"Kurohiko.

　I hear Cecily's voice from behind me and I'm huffy.
　I was about to turn around, but before I could, a hand was put around my waist from behind.

''...Cecily-san?''
You're safe.

　Thump.
　Cecily's forehead brushed against the top of her back.

'But the way she appeared was a bit unfair.
I'm sorry, I was so absorbed in my work.
That's not fair, you know, because I don't want to get carried away.

　His tone was both sulky and a little embarrassed.

'I'll be as desperate as I can be if I'm going to be selfless and make it in time.
"...Hmmm, say that and you'll say that - without embarrassment.

　The hand around his waist was strong and strong.
　Something soft pressed against my back.

''Cecily-san, this, this is indeed too close...?''
That's the kind of thing that confuses me.
Yes?

　'Huh,' said Cecily, letting out a smile.

''I'm sorry. If I didn't do this, sometimes I wouldn't be able to see your weaknesses... and I get a little... uneasy.
Are you hurt?

　I hurriedly let go of my body and turned around.
　But there was no answer to the question I had mentioned.
　She stretched slightly and put her hand on my left temple.

"What's wrong with your left eye?

　I briefly explained the events that led up to this point.
　Mainly about encountering and fighting the Four Deadly Disasters that appeared in the school.
　After Cecily finished listening to the story, she slumped down with mixed emotions.

''You still put yourself second, as usual, don't you?
Haha... but rather, the situation forced me to do so, I guess. After all, we were up against them.
'You're in such a mess and yet you don't run away, you fight. And you always put yourself on the back burner. He's more than just a good-natured softie.

　I drop my gaze.

'It's not like I'm doing this to anyone, though.
Hmm.

　Her hands are clasped behind her back and Cecily pulls her upper body closer.
　She has a look of something implied.

''Then........it's me, right?''
Yeah.
Hmm, well, that's true--Heh?
That's why I work so hard for you, Cecily, I do.

　Cecily's expression, which had been mean-spirited, changed to one of emptiness.
　With a strange gesture, she instantly became sluggish.

''Ya, there, you see, Kurohiko, I'm just kidding, and this is usually a place to cheat or build--''

　Cecily's face turned bright red as if she could hear the sound effect of a boshuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu.
　It was like a boiled octopus.
　Her white ears are dyed vermillion to the tip, and she falls flat on her face.
　Then she loosely raises her right arm and, with a plop, slaps me on my left shoulder.

''What are you talking about........bah, idiot!

　His voice had a slight, agitated tremble to it.

'Duh, so why do you only throw it straight at things like that... is that it?　Surprise?　Did you do that on purpose?
I'm just trying to be honest with you, sir.
You're in a bind because you're being honest!

　Pouting Cecily.
　I chuckled, relieved.

'You seem to be doing okay,'

　I was worried because of what happened when he fought Hibigami, but he doesn't seem to be in shock from the battle he faced.
　I look at Gaiden, who is lying on the ground.
　By the way, is he going to be okay?

'Oh, if it's my grandfather, he's just unconscious. That guy, Masso, he wanted to do something to keep my grandfather alive. So my grandfather should be safe.......maybe.

　After saying that, Cecily-san walked over to Gaiden-san to check her condition.
　Eventually, she stood up from her bent position and gave me a thumbs up.

　Thank goodness.
　It looks like he's okay.
　I put Gaiden-san down carefully and she came running over to me.

'By the way, Kurohiko, your appearance is due to a forbidden curse, isn't it?　You still haven't solved it?

　I look once at my arms and wings.

'Creepy, right?'
'What are you talking about, you idiot? ...You'll be angry?

　Cecily put her hands on her hips and sighed one sigh.

'Or does Kurohiko think I'm the kind of person who would be creeped out by a slightly altered arm or a feathered growth?　If that's the case, I'm depressed.

　I smile and feel sorry for him.

'Right. I'm sorry, Miss Cecily was that kind of person.'

　Immediately after, I said with a joking look on my face.

'But do you actually think in your mind that it's 'annoying' or something?
Oh, I don't think so!　

　Ms. Cecily asked upwardly after awkwardly averting her gaze.

Hey, do you mind if I do?
'Ha, just kidding. I'm sorry for rehashing it.
Well he's a bit of a tease.

　A resentful look is given.

''Wow, I'm sorry. I think I've said it before, but to be honest, Cecily is the only person who can make this type of light-hearted remark.......I couldn't help but blurt it out.
Am I special to you, Blackie?
You were special right from the start, though.
Hmmm....

