Vol. 1 Chapter 4 – Touching Me a Lot
by PinkPantherWhen Kaga Ryousuke returned from walking Caesar, Lisara and Mina were setting the food on the dining table.
Mina, who had been called over so they could explain the situation to her, looked uneasy and fidgeted restlessly.
“You haven’t told her yet?”
Ryousuke said in a somewhat accusing tone.
“Of course not. You’re part of this too, Ryousuke. I wouldn’t just go ahead and explain it while you’re not here”
Lisara stated as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.
‘I guess…she’s being considerate toward me in her own way.’
Lisara’s kindness was a bit hard to notice at times…
When Ryousuke sat down, Lisara took the seat next to him. Mina, still looking unconvinced, sat in the chair directly across from Ryousuke. Finally, Lisara began explaining her circumstances to Mina—all at once and with full momentum. She spoke fluidly, tossing each detail into Mina’s mind one after another.
As a result, Mina froze with a blank look.
“Mina, you okay?”
Worried, Ryousuke spoke up. Mina stiffly turned her face toward him with a creak and muttered hesitantly:
“Shinigami… Lisara is a Shinigami…”
“Yes, I’m a Shinigami.”
Lisara nodded firmly.
“I thought it couldn’t be, but it’s actually true…”
“Have you grasped the situation? That I’m searching for the Singular One and Ryousuke is kindly cooperating with me for that?”
“Because you snuck out ahead of the others, you can’t go back, right?”
“If it ever came to light that I not only went ahead on my own but also came back empty-handed, my standing as a successor to the Restall household would be completely ruined.”
Lisara let out a self-deprecating laugh, raised a clenched fist upward, and opened it with a pon.
“So there’s all kinds of things in the world of Shinigami too.”
“Of course. We have a functioning society in the Shinigami world just like you do.”
“I see. But I understand now.”
Mina glanced at Ryousuke and gave a small nod with a quiet【Alright】.
“What?”
“Ah, um, ehhehe, it’s nothing. It’s got nothing to do with you, Ryousuke-kun.”
She blushed and giggled awkwardly for some reason.
“Lisara, I’ll help out even more from now on, okay?”
“You will?”
“Of course! So, um, about that… would I… would I not be good enough?”
At Mina’s sudden words, both Lisara and Ryousuke blinked in surprise and looked at her in unison.
“So, could you transfer the 《Gram》 that’s embedded in Ryousuke-kun… to me…”
“You mean, instead of this, you want me to drain spiritual energy from you, Mina?”
Lisara pointed her thumb at the Ryousuke next to her, and Mina nodded firmly with a【Yes】!
“Mina… it’s actually pretty tough, you know. That emptiness you feel when all your pervy desires are drained out of you is just…”
“I don’t think pervy desires are the source of your will to live, Ryousuke.”
“Ugh… well, I mean, when you lose that will to live, the effect’s the same, right?”
“Well, I guess that’s true. But…”
Lisara leaned her elbows on the table, clasped her hands and rested her chin on them. Then she stared at Mina intently.
“Lisara?”
“It’s true that Mina’s spiritual energy is on a whole different level from Ryousuke’s. No, even compared to the average person, it’s an exceptional amount.”
It was true that Mina was outstanding, aside from being bad at sports.
Her grades weren’t at the very top of the year, but she ranked quite high.
In terms of looks, while no one had ever said they were a fan of Ryousuke, Mina had fans. People did talk about her.
“Mina really is amazing. I don’t feel like I could ever beat her. Not even a tiny bit. Yup, I’m no longer needed…”
After saying that, Ryousuke hugged Caesar, who was sprawled out under the dining table.
“Sniffle sniffle, Caesar~”
Ah, Caesar’s warmth was so comforting. Honestly, he didn’t want to open his heart to anyone but Caesar anymore. Pesh pesh—Caesar gently patted Ryousuke’s head as he clung to him. Was he… comforting him? If so, it made Ryousuke want to cry even more…
“Geez, don’t sulk in a place like that.”
Lisara stood before Caesar and Ryousuke, looking down at them.
“It’s fine, whatever. I’m just gonna live cherishing nothing but perviness.”
“Come on now, pull yourself together already.”
Sounding more irritated than exasperated, Lisara clapped her hands together sharply with a pan!.
“Hey, look up!”
Reflexively responding to that sharp sound, Ryousuke lifted his head. What he saw first were Lisara’s black knee-high socks. As his eyes continued upward, he could see across the space between her legs, and there was Mina, looking worried as she sat at the dining table.
But it didn’t stop there.
Keeping careful not to raise his head too far, but also not to make it look unnatural, Ryousuke slowly tilted his face upward. And of course—there it was.
“Yes, yes, that’s better.”
Came Lisara’s satisfied voice. And in his vision, a pair of white, white panties.
“Uh.”
Ryousuke’s entire consciousness focused on that white cloth. Even the mental resources used to operate his language center were starting to run dry. Something was bubbling up from the depths of his heart. Joy. Power. Overflowing.
“For starters, Ryousuke, you have way too little self-confidence.”
“Yes.”
“It’s true, Mina’s spiritual power is far greater than yours. But I hate switching partners so easily, you know? Do you get that?”
“Yes.”
“Good. As long as you understand. Listen—Ryousuke, you’re still my partner. So don’t embarrass me, Lisara Restall. Keep doing your best, okay?”
“Yes.”
“…………”
Lisara went silent, looking suspicious. But Ryousuke, without thinking, just kept replying.
“Yes.”
“Ryousuke, can I ask you something?”
“Yes.”
“Pervert.”
“Yes.”
“Hentai.”
“Yes.”
“What, exactly, are you looking at, Ryousuke?”
Lisara asked awkwardly.
And with every neuron of his brain still utterly fixated on that white cloth…
“Panties.”
Ryousuke answered honestly.
In an instant, Lisara’s legs clamped shut and her left hand pressed down the hem of her skirt. The white panties he had been staring at, the white thighs, and the slight peek of soft flesh peeking out from her bottom—they were snatched away.
“Ahhh, my precious panties—! Damn it, I was just being honest—wait, gahh!?”
Lisara’s right hand grabbed Ryousuke’s skull and smashed it to the ground.
“Give up! I give up! Mina, help me!”
“I can’t cover for you on that one.”
Mina coldly dismissed Ryousuke’s plea for help. She even looked angry…
“No way…”
“Even after I drained you dry in the boxing club, I can’t believe you recovered just from seeing a pair of panties. I didn’t think you were this hardcore of a perv.”
“R-Recovered? What do you mean?”
“For some reason, you recover spiritual power when exposed to erotic stimuli. Don’t tell me… you never noticed?”
“Hmm… Now that you mention it, I do feel energized. Yeah, when I think about Lisara’s panties, I feel totally thrilled. I can fantasize endlessly. Like that faint hint of red you could see through the white—man, that was just the best!”
“NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!”
Screaming, Lisara squeezed Ryousuke’s skull with a grinding force and began draining him again.
“Hiiiaaaaaaaaahhh!”
It didn’t matter how loud he screamed or what he did—his pervy thoughts were remorselessly drained away…
“See, Caesar-san, women really are scary, huh.”
Ryousuke sluggishly crawled over to Caesar and patted his head.
“Wan…”
“There, there, Caesar-san. You mustn’t get caught up with women either, alright?”
“W…an…”
Caesar made a face of absolute disgust.
“I’m gonna go change! I can feel Ryousuke’s gaze clinging to me—ugh!”
A few minutes later—
“Lisara, what exactly is going on?”
Mina asked with a calm expression.
“What do you mean, exactly?”
“You said you won’t switch from Ryousuke-kun to me. Does that have something to do with his spirit power recovery?”
“Oh, that. See, humans usually recover lost spirit energy slowly over time. And if they experience something pleasant or fulfilling during that time, the recovery might speed up a little…”
“So Ryousuke-kun’s different?”
“Yes. Whether it’s because he has some serious obsession with lewd stuff or he’s just ridiculously perverted, I don’t know. But when his pervy desires are satisfied, his spiritual energy recovers all at once. I first noticed it when he tried peeking into my bath and saw my chest. Then again during the boxing club incident, when I was only wearing underwear beneath my school blazer. And now, just now.”
Lisara glanced over at Ryousuke with a sigh. Mina stared at him in stunned silence.
“P-Peeking… Ryousuke-kun, you actually did that…”
“But you know, I’ve never heard of anything like this. Just because someone’s life energy is fulfilled, to this extreme degree…”
As Lisara pressed a finger to her forehead, deep in thought—
“Uuwooof! WOOF!”
Caesar barked. A moment later, ding-dong—the doorbell rang.
“Who the hell comes at this hour?”
It was already close to seven in the evening.
Maybe because his pervy desires had been drained, Ryousuke was feeling particularly unmotivated.
“Should we just pretend we’re not home?”
“Of course not!”
Lisara immediately raised her voice.
“I’ll go. Might be a delivery or something.”
