It was the day before the weekend. Tatsuya got ready a bit earlier this morning and went down to eat breakfast. As he ate, he thought about the events that had happened last night. Once the dragon was subdued, it transformed back into a man and appeared to have entered a deep sleep. Ingrid stayed behind to investigate and had cast a spell to erase any and all memories regarding anything remotely related to last night's battle from the minds of townspeople. Tatsuya and Aika had dropped the fainted girl off at a nearby police station and somehow managed to come up with a convincing story about saving the girl on the street when she had fainted in fear after coming across a stray dog. 'Honestly, last night was too weird and crazy,' Tatsuya thought painfully to himself.
Aika was also present at the breakfast table this morning and engaged in scratching Salazar's tummy like a puppy dog. The salamander happily panted and barked and affectionately licking Aika's face now and then. She let him go and the salamander quickly hopped over to its own breakfast below the table. With a beaming smile filled full of schoolgirl gleefulness, Aika thanked Tatsuya for yesterday's outing. "Yesterday's date was really fun," she told him. "Thank you."
Tatsuya smiled complacently and replied, "I'm happy to hear that." He then cleared his throat and continued in a more annoyed tone, "On another note, who said anything about yesterday being a date?"
"Aw, Darling! You're so cute when you act tsun-tsun!" chuckled Aika.
"Shut up!" screamed Tatsuya, his rage bar filled to the maximum. He calmed down and took a breath. 'Such a pain,' he complained internally. "Anyway," he began, changing the subject, "what was the thing you were using last night to fight the Druk? There was chanting and stuff."
"Magic," answered Aika simply. "Dragons are able to use magic. Of course, unlike humans, dragons are naturally born with powers thanks to our ancestral connections to the primordial elements. Normally, we can use our powers any way we want without chanting or doing anything else." As an example, Aika held out her hand and produced a small flame on her palm. Tatsuya couldn't help but marvel at the dancing flame in her hand. "However, we can also shape our powers into other forms too. But doing so requires a lot of focus and energy. That is why we use chanting whenever we want to conjure constructs of elemental energy or manipulate natural phenomena."
"So you have to chant every time to create things like those chains last night?" Tatsuya asked curiously.
"Yes," said Aika with a nod. "However, experienced dragons are capable of using magic without chanting. Some dragons can use magic by just calling out the name of the spells. There are also those who can use spells without saying anything at all! But to be able to do that requires a lot of training and focus and a strong foundation in magic theory. It's mostly members of the royal family and elderly dragons who are capable of using magic without chants."
"I see." Tatsuya took a sip of water. "How about the memory erasing spell Ingrid casted last night? Is it really that powerful?"
"The memory is a very powerful spell but also the easiest to learn," explained Aika, taking a bite of her breakfast. "It's one of the very first spells taught to children among all of the thirteen dragon tribes. Even though it may be easy to cast, it has a wide range of uses. For example, you can choose whose memory to erase and what memory to erase. However, to be able to do so requires a lot of training and mental focus. Typically, the most basic application of this spell affects only a single person or maybe two to three person max and erases only memories of what happened from a few minutes to an hour before. But the most powerful users can erase memories of entire cities and can choose exactly which moments they want erased."
"Ingrid must be a very powerful magic user, huh," said Tatsuya.
"Thank you for the compliment, Owatatsumi-sama," said Ingrid, who had appeared behind Tatsuya out of nowhere. Tatsuya yelped in surprise in response to the maid's sudden appearance. She walked over to Aika and bowed before Tatsuya in apology. "I am sorry for startling you, Owatatsumi-sama," she apologized.
"Yeah, uh, that's alright," said Tatsuya with a nervous laugh. He cleared his throat and put on a straight face. "So, did you find anything in your investigation last night?" he asked the maid.
"I'm not sure," Ingrid said honestly. "For right now, I'm having some men look into it. The Druk is still unconscious and is currently being held by the authorities from our homeland. I contacted the officials yesterday and told them everything." She turned to Aika and said, "On that note, princess, your brother wanted to know how you were doing."
Aika groaned with an annoyed expression on her face. "Just tell him I'm fine," she instructed the maid. "Geez, Ingrid, why did you have to talk to my brother of all people?"
"I am sorry, princess, but your brother is a leader of the law enforcement agency," said Ingrid with a hint of sarcasm.
"Your brother works for a law enforcement agency?" Tatsuya asked with an intrigued smile.