　He had a look of being somewhat of a joke.
　It's a good thing that you're able to show off your stunning beauty and uncommon swordsmanship from the moment you first meet her.
　That's special.
　Cecily-san cowered her shoulders in some kind of satisfaction.

I'm not going to dislike you for that kind of thing, no matter who else is giving me the creeps.

　Hmph, Cecily-san gives you a look of pride.

''If you'd like, you can lick that arm right here and now.
I understand what you're doing, but what's the point of licking it, it's not good for the pictures, either.
Is that so?
Yes, sir.

　He nodded strongly.

'No one's looking at you?'
...No, I'm not talking about that.

　Then Cecily-san changed her expression and gently touched my left arm.

''Well I asked you earlier if you were going to untie that figure.

　Cecily crawls on my arm with the belly of her aligned fingers.
　Even with this arm, I can clearly feel her fingers.

'When I saw Kurohiko in that form, it looked like he was pushing himself too hard. So I just went on.

　'You're a keen man,' I thought.

'It'll be fine. No matter what happens, I'm not going to die.
........I see. Then it's fine.

　At least it wasn't time to take that risk yet.
　I sheath my sword.
　Then I turn my head towards the castle.

'I'm going to go and find Currier-san now.

　Yes, it's not over yet.
　There are four of us.
　Two for me.
　Two for me and one for Hibigami.
　That means there's one person left to go.
　The seeds of danger have not yet been removed from this royal city.

　Cecily-san went to pick up the twin swords and picked them up.

''Currier was called to the castle today, right? Will you continue on to Castle Renowthred?
'But first, I thought we'd go through the north gate once and then head for the castle.

　I told Cecily-san that I and Curie-san had been requested by the Holy Tree Knights to lend our strength.
　However, by the time the members of the group in charge of communicating to Currier-san who was in the castle had arrived, there was a high possibility that the siege of the Knights of the North Gate had already been breached.
　The news of the breakthrough of the North Gate of the Four Deadly Disasters should have been the first thing to be delivered to the castle where the king was.
　If that was the case, there was a high probability that Currier-san learned of the news before she headed to the north gate.
　So whether she headed to the north gate alone or not is a delicate question.

　But there is also the possibility of a contingency.
　I'll take a look at the north gate, just in case.
　If you can fly, it won't take much time.

　And I'm sure Currier-san will be fine.
　She's someone who tries to find the best solution in a resourceful manner, and above all, she's terribly strong.

　I spread my wings.

'What do you want to do, Miss Cecily?
Well, I suppose--

　Cecily replied as she tucked her sword into its scabbard.

I would like to join up with my mother and Zeke and the others, but if I am the target of the Four Deadly Sins, as Masso said, it would put my mother and the others in danger. After moving grandfather to a nearby house, I would like to move and hide in a separate building from him.

　She seems to know that the purpose of the Four Deadly Disasters was Cecily Arkwright.
　She must have heard about it from that man, Masso.
　Cecily shook her head loosely, with a smile on her face.

'It's not that we can't fight at all, but in this state, we could be slowed down. If we move around poorly and the remaining four deadly disasters find us and take us prisoner, that would be a liability.
As for me, I'd feel safer if Cecily-san came with me, to be honest.
What?
"If the purpose of the Four Deadly Disasters is Cecily-san, I personally would feel more comfortable if she was with me... and I think I can fly with Cecily-san alone right now.
But I'll only slow you down if I stay.
And even if they did,

　I look at Masso's body.

'I'm confident that I can protect him, even if there's someone beside him to protect.

　Now that Beshgam's words had turned out to be true, they would have more than enough chances to win against the other four deadly disasters in this state.
　In fact, even while protecting Cecily-san and Gaiden-san, they were able to overwhelm the Four Deadly Disasters called Masso.
　In that case, I would personally feel more comfortable working with Cecily-san.
　When I explained this to him, Cecily, perhaps because of her experience with Masso earlier, agreed with me quite easily.
　So.

So, are you ready to go?
Are you okay?　Do you feel like you're feeling a little tense?
He's okay. He's going to be okay, he should be.

　After placing Miss Gaiden on a bed in a nearby house, I picked up Cecily with both hands.
　And now I was holding Cecily in my so-called princess's arms.
　It's just that ... our bodies are as close to each other as possible.
　Cecily-san's face, with her hands around my neck and holding onto me, was also unusually close.
　In contrast to my body, which is getting stronger, various parts of Cecily's body are very soft.

