An Angel Walking Outside (1)
Refri held out his palm. Raindrops fell one by one, wetting the boy's small hand. He looked at Naiad.
Was it the rain? He couldn't tell if she was crying or not.
"Lephriel."
Her voice was somehow hoarse.
"Why did you give up the win?"
The truth was, he couldn't have won the Spirit's Blessing with this simple pudding he'd submitted. To be honest, it was a creation by a girl who didn't know much about food, and without modern spices, it wasn't even that flavorful compared to today's puddings. Even if Naiad judged subjectively, this was a public event with so many eyes on it. If she forced a win for this pudding, it would obviously cause problems.
So why had Refri...?
Refri recalled his conversation with Rebecca an hour ago.
The professors had long known that Naiad, despite her title as Spirit King, often showed pathetic, weak sides unfit for her position. They harbored deep suspicions that she'd eventually surrender to the Demon King's army. And after this incident...
Those suspicions had turned to certainty.
The professors decided not to hesitate any longer.
"Naiad. I knew it would come to this."
And the saintess Rebecca took on the role.
Ever since the saintess despaired of the world, dark tasks like purges were often handled by Rebecca herself, dirtying her own hands. She no longer healed anyone. She only killed.
"Where are you going, Professor?"
A boy like an angel blocked the path of the saintess radiating murderous intent.
'She's definitely here to kill. Why are our professors so brutally thorough? Isn't it wrong to call yourselves educators like this...?'
Rebecca realized at once, from the boy's resolute expression, why he was blocking her.
"You can't follow where I'm going."
A prickly response from Rebecca. Yet the boy didn't back down and asked anyway.
"Are you going to purge Naiad?"
"Yes. I am."
A sharp reply.
'We can't eliminate Naiad. No matter how pathetic a Spirit King she is... she's the only one who can take down that Demon King executive.'
In the end, even the professors would regret removing Naiad.
The boy hesitated for a moment before continuing.
"...Please think it over one more time. I beg you."
"Why? Naiad has already committed great evil. To cover it up, she'll commit even greater evils, and eventually, she'll sell this world to the Demon King's army."
"What if she admits her wrongs?"
Rebecca answered coldly.
"That spirit is an arrogant being who feared not even the heavens... She'll never admit her sins."
"What if she does?"
The boy's expression looked somehow desperate. Even Rebecca, who was thorough with others, somehow couldn't be so firm with this boy.
"I'll give her one chance."
Rebecca turned and whispered.
"By midnight today, if Naiad publicly admits her wrongs..."
She vanished into the darkness, finishing her words.
"...I'll reconsider this purge."
And so the scene returned to the rainy Naiad Forest.
"Why did you give up the win?"
Naiad stared at Refri. The boy felt he had to answer the queen's question.
'Why did I give up the win? Saving you nets me way more Angel Power than winning... And if you die, the Spirit's Blessing means nothing anyway.'
A thoroughly pragmatic answer. But that wasn't the only reason.
"Have you ever seen a movie called Blade Runner?"
Naiad loved human culture. As far as Refri knew, she enjoyed classic films. She'd probably seen a masterpiece like Blade Runner.
"I have. It was a story about the future unfolding, between humans and the dolls they created."
"Do you remember the ending?"
Rain continued falling from the sky. Whether the water streaming down Naiad's face was tears or rain, even she might not know.
"In the end, the protagonist detective meets the last escaped doll, hears its dying words, and the movie closes. That doll's final line was..."
"That all precious memories will eventually fade away. Like tears in the rain."
Like tears in the rain.
Refri looked up at Naiad.
"That's why I made this pudding."
"...Pardon?"
"I've always found that movie's ending so regrettable. All those precious memories vanishing like tears in the rain... That's just too sad, isn't it?"
If Refri hadn't seen that recipe in Naiad's memories, this pudding would never appear in the world again. It would have vanished like tears in the rain.
'That's just...'
Refri thought of the note the girl had left behind. That note and the emotions it held. For it all to vanish meaninglessly...
That was far too sad.
He didn't care about missing out on Angel Power. Even if it meant no win for the Spirit's Blessing. Refri just wanted to make pudding for the Spirit King.
Of course, Refri would vehemently deny that and claim it was all for Angel Power and networking with Naiad.
Refri looked at Naiad and said,
"With this, her memory..."
The boy smiled faintly.
"...won't vanish like tears in the rain, right?"
Naiad stared at the boy in shock.
"Could it be... you gave up the win for me, with this pudding...?"
