TRUE ABILITY Chapter 61

In the Student Council Room 2

"You are..."

Upon entering the student council room, I could tell at a glance that the girl, adorned in a white uniform, was not a student of this academy. Moreover, she was wearing the same uniform as Luna, of St. Ferris Girls Academy.

Golden hair stretched down to her waist. A face so beautiful that one couldn't help but turn back when passing by.

Her eyes catch mine and immediately narrow suspiciously.

"...Did I disturb you?"

Upon hearing that dignified voice, my spine instinctively straightened.

But still, this voice... I feel like I've heard it somewhere before.

"Not at all"

"Really?"

I almost blurted it out involuntarily. The girl's eyes remained fixed on me.

"..."

The girl looked at me with an uneasy expression, glancing around.

"..."

Feeling a bit awkward myself, I chuckled nervously each time our eyes met.

"...!"

The mysterious girl pouted slightly, looking annoyed.

...What am I supposed to do?

"Um, Lloyd-senpai, I think I should probably...

"Let's hear the report."

Lloyd-senpai's words interrupted me, and the girl's eyes widened in surprise.

"However, Lloyd-sama."

"I do not mind."

From this brief exchange, I understood that this girl belonged to the dark side. If that's the case, I could understand why she would be concerned about me.

"Lloyd-senpai, I declined to join. Wouldn't my presence here be inconvenient?"

It was an organization known as the Dark Side. It wouldn't make sense for someone unrelated like me to be involved.

"No problem. It's a matter concerning you too."

"...To me?"

"Yes"

With that, Lloyd-senpai turned his gaze towards the girl.

"Now then, Fia, let's hear your report. About the Stray Gods."

My desire to leave this place immediately vanished in an instant.

A report... about the stray gods?

And---

"...Fia-san?"

I knew a girl named Fia. Well, if I had to narrow down someone related to the dark side, only one person came to mind. However, the appearance and the name didn't match. The "Fia" I knew had black hair.

"...It's been a while."

Saying that, "Fia" tied her long golden hair behind her back with a somewhat resigned look. Certainly. If her hair were black, it might match the image I had in my memory. She must have changed the color. Well, that's typical of the dark side. While I was accepting this fact, Fia-san straightened up and spoke again.

"...I will report. It's about the investigation I've been conducting for a while now, and... It was as we expected."

"...I see."

I could clearly feel the air becoming heavy. Lloyd-senpai closed his eyes for a moment and then, turning directly towards me, asked,

"Yuno Astario. I'll ask you directly, how much do you know about stray gods?"

"...About the stray gods?"

"Yes"

It might not be in the straightforward sense, but---

"A god without a name is called a stray god... just that."

"That's right. So, have you ever seen a stray god with your own eyes? Other than the goddess Athena, that is."

"...No, I haven't."

"Of course, but just because you haven't seen them doesn't mean there aren't multiple gods referred to as stray gods in this world."

Why do I feel like making light of this isn't appropriate? Even during this seemingly casual conversation, my heart was unnaturally loud, intensifying its beats.

Lloyd-senpai directed his gaze to Fia-san again, as if confirming. In response to that look, she clearly nodded her head.

And then---

"---The disappearance of the stray gods. It has become a case I'm personally investigating."

Lloyd-senpai's voice resonated in my eardrums. For some reason, the information that should have been delivered succinctly didn't seem to easily register in my head.

"The disappearance of the stray gods?"

"Exactly. Multiple stray gods, whose existence had been confirmed, have vanished. Of course, the actions of the Gods are beyond our human understanding. However---"

Lloyd-senpai spoke, and his sharp gaze locked onto me. As if to negate the questions I had in mind.

"A god that had been consistently observable since its existence was confirmed suddenly disappears. When such a thing happens repeatedly, there's no choice but to suspect."

"...Suspect? What exactly?"

It was strange even to me. Why was I so shaken? Confirming an answer that I already knew---

"You should have already noticed, Yuno Astario."

Those words left my mind completely blank.

"It means there is a possibility of an incident. We cannot deny the possibility that someone is intentionally targeting the stray gods."

"..."

I couldn't speak.

Lloyd-senpai had said it from the beginning that this report concerns me too.

Ah, I see. Indeed, this person is terrifying. From the beginning, I had no choices---

"In other words," I admitted.

"In other words, assuming it's a possibility,"

Certainly, this couldn't be ignored.

"If, by any chance, there's someone persistently, intentionally targeting stray gods, the possibility that your Kami-sama, Goddess Athena will be targeted......"

I already knew the answer.

"...Cannot be denied."

Lloyd-senpai gave a faint smile.

"Yuno Astario. Full marks."