The half-meter-tall golden retriever stepped forward cautiously.
The girl with crimson hair in twin tails shrieked and flailed her arms. "Don't come any closer! I'm warning you!"
The golden retriever froze, then retreated a couple of steps. It whimpered, sounding heartbreakingly close to tears, and stood its ground.
[You have successfully discovered traces of a magical beast. This beast has golden fur and is of considerable size, indicating a high level of cultivation. It appears to be in conflict with a female warrior. Will you intervene or choose self-preservation?]
So this was a magical beast? A golden retriever? It wasn't even growling—just staring blankly, like a confused, oversized puppy.
Takumi stepped out of the car, frowning as he approached. The girl slowly came into view. She looked… familiar.
Her voice, too.
He moved closer and called out.
The girl jumped and screamed again, scooping the small golden retriever into her arms, crouching defensively. "Help! Police! Somebody help!"
Takumi blinked, momentarily confused—then realization dawned. "Rias?"
She froze mid-sob. The puppy in her arms hadn't bitten her, and she blinked through tears as recognition sparked.
"Huh?" Her expression softened. "Ta… Takumi?"
They were classmates. Rias, the class monitor—poised, sharp-tongued, and impossible to ignore. She was the kind who always had her uniform perfectly pressed and her hand raised first in every lecture.
Takumi, by contrast, was usually either dozing off in class or buried in obscure books, chasing arcane knowledge. That contrast had made him memorable to her.
"What are you doing?" he asked, raising an eyebrow. "Why were you yelling like that?"
Relieved, Rias clutched his sleeve as if it were a lifeline, sprang to her feet, and hid behind him. She pointed a trembling finger at the golden retriever still standing a few feet away.
"Takumi! You've got to help me protect this puppy. That big yellow one attacked it! Look—it's bleeding! If I hadn't stepped in, it would've been torn apart!"
Takumi glanced down at the pup in her arms. Sure enough, reddish stains smeared its muzzle and around its eyes. But the color… was off. No bite marks. And were those seeds?
He touched a bit with his finger, then sighed. "This is dragon fruit."
"What?" Rias blinked. "Dragon fruit? What dragon fruit?"
He nodded toward the larger golden retriever, still watching them from a distance, its expression a picture of hurt innocence. Sympathy tugged at him.
"I'm guessing that's the mother. Try putting the puppy down. Let's see what happens."
Rias looked scandalized. "Are you crazy? I saw it biting the puppy's head!"
Takumi didn't argue. He gently took the pup from her arms and placed it on the ground.
Tail wagging furiously, the little retriever trotted toward the big one and nuzzled close. The mother licked the sticky fruit from her pup's face, then turned to bark at Takumi—twice, grateful—before trotting off peacefully.
[You have rescued a magical beast mother and child. Beastkin blessing acquired. Charisma +1]
Rias stood frozen, her mind clearly struggling to process everything.
Takumi looked at her. "Well? Any thoughts?"
"This… this… this…"
He replied, deadpan, "This... this... this?"
Her face turned crimson. She clenched her fists and puffed her chest in defiance. "Still! My intentions were good! I acted to save a life!"
She tilted her chin upward. "And don't give me that look like I'm some idiot."
Takumi's lips twitched in a faint smirk. "I didn't say anything."
Silence hung between them, heavy and mortifying.
Just then, a police officer approached. "Someone called for help?"
Takumi didn't hesitate. "Her," he said, pointing at Rias.
Flustered, she waved her arms so fast her twin tails whipped around like flags. "No, no, officer! I didn't shout! Everything's fine!"
The officer chuckled and walked off, clearly used to kids being dramatic.
Takumi turned to leave.
But Rias, fists clenched again, mustered her courage and blurted out, "Thank you… for stepping in earlier. I don't forget favors."
He paused mid-step, glancing back.
Her face flushed as she bit her lip.
After a long pause, Takumi tilted his head and asked deliberately, "Hmm? What was that? I didn't catch it."
Rias hadn't expected to be called out like that. Her face turned an even deeper shade of red. "I… I said…"
Takumi remained deadpan, not even a flicker of a smile. He'd always thought the whole tsundere thing was an anime trope—until now.
"Actually," he said dryly, "I heard you the first time. No need to thank me."
Rias stared after him, stunned, as he turned and walked away. After a beat, she muttered, "There's something seriously wrong with that guy…" Then she groaned and buried her face in her hands. "Ugh. That was so embarrassing." She spun around and took off in a flustered sprint.
A week passed without incident.
One morning, on the way to school, Takumi was walking with Mizuki when he caught sight of a familiar figure heading their way—Rias, the class discipline monitor.
The moment she spotted him, she froze in place.
Then, without a word, she spun around and dashed in the opposite direction.
Takumi watched her go, blinking. This wasn't the first time either. All week, Rias had been avoiding him like he was cursed.
Mizuki, oblivious to Rias's sudden retreat, noticed his distracted look. "Takumi? What are you staring at?"
He blinked and shrugged. "Oh. Nothing."
She tilted her head, curious, but didn't push the matter.
Takumi himself was mildly puzzled—until the mystery unraveled during a quiet self-study session later that week.
The teacher was absent. Students were chatting, others half-asleep at their desks. As usual, Takumi was among the latter.
Rias had clearly had enough.
"Quiet down! This is self-study!" she shouted, rising from her seat with authority. "If you don't stop talking, I'll start writing names on the board!"
The room fell silent—for about ten seconds. Then it slipped right back into background chatter.
Rias clenched her fists and stormed up to the blackboard.
She began writing names one by one in neat, controlled strokes—each letter brimming with restrained frustration.
But when she reached Takumi's name… she paused.
Her hand hovered mid-air.
Then she skipped over him entirely.
Unfortunately, someone noticed.
"Hey, Rias! You didn't write Takumi's name! He's literally sleeping right now!"
Rias spun around, eyes wide. "What? I didn't? I—I was just about to! Don't rush me!"
"Liar! You skipped straight past him! You wrote everyone else in order!"
At the sudden outburst, Takumi stirred and opened his eyes. His gaze met Rias's.
She turned back to the board, face blazing.
"I'll write it now!" she snapped, grabbing the chalk again.
She managed to write just the first character—"Taku"—before her hand wavered again.
Then, with sudden resolve, she erased all the names on the board in one sweeping motion.
"Enough!" she declared. "Final warning! If anyone talks again, I'll write down everyone's name!"
She stepped down from the podium and returned to her seat—only to find Takumi still watching her with quiet amusement.
Someone in the back chuckled.
"Oi, Monitor," the boy called out with a teasing lilt, "do you like Takumi or something?"
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