Chapter Text
A man made of dreams doesn't exist. Well, it does exist once someone becomes your crush. This very thing happened to Rachel Alucard, a short vampire woman with great power and great responsibilities. She had gotten eyes for her trusty friend or partner: Ragna the Bloodedge. She would mostly treat him as one of her subjects than one of the two priorly mentioned types of relationship. However, if she acted cold at times, it was to downplay that crushing crush she had on the man. Jealousy was consuming her every time he would hang out with another girl. However, she was one of the higher powers of this world, an individual with the power reminiscent of an Observer. So, to keep herself calm was one of her duties.
Yet, she couldn't help it. She loved the man and would do almost anything so one day she could hear him say: 'the person I love is Rachel.' She wanted him to realise she was the best woman he could longed for.
So, she became entrailed in observing him and his every activity and interest. She watched him in secret. She had been observing him since he was a youngster, yet she was still looking for clues to, eventually, gather her courage and show her love for him. However, she could never muster that courage and determination, so she became some sort of stalker instead.
One day, she was observing Ragna at a distance. The man was spending time with the clingy Taokaka at a restaurant. She discretely observed from the corner of a street and looked through the restaurant's window. She glared at Taokaka with distaste and annoyance. She was a dim-witted but kind lady, Rachel had no hard feelings against her, but she was annoyed at how freely Tao was able to act around Ragna. She was an equal to him, not some old lady with some sort of power imbalance thrown into it. Rachel pouted, gripping her parasol more tightly. Nago, said parasol, bit back his words, because commenting on his master's sour mood was far from a good idea.
"Can you go talk to him already, Princess? It's been a while since we're there, he's not worth that much of your time," Gii, her bat familiar, complained. He was her little shoulder demon. He was one of the things that would discourage Rachel to spend more time with Ragna. He was a bit right after all, Ragna was a mortal, unlike Rachel. So, her attraction to him will ultimately die along with him, and she was supposed to move on before she could make her turmoil even worse.
Still, she wanted to punch Gii for being such a pain. Yes, she had spent a lot of time observing Ragna, but it wasn't anything that exaggerated and worth complaining about. She turned to her bat, reaching a hand out, about to grab him and pinch him, but her movement was stopped as another presence suddenly arrived, grabbing the bat for her. Gii let out a little yelp of surprise before screeching in panic as the way bigger hand than Rachel's covered his mouth and squished his soft little body.
"Oh! It's an honor to stumble upon you and your pets, Miss Alucard," a creepy voice said.
Rachel lifted her eyes and head to look at its owner directly. It was Hazama, the vessel of the deceased Susanoo, created by a psychopath to allow that evil spirit to bring more destruction into the world. Rachel's pout didn't fade as she glared at the man before her. He was grabbing her bat tightly and held it closed to him, pressing him against his chest. The bat was flailing and wailing, pleading for his master to come to his rescue.
Rachel stayed jaded and finally answered Hazama's greeting. "Hazama, it is such a coincidence to see you there. I believe there is nothing worth your interest. Unless, you came for me…" Rachel speculated, her head lowering in gloominess.
Hazama laughed in what sounded like mockery. It took a bit of time for his laughter to fade and speak again. "Oh! Oh no! You!? Are you kidding me? I think there's someone worth my– well– OUR interest much more in the area," Hazama said, leaning in and invading Rachel's personal space. Rachel backed off in disgust. "Have you thought about Ragna?" He almost whispered.
Any attempt at temptation coming from Hazama was falling flat on Rachel. "If you want to capture him, you'll have to confront me first," Rachel threatened.
Hazama backed off from her and finally let go of her bat. He turned so his shoulder faced her, nose clearly pointing to the window through which it was possible to see Ragna. He tilted his hat over his eyes a little and scoffed. "I'm not there to pick a fight with you either, Miss Alucard. Torture is a fun occupation, but it's not my only hobby, please!" Hazama teased, an overly sad frown forming on his face.
