Mentioned Characters: Urumi, Hisami, Zanmu

No matter how much you love someone, some feelings cannot be conveyed. There is a thin line separating love and obsession, but for the target of these affections, they couldn't be more different. Aah, is there anything more beautiful yet twisted than love? Hisami, the girl casting a dark and gloomy aura, has been caught in its throes.

The people of the ancient past proposed that there are, in fact, eight types of love: eros, philia, ludus, agape, pragma, philautia, storge, and mania. While all these feelings are valid, not all are welcome. So what type do Hisami's feelings for Zanmu fall under? Philia, the love for a boss she respects? Mania, an all-consuming love? Or eros, a romantic and passionate love?

"She brushed me off again. How can she not see how much I love her? Maybe I'm not working hard enough. Yes, that must be it. I gotta bring more souls down to Hell. Then she'll notice me for sure. Still, why is there such a distance between us...? Does Lady Zanmu hate me? Is that why she scolded me so harshly? No, surely not! Please! Say it isn't so, Lady Zanmu Lady Zanmu Lady Zanmu Lady Zan―" "Wh-Whoa! Calm down."

Urumi was out fishing, as she is wont to do, when she heard a voice from the far shore. Curious, she got closer and found Hisami pulling the petals off a red spider lily one by one while muttering to herself like she was invoking some kind of curse. She was obviously agonizing over an unrequited love, but her voice was so passionate and desperate that Urumi could feel the weight of Hisami's love bearing down on her. Luckily, Urumi is used to dealing with heavy things. That's her ability, after all. So, after thinking it over, she decided to call out to her. "I applaud your dedication. After all that, you still love her." "Dedication?" "Yeah. To keep loving someone for as long as you have isn't easy. I bet that Zanmu person appreciates it, too. Like, if they truly hated you, I doubt they'd even talk to you. I'm only guessing, of course, but still."

"Yes... Yes! You're absolutely right!" Urumi only hoped to console her a little, but the tone of Hisami's voice had completely shifted. Her gloomy aura had been dispelled, leaving a bright, radiant smile. "How did I not realize something so obvious?! Lady Zanmu may treat me like a nuisance, but she still gives me orders. And when I disobey her just a tiny bit, she scolds me, but she never tries to kill me! Aaa, I knew it! My beloved Lady Zanmu, we're destined to be..." While Urumi was glad that Hisami had cheered up, she found herself standing there, wondering how long this was going to take. In the end, she cast her line back into the water and focused on her float, nodding along and agreeing with Hisami whenever she asked for support. Fishing is a lot like love―sometimes you just have to be patient.