1.31: Hero or Merchant

1.31: Hero or Merchant

Everyone in the car erupted into applause. The crowd practically surged in on me like a tide. The thinning-haired man slapped my back with the enthusiasm of a proud uncle.

But my gaze remained fixed on the tunnel darkness outside, my stomach sinking into the floor.

“He stared it down!” the man crowed.

“Hah!” the skeptical woman from earlier barked. “You’re all mistaken. Nothing we’ve seen suggests he’s anything more than a publicity stuntman.”

“Y-yeah,” someone added uncertainly. “It could all be a way to capitalize on Tokyo’s current anxiety.”

“Exactly,” the woman said triumphantly, pouncing on the shifting mood. “A sophisticated advertisement, that’s all. Halloween is nearing its end. That’s perfect timing, if you ask me. No victims, no real danger… just an elaborate campaign tapping into the holiday spirit. It’s brilliant marketing if you think about it.”

Reiko-chan…
Her face flickered through my mind. Her warmth. Her laugh.
Her death.

Don’t make a mockery of her.
Of what happened to her.
Of what it cost her family.
Of what it cost me.

My fists clenched. I turned toward the woman, fury creeping into every limb. My whole body felt primed to explode…

WHACK.

A blow from behind sent me sprawling, my knees buckling as I hit the row of seats.

“Magiranger!” Rui announced, her voice bright and theatrical. “Of course it was all a stunt! Don’t worry, everyone! Wasn’t it an amazing campaign?” She seized my cape and flipped it like a curtain reveal. “Remember, Natalia’s Fashion Mansion! The number is scrawled across his spacious bottom!”

My rage dissolved into a tiny, humiliated whimper.
L-loli oni… She ruined my dramatic moment with a butt-advertisement. Damn it!

People cheered and laughed. Several phones came out. I yanked my cloak over my head, dying inside as I imagined them zooming in on my butt patch.

“Don’t forget the web address, too!” Rui chirped. “You’ll find all the most fashionable trends! Natalia-sama’s store will be the trendsetter of Tokyo… spread the word! Natalia’s Fashion Mansion, Minami-Ikebukuro 2-28-6!” She gave my rump a good thwack to punctuate. Natalia-sama had of course printed her business’ address on her humble new portable billboard.

I finally reached peak humiliation and snapped upright.

“Oni!!!” I roared.

Rui blinked innocently. “Don’t you want to repay Natalia-sama? We did take the job.” She fluttered her lashes at me, then leaned in close, whispering under the cheers:
“You were looking kind of dangerous just then. Right now we can’t do anything. When we get off, we’ll have to return by foot. That’s the tricky part.”

“W-why?” I noh-gasped.

She rolled her eyes. “Because it was challenging you personally. Obviously.”

“You… heard the voice too?” I stared at her.

“Nope.” Rui shrugged. “I only heard the shrieking outside the car. The crash when it hit the window. It was muffled. But its behavior was clear enough. It didn’t come inside despite all that aggression. You heard something privately, didn’t you? Some kind of private noh-speak?”

I hesitated. Then nodded. “…Yes, but—”

“It told you to follow it, didn’t it?”

I nearly dropped my phone.
“H-how did you—?”

“Do you want to stay like this forever?” Rui asked calmly. “Do you want to end up like it? Or are you really a sad noh-nuts?”

“D-dammit! STOP SAYING NOH-NUTS!” I yelled.

Everyone on board looked over at us again.

The train clattered softly along the rails.

Rui jabbed a finger into the middle of my helmet… as close as she could get to poking my nose. “I have to say this. You need guts, Susu. And you’re running out of time.”

I checked my phone.

“Twenty-one and fifteen o’clock,” I sighed.

“That’s two hours and forty-five minutes,” Rui corrected, wagging her finger again. “Plenty of time. If we go straight into the tunnel again, hug the wall, dodge a train or two on the way… we’ll manage.”

“W-what makes you think the policemen will let us do that?!” I wailed. Memories of them grilling me under harsh fluorescent lights flooded back. Believe me. I’ve been arrested so many times in the past that they eventually gave up trying to book me based purely on pure suspicion. Every single trip was memorable. “They’re always on the watch for suicidal types! They’ll never let us near the tunnel!”

“We have to try,” Rui murmured. “Not just for your sake. For everyone.”

Around us, the crowd had palpably relaxed again, fully convinced by Rui’s “publicity stunt” explanation. We had ceased to matter anymore, aside from chuckles and glances thrown our way.
I wondered if Natalia-sama was thinking about us right now. If she was worried for me.
Compared to Rui, Natalia-sama was truly an angel… while the small devil at my side flashed her mask-smothered grin.

The train began to slow, the arrival jingle playing.

We stepped onto the platform. This one would be my home station…
No time to even think of retreating.
Everything came down to the next few minutes.

Rui grabbed my hand. Her grip was tiny, but fierce.

“Come on!” she hissed, dragging me. Of course she headed straight for the tunnel.

Behind us, a cry rose up, “There was an attack! Officers! This train was attacked!”

The thinning-haired man from earlier’s voice carried across the platform. People gasped as they inspected the shattered window. Panic brewed instantly.

“HALT!”

I stiffened reflexively, my heart skidding into my stomach.

“Run!” Rui hissed. “RUN, you idiot!”

She yanked me forward. I tripped, caught myself, and sprinted after her.

We reached the end of the platform. Rui veered toward a maintenance walkway chained off from public access.

“Hurry!” she said, dropping and sliding under the chain. “Flip over this… use the commotion!”

I bent down to follow her.

…but a pair of strong hands seized my arms from behind.

I twisted around.

A policeman stood there, his face tight with anger and fear.

“What do you think you’re doing here?!” he barked.

And just like that, everything froze.

Illustrations Disclaimer: Locations aren't always 100% canon. Usually they are only representative. Character features and styles may stray a little now and again.

(I'm currently adding new illustrations to book 1 since its illustrations were sparse due to the technology that was available when I uploaded book 1.)

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