Is This How You Use a Self-Destruct Switch?!-Chapter 26 : Reiko is Approaching the Truth

Azure Star turned back, confirmed that the Movie Monster wasn't injured, then forcefully pushed the senior away. But the black-haired girl's eyes burning with hatred still locked onto her.
As if the moment she dared have any evil thoughts, the next second, that blade would chop her into pieces.
Only when those bright red eyes were pushed completely out of sight by Azure Star did the Movie Monster dare to completely relax, collapsing in the ruins and wailing loudly.
Only the inappropriate cheerful background music from some unknown movie fragment accompanied her.
She cried for who knows how long before her voice gradually lowered to suppressed sobbing. The fear hadn't completely faded, instead settling into a deeper, bone-deep chill.
'This place... can't stay…'
The Movie Monster struggled to sit up, tears still on her face, but her eyes were filled with unprecedented terror and determination.
She looked around this familiar yet bizarre 'home' constructed by her magical power—the flickering projections, broken screens, and furniture cut in half scattered on the ground... all now became props reminding her this place wasn't safe.
That magical girl... since she could chase here once, she could definitely chase here a second time!
"Move! Must move immediately!"
She almost used hands and feet to bounce up from the ground, ignoring the mess, frantically searching through the rubble for videotapes that could still play.
"Good... this one still works! And this one..."
She muttered incoherently, directly extending her arm into the videotape. Immediately the scene it was playing appeared before her eyes, her fingers advancing through the barrier-free space until she grasped the progress bar.
Relying on vague memory, she roughly pulled the progress bar forward until a silver-gray sedan froze on screen. After releasing the progress bar, she aimed at the car and grabbed hard, forcibly pulling it from the false image into reality.
The car body that should have been made of steel trembled slightly in the air, making unstable humming sounds, as if it could fall apart at any moment. After all, things from movies were all fragile as paper in reality.
But at this moment, how could she care about such things?
The Movie Monster grabbed several barely intact pieces of furniture, roughly stuffing them back into the videotape serving as a temporary suitcase, then shoved it into her pocket, packing all her belongings.
The next second, her figure twisted and reshaped like water waves, transforming into a cold-looking, efficient agent.
After all, agents must all know how to drive...
She pulled open the car door, smoothly sliding into the driver's seat. The engine let out a harsh roar, carrying this traumatized 'agent' away from this nightmare, speeding into the distance.
Only...
"What do you mean this movie is called 'Mr. Bean: The Agent'?"
"Eh? Haven't you heard of 'Johnny English,' President?"
Amber smiled as she reached out, her fingertip lightly poking Reiko's cheek, but was slapped away with a "pa."
"This is a super—interesting comedy movie~" She drew out the word, with a hint of smugness.
Megumi, who often watched various comedy movies with Amber, immediately nodded in agreement, turning on the TV while pulling Tsuan to sit beside her in the best viewing spot.
"What about Tsuan-chan? Have you seen it?"
Megumi turned her head, her eyes sparkling.
"I guarantee it'll make you laugh non-stop~"
The movie's opening music played cheerfully. Tsuan sat on the softest cushion in the middle, her body slightly relaxed, her crimson eyes curiously watching the screen.
Amber had already sat cross-legged nearby, smiling as she prepared to comment at any time, but Reiko still stood in place, arms crossed, her face carrying a hint of student council president dignity and scrutiny, as if evaluating whether this movie was qualified.
"Ahem."
She cleared her throat, her gaze seemingly casually sweeping over the absorbed black-haired girl.
"Although this kind of... mm... slapstick comedy usually doesn't meet my viewing standards..."
She paused, as if searching for a perfect reason. Amber and Megumi both tactfully remained silent, just exchanging a knowing look.
"...But."
Reiko finally thought of a noble excuse, deliberately softening her voice with a hint of undeniable concern.
"Considering Tsuan-chan took leave today and needs to relax, as her friend, I have a responsibility to... mm... watch with her."
While speaking, she extremely naturally, with an air of taking things for granted, sat down in the empty spot beside Tsuan, even smoothing her skirt.
"Oh~ It's for Tsuan-chan~"
Amber drew out her words, mischievously winking at Reiko.
Reiko immediately put on a stern face, glaring back.
"Amber! How can you watch movies without popcorn? Go get some, the... caramel flavored kind."
Fearing they might start arguing again, Megumi quickly gave Amber a new task.
"Yes ma'am!"
