"Woof woof woof!"
Seeing Izumi Sora actually following its command, the Golden Retriever excitedly wagged its tail.
Usually, it was only ordered around by others. Today, it was actually ordering a human around instead. The Golden Retriever deeply experienced the joy of 'reversing the natural order'.
"Lick her, woof!"
"Lick her hard until she fractures, woof!"
"..."
"You detestable stupid dog, you're dead!"
Gokou Ruri gritted her silver teeth, glaring angrily at the Golden Retriever, frantically thinking of a way out.
She couldn't run.
With her speed, she definitely couldn't outrun Izumi Sora. She'd be caught in a few steps. If Izumi Sora pinned her to the ground, and even did that in front of everyone...
"I absolutely don't want that kind of thing!"
Just imagining that scene made Gokou Ruri feel so ashamed she wanted to explode.
So she couldn't run; she could only stay behind the ranger's cabin. This way, when she got dirtied later, at least... at least she wouldn't be watched by a crowd.
While hesitating, Gokou Ruri was once again gathered into Izumi Sora's embrace.
"Lord Ruri, I apologize."
Izumi Sora apologized sincerely, but his actions couldn't stop.
Wait... there seems to be another way?
Just as she 'despairingly' closed her eyes, a flash of inspiration suddenly crossed Gokou Ruri's mind.
If I use the 'Disarm' skill to confiscate Pervert Sora's crime tool in advance, I should be able to avoid the worst outcome, right?
"...I'll try it!"
Gokou Ruri quickly opened her eyes, deciding to burn her boats and fight a desperate battle.
Whether it succeeded or not, it was better than sitting and waiting for death.
Their eyes met.
Gokou Ruri took a deep breath, forcefully suppressing her overflowing sense of shame. She suddenly raised her arms and hugged Izumi Sora's neck.
"What are you doing?"
"D-Don't talk!"
Gokou Ruri's small face was burning hot, her voice even trembling slightly. Enduring the shame, she stood on her tiptoes and suddenly kissed him.
That's right.
This was the solution Gokou Ruri came up with.
Licking until fracture... he can't use his hands for that, right?
So by blocking Pervert Sora's mouth in advance, maybe I can avoid a terrible future...
Izumi Sora had already understood Kuroneko's intention, but unfortunately quickly realized it wouldn't work.
A simple touch clearly couldn't satisfy the Golden Retriever's command; his body was still moving.
"D-Damn it..."
Realizing it wasn't working, Gokou Ruri could only shyly and timidly part her pink lips, offering an opening.
The next second.
Gokou Ruri's body suddenly tensed, her eyelashes fluttering in a panic. At the same time, she shyly shrank back, but unfortunately, her mouth was only so big, and she was quickly caught and bullied.
The only good news was probably that she barely satisfied the Golden Retriever's command, so she didn't have to worry about social death.
Ten minutes later.
The 'involuntary' side effect quietly ended.
Izumi Sora regained control of his body and let go of Kuroneko, who was almost out of breath.
"Hah... haah..."
The girl's rapid breathing instantly rang out.
"I-Idiot..."
Gokou Ruri's eyes were misty. She clenched her small hands into fists, weakly beating Izumi Sora's chest. She couldn't even stand steadily anymore:
"I almost suffocated just now..."
Izumi Sora wiped away the silver thread at the corner of his mouth:
"You can still speak, so you didn't suffocate."
Thump!
Having recovered slightly, Gokou Ruri delivered a headbutt to Izumi Sora's chin:
"If there's a next time, you're dead!"
"..."
Once her breathing leveled out, Gokou Ruri quickly lowered her head, glaring murderously at the Golden Retriever on the ground.
"Awoo..."
Sensing the biting chill on Kuroneko's small face, the Golden Retriever hurriedly tucked its tail. It had been preparing to repeat its trick, raising a paw to pat Izumi Sora's calf:
"Lick her! Keep licking her, woof!"
Unfortunately, the side effect had ended. Izumi Sora had regained control of his body and would no longer be commanded.
"Still talking, huh?"
Unable to endure it any longer, Gokou Ruri clenched her small fist and punched the Golden Retriever's dog head:
"I have to teach you a good lesson today!"
Even though it wasn't her dog, since she saved its dog life, of course she could give it a beating.
"Woof woof woof..."
The Golden Retriever hurriedly put its paws over its head, whimpering for mercy.
"Hmph."
Gokou Ruri gave a light snort, crossed her arms over her chest, looking down from her commanding height, full of murderous intent:
"If there's a next time, both of you are dead!"
"..."
Izumi Sora obediently took out his phone and looked at Kuroneko:
"Lord Ruri, shall I contact the owner?"
"Hurry up."
"..."
There's no need to elaborate on what happened next.
Izumi Sora called the owner and took a video as proof. After seeing the video, the owner said they would drive over immediately.
About twenty minutes later, a black luxury sedan arrived in front of them.
Before the car had even fully stopped, a beautiful girl quickly ran out, teary-eyed, and hugged the Golden Retriever.
