"Is that all?"
Kojou asked in a calm tone as he placed the last can of cat food into the large bag already filled with metal cans. His expression showed no trace of displeasure despite the obvious weight of the bag.
"Yes, thank you for your help, Onii-san."
Kanon smiled with genuine gratitude, her wide, glimmering eyes reflecting the honesty in her words. Her soft voice carried a warm, childlike tone that made the words hit deeper than she expected.
"No need to thank me… I'm doing this simply because I want to."
Kojou replied, trying to feign indifference, yet something strange stirred deep inside him.
Just hearing that single word—"Onii-san"—made him tremble. A strange sensation, like a faint electric current, surged through his whole body. It had been so long since anyone last called him that… even Nagisa, his real sister, had stopped using it years ago. And now, here was a beautiful girl like Kanon, speaking it with such clear and innocent sincerity. It struck a chord he couldn't ignore.
He hesitated for a moment, then whispered hoarsely, avoiding her gaze:
"But… could you call me Onii-san again?"
Kanon tilted her head slightly, a faint hint of confusion appearing on her face as if she didn't quite understand the reason behind his odd request, yet her innocence didn't allow her to refuse.
"Onii-san…?"
Kojou's breath quickened for a moment as he listened to the word once more. Something inside him—a mixture of long-lost warmth and buried emptiness—began to fill again. He couldn't stop the wide smile that spread across his face, his features brightening as if he had rediscovered a piece of childhood he had lost long ago.
"Yes! Exactly… Onii-san is here. Don't ever worry, because Onii-san will help you and protect you from now on."
His words came out warmer than he had anticipated, as though his heart itself had spoken them.
The way she tilted her head, paired with her innocent voice, felt like a finishing blow. Kojou didn't even realize what he was doing until he found himself leaning closer, wrapping his arms tightly around her in a strong embrace he couldn't suppress.
Kanon froze in place, her surprised body stiff between his arms, but the warmth of the hug quickly seeped into her. Her face flushed a deep red.
Kojou then took a small step back, scratching the back of his head in embarrassment, trying to act as though it was nothing. Yet the heat still lingering in his chest from the hug didn't fade so easily.
"Ah… sorry, Kanase. I guess I got carried away for a moment."
An awkward smile tugged at his lips as he averted his eyes.
Kanon shook her head quickly, her short hair swaying gently with the motion, before looking up at him with a tender smile.
"It's fine, Onii-san… actually, I didn't mind at all. Sure, it was a little surprising, but…"
She faltered for a moment, her fingers intertwining shyly in front of her chest, before finishing in a soft, almost whisper-like voice:
"But I didn't think it was bad at all."
Her gaze flickered nervously as she looked away, but it was clear she wasn't truly upset. If anything… perhaps a small part of her felt a pang of disappointment when he let go.
From the side, Touka raised her eyebrow in surprise, her wide eyes trembling with disbelief:
"Senpai…! That's really unexpected of you. It hasn't even been an hour since you met Kanon-chan, and now you're hugging her like you've known each other forever!"
A short, sarcastic laugh escaped Nagisa's lips, but it was quickly followed by a sharp, warning tone, her sharp eyes fixing on Kojou seriously.
"Kojou-kun, I'd advise you to keep some distance… unless you want to be cursed even more than the school already curses you. Every day after class, students gather just to gossip about you and the girls around you. Don't add more fuel to the fire."
Only then did Nagisa let out a long sigh, pressing a hand to her forehead, her features carrying a mix of exhaustion and resignation.
"Really, Kojou-kun… overreacting just because she called you Onii-san?"
But while her words carried scolding, her expression revealed a different conflict. For just a moment, her heart skipped as she shyly wondered how he would react if she herself called him Onii-chan again, like she used to in their distant childhood. The mere thought made warmth creep across her cheeks, and she quickly averted her gaze so no one would notice her blush.
As for Kojou, he stood there with his usual stoic expression returning, though inside, he knew this went far beyond an innocent word or fleeting hug.
As I thought… her power seems to be resonating with the Fallen Angel within me.
He exhaled softly, sliding his hands into his pockets as he turned his face away. The reason was clear enough. From the very first moment, he had noticed that subtle pull in Kanon's eyes. It wasn't mere girlish admiration, but something deeper—an inner echo, an invisible bond.
For no matter how corrupted Lucifer was as a Fallen Angel, he was still, at his core, an Angel—one of the highest of Heaven's hierarchy. It was no surprise that a girl carrying the power of a false, incomplete angel would feel an unconscious attraction toward him. It was only natural. And Kojou didn't really mind, since Kanon was truly beautiful and wonderful, and he didn't see her as a burden at all.
But if the other party had been a man, things would've been entirely different—Kojou wouldn't hesitate to send him flying straight to the mainland with a single punch.
"Ahem! Shouldn't we get going now? We'll be late if we keep chatting here."
Kojou cleared his throat exaggeratedly as he glanced at Sayaka, who was clearly brimming with jealousy. He couldn't help but smile faintly, finding her endearingly cat-like as she clenched her teeth in envy, like a kitten whose owner had been stolen.
"Right… even though I know you're just trying to change the subject, I'll let it slide. If we don't hurry, the sun will set soon."
Naturally, it was Nagisa who spoke—she was the only one who could address Kojou in that manner.
"Well then, I'll be leaving now. I've got some business on the mainland in the next few days."
Seeing the group preparing to leave, Sayaka decided to head off first. Her flight was soon, and she needed to reach the mainland to escort an important individual arriving in Japan, whom she had been tasked to guard for the duration of their stay.
"Alright then, be careful. And don't hesitate to call me if you need help."
Kojou nodded at the beauty with brown hair and green eyes, already aware that Sayaka had been assigned to protect La Folia Rihavein, who would be arriving in Japan—or more specifically, on this island.
As for the mission, it had been entrusted to Sayaka by Erica, since the Campione World trio wouldn't be returning to the island anytime soon. They were far too busy managing and consolidating control over the Lion King Organization, which turned out to be far larger than they had initially expected. It would take time to stabilize everything, and thus they couldn't come back anytime soon.
After Sayaka's departure, the three took the train toward the residential district, getting off near a forest where a church—where Kanon had once lived—stood.
The church was damaged and ruined, but still usable to some extent. Aside from the gaping hole in the roof, the destroyed door, and scattered damage in a few places, it remained fairly functional.
The place was filled with stray cats, which Kanon seemed to have cared for over quite some time. They were clearly used to people and showed no fear or wariness.
"I'll look around a bit," Kojou said as he set the bag of cat food on the ground, his gaze drawn to a particular spot in the church that pulsed with powerful magical energy.
Kojou walked carefully over the debris until he reached a painting hanging on one of the walls, from which a great amount of sealed magical energy emanated, piquing his curiosity.
Though its magical power was nothing compared to his own—or to Natsuki's—it was still massive by any normal standard, enough to stir his interest.
"…"
Kojou's eyes glowed faintly as he focused on the mysterious painting, activating his Spiritual Sight to peer into the memories of the void and uncover the truth behind it.
Though Kojou had only used Spiritual Sight once before—in the Campione World—he was confident it would work here as well. After all, the memories of the void—or the world's memory—were something that existed in every world, a record of events that had happened, those happening now, and those yet to occur. In other words, it was a library holding the past, present, and future.
Yet, even with his power, glimpsing the future was nearly impossible. What he could easily see, however, was the past and present—especially for someone of his strength. That much, he had no trouble uncovering: the history of the painting and all the information bound to it.
...
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