Kaze no Stigma – Ignition Vol 1 Chapter 3

Chapter 3 - Demon Beast, Puppy and a natural airhead Daughter

The Metropolitan Police Department Special Data Organization.

That is, at the present time, the only evil spirit repellant organization owned by the j.a.panese Government. But, that combat ability is low, to speak plainly. To the extent that even to call oneself “war potential” is ridiculous.

Consequently, on the occasions when unmanageable incidents occurred, it has been decided to seek cooperation from private pract.i.tioners who excel in battle. And at the top of that collaboration list, was the name of the Kannagi household.

“Ke-Kerberos?”

“That’s right. However, we don’t have positive proof.”

The Room Monitor of the special data organization, police superintendent Tachibana Kirika nodded very calmly in response to Kannagi Ayano who was overcome with surprise and repeated the answer.

She is a beautiful woman who gives off such a charm that doesn’t appear likely on a police officer, in her mid twenties.

Being almost the ideal example of the “Adult Woman”, gifted with both beauty and intelligence, whereas Ayano is still a young girl in the middle of ”development”, she can’t help but harbor an inferiority complex toward the other party.

Glaring at Kirika, Ayano shouted, almost groaning.

”What the heck is the gatekeeper of h.e.l.l doing at a place like this?”

“How would I know? If I heard from the beast itself?” Kirika lightly eluded Ayano’s question.

Kerberos- the bronze gates that tower at h.e.l.l’s entrance and the demon dog known to have three heads, guarding those gates.

Since that suddenly appeared in the world, approximately two hours pa.s.sed. The place of appearance was above the Pacific Ocean, approximately fifty kilometers from Boso Peninsula.[1] Tearing up s.p.a.ce, Kerberos appeared from h.e.l.l, dashed across the sea surface, landed on Boso Peninsula and came out at Tokyo Bay.

Without looking aside, the demon beast simply rode fast in a straight line. At the end of that line there was the capital of j.a.pan, Tokyo.

For the sake of preventing the beast from landing in Tokyo, the pract.i.tioners from Materials Regulation Room, led by Kirika, intercepted it on the sh.o.r.e of Tokyo Bay. Because the beast was confined at the expense of raising their entire power, a collaboration request was issued, the other party being the Kannagi household.

Because the household deemed the incident as a serious one, they sent Ayano, the next suzerain and the successor of Enraiha and Yagami Kazuma, the wind pract.i.tioner in the role of a.s.sisting her. Thus, this is why it was not before long they arrived.

Roughly explaining the vicinity’s　circ.u.mstances, Kirika firmly said:

“At any rate, we can’t help but prevent it from disembarking near Tokyo. Although I don’t understand where Kerberos is aiming to go, I have no doubt that just by granting it pa.s.sage through, the city will receive serious damage.”

Now when the demon beast was made to land on Boso Peninsula in the Chiba Prefecture, if someone were to overlook this place from high above, maybe it would see a long cylindrical line across the peninsula.

This doesn’t mean Kerberos carries out destruction activities on purpose. But when a phenomenon consisting of an enormous ma.s.s rivaling that of a whale runs at high speed, that thing in itself is a calamity.

The buildings placed on the demon beast’s course have been crushed, houses stepped on and the town itself literally divided into parts.

If the supernatural phenomenon would be revealed, the public would be thrown into panic, but thanks to the influence of the miasma Kerberos emits, the recording equipment such as video cameras and the like are projecting nothing but a thick fog, maybe the only silver lining of this dark cloud.

As long as no records remain, it is possible to provide as many explanations as one likes. It’s likely that later, something along the lines of “local tornado outbreak” will be made.

“That is why, do your best. Ah, I think you know this but don’t kill it. Please repel it with an amount of injuries that it won’t die from.”

If they were to kill the h.e.l.l watch dog, there will be the danger of the spirits of the dead overflowing in the present world. Therefore, it’s not like Kirika’s point can’t be understood, but…

“If you’re thinking about it as someone else's problem, you can say that feeling at ease, right?”

