Chapter 62: The Unexpected.
.....
After tailing the pair for a while, Chise and Shizumu quickly realized that Kihara and Minami Yume were unusually close.
They immediately contacted Tenka, asking him to dispatch nearby monsters to set up an ambush outside the city.
"Honestly, I'm glad we didn't go to the Hero Association," Chise muttered. "Pretending to be civilians and digging through their library… that's way too nerve-wracking."
"If you didn't want to go, you could've refused," Shizumu replied calmly. "I could've handled it alone."
"Well… they insisted."
After a brief silence, Chise glanced ahead at Yume.
"Do you think that girl… might've been revived like us?"
"…Possible," Shizumu said. "She might even have the aptitude to be a kaiju user."
"That's a shame," Chise sighed. "If she weren't so close to that guy, she could've been one of us."
Meanwhile—
Kihara had finally managed to "buy peace" by treating Yume to three mousse cakes, successfully getting her to stop calling him a "perverted tights enthusiast."
After finishing their shopping, they headed back toward Q-City.
But just as they left the city and entered the outskirts.
Something felt… off.
The air grew heavy with killing intent.
Kihara immediately stopped the bike, drawing his crimson blade as he scanned the surroundings.
"Yume—can you ride a motorcycle?"
"Huh? N-No… why?"
Before he could finish.
A dense cloud of black mist surged toward them. Wherever it passed, the ground and vegetation corroded instantly.
With no time to think, Kihara stored the motorcycle into his dimensional pack, grabbed Yume, and dashed aside to evade the attack.
But the danger didn't end there.
Their shadows suddenly expanded beneath them.
SHRIIEEK—!
A rain of razor-sharp black feathers descended from the sky, accompanied by a shrill, vengeful cry.
"I'll chop you into pieces and feed you to my children—to avenge my husband!"
Kihara snorted coldly.
"So the husband dies, and now the wife shows up."
His crimson blade spun into motion, forming a tight, wind-like barrier that blocked every incoming attack.
But before he could counterattack, the ground beneath them exploded. A shadow burst upward, forcibly separating the two.
"Ahh!!"
"Yume!"
Kihara lunged forward like lightning toward the mole-like monster that had emerged.
Too late.
The creature had no intention of fighting. After separating them, it grabbed Yume and hurled her into the air toward the circling crow monster.
Mission complete, it attempted to retreat underground.
Only to be split clean in half by a light-speed slash.
Kihara stood still.
His voice turned ice-cold.
"You'd better put her down."
His dark eyes burned with killing intent.
The crow monster hovered in the air, fully aware that flight was its greatest advantage. It held Yume by the neck like a fragile doll, lifting her effortlessly.
With its other hand, it gestured mockingly.
"Where's that confidence now? Your little girlfriend's in my hands—why aren't you acting tough anymore?"
Kihara tossed his sword aside, attempting to lower its guard.
But the monster reacted instantly, pressing a razor-sharp feather against Yume's throat.
"Don't move! And don't touch that strange watch on your left hand. No matter how fast you are—you're not faster than me killing her."
"…Tch. State your terms."
"Terms?" It burst into hysterical laughter.
"You killed my husband—and you think I'll negotiate?"
"If you cut off your own hands… then maybe I'll consider it."
Kihara fell silent.
Not out of fear.
But because he was holding back laughter.
With his regenerative body, losing his hands meant nothing.
"…Fine. I accept."
"Kihara, don't—mmph!"
The crow monster tightened its grip around Yume's throat.
"Behave. Or I crush her windpipe first."
Yume bit her lip.
Fearless.
Her eyes met Kihara's.
For a brief moment—there was something soft, almost gentle, in her gaze.
Then—
Without hesitation.
She threw her neck forward onto the blade.
—SPLASH!
"You damn human!!"
The crow monster panicked, caught completely off guard.
It never expected her to go this far.
To sacrifice herself just to protect him.
Yume's vision blurred.
She couldn't see Kihara's face anymore.
Her lips moved faintly, as if trying to say something.
Her hand lifted weakly.
Then fell.
Blood dripped steadily from her limp body.
The world went silent.
Even the wind seemed to stop.
Only the sound of blood hitting the ground remained.
"Standing By."
"START UP."
Mechanical voices echoed.
Time froze.
Kihara exploded into motion.
In an instant, he appeared before the crow monster—his blade carving through its wings, arms, and legs with overwhelming fury.
He caught Yume's barely-breathing body gently.
"Fantasy Gensokyo Divine Invocation!"
[Target: Eientei – Eirin Yagokoro]
[Offering: One day as a test subject]
[Ability Acquired: Medical mastery]
—Accepted.
A soft clap echoed through the void.
Power surged into him.
Without hesitation, Kihara began treating her.
Eirin's methods might come with strange side effects.
But her medical skill was absolute.
Within moments, Yume's fatal wound closed.
He fed her a recovery pill, confirming her condition had stabilized.
Only then did he deactivate his transformation.
"TIME OUT."
"AAAAAAAGHHH!!!"
A piercing scream tore through the air.
The crow monster writhed on the ground like a worm, unable to comprehend how it had been dismembered in an instant.
"Annoying."
Kihara sliced off its tongue with surgical precision, silencing it completely.
Blood flooded its throat.
The fear of nearly losing Yume lingered.
Then—
Rage took over.
Cold. Violent. Relentless.
With Eirin's power still active, Kihara looked down at the monster.
And smiled.
To it, he looked like something straight out of hell.
From afar, Chise shivered.
She had never seen a human this cruel.
Again and again—
Kihara healed the monster.
Only to dissect it piece by piece.
Skin.
Muscle.
Bone.
Over and over.
Until even its screams faded into numb silence.
"…Shizumu," Chise whispered, hugging herself, "let's leave."
"…Yeah."
.....
Thank you for reading.