Chapter 474: Rikka is Rikka
Chapter 474: Rikka is Rikka
“Rikka, are you not ready yet?”
Rikka urged anxiously outside the bathroom.
“Almost, almost!”
Himekoji said, turning on the water faucet to splash his face.
He stood before the mirror, making sure his face showed no unusual signs.
Only after taking a deep breath did he open the door and come out of the bathroom.
“You’re so slow!”
The moment he came out, he was scolded like that.
Rikka looked very impatient, brushing past him in a rush and squeezing inside.
Then, with a “PONG” sound, the bathroom door shut again.
Himekoji paused for a moment, and couldn’t help but shake his head silently.
In terms of personality, Rikka was nothing like the Lady of the Wicked Lord’s Eye.
Just from going to the toilet, you could see the difference.
He recalled the night before last, when the Lady of the Wicked Lord’s Eye had a need to go.
She just kept rubbing her thighs shyly, blushing and hesitating, mumbling without being able to say it clearly.
Maybe she felt it would be embarrassing and awkward to go to the toilet too often in front of him?
It was typical girlish pride acting up.
But Rikka didn’t seem to have any worry at all about such things.
She was straightforward and direct.
Completely different personalities, yet it was the exact same body.
Himekoji sighed, smiled weakly, and sat on the edge of the bed.
He touched his cheeks.
They were clean and smooth.
The scars that had been obvious and scary before had all disappeared.
He had noticed it when he looked in the mirror earlier.
Was it because of the Lady of the Wicked Lord’s Eye?
After he fell into a deep sleep, while he was dreaming, he felt as if a pair of cool small hands had been softly caressing his wounds.
The movements were gentle, careful, and delicate.
The ability of the Evil Eye of the Wicked Lord was really convenient.
No cutting, no surgery, and the scars vanished perfectly.
Such a talent would surely make all beauty-loving girls quite envious.
Thanks to that, Himekoji’s looks had come back.
But for some unknown reason, he hadn’t felt any happiness or similar emotions.
The wounds he suffered for the Lady of the Wicked Lord’s Eye, together with her, had disappeared.
Just thinking about it made it hard to breathe.
After a moment, Himekoji suddenly realized something else.
A bad feeling sprang up.
He quickly pulled the photos from yesterday—taken with the Lady of the Wicked Lord’s Eye—out of his pocket.
“How could this be…”
It should have been their wedding photo, but now only Himekoji remained in it, smiling brightly at the camera.
His hands began to tremble uncontrollably.
If…
If every trace of the Lady of the Wicked Lord’s Eye’s existence had vanished from this world…
No!
It can’t be!
Himekoji took out his phone.
His fingers were shaking badly.
He pressed the number three times before barely managing to make the call.
“Y-Yukinoshita?”
“I’m here.”
Hearing that voice, his feelings settled a bit.
“Do you remember the Lady of the Wicked Lord’s Eye?”
“What?”
“Um… Do you remember Rikka? Yesterday, I took wedding photos with her!”
“If you’re showing off affection, I’m hanging up.”
The voice on the other end sounded annoyed and sharp as always.
But for Himekoji right now, it was like a heavenly tune.
“You remember?”
“I’m not that forgetful.”
“R-really? That’s great! That’s great! Th-thank you! Thank you!”
“Are you sick?”
“No, I’m fine. Especially after this call with you. Anyway, thanks for caring.”
“Do I sound like I care about you?”
“What?”
“Never mind, you’re clearly very sick. I’m hanging up if that’s all.”
“Beep, beep…”
Right after saying that, a busy signal came from the receiver.
“Hey, I didn’t say I was done! Seriously, that Yukinoshita!”
Himekoji looked at the “Call Ended” notice on the phone screen.
He shook his head helplessly and smiled.
His mood was lighter now than before.
…
Help me.
Thank you.
Two phrases that didn’t sound at all like something that Pervert would say.
Putting away the phone.
Yukinoshita sighed lightly—
“Idiot!”
In the end, what changed that Pervert and made him change…
It was another girl.
Not her.
…
“Rikka, are you done yet?”
This time, Himekoji was the one urging anxiously outside the bathroom door.
“N-Not yet!”
“Still? This is taking forever?”
“Hmm… You don’t know, Akito! Lately, the seal on the exit is a bit loose. The passage transfer got messed up, and filthy evil things keep gushing out!”
The girl’s voice was at first a little shy and annoyed, but all of a sudden, it turned very serious without anyone noticing.
It really sounded believable, and Himekoji almost subconsciously believed it—
“Oh, so that’s it. Then there’s no helping it.”
The words just slipped out when he suddenly snapped out of it.
“No! What on earth are you even saying?! If it’s diarrhea, just say diarrhea! To make it sound so gentle and cool like that—couldn’t it be because of chuunibyou!?”
Himekoji was impressed.
But after such a long time, hearing such a speech that only Rikka could give…
“Rikka, you really are Rikka.”
Feeling both like laughing and crying, Himekoji sighed like that.
…
Rikka finally stepped out of the bathroom.
“Akito, what did you mean by what you said earlier?”
She asked that.
“Just the plain meaning, Rikka is Rikka, only that.”
Himekoji smiled a little.
“That’s weird.”
Rikka tilted her head as if confused.
“If I’m not Rikka, then who else would I be? Or, who do you want me to be, Akito?”
Saying that, Rikka glanced at Himekoji as if by accident, but it also seemed on purpose.
“Rikka is Rikka, and it’s fine as long as Rikka is Rikka.”
Himekoji reached out and patted Rikka’s head.
“Is that so?”
Rikka closed her eyes happily, seeming to enjoy Himekoji’s close touch.
Lady of the Wicked Lord’s Eye was like that too.
When Himekoji rubbed her head, she would close her eyes and show a quiet, gentle smile…
At that moment, the same face had expressions you couldn’t tell apart.
Rikka and Lady of the Wicked Lord’s Eye—the images of these two kept merging in Himekoji’s sight.
Himekoji pulled his hand back fast, like it got a shock.
Luckily, this odd move didn’t make Rikka notice.
“By the way, Akito, why am I here? I feel like I slept a super long sleep, and when I woke up, I just found myself here with you for no reason.”
“You just slept a long sleep, that’s all. Don’t worry, as long as you woke up.”
Himekoji meant to avoid the topic.
“You haven’t eaten, have you? I’ll go down and buy something. What do you want?”
Without waiting for Rikka to answer, Himekoji started walking quickly to the door by himself.
Just as he was about to open it—
“Akito!”
Suddenly came that sound.
Rikka rushed over with quick steps, wrapped her arms around his waist from behind, and hugged him tight.
“Am I, am I… forgetting something super important?!”
Her voice cracked with tears.
Takanashi Rikka shook nervously while holding him, scared like a little bird soaked in heavy rain.
…
…