HKZ 159

Chapter 159

Continued from last week, Ebino asks Ririsu if she lied to her, while smug Eve looks back and apologizes for being tricked by Ririsu.

The bus shows up, and Ririsu simply says she's had enough and turns around and sprints off. Ebino calls for her, but to no avail. A black car skids in like the Secret Service and shuttles her off with a snap of her fingers.

Tarou is trying to figure out the situation. He believes she became a broken-heart zombie when he started to feel like he was betrayed by Ririsu, but still doesn't understand what the heck Eve meant by saying she was 'deceived' by Ririsu.  Just then, Eve returns to normal.

Ebino says she's going to Ririsu's house because she knows she's not the kind of person to just tell a lie without good reason. Tarou tells her that she shouldn't bother, because it doesn't have anything to do with her. However, she says she's plenty involved because of what she already knows, but also because she blames herself for causing him to see First Love Zombies (FLZ) again in the first place. She thinks back to when Ibusuki told her the ball she hit caused Tarou's affliction, and she begins to weep nearly uncontrollably, wondering what she should do.  Tarou tells her that he's had the ability before, so she shouldn't blame herself.  When he says this, it appears that Eve gets a bit of a 'tired' look on her face.

Back at Ririsu's house, she lays in bed trying to understand what happened, reflecting on the events of last chapter where Eve turned into a Broken-Heart Zombie and the fact she called her 'ugly' using a term that is almost exclusively used to describe women. Even though she did this all to help Tarou, she decides that it's no longer any of her concern. Tarou can live however he likes. She's had enough.

Tarou and Ebino go to her house but her grandmother tells her she's feeling ill and that she is sleeping. So, they leave her alone, and say they'll try to talk to her tomorrow at school. They go their separate ways.

Tarou is walking with Eve, and asks her what she meant by saying she was 'deceived' by Ibusuki (AKA Ririsu). She asks if Tarou trusts her to tell him the truth, and he says 'of course I do.'

Eve tells him that Ibusuki had told her that she should let Tarou spend some time alone with friends so he could experience a normal life for a change. So, she set up the situation at the pool, and during that time, she would sit with her at the poolside o let Tarou have some freedom to play with his friends. Then she says Ibusuki suddenly reached 'his' hand out and touched Eve with a mysterious force, commanding her to sleep. As she lost consciousness, she could hear Ibusuki's voice, as 'he' said "I could never forgive the demon who seduced Tarou." In her last waking moments, Eve says she began to think about the idea she could never see Tarou again, and began to feel incredibly hurt. That's why she turned into THAT form.

Tarou hugs her and tells her she did nothing wrong, and that he will never leave her. She begins to cry, and says "I want to stay like this forever." However, the speech bubble takes an oddly ominous shadow creeping from the top...

The next day at school, Ryu kinda pries a bit to see what happened between them the day before. They noticed Ibusuki's desk is empty. Maybe she still has a cold?

The teacher comes in and makes an announcement. Although it's sudden, it appears Ibusuki will no longer be attending this school. She has moved back overseas.

End of Chapter