Good Morning, Kaguya!

He once again produced several novel toys from the box as if by magic—a spinning fire-breathing top, little rockets that streaked into the sky trailing colorful tails, crackling electric flowers... He stuffed them all into Kaguya's arms.

"Take them. Have fun."

Kaguya's eyes instantly lit up even more.

At that moment, all the elegant bearing and noble demeanor of the Young Miss of the Siongo Family were thrown far beyond the clouds.

She took off her shoes and ran barefoot across the beach, lighting the novel little fireworks and watching them buzz, spin, and dance through the air.

Her laughter, crisp as silver bells, echoed across the empty beach, drowning out the soft murmur of the waves.

Before long, all the little toys had burned through their final bursts of brilliance.

Still unsatisfied, Kaguya ran back to Chen Tian's side and looked up at him with her little face raised. Her large eyes sparkled with undisguised anticipation, and her face was full of smiles.

Chen Tian gave a low chuckle, then turned and lifted a square metal fireworks box from the large cardboard box.

He jogged to a dry stretch of beach in the distance and set it down, then quickly returned and led Kaguya back to a safe distance.

The two sat side by side on the soft sand. Chen Tian raised his hand and snapped his fingers with a crisp crack.

Far away, a bright trail of sparks suddenly raced up the fuse of the fireworks box.

After a sharp whistle through the air, the first firework streaked into the ink-blue night sky, trailing light behind it before exploding at its highest point! A huge golden-red sphere instantly illuminated the entire beach, while fine golden sparks slowly cascaded down like rain.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

One after another, fireworks of different colors bloomed across the night sky.

Brilliant chrysanthemums, shimmering willow branches, dazzling peonies... Multicolored radiance lit up the entire sky and illuminated the two people sitting side by side on the beach.

Kaguya tilted up her little face, staring unblinkingly at the grand show being set off for her.

Five-colored light danced and swirled in her pupils like shattered diamonds. That sweet smile remained at the corners of her lips, pure and contented.

The night sky was filled with splendor, while the sea breeze carried the distinctive scent of gunpowder past them.

As Kaguya watched, her little head suddenly, tentatively, leaned against Chen Tian's sturdy arm.

Chen Tian did not move, letting her lean against him.

"Tian Jun..." Kaguya's voice was very soft, almost drowned out by the explosion of the next firework.

Chen Tian turned to look at her.

Kaguya was still gazing at the sky, but the outline of her profile looked exceptionally gentle in the alternating light and darkness of the fireworks.

Her long eyelashes trembled. Her next words entered Chen Tian's ears clearly, carrying boundless affection and dependence:

"Tonight..." She paused, then finally turned to meet Chen Tian's gaze. Her deep-red eyes were now filled with undisguised emotion and anticipation.

"I don't want to go home."

P.S. The following plot requires SSSSSSSSSSSSVIP access to unlock. Never mind, I'm not letting you see it after all. Nyah nyah nyah.

Good morning, Kaguya!

?The Siongo Family's study.?

The clock's hands? clicked to exactly two o'clock.

Siongo Gaan stared fixedly at the hand, the muscles on his face taut and his teeth grinding audibly.

The antique pendulum's steady swing could not suppress the volcano raging in his chest.

"You bastard! You rotten brat!" He slammed a fist onto the desk, making the pen holder jump. "Didn't you say you'd bring Kaguya back later?! Two in the morning is 'later'?!"

?Gunma Prefecture, Kusatsu Onsen, LaVista Hotel suite.?

Moonlight poured through the enormous floor-to-ceiling windows onto the broad bed.

Kaguya lay curled on her side, sleeping soundly.

Her cheeks were flushed with the rosy afterglow of pleasure, and tiny beads of sweat glistened at her temples.

Her whole body was sunk into the soft duvet—or more precisely, into Chen Tian's arms.

Her forehead rested against the hollow of his neck, and one hand lay unconsciously against his chest.

Chen Tian leaned against the headboard, wide awake. One arm held Kaguya securely to keep her from slipping, while his other hand held a phone with its screen lit.

The message was from "the Strongest Sorcerer":

?How was it? Is my~ Nero~君~ satisfied with my arrangements?~(????)?

Chen Tian raised his eyelids slightly and moved his finger.

?Hey~ Don't be so cold! (;へ:)?

?Considering how much I've helped you with everything~?

?How about helping me deal with a tiny, tiny, tiny, tiny Cursed Spirit here??

?I'm begging you~~ (ノへ￣,)?

A location pin was attached below.

The corner of Chen Tian's mouth twitched. He closed his eyes.

His invisible perception instantly spread out, piercing through walls and mountains and locking onto the Cursed Spirit at the location, which radiated a twisted malice.

Its strength? It was all right. Just a Special Grade—against him, it was trash.

He opened his eyes. Carefully, he drew his arm from beneath Kaguya's neck, moving as gently as if handling a fragile object. He laid her down softly and tucked in the edge of the blanket.

He silently got out of bed and stepped barefoot onto the soft carpet.

The Enma Sword dropped into his hand from thin air.

He stood on the spacious balcony, the night breeze cool against his skin.

His left hand held the sheath, while his right rested casually on the hilt.

A barely audible sound of friction.

He drew the sword, struck, and sheathed it.

He was so fast that it seemed like nothing more than an illusion of light and shadow.

The Enma Sword vanished.

Chen Tian turned and returned to the room, silently lying back down.

As if sensing a familiar source of warmth in her sleep, Kaguya unconsciously snuggled into his arms and let out a comfortable little hum.

Chen Tian naturally extended his arm, scooped her back into his embrace, and held her tightly. He gently rubbed his chin against her soft hair.

