In a certain alley.
A lone girl stood there, facing a small group of thugs.
She wore a red-and-black gothic dress trimmed with lace, a matching gothic headband on her head, and her hair tied into twin-tails.
Her eyes were heterochromatic—her right eye a seductive wine red, her left eye a faintly solemn gold.
Kurumi Tokisaki held a handgun in her right hand, pressing its side lightly against her own cheek, her expression tinged with a strange blush and excitement.
The thuggish men were being dragged downward, wrapped in some black, shadow-like, bizarre substance.
"Gyaaahhh!"
"Let me go! Monster! You monster!"
They screamed in terror and panic.
But alas—No one came to save them. One by one, they could only watch themselves being devoured.
When everything fell silent again, the alley was empty.
Kurumi showed a satisfied smile. "I've eaten a bit more time, hm."
Then her attention returned to the chat group. Seeing Tatsuki's message, a glint flashed in her eyes.
Kurumi: "Tatsuki, you seem to know a lot about spirits. Are you from the same world as me?"
The same question also caught Ch'en's attention.
Ch'en: "Now that you mention it, I don't recall ever saying in here that I'm a senior superintendent. Tatsuki, how did you know? Did Exusiai tell you?"
Exusiai: "Hey hey, don't drag me into this, I didn't say anything!"
Tatsuki: "Nah, we're not from the same world. And don't ask me like I'm some fortune-telling fraud. Let's just say… for certain reasons, I kind of know a few things about other worlds."
Ainz Ooal Gown: "To put it simply: those who know, know. Don't ask. You ask, he doesn't know!"
Tatsuki: "Well said."
Kurumi: "..."
Ch'en: "..."
Tatsuki had been planning to ask them about the apocalypses in their worlds.
Splash!
The sound of the bathroom door sliding open pulled him back to reality. He turned his head.
"..."
Utaha walked out of the bathroom—not in fresh clothes, but wrapped in a single soft bath towel, arms folded across her chest to keep it in place.
Her cheeks were flushed a rosy pink, like a flower in full bloom. The towel only covered from her chest down to above her knees, her bare shoulders were white as snow, smooth and delicate, like they'd been carefully sculpted.
The towel loosely wrapped her figure, outlining every curve. The pale pink of the towel set off her skin, making her look even more beautiful. The edge of the towel curled up just a little, revealing her slender, tender legs and an involuntary hint of allure, her damp hair draped over her shoulders, water droplets sliding down the strands, catching the light as they fell, her hair looked soft and glossy, smooth like silk.
Drops lingered briefly on her forehead before slipping down her cheek, tracing clear, glistening paths. her brows were long and elegantly shaped, slightly arched, framing her face, her nose was straight and fine, her lips still a little moist.
Tatsuki didn't stare; his gaze swept over her once, polite but not blind, and he asked, "You're just going to wear that?"
Never mind that the weather was chilly right now—this was also in front of a perfectly healthy adult man.
Utaha's face reddened even more, embarrassment and shyness tangled together. "Um… I was in such a hurry I forgot to grab any clothes."
She really had rushed into the bathroom just now.
"Oh." Understanding, Tatsuki nodded and stood up. "Since you're all washed up, I should get going."
"Right now?" Utaha was stunned for a moment before asking nervously, "Those two monsters…"
Tatsuki waved a hand. "We'll talk about the monsters when there's time. I've got something to do right now."
"What is it?" The question slipped out before she could stop herself.
As soon as the words left her mouth, she realized this wasn't quite right.
Why was she prying into someone else's personal business? That wasn't polite at all.
She was just about to apologize when Tatsuki had already walked to the door, pointing at it.
"My girlfriend lives across from you. She's waiting for me."
With that, he opened the door and left, closing it behind him.
"???" Utaha stood there in a daze.
The one living across from her was none other than Benio.
So Benio really was his girlfriend…
It was already this late… and he was going over to his girlfriend's place. She might not have any real experience, but that didn't mean she was clueless.
Wasn't that basically code for… that kind of thing!?
"..."
For a moment, Utaha couldn't even put her current mood into words.
She moved over and sat down on the spot where Tatsuki had just been. His lingering warmth still clung to the couch.
In her mind, scenes of the kind "Sensei" used to make her heart flutter replayed themselves—right alongside the mysterious, reality-shattering Tatsuki she'd just witnessed tonight.
When she thought of what might be happening between Tatsuki and Benio soon…
A faint stuffy feeling pressed against her chest, and she couldn't figure out why she felt that way at all.
…
Tatsuki, meanwhile, didn't bother knocking when he went to Benio's place; he just used spatial movement to step inside.
No one in the living room. That meant she was in the bedroom.
He went to the bedroom door. It wasn't fully shut, so he pushed it open gently and called, "Benio, I'm here."
"Eh?! Tatsuki-kun?"
Benio jolted upright from the bed.
"You already finished your bath?"
What surprised Tatsuki was that, just like Utaha, Benio was wrapped only in a bath towel.
"Mm."
Her legs pressed together on their own, a little stiff. Her breathing had grown quicker; every breath betrayed her nervousness. Benio's face was red to the tips of her ears and her head ducked as she murmured.
"T-Tatsuki-kun… do you need a bath too?" Her voice was quiet and shy, like a little stream of water.
Tatsuki's lips curved up. He closed the door with a casual flick of his hand, scooped Benio up, and carried her back to the bed.
"I don't need one. You wouldn't dislike me like this, would you, Benio?"
With all the abilities he had, his control over his body was flawless.
"N-no! I wouldn't!"
A blush blossomed across Benio's cheeks like the first light of dawn spreading over the sky.
Her eyes shimmered with bashful light. She didn't dare meet his gaze, lowering her head instead and gently biting her lip.
Her small face trembled slightly with nerves, like a flower bud swaying in the spring breeze before it opens.
Her fingers clenched together so tightly her knuckles turned white, showing just how tense she was.
She wanted to run away from this mortifying scene yet there was a quiet thread of anticipation running through her.
Her breathing grew faster.
Her chest rose and fell unevenly.
Seeing how nervous she was, Tatsuki simply pulled her into a warm embrace.
He drew in the fresh scent from her smooth, long hair.
Her neck looked even more delicate up close, like a supple willow branch—he couldn't resist lightly stroking it.
Benio's lips parted just a bit, revealing neat, white teeth, as if silently confessing her shyness and expectation.
Her eyes flickered, sometimes dodging, sometimes sneaking a glance at Tatsuki, like a timid little fawn.
Tatsuki gently cupped her cheek and asked softly, "Benio, are you sure?"
Summoning her courage, Benio lifted her bashful gaze to meet his and nodded hard.
"Mm!"
....
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