"So, what's your answer?"
Seeing Yuu only look at her daughter with a hint of resignation, as if prepared for this, neither panicked nor intimidated.
Though she already knew the answer in her heart, Saori still fixed him with a sharp gaze, then asked again with the corner of her lips slightly raised.
"Rather than calling it acting, this is more about forcing me to declare my stance in front of you, isn't it?"
Shifting his gaze, Yuu spoke frankly.
Saori blinked at him, smiling gracefully and magnanimously, saying calmly: "That has nothing to do with me~ I only gave a suggestion. What to say was still Haruno's decision."
"Tch, cruel old hag…" Haruno muttered, pouting.
A cold gaze swept over, though her tone remained gentle: "Haruno, what did you say?"
"Ah! Yuu-chan, help me!" Like summoning Chainsaw Man, Haruno hid behind him in fear, her voice trembling as she exclaimed, "This forty-year-old mother of two daughters wants to act young and is going to have those two bodyguards catch me for punishment~"
Speaking while laughing, such acting might not even reach a proficient level.
"Good. I wasn't planning on doing this originally…"
Her beautiful, mature face twitched as if seizing. Saori took several deep breaths, her chest beneath the kimono rising and falling, then waved her hand forcefully:
"Take her away!"
The two burly men, who had been standing by expressionlessly, immediately stepped forward upon receiving the order, striding toward the pair.
Just as they moved, Yuu shifted his gaze, looking at them with a cold expression.
Perfect-level acting, master-level speech skills, combined with emotion-channeling status—
"[Stand tall, don't move.]"
The Word Bullet was fired, hitting its target precisely.
As if commanded by a military officer, the two men's muscles tensed uncontrollably, automatically standing at attention, chests puffed out, saluting neatly but stiffly.
"Yes, sir!"
Glancing oddly at the two men, Yuu ignored them and crouched with his back to Haruno.
"Get on. I'll carry you."
"…Ah, oh."
Startled briefly, Haruno, while giving the bodyguards a strange look, wrapped her legs around Yuu's waist and her arms around his neck.
Yuu firmly held her straight, full thighs, then easily stood up.
Lifting her slightly, feeling the beautiful touch on his hands and back, he couldn't help but comment: "Didn't expect you to be so light."
"…Darling, what do you mean 'didn't expect'?"
Haruno's tone suddenly turned sweet, her soft, jade-like arms slowly tightening around his neck, as if one wrong answer would strangle him on the spot.
Yuu wasn't fazed; with her strength, it would at most cure a stiff neck.
After successfully carrying Haruno, Yuu looked at Saori, who stood frozen, glancing back and forth between him and the bodyguards in shock, and spoke again:
"Um, Aunt, I have something to say."
Snapping out of it, Saori temporarily set aside her confusion and doubt, asking puzzledly: "What?"
Yuu only gave her a shy smile.
"I'm taking your daughter away."
One of the scenes every man dreams of—taking the daughter away in front of her parents and saying that line!
After saying it, under Saori's stunned and silent gaze, Yuu whispered: "Haruno, hold on tight. I'm speeding up."
Then he started moving, sprinting swiftly into the boundless darkness of the night.
The two bodyguards snapped out of it, hurriedly breaking free from the strange force holding them, instinctively about to chase.
But before they could fully move, seeing his figure dart like he was flying, quickly vanishing into the dark, they voluntarily gave up pursuit, muttering in disbelief:
"WTF, carrying someone and running that fast? Even an Olympic sprinter isn't that good…"
"S.H.I.T, forget that insane speed—what just happened? Hypnosis?"
Not long into their discussion, they stood beside Saori, bowing respectfully: "Madam, should we pursue by car?"
"…No need, let them have their moment."
Shaking her head with an odd expression, Saori turned back to the car, ordering: "Prepare to return. And you two, explain in detail what you felt just now… There's no way retired special forces soldiers would salute in fear just from a high schooler's shout, right?"
"Of course. Madam, something strange is definitely going on here…"
The car door closed, and the black car drove silently in the opposite direction into the night's darkness.
◆━⊰✧⊱━◆
In the open air, under the sky.
On a quiet street, a man and woman embraced, enjoying each other's company under the midnight breeze.
"So-so fast… Yuu-chan, how do you do this?"