Of course, it wasn't just for Naiad. Refri could gain Angel Power from this, plus her favor. And a reformed Naiad would be a huge thorn in the Demon King's side.
'Naiad's the one who'll have to work hard from now on...'
Refri continued, hiding his true intentions, and extended his hand with a smile that was somehow impish—no, angelic.
"Apologize for what you did to Mari... and keep living kindly from now on, and I'll make you pudding often. Can you promise that?"
Seeing that smile, Naiad finally understood what a true angel was.
'This is an angel. Even after I tormented her so much... she forgives me and restores that precious memory...'
Naiad gently took the angel's small hand.
"...I understand."
Guiding Naiad to the right resolution is a truly angelic act!
Angel Power acquired.
Bringing the Spirit King, who abandoned faith in the heavens, to repentance is a truly angelic act!
Faith in the heavens. Refri couldn't laugh. For Naiad to reclaim a faith in the heavens that even he, an angel, didn't have.
...Well, it didn't matter.
'The messages confirm it. Naiad's fully on our side now...!'
"It's a promise."
With those words, Refri turned away.
Naiad watched the departing angel fade into the pouring rain. She kept gazing at the boy vanishing between the raindrops.
Before long, the rain stopped, and warm light began shining from the sky.
Naiad ate the remaining pudding. She could have more in the future.
"Phew, just a few minutes out and I'm soaked."
Refri shook his hair as he entered the waiting room.
Someone immediately handed him a towel.
"Good work."
That person was Yumari.
Yumari smiled her usual friendly smile and asked Refri,
"So... did we win?"
"W-win? What do you mean?"
Refri stepped back. But Yumari kept smiling and didn't let him get away.
"You said you had a surefire way to win the Spirit's Blessing this time. Right?"
Only then did Refri remember his own boasting.
'Hmm... too bad, I actually had a surefire way to win the Spirit's Blessing.'
Refri stepped back again. A smiling Yumari was scarier than a stern one.
"We didn't win, did we?"
"W-well..."
Yumari stepped closer. Refri had no more room to retreat.
And then her reaching hand. It wriggled as if finding the situation amusing.
'No way?'
Only then did Refri realize Yumari was teasing him.
'Yumari teasing? No way?'
Pat-pat— Yumari stroked Refri's head expressionlessly.
"Friends can pat each other's heads, right?"
"Uh. Y-yeah? Is that so?"
Was it? Refri wasn't sure. He was too shocked that Yumari was teasing to speak properly.
'The Seocheon Yu family suppressed Yumari's dragon instincts with near-torturous training from childhood...'
As a result, Yumari shed her dragon instincts. But as a side effect, she lost many emotions too. Affection, happiness, desire, and more...
But one boy kept knocking, knocking on her heart. A crack formed in her dark heart, letting in a ray of light.
"And it doesn't matter if we didn't win. My family will punish me for it... but I expected that."
"Punish?"
"They ordered me to win the Spirit's Blessing. Since I failed..."
Pat-pat— How long would she keep stroking?
"...Sorry."
"No need for you to apologize. You did your best, Refri."
Refri organized his thoughts. How could he prevent Yumari from receiving this unfair punishment? How could he gain Angel Power by nullifying it?
'The ones punishing Yumari must be Yu family members connected to Student Council President Yusihyun. In that case...'
He just needed to throw them a massive headache so they couldn't punish her.
"I have a great idea."
Refri beckoned her to follow and left the waiting room again.
Yumari watched his back.
Then she brought the hand that had stroked Refri to her face.
A heavenly scent still lingered on it.
"I want it..."
With this scent, she could endure any harsh punishment. No, not just punishment—for her whole life ahead...
'No, this is unavoidable. I have to protect her before she breaks like Mother!'
Yumari was slightly startled by the powerful desire blooming in her heart.
In that moment, her reflection in her eyes. Yumari was smiling—not a fake one, but genuinely.
But that smile wasn't pure at all. Her pupils turned yellow like a snake's, and her horns grew ferociously, vibrating the surrounding mana.
"Th-this isn't me..."
The true nature the Seocheon Yu family had suppressed so hard began to stir.
"I can't let this happen."
Yumari bit her lip and silenced the dragon writhing inside her.
"Mari! Come out! I have a really good way to stick it to Yusihyun!"
The boy's voice called from outside the waiting room. Yumari quickly schooled her expression and stepped out.
Her horns had shrunk, her eyes returned to normal. And her usual cold, expressionless face was back.
Nothing seemed amiss.