He who Protects the Transforming Heroines from The Shadows - Chapter 16 - The Situation

In the darkness, she stood atop a towering building.

Her attire resembled a Western-style black mourning dress, and her white hair gleamed against the night.

Yet her beautiful face wore no expression, her icy eyes as still as frozen lakes.

At a glance, one might mistake her for the embodiment of death itself—a woman cloaked in an aura so haunting it seemed otherworldly. She silently gazed down upon the world.

“…………”

Below, people bustled through the city streets with a kaleidoscope of expressions—joy, sorrow, anger. The flicker of their emotions glittered so vividly that Reizeroll narrowed her eyes, as if the light pained her.

“……Hmph.”

She hated humans. From the bottom of her heart, she loathed them. They had taken someone precious from her—not once, but twice.

“…So, it’s been purified.”

Just moments ago, she had turned a human in Italy into a Dark Thrall. That person must have harbored especially dark emotions, because they became a Darkian from the start.

Reizeroll felt no disappointment. To her, what mattered wasn’t the soul itself, but the energy—born from the swell of dark emotions as a person fell into darkness.

Currently, Reizeroll was not in Italy but in New York City, USA. Yet regardless of her location, she could sense when a Dark Thrall or Darkian had been purified. That was one of her inherent abilities.

(My objective should be achievable in a few more years. But now… a new variable has appeared.)

The Lightguide Princess and the Guardians had been persistent thorns in her side since ancient times. They were dangerous obstacles to her plan. But even so, they were expected interference—Soleil and Ralva merely playing their roles in resistance. Not unknowns.

The true uncertainty—the wild card—was the mysterious man who had disrupted her plans twice.

“…Spriggan. Just what are you?”

This was her second time asking this aloud. A man who wounded her second-strongest subordinate, Feliet, and forced her to retreat. A man who wielded the same powers of darkness used by Reizeroll and her Darkians—yet whose origins and motives were a complete enigma.

What she did know, at least for now, was this: Spriggan was her enemy.
And that he only appeared when those two Lightguide Princesses were in danger.

“…This variable must be eliminated.”

A cruel smile rose on Reizeroll’s lips as she looked up at the night sky.
Yet her eyes remained cold—frozen like ice.

♦

“Has the Darkian in Italy been purified already? As expected of the ‘Saint’…”

Bathed in a warm light, Soleil murmurs these words in the divine realm.

Around Soleil, holographic displays—like floating windows—project maps of the human world and various pieces of information.

Being a god, Soleil can sense whether a being of darkness has been purified. This is one of Soleil’s divine authorities.

However, by visualizing the information like this, she organizes her thoughts more effectively. Since this is the divine realm, such feats are second nature to her.

“…For now, the situation seems to be in our favor.”

With a hand to her chin, Soleil appears deep in thought as she assesses the current status.

No one yet knows that Eito, her trump card, belongs to her. That alone is a massive advantage.

Youka and Miya have shown no signs of awakening yet, but their power is expected to grow during the summer training session.

The Guardian under Ralva’s jurisdiction is still on her side. However, there are some slightly troubling rumors regarding the Guardian.

“Reizeroll’s movements are normal for now as well…”

She had been greatly shocked and deeply unsettled when Ferrite appeared before Youka and Miya—but aside from that, nothing out of the ordinary had occurred.

Just as before, beings of darkness and shadow continue to appear across the world, and the Lightguide Princess purifies them.

It’s a cycle that has repeated for thousands of years.

“…Someday, I will save you.”

These were words she had repeated to herself countless times—thousands of times. And yet, Soleil still hadn’t been able to carry them out. She always thought of herself as pathetic because of that.

“Reizeroll… Reoll…”

The goddess’s soliloquy echoed through the divine realm, overflowing with light.

♦

“……Looks like I made it through this time, too.”

The day after all his exams had ended. Some tests had already been returned, and there were no failing grades. Probably none of the others would be red marks either.

He had ended up giving his homeroom teacher some leverage over him, but that was just something he had to accept. Originally, he’d have been caught cheating and stuck with remedial classes during summer break, so this wasn’t the worst outcome.

“Anyway, this sense of freedom is amazing. Guess I’ll just wander around today.”

Most people feel pretty good after exams are over.