In response to Ayano’s truly unhappy grumble, Kirika displayed a smile full of trust.

“If it’s you two, I’m thinking you can undoubtedly do it.”

She slightly s.h.i.+fted her eyes, turning to the man who was smoking cigarettes without giving indication that he was partic.i.p.ating in the conversation. Without being perturbed by abruptly being brought up as a subject, the man, Kazuma casually shrugged his shoulders.

“You’re the client. I’ll follow your indications.”

“Thank you. Saying it like that, saved me.”

“You’re welcome.”

For some reason, both of them exchanged a parent-like smile. Ayano raised her eyebrows at a steep angle. Grasping Kazuma’s hand, she said in a dangerous voice.

“Look, let’s go quickly! Today I must return as soon as possible!”

“What? There’s some TV show you must watch no matter what?”

“As if I have something like that!”

Ayano retaliated sharply and continued with a mournful expression,

“Because Yukari said she picked up a puppy, I want to go and see it.”

“…”

Both of them turned en ma.s.se towards Ayano with an utterly amazed expression. Kazuma, as a representative, revealed his thoughts.

“……Again this person is splendidly intermingling public policy with private interest.”

“WRONG!”

Ayano let her other hand plunge, aiming at the fine point of Kazuma’s jaw. Of course, an instant before the impact he grasped her fist tightly.

“Both of you, you are able to say such easygoing remarks just because you don’t know how scary that girl is underneath the “natural airhead” part.”

Although screaming, Ayano began reflecting on the conversation from a few hours ago which even now remembering makes her head hurt.

“I picked up a puppy ♡.“

That day, since morning, s.h.i.+nomiya Yukari was in a very good mood.

Shoulder length curly hair and a soft facial expression always smiling, a girl usually without an air of tension, today her screws seeming even more slacken than usual.

Faced with a Yukari who, whether was in cla.s.s or not, emitted sounds such as “ufufufu” and “tehehehe” and the like, repeatedly laughing and reminiscing, Ayano together with another close friend, Kudou Nanase started investigating. Cross-examining an evading Yukari, slippery as an eel, they managed to pull out an answer at lunch break.

“Oh, he’s so very cute...”

Once she opened her mouth n.o.body could stop her. While they could do nothing but listen, Yukari started talking about the cuteness of the dog in the smallest details.

“He’s still this small and his fur is glossy black.”

“Hmmm…”

“Ahh, is that so...”

Ayano and Nanase threw the appropriate words in conversation in an indifferent manner, exchanged glances and sighed. They started whispering in a low voice.

“Good grief, since she was making such a merry face I imagined something different. I even thought you had your first s.e.xual experience.”

“With whom?”

“Well if it’s Yukari, don’t you have a feeling she would likely do it with some guy she met for the first time just because she is pleased with him?“

“Indeed, because she’s similar to a kid living through her senses.”

Ayano earnestly nodded in a.s.sent.

Meanwhile, Yukari was going on and on, boasting about the puppy. They lent an ear listening without any particular intention.

“Whats more, his eyes are as red as a ruby.”

“Oh?”

“On the tail he has no hair but instead is covered with tiny scales.”

“Hey!”

“Sometimes he’s breathing fire from his mouth.”

“Wait a second!!”

Both Ayano and Nanase shouted with matching, clear voices.

“What’s the matter?”

“Don’t ask me what’s the matter! What sort of puppy is that thing!?”

“Eh......but, no matter how you look at it, it’s a dog? It whimpers, among other things.”

“Does a dog breathe fire?”

Together with Ayano’s exclamation, Yukari’s complexion changed as if she became aware of something.

“T-then, don’t tell me...”

“That’s right, the animal you picked up is…”

“The j.a.panese wolf - Canis lupus hodophilax, which we were told it became extinct?”

“That’s so wrong!”

Shouting as always, Ayano grabbed Yukari by the collar, letting anger taking it’s natural course.

“If it’s the j.a.panese wolf, it can breathe fire!? Do you seriously believe that!?”

“Ayano-chan it hurts! Calm down!”

