"Who are you, really?"
Yukina broke the silence, her voice tight with suspicion. The bizarre scene had unsettled her enough to ask again.
Shuo arched an eyebrow, a teasing glint in his eye. "Who am I? Maybe the better question is—who are you? Stalking my adorable underclassmen from the shadows?"
Nagisa and Kanon both turned to Yukina, confusion written across their faces. Neither of them recognized this girl.
"I…" Yukina hesitated, flustered. Her mission was supposed to be covert—monitoring the Fourth Primogenitor, Nagisa Akatsuki. The Lion King Organization's orders were clear: stay invisible.
But Shuo didn't give her a chance to recover. "No need to answer. You're the sword shaman sent by the Lion King Organization—Yukina Himeragi, assigned to keep tabs on Nagisa Akatsuki, the Fourth Primogenitor."
Yukina's eyes went wide. For a moment, she stood frozen, stunned that this boy not only knew her name, but her mission as well.
Nagisa blinked at Yukina, surprise flickering across her face. Lion King Organization? Sword shamans? It was all new to her—but "Fourth Primogenitor" was a term she couldn't ignore.
Is she… here to watch me?
Kanon just looked lost, her innocent gaze bouncing between the three of them.
Shuo stepped forward, voice dropping to a warning. "Tell the Three Saints at the Lion King Organization—Nagisa isn't theirs to meddle with. If they try, they'll regret it."
He paused, then added, "And a bit of advice—don't swallow everything you're told. Otherwise, you won't even know when you're being played."
Yukina's expression hardened, suspicion flickering in her eyes. She didn't reply, just stared Shuo down, cold and wary.
After a tense moment, she lowered her guard and slid Sekkarou back into its case.
But fate has a sense of humor. A sudden gust of wind whipped through the street, flipping Yukina's skirt skyward.
"Blue and white stripes…" Shuo blurted, unable to look away.
"Same color as last time," he added, almost to himself.
The words hung in the air. Everyone froze.
Realizing what he'd said, Shuo clapped a hand over his mouth, mortified. "That—was totally accidental! Seriously, I didn't mean it. Believe me or not, I'm sticking to my story!"
The three girls' mouths twitched in disbelief.
"Pervert!" Yukina managed, her cheeks burning as she spun on her heel and bolted.
Shuo sighed, watching her go. "A bit of a tsundere, that one."
Before he could recover, Nagisa grabbed his arm, her voice rising in a playful scold. "Shuo, when did you get so strong? You never told me! At my house, you acted totally normal—such a sneak!"
"Yeah, I had no idea you were this amazing, Senpai!" Kanon chimed in, eyes shining with admiration.
Shuo could only offer a helpless smile. What was he supposed to say? That he'd transmigrated here from another world? Not happening.
He waved off their suspicions with a casual lie. "Honestly, I only awakened these powers recently. No secrets from you, Nagisa!"
To prove it, Shuo activated his Rinnegan, leaning in so both girls could see the change in his eyes.
Nagisa and Kanon stared, awe and acceptance replacing their doubts.
Nagisa snapped back, still half-pouting. "Then why did you vanish all summer? Kojou and I were worried sick!"
"Heh, I was traveling. But from now on, I'm here to protect you, Nagisa."
Nagisa's cheeks flushed. She clung to Shuo's arm, nervous but clearly happy. "Dummy Shuo… saying stuff like that."
Kanon watched the scene with wide-eyed envy. "Senpai and Nagisa are so close!"
Nagisa giggled, swinging Shuo's arm. "Of course! We've been childhood friends since forever!"
Shuo grinned, then asked, "Nagisa, you still haven't tamed any familiars?"
Nagisa's smile faded. "Tame them? I… I don't really want to."
She looked so pitiful that Shuo surrendered, patting her head. "You really do defeat me."
"You've got all that power inside you, and you just ignore it…"
Nagisa just giggled. "As long as you're by my side, I'm not afraid. You promised to protect me, after all!"
Kanon, ever curious, tilted her head. "Familiars? What are those? What are you two talking about?"
Shuo and Nagisa exchanged awkward glances—they'd forgotten Kanon was there.
Right then, the system chimed in:
Ding! Sign-in character detected: Nagisa Akatsuki. Level: Red. Condition: Help her tame her familiars!
Ding! Sign-in character detected: Kanon Kanase. Level: Red. Condition: Help your cute underclassman change her tragic fate!
Shuo's plans shifted. No more hiding Nagisa's identity. He'd have to help her with the familiars, one way or another. If they got unruly? Well—between brute force and hypnosis, or even a death warning, he'd handle it.
As for Kanon's "Simulated Angel" problem—child's play. Compared to the pure angelic energy he'd gotten from his Bible-loli goddess, artificial angels were nothing.
He turned to Kanon, voice gentle. "Kanon-chan, don't be too shocked when you hear about Nagisa's background, okay?"
Nagisa offered a sheepish smile. "It's really not a big deal."
Kanon blinked, nodding. "I understand, Senpai!"
Nagisa, suddenly anxious, tried to stop him. "Shuo, are you really going to tell Kanon-chan? But—"
Shuo cut her off. "Nagisa, keeping secrets now is pointless. The Lion King Organization already has its eyes on you, and it's not even top secret anymore. Plenty of people know—so let's be honest with Kanon-chan. Leave the rest to me."
"And she's your best friend, right? You wouldn't want to keep lying to her."
He squeezed Nagisa's hand, reassuring her.
Nagisa looked from Shuo to Kanon, silent for a moment. Then she nodded.
"Okay. I get it."
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