Gii flew and hid behind Rachel. Rachel was still trying to figure out what Hazama's goal could be. She knew Terumi, Susanoo, well but his vessel was something else when it came to the soul.
"Please, explain yourself then. If you are not searching for confrontations, I cannot figure out your purpose of being there," she bluntly stated, already having enough of Hazama's jest.
"Do I need a purpose to come look at Raggy having fun? I bet you came here for that exact reason too," Hazama speculated.
Those words almost hit Rachel directly to the heart. She almost blushed after being read so easily but she kept her cool and decided to retort to him. "Oh? So you came to observe Ragna? For what reason?" She asked.
"Because I want to. There's no other reason," Hazama replied.
"And you provoked me and captured my familiar for what reason?"
"It's my way of saying 'hi' to you," he answered.
Rachel was a bit exasperated. "Then, you should refined your social skill, as it is not a way to greet a lady."
Hazama turned to Rachel and mockingly bowed at her. "Oh? Then my sincere apologies to you and your little red friend, princess," he unfolded from his bow and looked directly at her. "However, I could say the same to you. Your social skills must be as bad as mine if you don't even have the guts to walk into that restaurant and talk directly to your damn crush instead of stalking him like an obsessed weirdo," Hazama shot at her, his eyes opening a little as his language degraded. He soon closed them back and played the innocent card. "Oops, I'm sorry, I let my mouth run," he jested.
Rachel gripped so hard on the tail of her parasol that she made Nago gasp in slight discomfort. She, once again, cooled down quickly.
"Then, prove to me how competent you are. Get inside that building, and go speak to your 'crush' directly first," she retorted.
Hazama pressed on his hat and raised his shoulders. He looked to the side, shoes scratching the concrete under him as he backstepped. "He's not MY crush, you know?" He groused.
Rachel bore up a little smirk as soon as she heard that. "Then, according to your logic, he wouldn't be my 'crush' either. So, this discussion meant nothing," she pointed out.
There was a moment of silence, both of them looking at each other with stares of apprehension.
Hazama broke the building tension first and pinched the brim of his hat. His smile became less mocking. "Would that be too intrusive to ask you to be my host for a tea party?" He asked, out of the blue.
Rachel broke the staring and turned her head, frowning deeply. "Are you asking this because you are aware of my fondness for tea times? I will let you know that as much as I appreciate this occupation, this is not my sole hobby, please," she retorted in a snooty tone.
Hazama covered his mouth as he let out a chuckle. "Oh, my apologies, your highness, what I meant was; are you free for a short tea time? I assumed you were, considering that you were doing something quite…useless," he elaborated.
Rachel closed her eyes and huffed. She stayed silent, so her familiars spoke for her.
"He just caught me! You can't possibly be considering this, princess!" Gii squeaked.
"I think you should accept; a moment of relaxation, even with a man like him, would be pleasant, mh?" Nago suggested, his voice soft and way less annoying than Gii's.
"Fine, I accept," Rachel decided. A strong wind began to flow around them like a small tornado. Hazama had to hold his hat in place so it wouldn't fly away. Petals of roses accompanied the wind, covering the sight of the world around them until the scenery changed. The rose's petals fell and they found themselves in Rachel's garden, at a little gazebo prepared for tea times. Rachel lowered her parasol as a sign for Nago to shapeshift back into his standard form. Gii looked anxious, flapping his little wings, looking right and left and sweating nervously. Hazama was neutral, looking at his watch as if nothing happened.
"You are lucky; everything is prepared and Sir Valkenhayn is on an expedition, so you can safely stay for a bit. Please, take a seat," Rachel said as she gestured toward the neat little table: it had two chairs, two cups of tea and a teapot.
Hazama removed his gaze from his watch and bowed with a hat removal. "I am honoured, your highness." He unfolded from his bow and put back his hat. Then, he walked toward one of the seats and neatly sat on it. His legs were straight but shaky, one hand was twitching and grabbing his thigh as if his pants were too tight and his other hand was on his hat, toying with it.
