Comet Dragon, breaking into the gravity field

"Of course I remember... You mean—"

Before he could continue, Chihaya Aine heard those three key words and thought about the strange behavior of Ritsu Narose today, and she immediately understood everything.

Why did Suze bring up the topic of Naruse Ritsu in the cafe? Why is Naruse Ritsu so close to Suze...

"Yes, Suyo is Ichinose."

Although she understood the reason, she still couldn't recover from the shock of hearing the truth from Ritsu Narushe's own mouth. Seeing the smile on the boy's face, a sour taste suddenly arose in Chihaya Aine's heart.

What? It turns out I was the one who came later.

The bright and vivid joy that once remained in my heart gradually faded, as if it was about to turn into nothingness.

Finally realizing this, Chihaya Aine, who was in a trance, turned around and tried to leave. However, before she could take a few steps, someone grabbed her wrist from behind.

“Aine, are you trying to escape?”

"I……"

The pale blue eyes cast a sharp gaze that almost became material, making Chihaya Aine feel as if she was being stared at by a predator at the top of the food chain.

A rabbit grazing on the grassland will not surrender when targeted by a bird of prey. In the instant it is caught by the claws, it will use its powerful hind legs to make a desperate attack in exchange for a glimmer of hope.

But that is only under normal circumstances.

Naruse Ritsu wasn't a bird of prey with high attack and low HP, and Chihaya Aine wasn't a rabbit that dared to fight back. In this restrictive study, she had no room to escape.

"咚咚-"

There was a sudden knock on the door, causing Chihaya Aine to tremble slightly for a moment. She turned back to look at Naruse Ritsu, but was surprised to find that he didn't seem to have any intention of letting go of her hand.

Chihaya Aine felt a little panicked when she thought that the real person was about to see her and Narose Ritsu fighting.

However, she did not know at this moment that in the deepest part of her heart, another kind of pleasure that was almost immoral was quietly sprouting.

"Now Sushi and I are just friends, just like Aine and I."

"Eh?"

The words ringing in her ears brought her back to reality. Before Chihaya Aine could figure out the deep meaning of these words, her wrist was suddenly released by Naruse Ritsu, and at the same time, the study door was pushed open from the outside.

"Excuse me~"

After opening the door, Nagasaki Suyo first looked at the two people standing there, then tilted her head slightly and said with a smile: "I made tea for everyone, how about going to the living room to have some tea?"

……

In the living room on the first floor, the lingering aroma of tea was wafting from the area above the coffee table.

"By the way, drinking tea at night makes it hard to sleep, right?" After finishing the tea in the cup, Ritsu Narose brought up this matter.

"Lavender tea can help you sleep."

While explaining the benefits of lavender tea, Nagasaki Suyo refilled Naruse Ritsu's tea cup and handed the cup of tea belonging to Chihaya Aine to her.

“Here, Aine, drink some too.”

"Thanks……"

The elegant fragrance lingered at the tip of her nose along with the misty hot air. As a stream of heat entered her body, the string in Chihaya Aine's heart that had been tense for a long time finally relaxed a little.

She didn't know if it was a psychological effect, but feeling the warmth coming from her body, she actually felt a little drowsy while sitting on the sofa.

"It's getting late. It seems it's time to say goodbye."

"I will send you back."

Her slightly hazy consciousness was instantly awakened by the soft whispers of the two people beside her. Chihaya Aine immediately sat up straight and took the initiative to pour herself another cup of tea.

"No need," Nagasaki Motoyo smiled and refused Naruse Ritsu's request. "Aine and I still have something to talk about. Boys should stay away now."

"Oh, so don't forget to tell me when you get home."

Putting down the teacup in her hand, Ritsu Narose's behavior was much more casual than Chihaya Aine had imagined.

It wasn't until the spring night breeze brushed against her face that Chihaya Aine managed to concentrate and look at the girl beside her whom she had only known for a few days.