Mina pattered off toward the front entrance at a brisk trot.
“Jeez… I guess I’ll go too. There’s been a lot of shady stuff going on lately.”
“Oh? Worried about Mina, are you?”
“Well, she is my childhood friend.”
Ryousuke replied as he left the dining room.
“Childhood friend, huh…”
Watching them go, Lisara murmured softly to herself.
“Ryousuke-kun…”
At the entrance, Mina’s face was pale. Her legs even seemed to be trembling slightly.
“What’s with that pale face?”
“Because… that…”
Ryousuke followed her gaze—
“No way…”
He sucked in a sharp breath.
“Sorry to drop in at such a time.”
Standing just outside the gate was Tamano.
He stood with his legs slightly apart, left hand on his hip—an annoyingly confident posture.
“Forgive the intrusion, but could you fetch Lisara-kun for me, Kaga Ryousuke-kun?”
“Ugeuuh.”
He had always been calling Ryousuke things like 【third-rate】or【crude】but now suddenly, for some reason, he was calling him by his full name with -kun honorific—like he had just gotten a promotion or something.
“Somehow, Tamano-senpai feels… different,”
Mina murmured. Indeed, something was off. Even after being completely crushed by Lisara, he stood there full of confidence.
‘…Or maybe he just has freakishly thick skin.’
“Well then, I’m counting on you.”
Tamano spoke as if the idea of being turned down never even crossed his mind.
“Ryousuke-kun, what should we do?”
Knowing what had happened earlier that day, Ryousuke couldn’t just nod and go along with it. Still, Tamano didn’t seem like he was there to retaliate. He really was alone.
“What if we just shut the door and lock it?”
“He’d probably get mad…”
After thinking it through, Ryousuke called out to Lisara.
“I mean, I doubt Tamano could actually do anything to her anyway.”
“But I bet she’ll make a really annoyed face.”
Contrary to Mina’s prediction, however, when Lisara heard Tamano was calling for her, she didn’t look the least bit annoyed—she smiled. Of course, it was a carnivorous, beast-like, ferocious smile…
“So, you’ve come to get finished off, have you? Fufufu, perfect timing. I was just starting to feel a bit bored.”
“Bored?”
“Oh, just a little. Really, just a tiny bit bored.”
“I don’t even know what you’re talking about.”
Snorting at Ryousuke’s response, Lisara stomped off toward the entrance, her footsteps loud and irritated.
“What’s her deal?”
“Don’t ask me.”
Mina replied firmly, which was unusual for her.
“Why not?”
“Because I don’t wanna answer.”
“So you do know why Lisara’s in a bad mood?”
“I don’t!”
Mina turned her face away with a pout.
“What the hell kind of answer is that?”
Just like Lisara, Mina had become harder to understand. Back in the day, she was a much simpler person.
Regardless of Ryousuke’s confusion, Lisara threw open the gate with force.
“I appreciate you coming out, Lisara-kun.”
Tamano gave a grand, sweeping bow. Lisara’s eyebrow twitched in response.
“Hmph. Alright, I’ll hear you out. But if it’s another one of your stupid remarks, I’ll make you regret it.”
“Oh no, Lisara-kun. You might be the one who ends up regretting this.”
Tamano raised his head and smiled with utter composure.
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“First, could you take my hand?”
“I’ve already grasped your spirit power level, you know…”
She caught her breath.
“How… how do you know about that?”
Lisara frowned and took a step back, her guard up. Tamano let out a sly chuckle, making no attempt to hide his sense of superiority.
“Kukuku… special things happen to special people. That’s right, I already know. I know you’re a Shinigami.”
“But how—how do you know that!?”
“There’s no need for me to tell you. More importantly—come on, take my hand.”
Tamano boldly extended his right hand.
“You want me to measure you again?”
“Exactly. They say a man can change dramatically with just the right trigger.”
“There’s no way that’s possible!”
Lisara shouted, practically hysterical.
“If that’s what you think, fine. You’ll know when you measure.”
Lisara paused, clearly thinking. Then, still wary, she took his hand.
After glancing at Tamano’s face, she looked to the side at her bracelet.
“Twenty million… you’ve got to be kidding!!”
She cried out in shock, stumbling backward.
“H-How?!”
“I told you, didn’t I? After getting beaten to a pulp by you, I went through a transformation.”
“That’s impossible! There’s no way that could happen!”
“Whether you believe it or not is up to you, Lisara-kun. Honestly, it doesn’t have to be you.”
“Wha—?”
Lisara was at a loss for words.
“Well, whatever. How about this—standing around here isn’t ideal, so why don’t we head to that park over there and talk?”
“Talk? About what?”
“Of course, about reflecting on your past actions and what comes next. Oh, but this isn’t an order or anything. I just think having a proper conversation would be in your best interest, Lisara-kun. It’s a suggestion, offered in good faith.”
As Tamano spoke, Lisara’s face gradually tilted downward, her shoulders beginning to tremble. When he finally finished talking, several seconds of silence passed, and then finally—
“Fine.”
Lisara said only that, then took a step forward to stand beside Tamano.
At the sight, Tamano gave a wry smile and shrugged.
“Glad to see reason’s prevail.”
Then he stepped through the gate into the Kaga residence and pointed at Ryousuke and Mina.
“Mina-kun, Ryousuke-kun, this is between us. Could you stay behind and watch the house?”
“No way in hell.”
“Y-Yeah!”
Tamano seemed amused by their responses and grinned slyly.
“Lisara-kun, you agree, right?”
“…Yeah, I do. Ryousuke, Mina, we’ll be right back. Wait for us.”
She said it without even turning around.
“That’s right. Stay home and behave like good little pests.”
Declaring his victory, Tamano whistled as he walked off. Lisara followed silently behind, head down.
Watching the two of them, Ryousuke didn’t know what to do.
But his heart stirred.
There was no reason to feel regret, and nothing to stomp his feet about.
And certainly no reason to chase after them.
But still, he couldn’t shake the unease.
Just standing there and letting her walk away like that—it gnawed at him.
“But still… I’m just…”
It was then that—Don!—something smacked his back.
“Ryousuke-kun!”
It was Mina. It might’ve been the first time she ever hit him.
“Mina?! What the hell was that for!?”
“Let’s go.”
Mina said it firmly.
“That park’s probably the one we used to play in a lot, right? It’s really close.”
“Well yeah, I know the place. But if Lisara decided to go on her own, and she wasn’t forced into it, then I’ve got no reason to butt in. It’s her decision.”
“That’s not like you, Ryousuke-kun.”
Mina stared at him with a serious look.
“You can think about that stuff later. More importantly—did you really consider how Lisara feels?”
“Her feelings?”
“All I know is—I’ve already decided I’m going.”
She declared it clearly and began walking.
To Ryousuke, who usually found Mina unreliable, her back now looked strong. Bigger. Braver.
And yet, even though he was the one left behind… he couldn’t move.
Ryousuke wanted to go. But his body was frozen.
Maybe he was scared. Maybe it was frustration. Whatever it was, the urge to move forward twisted up somewhere around his gut and kept him stuck in place.
Suddenly—【Wan!】—a bark rang out.
“Caesar!?”
Caesar came bursting out from the entryway and turned back in front of Ryousuke.
“Waan!”
Tail standing stiff, he glared at Ryousuke.
“Come on, it’s not like this is a walk or anything.”
“Waan!”
Of course he knows that—Caesar seemed to be saying.
Waan!【Sometimes being an honest idiot is what makes you attractive, partner.】
Ryousuke heard it. Maybe it was just his imagination, hearing what he wanted to hear. But right now, he wanted to believe it was sage advice from the great Caesar.
“You’re right, Caesar. And hey, you’re way more popular than me anyway.”
Waan! 【Leave it to me. Stick with me, partner, and you’ll be a lady-killer too.】
“Alright then! First things first—I’m gonna make Lisara fall for me!”
“Waaaaon!!”
Caesar let out a loud bark—and somehow, it looked like he was smiling wryly.
※ ※ ※
“So you really did come after all.”
Despite having pushed Ryousuke to follow, Mina now wore an oddly conflicted expression when they finally caught up.
“What the hell, Mina? You’re the one who provoked me into this!”
“That and this are two different things!”
He didn’t get it at all.
“Anyway, they’re already at the park. We need to hurry.”
“Yeah, right.”
The street had finally turned dark, and the streetlamps were beginning to light up as the two of them—and one dog—hurried along.
The park was fairly large for something located in the middle of town. In addition to the usual sandbox, swings, and water fountain, it had a small field. The entire place was surrounded by trees, cutting it off from the surrounding noise and bustle.
Thanks to that, no one complained even if things got a bit loud, and more importantly, the overgrown trees provided protection from outside eyes.
“Lisara is—mmgh!?”
Mina started to raise her voice, but Ryousuke quickly clamped a hand over her mouth and ducked behind a utility pole. Caesar, of course, had already hidden himself first.
