Jigglypuff's Diary

“Teacher work sounds rough.”

The woman said with exasperation and admiration.

But her friend seated across just frowned.

“That’s the last thing I want to hear from you, Sandra. Let’s not forget that you were the one who dragged me out here.”

Veins bulged on Frire’s head as she restlessly shifted from one floating monitor to another.

The tea had long gone cold, but she was too busy to care.

“Heh, my bad.”

Sandra apologized, but the way she laughed and the way her horse ears were turned sideways told volumes of how much she was enjoying this.

Alas, Frire couldn’t even spare the time to notice that.

Whether that was a good thing or not was anyone’s guess.

They were currently in a private room in an upscale café in the central district of the mid-sized city of Sieb.

It was owned by a Garestonian, but the interior, menu, and systems were all modeled after Earth’s, making it a shop completely built on Earth culture.

Perhaps it was because of Sieb’s unique characteristics, or perhaps it was because Earth’s food culture had long gained acceptance, but regardless, few Garestonians would raise a brow over such a dominantly Earth-style café.

After all, Sieb was the city closest to the gate city of Olgen.

Visitors from Earth almost always stopped in Sieb along with Olgen.

Olgen was purely a gate city, functioning only as a dimensional port and residential area for those involved in its operation, so no matter where in Garesto one’s destination was, the first stop was almost always Sieb.

For that reason, the city was known as both the “welcome city” and the “hub city.”

That might give some the impression that it was hard to commute in Garesto, but really, there was a direct subway from Olgen that took less than ten minutes and ran frequently, so there was little to complain about.

In fact, the connection was so seamless that some people even mistook Olgen and Sieb for the same city. Of course, if one tried traveling aboveground while dealing with raybeasts along treacherous roads, even with the help of the Gorado, it would easily take dozens of times longer.

“By the way, what have you been doing this whole time?”

Only someone like Sandra would shamelessly ask that of a woman clearly swamped with work.

“Monitoring each team and preparing everything for the schedule after this. We’re stretched thin on both manpower and time, so if you understand, shut up for a bit.”

Frire was the kind of woman who dutifully answered even when she could’ve just ignored. The slight edge in her voice however proved that Sandra was starting to get on her nerves.

“I thought you were just waiting for the students, but I see they’re working you like a horse. Mm, anyway this tea is really delicious.”

“That’s the second time, Sandra. You dragged me out here, so be quiet!”

If her fingers weren’t busy on the spatial keyboard, she probably would’ve slammed the table already.

Thanks to the room’s solid soundproofing, they didn’t bother anyone outside, but even without that, it wouldn’t have mattered as Sandra has already erected a sound proof barrier.

She silently laughed to herself as though Frire’s anger was entertainment.

Fortunately, Frire didn’t notice it, or she would have surely raised hell.

“Phew, looks like things are finally calming down.”

About ten minutes after that exchange. Several monitors were still open, but the necessary procedures and reports were already finished, and none of the teams seemed to have problems serious enough to warrant a teacher’s intervention, so Frire finally moistened her throat with the tea she’d ordered.

It had gone completely cold, but even that one comforting sip was something she deeply appreciated.

“Good work.”

“If you actually meant that… No, never mind.”

“Oh no, she hates me now.”

Frire glared at Sandra with half-lidded eyes, having already resigned herself to the fact that complaining was pointless.

Sandra didn’t care however and just laughed, coaxing a sigh out of Frire.

“Sigh… I know you do your job properly, but you didn’t half-ass Nakamura’s vaccinations did you?””

“…As if I could. Not with that guy.”

Frire only meant to ask casually, but Sandra actually trembled, causing her to blink in surprise.

“Hmm? What’s the matter? Ah, I get it. You got on his bad side, didn’t you?”

“I-I just meant to probe a little! It was supposed to be a harmless joke!”

“Sigh, I told you beforehand not to do anything unnecessary. Nakamura is a troublesome guy who’s strangely indifferent to himself and others in the weirdest ways, but he’s also genuinely caring. So if he decides something would be bad for the people he looks after, he will show neither mercy nor hesitation.”

“You could’ve told me sooner.”

“You brought it on yourself. You probably tried to tease him about me and did something unnecessary.”

“Pretty much.”

