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[POV - Rito]
Tap-tap-tap.
My footsteps echoed through the empty street as I returned from shopping, the bags swaying to the rhythm of my walk. The afternoon sun painted everything with that lazy golden hue that made even problems seem smaller. I should have been suspicious — peaceful days in my life have a shorter expiration date than milk left out of the fridge.
Swoosh.
A shadow passed over my head, too fast to be a bird, too subtle to be a plane. I looked up, but only saw blue sky mocking my paranoia.
— How strange... — I murmured, scratching my neck.
Ding-ding!
The little taiyaki shop called to me like a siren calling a sailor. The sweet, familiar smell floated in the air like a warm hug from childhood. What harm was there in buying a couple? Well, maybe three... or five.
— Take these, young man — said the old man behind the counter, wrapping the treats still warm. — Fresh from the oven!
Munch-munch.
I took a bite and... damn. It was as if every particle in my body was dancing with joy. Sometimes the simple things in life are what matter most, right?
That's when I saw her.
Silence.
The world stopped. Literally. As if someone had pressed pause on reality.
She was there, leaning against the lamppost, blonde like a ray of sunlight, black clothes that contrasted with her pale skin like snow. Golden eyes that seemed to hold secrets from distant galaxies. And that expression... empty. As if she were looking through me, through the world, through everything.
Thump-thump.
My heart beat differently. It wasn't the heartbeat I felt when I saw Lala or Haruna. It was something else. As if I were in the presence of something... dangerous. But at the same time, inexplicably sad.
— Hi — I called, approaching slowly. — You... seem lost.
She looked at me as if analyzing an interesting insect.
— Lost? — her voice came out cold as Arctic ice. — No. I'm exactly where I need to be.
Something in her tone made me swallow hard. But also... I don't know, it made me want to help. It was like seeing an abandoned kitten in the rain, except this kitten had claws that could cut steel.
— Want a taiyaki? — I offered, extending one of the pastries. — It's still warm.
For a second — just a second — I saw something pass through her eyes. Surprise? Confusion? But it disappeared so quickly I thought I had imagined it.
— Earthling food — she murmured, taking the pastry with fingers that didn't even tremble. — It's... strange.
Bite.
She took a small bite, chewed slowly, and for the first time since I saw her, something resembling expression crossed her face.
— It's not... unpleasant — she admitted, almost as if she were surprised with herself.
— It's good, right? — I smiled, relaxing a bit. — This old man makes the best in town. I always...
— Yuuki Rito.
Record scratch.
The words came out of her mouth like a death sentence. Cold. Precise. Definitive.
— How do you know my name? — I asked calmly, more curious than worried. Interesting... an intergalactic assassin. It had been a while since something like this appeared on Earth.
She didn't answer. She just finished the taiyaki with mechanical movements, as if fulfilling an obligation.
— Thank you for the food — she said, and for the first time I heard something resembling genuine emotion in her voice. — It was... kind of you.
WHOOSH!
Before I could blink, she disappeared. As if she had never been there. Only the smell of ozone remained in the air and the strange feeling that my life had just taken a dangerous turn.
Ring-ring!
My cell phone rang, pulling me from my trance.
— Rito! — Lala's cheerful voice exploded through the device. — Where are you? You're taking too long!
— Ah... I'm coming back — I replied, still observing the place where the mysterious girl had been with analytical interest. — I just met someone... intriguing.
— Intriguing how?
— Like a chess piece that appeared on the board when you weren't looking.
Step-step-step.
I started walking home, but that feeling of being watched wouldn't leave me. It was like having a shadow that moved independently of the body.
CRASH!
Something hit the asphalt right behind me, leaving a perfect crater where I had been three seconds before.
— Impressive — I commented with genuine interest, casually moving away. — Surgical precision.
I looked back and smiled. The blonde girl was there, except now... she wasn't just a girl anymore. Her right arm had transformed into a silver blade that cut through the air as if made of wind and nightmares.
— Finally — she said, and her voice carried something it didn't have before. Professional pleasure. — Now we can truly begin.
SLICE!
The blade cut through the air where my head had been a second before. I moved away with fluid movements, as if I were dancing.
— Fascinating — I murmured, dodging with ease. — Complete bodily transformation. You must be from Deviluke, or some planet with similar biotechnology.
— You are much more interesting than I expected — I commented, stopping my movement and observing the attacks with scientific curiosity. — But why don't you use your full strength? Are you testing me?
— You exist — she replied with the simplicity of someone commenting on the weather. — That is enough.
THUNK! THUNK! THUNK!
