Tonight was peaceful.
The sky was almost completely clear, allowing the full moon to shine brightly above the city.
For most people, it would have been the perfect night for a relaxing walk beneath the stars.
Unfortunately—
Kazama Kaito was not most people.
Because at that exact moment, he was stuck in one of the most uncomfortable situations of his life inside Rito's house.
Yuki Residence
At that moment, Kaito was quietly watching the argument between Lala and Zastin.
"Princess Lala, please stop being stubborn," Zastin pleaded.
"I already told you that I'm not going back home!" Lala replied while crossing her arms and puffing out her cheeks. "Just tell my father that I'm fine!"
"Princess, your father specifically ordered me to bring you home by any means necessary," Zastin answered firmly.
Seeing that the discussion wasn't going anywhere, Kaito calmly stood up from his seat and walked toward the kitchen.
When he passed by Rito, he heard him muttering under his breath.
"What in the world is going on, Kaito?"
Without even stopping, Kaito replied,
"Relax. It'll probably work itself out somehow."
Rito wasn't convinced.
Not even a little.
After reaching the kitchen, Kaito grabbed a glass and filled it directly from the tap.
He wasn't really in the mood for cold water.
After finishing the drink, he leaned against the counter and watched the chaos unfolding in the living room.
Then he thought:
'Status.'
A familiar blue screen immediately appeared before his eyes.
He quickly opened the mission tab.
The first mission listed was still the one involving Kirisu-sensei.
'I probably won't be able to deal with that one for a while. School only started today.'
Then he asked:
'Kaoru, is there a time limit for completing missions?'
{ Not exactly. }
Kaoru paused before continuing.
{ But at the same time, yes. Since this world combines multiple series together, it's difficult to predict exactly when canon events will happen. If you wait too long, you might miss your opportunity. }
'I see.'
Kaito nodded slightly.
'That makes sense.'
Then he moved to the next mission.
The one that had appeared only moments ago.
And immediately—
His expression froze.
Mission: The Pink-Haired Girl — Part 2
Objective:
Prevent Lala from being taken away by Zastin tonight.
Reward:
???
Failure:
Truck-kun.
Without the isekai.
"...What?"
Kaito nearly dropped the glass.
'Kaoru, what is this?!'
{ What? }
'Why is the reward hidden while the punishment is visible?!'
Kaoru sounded completely unconcerned.
{ I never said only punishments would be randomized. Sometimes the opposite happens. }
Then she added cheerfully:
{ Look on the bright side. Knowing the punishment should motivate you to complete the mission. }
"..."
Kaito stared blankly at the screen.
'Knowing that I'll get run over by a truck if I fail is not motivating.'
He sighed deeply.
'It's terrifying.'
After closing the status screen, he returned to the living room.
'Now I just need to figure out how I'm supposed to stop Lala from being taken away.'
Unfortunately—
Things were getting worse.
"I SAID NO!!"
Lala's voice echoed through the room.
The argument was becoming increasingly heated.
Meanwhile, Mikan had completely recovered from the shock.
She was now sitting calmly on the sofa.
Patiently waiting for the discussion to end.
Mostly because she wanted to know who was going to pay for the giant hole in her wall.
"Princess Lala," Zastin said while taking a step forward, "your father has authorized me to bring you back by force if necessary."
Lala instinctively took a step backward.
'Damn it...'
She was starting to panic.
Zastin continued moving toward her.
But before he could get any closer—
A hand landed on his shoulder.
Zastin stopped.
Slowly turning around, he looked at the person standing between him and Lala.
"...Who are you?"
The person standing there was Kaito.
Kaito pointed a thumb at himself dramatically.
"I..."
He took a deep breath.
"...am simply a defender of justice."
{ That was unbelievably embarrassing. }
'I know.'
Kaito could practically feel his face burning.
Zastin stared at him.
"What exactly do you want?"
Kaito smiled.
"Tell me something first."
"...What?"
