CH 121

Forbidden Fruit

Translated by LyraDhani

Edited by LyraDhani

Tsugumi called Yukitaka on the phone to ask if he could stay for the night.

At first, he thought about staying at a hotel, but since he was still underage, there was a high possibility he wouldn’t be allowed to stay there alone. It was the same for karaoke rooms and Internet cafes.

In summer temperatures, he probably wouldn’t catch a cold after spending the night outside, but he was tired from the battle and wanted to take a good rest indoors if possible.

Then, Yukitaka came to mind.

Yukitaka lived alone away from his parents and had let him stay several times when they had fun together and missed the last train.

…He thought it was a little bit impudent of him to suddenly ask for help, but since Yukitaka usually bothered him, it should be fine to be a little selfish.

With this in mind, he asked Yukitaka, “Let me stay the night”, and he surprisingly said yes.

“I don’t mind. But, please buy me something to snack on along the way. Fruit would be nice.”

“Fruit? I think I can buy some because some supermarkets are still open, but what kind of fruit would you like?”

When Tsugumi asked again, Yukitaka replied in his usual tone.

『–Right, I like bright red apples the most.』

◆ ◆ ◆

Having bought some bright red apples, as Yukitaka had told him to, Tsugumi stood in a room lined with high-rise apartments.

He rang the doorbell and waited for the owner of the room to come out. Soon the door opened and Yukitaka appeared.

“Welcome. –It’s unusual for Tsugumi-chan to stay the night. Did you and Chidori-chan have a fight?”

“We didn’t fight or anything. …I told Chidori that I was going to stay somewhere because it looked like my business was going to drag on. Ah, I’m sorry for being unreasonable this time. Thank you.”

Tsugumi bowed his head and Yukitaka pulled his hand away and invited him into the room with a smirk.

“I’m just doing a favor for a friend. See, I’m so kind!”

“…Well, I guess you could say that’s true for this one time.”

Feeling somewhat dissatisfied, he followed Yukitaka, who seemed to be in a good mood, into the room after pulling out his shoes.

–It might be surprising, but Yukitaka’s house didn’t have a lot of stuff. There was minimum furniture and appliances necessary for living. And there were a few books and video games left behind by Tsugumi who came to visit from time to time.

He put the apples on the table and turned around to ask Gyoki.

“What should I do with the apples I bought? If you want to eat them now, I’ll cut them for you.”

“Hmm, just a little bit then. Put the rest in the refrigerator.”

“Okay. …Whoa, you only have water in your fridge. Are you eating properly?”

When Tsugumi said this exasperatedly, Yukitaka opened his mouth in a troubled manner.

“I always eat out, so it doesn’t matter. There are a lot of people who treat me without asking.”

“Yes, yes, I envy you.”

As usual, Yukitaka seemed to be spending his days being paid off by his followers. Tsugumi was a little worried that he might get stabbed someday, but he also had a mysterious trust that if it was this guy, he would be okay.

Well, the person himself had no intention of changing his ways, so there was no point in saying anything.

While exchanging these words, Tsugumi peeled an apple and brought it to Yukitaka. Yukitaka looked at the apple, which was cut into a cute rabbit shape, and said with a giggle.

“What, is this Tsugumi-chan’s hobby? It’s a strange thing to do when it’s gonna end up in your mouth anyway.”

“Well, this is the way I’ve been peeling for people lately, so I can’t help it. …Hey, don’t laugh so much.”

Looking away with an embarrassed look, Tsugumi gently picked up an apple and threw it into his mouth. The reason for cutting the fruit into the shape of a rabbit was simply because it made Shiro, Chidori’s contract God, happy. Tsugumi was sometimes confused as to whether Shiro was a rabbit or a God, but he left that aside.

“Ah, Chidori-chan’s hobby, huh. By the way, I heard that Chidori-chan collapsed and was hospitalized the other day. Was she all right?”

“…Well, for now. So far, there doesn’t seem to be anything wrong.”

Tsugumi replied, averting his eyes deceivingly.

–The public hadn’t been informed of Chidori’s kidnapping. The school had been told that she fell ill, as Yukitaka said.

If word spread, it would expose the government’s ineptitude and possibly damage the reputation of Magical Girls. Due to these behind-the-scene circumstances, those involved were strictly told to keep their mouths shut.

“I’m glad. I heard you were going to a movie that day after we met. –I’m really sorry.”

Tsugumi let out a small sigh and stared at Yukitaka, who was artificially worried. It was wrong to ask Yukitaka to have decent emotions.

“Chidori doesn’t seem to be in her best form yet, so don’t get too involved. I’m begging you.”

When Tsugumi said this to him, Yukitaka pouted his mouth and said.

