(VALENTINE SPECIAL) Hana's Special Date II

Tsk!

A quest?! On Valentine's Day?!

"Director-san, you lack tact, and you're very insensitive," I muttered.

"WHO'S DIRECTOR-SAN?! UNCLE NICO! UNCLE NICO IS WHAT YOU SHOULD CALL ME, REMEMBER?!"

He put way too much emphasis on that—like always.

But Giaoni, huh…

Karane, having abandoned her usual antics, fluttered to Lunaria's arm as Nico-san continued. "I don't need to explain too much about him, right?"

I sighed, rubbing my temple. "Yeah. Giaoni is a supernatural who fought alongside Kaguya against the world a thousand years ago. A being born of an elder giant and an oni."

"Well done, Hana-chan. As intelligent as always," Nico-san praised.

Legion's gaze flicked toward us, intrigued but silent.

"Giaoni has finally left the shadows after about eight hundred years and was last seen in Hokkaido, Japan."

"…Really?" My eyes widened. "What was he looking for in Japan?"

"We don't know yet. But whatever it is, we can't let him have it. All Moonyrs are dangerous." Nico-san's expression darkened slightly. "Giaoni appeared and disappeared twice yesterday. Monitors have been assigned to survey and secure the area, but if he returns, the field monitors—none stronger than Crusader-class—won't stand a chance. Your assistance would be invaluable."

He leaned in, tone casual despite the serious request. "So… if you could move your date to Hokkaido, I'd like that."

"I don't care what you'd like." My response was flat.

Nico-san furrowed his brow. "C'mon! What's the harm in that?!" He whined like a brat. "There's a very nice park there! You'd like it, I promise!"

"You eternal ossan! You just love dumping dangerous tasks on your subordinates!" I snapped.

But in the end, I accepted the mission.

Still, I was not giving up my date at Fuji-Q Highland. If anything came up—which I sincerely hoped it wouldn't—we'd just fly there really fast.

As Nico-san and I spoke, Legion was pulled to the side by a flustered Hank, who was hounding him about how he managed to look even more human.

"Uh, yes. Direc—"

"Hm?!"

"I mean, Uncle Nico," I corrected myself, much to his satisfaction. "…What about Yao?"

"Oh, Yao! She went out with Glenda for a small operation. When you come back for Karane, you'll probably see her."

Right.

Yao had been through so much because of me…

I was glad she was finally living a little, at least for now.

Nico-san sighed dramatically. "But, Hana... you used to confess to me every day when you were little, and now you're going on a date with some lizard?"

"Haahh?!" I roared, nearly snapping my neck turning toward him. "How dare you call him a lizard?!"

"And now that I think about it, aren't you attempting bestiality? And wait, he thinks himself to be a father to you, so it's bestiality and incest? Wow, Hana, you really grew up—"

Before he could finish the disgusting things he was saying, I dashed toward Legion, grabbed his arm, and we left the House of Lucian.

All of them—every last one of them—are insane over there.

A perfect place for my little sister.

We didn't get to say proper goodbyes before leaving because my ears were on the verge of petrifying from Nico-san's thoughtless asides.

We sped through the skies, leaving Nowhere behind as we soared toward Fuji-Q Highland.

At a certain point, though, I stopped and flew downward.

I started tapping my phone.

"Hm? Hana, why'd we stop?" Legion looked around briefly before tilting his head at me.

"What? Isn't it obvious?"

I stopped tapping just as a flashy car pulled up beside me.

"We're taking a ride," I declared.

"Whaaaat? Won't it be easier if we flew?" Legion whined.

"No, you lazy bum! This date will be perfect!" I clutched my bucket list hungrily. "We're doing everything on this list, from taking a romantic ride until… you-know-what in the n-n-n-n-n-n—"

"Ah! Hana's broken," Legion observed. "And why do I get the same feeling I get when I'm with Hank?" He rubbed his arms, visibly trembling.

What the hell has Hank been saying to him behind my back?!

The driver—also a Monitor, a Master-class one at that—answered my request almost too quickly.

