Chapter Thirty-Eight: The Sixth Bullet—The City of Mealtime

When Kurumi Tokisaki uttered the word “contract,” Su Mo’s expression changed ever so slightly. Apart from a select few—like Tohka and Yoshino—hardly anyone in the entire world knew that Su Mo possessed the ability to form contracts; the number could be counted on one hand. Yet judging from Kurumi Tokisaki’s demeanor, she was clearly well aware of this power.

This was odd. How could she possibly know?

Moreover, a contract could only be formed when the target’s affection reached a hundred and they harbored no resistance toward him. With that in mind, Su Mo glanced up at Kurumi Tokisaki. Unfortunately, the system’s affection detection was erratic and unreliable, only appearing when he actively pursued someone; the rest of the time, it was practically dormant.

If only he could use the opportunity to check Kurumi Tokisaki’s affection level toward him. In fact, if he could see everyone’s affection scores, it would be the ultimate cheat—he’d instantly know whether anyone meant him ill. But as if the main system anticipated his thoughts, it had blocked this function entirely.

That’s why he considered Ratatoskr’s affection detection technology to be such black magic. Were it not so complex and unwieldy to produce, he’d have taken a set home for his own amusement.

“So, since you know about contracts, you must also understand the conditions required, don’t you?”

“Of course!” Kurumi Tokisaki nodded, pressing her hands to her chest and laughing coquettishly. “I’m deeply enamored with you, Mr. Su Mo, and I would never resist your contract.”

At that, a mischievous glint flashed across Kurumi’s face and her tone shifted abruptly, as unpredictable as the weather.

“But if you want to sign a contract with me, Mr. Su Mo, you’ll have to agree to one condition.” She held up a finger, eyes sparkling with mirth. “From now on, you must contract with me alone. All the spirits you’ve contracted with before must be abandoned. Only then will you truly and entirely belong to me.”

“And, as compensation…” Kurumi swept aside her left bangs, revealing her eye like a golden clock. Her clothes began to change—from a thick winter jacket to a red-and-black Gothic Lolita dress. Lifting her skirt with both hands, she performed a most ladylike gesture.

At the same time, the shadow beneath her feet crept across the entire rooftop.

From within those shadows, countless arms reached out, and Kurumis began to emerge as if crawling up from the abyss. Most wore the same red-and-black Gothic dress as her true self, but some sported various uniforms: nurse Kurumi, student Kurumi, lewd Kurumi, alternative Kurumi, and even one with an eyepatch, rebellious like a delinquent girl…

Dozens of Kurumi’s duplicates crowded the rooftop, surrounding Su Mo.

Though he knew Kurumi Tokisaki possessed the ability to call forth versions of herself from past timelines, seeing so many uniquely dressed Kurumis left him astonished. Yet he couldn’t help but think her power was a bit of a curse—forcing herself to confront her own embarrassing history. Looking at the array of Kurumis in their various outfits, Su Mo’s lips twitched; who would have guessed that even Kurumi had so many chuunibyou phases in her past?

“So? As long as you leave the others, we can all keep you company,” all the Kurumis said in unison, their voices clear as silver bells. Even Su Mo, normally so steadfast, found himself momentarily dazed.

Seeing so many Kurumis, and knowing each was an independent being rather than a mere clone, Su Mo realized that marrying one Kurumi was tantamount to marrying countless others. It was like having a harem in the open, being a bridegroom anew every day—a dream come true.

No wonder Hinata in Naruto fell for Naruto and his shadow clones; such happiness was truly enviable.

“Ahem.” Regaining his composure, Su Mo coughed lightly, a wary glint in his eyes as he looked at Kurumi Tokisaki. “Your proposal is certainly tempting, but I could never abandon Tohka and Yoshino.”

In truth, the choice was meaningless; how could he give up an entire forest for a single sapling? Besides, for a spirit he’d never met to suddenly insist on forming a contract—what sense did that make? He wasn’t one of those foolish protagonists from anime; a healthy dose of caution was only prudent.

“I see. What a pity,” Kurumi Tokisaki replied, unfazed, as if she’d expected this answer all along.

At that moment, the earpiece Su Mo wore in his right ear crackled with Kotori’s voice: “Su Mo, contract with her, quickly! Her affection for you is at the maximum—now’s your best chance. The success rate’s very high!”

If he could contract with Kurumi Tokisaki—even if she was known as the most malevolent spirit—once the contract was sealed, she would be bound to him, unable to resist. Kotori no doubt saw it this way: whatever Kurumi’s feelings, as long as the contract succeeded, she would be powerless to rebel.

Had he been a more perverse protagonist, he might already be writing some sort of dark, twisted training diary.

Hearing Kotori’s words, Su Mo was surprised that Kurumi’s affection for him was already maxed out, despite him never having started to win her over. Did love at first sight really exist in this world, like those old tales of noble ladies falling madly for impoverished scholars? Did he, too, possess the aura of a main character—one trembling of the tiger’s body, and beauties would throw themselves at him?

Alas, before he could think further, Kotori kept urging him through the earpiece to form a contract with Kurumi. But he had just refused her; to now go back and shamelessly beg for it—did she want him to lose all dignity?

He couldn’t help but suspect Kotori was deliberately making trouble. Su Mo clenched his teeth in secret; if Kotori weren’t up in the airship, he would have taught his meddlesome little sister a harsh lesson, reminding her of a brother’s authority.

After a moment of inner conflict, Su Mo finally spoke, his expression as pained as if constipated: “Um, Kurumi, I agree to form a contract with you.”

“Really? But now I’ve changed my mind,” Kurumi replied, covering her mouth with a sly giggle, her demeanor utterly devilish as she toyed with Su Mo. “After all, you just rejected me, and this is my very first contract. Of course I have to be cautious—how else can I trust you with my first time?”

Despite her ambiguous phrasing, Su Mo maintained an outward calm, though he was inwardly exhausted.

“Of course, I can give you a chance, Mr. Su Mo. It’s rare for me to visit Tenguu City, and I’m not familiar with the area. If you accompany me tomorrow—just a simple outing, a date—if I’m satisfied, then I’ll agree to the contract.” Kurumi’s words were full of teasing, but in her mismatched eyes flickered a hint of nervousness, and a trace of anticipation too subtle to notice.

“I see…”

“Say yes!” Kotori urged again.

“I don’t need your reminder,” Su Mo shot back darkly, then looked up at Kurumi Tokisaki. “A date is fine, but tomorrow isn’t a holiday. I’m afraid we won’t have time.”

“There’s no need for you to worry about that, Mr. Su Mo.” As Kurumi spoke, a vintage Western flintlock materialized in her hand. The clock hands in her left eye spun wildly. This was Kurumi’s angel: Third Bullet—Zafkiel!

The angel capable of manipulating weapons.

“Sixth Bullet—City of Devoured Time!”