CHAPTER 304: LET GO OF HER.

The lunch rush ended and the Bowl of Fortune was back to its usual calmness. Some of the customers had lingered around for a while, hoping to see the beautiful girl with cyan hair again. Suzuka refused to leave the kitchen, however, so Nobara had to kick them out.

"Finally, some peace and quiet." The old cook grabbed her pipe and sat down.

"This is the reason why I didn’t want to work the front." Said Suzuka, still frowning.

"Don’t say it like I wanted to put you out there. Our shop doesn’t need a second idol."

"Right, right."

Loading the dishwasher, the girl let out a soft chuckle. Nobara released a puff of smoke and turned to her with a grin.

"So? What did you think?"

Having anticipated the question, Suzuka let out a long sigh.

"I... don’t know..." She said. "He’s still too young. And reckless."

"Exactly what we need," Nobara said.

"It’s just..." Heaving another sigh, the girl cast her gaze down. "Let’s wait and see. I will evaluate him properly, and if he is worthy, I will make sure to convince him."

"Well, you’d better get on with it." Taking another puff, Nobara then added. "He has been ramping it up lately. I have a feeling he’s going to do something rash soon."

"That doesn’t sound too good."

Done with her chores, Suzuka wiped her hands as she made her way inside, leaving the shop’s kitchen.

"I will be going out for a bit."

"Oh, did you call him already?" Nobara asked, still in the kitchen.

"No, but I need to prepare a few things for when I do."

Though she rarely stayed over, the girl still had a room of her own at her grandmother’s place. She hated the fact that she used it as nothing more than a changing room, but there was nothing to do about it. Opening the closet, she sorted through her clothes and picked an outfit. As she went about removing her yukata, the full-body mirror caught her attention. Her slender figure was reflected on its surface, but there was something else. A hand clad in metal.

Before she could react, it caught her by the back of her collar and swiftly pulled her away. Her back hit a wall right after, sending a violent tremor through her body, then her neck was caught.

[Move anything beside your mouth and you’re dead.]

Of course, she paid no heed to the words she heard, immediately reaching for the arm connected to the hand choking her, but she immediately caught herself and banished the fear fueling her panic.

She forced herself to calm down and pierced her assailant with a glare. She intended to look for a way to escape, already firing commands through her MLP, but the moment her mind processed the sight in front of her, all of her thoughts halted.

"But... how..."

She recognized the lustrous black plating and the round visor filled with darkness. It was the mysterious figure she encountered the day before. The same one who almost killed her friend.

[How did I find you?] They asked, their voice broken and distorted. [Or how did I know it’s you?]

Suzuka didn’t answer. She couldn’t. She had to direct all her effort into quelling the anger quickly rising from the depths of her heart. Right now, she couldn’t let it control her. She needed to find a way to escape; only then could she properly seek revenge.

Regaining a semblance of calm, she went back to issuing commands, but nothing was happening. She didn’t get a response, and a moment later, she received an error message saying her connection had been severed.

[That’s a nice face you have.] They said. [Much better than the last one.] The grip on her neck tightened ever so slightly. [How do you do it?]

"W-what?" Though the question confused her, she only replied with that to buy herself time.

[It’s crazy, you know? Never occurred to me before.] They said. [Stealing someone’s face and life like that. Man, it probably took a lot of work. How do you keep it up?]

As they continued their rambling, Suzuka began to understand what was happening. The thing knows about her Persona Mask, and since she was wearing a Maria face when she encountered them, they immediately assumed that her current appearance was fake as well.

[Of course, that’s only if the girls you’re impersonating are real.] They went on. [This one is real. She has a loving grandmother, and goes to that big university. Probably the best hiding place for you, right? Considering the things you make.]

Just then, Suzuka recalled that they stole her bag, the one containing the latest of her works.

[Say, the girls whose lives you stole, did you kill them?]

This time, the question struck deep into Suzuka’s mind, and the hand around her neck tightened again.

[This one, did you kill her, too?] They asked, their broken voice sounding unbearably sharp. [You stole her face, deceived her grandma, hid in her life.]

"S-stop... I... I can’t..."

A strange sensation rose through her back, and the fear returned. Danger. It was danger. Suzuka realized that she was about to be killed, and that her chance to escape had already slipped.

[C’mon, answer me.] They said, ignoring her weak voice. [This girl, did you kill her?]

The darkness of the room grew more oppressive, swallowing everything her eyes could see. Suzuka realized she was losing consciousness, but nothing she did worked. Things seemed desperate, and death made its presence known. Just then, a shadow streaked through the room.

"LET GO OF HER, YOU MONSTER!!!"

A shout shattered the silence of the room, followed by a loud, heavy bang. Suzuka felt the hand around her neck snap away, and she fell to her knees the next moment. As she sucked in the dust-filled air, fighting unintended coughs, she heard a familiar voice calling her name.

"Suzuka! Suzuka! Are you okay!!?"

Still coughing, her gaze filled with tears, Suzuka looked up and saw a small old woman kneeling by her side. Though the darkness made her blurry vision only worse, she still recognized the worried look on that wrinkled face.

"G-grandma...?"