Well, I was a big deal after last year's battle with Vladia—no, Kaliyah. Even though I lost, it was all a diversion, a plan I wasn't in on, designed by Raymond-san and Martha-sama, with my teammates executing it without my knowledge.

We weakened Kaliyah enough for those two to get dangerously close without being sensed.

The outcome? I became a hero of sorts.

I suppose this driver sees me as some god-tier figure… and honestly, he's not wrong.

I am a god-class individual when fused with Legion—something that even the Monarchs can't surpass.

And I have to use this power to protect balance in this world. For Karane. For Yao. For the Lucians.

And for Legion.

The car drove past the city streets, where couples were giving it their all—some with gifts, some with bold public displays of affection. When we arrived at Fuji-Q Highland, we were instantly greeted by an explosion of Valentine's decorations and a sea of lovebirds wandering about.

Hehehe… If things go right today, I just might be changing my relationship status.

Wait, aren't I acting like the guy in this thing?

Nonetheless, it was already high noon. We had spent too much time at Nowhere, but it wasn't too late to start the date.

"Let's go in, Legion—!" I turned to him, only to freeze.

Legion looked as if life itself was draining from his body. His entire posture screamed tail-between-his-legs.

"Ah, it's nothing, it's nothing! Let's goooo!" He sang, voice wobbling like a bad actor.

…Wait.

Does Legion not want to be here?

I hope I'm not forcing him into anything.

Legion turned back just in time to catch my frown.

"What's wrong? I told you I'm fine!" He closed the distance between us and placed a warm palm against my cheek.

His touch was so gentle, I couldn't help but rest my face against his hand.

"Seeing you frown is piercing to my heart, not to mention that I am the source. Please smile no matter what. As we've come here, let's enjoy ourselves, okay?"

There it was again. That ancient, poetic way of talking. Legion had been trying to sound more casual lately, but sometimes his true nature slipped out.

"S-So, you're not unhappy to be here, right?" I asked again, just to be sure.

"Unhappy? Not unhappy, but I'm a bit surprised by... everything." His gaze shifted awkwardly around the amusement park, as if he were still trying to comprehend the bizarre human concept of fun.

"Geez! Then don't scare me like that! I thought for a moment there I was forcing you!"

Grabbing his hand, I pulled him toward the entrance, determined to make this date a success.

No more doubts. No more overthinking. We were going to have fun, and that was final!

Four Hours Later

This date is officially the worst...!

Let me explain. Sniff, sniff.

First, we went on the merry-go-round. A classic. A childhood favorite I never outgrew. I figured Legion might appreciate its elegance. Instead, he looked like he was experiencing spiritual death.

'No good, then?' I thought, swiftly moving us to the next ride.

Tea cup ride!

"Hey, Legion, I bet you can't stand the force I'll impose on you!" I declared, gripping the wheel and twisting it with all my might to accelerate the spinning cup.

Nothing.

I spun it harder, putting all my supernatural strength into it, but Legion just sat there, looking like his soul was trying to evacuate his body.

"C-customer! Please...!"

Ah. The attendant. The crowd. The horrified onlookers.

Right. The cup was practically tilting off its axis from my overzealous spinning.

We apologized and bolted for the haunted house!

Which also flopped.

Legion and I could see through every single trick.

Jump scares? Predictable.

Creepy whispers? Child's play.

The ghost animatronics looked like malnourished ghouls.

"Hana, if you're trying to terrify me, you'll have to do better than this, you know?" Legion sighed, barely suppressing a yawn.

Ugh. Now he was calling me out.

The Ferris wheel and maze were no better.

Legion looked like he wanted to puke, but not from fear.

No, he was simply unimpressed.

Then came the rollercoaster. The grand finale. The pinnacle of human thrill rides.

And the ultimate disaster.

Legion sat there, stiff as a board, his expression frozen in sheer displeasure, like someone was holding a piece of rotting cheese under his nose.

I stared at him, realization dawning.

I'd dragged a powerful dragon through a human amusement park, expecting him to be thrilled by mundane rides.

