As expected, it began to drizzle.
The cold threads of rain struck against the ground and also against the human heart.
Following the real-time location provided by Agnes Tachyon, Kaito jogged all the way until he finally found the figure he was so concerned about in front of an old bulletin board, an extremely remote and almost forgotten place within the academy.
On the bulletin board was a huge and slightly faded poster.
The protagonist of the poster was a powerful Uma, Mihono Bourbon, who possessed a mechanical and precise sense of beauty.
And Rice Shower was squatting right there in the mud in front of the poster, hugging her knees.
Her entire body was soaked by the cold rain, her black hair clung wetly to her cheeks, and her small body trembled incessantly under the cold rain.
She made no sound, but her slender shoulders, rising and falling sharply, spoke silently of the internal turmoil she was facing at that moment.
Kaito softened his steps, holding a black umbrella, and walked slowly to her side, shielding her from the rain that covered the entire sky.
In the small space under the umbrella, the sound of the rain seemed isolated from the outside, and time itself slowed down.
The girl, crouching on the ground, seemed to perceive the sudden disappearance of the raindrops over her head.
Slowly, as if exhausting all her strength, she raised her small face, streaked with tears.
"Why... why..."
Her voice was hoarse, broken, full of a heavy nasal tone and endless confusion.
"Why would you say... that...? Clearly... clearly I made Bourbon so sad... I'm just a... 'demon' who only brings misfortune..."
She looked at Kaito with eyes full of tears, like a puppy lost in a downpour unable to find its way home.
Kaito's heart felt deeply pierced by pain.
He knelt down slowly to meet her gaze, allowing his eyes to be reflected clearly in her pure, tear-washed pupils.
Using an incredibly soft but undeniably firm tone, he said, word for word.
"No, you are not"
"You are simply too kind, so kind that you take all the world's malice as your own"
He reached out and, using the warm tips of his fingers, gently and carefully wiped away the cold rainwater and the hot tears from her cheeks.
"However, from now on,"
Kaito's gaze became intensely serious.
"You no longer have to endure all of this alone"
Suddenly, he let go of the black umbrella and let it roll into the puddle next to them.
The cold rain instantly soaked his hair and shoulders.
Standing under the curtain of rain, he opened his arms toward the small figure before him.
He drew her toward him, with all her pain, her reproaches, her fear, and her anxiety, strongly, gently, and without leaving a single gap, into his embrace.
The [Pheromones] skill, at this moment, merged perfectly and was catalyzed to the extreme by the moisture of the rain and the warmth of his body temperature.
"Your suffering, your guilt, hand them all over to me"
He gently rested his chin on the top of her head and, with a voice that sounded like an oath, undeniable and firm, whispered in her ear.
"You no longer need to think about anything"
"You only need, like a true hero, to proudly and confidently achieve victory for me"
"Then, stand on the highest podium and accept the most sincere blessings that belong only to you and only to me"
Within this warm and determined embrace.
Within that body was a scent that was enough to melt all the ice in the world and it bloomed only for her.
Rice Shower felt the invisible "Black Thorns," which had tormented and pierced her day and night like a nightmare, breaking... piece by piece!
Crumbling!
"Waaah... ahhhhhhh...!"
She could no longer contain herself and, like a child suffering immense pain, burst into loud sobs in his arms.
All the grievances, all the pain, and all the self-loathing she had accumulated over the past days transformed into burning tears and were completely released.
Then she reached out her equally cold little hands and hugged the "hero" in front of her tightly and strongly, the one who had built an entire sky for her.
[Ding!] [Black Thorns completely purified! ] [Congratulations, host! ] [Target [Rice Shower] trust level has reached 100%! Your light has completely dissipated the darkness! ]
Not far away.
Gold City, TM Opera O, Agnes Tachyon, and Manhattan Cafe were holding four umbrellas of different colors, silently watching the cinematic scene of the hug in the rain, with exceptionally complex expressions.
"Bastard, that trick again, it's always like this..." Gold City bit her lower lip and muttered.
TM Opera O sighed softly, using her fan to hide the complex curve of her mouth, which hinted at jealousy or admiration.
"Truly... time and time again, he presents these unfair scripts that one simply cannot hate"
"Under specific conditions (rainy weather) and intense emotional impact, pheromone resonance efficiency increased by 37.4%... Mmm, a very valuable research scenario" Agnes Tachyon took notes quickly.
And Manhattan Cafe simply observed in silence, then tilted her umbrella a bit more toward Kaito's direction.
A new Shura Field, composed of the "hero" and his "followers".
The curtain was about to fall as the rain stopped.
...
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