Chapter 176: The Battle After Freeing My Hands
"What… what is that?"
There was no over-the-top screaming scene like in the movies.
Yumiko Miura, seeing Inoue Yasutaka's transformed form, was terrified, but all she did was tighten her arms around Hachiman Hikigaya's neck and ask, her voice trembling with fear, "What's happening?"
"A demon."
Sure enough, Yumiko could see the demon too.
Having confirmed that, Hachiman didn't hesitate and told her Inoue Yasutaka's true identity.
"A demon?"
The concept was completely foreign, and Yumiko looked dazed.
Weren't these things supposed to be made-up stories adults tell to scare children?
"That's right. What you're seeing is a fairly powerful demon."
Hachiman twisted his head slightly, feeling uncomfortable.
Though being held like this felt a bit pleasant, in this situation, it was distracting and could get him stomped to death by Yasutaka in the next moment.
So Hachiman, keeping an eye on Yasutaka, asked Yumiko carefully, "Could you loosen your grip a little? You're squeezing me so hard I can barely breathe…"
Hearing this, Yumiko instinctively loosened her arms a bit.
Then she realized what she'd done, and her face immediately turned bright red.
"Pervert!"
Even though she was furious, when it came to survival, she kept holding onto Hachiman's neck.
"Do you have any way to deal with that guy?"
She didn't waste time with stupid questions like why he was here or why she was here.
After calming her embarrassment and panic, she looked up at Yasutaka above them and then leaned against Hachiman's chest to ask.
Of course, it wasn't because she had developed any sudden feelings; it was just to let Hachiman have a better line of sight and conserve her own energy.
After all, even though Hachiman had promised not to drop her, she was confident in her own weight. But carrying someone weighing dozens of kilograms while dodging giant stomps was extremely tiring.
The next second, he might exhaust himself and accidentally throw her off.
"If it weren't for you, I might've already taken him out."
Hachiman's words were blunt in front of the rational Yumiko.
"This isn't like I wanted to be here!"
Hearing that, Yumiko, realizing she was nothing but a burden, defensively replied.
She had been sleeping in her room earlier. Now she woke up lying in Hachiman's arms—it wasn't like she chose this.
"You certainly didn't come here willingly."
Hachiman's lips curved into a bitter smile as he recalled the calm exorcist from earlier.
Although it might sound harsh, he was secretly relieved that Yumiko, and not someone like Miko Yotsuya or Yukinoshita, was in his arms.
Because he realized the task today essentially required him to take a burden and kill the demon king in front of him.
"Is there anything I can do to help?"
After a brief pause, Yumiko asked.
Earlier, she had thought of asking Hachiman to put her down. But looking at the massive demon's body, she admitted she was too scared.
With her small frame, even a grazing hit could flatten her completely.
"What would really help is if you could free my hands."
For certain reasons, Hachiman couldn't explain directly. He only hinted that he wanted Yumiko to free his hands so he could attack the demon king.
"..."
Hearing him, Yumiko thought for a moment and understood what she needed to do.
But… did she really have to do this?
She hesitated, looking at Hachiman's serious face right in front of her.
"Boom!"
Another tremor nearly threw Yumiko off Hachiman.
Seeing his stomp work, Yasutaka leapt into the air, preparing to strike again.
"Ah, I got it! I'll do it, alright?!"
Frightened by the previous near-miss, Yumiko suddenly called out and tightened her grip on Hachiman.
Then, twisting her waist, she turned from being carried horizontally to facing Hachiman.
"If you dare tell anyone about this today, I'll kill you!"
Her face red as a ripe apple, Yumiko threw out the warning, then used her long, flexible legs to clamp Hachiman's waist.
Using her hands for leverage, she twisted to climb onto Hachiman's back.
Once she secured herself firmly, she buried her face against his back.
She had just taken such a bold action and now felt utterly embarrassed.
Hachiman hadn't expected Yumiko to act so decisively.
Feeling the soft mounds behind him, he swallowed nervously.
Suddenly, Yumiko tightened her hands around his neck!
"Ready? I'm going to act!"
Hachiman quickly composed himself, summoned the Demon-Slaying blade again, and unleashed a barrage of sword energy.
Explosions roared around them. Yumiko didn't respond verbally. She just clung tightly to Hachiman's neck, keeping herself from falling while keeping her face pressed to his back, so her expression was hidden.
Another deafening shockwave hit.
Feeling pain in his feet, Yasutaka clenched his right fist and swung at Hachiman.
Before the fist landed, the violent air current almost made Hachiman unable to open his eyes.
He raised his right hand to brace, while his empty left hand gathered spiritual energy and struck at Yasutaka's eyes.
Midway, the spiritual stream collided with a massive black sphere, producing a tremendous energy shockwave.
"..."
Seeing the energy flow canceled midair, Hachiman felt as if a flock of crows had flown over his head.
He hadn't expected that Yasutaka's punch was just a feint. The real attack was that black sphere, similar to a Kamehameha…
Yasutaka's huge face showed a trace of astonishment and confusion.
Ever since his transformation, he had only used primitive hand-and-foot attacks—how had Hachiman predicted he would use this move?
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