"Anyway, just forget about her. You're not her match. I'll make sure you get your revenge in the future," Shichen changed the subject, steering her away from it.
He still hadn't gone back to the very beginning to figure out the root of it all; even if he had some guesses, nothing was confirmed.
"But she lied to me… and almost made me hurt Sawa…"
"Aren't I fine?" Yamada Sawa immediately straightened up. "I'm standing right here."
"That's only because Shichen was here."
"Shichen already told you to stop worrying about her."
"But…"
"So San-san holds grudges this much, huh," Shichen laughed.
"Of course I do."
"How about this: I promise you, I'll definitely let you pay her back someday."
"Someday…"
"All your power came from her. Do you really think you can beat her right now?" he reminded her.
"I…"
Tokisaki Kurumi wasn't stupid; of course she knew she couldn't win. She just couldn't swallow the humiliation.
"Then trust your future husband, okay? I'll make sure you get your revenge."
"Future… husband… mm." Kurumi's cheeks reddened a little.
"No problem! We'll listen to future hubby!" Sawa said, wrapping an arm around Kurumi and laughing.
"Hehe~ Sawa, you'd better take good care of San-san in the future. I get the feeling her brain's going to be full of nothing but 'justice' and 'punishing bad guys,'" Shichen joked.
"That's not true…"
"Leave it to me!" Sawa patted her own chest proudly before Kurumi could protest.
"We'll definitely see each other again. It just… might be a while. Could be ten years or more."
"Eh? Ten years? Won't we be old ladies by then? Will you still want us?" Sawa blurted.
"You won't age," Shichen said with a reassuring smile.
"Won't age? Why?"
"That's a secret~"
"Shichen, why are you always talking in riddles?" Sawa pouted.
"Because it's fun."
"Ugh, you're so annoying!"
"…" Kurumi could only look at him helplessly.
"All right, I need to go. See you in the future."
"Wait—"
Before Sawa could finish calling out, Shichen raised a hand in farewell and vanished on the spot without a sound.
"He really is unbelievable…" Sawa sighed, staring at the empty space.
"Yeah," Kurumi agreed quietly.
From being saved by the "culprit", to becoming a spirit, to turning into a "hero of justice", killing spirits and humans, almost killing her best friend—only to be saved by Shichen again… it all felt like some kind of fantasy.
But it was real.
"Hey, do you think Shichen is really going to be our future husband?" Sawa suddenly asked, blinking at her.
"I… how would I know," Kurumi said, turning her head away.
"Haha~ San-san totally cares about him now. Did you fall for him already?"
"I-I did not…"
"Hmm~"
The two of them bickered lightly, and for a moment the air was bright and relaxed.
Not far away, near the crystal Shichen had tossed away, something indescribable flickered into being—a blurry distortion, like living static.
It seemed to crouch down, pick up the spirit crystal, and tuck it away.
It didn't leave. Instead it turned toward the distant figures of Kurumi and Sawa, watching their laughter.
After a long silence, it spoke, its voice soft and fragile—like that of a delicate young girl.
"Shichen… why did you leave me behind and get so close to other girls?"
"I won't give up. I'll make sure you stay by my side forever."
…
Back in the present, Shichen returned home; it was only just past noon.
No one was home. Yoshino and Natsumi had gone out to play together.
The two of them got along very well now—they'd become good friends. Both small, both loli-like; it was easy for them to hit it off.
Shichen wasn't worried about them. Ordinary people couldn't lay a finger on them, and he'd already warned Natsumi not to show mercy to anyone with bad intentions.
If some irrelevant idiot actually tried to pick on them, that person was obviously tired of living.
With nothing to do at home—and not sure if Nia had eaten—he cooked a simple lunch, then brought it over to her place.
As expected, she hadn't eaten a thing, completely absorbed in her drawing.
He didn't disturb her, just left the food, then headed to Kurumi's house.
Kurumi was at school; only Sawa was home.
Unlike Kurumi, Sawa wasn't running around every day. She had a lot of work to do from home.
She was the tech wizard, monitoring the city, tracking scum, and then passing the information to Kurumi when she came back so Kurumi could deal with them.
The two of them were partners in their private war on evil.
