"Pii! Piii!"
"Haha. Are you enjoying your walk?"
"Pi!"
I'm taking the newborn Ciel for a walk around on Earth. I wanted Ciel to get to know Earth as well.
Actually, I would have liked to take Night and Akatsuki for a walk with me, but since Ouma-san would be staying at home, as usual, Night and Akatsuki decided to stay home with Ouma-san.
Hmm… I wanted to show Ouma-san around Earth somehow, but in order to do so, I have to make sure that nobody would find out that he was a dragon. If someone were to find out, it would be a big problem.
That's why, unfortunately, I have no choice but to ask Ouma-san to stay at home for now.
"Pi, pi, piii♪!"
"Looks like you're having fun."
"Pii!"
Ciel was perched on my right shoulder, rubbing his body against my cheek as she sang happily.
"Oh, what is it?"
"Pipi. Piii!"
"You're so cute."
Ciel looked at me as if to say, "I love you!" Maybe he has been emotionally attached to me. Perhaps he's recognized me as his parent since I hatched him from an egg.
[T/n: I don't know about Ciel's gender yet, so I just used "him" for now.]
It's not strange for a bird like Ciel to be here on Earth, but with his beautiful blue feathers and the fact that he was perched quietly on my shoulder, he caught the attention of many people on the street. Well, I guess it couldn't be helped. Akatsuki was also unusual, so people often look at him too.
As I walked along thinking about this, I came close to the Ousei Academy. Suddenly, someone called out to me from behind.
"Ara? Yuuya-san?"
"Hmm? Oh, Kaori!"
When I turned my head toward the voice, I saw Kaori's figure there. Even though it's summer vacation, Kaori was wearing her school uniform, which meant she probably had something to do at school.
"What a coincidence! Are you taking a walk? Eh… who is this little one?"
"Ah, he's my new family member; his name is Ciel."
"Pi!"
When I introduced him, Ciel raised his little wings and greeted Kaori. He's so cute. Kaori seemed to have the same impression as me, and her eyes sparkled at the sight.
"Ciel-chan, is it? Um, could it be that Ciel is like Night and the others?"
"Yes, he's a creature from the other world."
Kaori knew about the door's existence in my house and had been to the other world. Hence, she immediately realized that Ciel was not a creature from Earth.
As we talked, I remembered my promise to Miu-san, so I decided to ask Kaori for advice. Since I would meet Miu-san's father as her boyfriend, I needed to prepare a suit and other formal wear. However, I had no idea where to buy a suit.
However, since this was an issue that involved Miu-san's family situation, I couldn't tell Kaori the details, so I consulted Kaori with a very vague explanation, and she told me…
"Hmm… first of all, Yuuya-san needs formal wear, and you don't know where to buy it, right?"
"Yes, that's right."
"Then let's ask my father!"
"Eh, Tsukasa-san?"
Kaori nodded; I was a little surprised to hear that name come out of nowhere.
"Yes! Actually, I had some business to attend to with my father, so this is why I was heading to school in my uniform. Today, my father is at school, so…"
"I see… But I'm not wearing my uniform right now, is that okay?"
"It's fine! Then let's go!"
Thanks to Kaori, I was able to meet with Tsukasa-san, the school's chairman, and after delivering Ciel home with teleport magic, we arrived quickly at the office of the chairman of Ousei Academy.
Then, Tsukasa-san seemed to have just finished his work and spoke to us.
"I'm sorry, I kept you waiting."
"N-no! I apologize too for barging in so suddenly…"
"No, it's fine. I haven't had many opportunities to see you lately, and I wanted to hear what you've been up to."
When I saw Tsukasa-san smiling cheerfully, I really felt that he was a good person.
…Actually, I would have talked to my parents about this kind of thing, but my situation is rather complicated. Even so, considering the fact that I met Tsukasa-san, the best person to consult with this time, I'm glad I raised my luck stats.
"By the way, I heard that you and other friends went with Kaori to visit our vacation house. How was it?"
"Ah, yes! It was very enjoyable. Once again, thank you for inviting me."
"Hahaha. Don't be so formal."
"That's right! I really enjoyed spending time with everyone, too."
I can't stop thanking Tsukasa-san and Kaori, who are smiling so cheerfully. They're really nice people, aren't they? I really respect Tsukasa-san, and when I grow up, I want to be just like him.
Then, Tsukasa-san smiled gently, looking somewhat pleased.
"Kaori had never been able to make friends on an equal footing, partly because of me. Even in junior high school, I feel like she was lonely. But since you came, she has made other friends and is always happy to talk about school. Thank you so much."
"Father…"
Then Tsukasa-san bowed his head, and I couldn't help but panic.
"N-no. Me too! I've been helped many times by Kaori-san! …On the contrary, I never thought that I would be able to play with friends as I did during this summer vacation. That's why I'm delighted I was able to transfer to this school."
I bowed my head as well, and Tsukasa-san smiled bitterly.
"Haha. If we continue like this, we'll end up bowing to each other."
"T-that's right."
"Oh, yes. So it seems you had some business with me, what is it?"
"Ah, yes. Actually…"
I quickly summarized what I wanted to discuss with Tsukasa-san and told him about Miu-san's story vaguely. It was a problem that involved Miu-san's family situation, so that I couldn't go into too much detail.
When I managed to summarize and explain the main points, Tsukasa-san looked at me with great interest.
"Fumu… you've helped Kaori a lot. If you want a suit as formal wear, I can prepare it for you."
"N-no! It's okay! I'll buy it myself!"
"Is that so? Well, I guess it's more convenient to buy it yourself than to have someone else buy it for you. First of all, you want clothes that you won't be embarrassed to wear in any public place, is that correct?"
