I came home.
"Oh, Akusa, you're back," said Tasu, all sweaty and tired.
"Did Tasu himself start training?"
"Of course, gotta make some progress."
I smirked:
"You're surprising me..."
Tasu smiled, but his gaze was narrowed:
"How was the date?"
"I told you, it wasn't a date," I answered, slightly embarrassed.
"Yeah, yeah, I know." He nodded, but his smirk didn't disappear. "So, what happened?"
I lay down on the couch.
"If we're being simple, I need to help Tadoki at midnight at the college... Although, it'll mostly look like observation." — "And after that, tomorrow I'm going to a neighboring country with Kimi on diplomatic matters."
Tasu whistled in surprise:
"Akusa, you two seem to have become pretty good friends! So, you're going to the college at midnight?"
"Yeah," I replied.
"Do you need to kill the mage controlling the country?"
I shrugged.
"I don't know about the killing part, I think Tadoki will tell me about that."
"I see, so you don't need my help?" Tasu offered.
"No, from my calculations, Tadoki can handle it just fine on his own."
"Well then, good luck to you," he said.
"Yeah, I'll go rest for a bit."
"After what?" he smirked, teasing me.
I smirked back.
"Well, I did go on a date with such a lovely lady... I spent almost all my energy."
"Lovebirds!" laughed Tasu.
"What makes you think that?"
"It's obvious!"
"..."
"Alright, I'm off."
"Don't fall asleep!" teased Tasu and continued training.
"Heavenly Kingdom"
"Aver-sama, have you noticed?"
"Yes, the seal has been broken."
"So, Akusa and Tasume are free now?"
"Correct, they've already entered the school."
"What should we do?"
"They still haven't regained all their memories, and their power is too small. For now, let's not pay attention to them. I think they'll entertain me in the future..."
"Understood..."
"Earth. City of Areon."
A few minutes before midnight. I think it's time. I went down to the first floor. Tasu was already fast asleep on the couch in the living room. I went outside and headed towards the college. Tadoki was already waiting for me.
"You came," he noted.
"Yeah, Kimi asked me to," I replied, feeling a strange mix of excitement and resolve.
Tadoki chuckled:
"I'm not surprised..."
"Yeah..." I muttered.
"What's our plan?" I asked.
"Look, the main goal isn't to kill. I have some unfinished business with him. I'll teleport us to his room door.
He's not asleep right now, so I'll go in and say I have urgent business. As soon as my uncle approaches, I'll use 'Rukis' magic to cause him to lose consciousness."
I nodded:
"What if it doesn't work?"
"Then we'll fight," Tadoki replied, his voice full of confidence.
"Ha..."
"But I'll try to make it quick and without any destruction. You won't need to do anything."
"Alright..."
We teleported to the entrance of the room. Tadoki knocked three times.
"Can we come in?" There was silence in response.
"Maybe he's not in the room?"
"Let me check."
Tadoki cautiously entered. Suddenly, Kimi's uncle jumped on him from behind. Tadoki, reacting quickly, grabbed his arm, pinned him to the ground, and cast the 'Rukis' spell. Everything happened so fast that I could barely process what was going on.
"That's it," he said.
"Why was I here?!" I was confused, feeling unnecessary. From what I sensed, the enemy didn't even have 5000 mana...
Tadoki shrugged:
"I told Kimi I could handle it on my own, but she insisted that you come with me."
"I see..."
He came up to me and, looking me straight in the eyes, asked:
"Be honest with me. Do you like Kimi?"
"What?! U-um... Well..." I didn't know how to answer. How could someone ask such a direct question?! "Y-yeah..."
"I see. Now I'm at ease," he said.
"Is it that simple?!" I was stunned by his reaction.
"What will happen to Kimi's uncle?"
"I want to find out if he killed our parents or not," Tadoki said in a rough voice.
"Do you think he killed your parents and Kimi's parents?"
"Yes, I suspect it was him. He's been wanting to get the title of ruler for a long time."
"Sorry for asking this, but after your parents were killed, did Kimi's family take you in?"
"It's easier to explain that way..."
"Memories"
12 years ago
At that time, Tadoki was only 6 years old.
"Lord Tadoki, could you help me today?"
"Me too, please!"
"Please, could you heal my mother?!"
"Lord Tadoki?!"
"Yes, yes, I'll help everyone, just in turn!"
Since childhood, Tadoki had colossal healing abilities and the power to restore objects, which is why many people considered him the messenger of the god himself. From a young age, Tadoki helped many people fix everyday things and heal the sick. The whole country knew of his abilities, and most people turned to him for help. But one day...
