Chapter 78

Ŕê​ãd́ ̀ó​n̂ ̈K̃ât̂​R̈èád̂íǹĝC̈áf̀è​

“Where could they have gone? Did they notice us and bolt?”

A boy with bronze-toned skin scoured his surroundings with a determined gaze.

He scrutinized every passerby closely, sometimes narrowing his eyes while staring off into the distance.

But was he failing to spot his target?

Sighing in exasperation, he ran a hand through his golden hair.

“…You’re embarrassing us. Stop it already. It’s getting cringeworthy to be seen with you.”

Trailing a few steps behind him, Arin shook her head in disapproval.

No wonder people were staring. Leo’s behavior was too suspicious.

He had a large build and a stern face, and he glared intensely at everyone who passed by. It was impossible not to attract attention.

“What’s the point of finding them anyway?”

“What do you think? Just to watch. It’s not like I’m causing trouble.”

“You are causing trouble.”

“Bleh! Can’t hear you. Blah-blah! Can’t hear anything.”

“Speaking of which, Anastasia! This is all your fault—so you better help us look!”

“I’d rather not. I suck at tracking.”

“I’ll buy you another ice cream!”

“Fine.”

Anastasia popped up beside Leo, eyes gleaming, holding a mostly melted soft-serve cone in her hands.

“…”

Arin silently marveled at how reckless the two were together. She felt justified in tagging along; leaving these two alone was bound to lead to a disaster.

Currently, the trio was at a public park in District 4, where the cherry blossom festival was in full swing.

This all began two days ago, with Lucia and Eugene’s planned outing.

A weekend request for time alone? That sounded like a date to Leo.

His eyes sparkled mischievously. The usually uptight, rule-following Eugene going on a date? After all that denial about their relationship? It was a golden opportunity too good to pass up. Leo decided he would secretly follow them.

Arin, however, put an immediate stop to the idea by flipping Leo over her shoulder and slamming him into the ground, quite literally.

She had a good idea of Eugene’s feelings for Lucia.

When he had nervously asked for her help arranging some alone time with Lucia, she’d gladly obliged. Now that he’d succeeded, she was proud.

And here Leo was, trying to ruin it.

No amount of scolding could dissuade him, so Arin reluctantly joined as a watchdog. Anastasia, meanwhile, had only come along as a split-body projection, since her main body was busy helping at her uncle’s store.

But when the weekend finally arrived, things took an unexpected turn.

Lucia and Eugene weren’t alone—someone else had joined them.

Leo was taken aback but decided to adjust his plans.

Following the trio wasn’t particularly difficult.

Leo was wary of Eugene’s sharp senses, but he seemed oblivious, either unusually relaxed or preoccupied.

Everything went smoothly—until Anastasia suddenly disappeared into the crowd.

Despite being a split projection, Anastasia’s childish demeanor often got the better of her.

Leo and Arin frantically searched through the crowd for their missing companion, scouring every corner of the bustling festival.

Eventually, they found her standing in front of an ice cream stand, drooling.

“Why don’t we just give up? It wasn’t even a date, was it?”

“Hey, we don’t know that! What if Eugene’s two-timing? Huh? Ever think of that?”

“He’s not the type for that.”

“Yeah, you’re probably right. That guy’s way too soft.”

Leo nodded, then furrowed his brows again.

“But then why meet as a group of three? They could’ve just invited us too! Are they avoiding us?”

“Obviously, they’re trying to be considerate of Alice. She’s shy and gets overwhelmed easily. If we all showed up in a big group, she wouldn’t enjoy the flower viewing. That’s why they kept it to themselves.”

“Shy, huh…?”

That did sound like Alice. Leo could vividly picture her clinging to Lucia’s sleeve, too timid to even look at him.

Especially since Alice seemed particularly frightened of Leo’s stern face.

“Still, she’s no pushover when it comes to fighting.”

“True. That part was a surprise.”

Alice had truly shone during the field training—transforming into someone unrecognizably fierce.

Her intensity left a lasting impression.

For a brief moment, Arin had even wondered if Alice had a twin.

“It’s like those people who act totally different when they get behind the wheel of a car. Maybe Alice is like that when she fights.”

“Haha, I actually wondered if she had split personalities. The way she flips the switch is kinda scary.”

Leo wasn’t exaggerating.

He remembered the way Alice had exuded a chilling aura during combat, eyes blazing with unshakable determination.

In those moments, she was even more intimidating than Eugene.

“Anyway, we should just call it quits. We’ve been searching for over thirty minutes. If they’re avoiding us, they’re doing a good job of it.”

“Ugh…”

“Quits? But what about my ice cream? Hmm? What about it?”

“I’ll buy you one in Leo’s stead.”

“Wow! I love you, Class Rep! I’ll gift you one of my clones later.”

“Don’t need it.”

“Meanie.”

Leo took one last look around the area.

If they had truly noticed they were being followed and decided to avoid him, finding them would be nearly impossible.