Alucard followed and went to her seat. She neatly sat but her ankles crossed as a certain anxiety built in. She snapped her fingers and Gii came to her. "It's my pleasure," she finally replied to Hazama. She then addressed Gii. "Gii, would you please serve the tea?" She said in a soft tone, but she was harshly demanding it.
"Yes, princess…" Gii replied, defeated. Nago walked to be beside Rachel before curling in a ball and closing his eyes, napping as his master didn't need him at the moment.
So, Gii held the teapot and served both of them without retaliation despite one of them being someone he thought was horrible. Hazama even thanked him but Gii only let out a disapproving little groan and closed his eyes.
Rachel took a sip of tea first. Hazama didn't touch his. "So, what is the reason you wanted to do that tea time?" Rachel asked, her tone haughty and a slight impatience notable.
"Excuse me for the bother, Princess, I wanted to have a little bit of your time and I knew you liked to talk over a cup of tea. Also, I deduced that a bit of privacy would be necessary for what I wanted to discuss with you," Hazama explained, turning his head a little to avoid Rachel's stare.
The princess took another sip of her tea before she incited the man to proceed. "I am allowing you to speak as much as your non-existent heart desires."
Hazama nodded lightly and finally brought a hand to his tea cup. He picked the handle with two fingers but didn't lift it. "It is about Ragna the Bloodedge. Your earlier comment about this individual being my 'crush' was…" he hissed. His fingers pressed harder on the handle and the liquid inside was vibrating with the trembling of Hazama's hand. Rachel eyed it but didn't comment on it, undesiring to interrupt him. "... closer to the truth than you may have ever imagined," he finished, unloading a huge weight on Rachel. His throat visibly moved as he swallowed and he swigged the content of the tea cup in one shot as if it could help him reduce the awkwardness he was feeling. He sighed and said more. "I thought you deserved to know, since he's your little precious. So, if we cross paths in our subject observation, know that I mean no harm…"
He groaned and slammed the cup on the saucer, making a sharp noise. "Tch, sorry, this is completely idiotic, I know. I don't understand it myself but this man invades my dreams like a clinging parasite," he pressed on his hat harder, "I want to cure this illness, but I simply cannot. It's now living into me and feeding on my essence. Mock me if you want but it had to come out and you were the perfect person; after all, you do like him too, right?" Hazama ranted.
Rachel looked at him with thoughtful eyes before she looked away and at her cup. "I see…" she managed to breathe out as she looked at her forced neutral expression in the reflection of the pale liquid in her cup.
"I think I need to elaborate a little: if you love him too, I won't try to steal him from you. I just thought you should know, since I don't want us to be as cold toward each other anymore… because we might cross paths again in the future, and I am so sorry for bringing my ugly face near you. Especially since you are… so kind," Hazama spoke more, explaining his feelings in greater detail and, also, complimenting Rachel in a surprisingly honest tone.
Rachel put down her cup and sighed. "I must thank you for sharing that information with me. It is quite kind. You trust me with such an embarrassing feeling, it is unbelievable coming from you. I appreciate the honesty," she decided to praise, feeling indeed lucky to hear such a secret.
"Again, apologies for bringing my ugly face into this… haha, I kind of want to break the tension by killing you a few times…" Hazama shared as he brought a hand to his tie and loosening it as sweat accumulated on his neck.
"I wish you were capable of such a feat. Unfortunately, if you try to lay a hand on me, Valkenhayn and Ragna won't take it well and you'll dig yourself in an even deeper pit than you are already in," Rachel replied, nodding in certainty.
"I only said that because I know you won't die: if you do die, to whom may I share my dirty secrets. Even if it is already done, I must admit…"
Hazama removed his hand from his tie and sighed. Rachel gestured to Gii to serve him more tea and he followed her command. Hazama took a sip of it immediately as Gii retracted. Then, Hazama's expression somewhat darkened. The tension was probably getting too intense for him, so he stood up from his seat and excused himself. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have bothered you with such an idiotic matter. We're not friends, after all. So, that's all, I'll see myself out," he said, bowing slightly over the table, a bashful look on his face.
