished her left hand .

　But that was grabbed too .

　Youran was constricted like a vicegrip .

「Sorry New Moon-sama, I can’t afford to be slapped right now . I decided to only be okay with getting slapped for breaking a subst.i.tute promise . 」

「Please let go――Let go . 」

「Yeah, using those words is also good, New Moon-sama . Gives me s.h.i.+vers . I wonder if New Moon-sama’s okasama speaks the same way . 」

「――You little」

　Both her hands grabbed, Youran kicked her legs up . That just met Tsuk.u.mo’s groin area from the front .

　Tsuk.u.mo reeled in agony . Youran took that opportunity to fling her hands to free herself, das.h.i.+ng out from the room .

　Moving along the windowless corridor, she ran into the staircase .

　Descending one floor down, she sprinted along another long hallway .

「Haa, haa, haa……」

　Her breath became heavier in the smallest amount of time . She desperately tried to escape, disheveling her long twintails .

　Fifth floor corridor, staircase .

　Fourth floor corridor, staircase .

　Third floor corridor, staircase .

　The spiral staircase that took up the whole building made not only invasion, but escape difficult as well .

「Kyaa!」

　Suddenly, she stumbled and fell, the impact causing her to begin to slide along the floor .

　The twintails became undone, spreading across her shoulders .

　On all fours, she rose up, furtively looking behind .

　Had not chased after her, he still hadn’t .

「Gotta run away……」

「Gotta run away……」

　A strained voice leaked out of her mouth .

　That was no longer Director of the New Moon or Youran .

　It was not the n.o.ble woman, nor was it the lighthearted girl .

　It was like a guiltless girl being chased down by a masked man with a chainsaw .

　Panicking, Youran had nothing on her mind but running . Desperately raising her body up, she again aimed for the staircase and began to run .

　Second floor corridor, staircase .

　Having escaped three stages and racing down in one go, she simply focused on running away .

　Reaching the first floor, as if waiting for her, the thick shutter slowly rose .

　For a moment, she felt she had seen a light there, and embraced hope .

　Normally……The hope that she would never have .

　Even so, she dashed into it .

　Like a lemming das.h.i.+ng off a cliff .

「New Moon Sama」

「――Ngh！」

　Startled, she quickly braked .

　Somehow, Tsuk.u.mo had appeared beyond the entrance .

　Not able to stop, she crashed into her opponent . She rebounded away and fell on her backside .

　Tsuk.u.mo leisurely entered the building . The shutter went down, letting out an electrical “gigigi” sound .

　The falling shutter, and the disappearing light .

　She desperately tried to escape, crawling toward the entrance .

「Can’t let you do thaaat」

「Kyaa!」

　Her hair grabbed, her neck was jerked back .

　During that time, the shutter completely closed .

　Despair attacked Youran, and the bit of the outside she had seen――the difference between the hope seen and the despair tightened her heart .

「Let’s go back . Okasama’s going to arrive soon, after all . 」

　Tsuk.u.mo said, dragging Youran by her hair .

　The path that she had desperately tried to reach was taken back, and hope became far .

　Tsuk.u.mo said, dragging Youran by her hair .

　The path that she had desperately tried to reach was taken back, and hope became far .

　Pa.s.sing through the long corridors and coming out of the decorative elevator, he had her stand before the staircase .

　Staircase .

　To Youran now, that looked like a straight path to despair .

　If they went all the way up here then they would not return again . That seemed like the sickle of h.e.l.l opening its mouth widely .

「……Let go . 」

　Youran softly opened her mouth . Tsuk.u.mo reacted to the voice that was squeezed out of the bottom of her stomach .

「Oh, did you ready yourself, New Moon-sama?」

「Let go . 」

　She said the same words with a different tone .

　As if he were overpowered or had an opinion about that, Tsuk.u.mo released her hair that he had been grabbing .

　Falling to the floor, Youran who had been dragged silently stood up .

　Looking at the staircase, then the shutter, then at Tsuk.u.mo .

　Roughened hair and a quiet gaze .

「I can’t escape, huh」

「Nah, of course not . I have no intention of letting you . 」

「I see, I get it . 」

「Ohhh, so that means――」

「Indeed, I have readied myself . It seems that there is no point struggling any further . 」

　She said, quietly closing her eyes .

　Behind her eyelids, various scenery came and went .

　Her life thus far, like a revolving lantern, flowed through there in a moment .

　Lastly, the form of one boy floated .

　Seeing that face lastly, Youran opened her eyes .

「……Give me my hairclip . 」

　She said quietly, and Tsuk.u.mo picked it up handing it to her . She accepted it, slowly tying it back into pretty twintails like some sort of ritual .

「That hairstyle is also good, New Moon-sama, just like――」

　She said quietly, and Tsuk.u.mo picked it up handing it to her . She accepted it, slowly tying it back into pretty twintails like some sort of ritual .

「That hairstyle is also good, New Moon-sama, just like――」

　It seemed that Tsuk.u.mo was saying something, but it didn’t enter her ears . Her eardrums were picking up sound, but her mind did not recognize it .

　Raising her hands, she fastened the twintails .

　A smile rose; one of self-depreciation .

「New Moon-sama?」

　As if realizing something at last, Tsuk.u.mo said with a puzzled voice .

　Amongst the faintly opened teeth of the mouth, the tongue was softly added in .

　If she would be humiliated like this, then she might as well――

「Just――」

　Tsuk.u.mo frantically tried to halt . He aimed a cold smile at her .

（Once more……I wonder if you wanted to be pulled tight . ）

　Thinking that in the heart, closing their eyes, and putting power into the jaw .

「You must not!」

「――ngh」

　That moment, her voice dissolving her resolve sounded out . Not heeding any physical obstacles, the fairy had slipped past the wall and appeared .

「That’s bad; you must not do that sort of thing!」

「You……」

「Taiyou-chan! They’re here!」

　Perplexed at the suddenly appearing fairy, she who had been able to stop Youran went in the direction of the day after next, letting out a loud voice .

　Dogohhn!

　The building violently shook, the next moment .

　Through the floor where Youran and Tsuk.u.mo stood, concrete telephone poles had pierced through the wall like spears .