Nia Honjo: Eek! Comedians Are Terrifying

A heavy rain had begun to fall outside.

Qian Huanyue somewhat listlessly pressed her face against the windowpane.

Ever since getting stabbed and taking a loss that day, Qian Huanyue had felt like her back had no sense of security. Even her Astral Dress had grown a skirt of armor.

So Astral Dresses could change shape!?

Qian Huanyue only realized this belatedly.

"So, Little Qian," Nia Honjo said ingratiatingly as she leaned closer and scratched the other girl's shoulder with her fingertips.

"...Eek!"

That movement nearly made Qian Huanyue, whose back had become abnormally sensitive, reflexively attempt a backflip. Luckily, she restrained herself in time.

"Little Nia-Nia, naughty." Qian Huanyue half-lidded her eyes, uttering an equally outrageous pet name as she pinched the nose that had drawn close.

Seeing Qian Huanyue recover from her listless state, Nia Honjo knew that the Ratziel she had used had worked.

Ratziel possessed omniscience. Its omniscient information search could uncover all information except that of the future.

Ever since she had been taken away by DEM, she had not used this ability in a long time.

The ancient, weighty book, which gave off a faint glow, floated before her.

She had only recently regained her freedom and had used it once for "Little Kurumi," but she had not found the First Spirit's whereabouts. That was truly strange.

That day, she had watched Miss Qian Huanyue fold apart the door imprisoning her, blast the personnel who regularly tortured her with Angel until the sight was unfit for review, then lift her out in a rather undignified pose.

Later, after regaining her freedom, she had secretly used Ratziel to learn of Miss Qian Huanyue's mighty exploits: tearing apart magicians with her bare hands and beating up Ellen Mira Mathers. That power, that presence...

Nia Honjo suddenly felt that going back to draw manga, rush deadlines, and continue her manga Silver Bullet, which she had been forced to abandon for five years, no longer seemed so important or urgent.

She became incomparably obedient, and her face took on a fawning expression.

At the very least, she should stay here first and repay the debt of having her life saved.

It was absolutely not because the other girl had asked nothing of her, she herself had been of no use, and she did not dare leave! Absolutely not.

"Little Qian~ Don't be so down! My combat power may be lacking, but maybe I can help with Ratziel!"

Qian Huanyue looked at Nia, who had suddenly become extraordinarily enthusiastic and even a little sycophantic, blinking as though she could not quite keep up with the leap in thought.

"Come to think of it, Dog's litter box seems like it could use cleaning."

"...Huh?" Nia Honjo blinked, thoroughly confused.

Dog? Litter box? Cleaning?

What did those words mean when put together?

Did Little Qian keep a dog at home? Why would a dog use a litter box? And why was it a "litter box" rather than a "dog toilet"?

Wait, wasn't the real point why she had suddenly brought this up?!

"Pfft—" Qian Huanyue finally could not hold back her laughter. The corner of her mouth curled into a tiny arc of successful mischief.

"My cat is named Dog."

She casually tossed out that simple yet utterly outrageous explanation.

Misery was misery, but fun was fun.

Watching Nia's expression become even more spectacular in an instant, Qian Huanyue thought that much of the gloom in her heart had dissipated along with that absurd joke.

Nia: "..." Sometimes, she truly felt helpless.

She, Nia Honjo, had once known all things in the world through Ratziel. She was a Spirit who saw through information.

She had also been a manga artist who created hit manga and possessed countless fans.

Even after being imprisoned by DEM Industries for years, the dignity belonging to a Spirit and creator—at least as she saw it—still remained.

She felt herself irreversibly sliding toward some sort of abyss—the kind of comedic character role, common in both light novels and manga, that was easily persecuted.

It was like after a character finished a glorious scene such as saving the world or revealing a crucial truth, the author had no idea what to do with her next and simply turned her into a comedian responsible for generating laughs, someone the protagonist could tease whenever they pleased.

Could it be that my life... no, my Spirit life, after enduring a long melodramatic arc and a brief heroic rescue, would ultimately end with me becoming a comedian?!

No! I still wanted to maintain at least a little of my mysterious, cool Spirit image! At least... at least I looked pretty cool when Little Qian saved me, right? Probably?

The little person in Nia's heart was clutching her head and screaming, while her face wore a complicated expression mixing blankness, grievance, and resignation.

Of course, Qian Huanyue could not understand Nia's inner drama right now. How could 111 possibly understand the thoughts inside a brain with 245 intelligence?

"Help me—Nia-Nia." To make herself look cuter, Qian Huanyue clasped her hands together and leaned forward slightly. "I mean... could you help me replace it? The cat litter."

The task of changing the cat litter had originally been handled by Kurumi's clones.

But recently, the Four Heavenly Kings seemed to have been shut in Kurumi's shadow by the original body to reflect on their actions.

First-Meeting Kurumi had gone out to buy ingredients.

Qian Huanyue was the type who was too lazy to do anything in daily life unless someone pushed her to do it, which was why she had initially entertained the freeloading thought of being sealed away and living an easy life.

The beginning was unimportant, and the middle was unimportant.

In any case, the only one she could ask was "Little Nia-Nia"—a nickname she had come up with after being called Little Qian.

A moment later, Qian Huanyue looked at the litter box, now spotless, dry, and fresh, then at Nia Honjo beside it, who seemed to have accomplished some great feat. Though her expression was a little subtle, her back was held perfectly straight.

Qian Huanyue's eyes sparkled as she gave Nia Honjo a thumbs-up.

"You did amazingly! Little Nia-Nia, you're practically a cat-litter genius!"

"...You know that kind of praise doesn't make me happy at all, right?" Nia complained, but the corners of her mouth still rose slightly beyond her control.

She patted off dust that was not there from her hands, then tossed her hair with feigned nonchalance. "Still, since you asked me so sincerely, Little Qian, something this small is naturally no trouble for me!"

"Mm-hm!" Qian Huanyue nodded vigorously, keeping up her sparkling expression. "As expected, Nia-Nia is the most reliable!" A woman's intuition told her that at times like this, she only needed to praise her.