"Geez! Can we stop talking about my brother already?" demanded Aika furiously.
Tatsuya glanced over at the clock on the wall and noticed that it was time to go. He got up and slung his pack over his shoulders. "Well then, I'll be off," announced Tatsuya, heading for the door.
"Darling!" called Aika desperately like a child. "Why do you have to go? Don't leave me!" she pleaded with outstretched hands.
"I don't have time for this," Tatsuya groaned, opening the door.
"Instead of going go to school, spend the rest of the day with me instead!" suggested Aika with a confident smile.
Not at all amused by her antics, Tatsuya slipped through the door and left with a quick, "Well, see ya."
Aika let out a desperate groan and dropped her head onto the breakfast table. Ingrid scooted closer to her mistress and gently petted her head. "How is school more important than spending time with me?" whined Aika.
"School is an important part of human culture," Ingrid explained. "It is a place for young humans to congregate and take part in forming social bonds and learning. This prepares them for future careers and adult life."
"Social bonds?" Aika asked, her ears perking up.
"Friendships and romantic relationships," Ingrid told her.
"Romantic relationships…." An ingenious idea formed in Aika's mind. Her ruby eyes twinkled mischievously and a crazed, yet enthusiastic smile appeared on her face. Ingrid took notice of her mistress' expression and sighed to herself with a frown—this will not end well at all.
At school, Tatsuya found himself pulled into Manami's problems yet again. Today, Manami was forced into a girl uniform by the girls in class as another punishment for his perverted nature. Apparently, Manami had hit on one of the girl's in class and was immediately cornered by the other girls in retaliation. They mercilessly forced him into the uniform, ignoring his pleas and tears. After he had changed, the boys and girls couldn't help but swoon at how good of a match it was. And right now, during the first break, Manami was letting it all out on the table for Tatsuya and the others to hear and offer their sympathies. "Girls are scary!" he concluded with terrified eyes.
"We'll never forget your lost manhood," said Sasuke in a serious tone and with his hands clasped in prayer.
"Amen," joined Tatsuya and Daiki in unison, clasping their hands in prayer too.
"That's not funny, damn it!" whined Manami.
"At least you won't have to change your name," pointed out Daiki. "After all, Manami can also serve as a female name. Therefore," he said dramatically, pointing a finger at Manami, "you won't have to worry about losing your identity save for your gender!"
"My gender is my identity!" argued Manami.
"There comes a point in a man's life when he has to come to terms with himself and accept the loss of his manhood," Daiki said with a solemn nod.
"You guys are too mean!" whined Manami.
The bell rang for the next period to begin. The teacher addressed the class and announced the unexpected sudden arrival of a new transfer student. The door opened and the new transfer student entered the classroom. Tatsuya took one look at the new student and his entire brain began to shut down. 'What the hell is she doing here?!' he screamed internally. His entire body became hot with embarrassment and his face darkened to a scarlet red color. This was not going to end well for him at all, that much he knows.
Standing there in front of the classroom before the class was a beautiful girl with a rosy complexion, waist-length fiery crimson red hair, and bright ruby-red eyes—Aika. She introduced herself as Hiryu Aika. The joke behind the meaning of her surname was lost on everyone except Tatsuya, who groaned at the tasteless irony. She cheerfully greeted the class with a killer smile and ended with the typical, "I hope we can all be friends!" The teacher assigned her to a seat that was one row above and one column to the right from where Tatsuya is.
Class went on as normal as can be and then the next break arrived. Tatsuya's friends gathered around him like a buffer, something Tatsuya silently thanked God for. This buffer will provide the much needed space between him and Aika. "So, what do you think?" asked Manami.
"Think of what?" Tatsuya asked him.
"The new girl!" Manami exclaimed. "She's a true beauty! I would totally love to get some of that action." He giggled to himself like the perverted idiot he is.
"Hey, what about your last comment on how girls were scary?" Sasuke prodded him.
"The girls in our class are, but I have a feeling that Hiryu-chan is different!" replied Manami confidently.
"Don't bother," Tatsuya told him with a scowl.
"What do you mean by that?" inquired Sasuke.
"She's not worth it," Tatsuya said adamantly.
