Itogami Island.
Purr!~
Kojou sat on the comfortable couch in his apartment while Atalanta rested her head on his lap, purring happily. Her tail swayed in a delightfully mesmerizing manner, clearly enjoying Kojou's touch.
"So, you're saying that when you went to Magus Craft to investigate Kanon-chan's case, both you and Touka-chan were kidnapped to a deserted island?" Nagisa stared at Kojou with concern and a hint of guilt, knowing she had caused all of this out of worry for Kanon and having asked him for help.
"I was just… worried about Kanon-chan, which is why I asked for your help…" she said in a soft voice laced with guilt. "But it seems I caused all of this."
Kojou let out a light laugh, short and almost like a quiet sigh.
"Don't worry, Nagisa," he said, raising his hand to play with strands of Atalanta's fur as she drowsily purred. "I'm back now, and that's what matters. Besides, this has nothing to do with you anyway."
"What piques my curiosity," he continued in a more serious tone, leaning back slightly, "is why they isolated me on that island. If they wanted to get rid of me, they could've done it from the start… so why choose isolation?"
He paused for a moment, his eyes glinting with deep thought, then added in a lighter tone as if talking to himself:
"Anyway, even if you hadn't told me about Kanase, I was already involved. I was helping Natsuki-chan with an investigation of hers… and I only realized the two cases were connected yesterday."
Nagisa's eyes widened slightly at this revelation, and she sat up straighter on the couch across from him.
"Huh? Connected? What do you mean by that, Kojou-kun?"
"It seems Magus Craft is involved in creating combat automata, but the attempts weren't successful. So, they resorted to secret magical rituals that forcibly transform a person into an angel," Kojou paused for a moment, deciding to reveal this to Nagisa since she had the right to know what was happening.
"Recently, the results of their experiments have been wreaking havoc across the island, battling while destroying buildings. Natsuki-chan asked me for help with this matter," he said. "It seems Kanase is also one of the subjects they are experimenting on."
"But there's no need to worry, as the transformation hasn't reached a dangerous point yet. Since she's a close friend of yours, I'll help her," he said, smiling reassuringly at Nagisa's worried expression.
"Thank you, Kojou-kun," Nagisa said, smiling with a mix of sadness and gratitude as she hugged him, burying her face in his chest for reassurance and warmth.
"No thanks needed; this was my princess's request, so I must fulfill it properly," Kojou replied with a smile, patting Nagisa's head gently before turning his gaze to the third person in the room. "So, why are you here? Didn't you go to the main continent to accompany and guard the princess from the Aldegyr Kingdom?"
This person had brown hair, emerald eyes, and wore the Saikai Academy uniform, with a guitar case resting beside her.
"That was supposed to happen, but…" Sayaka nodded slightly, a flicker of jealousy in her eyes at seeing Atalanta resting on Kojou's lap while Nagisa burrowed into his chest. Yet she continued without showing much change except for her noticeably trembling eyebrow. "The plane carrying the princess was attacked and lost track of by the government. But with Aiba Asagi's help, I discovered she ended up on the same island you and Touka are on."
"I had intended to use LKO connections to mobilize the coast guard to retrieve the three of you and wanted to inform your younger sister, but when I arrived, I found you here."
"I see. I didn't expect it to be her…" Kojou muttered under his breath, then looked back at Sayaka. "There's no need to dispatch the coast guard or move a ship; I'll return with Touka and the princess once I finish with Magus Craft, which shouldn't take long."
"Alright, then do as you see fit. You're the boss here, and I'm just a miserable subordinate," Sayaka said dramatically, as since Kojou took control of LKO, they had no choice but to follow him. "By the way, one of the Three Saints will arrive on the island soon, as there seems to be highly confidential information they need to convey to you."
Kojou raised an eyebrow at her last remark, interest evident in his calm tone:
"One of the Three Saints? That's rare… They usually move only if it concerns a core matter of the magical world."
Sayaka crossed her arms over her chest:
"Correct. The message I received from the LKO headquarters indicated that it concerns you personally, but they seem busy at the moment. It will take some time to reach this island, though it doesn't appear urgent."
"It doesn't matter," Kojou said, shaking his head nonchalantly. The matter wasn't worth his attention for now, as he had many things to focus on.
{Master, there are some ships approaching the island at varying speeds. How would you like me to handle them?}
A sweet, innocent voice resonated in Kojou's mind, instantly recognizable.
"I guess I should go now," Kojou said upon receiving telepathy from Prote. "It seems our hosts have finally decided to act after letting us enjoy the natural beauty of their small island."
Hearing Kojou's words, Atalanta lifted her head from his lap with a clearly displeased expression, while Nagisa pulled away, her beautiful eyes slightly moist with tears.
"Don't worry, I'll be back soon," Kojou said with a slight smile, pressing a light, simple kiss on Nagisa's lips as he rose and bent toward the visibly annoyed Atalanta. "And you don't need to sulk either; I'll pamper you properly when I return."
Atalanta's ears twitched from Kojou's proximity to her sensitive ear, trembling beautifully as her annoyed expression turned into a slight smile with a light blush.
Without hesitation, Kojou opened his mouth slightly to reveal a row of white teeth and gently nibbled on Atalanta's ear, surprising her and eliciting an extremely cute sound.
"Nyaa!~" Atalanta squeaked spontaneously, shivering in embarrassment, her tail thrashing wildly behind her, and her blush spreading to the tips of her bitten ears.
"M… Master!" she gasped, looking at him with wide eyes, half-shocked, half-embarrassed. "That's not fair! You do this just because you know I can't resist!"
Kojou chuckled lightly, stepping back a little, hands in his pockets as if he hadn't done anything unusual.
"It's just a little morale boost before the fight, nothing more," he said with feigned indifference, a smirk forming at the corner of his mouth.
"A morale boost?!" Atalanta shouted, staring at him with a completely flushed face. "That was more than just a boost!"
Behind her, Nagisa covered her mouth with her hand, trying to stifle her laughter, her eyes sparkling with a mix of embarrassment and amusement.
"Seems your farewell style is still the same as always, Kojou-kun…" she said lightly, tilting her head.
"At least he didn't kiss her other ear too…" Sayaka muttered coldly, though her eyebrow twitched in suppressed anger, pretending not to care, her guitar case vibrating slightly from her tightly clenched hand.
Kojou raised his hand slightly, gesturing toward her calmly:
"Don't worry, Sayaka, I'm not that perverted."
"Huh?!" Sayaka exploded, staring at him with glowing eyes of anger. "Is that supposed to be a joke?! You're completely insane!"
Kojou chuckled lightly as his form gradually turned into a silver mist and vanished from the apartment, returning to the deserted island where Touka and Prote were, and apparently, there was also a princess in distress on that small island.
...
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