The world of greenery covers the whole place as trees and plants I have never seen before are scattered everywhere, hoping to be discovered and used. There is no foul smell as everywhere we go, a soothing fragrance wafts in the air that it could ease up any negative atmosphere, except for the atmosphere that looms between me and Ichirou.
The calming crunching sound of dried leaves that we walk over doesn’t help. The abundance of calm wild animals didn’t help either. Even the sun that brought a warm weather over to this place cannot budge the malignant hostility we have for each other right now.
Walking on my right side is Topaz, the devil maid that came falling from the sky. In Topaz left side is Ichirou who would send menacing glare towards Topaz and constantly releases bad vibes towards me. In return, I will also glare at Ichirou and will immediately turn the other way with an irritated sound of an HMPH!
Casablanca and Hibiscus walk side-by-side behind us with a crestfallen expression as the atmosphere makes it hard for them to even talk or start a conversation. It can’t be helped because both of us are in a sour mood.
“U-Um…Casablanca!”
“Y-Yes, what is it, Hibiscus?”
“I recently started practicing…divination…do you want to hear it?”
“Y-Yeah…do it…please…”
Hibiscus somehow forced herself to spark a chat with Casablanca.
Nervously, Hibiscus raises Emby up with her two hands. Emby in response perks up and start chirping. Hibiscus inhales heavily to concentrate on the divination and after five seconds, exhaled as she keeps Emby atop of her hands.
“Iyoooooo!”
“Piiii!~”
Hibiscus started swaying Emby left and right while chanting funnily! Her body sways with the motion and her silver hair flutters. Emby started flapping his wings as he is swayed by his master while letting out a faint scarlet flame in his head.
“Pffft!”
“Pfffft!”
Oh, no!
I almost let out a laugh. I didn’t do so as I feel like I am going to lose to Ichirou if I did laugh. Then again, Ichirou almost let out a laugh too just to be halted as he covers his mouth with his palm. The tensed Topaz beside me is…holding herself too much by inflating her cheeks. She even became teary-eyed as she forces herself not to laugh.
What’s with that divination anyway?!
“Piiiii!”
“We see it. A forecast…something to come…”
“Piiiii!”
“Umm…”
“Pii…”
“It’s going to be cloudy tomorrow…”
A weather forecast, huh? That’s so cute of you, Hibiscus.
Everyone became quiet again after that. An indescribable awkwardness has enveloped us and no one dares to speak again.
How did this happen?
.
.
.
As I hug the maid who fell from the sky that looks like a carbon copy of Milin, albeit looks younger, I immediately felt that she is not even near human as her obvious presence oozes. She’s a devil, a hero’s nemesis and one that brings ruin.
However, as soon as I take a look on her face, my heart trembles in joy, even if it is not really her, I feel like I get to see Milin again. The supposed ingrained fear that I have from the devils didn’t exist in this one. And I felt fluttery upon hearing that this girl in my embrace speaks as clear dignified but innocent voice is uttered.
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It may not be her but it made me cry in happiness.
“Asagao, get away from her.”
A flat and stern voice enters my ears. Ichirou walks closer to us while holding a sword which he conjured. However, even as he told me to separate from her, I am already aware of what is his intentions are and I am not going to let it happen.
I let go of the girl and stands up. I face Ichirou and blocks his way with my body. I look at him straight in the eyes with an unbending will.
“Asagao, do you know tha--!”
“I know! I am aware! I am well aware of what she is! You and I can feel it in a flash! She’s a devil! Even though she has this appearance, she is, without a doubt, a devil!”
Merissa and her whole crew, upon hearing that the girl I hugged earlier is a devil, are shocked and they immediately put up their guards and started raising their weapons. Even Casablanca and Hibiscus who just returned are watching intently at the situation like they are going to decide which move they will take if everything went downhill.
“Then if you know that you should get out of my way!”
“No! I refuse!”
“Asagao, don’t be stubborn! That’s not Milin! Milin is dead!”
“I know that! She died right in front of me! She died with parting words I will never forget! She died with a smile on her face that will be forever etched in my memory! Don’t just…casually say it too…”
“I am sorry if the memory becomes fresh again but, Asagao, for goodness sake, that thing behind you is a devil that took so many people away from us! Move away from her! We don’t know why or what is she even doing here!”
“No…”
“Then I don’t have any choice!”
As Ichirou said that, he dashes towards me with the sword pointing at me. I quickly noticed that I am not his target but the girl behind me as his sight is locked on her. In response, I promptly draw a sword from my dimensional storage to parry his attack but he is just way too fast for me to react immediately.
