Accompanying Izumi for an entire afternoon, Katō Megumi tilted her head slightly as she looked up at him with mild curiosity.
"Izumi-kun, we've been walking for hours. That person you're looking for… she never showed up, you know?"
Hearing Megumi's soft but pointed remark, Izumi scratched his cheek, looking somewhat defeated.
"Yeah… looks like fate isn't on my side today.Well, whatever. Let's head back."
The sun had already set beyond the rooftops of Kuō Town. After an afternoon of wandering with zero results, Izumi accepted that today just wasn't the day. He'd try again tomorrow.
And just as he said that—
A small nun suddenly collapsed onto the pavement with a soft pachi.
Izumi froze on the spot.
Megumi stared at the fallen girl with a complicated expression.
…Is that the person he was looking for?
Izumi rushed forward and gently lifted the petite nun into his arms.
One look at her face, and his eyes immediately lit up.
Jackpot. This is exactly the angelic little nun I was searching for.
Megumi blinked. The nun was undeniably cute—even for her, it was momentarily disarming.
Then she turned to Izumi with narrowed eyes.
"This is… the girl you've been searching for?"
Izumi nodded."Yup. That's her. Looks like I'm pretty blessed by Lady Luck today—she practically delivered herself to me!"
Megumi's expression darkened instantly.
"So… you dragged me around town all afternoon just to help you look for another girl?"
She wanted to hit him.
What the hell is this? You made me—a proper high school girl—spend a whole afternoon helping you find some 'lost lamb'?!I knew it. You're a walking trouble magnet!
If she'd known "lost lamb" meant cute nun, Megumi absolutely would not have come along.
Does Izumi-kun think Katō Megumi doesn't need dignity?
Izumi, feeling her gaze drilling into his back, laughed awkwardly.
"Ahaha… sorry about that. I should have explained… better.""Anyway! First we should wake her up. Looks like she fainted from hunger?"
He frowned.Seriously? She actually passed out from hunger? Just how terrible were those Fallen Angels treating her? They didn't even feed her? That's just evil.
Megumi was still sulking, but she knew this wasn't the time to complain. Right now they needed to help the unconscious nun.
Izumi carried the girl to a bench in the nearby park. Megumi hurried to a vending machine, bought a bottle of water, and returned quickly.
Twisting the cap open, she carefully tipped a bit of water against the girl's lips. The nun stirred weakly, her eyelashes fluttering before she slowly opened her eyes.
Izumi and Megumi both sighed in relief.
"Good grief, I thought you were done for.Seriously, is the Church's food budget that bad these days? How could they let such a cute nun starve like this?""Or wait—were you bullied because you're too cute?""Let me guess: someone in the Church tried to do something sketchy, you ran away, you hadn't eaten in days, and boom—collapsed on the street?"
Izumi fired off a barrage of melodramatic plotlines like a machine gun.
The nun stared blankly at him, overwhelmed. She instinctively tried to interrupt; after all, he was painting the Church as some criminal organization.
"U-Um… excuse me… sorry to interrupt but—"
Megumi immediately cut in.
"Izumi-kun. Quiet.Listen to the person you're interrogating.""And with imagination like yours, it's a miracle you haven't become a novelist."
Izumi chuckled."Sorry, sorry. I was just joking.""Anyway, Miss Nun—why did you faint? And what's your name?"
Of course Izumi already knew who she was. But the performance mattered.
It's not like he could just say:'Hi, I was looking for you specifically so you can become my team's healer and future… ehem… never mind.'Right?
With a shy, polite bow, the nun introduced herself.
"Asia Argento.I'm… the newly assigned nun at the church in Kuō Town.It's a pleasure to meet you."
She made a small prayer gesture. In that moment, Asia looked so holy she could've been a real saint.
Megumi's eyebrows lifted in genuine awe.Are you sure you're not actually a Saintess? Why do you radiate like this?
Izumi, smiling warmly, returned the greeting.
"Nice to meet you, Asia. I'm Izumi.""And this is Katō Megumi—my classmate.""Please treat us well."
Megumi bowed politely."It's nice to meet you, Asia-san."
Asia's face brightened.
"Thank you very much, Izumi-kun, Katō-san.I'm happy to meet you both."
Her stomach growled loudly.
Asia froze, turning as red as a ripe apple.
Izumi's grin widened.
"Asia, how about I treat you to dinner?Consider it a celebration for a new friendship."
Megumi's eye twitched.
…You jerk. I followed you ALL AFTERNOON, and you never said anything about treating me!But the moment a cute nun appears you immediately go: "Let me treat you~"?Suspicious. Extremely suspicious.
Megumi was seconds away from flipping a table.
The two of them didn't even notice.
Asia fidgeted shyly."U-Um… would that be okay? We only just met…"
Her face buried itself into her collar in embarrassment.
Izumi waved casually."No worries at all. Let's go.""We're friends now, right?"
Without hesitation, he gently took Asia's hand and helped her stand up, already leading her toward the park exit.
Completely forgetting Megumi.
Megumi stood there, stunned.
…So I'm just… air?You said you needed me.You said you wanted me in your party.And now look at this nonsense.Men really ARE all pigs.
She gritted her teeth, muttering dramatic internal curses.
Worst of all—
Megumi briefly thought:Do you already have a new girl and no longer need the old one?
Realizing where her mind was going, she shook her head fiercely.
I—am NOT his "old" anything!
Still, she hurried after them.
Since Izumi was paying, she wasn't about to miss a free meal.