Rokujouma no Shinryakusha!? - Volume 8 - Chapter 7

Inside the Pocket

Thursday, February 4th

The next day, Maki contacted her allies in Darkness Rainbow from her room at the hotel. The other classmates sharing the room with her had all left to go ski, so she made use of being alone in the room. Instead of using her small magical tool to talk with one person, she used the same magical tools she did at home to contact everyone at the same time.

“It was certainly a strong demon, but he was horribly frightened from the start. There was no way to make a contract with him. When I talked to him, he attacked me and I had to put him down.”

“Hmm, it’s rare to see you resolve things with force, Maki.”

“If there’s no room for negotiation, then you have no choice but to resort to force.”

“That’s true.”

Maki was reporting on the white demon, but not saying any more than she had to. Really, she’d only told them that the demon was scared and that she had ended up killing it. She didn’t tell them about being bested by the demon initially, being saved by Koutarou, or about helping to save Yurika.

“Navy, why was the demon so afraid?”

“I never found out. The only clue was that the demon kept repeating the word ‘Vadra.’”

In the end, Maki never got to the bottom of what had frightened the demon so badly. Since she was unable to properly talk to it, all she really had to go off of was what the demon kept shouting. The only thing she could really put together was that Vadra seemed to be a person, place, or thing.

“I see... Vadra, huh? I haven’t heard that word before.”

The girl in purple shook her head. She was the most knowledgeable leader of Darkness Rainbow, but not even she had heard the word before.

“Well, in the end it was just a lone demon. I think it’s better if we focus on Rainbow instead.”

Seemingly bored, the girl in red tried to move the conversation forward. To her, fighting was everything, so talking about something that had already been killed was a waste of time.

“You have a point.”

Maki agreed. She was happy to shift the discussion away from the demon as well since there was a lot to the story she wanted to keep hidden. Because the other girls remained quiet, Maki took the opportunity to change the topic.

“Well then, about the mana of room 106, the reason for the increase was because Yurika and Satomi Koutarou got their hands on some artifacts.”

“Artifacts?” the girl in red asked, surprised.

“Yes,” Maki said with a nod. “Yurika has obtained a new staff and Satomi Koutarou’s sword has been strengthened.”

“Navy-chan, how is Yurika-chan’s new staff? Was it cute?”

Hearing about a new staff, the girl in orange was the first to react. It piqued her interest just like when Maki completed her new staff.

“It had a design that wouldn’t live up to your expectations.”

“Whaaat?! Another serious and old-fashioned one?!”

“Navy, what is the staff’s ability?”

“It’s rather strange. Because of that, it doesn’t pose much of a threat on its own,” Maki began. “Yurika’s new staff has been created so even someone who isn’t a magician can use it. The staff essentially automates most of the spell casting process. It also has a large variety of spells keyed to it.”

“That sounds pretty special.”

“Yes. The power of each spell, however, is weaker than most.”

“Navy-chan, does that mean that even a complete amateur can become an average magician with that staff?”

“Yes, but since we’re already magicians, it wouldn’t have much effect. It’s not like we’d get twice as strong.”

“Then what’s the point? It’s not like we fight one on one.”

“We don’t. That’s why I’m not worried.”

Maki smiled at the girl in orange. If Yurika’s new staff had been limited to a few spells, they would’ve had to reconsider their strategy. Since the staff itself had so much mana, if that were concentrated into only a handful of spells, each one would be quite powerful. But since that wasn’t the case, Maki was able to casually chat about it.

“So, Maki, what about Satomi Koutarou? His weapon increased in power too, you said?”

“Yes. Its abilities are the same as before, but its performance has greatly improved. It’s like a completely different weapon. I don’t think I could beat him on my own.”

What Maki had seen before was a sword made purely out of energy. What she saw this time around seemed to have the same abilities, but its power was on a new level.

“You don’t sound very worried though.”

The girl in red noticed that although Maki was telling them how strong Koutarou was, she didn’t sound particularly concerned. Maki honestly admitted to it.

“That’s true. I don’t think we need to regard Satomi Koutarou as dangerous.”

“What do you mean, Navy?” the girl in purple asked.

“I only understood this after my making contact with him this time, but... it seems like Yurika and Satomi Koutarou aren’t necessarily in a cooperative relationship.”

“Navy-chan, by that, do you mean to say they aren’t allies?”

