(Attendances… plz…)
….
The small, irritated voice cut through the silence like a knife. Ram looked down, her eyes widening in genuine surprise. The child in her arms, who she had believed to be unconscious this entire time, was looking back at her with eyes that were cold, clear, and utterly annoyed.
"So annoying."
Before Ram could even process the words, the girl moved. It wasn't the clumsy movement of a child waking up; it was the fluid, practiced motion of someone who knew how. She twisted her body, slipping out of Ram's hold with unnatural ease and landing lightly on the grass a few feet away.
Making her distance from Gojo and Ram she dusted off her dress, her expression bored, and muttered a single word.
"Garm."
The shadows of the neafby seemed to twist and tear open. From the darkness, a massive shape burst forth. It was another Mabeast, but this one dwarfed the dog-like beasts that Gojo had just put away. It was a towering wolf with black fur and eyes that burned with intelligence.
The beast didn't rush toward the girl to protect her. Instead, it saw an opening. Ram was standing a few steps away from Gojo, isolated and momentarily shocked.
To the beast, she was the vulnerable target. With a roar that shook the ground, the giant wolf lunged at the pink-haired maid, its jaws gaping wide to snap her in two.
Ram saw the beast. Her mind calculated the distance and speed in a fraction of a second and even if she acted she would be somewhat injured in that by the beast. She had no time. She was going to be hit.
But the impact never came.
Gojo, observing the scene with a look of mild curiosity, moved. He didn't attack the wolf beast. He didn't casted a blue or red. He simply appeared behind Ram. He reached out, grabbed the back of her maid uniform in a fistful of fabric, and lifted her straight up into the air.
He held her there, dangling by her clothes like a misbehaving kitten, her feet kicking uselessly at the empty air.
The wolf's jaws snapped shut on the space where Ram had been standing a split second before. Finding nothing but air, the beast skidded to a halt, confused. It looked up to see its prey hanging safely out of reach in the hands of the white-haired man.
Seeing that the surprise attack had failed, the wolf, Garm, retreated instantly, bounding back to the purple-haired girl's side and growling low in its throat.
Gojo went to the ground lowered his arm and dropped Ram back onto her feet. He looked at the girl and her monster, not appearing threatened in the slightest. If he felt any danger, the circumstances would have been way different
"Hmm," Gojo hummed, tapping his chin thoughtfully. "Have we met before? Because if we did, I'm pretty sure I would remember a little kid with a weirdly oversized wolf Mabeast as a pet. I mean, I'm fairly good at remembering faces."
Meili glared at him, her small hands clenching into fists at her sides. She was shaking, but it wasn't from fear. It was pure, unadulterated rage.
"Y... you are the one who did it... aren't you?" she hissed.
Gojo blinked beneath his blindfold. He was genuinely confused. He wasn't making a joke; he truly didn't know what she was talking about. He had arrived in this world only days ago. If he had met a girl with a giant wolf, he would have remembered. But the way she stared at him, with such intense anger... she clearly knew him. But how?
He scratched his cheek awkwardly. "By any mistake, do you possibly think you got the wrong person?"
Meili's face twisted further. To her, his confusion looked like mockery. It looked like he was laughing at her after ruining everything.
Ram, having straightened her dress and recovered her composure, stepped up beside Gojo. She eyed him with renewed suspicion. "She seems to know you. Rem and I were right... you are involved in bad things."
Gojo turned to her, exasperated. "What even are you two sisters making up behind my back? And I don't even know who she is. I mean, I arrived in this place just recently. How could I have kids as enemies already?"
Ram stared at him. Her gaze was cold and unyielding, practically shouting that she didn't trust a single word coming out of his mouth.
Gojo sighed loudly. "I'm really not in the mood for a staring contest. And how rude of you to even suspect me of something bad when I literally just saved you twice in the last five minutes."
Ram turned her head slightly away with a haughty huff. "I don't remember asking you to help me. I am fairly stronger than those mutts you fought, so I would have been perfectly okay."
Gojo grinned, leaning in slightly to poke fun at her. "Yeah, yeah. Maybe I was imagining it when you were scared stiff and looking for a wa…"
Thud.
Before he could finish the sentence, Ram's knee drove sharply into his stomach.
Gojo stumbled back a step, holding his midsection dramatically. "Ouch! What was that for?"
Ram stood tall, brushing an invisible speck of dust from her skirt. "For running your mouth as you please. I was not scared; I was merely calculating a strategic exit. Do not mix your lies with my name using that mouth of yours."
Gojo chuckled, straightening up as if nothing had happened. "Yup... definitely a tsundere type."
While they bickered, Meili stood fuming. They were ignoring her. They were acting as if she and her beast were nothing more than background decorations. The disrespect made her blood boil on too of her anger.
The wolf beside her sensed her anger and let out a thunderous growl, snapping its jaws to bring their attention back to the threat.
Gojo looked over, finally remembering the angry child. He scratched the back of his head again and pointed a finger at her.
"So, kid. I just double-checked my memory, and I definitely don't know or remember you. I don't know why you are... hmm, angry... at me. So, mind telling me? Or is this some kind of secret or hidden spy mission type thing that you can't talk about?"
Meili didn't answer immediately, her breathing heavy with rage. The wolf growled louder, its eyes locked on Ram.
Gojo glanced at the beast, then leaned toward the maid. "Ram, I don't think that beast likes you."
"Of course it doesn't like us," Ram replied flatly. "Seeing that he isn't attacking that girl and is even listening to her, she is probably controlling that beast."
"Meh, I don't think that's it," Gojo said, waving his hand dismissively. "He is scowling at you way more than me. I think he especially hates you."
A vein popped on Ram's forehead. She turned her sharp gaze to him. "Are you picking a fight with me in this situation?"
Meili couldn't take the dismissal anymore. She raised her hand, trembling with fury, and pointed straight at Gojo.
"Y-Yo… You killed her... you killed my big sister..."
The clearing went silent.
Gojo stared at nothing for a moment. "Wow." He paused, letting the weight of the accusation hang in the air. "Wow, wow, wow. That escalated quickly. What are you even talking about?"
Ram didn't hesitate. She didn't ask for proof. She didn't wait for an explanation. She stepped away from Gojo, her eyes narrowing into slits.
"So this whole thing is because you killed her sister. I knew it. You were the one behind this whole thing, or somehow related to it."
Gojo threw his hands up, looking at Ram with disbelief. "Huh? You too? Why are you believing her over me? You just met her! And you, kid with a weird wolf pet... don't you know that making things up is bad?"
….
A/N: Hope you liked the chapter and all.
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