"He even took a leave of absence from school, seriously!"
"Huh? Lord Agares?"
"Yeah!" Piquero sighed.
"Where's your usual nosy attitude? And a guest has arrived, why aren't you serving tea?"
"Oh, right."
..."Please... enjoy."
Piquero looked at the paper bag on Goemon's face opposite him.
"...What's with the paper bag on his head?"
"That... it's a temporary measure, I suppose?"
Piquero looked at Goemon when he heard that.
"Are you still worried about the Heart Rupture? Their condition has recovered, hasn't it?"
"This is a punishment... because I did something unforgivable at the time..."
During Heart Rupture, in the courtyard, Gai Bu's team.
"Teacher!" Goemon stood in front of the two first-years.
"A proper combat team, I originally wanted to go see Elisabetta's team... Even so... your team really has no cooperation at all," Teacher Momo said, looking at the team opposite him that was already fighting among themselves before even starting.
"That's why I said it's better to move around more!"
"It's much better than you stupidly walking out there."
"Who are you calling stupid?"
Goemon quickly tried to mediate.
"Tch, come with me and be the vanguard, Senior."
"You idiot, what if the balloon gets cut! We should retreat for now! Right, Senior?"
Goemon had never seen such a situation and could only frantically mediate between the two.
"They're truly a disorganized mess. If I want to make this team... even more chaotic, then I have to..." Teacher Momo directly threw a wind blade, piercing one of the balloons.
Goemon's reaction could be said to be very fast, but unfortunately, Teacher Momo might have known that Goemon's family ability was wind-based, so he added something else to his magic power, making Goemon's Wind Blade unable to directly counteract the teacher's attack.
"Cough, cough, are you two alright?" Goemon protected the two again, and as soon as he turned his head, he saw the two exchanging blows.
"I told you not to rush too far ahead! You idiot!"
"...You goddamn..."
The two immediately started wrestling.
Teacher Momo on the other side muttered to himself when he saw this.
Oh dear... "I'm really mischievous, but tests have to be like this. Next... I have to prevent those two from getting into... huh? What?" Momo saw that the color on Goemon had changed?
Teacher Momo's family ability: [Appraisal Color] allows him to visually or judge an opponent's mental state by (color), and also confirm the opponent's ability value, magic power, and family ability. The amount of information that can be confirmed is directly proportional to factors such as the magic power consumed.
At this moment, Teacher Momo saw Goemon's color change from the initial worry and haggardness to a complete black.
"Why... why did it turn out like this... I just wanted to fight cooperatively with other teams in a friendly manner... Discord... is not good... I must stop it."
Teacher Momo instantly thought of Goemon's family and immediately lowered his head, then reminded the first-years over there.
"Don't look! You two! Close your eyes quickly!" Teacher Momo reminded the two, but it was already too late. The two heard the warning and subconsciously turned their heads, just in time to see Goemon's true appearance.
"That" was born from chaos. To survive, "that" evolved... the best survival strategy of not making enemies. That is... to destroy the opponent's spirit with its "appearance." That had already transcended the realm of "ugliness." The moment it entered one's eyes, it would destroy the opponent's sanity, deeply implanting fear into their hearts. With this appearance, it didn't have an advantage in combat, nor did it cause disputes. It survived in the demon world, and everything went smoothly... except for... "loneliness." The demon god "Harpernas," who pitied its appearance, bestowed upon it "wind" and deep silver hair that could cover that form. Therefore, the appearance must not be revealed; this must always be kept in mind.
"When I woke up, I realized... what I had done."
"Are they alright? Please let me apologize to them."
"I'm sorry... that's probably not possible. You can rest assured that both of their physical conditions have stabilized, but their mental state is still unstable. Although it was only for an instant, they probably won't remember your 'form,' but if they see you, they might recall it, leading to another mental abnormality. So... you temporarily cannot meet them."
..."I... was too overconfident... After entering the demon school, I spent time with everyone in my class, and I also met many demons during the Harvest Festival. So... I thought that here, my 'appearance' wouldn't be too much of an obstacle... This way, I could achieve my ambition of making 100 friends... How difficult this ambition was for me, I should have constantly, more strictly, warned myself... But thinking about making new friends, I got carried away with excitement. In the end, I still hurt those two in my panic... Indeed, I shouldn't get close. So I won't make mistakes again! I must keep my distance from everyone! Therefore, Lord Agares..."
Goemon looked up at Piquero opposite him, only to see that Piquero had already fallen asleep.
"Huh??"
"Huh? Are you done? The story was too long, I'm hungry."
"Uh... then I'll go make something now..."
Just as Goemon was about to get up, Piquero pulled out a lunchbox from his "master" and took out a rice ball.
"Is this... is this what Lord Agares made?"
"...Mm."
Piquero looked at Goemon opposite him.
"First, eat a good meal, then get a good night's sleep, then you also need to exercise, clear your mind, and when you've calmed down, come to school, understood?"
"And then... when you can meet them, meet with the teacher and the first-years properly and apologize. I'll go with you too... If you're on the verge of losing control again, even if I have to bury you in the ground, I will stop you... I mean what I say."
Goemon opposite him heard this.
"Oh, thank you, Lord Agares. I..."
Just as Goemon was about to say something touching, Piquero interrupted him again.
"And! You! At least check your phone! Those guys keep asking me, 'He's not replying,' and 'Is he okay?' They've been bothering me... I'm so annoyed."
It was then that Goemon remembered to turn on his phone and saw everyone's caring messages... He smiled and sobbed.
"You want to distance yourself from others, but if they actively approach you, nothing changes, right? Just experience being cared for by others for once."
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