"Rin, are you okay? Your face is still so hot. Should we go to the hospital?"
Kitano saw Rin's cheeks glowing so hard her black hair looked like it was steaming.
"I'm fine." Rin shook her head quickly, slapping her cheeks.
"I just got excited watching that scene. It was too spectacular!"
Ishtar yanking down Venus in the video had left Rin buzzing.
If she had that power, she could just forcefully…
Rin daydreamed, turning to Kitano with the gaze of a lust-drunk girl.
"Huh… Kitano kind of resembles the Hero King in the video. Is that my imagination?"
Not in looks, but in vibes.
If Kitano talked to her in that overbearing tone…
Hehe…
No. Impossible. Just imagination.
"Hello, 119?" Kitano muttered, unnerved by her stare.
He felt she was thinking something dangerous. Better call an ambulance—
"Ah—120 is the medical line. Sorry, I forgot."
He hung up awkwardly and redialed 120.
Rin snatched the phone, face crimson.
"I told you, I'm not sick—just…"
She couldn't say it, so she blurted with a coquettish tone:
"It's… a kind of illness that only gets better if Brother Mu comforts me!"
Steam practically puffed from her head, like a kettle whistling.
Comfort her…?
Was she implying the kind of comfort he was thinking?
Kitano wasn't sure if he was overthinking, but he knew if Rin stayed here much longer, something "readers would like" might happen.
They'd only just reunited after years, yet Rin already looked ready to throw herself at him.
This momentum was on par with that cute Underworld girl in Uruk—nearly giving herself away at first sight.
Kitano leaned closer.
"Alright. You're not sick. But it's late… aren't you going home?"
"I—I'll go soon." Rin's heart raced at his breath.
"Little Sakura misses you too. I'll bring her tomorrow, okay?"
"Sakura…"
Kitano's memories surfaced—pink hair, navy school uniform, holding an umbrella in the rain.
"Brother Mu, let me hold the umbrella for you."
"Brother Mu, how do you cook this? I want to learn."
He'd met many Sakuras in his missions, with different identities, but none matched the feeling of Sakura calling him "brother."
"Okay. I'll cook and wait for you."
Rin dashed out, red-faced.
"Rin-neechan…" Illya had been watching, jealous.
She wanted Brother to comfort her too.
Fine.
She'd give Brother a big surprise tonight.
Kitano didn't notice.
He sat on the sofa, eyes closed.
"Big brother?" Illya pounced into his arms.
"I'll rest a bit, then play with you."
He held her white-stockinged foot gently, settling her down.
"Okay…" Illya lay on his chest, bored, scrolling on her tablet.
Kitano's mind drifted back to Uruk.
The triple-mind-split affected him, but he could handle it.
He wondered if he could stop unlocking the character codex so fast.
At the border of Uruk, Kitano took over Godslayer's body and faced the goddess blocking him.
"This is the real you. I knew something was off."
Ishtar wore a cute pink top now, her right-leg armor swapped for pink knee guards.
"I didn't expect you to descend here too…" Kitano stared as if to see through her.
"Hmph. So this was why you refused to show your true body back then. I'm here now—why are you still meeting me in this body?!"
Kitano pressed his lips together.
He'd really over-joked back then. Now the real deal had chased him down.
"So you won't say? Fine. I'll find you myself. When I do, you won't be able to refuse!"
She glared into Godslayer's eyes, trying to read his soul.
"Ishtar…"
"Hmph. Save it. Just wait—when I find you…"
She was about to threaten more—
until golden ripples behind Kitano spilled out heaps of gemstones.
Every kind imaginable.
Her eyes instantly locked on them.
"No. Even gems won't work—"
She paused, then smirked mischievously.
"Wait… don't tell me your true body is weak? No way. This body can fight me to a draw."
Kitano fell silent.
To Ishtar, that silence was confirmation.
"HAHAHA! So you're a total newbie. I can't wait—now I really want to find you."
She was going to find him first, learn his real name, and make him pay for tricking her so long.
Also, she couldn't lose to her "sister."
"I'm leaving." Godslayer turned and walked away.
"Gone already…" Ishtar sighed, scooping up the gems.
Just as Kitano returned to his main body, someone else followed him.
"Come out, Eresh-chan."