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"Yuto-kun, the movie was really good today," Megumi said, her voice soft but bright.
As they stepped out of the theater into the dense, dispersing crowd, she still seemed caught up in the film's lingering magic.
"It's 8:20 PM, still early," Yuto noted, glancing at his phone.
"Megumi, want to ride the Ferris wheel?" Seeing the night was young, he tossed the invitation her way with a casual smile.
"Sure, that sounds nice."
Megumi blinked her large, expressive eyes. Under the dazzling glow of neon lights, her delicate features took on an almost otherworldly charm, radiant and captivating.
...…..
The amusement park buzzed with weekend energy, crowds weaving through the attractions.
"Let's go."
He took Megumi's small hand in his, guiding her toward the Ferris wheel. She followed quietly, no questions asked, her trust unspoken but clear.
The moonlight hung soft and hazy in the sky, its silver glow spilling over the distant city lights like a delicate veil.
Up high, the chill bit at them, and the world below shrank into tiny specks. In the snug Ferris wheel cabin, a faint, pleasant scent drifted from Megumi, tugging at Yuto's senses.
Her face, as always—calm, unreadable, a mystery he couldn't crack.
Megumi had the gentle warmth of the girl next door—sweet, unassuming, the kind you'd want to bring home forever.
"I wonder what it'd take to see Megumi really lose her cool," Yuto mumbled, half to himself, staring at her serene face.
"Oh? You want to see me flustered?" Megumi asked, blinking her bright, curious eyes.
Her breathing stayed steady, but Yuto's sharpened senses, honed by his heroic spirit, caught the sudden quickening of her heartbeat.
"Yuto-kun, don't you think it's a bit much, dating so many girls at once?"
Her tone was light, but the question carried weight.
"Not at all," he shot back, grinning shamelessly. "I'm just living life to the fullest. Plus my heart is so big that I can accommodate all equally."
Megumi paused, then turned to him, her brown eyes soft but piercing. "I guess even if I spent a lifetime trying, I couldn't change your… generous heart."
Her words hit him like a curveball—loaded with ambiguity, the kind that sparked wild thoughts.
A faint blush crept across her pale cheeks, a rare shift from her usual innocence that made her look unexpectedly enticing.
Her eyes shimmered as she gazed up at him, a stark contrast to her typical tranquility.
"Yuto-kun, you've been staring at me for a while now."
He looked down at her, her face glowing like cherry blossoms. Her chest rose and fell with each breath, the gentle curves subtle but impossible to ignore.
Her slim waist flowed into long, graceful legs, perfectly proportioned. She probably didn't even realize how her calm demeanor paired with that figure made her downright tease-worthy.
Through the thin fabric between them, her soft warmth pressed closer, melding against him.
Thump, thump…
Their heartbeats thundered in sync, loud enough to drown out the silence. Her faint heat seeped into him, her sweet scent filling his lungs.
Their breaths quickened, the sound thick with unspoken longing, stirring something deep inside him. Words failed. Only action could cut through the haze.
Yuto took the lead, leaning down. Before she could react, he brushed a soft kiss against her cheek, then claimed her lips fully.
They were tender, sweet, like ripe cherries.
Megumi tensed, her body trembling faintly under his touch, but she didn't pull away. Her quiet surrender let him press on.
"Hah…"
His breath grew heavy, his hand on her slender waist itching to slide lower—-
Suddenly, the amusement park's bright lights snuffed out, plunging them into pitch-black darkness.
"Ahh!!" Megumi yelped, startled, and burrowed into Yuto's arms without thinking
"Huff, huff…"
But then, the Ferris wheel jolted, speeding downward in a wild, uncontrollable plunge.
"You blind idiot! Ruining my date!"
Yuto's mood flipped from warm to ice-cold. His hand, charged with cursed energy, lashed out into the void.
Wooah!?
A six-eyed, eight-armed spirit shrieked as he yanked it from the shadows, its terror piercing the night. How could this ordinary-looking human have spotted it?
Thud!
A strange black key, glow with tricolored runes, spun through the air and stabbed into the spirit, pinning it to the ground.
Sizzle, sizzle~
The cursed blade seared its form, twisting its face in agony. Before it could strike back, Yuto's hand clamped onto its forehead.
Hum!
Dragon blood surged in his veins, transforming raw vitality into pure mana. A gentle, holy light flared from him, cutting through the dark.