So he wouldn't flee, Rachel acted fast. "No! Wait!" She called. Hazama looked back at her and lost a bit of the gloom in his expression, his hand finally way lighter on his hat. "Please, sit down, there's plenty of tea left," she found an excuse. Hazama looked blankly at her as a way to tell her he didn't care. However, his slight confusion was visible in his eyes, despite how low his eyelids were. So, Rachel elaborated on why she wanted him to stay. "Since you shared your secret, I need to spell it out to you…"
Hazama looked back at her. Gii was also staring, worry visible in his eyes as if he didn't like what was about to happen. He put down the teapot and flew away; he knew Rachel wanted a bit of space by her darkening expression.
Rachel stared at her cup of tea and she never guessed that one of the people she would have shared that secret with was someone she was once enemy with. She finally spoke up. "I, too, have a 'crush' on Ragna," she revealed, her voice little and quiet.
Hazama's frown turned upside down. He smiled amicably. His lips moved, as if he wanted to scoff but he bit his lips and spoke neutrally instead. "It's… nice to hear. It's interesting that we share a common interest despite the two of us being so different, haha…"
Rachel was surprised by that caring attitude but she didn't say anything.
"So, if you are revealing to me such a thing, and judging by your attitude earlier, I presume you haven't told Ragna yet?" Hazama guessed.
"Correct, I did not," Rachel frankly replied, taking a quick sip of her tea to deal with the tough subject.
Hazama began to lower himself so he could sit down. "Oh, that's too bad, I think you shouldn't be afraid to do so. I swear, I'm not joking at all. I think you should explore that feeling. Unlike me, you got a chance with him," he declared, his bottom finally hitting his seat. His smile then widened. "Besides, I'm sure he loves you too. After all, I observed him a lot. Don't forget that I am, after all, a stalker, haha," he said in self-mockery, laughing at his own mediocrity.
Rachel, unlike him, wasn't smiling. Her more disheartened side came to surface and it showed in her expression. She closed her eyes and took a sip of her tea. "Maybe he does," she started, her voice monotone. "However, our relationship will never be certain unless he or I make a first move. However, even then, I can not accept this course of events to happen. As an immortal, being with a mortal would be immoral. I can not spend time on romance. It would only distract me from the real duty of my existence," she concluded, taking another sip of her tea to show that she was done speaking.
Hazama chuckled quietly and brought his elbows on the table. He brought his hands together and crossed his fingers before he brought his chin on them. He looked enthralled in the discussion. Also, the little tilt of his head to the side and the way he happily smiled showed a teasing attitude coming back. "Aww, that's so moody. Come on, Miss Alucard, have some fun! In my opinion, you should try it before judging it a horrible action," he encouraged gleefully. "See it on the bright side: at least you don't have Terumi's face. Oh, how I wish I could get that wonderful Ragna, even if his lifetime is shorter than mine. You see, my condition is even more life-ruining than yours; I can't even do anything related to love with him! I always end up with a punch in the face," he continued his encouragement but he added some self-deprecating insults along the way. He was smiling but he felt miserable.
Rachel sighed exhaustively. "You don't understand. His death would be the only thing on my mind for too long, making my already miserable existence even more miserable and, this, for all eternity," she argued with Hazama on who had it the worst.
Hazama, instead of simply retorting, stood up from his seat and leaned a hand toward her. He managed to touch her face. His thumb slid across her cheeks and his expression suddenly turned lewd. "Then, let me have that miserable body of yours…" he said in a growl-like voice.
Rachel jumped. "What!?" She exclaimed, before using her wind power, the Silpheed, to create a waft of air. It pushed herself out of her seat, pushed Hazama's hand away and the blow almost made his hat fly away, so he had to bring a hand to it, distracting him from any naughty thing he was about to talk about. A little blush formed on Rachel's face. "Hands off, beast, and explain yourself!" She ordered.
