The Model for the Painting

The Model for the Painting

The day after I finally mustered my courage and emailed Tomi-san.

"I'm sorry!"

At lunchtime, in an empty space on the west side of the third floor that was being used for storage, Tomi-san pressed her hands together and apologized to me.

"I'm sorry, but things have been rather hectic on the 'home' front lately... It would be difficult for me to talk with you at length after school."

"Oh, that..."

For a moment, I thought I had been rejected even though I hadn't confessed.

I breathed a sigh of relief at having avoided acquiring a new trauma.

I didn't want rumors spreading without my even knowing it: "Did you hear? Yahiro confessed to Tomi-san and got rejected." "Eww, gross." "That gross guy seriously doesn't know his place, does he?"

If that happened, I was confident I would finally stop going to school.

"But I'm always available at school, okay? I'm really happy that you wanted to talk with me, Kota-kun!"

Tomi-san lifted her head and looked up at me with sparkling eyes.

It was a gesture that might even seem cutesy at first glance, but it didn't feel strange. Perhaps that was because she looked like nothing more than an innocent child.

...Was this person really a detective with Public Security?

I was starting to feel uneasy.

"Um, no. It's something that's difficult to discuss at school..."

"Hmm? Could it be about ability users or adventurers?"

"Yes, more or less. Actually, it concerns monsters and things like that..."

"I see. Is it about the incident where you were caught up in a spiritual disaster...? No. It must be a sensitive subject. I won't ask anything for now."

Tomi-san nodded firmly, her expression serious.

Then she took my hand in her small fingers.

"As I said, I'm really happy that you came to talk to me, Kota-kun. If there's something you want to discuss, please don't hesitate to tell me!"

A soft smile appeared on her face, which had held a dignified sparkle in its eyes.

"Oh, but if you want to hang out together or just chat for no particular reason, that's more than welcome, too! We're friends now, after all!"

"...Thank you very much."

When I thanked her with a nod, Tomi-san gazed intently up at me.

"Um, is something wrong...?"

"No. I was just thinking that you seemed to have cheered up a little."

She released my hand, stretched up high, and touched the space between my eyebrows with her index finger.

Her fingertip was slightly warmer than normal, and the touch tickled.

"The wrinkles between your eyebrows are gone, too. Something good happened, didn't it?"

"Yes, more or less... Just a little."

Since yesterday, my classmates had begun answering my greetings.

They still didn't make much eye contact, and sometimes they seemed afraid of me, but... the atmosphere in the classroom was drastically different from before.

It was still uncomfortable, but I no longer felt like I wanted to disappear as badly as I had before.

"...That's good."

For an instant, Tomi-san seemed to wear an expression unlike her usual one.

It lasted such a short time that I would have missed it without my Demon Eye. Her face had looked mature.

It was the expression of an adult looking at a small child, as though she were relieved from the bottom of her heart.

However, Tomi-san's face returned to its usual cheerful innocence so quickly that I wondered if I had imagined it.

"Someone from my class told me! They said Kota-kun was a hero who protected one of his classmates!"

"No, it wasn't anything worthy of being called heroic..."

"No. You are an amazing person!"

She took my hand again, this time with both of hers.

"You should hold your head higher. Helping someone else even when you're in danger yourself is an incredible thing! If that isn't a hero, then what is?"

"I... suppose so?"

"It is! At least, that's what I and everyone in my class think!"

Puffing out her slight chest, Tomi-san smiled.

"This isn't exactly an apology for not being able to make time for you after school, but let's talk a lot today!"

With that, she picked up the pink lunch bag she had placed on the nearby chair and smiled.

＊　　　　＊　　　　　＊

"Otaku-kun... Are you a lolicon after all?"

"How did you arrive at that conclusion from what I told you?"

After I told them about what had happened that day at the café, the fake gyaru gave me an unmistakable look of disgust.

"Joking aside, doesn't she seem pretty cutesy? This Tomi-san person. Is she really popular at school?"

"Yes. She became the most popular person in her class in a single day. Besides, she's oddly good at listening."

Honestly, I didn't think anyone could understand that person's strange charm without actually meeting and speaking with her.

In any case, she was good at slipping into people's personal space. It was almost like breathing: before I realized it, I was having a natural conversation with her.

Moreover, it wasn't unpleasant. She was attractive as a person, not because she was a woman.

"If she is an agent with Public Security, that makes sense. She must possess excellent conversational skills."

Miyu-san, whose eyes had been sparkling at her melon soda until a moment ago, returned to the conversation with a sharp expression.

"Hmm. However, I am concerned by her statement that things are hectic at home."

Rosso-san, sitting across from us, stroked their slender chin.

"If that Tomi Komari is with Public Security, her objective must be Kenning or the young oni. Either way, postponing an approach to the young oni would offer no benefit to her mission. If something else takes priority despite that..."

"Something may have happened within Public Security... or perhaps the government?"

"Indeed."

"Then could it be related to this?"

Riko-senpai brought a newspaper from the magazine rack and spread it across the table.

I grimaced when I saw the front-page article.

"Interim Prime Minister Izuhara's press conference...?"

Interim Prime Minister Makoto Izuhara.

He was the man who had served as defense minister in the cabinet formed after the original cabinet dissolved several months after the Day of Return.