Amber jumped up with a smile, running to the kitchen with practiced ease.
Soon, a large bucket of popcorn emitting rich sweet fragrance, hot and golden, was carried back by Amber. The sweet, creamy aroma quickly filled the living room.
"Come come come, movie essential!" Amber placed the popcorn bucket in the center of the carpet, first grabbing a big handful to stuff in her mouth.
Megumi also smiled and reached out, then stuffed a piece of popcorn into Tsuan's mouth.
"Thanks, Amber."
Reiko hesitated, seeming to feel it wasn't quite appropriate to grab with her hands like they did, but seeing Amber and Megumi eating happily beside her, and looking at Tsuan who was chewing quietly while staring at the TV, apparently already absorbed by the plot.
She finally reached out, carefully picking up a few pieces of popcorn.
Just then, the movie's protagonist made an extremely exaggerated, clumsy yet coincidental movement, stumbling embarrassingly and bringing strong comedic effect to the audience.
All the girls without exception burst into laughter. For a moment, the small living room was filled with the girls' overlapping... intertwining laughter.
Reiko secretly glanced at Tsuan's bright smile beside her, and that excuse about accompanying Tsuan-chan seemed to become less important.
But... there was still one thing.
"Hey, Tsuan-chan."
She imperceptibly leaned over, her warm breath faintly brushing across Tsuan's slightly red, particularly sensitive earlobe in the dim light.
Her voice was extremely low, like a feather sweeping past, ensuring those two movie-watching fools couldn't hear their whispers.
"Earlier... why were you angry?"
She paused, her tone carrying a trace of barely perceptible unease.
"Did I... make you unhappy somehow?"
Asking now was safest. Reiko knew well that if she had touched this nerve during Tsuan's anger earlier... the consequences were something she didn't even dare imagine.
She held her breath, closely watching Tsuan's reaction.
Thus she successfully saw that slender body tremble violently like a startled small animal, and the blush at her ear tips rapidly spread.
But Reiko didn't pull back, instead moving closer, her soft lips almost touching that burning earlobe, her hot breath brushing there.
"Sorry, asking like this might be difficult for you... but..."
Her voice became even softer, carrying an almost pleading inquiry:
"Can you tell me? What exactly... was the reason?"
Why?
You, you still have the nerve to ask why?
Reiko's concerned and careful inquiry now sounded to Tsuan like sparks igniting a fuse.
She didn't say a word, just glared fiercely at Reiko with those beautiful eyes. Then forcefully, almost with venting force... took out her phone from her pocket.
With slight trembling, quickly tapping on the screen, unlocking, opening Line, precisely clicking on the chat window with Reiko.
Then, without a word, she thrust that lit screen directly under Reiko's nose like presenting irrefutable evidence!
The screen clearly showed the last message was the photo with Megumi she had sent over thirty hours ago.
Below was blank.
No red dots indicating new messages.
There was even a glaring "read" mark, like silent mockery.
A full thirty-plus hours!
Do you still need to ask why I'm angry?
Those crystal-clear purple pupils clearly reflected the glaring blankness on the phone screen and the silence of over thirty hours.
Then, those beautiful purple eyes suddenly widened, carrying shock that hadn't fully faded and caught-off-guard panic, directly crashing into another pair of eyes close at hand.
Those beautiful crimson eyes now misty with grievance and accusation were clearly questioning her...
—Why won't you acknowledge me?
Reiko wanted to deny it, but this was the fact.
She had actually... completely forgotten about Tsuan-chan?
Not even... thought of her once?
This thought instantly tightened around Reiko's rationality, making her feel an unbelievable absurdity.
No...
That's not right!
If she had really been ignoring Tsuan-chan all along... if her memory contained no trace of Tsuan-chan...
Then how did she know... that the black-haired girl currently looking at her with grieved eyes, waiting for her answer...
"Tsuan-chan?"
Reiko suddenly raised her head, her amethyst-like eyes filled with confusion as she stared at Tsuan, as if trying to find traces of answers on her face.
"If we haven't been in contact... how did I... know..."
Her voice tightened slightly with surprise and doubt.
"That you took... leave today?"
This sudden question also stunned Tsuan, a flash of bewilderment in her crimson eyes.
But Reiko had no time to consider her reaction. She forced herself to calm down and began searching every corner of her memory from the past thirty-plus hours.
From opening her eyes in the morning to falling asleep at night, every scene, every thought, every person she spoke with, even every document she had processed...