For some reason, without showing any signs of pain, Yukari soothed Ayano with a smiling face. Naturally, it didn’t have effect and until Nanase came between them, Ayano continued shaking the girl.

“Oh, get a hold of yourself.”

While wedging oneself in the s.p.a.ce between those two to pull Ayano apart, Nanase asked Yukari.

“Still, you seriously didn’t think it was odd?”

“But, there are human beings spouting fire therefore why would dogs doing it be weirder, right?”

“……Ah, I see.”

“Wait a minute,”

with a low tone as if crus.h.i.+ng something to death, Ayano interrupted their conversation. She glares at both of them with a half open eye.

“Who is that particular human being spouting fire?”

“Ayano-chan.”

“I’m not spouting it! Nanase, you too shouldn’t agree so easily!”

Ayano shouts at her heartless (supposedly) friends, but none showed signs that they were paying attention.

“Still......”

“Right.”

As a matter of course they nodded to each other in a similar fas.h.i.+on.

“B-both of you are......”

Although full of resentment towards the girls who don’t know true friends.h.i.+p, Ayano returned to the real issue at hand.

“Anyway, a living-like thing who breathes fire doesn’t exist in the realm of nature! What you found is the offspring of a demon beast!”

“…Demon beast?”

Drawing closer to Yukari, with her head slightly bent to one’s side, Ayano, in order to terrify her, said:

“That’s right. It’s a dangerous thing, absolutely. If you’re being negligent because it’s just a child, it can chew your head.”

“……”

For a brief period Yukari thought over Ayano’s words and then she waived her hand laughing.

“It’s going to be fine. It became really emotionally attached and besides he’s really cute.”

“Ah, she really doesn’t get it!”

Ayano shouted, being greatly perplexed.

 

“And, oh well, it became like this...."

“W-what a u-unique friend, huh,”

After Ayano slovenly brought the story to a finish, Kirika made the questionable comment with a stiff smile.

“Let me see, it that’s the case, our organization can deal with the above mentioned Yukari-chan. So you can relax.”

“That’s not good,”

It was an immediate reply. Faced with an unexpected response, Kirika lightly opens her eyes wider.

“Why?”

“a.s.suming you would send your subordinates, it doesn’t seem likely Yukari would obediently hand the demon’s offspring over. In that situation, securing the demon beast would take priority over Yukari’s will, right?”

“We wouldn’t do things like trying to cause harm to one of Ayano-chan’s friends.”

“Still not good. If you try meddling with Yukari, I won’t forgive you.”

Closing the argument after the one-sided declaration, Ayano s.h.i.+fts her attention to the man who until then gave his undivided attention to the consumption of cigarettes, just because all this was none of his concern.

“Because that’s the case, today we’re settling it with a swift attack and going home. Understood?”

Her quiet tone shows a clear determination that denies any objection.

The tip of the flame sword Enraiha was thrust out too quick for the naked eye to follow, as if hinting: “if you slack off, I’m going to freaking stab you.” However, Kazuma was not the kind of person to back down because of that. With an obstinate man-eater smile, frivolous and with a lax expression, he says:

“Don’t say stuff like that. I don’t like to push myself. It’s one of those things bad for one’s health, right?“

“……”

Silently, Ayano increased her grip on Enraiha. The signs of an explosive situation that give hair-raising s.h.i.+vers fill the surroundings.

“Calm down Ayano-chan,”

Without a moment’s delay Kirika forced her way in the s.p.a.ce between these two. With her seemingly casual behavior she held down Ayano’s hand holding Enraiha, carefully paying attention to it.

“You want to end this quickly, right? Now it’s not the time for a split among friends.”

“...…This guy, he’s not my friend.”

In spite of talking back with a sulky tone, Ayano reluctantly drew back her sword. On the way to the battlefield, she asks a question without particular interest in hearing the answer.

“Kerberos, huh. I wonder, did the dead escape or something?”

“Well…”

Kazuma answers in a seemingly disinterested manner.

“It doesn’t matter what the reason is. What matters is to beat it up so badly it will go back to the entrance of h.e.l.l.”

