Mr. Mahiro, Are You a Loli-Con? (5.5K) (Continued)

This is already a miracle of humankind.

Therefore, if such a thing were to appear in the Tokyo Area, the entire Tokyo Area would face a devastating disaster, and virtually no one would survive.

"... Things are getting complicated."

Arriving at the unexplored area outside the Monolith in the transport plane prepared for him by Kisara, Yotsuba Mahiro impatiently scratched his hair shortly after getting off the plane.

The reason is simple: the place he was in was practically a primeval forest.

The towering trees grew lush and dense, and the poor visibility due to the night, coupled with the heavy rains of the past few days, meant the entire forest was soaked, and my nostrils were filled with the strong smell of damp earth.

But unlike the primeval forest, traces of human habitation can still be faintly seen here.

Buildings entwined with vines, covered in ivy or moss, long abandoned, or car frames where glass and tires have disappeared, leaving only rusty marks.

However, the most crucial point is that as soon as he landed, he felt countless eyes probing him from the dark depths of the forest.

Pairs of scarlet pupils, like searchlights, revealed utter hostility.

It was filled with the desire to tear him apart and crush him.

"The welcoming ceremony felt a little too grand..."

As soon as he finished speaking, Mahiro threw a holmium dagger toward the scarlet eyes.

This strike seemed to awaken a slumbering forest, and strange roars echoed from the darkness, followed by a series of peals.

With the activation of "Multiple Observation" and "Eidos Eye," Yotsuba Mahiro finally saw through the true nature of the strange creatures surrounding him.

A large army of Gastrea from Stage 1 to Stage 3, lurked in the forest, surrounding him like a ring.

"Ugh, how scary, the forest at night and all that."

With a sigh, intense Psion Light suddenly flashed in the darkness of the forest.

As the dust and mist surged, bursts of icy fog appeared, and white frost clung to the branches of the trees, gleaming in the moonlight, as if the world itself had been stained with a layer of silver.

Walking through the icy dust that dances like stars.

Dust to dust, ashes to ashes.

His figure was like a silent, icy death god, freezing and reaping all life equally.

Even though this level of ice mist cannot freeze Stage 3 Gastrea, the flickering Psion Light will still bring them relief.

"Don't move!"

After dealing with another stage three Gastrea, a gun was suddenly pointed at his back.

"Girl, tell me, is it faster for you to pull the trigger, or for me to turn around and decapitate you with a single stroke?"

Judging from the shape and feel of the muzzle, it should be a shotgun.

Judging from the position of the weapon against his waist, the other party must indeed be the Cursed Children.

While it's true that he pities these children, it doesn't mean he'll endlessly tolerate them being his enemies.

Logically, the children who are the initiators shouldn't harm other police officers, but there are always exceptions. There are always bastards like Hiruko Kagetane who will train these children to be killing machines.

Therefore, not being an enemy is his top priority.

"... Generally speaking, the speed at which a finger pulls the trigger is faster than the speed at which a person turns to swing a knife."

"Really? Then let's give it a try!"

Swish--

In the next instant, he first activated an acceleration spell, then drew a new dagger from his waist and turned to slash, all in a swift and decisive motion.

But then he and the girl who was pointing a gun at him from behind both froze.

"Why is it you?"

Mahiro stopped the knife, which was pressed against the girl's neck. The sharp blade whistled through her short, light blonde hair as it sliced off a thin strand.

By the moonlight, he could see the girl's entire face.

The other person was wearing a plain-colored long-sleeved dress and tight pants, an outfit completely out of place in the unexplored area.

He was holding a large-caliber fully automatic shotgun produced by Shiba Heavy Industries, equipped with an under-barrel grenade launcher.

Most importantly, it's that adorable, clueless face.

Who else could it be but Senju Kayo!

"Ah... it's that strange older brother who can read minds."

Senju Kayo also seemed to have forgotten to pull the trigger, staring blankly at him.

What kind of weird nickname is "the strange older brother who can read minds"...?

Mahiro was about to complain when he noticed that Senju Kayo's arm, which was holding the gun, was trembling slightly.

Although it was a barely perceptible tremor, he still managed to catch it clearly.

Especially on his wrist, it looked as if he had been bitten by a huge wild beast, with blood trickling out of the tooth-shaped wound like a trickle of water.

"Since you don't intend to fire, you might as well put the gun down."

This was not a discussion, and Senju Kayo's finger had already left the trigger.

"Um..."

After much deliberation, Senju Kayo chose to lay down his weapon.

"Very good, a wise move."

"..."

Faced with his praise, the girl didn't say anything, she just stared at him with eyes that showed little emotion.

"How about we talk somewhere else? You seem to need some rest, and you probably have a lot to say."

"Um."

This was the second word in the girl's answer tonight.

However, just as he was about to leave, Senju Kayo suddenly tugged at his sleeve.

"What's wrong?"

"I'm injured."

"I know, so what?"

"So please let me go first, I'll clear the way for you, that's the best strategy I can think of right now."

Senju Kayo spoke to him with an unusually calm demeanor, as if she were exhaling all her emotions into the air, without any significant emotional fluctuation.

