“Wasn’t this supposed to be about Sabrina apologizing for her rude behavior?”

    Looking back, that was definitely supposed to be the reason for our meeting.

    But somehow, maybe because our tastes aligned so well, I ended up having a much better time than I’d expected.

    Come to think of it, it wasn’t all that strange.

    Today, Sabrina looked like a soft, cute girl in her flowing dress with her hair down. But normally, she had such a boyish look that people often mistook her for a handsome young guy.

    That probably explained why she had a preference for active hobbies like sports and games.

    If I thought about the original story, there were even scenes where she went wild over soccer and baseball tournaments, eagerly following the matches.

    Her preferences weren’t that different from mine.

    I didn’t really enjoy playing with dolls or taking cute pictures. I preferred things that got my heart racing.

    Even if I looked like this now, my heart was still that of a boy who burned with passion and chased after romantic ideals.

    So when we wandered around town, visiting places like the dessert cafe and even a doll shop that Reine had recommended, my attention was suddenly stolen.

    At one point, Sabrina’s footsteps stopped in front of a large game center.

    Her gaze fixed on it, and I could tell from her eyes that she was interested.

    Seeing this, I wasted no time.

    I grabbed her arm and bolted straight into the game center.

    “H-Hey, Yuria?! Are you into games or something?”

    “...!”

    Of course I am! I love them!

    I nodded eagerly, shaking my arms up and down with excitement.

    My heart thumped wildly in my chest as I thought about what the game centers in this world might be like.

    And the answer did not disappoint.

    The moment we entered, I was hit by a storm of chaotic sounds and flashing lights.

    The air buzzed with the roar of arcade machines, the chatter and cheers of the crowd, and the thumping sound of people pounding on buttons or slamming the side of machines. R?α????O?βE?S?

    All around us were brightly lit game cabinets, VR setups attached to the walls, and even motion-capture platforms that moved with the players.

    It was like I had stepped into a gamer’s paradise.

    My heart pounded with excitement, and I felt my hips start to wiggle uncontrollably.

    I’m gonna have so much fun here!

    “Whoa there, Yuria. Be careful. If you get too distracted, you might trip.”

    “....”

    I guess I’d gotten too excited.

    I was so busy looking around that I didn’t notice someone walking nearby, and I ended up bumping right into them.

    Fortunately, Sabrina grabbed me by the waist just in time, preventing me from falling flat on my butt.

    Thanks to that, I didn’t end up with a full faceplant, but... I somehow ended up hugging Sabrina.

    The warmth of her arms snapped me out of my excitement.

    Get a grip, Yuria. You’re not a little kid.

    I’d been so amazed by the arcade that I let myself get swept up like a child seeing Disneyland for the first time.

    But lately, my body had been moving on its own before my mind could catch up. I needed to calm down and control myself better.

    “Hmm... I don’t have a lot of money, so we can’t play too many games. Yuria, is there a game you want to try?”@@@@

    “...!”

    I thought about it for a moment.

    There were plenty of games to choose from, but I pointed at a co-op zombie shooting game.

    Competing against each other would’ve been fun too, but if we’re going to play together, wouldn’t it be better to work as a team?

    Sabrina nodded in agreement, and we lined up for our turn.

    When it was finally our turn, I stepped onto the running platform connected to the screen and gripped the heavy mock rifle with both hands.

    Alright, this is my chance to show off.

    ‘Time to show Sabrina how awesome I am at games!’

    My gamer spirit burned brighter than ever.

    I hadn’t played this specific game before, but TS protagonist logic says that cute girls should always be good at games.

    Besides, I was already a gamer in my previous life, so there was no way I’d show her a pathetic performance.

    On the other side, Sabrina stood on the platform, tapping her gun on the ground as she got ready.

    Then the game began.

    The zombie horde poured in like a raging tide.

    ***

    And three minutes later...

    “...Yuria, you’re pretty bad at this, huh?” Sabrina said as she lowered her toy rifle.

    “....”

    Oof. That stings.

    My face burned red with embarrassment, and I squeezed my eyes shut, unable to meet her gaze.

    I had no excuse.

    Not even 10 seconds after the game started, I’d been bitten on the leg by a zombie and died instantly.

    Why? Because I had underestimated the gun’s recoil, and it had slipped out of my hands.

    I’ll do better next time!

