When Noroi noticed that Mini had vanished from the sky without any signal or return, a sense of danger struck him.
He quickened his pace, then broke into a run toward the direction, but froze behind the bushes when he saw a furred creature,wolf-like around its back,pinning his small robot to the ground as if trying to eat or crush it.
His hand shot to his wrist, pressing one of the buttons on the metallic device attached there, releasing a hidden blade.
Noroi burst out from behind the bushes, charging straight at the creature. He managed to tackle it down, pinning it to the ground while holding the blade against its neck… only to find it was a girl!
"Wait… what?!"
Before Noroi could even process the fact that the creature was actually a girl, she surprised him with a powerful kick to his stomach, sending his body stumbling backward.
He lifted his gaze to see her standing on her feet again, a wide grin spreading across her lips, while her eyes gleamed with unmistakable excitement.
The girl bent down toward a massive axe, old in design. Its blade was a huge slab of iron, bound with brown ropes around the base of its wooden handle, and it lay resting on the grass. Her hand reached for it, gripping the wooden shaft firmly.
Noroi instinctively stepped back, sensing the danger in her movement, while Haruki, still dangling above, watched the scene in astonishment, a boy armed with modern, advanced tools against a girl whose only weapon was that enormous axe.
Mini hovered beside Noroi, its small screen glowing red.
Its sensors identified the girl as a confirmed enemy.
The sides of Mini opened, revealing its twin laser weapons.
It locked onto her as a target for elimination, the lasers on both sides igniting and gathering energy, preparing to fire at her.
The girl tilted her head to the side, unaware of what was about to happen. But the instant the red beam shot toward her with force, her body instinctively shifted aside, as if she possessed some kind of sixth sense.
Her eyes fell on the grass, now charred where she had been standing just moments ago. Only then did she realize the danger that tiny creature posed to her.
Her gaze quickly shot upward toward the metal machine, which was already preparing another attack.
"Watch out!"
The girl shouted urgently, warning Noroi himself. Not stopping there, she dashed forward as the laser fired a second time, tracking her movement and scorching every inch she stepped on.
She reached Noroi and shoved him out of the way, sending him tumbling to the side, while she raised her axe against Mini.
The robot aimed its weapons straight at her forehead, and in that tense instant, both were prepared to kill the other…..
Before either of them could destroy the other, Noroi rushed forward and positioned his entire body between the two. Both sides froze, halting their attacks.
Noroi's voice rang out sharply and authoritatively.
"Stop!"
At his command, Mini's screen returned to its calm blue state, and the robot retracted both of its weapons back to its sides, obedient to its master.
Meanwhile, the girl dropped her axe with a loud thud on the ground, gesturing angrily and exasperatedly at the boy.
"You're defending the creature that tried to steal my prey? Really?! Whose side are you on?"
Her voice carried a strong sense of irritation and a hint of disbelief at Noroi's actions, while she referred to Haruki as her "prey."
Noroi squinted and opened his mouth slightly, unable to speak at first. After gathering himself, he replied, somewhat flustered.
"Excuse me… do I even know you well enough to take your side? Besides, that so-called prey is just a human boy, in case you hadn't realized."
The girl tilted her neck back, looking up at Haruki, suspended in her net like a ball. Her lips curled slightly in a disgusted expression as the words slipped out without much thought.
"I thought he was some kind of creature here… disappointing."
Thank you for reading! If this moment touched you even a little , please consider adding it to your library.💐