Her face flushed with excitement, her beautiful hair fluttering in the wind, Haruno couldn't help but exclaim: "How can an ordinary person be this fast? This is beyond professional level!"
"Can't you add the word 'running'!?"
With Cross-Country Running (Expert Level) and Acceleration stacked, Yuu spent five more seconds running a hundred meters, then shouted in annoyance:
"Be careful—if someone hears and reports to the police, I can't outrun a police car!"
"Liar~ I bet you could. You're my hero~"
Haruno leaned down, resting on his shoulder to avoid being thrown off by inertia, giggling as she said: "I always feel like you really know everything and can do everything!"
"That's called a god, not a hero."
After replying, Yuu sighed and began to slow down.
Both his skills and status were tied to his physical condition. After running at high speed for over a kilometer, his body was starting to protest—without quick recovery, he still had to know his limits.
Though he said that, he was thrilled to run as fast as a vehicle with just his body.
If he were more chuunibyou, he might've named this skill combo Divine Speed and mentally shouted the name while using it.
Sadly, he was long past his chuunibyou phase, so he only had a rough idea of how fast he could run.
"Tired? If you're tired, just walk."
Noticing the slowing pace, Haruno wiped the sweat from his forehead with slight concern, a few strands of her hair sticking to her neck.
Strangely, though being carried while running should've been bumpier than riding a galloping horse, she felt like she was on a human rickshaw. Aside from her body heating up slightly from friction, she felt no discomfort at all.
Though the reason wasn't clear, she knew who to thank for it…
So before getting off his back, Haruno had one more thing she wanted to say.
"Yuu-chan, thank you."
"Hm?"
Not noticing the change in her tone, Yuu, while pacing and catching his breath, asked casually: "What's up? Thanking me for playing along with your hero-rescues-princess act?"
"Though I should thank you for that too, what I want to say now is something more important."
Her hands crossed over her chest, Haruno gently rubbed her cheek against his, her voice dreamy, soft, and hazy:
"Do you know? I've always wanted to escape."
"…"
His steps halted abruptly. Yuu realized something, his mouth slightly open as if to stop her.
But seeing the pitch-black night, he fell silent, then kept walking forward.
Like this, Haruno continued pouring her heart out:
"Even though I knew I couldn't escape, I still wanted to run away from a world full of lies. I always had that fantasy."
"…"
"Lying to take responsibility, lying to fit in, lying to be liked by everyone, lying to keep existing… At some point, even my true self became unclear. I didn't know when I'd tell the truth or what feelings were genuine."
"…"
"Ah, I don't hate living like this. After all, I think people who always tell the truth are the dumbest."
"…"
"But one day, even if just for a moment…"
Her voice was soft, filled with beautiful things, like telling a fairytale.
"Is there someone who can pull me out of this air full of lies, take me away from this boring, fake real world…"
"Is there someone who can make me an ordinary girl, having an ordinary love, with romantic, beautiful dreams…"
"Is there someone who can stand in front of me, willing to protect me even if I'm this fake, like a hero I can rely on…"
"I thought like that until I met you."
Every word, every sentence, fell gently on Yuu's heart like snowflakes, turning into rain.
"Isn't that so childish? But that's me—I only realized it recently."
Haruno laughed softly, her cheeks flushed and tender, her slender arms slowly tightening, hugging Yuu tightly from behind.
In her dreamy murmurs, only pure satisfaction and happiness remained.
"So, I'm so lucky you could take me away."
"So, I'm so lucky I met you."
"Yuu-chan, these are the most honest words I've ever said in my life. You have to listen carefully, okay?"
"…"
Staring at the road ahead, Yuu fell silent.
Haruno wasn't satisfied: "Your answer?"
"Just say it—I'm listening."
"Hehehe~"
And so, like the dark night finally greeting dawn, like a downpour meeting a rainbow.
Like the sun suddenly melting the snow, the girl radiated a bright smile, leaning by his ear, saying with confidence and grace:
"I love you!!"
—At that moment, as if spring arrived with blooming flowers, the entire world brightened because of her.
The girl on his back was as light as a feather.
But her feelings were heavier than an entire summer.
Thinking for a moment, for some reason, Yuu laughed.
Gazing far into the starless, moonless night sky, he hid all his resignation and reluctance, replying softly with affection:
"Mhm, me too."
[Ding!]
[Yukinoshita Haruno wish fulfilled.]