"Mom, Dad, I'm home!"
"No one...?"
"Should we really talk about this?"
"He's still just a child..."
"But... He's the only one who can help them!"
"Huh? Who's there?"
"Lord Tadoki! We need your help, urgently!" A butler approached Tadoki.
"Your parents..."
A little later, they brought Tadoki to a clearing where his parents were lying.
"Mom! Dad..."
Tadoki rushed to them.
"Healing... Isn't helping..."
"Cough..." Blood spilled from his father's mouth.
"Sorry for this sight, son..."
"But be a good boy..."
His father's hand fell to the ground.
"No!"
"Mom! Hold on!"
"Forgive us..."
"No!"
"Noooooooo!"
It was two days later.
"Somewhere on the Edge of the Forest, Near a Cliff"
Tadoki was sitting on the cliff.
"Tadoki?"
"Finally, we found you!"
"??.. Tadoki turned around to see Kimi with her parents.
"Don't worry, you can always rely on us!"
"Come with us?" Kimi reached out her hand.
"Our Time"
"Something like that..."
"I think Kimi will share some of her sad memories with you too..."
"....."
"O-okay..."
Tadoki transferred a part of his memories to me.
"I think you can go now," he said as if nothing had happened. "And yeah, sorry for disturbing you."
"It's fine," I replied, feeling like I needed to process everything that had happened.
I flew home. Tasu was still asleep on the couch. Now it was my turn to rest. I went into my room and lay on the bed. If it turns out that his uncle killed their parents, Tadoki would kill him without hesitation.
Although I haven't seen all of his abilities, he definitely knows martial arts...
The sound of birds singing.
I opened my eyes. It was a beautiful, sunny day. I went down to the first floor.
"Oh, Akusa, you're awake," called Tasu, preparing breakfast.
"Yeah."
"How did everything go yesterday?"
I sat down at the table:
"It was fine. I'll tell you everything during breakfast."
I told him what had happened.
"I see. You're going to another country today?"
"Yeah."
"Got it, looks like you'll have a long date, maybe even your first night together," he smirked.
I froze.
"..."
"Come on! Don't be like that!" Tasu laughed as I tried not to show my embarrassment.
"What are you planning to do? Train again?"
"No, I'm too lazy today. I think I'll take a walk around the city."
"Got it... Maybe you'll find yourself a bride," I teased.
"Hey! No way!" he replied with a smirk.
"What time are you meeting?"
"Noon, near the café."
"You'd better be a good bodyguard," he continued, winking mockingly.
"Yeah, right." I went upstairs to change.
When I came back downstairs, I sighed:
"I don't even know enough magic to properly protect Kimi..."
"Come on, with your physical strength, you'll defeat everyone, you don't need magic," Tasu encouraged me.
"You're overestimating me."
"Alright, I'm off."
"Good luck."
I walked toward the café, feeling the growing anxiety. A few minutes later, Kimi appeared beside me, as usual, using teleportation magic.
"Hi," she said with a smile.
"Hey."
"Thanks for yesterday!"
"Even though Tadoki handled it on his own..."
"Ah... Don't mention it, it's nothing..."
"Shall we go?" I suggested.
"Wait," she said, embarrassed. "Here, take this."
She handed me a book.
"This is a token of thanks for helping Tadoki and for accompanying me."
"Thank you very much," I said, opening the book. It was an advanced magic book.
"You're welcome," she said quietly, blushing.
"By the way, Akusa, do you know how to use teleportation?" Kimi asked.
"No, only flight magic," I answered, putting the book into storage.
"Then let's hold hands so the teleportation works for you too!"
She seemed very worried.
"Alright." I took Kimi's hand, and she blushed even more.
T..this feels so nice! I thought to myself.
"Is something wrong?" I asked.
"N-no, it's fine," she mumbled.
We teleported to the entrance of another country, surrounded by a huge brick wall with massive doors.
Inside, everyone was watching us, their eyes slightly reddish.
"Is it just me, or are they being controlled?"
"Looks like it..."
"What happened to this country? Why do you need to settle things with them?"
"A couple of years ago, this country and ours were in an alliance and friends. But a few months ago, they withdrew from the alliance and severed all ties with us."
"Do you want to find out what's going on yourself?"
"Yeah..."
"Well, it seems like some mage is controlling both the people and possibly the ruler."
"Watch out!" I shouted.