He who Protects the Transforming Heroines from The Shadows - Chapter 30 - Escape and Decoy

(Damn it, of all times, why’d she have to be with those two…!)

Sprinting down the hallway at full speed during lunch break, Eito thought to himself.

He had run away from Sheldia. There were two main reasons why.

The first was that Sheldia had been together with Youka and Miya. Until now, Eito had only come into contact with them once—when he accidentally bumped into Youka. And that had been purely by chance.

His solo pep-talk in the cafeteria didn’t count, since the two hadn’t seen him there. Eito had been making sure to avoid contact with them as much as possible. He never knew when or how his true identity might be exposed.

The second reason was simply that he didn’t want to stand out. If he had taken the lunch from Sheldia right there, there was no doubt all the surrounding students would have focused their attention on him.

Eito liked being alone. Being alone meant freedom. That was why drawing attention was something he wanted to avoid.

(I’ll have to apologize to Jou-chan when I get home…)

From Sheldia’s perspective, she was probably delivering his lunch because his mother asked her to. Yet he had bolted without saying a word. Satori would probably take the lunch from her, but Eito would still have to apologize to Sheldia properly later.

Feeling a pang of guilt, Eito ran down the stairs.

♦

“Oh my, I wonder what that was all about?”

Seeing Eito suddenly bolt away from her, Sheldia tilted her head.

“What’s wrong, Sheldia-chan?”
“Hmm? Someone’s running down the hallway at full speed.”

Youka and Miya, who had been asking nearby students if they knew anyone named Eito, spoke to Sheldia, who was tilting her head in confusion. The boy they saw running—Eito—had just rounded the corner.

“I’d just found Eito, but for some reason, he ran off.”

Looking troubled, Sheldia glanced down at the lunch she held in her hands. Just as Eito had guessed, his mother had asked her to deliver it to him.

“Eh, isn’t that kind of rude?”
“I’m questioning his personality now.”

Hearing Sheldia’s words, the two expressed their outrage toward this Eito they hadn’t even met yet. For someone this cute to deliver his lunch, only for him to run away—what a nerve.

“Ah—*ahem*. It seems my friend has been terribly rude, I apologize. I’m Hayakawa Satori. Eito asked me to take his lunch for him, but…”

Satori approached Sheldia, not really waiting for the perfect timing, with a sheepish smile.

All she’d been told was to take the lunch from the girl after her friend suddenly bolted. She didn’t know anything about this girl. In fact, she was already certain she’d interrogate that bang bastard after school and make him treat her to something for this nonsense.

(Well, since I’m so kind, I’d do at least this much.)

She hoped she’d get proper thanks for this. That was what Satori was thinking.

“I see… Eito’s friend, huh…”

Sheldia murmured, staring at Satori intently, then glanced back at the lunch.

“…I appreciate it, but I’d like to ask him why he suddenly ran off, so I’ll decline. I’ll deliver this to him myself.”
“Eh? But Eito said—”
“It’s fine. I’ve already memorized Eito’s presence.”

As Sheldia said that, her shadow suddenly stretched out like a thin line.

From her shadow, a black streak extended, tracing along as if pursuing something. Only Sheldia herself knew that this shadow was following the path Eito had taken when he fled.

“Eh…?”

No one knew who had spoken, but everyone watching Sheldia stared at her and her shadow as though witnessing the impossible.

That included Satori, as well as Youka and Miya.

“She… Sheldia-chan…?”
“I’m sorry, but I’ll have you forget this little scene.”

In the heavy silence where all eyes were fixed on her, an eerie light flickered in Sheldia’s eyes.

Everyone who saw that light had the brilliance in their own eyes fade into emptiness. It was as if they’d all become dolls, standing perfectly still.

“—Range: This entire floor. Erase memory of the shadow that extended. That should do it.”

Amid the strange stillness, Sheldia spoke in her usual calm tone, her words echoing slowly and deliberately into the minds of the vacant-eyed students.

“Thank you, Youka, Miya. This is goodbye for now, but let’s meet again someday.”

Leaving those words to the two girls, who now wore the same vacant eyes as the others, Sheldia sank into her own shadow.

♦

“Hah… hah… I should be safe now.”

