"Rito, did you dream about something happy?"
Mikan asked him the next morning.
Looking at her already wearing an apron with a panda design, he asked, confused: "No?"
"Really?" She seemed doubtful, adding: "Unlike yesterday when you seemed a bit down, you look particularly happy today. Didn't you notice that even now, while talking to me, you have a more relaxed expression, like a weight has been lifted off you?"
He finally understood what she was getting at.
'So I let some of my frustration show because I thought I'd never have access to the 'hunting dimension' again?' He thought to himself.
"Now that you mention it, I did dream about something good." He smiled, changing the subject: "Anyway, Mikan, what's for breakfast today? Need any help?"
"It's almost all ready." She replied: "And it's just miso soup, fish, and rice. Oh, and I used a bit of that secret ingredient you gave me, but just a little, not sure if you'll notice the difference."
"About that…" He said after thinking for a moment: "After you get back from school, come straight home. I have something to talk to you about."
"What's with this serious tone?" She asked cautiously: "It's not about some new assassin wanting to kill you, is it?"
"No, it's not that." He shook his head with an ironic smile: "It's not like there's an assassin after me every day, right?"
"Really? Whatever~" She pretended not to care, answering his earlier question: "Alright, I won't make any plans with my friends and will come straight home after school."
"Good." He patted her head, only to receive a sharp look and pull back with a chuckle.
"Speaking of assassins…" Mikan fidgeted a little.
"About Yami, right?" He guessed.
"I don't know!" She denied, but shyly looked at him: "So…"
"Haha, aren't you just too cute?" He tried to pat her head again, but his hand was grabbed by hers.
"Stop trying to pat my head and just answer, Rito!" She puffed out her cheeks.
Holding back the urge to poke her puffed cheek, he said: "No news, but she's probably still on Earth. Sooner or later, I believe she might show up. But that's something we can't force, since it's her decision, right?"
"I know… But I wanted to be friends with her." Mikan said sincerely.
"You will." He replied confidently. It wasn't just a careless statement he made because he was certain it would happen due to the anime he watched, but because he had a good feeling about it.
"About Asia going to school…" She brought up a sensitive topic.
"As for that, it's easy." He replied: "Leave it to me, I'll handle it."
…
Why don't idiots ever learn?
Rito found himself asking this question as soon as he left for school with Lala holding his arm and something came flying from the sky toward them.
"Miss Lala, I think it's that Kirarian." Peke guessed.
"How persistent!" Lala let go of Rito's arm and, grabbing the D-Dial (her smartphone that transforms into a flip phone and has a subspace), she pulled out a racket.
"I found you!" Pikari's voice echoed: "Lala!"
He was falling in a free dive, leaving a trail of clouds.
"Go, QQ Service Ace!" Lala shouted while thrusters boosted her already monstrous strength.
Pikari's face deformed against the racket's net, and Lala launched him to infinity and beyond.
"Home run!" Rito said, making a visor with his hand while looking at the sky: "Amazing, he became a star in the sky."
Lala put the racket away while grumbling: "What a nuisance, I hope he never comes back…"
Putting the smartphone in her pocket and holding his arm, Lala said: "Let's forget that guy and head to school, Rito?"
"Yeah." He remembered: "The exam week starts today, are you ready?"
"Perfectly~!" She cheered at the question.
==
==
At school, Saruyama Kenichi said: "Rito, your parents are always busy, and you spend most of your time with your cute sister and your beautiful fiancée, Lala, right? Damn… I'm so jealous of you!"
"Why'd you bring that up out of nowhere?" Rito frowned.
"Like, at home, you're the only guy, right? I was wondering who gets the last word at your place." Saruyama asked loudly with bad intentions, muttering: "You owe us at least that, Rito…"
As if their classmates were rabbits, their ears perked up. Especially the boys'.
"I wanna hear this!" The one who spoke was Aika Kiryuu, throwing him a provocative look as she interrupted the girls' conversation she was having with Lala and the others: "So, so, what's it like?"
Seeing dozens of pairs of eyes on him, Rito didn't hold back: "Of course, most of the time, I'm the one who speaks the loudest and gets the last word…"
He paused deliberately.
"Really?!"
"Lala, how is it? Is Rito really the one who speaks the loudest and gets the last word at home?"
"Hey, hey… Is that for real?"
"Yuki, don't lie to us!"
He made a stop sign with his hand: "It's true. It's always me saying last to Lala or my little sister: Yes, I'm wrong, or yes, you're right!"
""""…""""
""""WOW!!!""""
It took a few seconds for them to react to what he said, shouting loudly.
"He didn't just do that?!?"
"Damn!!"
"Genius! Simply genius!"
"Write that down, write it down!"
The whole class became noisy because of it.
The teacher rushes into the classroom.
When she realizes it wasn't a fight, she feels relieved but soon gets angry, slamming her books on the desk to get their attention: "Hey, idiots! Did you know we could hear your shouting all the way from the teachers' room?! If you keep embarrassing me… Besides the tests you'll have today, there'll be a surprise test, got it?!"
"…"
"No, teacher, please, anything but that…"
"Huh?"
Receiving her glare, Issei, who had spoken, fell silent.
==
==
Asia went out with a hand-drawn map. Her destination was the library.
She was wearing a full-length dress that almost reached her ankles in light blue. Her beautiful blonde hair was loose, and over her shoulder, she carried a dark blue bag.
When she touched the bag, a gentle smile bloomed on her face.
'Rito said this potion will help me study…' She thought: 'I want to learn Japanese soon and be able to go to school.'
Her smile grew even gentler at the thought of going to school.
She had always dreamed of one day being able to go to school, make friends, and plant flowers with them.
'Can I really be so selfish?'
She clasped her hands near her chest as she walked. She had been taught in the church not to be selfish and to use her powers for the good of others. That was her mission on Earth, what God had prepared for her—that she shouldn't be selfish and desire the same things as other children.
"I hate perverts!"
Suddenly, she stopped upon hearing that.
Not far away, she saw a beautiful girl with long golden hair and black gothic-style clothing use her hair to punch a large, fat man who had his arms open like a big bear. However, when the punch hit the man, he was lifted off the ground and fell hard on his back.
The large, fat man got up and ran off, looking back and shouting as he gained distance: "You'll regret this!"
Asia continued walking.
She approached the girl and asked in a sweet, gentle tone: "Are you okay?"
Looking at her, the girl replied: "Not even a problem."
After answering, Asia saw the girl walking toward the library, and her eyes lit up as she clasped her hands: "Are you going to the library? Can we go together?"
"Who are you?" The girl asked: "Why do you want to go with me?"
"Me? I'm Asia Argento." She smiled: "And, if possible… I'd like to be your friend."
Even though she didn't show it, Asia was very nervous. It was the first time she had tried to make a friend like this. And precisely because of that, she didn't notice that she was managing to talk to the girl normally.