"Owie! Sorry, I didn't mean to fluster you…" Hazama stepped away a little bit more from the table, a frown on his face.
"Well, you did. Now explain yourself," Rachel demanded.
"Well, you see… I am also immortal but, unlike you, I can get destroyed. As for you, you are beautiful and much more to Ragna's liking…"
"Stop wasting time, this isn't an explanation," Rachel groused.
"I'm getting to it!" Hazama yelped. He took a bit of time to calm down. "So, I was thinking…" he bit his lower lip in hesitation. His mouth was firmly closed, looking highly hesitant. "Say, you do remember the good old time when the continuum shift was at its peak, right? So, you must be aware of Professor Kokonoe's 'special' invention, mh?" He asked.
"Yes, it was such a strange occurrence. When the time reseted, our souls came back to their respective bodies as if nothing had happened," Rachel replied.
"So, since the continuum shift is on a break… What do you think about switching vessels?" Hazama shyly asked, aware that his idea was dumb.
"What? This is foolish, you know?"
"I know! But, listen… you don't like that your life can't be taken and I don't like having Terumi's face damaging my appearance. So, we could switch vessels. Once in mine, you could do whatever you want, I don't care. You could try to date Ragna, if you think you can bypass that roadblock that is my face, while I could have your eternal yet miserable body. I wasn't planning on killing myself anytime soon and you lived as long as you wanted by now, I presume. Furthermore, I could finally have a shot at Ragna. You understand?" Hazama thoroughly explained his plan, which consequently made Rachel reconsider the utterly absurd.
"I see your point. However, you are a vessel, are you not? Can your soul even survive such a switch? You have a soul, but it's not the strongest there is…Who knows what it would do once into that powerful body of I," she brought up.
"Look, it doesn't hurt to try, doesn't it?" Hazama mentioned.
Rachel took the time to ponder. This was a key to free herself from the turmoil of eternal life, which could free her now, or she could act on her love without having to suffer if Ragna were to die. So, she could live as long as Ragna lives, then kill herself, like she wanted to do for years.
"Fine, I accept," she replied.
"Ooh! I knew you would say yes!" Hazama squealed, overjoyed.
"So I will leave you the burden of dealing with everything related to my life, I hope you will be on par."
"Just need to act haughty and shit? Easy! Oh, this will be fun!" Hazama grinned widely, excitement rising.
Rachel was already worried, but it wouldn't be her problem anymore. Kokonoe and Amane and the rest of her acquaintances could always keep an eye on him. Nevertheless, she wasn't as strong as Susanoo, so it was no threat to the world to give such powerful capacities to a man so zany.
"Let's be on our way before you faint from excitement," she said before she teleported him and her to Kokonoe's lab. As soon as they were in the new location, the professor grouched.
"Hey! How many times did I tell you to call me before paying me a visit out of the blue!" It was Kokonoe herself who grumpily scolded them. It was her short temper acting up. She got off her chair, standing up to 'greet' her guests. She looked at Rachel with a light frown on her face but, when her eyes fell on Hazama, it became fiercer. "And why did you bring HIM here!" she growled.
"Oh, it's a pleasure to see you too, Professor Kokonoe," Hazama sneered.
Kokonoe glared at him as if she was about to kill him right there but Rachel intervened.
"Kokonoe, do not worry, I brought him there by my own conviction. He is not Terumi but merely his soul-possessing vessel. I know this is hard to accept but it is the truth, he is coming in peace," Alucard explained to her friend so she wouldn't snap.
"Yeah… It's a hard pill to swallow," Kokonoe replied, scratching her head thoughtfully. "He's still an asshole though…" she groaned, eyeing Hazama with even more anger.
"Yes, he did kill a few people, but so did you, Kokonoe. So, you must know it isn't someone to waste your hatred on. Furthermore, the moment he killed the majority of his victims was when he was under the influence of Terumi, and we know how he can be."