    I won’t die so easily again! I’ll survive longer than Sabrina this time!

    With renewed determination, I started the second stage.

    Then the third stage.

    And the result?

    I never lasted longer than 30 seconds.

    And alongside it, the sound of hurried voices, like people were trying to deal with a sudden crisis.

    Something’s happening.

    Sabrina also seemed to notice that something was off. Her head darted left and right as she scanned the area, her body visibly tense.

    Then—

    Thud!

    Out of nowhere, someone dropped from above, landing with a sharp impact right in front of us.

    “...?!?”

    A person just... fell from the sky?!

    Both Sabrina and I gasped as we stepped back in surprise.

    The one who had landed in front of us was a man wearing a police uniform, his blue hair practically glowing in the streetlight.

    He straightened his posture and looked at us with sharp, icy eyes.

    “Hey, kids. This area’s off-limits. Turn around and go back the way you came. This place is about to be locked down.”

    “U-Um... We need to get to the subway, though...” Sabrina said, glancing past him.

    “It’s because of the subway that this area’s being locked down,” he replied flatly, his voice completely devoid of emotion. “Go back. We’re busy.”

    His tone was so cold and detached that Sabrina flinched from it.

    But while she was unnerved, I was frozen for a different reason.

    I knew this man.

    His sharp blue hair, his chillingly cool expression, the scar running vertically down the corner of his mouth, and the crisp police uniform that looked like it had never seen a wrinkle—

    This was Ethan.

    Yeah, it’s definitely him.

    He was one of the key characters in the original story.

    Ethan, the young elite officer from the Special Crimes Response Team 3.

    If Raven was the face of the Crowley Problem-Solvers, then Ethan was the face of the police.

    He was often portrayed as Raven’s rival, with the two clashing over how to handle complex criminal cases.

    Competent. Cool-headed. Ruthless when necessary.

    Their differences in approach often led to tension, but at the same time, Ethan was also acknowledged as one of the very few people who could stand on equal footing with Raven.

    Of all people, I didn’t expect to run into him here.

    I felt a mix of surprise and curiosity at his sudden appearance.

    But my instincts told me to leave quickly.

    I was, after all, a person with an unknown identity and no official records.

    Getting involved with the police would only bring me trouble.

    So, I turned to leave, nudging Sabrina to follow.

    No need to make a scene. If he says go, then go.

    But just as we were about to leave, the radio on Ethan’s shoulder crackled to life.

    —[“Team Leader, we’ve confirmed the identity of the suspect causing the disturbance on the subway tracks. Her name is Anser, a recent citizen who registered in Nighthaven just 27 days ago. She has no known connections to any criminal organizations.”]—

    ...Huh?

    —[“Wait, so why the hell is she rampaging on a nice weekend like this? This was supposed to be my day off!”]—

    —[“Maybe she’s just venting her frustrations? I mean, demons are like that, aren’t they?”]—

    —[“Riz-senpai! That’s a totally racist comment!”]—

    —[“Ack! Uh, c-can we pretend you didn’t hear that...?”]—

    —[“Ten meal tickets.”]—

    “Stop fooling around on the radio, idiots.” Ethan’s cold voice cut in.

    “Betty, keep searching for any other leads. Everyone else, once citizen control is complete, regroup at Liveira Station and await further instructions.”

    —[“Roger that.”]—

    —[“Understood!”]—

    Bzzt.

    The radio fell silent.

    Ethan glanced at us, noticing that we had overheard the entire conversation.

    But he didn’t seem to care.

    “Don’t spread rumors,” he muttered, turning away to continue his work.

    But even after he left, Sabrina and I stayed frozen in place.

    We couldn’t move.

    Our minds were still reeling from what we had just heard.

    —”Suspect: Anser.”

    —”Subway disturbance.”

    “Y-Yuria... did I just hear that right?”

    Sabrina’s voice was shaky, and I could see her pupils trembling.

    I nodded slowly.

    “Yeah. It’s Anser.”

    I reached into my coat and pulled out the napkin Anser had given me earlier.

    The magical contract she’d written for us.

    At that moment, I saw something terrifyingly unusual.

    The words that had been clearly written on the napkin...

    ...were wiggling, shifting, as if they were struggling to stay in place.

    The letters twisted and quivered like they might crumble apart at any moment.

    Something was happening to Anser.