Mob Yandere

[Part 4/6]

"Ah, oh no...!!?"

As she started to realize what was happening, her face turned red, and she looked like she might cry, trembling with embarrassment. Oh no, this is bad...!?

"Tamaki-sama!? What is this!? Right now!?"

"I'm sorry! Tomobe-kun!!? Just cover yourself with this!!?"

"Okay!?"

Before I could apologize or back away, Tamaki rushed forward with the cloth she was wearing. For some reason, she looked desperate as she tried to cover my face, splashing water everywhere.

...Bump. Tamaki slipped on the bottom of the onsen.

"Ah!? Ah!? Oh no!!?"

We both let out silly sounds, and Tamaki fell on top of me. I tried to catch her, but we lost our balance, and the next moment, we both tumbled into the onsen, sending the boiling water everywhere...

* * *

"So, you thought about the possibility of me throwing up and ruining the onsen?"

"Ahaha, ...yes. That's right."

"Well, well..."

After a lot of chaos, Tamaki and I ended up sitting back to back in the onsen. While we relaxed, I asked Tamaki about what happened and why she acted so recklessly.

First, she explained why she tried to sneak up behind me. Tamaki had woken up from a drunken sleep and decided to enter the onsen to ease her headache and sweat it out.

While doing that, she sensed my presence and thought I might be a stranger or an intruder, so she was trying to investigate. In the end, we ended up in a game of tag, each trying to sneak up on the other.

So, the reason she came at me... it all started with our first meeting. When I first met Tamaki at this same onsen, I saw her face and ended up throwing up. When we faced each other in that same situation before, that moment flashed back in her mind.

The official reason was that she was feeling sick, but the real reason was her despair over not having any hair on below, which made her go "Ugh!" It's not like I would throw up again, but Tamaki didn't know that.

"You looked really tired. I thought maybe... but I can't just throw up in this onsen, right? It's someone else's onsen!"

"Even so, covering your face with the cloth you were wearing is..."

Trying to push the only cloth she had on me was really inappropriate. If someone came at me completely n*ked, they might misunderstand. That's just reckless.

"Uh, I'm sorry..."

A sad voice came from behind me in response to my comment. I could picture Tamaki hunched over, looking down, even though I couldn't see her. It was obvious.

"By the way... was my face really that bad?"

We were in an onsen. Since I wasn't wearing a mask, my expression was clear, but I wondered if my face looked so terrible that it made her want to throw up too, instead me.

"Well, looking back, it wasn't that bad... but I don't see Tomobe-kun's face often, right?"

During my time in Yun-shoku, and even now as the Household Member Coordinator, I usually wore a mask. It was kind of a pose. The mask showed I was a servant.

The title of Household Member Coordinator comes first, and then the word servant follows. By wearing the mask, I showed the other exorcists that I was humble. Plus, it helped keep my expression hidden and made it harder for them to remember my face.

"I mean, if I don't see your face often, it makes it hard to judge, right? And... I drank a lot at the party and then worked afterward, right? So, yeah?"

Tamaki's words showed her caring nature. It was impressive how quickly she thought of that. If she had that kind of observation and judgment, she should also realize that she almost got drunk and was about to be taken up in an adult elevator. Seriously, don't let your guard down!

"...Okay, I get it. I mean, I also have my faults, so I'm not in a position to say anything to Tamaki-sama."

It was unusual for Tamaki to apologize in this situation. Normally, she would be angry and call people out for being rude. Her behavior was almost twisted.

"Not like that... well, it's not that I don't feel anything, but..."

The sound of splashing water was sensual. She probably took her hand out of the water. Maybe she was hugging herself. I wondered what kind of expression she had while being looked at by a guy.

"But... I know Tomobe-kun isn't doing it on purpose, right? You're not the type to peek, are you?"

"Why do you sound a bit unsure at the end?"

"Ahahaha..."

Please don't laugh it off! I get that it's nerve-wracking, but it's the second time now.

"...There shouldn't be a third time."

"Is it like 'third time's the charm'? But they say if it happens twice, it'll happen a third time, right?"

"You're not hoping to peek again, are you?"

"...Isn't that a bit mean?"

"It's because you say things in a way that sounds suggestive. Some people might get the wrong idea."

It sounds like she's saying something that could be misunderstood. Some people might take it the wrong way and get all obsessed. Are you saying that even if she change, it'll still be the same?

"I'm not saying that... um, what about you, Tomobe-kun?"

She stuttered and seemed to struggle to ask her question, making me raise an eyebrow. I almost turned around but quickly stopped myself.

"...What do you mean by that?"

"Um, well... no, it's nothing...!?"

When I asked her back, Tamaki suddenly realized how strange her words sounded and panicked. She splashed around in the water, flustered.

"Um, I'm just feeling hot now!?"

"Wait a minute!"

Tamaki was clearly trying to escape. I grabbed her arm as she stood up. I caught her thin arm out of the corner of my eye while she turned away.

"W-What are you doing, Tomobe-kun!?"

"I can see you're trying to run away. Please forgive me. ...I could tell you just got in the hot water by the color of your skin. Stop pretending."

"~~~!!!?"

I imagined Tamaki's face turning red like a boiled octopus. She realized I was referring to the scene we just had when we faced each other. Still, I couldn't just end the conversation here.

...My knowledge of the story was telling me something. Similar events were hinting at it. If I didn't talk about this deeply now, I had a bad feeling.

Usually, when conversations or confessions get cut off like this, either the protagonist or the heroine ends up in trouble. That's what they call a death flag. Is Murasaki going to die? That's a promise I won't say.

"Hey! Watch your words!?"

"That goes for you too, Tamaki-sama. I'll take a hit later. But first... you have something to say, right? Let's hear it. Our mission isn't over yet. Shouldn't we clear up any misunderstandings here?"

"~~~!!!!"

Tamaki let out a sound like she was trying to find words, but she probably had to agree. She sank her body back into the hot water. She was still being honest. Just like when I knew her, she was being a good girl.

"...So, I've been curious about something for a while?"

"Yes. What is it?"

"How serious are you, Tomobe-kun?"

"...Huh?"

I didn't understand what she meant by serious. Serious about what?

"What do you mean by serious?"

"Of course! I'm talking about Iruka!!?"

Tamaki exclaimed in shock at my question. No way, what's with that reaction?

"So!? What about it, Tomobe-kun!? You really think you can hide it!? Don't underestimate my observation skills! I'm watching closely!"

"Watching closely?"

"Exactly! I'm watching closely!!"

Tamaki desperately declared from behind... probably puffing out her chest... pointing out how close I was to Iruka. How often we whispered to each other. Especially how relaxed I was when talking to Iruka. Tamaki also mentioned Iruka's reactions when she brought it up.