"Ah—oh! Right…"
Goku finally snapped out of it; the scene had been a little too sweet, and he'd gotten momentarily lost in it.
In a blur he appeared in front of Mitsuha, then tugged Hibiki into his arms and pressed a kiss to her lips. Dazzling white light burst forth—wings of light unfurled from the crest at Hibiki's nape.
Hibiki let out a soft sound and immediately went limp, settling quietly against Goku's chest.
"Whew… finally safe," Mitsuha exhaled, collapsing to the ground, breath coming a little fast.
Goku glanced her way, shook his head, shrugged off his jacket, and draped it over her shoulders. "A young lady shouldn't be wearing nothing at all. That's a bit much, don't you think?"
"Th-thank you…"
Seeing the warmth in Goku's smile, Mitsuha's cheeks flushed for no reason she could name; her heartbeat quickened.
Strange… why am I reacting to him? I already have an Ashikabi…
Her eyes widened. "No—no! The bond is gone! I've been severed from my Ashikabi… I'm back to an unwinged state? What happened?!"
"What do you think happened?" Hikari said, only now piecing it together. "Your systems had stopped—Goku revived you. Wait—Goku, how can you restore a Sekirei after she's been shut down?"
"Call it one of my special abilities," Goku said with an easy smile. "Even if your functions are halted, I can wake you. So you never have to fear being separated from me."
"You can do that? Goku, you're amazing!"
Hikari and Hibiki threw themselves at him, hugging him tight.
"An Ashikabi who can even do this…" Mitsuha stared at him, then at the twins, eyes filled with envy and reluctant admiration. "To have an Ashikabi like that… how lucky."
Goku crouched before her, gently lifting her chin. "Your life is one I pulled back from the brink. From now on, everything about you belongs to me. And what's mine gets my mark."
He leaned down and kissed her.
'This heartbeat… this tremor… the resonance between Sekirei and Ashikabi… So he really is the one I was destined for. It's completely different from being forced to wing before…'
Blinding light flared again. Mitsuha's crest surfaced; wings of light spread in pure, holy radiance.
"This… this power—it's far stronger than before. Is this what it means to be winged by my true Ashikabi?"
When the glow faded, Mitsuha stared at her hands, thrilled by the strength surging through her.
"That bastard Mikogami Hayato used the Ashikabi bond to force my winging. Next time I see him, I'll teach him a lesson he won't forget!" Her eyes sharpened. "And that damned Mutsu—if not for you, I wouldn't have been captured. Next time, I'll let you taste the despair of total shutdown."
Evening was falling. With three girls nestled against him, Goku headed back toward Izumo Inn. Along the way, Hibiki and Mitsuha kept exchanging glares; they'd clearly become natural-born rivals—no surprise, given Hibiki had just sworn to "carve off" the other's assets. If not for Goku's intimidating presence, they'd probably have come to blows already.
Back at the inn, Asama Miya and the others had dinner ready and were waiting. One extra person sat at the table: a very handsome young man.
'Kagari (Homura),' Goku thought, brows twitching. The character settings for Homura always left him a little speechless—neither male nor female…
This is that legendary double-sexed case, right? And the gender can be decided by the Ashikabi…
'Yeah. Better hurry and find Sahashi Minato and hand this one over…'
"Master—sit here," Kunō said, patting the space beside her with a bright smile.
"Ashikabi?" Hikari, Hibiki, and Mitsuha exchanged a look and instantly recognized everyone's identities—everyone except Asama Miya.
"And this guy?" Goku dropped into the seat between Kunō and Akitsu, gave Homura a cool glance, and asked dryly, "No introduction?"
"He's Kagari, another tenant at Izumo Inn," Miya replied with her warm smile. Then her gaze shifted to Hikari, Hibiki, and Mitsuha. "And these ladies? Goku-san, you were only out for a short while, and you return with three remarkable beauties. Impressive."
"What could I do? It was pouring out there. They looked pitiful huddled on the street, so I… picked them up on the way back," Goku said lightly.
All three girls' brows twitched in unison. Three delicate hands snaked up from beneath the table and pinched Goku's waist hard.
Goku's face didn't so much as twitch. He kept eating and drinking as if nothing had happened.
'Please. You think I'm going to admit that trick doesn't work on me? If every girl I know tried that, I'd be living in "pleasant agony" every single day.'
Faced with a "thick-skinned" master, the three could only give up.
"Aren't you going to introduce them properly?" Miya asked, eyes gentle.
"Oh, you can introduce yourselves," Goku said around a bite.
"I'm Hikari."
"I'm Hibiki."
"I'm Mitsuha."
Names exchanged, a basic sense of familiarity settled over the table.
"As a lady, one should be more reserved," Miya said, glancing at Mitsuha's current state. "Dressed like that won't do. Come with me; I'll lend you something to wear."
At the moment Mitsuha wore only Goku's jacket; pale skin bared, she was dangerously alluring.
"No need. We bought plenty of clothes while shopping earlier," Goku replied, then looked to Kunō. "Take them in and help them change."
"Eh? Us too?" Hikari and Hibiki pointed at themselves.
"Of course. That SM look—going forward, you're only allowed to wear it for me. Ahem. Off you go—get changed."
As the four women disappeared into the inner room, Miya's eyes narrowed slightly as she glanced from Goku to Akitsu. "Five winged Sekirei already… You're certainly unusual. You may have winged more than anyone to date."
"Miya, I know I'm handsome, but staring like that is making me shy," Goku chuckled.
"Is that so?" She smiled, neither confirming nor denying.
"Goku-san really is interesting," Homura added with a faint smile.
"Homura, right?" Goku asked.
"Yes."
"If I'm not mistaken, you're also a Sekirei," Goku said, amused.
"…How did you tell?" Homura blinked, then recovered.
Goku tilted his head toward Miya. "I've got a special sense for distinguishing human and Sekirei auras. Speaking of which—Miya's power is formidable. You're the rumored No. 01, aren't you?"
Miya's eyes flashed, though her smile remained gentle. She didn't bother to deny it. "Hehe. As expected, Goku-san isn't ordinary. Still, I do hope you'll keep that a secret for me."
Homura stared at Goku in open surprise—he hadn't only seen through Homura, but Miya as well.
At the side, Akitsu's eyes widened. "She's the one from the rumors—the only Sekirei discovered already in adult form?"
Goku nodded lightly and gave Miya a calm look. "No need for the scary face. I was just making conversation."
"That's good." Her voice stayed soft, but battle-light rose in her eyes. "I'm very curious about you, Goku-san. If you don't mind… I'd like to spar."
That brief clash earlier had told her enough—he was the strongest opponent she'd ever met. Only the strong attract the strong. Why a "human" had such power no longer mattered; she simply wanted to fight him.
"If you're interested, I'm happy to oblige," Goku said with a smile. "But a match needs stakes. Without stakes, where's the fun?"
"What stakes do you propose?" Miya asked, still smiling—though her aura turned exquisitely dangerous.
"For me… there's not much I lack," Goku mused. Then, with mock sincerity: "All right. If you defeat me, I'll grant you any wish. If you lose… I'll settle for a kiss."
.
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