"It's over!"
After the divine sword dissipated, Kawashima Toya could sense a slight change in Tohru's breathing.
It was a clear sign that her vitality was rapidly recovering now that the power sealing her away was gone.
It's time to leave.
This isn't a place to stay for long.
Confirming that Tohru was no longer in danger, Toya decided to leave immediately.
The place where a giant dragon nearly died—even if she was safe now—was by no means a safe location to linger.
Just as Toya was leaving, Tohru's dragon eyes, which had been closed, slowly opened a slit. She stared intently at his retreating figure, as if trying to carve his image into her very soul.
"Tohru-chan, stop staring."
"Rest well for now. Once you've recovered, you can go find him or do whatever you like."
"That child is amazing. To think he could even kill a God-Slaying Sword."
A gentle, mature female voice rang out from thin air, and a dragon girl with an incredibly voluptuous figure slowly appeared.
If Toya were here, he would have been astonished.
Sure enough, it was Lucoa—the identity she used in the human world—who was actually the feathered serpent god, Quetzalcoatl.
She had been there the whole time, but due to the nature of the divine sword, she hadn't been able to intervene.
Tohru glanced wearily at Lucoa before slowly closing her eyes again.
She was too exhausted. Even though strength was gradually returning to her body, she couldn't recover in a short amount of time.
The aftereffects of a divine sword specifically forged to slay dragons weren't so easily eliminated.
Lucoa sat quietly beside Tohru. Her heterochromatic eyes of gold and turquoise, shining as brilliantly as the birth of the world, flickered with a strange light. "That sword was formidable."
"Powerful enough that even I couldn't resolve it."
"Yet that little guy completely 'killed' the sword itself."
----
The City Streets.
Having taken a taxi there but forced to walk back, Toya trudged through the streets, bored out of his mind.
He was heading home. As for why he was walking...
The main reason was that taxis in Japan were expensive, and the cash Kasumigaoka Utaha had given him wasn't enough.
He needed to save the remaining money to buy lunch.
After all, Fatty Kasumi ate lunch at school and wouldn't be coming home at midday.
After a full thirty-minute walk, Toya finally arrived home just before lunch.
Apartment Hallway.
Carrying a bag with a half-price bento, Toya was just about to enter his apartment when the door to the next unit opened. Gabriel, looking as holy as an angel, slowly walked out.
Seeing Toya, Gabriel nodded her small head with great politeness. "Good afternoon. It was very rude of me not to ask for my neighbor's name yesterday."
"I am Gabriel. Please take care of me."
Toya nodded slightly. "Kawashima Toya. I'm just someone who is currently staying at Kasumigaoka Utaha's home."
Gabriel smiled, looking gentle and pure. "Kawashima-kun, I was just about to prepare lunch. If you don't mind, would you like to eat together?"
"No thanks, I already bought some." Toya shook his head, rejecting Gabriel's offer.
Although tasting an angel's cooking was tempting, he didn't dare to accept it.
What if there was some invisible karmic tie attached? If he ate this meal, what would he do if he had to help Gabriel with something in the future?
Gabriel looked slightly regretful. "That is a pity. If there is a chance in the future, please don't refuse, Kawashima-kun."
Toya smiled faintly. "Sure, next time."
With that, Toya went straight into his apartment.
Gabriel stood alone in the hallway, thinking hard with a frown. "What is going on?"
"Why does it feel like Kawashima-kun is afraid of me?"
She believed her behavior was perfectly normal for a human context.
But what puzzled Gabriel was that Toya seemed to be trying his best to avoid contact with her.
If she hadn't initiated the conversation, he probably would have ignored her completely.
"Lord, my training is still far from sufficient." Gabriel sighed.
She simply assumed that she wasn't approachable enough, causing Toya to avoid her.
Inside the Apartment.
Back in the kitchen, Toya took out the various half-price items he had bought from the convenience store, looking helpless.
"In the end, I'm eating a half-price bento again today."
"When will a wealthy young lady see through my stubbornness and support me?"
Toya heated the bento and enjoyed it happily by himself.
After finishing his meal, Toya began browsing the System Shop.
"I said I wouldn't live like this anymore."
"Sixteen thousand Source Points... still a long way from Scáthach-shishou's teachings."
"I'll spend some first."
"I need to exchange for some money. I've had enough of eating bentos."
[System Notice: Deducted 100 Source Points. Exchanged for 100,000,000 Yen.]
[System Notice: Deducted 5,000 Source Points. Exchanged for One-Cut Killer: Murasame.]
[Remaining Source Points: 10,900.]
[Name:One-Cut Killer: Murasame]
[Rank: Strong]
[Effect: A weapon that kills with a single strike. Once cut, a cursed poison spreads rapidly. There is absolutely no antidote; the only method of survival is to sever the infected part immediately.]
A soft white light slowly materialized out of thin air, and Toya subconsciously reached out to grab it.
The black-sheathed One-Cut Killer: Murasame landed in his hand.
Clang!
The crisp hum of Murasame being unsheathed rang out.
Toya pulled out the Teigu, One-Cut Killer: Murasame, and admired the sharp, clear blade. He nodded with satisfaction. "Not bad."