Chapter 364: I Want to Be a Happy Superman
Clap, clap, clap!
"A flawless performance."
Astarte mercilessly absorbed every last drop of magical power from the defeated demon.
Just then, crisp applause abruptly rang out, shattering the silence of the night.
Astarte and Rudolf instinctively looked up.
Following the sound, they saw three figures slowly emerging from the darkness in the distance.
The one leading in the middle was a young man. On his left followed a woman—a woman of absolute beauty. Her golden hair held no trace of flamboyance; instead, it was as natural and soft as flowing gold.
On his right, he held the hand of a silver-haired little girl. Her face, free of any makeup, showed neither joy nor sorrow. Even witnessing two demons die right before her eyes, she maintained a calmness that belied her years.
Rudolf was certain he didn't know these three. Moreover, appearing in such a place at this hour, it felt as if they had come specifically for him.
Even Rudolf couldn't help but grow wary.
"Who are you?"
Rudolf fixed his gaze on the young man leading the group.
"Roaming outside at this hour, you should be careful not to get snatched away by demons."
Seeming to sense that the young man wasn't a demon, Rudolf's tone softened considerably, carrying a note of admonition and goodwill.
Mahiro also smiled slightly:
"Allow me to introduce myself. I am Yotsuba Mahiro, an external Demon Hunter contracted to Itogami Island. As for why I'm wandering outside at this hour... I'm mainly here for you, Rudolf Eustach, Monk of the Western European Lottanlingia Church."
"Yotsuba Mahiro…"
Rudolf chewed on the name for a moment, his eyes immediately turning sharp!
He had naturally heard this name before. In fact, whether among demons, the Church, or other major powers, there was no one who hadn't heard of it.
And of course, the deeds accompanying this name were well known to him.
A human who crushed the Third Progenitor and firmly held the Fourth Primogenitor in his grasp—such a feat was unprecedented.
Not to mention the other party's target was himself.
Rudolf slowly tightened his grip on the half-moon battle axe in his hand, his expression gradually turning cold and stern.
Seeing Rudolf growing restless, already showing signs of wanting to make a move, Alpha's delicate eyebrows furrowed slightly as she calmly spoke:
"Calm yourself, Rudolf Eustach. We bear no ill will. We have come only to propose a transaction with you."
"A transaction?"
Rudolf's gaze fell upon the golden-haired woman. Only now did he fully take in her appearance.
Clad in a form-fitting black combat suit with a silver-white longsword at her waist, besides possessing flawless beauty, he noticed beneath her golden hair, swaying in the evening breeze, a pair of pointed ears.
"...An Elf."
Rudolf's voice grew even more grave.
Elves existed in this world; for example, Endou Yukari of the Lion King Organization was an Elf.
But their numbers were exceptionally scarce.
With long lifespans and innate Spiritual Power, compared to other demons, Elves were exceedingly rare—at least SSR-tier if placed in a gacha pool.
Rudolf never expected Mahiro to have an Elf accompanying him!
If he were to know that he had a whole basketful of elves like Alpha, he would probably be terrified.
Just as Rudolf was observing Alpha, Mahiro spoke up again, drawing his attention.
"That's right, a transaction. Mr. Rudolf, I know the purpose of your journey is to reclaim the lost Saint's Right Arm of the Western European Church, correct? I can help you retrieve it."
Hearing his words, Rudolf's brow immediately furrowed.
He never expected this man to know his objective, let alone offer to help him retrieve the remains...
"What do you want from me?"
"Very cautious, but I enjoy talking with clever people."
Mahiro smiled and snapped his fingers.
In Mahiro's eyes, Rudolf's current vigilance was like a quail wrapping itself tightly in a cocoon.
He smiled slightly again:
"Don't worry, I won't do anything excessive to you. There's only one thing I want to obtain—the young girl by your side."
"You want Astarte?"
"That's right."
Mahiro nodded, "I really like children. And to you, Astarte is just a tool created to help you reclaim the Saint's Right Arm, isn't she?
Now, I can help you retrieve the arm, so this tool should be of no use to you anymore.
Why not give her to me, how about that?"
Rudolf knew about Mahiro's fondness for children.
A few days ago, he had personally visited an orphanage funded by Mahiro. As a clergyman making contact, he had heard many things about Mahiro from the innocent children there.
For example, how he had rescued them from a monster-infested monastery.
Rudolf held some goodwill toward Mahiro.
This was also why Rudolf hadn't taken immediate action from the start.
Otherwise, witnesses like this had to be dealt with right away.
However, that was one thing. As for the proposal Mahiro mentioned—helping him retrieve the saint's remains in exchange for a tool?
To be honest, Rudolf still felt somewhat hesitant and found it hard to believe.
The cost and reward were too disproportionate.
Mahiro naturally understood and noticed Rudolf's confusion and hesitation, so he spoke up again:
"It's fine, Mr. Rudolf. You don't need to make a decision right now. You can think it over carefully. I'll give you three days, but during these three days, you must not indiscriminately slaughter demons. After three days, we'll meet again, and you can give me your answer then. How about that?"
