"Hey. We've met before, haven't we?"
Beatrice gave a light wave as she greeted him.
I reflexively took a step back and fixed her with a hard stare.
A natural reaction.
At my most vulnerable moment, an obvious enemy had appeared right in front of me.
"Was this your doing?"
"No. It was already like this when I got here. Jumping straight to suspicion — that hurts, you know."
Beatrice mimed wiping away a tear.
I watched her in silence.
— Buzz.
My phone vibrated.
▷ Don't even think about coming back until you've had a change of heart.
A text from my father.
The short, blunt sentence carried an unmistakable finality.
Talking my way back in isn't going to work.
This is a headache.
"I apologize for the suspicion. Given the circumstances, I couldn't help it."
At any rate, the fact that Genma had texted me directly suggested that Beatrice, at least, hadn't been directly involved in this. She'd clearly been waiting and watching for the right moment — but that was a separate matter.
I gave a brief, polite bow.
"I get it. Being thrown out of your own home isn't exactly a pleasant experience. I can sympathize with that more times than I'd like."
That said, I had no intention of lowering my guard.
She may have had nothing to do with this particular incident, but the fact that she was dangerous hadn't changed.
"So what do you want? As you can see, my situation isn't exactly great right now. I don't have time for a long conversation."
"What if I said I just came to see your face… would you believe me?"
I said nothing.
I had no desire to show weakness by reacting.
I needed to be careful.
She looked like nothing more than an endlessly beautiful girl, but in reality, she was the most dangerous person I'd encountered — second only to Genma.
"You're on full alert. I'm not planning to eat you, you know."
"……"
"Well, enough of this dull sparring. Let's get to the point."
Beatrice tilted her head slightly as she spoke.
"Quick introduction. I'm Beatrice. I hold a fairly important role in Nexus's Academy City branch."
"…"
I was genuinely caught off guard.
I hadn't expected her to lay out her own identity so openly, right to my face.
"Curious why I'm doing this?"
"…Honestly, I don't quite understand it."
Beatrice gave a light shrug.
"You're already on high alert around me anyway. If I tried to play innocent and ease my way in, you wouldn't believe it. So instead of that, isn't it better to be upfront? At least that way, I might chip away at your guard just a little."
I understood what she was getting at.
I could even see the logic in it.
But she'd overlooked one thing.
I already knew who she was.
Which meant a few words like that weren't going to lower my guard.
"What's your purpose in approaching me?"
"I was handed an annoying assignment. Seduce the young heir of the Ryuzaki-kai — that's the job. That's why I approached you yesterday. Though I never imagined I'd get shot down so decisively."
From start to finish, it matched the hypothesis I'd formed yesterday exactly.
"Aren't you worried about telling your target all this? It'll get in the way of completing your assignment."
"Doesn't matter."
The corner of Beatrice's mouth curved upward.
"Because I'm confident."
If it had been anyone else, I might have simply written it off as overconfidence.
But this was Beatrice.
Not bluster — this was the kind of confidence that came with real grounds to back it up.
"That aside — you two really went at it, didn't you? Getting thrown out this completely isn't something you see every day."
"…We had a minor difference of opinion."
"Two more 'minor' ones like that and someone's going to end up dead."
Beatrice leaned back against the wall and let out a quiet laugh.
"So you're in a tough spot."
"I am."
"Hmm…"
Beatrice crossed her arms and stared into the distance for a moment.
She seemed to be weighing something — then, as if she'd reached some small conclusion, she gave a nod.
"Want to come to my place? It's spacious. And I happen to be alone, so I was getting bored."
"……"
Honestly, if I'd been drinking anything, I would have spat it out.
"…I appreciate the offer, but I'll decline."
"Why?"
"You said it yourself. You're after me."
I adjusted my grip on the box holding Snowy and continued.
"I'd have to be an idiot to follow you. What if something happened to me?"
At my answer, Beatrice nodded as if satisfied.
"Good. That's the right response. If you'd jumped at my offer just now, I would have been genuinely disappointed. At least my target isn't a complete fool."
She took a step closer.
"Don't worry. What I want is your heart — not your body."
"And why would I believe that?"
"If something happened to you because I kidnapped or threatened you, do you think Genma would just let it go? I'm approaching you precisely to avoid that man. Doing something like that would completely defeat the purpose."
That… is a fair point.
If my physical safety had been the goal from the start, there'd be no reason for this back-and-forth.
She could just call in her subordinates, have them swarm me, and take me by force.
No — she wouldn't even need subordinates.
I couldn't guarantee I'd win in a one-on-one fight against Beatrice right now.
That was how dangerous the girl standing before me was.
"And honestly, I don't think you're in a position to be picky."
She'd hit the mark.
"You don't even have a place to sleep tonight. Can you really hold out outside indefinitely, with no end in sight?"