"Stop being such a sourpuss," Manami said, shaking his head disapprovingly. He turned around and declared, "I'll make her fall for me for sure!" He walked away from the group and had almost reached Aika, who was currently being held hostage by the other girls and bombarded with questions, when he tripped on a chair. Tatsuya, whether or not it was a reflex or just some convenient coincidence, jumped out of his chair and caught Manami by the arm, pulling him away from the floor. The two friends then found themselves caught in a close embrace with Manami clutching onto Tatsuya's chest at the conclusion of the rescue. First of all, they were both guys and close friends, so embracing each other isn't weird at all for people of the same gender and relationship status. Second of all, if only Manami wasn't dressed in a girl's uniform, this was just a simple rescue and nothing more.
However, due to the circumstantial nature of the situation, this will no doubt lead to misunderstandings, especially for those not acquainted with the truth. This is true for Aika and her preconceived notion that Tatsuya was cheating on her with one of their classmates. Upon catching a glimpse of what was going on, she ran up to Tatsuya and yelled out, "Darling!" She wore an angry scowl with eyes on the verge of tears.
"Huh?" answered Tatsuya, meeting her eyes.
"Am I not good enough for you? Do you mean to tell me that you prefer lanky, flat-chested girls?" she asked him hysterically.
"What are you talking about?" Tatsuya asked her, oblivious to the reason behind her accusations.
"How can you be so cruel when we were already promised?!" she cried.
Everyone in class remained frozen in their seats, not knowing how to act or respond to the situation. Tatsuya didn't know the reason why she was angrily on the verge of tears. He glanced at Manami, who was still in his arms, and suddenly it all clicked. He immediately dropped Manami to the ground and quickly explained everything. "You got it all wrong!" he told her. "Manami is just a friend of mine! And he's a guy too! Don't be fooled by his crossdressing tendencies and girlish features."
"That's mean, Tatsu-chin," whined Manami. "I don't have crossdressing tendencies! That's a blatant lie!"
"Liar!" Aika cried indignantly.
"Actually, Hiryu-san, Manami is indeed a guy," explained Sasuke.
"That is the sad truth," added Daiki with a nod.
"It's true!" joined Manami. In a last-ditch effort to prove his identity as a man, Manami quickly took off the girl uniform down to his underwear. The entire class including Tatsuya, Sasuke, and Daiki turned a pale ghostly white as they witnessed the horrendous scene before them. "See?" announced Manami unashamedly. He stood there in his blue boxer shorts with his arms spread open.
Aika could very well see that the Manami was a guy. She nodded, accepting the fact, and said, "So you are a boy after all." She then turned to Tatsuya with a weirded out look and asked, "Do you prefer men over girls after all?"
"Of course not!" shouted Tatsuya, deeply insulted by that last comment.
"Of course not!" repeated Aika with a content smile. "My Darling is the only one for me after all!" she said with a happy smile. It seems that she has returned back to her regular self.
"Say, Hiryu-san, what's your relationship with Owatatsumi-san?" asked one of the girls.
"He's my betrothed!" she happily announced with a smile. She turned to Tatsuya and added, "In other words, he's my Darling!" The entire class exclaimed in unison over this surprising reveal. Sasuke, Daiki, and Manami looked at Tatsuya with scary faces. Tatsuya was genuinely terrified of their expressions.
"What have you done with the real Tatsu?" asked Sasuke in a monotone voice.
"I'm not sure I know you anymore, Ta-kun," said Daiki in the same monotone voice.
"Can I kill you and take your place, Tatsu-chin?" asked Manami disturbingly in the same voice as the other two.
"Guys, please calm down," pleaded Tatsuya with a nervous laugh.
Manami quickly refocused his attention on Aika and bent down on one knee in front of her. He closed his eyes and gently grabbed her left hand. "Hiryu-san, I promise you that I can be a much better boyfriend to you than Tatsu-chin. Please ditch him for me instead. We were made for each other after all, you and I." He spoke with a sultry yet gentlemanly voice. When he opened his eyes, he noticed that she had already left him to go talk to Tatsuya. Aika's rejection of his advances left Manami kneeling in a catatonic state. Suddenly, a crowd of the classroom girls appeared behind him. He turned to see their eyes glowing with rage at his lazy attempt to hit on the new girl. One of the girls had picked up Manami's thrown uniform and held it up for him to see. Evil smiles popped on their faces as they reached out their hands to grab Manami. He knew all too well what they were trying to do to him. And so, a relentless chase ensued between a distressed and crying Manami and the rest of the classroom girls who were bent on destroying his perverted manhood once and for all.
