Chapter 34: What’s Next

"I'm back." Kyo opened the door to the apartment, carelessly allowing the groceries to fall to the floor. Wait, I didn't buy anything in a glass bottle, did I? Thankfully, the only sound that came from the bag was a dull thunk. He breathed a quick sigh of relief before beginning to slip off his shoes. "Hello? Nia?"

His only response was a gentle snore from the direction of the work desk. Kyo sighed deeply, massaging his eyes. I used to think my sleep schedule was bad, but at least I still sleep when it's actually nighttime. Grabbing the blanket off his bed, he gently draped it over Nia's slumped figure. 

Only then did he notice the large pile of half-drawn manga pages to the side, a sticky note stuck on the top.

I'm gonna take a quick nap, so could you finish these when you get back please? Deadline's tonight at 10. Thanks ♡

-Nia

Quickly shifting through the pages, Kyo's face began to darken. Finish these? A quarter of these pages are just sketches! What the help does she expect me to do, draw the entire thing for her?

Despite his thoughts, he still sat down and picked up a pen.

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

BEEP-

The sound of an oven timer, paired with the scent of something being baked, stirred Nia from her slumber. Hwa? What's happening? Slowly rubbing the tiredness out of her eyes, a sudden realization sent her bolting straight out of her seat. "The manuscript!"

"Your manuscript is on my desk. Don't blame me if it's unsatisfactory." Kyo's bemused voice sounded from the kitchen. Nia snatched up the pile of drawings and gave them a quick once-over. Heh, even though he sounds gruff, these are still quite good. After checking over the pages and sending a copy to her publisher, Nia slumped back into her chair with a sigh of relief. 

"You know, if you keep procrastinating like this, you're gonna fail to deliver on time some day," Kyo called. 

"Heh, says the guy who's baking a cake at 9 pm at night. Shouldn't you think of me, or perhaps our poor neighbors?"

"Oi. Who's the one who ate the cake I made yesterday at a reasonable hour without even asking who it was for?" Kyo's smiling figure suddenly appeared behind her, wielding an icing spatula splattered with red.

"...ehe."

"That's what I thought." Kyo lightly knocked her on the head and returned to the kitchen. "By the way, I saved some cake cuttings for your dinner."

"You're the best!" Nia quickly sprang out of her chair and into the kitchen before stopping with a weird expression on her face. "Er, Kyo… are you sure you didn't make a sandwich by accident?"

Indeed, sitting on the counter was a strange mass of cake and icing that seemed to resemble a sandwich more than dessert. "I took some creative liberties with the cake-cutting," he explained, emptying the contents of a bottle of food coloring into his icing.

"And you ended up with an entire sandwich."

"Complaining?"

"Nope!" She quickly took a bite, giving a thumbs up. "Hey, your carrot cake doesn't taste like parsnips this time!"

"Don't remind me…" He groaned with embarrassment. "It's not my fault they look exactly like carrots to me."

"Hehe, if you say so." As Nia continued to snicker, Kyo shook his head and refocused on his cake.

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

"Hey, not bad. Though, considering you're my capable assistant, this much should be expected," Nia commented haughtily, examining the finished product: a foot-long carrot cake cut into the design of a large cartoon carrot, finished with liberal amounts of orange icing and a little green icing for the fronds.

"Only your assistant?" Kyo laughed dryly as he stored his creation into the fridge. "From all the work you gave me today, I'd expect to be promoted to at least co-author."

"Done!" Nia smirked. Now you can't complain about getting a heavier workload.

"For some reason I suddenly regret opening my mouth," he muttered as he walked back over, a beer in each hand. 

"Oh, don't be so stiff! Of course, if you can't help it, maybe I can give you a little 'servic-'"

"Give me a break," he groaned, pressing one of the cans against her neck.

"Iiyaah~" 

"..." Kyo's eyebrow twitched uncontrollably.

"No? Not funny?" Nia snatched the can from Kyo's hand and popped the tab, pouring it down her throat. "Mmm, beer."

"You- you can't just- oh, forget it." Kyo let himself fall onto another chair, leaning back with a sigh. "On another note, I met a certain girl on the street today."

"Ooh, did you fall in love at first sight? Well, even if it's you, I won't search up her details with [Raziel]," Nia continued to tease with a light smile. Still, what kind of girl is it that would catch his attention? I can't help but be curious… 

Kyo ignored her. "The girl's appearance means that things are gonna get messy around here again. This time, people will probably die." 

"Ah… huh?!" Nia choked on her beer. "Say -cough- say what now?"

"Her name is Takamiya Mana, Itsuka Shidou's biological sibling. A wizard who specializes in hunting down one specific Spirit: [Nightmare]."

"Kurumin?" Nia calmed down and took another sip. "Then I'm sure it'll be fine. She can't die that easily, especially given what her [Zafkiel] can do."

"Where did you pick up that nickname… ahem. Well, theoretically, Kurumi should stand at the top of the Spirit hierarchy." Kyo's face contorted into an expression between troubled and awkward. "Although… yeah, I'll just say it. Kurumi's not exactly a combat genius. Half of her plans simply involve throwing clones at the problem."

"I think that would still solve a majority of issues…" Nia muttered to herself behind the rim of her beer can.

"Sure. Sometimes, it's even the best plan. But answer me this: when an opponent is obviously charging up a cannon blast, do you A: Block the attack with clones, or B: Give yourself superspeed and dodge?"

"...she chose A?" Nia's jaw dropped. 

"She chose A."

"...huh."

"Well, all of this is assuming that she does the same things she did in the previous world this time. But even if she doesn't, her appearance in this city is already enough for us to be on alert." Kyo crossed his arms and shrugged. "What do you think?"

"Kurumin…" Even though she was part of the reason I was rescued, her history is drenched in blood. Kyo's right; there's a real chance that she'll end up going on a massacre. But… "What exactly are you planning this time?"

"If she makes any large moves, I'll stop her before she takes any lives. Otherwise… I won't do anything." He fidgeted with [Naught], which he'd shrunken down in size and fit onto a necklace as he responded to her query.

"Hm… sounds good to me…" Though, something feels off about that wording. 

"We're in agreement, then," Kyo concluded, his posture slackening even further. "If you don't mind, please check Kurumi's status with [Raziel] every so often."

"I…" Even though it's for the safety of the town, spying on her still just doesn't feel right.

Kyo, noting Nia's hesitance, sighed and shook his head. "No good? Well, I won't insist. Honestly, Kurumi's quite dependent on her Reiryoku for killing anyway. If she makes a scene, we'll probably feel it."

"Oh… alright." Nia chugged the rest of her beer before slamming it down. Kyo wordlessly handed her the second can. Heh, how kind. "By the way, are you still planning on meeting Yoshino tomorrow?"

"I've already remade the apology cake, haven't I?" He gave a hollow chuckle. "I'm just hoping it doesn't come off as bribery…"

"You'll be fine. Just face her with sincerity." Nia reached over and clapped Kyo on the back. "You promised me last week, so no take-backs. Need me to go with you?"

"...er, don't you have another deadline to work on?"

"Oh, the next one's five days away. Plenty of ti-"

"Time to get an early start, so you don't end up working a day and a half in a row before passing out and heaping the rest on me," Kyo said with a smile that was not a smile. "Right?"

"...right."