Chapter 23
Sitting on this train, I found myself drowning in envy.
The machine moved forward with such fluid grace. No exhaustion. No doubt about reaching its destination. Steel rails carved its path through the world—certain, unwavering, absolute.
My life?
Nothing like that. Not even close.
Mine lurched and stumbled through chaos. No clear direction. No promise I'd reach any destination at all. And lately, I wasn't even sure there was a destination worth reaching.
My "new life," as I'd started calling it, had been nothing but bizarre surprises from day one.
First day? Kiebler nearly killed me with a single blow. When I woke up, I realized the weight this new existence would dump on my shoulders wasn't exactly light.
Second day? Met a demon girl. Through sheer accident, I ended up engaged to her. That engagement made me a target for the three great families controlling Anti Meta City.
Today? Forced onto this train for some twisted celebration of my marriage to said demon bride.
I kept sighing. The VIP compartment felt like mockery—too fancy for someone like me. The expensive ticket had been "generously" provided by those same three families.
Of course, their generosity had nothing to do with kindness. Just another clause in the deal to free their heirs from slavery.
"Sorry, Asuka."
The words slipped out when I realized my constant sighing was making her worry.
"You wanted to build a reputation to join the resistance. Instead, you're stuck celebrating our engagement. All because those three families need to save face. They want us gone until people forget this whole mess."
"I should be the one apologizing," Asuka replied. "When you trace it back, everything started because of me."
"You mean saving my life? Without you, I'd be sleeping peacefully as a rock in that ravine."
She smiled, but I could see the tension still gripping me. Like she wanted to change the mood, she glanced around our luxurious but empty compartment.
"Did they really rent out this entire car for just the two of us?"
"Looks like it."
I'd just noticed myself.
"But the only people rich and wasteful enough to afford this are the three families—"
The door burst open, cutting off my words. A young man with golden hair and blue eyes stepped in, wearing a train attendant's uniform. Anyone could see the clothes didn't fit—the jacket was at least three sizes too big.
"Special VIP service," he said with a smile, wheeling in a food cart. He placed a teacup and saucer in front of me.
"This is premium tea from the Asperia continent. Please, enjoy it, sir."
I snorted.
Suspicious as hell. Everything about this guy screamed wrong. The ill-fitting uniform. The backwards service—ladies first was basic etiquette, wasn't it? Instead, he served me first and pressured me to drink without even offering tea to Asuka.
Too obvious. The tea definitely had something mixed in.
I didn't let my thoughts show on my face. I lifted the saucer and pushed it back toward him.
"Being a train employee must be exhausting. Probably don't get much good food. Here, you take this tea. I don't really drink it anyway."
"Ha, ha, no problem. I don't really drink it either."
He laughed dryly, waving his hands dismissively.
I pulled the cup back and set it on the table, thinking. What the hell was happening? One possibility—the three families sent someone to eliminate me. The tea might be poisoned.
But that made no sense. Those families weren't stupid enough to send such an obvious assassin.
I tried pushing the teacup toward the other side of the table.
"Then I'll give it to Asuka."
"Thank you..." Asuka nodded.
"Don't!"
The golden-haired youth shouted just as Asuka lifted the cup. His eyes went wide with panic, like his plan had just collapsed. He grabbed the saucer and slowly, awkwardly slid it back toward me.
I almost burst out laughing.
This idiot had zero finesse. And it confirmed something—he didn't want Asuka touching the tea. Which meant I was the only target. For whatever reason, he wanted Asuka safe. He didn't want her drinking whatever poison was in that cup.
"What's wrong?" I pressed. "Acting like there's poison in the tea."
"Shit! I told them this cowardly plan wouldn't work."
He cursed while ripping off the attendant's jacket, revealing a yukata underneath. A samurai sword hung at his waist.
"How dare you force Asuka into this! Die, bastard!"
"That voice... Takuya?" Asuka whispered.
Another misunderstanding. Great.
The words they'd just exchanged made that crystal clear. I opened my mouth to explain, to defuse the situation, but the other guy's rage moved faster than reason. The samurai blade sang from its sheath.
Are you serious?! This was supposed to be a game where football replaced war and combat! Drawing a sword without warning felt completely wrong!
My eyes scanned for escape routes. Dodge left—wouldn't make it. Dodge right—probably dead. Fine then. If I was going to die, might as well try something cool.
I dropped to one knee, leaned back, and whipped my arms behind me.
The samurai blade flashed silver, slicing through the air just inches from my stomach.
Almost nailed a perfect Matrix dodge. But my balance gave out and I toppled backward anyway.
I grinned weakly. At least I survived. That's what they call a Matrix dodge, brother. Know it?
"Takuya! Stop this right now!"
Asuka's voice rang with authority, but the youth in the yukata wasn't finished. He pulled out a small round object, pressed a button, and threw it. The thing expanded until I could see what it really was.
A football.
"Seems my steel blade doesn't want to drink the filthy blood of scum like you," the yukata-wearing youth said.
"Ha. Miss the swing, admit it like a man. Don't blame your sword."
My cocky response came from adrenaline and relief at dodging death. But my face went pale when I felt the air around us start to swirl.
The youth's eyes blazed with more than simple anger from my mockery. The rage reflecting from those eyes had deeper roots. His body began glowing with a silver aura. The entire room shook from the supernatural power radiating from him.
I couldn't use it yet, but I could sense it. One look told me this was NEX power. My lips went pale with fear. Maybe not as violent and threatening as Asuka's, but the NEX energy pouring from this yukata-wearing guy was dozens of times more powerful than Kiebler's.
"W-wait! Whatever's wrong, let's talk about it calmly!" I shouted.
My legs scrambled beneath me, preparing to dodge his finishing move.
But Asuka responded faster. She intercepted and deflected the football before Takuya could wind up his kick.
She moved closer and slapped his face. Not hard—just enough to snap him back to reality. But that gentle slap completely changed the room's atmosphere.
"Stop being so reckless and listen for once!" Asuka snapped.
Takuya's expression shifted from fury to heartbreak. A tear rolled down his right cheek.
"I came here to save you, Asuka... He's forcing you to marry him... Why are you protecting him?"
The yukata-wearing youth whimpered, more tears following the first.
"Forcing?"
Asuka frowned.
"Weren't you the ones who forced Assarun to marry me?"
Once again, the room's mood flipped completely. This time, confusion filled the air. Everyone started frowning, searching for answers about how this situation had developed.
"We didn't force anything," the yukata-wearing youth said.
Everyone turned toward the window where a voice had just spoken. Soon we saw it open, and a girl with golden hair and blue eyes in cowboy clothes slipped through. She released a small amount of NEX power, and in a blink, the cowboy girl's appearance vanished, replaced by a short-haired girl in black ninja clothes.
"Kanata... So you and Takuya didn't force Assarun to marry me?"
Asuka asked, her voice thick with shock.
"You mean Assarun proposed to me even knowing I'm a demon? I don't understand at all. You were so afraid of me. If you weren't being forced, why would you do something like that?"