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By the time Bokue Keikain returned to Nagisa's apartment, it was already past 7 p.m.
Normally, around this time, Nagisa would have just finished dinner and be heading off to run her bath.
But when Bokue materialized in the living room, he was greeted by a surprisingly familiar sight—one that looked exactly the same as it had that morning.
Yukina Himeragi, Sayaka Kirasaka, and Natsuki Minamiya were all still seated neatly on the couch, as if nothing had changed all day. The moment Nagisa saw him, she bounced up with a huge smile and wrapped him in a tight hug.
"Welcome back, Big Bro~!"
"I'm home."
It was the kind of wholesome, over-the-top greeting you'd see in a slice-of-life anime.
After the brief exchange, Bokue turned to the three others on the couch—or rather, two of them: Sayaka and Natsuki.
"So... why are you still here?"
"...Excuse me?"
The ever-composed Gothic-lolita clad teacher raised an eyebrow. Despite her petite frame, Natsuki gave off the distinct energy of a full-grown adult who'd had just about enough.
"You ran off with that snake-playing psycho this morning, and not long after, we got reports from the Guard that every Nalakuvera unit around the port had suddenly vanished. Oh, and the port itself disappeared too. Then a little while later, it reappeared—fully repaired. Do you know how insane that sounds on a report?"
She let out a small sigh.
"So yes, I stuck around. I wanted to hear from you directly what the hell happened after you flew off with that vampire freak. Because based on the reports my subordinates handed me, I'd be justified in assuming they were all hallucinating."
"Sounds like a hassle."
Bokue clicked his tongue.
"The Nalakuvera and the Black Death remnants? All dealt with. That snake charmer, too. Dead—unless he somehow found a way to survive incineration."
"...You killed him?"
"More or less."
"...Fine."
Natsuki didn't argue further. After a beat, she gave a light nod.
"That's good enough for me. I'll just note that in the incident report and be done with it. Anyway, I should get going now. Oh, wait—one more thing."
"Hm?"
"You free tomorrow morning?"
That line alone made both Yukina and Nagisa freeze in place. The second someone asks if you're free tomorrow morning, you just know some kind of invitation is coming.
And the person asking… was Natsuki Minamiya.
"Tomorrow morning? Yeah, I should be."
"Great."
Natsuki gave a satisfied nod.
"Then swing by the Special Zone Defense HQ. After your last 'recharge session,' Astarte's energy reserves are running low again. If we wait much longer, the beast within her will start devouring her from the inside."
"Got it. I'll drop by first thing."
Bokue agreed without hesitation.
With a brief acknowledgment, Natsuki summoned a violet magic circle behind her and vanished instantly into its glow.
...So she stuck around all day just to deliver two lines?
Then again, Bokue couldn't help but wonder—maybe that was the point. Maybe she'd intentionally wasted time here just to coast through her shift and collect an easy paycheck.
…Interesting. He might've just uncovered the real secret behind government salaries.
❁❁❁❁
Meanwhile, the moment Sayaka heard Bokue mention that both the Nalakuvera and Dimitrie Vatler had been dealt with, she quietly pulled out her phone, her expression tense as she dialed a number.
Yukina noticed immediately.
"Huh? Sayaka, are you calling your Sensei?"
"Yeah…"
Sayaka's tone was notably downcast.
"I was originally sent here to monitor Vatler. Then the mission changed to tracking the Black Death remnants. But now that both are gone, I have to file my report with Sensei... Ugh, I finally get to see you again and it's already over. We've barely had a day…"
Beep.
Before Sayaka could finish sulking, the call suddenly connected.
A mature, womanly voice came through the line with crisp timing.
"What's that about 'barely a day'? Sayaka, what are you rambling about?"
"Ah—n-no! Nothing, Sensei! I was just... surprised you answered so fast!"
Her dejected tone flipped instantly into flustered panic, but Endou Yukari wasn't having it.
"Get to the point."
"Right. So... I was just calling to let you know—my mission's complete. Vatler's dead, the Black Death Faction's cleaned up."
"...It's all resolved?"
"Yes, completely."
Sayaka's gaze wandered across the room—specifically toward a certain boy currently being clung to tightly by a certain little sister.
"Though, honestly... I didn't really do anything. It was all—"
"Yeah, yeah, I get it."
Yukari cut her off before she could finish.
A pause followed.
Slightly anxious, Sayaka asked hesitantly:
"So… after this, would it be okay if I stayed a few extra days? I just wanted to spend a little more time with Yukina…"
"Come back to HQ first."
"Huh? But what about—"
"Fine, fine. I'll approve your vacation."
Yukari let out a dramatic sigh on the other end, the kind that made you feel a long-distance eye-roll even without video chat.
"But seriously, you at least need to submit your damn mission report before running off on holiday."
"O-Oh! Got it! I'll head out tomorrow morning!"
The moment she realized her hard-earned break wasn't in danger, Sayaka's spirit bounced back like a maxed-out energy meter. Her whole mood visibly brightened.
…What she didn't realize was that, back at High God Forest in Kyoto, Yukari was quietly squinting at her phone.
"They've already been together for two whole days and she's still going on about Yukina? Don't tell me she hasn't made a move yet…"
Yukari leaned back with a small groan, staring at the ceiling in mild frustration.
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