“Yes,” Maki replied as she scanned the expressions of all six girls. “Last time their goals just happened to overlap, but in reality, Yurika hasn’t revealed her identity to Satomi Koutarou yet. Since Rainbow Heart forbids personal use of magic, she may never be able to. And if that never happens, they’ll never really be allies in any way that’s a threat to us.”

“Navy, that means...”

The girl in purple looked right at Maki as she seemed to realize what she was suggesting.

“That’s right, Purple,” Maki said with a nod. “If we handle things the right way, we might be able to avoid having to fight Satomi Koutarou.”

As Dark Navy, she would be able to avoid having to fight a powerful enemy. And as Aika Maki, she wouldn’t have to fight Satomi Koutarou. Maki was relieved her wishes as a girl and her duties as a magical girl wouldn’t conflict in that regard. However, the girl in red looked at Maki and flashed an impish grin.

“Hmm, last time you were going on about how you were going to kill him, but now you’re singing a different tune. Why is that?”

In her report just a few days ago, Maki had been adamant about killing Koutarou. Now she wanted to avoid a fight with him altogether. The girl in red was curious as to why, but she also wanted to tease Maki some.

Not good...

But it was that question that Maki had wanted to avoid the most. Not even she was certain of the reason herself. It wasn’t as simple as Koutarou saving her life. It was just that some vague part of her heart had accepted Koutarou. Explaining that to anyone else would be incredibly difficult, and it wasn’t something she wanted to discuss in the first place.

“I don’t live to fight like you do.”

To answer, Maki cautiously chose her words and spoke of her reasons as Dark Navy, careful not to mix in any of Aika Maki’s personal motivation.

“It’s only logical to avoid an opponent I know I can’t beat. Unlike certain parties present, I don’t believe that fighting is worth it if I know I’ll lose.”

“That’s harsh.” The girl in red smiled wryly. “But that does sound more like you. Hearing you go on and on about killing was strange.”

The girl in red saw no reason to push the subject any further. She had no reason to think that Maki’s feelings for Koutarou had changed. She assumed that Maki still despised Koutarou, she now simply wished to avoid a fight.

But the girl in red’s response somewhat stumped Maki.

“Like me”?

What did that mean? Just who was she really? Was it the Dark Navy that her allies knew? Or was it the Aika Maki that Koutarou knew?

“Navy, what are the chances of making him one of our allies?”

Maki was slipping deep into her thoughts when the girl in purple pulled her back to reality. She collected herself and directed her attention towards the girl in purple.

“Well...”

Maki pictured Koutarou in her mind. He was straightforward, clumsy, and stubborn. He did lie on occasion, but he would never betray someone’s trust. He was the only person that could release the burdens of Maki’s heart and make her feel free. Thinking of him now, Maki was careful not to let herself smile.

“I don’t think there’s much of a chance to make him a member.”

Based on Koutarou’s personality, Maki couldn’t imagine that he would agree with Darkness Rainbow’s motives. If anything, he would side with Rainbow Heart. More importantly, Maki wanted to keep Koutarou out of the fight between Darkness Rainbow and Rainbow Heart. She would rather have him as Aika Maki’s friend than Dark Navy’s ally.

“However, even if we can’t formally make him an ally, we should be able to gain an advantage if we appeal to him.”

After thinking for a while about how best to respond, Maki gave her answer as Dark Navy. It wasn’t exactly what Maki wanted, but she thought telling the truth would be the best way to convince her allies.

As long as I can keep Koutarou away from the room during the fight, he should be safe...

That was Maki’s main goal.

“That’s Maki for you. Clever and vicious.”

“Petty tricks like that don’t suit me, so you do it, Maki.”

“Navy, can we leave that part to you?”

Fortunately, the members of Darkness Rainbow didn’t doubt Maki or her report. All six of them readily agreed with her.

“Yes. I managed to gain some trust with Satomi Koutarou this time around, so I believe it would be best if I handled things from here.”

“Then please do, Navy.”

“I’ll do it concurrently with my information gathering.”

“Navy, do you have anything else to report?”

“I don’t. That’s all for now.”

“Then this meeting is now over. Also, Navy, please report any new developments to me.”

“I understand.”

