Chapter 34: It's Normal for a Boy to be a Little Eccentric, Right?
The next morning, after a night of deep reflection, Mizuki sought out the Digimon who now stood as LadyDevimon. He found her gazing out a window, her silhouette framed by the early light.
"LadyDevimon," he began, his voice soft but clear.
She turned, her expression unreadable.
"About your form," he continued, meeting her gaze without hesitation. "From now on, I want you to stay in whichever one feels most comfortable for you."
"Eh?" LadyDevimon blinked, a flicker of confusion crossing her features.
Before her mind could spiral into overthinking, Mizuki quickly pressed on, his expression turning serious. "Actually, I owe you an apology." He took a small step forward, his sincerity plain to see.
"I'm sorry, LadyDevimon. I was too caught up in the rules and customs of the human world. I let that get in the way, and I unintentionally hurt you." He paused, gathering his thoughts. "I spent all night thinking about it, and I realized what a fool I've been. My companions... you... you're what's most important."
He bowed his head, a gesture of deep regret. "So, for keeping my distance from you, for making you feel like you had to change... I'm truly sorry."
"Mizu!?"
The sight of him bowing snapped LadyDevimon from her stupor, and a wave of panic washed over her. In a flutter of black leather and silver hair, she was instantly at his side, her own posture lowering as if to physically lift him back up.
"I didn't blame you! You really don't have to apologize!" she insisted, her voice flustered. "Actually... I have my own problems—"
A flush of shame crept up her neck as she recalled her behavior the previous night. "I was so focused on my own feelings that I completely ignored yours. I forgot that as a human, your habits and boundaries are different from ours. Thinking back on it... my head was completely filled with myself. I'm the one who really needs to apologize."
"Alright, LadyDevimon." Seeing her expression begin to crumble under the weight of her own guilt, Mizuki gently cut in, stopping her before she could fall deeper into self-reproach.
He straightened up, a small, reassuring smile gracing his lips. "It seems we both had things we needed to work on." He held out his hand, an open invitation. "Since that's the case, let's just put all of this behind us. Okay? From now on, let's just be us again, like we were before."
His heartfelt words struck a chord deep within her. Gazing into his clear, earnest eyes, LadyDevimon felt a powerful surge of emotion welling up in her chest. She nodded vigorously, her own eyes shining.
"Mm!"
"Then it's a promise," he said, his smile widening.
And just like that, with a simple, honest conversation, the small rift that had formed between the partners was completely sealed, their bond stronger than ever.
Unlike Mizuki, LadyDevimon hadn't yet fully committed the energy-providing data codes to memory. After they shared breakfast, she made her way toward the data room to continue her studies. But just as she reached the doorway, Mizuki's voice called out from behind her.
"LadyDevimon—"
"Hm?" She turned, her head tilted with a hint of curious confusion.
He was standing in a pool of sunlight that streamed through a large window, the light catching in his hair. His pink eyes, as clear and brilliant as rose quartz, held a gentle warmth. A faint, genuine smile played on his lips, a look as soft and unexpected as the first breeze of spring, and it caressed her heart.
"I like you, LadyDevimon," he said, his voice steady and unwavering. Then, softer, with an obvious sincerity that made her breath catch, he added, "I really, really like you."
For a moment, she froze, the words echoing in her mind. Then she took a deep, shuddering breath, as if gathering every ounce of courage she possessed. Her own feelings burst forth, her voice ringing through the hall.
"Me too! Mizu—I like you the most, too!" she declared. "We have to stay together forever!"
Having launched her heartfelt volley, her cheeks flushed a brilliant crimson. As if escaping the scene of the crime, she spun around and fled into the data room.
Mizuki watched her go, the faint, fond smile never leaving his face. He felt like a doting older brother watching his impossibly cute younger sister, a warmth spreading through his chest.
---
Having already memorized the complex data strings the day before, Mizuki had no need to bury himself in code like LadyDevimon. Instead, he found himself on a wide, open patch of ground just outside the factory building, holding the parasol he had acquired.
Or rather—the Holy Sword.
'It's a classic childhood fantasy, isn't it?'he mused, turning the object over in his hands.'Every little boy at some point grabs a stick, a branch, or a rolled-up newspaper and imagines themselves as a world-saving hero.'
Mizuki had been no different. But a body ravaged by illness had stolen those simple joys from him, leaving a void where a "normal" life should have been. Perhaps that was why, even now, he found himself drawn to these childish little acts—a way to retroactively fill in the missing pieces of his past.
"Is that really it?" he murmured to himself.
He clutched the parasol's handle, his gaze sweeping the desolate surroundings. After confirming there were no prying eyes, no signs of life anywhere, he took a deep breath. With a surge of theatrical energy, he raised the parasol high above his head.
