In the Town 1

Ayame stopped Okayu and Korone from launching an attack as the moment they get too near the dragon, they will melt.

Despite living for many years, Oni's mental age grew slightly slower than humans' and thus, she couldn't hold it anymore as she said.

"Grandpa, I hate you!" Ayame took Kuro's unconscious body as the three left from the spot.

Heck, before even leaving the speechless dragon, Korone poked her tongue out and sent an angry look at the dragon.

The dragon felt like questioning his… title as the Mythical Creature—but more than that…

'Grandpa, I hate you…'

'Grandpa, I hate you!…'

The dragon felt down as the hottest flame within him froze. This feeling of him was far too nostalgic it has been 500 years… when he couldn't protect her…

-----

"Haha! I am healed! And… I feel so light! Yay!"

Kuro who just woke up, jumped up and down after waking up test out how light his body was. The shackles on him were gone.

Not just injuries, something more that was dragging him down was released. This feeling was similar to your shoulder after you hired a masseur massage it.

It feels so light that you feel that it can fly at any moment.

Moving his body, testing out his nimble footsteps, he finds out that his acceleration was faster than before and his max speed has slightly raised.

From his speculation, his agility has risen by at least 0.01! That's amazing.

"Kuro… are you okay?"

Despite his happy looks, the three beside him were looking at him worriedly—Ayame came forward to ask about his conditions.

"I am perfectly fine! Didn't the dragon heal me up? As expected of mythical creatures! Not only did it heal me, he also healed me thoroughly."

"It's a pity though! I should have extorted him of his Mythical Language as a price for melting me!" The usual Kuro.

But the worry didn't disappear.

"Kuro, from now on, don't do such an action! Don't risk your life so easily for something just for me." Seeing the seriousness in Ayame's face, he knew that he couldn't joke around anymore.

"Ayame-chan. Don't undervalue your life."

"It is worth it to lose my life if it was for you. After all, I owe you my life."

Seeing the argues beginning, the two evacuated to somewhere else where they wouldn't hear the argument unfolds.

"Aren't you also the one undervaluing your life! Always recklessly sacrificing yourself, selfishly enduring everything by yourselves!"

"Even after what Korone-chan did to you, you kept it secret to me and smiled like usual to hide it. It is not worth it for you to lose your life for me."

"If you owe your life on me, keep living in and stop endangering your life always! Because if you died… I won't be able to be happy anymore."

"So… please… rely on me, and treasure your life more!" This sensation of uselessness. She was familiar with it.

Th expectation she couldn't meet up. The burden of comparison. The feeling of being abandoned. She didn't want to return to that day anymore.

She wanted to be the existences on the same standing as with Kuro—her hope.

If her hope died… she don't know what to do nor she want to know. As per now, she want to atone the mistake she made in the past.

Call it self-satisfaction but it was true that she wanted to be a helpful person to someone—that someone, called Kuro—the pillar of everything.

Kuro had no right to say anything to her. It's his complete loss his word returned to him like a boomerang—despite shouting her not to undervalue her life, To be honest, Kuro was the one who didn't understand the value of his life.

His existences causes someone to smile…?

His existences… relying to someone…

Rather than taking everything to himself—him who rather choose to bear the burden by himself than sharing with everyone to feel burden. The 2nd lesson…

'I haven't learned anything from what I did to Korone…' Kuro felt dumb—a children who never learns—in short idiot.

Kuro looked at Ayame's gentle eyes which was shivering right and left—her controls in emotions were lost, his mana were being sucked out, and the same occasion in the past occurred once again.

However that did not matter right now.

Kuro gently wiped off the beautiful droplets that flowed down her face as he gently hugged her while stroking her back in reassurances.

"I am sorry. I will promise you that from now on…

I will rely in you when I feel troubled.

I will treasure my life.

I will never let you feel troubled.

I will never let you cry again.

I will make you happy.

I will never leave you alone."

"However I am sorry that, I cannot guarantee you my life as I will rather than let myself get killed than seeing you die in front of me." This was his bottom line.

'Warm…' Ayame enjoyed Kuro's tiny yet humanly warmth under his embrace as she smiled.

"That is okay! Because once that time come, I will protect you!" To not be a useless! To not disappoint you.

Upon hearing that word, Kuro just smiled widely. "Nope. Before you protect me, I will protect you!"

Thus the beginning of who can protect who better competition.

"Oh by the way," Kuro said as he extended his hand to her. After pointing she understood what he wanted as she gave him it.

Asura and Rasetsu. She would never do this if she wasn't under the Special Nakirium Switch. However she was in that mode.

She were far too innocent and honest to her current emotion right now. So the swords were given to Kuro without a problem.

Calling out the 2 figures from far out, the three finally arrived to the Nakiri Town which wasn't as technologically late as Kuro expected.

Not just that—this place was… really familiar! Tokyo? No, it is more ancient. The constructions were from the Edo Era's Japan the outfits were also the same—samurais with sword in their sheath were everywhere.

The differences was their races.

"Kuro~ Welcome to Nakiri Town~♡"

She was still drunk in her Nakirium Switch,