Reunited with its owner, the Golden Retriever was also exceptionally excited, sticking out its tongue and licking everywhere. During this time, it didn't forget to look at Izumi Sora, imparting its experience in dog language:
"Learn from me, woof!"
"Next time, do this first, then that... you'll definitely be able to coax the master into being super happy, woof!"
"..."
The corner of Izumi Sora's mouth twitched slightly as he turned his head to look at Kuroneko.
"Pervert Sora, don't learn from it!"
Gokou Ruri's small face was flushed. She covered her skirt with her hands and glared at him in shame.
Meanwhile.
An old butler with gray hair, wearing a suit, stepped out of the car. He politely asked Izumi Sora for their bank account numbers, clearly preparing to pay the reward.
"Hello, please split the one million yen in half and transfer five hundred thousand yen into each of our debit cards."
Izumi Sora naturally wouldn't politely decline. Instead, he directly gave his and Kuroneko's bank account numbers.
Traveling all this way was precisely to earn the bounty. Doing a job for money is nothing to be ashamed of.
For a group to last long, splitting the reward equally is the most important thing.
"Please wait a moment, you two."
The old butler nodded gently and began the transaction.
Before long, Izumi Sora and Kuroneko received text notifications: five hundred thousand yen had been successfully credited to their accounts.
"It-It arrived..."
Looking at the message on her phone, Gokou Ruri's eyes widened, her small face full of excitement.
For a high school student, ten thousand yen is already considered a 'huge sum', let alone receiving five hundred thousand yen in one go. It was definitely a super huge sum, even more than Kuroneko's parents' combined monthly salary.
Meanwhile.
The beautiful girl walked over holding the Golden Retriever on a leash, gratefully thanking them and asking how they found it.
Upon learning that they had encountered a wild brown bear during the process, the girl gasped and gratefully invited Izumi Sora and Kuroneko over as guests.
Izumi Sora and Kuroneko exchanged a glance and naturally declined politely.
The girl didn't insist. After thanking them again, she left with the Golden Retriever.
"Woof woof woof~"
Before leaving, the Golden Retriever 'Edamame' kept looking back reluctantly, inviting Izumi Sora to come play at its doghouse. A human underling who could understand its words and even execute its commands could be described as super rare.
Unfortunately, under Kuroneko's watchful eyes, Izumi Sora chose to ignore it completely.
"Bounty acquired." Izumi Sora put his phone away and looked at Kuroneko beside him. "Teleport back to Tokyo now, or what?"
Because of the proactive kiss just now, Gokou Ruri super wanted to run away, but as expected, she couldn't yet.
"Let's go buy the canned food first." Gokou Ruri averted her small face, refusing to make eye contact with Izumi Sora, crossing her arms over her chest. "Promises made must of course be kept."
She had promised earlier that after finding the lost Golden Retriever, she would give the working cats and dogs an extra reward. Gokou Ruri naturally wouldn't break her promise.
"Ruri's call." Izumi Sora nodded gently. "Let's go to the convenience store."
"...Okay."
Izumi Sora took two steps to Kuroneko's side and extended his right hand.
"W-What are you doing?"
Gokou Ruri's small face flushed red, looking over in shame.
"Helping you purify your magic power, of course." Izumi Sora spoke righteously. "Ruri has been using her ability all day. You don't want to grow a tail or cat ears in public, do you?"
Gokou Ruri: "..."
Having used a lot of magic power today, the side effects could appear at any moment. She indeed needed Sora's help to purify her magic power.
There was no other way.
Gokou Ruri could only endure her shame, raise her small hand, and shyly hand it over.
"Let's go."
Izumi Sora grasped Kuroneko's soft hand backhand, leading her away.
The two quickly found a convenience store, bought a lot of canned food, and then found the working cats and dogs they hired in the morning to fulfill the promised reward.
By the time they finished, it was already 2:00 PM.
"It's still early." Izumi Sora checked the time on his phone. "The weather is nice, want to play around in Hokkaido for a bit?"
Hearing this, Gokou Ruri was somewhat tempted, having never been to Hokkaido before. But the girl's sense of shame hadn't cooled down yet, and she was also worried about encountering a brown bear again. So after hesitating for two seconds, she quickly shook her head:
"Not playing... going home, going home."
Izumi Sora nodded: "Then let's go home."
"Wait a minute." Gokou Ruri looked up, opened her backpack, and took out two pairs of slippers. "Change your shoes first, so we don't dirty the floor again."
"..."
Izumi Sora and Kuroneko changed into slippers, then teleported back to Tokyo.
The return location was still Kuroneko's bedroom.
"Good, no one's in the room..."
Gokou Ruri quickly scanned the room. Seeing it empty, she instantly breathed a sigh of relief and hurriedly jumped down from Izumi Sora's embrace.
"The side effect has appeared again."
Izumi Sora stood frozen in place, unable to move, reminding Kuroneko:
"Don't say random things, so I don't act recklessly."
"I know."