This is the wrong choice.
'What?　What is it?
Miss Cecily.
Yes?
'Hold on tightly so you don't fall off, but don't get too attached.
That's a pretty absurd request, isn't it?
I'm going to go.
''Wait, Kurohiko, how much force do I need to grab...................Oh my God!　This is not working!　I'll hang on to you!　I'm going to hold on to it quite firmly, you know!

　Minami Mu San.
　It's an urgent matter.
　We'll just have to be patient here.
　Cecily-san looks up at me with a worried look of concern.

Kurohiko, are you in pain?
It's kind of distressing,
Well I think it's pretty much there.
No, that's not what I meant!

　Cecily, you're still not looking well.........

So let's pull yourself together and go, shall we?
Yes, sir!　Please don't let it happen!

　Cecily-san tightens her expression and squeezes in close.
　From the way she looked earlier, she might be a little scared.
　.........Well, it doesn't matter anymore.
　Right now, my priority is to meet Currier-san.
　That's right.
　This is not the time to be embarrassed.
　Having given up on the idea, I put all my strength into the hand I have around Cecily-san's waist, and I'm going to the sky--　

You're happy. That's good news.
What?

　The voice came from me and Miss Cecily at the same time.
　I looked.

Kyu, Mr. Currier?

　Currier, on horseback, was there.

　She was on the horse, looking at us with a somewhat sullen look on her face.
　She was wearing a white dress.
　It must have been prepared for the trip to the castle.
　The dress, which may have been very glittering in the past, was torn and dirty in many places.
　Among the dirt, there was also the red of blood mixed in.
　There were also faint scars of injury on its body.
　Yes.
　It was as if he had just finished a fierce battle--

So what are you guys doing hugging each other?
Uh--

　Me and Miss Cecily looked at each other, up close and personal.
　Me, almost attached to her and still holding her in my arms, and Cecily-san, who clings to me firmly.
　This........could be misunderstood.

''No, it's not, Currier-san!　This isn't like we were flirting or anything........!
'Yes, that's right!　It's not that I didn't want to flirt with you, but... but as expected of me, I know how serious the situation is now!
'What?　It's not like it wasn't there!　You were thinking about that, Cecily!
What do you think for a second?　Of course, I just thought of it!　We're not executing it, you know!
That's enough.

　Miss Currier sighed loudly.

'I know. I know you're not the kind of people who would do something like that at a time like this. I was just kidding. So--

　Currier's expression became sharp.

'What's wrong with that left eye?　What happened?

　I set Cecily-san down on the ground and ran over to Currier-san and explained the circumstances (and why I was holding Cecily-san in my arms).
　After listening to the explanation, Curie-san nodded one to me, "I see.

''You mean he was the one who had to go so far,''
In hindsight, I honestly feel like it was a miracle that we were able to win.

　Currier-san looked at me with a face that was difficult to read emotionally for a while.
　Then he breathed with a hint of resignation.

If you're convinced of your actions, I won't interrupt you. I'm sure there are many people who were saved by your actions. Just ... take care of yourself a little bit, if you can.

　Miss Currier glanced at Cecily.

'It's not your own body anymore.
Mr. Currier.

　Why do you sound like a husband to a pregnant wife?
　Well, anyway.

What happened to you, Mr. Currier?　The dress looks amazing, though.

　I asked, and this time Mr. Currier explained what had happened to me.

'What?　So you're saying that all the Four Deadly Disasters have already been defeated?
Well, that makes sense in light of what you're telling me.
So the Four Deadly Sins are behind us now.

　I felt the strength leave my body.
　The weakness that comes from relief.
　That's good.
　From what I've heard, it seems that Ira-san, who was at the castle, is also safe.
　It seems that Currier-san fought with Rokia, who appeared to protect him from the Four Deadly Disasters known as Zemeckis, and was heading back to the school to join me.

I'm sure you'll be able to see something like a flying human being in the distance. I'm sure it's just like you for some reason.

　And he said that he followed them with his horse to make sure.

'I didn't recognize Mr. Currier,'
I was moving around with caution. And you went down to the ground right after I found you. You were too far away to notice me.

　Just about the time I found Miss Cecily, Miss Currier must have found me.
　My mind was so occupied with saving Miss Cecily that I couldn't pay attention to my surroundings after I saw her.

　Currier-san put her hands behind her neck and pulled me closer to her and pressed her forehead against mine.
　............
　I was a bit startled because he suddenly pulled my face closer to him.

'You did your best, Kurohiko. In this short period of time, you've become really strong.''

　Mr. Currier let go of my forehead.
　I said, a little embarrassed.

''It's still nice to have a compliment from Currier-san.

　Currier nodded his head yes, as if he was impressed.

'You're not like Rokia after all, are you?