So, Eito decided to take a stroll on his way back from Fuuraku, choosing unfamiliar roads just for fun. Wandering through unknown parts of his own town was one of his quiet hobbies. His mother had once said, “What are you, an old man?” which Eito found rude—he was still a perfectly fresh teenager, after all.

As he walked through unfamiliar streets, he came across a small café nestled in a residential neighborhood. Surprised that such a place existed here, he looked for the name and saw faint letters next to the entrance reading: Shierra.”

“…Huh. Looks like a pretty good place.”

The slightly old-fashioned, brick-built café caught Eito’s interest.

His throat was dry, so he figured he might as well stop in. He opened the café door.

“ ……Welcome.”

A woman—probably the owner—greeted him as she polished a glass, her tone soft and subdued.

“…choose a seat.”

Apparently, he could sit wherever he liked. That made sense, since he didn’t see any other customers.

“Then…”

Eito, being alone, sat at the counter and placed his bag on the floor.

He picked up the handwritten menu, wondering what to order. The writing was rounded and cute—maybe the woman had written it herself? Curious, he glanced at her from beneath his long bangs.

“…decided?”

“Ah, yes. One banana juice, please.”

It seemed she’d noticed his gaze. The woman—still unnamed to Eito, but presumably Shierra—put down the glass she’d been polishing and started preparing the drink.

(She noticed me looking at her…)

He watched as she placed a banana in the blender and thought about how rare that was.

Due to the length of his bangs, half his face was obscured—his eyes weren’t visible at all. His little sister often teased him, calling him “like a protagonist from a dating sim.” Honestly, it was kind of true.

So normally, no one noticed when he looked at them. No one could tell where his eyes were. But this woman had sensed it. Maybe she was just naturally aware from working in customer service.

“……Here you go.”

While Eito had been thinking that, the juice was finished. A glass filled with a pale yellow drink and ice was placed before him.

“…Thanks.”

He slid the straw into the glass and took a sip. The sweetness unique to banana juice and the slight texture of banana left behind made it very pleasant.

(This is good…)

As he silently appreciated the taste, Eito enjoyed the quiet. The woman, who didn’t seem to talk much, had returned to polishing glasses. Eito wasn’t much of a talker either, so he simply sipped his juice while reading a book he’d borrowed from the library.

Time passed quietly. It felt like an “adult moment”—though that was just how Eito imagined it. Reading a book in a calm café while sipping a drink seemed kind of cool. Though, it was just juice, which didn’t quite complete the image.

(…Guess I should pay and head out.)

He placed a bookmark in his book, closed it, and returned it to his bag. Just as he was about to leave, the door opened and a new customer entered.

“……Welcome.”
“Hey, Shierra. You’re as beautiful as ever today.”
“…Shut up. If you’re going to the garden, just go—”
“No, I’ll stay here today. I’d like to talk to you, too.”

The man who entered—Eito hadn’t looked at him. He wasn’t interested. That was one of his personal principles: staring at people was rude. Besides, watching strangers never really led to anything.

Still, from the voice and tone, Eito could tell it was a man. The man sat one seat away at the counter.

“…Excuse me, I’d like to pay—”
“Huh? You’re…”

Just as Eito tried to speak, the man addressed him.

EIto was puzzled. He was sure he wasn’t familiar with this person’s voice, and so he turned to look at him.

“Whoa…!”

There sat a strikingly handsome man with blond hair and blue eyes. Eito couldn’t help reacting aloud. The guy was what you’d call a total heartthrob.

“Haven’t we met somewhere before?”

Despite clearly not being Japanese, the man spoke fluent Japanese.

“…No, I think this is the first time we’ve met.”

Eito shook his head at the strange question. He would never forget meeting someone that handsome.

The man looked puzzled for a moment.

“Weird… I could’ve sworn I’d seen you somewhere.”

He seemed to be searching his memory, but after a minute, he gave up.

“…Sorry. Looks like I was mistaken. I must be getting old.”
“Uh, right…”

He only looked a little older than Eito, but maybe that was just a joke.

“……Your order?”

The woman—apparently the owner, judging by the name—spoke flatly to the blond man.

“Ah, sorry, Shierra. Let’s see, I’ll have milk tea and two egg hot sandwiches. One for him.”
“Eh? No, you don’t need to!”
“Oh? You’re full? Then how about dessert instead?”

The man smiled at Eito, who hurried to clarify.

