"As an elder, I can't just watch Little Ai get swept away by a bad man."
"Eh? N-no, it's not like that, I just..."
For a moment, Edelweiss couldn't explain herself at all. By reflex, she lifted her cup and took a sip of "water" to calm herself down.
And then...
QAQ
Burned by the bitterness again, Edelweiss became even more upset, her gaze unconsciously drifting toward the window.
"So lost in thought... is he in the venue?"
Tsukikage Bakuga leaned closer as well. From this relatively nearby spot, he followed Edelweiss's gaze... It was only a small area, but he could roughly narrow it down.
—To where White Night was.
"There seem to be students there? Kurogane Ikki... no, that doesn't seem likely. Then..."
There were only a few boys around White Night. After a simple process of elimination, he said, "The apothecary's kid? He's somewhat famous, but he shouldn't have any connection with you."
"Edel, can you tell me how you met?"
Although Kiko was very close to White Night in the venue, as long as nothing excessive happened, it could be considered "siblings." Tsukikage Bakuga didn't pay much attention to it.
"Moroboshi, you guys keep talking. I have something to take care of." Sensing a familiar gaze, White Night excused himself from the group and quickly slipped away.
After reaching an unoccupied area, White Night looked around. Once he confirmed there were no cameras that could capture him, he activated Elementalization.
A streak of lightning shot through the electrical system, reaching the smoking area in complete secrecy.
"Did you miss me, Little Ai?"
The lightning swiftly took human form. White Night greeted Edelweiss first, then...
He looked at Tsukikage Bakuga and quickly identified the relevant information. Walking behind Edelweiss, he naturally wrapped an arm around her. "If I remember correctly..."
"Hello, Mr. Tsukikage. This may be sudden, but please entrust Little Ai to me."
"Eh? EHH?!"
If Tsukikage Bakuga was merely surprised... then Edelweiss was utterly embarrassed and flustered. Her pretty face turned crimson as her little hands waved about helplessly.
After that brief interlude, Edelweiss turned her back on the two men and sulked by herself.
"If you don't mind, I'll call you White Night."
Tsukikage stubbed out his cigarette. "When you came over just now, you seemed to have turned into lightning."
"At your level, isn't entering the competition just bullying everyone else?"
"But I'm not overage, am I?"
White Night simply smiled, unconcerned. "You can't ban someone just for being too strong, can you? By that logic, Stella, Ouma, Ikki... every last one of them should be disqualified."
"..."
There was no rebuttal.
"Don't worry. I'm not interested in the championship. After all... I only went to Broken Blade Academy because of Little Ai."
His eyes met Tsukikage's through his lenses. "That's right, I saw it~"
"During the Dawn Academy incident, Little Ai will appear to stop Hei Nai and Ning Yin. That is the 'future.'"
"...So it was you?"
Now he had finally found the culprit... You were the one who told Takizawa, weren't you?! Tsukikage took a deep breath. "Since you saw it, then regarding 'that future'..."
"I can't see that far ahead."
It had only been an excuse he used to brush people off, so it was useless at a time like this. White Night spread his hands. "But it's fine. When the time comes, someone will step forward."
"White Night, won't you take part?"
Now that it concerned this matter, Edelweiss could no longer care about being embarrassed. She turned back to ask White Night.
"Edel, is this kid really that strong?"
—In that future, Edelweiss couldn't participate, since she was still wanted. If White Night was going to take part, then he couldn't possibly be weak.
Without any decisive battle record, Tsukikage had no way of gauging White Night's actual strength.
"You mean a Demon? I already am one."
As he spoke, White Night released a faint trace of his aura, allowing Tsukikage to sense it clearly.
"So you really are..."
"But it's still not enough."
White Night interrupted Tsukikage and shook his head helplessly. "I'm still not strong enough. Being merely a 'Demon' without 'Transcendent Awakening'... is nowhere near enough."
"So after this Seven Star Sword Martial Festival, I'll probably travel somewhere very, very far away to train."
A hand reached over, and a soft little hand fell into White Night's palm. He turned his head slightly and saw Edelweiss's concerned gaze. "I'll be fine, Little Ai."
He gently tightened his grip around Edelweiss's little hand. Then White Night looked at Tsukikage again. "I don't know when I'll be back, so don't count on me for this."
"And Demons, you know~"
White Night pressed two fingers of his left hand together before his lips. "There might be more than just those few. Just watch carefully. This year's Seven Star Sword Martial Festival... is going to be very interesting."
"..."
Tsukikage fell silent. Seeing White Night's expression, it was obvious he had no intention of saying any more, so Tsukikage could only smile helplessly. "All right, then I'll look forward to it."
"Oh, and don't trust that Jester too much. Behind him is a Puppet Master with antisocial personality disorder."