Having gone down to the first floor and out of the school building, Eito moved to a deserted spot behind the school.

“…Sorry, Jou-chan, but I think I’ll just kill some time here.”

He was staring up at the sky, his stomach growling, when suddenly a voice came from behind him.

“How cruel of you, Eito. To just run off like that.”
“Whoa!?”

With a startled cry, he turned around to find Sheldia standing there, her slightly sharp eyes fixed on him.

(No way… she actually caught up to me?)

How had Sheldia even found this place? It was her first time visiting Fuuraku High, so there was no way she would know this spot. The only conclusion was that she’d chased after him.

But if this girl had been pursuing him from behind, he should have noticed. Eito hadn’t sensed anyone tailing him. Then again, he had been flustered, so maybe he couldn’t say that for sure.

Either way, the fact remained: she was here. That was all that mattered.

Once again, Eito felt this girl was strange, unfathomable even.

“I came to deliver this to you. Why did you run off all of a sudden?”
“…Sorry about that, Jou-chan. It’s not that I don’t like you or anything. I just hate drawing attention to myself, no matter the reason.”

Eito bowed his head as he spoke. He wasn’t lying. The real reason he’d bolted was because Sheldia had been with those two others, but the fact that he disliked standing out was true as well.

“I see. That’s a little surprising. It’s only been two days since we met, but you didn’t seem that gloomy for someone who looks like you do.”
“Well… you’re basically a stranger, in a good way. But school’s different. No matter what, you have to interact with people. And those interactions end up affecting my day-to-day life. So I choose to stay out of sight.”

Even as he spoke, Eito knew his words were clumsy. At his age, he still couldn’t fully explain this way of thinking, even to himself.

“Doesn’t make sense, huh? My bad.”

He added with a sigh.But Sheldia smiled gently, as if she understood perfectly.

“No, I get it. Every person has their own world. Well then, I won’t bother you any longer. Here, this is for you.”

She handed him the lunchbox she’d been carrying.

“…Thanks. Actually, I’m starving… this really helps.”
“Fufu, you’re welcome. You and your family have been kind to me, so this is the least I can do.”

For once, Eito was honest with his gratitude. He even gave her a smile he’d never show anyone at school.

♦

“Hmm, I wonder when Sherdia-chan slipped away.”
“Right? One moment she was there, and the next she was gone. But if she disappeared, doesn’t that mean she managed to give him the lunchbox?”
“Yeah, I guess so. That Eito guy’s friend didn’t have the lunchbox either. He seemed just as clueless as us about when Sherdia-chan left.”

After school. Youka and Miya were talking about what had happened during lunch break as they headed toward the front gate.

“I’m sure that’s it. —Hm? Isn’t that Kounomiya-kun over there?”

Youka noticed Kouji standing by the gate. When he saw her glance his way, he walked toward them with his usual graceful steps.

“Hey, you two. Mind if I have a moment of your time?”

With the same refreshing smile as always, Kouji addressed the two girls.

“Sure.” “Of course.” Youka and Miya nodded in agreement. Kouji, seeing this, added, “Thanks, I won’t take much of your time,” before continuing.

“I think Tsukishita-san already heard from Asamiya-san, but… it’s been arranged for us to meet her—the one ranked fourth among the Lightguide Princesses, Shrine Maiden.”

♦

“So, Eito. What’s the deal with that girl, anyway?”
“How am I supposed to answer that…? Acquaintance?”
“Acquaintances don’t usually bring you a lunchbox all the way to school. Are you hiding something, Eito?”
“I’m not hiding anything. I just don’t know how to explain it.”

On their way home from Fuuraku High, Eito was being interrogated by his friend for some reason. Earlier, Satori had made him treat her to some fried snacks at a convenience store for no apparent reason, and Eito had no idea why she was in a bad mood.

For the record, Eito hadn’t had any money on him, so Satori had exclaimed, “Unbelievable! Fine, I’ll lend you the money! But you’d better pay me back!” In the end, she had paid for the food herself, yet somehow it was now Eito who owed her money—a needlessly complicated situation.

