She might have imagined, in vague terms, the kinds of things Akuto could end up facing, but she had never imagined that a god this powerful would be instantly killed in his hands.
Takemikazuchi was a mighty god known throughout all of Japan. And yet a god like that had been effortlessly erased by her Akuto-oniisan?
If that was the case, then just how powerful was her Akuto-oniisan, really?
After that overwhelming terror came the numb daze of surviving disaster, along with a shock she could not put into words.
Shizuka looked at Akuto, the boy next door she had grown up with, and at that moment he seemed unbelievably unfamiliar, yet also impossibly tall and distant, as though he were wrapped in a sacred halo.
The coldness in Akuto's eyes vanished in an instant, replaced by an almost gentle trace of apology.
He walked over to Shizuka and crouched down in front of her until their eyes were level.
"I'm sorry, Shizuka. You got dragged into all of this because of me."
Akuto's voice was low and soft, full of apology and heartache for her.
That single "I'm sorry" was like a key that instantly opened the floodgate in Shizuka's heart.
She could not hold back anymore. With a wail, she threw herself into Akuto's arms, clutching tightly at the front of his shirt with both hands, burying her face against his solid chest as she cried her heart out. Her small body shook violently, as though she were trying to pour out every bit of fear and grievance inside her. In no time at all, her tears had soaked through the fabric over his chest.
Akuto did not push her away, nor did he say anything. He simply raised a broad hand and gently patted her thin back, letting her cry against him until his clothes were soaked.
Only after a long while did Shizuka's sobbing gradually quiet down into broken sniffles. She raised her swollen, tearful eyes to look at Akuto's face from up close, her voice thick with a heavy nasal whimper.
"Akuto-oniisan... am I... am I useless...? Do I only ever cause trouble for you...?"
At that, Akuto raised a hand and gently brushed the tear tracks from her cheeks with his fingertips, his touch impossibly tender.
"No, Shizuka. You were already very brave."
Looking seriously into Shizuka's green eyes, where traces of lightning still seemed to flicker, Akuto spoke with complete sincerity.
"Facing a scene like that, not breaking down, and still forcing yourself to stay standing. That's already incredible."
"As for holding me back or causing trouble, that doesn't apply at all."
Then his expression softened slightly.
"You're someone I want to protect."
Shizuka's emerald eyes widened a little. Looking into Akuto's deep gaze, she seemed to make up her mind.
"Akuto-oniisan... I... I know how much you care about me, and I believe you can protect me."
"But I don't want to be left only watching helplessly the next time something like this happens. I also don't want to become someone who holds you back."
"So starting today, can you teach me about the hidden world, and teach me how to train?"
"I know it's a little late to start learning now, but for me, as long as I'm no longer dragging you down mentally, as long as you can face every battle without having to worry about me, that'll be enough."
Shizuka's eyes were filled with longing and determination. It was the kind of courage born only after passing through overwhelming fear.
Akuto looked at her stubborn, pleading little face, and his gentle gaze gained a trace of helpless fondness and approval.
"All right. I promise."
A few seconds later, he slowly nodded.
At once, dazzling light burst into Shizuka's eyes. The joy of being acknowledged by Akuto, and of being someone he could place expectations on, scattered the last of her fear. She broke into a smile through her tears, droplets still clinging to her lashes, her expression bright as sunlight after rain.
Looking at Akuto's face so close to hers, Shizuka's heart pounded wildly, and an impulse surged up in her chest.
What was she supposed to do? She realized she was falling for Akuto-oniisan more and more.
So Kusanagi Shizuka rose onto her toes, wrapped her arms around Akuto's neck, and lightly pressed her soft lips against his.
Like a dragonfly skimming water, the kiss touched and parted in an instant.
It had only been a fleeting kiss, but because Shizuka had taken the initiative, it still carried unmistakable meaning.
"Thank you, Akuto-oniisan!"
Shizuka's cheeks turned red as a ripe apple in an instant. She quickly lowered her head, no longer daring to meet his eyes. Her little hands nervously twisted the hem of her school uniform, and even her toes, hidden inside her small leather shoes beneath her black knee socks, curled restlessly.
A trace of amusement flashed through Akuto's eyes. He said nothing about it. Instead, he crouched down again, his gaze settling on her slightly trembling left ankle.
"Did you twist it?" Akuto asked, his voice still gentle.
He reached out and lightly held her slender ankle.
"It's fine. Not serious."
As he spoke, a faint glow spread across his palm.