“…You make it sound so simple.”

The opponent is Kerberos – one can confidently say its existence is top cla.s.s among all other demon beasts, its status different from the norm. Of course it’s not a being easily summoned by the likes of men. Such a thing, why did it appear in the present age devoting itself to endless atrocities? While trying to come up with an answer, Kazuma's legs suddenly stopped.

“Is this the place?”

“Yeah, it’s gonna appear from the front.”

Even if it’s an empty parking lot, it’s s.p.a.cious enough to play a soccer game. Beside it, a strange upside-down-pyramid-like building was built.

“The evacuation is finished. You don’t have to hold back.”

Kazuma instigated the girl unsheathing Enraiha with a broad sneer on his face. Without responding, Ayano set her eyes on the empty s.p.a.ce in front of her. Before their eyes… the s.p.a.ce became loose.

The s.p.a.ce separating the two dimensions connected in a firework-like show, bits of light flickering and scattering. From inside the downpour of light, darkness penetrates, burning.

“GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!”

Biting and tearing the loose s.p.a.ce with all its might, three heads appear. And then, the body.

“……”

At a loss for words, Ayano raises her eyes in blank amazement. It’s big. Its height exceeds five meters. A magnificent physique that easily supports three heads. Its six eyeb.a.l.l.s, b.l.o.o.d.y red, shed a grim light. Its fangs bared, it breaths out an incandescent heat. Kerberos recognizes these two’s existence and their power. The crimson eyes overlook them and the distinct intent they carry. That is, “an enemy” that must be defeated.

“Ugh……”

“GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!”

The demon beast howled once again. From those three mouths, together with the roar, jet-black flames gush out.

“……!”

Without time to dodge, Ayano and Kazuma were engulfed in the flames of h.e.l.l. Kerberos overlooks from his high place and without taking the time to confirm the results, jumps over the sea of flames.

“GYAUUUU!”

An immaterial fist was thrust from bellow, hitting the demon beast’s jaw during the jump. From underneath the large built body spinning in the air, the h.e.l.l fire is scattered by the wind.

“Honorable guest visiting so suddenly, don’t be in such a hurry, will you?”

From the middle of the vanis.h.i.+ng black flames, the taunting words can be heard. While dispersing the remains of the flames in the same manner, Ayano involuntary smiles broadly.

Good grief, this guy…

Looking next to her, as expected, is a fearless smile. Contrary to his words, his childish smiling face, full of mischief says in capital letters: “I’m gonna provoke you with everything I’ve got.” With a devil-may-care att.i.tude, always impetuous, the kind of man you absolutely can’t put your faith in.

Despite this, why do I feel so relaxed when this man is around? It’s impossible to lose; I naturally thought so, if we are together.

“Come, let’s finish this and go back, Kazuma!”

Aiming at the beast’s huge body, Ayano stepped into its territory with all her strength.

“GAAAA!”

But the fireb.a.l.l.s are sliced by the beast’s claws. Even so, their purpose was to buy time until sword distance…

“Waa!”

Because she was slipping too close to its foreleg. Kerberos fired a killing blow from right overhead.

“Eh?”

Ayano opened her eyes wide. Enraiha’s blade was drawn expecting to hit the target but it was held-back – literally – by Kerberos’s fangs. She expected fire resistance as the demon beast breathes fire but there is no indication of receiving damage from the edge clad in flames.

Kerberos stopped her movement. And now, the other party still has another two heads and limbs to...

This is bad…

“You fool, fall back!”

“GAAAAAAA!”

Together with the rebuke, Kazuma released wind blades and the demon beast roared. The shock-wave that accompanied the thunder-like roar counterbalanced his attack.

“As expected from h.e.l.l’s watchdog. This is pretty good.”

“This is not the place for admiration!”

Screamed Ayano while retreating, slipping into a state of confusion.

“What to do? Do you have a plan?”

“Plan? Not particularly. We’ll win if we do it like we always do.”

“You say like usual, but my attacks have no effect.”

“Idiot.”

