Chapter 178: Aoba / Blood and Soul (1/2)

Chapter 177:Aoba / Make Yourself Comfortable to the Maaax! Chapter 179: Aoba / The Life-Sucking Magic Sword

Translator: Reflet

He leaped back embracing Aoba.

He felt bloodlust, as well as the slashing attack that brushed against the tip of his nose.

（To think that there would be a strong opponent waiting here）

That made him think about Shirokiyami for whatever reason, and Taiyou braced himself.

But, looking again at the sight that was there ……of his opponent was a total anticlimax.

There was a small girl reminiscent of an elementary schooler.

Her long hair in braids, she was wearing a light green hospital gown. Her looks were in order, but she was thin in an unhealthy way, with an outward appearance pale enough to hospitalize her.

That girl who had entered the room unawares was holding something unsuitable in her left hand.

It was a blade of the appearance of being a hybrid of a knife and a kitchen knife, its blade about twenty centimeters long.

Carrying that blade, she aimed her gaze at Taiyou.

「Is she……really an enemy？」

Taiyou was bewildered.

After all, the girl before him was trembling, acting like a small animal. Unable to feel a shred of the bloodlust that had pierced his skin with a tingling earlier, if she hadn’t been holding an edged tool then he would have been tempted to treat her gently like a lost child.

「H-Hey Natsuno-kun」

「What’s up」

「That knife……is it my imagination or is it sort of pounding？」

「Huh？」

He squinted his eyes again at the sharp object the girl was holding that Aoba had pointed out.

Just as she had said, with one look it was clear that this metal-hued thing was pulsating with a red tint.

Thump! Thump――

It was a red light thin enough to where looking carefully wouldn’t help anything, but enough to feel ominous at first glance.

The disparity between that and the trembling girl made him feel even moreso that way.

「Just what is……that knife」

「Natsuno-kun……I’m a little, scared」

「……It’ll be alright, cause I’m here」

While calming the frightened Aoba down, he formally spoke to the girl.

「Who exactly……are you？」

「I’m……I am……Uwaaaah！」

The girl tried answering the query, but couldn’t make any decent words.

Holding her dagger, she held her head and screamed.

「What the heck is wrong！？」

「Uwaaaaaaaaaaaaaah！！！！！！」

As she was screaming she swung the redly-glowing dagger, rushing to attack Taiyou.

「Uwah！」

He nimbly dodged the point of the slash.

As opposed to her scream that was enough to make one’s hair stand on end――like a disaster film, the girl’s attack was haphazard.

It was like a spoiled child swinging around a plastic bat; that sort of haphazard attack.

So that expectedly did not hit, and while it was striking in vain, Taiyou continued to dodge.

On the other hand, he hesitated to counterattack.

Though he was being slashed at by an ominous blade, the person doing it was a very young girl, and on top of that, there seemed to be more to her than that.

He really couldn’t just mow her down with his strong arm and then call it a day.

「You seem to be in a pinch, Taiyou-chan」

「Yeah」

「What will you do then? Would it not be a good idea to give her a good sock in the stomach and knock her over already？」

「No, that’s a little……」

Taiyou hesitated at Hera’s proposal.

In a sense, he was the most perplexed as of this instance.

The fact that he was unable to become calm, normally speaking with Hera despite the fact that he was in front of other people also brought on that clue.

「Then it would be best to confiscate that knife, as it would be dangerous with that thing being swung around」

「Good point」

Taiyou nodded, regaining his composure and facing the girl.

Hera’s proposal was as of now the safest action, so he thought it would be best to do so.

Staring blankly at the trackless orbit of the dagger being swung around, he firmly caught hold of her thin arm.

「Aaah……oo……aaaaah」

The girl raged while letting out a groaning voice.

「H-Hey, don’t be so rough」

Taiyou panicked.

There was the difference in physique with the girl, as well as the power he had gained from levelling up.

Normally he would be able to easily hold down this girlish child, but he was unfortunately embracing Aoba in his left hand at the moment, and on top of that, his opponent was thrashing around like a spoiled brat.

Along with the fact that he could not simply give it his all against her, he unintentionally let go of her hand as she kicked and struggled.

There was a flash of red light.

「Ah-」

Immediately following, a small scream excaped Aoba’s mouth.

The kicking and struggling girl had cut Taiyou’s fingertip with her dagger.

It was a thin wound like a thread, as if being cut by paper.

It was a literal graze; a graze that would normally be of no consequence.

「――ngh！」

However, Taiyou reacted violently.