Shizuka only felt a warm current flow into her ankle, and the stinging pain vanished so completely it became almost impossible to notice.
Watching Akuto's focused, gentle profile, Shizuka's heart filled with sweetness and peace.
"Akuto-oniisan..."
She called to him softly, her voice carrying a hint of shy anticipation.
"Tonight... would you come to my house for dinner? I... I want to cook for you myself to thank you for saving me... and also, lately... I just happened to learn a few new dishes..."
Akuto looked up at the girl's flushed face and hopeful expression. Feeling the fine texture of the stocking over her ankle beneath his hand, he let a warm smile curve across his lips. As he continued to ease the strain in her ankle with the warmth of his palm, he nodded.
"All right."
After that, Akuto casually tossed out a Reincarnation Pool, then left the scene with Shizuka.
Just as Akuto had said, he had no interest in what would happen to the Kafuka family.
In fact, personally dealing with the Kafuka family would have been beneath him and a waste of time.
In Akuto's eyes, such trivial matters were nowhere near as important as becoming stronger.
As for the Kafuka family, the moment Akuto had Erica and Sayomiya Kaoru begin a joint investigation, their fate had already been decided.
"Purge them! Purge every family member holding the rank of formal knight or above! Purge every single person carrying the direct bloodline of the Kafuka family!"
Not long afterward, Erica, the Dragon Knight riding the Dragon King Amu, descended from the sky with experts from the Italian magical world at her side and announced the old rule in front of Kaoru.
Although Kaoru had received orders from Akuto telling her to rest a little longer, she simply could not sleep. She immediately rushed to the scene as fast as she could.
"All right. We'll handle it according to the old rules." Kaoru nodded, with no intention of changing anything Erica had decided.
In truth, Kaoru felt that Akuto allowing her to remain involved in the investigation at all was already an extraordinary act of tolerance and affection toward her.
And because she had been shown that much tolerance and favor, all she intended to do was act as a loyal executor and help Erica handle the matter properly.
Erica and the others were certainly powerful, but they were still outsiders. If they truly wanted to uproot an old great family completely, they still needed the help of local aristocratic houses like hers.
"Hm?"
Very quickly, Kaoru learned the answer.
"Revival? Akuto-kun can even do something like that?"
"That's right. Akuto-kun is exactly the kind of person who turns miracles into everyday routine." Erica jumped down from Dragon King Amu and walked straight toward Kaoru.
"Before long, Japan may be receiving several shrine maidens back. When that time comes, make sure they're properly settled and help arrange their lives after they return."
"Hm? Miss Erica, what exactly do you mean by receiving several shrine maidens back?" Kaoru raised a brow. What did she mean, receiving them back?
After Akuto had rescued those shrine maidens, Kaoru had indeed met them once.
She also knew how they had ended. Other than Mariya Yuri, all of them had died from physical collapse and exhaustion.
But from the way Erica was speaking now, it sounded as though...
Looking straight at Kaoru, Erica answered calmly.
"I mean the shrine maidens the Marquis Voban abducted several years ago. Akuto-kun has already revived them."
"They're currently in Italy, recovering and going through adaptation training. Once they've fully recovered and adjusted, they'll likely be sent back to their respective countries."
At that, Erica's expression turned a little odd.
Ordinarily, Akuto's resurrection methods were already extremely refined. People he revived did not need any adaptation training at all. They could move about freely as soon as they came back to life.
The reason recovery and adaptation were necessary now was because they had all received Akuto's Evil Pieces, and their strength had risen dramatically.
And the reason they had received Akuto's Evil Pieces was because...
They had all, quite conveniently, been arranged to attend him in bed on the same night, resulting in a rather international cultural exchange.
Even Erica had nearly lost her composure at first. But after considering how much those shrine maidens' personal connections and social positions must have changed during the years they had been gone from the world, she ended up feeling that giving them a place to belong was not necessarily a bad thing.
Besides, for Akuto, it was not enough to merely bring existing powers under his control. He also needed to build a force that belonged completely to him.
So now, those revived shrine maidens and witches were in Italy, studying politics and factional affairs while also waiting to receive Athena's guidance and blessing.
Because Athena came to see Akuto every night, she had naturally learned about those revived shrine maidens and witches as well. She had taken a strong interest in those women brought back from death and had accepted them all as her own shrine maidens too.
After completing their training, those shrine maidens would return to their respective nations, gather strength there, and build local organizations that could support Akuto's future plans.
(End of Chapter)
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