(Yuuta POV)
At last, we arrived at the airport. The big, bustling gateway to the skies.
"Elena, we're finally here!" I shouted, my voice echoing through the busy terminal.
Elena squealed in delight, her small hands gripping my hair as she perched on my shoulders like a tiny queen surveying her kingdom. Around us, travelers hurried past, but we were in our own little world—loud, excited, and a bit chaotic.
I could barely believe it. My first time flying. For years I had dreamed of this moment, but plane tickets were ridiculous. You could buy a fancy bottle of wine for the price of a seat! And yet somehow, thanks to Jesus Christ, We won the lottery which is first class tour tickets and we were flying first class. I wasn't questioning it. I was just soaking it in.
"Elena," I said, grinning ear to ear, "we're going to fly!"
She giggled, her eyes sparkling with wonder, then asked the cutest question possible.
"Papa, can I fly beside the plane?"
I nearly choked on my own excitement. "No way! You can't fly beside the plane—that's not how it works!" I tried not to sound like a panicked father, but come on, it was a ridiculous idea.
From behind us came Erza's voice, sharp and unimpressed. "Ugh. You two act like maniacs. First the mall, then the theater, and now the airport? Have you learned nothing about manners?"
I shrugged, waving off her scolding. "Manners don't fill my soul. Enjoying life does."
She sighed deeply, like she was already preparing to give up on us. "Fine. Who's handling the passports?"
"Oh, Allen is taking care of it," I said, trying to sound confident.
Erza's eyes narrowed. "You did what?"
I forced a nervous laugh. "Uh… is that bad?"
"You absolute idiot."
Before I could respond, my attention snapped to a group of soldiers approaching the passport desk with purpose.
"What now?" I muttered, my heart quickening.
We rushed forward and found Allen holding one of the officers by the collar, his expression dark and fierce.
"How dare you not recognize my master's wife and daughter?" Allen snarled. "Do you want to die?"
The soldiers responded over their radios, their voices cold and steady. "Release him immediately. We will open fire in five seconds."
Allen scoffed. "Tch… humans like you test my patience. If my master weren't so kind-hearted, I'd skin you alive right here."
Allen's eyes gleamed with disdain. He looked down at them as if they were insignificant insects. "Here's a warning. If you don't let them board, I will personally kill every one of you, and burn your families to ashes."
I watched as the soldiers visibly trembled, their hands shaking on their rifles. Even the AK-47s felt heavy in their grips.
At that moment, I realized—this was no ordinary airport day, and our flight was about to get a lot more interesting.
"Allen…" I managed, my jaw hanging open. I'd been so excited about our first-class tickets that I never even thought about Erza's passport. And now, here he was—on the verge of threatening the entire airport into submission.
Allen turned his head toward me with a look of pure disgust, as if some lowly human had dared interrupt him. But the moment he realized it was me who had called, his entire demeanor flipped. He dropped to one knee right there on the polished floor, like some medieval knight in a suit of armor.
"Master," he said, his voice dripping with loyalty, "rest assured, I will teach these pests the glory of your name."
"No need," I blurted out, trying to keep him from adding international incident to our travel itinerary.
The security guards and tourists around us all shifted their gaze to me, their eyes wide. I could practically hear the thoughts running through their heads—Is this guy the mastermind? Is he some kind of mafia boss?
I turned to Erza for backup, but instead of helping, she scowled at me. "You idiot, lazy mortal. How can you be so narrow-minded?"
"Hey! I didn't—"
She didn't let me finish. With an exasperated sigh, she raised her hand. "Yuuta, Elena—cover your eyes."
We obeyed instantly. I knew that tone. That was the no arguments tone.
Then she spoke in a language that sent chills down my spine.
"Sommux nima."
In an instant, the entire airport was engulfed in a blinding white light. It pulsed once, like a heartbeat, then vanished.
I lowered my hands, blinking rapidly. Everyone around us looked… confused.
"What were we doing again?" one man asked, scratching his head.
"I don't know," another replied.
"Wait—it's already noon? How the hell did time go by so fast?"
I let out a long breath, shoulders sagging in relief. "Thank God you know how to erase memories," I muttered, still trying to get my heartbeat under control.
