Chapter Forty-Two: Kikyo: Are You Satisfied with My Service?

The next day, Ju Ji had a strange dream. He dreamed he had fallen into a deep blue sea. Before him stretched an endless expanse of dark waters, while behind him lay a shore filled with light.

His instincts urged him to swim toward the shore, but whenever he drew near, a massive wave swept him back to where he started. The cycle repeated over and over. After an unknown amount of time had passed, he woke up.

"So, Kikyo, what exactly are you doing?"

"Wha' am I doin'? Can't you see?"

Because Kikyo had something in her mouth, her words weren't very clear. But he could more or less understand what she meant: "What am I doing? Isn't it obvious?"

The sight before him was so absurd that he wondered if he was dreaming. But the strange sensations coursing through his body made it clear that he wasn't. Everything happening now was real.

"No. I can see what you're doing, and that's exactly why I don't understand."

Kikyo looked like she was savoring a cool, refreshing, delicious popsicle on a hot summer day, careful not to let it melt. A little sweat seemed to bead on her forehead in the warmth. Her usual impish expression looked irresistibly alluring to Ju Ji now.

At Ju Ji's reply, Kikyo rolled her eyes at him, as if expecting him to figure it out for himself. But he had no time to think about any of that now.

Like Icarus, who had gained wings, he soared with all his might toward the sky he longed for, searching for the freedom he sought. There, he saw blue skies and white clouds, along with a waterfall plunging down beneath him. He swept past cliffs and winding canyons, twisting and turning until he finally drifted into the sea.

"Thank you for the meal!"

By the time Ju Ji came to his senses, Kikyo had already swallowed. Her small tongue gently brushed across her lips, as if she had just savored the most delicious food in the world.

No, what had just happened? Ju Ji's mind was a complete muddle.

"Why?"

"Who knows? I'm looking for that answer myself. When I got here, I found my dear friend in a bit of a predicament, so I helped him out. What, weren't you satisfied?"

Kikyo leaned forward slightly. The glimpse he caught from the corner of his eye threw his thoughts into disarray. It was strange—he should have been used to sights like this by now.

"What do you mean, satisfied or not? I have no idea what you're talking about."

Ju Ji turned his head slightly, trying to avoid Kikyo's demonic eyes, which seemed able to see through everything. But Kikyo had been watching him the whole time and noticed even that tiny movement.

"Don't try to change the subject. Look at me and answer honestly."

Kikyo's strong hands held Ju Ji's head firmly in place, forcing him to face her deep wine-red eyes, in which one could easily lose oneself. Yet the eyes were like mirrors that reflected everything—and all they reflected was him. Nothing else.

"If I have to say, it was pretty good."

"If you have to say?"

"It was amazing. Pure bliss."

For some reason, Kikyo was more forceful today than she'd ever been before. Her resolve seemed impossible to shake. He'd only ever seen that kind of presence in Suzune. What could have brought about such a change in her?

"So, what made you do something like this? I never thought you'd do something like this."

"Isn't it obvious? If I didn't go this far, you'd never understand how I feel. I've been trying so hard all this time, yet you've stayed completely unmoved. I can't tell if you really haven't noticed or if you're just pretending. Besides, you're the one who told me to keep moving forward. You gave me permission, after all."

"When?"

The moment the words left his mouth, Ju Ji remembered something he'd said the night before while walking around campus: "Wouldn't it be a bit of a waste if time stopped moving forward because of that? We have to keep moving forward." And her reply: "Is that so? Then I have to try harder, too. I can't just stay stuck like this." He also remembered how her words had seemed to hide some deeper meaning.

Ju Ji truly hadn't expected that something he'd said thoughtlessly, caught up in the mood, would make Kikyo resolve to act. All this time, Kikyo had shown up in his room every night and morning.

But she had only teased him a little, without taking things any further. Now, the situation was clearly different. At first, Kikyo had become his best friend only because the Make Friends System had forced her into a state of Hypnosis. But after spending so much time together, Ju Ji had come to regard her as a true friend he couldn't do without.

Yet because of the Hypnosis, Ju Ji had always felt guilty toward Kikyo. He had believed her actions were all caused by the Hypnosis, with no part of them coming from her own will. But was that really true? The system had only hypnotized Kikyo into becoming his best friend. What she was doing now went well beyond the bounds of friendship. So he began to doubt what he'd believed all along.

"Looks like you've figured it out... So, would you like to make this part of your daily routine, Shinomiya Ju Fan?"

Kikyo's face was very close to Ju Ji's. He could almost smell her sweet fragrance. It was undoubtedly disrupting his ability to think clearly. But he was still struggling inside. This wasn't something he should do.

"And I'll wear a maid outfit every day."

"Okay!"

His muddled thoughts and conflicted feelings had left Ju Ji's brain in a state close to crashing. So when he heard the words "maid outfit," he agreed without thinking. By the time he realized what he'd done, it was too late.

"Well, you may seem like a total coward most of the time, but you're still honest about your tastes."

Kikyo wore a satisfied smile, but her eyes were unmistakably contemptuous. He couldn't tell if she was praising him or mocking him. If he had to guess, she was mocking him.

"That's a relief. I was starting to think your body had no interest in this. That would've been a problem... But it looks like this is your limit for now, so I'll let you off the hook. Still, remember this: you're mine. I won't let anyone take you away."

With that, Kikyo gave Ju Ji's neck a light bite. A thin trickle of blood welled up, but it stopped within seconds.

"Ju Ji, get up, or you'll be late. Or would you like me to help you?"

The clouds had cleared, and the demon had vanished, leaving behind only a kindhearted angel—though this angel seemed to have changed in some hard-to-describe way. It was as if everything that had happened earlier had been a hallucination. Only the faint sting in his neck warned him that it hadn't been a dream...