"Ah..."
Watching the energy blast fall towards her, Haruna, who had been hiding around the corner, turned pale with terror. She had seen with her own eyes how powerful this thing was. If it really hit her, she would probably be blown to smithereens in an instant...
"Woof woof!! Woof woof woof!!!"
Although the little pet dog, Maron, was trembling with fear, he hadn't lost his loyalty as a dog and his instinct to protect his owner. He stood in front of Haruna, barking.
However, as a pet dog, that was all it could do. As the energy blast got closer and closer, a hint of horror and despair flashed in the eyes of the girl and the puppy.
Just as Haruna was about to close her eyes in despair to welcome the deadly explosion, a figure suddenly flashed in front of her. It was Sora.
Haruna couldn't see Sora's expression. In her clear eyes, she only saw Sora raise a hand and gently wave, swatting the incoming energy blast away.
Boom!!!!!
The energy blast exploded in mid-air, and the resulting shockwave and air currents made the nearby ground tremble slightly...
"Sora-san..."
Watching Sora, who had already turned around, Haruna murmured softly.
"Sairenji-san, didn't I tell you to go home quickly? Do you know how dangerous that was!"
Seeming genuinely angry, Sora's tone was stern.
While fighting Zastin, Sora hadn't paid much attention to his surroundings and failed to notice that Haruna had secretly followed him. If he hadn't heard her voice and rushed over at the last moment, the girl before him might have already met her demise...
"I... I..."
Having been deskmates at school for some time, it was the first time Haruna had seen such a serious and angry Sora. She felt a little wronged and scared, unable to say a word.
However, thinking about how Sora had just saved her and was angry for her sake, the girl couldn't help but feel a sense of warmth and a different kind of happiness...
"Earthling, where are you looking!"
Zastin, in the sky, hadn't expected his energy blast to almost harm another Earth girl. But he didn't care much about that. Instead, seeing an opening, a sharp glint flashed in his eyes as he unhesitatingly raised his longsword and swung it down at Sora.
"Dangerous!!!"
"Sora-san!"
Lala flew towards them from the side, and Haruna also cried out in alarm.
With a cold snort, Sora didn't even turn his head. He raised his hand and actually caught Zastin's longsword with just two fingers.
"Phew... that scared me."
"Hehehe... Sora is so amazing!"
Lala stopped halfway, patting her small chest with a relieved look. Her eyes, looking at Sora, shone even brighter.
"Thank goodness..."
Compared to Lala's carefree attitude, Haruna was terrified. Seeing that Sora was fine, her tense nerves relaxed, and she slumped to the ground.
"Let go... Let go of me!"
Zastin was shocked to see Sora so easily catch his fatal blow. But there was no time for him to think. He struggled to pull his sword back.
Crack...
With a crisp sound like shattering glass, to Zastin's astonishment, not only did he fail to retrieve his beloved sword, but cracks appeared on it, and it was directly broken in two by Sora's fingers...
"Although you didn't mean it, you'll have to pay a price for almost harming Sairenji-san!"
With a gloomy expression, an energy blast the size of a washbasin had formed in Sora's other hand. Under Zastin's horrified gaze, Sora turned and smashed the energy blast into Zastin's chest.
"Ah..."
Boom!!!!!
With a miserable cry, Zastin's figure was soon swallowed by the dazzling light and explosion...
...
"Sairenji-san, are you okay?"
The explosion had subsided. Sora didn't care about Zastin's fate. He released Haruna from his arms and asked with a concerned expression.
"Yeah, Sora-san, I'm fine."
Standing up quickly, Haruna was a little shy. Recalling the thrilling scenes that only appeared in movies, a blush appeared on her young face.
"Lala-san, I'll leave this to you to handle for now. We'll meet at home later. I'll take Sairenji-san home first."
Although his clothes were a bit tattered, seeing that Haruna was indeed fine, Sora breathed a sigh of relief. He looked at the wrecked surroundings and spoke to Lala.