"Y-yes. I'm embarrassed to admit that I don't really know where to get such things, how much they cost, or what kind of things I should prepare…"
"I see… Then, let's go to my favorite store now."
"Eh?"
I was surprised at the sudden turn of events, but Tsukasa-san invited me to go to a suit store, and we headed there.
＊＊＊
"U-umu… in this way, it's very troubling…"
"That's right…"
I was taken by Tsukasa-san and arrived at a high-class suit store, but as soon as I arrived at the store, I was made to wear various suits. Kaori also followed us and gave me some advice on how to choose a suit. I guess a woman's opinion and a man's opinion are two different things.
As I was thinking about this, Tsukasa-san let out a sigh.
"This is troubling…"
"Eh? I-is this really not suitable for me?"
If it doesn't look that good on me and it's terrible no matter which one I choose, then I'm completely out of luck…
I thought so, but apparently not, and Tsukasa-san shook his head.
"No, it's the opposite."
"The opposite?"
"You look too good in every suit, Yuuya-san."
"Eeh?"
I was taken aback by Kaori's words, but I wondered if it was true.
"There are various patterns of suits. Because of the difference in fabric, the number of buttons, the collar, etc… it is possible to decide on a good combination of all of them, but no matter which one you wear, it will look good on you."
I was embarrassed when Tsukasa-san said this to me with a smile. I don't really know what makes a good suit, but when someone says it like that…
However, it was still difficult to decide, and Tsukasa-san and Kaori couldn't help but groan when a new customer walked into the store.
"──Ara? You are… Yuuya-kun?"
"Eh? Ah, Hikari-san?"
He was the photographer who had worked with Miu-san when we did a model shoot for a magazine.
"What a coincidence. I never thought I'd met you here…"
"That's right. By the way, did you go shopping for a suit?"
"Yes. I'm thinking of using a suit for an upcoming photoshoot… Ara? You are…"
When Hikari-san noticed Tsukasa-san and Kaori, it seemed that Tsukasa-san knew Hikari-san, and they greeted each other. In the meantime, Tsukasa-san seemed to have come up with a great idea and asked Hikari-san about me.
When he heard what Tsukasa-san had said, Hikari-san's eyes lit up.
"I see, you came here to buy a suit for Yuuya-kun, but you can't seem to decide…"
"That's right."
"Then leave it to me!"
"Eh?"
"It's just a coincidence that we met here. I'm a professional in this field, and I'll help find the perfect suit for you!"
With Hikari-san's words, my suit selection process began again… As expected of a professional. Hikari-san immediately decided on my suit, which Tsukasa-san and Kaori had struggled with so much.
"Indeed, Yuuya-kun looks good in any suit, but from what I've heard, it's better to be seen as earnest as possible, so I think an English-type suit is good for you. An Italian-type suit is also sexy and perfect for you, but I want to show that I've made a good decision here. Also, a three-piece suit looks better on you──."
The words related to suits kept popping up one after another, but unfortunately, I couldn't understand any of them.
However, thanks to Hikari-san's help, I managed to decide on the suit I would buy.
"What do you think?"
"Yes, it's good, I think?"
"It suits you very well!"
The suit was well-received not only by Hikari-san but also by Tsukasa-san and Kaori, so I bought a set of formal wear coordinated by Hikari-san.
After I finished buying, I thanked him again.
"Thank you, Hikari-san!"
"It's okay, don't worry about it! I had a lot to choose from, and most importantly, it was fun."
"R-really?"
"Yes! It would be best if you had more confidence in yourself, Yuuya-kun. I don't know the details, but if you don't have confidence in yourself, you'll lose out wearing that suit."
"…Yes!"
Hikari-san was right.
I've had a lot of trouble choosing the right clothes. In order not to be embarrassed by the suit, at least for the time I'm wearing it, I should be proud of it. With that thought in mind, I purchased the first suit of my life.
＊＊＊
"──If it's a bunch of Evil Beasts of that level, you can easily get rid of them, huh…"
A few days after Yuuya and Mai Kagurazaka worked together to defeat the Evil Beasts, Avis, who had returned to the World's Disposal Ground, muttered with some admiration.
He looked at his own hand, moved it a few times, and then held it up to the World's Disposal Ground.
From his palm, a ray of ultra-fine black light shot out. That light ran through the World's Disposal Ground and then quietly disappeared.
──Then, the space where the black light ran was torn apart by the black flash, and… exploded. With a tremendous crashing sound, the space exploded, and black flames enveloped everything in the World's Disposal Ground.
Originally, there was already nothing in the World's Disposal ground, but everything was completely obliterated with a single blow from Avis. As if a part of the world had been hollowed out and nothing was left, there was no barren land spreading but a pitch-black space of nothingness.
"──Haha. It's wonderful. Wonderful…!"
In front of that scene, Avis laughed like a madman and looked at his hands again.
"This is… the true power of Evil…! Look! This is a blow that gives nothingness! Everything was literally obliterated! Hahahahaha!"
It's not just the power to clear the surface of the other world, as Avis said, but the terrifying power to literally reduce the very existence of something to nothingness.
"Fuh… It's good that my body is finally familiar with my full power… I see… That's why I couldn't find that outsider until now."
After confirming his own power, Avis muttered as he stared into the void. At the end of his gaze, he could clearly see the figure of Yuuya.
"──The Great Devil's Nest. I didn't expect a human to live in a place like that…"
His eyes glittered with madness, and Avis smiled ferociously.
"Now that I'm accustomed to the power… it's time to finally kill you, outsider…!"
As Avis laughed loudly, he dissolved into a black mist and disappeared.