nhp | (Sutamai) 'Placed Under a Spell of Popularity', Part 7

EVENT STORY INDEX

55.

-Investigation & Planning Division-

Rei: I’m back…

Yui: Izumi! How wonderful of you to come back!! TRICK OR TREAT!!!!!

Rei: GUH!?

Yui: Fret not, for my trick is founded upon from a scientific standpoint!

To sum up, whether it be your hair, a flake of your skin or your blood, allow me to sample—

Rei: Sorry to disappoint you, Yui-san. But right now I hold in my hands this!!

Yui: What on earth!? A box containing cake, you say!

Aoyama: This packaging is from the high-class cake shop located inside Hyatt Tokyo.

Why are you carrying something like this, Izumi?

Rei: Please don’t say it like it’s so obviously unexpected of me to have this! Sure, it’s true that I didn’t buy it myself and all……

Natsume: Who cares about how it was procured. Let’s just eat the cake.

What we’re in need of is a short break!

Rei: (Ah, yes, this feeling of cake being given priority over me.)

(It might as well be a curse, but it’s sad to say that it suits me better this way……)

(... Why do I get the feeling that I’m keenly aware of how extremely rough it is for popular people in their own way to be popular……)

(...... Is this thanks to my dream as well?)

Seki: Good work, Izumi. Sorry to have you go through all the trouble of even picking up some refreshments as well.

Rei: Oh, not at all! The truth is that I received this from Kujo-san.

Seki: Kujo-san?

57.

-Investigation & Planning Division-

Seki: …… I see.

It was out of my scope for Kujo-san to have that much intel on him.

Aoyama: The nature of the NCD cases have inevitably increased in confidentiality after all. There’s becoming a tendency for them to be solved from within.

Seki: It might be a good idea to slightly expand on the number of people helping out with this matter.

As for the cake, please enjoy it amongst yourselves.

Rei: …… Seki-san has also been placed under a workaholic spell for being a perfect superior……

Aoyama: What are you talking about, a spell?

Rei: Kujo-san said it to me before when I met with him.

After I was provided with the information, he said that he had cast a spell on me so that I would devote myself to nothing but work.

Natsume: Even without having that spell placed on you, you’ve been a slave to your work ever since becoming a part of the NCD.

Aoyama: It’s the end for you if you let your job control you. At least take charge of that spell yourself.

Rei: Hngh…… That’s easy for you to say, Aoyama-san.

Yui: In order to lift the spell that you’ve been placed under, let’s first start by analyzing your genes.

Rei: I don’t have any spell of that kind on me, so no thanks!

Aoyama: Here, I’ve brewed some black tea to go with the cake.

Rei: Wow, what a pleasant aroma! Did you always have such quality tea leaves, Aoyama-san?

Aoyama: …… I was given them. Don’t think too hard into it.

Natsume: Hmm…… This cake is pretty tasty for its standard.

Rei: Standard or not, it’s super duper delicious!!

If it’s for the sake of cake, then I don’t care about how many spells to do with work is cast on me!

Aoyama: …… Well, this is something that even Kujo-san would want to make fun of.

Natsume: No kidding.

Yui: I’m simply interested in the academic aspect of it.

Rei: Huh? Wait, what? I don’t think that I’m the type of person to be bullied though……

59.

-Investigation & Planning Division-

Natsume: You must be messed up in the head to not have any self-awareness.

No matter how you think about it, you’re so the type to be teased, Rei-chan.

Aoyama: I certainly have no objections to that opinion.

Yui: I agree with Itsuki and Natsume.

Rei: N-No way that’s true. Even I’ve been on the side of pranking others and all, you know.

Or rather, after becoming an adult, there aren’t many opportunities to do so in the first place……

Aoyama: Just last weekend, I was made to attend a Halloween party hosted by a family acquaintance.

I was able to naturally pull some tricks on the children. What do you have to say to that?

Natsume: Oh, right. Even my parlor has started hosting Halloween parties of that sort lately.

Rei: …… I was an idiot for listening to you two heirs.