Leo was highly competitive, but he acknowledged things as they were.

Right now, Eugene was stronger than him.

Considerably so. The gap was significant.

It would be strange for someone like Eugene not to notice they were being tailed.

In truth, Leo suspected that Eugene was aware but was simply pretending not to notice.

What Leo couldn’t have guessed was that Eugene was genuinely too distracted by Lucia to even realize it.

If Eugene was serious about hiding or avoiding him, it would be difficult for Leo to track him down.

What had started as a half-hearted game of hide-and-seek, mixed with a dose of competitiveness, was reaching a dead end.

Leo sighed heavily.

“Fine, fine. I give up. Let’s call it quits.”

“Good thinking. Stop causing unnecessary trouble, and while we’re here, why don’t we enjoy the cherry blossoms ourselves?”

“Huh? I was just planning to head back. Not a fan of flowers.”

“Hah! Do you want me to punch you? Miss the ground already?”

After all the trouble he’d caused to get here, was he seriously suggesting to leave?

She hadn’t even gotten a chance to enjoy the festival because she was busy supervising these troublemakers.

Arin didn’t like wastefulness, and making a pointless trip here would be unacceptable.

Time was a precious resource, and if it was spent, there had to be some kind of payoff.

With a friendly yet threatening smile, Arin glared at Leo.

Her expression masked a hidden intensity.

Leo immediately backed down.

“Well, sure, I guess. Now that I think about it, flower viewing doesn’t sound so bad. Heading back would just mean more training anyway… Ah, haha…”

If he’d dared to refuse, he would’ve left the place with his limbs twisted.

It was baffling how such frail-looking arms could muster strength almost equal to his own.

What was it? Hidden muscles? Or was it in her bloodline?

Being the child of the Captain and the Deputy Captain must mean she was built differently.

Leo walked ahead. He decided to look on the bright side.

Yeah, days like this were necessary too.

You couldn’t just train endlessly. People needed a chance to catch their breath.

Maybe today was a good opportunity to relax and unwind.

“…Huh?”

But sometimes, when you give up your purpose, an opportunity to achieve it appears as if on cue.

Leo rubbed his eyes.

Far off in the distance, beyond what ordinary sight could discern, he spotted familiar faces.

A boy and a girl walking amidst the crowd.

That jet-black hair like the night sky and that deep ocean-colored hair—they could only belong to those two.

“Hey, I found them!”

“What?”

“Eugene and Alice. Lucia’s not there though. Where could she… wait, what the—?!”

“Hey, why are you suddenly cursing? Didn’t I warn you about using proper language?”

“Dammit!”

“Anastasia! Don’t mimic him!”

Arin pinched Anastasia’s squishy cheeks as she flailed her hands in protest.

Ignoring Anastasia’s antics, Arin turned her sharp gaze toward Leo.

But her piercing look didn’t last long.

Leo’s face had gone pale.

“…Arin.”

“What?”

“You can contact your father, right?”

“Well… yeah?”

“Do it. Right now.”

“…”

Swallowing hard, Arin followed Leo’s line of sight.

For Leo to react this strongly…

“A red fox… mask…”

There, standing amidst the crowd, was a girl.

A girl wearing a red fox mask.

The figure who had turned their field training into a nightmare.

Eugene and Alice were following the girl from a distance.

Though the space between them made it hard to discern their expressions, it was clear to anyone that they were grim.

Arin quickly grasped the situation. She pulled out her phone.

“It’s fine. My supernatural ability hasn’t gone off yet. Nothing immediate will happen.”

Arin’s supernatural ability was capable of sensing danger.

The fact that it hadn’t activated yet meant there wasn’t an immediate threat to her.

But how long that would remain true was uncertain.

With urgent hands, she dialed a number from her favorites list.

The monotonous dial tone rang. Arin tried to suppress her growing anxiety as she waited for an answer.

[Arin. I told you not to contact me during work unless it’s important.]

Fortunately, her father picked up quickly.

His voice was calm, and that alone gave Arin a bit of reassurance.

Her breath caught in her throat, making it hard to speak.

Sensing her unease through her labored breathing, Kallad’s tone grew more rigid.

[Arin, what’s going on?]

“D-Dad… it’s…”

BEEEEEEEEEP—!!!

Arin clutched her head.

The warning sound was so loud it made her temples throb.

Her ability had finally activated.

Her hands trembled as she held the phone.

Though she was used to her ability manifesting, the external noise that drowned out all else was rare and deeply unsettling.

With trembling resolve, she spoke.

“This place… it’s dangerous. Very dangerous.”

Kallad replied firmly.

[Understood. I’m on my way.]

 

Author Note

A/N (Author’s note):
Arin’s SOS request worked!

It’s not easy to contact a captain directly, but it’s a different story when the captain’s daughter is doing it.

After all, connections are important in this world!

Translator Note

T/N (Translator’s note):
So uh, does anyone remember that devils were supposed to stay passive?

Me neither, heh.