Sureiyazu

Episode 28: The Demonslayer Who Crashed the Party

"Hi," she said somewhat awkwardly. "How do I look . . . ?"

"Good," Kasai said immediately, but Akuma noticed that her eyes were glazed over.

"Better than I anticipated," Aya added. "Though that isn't saying much, is it?"

"I think Akuma looks good," Mizuki said (with a hint of boredom). "But can I ask why I'm looking at everyone's dresses if I'm the only one not going?"

"I'm not going either," Heishi pointed out. "Wait, I'm not, right?"

"No, Heishi, you're not," Aya answered. "And Mizuki, you're doing this as a trust exercise."

Kasai snapped out of her sleep-like state. "Uh, you know, trust exercises are supposed to have something where you need to trust each other to do it right . . . like, I don't know, rock climbing?"

"This is a trust exercise," Aya insisted, "because if we don't tell the truth about how someone looks, they'll look terrible when we go to the ball and that's just mean."

"Wow," was all Kasai said in reply.

"Well, what do you think, Yuri?" Heishi asked brightly.

Yuri shrugged.

"Yeah, I think I'll just go get changed now," Akuma announced before turning around. When she came back out, the air seemed much easier to breathe.

She watched each of the others try on their outfits: Aya's long, navy blue gown; Kasai shorter, red dress with orange and yellow trim; and Yuri's short white one with poofed-out sleeves.

"That was fun," Kasai said sarcastically, leaving immediately after Heishi had gone back into the closet to change. "But I'm off to . . . elsewhere."

Aya shook her head.

"When's the ball again?" Akuma asked.

"In a few days," Aya replied. "We'll be fine."

"Even Yuri?" Akuma asked, seeing that the girl had left the room. "She doesn't seem fine to begin with."

Aya had to ponder this. "I'm not sure. But you know, it's inhuman to be sure all the time."

~~~

The few days passed quickly.

Soon the Sureiyazu found themselves in a room decorated similarly to how Yuri's thirteenth birthday party had been. The room itself was gigantic, with long, flowing drapes and and a small orchestra playing music.

"Nice, isn't it?" Aya asked her teammates, who nodded, unsure what to do (or, in Yuri's case, just choosing not to say anything).

"Ah," said a tall man nearby. "Our most esteemed guests!"

"Us?" Akuma blinked.

He hurried over. "Yes, you. You are the Sureiyazu, aren't you? Yes, I've heard that they now have a girl with blue hair with them."

"Oh, yeah, that's me," Akuma offered.

"I figured," he said slowly. "If you don't mind, we'd like to announce your presence. Follow me . . ."

He led them to a small elevated space, where there were two thrones, now empty, luckily enough for Yuri. The man then announced loudly, "The Sureiyazu, protectors of Sekai!"

Everyone in the room looked up at them. Some applauded.

Kasai waved. Aya looked ashamed.

After a few moments, the applause died down and people began dancing again. The Sureiyazu let out a breath they hadn't know they'd been holding.