Kazuma relentlessly rejected Ayano’s complaints.

“No effect? As if! If you are stopped by claws and fangs you will endanger your body. To what purpose do you think Enraiha is shaped like a sword?”

“Ah…”

If you think about it, that’s correct. It’s not like the demon beast rendered the attack useless. It just intercepted it with fangs and claws. If you notice that you can form countless counter-attacks.

“I – I got it!”

“Then go already!”

To a shouting Ayano trying to hide her embarra.s.sment, Kazuma urges her forward with an impatient hand gesture. Although that rudeness made her cheeks puffy with anger, she starts running towards Kerberos.

“Now then...”

While closely looking at Ayano’s retreating figure and the demon beast, Kazuma is probing the opponent for a breach. As for the situation, Ayano’s is somewhat better. If things go like this, there will be no need to cover for her.

Now what we have to do is send it back to h.e.l.l by causing it enough damage without killing it. That shouldn’t be so difficult – Kazuma truthfully thought so.

Without having to wait for it, the opportunity came.

Ayano’s slash was a faint and with the sole of her hand, hit Kerberos’s jaw. That big contrast was similar with a baby knocking an elephant off its feet. Even if it was a surreal spectacle, Kazuma didn’t lose this ideal opportunity and fired wind blades aimed at the beast’s head, still thrown back. The careful aimed blow half-sliced the left head.

“GAAAAAA!!”

From the wound that reached as far as the cervical vertebrae, fresh blood erupted almost like a fountain.

“Look, the blood is red,”

while murmuring so carefree, Kazuma lands next to Ayano.

“Well then, normally after receiving such an amount of damage, it should try to escape.”

Halfway through the speech, he looked up at the demon beast and sighed,

“But for some reason, it seems unlikely.”

“Yeah.”

Despite having one head cut, the beast’s fighting spirit didn’t abate. The four eyes’ glow and radiance looked down at these two with a boiling killing intent. Furthermore, the left head which hung down up until now was raised triumphantly. Inhaling very deeply, it breaths out fire. And then……

“Wha…?”

Ayano opened her eyes full of shock. The left head, severed as far as the trachea gushes out jet-black flames even from the wound.

“GAAAAAA…” the beast’s head was engulfed in flames for a moment.

“S-Self-destruction…?”

“No, that’s wrong.”

Kazuma responded in a bitter, groan-like tone,

“Perhaps it serves as a styptic.”

“Huh?”

Ayano stares at the demon beast’s head. Surely, for the sake of stopping the hemorrhage, the wound together with the head, should be carbonized. If the purpose was to stop the blood, then the goal is achieved. But even so –

“It’s going that far?”

“s.h.i.+t… This is bad … a do or die resolution… we’re walking a tight rope.”

Kazuma grumbled, seemingly unpleased from the bottom of his heart. To burn one’s head – even if there are three of them – for the sake of accomplis.h.i.+ng one’s purpose, that’s the way this demon beast moves.

Even if they consider the fact that a demon beast is capable of taking such actions, Kazuma and Ayano can’t help but prepare themselves.

“No option but to kill.”

“……Yeah.”

With dry voices they decided the plan. Being half-hearted didn’t work. As long as the beast is alive, it can’t be stopped. There are no options besides killing it.

“GAAAAAA!”

Kerberos took the initiative. With the explosive power characteristic of beasts, it reduced the distance between them in a flash.

Kazuma dodged it’s swung down talon blow with a water like movement. With those blood-shot eyes full of determination, Kerberos swings his claws, with a movement so fearless, it doesn’t seem it just lost one head.

“GRAA……WA?”

But the movement suddenly stopped. Kerberos restrains its half-way swung down limb and very seriously and longingly looks at something behind Kazuma.

“…….?”

Kerberos pushes Kazuma aside and makes his way through the trees behind with his claws.

“Kyuuuuun….”

A barely perceptible feeble whine. The black puppy that was there, apparently late at getting away, tries to conceal itself by shrinking its body as much as possible.

“GRRR….”

