"Hmph Hmph Hmph~"
Shokuhou Misaki strolled down the street, her steps leisurely, reflecting a relatively good mood.
"Hm?"
Suddenly, her eyes flicked backward. A figure in black, wearing what looked like a motorcycle helmet, quickly ducked into an alley.
"Ugh, so soon? Why do these guys always wear black suits? Are they afraid people won't notice them?"
Shokuhou Misaki muttered under her breath.
She casually reached into her crossbody bag, pulled out her phone, and deftly opened her contacts, tapping the first number.
"Hey? What, changed your mind?"
"Ohh! I've decided—I don't want to work hard anymore. Sponsor me, big shot!"
Shokuhou Misaki teased playfully.
"Oh~ In trouble? Can money fix it?"
"If money could fix it, would I need to call you?"
"Not enough cash, then?"
"Ugh!"
Shokuhou Misaki sighed, spinning gracefully with a sweet smile. She shouted toward the alley, "Hey! Who sent you? Ten million to let me go, deal?"
"..."
A group of men in black suits and motorcycle-like helmets emerged from the alley, their expressions stern. The leader spoke, "Little girl, blame yourself for digging into things you shouldn't have. Plus, you're quite valuable yourself."
"See? They say no deal. If you're late, I might get kidnapped! Maybe someone'll plant a tree on your head!"
Shokuhou Misaki showed no trace of nervousness. Her beautiful eyes curved into a crescent, her lips curling slightly upward.
"Little girl, we're not planning to do that to you... and it doesn't seem like the higher-ups want that either. But you're probably in for something worse."
"Hey, fellas! How about we talk? Catching her won't do you much good. Look at her—she's got nothing to offer! What's the point? A washboard? How about fifty million? Pretend you never saw her. That's enough to live comfortably anywhere!"
"Uh..."
The men in black actually hesitated. It was an absurdly large sum.
"Enough! You might take the money, but you won't live to spend it!"
The leader's words seemed to remind them of their boss's methods, and their expressions hardened.
"Ha! Who're you calling a washboard?! I... I'm still developing..."
The supposed victim of this dangerous situation was utterly oblivious to the gravity.
"Sorry, little girl. Blame yourself for being too reckless!"
"Friends... I gave you a chance."
"Like we said, take the money, but you won't live to spend it!"
"Heh~ Then... you won't even have a chance to take it!"
"What?"
Boom~
A bolt of lightning split the clear sky, striking between Shokuhou Misaki and the men in black.
"Friends, I gave you a chance! Also... why do people doing your kind of job always wear black suits?"
Zzt, zzt, zzt~
Before they could respond, the lightning surged into an ocean, overwhelming them like a small fishing boat in a tsunami, capsizing them without a chance.
These small-fry had enough value for Samuel to make the trip personally, so he'd offered them a deal. But since they were too ignorant—or too reckless—it was their funeral.
The lightning obliterated them at the atomic level.
"Ugh~"
Turning around, the star of the moment was pouting, stomping her foot in obvious displeasure.
"What's wrong, my little wife?"
"Who's your wife?! And who're you calling a washboard?!"
"...Don't worry, my tastes are broad. Silver hair, blonde, teens, lolis... I'm into it all! It's all about the face, and Misaki, you're so cute, I'm totally into you!"
"Get lost! Who needs you to be into me?!"
Shokuhou Misaki shoved the exaggeratedly dramatic Samuel away, her expression darkening as she glanced at where the men had stood. "Looks like this matter's darker than I thought. They came for me that fast."
"This is a messy situation tied to the one at the top. So, how about you back off and let your justice-loving pal handle it?"
"Justice? You? Pfft~"
Shokuhou Misaki burst into laughter. She wasn't the first to meet Samuel, but she knew him better than most. While he wasn't as dark as Academy City's deepest shadows, he was no saint either.
"Of course! There are many kinds of justice, but two are absolute: victory and cuteness! Protecting cute girls like you—doesn't that make me a champion of justice?"
"Hahaha, you're just a pervert! Instead of that, why not say you're always victorious, so you're the ally of justice?"
"Well, that works too!"
Justice and victory were intertwined. In Greek mythology, Zeus's chariot bore the radiance of both the Goddess of Victory and the Goddess of Justice.
For someone like Samuel, defeat was unthinkable.
He might fall behind, but he'd never lose. For beings like him, failure equaled death. As long as he lived, he hadn't failed.
Entities like Samuel, Aiwass, or Aleister could be defeated by a Magic God, erased billions of times with ease, but they wouldn't truly lose or die. Their only true enemy was themselves, and they'd only perish by their own hand.
Only when their "heart" died would they cease to exist.
"I'm still going to keep digging into this!"
"Then the pursuit will keep coming."
"But I've got you, right, my dear Committee Chairman? Protecting ordinary citizens is your duty, isn't it?"
With a playful scissor-hand gesture and a cute half-tongue sticking out, Shokuhou Misaki left Samuel shrugging helplessly.
Indeed... Samuel wouldn't let anyone harm them.
Was it "love"? Not necessarily. But it was definitely "possessiveness." No one wants their belongings damaged, no matter how trivial.
And compared to mere objects... perhaps they were more like family or pets?
Maybe that was a bit of a stretch?
They weren't sure, but Nyarlathotep was definitely a pet.
"It's about time. That absurd experiment—killing 20,000 slimes to ascend to godhood—is about to start, right? That means... I'm nearing Aleister's bottom line. Time to make my move!"
***
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