“Hm… if you say so, I guess I’ll just ask your mom about it. She must’ve known who the girl is since she brought you that lunchbox.”
“…Please don’t. That’s just going to get messy. And it’s got nothing to do with you, does it?”

Satori finding out Sheldia was staying at his house would bring nothing but hassle. Having known her for a long time, Eito was well aware of that.

What’s more, if Satori accidentally let slip that Sheldia was staying at his place, that too would no doubt lead to trouble.

So Eito spoke a little coldly to shut her down.

“Yeah, maybe not… but still…”

Satori pursed her lips at her friend’s rejection. She wasn’t going to press further after being shot down like that, but she clearly wasn’t satisfied either.

“Exactly. Anyway, see you, Satori.”
“…Fine. Whatever. Bye, Eito. See you tomorrow.”

At the intersection where they split off toward their own homes, they exchanged farewells and parted ways.

“Geez… I’m giving Mom an earful when I get home.”

Knowing his mother, she probably felt a little guilty but had eagerly sent Sheldia off anyway. Eito respected his mom in many ways, but her cheerfully meddlesome nature often clashed with his own personality.

(I should probably get Jou-chan a thank-you gift or something… after all this mess Mom dragged her into…)

Sheldia was clearly the biggest victim in all of this. Sure, he’d given her a place to sleep and other necessities, but that was beside the point.

Still, Eito had absolutely no clue what a foreign girl her age might want.

As he was puzzling over it, that familiar voice echoed in his mind for the first time in days.

『Eito.』
“…Guess it’s time for work.”

Eito muttered wearily in response to Soleil’s voice in his head.

『Yes, but things are going to be a little different today.』
“…What do you mean?”

He asked back, puzzled.

『Normally, I ask you to watch over Youka and Miya. But this time, I want you to guard a different Lightguide Princess. And I want you to let her see you in your Spriggan form. Those are the two things I’m asking of you.』2

“…”

Hearing Soleil’s “request,” Eito thought about why he’d have to do such a thing. As Soleil herself said, his job was to watch over Youka and Miya, and to help them if necessary.

But this was something else entirely.

Why?

After a few seconds of thought, Eito reached a possible answer.

“…Decoys, huh?”
『Yes… you figured it out.』

Soleil sounded genuinely surprised that Eito had guessed the reason.

『Since you’ve arrived at that conclusion, I’m sure you can already see why I need you to do this. Still, I’ll explain.』

Soleil began to elaborate.

『As you know, you’ve been exclusively protecting Youka and Miya. You’ve rescued them multiple times without ever revealing your identity. But because of that, a clear pattern has emerged.』
“…Spriggan’s sightings.”
『Exactly. Few have actually seen you in person, but if things continue this way, someone will eventually notice: Spriggan only appears in battles involving those two Lightguide Princesses.』

Indeed, so far, Spriggan had only intervened in battles involving Youka and Miya. The recent fight with Reizeroll had included one other Lightguide Princess and one Guardian, but that was only because those two were there.

『They’re currently being protected by the tenth-ranked Guardian, so you rarely need to step in. Unless it’s against exceptions like the top-ranked Darkians or Reizeroll herself, he can handle it alone. Still, the pattern persists.』
“And this is to fix that…”

Eito replied knowingly.

『Correct. We’re going to scatter your sighting reports. Your existence is already known to Japan’s Lightguide Princesses and Guardians, so there’s no need to worry. In this respect, we even owe Ralva some thanks. Specifically, we’ll have other Princesses and Guardians see you on purpose. That way, you’ll maintain your current image: a mysterious figure who appears in front of Princesses, Guardians, Dark Thralls, and Darkians alike. In a single word, “decoy” really is the perfect description.』

Soleil’s calm explanation echoed in Eito’s head. As she’d said, he’d already suspected as much.

“…All I can say is ‘Understood.’ Fine. Where am I going? Or are you sending me there yourself?”
『I’ll transport you. Don’t worry, it’s in Tokyo. You’ll appear at the scene of a battle between Dark Thralls and Japan’s strongest, most influential Lightguide Princess—the one ranked fourth, Shrine Maiden.』
“Heh. Got it.”

With that, Eito slipped into a narrow alley where few people would see him. A light enveloped his body, and in moments, he vanished completely from the spot.