As the meeting drew to a close, it seemed things had gone well. Darkness Rainbow now trusted Maki to handle the situation with Koutarou, which was exactly what she wanted since she was hoping to avoid any serious confrontation with him.

“See you later, Navy-chan.”

“Until next time.”

The holograms of the girls surrounding Maki started vanishing one after another.

“Oh, right. Maki, you’re on a skiing trip, aren’t you?”

“Yes.”

“That’s good. How about you let loose a little?”

“That’s none of your business.”

“You know, you really are just wasting your life.”

The girl in red stayed longer than the others, but once even she vanished, Maki was left alone in the hotel room once more.

“Good. I don’t have to fight with Satomi-kun...”

Now that she was alone, the serious expression melted away from Maki’s face. It was like she was a completely different person from when she was speaking as Dark Navy. However, Maki herself didn’t realize the change. Even now, she still believed herself to be the cold and evil magical girl Dark Navy.

“All right. Let’s go meet with Satomi-kun right away. I have some work to do after all!”

But as Maki flung open the door to her room and stepped out, she looked more like a magical girl of love and happiness.

When Yurika woke up, she was lying on a bed in the hotel. The last thing she could remember was being attacked by the white demon on the mountain.

“Aika-san, Aika-san! Let’s do rock, paper, scissors.”

“What?! Satomi-kun, you want me to treat you?! Matsudaira-kun would―”

“He’s a wuss. I’m not going to go easy on you just because you’re a girl.”

“Jeez, this is why you never get any chocolate on Valentine’s Day.”

“Shut up. Let’s do this. Rock, paper, scissors, shoot!”

“Rock, paper, scissors, shoot!”

However, what surprised Yurika more than anything was the casual sight unfolding before her very eyes. Seeing Koutarou and Maki sitting on the sofa together playing rock, paper, scissors was too surreal to believe.

“Aaagh! I lost!”

“So you really did use scissors. I had a feeling you’d do that after our last draw.”

“Wh-What are you two doing...?”

Koutarou threw scissors and Maki threw rock. Having lost, Koutarou held his head in mortification while Maki, the winner, simply smiled. Yurika doubted her eyes.

I-Is this some spell or curse? Am I seeing things?

Yurika knew that Maki was planning on killing Koutarou. Perhaps rock, paper, scissors was just some sort of ruse. Seeing her grin at him made Yurika nervous about what she was really plotting. She couldn’t help worrying that he was in danger right now.

“Oh, Yurika. You’re awake?”

“S-Satomi-san, what’s going on here?”

Yurika looked back and forth between Koutarou and Maki and asked for the reason why the two of them were together.

“Hmm? Oh, after you were done in, I had Aika-san help me beat that strange monster. Then I carried you back to the hotel, and here we are.”

Yurika had planned on confronting Maki after putting Koutarou to sleep at the cave. Getting frozen, however, put a damper on things and the showdown with Maki never happened. Instead, their trip into the mountains turned into a rescue mission for a missing classmate—just how Yurika had set it up. But that wasn’t really the part Yurika wanted to know about.

“Th-That’s not what I meant. Satomi-san, why are you and Maki-chan so... so friendly?!”

“Why? Well, we are classmates, you know.”

Koutarou blankly stared at Yurika. To him, Maki was a classmate. He hadn’t had much to do with her up until now, but it wasn’t because he disliked her. She’d also been a great help to him in saving Yurika. He was just treating Maki like he would anyone else, so when questioned about it, he didn’t quite understand.

“No, I mean... Listen, Maki-chan is trying to, you know...”

Yurika wanted to convey the situation to Koutarou somehow. Maki was an evil magical girl who’d been her enemy for some time now. Even worse, she was aiming to kill Koutarou. Yurika was desperate for a way to tell Koutarou, but she couldn’t come up with anything she thought might convince him. As she struggled for words, Maki spoke up.

“Heehee, Satomi-kun, since Yurika-san just woke up, how about you give her some time to get herself in order?”

“Yeah, that sounds good.”

Koutarou nodded at Maki’s suggestion. It seemed quite reasonable. There was no way Yurika wouldn’t be at least a little disoriented after being frozen solid. She should be given some space so she could calm down, and some privacy to change clothes and put herself back together.

“Maki-chan...?”

However, that only perplexed Yurika more. She couldn’t help feeling anxious about what Maki might be up to.

“Also, you’re buying, aren’t you?”

