*RUMBLE*

*RATTLE*

*SCREEEEEEECH*

Akuchi-bus rocked from side to side chipperly as we zoomed to our final battle. Apparently, she was enthusiastic about it. I thanked kami there weren’t any people to witness Akuchi’s many traffic violations. Come to think of it, we’d probably already violated a ton with Akuchi in her motorcycle form.

Clinging to the steering wheel desperately, my stomach felt sick. I passed out on the wheel as if I was on a spaceland gravity ride.

Akuchi took a tight ninety-degree turn in a flash, as though a hundred laws of physics had been violated simultaneously. The screams and yells of the passengers clearly expressed how terrified or excited they were, creating an atmosphere like one you would find on a rollercoaster. More often than not, people’s faces expressed barely concealed excitement.

Akuchi’s engine throbbed powerfully, expressing how much her spiritual powers had been regenerated by Ume’s dubious cooking.

*SCREEEEEEECH*

*CRACCCCCKK*

I blearilly looked up around me after Akuchi had stopped. “We’re now one block away from our objective,” Akuchi explained over the comm like a flight attendant. “Please disembark in an orderly fashion!”

I clutched my stomach, about to vomit up Ume’s nourishing hotpot in my helmet. Ume glomped me from behind, pressing her breasts against me. My head exploded, but thankfully the touch of her pillowy bosoms against me saved me from my imminent eruption of nausea. Ume giggled. “All is well now, isn’t it?” She petted my head through the helmet.

Fidgeting, I dumbly nodded. The certainty that my future was going to be full of such moments actually cheered me up. “Let’s do this!” I leapt up. Ume relinquished her grip on me and patted me on my back firmly. “Good, Noh-man! Let’s go get him!” she enthused.

Ouch... I was encouraged just to be kicked down. This is my day in a nutshell.

We left the bus last. Everyone else had already moved out. Rui stood before us like a company commander. “Alright! Let’s go over the basics one more time! You know, this is very dangerous stuff! Everyone has to lie low until the operation commences. Vampires, hide yourselves. The moment we begin the planned attack and the man is vulnerable, spring out and seize him. We’ll all do our best to disable and arrest him. Don’t kill, however.”

The vampires nodded, bowed and cheered.

“Silence!” Rui barked. “Move out!” She clapped.

QUIETLY, IDIOT!

Ume patted her firmly on her shoulder. “Take your own sage advice.” She rolled her eyes playfully. “He probably can’t hear or even see us yet, but let's be cautious!”

“Y-yeah... my bad!” Rui laughed loudly. I clapped my gloved hand over her mouth. She looked at me, puzzled as she blushed. When our eyes met, my cheeks stained too. Ume sniffed the air with a silly smile.

Natalia-sama laughed gently. “I suppose Akuchi should change form and call the man to bait him out.” She turned her attention to the bus. Akuchi vroomed and with a poof turned into Reiko-chan. I released Rui’s mouth and she moved on as though nothing had happened, although it might have been my imagination that she was still blushing a little. Ume sniffed the air again with a mysterious smile.

Rui passed Akuchi a cellphone. “Here, use this. It has a temporary number so he won’t be able to trace us. It’s preloaded with his number only. It’s best to be safe. I had Reiko-chan use these for her own security. It wasn’t enough though, I suppose.” Rui shook her head. Her regret was plain.

“Don’t blame yourself,” I murmured softly, placing my hand on her shoulder. Rui looked at me with tears glistening in her chocolate-brown eyes.

“I know. There’s no time for that kind of sentimentality. We have to finish this.” Her eyes narrowed and she took a deep breath. “Akuchi, make the call.”

Akuchi nodded with a small smile. She flipped open the phone and dialed. Everyone motioned for everyone to remain silent. We waited impatiently, hearing the faint ringing of the cell phone.

*beep*

*beep*

*beep*

We were waiting.

*click*

“May I inquire who is calling me so late tonight?” The number was correct. His cold voice confirmed his identity and matched those frozen eyes. I gulped. Things had gotten very serious.

Akuchi paused for a moment. This pause was far too long and dramatic. I thought that cold man might hang up on her. Her voice trembled as she responded. I wondered about the deep emotions she expressed with her words. She was either an amazing actress, or else his voice intimidated her. “Mitsuhiko..." Akuchi’s voice sounded like it was breaking. “--I’m so sorry I left you... I was wrong!” Akuchi started sobbing softly.

I gaped when I saw tears standing in her eyes. It was as though I was watching and listening to Reiko herself, but this was a side she’d never shown me if it was like her. I looked to Rui for confirmation, and when she smiled broadly, I knew there was definitely a side of her I never suspected. Rui had seen far more of her than I had in the short time they spent together.

“Reiko..." The man took a deep breath. “You still have your mind? What happened to you?”

Akuchi froze briefly, but she continued sobbing more to maintain the act. “I... I’m a different person... I met someone who saved me. He hit me like a train. Ah, don’t worry... I’ll only ever love you.”

So painful and accurate. I clutched my helmet to silence my own crying. Akuchi’s acting wrenched at my heart. It was her voice, the voice I possessed now. It probably helped that he knew what Reiko sounded like. This would have been impossible if I hadn’t ended up with it. I could never have managed to do what Akuchi was doing with seemingly ease.

“Ah... was it that man at the amusement park? That pathetic fool who tried to cling to you? Hah... I have to thank him for returning you to me. He may be a weak fool as you always said, but at least he did something right in his miserable life. If you give me his name, I’ll lavish him with riches if you wish. I can tell you still have feelings for him.”

“--No... I have no feelings for him. He gave me what I needed. Trust me. I got what I needed. You do not need to reward him. He just did it for his own sake. I’m sure he thought I’d love him if he heroically saved me, but the real world doesn’t work like this. Love works differently.” She turned her eyes on Rui and me, weighed down by our shared sadness. “No matter how hard you try, how hard you try to impress, sometimes it’s simply pointless.”

“-- Well spoken, my girl. You’ve come to your senses. Hurry up and come back to me. I’ll do my best to fix everything. All my knowledge will be bent towards restoring you. You have your face, of course. That’s important. That stunt you pulled off. It was so you... merciless and relentless. I was terrified for a time, but I had faith your feelings of love would restore your reason.”

Akuchi hesitated again. I wondered. Merciless? A stunt? There was some crucial information we were missing and that would certainly endanger Rui’s latest pretty plan. “-- Of course. I just want everything to go back the way it was.”

“I will do my very best for you, Reiko. Return to my side. Despite how you look, I’ll embrace you warmly.”

“I’ll put on my best face just for you.” Akuchi smiled. “I’m close right now. I wanted to talk to you before I showed up. Please come to see me. I feel so ashamed over what happened. Please let's go on a date to reignite our love. We’ll go on a date! I’m sure a fun place will be operating. Maybe a club would be nice. A dark and cozy one.”

“--- Hm... a wonderful idea, Reiko. I’m looking forward to this. I’ll meet you down below. Our best car will be waiting there. I can’t wait to see you..."

Despite the warmth in his words, I suddenly felt anxious. His tone had changed slightly. His voice had become more business-like...