Grabbing me by the shoulder, Ichirou flung me to the side towards Merissa with his strength that I cannot hope to match. A collided with Merissa who readily catches me in her arms and as I was in her arms, she locks my whole body in an embrace.
Damn, she is cooperating with Ichirou!
“[Morning Glory Ninety Nine Petal Layered Barrier!]”
A blue barrier with a shape of a flower immediately manifested between Ichirou and the girl who becomes speechless of the sudden development. The sword collided with my barrier and it produces strong shockwave due to Ichirou’s powerful swing.
Seeing the girl who I protected with barrier trembles in fear for her own life, my drive to protect her becomes stronger. Ichirou didn’t end the attack with a single swing. While cursing, he then let out a fury of slashes to my barrier which I painstakingly try to hold.
“Shit!! Asagao, don’t be stubborn! Deactivate that barrier!”
“No!”
Ichirou shouted as he continuously strikes the barrier. I noticed that he wasn’t even using his full strength.
Merissa who’s grabbing me voice out her own concern.
“Asagao…please…be obedient. I don’t know what happened to you but, a devil is a devil. Those things killed dozens of my crew not only recently but also in the past…”
I refuse…
I won’t let it. Is that devil just really showed up here to fight us? To me, she seems more intelligent that the rest of those of her kind. If that is that case, I want to know more about her and what is she doing here.
“Ack…! Hngnnnh…!”
As Ichirou’s continuous assault on my barrier goes on, a sharp jolt of pain attacks my head. It is due to overusing my barrier and taking countless of attacks that exceeded its threshold. But it didn’t stop me from protecting that girl.
“Asagao! St--! Damn it!”
Ichirou noticed my condition and promptly stop his attacks. He gritted his teeth in vexation after sending death glare to the girl who still confusingly cowers behind my barrier. He runs over to me and Merissa releases me from her arms.
THUD
I fell on my knees as strength left my body. A bead of sweats flows from my face down to my chin and from my nape to my back. Maintaining my barrier like that has a serious backlash on me as pain will start assaulting me.
“Asagao, I’m sorry! Are you okay?”
“Don’t touch me…”
As Ichirou was about to lay his hand towards me, I brush it off with a frown. I force myself to stand up and left the flabbergasted Ichirou and Merissa behind to walk to the girl who is nervously looking around with no idea of what she has gone through.
She saw my face and her expression darkens further but despite that, I kept walking towards her until I am just one step away from her. I kneel down and look at her eye to eye.
“Hey,…you said earlier that your name is Topaz, right? Are you okay?”
“Who are you people…?”
“It’s okay now…no one is going to hurt you.”
“T-There must be a mistake…! I should not be here…”
“What’s wrong?”
“Don’t come closer! You…you and everyone else here! You’re all enemy!”
“We’re not…”
“I’m…I’m a devil! The Arcana of Earth Topaz! You people are out of my understanding!”
Topaz withdraws herself away from me. She said something about being Arcana of Earth and confirming that she is a devil but I never saw or heard of a devil with a concrete personality like this.
The girl in front of me, Topaz, a devil, unlike the usual devils that I fought and met, is expressive and holds her own ego and emotion. A devil that was able to brazenly show fear. Why is she here and what is she doing before she fell from the sky?
“Asagao, as she said, don’t come closer to her! We don’t know what objective she has!”
Ichirou’s righteous reasoning resounded again. He is the one who is right and I am the one who is in wrong, however, I feel like I cannot leave this girl alone despite being one of that creature I hated the most. I feel like she is a transient being capable of loving people and that is something I want to see.
“Asagao, you--!
“Shut up!”
“Asagao!!”
“Shut up! Shut up! Shut up! Ichirou you idiot!”
“Wha--!”
“Can’t you see how scared she is?! Can’t you figure out that she has feelings despite being a devil? Can’t you see that she has her own ego intact?!”
“However!”
“Enough! Let me take care of this on my own!”
“Don’t be a brat! You may look like one but don’t act like one, Asagao! Are you going to delude yourself into believing that that devil is somehow related to Milin?!”
“And why won’t you even listen to me?! Why don’t you just support my decision!? Am I really that unreliable for you!?”
“It’s not like that! However, as I said, you’re acting like a stubborn brat!”
“Yeah! You and your justice are alike with a stubborn brat!”
“What did you say, bean sprout?!”
“Wha--! Is that how you wanted it you pedo, molester, and an indiscriminate woman checker! You think no one notices that you kept staring at boobs and thighs?!”
“Hey! Y-you’re going overboard with that!”
Am I really now?
You started this whole fiasco with me! And did he think that calling me bean sprout would make everything better!?
How do you like to be this small?! When you have tons of things you want to reach the top of a shelf but lack the necessary height to do so! Do you think this is a joke?!