Kokonoe sighed. "Ugh, if I can sympathize with Relius on something it is when your inventions are gaining a soul out of your control," she grumbled, before focusing back on Hazama. "So, Hazama, is it? Damn, it's tough to talk to Terumi's face without getting pissed off," she growled. "Please tell me you brought him so I could torture him!" She snarled.
"Damn, talk about a way to treat your guests…" Hazama mumbled in annoyance.
"You, shut up! I'm not talking to you anymore!" Kokonoe shouted to him and brought back her attention to Rachel. "So, why did you bring him here?" She asked Rachel, the edge in her voice diminishing when she would speak to her.
"I brought him to see if it was possible for us to switch bodies," Rachel declared with no sign of joking whatsoever.
"You want to… what!?" Kokonoe exclaimed, snapping the stick of the candy she always had stuck between her fingers in shock and anger. "You can't be serious!? With that guy!?" She gestured toward Hazama harshly.
"This is my wish," Rachel breathed out.
Kokonoe calmed down a little and she went to her desk. She threw her broken candy to the trash can near her and took another one from her candy box. She sucked it a few times as one of her hands quickly tapped on the keys of one of her computers. Finally, she spoke up.
"I don't agree with that shit you want to do, neither do I trust that nasty snake-guy, but when you look at me like that Rachel, I know you're not fucking around," she said as her tails lowered to the floor. She let out a disapproving sigh before she turned around to look back at the two intruders. "Alright, the system is prepared, but first, I want to know something… What made you think that giving your powerful abilities to that snake was a good idea? And, is it even possible for his feeble soul to live inside your body?" Kokonoe asked before taking a few more licks of her lollipop.
"You can take this as an experiment, Kokonoe. As for his soul; it doesn't hurt to try, after all he is capable of rejecting Terumi even though he is his vessel," Rachel replied, affirming her confidence that things would turn out fine.
Kokonoe paused to think, her angry features softening. She looked at Hazama. "You and Terumi are not fused together for one reason or another. I don't know what the hell happened for you to become so rebellious, but that doesn't make you less shady," Kokonoe bluntly told Hazama. "Tell me what your plan is. There's nothing you want from Rachel; I doubt you'll even be able to use the Ouroboros once inside her," the professor explained, trying to make him change his mind, as she was doubting his motive and believed he had manipulated Rachel into all this.
"You're so fierce, girl, chill out! What we want to do is for mutual gain. I am certainly not throwing power imbalance into this; I can beat the crap out of her if I so wished," Hazama confidently said, eyes menacingly opening as the cruel thoughts invaded his mind. He closed back his eyes to recuperate his feign innocence. "But I won't, because that is far from a question of power, it is… something else. Something less…" he paused "...important," he finished hesitantly, chuckling dumbly as he did.
"Urgh! Fine! Go to that platform and lower that grin before I throw a flamethrower in your face, jackass," Kokonoe spat and directed, pointing to where they needed to go.
"Alright, kitty cat, no need to hiss at me…" Hazama sassily replied as he went to the low platform Kokonoe pointed.
Kokonoe fought back a shout and repeated, way more calmly, the direction to Rachel. Rachel swiftly joined Hazama on the platform. Kokonoe turned around and went to her computer. She spoke in a microphone for her experimentation journal. She closed it after her few words and turned back her head to look at Rachel.
"Are you sure you still want to do this?" Kokonoe asked.
"Yes," Rachel stoically affirmed.
Hazama chuckled. "Well, it was nice being taller than you all. I need to prepare to be the baby of the group now; finally, people will be softer on me. Ha ha ha–"
Kokonoe interrupted the laughing fit from the evil one by pulling on a lever. A bright flash engulfed Rachel and Hazama. Rachel closed her eyes and jumped a little suddenly as if she had been asleep for a few seconds and that her consciousness was coming back. She opened her eyes but had difficulties opening them more than a slimmer, the light around her blinding her. Her vision had been exchanged with an excellent sense of surroundings and smell. She didn't even have to move much and knew all the objects surrounding her were only by the vibration her heel made against the floor. Her tongue would tingle easily and, when she would open her mouth, she could taste the air to the point it was a powerful addition for her sense of smell. It was even keener than she could have ever imagined. Hazama was truly a snake.
