"Are you… are you okay?"
Wrapped around the waist by tentacles, Natsumi Sakura followed Muxiao Xiao's movements, rising and falling as they swiftly maneuvered and leaped between several school buildings, finally landing on the rooftop of the cafeteria.
The girl was so close to the tentacle creature that she dared to poke here and touch there with her fingers. The texture was smooth, soft, and springy… it felt comfortable to touch, even warm.
*It's actually kind of cute*, she thought. As for fear?
*Emmmmm, you get used to it.* Besides, Natsumi Sakura felt that Muxiao's appearance was far better than those hypocritical, human-like jerks.
While observing and touching, she suddenly noticed a wound on one of the tentacles, still bleeding. The ponytail girl immediately became anxious and asked nervously. Even after Muxiao released her, she wasn't reassured and grabbed the tentacle tightly.
Her slender, delicate hand gently caressed it, making Muxiao tremble involuntarily.
*Hiss…*
"You're hurt?" The wound on the tentacle wasn't too severe—compared to a human, it was like a small cut from a kitchen knife. It was a mark left from a brief clash with Tohka Matsubara in the bathroom earlier. That girl was no weakling. On the surface, Muxiao had the upper hand, but he'd taken some injuries too.
However, those wounds healed quickly, so they hadn't been noticed at first.
A minor injury like this would heal in just a few minutes, but Natsumi didn't know that, and Muxiao couldn't understand why this girl was so nervous and concerned about him. *If I were still in human form, fine, but I'm a tentacle monster now. Can this really attract girls?*
*Ugh, being too charming is such a burden.*
Watching the beautiful girl beside him rummage through her pockets and finally pull out a Band-Aid, Natsumi carefully and attentively placed it on Muxiao's tentacle. The moonlight illuminated her exquisite, radiant face, her gentle and soft expression making her look even more beautiful.
Muxiao, with mixed feelings, raised the phone—Natsumi's phone, to be exact. The girl looked up and saw the text on the screen.
"You're so thoughtful. I feel like you'd make a gentle, wonderful wife someday."
"Huh? W-W-What—?"
Natsumi hurriedly covered her face with both hands, her cheeks instantly flushing with two shades of crimson. "Tch, Muxiao, you… that's way too straightforward! Wife? Wife?!"
The ponytail girl was so flustered by Muxiao's words that she started stammering, her eyes darting around, her expression shy, her heart pounding uncontrollably. Was this the legendary *direct approach*?
"A good woman like you, and that guy named Houichi didn't hold on to you? What a pity," Muxiao typed, seemingly oblivious to her flustered shyness.
*Hmm, let's start with a nice guy card.*
"…It's not entirely his fault. After all, so much happened today, and he was confused too. Plus, Tohka-chan turned out like that… But some things, once they happen, can't be undone," Natsumi said, her tone briefly melancholic before she quickly flashed a bright, cheerful smile again.
"Let's not talk about him," Natsumi said, shaking her head, unwilling to dwell on her childhood friend. She fixed a serious gaze on the tentacle monster beside her. "Muxiao, I haven't properly thanked you yet. You saved me again just now… Thank you."
"If it weren't for you, I might've… I know words of thanks aren't much, but I still want to say—Arigato!"
She flashed a wide, beaming smile. "Meeting you has really made me happy~"
This girl… In their brief interactions, Muxiao was increasingly struck by her charm. Most girls, after going through so much trouble—nearly being violated by their crush's friend, not to mention the monsters—would likely be terrified, traumatized, or completely shut down.
That would be normal.
Yet Natsumi Sakura could still smile, far stronger than most girls.
Before Muxiao could respond, the phone suddenly rang.
"Huh? There's a signal! It's Mom calling!" The surprise came so suddenly that Natsumi hurriedly grabbed her phone, fumbling to answer it. "Mom? It's me, I'm fine. I'm still at school… There's rescue coming? That's great…"
Muxiao, eavesdropping nearby, froze. *Rescue is coming?* That meant the existence of these monsters might be exposed. *Ugh, I don't know what kind of world this is. Maybe it's not your typical everyday world.*
*If it's dangerous, I'll have to play it safe…*
"Muxiao, the signal outside the barrier is back, and Mom and the police are almost at the school," Natsumi said, looking at him with big, hopeful eyes. "What… what are you going to do now?"
*What to do? Keep farming evolution points, of course!* Before the police arrived, he'd clear out the small-fry monsters in the school. Otherwise, getting evolution points later might not be so easy.
His instincts already sensed police cars approaching in the distance.
"Since someone's coming to save you, I should get going. See you—"
"Wait, Muxiao!" Natsumi hurriedly spread her arms, blocking his path. "You're leaving? Where are you going?"
"To deal with those monsters."
"And then? What about food, sleep… Do you have a place to stay?"
"Nope. I'll figure it out later."
"That's… Muxiao, can you not leave?" Natsumi clasped her hands together, asking softly.
The girl locked eyes with the tentacle monster in front of her. Her delicate, beautiful face carried a hint of nervousness and a touch of faint anticipation. Under the moonlight, the stunning girl and the alien tentacle creature stood together—an extreme contrast, yet somehow, inexplicably harmonious.
The moonlight cast their faces and reflections, creating a beautiful, dreamlike scene, like a painting.
The tentacle monster moved, its tendrils deftly typing on the phone before showing the screen to the girl. Natsumi read the words.
"Don't go? You gonna take care of me?"
Her heart skipped a beat. The beautiful girl pressed her hands to her chest and blurted out instinctively, "I'll take care of you!"
Muxiao: "…"
"You'd be lonely out there, right? And you might get discovered, which would be a hassle… Plus, you've helped me so much, and I want to help you too," the girl stammered. "If you don't mind, Muxiao, come to my place. I… I can take care of you!"
"It sounds more like you're adopting a pet. You're not treating me like some stray kitten abandoned in the wild, are you?" Muxiao asked, slightly surprised but teasingly.
"Well, maybe just a little, but mostly I just want to help you."
"Just to help me? To repay a debt? Here I thought you liked me."
Muxiao squinted, starting to tease her.
"N-No, it's not just that. Repaying you is part of it, but… liking you…" Being teased by a tentacle monster, Natsumi didn't find it strange. Instead, his directness left her flustered. When had she ever encountered such a straightforward approach?
As for her childhood friend, Houichi Matsubara, he was "kind" in a nice way, but "indecisive" in a bad way.
With that thought, the ponytail girl bit her lip, making up her mind. She could already see the outline of police cars in the distance. "I do like you. I like how it feels to be with you, Muxiao. It's comforting, warm… Even though we haven't known each other long, I… I…"
"Woo—"
The police sirens cut her off. Natsumi quickly shut her mouth, her face growing redder, her girlish shyness on full display. "So, Muxiao, please don't go, okay?"
Muxiao inwardly sighed. *What a shame. I was looking forward to what she'd say next.* But there was plenty of time ahead.
"Alright, since I can eat and crash for free, I'm not gonna say no. Natsumi, make sure to prepare some lavish offerings for me—"
"Okay!"