At some point, the torrential rain had begun to let up.
Mingyue walked back along the final stretch of her patrol route. Her weapon was already put away, and Nuomi was tucked inside her coat, with only its two ears and the tip of its tail peeking out.
There were still a few scattered spawn points left on the Observation Department's task list, but none of them were high priority; they could be left for the next patrol shift to handle.
She turned into a narrow alley she didn't usually take, intending to take a shortcut home.
The alley was tight. A string of water droplets hanging from the overhead power lines was shaken loose by her footsteps, dripping onto her already soaked shoulder.
The number of Erosion Bodies tonight was at least thirty to forty percent higher than expected.
She and Snowrealm had been clearing them out from dusk until late into the night.
Snowrealm's final burst of power had frozen almost all the standing water on the entire street into a sheet of ice.
By now, Snowrealm was probably already back home.
She was nearing the end of the alley; the main road lay just ahead.
She stopped and looked up at the night sky.
The storm clouds were beginning to part, revealing a few faint stars and one particular star that shone brighter than all the rest, hanging high in the western sky.
That star seemed to have grown even brighter recently, though it was probably just her imagination.
Despite such a heavy downpour and so many Erosion Bodies, Lightweaver hadn't shown up.
Throughout the entire night, she hadn't received a single transmission regarding Lightweaver, nor had she caught sight of those signature warm white threads of light on the battlefield.
The Wings of Freedom had also been fighting all across the city tonight; word was that the three of them had cleared out the entire old shopping district.
Where was Lightweaver tonight? Was she resting from an injury, or had she been held up by something else?
She didn't know.
Even though she knew how strong Lightweaver was—strong enough that there was no need to worry—she couldn't help but wonder.
Just as the thought crossed her mind, she suddenly sensed a ripple of Lightweaver's mana.
Mingyue could never mistake it; it had that cool, brilliant quality unique to her.
But the fluctuation was highly unstable, far weaker than when they had last met.
Was she injured? Was that why she hadn't shown up all night?
With Lightweaver's strength, ordinary Erosion Bodies shouldn't have been able to lay a finger on her...
Her body moved before her brain could even process the thought. Without even pausing to zip up her coat, she gently scooped Nuomi out of her chest pocket, placed it on her shoulder, and whispered, “Hold on tight.”
Before Nuomi could fully react, its ears only just perking up, Mingyue had already leaped off the ground.
She dashed across the rooftops, pursuing the fluctuating mana toward the main road. As she rounded the corner of an apartment building, she finally spotted her.
Lightweaver was standing beneath a streetlamp. Her posture looked much the same as usual—casual and composed.
But she was definitely injured, or at the very least, severely depleted of mana.
...
Qiluo stood in front of a vending machine, her finger hovering in the air as she wavered back and forth between red bean soup and corn chowder.
Red bean soup was sweet, while corn chowder was savory.
At a time like this, should she replenish her sugar or her salt intake? This was a serious dilemma.
She stared intently at the calorie charts of both drinks.
Whatever, I'll just buy both.
She reached into her pocket to feel for some coins, her fingertips just brushing against them.
Suddenly, a familiar ripple of mana plunged straight down from above.
If only it were an Erosion Body. Unfortunately, it wasn't.
It was something that gave her a much bigger headache than any Erosion Body.
Mingyue landed on the asphalt right next to the vending machine, kicking up a neat ring of splashes from the puddles.
“You're injured.”
Her feet had already cleared the puddles as her eyes swept over Lightweaver from head to toe, searching for wounds.
No, I'm just a bit hungry after smelling Night Sakura's instant ramen.
And since I was too embarrassed to go back and eat, I ended up here.
If I'd known, I wouldn't have lingered!
“I'm not injured. Just a bit low on mana.”
Mingyue's brow remained furrowed, leaving Qiluo with no choice but to keep spinning her yarn.
“There were too many Erosion Bodies tonight, so I went and cleared out several waves by myself. I just wanted to buy a warm drink, but I got a little tired by the time I reached this spot.”
She answered naturally, pulling her hand from her pocket and tapping the vending machine's touch screen twice.
Two cans of red bean soup and two cans of corn chowder. The machine let out a low hum as the canned drinks rolled into the retrieval slot.
She bent down and scooped out the four cans.
“Do you want some?” She pushed two of the cans toward Shizuru.
Mingyue didn't open them right away. She merely held the cans in her hands, her thumb slowly tracing the edge of the pull tabs.
Lightweaver leaned against the vending machine, popped open another can of red bean soup, and took a sip.
She looked far more relaxed than usual—so exhausted that she couldn't even be bothered to maintain her cool demeanor.
But Mingyue had seen Lightweaver after battles before.
While Lightweaver's mana would be depleted after clearing a battlefield, she had never looked this exhausted.
This wasn't the kind of exhaustion that came from clearing a few waves of Erosion Bodies. This was severe mana depletion.
What on earth had she run into to end up like this?
Mingyue looked at Lightweaver as she tilted her head back to drink, her eyes tracing her pale neck and collarbones.
She couldn't help but swallow hard.
What if I take her home right now?
The thought popped into her head without warning.
While she can barely even stand, I could force her to come back with me.
No need to carry her over my shoulder. If I tried that, she'd definitely whip me with whatever mana she has left.
First, I'd support her by the shoulders, let her lean against me, and tell her, “I don't feel safe letting you go back alone like this.”
She'd probably struggle a bit and ask if I've lost my mind, but then she'd give up because she's too weak to resist.
I'd have her sit by the space heater and hand her a dry towel to dry her hair.
I'd let her use that brand of shampoo and body wash I bought last time, and put her in my pajamas. The sleeves might be a little too long, so I could roll them up for her.
I'd let her lie in my bed and make her something hot to drink.
After drinking it, her body temperature would rise a bit, her eyelashes would droop, and she'd show that sleepy side she never usually lets me see.
I'd sit by the bedside watching her fall asleep, and once I'm sure her magic circuits are steadily recovering, I'd go sleep on the sofa.
Or maybe I wouldn't sleep on the sofa. I could just leave the sofa to Nuomi.
She'd probably glare at me when I brought her to the bed, but by that point, she wouldn't have the energy to leave anyway.
She'd sit on the edge of the bed, wary at first, before the warmth of the heater and the hot shower slowly made her eyelids heavy.
Once I was sure she was asleep, I'd tuck her nicely into the blankets.
Then, I'd slip in beside her, reaching out to pull her into my arms while she slept...
And then...
Mingyue didn't dare let her thoughts go any further.
She'd probably call me a pervert while trying to break free, but in her current state, she might not even have the strength to struggle.
The next morning, once she recovered her mana, she'd probably tie me up with her threads of light and beat me.
But that's fine. It would be totally worth it.
“What are you thinking about?” Lightweaver's voice snapped her out of her thoughts.
Mingyue snapped back to reality. She found Lightweaver looking at her sideways, her eyes reflecting the glow of the streetlamp with a hint of scrutiny.
She quickly packed up all those mental images and shoved them into the deepest recesses of her mind.
“...Nothing.” She popped open the can of corn chowder and took a sip, using the can to hide her face, which was burning starting from her earlobes.
Lightweaver trusted me enough to show her vulnerable side, so how could I think of taking advantage of her like this?
Nuomi poked its head out from her shoulder, its nose twitching in the air, its two tails swaying gently behind Shizuru's back.
It knew everything, but it chose to stay silent, silently awarding its contractor one point in its heart while docking another.
Plus one for imagination, minus one for execution.
Rate on N.U.