"Rend the Heavens, Divine Blade of Judgment!"
He poured all of his pent-up energy into the cry, channeling his focus into the "blade" in his hand. He swung it down with ferocious intensity, a strike powerful enough to cleave worlds and shatter mountains!
But...
"..."
The only response was the whisper of a cold wind kicking up dust at his feet. The world remained stubbornly un-cloven.
After holding the dramatic finishing pose for a few seconds too long, reality came crashing back in. Mizuki quickly and awkwardly retracted the parasol, a hot flush of embarrassment creeping up his neck.
"Ahem. No one saw that, right?"
He scanned the area again, his senses on high alert. Confirming once more that he was truly alone, he let out a sigh, the mortification slowly subsiding.
"Never mind, never mind. Time to be serious," he muttered, shaking his head. "I need to actually learn how to use this thing."
Just as he was about to will the parasol back into its Holy Sword form, a flicker of movement erupted from the shadow he cast behind him. A clawed hand, wreathed in malice, shot out without a sound, aimed directly for the vital spot at the base of his neck.
But Mizuki—was not unaware.
The instant the attack launched, just as the razor-sharp claws were about to find their mark, he twisted his body with impossible speed. The attack sliced through empty air. Not only did he evade, but he used the motion to pivot, unleashing a vicious kick that connected squarely with his ambusher's torso. His body, a vessel humming with the power of raw data and the burning conviction of his Digi-Soul, erupted with incredible force.
"What?!" a shocked voice hissed.
The attacker, clearly not expecting his sure-kill strike to fail so spectacularly, had no time to defend. He took the full, unmitigated force of Mizuki's blow.
CRACK!
The impact was like a thunderclap. With that single kick, Mizuki sent the assailant flying like a broken doll, a black projectile that smashed into the wall of a nearby building with a sickening crunch of metal and concrete.
In that same instant, LadyDevimon materialized at Mizuki's side, her eyes wide with alarm. "Mizu, what happened!?"
"It's Devimon," Mizuki said, his voice grim. He had caught a flash of data, a familiar signature of corruption. "Somehow, he made it to the factory area. He was probably after Andromon."
But Devimon had obviously arrived too late, unaware that his target was long gone.
"What? Devimon, that bastard—" Hearing the name, LadyDevimon was first startled, then a white-hot fury ignited within her. It was one thing for that fiend to have attacked her in the past, but to repeatedly try and harm the single most important person in her life? It was unforgivable.
"Devimon—you deserve to die!"
Consumed by rage, she prepared to launch an attack at the crumpled heap in the distance, but Mizuki's hand on her arm stopped her.
"Calm down, LadyDevimon," he said, his voice a steady anchor. "He's already gone."
"Eh!? Gone?!"
His words doused the flames of her anger, leaving her stunned. The rage that had been boiling in her veins abruptly vanished.
"That's right. He probably hasn't fully recovered from our last battle," Mizuki explained, his eyes narrowed in thought. "From that brief exchange, I could feel his strength is only at the Champion level now." He glanced at his foot. "Taking a kick from me, which is comparable to an Ultimate's power, with no defense... even if he didn't die, he'll be feeling that for a long time."
Despite his words, Mizuki's expression showed no sign of relaxation. Devimon's cunning ambush and his rational, immediate retreat upon realizing he was outmatched—both were proof that he was an exceedingly dangerous foe.
What did it matter if his power was only at the Champion level? Mizuki would not underestimate him. The very fact that Devimon had maintained his sanity after the forced evolution into NeoDevimon was a proof of his formidable will.
As Mizuki processed the information, LadyDevimon's voice, now laced with a lingering fear, cut through his thoughts. "Mizu, what should we do next?"
Her heart, now calm, was gripped by the chilling aftermath of the attack. Even knowing Mizuki could protect himself, she couldn't bear the thought of letting him out of her sight again.
"Hmm..." Mizuki considered their options for a moment. "LadyDevimon, we need to leave."
He looked off into the distance, his strategic mind already piecing things together. "Devimon came here looking for Andromon's data to recover his strength. If we follow that logic, I'm worried about the other Ultimate-level Digimon on File Island..."
A glint of understanding flashed in LadyDevimon's eyes. "Monzaemon in Toy Town?"
"The enemy of my enemy is my friend," she finished for him, her tone sharp and focused. "I understand, Mizu." She straightened, her resolve hardening. "I've already memorized all the data codes. I can relay them to you as we travel."
Mizuki nodded, his plan set. "Now, take me to Toy Town."
"Understood!"
With the decision made, LadyDevimon's massive black wings unfurled behind her with a powerful snap. She wrapped her arms securely around Mizuki, and with a single, mighty beat, they launched into the sky, soaring at high speed toward the distant city of toys.
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