It's as if she herself wasn't the one leading the way as a shield.

The composure and calmness she displayed, which was beyond her years, reminded me of Mibu Asaka, but she was even calmer than Asaka.

The only difference is that Asaka doesn't see herself as a prop; even her selfless sacrifices and dedication to him are done in the manner of a human being.

Moreover, after finishing speaking, Senju Kayo picked up his automatic shotgun and led the way.

Looking at the petite figure in front of her, Mahiro didn't say anything, but silently followed behind, once again activating the "Multiple Observation" technique, with "Night Demon" in his hand ready to be used at any time.

The journey went smoothly, and they encountered virtually no decent Gastrea were mostly dealt with by Senju Kayo.

However, it must be said that the Cursed Children's efficiency is indeed astonishing.

Even if they are injured, even if they are not good at fighting, they can leap onto the heads of those Gastrea in an instant and smash their heads open.

Their destination was a place resembling a fortress.

It was a very small stone bungalow with a narrow rectangular opening facing downwind. The exit was made of sandbags, and there were many abandoned large weapons and trenches around it. It was clear that this was a defensive position left over from the Gastrea Wars.

The two built a fire inside, and the girl asked him if he wanted coffee. After receiving an affirmative answer, she took out a kettle and instant coffee from her luggage and started boiling water.

Mahiro, illuminated by the firelight, took out bandages, disinfected the girl, and then carefully wrapped them around her wound.

Although they came from different police teams and were on a mission, they acted as if they were on a picnic.

"Alright, although your erosion rate didn't increase this time, if you get injured again, you probably won't be so lucky."

"Mr. Mahiro is quite a strange person..."

After learning his name, Kayo handed him the coffee he had just brewed, saying, "Not only did you help me, who should have been your enemy, but you also helped bandage the wounds of a filthy, Cursed Children like me, even though I was pointing a gun at you not long ago."

"But you didn't intend to fire, did you? Otherwise, we wouldn't be sitting here so peacefully right now."

While sipping his warm coffee and poking at the fire with a twig, Mahiro casually remarked...

It was just a gun; he didn't really care about it.

"So that's why you're so strange... Normally, if someone is pointed a gun at by the Cursed Children, killing them wouldn't be unreasonable, since we're items that can be used at will..."

Could it be that Mr. Mahiro is the legendary loli-con?

"... That's going too far." Mahiro complained speechlessly as he looked up, only to find a flicker of emotion in Senju Kayo's usually calm eyes—a hint of a smile.

"Looks like you're doing pretty well, you can even joke around with me now."

"Feel sorry."

Kayo readily lowered his head to apologize, but then added, "However, you don't seem to dislike us."

"Why should I hate you? In my eyes, you are no different from ordinary children. Besides, you didn't choose to be the Cursed Children. Who can choose their birth? Those people use the name of revenge against Gastrea, but they just want to bully beings weaker than them."

Honestly, this kind of behavior is really disgusting.

Upon hearing this, disbelief flickered in Kayo's eyes, a slight ripple appearing in his otherwise vacant gaze, and a slow smile crept onto his lips as he said:

"As expected, Mr. Mahiro, you're different from everyone else... You really are a lolicon."

Yotsuba Mahiro: "..."

The first half of the sentence was fine, but when he heard the second half, he was completely speechless.

Looking at her pretty face illuminated by the firelight, she couldn't help but complain, "You bastard, you're just being reckless because you're a dolphin with an IQ of 210, aren't you? Be careful, or I'll throw you out to feed those wild Gastrea."

"I'm sorry, please don't do that. I'm reflecting on my actions."

Although Kayo was curious about how he knew about her, she first chose to bow down to the evil forces. With that blank expression, it was really hard to tell whether she was truly reflecting on her actions.

"But speaking of which, where's your muscular, idiotic partner?"

"Are you talking about Mr. Jiang Jian? I got separated from him."

Senju Kayo made no attempt to conceal anything and frankly recounted what had happened.

Just like in the original story, Senju Kayo and Shogen Ikuma fell into the Gastrea's trap again and were forced to separate.

While it's unclear whether this was unlucky for Senju Kayo, it was certainly a stroke of luck for him.

At least it can save the life of this adorable, highly intelligent little girl.

"Then, Mr. Mahiro, what about your Origin? The child I saw at the Ministry of Defense last time, that must be your Origin, right? Did you get separated from her too?"

Senju Kayo was somewhat puzzled.

She has an excellent memory; she clearly remembers the girl with the katana at the Ministry of Defense, and she also clearly remembers how that girl defeated Hiruko Kohina, the original IP address 134.

Logically speaking, with such immense strength, and given Yotsuba Mahiro power, the two shouldn't have been separated even during Stage Four...

"You mean Asaka? I didn't let her come, you should know that, right? I'm a lone wolf, I never bring a partner on missions."

Even a mission as dangerous as this one?

"That's right."

"..."

For some reason, Senju Kayo suddenly fell silent, hugged her knees and curled up, making her already petite body look even smaller.

The way she stared blankly at the fire left one wondering what she was thinking.

"As expected, rumors are not to be trusted."