Little New Halo (2)

An hour had passed since the peculiar events of the morning, and I found myself having to explain the baffling situation to the four.

It had taken a mere ten minutes to recount the events of the previous night, but nearly an hour of persuasion and discussion to have them believe me, at least to some extent.

"...Your name is Reina, right?" Occiditis inquired, her curiosity piqued.

"Yep!"

"... let's buy sum sweets."

Unsurprisingly, Occiditis' older sister personality kicked in as she and Reina quickly got along faster as they met. The two of them departed the house, with Reina perched on Occiditis' shoulder, eagerly anticipating their sweet adventure.

"Wah!" Reina exclaimed with delight as they left, leaving the other five of us behind, the earlier scolding still fresh in my ears.

Reaper, with her arms crossed and an air of disdain, lifted her chin and fixed me with a piercing gaze. "So, we came all the way to the Ruins just for you to get a child... What a pervert."

"Like I said, it's not like that! I was just as surprised as you when Reina suddenly appeared!" I protested vehemently, but my words seemed to fall on deaf ears.

Reaper continued to regard me with undisguised disgust, but eventually, Solis and Odium intervened after what felt like an eternity—twenty minutes of chastisement and incredulity.

"Now, now... Let's cut him some slack," Solis urged, making a conciliatory gesture to quell Reaper's ire, which thankfully seemed to work.

I turned my attention to Odium, who had been conspicuously silent throughout this ordeal. Her gaze met mine briefly, but she averted her eyes, as if struggling to express something she couldn't quite put into words. For now, I decided to let her thoughts remain her own....

***

A couple of moments later, my anxiety still lingering, I made my way to the bathroom to wash my face, needing a moment of solitude to gather my thoughts.

As the water splashed against my face, I couldn't help but mutter to myself, "It's gone...?"

The peculiar halo that had inexplicably appeared above my head the previous day had vanished, leaving me with a sense of relief that was difficult to ignore.

After a refreshing shower, I reached for the nearby towel to dry off, focusing on the mundane task at hand.

"Hmm~...!!?"

It was during this simple act that realization struck me like a lightning bolt.

"Reina... Doesn't she have a halo?"

Panic surged within me as I comprehended the implications. Shit! I had completely forgotten about Reina's celestial halo, and now, I had let Occiditis take her out into the city.

"Ah..."

My mind raced with visions of the two of them strolling through the bustling streets, drawing the curious gazes of the citizens. Worse still, there was the very real possibility that some overzealous city guards might have taken an interest in them.

"I need to hurry!"

My heart pounded as I scrambled to dress myself, exiting the bathroom with my upper half still unclothed.

"We're back," Occiditis's voice echoed through the room, causing me to jerk in surprise.

I quickly threw on my pants, my eyes wide as I took in the sight before me. Reina stood beside Occiditis, cradling an armful of candies, clad in a new dress, and wearing... sunglasses?

...Did I miss something?

My mouth hung open, my voice stolen by sheer astonishment.

The two seemed to sense my shock. Gently, Occiditis set Reina down, and she scampered over to me, tugging on my pants.

"Papa, papa! Many people gave me gifts!" Reina declared proudly, her expression bordering on smug.

My eyes darted between her and Occiditis, and a disconcerting thought flickered through my mind.

...So, it seemed, this world had its share of ECCENTRIC individuals, to say the least.

"...Damn, lolicons."

"...?"

Reina tilted her head, her innocent confusion evident in her adorable expression... It was almost too cute to handle!

I took a moment to clear my mind, inhaling deeply before exhaling, forcing a smile to replace my brief lapse into panic. Patting Reina's head gently, I spoke reassuringly, "It's nothing, Reina. Just remember to be careful around strangers. You should always have one of the five of us as your bodyguard when you go out, okay?"

Reina blinked her eyes, processing my words before nodding in agreement. "Okay, Papa! I'll do that!"

"That's a good girl."

...

..

.

At noon, as we gathered for lunch, Reaper nonchalantly skewered a carrot with her fork and took a hearty bite before inquiring, "So, where's Solis?"

Now that she mentioned it, I hadn't seen Solis since earlier after the scolding in the morning.

Leaning back against the couch, I glanced at the three of them before returning my focus to gently combing Reina's hair. I remained quiet, listening to their conversation.

Odium stammered slightly as she answered in a hushed tone, though it was still audible to me. "She left earlier... Said she was going back to our old base to retrieve some flowers she left there."

Reaper, clearly irritated, clicked her tongue. "And she didn't think to ask for our help?"

"I suggested it, but she insisted on going alone. She also mentioned something about not wanting to risk anything getting destroyed if she brought you along, by... accident."

"What!!?" Reaper slammed her hands on the table in frustration.

Occiditis, who had been quietly eating her meal, suddenly stopped and opened her eyes to glare at Reaper. Reaper promptly sat down, crossed her arms, and pouted like a petulant child.

Occiditis resumed eating after calming Reaper's outburst.

Meanwhile, Odium, who had barely touched her food, stood up and mumbled, "I'll be in my room..." before leaving the dining area.

Reaper's eyes follows her as she leaves before standing up from her seat. "I'll head to mine as well."

As I observed this colorful scene, I couldn't help but shake my head in mild amusement.

"...?"

Suddenly...

"Papa...?" Reina peered up at me, her big eyes filled with curiosity.

I remained silent for a brief moment before responding with a warm smile, lifting her up under her arms and placing her gently on the couch.

Stretching my arms and cracking my neck, I declared, "Papa's going outside to take care of something. Be good, okay?"

Reina nodded enthusiastically. "Mmm! I'll be good, Papa!"

I don't know why, but... This better be not what I think it is.