　With a question mark at my side, Curie-san turns to Cecily.

'Cecily, I'm relieved that you seem to be okay for now, too.
'I couldn't be doing this without you and Kurohiko. I would like to thank you both again. .... only this time I felt the distance between the two of you even more acutely.

　Cecily smiles bitterly.

'I'll do my best not to be left behind,'
If you're up for it, I'll give you a lesson every time.
Thank you, Dr. Currier.
I don't need a teacher.
Master?
Dismissed.
Hey, sis.
Hey.
I was just kidding.
f*ck.

　Smiling at their interaction, I look at the casual street.
　I hope Zeke, Hyrgis-san and the others are safe.......
　Well, if the threat of the Four Deadly Disasters has disappeared, then even if we break the ban already--

　It was then.
　Currier-san took a stance and put his hand on the hilt of the sword at his waist.

'What are you doing here?'
I've been hunting for the Four Deadly Sins as a matter of course.

　Cecily and I followed her gaze.
　It was Hibigami who emerged from the shadows of the alleyway.
　Hibigami looked sullenly at Masso's body.

''Looks like that one was already hunted. But the man who died in the school was fascinating to me but the rest of them were unexpectedly disappointing?
Cracks and bumps.

　Cecily muttered flatly.

'Hmm?　Ah, Cecily Arkwright.

　Hibigami observes Cecily.

''But it looks like it wasn't a victory. He seems to have grown up to a certain extent, but well, he promised not to touch himself and Currier in any case. You can rest assured of that. You will not have to go through any more pain and suffering as long as you stay out of my way.
Shhh....

　Miss Currier says to Cecily, who bites her lip.

'Never mind him. He's a sad man who only measures people by their strength in battle.
I'm not sure if that's the right way to look at it. I'm not going to be able to tell you what to do, but I'm going to say that I'm not going to be able to tell you what to do, and I'm going to say that I'm not going to be able to tell you what to do. The viewer may see me as a sad human being. But it's not as crushing as some glasswork.
Aren't you being a little hard on Cecily, though?
'Never mind. Just think of it as a cheap provocation from a narrow-minded man.
Poo, don't diminish it.
I've always been a man of few words.
The likability factor is getting less and less, though.
Well, maybe there's something to be said for a woman like yourself who doesn't mind being confronted by me, Curie.

　Currier-san is pretty good at throwing out the hibigami.
　It's probably because we're both from the same six houses.

It's a good idea to have a reliable curse user to comfort you about Cecily or not. I'm sure Sagara can say anything she wants to for the sake of her beloved ones. It's not that I don't like the sweet dog, it's just that I'm not interested. I'm just not interested.
I'm not interested in you, though.

　Quickly, Currier-san stabbed the spine.
　Or rather, I felt a bit seriously angry.

'I never wanted you to have a genuine interest in me. What I want you to have is either wariness or hostility.''
Then you've succeeded. I have a vendetta against you for trivializing Cecily.
If it's you who wants to fight, I'll take it.　It's a deal with Sagara that I can't do anything about.
That's too bad. I'm not going to initiate it.
Agh! Agh! You're a failure.
Huh. Suck it up.

　I felt like Currier-san was caring for Cecily-san more strongly than before, and I was inwardly a little happy.
　And Hibigami looked at me with an amused look on her face.

From the looks of it, you're getting to know these two men a lot better than you used to, Sagara. I'm glad to see that your life is so colorful, Sagara.
I've been working on getting stronger. I'll keep my eye on the 'match-up' with you.

　He probably wonders if he's been so consumed by the fun school life that he's neglected his training.
　Then.

"I am truly disgusted.

　The words thrown at me by Beshgam suddenly crossed my mind.

''And I like the relationship I have with everyone now, no matter what they say. I'm not going to be strong enough to leave this relationship behind.

　Hibigami laughs.

I don't have to.
What?
"It's not as if I need to abandon my relationship with the people I wish to protect.
Well I'm a little surprised you're putting it that way.

　I had told Cecily before that she should drop everything she had and become a shura.
　From the point of view of a man like Hibigami, who is single-mindedly pursuing his power, a relationship like ours might be seen as a kind of lukewarmness, or so I thought, but--

Don't get me wrong. I'm not trying to comfort you. It's just that this is what supports your strength. Your physical strength seems to be a boon from the curse, but perhaps that mental strength is supported by your own abnormality.
..........

　I'm a freak?
　I let out a chuckle, and Hibigami lets out a contained laugh.

"You seem to be a bit of an interesting 'freak' yourself, Sagara Kurohiko, don't you?