"Do you like anyone?"
"..."
"..."
The entire room fell silent.
Lala blinked.
'What is he doing?'
'Is he... trying to help me?'
Even Zastin looked confused.
However, after a moment, he answered honestly.
"I do not have time for such things."
"I suppose that's true. Being a royal guard must keep you busy."
"Exactly."
Kaito nodded thoughtfully.
Then he placed a hand on Zastin's shoulder.
"But think about it, my dear Zastin."
Zastin immediately disliked where this was going.
"What if tomorrow someone suddenly ordered you to marry an extremely ugly alien woman?"
"..."
"How would you feel?"
"Uncomfortable."
The answer came out automatically.
Kaito immediately stepped back and pointed toward Lala.
"Then you understand exactly how she feels."
He looked at Lala.
"Right?"
"Right!" Lala immediately agreed while nodding enthusiastically.
For a moment, Zastin appeared thoughtful.
Then—
His eyebrows twitched.
"Do not attempt to manipulate me with smooth words, Earthling."
He crossed his arms.
"My mission and my personal opinions are two completely different things."
His expression hardened.
"And my mission comes first."
Kaito laughed awkwardly.
"Heh..."
'Well, that didn't work.'
{ Honestly, you were doing pretty well until the end. }
'Thanks.'
"Enough talking."
Zastin took another step forward.
"I will return Princess Lala to Deviluke immediately."
'Huh.'
Kaito narrowed his eyes.
'Time for Plan B.'
{ You have a Plan B? }
Kaito grinned.
Then suddenly pointed behind Zastin.
"LOOK!"
His voice echoed through the room.
"Isn't that Lala's father behind you?!"
"Father?!"
Lala immediately looked.
"My King?!"
Zastin spun around so fast it was almost impressive.
Then he immediately dropped to one knee.
"My King! Why have you come personally?! Is it because of my delay? If so, I sincerely apologize! I was just about to retrieve Princess Lala!"
Several seconds passed.
Silence.
"...My King?"
Slowly, Zastin raised his head.
There was nobody there.
Only the destroyed wall.
And Rito's backyard.
"..."
"..."
The realization hit him instantly.
"DAMN YOU!"
He spun around.
But both Kaito and Lala had already disappeared.
"Damn it!"
Zastin immediately prepared to chase after them.
Then—
A small hand grabbed his arm.
He stopped.
Slowly turning around.
Standing there was Mikan.
Smiling.
"Before you leave..."
Her voice was gentle.
"...please pay for the wall."
"I don't have time for that, girl."
Then he looked into her eyes.
And froze.
"..."
For the first time in many years—
Zastin felt fear.
Not from a monster.
Not from a battlefield.
Not even from the King of Deviluke.
No.
The terrifying thing standing before him was a perfectly calm middle-school girl.
Yet somehow—
It felt like she was staring directly into his soul.
Mikan's smile never changed.
"Pay."
For some reason, the room suddenly felt colder.
Zastin looked left.
Then right.
Searching desperately for an escape route.
Finding none, he lowered his shoulders.
"...Understood."
His voice sounded strangely defeated.
And somewhere in the distance—
Kaito and Lala were already running away.
...
A few minutes later—
Kaito and Lala were sitting beneath a bridge that crossed over a small river.
The sound of flowing water echoed softly through the night.
Above them, the full moon illuminated the area with a gentle silver glow.
For a brief moment, the world felt peaceful.
Or at least—
As peaceful as it could be while they were technically running from a royal alien guard.
Kaito leaned against one of the bridge's concrete supports and let out a long breath.
"I don't think I've ever had to run that much in my entire life."
Lala nodded in agreement.
"Me neither."
Kaito glanced at her.
"Really? Didn't you play outside or do things like that on your planet?"
"No."
Lala shook her head.
"I usually stayed at home. My father always said it was safer."
Kaito raised an eyebrow.
"Did your planet get attacked often or something?"
"No, that's not what he meant."
