His elbow hit the neighboring desk where Ibekusa Machina was eating
The desk shook but the girl showed no reaction as she continued to eat
Her desk was located between Mutsuki’s and Ange’s so she almost seemed to be a part of their group She was physically close by but she was as hard to speak to as always
No one said a word about her unique lunch a single red apple
The way she chomped wildly into it did not match her overall image She did not actually open her mouth wide but she did crunch right through the skin
The class was already used to this scene
It happened every day She always had a single apple for lunch
Saya had once asked about it when it caught her interest
Hey hey Ibekusa Is an apple enough for you
It is nutritionally adequate
But aren’t you still hungry Are you on a diet
Do you like them
That was all
With her figure she certainly did not need to go on a diet so everyone had concluded she was
just a light eater
Mutsuki’s eyes wandered in her direction and he found himself entranced by her
When her cherry blossom pink lips pressed against the round apple skin they bent so softly around the apple’s contours
That kiss between scarlet and pink looked so oddly seductive that the boy’s heart started racing
Machina bit off a piece and thoroughly chewed it Her eyes were still half-closed and he still questioned whether she felt emotions at all
Even the normal act of eating seemed out of place for such a doll-like person It felt like he was watching something mysterious
Taking the bite had dirtied her lips with some apple juice so she stuck out her wet and shining tongue and carelessly licked it off
What are you staring at
Wh-what do you mean
When Sakae moved into his field of vision Mutsuki looked away in shock
You were looking at Ibekusa weren’t you Your wife’s right over there so don’t cheat on her okay
I was not UmI-I was not looking at Ibekusa
Sakae was teasing him just like with Ange earlier but Mutsuki panicked and shook his head since he really did have a crush on her
His intense reaction was as good as admitting to it but that boy was not mature enough to think so rationally about it
In search of an excuse he looked back toward Machina and the window beyond her
Th-the clock I was looking at the clock tower because I wanted to know what time it-
But when he pointed out the window
It had been a casual action but as soon as Mutsuki’s eyes reached the top of the clock tower his face grew pale Ange noticed the same thing and once more sent her chair clattering backwards
Huh What’s going on
Sakae and Saya both looked over at the clock tower in confusion but by then he had hidden behind the minute hand he had been sitting on
He almost seemed to have been luring in only Ange and Mutsuki
Let’s go
They left their half-eaten lunches behind and ran from the classroom They heard Sakae and Saya behind them but they ignored it They descended the stairs to the first floor put on their outdoor shoes and stepped outside It was a sunny day but the wind on their cheeks was so cold they thought it was going to rain They had practiced for this moment quite a bit in the past three weeks
Mutsuki did not want to get anyone else involved in the confusion surrounding him and Ange wanted to avoid filling the human world with unnecessary chaos
Once an enemy appeared their first priority was finding an empty place
Luckily the enemy had chosen somewhere empty for them The area was known as a place of rest but it was not very well-maintained half of the lawn was overtaken by weeds and the overgrown plants acted as a natural fence that kept most students away The two of them ran to the base of the clock tower
The boy sitting on the minute hand with his legs dangling down easily jumped down from the several dozen meter height
I’m so happy you came to see me Mutsuki
The demon boy named Lucia gave a smile that Mutsuki had a hard time finding dangerous
I’m willing to accept your invitation Especially when it means I can dispose of an awful brat
Ange stepped forward pulled a pendant from below her shirt removed the top modelled after silver wings and squeezed it tight
The silver color swelled out in her small hand and became a sword pointing Lucia’s way
The angel easily swung a blade thicker than she was but the demon boy was entirely unfazed He did wink at Mutsuki with a cute smile though
Sorry I couldn’t come visit you for the past three weeks Finding a way to deal with that troublesome angel took some doing
He defenselessly turned his back and faced the entrance to the hexagonal clock tower He reached for the door labelled no students allowed It was not locked so it creaked open and he left behind a provocative laugh as he entered Wait
This was clearly a trap – Lucia had pretty much said it was – but Ange did not hesitate to follow him inside
Faced with an enemy for the first time in three weeks Mutsuki tensed up and failed to stop his reckless bodyguard