Meanwhile, Tatsuya, Sasuke, Daiki ,and Aika ignored the crazy antics going around them. Aika happily grabbed onto Tatsuya's right arm and clung to it tightly with a satisfied smile. "I'm at school with Darling!" she announced with a giggle. "Look, Darling! Now we can focus on leveling up our romantic relationship without worrying about being apart from each for half a day!"
"What the hell are you blabbing about?" groaned Tatsuya, pushing her head away with his other arm.
"When did you two meet?" Sasuke asked politely.
"We met two days ago!" answered Aika.
"I see," said Sasuke with a nervous laugh.
"How did this betrothal come about?" asked Daiki.
"My jerk-of-a-dad promised my hand in marriage to this girl without my consent!" Tatsuya told him.
"Don't worry, Darling," said Aika with confidence. "I promise you that I will become your ideal girl and make you fall in love with me! Then, you will be able to give your consent and we can get married!" She pushed her face into Tatsuya's and puckered her lips to kiss him.
"I will never give my consent!" screamed Tatsuya as he pushed even harder against her face.
After school, Tatsuya had to literally drag Aika along with him since she didn't want to "be apart" from him at all. He couldn't handle the physical stress anymore and coerced her into an agreement: she can only walk either beside or behind him without touching or clinging. In exchange for doing so, he offered to take her on a date this coming weekend. The idea of a date successfully won over Aika's compliance with the order, albeit reluctantly at first. Nevertheless, she sang happily to herself about what to do for their date this weekend while choosing to walk beside Tatsuya without any physical contact.
The couple walked past a bridge that stretched above a stream three meters below. Tatsuya noticed a very pretty girl standing a little too close to the edge of the bridge. She looked to be about the same age as himself. She was dressed in a demure blue dress and wore a white sun hat with a big blue ribbon in the middle. Tatsuya could see that she had long straight ocean blue hair that stopped just shy of her waist and covered her left eye. He noticed her right eye and could see that it was a bright sapphire-blue that twinkled brilliantly like a sad blue star. Her skin was white and clear like sea foam, but with a tinge of blue. She looked like the total opposite of Aika. Tatsuya focused on the troubling expression she wore. It appears as if she was contemplating something. But her closeness to the edge made him feel really uneasy. He took a detour and walked onto the bridge to meet the girl.
"Excuse me?" Tatsuya called out to the girl. The girl turned her head to face him; her expression was one of sadness and desperation. Tatsuya swallowed a gulp and continued on with his conversation. "I don't mean to intrude, but why are you standing here alone? And also, you're standing really close to the edge of the bridge too. Like, way too close."
"It doesn't matter anymore," said the girl softly.
"Uh, yes?" Tatsuya asked, cupping his ear as a gesture asking for clarification.
Then, quicker than it takes for pigeons to fly off at the slightest noise, tears poured down the girl's face like leaky pipes. "This life is enough for me!" she cried. "I'm nothing but a useless fish out of water!" She turned back to the edge of the bridge and closed her eyes.
Tatsuya didn't know why the girl was acting irrationally, but he couldn't bear to see her like this. He quickly grabbed her hand and pulled her back. "Don't do anything stupid!" he yelled, pulling her into his arms. He grabbed both of her wrists and scolded her for not thinking rationally. "This is the worst possible way to solve your problems," he began, "There are better ways to solve your problems. If you were to die, think about all the people in your life who will be hurt by your death! You life is way more valuable than anything else in the world!"
His words had struck a chord within the girl. She could feel a mixture of emotions stirring inside of her. It felt as if all of her pain and suffering had disappeared from her body and mind. Every problem that was plaguing her disintegrated into dust. The girl looked deeply into the eyes of her savior and could feel the warmth and love that was spilling out of him. His words were filled with sincerity and kindness. It was truly a warm and comforting feeling that had now taken over of her body. She blushed and quickly averted his gaze, focusing instead on the ground.
Aika, who was busy singing her happy song of their upcoming weekend date, didn't take notice of Tatsuya's detour until after he had approached the girl. She immediately became infuriated at the girl for taking Tatsuya's attention away from her. And seeing him holding her hands only made the problem even worse. She ran up bridge and forcefully came between Tatsuya and the girl, pushing both of them apart. "Just what is going here?" she fumed in a quiet and scary voice.
"I was just helping her from taking her own life," Tatsuya explained.
"Liar!" cried Aika, shaking her head. "You were h-h-holding hands!" she said accusingly.
"Like I said, I grabbed her before she could do anything rash!" Tatsuya said.
