Chapter 76
...Ugh.
...Still, Mental Cure had been worth it.
If I'd slept in that state, it would've been a hundred-percent nightmare, but... since I slept normally, taking that slight risk had been worth it.
"What time is it now, Tokkaengi?"
[...Eleven p.m.]
Even Tokkaengi, who normally hated being asked the time, answered obediently. I suppose it could read the room, at least.
"...Nothing happened, right?"
[Yeah... Nothing happened.]
"Okay..."
Of course, there was still a chance that Tokkaengi had negotiated with Mia to hide the fact that something had happened. Maybe Mia had done something while Tokkaengi was looking away. Or perhaps Mia had some incredible ability that let her erase Tokkaengi's memories, too, before doing something.
No possibility was truly zero. There was no such thing as a probability of zero.
But if the odds of that actually happening had somehow been overcome, I would just have to accept it. I had only said it wasn't impossible; the odds were infinitesimally close to zero.
"Around what time did Mia leave?"
[...Mental Cure lasted about seventeen minutes... During that time, all she did was let you use her lap as a pillow and keep a hand on your head... She left at 3:20 p.m.]
So I had slept for about seven or eight hours. I could consider the one night's sleep I'd put off yesterday almost fully replenished.
I had been so exhausted that I came home, didn't even wash, and fell straight asleep... For now, I just had to wash up, replenish my energy, kill some time, and go back to sleep when I got drowsy again. I'd already stayed up all night, after all. If I tried to force myself to sleep again, I was bound to get sleepy eventually.
So the first thing I needed to do was...
-Fwoooosh
"...I feel alive."
First, I had to wash myself.
The funeral home didn't have a separate shower room, so the most I could do was wash my face at the sink. The refreshing feeling of washing away the grime that had built up on my body over such a long time, combined with the drowsiness left by sleep, was surprisingly satisfying.
I wasn't particularly fond of rain, but sometimes standing under the shower and losing myself in thought felt quite nice.
"...I don't see any strange marks."
And after giving my body a quick inspection while washing, I found no particular signs that anything had happened, just as Tokkaengi had said.
It wasn't that I particularly distrusted Tokkaengi. It was true that there had been an unfortunate incident between the two of us long ago, but one way or another, we'd been together for eight years. We were partners and accomplices who had gone through all kinds of things together.
Now that the matter was so far in the past, I had no intention of casting Tokkaengi out just because I'd thought of it again. Not that I could, anyway.
-Bzzzzzz
"Come on out. It's all over now, and I need to think about what comes next, too."
[...Are you okay?]
"What could we possibly do about it now? Do you want to go over something we've already talked to death about for eight years?"
[N-no... Okay... Um... I'm sorry...]
"Anyway... Filming is on Christmas Eve, right? Today is the 22nd, I think."
[As of today, before midnight, yes, it's the 22nd... It'll be the 23rd soon. Filming is the day after that.]
"No time to rest."
...I'd suddenly gone from a brief, welcome respite to two days of hardship, but I had no complaints. I'd already expected that, even if Grandma held on for a long time, the first half of next year would probably be her limit. If anything, the fact that she'd gone now, while I had nothing else going on and could take proper care of her... might actually have been fortunate.
If it had been just one month earlier, there was a good chance I wouldn't even have been able to give her those two days.
Anyway, I would leave that matter there. The living had to keep living, after all. It was good to grieve for the departed, but only so long as it didn't interfere with one's life; that was better for everyone. Grandma wouldn't have wanted anything else, either.
-Tap tap
I ran a hand over my hair, which had grown a few centimeters past my preferred length, then headed for the refrigerator to fill my hungry stomach.
-Yank
If I opened it, there had to be something...
"Mm. Nothing."
[You said last time that you'd cleared everything out and needed to restock.]
"You should've told me that sooner."
[You kept being busy after that...]
Well, what else could I do?
The time was... 11:55 p.m. Almost midnight.
It was the perfect time to tear into some fried chicken without feeling the slightest bit guilty about a late-night snack.
"Here. You order it. I'll play some games while I wait."
[You want me to use these thick rabbit paws to tap the screen and order?!]
"As the mascot of S-rank magical girl Alice, you can do at least that much, right? Please take care of it. I'll assume that after living with me for eight years, you know my tastes well enough."
I tossed my phone to Tokkaengi, turned on the computer, and started playing something.
Even if Tokkaengi struggled through the order, it would take at least thirty minutes for the delivery to arrive afterward, so I needed something to fill the time.
About ten minutes later, Tokkaengi set my phone down beside me with an exhausted look.
[I managed to order somehow. I ordered fries too because I wanted some.]