After staring at that puppy for a short while, Kerberos looks away with a howl full of sadness. The dragon-skin tail feebly hangs down, coiling on the ground.

“Ah… you don’t say….”

Watching that appearance, a certain reasoning flashed lightning-fast through Ayano’s brain. She thought it wasn’t possible but almost at the same time she strongly felt it was the only explanation possible. If it’s that girl…

“Kazuma!”

“What?”

“I’ll retreat for five minutes or so I’m leaving this to you! Don’t kill it until I come back!”

Ayano one-sidedly informed him and ran off without waiting for a response. After she put a few hundred meters between them, she takes her telephone hidden at the shelter. When the other person picked up, she started speaking, without waiting for a reply.

“Yukari, do you hear me...?”

 

Approximately four minutes afterwards, she returned to the battlefield. Apparently Kazuma did as she said because the damage inflicted on Kerberos didn’t increase – on the contrary it apparently decreased.

“Does it regenerate?”

On the other hand, Kazuma s.h.i.+fted his attention on Ayano and asked, refreshed:

“Did you go to the toilet or something?”

Disregarding his frivolous talk, she pushed the telephone screen before his eyes.

“What?”

“I made Yukari send me a photo of the puppy she picked up.”

“Why would you do such a …”

Kazuma watched the screen with an indifferent look but after a few seconds and blinks he started scowling at the perspective. The photo of a “sitting” dog(?)

It was basically a dog but the tail peeking from behind was growing scales. The eyes were deep crimson. But the round pupils, too big for its face, gave it a cute look instead of an atrocious one. To match his eyes, a bright red choker was fit around its neck.

“So that’s the reason,”

Kazuma sighed and focused on Kerberos, in order to compare them. And then, abruptly, he called the name of a woman not present.

“Kirika.”

It was a call that shouldn’t have reached. But in the same manner a reply came.

“What?”

This is a type of skill that carries one’s voice along with the wind called “Spiritual Calling.” For a pract.i.tioner of Kazuma’s magnitude, it’s easy to carry sounds separated by several kilometers and to gather the other party’s response.

“Can you get in touch with s.h.i.+nomiya Yukari’s house?”

“……Huh?”

After only a few seconds of indecision, Kirika was positive. Kazuma ignored the girl next to him, arching her eyebrows with discomfort and continued:

“Secure her immediately and bring her here.”

“What do you mean?”

“Apparently its parent is here.”

Even transmitted from a far-away place, the loss-for-words atmosphere can be felt. After a full ten seconds of unbroken silence, a voice oozing weariness got through.

“Good grief… The lost puppy causes a lot of trouble. Wait thirty… no twenty minutes.”

“Hurry.”

After cutting off the transmission, Kazuma raised his eyes at the demon beast towering before him. Indeed, its totally motivated face stands out, looking this way.

“Forget about understanding through words but… Ayano, can’t you explain our intentions? With your wild instincts or something”

“As if that’s possible!!”

Approximately eighteen minutes after.

“It arrived?"

With an unusually fatigued expression, Kazuma sighed. Immediately the sound of a helicopter’s rotor reached Ayano’s ears.

“That?”

“Yeah, go and fetch it.”

“Ok.”

Ayano nodded meekly without taking offense at the rude order,

“Hold on just for a bit longer.”

Reluctant to even give a response, Kazuma waived his hand instead of saying “just go already.”

With a little bitter smile, Ayano started running towards the already descending helicopter. It landed squarely in the middle of the road. That fact in itself is trivial but regarding the young lady that appeared from inside, holding down her skirt fluttering in the wind, as one would expect, Ayano can’t let it pa.s.s.

“Why are you here Yukari?”

As for the staff members of the Special Data Organization, they couldn’t be so stupid as to bring an ordinary person on the battlefield. But she is here right now. When cross-examined, Yukari said with a somehow smiling face:

“I made a little wish and I was brought along.”

“A wish, you say….”

In front of the bewildered Ayano the figure of a man appears from the helicopter, peeking with a hesitant face. Its grim features, after recognizing Ayano’s look, started explaining or rather vindicating before the question was even asked.