Aika turned to look at the girl and frowned. "You wouldn't have to worry about her drowning," Aika said confidently.
"What? Are you crazy?!" exclaimed Tatsuya.
At that moment, a young woman dressed in a blue and black maid outfit with a scale-design skirt rushed up to the girl. "My lady!" cried the maid. The maid had light tan skin, short aqua-green hair and turquoise blue eyes. She grabbed onto the girl and cried hysterically. "I thought I had lost you, my lady! Please forgive me! I promise I will never lose you again!"
"It's fine, Umi," reassured the girl.
"You didn't do anything rash, did you?" Umi asked the girl. "You know how emotionally fickle you can be."
"Of course," said the girl with a smile.
'Are you telling me that she's normally suicidal on a daily basis?!' Tatsuya screamed internally.
"I had this man help me," the girl told Umi.
Umi turned to Tatsuya and bowed. "Thank you for taking care of my lady," she said.
"Uh, sure," Tatsuya replied.
Umi glanced at Aika and drew in a sharp breath. She quickly bowed before her too without saying a single word. "Well, we must go, my lady," Umi told the girl.
"Wait," stopped Tatsuya. "Why were you trying to jump off the bridge?" he asked the girl.
Upon hearing this, the maid let out an embarrassed groan. "It appears that she had strayed away from me and felt guilty for doing so. You see, my lady is super directionally-challenged. She is not good with directions no matter how simple they are. And she is also very emotional. She must've broken down after discovering that she does not know where she is and have decided on a desperate whim to somehow right her wrong by offering her own life."
'That's too suicidal for me!' commented Tatsuya mentally. 'Also, is she really that bad with directions? This sounds like something straight from a comedy manga.'
"But don't worry," Umi reassured him. "Even if she were to fall into the stream, she would've been okay."
"I told you!" exclaimed Aika triumphantly.
"I don't know how she could possibly survive that," said Tatsuya with a nervous laugh. 'Are they saying that she is like Aquaman or something and can breathe underwater?'
"Anyway, we must leave now, my lady," Umi told the girl.
The girl turned to Tatsuya and asked, "May I ask your name?"
"Owatatsumi Tatsuya," Tatsuya replied.
"It is a pleasure to meet you, Owatatsumi-san," said the girl with a beautiful smile. "I am Kanjomizu."
"Kanjomizu-san," said Tatsuya with a bow.
"Well, we must take our leave now. Please excuse us," announced Umi. The girl and her maid promptly left the scene, leaving Tatsuya alone with Aika once again.
Tatsuya breathed a sigh of relief and turned around to leave. "Let's go," he said. Aika remained focused on the direction where Kanjomizu and Umi had left. Her expression was not quite grim, but carried a strong sense of gravity. There was also a hint of antagonism mixed in. Tatsuya had never seen Aika look that way before. She remained that way for another minute or so before turning around to follow Tatsuya back home.
They came to a crossroad when the sound of an explosion somewhere nearby caught their attention. Both Tatsuya and Aika turned their heads to the sight of smoke coming from the inside of a shop. The shop's giant display window was shattered into pieces on the ground. Standing in the center of the pool of broken glass was Kanjomizu and Umi. The maid was standing in front of her mistress with her arms in a defensive gesture. A mysterious man dressed in a fedora and black overcoat jumped out of the shop and rushed towards the maid with a tackle. He collided with Umi but the maid was able to fight him off by standing her ground and throwing him down onto the ground with an Olympic-level Judo move. The man quickly got back up and knocked Umi onto the ground with an uppercut to her stomach.
Tatsuya and Aika exchanged uneasy expressions and came to an implicit agreement to help them out. Tatsuya ran up to the man from behind and pulled him back just when the man was ready to lay a hand on Kanjomizu. The man glared at him with a murderous gaze and let out a muffled, irritated growl from his throat. Tatsuya was genuinely scared of the man and his eyes filled with murderous rage, but his duty to protect Kanjomizu from this dangerous man outweighed any reasonable thought of surrender. "What the hell is your problem?" he asked the man. The man growled and knocked Tatsuya down with an elbow jab under the chin.
Tatsuya fell down and could feel blood trickling down his nose. Kanjomizu ran up to him and caressed his face. "Are you okay, Owatatsumi-san?" she asked worriedly.
"That was nothing," reassured Tatsuya with a laugh.