She already had a premonition of what Nagasaki Suyo wanted to say to her...

……

In the study on the second floor, standing by the dark window, Ritsu Narose silently observed the two girls standing by the road.

He didn't move at all, just watched quietly, as solemn as the two statues in the yard.

Suddenly, he remembered what Boreas had said about him:

"An ancient dragon is more human than some people...it makes me sick."

As the group that hated humans the most, Black Dragon's evaluation was naturally full of gold. However, no matter how high the gold content was, the former Naruse Ritsu couldn't understand what "more human" meant.

Standing in the darkness, Naruse Ritsu removed part of the disguise attached to her body.

The tail landed on the floor with a slight scraping sound. Even in such a dim light, the silver scales still reflected a little brilliance.

His appearance at this moment was not so much half-dragon, half-human, but more like a hunter wearing a full set of armor - but not the gorgeous armor in fantasy works, but more like a mechanical creation that combined metal and biomaterial.

Clenching and unclenching his fists, Ritsu Narose felt that the power contained in his body would not fluctuate due to changes in appearance.

Some ancient dragons believe that transforming into a human form will weaken their own strength, but Naruse Ritsu disagrees. On the contrary, he believes that changing form helps him control his own strength.

The Sky Comet Dragon is an ancient dragon that harnesses dragon energy, a double-edged sword. If left unchecked, its fate might not be much better than that of a devastating creature like the Tyrannosaurus Rex.

That's why Ritsu Narushe labored so hard to regulate the balance within his body, achieving unparalleled control over his dragon energy. He also aspired to become human, to transform himself on another level.

Watching the two girls waving goodbye not far away, Ritsu Narose also turned back into an ordinary human appearance.

Looking back at the paper and pen on the table, as well as the pot of warm lavender tea, he had already thought about what he should do next.

But before that, he had to send Nagasaki Suyo home first.

Having said that, he was worried about letting the girl go home alone so late.

36. First clues

It was a new day, and when Ritsu Narose arrived at the cafe, it had already been open for some time.

Just like when he came here before, the customer flow here always fluctuates between being quiet and busy, which makes people worry about the stability of the business.

Sitting back in his favorite single seat near the counter, Naruse Ritsu took out his notebook and looked at Shiina Riki who was looking at him from behind the counter.

"The lights will be here today."

"What!?"

"You must seize this opportunity, otherwise you won't be able to be friends with Deng forever."

Picking up the menu on the table, Naruse Ritsu thought for a moment before finally expressing his suggestion: "Shiina-san, you'd better be more honest."

To be honest, Shiina Riki didn't seem like the type of person who would hesitate. But for some reason, she was hesitant about the matter of Takamatsu Deng.

To put it bluntly, she was like a rat living in the sewer, catching sight of the dazzling lights on a tall building through the cracks in the water inlet. Feeling ashamed of itself, the rat didn't dare to actively pursue the light's source, only hiding it in its heart, silently savoring the brilliance of the light that day when it touched its face.

However, Takamatsu Touma is not an unattainable existence, and Naruse Ritsu really cannot understand where Shiina Riki's fear comes from.

Without saying these words, Ritsu Narusha set the stirred coffee aside and thought about what to do next.

As for Shiina Ritsuki, she probably felt that she had been fooled by Naruse Ritsu again, but she couldn't completely disbelieve him, and attacking him was useless, so in the end she could only stand there angrily and sulk.

Taking out a piece of paper and a pen, Ritsu Narose planned to first prepare a list of souvenirs to take home.

In order to resolve some doubts in his heart, he had decided to go back. But before leaving, he had to bring some gifts to his friends who had not seen him for a long time.

Let’s exclude Mie Mie and Melo first. One of them is always causing trouble for me, and the other one meets me quite often, so there’s no need to give them gifts.

Then there was Teacher Miraluz and Dark Lantern Dragon—I didn’t know what name the teacher would give her.