“Not because I want to, Aika-san. Hey, Yurika, you haven’t eaten anything since yesterday, right? You must be hungry. I’ll get you something, so what do you want?”

“Oh, u-um...”

“I want something to drink.”

“I didn’t say anything about getting something for you, Aika-san.”

“Whaaat?!”

She was confused enough as it was, but witnessing the intimate conversation between Koutarou and Maki left Yurika absolutely dumbstruck.

J-Just what happened...?

They sounded much closer than classmates, and perhaps even closer than friends. Koutarou was talking to Maki almost the same way he did to Yurika.

“Well, Yurika?”

“Huh...?”

“What do you want to eat?”

“Ah, r-right! If there’s some bread or something, that’ll be fine!”

“Gotcha. I’ll be right back.”

Koutarou got up from the sofa and walked towards the door, paying no mind whatsoever to Yurika’s confusion.

“Satomi-kun, make sure you don’t get lost.”

“As if I would, you goober!”

“S-Satomi-san, wait!”

Yurika helplessly called out to Koutarou, but he was already out the door and didn’t look back. Yurika was now left alone with Maki.

After Koutarou left, the room went silent. There was a lot Yurika wanted to ask Maki, but she had trouble even opening her mouth. Being alone in a room with Maki was just too weird. However, as time passed, Yurika grew more and more intimidated by the sight of Maki sitting on the couch and smiling. She eventually couldn’t bear the silence, so she finally decided to speak up and ask Maki what she was scheming. At the very least, Yurika thought maybe by talking she’d be able to distract herself from the fear.

“U-Um, Maki-chan...”

“Hmm?”

Hearing her name, Maki casually looked up. Still smiling, she stared right at Yurika. Yurika shrank back a little, but did her best to continue talking.

“Just what are you planning on doing?”

“What do you mean?”

“I’m talking about Satomi-san! What are you planning on doing to Satomi-san?!”

Yurika’s most pressing question was why Maki was acting so close with Koutarou. She knew that Maki considered Koutarou an enemy, so there definitely had to be an ulterior motive for her getting closer to him. Since Maki understood that much, she answered honestly without sneering or making fun of Yurika.

“There’s no need to be so scared, Yurika. I’m friendly with Satomi-kun exactly because I don’t want to do anything.”

“You don’t want to do anything?! Wh-Wha... What’s that supposed to mean?!”

Yurika was confused. She genuinely had no idea what Maki meant. Why would she get friendly with Koutarou if she didn’t want to do anything? Yurika had a hard time taking that at face value knowing that Maki considered Koutarou an enemy.

But what confused Yurika the most now was the atmosphere around Maki. It wasn’t the same harsh, pressuring aura she usually had. Rather, it was calm and stable. Yurika couldn’t even sense any bloodlust in her.

What is this? She’s not scary, but... I don’t feel like I could win...

Yurika felt a lot less hostility from Maki compared to before. Strangely, however, she also felt like she wouldn’t win against her if they ended up in another fight. Maki today somehow seemed stronger than Maki yesterday.

Maki-chan has gotten much stronger... Just what happened between yesterday and today?

It wasn’t like Maki’s mana had increased or she had gained new abilities. Instead, it was like Maki’s mental stability was drawing out all of her strength. It was enough to make Yurika realize that there was an overwhelming difference between them.

“That’s true, Yurika. This is probably hard for you to understand after everything that’s happened, but Darkness Rainbow has decided to avoid a direct confrontation with Satomi-kun.”

“You aren’t going to fight Satomi-san?!”

Yurika’s surprise reached new heights. If what Maki was saying was true, this was a dramatic development that would greatly affect the outcome of the upcoming battle.

“Wait, Maki-chan, what does that mean?!”

“Calm down. I’ll properly explain since this concerns you too.”

Yurika was panicking, but Maki remained calm. If the two of them were to fight now, Maki would likely win easily. That was just how vast the difference between them was.

“I figured this out while talking to Satomi-kun yesterday and today, but... Yurika, you still haven’t truly revealed your identity to him, have you?”

“R-Right... It just didn’t really pan out that way...”

At first Yurika wanted Koutarou to believe her. However, as of late, Yurika had come to feel things were fine as they were, so she hadn’t taken any steps to correct what Koutarou thought of her. She was still just a cosplayer to him.

