~ Support & Read 60 Advanced Chapters on Patreon
~ Bonus Chapter every 200 Powerstones!
<><><><><>
Sometimes coincidences just work out that way.
The moment Bokue had finished settling Yukina and Sayaka upstairs and arrived at the shopping center entrance below the Keystone Gate, he immediately spotted a small, familiar figure standing at the entrance.
It was none other than the nightmare girl they'd encountered on their way back from the Lion King Organization's office earlier.
After all, today was a weekday and it was broad daylight, so even Itogami Island's largest indoor commercial plaza didn't have many visitors.
Which made spotting a familiar face in the sparse crowd pretty straightforward.
Wait a second...
Bokue raised an eyebrow.
If he remembered correctly, the office was quite a distance from the Keystone Gate. To avoid random people accidentally wandering in, the Lion King Organization had deliberately located their office on Itogami Island's outskirts—basically in the "countryside."
Normally, it took about forty minutes by bus to reach the city center. If you walked the whole way, it would probably take two hours or more.
Yet Eguchi Yume had somehow ended up here with pinpoint accuracy.
Following them? Highly unlikely.
Which meant this had to be pure coincidence.
While Bokue was still puzzling over this, the nightmare girl standing at the mall entrance seemed to sense someone watching her. She turned to look, her gaze landing directly on the young man who'd also just noticed her.
"Ah! It's the big brother from this morning!"
As if her inner premonition had come true, Eguchi Yume's beautiful, youthful face lit up with a delighted smile.
Without a trace of shyness, she raised her hand and waved, then actively started running toward Bokue.
"We meet again, big brother!"
"Yeah, we do."
Bokue watched the girl bounce cheerfully up to him. That "big brother" gave him a distinct sense of déjà vu with Nagisa.
Though there were slight differences from Nagisa.
Nagisa always gave off that innocent, adorable, energetic girl vibe—well... except when he was "feeding her milk."
But this nightmare girl in front of him had a vaguely mischievous feel to her.
Hard to pin down exactly, but roughly the same energy as Iroha Isshiki from Oregairu... Hmm?
Bokue suddenly realized something.
Wait—when they'd first met at the office this morning, had she given off this impression?
She seemed... different somehow.
Whoosh~
Subtle air currents interrupted the young man's thoughts. When Bokue snapped out of his contemplation, he saw a slender black tail with a heart-shaped tip swaying back and forth right in front of him.
And the other end of that tail... led directly under the nightmare girl's pleated skirt.
"What's wrong, what's wrong? Did big brother suddenly space out?"
Eguchi Yume pressed her index finger against the corner of her mouth, leaning forward slightly as she tilted her head to look up at the young man. What should have been a cute, childish expression somehow carried a hint of seductiveness with her movements.
"...Nothing. I just feel like you're a bit different from when I saw you this morning."
Bokue pointed at the small tail still swaying constantly beside her.
"Is this like some kind of form-switching thing where your personality changes too?"
That wasn't baseless speculation.
Just like how hormonal imbalances could make someone irritable, ramping up power output would similarly make someone more aggressive. Switching forms and altering power output levels would undoubtedly affect someone's mentality and even personality.
Just like Eguchi Yume right now.
"Switching personalities? Mm... I suppose you could say that."
The nightmare girl tapped her lips thoughtfully, then suddenly smiled faintly.
"Oh right, I kept forgetting to mention—I never expected to run into big brother here. What a nice surprise! Maybe this is what people call fate?"
"Yeah, seems like quite the coincidence."
Bokue looked up and scanned the area, eventually settling on a café about twenty meters away on the same floor.
"We're not in any rush anyway. Want to grab a drink? My treat, of course."
"Sure, sure~!"
Eguchi Yume agreed without hesitation, smiling.
"Wait—does this count as big brother asking Ririu on a date?"
"I'm just buying you a drink. Nobody takes elementary schoolers on dates."
Bokue shook his head and started walking toward the café.
"Also, isn't your name Eguchi Yume? What's this 'Ririu' business?"
"Mm... don't worry about it so much. Just think of it as a nickname or something."
The nightmare girl's tail swayed lightly behind her as she followed along.
❁❁❁❁
The scene shifted—the two had already seated themselves inside the café.
Bokue ordered a chocolate sundae for himself, while getting Eguchi Yume a hot cocoa.
They sat down at a window booth. The nightmare girl held her cup with both hands, sipping the warm brown liquid through a straw while her beautiful blue-purple eyes reflected the image of the young man methodically scooping at his sundae with a spoon.
"Mm~ I never expected a grown-up like big brother would still enjoy eating sundaes. Shouldn't you act mature and order coffee, then lecture Ririu about how kids can't drink coffee while sipping it?"
"That's what you think."
Bokue shrugged.
"Besides, I'm only seventeen. There's at most a five or six-year age gap between us. What's weird about liking sundaes?"
This was a pattern Bokue had identified long ago.
First off, coffee's defining characteristic was bitterness. But if he really wanted to pursue that bitter flavor, he should just drink iced Americano straight. Yet Bokue absolutely couldn't stand iced Americano. Between that and drinks like mocha, latte, or cappuccino—which had milk and sweetness—he'd take the latter any day.
Which led to another problem.
If he was already drinking sweet, milky coffee... why not just buy bubble tea instead?
There was literally no point drinking coffee at that point.
"Oh~ I see."
The nightmare girl nodded seriously, then tilted her head.
"By the way, when we first met this morning, big brother seemed completely unaffected by Ririu's nightmare powers. Why is that?"
"Why?"
Bokue's spoon paused mid-scoop, repeating the question.
Then he gave a straightforward answer.
"Because you're too weak."
"Uwaa~ That's so mean!"
<><><><><>
~ 60 Advanced Chapters Available on Patreon
https://p-atreon.com/dragonnx
(Just remove the hyphen to access Patreon normally.)