Sū ěr was absolutely certain: Think was a heartless, toxic presence. Hearing a Flügel's secret, heartfelt confession—something she never intended for another soul to hear—and instead of being moved, Think wanted to photograph the breakdown for posterity.
Justice-loving Sū ěr could not stand for this!
"...What? You're bad-mouthing me in your head, aren't you?" Think suddenly turned her head, her raised eyebrow looking like a sharpened blade to Sū ěr.
"...Never."
"Hmph. Better stay that way."
Think chuckled and finally found the perfect angle. Her finger tapped the screen. Click.
Jibril pitiful, teary-eyed state was now preserved forever. Think even hummed a little tune. Today was her lucky day; she couldn't wait to show the bird the photo once she got her adult body back.
Of course, she'd need dozens of backups. Maybe she'd just upload it to the cloud. The "large-chested, brainless" Flügel would surely try to tear the physical photo and destroy the camera, but with her intellect, she'd never find where the Great Think had hidden the digital copies.
Live with your regret, Jibril! — Love, Think.
Click.Click-clack.
The two heartfelt lines seemed to be the finale of the play. The stage went quiet.
The tiny Artosh and Jibril scurried toward the curtains. Before disappearing, the miniature Jibril—in her adult form—bowed to Sū ěr with her hands behind her back, then ran off looking terribly embarrassed.
Honestly, if the adult Jibril were actually that shy, Sū ěr would be willing to burn incense for Tet. Three sticks, even.
"Yo~! Long time no see, King of Slackers~!"
With the breezy tone of an old friend, a half-body materialized from the box. Tet was grinning and waving. The gender-neutral teenager looked like a genie emerging from a lamp, his lower half fading into transparent smoke.
"TET!!!"
A piercing scream nearly shattered Sū ěr eardrums. Jibril, still teary-eyed, lunged at the god with gritted teeth. Her tiny fists glowed with blinding light, intent on smashing his head in.
Can a small Flügel still throw a punch? Yes. Absolutely.
BANG!!!
A direct hit!
The punch landed squarely on Tet face, sending the Great One True God spinning through the air like a cartoon character before he slammed into the wall and slid down like a wet noodle.
Like a radish being pulled from the ground, Tet lower half was finally yanked out of the box by the force of the punch, and his full body manifested.
Clap. Clap. Clap.
Think was applauding. It was the first time she'd ever looked at Jibril with genuine approval. Jibril, however, ignored her, staring at her right fist in confusion.
Even in her rage, she knew that hurting Tet should be impossible. Even if this was just a sliver of his consciousness in this world, her power shouldn't be able to touch him. And yet... she'd definitely felt the impact.
Which meant... Tet let her hit him.
"A masochist?" Jibril tilted her head. In her current form, it sounded like an innocent child accidentally speaking the truth.
"Hey!! In times like this, aren't you supposed to think I let you hit me out of guilt and as an apology?!" Tet yelled, sitting up and frantically holding onto his hat so it wouldn't fall off.
"Hah. I don't need your boring sympathy," Jibril said, cracking her knuckles. Even in her smaller form, her grudge against Tet hadn't diminished one bit.
Especially after having her heart shredded by that "gift." She wanted to pull the god's head off and scrub it with a steel wool pad until every bit of flesh was gone, leaving a perfect, polished skull. She could even wax it and put candles in the eye sockets every night.
"Waaa... their eyes are scary. Sū ěr, save me!"
Like a cat that had just been dunked in water, Tet shivered violently, shaking off imaginary goosebumps. He performed an impossible maneuver—wiggling his butt across the floor to hide behind Sū ěr.
Sū ěr: "..."
Was it his imagination, or had the once-innocent god he'd pulled from Riku spirit become a total "old pro" at manipulation? What had this guy been through after they left?
"So you've been here the whole time?" Think asked, summoning the crystal back to her hand. "Even back in that era, when we fought the gods of this world... you were just hiding in here watching?"
Think voice grew dangerously low. A storm was brewing.
But Tet wasn't scared at all. "Yep~!" he admitted cheerfully. "Because if I came out too early, I'd be interrupting your thousand-year reunion drama~~~"
"And in that big fight, I figured the Flügel would want to save you all single-handedly... by the way, that was super cool~!"
Tet gave Jibril a huge thumbs-up. Jibril knew the cunning god was just trying to buy her off with flattery, but she... totally could not resist.
"Hmph. You have decent taste, I suppose~" The tiny Flügel puffed out her chest and lifted her chin proudly.
Sū ěr: "..."