Chapter 485: Absolutely No Unsavory Behavior During Combat
Chapter 485: Absolutely No Unsavory Behavior During Combat
“Huh? T-This… how can this be?”
Faced with the umbrella Mr. Himekoji forcefully thrust into her hands, the Lady of the Wicked Lord’s Eye couldn’t bring herself to accept it. Flustered and blushing furiously, she waved her hands repeatedly.
Because… she knew! She’d found out later!
The true nature of this umbrella!
Using it to fight? The sheer dissonance and embarrassment aside… What if it broke?
Wouldn’t Mr. Himekoji’s entire future—Rikka’s entire future—be ruined?
No! Absolutely not!
“You want to win, right?”
Mr. Himekoji stared intently at her. With an unyielding resolve that brooked no refusal, he shoved the umbrella into the Lady of the Wicked Lord’s Eye’s grasp.
“But… W-Won’t it… break?”
The Lady of the Wicked Lord’s Eye finally voiced her concern. Stammering as if the words were too shameful to say, she whispered softly.
That one question nearly shattered Mr. Himekoji’s perfectly stern expression. A flicker of awkwardness passed over his face.
“N-No, it won’t! Rest easy! Ahem!”
It shouldn’t… right?
He recalled his little guy had been enhanced by the System! Granted attributes like “Hard as Steel” and “Unbreakable.” If an ordinary guy’s gear was Lv1, he figured his should be at least Lv10.
“R-Really?”
The Lady of the Wicked Lord’s Eye responded doubtfully. As she spoke, her gaze instinctively dropped toward Mr. Himekoji’s lower half.
Instantly, worry flooded her eyes even stronger. Her face, too, flushed a deeper crimson.
Belatedly, Mr. Himekoji lowered his head to inspect himself.
Suddenly, he made a horrifying discovery…
He’d almost forgotten—ever since his Clothing Explosion at the start of the fight, he’d been stark naked this whole time!
Embarrassing!
Of course, his embarrassment wasn’t about being naked. That was practically everyday life for Mr. Himekoji. What truly shamed him was…
His little guy, suffering the dual effects of the “Clothing Explosion” backlash and the “Natural Talent Must Have Its Use” debuff, had fallen into a shameful weakness period. Now it hung limp, dispirited, and alarmingly reduced.
Where was the twenty-centimeter glory of yesteryear?
Now, it was practically the runt of the litter!
“D-Don’t get the wrong idea! D-Don’t let its current useless look fool you! It’s actually tough! Chopping down a Brave is as easy as slicing vegetables for it! Ha… haha…”
Mr. Himekoji’s pride wouldn’t let him stay silent. He spoke up, defending his little brother, trying to instill confidence in the Lady of the Wicked Lord’s Eye.
Confidence in defeating the Brave… and confidence in their future happiness…
The Lady of the Wicked Lord’s Eye hadn’t even reacted to this drivel yet, but Yukinoshita—who had just finished the first stage of vomiting—and the sharp-eared Brave hanging back in the distance were the first who couldn’t take it anymore.
The former tore off a section of her wedding gown and angrily flung it at Mr. Himekoji. The message was clear: have some shame and cover up that tiny thing immediately.
The latter just stared ahead with watery eyes, desperately waiting for his skill cooldown. The Brave was now itching to end this battle. Ever since that “naked freak” showed up, nothing about this fight had been normal.
First the morning sickness and staring contests, and now… that guy actually threatened to chop him with… that?
Cut your sister!
…
“Yukinoshita, thanks.”
The Lady of the Wicked Lord’s Eye’s grand entrance had almost overshadowed Yukinoshita’s earlier appearance. Mr. Himekoji genuinely felt bad about that.
Now, catching the discarded scrap of chiffon originally part of her dress Yukinoshita had thrown at him, he turned specifically to thank her.
Result—
“Cover yourself first! Urgh—”
Yukinoshita vomited again!
Right after glimpsing his little guy…
Mr. Himekoji’s face flushed hot. He quickly tied the chiffon around his waist, urgently hiding his embarrassing equipment.
The effect was minimal. The semi-transparent synthetic fabric left a certain small lump faintly visible underneath… Somehow, it felt even more humiliating!
Wait—that “Urgh—” from Yukinoshita just now… Surely she didn’t throw up from disgust at seeing his thing, right?
Definitely still the lingering effects of morning sickness!
Yes! That had to be it!
These things always had some inertia!
…
“Enough! Everyone, focus! I’m attacking!”
Skills cooled down. The brief respite was over. The Brave, expression stern, issued his warning.
Seriously, he was getting annoyed.
Didn’t these guys know?
During combat: No romantic talks! No relationships! Absolutely no unsavory behavior!
Act seriously!
He alone fought valiantly to pull this battle back on track. Truly, the most professional person in this fight. Bar none.
BOOOOM!
Sword energy tore through the air. Lightning crackled. The thunder roared.
The Brave raised his sword. This strike—his unreserved, decisive blow! Even the wind and clouds shifted for it!
“Mr. Himekoji, get back!”
The Lady of the Wicked Lord’s Eye shielded Mr. Himekoji. She was still holding the umbrella he had forced upon her.
Her focus sharpened.
She’d faced hundreds, thousands of such battles. Yet only now, standing before Mr. Himekoji, did nervousness and fear truly grip her.
Because this time, she was fighting with the belief they could win!
This differed entirely from her old mindset of just showing up to meet her doom.
Completely!
“C-Can… we win?”
A small, unchecked flicker of doubt slipped through her trembling lips.
“Yes! Of course we can!”
Mr. Himekoji’s voice rang out, not behind her, but right above.
Filled with certainty. Unshakeable. Warm and reassuring. Granting her strength.
Turned out he hadn’t stepped back as she asked. On the contrary, he’d stepped firmly forward.
His solid, warm chest pressed against her slender, trembling back and shoulders.
His arms wrapped around her from behind, reaching forward. Together, they gripped the umbrella handle!
“Give it your all. Don’t worry about hurting me… Cough! Don’t worry about hurting the umbrella.”
“I won’t get injured. Isn’t the power of the Evil Eye of the Wicked Lord immunity to harm? Now, I possess it too.”
As his words ended, a luminous flare bloomed in her right eye and his left.
Brighter than either had ever shone alone! More dazzling! More magnificent!
Left and right. Two eyes acting as one.
“Time to give it back. Now, let me see… just how mighty the true, complete Lady of the Wicked Lord’s Eye can be!”
Bloom upon bloom!
Mr. Himekoji’s left eye erupted like molten lava bursting from the earth’s core, blazing with ferocious fire.
He released his left hand from the umbrella. Gently, he lifted it. Resting it atop her head—just as he had countless times before—he ruffled the girl’s hair into an adorable mess.
“Go. I’ll leave the rest to you.”
The light in his left eye suddenly extinguished.
The blaze ignited in the Lady of the Wicked Lord’s Eye’s left eye instead.
…
…