I feel like a fool...

*

Four hours had passed by the time we stumbled off the rollercoaster.

I checked the list. There were still a few things left to do, but next up was—ah, right—taking pictures. Again.

We'd already snapped countless photos with my phone at every ride, but per the script—I mean, the bucket list—I wanted at least one professionally taken.

I called a photographer, who directed us to stand close together and say cheese.

I glanced at Legion, expecting to see another strained, suffering expression, but…

He was completely normal.

Smiling, even.

He was so cute.

"Hm? Hana, the photographer is waiting. What are you staring at?"

"Oh, yeah. Sorry."

We posed, said cheese, and the picture was taken.

If nothing else, this was the highlight of the day. No—correction—this was the only good thing that had happened today.

Then—

"Hey, Hana, I want something sweet!" Legion suddenly proclaimed, eyes locked onto a little girl clutching a massive cloud of cotton candy.

There he goes, acting like the girl in the date…

Ah, right. We hadn't eaten yet.

Not that we needed to eat anymore, nonetheless —borrowing Legion's words—it was one of those luxuries we weren't about to throw away.

But watching Legion… maybe he wasn't really into human entertainment after all?

I really hadn't considered it. Despite everything, Legion used to be a massive dragon.

Sure, he was trying to be polite, letting me have my fun, but it wasn't working—because I knew he wasn't enjoying himself.

I reached into my pocket, pulled out the bucket list, crumpled it, and tossed it into the nearest trash bin.

"Eh?! What are you doing?!" Legion cried. "Isn't that the list of things we're supposed to do?"

I walked up to him, grabbed his hand, and squeezed it gently.

"No. Enough about me… What do you want?"

Even if he said we should go home, I wouldn't hesitate.

…Well. Maybe a little.

But I'd just come up with another scheme to impress him and make him mine.

Legion blinked, looking slightly concerned. "Hana, you've been getting worked up over nothing all day. Are you having a—what's it called…? A mood swing?"

…What?

He kept going. "You've been acting strange today."

Tsk! That stung.

HE was telling ME that I was acting strange?!

"Hana," Legion said, turning his back to me. "You realize that I've died once, right?"

His voice softened. "But even in that state, I yearned for one thing—to see you happy."

Then he turned back around, smiling as he took my hand. "And as for my happiness? Just being here with you, being alive with you, is enough. Your smile, your joy—that's what makes me happy. It gives me boundless bliss."

My face ignited.

I had no words.

Then, as if he hadn't just said something so overwhelmingly embarrassing, he chuckled.

"I enjoyed everything today. The rides, the scenery—it was all new and exciting for me. You know I couldn't have done any of that in my dragon form, hahaha."

He giggled.

The cutest giggle known to mankind, I swear.

Geez, this misleading dragon…

Then why had he been acting all stiff and fidgety the entire time?!

"I-I was just a bit… embarrassed…" Legion muttered, his cheeks glowing pink as his eyes darted everywhere. "Lovers and their flirting made me a bit uncomfortable."

Oh.

Ohhh!

"So that's what had you looking like your soul was leaving your body?" I sighed in relief, hearts practically floating around me.

Now that I thought about it, every time we were on a ride packed with couples—which was almost every ride—Legion would react somehow.

So that was it.

This shy dragon.

I was so glad I wasn't the reason for his discomfort.

I glanced at my phone. It was just past four. Still plenty of time.

"I heard you, Legion. And thanks for the treat."

By treat, I meant him—being all cute and shy.

"What treat?" He tilted his head. "Oh, speaking of treats, I want cake!"

…Cake?

"I thought you'd want something… I don't know, stronger?"

"I love cake. It's soft, sweet… like you… sort of…" He trailed off, as if struggling to find the right words.

"…Eh??"

"I mean, you're nice! I mean—you've always been there for me—! Ahhh!"

Like realization had just smacked him across the face, Legion turned completely red.

Cherry-blush rampage activated.

"I know, I know. Calm down." I patted his shoulder, but—

Wait.

