Staring blankly at the "dead" Sora, Lala and Mikan finally snapped out of it. Lala tilted her head with a look of confusion, but Mikan was terrified.
"Ah… So-Sora-san…"
She scrambled to hold him, her eyes fixed on the blade still embedded in his chest. Her mind went completely blank.
Sora-san is dead… Sora-san is dead…
The thought rose in Mikan's mind, and she was filled with a sense of panic, as if she had lost something incredibly important…
"Don't die, please don't die…"
Tears streamed down her face uncontrollably. She couldn't imagine how he could have been killed so suddenly.
"Who are you?! Why did you hurt Sora-san?!" she demanded, turning to glare at Golden Darkness.
"He's not dead yet."
Frowning, the assassin pulled the blade from his chest, and it reverted to a strand of hair.
"Not dead… Huh?!!!"
As if she had just heard something impossible, Mikan looked down at the boy in her arms.
Sure enough, despite having been stabbed through the heart, he showed no signs of being dead. In fact, his eyes were closed, and he was blissfully nuzzling his face against her chest…
"Lala-san, did you know all along? That Sora-san was fine," Mikan asked, looking dazedly at Lala.
"Of course! Sora is the strongest in the entire universe! How could he die?" Lala replied with a nod, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.
"And Rhea-chan?"
Mikan's gaze shifted to Rhea, and only then did she realize that the silver-haired loli Valkyrie had been calmly nibbling on the last piece of taiyaki the entire time.
As for the wound on Sora's chest, aside from the rip in his clothes, there wasn't even a single drop of blood…
"So… I was the only one who acted like an idiot and thought Sora-san was dead…" Mikan muttered to herself, her face growing redder and redder…
"Ahem… Mikan-chan, I was just trying to liven things up. How could you take it so seriously?"
Opening his eyes, the great demon king knew he couldn't keep up the act. He had intended to shamelessly shift the blame onto her, but seeing the dark, sidelong glance she was giving him, a shiver went down his spine.
"Alright, Mikan-chan, it was my fault for making you worry. You can hit me or yell at me, just please be gentle," he said, closing his eyes in a gesture of surrender.
"So… ra… san!!!"
She finally exploded with a shamed and furious voice.
"Sora-san, why do you always like to tease people like this?! Do you have any idea how worried I was?!"
"You're a high school student, Sora-san! Stop acting like a child all the time!"
"Sora-san, please listen to me! And stop hiding behind Rhea-chan!"
"Sora-san…"
And so, Mikan-chan's lecture time began. When this usually gentle and lovely girl finally erupted, she was far more terrifying than any demon or monster.
Receiving this spiritual cleansing, the great demon king was filled with shame. He felt that his past self had been so naive and insignificant.
He had to turn over a new leaf, reform himself, become a new man!
"Alright, alright, that's enough, Mikan-chan."
Feeling that she had vented enough, Sora stood up and stopped her.
"I was really moved that you were so worried about me, Mikan-chan," he said with a smile, stroking her forehead.
"Hmph, of course not! Don't change the subject, Sora-san…"
Blushing, Mikan instinctively turned her head away, her voice trailing off.
"Well, if you're still angry, you can punish me however you like later. But for now, you should stand aside. We can't keep the golden-haired assassin waiting any longer," he said, handing his little pet to Mikan and turning to face Golden Darkness.
"Your name is Golden Darkness, right? The number one assassin in the universe. I've heard of you."
"Before we start, can you tell me why you want to kill me?" Sora asked, sizing her up.
"Someone said you were an unpardonable villain who deceived and stole Princess Lala, who should have been his wife. So he hired me to kill you," she replied calmly, not trying to hide anything.
"Heh… so that's it. Though I admit I'm a villain, deceiving and stealing Lala… that's a complete fabrication!"
"Lala, have I ever deceived or forced you?" he said with an expression of being wrongly accused, snapping his fingers.
"No way! Sora is the best to me!" Lala replied, playing her part as a devoted wife.
"So, Golden Darkness, you see?"
"The person who hired you is just jealous and wants me dead. He gave you false information and deceived you. Are you still going to try to kill me?" he asked, his arms crossed, a smirk on his lips.
Frowning, Golden Darkness looked at them and could tell they weren't lying. She felt a surge of anger towards the person who had dared to deceive her and give her false intel.
But she was an assassin. Even knowing he might not be the villain he was made out to be, since she had accepted the contract, she couldn't just give up halfway.
"Unfortunately, telling me this changes nothing. I am just an assassin," she said, her right hand transforming into a sharp, gleaming blade, making her decision clear.
"Hah… so it still comes to this…" Sora said, covering his forehead with a look of resignation.
"If you insist on continuing your mission, then I'll play with you. But this place is a bit inconvenient. Let's find somewhere else," he said with a shrug, no longer trying to reason with her. Ignoring the stunned passersby, he rose into the air.
A strange light flashed in her eyes. A pair of snow-white wings sprouted from her back, and she followed him.
"Sora, wait for us!" Lala said, picking up the groceries and flying after him.
"Aww… Sora-san, Lala-san…"
Mikan looked around, flustered, but she had no choice. She used the transformation bracelet he had given her to sprout a pair of black wings, picked up Rhea, and quickly followed.
"This should be far enough. Let's get started. It's getting late, and we still have to go home and cook dinner," Sora said with a smile, having stopped far from any populated areas.
This human is far too calm, she thought. Her keen instincts, honed by years on the edge of life and death, told her that this assassination might not be as easy as she had thought.
A sharp glint in her eyes, even if he was a tricky opponent, she wouldn't back down.
Without another word, her golden hair began to float and move on its own, transforming into a barrage of blades that shot towards him.
"The ability to freely transform your body into a weapon… how convenient. But—"
With a look of admiration, he easily dodged the attack and appeared above her in an instant.
"Too slow!"
With a cold, bloodthirsty smile, he held a face-sized energy blast in his hand and, without hesitation, slammed it down on her…