After the banquet ended, Moroboshi and the others went their separate ways, while White Night and Edelweiss also left the smoking area together.
Back at the hotel, White Night had already showered and changed into a loose bathrobe. Then...
"Click~"
The sound of the door unlocking.
Then a pure white figure opened the door and entered—Edelweiss.
"Why are you here, Little Ai?"
Ever since they had confirmed their relationship, they had gotten along quite well. Whether it was swordsmanship practice or making desserts, the two of them... Bronya included, could always find something to talk about.
However, when it came to sleeping... perhaps it was self-deception, but Edelweiss slept with Bronya. They were both girls, so they couldn't take that final step.
"You're leaving?"
Her voice was still light and clear. Yet this time... White Night could hear a slight tremble in it. "Somewhere very, very far away. From what you said, you don't intend to take me with you, do you?"
I'm just going on a long trip...
At first, White Night wanted to say that. But when he turned to look at Little Ai... all the excuses in his heart became impossible to speak.
"You can't go, Little Ai."
White Night stepped closer bit by bit, carefully approaching her. The gentle movements of his hands were another form of probing.
Only after seeing that she did not resist did White Night take the next step, pulling Little Ai firmly into his embrace. "I haven't told you before, but I'm not from this world."
"...There are other worlds?"
"Of course there are."
This was genuine love. Otherwise, White Night would never have revealed such a secret. "I've traveled through quite a few, though perhaps not that many? This makes three."
"One was the world where I began. Supernatural Abilities awakened, and ordinary daily life gradually became extraordinary."
"Then came Hitori no Shita. You don't need to understand that, Little Ai. You only need to know that I have a master there, who laid the foundation for who I am now."
"After that was..."
White Night did not go into too much detail. After all, worlds... were simply too distant.
Edelweiss listened quietly. Only after White Night finished did she raise her head slightly to look at him. "Three worlds... so how old are you, White Night?"
"Eh, Little Ai, are you rejecting me now? Don't be like that. I'm an eternally seventeen-year-old young man."
"Hehe~ I'm joking."
Neither of them was ordinary. Even faced with such shocking news, Edelweiss remained calm.
What was more, White Night had told her such a secret, which was enough to show his sincerity. Then she too...
—Before, she had her concerns. But White Night had also been hesitant. By this moment, however, they had nearly truly opened their hearts to each other.
And besides...
When sleeping, Edelweiss had chosen to stay with Bronya. Looking at it that way, she had already made her choice, hadn't she? This was merely taking things one step further.
"White Night."
Edelweiss called to him gently.
She had many questions: Did he have to leave? Why? Could he stay... and so on.
But in the end, she said none of them. At their level, once they made a decision, they would not easily change it. Besides, she was his "wings"!
—What she should do was not hold White Night back. Even if she truly might have been able to persuade him otherwise, "White Night, go do what you need to do. I'll be in this world."
"...Little Ai."
White Night understood what she meant. He lowered his head slightly, pressing his forehead against hers... At this distance, he could clearly feel her moist breath.
An ambiguous atmosphere immediately filled the room. Even the light seemed to be faintly tinged with pink.
"White Night, have you done this before?"
"I haven't settled down in any of those three worlds yet. Where would I have found the time to think about that?"
"Mm."
Having received her answer, Edelweiss was about to gather her courage when White Night kissed her first, speaking between kisses. "What kind of man lets a girl take the initiative?"
Their feelings gradually deepened...
One piece of clothing after another fell beside the bed. White Night gently laid Edelweiss down, looking directly into her eyes. "Little Ai, I love you."
"Mm, I love you too, White Night."
Since White Night was going to leave, what was there to be reserved about? Edelweiss wrapped her smooth, fair arms around White Night and returned his feelings deeply.
"Click~"
With the sound of a switch, the lights immediately dimmed, leaving only faint breaths in the room...
Interlude
The next day, with the curtains drawn, the room was rather dim. Yet the clothes scattered messily across the floor were still visible, some of them even damaged.
White Night had awakened early, but instead of getting up, he propped himself up and lay on his side, admiring Little Ai's sleeping face.
Her silky silver hair spread across the bed, covering her smooth, fair bare back. Little Ai slept peacefully.
She was so cute~
Unconsciously, a faint smile appeared on White Night's face as he reached out and gently brushed aside a few strands of Little Ai's hair.
"White↗ Night↘"
A telepathic message reached him.
—Last night, Bronya had cut off their connection in time, but she still hadn't been able to sleep well.
Now that White Night was awake, it was time to hold him accountable. "You had quite a good time last night, didn't you?"
"All night... You didn't stop all night!!! Did you even consider Bronya's feelings?!!"
Before you continue