"I declare—"
Radiance shattered the shadows. The spirit wailed as a scorching wave flooded its body
His voice rumbled low in the cabin:
"I govern death, I govern life.
What I wound, I heal.
None escape my grasp.
None flee my sight…
Let mercy gaze upon this soul! (Kyrie eleison)"
"Aaaahhh!"
Like water hitting boiling oil, the dark spirit erupted, dissolving into mist amid piercing screams.
Buzz!
White light blazed across the sky, the shadowy form crumbling away. Amid the fading glow, a peaceful soul emerged, casting a grateful glance at Yuto before vanishing.
...….,,
The deep darkness lifted, and the amusement park hummed back to life, lights flickering on.
The Ferris wheel steadied, drifting lazily back to the ground.
"!?"
Megumi's eyes widened, her usual calm shattered by raw shock.
She took deep breaths, wrestling with the chaos still reeling in her mind. That surreal scene kept crashing through her thoughts.
It wasn't until moments later that she licked her dry lips, her voice hoarse. "Yuto-kun, what just happened?"
The sudden evil spirit, the runaway Ferris wheel, Yuto chanting exorcism spells, it all felt like a dream, twisting her sense of reality.
'When did the world become this?'
"In simple terms, I'm a supernatural being," Yuto said, keeping it short. Her startled, rabbit-like expression was cute, but he saw how shaken she was.
"So, the world has supernatural forces…"
To his surprise, Megumi accepted it faster than Utaha or Kirisu had.
She pictured him—hand on the spirit, chanting with cool authority and her heart skipped. Her bright eyes sparkled with curiosity.
"Yuto-kun, are you strong?"
"Yes," he said plainly, no humility needed. "Hardly any spirit can stand against me."
Megumi exhaled, a smile breaking through. "That's a relief. If you weren't strong, I'd worry about you every day."
'She's so sweet,' Yuto thought, floored by her response. No guy could resist that kind of gentle care.
His face flushed hot. After a beat, he made a choice.
"This is a Command Spell," he said, transferring the crimson mark from his wrist to hers. "It'll summon me if you're ever in danger."
"Ah… that feels strange," Megumi murmured, wincing as if branded.
A moment later, the intricate red symbol bloomed on her flawless skin.
She stared at it, marveling at the complex design, feeling their bond tighten in that instant.
The night's momentum had stalled, and they ended the outing early. But Yuto didn't mind, Megumi's trust had deepened, her closeness more tangible.
......
Today was the day to seize fate.
At dawn's first light, Haruno Yukinoshita sprang up, too restless to sleep, and began prepping herself.
She was meeting Miwa Kasumi, a junior recommended by Mei Mei, someone who'd fought beside 'Saber' in a special-grade mission and, rumor had it, she knew how to reach him.
If this worked, it'd be her lifeline, smashing through every roadblock. With nowhere else to turn, Haruno staked everything on Miwa.
In a cozy retro cafe, she met her: Miwa, sharp in a ladies' suits.
"Ms. Miwa, thank you so much for meeting me."
As the Yukinoshita heir, Haruno's charm outshone her sister's cold distance. With warm, effortless grace, she had Miwa chatting in no time.
"Ms. Haruno, Mei Mei's a friend of my teacher Utahime, so I'd naturally help, but…" Miwa trailed off, hesitation clouding her face. Her legs shifted nervously under the table.
It wasn't unwillingness, she just hadn't seen Yuto in forever. Asking him this favor? She wasn't sure he'd say yes.
"Ms. Miwa, name your price," Haruno said, mistaking her pause for haggling.
"Three hundred million yen for 'Saber's' contact info—wired to your account instantly," she stated firmly. "And if he agrees to shield my family, I'll add five hundred million more."
'Eight hundred million yen!?' Miwa's jaw dropped. For a girl scraping by, it was a fortune. She'd been working secret jobs to help her family, juggling sorcery on the side.
With that money…
Gulp.
Her mind spun, 'Pay off the mortgage? No, buy the house outright! Send her parents to the Maldives…'
'Wait!' She slapped her flushed cheeks, ashamed of her greed.
'Miwa, Yuto told you not to share his whereabouts. Taking cash for this would betray him!'
To her, Yuto was a towering figure—strong, admirable. She'd dreamed of him, stared at his contact info in a daze, earning teasing from Maki about a crush.
But taking Haruno's money to reach him… was that right?
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