Chapter 16: A Deal with the Devil

"Master, I feel that this sounds a bit suspicious and problematic, I suggest you do not go there". Said Analysia worrying about my safety and thinking process, but still with her casual voice.

"I don't really care, Analysia. The problem is not if I will go there, is when do I go there?", I retort with a cold and dead expression, even if the thought of killing myself has already gone completely, I was still scarred by the events that happen during the day.

"Master...Are you really going to...", She said concerningly as she trying to change my mind of thinking, but at this point, I'm so desperate to search for my own self-worth, that I will be willing to take anyone's offer and loses everything else if the final reward was me gaining back all my confidence and self-esteem.

Seeing my face change from cold to pure delight just like that, Analysia finally gave up convincing me not to go where the letter points me where to go and stated:

"I will keep you safe if you're in danger of the things that you don't agree you'll be subjected to, Master".

"Thank you Analysia".

Still in my half happy mood, I did my usual routine of reading a book or two, eating an unhealthy amount of ramen cups, showering myself with hot water, and finally slept on my bed. With Analysia still can't shake her concern and overly protective attitude towards me.

Like when she commented on how I ate ramen too much, where she complained on how it was unhealthy to ate ramen for breakfast, lunch and dinner almost everyday, everytime. I mean fair enough I guess, but in all fairness, the only thing this pathetic girl can cook for herself is an instant cup of ramen noodles, except if Analysia give me the book of recipe to good food.

Innnn which I already tried, but all the food that I cooked ended up either too burned that eating it might just get me one cancerous amount of health problem or too raw that it can get me diarrhea for a whole month, this is not my opinion by the way, I quoted it straight up from Analysia's observation. Urgh, I probably didn't want to imagine what will happen to me if I got another gadget that's worse than her.

𝐒𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐝𝐚𝐲,𝟏𝟗𝐭𝐡 𝐨𝐟 𝐀𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐥,𝟐𝐗𝐗𝐗

The birds are chirping, the winds are rattling the leaves outside, I opened my eyes and saw that it was already 9 AM. My mind thought that it was Friday when it was supposed to be saturday. To be fair, even if it were really friday, I don't really care that much as I just go out of bed, bought another ramen cup noodle, took a hot water shower, and finally sit at my chair, not sofa whilst eating the ramen cup with the hot water from the kettle that I prepared earlier, all in the span of an hour.

I finally remembered that today was saturday after I looked at the calendar, knowing that all of this preparation was quite useless, I once again change my clothes to my casual set, walked outside, close my door and walk towards a cafe using a chat map that Analysia provided to me after she was online several minutes after I realized that I'm an idiot at differentiating days from each other.

As I entered the cafe, I could see a couple students here and there, chilling and doing their own thing like chatting or arguing with each other. I walked towards the cashier table as I looked around with no barista in my sight even when I already called them several times.

Tired of waiting, I decided that I'm going to le-

"What do you want, dear customer?".

"Huh!?", I jumped in shock as the robot appeared from behind the cashier table. "𝘐 𝘴𝘸𝘦𝘢𝘳 𝘸𝘩𝘺 𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘬𝘦𝘦𝘱𝘴 𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘮𝘦?", I thought whilst suppressing my urge to just punch this robot straight to the head until it malfunctioned

After a minute or two of calming myself down from punching the robotic barista, ordering a black coffee and buying with whilst searching for a place to sit, I finally sat down on the most corner sets of chair and table and spend my time by reading the book that Analysia hand out to me earlier, waiting for the time that that mysterious person gave to me on the letter.

As I was reading my book, there are several thoughts that comes out in my head, let's just call it reading thoughts, this is some of the thoughts that I somehow still remember now, which is:

"Is opening your eyes counts as the first thing that you do in the morning?", "Can I assume that every letter and character in any language is just a product of someone's boredom in ancient times?", and lastly, "Why is this writer took an absent on updating their book for five da-".

"Master, it's time", Said Analysia as she tries to stop me from drifting even more into insanity with my own questions and thoughts, startling me in the process. After processing what Analysia just said and the meaning behind that sentence very seriously and unnecessarily complicated in my head, I finally remembered and went out of the cafe and walked straight towards the place that the letter gave me as I tried to maintain my composure from both excitement and morbid curiosity from leaking out.

***

The birds are chirping, the evening winds are rattling the trees, the sounds of chattering students and screams still heard throughout the dorm, as I nervously gulped, took a deep breath and finally stepped inside to I believe it is someone's house that was suspiciously left open.

As I try a step into the house, in an instant, I feel something, an emotion in my heart that I never felt before, like the feeling that I could die at any moment, I tried to explain and calm myself that everything is fine and this is just a normal trade deal but not even a single one of the explanation and coping mechanism even slightly work to alleviate the worries and anxiety that I currently go through.