Sawa had actually finished school properly, unlike Kurumi, who spent most of her time out "dispensing justice" and never had great grades.
When Shichen arrived, he dropped the food on the coffee table in the living room and went straight to the monitoring room.
"Sawa."
"Eh? Shichen, what are you doing here?" She turned around, surprised.
Shichen didn't drop by often.
Both of them had been thinking about moving in with him for a while now; they just hadn't found the right moment.
That moment was coming.
"I made something to eat. Have you had lunch yet? Want some?"
"Yes!" Sawa answered immediately.
"Come on then, or it'll get cold."
"Wait, Shichen, carry me~" Sawa stayed seated in the chair, holding her arms out like a child.
"You're not a kid anymore," Shichen laughed as he walked over.
"Hehe~ You're the one who keeps saying we're still young."
When he reached her and held his arms out, Sawa clung to him, wrapping herself around him like an octopus.
Her curves fit perfectly against him, soft and warm.
Shichen slipped one arm around her back and used the other to support under her hips, carrying her out.
In the living room, he didn't put her down. He sat on the sofa and let her sit on his lap, and they ate together like that.
In reality, he barely lifted a finger; Sawa did almost all the feeding.
If an outsider saw them, they'd die from the sweetness. The two of them looked exactly like a newlywed couple in their honeymoon phase.
After they finished eating, Sawa lounged bonelessly against his chest, eyes closed, rubbing her full belly with no regard for her image, utterly content.
"You're not skipping lunch like this all the time, are you?" Shichen asked.
"More or less… If I'm not moving around, I don't get hungry," she admitted.
"You'll starve like that… Why don't you just come to my place? It's not like I won't cook for you."
"I just don't feel like moving~"
"You can at least call or text me. I'd come over for sure."
"Really~? Then I'll take you up on that from now on?" Sawa opened her eyes and looked up at him.
"Absolutely," he nodded.
"Hehe~ I swear, Shichen's being extra sweet today," Sawa said, eyes half-moon crescents.
"Am I? Was I not like this before?"
"Before, everyone else was always around. Now I finally get you to myself," she pouted.
"I can't help that. It's not like I can split into multiple bodies."
"Humph~ You philanderer."
"Hey, you're all too charming; how am I supposed to resist? Just be a bit more direct and I'll answer you properly," he teased.
"Oh yeah? Even with someone as plain as me?" Sawa suddenly asked.
"How are you plain?"
"Well… everyone else is a spirit except me. I'm just normal. Isn't that… boring?" Her tone dipped a little.
"Knew that's how you were thinking," Shichen chuckled softly.
"But that's how it is."
"Relax. You're very charming. I like you a lot." He cupped her soft cheek and gently squeezed.
The leftover energy from the spirit crystal had kept her young for over ten years; aside from her mindset maturing, she hadn't changed much physically.
"Really?" Sawa reached up and touched his jawline in return.
"If I'm lying, I'm a puppy."
"Pfft~ Shichen, you sound like a kid. Or are you just treating me like one?" she laughed.
"Aren't you basically a kid?"
"Hmph, sweet talk won't fool me… unless you actually do something."
"Like what?" he asked, even though he already knew.
"Like…" Sawa closed her eyes.
"Oh, I see."
Shichen lowered his head and kissed her.
It was their first kiss.
Shichen had plenty of experience, but for Sawa, it was her first time in all these years.
The strange, exciting sensation swept through her, and she sank into it without resistance.
She couldn't help growing more enthusiastic, looping her arms around his neck so he couldn't pull away.
Seeing her respond, Shichen went a step further, prying her lips open and twining his tongue with hers.
"Mm…"
The even more intense feeling made her gasp against him, eyes flying open for a moment. All she could see was his chin, but her brows relaxed and her eyes shone.
He really did care about her; it wasn't just talk.
After waiting so long, finally getting this moment made everything worth it.
When they finally parted, Sawa was breathing hard, cheeks flushed, eyes glittering.
"Now do you believe me?" Shichen asked with a smile.
"Yeah… huff—" she exhaled, still catching her breath.
"In that case, time to get to serious business."
"Serious… business?" Sawa's heart skipped a beat.
~~~
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