Sure enough, Lisara and Tamano were in sight. Tamano was leading, and the two entered the park together.
“Keep your voice down. We’re here to spy on them, remember?”
“Right, sorry.”
Mina nodded—just as it happened.
“My, my. Peeping isn’t something to be proud of, you know.”
A girl’s voice suddenly came from behind them.
“──!?”
Ryousuke instinctively tried to turn around—only to find he couldn’t. From the neck down, his body refused to move.
“W-What? Why?!”
“Waan…”
Mina and Caesar were the same. Frozen in place, unable to turn their heads.
“Dammit, I can’t move!”
“Me neither—what is this!?”
“Waann!”
“Heehee, could you not sound so frightened? I’m not here to kill you or cause some gruesome incident or anything.”
The girl’s voice was cheerful, almost amused.
“Who the hell are you!? And what the hell is going on!?”
“Oh dear, such slow-witted people. Isn’t it obvious what kind of being could pull off a trick like this?”
“Don’t tell me… you’re a Shinigami?”
Mina whispered.
“Ding ding! That’s correct.”
The girl replied while clapping her hands.
“Why would a Shinigami be trying to get in our way!?”
“It’s the opposite. You are the ones getting in Kyuru’s way.”
“Kyuru—is that your name?”
In response to Mina’s question, the girl giggled softly.
“Oh my, forgive me. I haven’t introduced myself, have I?”
With that, the girl cheerfully stepped in front of Ryousuke and the others.
She was a petite girl with wavy chestnut-colored hair, probably around middle school age. Combined with the frilly dress she wore, she looked just like a cute little doll.
“Nice to meet you, Kaga Ryousuke. I’m Kyuru Zeria. It seems Lisara-oneesama has caused you quite a bit of trouble, hasn’t she?”
“Lisara-oneesama? So you’re related to Lisara?”
“Yes, she’s my cousin. You could say we’re like elder sister and younger sister.”
“Then… you’re here to help Lisara?”
“Pff, Ahahahahahahahahaha!”
Kyuru suddenly burst out laughing, placing her hand to her mouth and letting out a high-pitched cackle.
“What the hell? Did I say something weird?”
“Ahaha, haha… it’s just—pfft—it’s seriously too funny!”
“So what the hell’s so funny!?”
Ryousuke couldn’t help but raise his voice. Kyuru just giggled and casually smoothed out her disheveled hair with her hand. Her composure was downright infuriating.
“As expected of the partner Lisara-oneesama chose.”
She laughed softly as she looked up at Ryousuke’s face with her eyes tilted just slightly upward.
“Fufu, even the way you’re an airhead is just like her. I bet you two got along splendidly.”
“So you’re saying not just me—Lisara’s an airhead too?”
“Indeed. That’s right. To come to the human world without even doubting Kyuru’s lies… that’s not just foolish—it’s utterly foolish. A complete and total fool.”
With a smug smirk, Kyuru curved the corner of her lips.
“The whole【Singular One reaction】was nothing but a baseless rumor, after all.”
Kyuru said it slowly, with a gentle smile.
That mocking attitude made Ryousuke’s anger start to boil. But the fury heated his head so fast that no words came out. Instead, Mina raised her voice for him.
“How can you say something like that? Aren’t you Lisara’s cousin!?”
Mina’s eyes were teary. She looked sad—hurting—for Lisara’s sake.
“Because you see, to Kyuru, Lisara-oneesama was a nuisance. Fufu, someone that foolish shouldn’t be the heir to the Restall family. So~ I arranged things to make her embarrass herself and get disinherited.”
“No way…”
“I see… That’s a pretty pathetic reason.”
Ryousuke said, not spitting it out with venom, but in a calm, flat tone.
“What… did you say?”
“Kyuru, right? You’re a pretty ordinary villain.”
“What did you just say!?”
Kyuru’s eyes flared with fury.
She quickly raised her hand to strike Ryousuke—but then stopped herself with a light exhale.
“Phew…reacting to a mere normie’s provocation—Kyuru still has much to learn, it seems. But for your bravery, I’ll show you something very interesting. Fufu… Ufufufu… Just sit there and writhe in frustration, unable to do anything.”
She lowered her hand and pulled out something that looked like a small handheld TV.
“This is one of the items Kyuru【borrowed】. It lets me project the area around 《Rigil》.”
“What the hell is Rigil?”
“The Dragon-Slaying Sword 《Rigil》. It’s the one that got stabbed into that foolish guy—yes, the one embedded in your soul that looks just like your broken sword, 《Gram》.”
“So Tamano isn’t just leaking spirit power, is he?”
“Bzzt! Wrong. That’s not quite it.”
Kyuru grinned smugly.
“I’ve done a little tinkering with 《Rigil》. Just enough so that the soul it’s stabbed into looks like a Singular One. Of course, a proper investigation would reveal the truth in no time, but my dear oneesama’s spiritual power is so depleted right now, even a trick like that is enough to fool her.”
“You mean… Lisara sees Tamano-senpai as the Singular One right now?”
Mina blinked in disbelief.
“Ding ding! That’s exactly right. Fufu, isn’t it hilarious? She’s about to form a personal contract with a complete normie. It’ll be the biggest disgrace in Shinigami history. There’s no doubt she’ll be disowned by the Restall family. Ahhh, poor, pitiful Oneesama~”
Kyuru laughed with genuine delight.
“Fufufu, I so want to see that arrogant Oneesama get kicked out. Ahhh, what should Kyuru do then? Oh, I know! Maybe I’ll gift her a year’s supply of toilet paper as a parting present. Ahaha! Not like she’ll even have a place to store it! Ooh, or maybe I’ll make her grovel on her knees—yeah, that might be satisfying too. Fufufu… What a fun future that’ll be.”
After basking in her own twisted fantasy, Kyuru gave a theatrical【Ehe~ oopsie~】and stuck out her tongue before flipping the switch on the TV.
“The contract should be just about complete by now…”
Lisara and Tamano appeared on screen.
『You’ve been grinning like an idiot for a while now, but what exactly do you want me to do?』
Lisara tapped her folded left arm repeatedly with her fingers, spitting out her words in clear irritation.
『It’s already been five minutes since we got to the park. Five minutes. Aren’t you going to say something already?』
Juru… 『Ah—my apologies. I was just lost in thoughts of a delightful future scenario.』
Tamano wiped his mouth with the back of his hand.
“That idiot… he still hasn’t sealed the contract!?”
Kyuru looked up at the night sky. Meanwhile, on screen, Lisara was staring at Tamano, visibly exasperated.
『You were fantasizing about our life after I became your exclusive partner, huh.』
『Exactly.』
Tamano nodded enthusiastically with a leering smile.
『Geez… seriously, are all guys like this? Just like Ryousuke, they make pervy faces and it’s so obvious they’re imagining dirty stuff.』
『C’mon, don’t say that. They say even heroes like the pleasures of the flesh.』
『Calling yourself a hero… that’s just sad.』
『Haha, it’s because I have confidence in myself that I am a hero.』
Responding without the slightest bit of shame, Tamano smiled and pointed at the ground.
『What’s with the ground?』
『I’d like you to get on your knees.』
『EXCUSE ME!?』
『You’re the one who beat up a great man like me, the hero. I believe the proper first step is for you to apologize for that. If you do, I might consider making you my exclusive partner.』
Still pointing at the ground in front of him, Tamano puffed out his chest—and while maintaining that posture, skillfully ran his fingers through his hair.
“Ugh, what a trashy guy…”
Kyuru muttered while watching the screen.
“I dunno, he looks like your type to me.”
“How dare you. Kyuru is nothing like that nasty, cheap slimeball.”
“Didn’t you also say you wanted to make Lisara grovel?”
“Ugh… W-Well then! L-Let’s move on, shall we?”
Kyuru broke into a nervous sweat.
Meanwhile, Lisara, having been told to grovel before Tamano, was—
『Me… grovel… to this guy…?』
Her face twisted in sheer humiliation as she trembled. Her once-folded arms had dropped, fists clenched tightly and shaking. She grit her teeth, a deep wrinkle forming between her brows as she let out a pained groan.
Watching her, Tamano wore an expression of pure bliss.
『Mufuuu~! Forcing a strong-willed woman to kneel and do this and that—now that’s the true romance of being a man!』
He closed his eyes dreamily as some unbelievably scummy words escaped his lips.
『Oh, I’ve got it—you can start calling me【nii-nii.】 We’ll cuddle in the morning, and you’ll kiss me on the cheek to wake me up. Yeah, yeah, and then when you sees a certain morning situation going on, she’ll squeal 【Kyaa!】and cover your eyes. Damn… with that sharp face of hers, the gap would be perfection…!』
“Ughhh, did Kyuru really pick the worst man imaginable…?”
“Tamano-senpai’s gone totally off the deep end…”
Kyuru and Mina both looked absolutely drained, their faces pale.
“…Wait, seriously? I was actually starting to respect Tamano a little, as a fellow guy.”
