[You succeeded, and you failed.]
[You managed to rescue several shrine maidens, yet those shrine maidens still faded away beneath the "destined death" of their fates.]
[Normally, in that state, they should no longer have died. But they still perished because their "origin had been damaged too severely."]
[Through those shrine maidens, you came to deeply understand the fate-determinism of the Campione! world, and gained a further insight into "Destiny."]
[After returning to Japan, you trained diligently. By your third year of middle school, your strength successfully rose to quasi-Maou level.]
[Over those three years, you traveled across the world and met quite a few notable individuals.]
[For example:]
[A certain Lady Goddess of Dawn who descended in the South Seas;]
[A female housekeeper who took care of "the White Shrine Maiden Princess—Princess Alice," as well as Treiman Ericsson;]
[Saint Raphael, whom you met again and crossed swords with;]
[Annie Charlton, who claimed to be the assistant of "John Pluto Smith";]
[Lady Aisha, a Campione who loved creating "caves" for time-space travel whenever she felt like it;]
[And so on, and so on…]
…
[Not long after you entered high school, under the effect of Mind Reading, you finally broke through to Maou level. At this point, you could easily crush an ownerless divine beast.]
[Additionally, in terms of research into fate, you had already stepped into the world's front ranks.]
[When you realized that even Campiones were trapped within the fate of being Campiones, you felt a profound loneliness and suffocation.]
[After believing you had prepared everything, you began to approach the most unbreakable fate in this world: "Campione."]
[You intended—despite having no destiny to become a Campione—to attempt becoming one anyway.]
[Through the Committee for the Compilation of Justice's connections, you learned of the existence of "Prometheus's Tablet."]
[After some maneuvering on your part, Kusanagi Ichirou decided to have you travel to Italy and deliver the tablet to "Lucrezia Zola."]
[At this moment, you were at Tokyo's airport, preparing to board a plane bound for Italy.]
…
Narita International Airport, International Departures Hall. Akuto wheeled his suitcase forward, but his movements were slightly unsteady from tension.
In front of him, a cute girl in a school uniform with her hair styled into twin buns stood there with teary eyes, holding out a carefully made little booklet.
Yes, a middle-school uniform, not a high-school one.
Because the one handing Akuto the booklet was his childhood friend—and also his "good little sister."
Akuto had only just started his first year of high school not long ago. Shizuka, who was younger than him, was naturally still in middle school.
Today, Shizuka wore a standard middle-school uniform. Below the hem of her skirt were short white socks hugging her slender calves and a pair of small leather shoes. Her shoulder-length hair lay smooth against her shoulders, and the braids tied into her cute twin-bun style were decorated with thoughtfully chosen ribbons.
It was obvious that she had dressed up a little, just to see him off.
"Akuto-nii, this is for you. If your phone runs out of battery, you can use the spellings in the booklet to ask passersby for help. There are lots of really useful sentences inside."
To account for extreme scenarios, Shizuka had thoughtfully prepared a booklet so he could still ask for help even if his phone died.
"Mm. I'll treasure it. Thank you, Shizuka."
Akuto reached out and accepted the booklet filled with a girl's earnest care.
He did speak Italian, but this booklet was Shizuka's 마음—her sincerity. There was no way he wouldn't accept it.
"…"
As he took the booklet, Akuto's hand "accidentally" brushed Shizuka's fingers, making her reflexively pull her hand back.
But in the next second, once she realized what she'd done, a cute blush spread across Shizuka's face.
"A-Anyway, if there's anything Akuto-nii doesn't understand, don't worry about wasting roaming fees or data. Just call me!"
As she spoke, Shizuka crossed her arms over her chest in an adorably tsundere pose, clearly trying to look tough even while she worried.
"Yes, yes, I got it. Even if there's nothing I don't understand, I'll still call you every day." Akuto smiled and reached out, gently patting her cute twin-bun hairstyle.
He knew Shizuka was saying it because she wanted him to call her regularly.
His time away might not be "long," but it certainly wouldn't be "short" either. It was only natural for Shizuka to miss him.
…
After receiving Akuto's promise that he would "call every day," Shizuka first revealed a smile without thinking, then struggled and furrowed her brows.
"N-No, that's too much trouble for Akuto-nii."
"Every three days is fine. If you can, Akuto-nii, just call me once every three days."
Shizuka missed him, but she didn't want her own feelings to get in the way of what he needed to do.
Facing such a cute, considerate girl next door, a sweetness rose in Akuto's chest that he couldn't quite put into words.
In the next second, Akuto stepped forward, abruptly closing the distance between them.
Shizuka felt a presence wash over her in an instant—warm like sunlight, yet carrying an intensity she couldn't describe—and her heartbeat immediately sped up.
By the time she reacted, Akuto was already right in front of her. Their faces were close enough that she could feel his breath against her cheek.
Even though Akuto hadn't unlocked any "succubus bloodline," Shizuka still felt her mind go light and her heart go unsteady.
"Shizuka, I think calling once every three days isn't enough." (Promotional text omitted.)
As he spoke, Akuto took Shizuka's small hand in his, holding it gently.
"W-What do you mean…?"
Shizuka's fair face instantly turned pink. She didn't step back, and she didn't pull her hand away. Instead, she nervously licked her lips.
Seeing how adorable she was, the smile in Akuto's eyes deepened.
Shizuka really was the girl next door he'd raised alongside him since childhood. With her current affection toward him, Akuto believed he could accomplish even the most outrageous future ambitions.
Of course, he also knew that in a crowded airport, he needed to be mindful.
But at places of departure, people expressing their reluctance to part with a warm, intimate gesture was hardly unusual.
Holding Shizuka's gaze, Akuto spoke slowly.
"Since you're going to miss me that much, I think I should also show you that I'll miss you."
He leaned just a little closer, close enough to catch the faint scent around her—sweet and clean, like strawberries.
"Show… Akuto-nii, how are you going to show it?"
Shizuka's heart hammered as if it might jump out of her chest. She sensed what he meant, yet she still didn't retreat. She only held her breath, then rose slightly onto her toes, the small movements tugging at her socks and shoes—and at the fragile string of her resolve.
"Like this."
Akuto lifted his free hand and gently steadied her—then, in a brief, careful motion, pressed a light kiss to her forehead.
It wasn't possessive. It wasn't showy. It was simply warm—an unmistakable promise.
Shizuka froze for a split second, then her eyes trembled, and her face flushed all the way to her ears.
"…You're so unfair."
She puffed out her cheeks and pouted, clearly dissatisfied.
Because Akuto had "shown" her he cared, but he still hadn't said the kind of straightforward confession that left no room to dodge.
Unfair. Truly unfair.
He was turning even something like this into a trick.
Watching her expression, Akuto finally couldn't hold back anymore. He pulled Shizuka into a careful embrace—firm enough to reassure her, gentle enough not to overwhelm her.
"Shizuka, I really do like you," Akuto said softly, close to her ear, so only she could hear.
Shizuka's breath hitched.
In the bustling departure hall, among hurried travelers and the droning announcements of flight information, that single sentence landed as if it belonged to her alone.
…
If future Shizuka were to look back on this moment from the perspective of "history," she might very well conclude that even back then, her Akuto-nii already had the makings of a bad man.
(End of Chapter)
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