Rudolf remained silent, neither agreeing nor refusing.
But Mahiro took it as an agreement.
"Well then, good night. We'll meet again in three days, Mr. Rudolf Eustach."
With that, Mahiro turned and left with Est and Alpha.
Just as their figures were about to disappear into the night again, Rudolf suddenly spoke up:
"I don't understand why you're helping me. Your actions could bring catastrophic disaster to the artificial island, destroying this cursed land."
Rudolf finally voiced his greatest inner doubt, and Mahiro's footsteps paused slightly in response.
Then he softly said:
"Actually, it's nothing. I simply dislike those guys from the Artificial Island Management Corporation. As for whether it will be destroyed or not—that remains to be seen."
As his voice faded, Mahiro's figure completely vanished from sight.
After that, Mahiro didn't go anywhere else but headed straight home to rest.
He also didn't continue sending people to investigate or tail Rudolf, and this Exorcist showed no movement at all over the next three days.
Amid Natsuki Minamiya's urging for him to quickly handle the case and resolve matters, the agreed-upon time finally arrived.
"Huh? Mahiro-nii, are you going out?"
Nagisa Akatsuki, wearing an apron, hurried over with small, quick steps. Seeing Mahiro putting on his shoes, she couldn't help but ask, "Mahiro-nii, aren't you having dinner?"
"No, I have something to take care of. Later, Nagisa, you can eat with Yuuma, Alpha, and Aya. Oh, and don't forget to drag Mimori Akatsuki out of her room to air her out—she's practically growing mold in there."
"Mm, I know. Even if you didn't say it, I was planning to do that. Really, how can a mother be so lazy?"
Nagisa Akatsuki placed her hands on her hips, chattering away about Mimori Akatsuki's faults, before finally asking:
"Then should I save some dinner for you, Mahiro-nii?"
"No need."
Mahiro finished putting on his shoes, waved at Nagisa Akatsuki, and walked out of the villa.
But just as he left the garden and arrived at a nearby intersection, he ran into an old acquaintance.
"Where are you planning to go at this hour, Yotsuba-senpai?"
"Whoa—"
Mahiro couldn't hold back a startled exclamation.
Himeragi Yukina, whom he hadn't seen in a long time, stood with her hands on her hips, squinting warily as she glared coldly at Mahiro.
Mahiro, however, chuckled teasingly:
"I didn't expect you to come back, Himeragi-kouhai. After not seeing you for so long, I thought you'd already left Itogami Island."
His playful tone made it seem as if no conflict had ever occurred between them, as if the fight in the men's restroom had never happened.
"I will never give up on my surveillance mission. Someone as dangerous as you, senpai—I can't possibly leave you unsupervised!"
Yukina declared resolutely.
Since speaking with her master, Yukina had reflected a lot and felt her master's words held some truth.
Choosing to offer oneself to a demon for the sake of maintaining world peace—that was a noble cause.
If her senpai could sacrifice himself for such a cause, then why couldn't she do the same?
This became the reason Yukina used to convince herself to stay and continue her surveillance mission.
However, Mahiro didn't take her words to heart, nor did he notice the change in Yukina's gaze.
He noticed that Yukina seemed to be emitting steam, her hair still wet, droplets falling from the ends. Her appearance was utterly defenseless, with only a uniform shirt draped over her skin.
The guitar case that usually held Snowdrift Wolf, which she never went without, was also missing today.
Her face was slightly flushed, and though she was trying hard to regulate her breathing, faint panting could still be heard.
All these signs pointed to one thing—
"Yukina, underclassman, you're not hiding a man at home, are you? You're still young, so you need to be mindful of moderation and precautions." Mahiro said with a stern face, lecturing her like an elder.
"Huh?"
Yukina was slightly taken aback, then quickly realized what he meant. Her face instantly flushed red as she angrily retorted, "Yotsuba-senpai! I'm not hiding a man! You pervert! How could you come up with such strange ideas!"
"Oh, so you're not... I thought you might have run out in the middle of doing that."
Mahiro nodded knowingly, then analyzed further, "Then you must have been in the middle of taking a shower at home, realized I was going out, and hurriedly dried off, threw on some clothes, and rushed over? Tsk tsk, Yukina, you're really dedicated to your work."
This time, Yukina didn't argue.
Because that was exactly what had happened.
She had been in the middle of showering and, in her rush, had even forgotten to put on her underwear. Plus, her clothes were slightly damp, and through the pure white fabric, the tips of her budding peaks were visible.
Yukina seemed to notice his gaze and quickly covered her chest with both hands, glaring at him with a mix of embarrassment and anger. She was about to call him a pervert again but remembered her master's warnings and swallowed the words.
Instead, she asked seriously, "Yotsuba-senpai, where are you planning to go so late?"
"?"