The result chilled her spine.
Nothing.
No images involving Tsuan-chan.
No sounds mentioning her name.
Not a single moment of thinking about her.
Tsuan was like being completely erased from her life trajectory these past two days by some invisible force!
However, the fact that 'Tsuan-chan took leave today'...
Stood like a lonely, indestructible lighthouse in her memory, crystal clear and undeniable!
How was this possible?
A person she had never thought of, yet she firmly remembered the other's leave status today?
This intense contradiction crashed madly in her thoughts, making harsh grinding sounds!
All conventional explanations seemed pale and powerless at this moment. She had fallen into a cold, eerie logical dead end that completely defied common sense.
Unless the explanation was placed... on magic.
She took a deep breath and took Tsuan's palm, interlocking their fingers and gripping tightly, feeling the other's unique soft warmth, trying to carve this sensation directly into her heart.
She seemed to understand why Tsuan, when first meeting her... had actually asked her
—Can you see me?
This question that had seemed hilariously amusing to her at the time now made the silver-haired girl's skin crawl.
These thirty-plus hours...
Starting from the moment she saw that damn photo!
Tsuan-chan... she really... completely, silently... disappeared from her world!
Not forgotten.
Disappeared.
As if erased by an invisible hand from her perception, her memory, her world... wiped away!
The impact of this realization was far more suffocating than the blank record on the phone. It pointed not to negligence, but to something... beyond understanding, explainable only by magic.
Moreover-
Reiko had no way to predict when Tsuan would disappear again next time... she didn't know how long it would be until Tsuan appeared again next time!
"Reiko...?"
The silver-haired girl forcefully pulled her into her embrace, reaching out to gently pat her back, not knowing if she was comforting her or herself.
Tsuan-chan... was originally living alone.
This cruel reality stabbed at Reiko's heart like a sharp sword, making her feel suffocated.
The blood that had just frozen from discovering Tsuan would disappear was now melted and ignited by an even more burning emotion.
She suddenly clenched her fists, letting her nails dig into her palms, bringing slight pain far less than the overwhelming self-blame and panic in her heart.
Clumsy, only liking canned food, needing help washing her hair...
Living alone, no family, no friends...
She glanced at Megumi and Amber.
Even if there were any, they would forget this person just like herself when the time came.
But she was different!
I promised that if Tsuan-chan had any problems, she could come directly to me...!
But what about now?
When she needed me most, when she might have just needed me to glance at my phone, send a good morning or good night message
I completely, totally forgot about her.
Would Tsuan be very sad, would she... always be trying to ask me for help, but I completely ignored it all?
Or...
Had she already gotten used to it?
Reiko bit her lower lip.
This feeling of helplessness was more painful than any scolding. Her sense of responsibility and perceptiveness seemed so pale before Tsuan's eerie and cruel disappearance.
"I... I..."
She tried to open her mouth, but her throat seemed blocked by something, only managing broken gasps.
She didn't even dare look at Tsuan's eyes that carried worry and a hint of fragile dependence. She was afraid of seeing disappointment, seeing wounds of being abandoned once again.
"Sorry..."
She could finally only squeeze out these few pale, powerless words, her voice hoarse and dry, carrying heavy nasal tones and undisguisable trembling.
"I... I actually... knew nothing... I couldn't help... I..."
She couldn't continue. An unprecedented sense of enormous powerlessness seized her. She hated herself for forgetting Tsuan, and even more hated her current helplessness facing this eerie phenomenon.
Should I...
Ask other monsters for help... this could...?
The warm, sweet taste interrupted Reiko's thoughts, her self-blaming eyes focusing... on Tsuan's face less than a few centimeters away.
Tsuan withdrew her tongue.
"Reiko?"
Her free hand gently cupped Reiko's cheek, wiping away the liquid that had inadvertently fallen.
"I'm here."
Mm.
"It's okay, Tsuan-chan."
Tonight I need to hold a small meeting to ask if other monsters have any solutions.
Tsuan's phone, which had been untouched for so long it had dimmed and was about to lock, suddenly vibrated. A ringtone unfamiliar even to Tsuan rang out, but fortunately those two people's attention was still on the movie, so they didn't notice what was happening behind them.
"...Hello?"
This was the first non-advertisement call she had received in years, very collectible... only...
"Who are you?"
The voice on the other end was completely unfamiliar to her, and also...
"You're the one who made the call, why are you asking who I am...?"