Sweats starting to appear from my body and with it beginning to tremble in the anxiousness of the moment, with the feeling that I'm in death grasp is almost unshakeable, I took a last deep breath before entering the house to reassure and lie to myself that everything is all good and fine, and finally, after all said and done, I step into the house to see a person sitting on a chair.

At first, I was confused and frightened by the sole existence of a boy with a black hoodie with his face cloak by the shadow seemingly just sitting there like a statue, waiting for someone to step into the house to greet and meet him.

After a while of this awkward silence between both of us, he finally noticed and immediately start to stare into the deepest level of my soul, I can't even describe this kind of feeling, of both marvelous and awe in the power that this boy holds, as it frightened and terrorized me to the very core of my existence, and the meaning of my life, my worth as a whole, and reminding me that Fuyuki-san has nothing compare to the power that this boy has towards the entire dormitory.

Without even noting anything was amiss, my body immediately froze as I can feel the death itself is behind me. As the boy put his hand on my shoulder from the back, surprising and terrified me that it can even silence every of my moves and thought process.

I tried to look back with the most unnoticeable eye movement that I can do as possible to see what's happening behind my back just to look straight into his eyes where all I can see was a cold and calculative black opal like eyes that instantly sends shivers down my spine as I can't stop staring into his eyes that he immediately took notice off and move his head towards my right ear and said:

"I know that you have a legendary rarity type gadget, Kiyoko-san".

Shortly after, I can only freezed in shock as the boy slowly walking to my front as he said:

"You're probably asking how do I know your gadget rarity right?", As he bent his body forward, in front of my and said:

"To be honest, I also have a legendary gadget if you want to know yourself", He said with such a cold and casual tone that caught me so off guard that I immediately fell backwards to the ground, with him walking towards me and finally crouching before saying:

"I want to propose a deal with you Kiyoko-san, a deal with you and your gadget, how's that sound?", He said, still with his cold aura.

Panicked, I replied with:"I-I want to see the deal requirements first".

"You mean what am I requesting? Is that what you want to hear".

Quickly I nodded, and in an instant, I see the most coldest face that I ever seen in my entire life, with a slight grin formed on his face, to which he finally said:

"Farewell, I guess I can tell you the conditions of this deal", With him walking whilst also backing me, and after a few meters, he stopped as he said:

"Fuyuki-san almost killed you, that's why you accepted this deal just because you're desperate to gain your own pride, right?".

I can only stare at him in shock, how does he even know? Did he sees all of it unfolds? This is the question that it's circling around my mind before he continues by saying:

"My first condition to this deal is that we worked together, how's that sound?".

"W-Worked together...?", Skeptic, I asked again.

"W-Why do you wa-".

"No words, Kiyoko-san, you'll understand later", He said while shushing me with such an attitude that I got muted by that lone sentence, after a few seconds, he continued again with:

"My second condition is that you complete your goal on your gadget to evolve, got it?".

For a brief moment, I didn't know that a legendary gadget can evolve into a more superpowered version of itself until right after it, Analysia explain long and wide in my mind, but in short, every gadget's goal is different from each other, but most of them required that the student that used that gadget, who we call the user have a certain amount of student to kill to complete their quota.

"And my final condition is that...".

As I wait in anticipation, he walked to me and crouch with his face so close to mine that we can kiss if we just move a centimeter or two, and said:

"I don't want you to die, Kiyoko-san".

"𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵...𝘥𝘪𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵...𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘥?", I thought in disbelief.

My heart instantly blossoms like a sakura tree, in feelings that I can't even described myself, this is the first time since I got in this school where anyone wishes that I need to stay alive, I can feel that both of my eyes are both shining with water start forming in my eyes. Even though deep down I know that the reason of him saying that is just that he can exploit me to the brink, I don't care in the slightest and the only thing I care about is that:

"𝘍𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺...𝘢𝘧𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘪𝘵 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘭𝘴 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘴𝘰 𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘨, 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘢𝘤𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸𝘭𝘦𝘥𝘨𝘦 𝘮𝘺 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘩", I think as I noticed that I can't contain the tears anymore and it started to roll down from both of my eyes.

"So, do we have a deal?", He said, surprised by the presence of my tears, and with a throaty but genuine voice, I replied with:

"Yes...of course".

At that moment, that one precious moment, I can only thought about the words, the sentence that he said to me, I knew that it's probably just another empty promise, but even though it is an empty promise and words that was only dropped easily by him...Is the type of words that I finally want to hear, after all of this time, all the pain that I go through this past few days, all the fears and horrors, all the mental anguish and misery, all the pain and agony, all were alleviated by a single sentence from a stranger, who I don't even know...This heart is really strange huh...

And with that, without even knowing, I fell into unconscious with the last thing I heard is a whisper from the boy that I can only make out with is:

"What did they even do to you...?".