He was also the only one of the five candidates to act as prime minister in an emergency who had not been affected by a spiritual disaster.

In short, from our perspective, he was the politician who looked the most suspicious.

What had he said at the press conference?

It was 'a reduction in shelters used during spiritual disasters.'

I had watched his press conference on television last night before going to bed.

'Two years since the "Day of Return," dungeons have begun to grow active in various regions.'

'More than two thousand lives have already been lost this year alone. These were people who should have been laughing with their families and friends today.'

'I can only say that the Self-Defense Forces' response to spiritual disasters has been sluggish. Even if my position is temporary, as your representative, I am angry about this.'

'However, the Self-Defense Forces have always faced the problem of insufficient personnel. This is not an issue that can be solved immediately.'

'That is precisely why I wish to reconsider the nature of our shelters.'

'The places where people take refuge should be more accessible. Above all, if people flee to scattered locations, those protecting them will have no choice but to scatter as well. This inefficiency has caused so many casualties.'

'After considering population, roads, and the distances from each Self-Defense Force base, I am considering rebuilding the shelters.'

'By recovering the magical tools and spiritual construction materials from shelters located in places where they are not truly necessary and where people should not flee, then using them to reinforce the shelters that are genuinely needed, we can protect the people of this country more effectively. That is what I believe.'

...That was the gist of what he had said.

He was proposing to make the distribution of shelters more compact, much like a compact city.

Viewed in isolation, he might have been correct. However, some of the spiritual shelters scheduled for demolition had been used during the Lycanthrope and Zmeu spiritual disasters.

To me, it looked like nothing more than a conspiracy by Interim Prime Minister Izuhara.

I had no evidence whatsoever, so I couldn't argue if someone called it a cheap conspiracy theory, but...

After looking at the newspaper, Miyu-san nodded faintly and turned toward me.

"Shall I assassinate him?"

"Miyu-chi, stay put. Absolutely not, okay?"

"Indeed. You must not do such a thing without evidence, Miyu."

"No, murder is wrong even if we have evidence, okay?"

"Rosson, calm down, seriously. If we have evidence, we should blast it to the police and the media first. We can't talk about killing people, especially humans."

Miyu-san said something outrageous in her usual calm manner, while a faint blue vein stood out at Rosso-san's temple.

Both of them had dangerous thoughts. Miyu-san in particular.

...However, this is certainly major news, but is it something Public Security would make such a fuss over?

The master, who had been grinding coffee beans at the counter, answered Rosso-san's question.

"Who knows? But there are also legislators in the Diet opposing Interim Prime Minister Izuhara's proposal. Perhaps they're watching to see whether he'll try to pressure them, or whether they'll do something to the interim prime minister in return."

"Hmm, true..."

"Hmm. In that case, I want to speak with Tomi-san directly even more. But calling or emailing her would probably be a bad idea."

"Yes. The number I know is probably a Public Security cell phone. Someone besides her... someone on their side, in particular, might be able to see or listen in as well."

"...Should we just abduct her?"

"Of course not."

"Yeah, figured."

Apparently she hadn't been serious, because Riko-senpai shrugged.

I looked away from her enormous breasts swaying beneath her apron and sighed.

From their perspective, there was no reason to trust us. If we acted violently, they would only become more suspicious.

Besides, I couldn't imagine us abducting someone who appeared to be Public Security's ace. She would probably turn the tables on us.

────Clang-a-ling.

As I was thinking that, the doorbell rang.

"Welcome. Oh, Kamishiro-chan."

"Yo, Master."

Kinue-san had come in.

Wearing the casual combination of a hoodie, jersey pants, and sneakers, she sat down at the counter.

"Hey, you guys. What are the four of you doing here?"

"Yaaay, Kinue-chan! We're having a little secret strategy meeting☆"

"No, we're discussing the next dungeon expedition."

I delivered the retort we had prepared in advance to Riko-senpai, who was holding up a sideways peace sign.

The fewer people who knew a secret, the better. It wasn't that we didn't trust Kinue-san... or suspected her of being on the monsters' side... but we had to cover it up just in case.

"Hmm. Well, that's fine, but are you free tomorrow?"

"I might be a little busy. After school, I have a programming assignment to work on with a friend."

"I have something related to a trial that I must attend to..."

"I have things to do at home."

Miyu-san's tasks... Ah, maintaining Kenning.

Come to think of it, Riko-senpai had said that Kenning had gone on quite a rampage against the Zmeu. It hadn't suffered any major damage, but perhaps we should take additional precautions beyond its daily maintenance.

Actually...

"So the only one who's free is Kota."

"...Yeah."

I was the only one without plans...? That was surprisingly depressing.

Well, I could insist that making scrolls counted as plans, but still.

"Then I've got a little favor to ask you."

"...You don't want me to model for you, do you?"

"Tch."

"Tch."

She clicked her tongue!?

...Wait. Wasn't there someone else here just now?

I cautiously turned my gaze to the side, but Miyu-san was there, her eyes sparkling as she enjoyed her cream soda.

There was no way she had clicked her tongue... right?

...I sure hope she wouldn't...!!

"Well, never mind. The model for the painting will be someone else this time."

"Huh? What do you mean?"

Kinue-san grinned smugly.

"I'm going to draw a monster. Help me."

She announced it as though it had already been decided.