For just a moment, Sandra made an odd face before nodding vaguely in affirmation.

The truth was close but not quite right. Sandra was starting to suspect that, beyond whatever he’d said in that moment, she had already displeased him beforehand in some other way.

She could think of a few possibilities, but right now she had a bigger concern.

After all, Frire had casually put herself on the side of “people being taken care of by him.”

“How someone can be knee deep into something and yet still be so dense is beyond me.”

Sandra did think that a caring partner would suit Frire, but this was something else altogether.

A relationship with that boy would either be a huge jackpot or a complete blunder. There was no in between.

“…Hey, just who is that kid?”

Sandra had felt an inexplicable fear from that boy.

It was such a brief encounter, and Sandra could come up with all sorts of reasons why she might’ve felt that way, but no matter how she spun it, that boy was just inexplicably terrifying.

There was something to him that could make even Sandra, who had once silenced angry soldiers and treated the wounded on the battlefield, to feel that way.

“…”

Whether she sensed the fear behind the question or not, Frire fell silent for a moment and closed her eyes, then she gave an answer that Sandra never thought she would.

“He’s a student under my responsibility. That’s all I can say.”

“Huh. So you’re not even going to hide that there’s more to him.”

Sandra was a little surprised by that, but she could tell that this was the most that this overly serious woman could give her.

Sandras hands trembled as she gulped her second cup of tea, though she did her best to hide that.

“If I were to give just my personal opinion,” Frire said.

“Hm?” Sandra said.

“He might be a troublesome student and a problematic kid, but he’s a man that I can trust.”

“…I see.”

Wow, Sandra found herself exclaiming to herself.

To think that this shy girl would go out of her way to give such high praise. And they’ve been together only for how long? Impressive.

But at the same time, Sandra felt lonely that that Frire had actually learned to show this kind of consideration for a man.

“To be precise, being around him makes me feel all warm and fuzzy.”

“Pfft !? What the heck!?”

Sandra spit the tea right back out when Frire delivered those words so seriously.

To make it worse, Frire was serious. That was her honest impression of the boy, and that made Sandra frown.

“D-Did I say something funny? It was my first time feeling that way, and I was actually happy about it.”

“Excuse me?”

When Frire continued, Sandra froze.
Warm and fuzzy. First time. Happy.
When such words were lined up, and given Frire’s circumstances, an unexpected worry began to surface.
If such feelings were given to her by being with that boy, then…

“So that’s why he was so harsh with me? No wonder. I should’ve realized it.”

“Sandra?”

What kind of best friend was she to fail to notice that?
Sandra scolded herself, while Frire sent a concerned glance at her.
But Sandra just shook her head as if to say that it was nothing.

She quietly finished her tea, set the empty cup on the saucer, and looked Frire straight into the eyes.

“It’s good that you told me that. Now, I’m not trying to get back at him, but there are some things that I need to say as his doctor.”

“Was there a problem with his results?”

“It was full of problems, but first of all, and this might be an overstatement, but–”

Just as Sandra began to explain however, her horse ears suddenly snapped upright in alarm.

A moment later, Frire’s gaze followed in the same direction and some commotion began just outside the private room.

The commotion drew closer.

Then, without any warning, the door slid open.

“We’re very sorry, customer, but you can’t enter without permission–”

“It’s fine, it’s fine! I had a prior appointment, right, you two?”

“…”

“…”

The newcomer breezed past the staff’s attempt to stop her and declared as such with a meaningful wink.

It was a woman around their age with pinkish hair styled in a bob cut.

She was more adorable than beautiful, and she smiled with a sparkle, fluently persuading her way through with her charm.

But as charming as she might’ve been to others, Frire and Sandra only saw poison.

But that couldn’t be helped. After all, people who didn’t know her had no way of knowing this woman’s character.

Somehow, she looked perfect to those who didn’t know her, but obviously fake to those who did.

In fact, the staff member who had been dragged here was already half-charmed by her smile, even though they were both women.

“Yeah, miss clerk, kick that one out she’s a stranger.”

“Hey, Sandra!?”

The horse-eared doctor flattened her ears completely and begged the employee to get her to leave with all her might.

That was definitely not out of personal resentment for having her cool explanation interrupted. Definitely not.

