Chapter 19: Request 

The negotiations with, the member of the theater troupe, ended in a deadlock.

Though it ended, it seems that the Actor still had something up his sleeve, according to the information we received from the older brother in black on our way back.

As we listened to the story, the car we were in began the journey back home. The headlights sliced through the darkness of the night, illuminating the road ahead.

Inside the car, moving at a steady speed, Nina-chan, who had just finished hearing the story, expressed her dissatisfaction with a few words.

“But we don’t know where the Actor is, right? Is that really okay?”

“Yes. The fact that Actor, this ‘monster,’ exists has become clear.”

“…So, up until now, we didn’t even know if he really existed?”

“As Nina-sama says.”

The older brother in black answered Nina-chan’s question without shifting his gaze from the road ahead.

Certainly, until now, the Actor had been more of a rumor that the monsters had been spreading on their own. To put it bluntly, it had been a rumor spread by the monsters, and there had even been the possibility of it being a hoax.

But today, that had become clear.

“Moreover, if he approached us from over there, there’s a way to deal with it.”

“How?”

“We’ll use the recovered plush toy.”

In response to Nina-chan’s question, the older brother still didn’t move his gaze. The plush toy he mentioned was probably what the Actor had been inside.

“If he approached us through the plush toy, it’s likely a type of ‘Resonance Magic.’ In that case, there’s a way to trace it.”

“Are you going to call Shirayuki-sensei?”

“No, I think it should be handled by an available exorcist, as Shirayuki-sama is busy.”

I thought Shirayuki-sensei would be called into action after hearing the term “Resonance Magic,” but the older brother quietly denied it.

I had hoped to see her again after a long time, but it was a bit disappointing. Nevertheless, if we can trace the source, I’d definitely want them to follow it. And then, I hope they’ll exorcise it.

I had no idea what the Actor’s “Smile Plan” meant, but if he was creating more monsters, it couldn’t be a good plan. I wanted him gone before things got even more troublesome.

However, considering that the opponent was capable of creating monsters, it was almost certain that he was at least Fifth Rank or higher. If it came to exorcising him, it seemed there would only be a handful of exorcists who could do it.

Hmm?

Wait, isn’t the Actor a Named being? So he has to be Sixth Rank or higher, right??

Thinking that far, I quietly shook my head in my mind.

No, it shouldn’t be possible. After all, Actor is a name given by the monsters themselves and not by humans.

The names of Sixth Rank or higher beings are determined by humans because of their danger.

Just like that time when the Snow Princess named herself even though she was truly a Sixth Rank. However, that’s an exception among exceptions. It’s better not to think of it as typical.

So, he shouldn’t be a Sixth Rank.

While thinking about that, the car slowed down.

When I looked ahead, we were at the intersection near our house.

As we approached the house, the car came to a complete stop, and we unbuckled our seatbelts.

“Itsuki-sama, Nina-sama, thank you for your hardwork today.”

“Thank you for driving us.”

“No, this is my job.”

With shopping bags in hand, Nina-chan and I got out of the car.

At that moment, Hina came running from the front door. She probably heard the sound of the car. Following her, my mother also came out, chasing after Hina.

“Then, if anything happens, I will contact you.”

“Please do.”

I said that and bowed my head.

With that farewell, the older brother in black left.

Nina-chan and I went inside to have dinner.

I hope Hina and Mom like the souvenirs, I thought while eating.

After dinner, I took a bath and did my daily routine of stretching exercises in my room.

Then, Nina-chan, in her pajamas after her bath, appeared in my room.

“Itsuki, are you awake? eh, what are you doing?”

“What do you mean, what am I doing? I’m stretching.”

You don’t need to look at me with such strange eyes.

“Stretching? Mom does it too, but do you do it every day?”

“Yeah. Dad told me to.”

“Is that so? Then maybe I should try it too.”

My father used to say that daily stretching exercises like this were important, even though it wasn’t the time for muscle-building training yet. He said that soft, flexible muscles were more useful when it came to movement than stiff, tense muscles.

We exorcists have “Body Enhancement” magic, so I’m somewhat skeptical about whether stretching is really necessary. However, since my father, who has survived as an exorcist with such a high casualty rate in the profession, says it’s better to do it, I obediently follow his advice. After all, whether I doubt those words or reject them, it’s out of the question.

“Nina-chan, don’t you stretch?”

“I do it sometimes with Mom.”

You’re doing it too, Nina-chan. Actually, Irena-san is also doing it. If two prominent exorcists are both doing stretches, there’s no doubt it’s a good idea to do them.

Thanks to continuing it every day, I achieved an A rating in flexibility for my second-year physical fitness assessment.

Well, leaving the topic of stretching aside…

“Why did you suddenly come to my room, Nina-chan?”

“Oh, um…”

Nina-chan had a somewhat troubled expression and stood at the entrance to my room, as if she wanted to say something.

“Well, it’s okay if you don’t like it, Itsuki.”

“Yeah.”

I continued stretching the back of my thigh without stopping. It’s important to make it effective, but you shouldn’t overdo it and hurt yourself.

While watching me like that, Nina-chan continued.

“Is it okay if we sleep in the same room tonight?”

“Yeah, it’s fine.”

I nodded without thinking too much. 

It was only after I agreed that I thought about the meaning of her words.

Huh?

What did Nina-chan just say…??

However, before I could understand it, Nina-chan’s face suddenly lit up.

“Thank you. Just wait a moment. I’ll bring the futon.”

With her face still glowing, she left my room.

I remained frozen in the same position, still stretching the back of my thigh, unable to say “No” at this point.

I was frozen to the point where I was risking injuring myself.

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