"Alright, are you guys still there or did I lose you to the Boundary?" Kokonoe asked jadedly.
"Yes, I'm still–" Rachel's voice, though rougher, started but was quickly interrupted by a cough. "I'm still there." So, the person corrected the roughness with a more high-pitch frequency. It was surely Hazama getting used to his new vocal cords; Rachel could recognize his accent.
"Alright, Hazama, and you, Rachel?" Kokonoe called.
"Yes, I am standing and it seems like it worked," Rachel said, her voice coming out way manlier than Hazama's usual voice; it was as if the man would purposefully put his voice on a higher-pitch to annoy the people around him. Rachel discovered that his voice had a lot of range and the monotone tone revealed the man's real voice.
"Good, then, get out of my office and give me some space; I gotta work on a few more things. Good luck on whatever you two idiots wanted to do," Kokonoe said as she went to sit on her chair, not giving another look at them.
Hazama turned to Rachel and smiled. "Alright, let's get back to where we were already," he said, before the wind blew and transported both of them to the same corner of street they were at before the tea party. He seemed to already have a good grasp on his newfound abilities. "Wow! Is it that easy? I can't believe it…" he almost squealed, sounding overly excited.
"Glad to hear you already appreciate the new things you gained. Now, I will bid you farewells. I need to reflect on my life choices…" Rachel declared before turning her back to Hazama.
However, Hazama quickly and swiftly moved in front of her. She almost kicked him by how small he was and by how long her legs were.
"Wait a minute! I have a good idea! Are you willing to listen?" Hazama said.
"Fine, you piqued my curiosity. It is not as if I have other important things to do anymore, as your sole duty is ruining the life of others. And, despite being in your body now, I do not wish to proceed down that path," Rachel replied, acting a bit melodramatic.
"Geez, get off your high horse, you're just a Blue Grimoire disguised as a public official now, don't throw that haughty attitude on me," Hazama pointed to himself, a hand going to his bowtie, "since I am the princess now, while you are stuck as a simple fool. Therefore, you are not allowed to speak to me as if you're the one in power. Mphf," he said in a higher pitched voice, to act more like a snobbish princess.
"You're the fool, look at how immature you are acting for a simple vessel exchange. Our souls haven't changed still, you are aware of that fact, correct?" Rachel called back to mind.
"Excuse me, Mr Big Mouth," Hazama replied, crossing his arms in annoyance. "I'm just reminding you what your place is in this world now, no hard feelings."
"Remember what your place in this world was? You were simply supposed to be Terumi's vessel but you're a long road away from that now, aren't you?" Rachel pointed out.
Hazama closed his eyes and lowered his head. "Ouch, you're right… we do make our own fate…" he mumbled. "Anyway, let's change the subject before I lose this debate," he said, standing back straighter and a wide smile forming on his face. "Why don't we go speak to Ragna together? That way, the embarrassment will be lighter since we'll have another person who shares the same feelings on our side and it'll boost our confidence," he explained.
"So, what you are suggesting is to get utterly humiliated by acting like clowns in front of Ragna?" Rachel rephrased jadedly.
"I presume that means 'no'. Well, I'm going to do it and if you want to join, feel free to do so. See you, if you do change your mind," Hazama said before heading toward the restaurant.
Rachel bit her lower lip, trying to contain her negative feelings and the urge to stop Hazama in whatever stupidity he was throwing himself in. But, she wasn't 'Rachel' anymore; she shouldn't care what he does in her body. It wasn't hers, after all: not anymore. If he wanted to get humiliated, so be it.
However, that urge was extremely difficult to repress. She turned around and tried her best to keep her odd feelings inside: there was no reason to be anxious, angry, exasperated or worried.
Yes, there was absolutely no reason at all to feel anything. Everything was going just fine and exactly as she wished for.