“While you’re at it, she’s a wanted criminal, so call the military police too.”

“Hey! That’s not something you can pass off as a joke!”

Sandra glared with upturned eyes that screamed ‘I don’t know you, get lost,’ while the woman who had yelled back, demanded they at least hear her out.

Of course, throughout all this, the truly unfortunate one was the staff, who had no idea what was going on.

They seemed to be acquaintances, but one of the original customers was outright rejecting her, so she could only turn to the other customer.

“Eek!”

Alas, the result of that was a face that nearly made her faint.

In the staff member’s defense, that face was not the kind of face an ordinary person could brush off easily.

“Sandra, it’s fine. Let’s hear her out for now,” Frire said.

“What? But–GEH–” Sandra said.

“Miss, please bring something to drink for her too,” Frire said.

“Thank you! See, I’ve always known you were the understanding sort–Eek!”

Really, even the people who could be called her best friends reacted the same way.

“Then sit down.
And let’s have a nice, long talk, shall we, Aria?”

Standing there was Frire wearing a completely blank expression, all color and emotions drained from her face.

The inhuman visage and inorganic eyes that held no light were made all the more terrifying by how beautiful they were, instilling an instinctive fear that allowed no argument.

Aria Vancelet.

To Frire, she was one of her few friends and a comrade from the same class.

But at some point she became anti-government, incited an armed uprising, and became a traitor.

She was once arrested by Frire herself, only to fake her death and escape with her comrades.

Together with those who shared her ideals, she founded an anti-government organization and targeted Kutoria for their first strike.

Unfortunately for her, someone’s meddling allowed Frire to crush all of their plans and trump cards, captured her again, then that someone wiped out their entire organization altogether.

Afterward, the reasons for her rebellion were shattered with the revelation of a few key facts.

Left in despair, she was transferred to Garesto and supposedly executed in a secret trial.

Well, supposedly.

“That’s why I keep telling you! I didn’t break out or run away this time!
If I had, why would I show my face in front of you two!? I’d get caught right away!!”

No matter how many times she explained she wouldn’t do something that stupid, the two still didn’t look convinced, so Aria raised her voice. Of course, she did understand where they were coming out, so as a result a bit of her true feelings slipped out.

“Well, I was stupid enough to become a terrorist without noticing something so obvious, so I guess you’d think that,” Aria said.

“True,” Frire said.

Frire seemed to finally believe her with those words, and color returned to her face, allowing the other two women to let out breaths of relief.

Now that the pressure had lifted, the doctor who had been silenced by the sheer intimidation from Frire’s inhuman expression finally turned her attention to why Aria was even here.

“So, how exactly did that Aria-chan get released?
You mentioned judicial transaction, but from what I know, you didn’t have anything the government would want to trade for.”

“That’s right.”

Aria kept insisting there had been a transaction, but neither Sandra nor Frire bought it.

She had been caught red-handed, her organization exposed, she had confessed to additional crimes, and almost all evidence had been secured.

Since every member had been arrested at once, information on her comrades was practically worthless. Moreover, the incident where she was captured officially “never happened,” so the government who wanted it kept quiet had no reason to let her out no matter how closely she could be monitored.

She was a somewhat capable operative, but were her skills worthy of such a judicial transaction? It was doubtful to say the least.

“Ah, so that’s what was bothering you. I’m still confused myself, actually.”

But Aria realized the misunderstanding from their questions or rather, that she had skipped too many key points.

It seemed she herself hadn’t fully processed the situation yet.

“Um, okay.
Like Sandra said, I didn’t really have anything to trade, and after how much I’d messed up, I wasn’t even planning on bargaining.”

“But?”

“As it turns out, the government was in a lot of trouble, and they had to make an extralegal deal, so as a result, we who happened to be in a convenient position were offered up. That’s probably the accurate version, yeah.”

“In a lot of trouble?”

“Offered up?”

At those ominous words, the two women’s faces filled with even more question marks. Aria beckoned them closer. Given her position, she was already using a sound-blocking skill, but she still wanted to be extra careful. When they leaned in, she whispered the name in a low voice.

“You two should know the name, right? –Masquerade.”

“…What?”

“Why the hell is that freak coming up now?”

