Though for now he couldn't be sure whether these materials were genuine, nor whether they'd been stripped from the living or from the dead...
But Amamiya Rin could no longer summon any goodwill toward the participants of this party.
Ever since he had crossed over, he had received help from all sorts of people, and Junji Ito's manga, too, had depicted the many kinds of human kindness.
True, such kindness was always repaid poorly, yet the keynote Junji Ito had set was a universe shrouded in darkness—where the light, faint though it still was, was reviving little by little, and was destined to win the final victory.
And so, Amamiya Rin affirmed the goodness in human nature.
Toward strangers, too, he often harbored a measure of goodwill.
Even in the case of Teacher Takagi—aside from his loathing for what she had done, he also felt a few traces of sympathy and sorrow, because Tomie had played a part in turning Teacher Takagi into the thing she became.
But now, to feel such direct revulsion and malice toward ordinary humans—this truly was a first.
"Who did you come with, Amamiya-kun? I don't think I've seen you before."
Beside him, Sato Kei in her little black dress also turned to look, her gaze carrying curiosity and admiration.
"Someone I know."
Amamiya Rin didn't elaborate; at the moment he had little desire to bring up Toshiyuki Eide.
"A friend, hmm..."
The doll-faced Tanabe Michiko gave a giggle and sidled over as well.
"So what does Amamiya-kun do? Are you a student? Or already working?"
"Freelancer."
Amamiya Rin answered coldly.
"A freelancer? That sounds interesting."
Tsubakihara Tomomi's eyes lit up; she seemed quite intrigued by this "unconventional" status of Amamiya Rin's.
Amamiya Rin, however, had no interest in any of them. He set his plate aside and walked of his own accord toward that so-called art sofa, reaching out to touch it.
The instant his fingertips brushed against the sofa's leather, the strange color in his eyes grew deeper.
This was not the first time he had touched skin no longer attached to a human body; the merest contact was enough to confirm his earlier suspicion.
It was no longer a suspicion—this sofa, its leather, was exactly as Amamiya Rin had guessed.
"Hahh..."
Amamiya Rin's breathing grew a little heavier; his eyes slowly closed, concealing the loathing that surged up from the bottom of his heart.
"Is Amamiya-kun interested in this artwork?"
Tsubakihara Tomomi's voice rang out again. At some point she, Sato Kei, and Tanabe Michiko had gathered around him; in the eyes of all three flickered an undisguised fondness, their gazes lingering on Amamiya Rin's face.
"No."
Amamiya Rin turned away, his face showing no expression, only the chill in the depths of his eyes growing a shade colder.
He answered perfunctorily and lifted his foot to leave.
"Don't be in such a hurry to go."
Sato Kei took half a step forward, smiling charmingly.
"Is this your first time at a party like this? You look a little stiff. Relax—everyone's just here to chat and have a few drinks."
"Oh, that's right, there'll be a dance-floor segment later. Can you dance, Amamiya-kun?"
Tanabe Michiko blinked and leaned in closer, the scent of her perfume drifting toward Amamiya Rin.
"Even if you can't, that's fine—I can teach you."
Tsubakihara Tomomi immediately chimed in.
"I can too, you know—I'm rather a good dancer."
Sato Kei joined in the invitation as well, her tone seemingly casual, but her eyes were set on having him.
For a moment, Amamiya Rin seemed to have become a high-priced quarry, three beauties of differing styles all fixing him with fervent stares, eager to hunt him down.
On the other side, Kawakami Tomie was not nearly as low-key as Amamiya Rin. As he walked toward the edge of the party, she and Toshiyuki Eide strode to its very center, and that impeccable beauty and allure instantly drew in the men around her.
"And who might this beautiful lady be..."
A man of about thirty in a silver-gray suit, holding a wine glass, appeared at just the right moment off to her front side, a debonair smile hanging on his face.
"Hello, I'm Hayashinari Yamanaka."
Another man sidled over; he looked gentle and courteous, yet made no effort to hide the arrogance in his every gesture.
"Whoa." A youth with a messy mop of bleached-blond hair gave a whistle, sizing Tomie up and down without the slightest restraint, his grin radiant. "You little brat from the Toshiyuki family—where'd you dig up such a stunner? That's not very sporting of you, keeping her hidden away."
"Nishimura-san, you must be joking."
Toshiyuki Eide forced a dry laugh, fine beads of sweat seeping from his forehead.
Tomie gently raised a hand and tucked a stray lock of black hair behind her ear—just that one casual motion, yet it unleashed an even more overbearing presence, leaving even that devil-may-care blond youth stunned for an instant.
"You came before me just to say something this dull?"
Kawakami Tomie gave a contemptuous little smile, a few traces of acerbity slipping into her voice.
And an attitude like this, without question, only provoked the men all the more.
The three of them clustered toward Tomie, subtly letting slip their wealth and standing; the poise cultivated over long years in high positions had now turned into a showy display, like a peacock spreading its tail.
Toshiyuki Eide and the other men of lower status were squeezed out to the margins, their faces ghastly, yet unable to utter even a word of protest.
This was also because Kawakami Tomie had reined herself in at Amamiya Rin's request; otherwise, the likes of Toshiyuki Eide would never have shown any regard for these three men's status and rank.
"What's all the commotion?"
The disturbance over here drew the attention of a beautiful woman in a dark green gown standing some distance away.
She followed the crowd's gaze, and when she made out the black-haired beauty being thronged at the center, the expression on her face froze.
"Kawakami... Tomie...!"
The woman's pupils contracted, and a chill shot up her spine.
"Who invited her here?"
Others, on account of their gender, didn't dare look at Kawakami Tomie's file and wouldn't recognize her—but how could she fail to recognize Kawakami Tomie?
Such a dangerous monster—who had brought her over?
"Lady Takaichi, it seems she's with the Toshiyuki family's people."
The attendant beside her answered in a low voice.
"That fox-demon clan?"
Takaichi knit her brows, a look of contempt surfacing on her face.
To be of the fox-demon clan, and yet to be bewitched by a woman—truly laughable.
"Give them a warning."
Takaichi turned to the side and instructed the attendant beside her.
The attendant gave a slight nod, slipped soundlessly into the crowd, and first came to Hayashinari Yamanaka's side, moving his lips while using the pretext of passing along a drink.
Hayashinari Yamanaka had been gazing at Tomie with a smile, his fingertips unconsciously rubbing the stem of his glass.
The moment the attendant's words fell, the smile on his face abruptly stiffened; though it lasted only an instant before he recovered a proper curve, the fervor in his eyes had already cooled rapidly, turning instead into intense regret and chagrin.
When Nishimura heard the attendant's whisper, that cynical grin of his froze as well, the undisguised interest in his eyes replaced by a flustered, uneasy alarm.
The third man's face likewise changed drastically, a look of shock and anger flashing across his eyes as he instinctively shifted his gaze away from Tomie's face.
"My apologies, Miss Kawakami, I've just remembered there's an urgent phone call I need to deal with. Please excuse me for a moment."
"I've just recalled an appointment with my father as well—it's about that time. Toshiyuki-kun, Miss Kawakami, please enjoy your evening."
"Something's come up. I'm off."
Each of the three found his own excuse and bolted, their hurried, departing figures looking utterly disgraceful, leaving the surrounding men unable to help but wear bewildered expressions.
____
👻🔥+40 ch on Pátreon: Walnut-chan🔥👻
🔥 New Zenless Zone Zero: Rewriting Fate in New Eridu — read it on The_Mikudayo
📚 Forty chapters of advanced reading at Walnut-chan, and it goes straight into keeping the translations on schedule
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