"Kitagawa-san, you said a thick fog suddenly appeared from the lake during the day. Is that normal?"
"Eh? What?"
Marin was very confused as to why Shun was still saying this at this moment.
Shun chuckled and reached out to pat Marin's head.
"Don't tell anyone about what you see later."
After saying that, he continued to seal one by one under Marin's confused gaze.
"Water Release: Hiding in Mist Technique!"
In an instant, thick fog emerged in the middle of the lake!
The misty and beautiful water vapor enveloped the entire lake in just a few breaths, and clouds of water mist surrounded everyone's view, turning it into a haze.
Marin looked at the scene before her in disbelief.
The young man, who was initially clear, became mysterious and enchanting in this fog.
Under the girl's gaze, Shun walked directly into the lake, and a magical sight unfolded.
The deep lake water became like a mirror that he walked on beneath his feet. In the midst of the hazy mist and the crowd's panic, he walked across the lake as if he were walking on flat ground.
Marin's mouth dropped open in shock, as if she could fit an egg into it, and she helplessly witnessed this scene.
"Takema-kun... Is that superpower?!"
The eyes of the girl who loved 2D and anime sparkled with curiosity and admiration.
At the same time, as Shun walked on the water, he reached the middle of the lake.
His eyes transformed into Mangekyo Sharingan, staring at the true culprit beneath the lake...
It was an octopus that was always large, but the special energy it emitted made it no longer an ordinary creature, but something more akin to a demon.
"Is it a demon that craves blood, or...?"
Shun did not dwell on it. After seeing the true nature of the crisis in the lake, he rushed into the water.
The lake water was not murky, and Kaguya's eyes showed excitement as she saw a figure like a fish swimming.
But then she extended her hand in panic, trying to inform the man about the real killer in the lake and the tentacles reaching for Shun.
Shun did not pay attention to them but focused on the large octopus.
"This energy is different from the energy of evil spirits. Could this be the 'spiritual energy' that transforms it into a demon?"
A Rasengan appeared in his hand, and he threw it with a backhand without looking back. The tentacle that stretched behind him collided. In an instant, the long snake-like tentacle turned into chunks of flesh and blood.
The immense pain drove the octopus monster insane, and seven or eight of its tentacles began to thrash around.
Seeing this scene, Shun no longer explored the monster's energy. He continued to refine his chakra and activated the Wood Element to an extreme level.
Nagisa trapped between them, was already feeling dizzy. Kaguya, in good physical condition for practicing archery, also felt the pain of oxygen deprivation.
At this moment, Kaguya witnessed an extraordinary sight.
In an instant, the wooden walkway and the rotting trees, along with the aquatic plants at the bottom of the lake, flourished under the immense chakra.
In one thought, the deep lake bottom transformed into a green world.
The endless trees entwined around the octopus monster seemed alive, as the once fragile branches pierced the enemy's body like fine iron. In an instant, thousands of wooden thorns pierced from all over the enemy's body.
The monster that dragged them into the abyss of death like a nightmare was killed just like that.
Until the moment she experienced a coma from lack of oxygen, Kaguya's deep red eyes stared seriously at the man's face.
On the other hand, Shun felt the special energy being absorbed by his Wood Element and flowing into his body.
As this energy was absorbed by his body, he felt his mind and body being subtly optimized.
Soon, he released his Wood Element, swallowing half of the wilted body of this giant monster in just a few breaths.
"Indeed, the mystery has been solved. This aura can truly make humans evolve!"
Shun suddenly had more hope for the world. He waved his hand, embraced the two drowning girls, and left the lake with the support of the giant trees.
Placing the two of them on the ground at the lake's edge, he proceeded to follow the principle of saving people and performed artificial respiration on both of them without hesitation.
The first was Nagisa. After she coughed up water and could breathe freely, Shun did the same for Kaguya across from her.
However, Shun did not realize that while he was giving artificial respiration to Kaguya, Nagisa on the other side turned her face away and stared at him.
Nagisa slowly woke up, opened her eyes, and wanted to capture each other's appearance, but the dizziness and strong weakness made it so she could only see the other's figure clearly.
'Who... is he?'
Shun slowly changed his clothes, turned around, and left.
❀❀❀
As footsteps and a familiar figure approached, her eyes lit up after seeing Shun.
"Takema-kun—" Before Marin could finish her words, Shun's fingertip touched her lips, and he said gently: "Shh, it's already been resolved."
"Amazing..." Marin lowered her voice and exclaimed.
She suddenly grabbed his arm and asked curiously:
"Is Takema-kun an Esper? Did you really walk on water just now? So cool, just like in a shounen manga!"
"It's a secret!"
Shun enjoyed the softness and warmth of Marin's chest. He leaned closer to her ear and whispered:
"If Kitagawa-san wants to know, you have to trade your own secret."
Warm and humid breath brushed against her ear, and the peculiarity made the girl weak.
When Marin suspected that the other party was intentional, what she saw was the young man's clear and natural eyes.
After hesitating for a moment, Marin leaned closer to Shun's ear and said shyly:
"Actually… I've secretly used the sewing machine in the economics class to make cosplay outfits after school recently, but the clothes I made always turn out ugly."
"Well then, do you need me to teach you..." Seeing the fish take the bait, Shun's lips formed a successful smile, "Actually, I also love cosplay and photography. Would you like to join me, Kitagawa-san?"
"Eh? Really?"
"Well, I always follow Juju-sama on Twitter, and I really like her cosplay. Unfortunately, her figure is too petite. It would be great if I could cosplay as Kuroe Shizuku from Saint ♡ Slippery's Academy for Girls."
"What a coincidence! The costume I made is none other than Shizuku-tan!"
Marin was delighted by Shun, excitedly talking about Shizuku.
As the discussion between the two heated up, the cheerful girl seemed unaware of the close distance between herself and Shun, as well as the soft and tender feelings wrapping around her arm.