After eating their fill, the two packed their things and prepared to go home.
However, a strange stirring in Rikka's heart made her not want the dinner to end just yet.
Looking at Yuta's back, Rikka recalled the Dark Flame Master who once stood on the windowsill, such a brilliant existence, like a light illuminating her dark world at the time.
Just like the present, he stood by her side in her lonely and helpless moments.
She didn't want it to end like this, at least not at the present.
She mustered her courage and called out to the departing Yuta, stating her request word by word.
"I don't want to go back."
"Huh?"
"I want to bathe in the moonlight!"
Yuta was very surprised; what time was it already? But Rikka ignored Yuta's surprise, turned and ran off to a brightly moonlit spot. Yuta merely tried to stop her briefly, then decided—let her go, spoil her a little.
At the same time, Yuta's phone rang… it was Isshiki Makoto.
On the other side, Isshiki Makoto had gotten up in the middle of the night to find the restroom but unexpectedly discovered Koushou also awake. He immediately decided to go for a walk outside with Koushou. At this moment, the two were buying things at a convenience store.
Their situation was almost identical to Yuta's, but Isshiki Makoto was much more promising than Yuta; at least he understood this was an opportunity.
"What do you think? It's late at night! Just the two of us! This is practically telling me the stage is set, hurry up and confess!"
Isshiki Makoto, because Koushou was inside the convenience store buying things, was squatting outside the convenience store, furtively asking Yuta for advice to prevent Koushou from hearing him.
"Who knows, how would I know?"
Yuta, who originally thought Isshiki was calling about something important, was uninterested upon realizing it was such a small matter, responding to Isshiki Makoto in a perfunctory tone.
"What?! You're so heartless! Have you forgotten the kindness I showed by talking to you on the entrance ceremony day because I was afraid you'd be lonely?!"
"Stop bringing that up… I'm hanging up."
"Don't! Wait a minute!"
Isshiki Makoto instantly panicked upon hearing Yuta was about to hang up. He had just called for some comfort, and now he was about to be hung up on. How could he not panic? To keep Yuta on the line, he could only change the subject.
"How are things with Takanashi?"
"We just ate together. She forgot her house keys."
"Eh? So… the two of you are alone now?"
"You could say that."
Upon hearing this, Isshiki Makoto's gossipy heart also began to burn.
"I always thought you two were suspicious, but I didn't expect it to have reached this point."
"What are you misunderstanding? How could such a plot exist?"
"Why?"
"You still ask why? That's Rikka, full-blown Chunibyo!"
Isshiki Makoto didn't understand. Rikka was also a beauty, and it was clear she had some affection for Yuta, so how could Yuta not feel anything?
And Yuta also didn't understand why Isshiki Makoto would misunderstand their relationship. How could he have such thoughts about a severe Chunibyo patient?
But soon, his heart betrayed his thoughts.
Just as the two were on the phone, Rikka, who had had enough moonlight, came back. She leaned her big head close to Yuta, their faces inches apart, startling Yuta. But at the same time, something different surfaced in his heart. It was then that Yuta truly looked at Rikka's face, cute yet beautiful.
Yuta, momentarily speechless and dazed, was finally hung up on by Isshiki Makoto. After hanging up, Isshiki Makoto looked around but didn't see Koushou. Looking down, he only saw a note—
[I feel like you'll be on the phone for a long time, so I'm going back first ---- Koushou]
Hesitation leads to defeat.
Isshiki Makoto could only sigh and go back alone, but the words he said to Yuta had a very significant impact. If Fang Wuwei knew, he would surely stand up and applaud him loudly.
After returning home and taking turns showering, the two were about to go to sleep, but Yuta inexplicably began to recall Isshiki Makoto's words in his mind.
And Rikka…
In his mind, the face that had just captivated him suddenly appeared. He shook his head vigorously, trying to shake that unsettling face out of his mind.
Besides, how could Rikka, with her Chunibyo-addled brain, possibly think about love?
At this moment, Rikka walked out of Yuta's room. Having no clothes to wear, Rikka temporarily borrowed Yuta's clothes. Although they were a bit big, she didn't mind them. Dressed in an oversized top, she looked incredibly petite and cute.
"Yuta, is this… the Thunder Hammer?"
Seeing Rikka with her hands tucked into her sleeves, swaying, and speaking her Chunibyo lines, Yuta relaxed.
No way.
"Stop that, you'll stretch it out. Just roll up the sleeves."
With her sleeves rolled up, Rikka felt very much like a martial artist at this moment, so she decided to act even more like one, immediately starting to perform some fist techniques, which left Yuta speechless.
"It's amazing how you can relate everything to Chunibyo."
With a slight sigh, Yuta turned and pointed to the room opposite: "Alright, it's late enough. This room is for you to sleep in. You should brush your…"
Before he finished speaking, Yuta, who had turned back around, had the rest of his words caught in his throat.
He saw Rikka, with her sleeves down, covering her face with them, sniffing deeply.
"It smells like Yuta~"
Yuta's face instantly flushed. He had just thought Rikka wouldn't have romantic feelings, and then she did something like this in a flash. He immediately stopped her, which caused Rikka's confusion; she didn't understand these things.