Aria shrugged at the question that slipped out while Frire stared in silent shock.

“I wasn’t told everything, but after that blackmail incident, it seems Masquerade secretly contacted the Garesto government. Whatever went on in those talks or negotiations, or more like outright threats, one of the outcomes was that the government created a department to work directly with Masquerade.”

“…What?”

Frire’s eyes went dead still with a “nobody told me this” look, but only Shirayuki could accurately read the exact emotion behind it. The AI, Shirayuki, wisely chose to stay silent, so Aria simply continued.

“I don’t know why Masquerade wanted it, but apparently they said something along the lines of:
‘Which would you prefer? I suddenly contact any one of you out of the blue, or you get reports of me from that department?”

“Damn. That’s cold. Didn’t even give them a choice, really.”

“…”

The former was psychological torture and there was also no way to verify the content and sender. Someone could impersonate Masquerade, or the recipient could twist the message to suit themselves.

It was simply too dangerous to allow random individuals to handle the communication with a being that can single-handedly destroy nations, while having their comms network randomly hijacked every time would also disrupt presidential operations and national security.

So, really, they had no choice at all.

“Exactly.
But saying ‘we got threatened by a mysterious masked man, so we made a hotline for him’ would make the authorities look bad, so on paper they created a vaguely useless department.

Officially, it’s called the Masquerade Investigation Office, but in reality it’s a liaison unit between the government and Masquerade.”

“And you got assigned to it?”

Aria nodded.

Sandra looked at her like she was staring at something unbelievable, while Frire pressed a hand to her forehead as though she had a headache.

“Urgh, why did it end up like this?” Frire said.

Why would the mask do this? Is what Frire meant, but to the others it sounded like she was asking why Aria had been chosen.

“Apparently, it was Masquerade’s request. Apparently, he wanted someone who understood the threat he possesses and who has aptitude for dirty work.

Meanwhile, the government wanted someone who fit those criteria but would cause no issues if Masquerade crushed them, and who could be cut loose at any time if needed,” Aria said.

“I see. You were brutally defeated by the mask and secretly captured, so yeah, you do fit the bill,” Frire said.

“That’s sharp coming from you,” Aria said.

“Even I can figure out that much… It sounds exactly like something he would do.”

The last part was said so quietly no one heard it, but the image of a certain crescent-moon grin surfaced to her mind and gave her a headache.

“Heh, well, the only members are me and the Ronan couple, just us three,” Aria said.

“What happened to the rest of your friends?” Sandra asked.

“Don’t play dumb, Sandra!
You know perfectly well most of the core members are still in the hospital!”

“Oh, right, they’re still in the psychiatric wards because of the nightmares.”

“What ever happened to doctor patient confidentiality? But, yeah, that’s right.
I actually lucked out because it was Frire who took me down.
At least, after seeing the footage, I genuinely believe that.
The leaders, or rather, I guess they’re the section chiefs now, those two were left till the very end and saw everything, so the fear they felt looped all the way around until they ended up in this weird serene state, like a retired old couple just enjoying their golden years.

Honestly, it’s kind of heartwarming how much they’ve changed, but as agents they’re completely useless now.”

That’s why the job fell to Aria, the only one who had never directly come into contact with Masquerade.

“So the whole transaction was actually between Masquerade and the government, and you just lucked out?””

“Pretty much, yeah. I’m free to move, but I’ve got all kinds of tracking devices implanted in my body, and I wouldn’t be here too if it weren’t for work.”

“Work… As in, orders from Masquerade?”

“Yep. The whole ‘liaison department’ thing is basically a giant lie. In reality, we’re Masquerade’s errand runners as long as it’s within the acceptable limits. And the very first order given was to ‘give this to Sandra.’”

Aria lightly tapped on her personal terminal and data immediately transferred to Sandra’s device.
Displayed were two strings of terminal addresses.

Sandra looked at her suspiciously, but for some reason, Aria answered with an expression of pity.

“The first one is mine. The second is an address prepared by Masquerade.
You can send to it, but anything coming from there is to be considered directly from Masquerade.”

“W-Why the hell are you giving me something like this!?”

Aria looked at her with a mix of pity and schadenfreude that someone else got marked too.

Sandra felt humiliated, but above all was the fear of being handed the contact address of the very monster that shook the whole wolrd.