Gokou Ruri gave a light snort, crossed her arms over her chest, signaling with her chin:
"Sit down and don't move."
Involuntarily, Izumi Sora obediently sat down.
"Eh?"
Seeing Izumi Sora's squatting posture, Gokou Ruri's eyes widened in surprise:
"Pervert Sora, why are you sitting in the exact same posture as that Golden Retriever?"
The corner of Izumi Sora's mouth twitched gently, his tone helpless:
"Clearly, the body has a mind of its own."
Gokou Ruri's gaze shifted, suddenly becoming interested, the corners of her pink lips curling up slightly:
"Raise your right hand."
Izumi Sora's right hand involuntarily raised:
"What are you doing?"
Gokou Ruri gave a light snort: "Now raise your left hand."
Izumi Sora expressionlessly raised his left hand, already realizing that Kuroneko was teasing him:
"That's about enough, otherwise when the side effect ends, I'll kiss you."
Gokou Ruri's small face flushed red, glaring angrily:
"Y-You wouldn't dare!"
Izumi Sora was perfectly composed:
"Whether I dare or not, you can try and see."
Having kissed twice already, Izumi Sora was now completely fearless.
"Hmph~"
Gokou Ruri gave a light snort, ultimately choosing to follow her heart:
"Put your hands down, get up, and sit on the chair. Sit properly and don't move... I'll go pour you a cup of tea."
A moment later.
The side effect quietly ended.
Izumi Sora got up, drank the cup of tea, and was then shooed home by Kuroneko.
Teleporting back to his room, the next second, the girl's gentle and pleasant soft cry rang out:
"Sora-kun?"
Izumi Sora didn't need to look; he could tell who it was just by the voice:
"...Mahiru?"
Looking closely, Angel-sama was wearing an apron around her waist, her hair tied in a bun. Holding a towel, she was currently wiping the floor.
"I came over at noon to make lunch. After eating with Sagiri and Elf, I saw the room was a bit messy, so I decided to clean up." Angel-sama looked up, explaining softly. "Did Sora-kun find the lost dog?"
"Fortunately, I didn't fail my mission." Izumi Sora wasn't guilty, having already sent Mahiru a message earlier explaining the situation. "I successfully saved a dog's life. If I had been two minutes later, that Golden Retriever would have become a brown bear's lunch."
"Eh?" Shiina Mahiru's beautiful eyes widened upon hearing this. "A brown bear?"
"Akita City in Hokkaido is currently suffering from a bear disaster..."
While explaining, Izumi Sora reached out his right hand:
"Let me clean. Your foot injury hasn't healed yet, get some proper rest."
"Don't worry, walking is already no problem." Shiina Mahiru shook her head gently, her voice tender. "Sora-kun just got back from running around everywhere, you must be very tired. Sit and rest for a while. Once I finish wiping the floor, I'll go brew you a cup of tea."
Unable to get the towel, Izumi Sora could only place his hand on Angel-sama's head, gently petting her.
"Mmm~"
Shiina Mahiru didn't refuse. She merely narrowed her eyes slightly, revealing the gentle expression of a cat being petted by its owner. Her small head even subconsciously rubbed against Izumi Sora's palm.
Izumi Sora couldn't resist complaining: "If this continues, I'll definitely become a useless person, right?"
"...I will always be by Sora-kun's side. It doesn't matter if you become useless, so Sora-kun, feel at ease and become a useless good-for-nothing."
As Shiina Mahiru bent down to wipe the floor, she casually said something that made his heart race.
Izumi Sora's heartbeat accelerated, his gaze burning:
"I want to redeem a lap pillow."
Shiina Mahiru's pretty face flushed slightly: "...Wait until I finish cleaning up."
After cleaning up, Mahiru brought up some barley tea. Izumi Sora successfully redeemed a lap pillow service, and then stayed in the room with Mahiru, playing Plants vs. Zombies on a tablet together.
Time slipped away just like that, and half a day passed in the blink of an eye.
The next day.
Monday.
It was time for school again.
Izumi Sora left the house on time in the morning, met up with Elf and Mahiru, and then headed to the academy together.
Although Mahiru's foot was injured, ordinary walking was fortunately no problem, though she definitely wouldn't be able to run in P.E. class today.
The journey was silent.
After arriving at the classroom, Yanami walked over with brisk steps, her hands behind her back, her smile bright and radiant. She happily started sharing gossip:
"Sora, Sora~ I heard the Sakurajima volcano in Kagoshima Prefecture erupted, the volcanic ash cloud was a full 4,400 meters high. If you were there, it would definitely be a super spectacular sight."
Elf turned around to join the chat: "Sounds a lot like the end of the world."
Hearing this, Izumi Sora retorted:
"Don't worry, when Mount Fuji erupts, it definitely won't just be 4,000 meters."
"Sora, don't jinx it!" Yanami hurriedly reached out, covering Izumi Sora's mouth. "Speaking of which, I haven't reached the summit of Mount Fuji yet. Let's all go climb the mountain together when we have free time this weekend, okay?"