"You're eating human food for once. You usually aren't very interested in it."
[After going through all that trouble to order, it'd be unfair if I couldn't eat anything. Rabbits are herbivores, you know.]
Mascots could eat human food, too. Strictly speaking, a mascot's staple sustenance was the contract itself with its contractor, along with magical power. But just as humans ate snacks in addition to their staple food, mascots could enjoy human food if they wanted to.
I thought I'd once seen a magical girl whose concept was that she enjoyed eating, who met a mascot that likewise enjoyed human food, and went restaurant-hopping with it... In any case, Tokkaengi wasn't that type.
After all, just because its appearance as a mascot was that of a rabbit didn't mean it could only nibble grass like a real rabbit. It was quite averse to meat, and it wasn't particularly good at eating vegetables either... It simply wasn't very interested in human food at all, so this was unexpected.
[But is it okay to eat greasy food before bed?]
"...Do we have any salad left?"
...Well, I was sure it would work out somehow.
* * *
[I've organized the detailed filming schedule one last time. To avoid getting in your way too much, there will be two cameramen, and since Miss Black Rose agreed, she'll be wearing an action camera. It's a small one, though.]
[Thank you, Miss Sapphire. Then I'll see you tomorrow! ( ᐢ, ,ᐢ)]
An action camera? Alice doesn't wear things like that. We already had cameramen following us around, so why would I need to attach another one to my body?
"...Filming is from 2 p.m. to 7 p.m. It's a relief that it won't run any later."
[What happens if it runs later?]
"You'd be able to hear the sound of a new life being conceived on Christmas Eve night."
Something about Christmas made me think of a movie I'd seen long ago. Usually, in movies like that, people enjoyed wine or something while setting the mood because it was a special day.
-Side-glance
'...Is that why she gave it to me?'
As it happened, the wine Emerald had given me to commemorate the end of filming was sitting at home.
An expensive wine that had arrived as a gift right before Christmas. What perfect timing. If I liked alcohol, it would've been a pretty thoughtful present.
'...I don't think she'd invite me over to drink.'
Rather, she'd invite me to something like a year-end party and... Oh, wait.
'...A year-end party?'
-Shiver
With a faintly ominous feeling, I picked up my phone to message Sapphire.
Usually, companies like this... hold ceremonies for things like the 'Best Magical Girl of the Year' and 'Best New Magical Girl of the Year' awards and celebrate. Until now, Alice had only appeared on talk shows a few times at most, but this was the year she'd launched a long-term project with herself as the teacher. It was the first time anyone had done that, too.
'...What am I talking about? Who'd give an old woman like Alice an award?'
Usually, those awards went to juniors. If Alice, publicly a ten-year veteran magical girl, received one, people would only hate her for no reason. 'Alice again this year? Know when to stop. You should know how to give your juniors a chance,' and so on...
...It couldn't be. Hmm.
-Tap tap... tap...
[Come to think of it, Miss Sapphire. Does our company hold anything like a year-end party? ₍ᐢ..ᐢ₎⊹]
[Of course. It's scheduled for Friday the 28th. The chairman told me not to mention it until you asked first, saying that if I asked you first, you'd only say you were too busy to attend, so I hadn't brought it up... But if you'd like to participate, Miss Alice, you're welcome to come anytime. There are plenty of seats, and everyone else would be happy to see you.]
[₍ᐢ ›̥̥̥ ༝ ‹̥̥̥ ᐢ₎ Unfortunately, Alice has other business that day. Please enjoy yourselves on Alice's behalf.]
[Understood. Then I'll see you tomorrow.]
'...Have I been active for too long?'
Somehow, these magical girls know my patterns of behavior far too well.
Maybe I should vary things up once in a while. But that would mean participating in company activities. Perhaps I should just accept that it's unavoidable.
"...Christmas..."
...I was too old, and had tasted too much of the world's bitterness, to believe the childish notion that Santa Claus only gave presents to children who didn't cry.
Whatever. How other people chose to enjoy the holiday was none of my concern. I'd simply finish my work, come home, and eat the leftover chicken from yesterday; if I was in the mood, I might open the alcohol I'd been given. If I couldn't be bothered, I'd just watch whatever movie was on TV.
...Come to think of it, Mia seemed interested in wine. Should I just give it to her as thanks for helping yesterday and tell her to drink it? If I gave it to her for no reason, she'd definitely pester me to drink it together. No, now that I think about it, she'd definitely come by tomorrow anyway. Maybe she'd even show up all made up and dressed for the occasion, asking me to go on a date with her too just because I'd gone on one with Black Rose.
-Snicker
She was a very bothersome, easy-to-read woman.