(What do you think about Kamiki Mirai, Albion? Is she still hiding something or lying?)
While continuing to fly across the horizon, Azlan mentally communicated with the Heavenly Dragon within his soul.
Learning from the bitter experience with Tomaru, he would no longer easily trust strangers based solely on first impressions.
Compared to Azlan himself, Albion's experience having lived since ancient times, witnessing civilizations rise and fall, was more reliable in judging someone's character.
[I don't know whether this girl is still hiding something or not, Partner. What I know is, what she's said so far is the truth. She's not lying about her background, nor about that item. She's not a hypocritical bastard like the man you saved before, who tried to stab you in the back,]
(That's enough.)
Azlan decided to trust Albion's assessment. At least for now. He nodded slightly, an internal sign that he accepted that input.
Then, he refocused on Mirai who was looking at him with mixed feelings. Azlan then repeated his standard explanation—an explanation he was increasingly often delivering to "newcomers" like Mirai.
He explained that this was another world, a post-apocalyptic world attacked by Titans and zombies. And, for unknown reasons, sometimes people from different worlds were thrown here.
"Hard to believe, isn't it?"
Azlan observed Mirai who fell silent like stone, her face pale, her green eyes wide, as if her brain was working hard to process that unbelievable information.
"Indeed." Finally Mirai answered, her voice soft and bitter. "Anyone who hears this would question your sanity. Would consider you a mentally ill patient, or an excessive chuunibyou."
A wry smile bloomed on her lips. However, her gaze then lowered, looking down at the dead city.
"But... no matter how reluctant I am to believe, all that doesn't change the fact that things beyond common sense are right before my eyes. The giant monsters Azlan-kun calls Titans, living corpses wandering around, magical Light Orbs, and this strange world that's completely foreign... None of it can be explained with logic."
She closed her eyes briefly, sighing in a way that seemed fragile.
"From now on what should I do..."
From Azlan, Mirai knew there was no way back to her original world. At least, for now.
Despair briefly crept in, but she immediately thought of ways to survive in this danger-filled world. She was only wearing a bikini a few minutes ago, and almost died from hypothermia.
"..."
Azlan let her reflect. He saw the turmoil in Mirai's green eyes—fear, despair, then bitter acceptance, and finally... a spark of determination slowly igniting.
Several moments later, the weakness on Mirai's face seemed to harden. She looked at him directly. When she spoke again, her voice was still soft, but adorned with strong pleading intonation full of self-awareness.
"Azlan-kun, my request might sound very excessive. Even very shameless in your eyes. And I'm fully aware of that."
Mirai paused briefly, making sure Azlan was still listening.
"Let me stay by your side! I'll do anything!"
After brief reflection, Mirai understood how important it was to have strong support.
She wasn't confident living alone in a world where zombies and Titans roamed, and most importantly, she had no way to survive the extreme weather. Azlan was the only chance she had.
"Anything? Mirai, do you know the weight of the phrase 'will do anything'?"
Azlan didn't immediately accept or reject. His question was a test, to see how far the girl in his embrace understood the implications of her own words and how far Mirai was willing to compromise for her safety.
Mirai clearly understood. The red flush that suddenly burned her cheeks, neck, and ears was proof. However, her green eyes didn't look away.
"Of course perverted things aren't allowed."
She tried to maintain a firm tone though her voice trembled slightly.
"We just met. Too soon for... that. And I'm not a cheap woman."
"What I mean is cooking, washing clothes, cleaning the house, and other household activities."
Azlan just stared at her, his expression remaining neutral, giving no clue whether that explanation was enough or not. The pressure from his silent gaze felt heavy.
Under that pressure, the resistance on Mirai's face slightly faded. Her head bowed, her lower lip bitten tightly. Her voice dropped to a whisper almost lost in the wind, but still clear enough to be heard by Azlan's sharp ears.
"But... but if... if that's really the price that must be paid for Azlan-kun to be willing to protect me..."
"I... I hope you'll use protection, okay? I don't want... to get pregnant at a young age..."
Her voice grew smaller, shame and fear mixed into one.
"And... please do it gently. It would be my first time..."
"Cough! Cough!"
Azlan choked on cold air suddenly inhaled. He nearly lost balance in the air, his wings wobbling briefly before he could stabilize himself again.
He didn't expect Mirai to be bold enough to raise the stakes that far. This wasn't just about survival; this was an extreme sacrifice.
"Are you so afraid of dying that you're willing to sacrifice this much?" Azlan sounded more curious than judgmental.
"Who isn't afraid of dying?" Mirai answered, now her voice more stable, as if her decision had relieved her somewhat. "But that's not the only reason."
She gazed into the distance, toward the endless stretching gray sky.
"I want to return to my world someday. I want to tell Sekai, my parents... that I'm okay."
Mirai's greatest fear was her family continuing to search for her without news for years, shrouded in sadness and false hope. It didn't matter if she was considered dead, but she knew her family wouldn't give up finding her before seeing her corpse.
Therefore, Mirai wanted to return to her family's side, even if it meant sacrificing her virginity!
"..."
Hearing that reason, Azlan's heart softened slightly. Mirai's concern for her family, especially her younger brother Sekai, reminded him of his own younger sister who had long passed away.
Touched by Mirai's care for her family, Azlan was willing to extend his hand to help her.
"Alright. I agree. You may stay by my side. And you don't need to 'sell' your body. Just help Akane with household matters. That's more than enough."
Mirai lifted her head quickly, her green eyes wide with relief and gratitude so great it nearly made her cry.
"R-Really? Thank you! Thank you so much, Azlan-kun!"
A bright smile finally bloomed, erasing the remnants of fear and despair.
"You're really a good person."
And thus, Azlan received another good person card from Mirai. He just shook his head gently, feeling slightly tired.
"By the way, before we return to base, there's one thing I must do. I need to find chickens and bring them home. You don't mind, right?"
Mirai shook her head, still smiling. "No problem at all. Everything's up to Azlan-kun."
How could she object?
She had just gotten a life ride from the strongest person she'd ever met. There was no way she would act unreasonably.