Yui: Izumi, you’re someone worth toying with, both in mind and body.

Rei: No, um! It’s not like I’m being toyed with or anything!? At the very least, my body isn’t!

Natsume: Well then, why don’t you try pulling a prank on someone? You can blame it on the Halloween spirit and all.

Rei: That means I only have one more hour to do it!

Natsume: Which means that you still have one hour left.

You know, I really wanted to witness seeing you play a trick on others, Rei-chan.

Aoyama: Oh yeah, that does intrigue me.

In the sense that it’s probably something I’ll never be able to see in this lifetime.

Rei: (Ugh…… Everyone’s definitely thinking that I can’t do it……)

(If I leave things as it is, then I’ll end up being forever made fun of!)

…… I accept your challenge.

I will proceed to attack the next person that walks into this room!!!

Aoyama: Wait, in all likelihood, that’s just Seki-san.

Natsume: Or in a long shot, it could be Watabe-san?

Rei: …… It doesn’t matter if they’re my superior. I will willingly do it myself.

(I feel that if it’s either Seki-san or Watabe-san, then they’ll likely laugh it off……)

[Click]

Yui: So they’ve come. The person whom Izumi will play her prank on.

Rei: (Alright, who’s it going to be……)

60.

-Investigation & Planning Division-

Arakida: …… Sorry to intrude.

Asagiri: As usual, this place seems to be thriving in needless overtime work.

Rei: Arakida-san and Asagiri-san!?

Natsume: Go on then. Go play a trick on Asagiri-san.

Rei: W-Wait…… The person to come through the door first just now was Arakida-san, right?

Natsume: I think Asagiri-san was a step faster.

Asagiri: What are you whispering about?

Rei: …… Um, there’s a little something that I’d like to say to you, Asagiri-san.

Natsume: (Woah, she’s actually going for it.)

Aoyama: (Do it. Take Asagiri down……)

Asagiri: What is it? Do keep it short.

Rei: …… Tri……

Asagiri: “Tri”?

Rei: …… Trick or Treat……

Asagiri: ……

Arakida: (Is it because it’s Halloween…… She’s asking something unreasonable of Tsukasa-san.)

Aoyama: (...... I guess it was too much to hope for.)

Asagiri: Unfortunately, I do not have anything of the sorts on me to give to you.

Aoyama: Hey, why are you looking so smug on your end?

If you don’t even have a single piece of candy on you, then treat her to lunch or something next time. You’re her junior when it comes to being in STAND.

Asagiri: What an awful comeback.

It was careless of me to not have anything on hand for Halloween, but there’s no reason for me to be ordered around by you, Aoyama.

Arakida: Huh? You’re admitting to being careless?

Asagiri: That’s because even in Germany, the children would go around to all the houses when it was Halloween.

Rei: Err, well then, as a “trick”......

(...... Nope, there’s no way that I can do something like that to Asagiri-san!)

Seki: Then how about asking him for a favor instead of playing a trick?

Rei: Seki-san!

Seki: I just received permission from your superior a moment ago.

The case concerning the missing medical representative has become a matter for STAND to handle.

Asagiri: …… I was wondering why we were abruptly summoned. So that’s what this is all about.

Hattori: Well, we’re looking forward to working with you.

Imaoji: …… Since coming back to the office after the recon, it’s quite unexpected how far the case has escalated up until this point.

Rei: Hattori-san! And Imaoji-san!!

Natsume: Why are you shrinking away from them?

Rei: I-I don’t know why. I did it instinctively……

Arakida: (...... Did she eat something weird?)

Seki: Seeing as we’re all gathered here at the moment, why don’t we have a brief meeting now?

Hattori: Hmmm. Why not then? I want to quickly wrap this case up.

Aoyama: There’s more than enough tea to go around, so I’ll go brew some for everyone.

Rei: Oh, I’ll help you out!

The closer it approached to midnight, the closer it was to the end of Halloween.

And under the brilliant burning light inside the Ministry, the curtains opened up on the tea party known as the investigation briefing.