Eldritch

- Iori -

Shit.
I didn't know something like this could happen.
To think that the usage of my name together with associations of my person could create an empathetic link that connects straight to me.
Yes, I looked into the whole issue.
After that incident, I just couldn't rest anymore.
Funnily enough, one could say I looked into myself for answers.
It was interestingly rather informative.
All this otherworldly knowledge deep within me can be quite useful at times.

Fortunately, I heard no other prayers after the first one.
It seems like this cult leader truly held to what I asked of her and isn't gossiping about this hip new way of getting in contact with the greater god.
Shit, I'm actually getting anxious about this possibility.
If everyone would call me non-stop in some eldritch version of phone terror, I wouldn't know if I'd be able to handle myself.
I would only know about one way to help myself.
That would be to erase my name and this whole concept of calling upon me out of everyone's head.
As it is my world, I could certainly pull this off.
That might be the kind of mind magic I usually try to avoid, but I'd consider it an emergency, as it should still be far above what I'd do if my mind breaks under constant assault.

For now, I'm glad I could get around that.
Yet it makes for a bit of a heavy mind when I commute to school today.
That and another thing that I tried very hard to forget about.

"There she is! That girl who kissed with Chiaki Sato in front of the whole school!"

"Wow, that's bold."

"Her name was Nomia... something."

"Iori. Iori Nomia."

Damn, can I get my cult problems back?
I'd much rather handle those fanatics than deal with school gossip.

Though, I will just keep my head low and avoid all this craziness.

"Iiiioooooriiii!!!" (C)

Oh no!
I've tried hard to ignore my currently biggest issue.
But now it comes charging straight at me!

"Whump"

To Chiaki, "holding back" is a foreign concept, which means that she's tackling me with an all-out hug.
Much worse, I got dangerously aware of the potential threat of her lips and have to draw back my head away from her face, maybe growing one or two more segments in my neck in the process.

"I missed you! Couldn't wait all Sunday to meet you again!" (C)

We're in front of the whole school, and they're already gossiping!

Could you please stop pouring gasoline into that wildfire?!

"Chiaki! Far too many people here." (I)

Even with all the other stuff already considered, while people might be more progressive nowadays, I don't quite need the backlash from those who are not.

"Awh. That's a bummer. Well, then let's continue later. I know that I shouldn't push you so hard." (C)

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Finally.
Seems like I dodged that frickin missile just now.
That's at least my hope, until another one comes flying straight at me, in the form of a flock of people, heading down the hallway.

Somewhere between the front and center, there's a figure that all the others seem to fly around like insects.
At least, I get the feeling that this is how that person sees them.
Because I'm talking about none other than Himeko Saotome.
A third year and maybe the absolute top of the school's social hierarchy.
I fear her parents knew what they were doing when they named her a princess.
Hime means princess, by the way.
And she definitely is hard at work to live up to this title, the way she basically rules over the school.
School council, a large group of "friends", all in the upper echelons of society, and a lower class range that is at her beck and call.
All this, thanks to her apparently quite influential family.
This is already where my knowledge ends, as I wasn't invested enough in the private life of another person.
Honestly, that's quite the same to me as star gossip.
Some may be totally into this, but I don't get what's so interesting about upheaving someone's private life.

Yet despite this resolution of mine, I need to give it my all to keep blending out what her aura looks like, as I don't want to intrude like this.
This is basically exactly what I was talking about, and I don't intend to just forego it!
Yet the fact that she keeps on aiming straight towards me, even though I already respectfully dodged to the side, makes this impossible.

And now she's right in front of me.
The fact that this girl is frickin tall, forcing me to look almost straight up, doesn't make this any easier for me.

"Good day. Am I correct with the assumption that you are Iori Nomia?" (H)

Oh damn.
Nothing good ever came from an introduction like this.

"Ehm, do I need to answer this question?" (I)

"Iori, this isn't nice. You have to answer properly." (C)

"This is about as much of an answer as is required." (H)

"Sorry, but what do you want from me?" (I)

My social anxiety doesn't make it easy to handle such sudden communication, and that she has a bunch of goons behind her, which is incredibly off-putting in itself, doesn't make this any less troubling for me.
I mean, who walks around like that with a bunch of worshippers?

... Yeah, bad example.

Suddenly, another girl steps forward, fortunately addressing not me, but Saotome.

"Hime! Why are you engaging with this insolent individual?"

"Calm yourself, Renia. I was the one to initiate this contact. There lies little fault in her confusion." (H)

Alright.
The class ring isn't all that far away anymore.
If I can prevail any longer, I'll have a suitable excuse to just leave here.
It's going to be fine, as long as nobody triggers-

"Little fault? Iori is perfectly alright not to talk to perfect strangers. Didn't your parents teach you that?" (C)

I forgot, I got a Chiaki here.

"You! Do you have any idea-" (Renia)

Before she can finish, Saotome raises her arm in front of her and makes her go quiet.
Then she gives Chiaki a piercing, icy cold stare.

"You see, that was rude." (H)

"Uh, sorry. I said too much." (C)

That Chiaki would apologize.
Did she truly take on a new leaf?
Or is there something with that girl's parents?
Though, right now I'm more concerned about how that concerns me.

"Sorry, I don't want to appear rude, but could you tell me for what reason you are approaching me?" (I)

"Since the peculiar events at the sports day, your name came up again and again, Iori Nomia. To think that a member of the esteemed Nomia family would attend our school. Quite the occasion to make your acquaintanceship." (H)

Urgh, just why did she have to emphasize the name part so strongly?
I've got, at the moment, a rather peculiar relationship to it.

"Esteemed? Sorry, I don't think I can quite follow you on this." (I)

Our loft is hardly anything to brag about.

"You are denying it? Truly? Claiming that you wouldn't know? This is hardly believable, I need to say." (H)

Does she maybe mean the rest of my mother's family?
We are quite estranged from them, to the point where Mum never even told me anything noteworthy.
Just the baselines.
The main branch of the family, which Mum belonged to before she eloped with Dad, is extremely traditionalistic.
I always imagined all the classics, with an antique house, which had paper doors, a spacious zen garden, and maybe samurai swords lying around somewhere.
Point is, apparently, arranged marriages were a thing there, so they certainly didn't look kindly upon it when Mum ran away with some white dude.
That went to the point as they'd not even send a card to any occasion ever.
It probably was a courtesy that we could even carry on the name.
Yet right now, this seems more like a cause for trouble than anything else.

"I... Sorry, I still have no idea what you'd want from me." (I)

Third time's the charm.

"Oh, nothing, really. Merely getting acquainted. I'd like to know you closer. After all, this can't hurt, can it?" (H)

Oh, you have no idea what contact with me implies.
Speaking of which, why is Chiaki right now squeezing herself against my arm?

"Iori is close enough with me already!" (C)

She gives us a hard-to-pinpoint look in exchange.

"I see. Well, sometimes rumors hold a bit of truth." (H)

With this, she leaves.

Rumors?!
What rumors?