Everything returned to serenity, leaving only Kaguya's steady breathing.

?Shizuoka Prefecture, Takakusa Mountain, night.?

The crisp snap of a dead branch breaking was especially jarring in the silent mountain forest.

Itadori rolled to the side, dodging the incoming black claws. The ancient tree behind him was instantly sliced into chunks of wood.

"Hey! Fushiguro!" He wiped the blood from his face as Cursed Energy ignited around his fist. "Summon Mahoraga!"

Ten meters away, Fushiguro's shadow twisted across the ground as he formed hand seals. "Don't order me around."

He suddenly shouted, "Nue!" The giant eagle Shikigami shot through the air, lightning striking toward the hunched figure.

The Cursed Spirit let out a sharp shriek like a crying baby.

It was as thin as a dried corpse, yet its skin was covered in constantly writhing black scriptures, with blood seeping from every stroke.

Most horrifying of all was its face—there were no features, only a crooked smiling face carved into it with a knife.

"Do we really need Mahoraga for this kind of trash?" Nobara rested the hammer on her shoulder, spinning three long nails rapidly between her fingers. "Yuji, have you gotten weaker?"

"Shut up, all of you!" Fushiguro suddenly shouted. He stared at the Cursed Spirit's abruptly rigid movements, his pupils contracting. "Itadori, engage it at close range! Create a running lane for Piercing Ox! Nobara, use Resonance—"

"No problem!"

The muscles in Itadori's legs bulged as he charged, his Cursed Energy-wrapped fist smashing straight toward the Cursed Spirit's face. The long nail Nobara flung traced a silver arc, only to suddenly freeze in midair—

An almost inaudible metallic tremor rang out.

The Special Grade Cursed Spirit, which had been twisting and transforming, suddenly froze.

The black scriptures stopped flowing, and its lengthened claws stiffened in midair.

Then, a straight line of light appeared from the top of its head, running down its face, chest, and hips... perfectly splitting it into two symmetrical halves.

The Cursed Spirit parted left and right like a toppled stack of blocks, its cut as smooth as a mirror. Before its black Cursed Energy could erupt, it was cut apart, and its remains dispersed into ashes.

The three of them remained frozen in their attacking poses.

"...Huh?" Itadori's fist was still suspended in midair, his expression blank.

Nobara's eyes suddenly lit up. She clapped her hands together. "Wow! Was that my idol's slash?!"

She hopped excitedly in place. "It's definitely him! That cut! That precision!"

Fushiguro lowered his hands and wearily rubbed his brow. "Who else could cheat like that besides him?"

He glanced at the signal bars on his phone. "The support team won't arrive for at least another hour."

Itadori scratched his head, looking utterly confused. "So we... came all this way for nothing?"

He pointed at the remains of the Cursed Spirit dissolving on the ground. "We didn't even get to warm up."

Fushiguro did not answer. He turned toward the depths of the mountains, where everything was pitch-black.

Hundreds of corpses that had been gnawed on by the Cursed Spirit were piled there, each one still in a kneeling position.

"The mission continues." Fushiguro's voice was cold as ice. "Go set up a barrier at the scene and wait for support to handle the bodies." He walked into the darkness. "No one's sleeping tonight."

Nobara curled her lips, pulled out her phone, and snapped a picture of the Cursed Spirit split in two. "I'll send the photo to Hana first! @Lord Nero is the coolest!" She jogged after Fushiguro. "Hey, wait for me!"

?Tokyo, somewhere.?

Satoru Gojo crossed his legs and looked at the photo Fushiguro had sent of the Cursed Spirit cleaved apart, the corners of his mouth curling upward.

"Heh~" He tapped his fingers against the table. "What a tsundere, Nero~kun." His voice was full of gleeful teasing as he casually forwarded the photo.

?The next morning, Kusatsu Onsen Hotel.?

Sunlight climbed over the window frame and spilled across Kaguya's face.

Her eyelashes trembled, and she opened her eyes. The first thing she saw was the sharp line of Chen Tian's jaw; beside her ear was the steady, powerful thud of his heartbeat.

Thump, thump... thump, thump... It seemed to knock open the floodgates of her memories.

The scenes from last night came surging back.

How she had summoned the courage to tell him, "Tonight... I don't want to go home."

How he had drawn that strangely shaped sword from thin air before her, its blade cleaving the air and tearing open a cross-shaped portal swirling with strange light.

Only last night had she truly understood... becoming pregnant was not as simple as hugging and kissing.

It required that kind of... close and frenzied... entanglement.

Her body had risen and fallen in the scorching tide... twisting... gasping...

Her temples damp with sweat... her waist gone weak... until she had completely lost consciousness...

"Mm..." A faint whimper nearly escaped her lips.

Kaguya suddenly bit down on her lower lip and buried her face even deeper in Chen Tian's arms, the tips of her ears red as if they might drip blood.

Kaguya's heart pounded like a drum. She secretly lifted her eyes, wanting to see whether Chen Tian was awake.

Her gaze collided with his deep eyes, which had opened at some point.

They were calm and knowing, with a trace of the languor of early morning.

A buzz rang through Kaguya's mind. So embarrassed that she nearly evaporated on the spot, she buried her face again like an ostrich, leaving only one blood-red ear tip exposed.

Chen Tian silently curved his lips into a smile and tightened his arm around her. He gently rubbed his chin against her soft hair.

"Good morning, Kaguya." Chen Tian's voice carried the languor of someone who had just woken up.

"G-G-Good morning!" Kaguya stammered, her face so hot it seemed ready to smoke.

Looking at her crimson ear tip, Chen Tian chuckled softly. He leaned down and placed a gentle kiss on her burning forehead.