"Ahem."
"Think carefully."
Her crimson eyes gleamed.
"I get one debt from you, and you put out the fire right in front of you. It's a deal where neither of us loses, isn't it?"
I studied Beatrice in silence.
Whatever else could be said about Ryuzaki's body, his instincts were sharp.
And I, having spent an entire past life reading people's moods just to survive, had always prided myself on being a decent judge of character.
But from Beatrice, standing right in front of me, I couldn't sense even a trace of hostility.
'Honestly — it's a pretty attractive offer.'
I had some savings set aside.
But calling it comfortable would be an embarrassment, and finding a new place to live when I didn't even have somewhere to sleep tonight wasn't going to be easy. If I bounced between motels until I found something, the money I'd scraped together would drain away in no time.
'And I can't exactly sleep on the street. That's far more dangerous than staying at her place.'
In that situation, she was offering me a roof over my head.
And I couldn't see any clear benefit she'd gain from deceiving me.
At least, looking at this moment alone.
Practically speaking, accepting was the right call.
But still.
"…You live alone. You shouldn't just let men in like this."
At my answer, Beatrice blinked once.
Then she let out a quiet laugh and said:
"Why? Afraid you'll pounce on me?"
"……"
We'd only been talking for a short while, and my head was already spinning.
Living under the same roof as someone like this.
Could my sanity hold out?
'…It'll have to.'
I wasn't in a position to be choosy right now.
And let me think about this.
The reason Beatrice wanted me in her home was ultimately to seduce me.
In other words, as long as I didn't fall for it, everything would be fine.
If I could just resist the temptation, I'd get free room and board and a safe place to sleep?
'There's no reason not to.'
The calculation was done.
Just as she intended to use me, I could use her right back.
"The moment anything feels off, I'm leaving immediately."
"Good. Smart choice."
Beatrice smiled with satisfaction at my answer.
"I look forward to getting along."
***
— Trudge, trudge.
— Click, click.
Beatrice walked side by side with her target.
The luggage in both her hands was far from light, but strangely, it didn't feel heavy at all.
Partly because she was naturally strong — but the real reason was probably the buoyant feeling rising in her chest.
'Lucky.'
Things were flowing in a far better direction than she'd anticipated.
Just a few hours ago, when she'd come to his house, she'd been genuinely startled to find a mountain of luggage piled up at the front door.
But in the end, that had allowed her to create a far more favorable situation than she'd originally planned.
And why wouldn't it?
They were going to be living together.
Two high schoolers, at the age when interest in the opposite sex was at its peak, sharing the same roof.
'No matter how perfectly he keeps that mask on, he won't be able to hold out.'
Her target still hadn't let his guard down around her.
But that was fine.
As time passed and the days repeated themselves, that guard would naturally dull.
And luring in prey that had lost its wariness was child's play for her.
'What approach should I take?'
Dozens of options were already cycling through her mind.
Late at night, boldly closing the distance — that could work.
Or playing the innocent, sweet girl and slowly wedging herself into the cracks — that could work too.
Whatever method she chose, he would eventually come around.
Because she was the finest hunter.
Because she had never once lost her prey.
'…I'm looking forward to it.'
What expression would her target make once that mask was stripped away?
She was already eager for the moment when she would prove, once again, that her judgment had been right.
How long had they been walking?
At last, they arrived at the house.
"……"
She glanced sideways at her target and found his eyes noticeably wider.
He seemed stunned by the sight of the grand mansion.
But she didn't bother to preen.
That would be unprofessional.
"Here, take this."
Beatrice set the luggage down for a moment and held out a key.
"You'll be coming and going from here often enough. Might as well open the door yourself for the first time, don't you think?"
"Thank you for the consideration."
Her target was still performing his act, wearing that innocent mask with perfect composure.
But it didn't matter.
The moment that door opened, he would never be able to escape from her.
And that carefully crafted mask of his would be torn to shreds.
Her target inserted the key into the lock.
— Click.
…
…
Wait.
When was the last time I cleaned this place?
…
……
………W-wait!
She reached out in a panic, but it was already too late.
The door swung wide open.
And beyond it lay:
Clothes and underwear strewn carelessly across the floor.
Socks lying inside-out and scattered about.
Empty snack bags tossed here and there.
Manga volumes splayed open at random angles.
And binding it all together — dust.
By any measure, it was a perfect disaster zone.
"…"
"…"
— SLAM!!!
Beatrice reflexively kicked the door shut.
The door let out a wretched shriek as it swung closed again.
"…"
"…Did you see?"
Beatrice ground her teeth and averted her gaze.
The tips of her ears had gone bright red.
"I couldn't exactly not see it."
"…Forget it."
"That might be difficult. It was rather… memorable."
"I said forget it."
"I'll do my best."
For the first time in a long while, she wanted to disappear from the face of the earth.