"Okay, okay, you go ahead, Sora."
Lala replied casually.
"Sairenji-san, which way is your home?"
"Over there... Sora-san, I can go home by myself, ah..."
Without waiting for Haruna to refuse, Sora directly picked up the girl, grabbed the little pet dog Maron, and flew up into the sky, heading towards Haruna's house.
"Sora, come back soon!"
Even though they had just met, Lala waved her hand like an old friend, telling Sora to come back quickly.
"Now, what should I do..."
Seeing that Sora had flown far away, Lala looked at the wrecked surroundings, poking her cheek with a bewildered and troubled expression.
Although she had agreed so readily, she had no idea how to handle it!
If she couldn't figure it out, she wouldn't bother thinking about it. Seeing Zastin lying on the ground, unconscious, Lala picked up a tree branch from the ground and skipped over.
"Hey, Zastin, are you still alive?"
Poking Zastin's body with the branch, Lala tilted her head and called out.
"Princess Lala..."
His sturdy armor was also tattered from the explosion. Zastin weakly opened his eyes and replied to Lala in a weak voice.
Zastin had never expected that Earthling to be so powerful. Even he, a powerful Devilukean warrior and the captain of Princess Lala's personal guard, was no match for him. He felt both ashamed and unwilling, his heart a mix of complex emotions.
"Hehehe... Zastin, you're so useless. Who told you to come and capture me? Now you're suffering!"
Being so thick-skinned to the point of being cold-blooded, Lala not only had no intention of comforting Zastin but also raised her small fist and gloated with a carefree smile.
Zastin stared at Lala with a stiff expression, suddenly feeling the urge to cry. What was he doing all this for... What was he doing all this for?!!!
Already physically and mentally battered and at a low point in his life, and now stimulated by Lala's words, Zastin, who was barely hanging on, could no longer hold on. His neck drooped, and he fainted completely...
"Is there a place to throw away trash around here? I should probably throw Zastin away before anyone sees him."
The thick-skinned girl didn't know what Sora meant by "handle it." She guessed he meant to get rid of the eyesore, Zastin. Lala stood up, dragging the battered Zastin, and started looking for a nearby garbage dump...
…
"Sora-san, my house is down there..."
Never imagining that she would one day be held and fly through the sky, Haruna felt as if she were in a daze, as if in a dream. Looking at her house below, she murmured to Sora.
Nodding, Sora slowly descended, tossed the little pet dog Maron aside, and then gently put the girl down.
"Sairenji-san, it's dangerous at night. Don't go out alone again."
Thinking about how his deskmate was walking her dog so late at night, Sora was speechless. He felt it was necessary to remind her.
"Mm..."
She responded softly, a little embarrassed. Actually, Haruna usually wouldn't go out at this time. But for some reason, Maron was barking incessantly tonight, insisting on going for a walk, so she had taken him out.
Although she was still a little scared thinking about it now, the girl felt more of a different kind of excitement. If she hadn't gone out tonight, she wouldn't have witnessed so many exciting things, let alone discover Sora-san's...
"Sora-san, that..."
She was very curious about the people with tails and their ability to fly and fight. Just as Haruna was about to ask Sora about it, the gate of the Sairenji house opened.
"Haruna, is that you back?"
A woman's voice, and then a beautiful figure walked out.
Looking in the direction of the voice, even Sora's eyes lit up.
Waist-length hair, around twenty years old, a curvaceous and well-developed figure, and a beautiful face that was seventy percent similar to Haruna's.
Without a doubt, she was a beauty, a super beauty!
"Who are you? What are you trying to do to Haruna?"
Seeing Sora, the woman was slightly startled, then quickly walked over, pulled Haruna behind her, and looked at Sora warily.
Touching his chin, Sora couldn't help but smile. From the woman's appearance and age, he had naturally guessed her identity. Seeing that she seemed to misunderstand him, he was about to explain, but Haruna answered first.