“You… you really…”
“Ryousuke-kun…”
“Wan…”
“W-What is it?”
Kyuru, Mina and even Caesar were giving him cold, dead stares. Feeling utterly awkward under their judgmental gazes—
“W-Well, I mean, you know… boys just tend to—”
Ryousuke began to offer an excuse—just as more of Tamano’s fantasy blared into his ears.
『That’s it. You got red hair, so yeah, a naked dress shirt is a must. Hmm, and of course, you must wear black tights too.』
“──!”
The words struck Ryousuke like a blow to the very core of his brain.
“Even Kyuru has to feel a bit sorry for Onee-sama, dealing with this level of pervert.”
“Lisara… she’s so pitiful…”
“Da—”
His emotions swelled so violently that his mouth couldn’t form words.
“Da?”
Kyuru tilted her head, watching Ryousuke with a puzzled look as his lips trembled.
“D-Da… Da—DAMMIT! I WON’T LET THAT SLIDE!”
He finally managed to speak. His voice was a deep, rumbling growl.
“Wh-What’s gotten into you, seriously?”
“That dream—that fetish—it was me who first realized it! It’s a promise between me and Lisara!”
“Huh?”
“Ryousuke-kun?”
Kyuru and Mina both stared, completely baffled.
“That was our promise. Only I get to admire Lisara in a naked dress shirt with black tights. Not Tamano!”
Ryousuke shouted in a trembling but firm voice.
“Uhh… why are you getting so worked up all of a sudden?”
Kyuru looked visibly creeped out.
“Wan! (He finally found an excuse to move, huh.)”
“It’s not an excuse, damn it! It’s real!”
“WanWan.”
Caesar barked in exasperation.
“Ryousuke-kun and Caesar… they’re like, having a conversation…”
Mina stared in mild disbelief, then nodded.
“But… yeah. Maybe this is just how Ryousuke-kun should be.”
Encouraged by her words, Ryousuke roared.
“Daaaaaamn iiiiiiit! She’s not mine or anything, but that doesn’t mean you can just steal her awayyyyy!!”
“Wow. This guy just said something seriously selfish.”
“Shut it! Compared to your selfishness, mine’s pure and noble, dammit! Gah—move, body!”
He decided to move forward.
But an unseen force was pressing down on him—hard, powerful, unrelenting.
He clenched his teeth, sweat pouring down his face as he fought back with everything he had.
His body started to budge, just barely, trembling with a like a broken-down robot.
“F-Futile effort, I tell you! No matter how hard you struggle!”
“Ryousuke-kun, y-you can do it!”
“W-Wait, you’re seriously cheering on a guy who’s trying this hard for a totally impure reason?”
“Of course I am! I don’t think Ryousuke-kun’s feelings are impure. He’s just… really straightforward, that’s all!”
“Straightforward? That just makes him look like a total idiot, you know. At least to Kyuru.”
Hearing that from Kyuru, Ryousuke actually started to smile.
“I like that.【Straightforward Idiot】has a nice ring to it.”
“That wasn’t a compliment!”
“Sure it is! It’s the highest compliment! After all, my flirting master Caesar said that to be popular, a guy’s gotta be straightforward and dumb!”
“Wan! (Being a fool is a man’s badge of honor!)”
“A dog… as your mentor…?”
Kyuru looked completely dumbfounded. In response, Caesar gave a cool, composed【fuh】-like snort—or so it seemed. Not only Ryousuke, but even Kyuru sensed it.
“Y-You little mutt…!”
Furious, she glared at Caesar, who returned the glare head-on.
“Grrrrrrr!”
He growled. His exposed fangs radiated a ferocious aura, enough to make even Kyuru flinch for a split second.
In that moment, Caesar lunged straight at Kyuru.
“Bau!”
“No way! He broke free from the binding spell!?”
Kyuru threw up her hand in panic and shouted,
“《Shield Astaltzv》!”
In front of her, Kyuru manifested a barrier of light that damages anything it touches.
“Gau!”
Barking fiercely, Caesar struck the barrier with his front left paw.
Bachi! The light crackled violently and repelled him—but as if he’d expected that, Caesar twisted his body midair and landed gracefully.
“H-He dodged 《Shield Astaltzv》—this dog!?”
Kyuru’s eyes widened in disbelief. Her 《Shield Astaltzv》 was designed to inflict damage wherever it was touched. The dog should’ve barreled into it and taken heavy wounds across his body.
And yet, whether it was instinct or intelligence, he limited the damage to just a slight limp in his left paw, never losing his fighting spirit, his eyes locked onto Kyuru with unwavering intensity.
“Grrrrrr!”
Lowering his body as if ready to pounce at any moment, Caesar growled low and deep.
“Caesar, you’re amazing!”
Mina gently stroked his back.
“Waan!”
Caesar happily wagged his tail.
“Wait… why are you able to move…? Damn it! Using 《Shield Astaltzv》 must have dispelled the 《Binding》! Which means—Kaga Ryousuke—!”
“Ryousuke-kun? Oh, he already ran off to the park. He’s with Lisara now.”
“Khh… T-This dog! A dog with that much spiritual power!?”
“Caesar’s the young rising star of the town dog society, you know.”
“Waan!”
“Tch… damn beast! Fine! You all just sit here and freeze up again. Kyuru will—Kyuru will absolutely become the heir of the Restall family!”
※ ※ ※
“Come now, I believe you’ve made up your mind by now.”
Responding to Tamano’s words, Lisara quietly closed her eyes and drew in a small breath. Slowly, slowly, she exhaled and opened her eyes to stare directly at Tamano’s face.
“…Yes. I’ve decided.”
She declared it clearly.
“Then, kneel down and let’s proceed with the contract just like that.”
“What do you mean,【just like that】?”
“Obviously, you have it with you—the vow ring used to seal an exclusive contract.”
“How do you know about that!?”
At Lisara’s shocked cry, Tamano smiled smugly and began to speak with excitement.
“Fufu, all sorts of knowledge gathers around a hero. That’s how it is. Yes—while kneeling, humbly present it to me. And I’ll look down at you with delight and slip on that ring—our engagement ring.”
Lisara grimaced, but nodded. She plucked two strands of her red hair and placed them in her right palm. Then she whispered:
“《Koyorun》.”
Fwoosh—the red hair burst into flames. But it didn’t burn away. Instead, the flame grew even stronger, engulfing Lisara’s right hand entirely.
“H-Hey, are you okay?”
Ignoring Tamano’s voice, Lisara gently blew onto the flame. In that moment, the fire vanished without resistance.
What remained were two glowing red rings.
She gently slid one of them onto the ring finger of her left hand.
“…I guess it was fun. Thank you.”
She murmured softly, clutching the remaining ring tightly in her hand—unconsciously.
Lisara wasn’t even sure who she was thanking. She just needed to say it.
“Now then, hurry up and kneel down so we can finish the contract.”
Tamano urged her irritably. Lisara nodded and slowly lowered herself to her knees. Her body trembled as her hands touched the ground. She clenched the earth tightly. But no matter what, she couldn’t bring herself to lower her forehead to the ground. One second, two seconds, three seconds—she froze.
That was the sight Ryousuke saw when he arrived.
“Pervert-suke! What are you doing here!?”
Tamano shouted.
“Ryousuke! I told you to stay behind!”
Lisara snapped, lifting her head sharply, her voice tinged with anger.
“Hey now, isn’t this usually the part where you say thanks or cry with joy or something?”
Ryousuke gave a wry smile, ignoring Tamano as he knelt down in front of Lisara.
“No way in hell. I’m about to form an exclusive contract.”
Even though it was what she’d longed for, there wasn’t the slightest trace of joy on her face.
More than anything—this wasn’t right.
“Lisara, you’re being deceived.”
It was a scam.
“…You think I’m being deceived?”
Lisara furrowed her brows, suspicious.
“Think about it. There’s no way that guy is a【Singular One】, one of those rare, special beings.”
At Ryousuke’s words, Tamano let out a smug snort.
“I understand feeling bitter as a mere mediocre man. But I was chosen. Lisara-kun herself acknowledged it.”
“And I’m telling you—that’s a lie. The only thing you were【chosen】by was some stuck-up little brat with a twisted ego.”
“W-What!? How do you know that!?”
Ignoring the stunned Tamano, Ryousuke placed both hands on Lisara’s shoulders and looked straight into her eyes.
“What are you doing?”
Lisara protested, but Ryousuke continued without hesitation.
“Listen, Lisara. Tamano only looks like a Singular One because someone messed with the reading. That brat—Kyuru or whatever—she’s the one behind it.”
“Kyuru…? Wait, how do you know about her?”
“I just met her.”
“She’s here? In this world?”
Lisara blinked several times in disbelief.
“Yeah. She came to finish you off. The plan was to trick you into making an exclusive contract with a fake【Singular One】and utterly humiliate you.”
“That girl would never lie to me. I—I think of Kyuru as my little sister. I care about her. And she—she looks up to me.”