“I – I swear that no rude behavior towards this girl….”

“…That’s enough.”

Ten minutes have already pa.s.sed. Ayano negligently waved her hand, stopping his explanation.

“You’re the victim. I get it, if you’re not going to complain later, you can return.”

“Y – yes!”

The pilot nodded with a narrowly-escape-from-death expression. After seeing off for a brief moment the helicopter, that drove off in the same direction it came from, Ayano aimed at Yukari a stern gaze.

“You, did you threaten him? By using my name?”

“I think that speaking style can ruin one’s respectability.”

Although pouting, sharpened lips and all, Yukari didn’t deny Ayano’s words,

“All I wanted was to make sure Candy was reunited with his mother.”

“Candy?”

“This pup, look.”

Yukari unb.u.t.toned her collar and from there a black something crawled out. It was imprisoned inside her clothes and seemed to be suffocating because it started focusing very hard on breathing, putting its tongue out. Needless to say, that was the “puppy” Yukari picked up – the young child of Kerberos.

In front of Ayano, staring intently and at a loss for words, Yukari says while grinning:

“Cute, isn’t he?”

“Kyau!”

Tickling its throat, Candy comfortably closed his eyes and barked. It became attached.

But naming a living thing, whose mouth is packed with fangs instead in spite of being a puppy, “Candy”, it seems the girl didn’t harbor any reserve towards it. If it would be just that it could still be understood, but after being informed that the pup is actually a demon beast why would she enclose it next to her bosom? In all possible ways, Yukari’s sense was eluding Ayano’s comprehension.

“Fine.”

Setting aside various questions, Ayano holds out her hand in front of Yukari.

“Anyway, hand that thing over. I’m going to return it.”

“No.”

Yukari immediately replied.

“……Excuse me, Yukari-san?”

With a delicate, stiff smile, Ayano stretches her hand even further.

“Don’t say such selfish things and hand it over.”

“If I say no it’s no.”

Yukari took a step back embracing Candy, who crawled out of her bosom, in order to protect him.

“YU – KA – RI!”

Towards the friend who suddenly became unreasonable, Ayano growled with pressuring tone.

“I don’t have time to play games with you. If you don’t hurry up and give it to me, we don’t know what might happen.”

“I know that.”

“If you know then – ”

“I’ll be the one to hand it over.”

Watching Ayano whose voice became more and more stern, Yukari flatly declared.

“What?”

“This pup, I’ll be the one who personally hands it over to his mother.”

After several seconds of silence, Ayano started shouting with a shriek-like voice.

“Of course I’m not going to allow you to do such a dangerous thing!”

“I’ll do it no matter what!!”

Yukari retaliated with a scream that wouldn’t lose to Ayano’s.

“I’m the one who picked this puppy! That’s why I’m the one who has to take it to where his mother lives! And because it’s dangerous I can’t leave it to anyone else!”

“……”

To this girl who argued so vehemently that tears started to acc.u.mulate in her eyes, Ayano didn’t find any persuasive words. It would be so easy to s.n.a.t.c.h it away from her…

“It can’t be helped,”

Although recognizing that this way of thinking is so naïve, she let it go.

“It’s really dangerous so follow my instructions exactly, all right?”

“Yeah,”

Nodded Yukari with a sparkly smile.

 

Taking Yukari’s hand Ayano once again returned to the battlefield, where Kazuma and Kerberos confronted in silence. Running out of patience, Kerberos is trying to reduce the distance between him and Kazuma, who just stands there relaxed.

That development suddenly stopped. The brute’s glance pierces Kazuma and reaches Candy, embraced by Yuukari, who stands there behind him.

A silence that seemed to have stopped time, flew.

“GRRRR….”

“……”

Yukari took Kerberos’s twisted, lowered gaze directly. Just because of that, her entire body s.h.i.+vers, making a rattle sound, almost overpowering her mentally, but for a civilian maybe admiration should be expressed for her emotional strength.

Yukari started walking towards the demon beast, a gulp ringing in her small throat.

