Chapter 22: Sorry to Rain on Your Parade

"HOME!" Nia cheered, throwing open the door and setting her grocery bags next to the kitchen table. The final oranges and yellows of twilight shone through the window, as if welcoming her back.

"Home," Kyo agreed, setting down his significantly heavier bags. "Say, Nia, you do happen to have an apron, right?"

"Uh…" Nia stiffened, a mischievous look crossing her face. "Yes. Top cupboard in the pantry, shoved in the back. I'm gonna bathe first, so no peeking, bye!" Seemingly holding back a laugh, she scurried off to her room. 

Kyo shook his head in confusion. "What was that about?"

—————I am the dividing line that shifts time and perspective—————

Nia smiled to herself as sank deeper into the steaming bathtub. Surely any time now… no? Contrary to her expectations, there seemed to be little sound coming from the kitchen. Nyeh, no fun. Although…

Thinking back to Kyo's earlier proclamation, she unconsciously reached out her hand before suddenly retracting it. Ugh, why do I always default to using Raziel? It doesn't even work on him, anyway… 

"You can only choose to believe my words." 

Nia sighed and scooped up a handful of water, allowing it to stream past her fingers back into the tub. "If only it were that easy…"

After all, the humanity I have witnessed has never proven themselves as anything but liars and hypocrites. Evil, every last one of them. And I might be one of the worst of them all. 

How many times had Nia peeked into the lives and affairs of others? She had long since forgotten, but it must've been in the hundreds. Friends, colleagues, random people on the street; she had violated their privacy time and time again, learning of all their sins through the omniscient power she had been bestowed. Their endless masked intentions of greed, wrath, lust, and envy. Their facades that they put on to exchange meaningless words with people they hated. Nia had seen it all.

But why do I have to be the one cursed to know these sides that no one wishes to share? Why am I alone privy to this forbidden knowledge? She knew that she herself was no better than the others. Long-buried memories of her own jealousies and grudges wormed their way to the forefront of her mind, serving as a cold reminder. I am not only as bad as other people for harboring such evil thoughts. No, because I have chosen, have fallen to the temptation of peeking into the secrets of others, I am far worse.

"If you knew what kind of monster I really am, I doubt you would've said those things today…" Nia sighed, idly watching the ripples in the bathwater. A few minutes passed in silence, before-

"WHAT THE HELP IS THIS THING?!" Kyo's voice boomed throughout the apartment. Aha. There it is. Despite her earlier thoughts, Nia couldn't help but crack a smile.

————————I am the dividing line that skips time————————

"AHAHAHAAAAAA!" Nia guffawed boisterously at Kyo, who was stirring chopped onions and beef in a pan. A delightful meaty scent filled the air, complemented by the pinkish apron on his chest. Chibi figures of a mustached dwarf holding a giant wok in various positions decorated the fabric. "I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU ACTUALLY USED IT!"

Kyo's eye twitched as he added in a cup of water and a bowl of cubed carrots and potatoes. "You know, I'm wondering why myself. Maybe I should just make an apron out of Reiryoku…"

"Nonono, it's totally fine." Nia continued to snicker as Kyo suppressed another sigh and refocused on his boiling pan of ingredients. "Hey, what are you making, anyway?"

"The Japanese staple."

"I don't remember ramen having potatoes and carrots…"

"The… other Japanese staple."

"I don't remember udon having potatoes and carrots either."

"Oh, you-" Kyo turned and saw the smile Nia was desperately holding back. "You're teasing me."

"Not at all~" Nia cooed. "C'mon, tell me what it is~"

————————I am the dividing line that skips time————————

"Er, what is this exactly?" Nia smiled stiffly at the plate in front of her. Perhaps it was just her imagination, but it seemed to emanate an ominous red aura.

"Why don't you keep guessing?" Kyo replied coolly, spooning some of his creation into a plate for himself.

"It seems to be curry rice, but…" Curry rice shouldn't be this dark red in color, should it? 

"Close, but not quite." Kyo smiled evilly. "It's pepper curry." 

"Ahaha… you know I'm not all that good with spice, don't you?"

"News to me. But don't worry, it's not all that spicy." As if to prove his point, Kyo took a spoonful of his curry and ate it. "See? Not- *COUGH* uh, not all that *HACK* uh, all that bad…"

YOU CLEARLY PUT TOO MUCH SPICE IN IT! Nia screamed internally as Kyo continued to cough. Outwardly, she maintained her polite smile. "Er, maybe I should go boil some water for instant rame-"

"Don't you move from that seat, miss." Kyo suddenly appeared behind her, throwing his arm over her shoulder. To Nia, his face seemed to be enveloped in complete shadow. Eep. "You wouldn't want to waste my carefully-prepared home cooking now, would you?"

"Well of course not! It's just that, uh, I'm quite full from lunch-" Nia's stomach growled. DAMN YOU, TRAITOR!

"Your body says otherwise. Now, open up~" Kyo took a spoonful of curry and slowly brought it closer to Nia's mouth. "Come on now. Eat."

Ah, it was a decent life. Well, maybe not, but I still enjoyed it. Shedding an imaginary tear, Nia embraced her fate and took a bite.

"..."

"Well?"

"...it's good? And it's not spicy at all?" Nia looked at Kyo in confusion, watching his face shift from menacing to barely-contained laughter in a manner of seconds. "Wait, you didn't-"

"Got you~" Kyo smiled victoriously. "I can't even taste anything, remember?"

"Technically, spice isn't a taste. It's just pure pain," Nia argued weakly as she took another bite.

"Sure, sure," Kyo conceded, still shaking from laughter. "But even so- how could sweet pepper curry be spicy at all?"

—————I am the dividing line that shifts time and perspective—————

BEEEEEEEEEEP- BEEEEEEEEEEP- BEEEEEEEEEEP-

Ugh, you must be joking. Waking up to a spacequake alarm again? This is getting old, fast. Kyo massaged his eyes and let out a yawn, glancing around the apartment. Nia was seated at her desk, seemingly completely absorbed by her drawing. "Good morning, Nia."

"G'morning, Kyo." Nia spared him a glance and a wave before going right back to her work.

"No frantic rush to wake me up today?" He joked.

"I already checked with Raziel. The impact point is halfway across the city, so there's virtually no harm in staying. Anyway, I have a deadline due tonight." Her eyes seemed to begin burning as she mentioned her deadline.

"Another? Already?" Yeesh, being a mangaka sounds like a pain. Hm, anyway, today's guest appearance should be…

——————I am the dividing line that shifts perspectives——————

"The Hermit?" Shidou questioned.

"That's the name of this Spirit. Records state that she has a quiet, docile nature. Furthermore, it seems that during her last manifestation, she made contact with [IX]..." Kotori took out a lollipop from her pocket. "Be cautious, Shidou."