Mahiro gave the girl, whose face was practically written with the words "innocent" and "naive," a strange look and chuckled, "Yukina, if I remember correctly, your duty is to be a Watcher, not my guardian, right? Why do you care where I go at night? What if I said I was going to a bar to dance and pick up girls, then head to a demon district brothel for an all-night 'big treasure sword' session? Want to come? My treat."
Hearing this, Yukina's face instantly turned bright red. She turned her head away and muttered under her breath, "Disgusting, terrible, scum! And you're still a high school student..."
Clearly, Yukina had taken his words seriously. Or perhaps, in her mind, Mahiro was nothing but a big pervert.
Even Mahiro felt a bit helpless at her straightforwardness and gave up on teasing her. "Alright, alright, I was just joking. I have something to take care of later, and I'm sure someone with your personality will insist on following me. But do you really plan to go dressed like that?"
As he spoke, Mahiro took another look at the girl in front of him. Aside from what he had already mentioned, Yukina's current outfit was quite problematic. Two buttons on her chest were undone, revealing a large expanse of fair skin. He could even clearly see a drop of water from her hair sliding down her delicate collarbone and disappearing into the slight curves beneath.
Hmm, it's a bit suggestive...
But Yukina paid no mind and declared firmly, "Yes, I must monitor your actions!"
However, the very next second, the boldness she had mustered instantly vanished. "...W-what are you doing?" Yukina panicked.
Because Mahiro had suddenly stepped right in front of her, so close that there was almost no space between them. Then, he gently lifted her chin and leaned in to whisper in her ear.
"Little girl, do you know how tempting you look right now? Do you really think I'm some kind of good person? Aren't you afraid I'll drag you to a hotel right now and force myself on you?"
As soon as the words were spoken, Yukina's face flushed so red it seemed blood might drip from it, instantly coloring her ears!
How could anyone say such shameless things!
She opened her mouth to say something, but the next second, her lips were kissed.
Yukina's mind went completely blank, as if it had crashed on the spot.
Her body instantly tensed up, stiffening to the point where she couldn't move, and her eyes widened in utter disbelief!
Meanwhile, Mahiro was carefully savoring the taste of the girl.
Hmm, soft, with a flavor even more youthful than Natsuki Minamiya's.
After who knows how long, Yukina, having regained her senses, let out muffled sobs and struggled hard for a long time before finally pushing Mahiro away from her.
"You're the worst! Senpai, you're the absolute worst! How could you... how could you do something like this to me! I'm calling the police right now to have you arrested!"
Yukina clutched the open buttons on her chest with both hands, her eyes red and on the verge of tears as she glared at him, cursing while pulling out her phone.
Yet Mahiro stood there calmly, hands in his pockets, as if nothing had happened.
"Sure, go ahead, call them. Do you think, given my relationship with Natsuki Minamiya, the security forces would arrest me or you, Miss Watcher? You're not unaware of what charges come with stalking and surveillance, are you?
You wouldn't want anything to happen to the Lion King Organization on Itogami Island, would you?"
Hearing this, Yukina froze mid-dial.
She hadn't expected the other party to be so shameless and despicable!
Seeing this, Mahiro smiled even more brightly.
He wasn't Akatsuki Kojou, nor did he have any indecisive, hesitant tendencies.
If not for the constraints of morality and a sense of shame, he'd have wanted to be a carefree superman.
Hmm, being a tyrant didn't seem so bad either.
"..."
Yukina gritted her teeth in anger, but just as she was about to speak, Mahiro cut her off:
"Alright, alright, it was just a kiss, no big deal. Besides, your Three Saints must have discussed this with you, right? You should know very well what so-called surveillance really means.
So why are you still acting shy at this point?"
He didn't hold back at all, directly revealing the whole truth.
"Alright, that's all I have to say. Hurry back, dry off your body and hair, and change your clothes. I'll wait here for you, and we can leave once you're ready."
To be honest, at that moment, Yukina really wanted to grab Snowdrift Wolf and stab this despicable man through, but remembering what her master had told her...
She chose to endure.
She quickly suppressed the shame and anger in her heart.
"You'll really wait for me?" Yukina asked suspiciously.
"Of course, I always keep my word. If you don't believe me, I can go home with you, but once we're inside, there's no telling when I'll come back out."
As soon as he finished speaking,
Yukina, as if she'd seen a ghost, blushed to the tips of her ears and fled in a panic.
Having just experienced something like that, she understood all too well what Mahiro meant by those words.
So, as she jogged away, she muttered curses under her breath—words like "the worst" and "pervert."
"Heh, little one, trying to fight me?"
Watching the girl's receding figure, Mahiro couldn't help but chuckle.
But soon after, another figure came to mind. He slowly raised his head, gazing at the gradually darkening sky.
"Shizuka Koyomi will probably reach her limit soon, right?"
The thought of how Koyomi had looked that day, along with her recent reactions, made the smile on Mahiro's face turn even more malicious.
Stealing the girlfriend of another Watcher, Motoki Yaze—now that seemed a bit thrilling.
However, his ambitions didn't stop there.