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The atmosphere suddenly became... subtly awkward for some reason.
Normally speaking, even between good bros, when one asks "Did you miss me?", you'd naturally reply "Sure did!".
If you forcibly answered "Didn't think about you at all," you'd just look like some tsundere weirdo too shy to admit it.
But no matter how close friends are, jumping straight to "Every day without you, I've always been thinking of you" seemed a bit… excessive?
A certain acting Onmyōji from Kyoto fell deep into thought.
"By the way, Bokue, you probably know this already, but..."
Before Bokue could respond, the Holy Sword–wielding girl continued with flushed cheeks:
"Xenovia and I came to Japan purely because of our mission. Under normal circumstances, we wouldn't have any free time to wander around or anything. But now that all three stolen Holy Swords have been recovered…"
"You're going back tomorrow?" Bokue finished for her.
"...Yeah," Irina nodded gently. "The Church has already booked tomorrow morning's return flight for us. Unless something unexpected comes up, we have to leave by then."
"Wow, they're really squeezing every last drop out of you guys, huh...?"
Bokue couldn't help but shake his head.
Even the lowest-level combat missions handled by the Keikain clan would grant a few days' rest afterward. After all, not everyone could steamroll through missions effortlessly like him. Most people would need at least a short break to recover mentally.
Giving personnel proper rest between assignments was crucial—otherwise, constantly piling tasks would inevitably lead to burnout.
Irina sighed softly.
"It can't be helped. The Church has always had a shortage of capable fighters, and Holy Sword wielders are especially rare."
She hesitated a bit before continuing, clearly unsure how to phrase her next words.
Bokue glanced sideways.
"Something else bothering you?"
"Um… I don't really know how to put it. Should I call it an existential crisis? Or maybe a crisis of faith..."
Irina messed with her hair, becoming somewhat flustered.
"Since childhood, my father has been deeply involved with the Church. Growing up influenced by him and later moving to Europe, I joined the Church as a Holy Sword wielder. My faith was always rock-solid—at least, that's what I thought. But today, suddenly being told that God is already dead… well, it's…"
"Hard to accept?" Bokue prompted.
"Actually, not really…" Irina murmured uncertainly.
Bokue blinked slowly, confusion apparent.
Your God literally died, but you're not that bothered by it? How exactly does that qualify as a "rock-solid faith"?
Irina's face flushed brighter under his gaze.
"H-Honestly, even I'm surprised. At first, I thought I'd absolutely lose it upon hearing that. But when I finally learned the truth, my first reaction was simply 'Oh, so that's how it is.'"
"Then you're completely fine after all…" Bokue rolled his eyes in exasperation.
Judging from her earlier hesitation, he was expecting a full-blown existential breakdown—but it turned out she had already accepted reality without any difficulty.
"Well, I never said I needed comforting in the first place! I just wanted some advice from you."
"Advice about what?"
Irina's cheeks burned even hotter.
"I just… suddenly realized that maybe my faith wasn't as strong as I thought. It makes me feel like I don't really belong in the Church anymore. Now I'm hesitating a bit..."
"You don't want to go back to Europe?"
This time, Bokue fully understood her meaning.
"Maybe just a tiny bit…" Irina's voice was barely audible as she nodded shyly. "If I don't return, though the retrieved Holy Swords can still be transported back by Church personnel, I'll have to stay in Japan. I'm probably too young to find regular work right away, and I don't know Onmyōji skills either… or maybe I could join the Jujutsu Sorcerers?"
"Trust me, don't even think about it."
Bokue shot her a look. After what he'd seen at that juvenile detention center, he'd completely lost faith in the Jujutsu society's management.
Irina sighed again.
"I guess that only leaves me one last choice."
"Which is?"
"Transferring to your school, Bokue. Attending classes from eight in the morning to three in the afternoon, weekends off, spring break, summer break, winter break, field trips with everyone, and maybe every day I could even..."
Wait. Doesn't that sound kinda great?
Bokue watched the subtle shift in her expression while silently taking a bite from his burger.
"But then there's another small issue..."
"What is it this time?"
"If I leave the Church, I'll obviously have to return my Holy Sword..."
Irina glanced down at her Holy Sword disguised as a ribbon tied around her arm, gently prodding it with a finger.
"I've grown so used to having a Holy Sword by my side. Without one, I feel like I'll lose a sense of security."
"That's no big deal."
Unbothered, Bokue unwrapped another box of fries and started munching again.
"Worst case, we can just head back to Kyoto during summer break and grab a decent weapon from Akifusa. He wouldn't mind."
"Huh? Wouldn't that cause trouble for Keikain Akifusa-san?"
"I'm the current acting head. I say it's fine, so it's fine."
Pure dominance.
Hearing this, Irina pouted briefly—but a small laugh quickly followed. Then, surprisingly, her soft laughter faded into yet another gentle sigh.
Such a rapid and complex change of moods left Bokue genuinely baffled.
"Now what?"
"Nothing, nothing~" The soon-to-be former Holy Sword user forced another small smile. "It's just… the Church can be quite harsh on those who abandon their faith. I'm feeling a bit nervous about having to explain my decision to the Church representative tomorrow morning..."
"So, Bokue, could you maybe… give me a little confidence boost?"
"What kind of boost?"
"You'll see. Just close your eyes first."
"Alright."
Though he had a vague idea what was about to happen, Bokue obediently closed his eyes.
Two seconds later, a sweet fragrance drew closer, followed immediately by the soft warmth pressing against his lips.
By the time Bokue reopened his eyes, Irina had already backed away quickly, covering her mouth with one hand, face flushed red.
"O-Okay! Confidence boost successfully delivered!"
Bokue silently raised his hand, beckoning to her.
Blinking blankly, Irina hadn't even fully processed what happened—but her feet moved unconsciously, stepping forward toward him.
"Eh? What's wrong—hey!"
Before she could finish speaking, Bokue smoothly wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling her gently into his embrace.
"Nothing really. Just thought I'd help reinforce that confidence a bit more."
"W-wait! This is a public park! If someone comes by…"
"Relax. I already put up a privacy barrier earlier."
"B-But… um… mmph…"
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