From Sandra’s perspective, she’d never had any contact with that thing, but Aria’s next words shattered that “never.”

“Huh? You didn’t hear from him?
I got the order just a while ago. He told me to tell you that I’m the ‘liaison’.”

“Liaison? Just now!?”

Sandra definitely remembered hearing that word about an hour ago.
From no other than that abnormally intimidating boy.

Reflexively, she found herself shooting a piercing, accusatory glare at Frire, who immediately looked away, beads of cold sweat pouring from her profile. Alas, such a response was tantamount to a confession.

“You’re kidding…””

Sandra’s face twitched as she muttered that to herself. She didn’t want to believe it, it seemed too much of a tall tale, but there was an aura about the boy that was just too abnormal, and in the end, she could only clutch her head.

Normally, being let in on a secret was a sign of trust, but in this case, it was the exact opposite.

Being threatened with that name was proof that she was not trusted at all.

“Why does this feel so much like an indirect death sentence?”

Being noticed, and at the same time, disliked by that being, who could do whatever it wanted to the world, made Sandra feel like the whole world was crashing in on her.

“What’s wrong with you two?”

Only Aria, the one who had delivered the bomb, tilted her head innocently.

The other two felt a surge of resentment, but they couldn’t explain for obvious reasons.

“You do realize that anyone would freak out if you handed them something like this, right?” Sandra said.

“Well, yeah, that’s true,” Aria said.

Since she couldn’t refute the logic, Aria accepted Sandra’s excuse with an exasperated look, while Sandra wondered how she managed to work as an undercover agent with a brain like that. But on second thought, maybe that’s why she ended up as a terrorist instead. Maybe, it was her agreeability that made her vulnerable to such an ideology.

“Anyway, was this the only order you got?”

Sandra’s horse ears naturally stood upright as she asked Aria that. It was curious what she was feeling that made her ears move as such, but Aria answered regardless.

“Yep, that’s the only order related to you two.”

“Hmph, as if. It’s not like you’re running errands for some brat.”

“Sandra?”

“…”

Unlike Frire, who knew Shinichi and had therefore not read further into it, Sandra believed there was more to it.

Aria casually sipped her tea, but her lack of answer was an answer in and of itself.

Sandra pressed harder.

“If it were Masquerade, just sending me the address directly would’ve been enough. Someone like Masquerade surely has countless ways to prove his words.
Yet he deliberately had you carry it to me, even though there was a high risk of the government finding out the connection between us.
Not to mention this timing.
He obviously knows about the Kutoria incident and our relationship, yet he went through all this trouble.
Doesn’t that mean making the three of us meet right now is part of that mask’s plan too? Am I wrong?”

Two pairs of eyes bore into Aria, as though to demand an answer.

Eventually, the silence had to give.

Aria quietly set down her cup, shrugged, and gave a troubled, bitter smile.

“He said ‘How you use this reunion is up to you.’ For someone so terrifying, he sure likes to poke his nose where it doesn’t belong, huh.”

“…”

“So, now what?
I don’t really care where you go play the fool, but don’t you have at least one word for Frire after dragging her into your mess twice?”

Sandra, irritated by Aria’s flippant attitude, demanded that Aria say what needed to be said, but all she got in response was–

“Nope.”

“You!”

Sandra shot to her feet, ready to grab her, but before her arms could move, Frire’s hand lifted to restrain her.

“Calm down, Sandra. Aria, if you have nothing to say, that’s fine with me too.
I’m not going to wave a victim card around and force empty words out of you.”

Frire said flatly, as if she truly didn’t care, that she didn’t need anything from her.

Aria twitched an eyebrow at that cold dismissal, but Sandra looked at her suspiciously.

Frire continued. “But…”

“But?”

“Oh?”

“I think I’m allowed to demand you at least tell me why you have nothing to say, don’t you? …How about it?”

Frire asked the question with a perfectly calm face, and both Aria and Sandra instantly froze in stunned disbelief.

It was an uncharacteristic way of speaking and angle of attack, yet somehow it still felt completely like her.

“There’s no reason. It’s just, there isn’t one.”

Aria tried to dodge with an annoyed tone, but Frire didn’t give her the opening.