“Ah…….”

Although Ayano wanted to follow, for some reason or another her legs stopped, feeling it would be more difficult, going together.

With a detached att.i.tude Kerberos overlooked Yukari. She stopped at its feet and raised Candy, who until that point was curling on her chest, overhead.

“GRRRUU…”

Raising a vaguely satisfied growl, the demon beast lowered its head and received Candy skillfully, taking the choker with the tip of its fangs. But…

“Uuuu…..”

Yukari didn’t let go of Candy. Because both the girl and the beast didn’t back off, Candy’s body started to stretch.

“Yukari, stop it….”

Ayano started panicking toward such an act that exceeds even recklessness. Yukari doesn’t have any sort of strength, she’s just an ordinary girl, if Kerberos feel like it, it could crush her existence with one finger.

“Kazuma….”

Looking at Kazuma in order to request salvation, he bluntly states.

“Impossible, at this distance the beast has the advantage.”

“Auuuuu... What is that girl thinking…?”

Sparing a sidelong glance at the groaning Ayano, the beast and the girl continued pulling. But before reaching a conclusion, the “rope” approached its limit.

“Kyuuuu…” the moment the painful sound was raised, both parties simultaneously let Candy go.

“Ooh, an Oooka Decision[2].”

Mutters Kazuma openly expressing his admiration.

“I’m telling you that’s not the problem….”

Returns Ayano in an amazed voice. Both of them are completely left out of the event.

 

Yukari promptly caught the falling Candy. At the warm sensation from inside her arms, she expressed a soft smile full of relief. But in the next moment, the choker Yukari gave Candy, was torn from its neck and fell.

“Ah…..”

Looking at the sharply split choker on the ground, severed by Kerberos’s fang, the girl scowls with a sad look.

“Is that so… As I thought, you’ll be happiest together with your mother.”

Muttering with determination, once again Yukari presented Candy to Kerberos. This time she delivered Candy obediently, without struggle.

“Candy…… will we meet again?”

“Kyuuun….”

Candy, snugly sitting inside Kerberos’s mouth responds to Yukari’s voice with the sad cry. They stared at each other – but time relentlessly moves on, Kerberos returns and starts walking toward the beach. Until that figure disappeared, Yukari sees off her “one day” pet in silence.

Confirming that everything is over, Ayano gradually relaxes and approaches Yukari.

“Good grief, don’t be so rash. You’re shortening my life span.”

“Sorry.”

Apologizing, Yukari’s gaze quickly returns to the sea, at the spot the demon beasts disappeared.

“It’s really gone…”

“Did you like that pup so much?”

“Yeah, that’s part of it….”

Yukari s.h.i.+fts her attention to Ayano, more exactly towards the hand holding Enraiha, and says with a dreamy voice:

“Because Candy is a demon beast, someday he will grow as big as his mother right?”

“……Probably, but I don’t know how many years it will take.”

“If that’s the case, when Candy is as big as a cow or a horse, I thought I can be a demon beast user and fight together with Ayano-chan.”

“......”

That moment Ayano seriously became dizzy. The world shakes irregularly and a feeling of dread gives her gooseflesh, as if the earth crumbles from underneath her feet. Enduring the impulse of wanting to escape from reality, Ayano firmly sizes Yukari’s shoulders.

“Yukari, don’t think about such stupid things.”

“Is it impossible?”

“Yes. Absolutely,”

Ayano says very strongly. It would be impossible to entrust her back to a human like Yukari, whose train of thought she cannot comprehend. Using persuasive words until exhaustion, Ayano becomes aware Kazuma is staring at her with an amusing look on his face.

“So that’s what you call friends gained through common interests?”

“Wait! I can’t let that pa.s.s!”

“Ah – what do you mean Ayano-chan,”

Asks Yukari tangling with a p.i.s.sed off Ayano.

“Ah – no, it’s not like that… Kazuma, where are you going?”

“Don’t try to deceive me. Ayano-chan do you hate me?”

Behind Kazuma’s back, who turns back, ignoring them, how long will these two continue to fight?