"Darling!" cried Aika, pushing Kanjomizu out of the way and taking her place. She hugged Tatsuya's face tightly against her chest, smothering him and closing off all air access to his lungs. Tatsuya struggled to breathe and tried to fight her off but her inhuman strength left him flailing helplessly. His face was turning a bright red and then a deep blue. It wasn't until Kanjomizu tapped Aika on the shoulder that the crimson princess noticed his predicament and finally let go. Tatsuya was extremely grateful to be able to breathe fresh air again.
Suddenly, the man from before began to transform. This was the third time Tatsuya had witnessed a person transforming into a dragon, yet he was still surprised beyond belief. It seems that he is still not used to the whole thing, especially since they all looked like genuine humans at first glance that you wouldn't suspect them to be magical creatures in disguise.
The man began to grow larger and larger, tearing through his clothes and leaving them scattered on the ground. His face quickly became a black obsidian color complete with purplish lustrous anthracite scales. His eyes became a milky white color with dark purple irises and black vertical-slit pupils. A pair of giant bat-like wings sprouted from his back and a long snake-like tail with a spiked tip stretched from his rear. His hands and feet grew long dagger-like talons. A long crocodilian snout replaced his nose and mouth and housed rows of serrated teeth. In place of the man from before was a giant lustrous black dragon.
"What the hell is that?" Tatsuya asked to no one in particular.
"An Amaru," said Aika grimly.
"A Darkness Dragon," elaborated Kanjomizu. Tatsuya glanced at Kanjomizu with a confused expression. He didn't how she could've known what an Amaru was. Kanjomizu noticed his gaze and responded with a small smile.
The dragon reared its head and roared into the sky. The sound awoke Umi from her incapacitated sleep. She shook her head to dispel any lingering effects of the attack and rushed over to Kanjomizu's side. Kanjomizu, meanwhile, fixed her gaze on the Amaru and held out both hands. "Praise the great dragon of water, Naga! Let my prayers reach your ears so I can be blessed by your power! Bestow upon me the power to keep my enemies at bay and force their surrender! Torrential Cannon!" A huge rapid stream of water gushed out and struck the dragon squarely in the chest. The impact was stronger than a machinegun and even more forceful. The Amaru stumbled backwards in a stupor before regaining its senses a few seconds later.
Suddenly, Kanjomizu fell to the floor. Tatsuya rushed to her side and noticed that her face had become paler than a ghost's. She appeared to be extremely fatigued as if she had already hit her limit. "What happened?" Tatsuya asked her. Kanjomizu was too weak to speak.
"Lady Kanjomizu is very frail and has a weak constitution," informed Umi. "It takes all of her energy to cast just one spell."
The Amaru roared mightily and fearlessly into the sky. It swung its tail in a rampage, destroying a row of shops and cars in its way. It stomped with its giant feet and caused the ground below to crack and rumble. This dragon was out of control. But what troubled Tatsuya more was the fact that the beast had focused its attention on Kanjomizu. The Amaru snarled and opened its mouth. A large black orb of mysterious energy began to form. The projectile was aimed straight for Kanjomizu and Tatsuya. Umi quickly stood in between the beast and his targets. "Please take her away to somewhere safe," Umi told Tatsuya.
Aika stepped forward beside Umi with a serious expression. "Please, Darling, protect her. I know you can do it," Aika told Tatsuya. "I'll help the maid fend off this dragon."
Tatsuya glanced at Kanjomizu in his arms, all of the color were drained from her face. He took a deep breath and said, "I'm counting on you guys." And then, to Aika, he said something that he had never thought he would ever say in his life. "I'll be waiting for your return, Aika." Aika was beyond happy to hear those words come out of his mouth. She gave him a determined nod with a confident smile. Tatsuya carefully secured Kanjomizu in his arms and slowly got up. As luck would have it, he had somehow tripped on his own feet while getting up with Kanjomizu in his arms and the both of them fell to the ground. To make matters worse, the both of them became connected on another level at that moment. Tatsuya opened his eyes after hitting the ground and felt something warm and soft on his lips. His vision finally became clear and what he saw then and there made him wish for his own death. Lying down on the ground below him was Kanjomizu with a bashful expression and crimson cheeks, the color quickly returning back to her face. The pair's lips had connected—in other words, they kissed.
Tatsuya quickly picked himself back up and apologized. "I'm sorry!" he announced ashamedly. Kanjomizu could only stutter in response. Behind them, both Aika and Umi were speechless after witnessing the scene. Tatsuya could feel their stares piercing him from behind, especially Aika's intense "murderous jealousy" gaze.