Lisara shook her head several times and looked down.
“Then why would she do something like this? So you’ll be disgraced in the Shinigami realm and stripped of your place as heir. That Kyuru brat… she said she wants to succeed the Restall family.”
“No… no way… That’s not something I can just accept. I think of Kyuru as family. She—she…”
Still looking down, Lisara muttered weakly.
Ryousuke gently removed his hands from her shoulders and stood.
“I don’t know what she really thinks. But I’m pretty sure you’re going to find out soon enough.”
“…Why do you say that?”
“She should be showing up any minute now, running her mouth. She’s a total newbie when it comes to being a villain.”
Ryousuke gave a wry smile and scratched his head lightly with his left hand, then extended his right hand. Lisara, still muttering【no way】,【but】,【if it’s true…】,【I should be thankful】, over and over, finally reached out and took his hand, slowly standing up.
“Lisara-kun! What’s the meaning of this!? Are you saying you won’t kneel before me—me, the chosen hero!?”
“…That’s…”
Lisara turned her face away from Tamano, avoiding his gaze and gripped Ryousuke’s hand tightly. It was a grip unlike when her spiritual energy was being measured—this one was skin-to-skin, personal.
Just that alone made Ryousuke’s heart pound!
‘Lisara’s hand… it’s warm and so soft… Girls’ skin is really this smooth and springy… it’s like it clings to you…’
If he let his guard down, he’d end up grinning like an idiot.
“Ryousuke?”
“N-No, it’s nothing! Really!”
He hurriedly wiped the stupid look off his face.
“Well, well. I suppose an airheaded Onee-sama does suit an airheaded man perfectly.”
A nasty voice cut in with sarcasm.
“Kyuru…? So you are here…”
Lisara’s anxiety deepened, and she gripped Ryousuke’s hand even tighter.
“Fufu, it’s been a few days, hasn’t it, Lisara-oneesama?”
Kyuru lifted the hem of her skirt and gave an elegant—or rather, deliberately exaggerated—curtsy.
“And by the way, you there, mediocre man.”
She shot a cold glare at Tamano and stomped up to him.
“Eh? Me? Wait now, you must be mistaken, Kyuru-kun. I’m the hero, the mediocre man is over there.”
“Oh, please. You must be joking. A man with a soul smaller than a grain of sand can’t possibly be a hero. And let’s be honest, your face? On closer inspection, not impressive. Your brain? The moment someone flatters you a little, you start getting full of yourself. And when someone gives you a golden opportunity, you get lost in filthy fantasies and can’t even seal a contract. And those fantasies? Absolutely disgraceful. You’re not just a normie, you’re a disgrace to mankind. A bottom-feeder.”
Kyuru let the insults fly like water from a spout. Poor Tamano froze, mouth agape. Lisara, too, hung her head and began trembling at the shoulders as she listened.
“Kyuru… I didn’t want to believe it. But hearing those words… I have no choice now. You really tricked me. After all the good times we shared, you still betrayed me…”
“Oh dear, did you overhear that? Fufu, Onee-sama, I’m so sorry. Bu-but, Kyuru really wanted to become the head of the Restall family, as a proud member of the Zeria household.”
She smiled sweetly like a begging child—which only made Ryousuke and Lisara more furious.
“Zeria household?”
“It was a family the Restalls absorbed back during my grandfather’s time. Later, my aunt married into their line. That’s how we became part of the same bloodline… I had no idea she still held a grudge…”
“Fufu, that’s the connection. So please don’t resent me, Onee-sama.”
“After all this, how can’t I resent you!?”
“Oh no, that’s not what I meant.”
Kyuru placed her hand on Tamano’s chest, still frozen in shock, and grinned.
“I meant for what’s about to happen next—when I get a little rough.”
Tamano flinched violently. He tried to shove Kyuru away in that moment, but his arms went limp and dropped like noodles. Ryousuke had seen this before.
“You’re draining his spirit power!?”
“Kyuru, what are you doing!?”
“If this idiot had just formed the contract like he was supposed to, I wouldn’t need to resort to such barbaric tactics. Haaah…mediocre men really are the worst.”
Kyuru ignored Ryousuke and Lisara’s voices, continuing to drain Tamano, now kneeling weakly on the ground.
“You’ll ruin him! If you keep taking more, he’ll end up a vegetable!”
“Oh, I don’t mind. I’ll just report that Onee-sama lost control and accidentally drained him. It’ll be perfectly believable.”
Kyuru looked down at Tamano with cold, pitiless eyes and shouted:
“《Binding Attire Disurard》!”
Tamano’s body began to twitch and tremble. At the same time, dark light swirled around Kyuru. In an instant, the light vanished—what remained was Kyuru, now in a frilly black outfit with horns on her head, still retaining her doll-like charm.
“Kyuru! That’s enough!”
Lisara also raised her hand and shouted.
“《Binding Attire Disurard》!”
With her words, swirling particles enveloped Lisara, shaping her body into a horned, black-clad form to match.
“Awaken…《Carnun Pladur》.”
At the tip of her raised hand, a flame sparked into existence. From that flame, two serpents raised their scythe-like heads, entwining and stretching outward to form the shape of a death god’s scythe. Gripping the handle tightly, Lisara lowered her stance and swung the weapon in a wide arc.
“Ready yourself, Kyuru.”
“My, not just《Binding Attire Disurard》, but even《Carnun Pladur》? Fufu… looks like you’re serious, Onee-sama.”
“You can still act smug for now, Kyuru. But you’re not even a fully-fledged shinigami yet. A weapon like《Carnun Pladur》shouldn’t even be granted to you!”
“Ah, Onee-sama… you’re really such a naive airhead.”
“What did you say!?”
“《Carnun Solace》, respond to me.”
Kyuru thrust her hand forward. A pale blue flame danced along the air, and from it emerged a dull-glowing blade.
“If you’re born into a powerful family, it’s stupid not to make use of it. Ah, sorry. You were that kind of stupid, weren’t you, Onee-sama?”
Giggling, Kyuru slashed the air in front of her with her sword.
A pale light tore through space and streaked forward.
Lisara casually sliced it away with《Carnun Pladur》 and kicked off the ground.
“You think you can beat me just because you have one or two weapons!?”
Closing the distance in a flash, Lisara swung《Carnun Pladur》down. But the blade was deflected by a barrier of light that had appeared in an instant. At the same time—
“《Carnun Solace》, tear through to the other side!”
Kyuru swept her sword in a horizontal arc.
“What—!? A ritual technique!?”
Lisara hastily let go of the scythe’s handle with her left hand and thrust it forward.
“《Shield Astaltzv》!”
The blade tip clashed with the glowing barrier.
Giiiin!—with a flash, the membrane burst apart.
At the same time, several trees around Ryousuke collapsed.
“Fufu, even a clueless Onee-sama should get it now. Our usable spiritual energy is on a different level. Kyuru doesn’t care what happens to that Tamano guy. That’s why I can drain as much as I want. Buuuut… you, Onee-sama, don’t have that much stockpiled, do you?”
“…That’s…”
“You can’t even bring out half your power. You’re no match for me!”
With that shout, Kyuru leapt sideways.
“Right side!?”
“Don’t be ridiculous, please.”
She was behind Lisara. While Lisara stood frozen, sensing the presence, Kyuru spoke playfully:
“With《Binding Attire Disurard》equipped, this kind of speed is totally normal. Power too, of course!”
She lifted her foot and kicked Lisara in the butt. Lisara instinctively tried to catch the blow with her left hand—
“Kyah!”
—but failed to fully stop it, and was sent flying, tearing through the ground as she landed.
“My, even a half-baked《Binding Attire Disurard》 has some decent endurance, it seems.”
“Guh…”
Lisara managed to get back on her feet, but was clutching her left arm in pain. Parts of her outfit were ripped. Seeing her like that, Ryousuke’s legs moved on instinct. He ran straight toward Lisara.
Kyuru glanced at Ryousuke with a smirk, then returned her hand to Tamano’s chest.
“Well, do whatever you want. While you’re distracted, Kyuru’s just gonna keep draining to her heart’s content.”
Tamano trembled silently, unable to even let out a groan.
“Lisara!”
Ryousuke rushed to her, and Lisara tried to reassure him by raising her left arm.
“Ryousuke, I-I’m fine… this much is nothing… ugh.”
But the pain twisted her face.
“You don’t look fine! This is bad. Just drain my spirit power again.”
“Are you serious? You haven’t even recovered from today’s earlier damage. If I drain you now, it could leave a permanent scar on your soul!”
“Come on, did you forget what I decided?”
“You mean,【Girls are treasures, so treat them right】 that?”
Ryousuke nodded firmly, prompting Lisara to make a dumbfounded face.
“There are limits, you know. If you try to act like a hero and end up brain-dead, what’s the point?”
“Which makes it all the cooler, right? Total heartthrob move, yeah?”