This guy was slimmer than me?!

…I needed to train more.

"Let's go eat cake, Legion." I flashed him my best smile.

I was happy.

Today's date had been teetering on disaster, but right now, in this moment… I was happy.

As we made our way to a cozy little cake shop tucked in a side alley, I took my chance—

And locked hands with him.

Like we were a couple.

He stiffened, a tiny tremor running through him, but I just smiled. There it is. That little reaction confirmed everything.

Legion was into humans.

He was aware of me as a woman.

I had worried—what if he wanted some majestic dragoness out there instead? But this? This was a huge relief.

And that's how I'd keep creeping closer, little by little, until I had all of hi—

"Hana? You're drooling. That's dirty."

Ahaha… my pride was falling apart.

Then—

"Oi, oi! Onee-sans!"

A deep, rugged voice called out.

I turned.

Four guys.

Dressed like delinquents.

I held back a sigh—don't judge a book by its cover, I reminded myself—until one of them grabbed my arm.

"C'mon, let's go have some drinks. I'm real good with the ladies, you know."

Another one gently touched Legion's hair, his eyes lighting up. "Whoa… Is this hair for real? It's maximum beautiful. Care for some drinks?"

…I wish that guy had approached me. He seemed way more polite.

But wait.

How DARE he just casually touch my Legion like that?!

And also—was he gay?!

Or wait—?!

Do they think Legion is a woman?!

Anyway, let's just respectfully decline.

"I'm sorry, me and my date are supposed to be—"

"Huh?! It's fine, it's fine! Just five minutes would do." The guy brushed off my words, now actively pulling my arm.

Ugh, I really didn't want to hurt anyone…!

Doshio?

"Excuse me, Mister," a sweet, familiar voice finally spoke.

Legion.

He was smiling.

"You're inconveniencing my… girlfriend."

Me: Eh?

The thugs: Eh?!

"Ah, Aniki, isn't this that yuri stuff?"

"Daro? Definitely yuri. Let's just leave them alone."

Awww, how gentlemanly—!!

"C'mon, guys, she's blatantly lying!" The one still holding onto me refused to back down. "There's no way they're in a relationship."

…Excuse me?

On what basis did he come to that conclusion?!

I mean, we weren't officially dating, but we at least looked like a couple, right?! Right?!

The thug tugged my arm harder. When he realized I wasn't budging an inch, he really started pulling—

And then—

"What the hell?! This lady is too strong!!"

He yelled, struggling against me, completely ignoring his friends' growing unease.

But then—

A sickening, wet crack.

A grotesque tear of flesh.

And in an instant—

He was split cleanly in two.

Bloodless.

Lifeless.

Dead.

"A…Aaaah?!!!!!"

His friends screamed, their faces draining of color before they turned on their heels and bolted out of sight.

I stood there, horrified.

What… What was I going to do now?!

"L-Legion—why did you do that?!" My voice trembled as I spun toward him. "He was a regular human! He didn't even know what we were! We didn't need to kill him!!"

My heart pounded as panic crept in.

Were we going to get in trouble for this?

…No, actually, I doubted that.

Lunaria-chan had killed plenty of bystanders before, which was why Hank was almost always stuck with her as a leash.

But still—killing ordinary humans wasn't something that should be casual.

Luckily, we were in a back alley. Minimal witnesses… I think.

"Huh?" Legion tilted his head. "He was getting in our way."

"In our way…?"

"In the way between us and cake."

"…So cake has more worth than a human to you?!" I yelled, utterly bewildered.

"What a pain."

"No, you're being a pain right now!!"

"Okay, I'll bring him back."

"…Eh?"

What did he mean by that?

I knew Legion had transcended into deity territory, but did he really think he had power over life and death?

Not even all gods had that.

"It wasn't too long ago that he died, so his soul hasn't properly reached Hades yet," Legion informed me casually.

I turned back to the corpse—

And noticed something deeply unsettling.

It was still… standing upright.

His eyes had rolled into his head.

He wasn't bleeding at all.

