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Monday.
The weekend flew by in the blink of an eye, and before anyone knew it, it was time for school again.
After waking up that morning, Blake washed and hung up his clothes before leaving home a little later than usual.
But when he arrived at the train station, he spotted a certain Angel quietly standing in the corner.
"Good morning, Mr. Blake."
Mahiru looked up as if sensing his presence, calmly greeting him while completely ignoring the gazes around them.
"Morning." Blake looked at her curiously. "Why are you still at the station…? Wait, were you waiting for me?"
Mahiru slightly turned her face away and answered as if nothing was unusual.
"You're overthinking it. I just left home a little late today."
"…"
A lie.
Mahiru's body clock was absurdly accurate. She left at nearly the exact same time every day.
Normally she would've already boarded the train by now, but after arriving at the station that morning and not seeing Blake anywhere, she quietly waited for him in the corner instead.
"We caught so many horse mackerel yesterday," Mahiru said, smoothly changing the subject. "There's no way we'll finish all of it tonight. Should we invite Yanami over for dinner?"
"Sure. I'll ask her."
"And Miss Ruri too."
"Yanami will definitely come. Miss Ruri might not."
"Whether she comes or not, you should still ask."
"Leave it to me."
"…"
After chatting for a bit, the train finally rattled into the station.
Their conversation ended as they boarded together.
Looking at the Angel standing in front of him, giving off the sweet scent of a freshly baked cake, Blake suddenly felt confused.
Wait… how did she naturally end up standing right in front of me again?
The ride passed quietly.
Soon enough, the train reached school.
Blake and Mahiru got off together, then naturally split up without saying anything.
The moment he entered the classroom, a bright and energetic voice rang out.
"Morning, Blake~"
"Morning."
Blake sat down at his desk and briefly explained yesterday's fishing trip to the blue-haired girl happily leaning over to chat with him.
"…Anyway, come over tonight. We're eating horse mackerel."
"Huh…"
Instead of happily agreeing, Anna Yanami puffed out her cheeks and started grumbling quietly.
"You went fishing with Miss Mahiru yesterday and didn't invite me. So unfair."
Blake answered expressionlessly.
"When I invited you fishing back in middle school, you sat there for less than ten minutes before saying it was boring."
"Eh? You still remember that so clearly?"
"How could I forget?"
Yanami coughed awkwardly and muttered:
"People change after three days apart. I'm not the same person I was in middle school. Maybe I'd like fishing now."
Blake shrugged.
"Golden Week's coming up soon. I'll take you to the seawall then."
"Yay~"
Only then did Yanami's smile brighten again.
Instead of leaving, she excitedly started talking about new ideas for her work. At some point during their conversation, she somehow pulled out a bag of mini cakes and began munching on them like a little hamster.
Blake's gaze drifted downward unconsciously.
Her lips looked soft, glossy, and strangely cute.
"Mmph…"
Noticing his stare, Yanami's cheeks immediately reddened.
The memory of their kiss outside the hot spring inn a few days ago surfaced in her mind, making her panic slightly as she hurriedly held out one of the cakes.
"Want a bite, Blake?"
"No." Blake rejected it instantly. "It's covered in your saliva."
"What's with that? It's not like you never ate my saliva when we were kids!"
"…"
Lunch break.
While eating his bento, Blake messaged Kuroneko on his phone, briefly mentioning yesterday's fishing trip and asking if Goko Ruri wanted to come over for dinner that night.
He'd expected her to refuse.
Unexpectedly, she agreed.
"Texting is inconvenient. I have a lot of ideas about the game project I want to discuss with you in person, Mr. Blake."
Blake replied:
"Meet me at the gate after school."
"…"
Before long, classes ended.
When Blake arrived at the school gate, he found a black-haired girl standing quietly by herself in the corner.
Kuroneko.
"Sorry to keep you waiting, Miss Ruri."
"I just got here too…" Goko Ruri lifted her face slightly, but the moment her eyes landed on Blake, memories of that embarrassing dream from the other night surfaced in her head again.
Her cheeks instantly heated up, and she quickly lowered her gaze toward her shoes.
"Where's Yanami and the others?"
"Yanami went shopping with her friends first. She won't come until later tonight," Blake answered casually. "No need to wait for her. Let's head back first."
"Okay…" Ruri pressed her lips together before speaking softly. "Um… I think I got stronger."
"What do you mean?"
"This morning on my way out… I heard two dogs talking by the roadside."
Blake's interest was instantly piqued.
"So you can communicate with dogs now?"
"I haven't tried responding yet. I was worried there might be side effects…" Ruri shook her head lightly. "But I think it should work."
"We can test it on the way home." Blake sounded genuinely excited. "If it works, then from now on you'll officially be the Witch of Beasts."
Ruri wrinkled her nose slightly.
"That title sounds awful. I still prefer Queen of the Night."
"…"
The walk home passed quietly.
Blake soon brought Kuroneko back to his house.
They'd done a simple test on the way, and Ruri really could communicate with dogs now. She had officially evolved into the Witch of Beasts, though neither of them had any clue why she'd suddenly grown stronger.
"Excuse me for intruding."
Ruri stepped into the entryway, sounding slightly nervous.
After all, this was the first time in her life she'd ever visited a boy's house.
Feeling nervous and self-conscious was only natural.
As for fear… there wasn't any.
Even though she hadn't known Blake for that long, they'd already been through a lot together.
In Ruri's eyes, while he could sometimes act unreliable, Blake was actually someone dependable and trustworthy.
"Change into these." Blake placed a pair of clean guest slippers in front of her. "Want something to drink while you rest?"
"Thanks…"
After finishing a drink, Blake pulled his laptop over and started discussing the details of game development with Kuroneko.
At first, Goko Ruri was still a little reserved, but as the conversation went deeper, her hardcore otaku side finally came out in full force.
"Don't you think the plant girls are wearing a bit too much?" Ruri said, one hand on her hip as she voiced her opinion. "In the world of anime, the less clothing there is, the harder they fight."
Blake laced his fingers together beneath his chin. "Actually, they're already pretty underdressed. But after thinking seriously about it these past few days, I feel like the main game should stick to normal plants and zombies. The plant girls can be a special mod instead."
"Huh? Why?"
"Because I want even three-year-olds to enjoy the game. If I turn everything into anime girls from the start, the audience will naturally become much smaller."
"You really want that many people to play it? Mr. Blake, you're surprisingly greedy." Ruri didn't hold back with her teasing. "Countless indie games are made every single day, and almost all of them disappear without anyone noticing. Using fanservice to attract players isn't a bad idea."
"I'm confident." Blake's tone was unusually firm. "Plants vs. Zombies is definitely going to be popular."
"You're this confident when there isn't even a playable demo yet? That's a little arrogant." Now that they'd gotten familiar with each other, Kuroneko's sharp tongue had started showing itself more and more. "Still, do whatever you want. There's never a completely right answer when it comes to creating something. Just don't regret it if you fail."
"Just wait and see, Ruri." Blake patted the sofa beside him. "Come sit down properly and let me witness the coding abilities of the great Lady Kuroneko."
Ruri proudly lifted her chin. "I am Kuroneko of the Night, one who traverses the endless digital abyss while carrying the weight of fate itself… I certainly won't disappoint you."
Time quietly slipped by.
As Blake and Kuroneko worked and exchanged ideas, the girls gradually returned one after another.
First came the angel in charge of cooking.
Then Yanami, who had just come back from shopping with friends.
And finally, the blonde loli burst through the door like a storm.
"Blake, hurry up and purify my magic power!"
"....."