“That’s why you’re not in a proper cooperative relationship. Isn’t that right?”

“Huh?!”

Yurika was aghast. In her mind, of course Koutarou was on her side. What Maki was pointing out, however, was that they weren’t formally allies.

“Th-That’s true, but...”

“That’s why Darkness Rainbow isn’t strictly Satomi-kun’s enemy yet. There’s no need for us to increase our enemies unnecessarily, don’t you think?”

“Ah...”

Yurika now realized what Maki—and subsequently Darkness Rainbow—was getting at. Maki and the other evil magical girls had only considered Koutarou an enemy because they believed that he was Yurika’s ally. But that wasn’t strictly the case, and therefore there was no point in attacking him. Instead, they’d changed their approach.

“S-So you’re befriending Satomi-kun?!”

“That’s right, Yurika. Since Satomi-kun is strong, I’d rather not fight him,” Maki replied with a nod. “And if possible, I want to make him an ally. Even if that fails, considering it’s Satomi-kun we’re talking about, as long as I can become his friend, there’s no way he would face me in a serious fight. That’s why I want to befriend him by any means necessary.”

“Maki-chan!”

Maki was going to use Koutarou’s goodwill to protect herself. She was using him, and that was something Yurika couldn’t forgive. Somewhat riled, strength returned to her eyes.

“But Yurika, this situation is useful for you too.”

“Huh?”

“As you know, Satomi-kun is a gentle person. He might take up arms, but he wouldn’t fight to the death.”

Maki continued speaking with a thin smile, but it didn’t appear to be the smile of someone planning on using Koutarou’s kind personality against him. Rather, Maki looked and sounded rather trusting of Koutarou. That puzzled Yurika.

“Darkness Rainbow’s intentions are just as I said. However, depending on how you and I act now, we might be able to keep Satomi-kun out of our fight.”

“Th-That’s...”

That was certainly something that Yurika was interested in. She wanted to stay Koutarou’s roommate and graduate high school with him. In order to do that, she couldn’t reveal herself as a magical girl, and she would have to keep Koutarou out of her fight with Darkness Rainbow. So using the situation to distance Koutarou from any fighting was indeed something useful for Yurika.

Maki-chan just said “Darkness Rainbow’s intentions”...

But there was also one more thing that caught Yurika’s interest. Maki had said “Darkness Rainbow’s intentions” as if her own intentions were different. And if that was the case, what was she up to?

“What’s the reason for you personally not wanting to involve Satomi-san, Maki-chan?”

“Yurika...”

Yurika had taken a stab at the heart of the matter. After recovering from her surprise at the question, Maki smiled. As she did, she looked towards the door that Koutarou had left through.

“Yesterday, after you got frozen... I was attacked by that demon and almost died.”

Still staring at the door, Maki touched her side with her hand. Last night there had been a wound there—one serious enough to threaten her life.

“But Satomi-kun saved me, so I want to return that favor.”

No sign of the mortal wound remained now. Koutarou had healed her using Signaltin’s powers. The only proof that it had even happened was in Maki’s heart, and the lingering feelings there were what now urged her to protect Koutarou in return.

“So Satomi-san saved Maki-chan... and that’s why...”

Maki and her motivations were usually incomprehensible to Yurika. But this, however, she seemed to understand. What Maki said was enough to convince Yurika. As of right now, Darkness Rainbow wanted to avoid a fight with Koutarou. There were many methods to go about that, and out of them all, Maki had chosen the safest one for Koutarou in an attempt to repay the favor.

“So let’s work together, Yurika. You and I have to keep that man out from the fight!”

“M-Maki-chan?!”

And even though Yurika understood her reasons and motivations now, Maki asking Yurika for her cooperation was quite a bombshell.

Koutarou returned shortly after Yurika and Maki’s discussion. Yurika still hadn’t recovered from the shock. She simply sat on the bed with a spaced out look on her face.

“I’m back, Yurika. I got you some bread. They had your favorite yakisoba bread, so I got you that.”

“Welcome back, Satomi-kun. What bread did you get for me?”

Yurika was so spaced out, in fact, that Maki was the only one to greet Koutarou. She got up from the sofa and approached him.

“I told you I wasn’t going to get you anything. Why on earth would I?”

“My, my... Well, if you start earning points now, I’ll let you become my boyfriend eventually.”