“…Honestly, it’s admirable. But no. I refuse. I don’t want that.”
“There’s still a way. I can recover fast, right?”
“Wait… you’re not seriously saying we should do that right here?”
Lisara gave a wry smile at his suggestion.
“What? It’s a solid plan, isn’t it?”
“No way. Even if Ryousuke’s a perv, an ero-suke, there’s no way your dirty thoughts would work in this situation.”
“You won’t know till we try!”
“Fine. Then how about this?”
Lisara flicked a section of her torn outfit aside. What peeked out was a no-nonsense sports bra—totally lacking in sex appeal. Even the side line under her arm barely curved.
“…Yeah, flashing that isn’t helping anyone.”
“What the hell did you just say!?”
“At least… look at this.”
With a flick, Lisara lifted the cloth at her crotch.
Lace panties came into view.
“Wha—when did you even get underwear like that!? Don’t tell me… again… was it from me—?”
“Ahaha… Yesterday at school, I saw some recent fashion magazines and couldn’t resist… So I made them just now using the energy I drained earlier. That’s why I’m even more damaged.”
Lisara scratched her cheek awkwardly as she admitted it.
“D-Don’t waste it on stuff like that…”
“How rude! For a girl, panties are never a waste!”
“Not in this situation. You literally could not have picked a worse time!”
“Well… yeah, fair.”
Lisara let out a wry smile and pushed Ryousuke back.
“H-Hey!”
“Ryousuke. You didn’t recover your spirit power, did you? Even after seeing my panties.”
He hadn’t. There was no surge of power in his body. Even though Lisara had absorbed extra energy from him, the lace panties sparked nothing within him. Only concern over her wasting spirit power.
‘This is ridiculous.’
He looked again. He pulled the cloth a bit further, staring intently.
“H-Hey!”
Lisara flinched and tried to cover up, flustered, but Ryousuke mercilessly lifted it again to look. She squeezed her thighs together in embarrassment, wiggling slightly.
It should have been a stimulating sight.
And yet… nothing stirred within him. Nothing at all. It was frustrating. Something was missing.
He wanted to focus—forget Kyuru and everything else—and truly absorb himself in it. But he couldn’t. Stray thoughts kept breaking the mood, and his mind just wouldn’t fall into that lewd space.
“Give it a rest already.”
Bonk. Lisara knocked him on the head gently, laughing bitterly.
“Now do you understand? In this kind of ridiculous situation, not even something exciting can actually excite you. That’s normal. So you don’t need to feel bad about it. If you want to treat a girl like a treasure, save it for someone normal… like Mina.”
“But…”
“Thank you. I’ll take the sentiment.”
With a smile—strained by pain—Lisara turned away from Ryousuke and began walking toward Kyuru.
“Lisara…”
Kyuru finally released her hand from Tamano and turned to face the staggering Lisara. Tamano didn’t move an inch. His body lay there limp and drained, clearly weakened beyond recovery.
“Fufu, are the lovely goodbyes between two hopeless idiots all wrapped up now?”
Lisara smiled thinly—like she was mocking herself.
“Yeah, I’m the idiot. I really hate myself. For ever thinking someone with your twisted personality could be cute, Kyuru.”
“How mean~ I just have a little more ambition than others. Boo hoo.”
Kyuru made a fake crying sound, the kind anyone could tell was a lie—but still did it confidently and without shame.
“So then, Kyuru. What do you plan to do with me? Kill me here?”
“Ahaha, that wouldn’t be so bad either…”
Kyuru lifted her tearless face, looking regretfully at Lisara.
“But if I go that far, my adorable image would be ruined, right? Besides, I think your pitiful state is a sight worth seeing. Fufu… So instead, I’ll just drain you dry until you collapse and have no choice but to return to the Shinigami Realm. And for that…”
She paused, then glanced at Ryousuke.
“Wait… me?”
“That boring human supplying you spirit power is a nuisance.”
“What do you plan to do to Ryousuke!?”
Lisara quickly moved between Kyuru and Ryousuke, shielding him with her body.
“If you’d just made a proper contract with that dumbass Tamano from the start, none of this would’ve been necessary. But… too late now. I’ll just forcefully yank out the Gram embedded in that fool. That way, you won’t be able to stay in the human world anymore and you’ll be automatically sent back.”
Closing her eyes and looking pained, Kyuru lifted her gaze to the night sky and shook her head.
Lisara glared at her like she was ready to bite.
“If you do that, do you even know what’ll happen to Ryousuke’s soul? If you pull it out without releasing the contract first, his soul will be completely torn apart!”
“Aw, what a pity for that boring little man. Going from lifeless to a vegetable. How tragic.”
Even before Kyuru finished, Lisara lowered her stance.
“I won’t let you do that!”
She gripped《Carnun Pladur》tightly in both hands and raised it high.
“My, do you still not realize you can’t win?”
Lisara didn’t move a step, instead letting out a roar from deep in her gut.
“Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!!”
As if resonating with her spirit, the blade of the scythe glowed intensely. The black outfit cloaking Lisara’s body began to fade, revealing her bare skin underneath.
Only her chest, hips, and legs remained covered.
“What—the power of《Binding Attire Disurard》is being channeled into《Carnun Pladur》!?”
Kyuru’s cocky smile vanished as she quickly raised her sword in a panic.
“Here I come, Kyuru!”
Lisara kicked off the ground, kicking up dust as she shot toward Kyuru like a bullet.
“Still enhanced legs? Tch—《Astaltzv Shield》!”
A glowing barrier appeared—immediately cleaved apart by《Carnun Pladur》.
But Kyuru wasn’t fazed. She kept summoning more shields one after another in front of Lisara. And each one—Lisara tore through.
Just as Lisara was about to close the distance to Kyuru, Kyuru instead leapt forward, hurling herself at Lisara and instantly shrinking the gap.
Both of them swung their weapons at the same moment.
“Reap them—《Carnun Pladur》!”
“Slice through—《Kalnun Solas》!”
A high-pitched shriek split the air, and light exploded in wild arcs.
“You’ve gotten better!”
Kyuru’s 《Kalnun Solas》 parried Lisara’s downward scythe strike from below. The grinding clash of metal rang out, and neither blade moved an inch as they locked in place.
Then—Kyuru let go of her weapon and leapt backward.
“As expected of you, Onee-sama.”
The 《Kalnun Solas》 fell to the ground, shimmered faintly once, then vanished like a mirage as if its very existence was denied.
“But still—”
The blade of《Carnun Pladur》… broke.
“A draw, then…”
Lisara stepped back, biting her lip in frustration. Kyuru snorted at her reaction.
“Fufu, you really are a hopeless idiot, Onee-sama.”
“What did you just say!?”
“《Rigil》!”
At Kyuru’s call, the hilt of a sword emerged from Tamano’s chest.
The rest of the blade slowly slid out with a wet dragging sound, until the full length appeared and floated mid-air. It was longer than 《Gram》 by a bit.
Twin dragons were etched into its double-edged blade, and the golden hilt was lavishly adorned with ornaments.
At a glance, it was clearly a sword worthy of the name treasure blade.
“Come to me.”
At her words,《Rigil》quivered slightly, then shot straight into Kyuru’s hand. She caught it and nuzzled her cheek against it like a beloved pet.
“What…? Without consent to cancel the contract… Kyuru, don’t tell me you forced it out!?”
Lisara accused her in outrage, but Kyuru only shrugged without shame.
“Ufufu~ Who cares? That man’s gonna blame you anyway, Onee-sama.”
“How could you—”
“Oh my, worrying about Tamano now? That poor fool’s already doomed—just like this hopeless idiot right here will be soon.”
“No…!”
“You think you can stop me now, Onee-sama? Even if you do pull out 《Gram》, there’s no spirit power left to use it.”
Kyuru smiled viciously as she pointed the tip of 《Rigil》 at Lisara.
“That last attack left you completely drained, didn’t it? You even stripped down your《Binding Attire Disurard》for it.”
Lisara stepped back and extended one arm.
“That’s called desperate flailing, you know?”
With a yell, Kyuru unleashed a stream of flame from the tip of 《Rigil》, aiming straight for Lisara.
Anticipating this, Lisara braced herself and summoned a 《Shield Astaltzv》 in front of her hand. But it was thin—far too thin and weak to withstand much.
“Kh!”
The shield shattered, and Lisara was flung backward. She barely managed to land on one knee.
“Ahahaha! Look at you—what a disgrace for a first-class Grim Reaper!”
Flames rained down one after another.
“H-How much… how much did you drain from Tamano!?”
Lisara desperately kept forming new 《Shield Astaltzv》 barriers, dulling each blow.
“Who knows? Maybe I’ve already drained him dry! Fufu~!”
Then, the largest flame yet erupted from 《Rigil》.
Lisara tensed, ready to dodge—then stopped herself.
She glanced back—at Ryousuke—and instead raised both arms.
“Ahahaha! Are you stupid? Charging it head-on like that!?”