“Lies. If you really know that did something stupid, then there’s no way you would feel nothing about it.
I’ve known you long enough to know that much. So, spill the beans. What’s the reason?”

“Guh… I thought the same thing back when we fought in Kutoria, but when did this girl become smart enough to be this pushy?”

Aria grumbled to no one in particular, but Shirayuki remained silent, and Sandra just nodded in agreement as she urged her to continue.

There were no allies here for her.

One pair of honest eyes believed that she definitely had a reason, while another pair just looked amused.

Aria even felt like the Mask was watching her from somewhere, and in the end, she had no choice but to wave the white flag.

“Okay, okay, I get it already.
It’s nothing much, really. I just figured that someone who did something so stupid because of a misunderstanding has no right to apologize and no right to atone. Damn it, I didn’t even want to face you, and now Masquerade’s ruined everything!”

Aria spat those words out while looking away in embarrassment, but regardless, it was clear that she fully understood how heavy her sins were and how hard atonement would be.

The blush on her cheeks and the cursing at the mask might’ve been cute but her feelings were sincere.

In response, Frire nodded, and Sandra let out an exasperated laugh.

“I have to say, this is the first time I’ve ever found you interesting,” Sandra grinned, and Aria blushed.

But as though unwilling to just stew in the embarrassment, Aria barked back.

“Shut it, you evil doctor! And you, Frire!
What’s with that ‘I knew it’ face!? If you already guessed, don’t ask!”

“Well, yeah, but hearing it from the person herself makes a huge difference.”

“Frire, you…”

“I figured that’s what he would say if he were here.
So I wanted to hear it directly from you. Sorry.”

Frire’s words were a bit too direct, but they were completely sincere without the slightest hint of malice, so Aria couldn’t even find it in her to argue.

That’s exactly why she was never good with this girl, Aria thought with a sour face.

“…Fine, whatever. But who is this ‘he’?”

“Ah, I promised not to say too much, but he’s the guy who used me back then.
He deeply regretted pitting me against you who was my old friend.
That’s probably why his words came to mind.”

“The one who orchestrated everything, huh. That’s a little different from the image I had.”

“He sees things differently from everyone else, for better or for worse. That’s how he saw through your schemes, and also why he looked after me when I was exhausted from the aftermath. Although…”

Frire frowned slightly, as if remembering something unpleasant from not too long ago.

Meanwhile, the other two leaned in suspiciously as they found her making an unusual expression. At least, unusual for her.

“…At least spend half as much effort taking care of yourself too, you idiot.”

Her face instantly softened into a faint smile as she thought of a certain someone who currently wasn’t here.

Though the words sounded much like scolding, the voice was gentle, even affectionate.

“W-What the hell was that face just now?”

“W-We just witnessed something incredible.”

Aria and Sandra looked on in shock.
They knew Frire’s real personality was completely different from how the public saw it.
In fact, they were the ones who found it strange that such rumors had spread in the first place.
To them, Frire was a pure-hearted girl with exceptional abilities. She was especially pure when it came to matters of romance.

But that expression just now. No matter how you looked at it, it was the face of a woman thinking fondly of someone she loved.

“J-Just who the heck is he!? And here I thought you’d changed a little, but it turns out you’ve found yourself a boyfriend!?”

“I always had a feeling some no-good guy would snatch you up someday, but of all people!”

Aria, now curious about the identity for completely different reasons, and Sandra, who groaned as she put the pieces together, were both stunned in their own ways.

Sandra clutched her head because she knew who it was, while Aria was simply excited because she didn’t.

Either way, the story of Frire’s first love was exciting for the two girls.

“No way! This girl showed zero signs and suddenly!
He’s the one who saw through our whole plan! He’s definitely got a bright future. Good catch!
So, what happened? Did you come down on him with the girls?”

Aria said with a huge grin as curiosity and excitement drove her into full gossip mode, hands gesturing at Frire’s chest.

But Frire just tilted her head blankly, while Sandra could only smile dryly.

“For the first time in my life, I actually envy ignorance.”

Sandra wanted to tease Frire about her love life while knowing nothing too, but she knew too much.

Oblivious to the doctor’s regret, Aria only became more fired up.