Hair projectiles — hair! — embedded in the concrete beside me. I watched fascinated as the golden strands transformed into deadly weapons.
— Impressive molecular control — I murmured, picking up one of the strands that had passed too close. — The molecular structure completely altered, but maintained neural connection. You're a living work of art.
She stopped the attack for a moment, clearly disconcerted by my reaction.
I turned a corner and...
WHAM!
I bumped into Zastin, who appeared out of nowhere like a superhero late to his own movie.
— Rito-sama! — he panted, holding me by the shoulders. — Are you alright?! I saw Golden Darkness and...
— I'm having fun — I replied with a calm smile. — It's been a while since something interesting happened around here. Do you know her work?
CLANG!
Zastin drew his sword at impressive speed to block a blade coming in our direction.
— Golden Darkness — he said with professional respect. — The legend in person.
— Ah, so you really are famous — I commented, looking at her with renewed interest. — You must be very good at what you do.
— By reputation. The most feared assassin in the galaxy.
— Interesting — I murmured, studying her with genuine curiosity. — And what exactly would my supposed offense be?
The so-called Golden Darkness observed us with that empty expression from before, but now there was something different. A cold curiosity, like a scientist studying a lab rat.
— Why don't you retaliate? — she asked, tilting her head. — They say you're a terrible demon. Where is your true form?
— Demon? — I laughed softly, finding it genuinely funny. — Who told you that? Because I'm pretty sure I never did anything to deserve that title.
WHOOSH!
Lala appeared running like a pink hurricane, stopping between us with her arms open.
— STOP THIS! — she shouted, breathing heavily. — Rito isn't any demon! He's... he's...
— Cool? — I suggested.
— GENTLE! — she completed, giving me a look that said "help here, Rito." — He's the gentlest person I've ever met!
— And apparently also the most calm— — I began, but Lala cut me off with a look.
Golden Darkness seemed... confused. As if Lala had spoken in an alien language.
— Gentle? — she repeated the word as if it were poison. — Impossible. My data indicates...
RUMBLE!
A spaceship made a triumphant entrance right in the middle of the street. I smiled. Now things were getting interesting.
The ramp descended with pomp and circumstance, and from there emerged a guy who looked like he had stepped out of a magical girl anime — only the male version with a lot more glitter.
— My dear Lala! — he exclaimed theatrically. — I came to save you from this terrible demon!
— Lacospo... — Lala growled the name like a curse word. — What the hell are you doing here?
Ding!
The penny dropped. Golden Darkness looked from Lacospo to me, from me to Lala, from Lala back to Lacospo. I saw the exact moment she understood she had been deceived. Fascinating — her expression changed from professional to personal in a matter of seconds.
— You... — she said, her voice dangerously low. — Gave me false information.
— Well... — Lacospo began sweating like cheese in the sun. — Technically...
SLASH!
A hair blade passed so close to his head it cut some strands from his topknot.
— I hate being deceived — Golden Darkness murmured.
And for the first time since I met her, she smiled.
— Now this is going to be fun — I commented, crossing my arms and settling in to watch the show.
CRASH! BOOM! ZAP!
What followed was... well, let's say Lacospo learned the hard way that hiring assassins with false information isn't a good idea. Golden Darkness turned the poor guy into a human pinball, bouncing him from wall to wall until his ship became intergalactic scrap metal.
I watched everything with scientific interest. Her precision was impressive — each blow calculated to cause maximum humiliation with minimal permanent damage. Professional.
When the dust settled, she was standing there, returning to normal as if nothing had happened.
— Mission canceled — she announced. — Dishonest client.
— So... — I said calmly, approaching her. — You're not going to try to kill me anymore?
She looked at me for a long moment, those golden eyes seeming to search my soul. Interesting. She was really trying to read me.
— I'll stay on Earth — she declared. — Until I finish the job of... analyzing you.
— Analysis, is it? — I smiled, finding the choice of words curious. — This could be... educational. For both sides.
Lala jumped and clapped her hands.
— How cool! You can stay with us! I'll call you Yami-chan!
— Yami-chan? — Golden Darkness — Yami — repeated, and I swear I saw a subtle blush on her pale cheeks.
— Yes! Because you're tiny and cute!
CUTE?!
If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, I would never have believed it. The most feared assassin in the galaxy turned red as a ripe tomato.
— I... am not cute — she murmured, looking away.
And that's when I knew our peaceful life had become history. Because when you can make Golden Darkness blush, you're no longer in normal territory.
You're in the realm of the extraordinary.
And honestly? I wouldn't trade it for anything.