"Mhn?!"
Natsumi was startled. Out of nowhere, she was kissed and held, wanting to break free, but she couldn't. The shock of her past weighed too heavily on her to fight back.
Still, that kiss left her confused and uneasy, as Yuki's arms felt like an enormous web, denying her any freedom.
A prey caught in the net...
This, of course, was enough to keep Natsumi from resisting. Her Sephira crystal stopped darkening, and her body began to glow, revealing her true form. As Natsumi's body shrank, Yuki knelt beside her as well...
"Mhn! Mnnnhh!"
Natsumi tried to break free, but as the kiss grew more passionate and their tongues intertwined, the fists pounding Yuki's chest relented. She had no choice but to surrender her body.
After parting their lips, Natsumi took a deep breath, but Yuki kissed her again until tears welled up in her eyes. Finally, Yuki released her and embraced her.
"....."
"Calm down. I know you're scared and hurt, but you can't let yourself be consumed. Not now."
Yuki couldn't allow it. Every Demon King was like a ticking time bomb in the celestial castle, and it was crucial to minimize contact with them.
Yet, Yuki didn't use force to stop Natsumi's transformation. Instead, he relied on emotions.
"It's alright now. You're safe. Your mother can't hurt you anymore, so cry as much as you need to. That's my promise to you."
"Hick... hick…"
Yuki's words of comfort only made Natsumi cry harder. It didn't matter that she had reverted to her true form.
But this was expected. Yuki simply offered his shoulder, where Natsumi's tears soaked his clothes. At the same time, the promise 'Yuki' had made to Natsumi in the other timeline was fulfilled.
It wasn't just about going back and changing her future. Natsumi didn't want to change her future—what she wanted was someone to be with her at that moment, to share her pain.
"What... what should I do now?"
After calming down and crying her heart out, Natsumi tried her best to wipe her tears and asked, confused.
She had been exposed by Yuki and no longer had any chance of killing him. In fact, she might not even have the courage to do so.
She couldn't even bring herself to kill the person who had caused her so much pain over the years, the person she had every reason to hate, her Mother.
Natsumi wasn't an assassin, so her mission had been doomed from the start.
"What your mother said was true, but at the same time, she was wrong."
Yuki didn't answer Natsumi's question directly. Instead, he focused on what her mother had told her.
"Huh?"
Natsumi didn't understand...
"Someone loves you. Someone definitely will love you."
"...!!"
As Yuki pressed his forehead against Natsumi's, their eyes met, and she trembled.
"But your mother was wrong too. Natsumi, you're not ugly. You're beautiful. So beautiful, in fact, that your mother was jealous of you."
"...!?"
It was true. Though Natsumi's mother was striking in appearance, her genes were quite ordinary. But Natsumi's father came from a remarkable lineage, and Natsumi inherited his genes. She had been a very pretty child. The reason her body hadn't grown was due to poor nutrition and lack of food.
Otherwise, Natsumi would have blossomed into the most beautiful flower.
Still, even under those conditions, her beauty shone through, though hidden beneath her bangs and neglect. Natsumi was so lovely that her mother hated her for it because she resembled her father.
"You're lying... I'm not beautiful... You're a liar, I'm not beautiful at all."
Of course, Natsumi didn't believe him. Her mother's jealousy, the bullying at school—it had all been because of her poor appearance.
"The bullying wasn't because you were ugly. It was because of human negligence and selfishness."
It was true. Natsumi had been an easy target—her neglected appearance, poverty, poor care, and malnutrition fueled the cruelty and superiority complex of those around her.
"No, no, no! Liar! When we first met, you said I was pretty! But now I'm not! This is my real appearance, and I'm a disaster, disgusting!"
"Natsumi..."
Natsumi didn't believe him. She had been deceived by these words before, only to be betrayed, mocked, insulted, and closed off emotionally. The psychological scars ran deep, so she didn't hear Yuki's response at all.
"Would you have had the same reaction if I had appeared like this?! Tell me! Would you even have talked to me?!"
This had already happened. Natsumi had been ignored so many times—by her mother, by her classmates, even after becoming a spirit, she was still overlooked, treated like a beggar.
"Natsumi..."
"Even if I had taken the initiative to talk to you?!"
That's why she didn't trust Yuki's words. After all, she had to transform just to get someone's attention. She didn't want to remain alone.
She longed to talk to someone, to have friends. That's why she transformed into a 'beautiful' woman, a fairy-tale-like figure, her ideal self.
"Natsumi... I..."
"No! You would have ignored me! You would have!"
"I already knew what you looked like..."
"Huh?"
But even if everyone else ignored her, Yuki wouldn't...
"What did you say?"
Natsumi panicked, blinking and shaking her head, thinking she was hallucinating from Yuki's response.
Yuki smiled in return and summoned Rasiel, showing its contents to Natsumi.
"I knew everything. So no matter how we met, I never would have ignored you. Because you are Natsumi."
"...!!"
The image of a small girl in a witch's hat appeared in Rasiel.
Natsumi's mouth hung open. It was true. If Yuki had known everything, then it made sense why he knew about her mission. This realization made Natsumi lower her head in shame.
"You knew?"
"Yes, I always knew."
"Why...?"
"Hm?"
"Why didn't you push me away?"
Even if Yuki knew everything, it didn't explain why he kept her close. This was what Natsumi really wanted to understand.
Who would keep their 'assassin' close, knowing they could soon be killed?
"Is it because you don't see me as a threat? Is that it? Because I'm weak? Have I been nothing but a fool? A clown for your amusement?"
With Yuki's strength, it was obvious he wasn't worried about her.
"No, your chances of killing me were high."
Turning the page in Rasiel, the events of the previous timeline slowly unfolded.
Natsumi could have killed him. Although Yuki had Zafkiel's passive resurrection ability, it was true she could have taken at least one of his lives. As the images flashed by, Natsumi's face flushed red.
"You're not an assassin, Natsumi. That's why I trusted you. And as expected, you didn't betray me. That's why I can't ignore you."
Carrying out an order is different from accepting it. Natsumi didn't have the heart to kill, which is why she had failed in the previous timeline. But...
(If she failed before, why did Reine Murasame still give the order?)
Yuki couldn't understand. Reine surely knew what had happened in the previous timeline, yet she still chose the same path.
(No, Reine can't be judged like Mio Takamiya...)
Though Reine and Mio were the same being, there were differences. As a clone, Reine was far more rational than Mio Takamiya, never losing her cool to emotions. She hadn't shown any signs of being a threat to Yuki, as if she were just an ordinary human. Unfortunately, in the previous timeline, Reine Murasame didn't exist, so her true motives were unclear. Not to mention, Kotori was now with her.
(No, that's not important right now...)
Sighing inwardly, Yuki set those thoughts aside. He still had to bring Natsumi into his Crown.
"Idiot... you're such an idiot..."
Natsumi's murmur was so soft that, had Yuki not been paying attention, he wouldn't have heard it...