“How boring. Since that day, that transfer student has been absent a lot, so I thought I’d ask him if something happened.”

Tsugumi-chan won’t talk to me, Yukitaka rested his chin and said that. Really, Yukitaka was sharp and tricky. Since it would be troublesome if he asked any more questions about Chidori, Tsugumi decided to divert the conversation.

“I think Azalea is a different story. I didn’t hear the details either, but I heard that he has been in and out of the government’s Ministry of Divine Worship? I don’t think he’d answer me over there anyway because of confidentiality or something, so I guess it’s nothing to worry about.”

–After Chidori was taken to the hospital, Azalea apparently spoke with a government official and was allowed to go in and out of the specialized department of the Ministry of Divine Worship because he had knowledge of exotic spells.

He wouldn’t give the details, saying that it was confidential, but he seemed to be doing well, so Tsugumi wasn’t worried. When Tsugumi blurted it out, Yukitaka made a blatantly disgusted face and spat out.

“That obscure, occult ministry? Wow, it’s a good thing I didn’t get involved with him. You should keep your distance, too, Tsugumi-chan.”

“I don’t think Azalea is such a bad guy. …Well, if you guys are that incompatible, maybe it’s better for everyone around you if you don’t have any contact.”

“I won’t get involved even if you don’t tell me. I hate people like him.”

When Tsugumi said that, Yukitaka responded back unhappily. He didn’t know what it was about Azalea that he hated so much, but there must be something about him that even Yukitaka couldn’t give up on hating.

As they ate the apples and spent time idly, Yukitaka suddenly muttered something while playing with a rabbit-shaped apple with one hand.

“–Do you know? I heard that apples are called forbidden fruit in mythology.”

“You mean the one that Adam and Eve ate? I’ve heard of it, but what about it?”

Tsugumi replied quizzically, and Yukitaka said with a smile while taking a bite of the apple.

“It was a sin, but they ate this fruit, defeated by their own desires. –I love that anecdote because it is so human. It’s so silly and cute, don’t you think? If they hadn’t eaten it, we would have been happy and not oppressed by anything.”

Gazing at Yukitaka’s profile, who was happily recounting the myth, Tsugumi let out a loud sigh. It was usual for Yukitaka to suddenly start talking about strange things, but today it was even more troublesome than ever.

Tsugumi additionally mumbled as he munched on an apple that he had peeled round.

“Hmm. But thanks to that, we’ve been able to eat such delicious food, so isn’t it fine? Besides, a life where you can’t eat apple pie and apple jam is lonely.”

There were plenty of other dishes made with apples. There were many varieties of candy apples and apple cakes. It would still be more constructive to talk about the merits of what they had now, rather than to talk about the impossible alternative–that they didn’t eat the forbidden fruit. When Tsugumi told him this with a serious face, Yukitaka looked at him with a puzzled expression and then burst out laughing.

“Fufu, hahaha! That’s so stupid!! You’re a glutton after all!”

“What? I didn’t say anything strange.”

“No one else would be stupid enough to dismiss the proposition of the original sin with the statement, ‘Apples are delicious, so there’s no problem.’ I wonder what that transfer student would think if he heard such a statement. It’s kind of funny.”

Yukitaka, who laughed until tears welled up in his eyes, pointed to the end of the corridor and said.

“Ah, my stomach hurts. Seeing Tsugumi-chan’s face makes me laugh, so go ahead and take a bath. I’ve left you a change of clothes and a towel.”

“…I get it. Also if it comes up, I’m done talking about it. To be honest, talking about religion is troublesome.”

Tsugumi said so in dissatisfaction. He didn’t know what triggered Yukitaka, but he was sure that his excitement was about something that was in poor taste.

“Yes, yes, I understand.”

“Well, I won’t hesitate to borrow this. –Thanks for everything.”

No matter how disrespectful his words and deeds were, that wasn’t a reason not to say thank you. Besides, it was a bonus that he let him stay here without complaining.

With this in mind, Tsugumi bowed his head and thanked him, and with a wave of his hand, he disappeared down the corridor.

–Yukitaka looked at Tsugumi’s back and muttered with a pitying, yet frustrated expression on his face.

“Ah, Tsugumi-chan is really, really stupid. That’s why you’ve been taken advantage of by people like us. So direct, so cute, and so pathetic.”

Saying that, Yukitaka stood up and slowly opened the cupboard. Then, he picked up a small box that was hidden inside, and let out a sigh as if he couldn’t help it.

“I was actually going to use this for something else, but I’ll lend you a special hand this time. Ah yes, let’s talk slowly this evening for the first time in a while–my other half (Satanael).”

Then, Yukitaka smiled with a sad look on his face. –Oddly enough, the expression on his face seemed to be showing compassion for someone.