"Whoosh—!"
The wind howled past her ears.
"Thump-thump—thump-thump—thump-thump—"
Her heart pounded wildly in her chest.
As the scenery around her rushed backward at an astonishing speed and she was carried forward in Shien's arms, leaping swiftly ahead, Merika's heartbeat uncontrollably quickened. Her face reddened like a tempting peach, making one want to take a big bite out of it.
Yet Merika was completely unaware of that.
Her mind had already fallen into total chaos.
She could only wrap her arms around Shien's neck in a daze and stare messily at his face so close to hers. It was as though she could not process what was happening at all, leaving her whole body lightheaded.
In that state, Merika failed to hear a voice.
"Merika! Push him away already!"
Geno kept chasing after them from the ground. Watching Shien dart and leap between the trees, then seeing Merika obediently nestled in his arms without any intention of resisting, her face constantly red, Geno felt like she was about to explode with rage.
What angered her even more was that Shien glanced back at her while leaping forward and casually tossed out a sentence with a smile.
"Save it, you violent Elf girl. Your Merika is already mine."
Those words struck both Elf girls at once.
"I-I belong to Mr. Shien...!?"
Merika felt happiness come so suddenly and so swiftly that she became even more dizzy.
Geno, meanwhile, finally snapped.
"Who are you calling violent!? Who belongs to you!?" Ignoring the shocked reactions of the surrounding Elves, Geno shouted furiously, "Give Merika back right now!"
With that, the Elf girl finally stopped holding herself back. She raised the short staff in her hand and began chanting in a voice filled with fury.
"—Breath of the Celestial Wheel—"
"—Crimson fire spirits, transparent truths,