Beneath the massive banyan tree, Luo Shu held the unconscious demon girl, Kisara, in his arms. Beside him, Chisato Nishikigi and Takina Inoue were dragging along Ayano Kannagi, while Ryuya Kazemaki walked beside them on his own. They all emerged from the underground cave beneath the roots of the tree.
Finally stepping into the sunlight, the person who seemed the most emotional wasn't any of the girls, but rather the pale-faced Ryuya Kazemaki.
"Thank god… we finally made it out—ugh!!" he groaned, gasping in pain as his shout tugged at the wound in his abdomen, tears welling up in his eyes.
Heaven bear witness. No one knew how much he had suffered during this mission. All he had done was loyally clear the way and assist the others, yet somehow, the enemy had mistaken him for the main threat and targeted him like he was the squad leader. Was that really necessary?
"Ryuya, can you keep it down a little…" Ayano Kannagi, still weak and barely able to stand, looked at him with a bit of awkwardness. It almost seemed like she had bullied him, the way he looked. But no one could have predicted that the demon Mapha would single him out as the most dangerous threat. No one had seen that coming.
Not far away, Luo Shu—carrying Kisara in a princess carry—asked, "Takina, have you sent the signal yet?"
"I've already sent the third one," Takina replied, propping up Ayano's arm to keep her from collapsing due to the lingering effects of the poison.
"Good," Luo Shu nodded. He gently laid Kisara down, slung her over one shoulder, then reached into the bag Chisato was carrying. Unzipping it, he pulled out a flare gun and fired a round into the sky.
Biu—! With a sharp crack, the flare burst high above, exploding into a large cloud of pink smoke.
Barely two minutes passed before the rhythmic thrum of helicopter blades echoed in the air. Before long, a large armed chopper appeared overhead, and Mizuki Nakahara's voice bellowed from a megaphone:
"Is everyone alright down there?!"
The group shouted back, but the roar of the helicopter made their responses muddled and hard to hear.
Seeing their condition, Mizuki breathed a little easier, then turned to Mika in the cockpit. "They all look intact. Lower the ladder."
"Got it." Mika let out a soft breath and pressed a button, deploying the ladder and hovering around the banyan tree.
On the ground, Luo Shu looked at the dangling rope ladder, then turned to Ryuya. "You still holding up?"
Ryuya clutched the bandages around his abdomen and replied with a pale face, "I can still use wind manipulation to help myself up… but give me a second…"
At that, Luo Shu casually reminded him, "We're the only two guys here, y'know."
Hearing this, Ayano, Chisato, and Takina all turned simultaneously to glare at them, instinctively pressing down on their skirts. Of course, they were professionals and wore safety shorts underneath, but that didn't mean they were okay with anyone catching a glimpse of their underwear from below.
Ryuya twitched at the corner of his mouth. "…Fine, I'll go first."
While Ryuya struggled up the ladder with effort, Luo Shu—working with Takina—secured Kisara to his back using several safety ropes.
Once the bindings were tight, Luo Shu leaped up, grabbed the ladder, and called back to the others, "I'll go up first. You three be careful."
With Kisara strapped to his back, Luo Shu climbed the ladder swiftly and with ease.
"Wow, nice stamina," Mizuki teased with a playful grin as she helped pull him aboard.
Then her eyes landed on the unconscious, pink-haired girl on Luo Shu's back, and her expression turned serious. "Is that the girl…?"
"Yeah. The sealed high-tier demon," Luo Shu replied as he untied the safety ropes and moved Kisara to an empty seat.
"Did you give her any sedatives?" Mika asked sharply.
"I fed her three doses. She won't wake up for at least two hours," Luo Shu said casually.
That eased Mika's tension. But Mizuki blinked in confusion.
Three doses? Sure, the first one could have been forced in, but how had Luo Shu managed the second and third doses with her unconscious?
She glanced at Luo Shu's still slightly damp lips and narrowed her eyes.
…Nope. Not gonna think about it.
Even if she suspected Luo Shu had administered the drugs right in front of Takina and Chisato, she wasn't going to dig into that detail.
She quickly refocused and leaned out of the aircraft to help the other three board.
Meanwhile, Mika, facing away from Luo Shu, pressed a button on his headset and spoke, "Luo Shu, the Director just contacted us. She wants you to bring the demon to her directly at sea."
"Huh?" Luo Shu looked up, then asked, "Just me?"
"Yeah, just you," Mika confirmed. Then, after a pause, he added, "Don't worry about anything. Just tell the truth when you get there."
Luo Shu rolled his eyes. "Next time, don't be so cryptic when you talk."
But deep down, he understood exactly what Mika meant.
After all, Sharon wouldn't have hidden anything about what had happened to her.
The infamous "La Sirène" of the Americas, huh… If it really is who I think it is, this might be pretty interesting… Luo Shu fastened Kisara's seatbelt and sank into thought.
As Chisato and Takina helped Ayano board the helicopter, Mika shouted, "Hold on tight!"
The helicopter quickly ascended, reaching a safe altitude, then revealed the air-to-ground missiles mounted below.
"Oooh!! Are we doing this now?" Chisato asked excitedly. "Mika, can I push the launch button?!"
"You're twenty years too early for that," Mika shot back, pressing the button himself.
With a thunderous roar, the missile launched toward the banyan tree. Moments later, a deafening explosion rocked the ground below.
In the heart of the blazing fireball, the massive tree—tens of meters tall—collapsed with a thunderous crash.
"The link between the abyss and our world has been destroyed. The rest is up to the logistics team," Mika said, finally allowing himself to relax. His face lightened visibly as he added, "We're heading home!"
At that, Chisato shouted, "Woohoo! I want sukiyaki to celebrate!"
"Yakiniku," Takina countered immediately. Hearing the contradiction, she insisted again, "We're having grilled meat!"
"Sukiyaki!"
"Yakiniku!"
"Sukiyaki!"
After bickering for several rounds, the two girls simultaneously turned to Luo Shu and asked in perfect sync:
"Luo Shu, what do you think we should eat?"
Luo Shu froze. What did this have to do with him?
After thinking it over, he answered hesitantly, "Sukiyaki, I guess. We had yakiniku last time."
"Yay!!" Chisato made a V-sign of victory.
"Hmph." Takina snorted and fell silent.
"So noisy…" Ayano sighed in exasperation, watching the two argue while still feeling drained.
Someone please take me to a hospital already, Ryuya sobbed silently in his heart. Have some humanity, damn it! I swear I'll never trust women again…
Twenty minutes later—
Luo Shu, holding the still-unconscious Kisara, disembarked from a white speedboat piloted by Hilda. They had reached the Armed Court vessel stationed just off the coast. As he boarded the ship, Luo Shu saw a familiar figure waiting for him.
The pink-haired Songstress of Peace—
—Lacus Clyne.