“No, it’s not that… It’s just that I can’t accept food from a total stranger…”
“Don’t worry about it. It’s my way of apologizing for mistaking you for someone else. Shierra, go ahead with that order, please.”

The woman nodded with a quiet “…Okay” and went back to work. Left behind, Eito reluctantly expressed his thanks.

“…Thank you. I actually was getting hungry.”
“No problem. It’s just my own selfish kindness. …You’re a polite kid.”
“Huh? Me…?”

Eito was just expressing thanks to a kind stranger. That seemed normal—not especially “polite.”

“Well, most people would be wary if a random guy started talking to them and offered food. But you actually thanked me. That’s pretty rare.”

The blond man looked at him with jewel-like blue eyes and smiled. It was a beautiful smile.

“…Maybe. Or maybe it’s just because you seem like a nice person.”

At that, the man blinked, then burst into laughter.

“Pfft—hahaha! Sorry, I’m not laughing at you. You really are a polite kid!”
“…If you say so.”

Eito figured this guy was kind of odd. He couldn’t quite understand him.

“…Here you go.”

Shierra returned, placing the sandwiches and milk tea in front of the man. She also set a matching cute plate of egg hot sandwiches in front of Eito.

“Looks delicious…”
“Go ahead, dig in! Shierra’s food is always top-notch!”
“…It’s annoying when you say it, so stop.”

Shierra shot the man a sharp look. Watching their exchange, Eito got the feeling their relationship was more than just shop owner and regular customer.

“Well then… .”

Eito pressed his hands together and took a bite. The hot egg, butter, and mustard-mayo blended perfectly—just as the man had said, it was delicious.

“This is amazing…”

Eito smiled unconsciously. Shierra responded with a quiet “…Glad to hear it,” and returned to her work, looking a little embarrassed.

“Right? Guess I’ll dig in too.”

The man grinned and took a bite of his sandwich, following it with a sip of milk tea.

They both quietly enjoyed their sandwiches. With a glass of water from Shierra, Eito basked in the peaceful moment.

After finishing the sandwich cleanly, he pressed his hands together again and whispered a quiet “Thank you for the meal.” Then he turned to the blond man again.

“…Thanks again for the treat. Uh, mister foreigner.”
“You’re welcome. Heading out already, kid?”

Eito bowed slightly as the man drank the last of his tea. He nodded in reply.

“I only stopped by on a whim, but this is a great café. I’ll definitely come again—next time I’ll pay for my own sandwich.”
“Glad to hear it. That’s good news, huh, Shierra? Looks like you’ve got a new repeat customer.”

The man spoke to Shierra as she was washing dishes. She glanced at Eito, raised the corners of her mouth just slightly, and said:

“…Come again anytime.”
“Yes.”

Eito paid for the banana juice, then quietly left Café Shierra behind.

♦

“Oh dear, he was a fun and interesting boy, don’t you think so too, Shierra?”
“…Not really. More importantly, I’d like you to hurry up and pay off your tab. Ralva.”

After Kagehito left, the god of the Guardians Ralva cheerfully spoke to the owner of the shop, but the owner—Shierra—responded in a flat voice, pressing the god for payment.

“Huh? Your grandfather told me I could eat and drink here freely, though…”
“…I know. But that’s that. That was when my grandfather was the owner. I’m the owner now, so that doesn’t matter anymore.”
“Th-that’s harsh…”

Ralva gave a strained smile. What the heck. He never heard anything about that.

“…Well, I’ll give you a bit more time out of respect for Grandpa.”
“G-got it…”

Having barely gotten out of trouble, Ralva sighed in relief in his heart.

And some time later, Shierra told Ralva a certain rumor.

“…Have you heard about the mysterious person who’s been hunting down Dark Thralls and Darkians? The Lightguide Princess who saw him described him like this—‘He was like the Grim Reaper himself.’”
“…Yeah, I’ve heard. So what?”

Ralva responded with an unreadable expression. Shierra, trying to gauge something from that face, said her next words.

“…Don’t you think he sounds a lot like your mysterious Rank 4th?”
“……………”

The Dark Thralls and Darkians led by Reizeorol. The Lightguide Princesses by Soleil, and the Guardians by Ralva.

And now appearing between them were two mysterious figures: Spriggan, and the god-of-death-like person who hunted the Dark Thralls and Darkians.

A status quo that hadn’t changed for thousands of years—was now, unmistakably, beginning to shift.