"These cursed spirits... were all modified humans?"
In the church hall, Tohno Shiki and the other two turned pale simultaneously upon hearing Roy's conclusion.
Seeing Roy immediately turn to approach the Nakano sisters, Kohaku quickly called out from behind.
"Please remember to return to the mansion as soon as possible! Cursed spirit incidents could occur again at any moment!"
"I know!"
Roy waved without looking back as he left with Nino and Itsuki.
Inside the church.
"If these were truly humans transformed like this... doesn't that mean..."
Satsuki Yumizuka's gaze fell upon the corpses of cursed spirits scattered across the floor, her face turning deathly pale.
"All these dead... were once humans...?"
Had they not been killing cursed spirits, but humans instead?
Yet that man called Roy showed no trace of remorse despite knowing he'd killed so many humans, acting as if nothing had happened?
Normally, upon realizing they'd accidentally killed humans, people would at least feel some guilt, or at minimum react to having been deceived. But that man showed nothing at all.
Was she the abnormal one, or was it Roy who was abnormal?
"Strange, why hasn't the teacher arrived yet?"
In a corner of the church, a student muttered in panic.
With such a major incident occurring in the classroom, the teacher still hadn't appeared. As a magus, he couldn't possibly be unaware of the cursed spirits' appearance. He'd been teaching this morning too—he couldn't have gone far during such a short lunch break.
Could he have run away?
Some students whispered this speculation.
Tohno Shiki's mind was in turmoil.
As he listened to the students discussing their teacher, he disagreed with their assessment.
He'd met Varien many times—a man who valued rules, looked down on transient students, yet taught their regular classes with dedication and answered their magecraft questions earnestly.
Though fitting the stereotypical image of a magus, he was generally responsible. If cursed spirits appeared, he'd surely rush to exorcise them immediately, if only for the compensation. Today's spirits weren't exceptionally strong—they should have been within the teacher's capabilities. He was probably detained somewhere, unable to come.
Suddenly, Shiki recalled the words spoken by the kappa-like cursed spirit—or rather, the modified human—when it burst in earlier.
He scrambled to his feet, nearly tripping in his haste, but paid no mind as he staggered toward the dismembered remains of the kappa spirit.
He remembered—Teacher Varien had a mole on his face.
"Tohno-kun?"
"Shiki-sama?"
Ignoring the confused calls from the other two, Shiki searched through the kappa spirit's remains.
Soon, his body stiffened.
Among the corpse fragments, he found the piece containing the head.
On its left cheek was a mole.
Tohno Shiki's expression twisted with horror as his stomach churned violently.
"Ugh... vomit!"
...
Roy left the church with Nino and Itsuki, the stench of curses gradually fading behind them.
Not far away, the enormous slug-like cursed spirit—or rather, the modified human—had already breathed its last. A crowd of ordinary people had gathered around, pointing and murmuring.
Roy paid them no mind. Instead, he took the two girls for a stroll around the area and, luckily, stumbled upon a coffee shop.
"Finding a coffee shop in this city is truly a rare sight!"
It seemed like the perfect place for a conversation.
With that thought in mind, Roy led the two girls inside.
The crude wooden sign bore the crookedly painted words "Lycoris Coffee Shop," likely scribbled with whatever paint they could find.
Nino and Itsuki followed quietly behind him.
Ever since meeting Roy and learning about Ichika and Miku's whereabouts, the gloom and despondency on their faces had completely vanished, replaced by visible cheerfulness.
"Welcome!"
The moment they stepped through the door, a bright and energetic voice greeted them.
A girl with striking golden short hair approached, a mischievous smile on her face, her eyes brimming with innocent delight—the kind of person who instantly won people over with her charm.
"Takina, I told you we'd get customers! And three at once! I win! That means we're keeping the coffee shop open forever!"
While gesturing for Roy and the others to come in, the blonde girl triumphantly shouted toward the kitchen.
Wait.
Is this how you greet customers?
Roy, baffled, entered the shop and took a seat at a worn but clean table.
"Tch… just dumb luck…"
A muttered curse followed as a figure emerged from the kitchen.
The moment the person stepped out and locked eyes with Roy, they froze.
"Lord Roy?"
"Inoue?"
Roy hadn't expected to run into the black-haired girl—the former squad leader he'd met in the wilderness—here.
She had shed her battlefield attire and must have washed up, as the dust on her face was gone, revealing delicate, oval features. She looked no older than sixteen or seventeen—high school age in an ordinary world. Though dressed in casual home clothes, her entire body still carried a faint tension, as if ready to fight at any moment.
Wait.
Her surname was Inoue.
And the blonde girl had just called her "Takina."
Which meant—
"Your full name is Inoue Takina?"
"Yes."
Inoue Takina approached and bowed respectfully to Roy.
Roy's expression turned slightly odd.
I see.
So she's Inoue Takina.
Then the blonde one must be—
"This is Chisato Nishikigi."
Noticing Roy's gaze shift to her companion, Inoue Takina introduced her.
"This coffee shop is ours."
Roy turned his attention to the blonde girl.
Chisato Nishikigi flashed a radiant smile and gave him a peace sign.
Inoue Takina. Nishikigi Chisato.
Come to think of it, when he entered, he'd seen the shop's name: Lycoris.
So that's how it was.
He hadn't expected them to end up in this world too.
Or rather, to have been dragged into this world.
"Do you have a menu?"
Roy didn't press further—right now, Nino and Itsuki's situation took priority.
"Our apologies. Since the shop is new, we only have one type of coffee and one dessert available."
Takina let out a helpless sigh before glaring fiercely at Chisato beside her.
Truth be told, she never even wanted to run a coffee shop in the first place.
Working at the security force was already exhausting enough, constantly risking her life against monsters, and now she had to manage the shop after hours too. She wasn't made of steel! How could anyone handle all this?
The blonde girl just laughed carefreely, as if none of this concerned her.
"We'll take this set then, three portions please."
"Understood. Please wait a moment."
Takina bowed slightly before grabbing Chisato's arm and dragging the reluctant girl into the back kitchen.
"Alright, let me explain everything from the beginning."
Roy turned to Nino and Itsuki, whose faces were full of anticipation. Clearing his throat, he proceeded to tell them everything about Ichika and Miku's experiences and current situation in this world.
***
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