At that moment, the Mark of Marduk appeared on Tatsuya's right hand again and began to glow brightly. He felt a similar energy growing inside of him as the one from the battle against the ice dragon a few nights ago. His body became cool and calm. A new energy flowed throughout his body like a never-ending stream. His skin gradually turned a lustrous blue color, his hair became a beautiful aqua and his eyes turned into brilliant twinkling sapphires with yellow slit pupils. Blue, fish-like scales formed around his forehead and chin, giving him a different kind of draconic-look than before. His nose and mouth combined into a small crocodilian-like snout. His canines grew longer to become dragon-like fangs and his tongue became forked. His hands became webbed and the nails on his hands became sickle-like claws. A blue snake-like tail with a fin-tip that was a quarter of the length of his body protruded from his backside, and gills formed on his neck along with a fin collar. His transformation was complete.
Tatsuya turned and caught a glance of his new form from a window of the shop behind him. The first thing that came to his mind after seeing himself become another freaky monster was to scream hysterically. He slapped himself to attempt to wake up from this nightmare, but his hopes of returning to normal reality was dashed once he found out that reality had betrayed him yet again.
From behind him, the Amaru had created a large mass of dark energy wrapped up in a compact ball and launched it with all of its might directly towards him. Tatsuya was too busy coping with his strange transformation to notice. To protect him from danger, Umi cast a spell to neutralize the projectile. Although it was a success, it used up a lot of her energy, forcing her to fall to the ground on her knees. Out of the corner of his eye, Tatsuya saw Umi's descent. Her face was flushed with the same exhausted expression as overworked laborers. He could tell that she was heavily fatigued through the audible sound of heavy breathing. The maid had defended him against a deadly attack from a dragon. Tatsuya realized that this was no time to be fooling around. 'There's something I have to do,' he told himself. If he didn't defeat this dragon, their common enemy, here and now, then Umi's sacrifice would be in vain. And he couldn't let that happen.
"Let's get this over with," Tatsuya said with a scowl. He opened his mouth and unleashed a torrent of water. The stream struck the dragon square in the chest and knocked it back. Before the dragon had a chance to recover, Tatsuya ran up to the beast and jumped into the air. His newfound powers had dramatically increased his physical attributes to superhuman levels. He was effectively quicker than a bullet and could jump higher than five meters into the air. He got close to the dragon's head and turned his body horizontally, landing a hard-hitting kick to the dragon's face—Technique 32 Modified: Spinning Dragon Tail-Whip Aerial Form. With his new superhuman strength giving the attack a super boost, the impact sent the dragon flying into the walls of a nearby building. But Tatsuya wasn't done yet. He ran towards the dragon and jumped high up into the air and performed a somersault kick that landed perfectly onto the beast's head—Technique 54 Modified: Rolling Dragon Tail Strike Aerial Form. The force of the kick pushed the dragon's head to the ground; the combined impact of ground under its chin and the superhuman kick above its skull knocked the dragon unconscious.
Once the battle was won, Tatsuya quickly transformed back to his original form. From within the shadows, Ingrid appeared before him and said, "I'll take care of the rest."
"Whoa!" exclaimed Tatsuya in surprise. "Were you here this whole time?" he asked.
"It is my duty to look after my mistress after all," Ingrid told him. "I was prepared to jump in at any time, yet you were able to take care of it all yourself. You have my praises, Owatatsumi-sama."
Tatsuya picked up Kanjomizu and decided to bring her to his home. Her newly discovered identity as a dragon was too dangerous to entrust to regular people—taking her to a regular hospital was out of the question. Aika wasn't the least pleased with the idea, and Umi almost had a mental breakdown over the thought of her mistress in the home of an unknown man. Tatsuya was able to convince the both of them through rationality and logic. While they made their way to the Owatatsumi residence, Ingrid casted the memory erasure spell and secured the black dragon.
Upon arriving back home, Tatsuya placed Kanjomizu in the guest room. He allowed Umi to stay by her mistress' side and then went into the kitchen to fix up dinner. Aika was jealous over this entire situation. To her, Kanjomizu was unnecessary baggage that should be thrown out as soon as possible. But she couldn't possibly go against Tatsuya's orders. At least, in front of his face. Once the girl became better by tomorrow morning, Aika would be the one to throw her out without thinking twice. This way, she could be alone with her darling once again.