Lisara’s outfit vanished—every last shred of her cloak burned away.
In exchange, a pair of thicker-than-usual《Shield Astaltzv》 barriers formed around her hands.
But even those… were too weak before the giant fire.
The flame collided with the shields.
“Gyaaaaa!”
Lisara was blown away, hurled back with the full force of the explosion.
“Shit—!”
Ryousuke dropped into a bracing stance—left leg behind, right leg forward, knees bent. Bits of debris and sand flew at him, but he kept his eyes on the front.
Because he realized—
Lisara didn’t dodge. She took the hit to protect him.
He wanted to run. It hurt. Everything hurt. And above all, he was terrified.
But if he ran away now…
‘I’ll never be popular with girls again. I’d lose the right to even want to be.’
He believed it, deep down. Even Caesar-sensei whispered in his heart:
‘If you want to chase her, you’ve gotta be able to catch her.’
“Starting today, I ain’t no weak-ass kid anymore!!”
As he shouted, Lisara came flying right at him. It was more like a crash than a landing.
Even so, Ryousuke caught her with everything he had—his arms, his chest—desperate not to let her get hurt.
His arms felt like they were breaking. The impact nearly drove the air from his lungs.
His legs and hips screamed in protest. But Ryousuke still held her tight.
Everything after that… he didn’t remember.
By the time he came to, he was sitting a few meters behind where he’d originally stood—flat on his ass.
But Lisara was safely in his arms.
“Ryousuke…”
She looked up at him with disbelief.
Now would be the time to say something cool—something heroic.
But Ryousuke couldn’t say a word. Instead—
“Pfft!”
A nosebleed.
“Ew, gross! What the hell? Is this some kind of weird disease!?”
Kyuru shrieked, backing away like he was a disgusting creature.
“R-Ryousuke?”
Even Lisara couldn’t help but let out a bewildered, stunned cry.
But Ryousuke didn’t care about any of that. What mattered was what he was holding—
──a naked Lisara.
She was completely, utterly nude.
She had poured all her energy into the 《Shield Astaltzv》 and her outfit had vanished as a result.
In short, Ryousuke was currently embracing a naked girl in his arms.
“Ugh… ahhh, yes! Yes, this is it! This is what I was missing!”
Ryousuke shouted in joy, while Lisara tilted her head in confusion.
It took her a few seconds to process it.
“KYAAAAAAAAAAAAAA──────────────!”
An uncharacteristically pure, high-pitched scream left her lips—so innocent, so unlike the usual Lisara.
“W-Wait, stop squirming!”
“Don’t be ridiculous! Let me go! Let me go, you pervert!!”
“Gah—!”
Squish. In his effort to restrain the flailing Lisara, Ryousuke’s right hand found itself firmly cupping a soft, round hill.
“──!!”
Lisara jolted.
“Uh… uhh…”
Feature #1: soft.
Feature #2: warm.
Feature #3: something perky pressing into his palm…
“Uwoooohhh! UOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOH!!”
A man’s triumphant roar.
“I’m… I’m touching them! I’m touching real boobs! Bare boobs!!!”
Thump. Something pulsed through him.
“Eeeeeeeeeek! Th-There’s… something pressing into my back… It’s swelling up against me────!”
Lisara trembled, causing the soft sensation in Ryousuke’s hand to jiggle again.
“I-I can’t hold back anymore!!”
He ignited. Like an active volcano erupting, Ryousuke’s body responded boldly.
“Wh-Why?! Why is it rising like that!?”
Kyuru shrieked in horror.
“Kyuru! Girls shouldn’t look at stuff like that!”
“N-No! You’re wrong, Onee-sama! I… I don’t get it…”
“What do you mean, wrong? There’s no other reason he’d get… wait, huh!?”
Lisara pulled herself out of Ryousuke’s grip and gasped.
“Why… is it that long…”
“Fufu… Don’t say embarrassing stuff like that, Lisara. I mean, I’ve never compared, but maybe I’m not so average after all, huh?”
“Idiot.”
“W-What do you mean, idiot?”
“Your chest. Look at your chest!”
“Eh? I’ve been staring at yours this whole time, though?”
Smack!
“Owww!”
“Not mine—yours!”
Ryousuke reluctantly looked down at his own chest… not expecting much. But what he saw—
“WHAT THE HELL IS THIS?!”
A sword hilt had sprouted from his chest. It was growing fast, and the blade was beginning to emerge.
“《Gram》 has awakened. The【Broken Sword Gram】is returning to its true form—【The War God’s Sword Gram!】”
“That can’t be real!”
“That’s my line! What the hell are you!? I knew erotic stimulation helped restore your spirit energy faster, but awakening a legendary sword!? And the trigger was boobs!? What kind of embarrassing man are you!?”
“Ahahaha, don’t be shy. I was pretty pent up after three days of failed homework before you showed up. Guess I hit max pressure and just burst—”
“That’s not the point!!”
Lisara’s ears turned bright red in fury.
Kyuru, who had been watching in silence, suddenly gasped.
“Ah… No, this won’t do. I nearly got caught up in their idiotic momentum. Onee-sama, even if it’s long now, you still can’t fight back. It’s time for you to realize that.”
Kyuru thrust 《Rigil》 forward.
“Fufu, if I accidentally kill you by not holding back—sorry in advance.”
A massive blaze burst forth.
“Ryousuke! Run!!”
Lisara screamed. At the same moment, Ryousuke moved.
It was instinct. Not unlike his lecherous urges, it was a primal, male drive—the instinct to fight.
He let go of the breast without hesitation and grabbed the hilt of 《Gram》.
Strangely, the hilt felt right in his hand.
“Don’t pull it out!!”
Lisara’s voice rang out in the distance.
But it sounded like meaningless noise.
“ORA!!”
He yanked it out in one go.
There was no pain—none. The sword slid from his body as naturally as if it had always belonged there.
It was long. Thick. Strong. Unlike 《Rigil》, it bore no gaudy decorations. No ornaments or shine—just raw power. The hilt was carved only for grip, and the blade was solid, cold steel.
The moment 《Gram》 was drawn, it let out a cry of joy—and instantly erased the fire unleashed by《Rigil》as if it had never existed.
Ryousuke glanced down.
A chain extended from the hilt of《Gram》into his chest.
The chain throbbed like a blood vessel, pulsing with life. Each pulse channeled Ryousuke’s excitement into the sword—and in turn,《Gram》’s wild bloodlust surged back into him.
Together, they surged.
Together, they roared to life.
And Ryousuke felt it.
A savage, exhilarating rush unlike anything before.
His entire body surged with power.
Ryousuke stood up, effortlessly cradling Lisara in one arm.
“No way… such strength…”
Lisara’s stunned voice reached his ears, but he didn’t care. At this moment, what mattered to 《Gram》 and Ryousuke wasn’t the girl in his arms—it was the enemy before them.
“This… this is absurd! A human can’t possibly wield 《Gram》! This is a fluke! Some sort of mistake!”
Kyuru shouted as she thrust her sword again and again. Each time, fire spewed from the tip. But neither 《Gram》 nor Ryousuke paid it any mind.
They didn’t even bother to slice through it—just the touch of 《Gram》 made the flames vanish like petty tricks.
“Nooooo!”
Kyuru screamed as Ryousuke calmly stepped forward and swept 《Gram》 to the side, knocking away 《Rigil》.
That alone was enough to blow 《Rigil》 from Kyuru’s hands. Even her《Binding Attire Disurard》armor disintegrated under 《Gram》’s sheer force.
“S-Stay back! Don’t come near me! Help me, Onee-samaaa!”
Now half-naked, Kyuru whimpered like a child. To 《Gram》, it was a disgrace—a humiliation to the very spirit of battle.
“…Pathetic.”
“W-Wait! What are you going to do to Kyuru!?”
“Cut her down.”
《Gram》 declared it flatly—and swung down.
The blade bit into the ground just next to Kyuru’s side.
“Tch… The power’s overflowing… It’s been a while.”
“FUGYAAAAH!”
Kyuru tried to crawl away on all fours, only to be blasted backward by the pressure of the sword.
“You’re not getting away!”
“Ryousuke! Hey, Ryousuke! Agh, you’re being controlled by《Gram》!”
Lisara shouted desperately. But《Gram》paid no attention. It raised itself again for the final blow.
Whether it was resignation or terror that froze her, Kyuru squeezed her eyes shut and curled up.
“…Guess I’ve got no choice. Kyuru, you owe me one for this.”
“O-Onee-sama…?”
Lisara gently leaned toward Ryousuke’s ear and whispered,
“Ryousuke, wake up.”
Her warm breath tickled his ear. Her soft breasts pressed lightly against his arm.
He sensed it faintly… and craved it more. That desire stirred deep within Ryousuke.
“If you wake up… I’ll show you the【naked shirt and black tights】look.”
“──!”
What he let out couldn’t even be called a voice. It was a soundless cry from the depths of his soul.
