Time passed quickly, and before either of them realized it, night had already fallen. Streetlights glowed a warm gold, casting long shadows across the empty Park of Encounters. It was quiet as always.
Erika was still seated on the park bench, Akira's novel open in her hands. She had already finished several volumes.
Meanwhile, Akira remained fast asleep on her lap in his white direwolf pup form, breathing softly, completely unaware of the turmoil brewing within the girl whose lap he had claimed as a pillow.
By now, Erika had read about the heroines.
The red-haired devil girl who said,
"I will always be by your side."
The black-haired devil girl who declared,
"You are the only one I consider my equal."
The cat girl who purred,
"You will always be my prey."
And not just them. There were more. Far more.
The only reason she hadn't woken up the idiot currently sleeping so peacefully was because she knew him.
And he had written his thoughts alongside those scenes.
To the red-haired devil girl's vow, he had thought, "Great, seems like I got a new friend. And she's strong too, so she's a great ally to have."
To the black-haired devil girl's declaration, he thought, "I just beat you in chess. Why are you so emotional about that? And what equal? I destroyed you."
To the cat girl's ominous line, he thought. "Why? Is it because I wanted to dissect you when I first found you? You transformed into a two-tailed cat, alright? I thought you were dead already."
Readers might think he was a dense protagonist.
But Erika knew better.
At that time, he genuinely had no romantic thoughts toward any of them.
That wasn't the problem.
The problem was the number of girls.
And none of them looked like the type to give up.
"Why is he this popular?"
And to make things worse, he was self-aware.
He had even written. "Huh. What can I say? I'm too cute. Well, hope I grow up to be cool though."
Erika's eye twitched slightly.
She slowly lowered the book and looked down at the sleeping wolf pup in her lap, narrowing her eyes.
"…Too cute, huh?"
The culprit continued sleeping peacefully.
How dare he sleep peacefully when she felt like this?
Her irritation slowly shifted into something else.
A sudden, dangerous urge.
She reached down and picked up the sleeping puppy, lifting him up to her face.
He was still sleeping soundly.
"You think you're too popular, huh?" she muttered. "See what I'll do to your cute little face."
She squished his cheeks gently between her fingers.
His face compressed.
And stretched.
But he was still asleep.
Erika narrowed her eyes. "Still sleeping, huh?"
She grabbed his tiny forelegs and made him shadow box in the air for some reason.
"What? You're too cute, huh? How many girls are you making friends with? 'Prey'? 'Equal'? 'Always by your side'? Huh?"
She wiggled his paws like he was throwing punches.
"See if I don't destroy every—"
The wolf pup gave a tiny yawn.
A soft, adorable little sound.
Erika froze.
Her eye twitched.
Looking at the cute yawn, she said, "Are you saying you look cute even when you yawn? Is that it?"
She pulled him into her chest and squeezed him tightly.
"I'll squeeze you to death. Let's see how long you keep sleeping."
But the wolf pup only made a soft, content little noise and snuggled closer into her.
More comfortable.
Erika stared down at him in disbelief.
"…How are you still asleep?"
A soft giggle echoed in her mind.
Selena's voice came telepathically, bright and amused. "Well, that's my brother. He can sleep through almost anything."
Erika froze.
Her face slowly turned red.
"…You saw that?"
"I see everything," Selena replied cheerfully. "Please don't expect privacy."
Erika sputtered internally. "You could at least pretend not to watch!"
"It's my job as the older sister to watch over my little brother and his new girlfriend's relationship," Selena said smugly. "Otherwise, how can I help if trouble arrives?"
Erika sighed. She couldn't really stop her.
"…How is he sleeping this deeply? I've never seen him like this."
"That's because you sleep early and wake up late," Selena answered calmly. "Besides, my brother hasn't slept properly for two days. He's usually like this. He'll stay awake for days when he's focused on something, then crash like he's hibernating."
Erika looked down at the peacefully sleeping wolf pup in her arms.
"…Idiot," she muttered softly.
But she still didn't let him go and hugged him tighter.
Selena's voice echoed softly in her mind.
"…What is it? Jealous?"
Erika immediately replied, "No."
A pause.
Selena's tone turned amused.
"Really?"
Erika hesitated.
"…Well. Just a little."
Selena giggled faintly.
"You know he only loves you, right?"
"I know, I know… but…" Erika's fingers brushed through the soft fur unconsciously. "There are too many of them. And I only read a few volumes."
"Not all of them like him like that," Selena said lightly. "So don't worry."
Erika narrowed her eyes slightly. "Does that mean a few of them do?"
Selena didn't answer immediately.
She sighed instead.
"Erika-chan… did you forget what we talked about back then? About my brother's future?"
Erika went silent.
Her arms tightened around the puppy a little more.
She remembered.
It was the day after she reunited with Akira. After she had passed out because she forgot to drink blood while practicing the magic Akira taught her.
After Akira left the room, Selena spoke to her.
She told her about Akira's future. His purpose. The plan she and their parents had set in motion.
"…Are you really going to go through with that plan?" Erika asked quietly.
Selena's voice softened.
"It's not something I can stop anymore. It started years ago."
She paused.
"To be honest… after my brother's emotional breakdown when he confessed to you, I realized I had been too optimistic."
Another sigh.
"But this plan started years ago. I can't just stop it." Selena continued softly. "And you know very well… once it started, there will be a lot more girls near him."
The night air felt heavier.
Erika lowered her gaze.
She didn't know what to say.
After a while, she asked, "What if Akira doesn't want to go through with it? You decided all of this without even asking him. When he finds out… he'll probably be really mad."
Selena answered honestly.
"At this point? Yes. He probably will be."
A faint pause.
"But… don't worry. I'll think of something."
Then her tone changed slightly.
"Erika-chan. I'm just saying… if you ever told my brother to stay away from other girls, he would actually do it. You know that, right?"
Erika lowered her gaze.
"I know…"
She did know.
He would listen.
He would choose her without hesitation.
And because she knew…
She couldn't ask him to shrink his world for her.
And thinking about the future, she felt uncertain.
Afraid, even.
She hugged the little puppy tighter without realizing it.
The poor wolf pup shifted slightly in his sleep, a faint struggling motion.
Erika immediately loosened her grip.
Selena said gently, "Erika-chan. It's already night. I think it's about time you go home."
Erika glanced up at the dark sky, finally noticing how late it had become.
"…Alright."
She stood up slowly, holding the sleeping wolf pup carefully in her arms.
And began walking home.
Far away, beyond the quiet park and the sleeping boy in her arms, something stirred in the dark.
In the forest behind the school, cloaked figures stood gathered beneath the shadow of ancient trees.
One of them looked toward the distant campus lights and asked quietly, "Did everyone remember the plan?"
The others nodded.
But one man shifted uneasily.
"Are we really just going to attack the barrier?" he muttered. "With our strength, we could destroy the school if we wanted to. That barrier won't stop us from entering."
The leading cloaked man turned sharply.
"You fool. Can't you see it's a trap?"
Silence fell.
"If we step inside and attack the buildings," he continued coldly, "we'll be sealed in. Slaughtered on his own ground."
The reluctant man swallowed.
"But the only real threat is the Starlight heir… He's just one person. We outnumber him."
The leader's gaze hardened beneath the hood.
"Fighting a mage in his own territory is never wise. Especially not a Starlight."
He paused.
"These are the orders. We probe the barrier. We draw him out. We measure him. And if he exceeds expectations?"
A brief pause.
"We retreat."
A faint wind moved through the trees.
The leader lifted a strange artifact from within his cloak.
"Our task is not victory," he said quietly. "It is information."
He looked at the school one last time.
"Begin."