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La Folia was safe and sound, Kanon—who'd been transformed into a Molded Angel—had been rescued, and even Kensei, the mastermind behind it all, had been sent off for immediate cremation.
Overall, the outcome could be considered a complete success.
After brief preparations, the entire group plus two speedboats were teleported directly back to Itogami Island's harbor through Bokue's technique.
Scene shift—
Under the blazing summer sun before autumn's arrival, light sparkled across the ocean surface. At the breezy Itogami Island harbor dock, Bokue, Nagisa, and La Folia strolled slowly along the waterfront.
Yukina and Sayaka had rushed straight to the rental window after disembarking—they needed to return the speedboats and pay for the two days' usage.
Kanon was with Bokue's group too, though still unconscious, she had to be carried on his back.
After all, a princess carry on public streets would draw way too much attention.
"So where are you planning to go after this, Bokue?"
La Folia glanced toward the dock entrance where the two girls were dutifully returning keys and paying fees at the rental window. She asked with a smile.
"After this? Probably got some things to handle."
Bokue thought for a moment.
"It's only ten in the morning. Sayaka will probably need to report to the Lion King Organization first, while I need to stop by the Special Security Force headquarters..."
"Special Security Force? Why?"
La Folia sounded curious.
After all, Bokue didn't seem like the type to cooperate with official organizations—he was all about freedom and spontaneity, doing whatever he wanted.
"Getting Kanon a medical checkup."
Bokue shrugged.
Not that he didn't trust his own methods, but Natsuki had complete examination equipment, and it was free anyway. A checkup would provide peace of mind and give Natsuki something to report.
"I see. Looks like we'll have to part ways soon then."
La Folia's smile carried a hint of regret.
As a nation's princess, she'd grown up surrounded by bodyguards and escorts. This time, due to the unexpected attack during her trip to Japan, her entire royal guard had perished fighting the magical constructs.
In other words, her only bodyguard now was Sayaka from the Lion King Organization.
And Sayaka had her own missions—not only protecting her safety but also reporting mission progress to the Organization. She was stretched thin.
So even if La Folia requested to continue following Bokue, Sayaka would never agree.
Unless there was another way—
"Oh, that reminds me, I actually have a small request."
As if struck by inspiration, the silver-haired princess's eyes sparkled. She clasped her hands together at her chest with a hopeful expression.
"Considering Miss Sayaka's heavy workload, I was wondering if Bokue could be my bodyguard during my stay on Itogami Island?"
Hmm?
Bokue hadn't expected this sudden request and froze slightly.
But Nagisa, walking on his other side, immediately looked displeased.
How could she do this?!
She hadn't seen Big Brother for two whole days! She'd planned to use this afternoon—while Sayaka was reporting to the Lion King Organization and continuing her guard duties—to properly make up for lost time with Big Brother, maybe even rope Yukina into it.
But now La Folia was directly asking Big Brother to be her bodyguard. That would mean no afternoon time at all!
No way, absolutely not!
But what excuse could she use to stop this...
Crap, she couldn't think of a legitimate reason.
Just as Nagisa was getting anxious about being unable to stop La Folia from ruining her plans, Bokue's phone suddenly rang.
Buzz buzz—buzz buzz—
Continuous vibration. Someone was calling.
Without thinking, Bokue pulled out his phone and answered on muscle memory, pressing it to his ear without looking.
The next second, a certain blonde girl's voice erupted from the phone like a jet engine.
"Finally you answer! Where the hell have you been, Bokue?! Do you have any idea how worried I was?!"
"Oh, Asagi..."
Before Bokue could recover from her explosive tone, she cut him off again.
"What do you mean 'Oh, Asagi'?! Oh your head! Where have you been for two days?! Do you know how many times I called?! Every time I tried, you were out of service! What interdimensional space did you run off to?!"
Asagi was panting furiously on the other end, clearly at her breaking point.
Bokue scratched his forehead. "I told you I was going to rescue someone. You were there that day. And obviously there's no signal on an island."
"But wasn't it supposed to be a same-day trip?!"
Asagi remained relentless.
"I checked that Sayaka Kirasaka's purchase records—she only bought one meal's worth of emergency food and one person's worth of first aid supplies. That's not enough for you to stay on an island for even a day!"
"Well~ that was the original plan, but we hit a small snag..."
Bokue explained.
"So we stayed one extra night on the island."
"One night? So you're already..."
"Yeah, I'm back."
Bokue looked around.
"I'm on Itogami Island now, at the harbor dock. But I still need to stop by the Special Security Force, so probably this afternoon—"
Before he could finish, he felt a light kick on his right calf.
Looking right, he saw Nagisa with an innocent expression.
Alright, message received.
After a pause, Bokue changed his answer.
"Actually, probably evening. I'll come find you after I'm done, Asagi."
"...Evening again."
After a second of silence, the blonde girl's voice noticeably calmed, though still reluctant.
"Fine, I get it. Just come by early, okay?"
"I will."
After appeasing his girlfriend, the call ended.
As Bokue stared at "Call Ended" on his screen, La Folia leaned in from his left.
"Was that your girlfriend?"
"Yeah..."
Before Bokue could finish confirming, Nagisa nodded enthusiastically from his right.
"Yep yep, that's Big Brother's girlfriend, Asagi!"
"I see..."
With confirmation plus corroboration, La Folia just smiled and straightened up without saying more.
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