Chapter 56 - It's Too Late
The chapter opens with the aftermath of the events from the past two or three chapters.
The first page shows Mitsuru sitting in the back of a patrol car, arms crossed and clearly pissed, with a police officer beside him. He’s not in handcuffs. Meanwhile, Asuka and Imai are unconscious, lying on ambulance stretchers.
On the second page, the MC is seen giving a statement to a police officer, while Asmodeus floats upside down above the scene. Sawada-sensei appears at a bar, having a drink, and Akagi and Azusa are shown getting out of the taxi.
Akagi and Azusa arrive at a rundown apartment complex and make their way into one of the units.
Akagi: "Come in, come in... Don’t worry, I... live alone..."
As they step inside, Azusa thinks to herself, “A boy’s apartment? Well, whatever… It’s already late.”
Akagi: "Sit wherever y—... No... Sorry, that’s right, you need to get dressed firs—... Ah... Right! You need to shower, wait a minute!"
Akagi: "Ahh... A towel, towel..."
Akagi: "Here... The bathroom is right inside the entrance, and you can lock it without any problem."
Azusa: "Why?"
Akagi: "Hmm?"
Azusa: "Why... me..?"
Akagi: "Ah... The truth is, I happened to overhear Takeshige-kun talking to someone. I couldn’t just stand by knowing that a classmate was going through such a difficult situation."
After hearing that, Azusa thinks, "Even though we’ve never really talked? Akagi-kun... doesn’t seem like the kind of person who gets involved in this kind of stuff."
With a weird smile, Akagi says, "And... when I asked Sensei what to do, she said that calling the police wouldn’t be good for Hayami-chan. So Sensei and I decided to intervene directly... Ah, Sensei, believe it or not, has a black belt in aikido."
Azusa thinks, "That makes everything even strange... It’s hard for me to believe that a teacher would make a decision that puts a student in danger..."
Still smiling strangely, Akagi says, "Anyway, go take a shower."
Akagi: "And put on... some clothes... IT’S JUST THAT... I DON’T KNOW WHERE TO LOOK..."
Azusa: "Hmm..."
Azusa is still naked, covered only by a blanket.
In the shower, Azusa thinks, "My mind and heart can’t keep up with the changes in the situation... I don’t have the strength to think. Is it... all over now? Really?"
Azusa then remembers the kiss she saw between the MC and Asuka. She places both hands on a mirror and, starting to cry, says, "BUT... IT'S ALREADY TOO LATE. UGH... UGH..."
Back at the crime scene, Asmodeus approaches the MC and the police officer to whom the MC is giving his statement.
Asmodeus: "Thank you for your work. I am Souichi’s guardian."
Police officer: "I’m sorry for calling you so late at night... Mother."
After saying this, the MC thinks, "Is it even possible... that the police officer thinks she’s my mother?"
Police officer: "From what I’ve heard... your son is more of a well-meaning third party... We’ll ask for more details later, but for now, you’re free to go home."
MC: "Um... About Asuka. The girl who was kicked in the face... Do you know which hospital she was taken to? I’d like to go with her."
Police officer: "Her family has already been contacted... Since the injuries are minor... it's likely the patient will go home after a check-up, so I don't think it’s necessary..."
MC: Ah... I see.
Asmodeus: "Alright then, we’ll be going."
After that, the MC confronts Asmodeus.
MC: "Hey, what happened? What the hell just happened?"
Asmodeus: "That’s what I want to know too."
MC: "What?"
Worried, Asmodeus thinks, "Yeah... There was no way Azusa-chan wouldn't be there. That's how I had planned it." Then she tries to talk it out.
Asmodeus: "Azusa-chan should have been there, and after taking a few more steps... You should have been able to make both Azusa-chan and Asuka-chan yours."
MC: "DON’T TALK NONSENSE! I’M JUST TRYING TO SAVE AZUSA... AND ASUKA TOO... I WAS GOING TO BREAK UP WITH HER AFTER DEALING WITH TAKESHIGE!"
Asmodeus: "If you didn’t intervene, Azusa-chan would be harmed physically and mentally until she collapsed... And if you break up with Asuka-chan, wouldn’t you be leaving her alone to deal with all the collateral damage?"
MC: "...You can’t know that."
Asmodeus: "Of course I know. I’m a demon."
Asmodeus: "Didn't I tell you? "I won't do anything bad to you." I'm your partner. What's best for you is best for me. If I had to choose... I’d choose the path I suggested to you."
Starting to get angry, Asmodeus says, "HOWEVER... SOMETHING HAPPENED THAT SHOULDN’T HAVE HAPPENED."
With a furious face, Asmodeus shouts, "IT’S POSSIBLE THAT... ANOTHER DEMON IS INVOLVED BESIDES ME."
Insight:
Ha!
Called it in the previous chapter! I knew another demon was involved, and if I were a betting man, I’d say Akagi is the demon. The way he smiles and acts reminds me of Asmodeus.
Unrelated:
My computer’s video card broke, and man, it was a pain doing this on my old Linux notebook… I really miss my PC. The new card won’t get here until the 21st…