“And what’s with that suit!?
I thought you only wore baggy tracksuits, but what the heck, oh I know!
You wore that to seduce him, didn’t you!? It’s just a plain suit, but with your specs, all the curves stand out so perfectly no guy could possible resist!
Dang, girl, where the hell did you learn this kind of sexy attack? Way to go!”

Aria acted less like a friend excited that her friend finally got a guy, and more like an auntie overjoyed that her much-younger niece finally started caring about her appearance.

Most people would normally find her grinning face right now annoying, but fortunately or unfortunately, Frire didn’t understand the majority of what she said.

“H-Hey, Aria, slow down. I can barely follow what you’re saying!
And this suit wasn’t something I owned, he made me wear it.”

“Oh ho, details on that part, please.”

Even when Frire refuted one thing, Aria’s eyes only flashed like a predator locking onto prey.

Frire flinched for a second, but since it wasn’t something to hide, she openly confessed.

“When he found out I didn’t own a single proper outfit, he dragged me to a store.
I resisted, so he gave me that scary smile he usually did and said, ‘Do you want me to dress you myself, or will you put it on yourself?’
…So I tearfully had to put on the ones he handed me, and he picked out about three that fit.”

“Hoooh. So what you’re saying is that you’ve been completely dyed in his colors?” Aria said.

“You’re starting to sound like an old man, Aria.
And here I thought you were just matching Earth culture, Frire, but it turns out it was that,” Sandra said.

“But then again, if you were the sort of girl to care about fashion, I guess you wouldn’t have worn tracksuits for three straight years.
But yeah, that boyfriend of yours definitely has good taste. You look great, girl. And even as suits go, these are definitely on the upper end.”

Aria added that she’d honestly thought it was a waste for Frire to dress so sloppily before sharpening her gaze to appraise her clothes.

She hadn’t infiltrated Kutoria for eight years for nothing.

Clothes on Earth was a language on its own. They spoke of one’s financial status, local climate, occupation, preferences, destination; if you could identify the store, you could even map out their range of activity.

As an undercover agent, it was a given that she would build that sort of knowledge and develop an eye for it.

“Really? I don’t actually know much about Earth fashion,” Frire said.

“Yeah, this is definitely not mass-produced stuff. Specialty shop, maybe?
Not full bespoke, but from one of the higher-grade places for sure.
They must’ve cost a quite a bit. How much did you say they were?” Aria said.

“…How much?” Frire said.

Aria had only asked the price because the conversation took that turn,
but Frire froze as if she’d been hit with something unexpected.

She broke out in cold sweat and asked.

“S-Shirayuki, how much did it cost?”

〈Unable to determine.〉

“Y-You’re lying, tell me you’re lying!”

〈Regretfully, it is a fact.
However, the purchase location is known, so the amount can be looked up.〉

It was a polite admission that the suit was probably expensive, and the other two finally caught on to what had happened.

There was no way Shirayuki wouldn’t know how much the suits had cost if the payment was executed through her, so that could only mean one thing.

“So, they were gifts from him,” Sandra said.

If the one who paid was not her, it could only be the supposed boyfriend.

“That sounds so like you,” Aria remarked.

Even the fact that she didn’t notice until now was so Frire.

Aria cackled, and Frire, who had just massively embarrassed herself, repeatedly slammed her forehead onto the table and, with her face beet red, let out a shriek as she cringed in shame.

“HYAAAAAAAHHHH!?!?”

She matter-of-factly wore the clothes he’d given her, and without knowing anything acted as though she were the big sister looking after him.

A joke. That’s what she was. A big joke.

As the memories flooded back of how she acted, Frire could offer no solution but to squirm in embarrassment.

“Aha! You’ve always been a riot, Frire,” Aria laughed, but Frire glared at her.

Alas, a shiny red tomato couldn’t possibly be intimating no matter how much it glared.

“What are you looking at me like that for? It’s not my fault that the only thing that grew on you is your body,” Aria said.

“Uu… This is his fault too! Why didn’t he bill me!? Shirayuki, look up the total. I’m paying him back later for sure,” Frire said.

“Stop that. Guys hate it when you do that,” Aria said.

“Eh?” Frire said.

“Yeah.
The fact that he never mentioned it probably means he didn’t even consider it an advance payment,” Sandra said.