Erza didn't even acknowledge me. She simply turned on her heel and started toward the boarding gates as if wiping an hour from hundreds of people's minds was no more unusual than ordering coffee.
Meanwhile, Allen followed her, casting suspicious glances at every guard in sight, as though daring them to forget the "lesson" he almost gave them.
And me? I just trudged after them, Elena giggling on my shoulders—because somehow, I had a sinking feeling this was the calmest part of our trip.
The boarding gates loomed ahead like the golden doors to paradise. First Class check-in shimmered under a sleek sign, and I swear my heart swelled so much it was about to burst.
"Elena," I whispered with the drama of a man about to enter heaven, "this… this is the VIP life."
She tilted her head, all innocent curiosity. "Papa, what's VIP?"
"It means we get to sit in the comfy seats, drink fancy juice, and pretend we're important."
Before she could ask what "pretend" meant, Allen strode ahead of us like some royal knight on a mission. His eyes scanned the gate agents with the same seriousness you'd expect from a man checking for assassins.
One of the staff—a young woman with a polite smile—looked up from her scanner. "Boarding passes, please."
I reached for my pocket, but Allen was faster. He whipped out our passes with a flourish, as if unveiling sacred relics, and presented them with both hands. "Handle these with care," he said in a tone that was half royal decree, half death threat.
The poor woman's smile faltered. "Uh… yes, sir."
I leaned toward him and whispered, "Allen, she's just doing her job."
"Yes, Master," he replied in his perfect royal British accent, kneeling on one knee right there in the terminal. "It is my sworn duty as your secretary and bodyguard to ensure no one dares look down upon you."
My face burned. "Okay, okay, that's enough. Please go back to my shadow until I need you."
"As you command."
And just like that, he melted away—literally disappearing before my eyes. One second he was there, the next he was gone, leaving no trace but a faint chill in the air. Demon camouflage at its finest.
The gate agent blinked, staring at the spot he had been. "Uh… where did your bodyguard…?"
I let out a nervous laugh that probably made me look guiltier than I was. "Trade secret."
Erza crossed her arms, giving me a look that could melt steel. "You're far too dependent on him."
I scratched the back of my head. "Maybe. But you know that feeling when you're protected twenty-four hours a day? And… he likes serving me."
Her expression softened—just a little. "Hmph. I can protect you too, you know. You could spend more time relying on me."
I grinned. "Oh? Are you jealous, my wife?"
She turned away sharply. "No. Why would I be jealous?"
But I could swear her ears were a little red.
The moment we stepped onto the tarmac, Erza stopped dead in her tracks, eyes wide.
"This thing is huge," she muttered, gawking at the plane as if it had just risen from the depths like some metal sea monster.
I raised an eyebrow. "Of course it's big. What, were you expecting a flying scooter?"
She shook her head. "No, but… remember that time we passed the airport on the way to the zoo? From a distance, it looked small. But up close… it's like a floating castle."
"Yeah, well, let's grab our seats before Allen decides to threaten the pilot," I said, steering her toward the boarding door.
The air hostess greeted us with a dazzling smile. Her uniform was… well, tastefully revealing. Not that I was staring. Okay, fine, I was staring, but purely in the academic sense—analyzing her choice of fabric.
Erza's gaze slid over to me, sharp as a guillotine. "What exactly are you looking at, hmm?"
Panic mode: engaged.
"No, no, my beautiful wife, you've got it all wrong. I was just, uh… comparing. And obviously, you're far more beautiful."
Her eyes narrowed dangerously. "You'd better not get any funny ideas. Your body belongs to me, and me alone. If you so much as touch another girl, I will personally burn you alive, cut off your manhood, and make you an eunuch."
My soul left my body for a brief moment. I grabbed her hand in surrender. "Yes, my wife. Please don't be so… vividly cruel."
The air hostess tried—and failed—to hide her laugh as we moved on.
Inside, Elena immediately claimed the window seat, pressing her tiny hands to the glass like she was already trying to fly. I sat next to Erza, still recovering from the death threat disguised as marital devotion.
As the engines hummed in the distance, I leaned back and smiled. "We're coming, Tokyo Japan."
To be continue...