If it's a teacher, prepare a set of history books from this world; since the Dark Dragon is still young, bring her some toys and the like.

As he wrote slowly, Ritsu Narose had no idea that the smile that appeared involuntarily on his face was noticed by someone who was spying on him.

He made her feel uneasy, but he showed that expression...

Seeing the look on Naruse Ritsu's face, Shiina Riki became more and more unhappy, and felt that this guy with a bad temper was more and more hateful.

You come here to eat and drink all day long, how come you haven’t died of stuffiness!

The girl regarded the glass in her hand as someone and gradually increased her strength, causing the poor glass to bear the unbearable weight of life.

Fortunately, this inhumane torture did not last long.

Shortly after the cafe's automatic door rang, the nasty new employee, who hadn't been working in the cafe for longer than a glass of wine, finally put it down.

"lamp……"

Her amethyst-like pupils trembled slightly. Shiina Riki didn't expect Deng to arrive so soon. But before she could say anything, she saw another person beside Deng who was getting in the way.

"Tsk," she smacked her lips and used her backhand to dispel the troublesome pink figure from her mind, but the chattering voice still continued to come.

Although he didn't have a very good impression of Chihaya Aine, Shiina Riki still pricked up his ears, trying to find out what that guy was saying to Deng.

Suddenly, she felt a gaze coming from the other side of the counter.

"Eavesdropping is not good," Naruse Ritsu said, twirling a pen as he looked at the clerk he'd caught red-handed. "If you want to know, why don't you just go and talk to him?"

“I’m still working.”

“If you don’t slack off at work, it’s like you’re not at work.”

After passing on his experience of punching in and idling away his time at Longliyuan, Ritsu Narose turned to look at the two girls who had not yet noticed him, with a somewhat puzzled look on his face.

Previously, when he was browsing band-related information online, he learned about Takamatsu Deng's experience in forming a band in a video reviewing bands.

Although the video was a bit blurry, Ritsu Naruse still recognized that the lead singer of [CRYCHIC] was Takamatsu Touma through certain physical features.

Once this is confirmed, it is not difficult to see the existence of Shiina Riki and Nagasaki Motoyo.

So now when he recalls the title of "Flash-in-the-pan bands", he can't help but feel a little confused.

Why did they disband after just one live performance?

I don't understand.

Maybe that’s what the band is all about.

As he was thinking this, Ritsu Narose saw Chihaya Aine waving at him excitedly.

Just looking at Chihaya Aine's sunny look now, it is impossible to connect her with the girl I saw last night.

Nagasaki Suyo probably said something to her afterwards...

But no matter what, it's always good to be in a good mood.

After waving his hand in response to the other party, Ritsu Narose saw Takamatsu Deng, who had his back to him, turned his head and looked at him.

With a certain anticipation and longing, the girl, like a little animal, whispered, "Lil...are you going to join the band too?"

"what?"

"Eh?"

"what?"

Not only him, but Chihaya Aine and Shiina Riki were also confused after hearing this. Among them, Shiina Riki's expression changed the most, as if he wanted to grab Naruse Ritsu's collar and ask him what he had done.

Spreading his hands, Naruse Ritsu said directly, "I don't know how to play any instrument, so it's impossible for me to join the band."

Although he had searched for relevant knowledge before and had the urge to play the music himself, that enthusiasm had been completely exhausted by the trivial matters of the past few days.

It would be better to let him punch the black dragon than to let him learn a skill from scratch now.

However, seeing the lost look of the lamp, a feeling of guilt inevitably arose.

Where's Aine? Save her!

Chihaya Aine winked at the pink girl, and understood what she meant and quickly changed the subject.

Finally breathing a sigh of relief, Ritsu Narose stared blankly at the brown table in front of him.

When he faced the lamp just now, he felt so helpless as if he was facing a black hole, which was about to suck him, a floating asteroid, into the bottomless darkness.

Deng, are you Kirby from the Star?