"Sister, this is my deskmate, Kusanagi Sora. I ran into him outside, and he walked me home. Sora-san is not a bad person."
Seemingly worried that her sister would misunderstand, Haruna said anxiously, though her answer was a small lie.
Seeing that Haruna didn't mention what had happened before, Sora was a little surprised but also satisfied. Although it wouldn't have mattered if she had told the truth, Sora was happy to avoid trouble.
"Hello, my name is Kusanagi Sora. I'm Sairenji-san's deskmate. Please take care of me."
He introduced himself to the woman with a smile. Although she looked similar to Haruna, her figure and mature temperament were far beyond what the current Haruna could compare to. In front of such a beautiful woman, Sora wanted to leave a good impression.
"Hello, Sora-san. I was so rude just now. My name is Sairenji Akiho, Haruna's older sister. Thank you for bringing Haruna home."
Hearing her sister's explanation and Sora's self-introduction, the woman named Akiho let down her guard and returned the greeting with a friendly smile.
After carefully sizing up Sora, Akiho couldn't help but be surprised. She thought to herself, so this is the deskmate Haruna has been mentioning recently. Isn't he a little too handsome...
"It's already so late, and Haruna took Maron out. I was worried. Thank you for bringing her home, Sora-san. Please come in for a cup of hot tea."
Like a generous and virtuous girl-next-door, Akiho invited Sora in.
Although he was a little tempted, after thinking about it, Sora shook his head.
"Hehe, Akiho-san, you're too kind. Maybe next time. It's getting late, and I have to go home."
"Since I've brought Sairenji-san home, I'll be leaving now. Goodbye, Sairenji-san, Akiho-san."
Politely declining Akiho's kind offer, Sora bid farewell to the two sisters and turned to leave.
Akiho had only been polite out of courtesy. With only her and her sister at home, she didn't want a boy she didn't know well to come in so late at night, even if he was Haruna's deskmate. Seeing Sora being so tactful, a hint of appreciation flashed in Akiho's eyes, and her impression of him improved a little.
"Please wait, Sora-san!"
However, while her sister Akiho was happy for Sora to leave now, her younger sister Haruna was anxious. She still had so many things she wanted to ask Sora.
"Is there anything else, Sairenji-san?"
Stopping, understanding what the girl was thinking, Sora asked with a smile.
"Um... um... Sora-san, you'll still be coming to school, right?"
Although she was extremely curious and confused, with her sister present, Haruna couldn't ask directly.
Tonight's events were far beyond her previous understanding of the world, too bizarre. Even if she told someone, it would only lead to ridicule and unnecessary trouble. The intelligent Haruna naturally understood this.
More importantly, for some reason, the girl had a feeling that she wanted to keep tonight's events as a secret just between herself and Sora-san...
"Of course. With a beautiful and cute deskmate like Sairenji-san, I couldn't bear to leave our school, hahahaha..."
Sora replied with a joking tone, laughing.
"That's great..."
Although a little shy, Haruna was relieved to hear Sora's answer. She was really worried that after she discovered his secret, Sora would disappear. As long as Sora was still going to school, she would have plenty of opportunities to ask him about things.
"Sora-san, thank you so much for tonight. Please be careful on your way."
Bowing to Sora, the composed Haruna thanked and reminded him.
Nodding, Sora didn't say anything more. He waved to the two sisters and gradually walked away, disappearing into the darkness of the distant street...
"Haruna, don't you think you should explain things to me?"
Watching Sora leave, Haruna felt a little lost. But then her sister Akiho's voice sounded from the side.
"Sister, what... what are you talking about?"
Turning around and seeing her sister looking at her with a half-smile, Haruna quickly looked away, pretending not to understand.
"Hmph, you little brat, you're trying to keep secrets from me, aren't you? Let's go inside and have a good talk about that Sora-san!"
"Ugh, sister..."