Lala pointed at herself.
"You see, I've been a genius inventor ever since I was little."
She smiled proudly.
"But back then, some of my inventions occasionally failed."
"Occasionally?"
"Sometimes they caused explosions."
"..."
Kaito stared at her for several seconds.
'I think I completely understand her father's reasoning now.'
Lala continued smiling.
"But that's only because I was still a child back then!"
She proudly puffed out her chest.
"Nowadays, almost all of my inventions work perfectly!"
'Almost.'
Kaito chose not to say that part out loud.
For the safety of everyone involved.
After a brief silence, he looked toward the river.
"Well, I think we should focus on figuring out how to hide you from that Zastin guy."
"We?" Lala asked.
Kaito pointed at himself.
"Yeah, we. I'm going to help you."
Lala blinked.
For several moments, she simply looked at him.
Then her expression softened.
"Sorry."
"Hm?"
"It feels like I'm causing you a lot of trouble."
Kaito shook his head.
"Don't worry about that, Lala."
Then he scratched the back of his head awkwardly.
"Honestly, what worries me more is that I still have absolutely no idea how I'm supposed to solve this."
{ You're much better at improvising than planning ahead. }
'That's true.'
Kaito couldn't even argue with that.
He simply stared ahead with a thoughtful expression.
Meanwhile—
Lala quietly watched him.
For some reason, she found herself paying close attention to his face.
"Kaito..."
"Hm?"
"Don't you think I'm being selfish?"
Kaito answered immediately.
Without hesitation.
"No."
Lala looked surprised.
Kaito continued calmly.
"In my opinion, you have no obligation to marry someone against your will."
"But my decision is causing problems for a lot of people."
For a moment, neither of them spoke.
Then Kaito turned toward her.
His voice remained calm.
"It doesn't matter."
Lala blinked.
"Those problems belong to the people who decided to push them onto you."
The moonlight reflected in his eyes as he spoke.
"You're free, Lala."
His gaze drifted toward the night sky.
"You don't need to spend your life carrying the problems of adults."
Then he smiled slightly.
"Look at me."
Lala unconsciously focused on him.
"I'd rather live my life the way I want, too."
At that moment—
The silver moonlight seemed to fall directly upon him.
The gentle wind moved his dark hair.
The peaceful river flowed quietly behind him.
And for some reason—
The entire scene felt strangely beautiful.
Lala's eyes widened slightly.
Thump.
Her heart skipped a beat.
Thump.
Then another.
Without realizing it, she slowly placed a hand against her chest.
A strange feeling was spreading through her heart.
One she had never experienced before.
"I see..."
Kaito smiled at her.
The feeling only grew stronger.
Suddenly—
Lala jumped to her feet.
Her eyes sparkled with determination.
"I've made my decision, Kaito!"
"Hm?"
Kaito looked up at her.
Lala pointed directly at him.
"I've already decided who I'm going to marry!"
Kaito lightly clapped.
"That's great, Lala."
Then she smiled brightly.
"And that person is you!"
Kaito nodded.
"Very good, Lala."
A few seconds passed.
.
..
...
His brain finally processed what she had just said.
"...Huh?"
!!!
The color instantly drained from Kaito's face.
His mind completely short-circuited.
"Wait."
Another pause.
"WHAT?!"
"Lala looked at him curiously.
"Kaito?"
The poor boy looked as if his soul had just left his body.
And then—
A furious voice suddenly echoed beneath the bridge.
"I FINALLY FOUND YOU TWO!!"
Both Kaito and Lala froze.
At the entrance beneath the bridge stood Zastin.
The royal guard looked completely exhausted.
His armor was slightly dirty.
His breathing was heavy.
And judging from his appearance—
He had probably searched the entire city.
His eyes immediately locked onto the pair.
Especially Kaito.
Veins visibly appeared on his forehead.
"THIS TIME YOU ARE NOT GETTING AWAY!!"
The peaceful atmosphere instantly shattered.