"…He's in limbo," I mumbled.

Legion raised a hand in front of his face and crossed his pointer finger with his index. Instantly, the punk reassembled.

His two halves had remained upright, defying gravity, making it disturbingly easy for him to be put back together.

Oh, God. I really hope Legion doesn't scare me like that again.

The thug's life force slowly seeped back into his body, his ruined clothes the only evidence of what had just happened.

Poor guy. He'd probably become awakened after this.

And seriously—just how many insane abilities does Legion even have?!

"Hey, Legion, you've been hiding your powers from me, huh?" I accused.

"Huh?" He tilted his head. "My powers are many. I can't possibly start explaining them all to you. Most of them are dangerous and can't be casually demonstrated. Just think of me as God from now on. I can't do everything, but there's little I cannot do."

…This pompous dragon—?!

"So you're stronger than me, even if we fuse?" I tested.

"No, not even close," he answered plainly. "When we fuse, your power keeps growing infinitely. That's a feature I don't have. If you face a strong enemy, it's only a matter of time before they're defeated."

…Why does that make me sound like some dangerous evil god?

Legion explained that the ability he'd used was called Mortal Trade.

Normally, it was meant to instantly resurrect someone who had just died in his presence—so long as his energy tank was full. But in reverse, it annihilated opponents weaker than him who couldn't resist the command of Mortal Trade.

They would simply be struck down by an invisible force of nature. And the best part? This version of the ability required no energy as payment.

Awesome.

This would be extremely useful in battle. No need to waste time with weaklings.

"Legion, you're awesome!" I grinned, genuinely impressed.

He scratched his neck shyly.

"Alright, let's go get that cake!"

We left the resurrected punk unconscious on the ground and walked off.

It was 4:30 now, but… strangely, I'd ended up enjoying today.

Like Legion said—even just being with him, seeing his smiling face—it filled me with an unexplainable warmth.

Then, suddenly—

"Uhm… Uhm… Hana!" Legion exclaimed.

I blinked. "Yes? What's the problem?"

His eyes darted around nervously. "You know, despite me being in human form, you might think I'm still a dragon."

He was acting shy.

"But… I'll try to be as human as possible, okay?"

Huh? What was he getting at?

He continued hesitantly. "O-Outwardly, I look as normal as any human, right?"

"…Uh. Yes. You do. Right now, at least."

Then, without warning—

"I— I can make you happy!!"

…Loudly.

…Attracting attention.

Wait, wait, wait—?

I-I-Is Legion t-t-trying to p-p-propoooooose—?!

("Hey! Hana-chan! Testing, testing… Can you hear me?!")

Oh, God.

A wonderful evening was about to be rudely interrupted.

(Hai, hai, Hana desu.) I responded to Nico-san's uncalled-for mental message.

Legion was probably about to propose to me, and here I thought I'd be the one to take the lead.

Nico-san is an idiot.

(Huh?! Calling me an idiot, eh?! And what's with that "you-called-at-the-wrong-time" tone you're using?!)

Ah. He heard me.

Right. We are connected through our psyche, after all.

(What happened, Director?) I asked, half-expecting a very good reason for this interruption.

Apparently, Giaoni had started moving, and with his disciples, he was giving the Monitors hell in Daisetsuzan National Park, Hokkaido.

(He's strong. Very strong. An old force powerful enough to trouble even the twelve original High Humans. But you, Hana—you're bonafide god-class when fused with Legion. Giaoni's somewhere below that. You'll win for sure.)

Sigh. If Nico-san was this confident, then there was really nothing to worry about.

Ugh. So this ends my Valentine's date? Thank you very much, Director Nico.

(How dare you?! It's Uncle Nico, you little girl!)

I really need to think less loudly next time.

Legion and I fused immediately—thankfully, we were already in a secluded area. The witnesses were few.

And, honestly, no one would believe them if they said "I saw two people merge, then suddenly sprout wings!"

My dragon wings burst forth, and I shot into the sky, breaking the sound barrier as I sped toward Hokkaido.

Those field monitors better be okay.