"Why?… Hmm, it smells like Yuta…"
Rebellious psychology made Rikka do it again right then, making Yuta blush furiously.
"You just can't! It's too embarrassing!"
Forcibly pressing Rikka back onto the bed, helping her pull up the covers, and turning off the light, Yuta composed himself and prepared to sleep.
But Yuta had barely walked back into his own room when music started playing outside. Curiosity prompted Yuta to go out, and he saw Rikka squatting on the floor in the dark living room, with the television, which was not on, emitting a dazzling light that shone on Rikka.
"Didn't I tell you to go to sleep?"
"My heart is stirring, it must have arrived nearby. I must be vigilant."
Yuta, habitually ignoring Rikka's daily Chunibyo antics, curiously glanced at what Rikka was watching. He didn't know until he looked, and when he did, he was startled: it was Leonardo DiCaprio's version of Romeo and Juliet, and the scene had just reached the part where the two embraced and kissed.
And Rikka was watching intently.
After a moment of thought, Yuta decided to turn off the TV. After all, in his eyes, Rikka was still that child living in the past, unwilling to face reality. How could she understand love?
"My heart is stirring."
"Just sleep it off."
"My heart is pounding!"
"Mine too."
Facing Rikka's nonsensical words, Yuta coaxed her like a child, with immense patience.
"My heart is ecstatic! My heart is about to explode!"
"Why?!"
"I don't know!"
However, Rikka was different this time. She wasn't simply acting Chunibyo; she could feel her heart beating so rapidly, more intensely than ever before, as if it were about to burst from her chest. It felt as if there was still a breath held within her, threatening to suffocate her.
Facing Rikka like this, even Yuta could only joke around, turning off the TV and ignoring the jumping Rikka, telling her to hurry to bed, then turning and leaving.
But Rikka wouldn't let Yuta just walk away. She immediately followed with a slide tackle, causing Yuta to stumble and almost fall.
"I'm telling you…"
Yuta had intended to turn back and scold Rikka, telling her to stop messing around and go to sleep, but when he turned, he saw Rikka with her arms hugged, staring at Yuta pitifully, her expression heartbreaking, flushed, and very cute.
"Don't go…"
This startled Yuta. He had thought Rikka wouldn't have romantic feelings, but now he wasn't so sure.
"Yuta… close your eyes…
Just for a moment… just for a moment is fine…"
Rikka's voice was softer than ever, as if she were pleading with Yuta, like a spoiled child.
A cold sweat broke out on Yuta's back. He recalled the scene of the two protagonists kissing with their eyes closed on the TV just now, and his body trembled slightly with nervousness.
But facing a blushing Rikka, Yuta, also blushing, seemed to have made a decision in his heart, and obediently closed his eyes…
Listening to the slowly approaching footsteps, feeling his left hand being taken by a soft, small hand, Yuta's entire body froze. He wasn't mentally prepared, not prepared to embrace youth.
However, reality often contradicted his imagination. He didn't feel the kiss full of peaches from his imagination, nor was any soft body embraced by him. All he felt was a slight itch on the back of his left hand, which had been taken.
Opening his eyes, he saw Rikka using a marker to draw a magic circle on the back of his left hand, and that was all.
This left Yuta utterly speechless. It was the most speechless Yuta had ever been.
"What is this?"
"An absolutely effective magic fragment, proof of the new contract we just formed."
Yuta sighed slightly, feeling ashamed of his earlier fantasies, and chose to indulge Rikka's playfulness.
"Draw it somewhere less conspicuous."
"This is the most suitable place. This way, the Black Flame power will double, allowing for a Black Flame Burst more powerful than the Dark Flame."
Looking at Rikka's serious face in front of him, Yuta merely showed a slight smile, sending Rikka back to her room to sleep. He wasn't angry, nor was he Get angry out of shame, only indulgent and gentle towards Rikka.
Indeed, she doesn't have such thoughts… This is Rikka, what was I expecting?
That night, Yuta lay in bed, looking at the magic circle on his left hand, marveling at Rikka's Chunibyo, but secretly relieved in his heart that Rikka still retained her innocence, untainted by the defilement of reality. Yet, there was a hint of unwillingness in his heart… Is this truly good?
The complex emotions in his heart made Yuta give up thinking and turn over to sleep.
However, on the other side, Rikka's heart couldn't be so calm.
The stirring in her heart made Rikka unable to look Yuta directly in the eye; even drawing a magic circle required him to close his eyes. Being looked at directly by Yuta made her feel shy and embarrassed, and her heart would beat faster… She didn't know what was wrong with her at all.
Staring at the dark ceiling, Rikka tried her best to clear her mind, but Yuta's figure, and the little moments they shared, kept uncontrollably appearing in her mind…
Her wildly beating heart made her restless. She tossed and turned in bed, clutching the blanket, unable to fall asleep for a long time…
The next morning, Yuta was still sleeping like a pig, but Rikka had already been awakened by the stirring in her heart. Coming into Yuta's room, she looked at the sleeping Yuta and gently stroked his face…
She felt… that her bond with the Dark Flame Master was no longer what it used to be…
Meanwhile, far away in the countryside, Fang Wuwei stood by the sea, facing the rising sun…