“Ah,” Frire said.

“It’s a straight-up gift. And offering to pay for it now would be rude, don’t you think?
It’s like indirectly saying ‘I’ll take the clothes, but I don’t want your money.’
If you actually want to end things with him, go ahead, but that’s not what you want, right?” Sandra said.

“Auu…”

Unable to refute her friends’ words, Frire could only blush in resignation.

She didn’t want to make Shinichi feel bad, and it wasn’t like she hated the suits. At most, she wasn’t all that used to them. Above all, she didn’t want to ruin her relationship with Shinichi.

“But still, still…”

Yet it was also true that, deep down, being unilaterally and unknowingly given something expensive sat poorly with her.

“You are such a kid. You better clean up your act or he’ll leave you,” Aria said.

“Ugh, I know. I want to become someone he doesn’t have to be ashamed of,” Frire said.

“Oho?”

Aria had only meant to tease her, but Frire responded so sincerely that Aria couldn’t help but realize that this might actually be serious.

“…What a fatally misaligned conversation.”

〈You could also say it’s perfectly aligned.〉

Shirayuki quietly muttered to herself, albeit no one heard it.

“Well, anyway, I’m heading out. Got another appointment,” Aria said.

“…Another Masquerade job?” Frire said.

Frire asked without expecting much of an answer, but Aria gave a slightly troubled smile and shook her head.

“Maybe?”

“What kind of answer is that?”

“…Masquerade really does love making people do things they hate.
He wants me to clean up after Reska Frozen…”

“!”

That was the name of the real person Aria had used while infiltrating Kutoria.
A poor girl whose entire identity had been stolen from her.
It was the clearest cross that showed the weight of Aria Vancelet’s sins.

“I have to give it back. At the very least, I need to return her death to her family…”

Aria’s face might’ve been smiling, but her fists were clenched tight.

For better or for worse, Masquerade’s intervention had taken the matter completely out of anyone’s hands.

As a result, the guilty perpetrator wasn’t allowed to atone. Aria knew her sins, but she would never be judged, and it could never be made public. Truly, it was a weight to great to bear.

“…She was my colleague, so at least send me the funeral notice,” Frire said.

“Frire?” Aria said.

“I’ll be checking, so make sure you do it right.”

For a moment, Aria just blinked, then she grinned.
No more words were said, but neither of them needed it.
They knew. She would do it right.

More importantly, Frire really had changed too much. This way of talking. It was so unlike her, but in a sense, it was just like her.

“When did you learn to talk like this? That rumored boyfriend of yours?
Well, I’ll do it properly, so make sure you send her off too.”

“Yeah.”

“See you around. If fate permits it.”

With that, and perhaps a habit picked up from her life in Kutoria, she waved over her shoulder with a “bye-bye” and left.

The hand waving just before the door closed looked cheerful, but no one could tell if it was bravado or not.

“…Hey, Sandra?” Frire said.

“What?” Sandra said.

“Why do people like her always end up with such hard lives?”

In the end, who was it that she was talking about?
Was it really Aria or someone else?
But either way, Sandra didn’t have a good answer.

“That’s a tough question for someone just coasting through life, but…”

“But?”

“Right now, the one you should be worrying about isn’t Aria.
It’s the other person who just overlapped with her in your eyes.”

“Eh?”

Frire looked at her in shock as though to ask how she knew, but Sandra just answered with a fearless smirk, saying, “Duh.” Before becoming serious and speaking to her as an older sister.

“There’s no way you’d be worried about just one of them. You’re clumsy like that, but right now, you need to focus on him. Just him. That student of yours who’s closest to you right now.”

“…Yeah, that’s true.”

After a brief hesitation, Frire nodded honestly.
Whether that was because she agreed with Sandra or because she believed Aria would be okay was up to anyone’s guess.
But maybe…

“Oh, speaking of which, our conversation got interrupted when Aria showed up. Was there something about Nakamura’s medical report that bothered you?” Frire said.

“More like, is there anything that doesn’t bother me? But, there is one thing you need to know.”

“What?”

“If he keeps this up, he’s going to die, you know.”

Maybe it was because Frire had already sensed that deep down, but not a trace of surprise or exhaustion could be seen on her in spite of that news.