Whether his vocal cords moved didn’t matter. Buried inside him was something primal—not tender or romantic, but raw and wild—and that primal instinct screamed and tore through the haze.
《Gram》 trembled.
The chain linking Ryousuke to the sword writhed violently, as if in agony.
“O… OOOOOOOOOOH!”
Ryousuke roared. The sound tore through《Gram》, a declaration from the core of his being. At the same time, the blade’s tip began to shorten.
“No way… he’s breaking free of《Gram》’s control on his own…”
Kyuru collapsed, her legs giving out beneath her.
She sat on the ground with a thud, her torn dress barely covering her in a way that might excite a certain kind of person. But Ryousuke had never been into that, and right now, more than anything—
“I-It’s real! It’s really real!”
Lisara. He looked at her with wide, overwhelmed eyes.
“Stop looking at me!”
Lisara, now crouched on the ground and covering herself with both hands, glared at him, face blazing red.
“S-Sorry!”
Ryousuke quickly turned away… though he couldn’t help glancing back a few times.
“You wanna die?”
The voice that followed, cold and rumbling like it came from the depths of hell, shattered his will in an instant.
“S-Sorry, seriously…”
“Moou, honestly…”
“Ugh… it was a lie. The【naked shirt and black tights】thing… just a lie… a dream… an illusion…”
“…It… it wasn’t a lie.”
Lisara murmured softly. So quiet it was like a mosquito’s buzz.
“I’ve been betrayed! Damn it! You tricked a lonely guy with no luck in life just for fun!?”
“I said!”
“You ogre! Demon! Monster! Trickster—ow! Owowowow!”
His head was suddenly grabbed from behind. The grip was strong enough to creak.
“Ryousuke, do you even plan to listen to me?”
Lisara’s voice was low and terrifying, like she was engraving each word into his eardrums.
“Uh, um, yes! Absolutely! Ow! Owow! I—I would be honored to listen most attentively!”
“Good grief… There won’t be a next time, so open up those ears and listen good!”
“Understood, ma’am!”
“T-The promise is… when we get home, well… you know, right?”
“Not at all, ma’am!”
“Ugh! I said, I’ll wear it for you when we get home, okay!? You pervy Ryousuke!”
Her voice blasted in his ear with an almost metallic ring. For a second, he couldn’t even comprehend what she’d just yelled.
But the echo that rang inside his eardrum helped it sink in… slowly, steadily.
“Wait, seriously? For real!?”
“Don’t you dare turn around!”
“Sorryyyyy!”
“Haa… haa… Anyway, there’s still something we need to do before heading home.”
“Like what?”
“First—give me your clothes.”
“…Mine?”
“This isn’t the time to be picky. I’ll take a bath once I get home anyway.”
“Uhm… what about my underwear—?”
“Just the T-shirt is more than enough!”
※ ※ ※
“Well then, next up are Tamano and Kyuru.”
With zero mercy, Lisara yanked down the hem of Ryousuke’s T-shirt until it stretched down to mid-thigh—resulting in a seriously wild outfit—as she turned her gaze toward Kyuru and Tamano. She shot Kyuru a sharp glare, while sighing at Tamano.
Just seeing her back made Ryousuke nearly get a nosebleed. After all, her firm, well-toned butt wiggled seductively every time she moved.
“W-What’s with that creepy look?”
“Just your imagination, probably.”
“Y-You think so…?”
“So, what are we gonna do about it? Tamano hasn’t even flinched since earlier.”
“As for Tamano-senpai , thanks to you, Ryousuke, I’ve got a simple solution.”
Lisara spun on her heel and locked eyes with Ryousuke.
“W-What exactly… were you looking at?”
That dangerous tone made Ryousuke immediately dash to a 45-degree angle in front of Lisara. Feet spread shoulder-width, he looked upward diagonally and shouted like a loyal soldier reporting to his superior.
“I saw absolutely nothing!”
“Moou. Ryousuke, go stand next to Tamano-senpai just like that.”
“Understood, ma’am!”
“Hold on to Gram tight.”
“Understood, ma’am!”
“Yes, yes, and now, stab Gram right into Tamano-senpai’s chest.”
“Uh, b-but…”
“It’s fine.”
With light steps, Lisara stepped behind Ryousuke and placed her hand gently on his back.
“Alright, I’ll now start channeling your spirit energy into Tamano-senpai.”
Just like she said, Tamano’s pale complexion began returning to normal as soon as Gram was stabbed in. Within a few minutes, Gram slipped itself out of Tamano and vanished into Ryousuke again.
“Gram had stored up a lot of spirit energy from your, uh, lewd spirit… enough to awaken it. So there was still some left. I used it to repair Tamano-senpai’s damaged soul. In about a week, he should be back to normal.”
“He’ll go back to normal, huh? That sounds like its own kind of pain…”
“What’s really going to be a pain is her.”
Lisara crossed her arms again and looked down at Kyuru with half-lidded eyes.
“Ahaha… H-Howdy, Onee-sama.”
“So, about that story of the Singular One… was that really a lie? Just a hunch, but I can’t help feeling it wasn’t completely made-up. There’s something that bugs me about it.”
“Why do you think that?”
“Because Melro deliberately sent a shinigami—even a lower-ranked one—to act as a teacher. That means this town isn’t ordinary.”
“Melro sent a shinigami, huh. Then at the very least, they must be taking things seriously…”
Kyuru muttered with a strangely solemn face.
“I’d actually heard from one of our agents embedded in Melro. The report sounded so absurd it was dismissed as a joke, but…”
“What did it say?”
“That the Singular One appears… then vanishes. My father laughed it off as bad intel. Said even Melro’s detection skills must be getting rusty.”
“I see… then we might be giving up too soon.”
Lisara smiled, satisfied.
“What does that mean?”
Ryousuke tilted his head in confusion, prompting Lisara to giggle softly and reply:
“It means we still need to look for the Singular One in this town. In other words…”
“In other words?”
“I’ll be staying with you a little while longer.”
She said it with a smile so cheerful it could melt butter.
“Ughhhh…”
“Oh my, don’t tell me you’re not happy about that?”
“Alright, alright… but at least let me borrow some DVDs from time to time—”
“Denied.”
Absolutely no room for negotiation.
“Now then, Kyuru. Could you release Mina and Caesar, who you’ve had on lockdown this whole time?”
After a grudging nod from Kyuru, Mina—panting heavily—and Caesar—still dragging his left leg slightly but otherwise full of spirit—arrived a minute later.
“Is this enough, Onee-sama?”
Kyuru pouted, glaring at Lisara.
“Oh, don’t give me that look. I called them here for your sake, you know.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“Kyuru, aren’t you at your limit?”
Lisara’s words widened Kyuru’s eyes as she gasped in realization.
“I came to the human world on my own, and now I have to return empty-handed… That would be such a disgrace, wouldn’t it, Kyuru?”
Each word dripped slowly from Lisara’s mouth like thick honey, embedding themselves deep into Kyuru’s psyche.
“Ahhh… b-but…”
“Knowing you, I bet you’ve already set something up, haven’t you?”
“B-But Onee-sama… I don’t have any spirit energy left…”
“You used it all up, huh?”
Kyuru hung her head in shame.
“Figured as much. So, here’s my present. Caesar!”
“Waan!”
With his tail happily wagging, Caesar trotted up to Lisara’s feet. He was clearly seeing Lisara as his new master now.
‘You traitor…’
Ryousuke thought bitterly.
“Bow-wow!”
【Don’t get cocky, you mutt】is what it sounded like to Ryousuke.
“What are you planning to do with that dog?”
“Oh, don’t tell me you didn’t notice Caesar’s immense spirit energy?”
“I—I did! I know he broke my curse, after all! But so what!?”
“It’s simple. Here.”
Lisara picked up 《Rigil》and handed it to Kyuru.
“No way!”
“Oh yes. That’s right. Go on. Beg Caesar. Flatter him. Lower your head and say,【Please accept 《Rigil》and share some of your spirit energy with me!】”
“You’re telling me, Kyuru of House Zeria, to beg a dog!?”
“Oh, that’s fine too. Go ahead and disgrace yourself in the Shinigami Realm. I wonder if you’ll lose House Zeria’s prestige along the way?”
“T-That’s…”
“Ahahaha! This feels amazing! Sweet revenge!”
Lisara cackled with unfiltered joy, towering over Kyuru in victory.
“Waaah… maybe Lisara really is Kyuru-san’s older sister…”
“Yeah, she’s got the perfect personality for it.”
At Mina and Ryousuke’s muttered commentary, Lisara instantly froze mid-laugh.
“I-I was acting! It was all just acting!”
She tried to cover it up with a terribly unconvincing excuse.
“Ughhh… uuuhhh…”
In the end, Kyuru spent nearly five minutes agonizing before finally dropping into a full dogeza in front of Caesar.
“Waaan!”
Caesar then gently rested his front paw on her head, as if asserting their rank difference loud and clear.