“I don’t want a girl you can get with bread.”

“Tsk, tsk, Satomi-kun. I told you I hate liars.”

Koutarou and Maki were casually joking around. To Yurika who was watching them, it certainly didn’t seem like a relationship that had developed overnight. Koutarou was treating Maki the same way he did Kenji, his childhood friend.

Maki-chan said that Satomi-san saved her life, but... is that really all?

And that was exactly what stumped her. Koutarou and Maki were acting more like childhood friends than they were savior and saved. Something else must have happened. Something more profound than just Koutarou saving Maki’s life. But what? And how could that even be? Yurika racked her brain for answers, but the more she thought about it, the less likely the whole scenario seemed. She was chasing her own thoughts in circles.

“Well, you did help me out a lot yesterday, so I’ll at least give you something to drink.”

“Really?”

“Consider it a bribe to keep you quiet.”

“Ahaha, understood. So what do you have?”

“Let’s see... An unhealthy cola, an unhealthy cola made by another company, and some overly sweet strawberry milk for Yurika.”

“A cola then. I love cola.”

“What a coincidence. I do too, actually.”

Koutarou pulled out two dark bottles from the plastic bag he was holding and then put the bag in Yurika’s lap. All that was left in it was her strawberry milk and yakisoba bread.

“Here. You can have this one.”

“I prefer the other one.”

“Don’t be so picky.”

“Since it’s a bribe, I think I’m allowed to be picky.”

“...Fine...”

Koutarou reluctantly handed his favorite cola over to Maki, and she accepted it with both hands and a smile.

“That side of you is worth a lot of points, you know?”

“I better hurry up and drink this one before you take it too.”

“You know I wouldn’t do that, Satomi-kun. Teehee...”

Yurika continued to watch the two of them as they began chatting and drinking their colas. They were smiling and laughing together, even coming close to doing a few spit takes.

Somehow... they get along really well...

Yurika felt like the atmosphere surrounding Koutarou and Maki was special. It was something he hadn’t shared with anyone else.

“Now, let’s see...”

“Where are your manners, Aika-san?”

“Thank you for the drink, Satomi-kun.”

After finishing her cola, Maki got up from the sofa. She put her hands together and smiled at Koutarou.

“Satomi-kun, do you want to go skiing together after this?”

“Yeah, let’s do that. Yurika, you’re coming too, right?”

“Ah, um...”

“All right, then it’s decided. I’ll go get ready!”

Before Yurika could properly reply, Maki was already walking towards the door. It seemed she wasn’t going to take a no for an answer.

“Let’s meet up in the lobby after getting changed.”

“Yeah... Yurika, don’t space out. Finish your bread or we’ll leave you behind.”

“O-Okay! I will! I’m coming!”

Yurika was still doubtful of Maki. She wasn’t sure she trusted her enough to leave her alone with Koutarou, so even though it meant going outside in the cold and exercising, she had no choice but to go skiing with them.

“Heehee...”

Maki left the room with a little giggle, but after entering the hallway and closing the door, she stopped for a moment.

“Phew...”

She let out a deep sigh of relief. Being alone with Koutarou was one thing, but she couldn’t help feeling a little nervous around Yurika. She was still an enemy.

Oh right...

As she sighed, she remembered what was in her pocket.

“Maybe I should... use it...?”

Maki mumbled to herself in a quiet voice as she put her hand in the pocket of her skirt and touched something small and hard with her fingertips. This seemed like the right time, but Maki was still hesitant to pull it out. Her smiling lips now pursed with unease.

“But... won’t it... be like tricking him...?”

Maki wrapped her fingers around what was in her pocket, but she still couldn’t bring herself to pull it out. Yet at the same time, she couldn’t let go of it either. Maki was still wavering, but...

“No, I’m sure it’s fine... He’s not the kind of person who would be fooled by something cheap like this...”

She mustered her courage and drew her hand from her pocket.

“And in that case... it’s fine... if I make myself look a little cuter... right...?”

She slowly opened her hand. Her heart started beating faster. Her mind started to go blank and her hand was slightly trembling.

“Would he like it if I...”

In her hand was something she had always scorned.

“N-No! It’s not about that! This is for Darkness Rainbow’s sake! That’s right! If it’s for them, I can do my best, even if I have to do things I hate!”

It was the liquid lipstick that she had supposedly thrown away.