Chapter 198: Living together

「Hey, Fu~min, my legs are killing me. You should carry me like a princess」

「I’m sorry, but princess carrying is forbidden by the Japanese Constitution」

「Tsk, read the atmosphere, Japanese Constitution… Then give me a piggyback ride!」

「I can’t do it. But I’ll consider it if you lose another 60 kilos」

「A hundred kilos of fat? Am I that heavy!?」

While talking like this, Fujiwara-san and I were heading to my house.

She clutched my arm as if she’d die if she let it go.

But as usual, her breasts don’t hit me.

That is the sign of a stable washboard, Fujiwara-pai.

On the way, I asked her what had happened.

If I think about it normally, the story is absurd.

She was attacked by fake Fujiwara-san. Then, she was saved by a blonde lady. And at the same time that the fake Fujiwara-san appeared, Fujiwara-san herself was no longer visible to anyone else.

「But, I can see you」

「It’s only Fu~min. See?」

「Whoa!?」

While waiting at a traffic light, she suddenly lifted up the skirt of a woman who was also waiting at the light.

Her plain beige girdle is exposed, but she keeps her eyes on her phone.

The salaryman across the street, who should have been able to see the contents of her skirt perfectly, remains staring blankly at the front.

Apparently, Fujiwara-san’s invisibility was for real, and all the consequences of her actions would be ignored.

「Right?」

「Yeah」

「But, why can only Fu~min see me?」

「Maybe love」

「It must be!」

「……Well, Mai-san. I’m really embarrassed if you just accept that…」

「Why? It’s the only possible way」

I meant it as a joke, but she looked at me as if it was natural.

Feeling as if I had been hit by her counter, I turned away, and she smiled and looked into my face.

「Hee-hee, you’re embarrassed. Fu~min, you’re so cute!」

「I’m not embarrassed」

「By the way, Fu~min, why were you in front of my house?」

「I was called by you. Fujiwara-san asked me to consult about social media」

「Me?」

「From the looks of it, it’s probably the fake one who called me…」

「Oh… the fake me has the phone too? I thought I threw it away yesterday, but it appears the cop gave it to the fake me」

After hearing this, I took out my phone and sent a message to Fujiwara-san on SNS, saying “Sorry, I can’t make it due to an emergency”.

Of course, I didn’t want the fake Fujiwara-san to think I was suspicious.

The beastman girl and the fake Fujiwara-san are probably devils.

Well, what can I say, I’m not afraid to face them.

I have one too.

However, I don’t know why they came after Fujiwara-san, or what their purpose was, and it would be better for them not to know that Fujiwara-san is with me.

「For now, you can just stay at my home until things get back to normal」

When I said this, she opened her eyes and turned her head towards me.

「Seriously? We’re living together!? Yay, we’re starting our new life together! I can’t stop smiling. This is a come-from-behind victory!」

「Oh, no, that’s not what I meant…」

Why is this girl so happy?

It’s not a situation where she can be happy.

「Ehehe, kukuku… oh, that’s right. I’m a little hungover, but I’m looking forward to living with you」

「Okay, I mean you’re not a hangover… It’s just until things get back to normal! I’ll do everything I can to get things back to normal as soon as possible」

「Eh~… no need to go back. If I can’t be seen by others, it means we can stay together forever. We can take a bath together, sleep together, and go everywhere together as a couple」

「A happily married couple!? But if we’re roosters, we’re just a gay couple! I mean, if you follow me around that much, my mental health will die!」(*Note: おんどり同士じゃ、ただのゲイカップルだから?)

「Buu~… you’re so boring」

I give a small sigh to Fujiwara-san’s disapproving tone.

Sometimes she has an incomprehensible positivity about her.

I vaguely recall that before we started going out, she once came on to me with her black history of being forced to work as a prostitute.

◇ ◇ ◇

When I arrived home, my mom seemed to be out somewhere.

She was either shopping or drinking tea in the neighborhood.

Well, there’s nothing wrong with that, since she won’t be able to see Fujiwara-san even if she is there, and the consequences of her actions will be ignored.

「Anyway, why don’t you go take a shower?」

I handed her a bath towel and a sweatshirt as a change of clothes for the time being, and she twisted her mouth into a smile.

「Well well, my boyfriend is impatient. Do you want to take a bath with me? Do you want to start playing in the tub?」

「Shut up, you dirty girl. You smell like sweat. Go take a shower」

「D-dirty…! I mean, Fu~min, isn’t that too harsh?」

「Yes, yes, I’ll hear your complaints later, but for now, do something about that pungent smell」

「Pungent!?」

I let out a sigh as I pushed her back into the changing room, where she hurriedly started sniffing her own armpits.

It’s not that I’m not happy to be here with her.

On the contrary. I’m sure I’d be happy too, if she was so open about her feelings for me.

But, to be honest, I think it’s a bad idea.

After all, I said to her that I intend to take my time with Fujiwara-san and have an honest relationship with her.

I want to take good care of her, but I don’t think I’ll be able to reason with her if we’re together all the time.

「Well, for now…」

Anyway, while Fujiwara-san is taking a shower, there are some things I want to check.

So, I went back to my room and called out to the air.

「Lili, are you there?」

「Yes, Devi?」

A red-haired devil girl appears in midair, spinning around.

「Actually…」

I told her what Fujiwara-san had told me.

Lili then twisted her cheeks in displeasure.

「I see… is that so, Devi?」

「Something seems familiar for you, doesn’t it?」

「Yeah. First of all, that fake product is a devil doll, Devi」

「Devil doll?」

「Devi devi. One of Lili’s enemy, Lord Andras, is the Doll Master, Devi, and he’s created a very evil thing that takes away a person’s very existence, Devi」

「Take away someone existence?」

I see. That’s why it’s like that.

「So… is there any way to get it back?」

I ask, and Lili nods.

「It’s easy, Devi. All you have to do is destroy the doll, Devi. The doll itself doesn’t have any fighting ability, so even a human can destroy it, Devi」

I’m relieved to hear that.

It’s going to be easier than I thought.

「So… why didn’t it work on me?」

「Eh? Eh… uh… yeah, I’ll investigate again, Devi」

As she said this, her eyes swept in the direction of the day after tomorrow.

Apparently, she knows, but doesn’t want to say.

（Oh well. I’ll just have to trick her into telling me because Lili is easy to deal with）

「But, why is the devil after Fujiwara-san?」

I ask, and Lili turns serious.

「They’re looking for Lili, Devi… and I thought maybe that Pettan-chan had something to do with it, Devi」

I put my hand to my chin.

Taking over Fujiwara-san’s existence to find Lili? I still can’t imagine the cause and effect of that.

「If her existence is taken away, they can obtain Pettan-chan’s memories, and if there is contact between Lili and Pettan-chan, they can lure me away, Devi」

「But, has Lili and Fujiwara-san ever been in contact…?」

「No, Devi」

「Then it’s safe for now. But… if she tried to call me, does that mean she thinks I’m suspicious?」

「Probably. But it’s not conclusive, Devi. That’s why she wanted to call you, to see if there was anything there, Devi」

「Either way, I think we’d better get a move on」

Lili shook her head and smirked.

For the first time in a long time, she looked really evil.

「Rather, it’s a good thing, Devi, that we now have a convenient source of information through her, Devi. We can keep her around for now, Devi. We’ll make the most of it, Devi」