I Also Like Pure Love

The dilapidated cathedral stood in solemn silence. Atop the central dais, a man sat watching the pink-haired girl as she approached with heavy steps.

"You've arrived, Emily."

"Yeah..."

She moved without energy, her face utterly lifeless, until she naturally fell into the arms of the middle-aged man in military uniform.

"Haa..."

"This incident was unexpected. We dispatched both Arhan and Tarkan with orders to keep a close eye on Ryushia... yet she managed to break one of the Fingers."

"That's impossible, Dyer... That girl beat Arhan? Ryushia is certainly strong among the test subjects, but... she was never anywhere near that level."

"It appears a significant anomaly has occurred."

Even as they spoke in quiet tones, the two shared their body heat in a close embrace.

"Haa... I don't know anymore. I think I'll rest for a while..."

"Very well."

Emily wrapped her arms naturally around the man's waist and closed her ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠eyes. Dyer held her gently, his hand resting on her shoulder.

"Oooooh!!! Pure love!! This is middle-aged pure love!! Twilight pure love! The love between these venerable elders!!! How utterly beautiful!!!"

Clack. Clatter.

The sound of wood striking wood echoed from the cathedral entrance, followed by a bizarre yet gentlemanly voice that rang through the hall.

"...You'll wake Emily. Be silent, Maestro."

"Haha! As you wish, First Finger!"

The insincere reply made Dyer's face crease into a frown.

"I have come to discuss the cruise ship infiltration operation."

Clack.

A faceless wooden puppet dressed in a gentleman's suit offered a polite bow. Every limb was carved from wood, giving it the appearance of a life-sized marionette.

"What is it?"

"Of course we will seize the Heart of the Fallen Angel from them. While we're at it, how about eliminating some of the kingdom's key figures?"

"One look tells me you intend to select and slaughter them according to that twisted sense of values of yours. If that's your plan, then don't bother."

"Haha! In truth I intended to act on my own anyway. I was merely asking!"

Shing.

Dyer ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠drew his blade slightly from its sheath in warning at the puppet's frivolous attitude.

"Eighth Finger, Maestro. Do not lose sight of the original objective."

Rumble.

"Kuhuhu... Impressive as always."

The aura radiating from the organization's strongest member was enough to compress the very space around them and steal the breath from one's lungs. The puppet, however, trembled not in fear but in apparent thrill.

"Hmmnya..."

Even amid that overwhelming pressure, Emily simply mumbled in her sleep, as though she were long accustomed to such displays.

"Understood... I shall endeavor to show restraint..."

"Go."

At Dyer's cold command, Maestro withdrew with an air of strange delight despite his expressionless face.

Clack. Clatter.

"...The funerals for both Arhan and Tarkan have been completed."

"You've ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠done well, Luman."

Step.

Once Maestro had departed, a muscular priest emerged from behind one of the pillars.

"Will she and that puppet not be attending?"

"No need. Emily is quite affectionate. She would spend days crying and causing a commotion. For now, it's better to keep her busy with work so she can forget. As for Maestro, I sent him away because I feared he would insist on performing a funeral dirge."

"I see..."

Swish.

Dyer gently stroked the sleeping girl's hair as he spoke.

"We will proceed once she has calmed somewhat."

"Understood. Then I shall take my leave."

The sixth Finger, the devout fanatic Luman, bowed respectfully before departing.

Thud.

Only a man and a woman remained inside the cathedral.

"Ryushia... are you seeking revenge against us, the avengers...?"

The man's final murmur faded into the empty air.

A gentle classical melody drifted through the luxurious party hall of the passenger ship.

"Oh my, madam... who is that gentleman?"

"Hehe... He's a renowned artist. It took considerable effort to secure his performance."

Clack.

"Hahaha! I shall not disappoint the order!"

Among the elegant noblewomen and gentlemen, a conductor with a distinctive presence appeared upon the orchestra stage.

Though a puppet moved atop the platform, none of the guests sensed anything amiss. All eyes remained fixed on his conducting.

"One... two, one two three four..."

He tapped the baton delicately, then began to lead the musicians before him.

~~♪

At first the melodies were calm and quiet, gently uplifting the audience's spirits...

~~♬~!!

Then they gradually grew passionate, the tempo increasing as he guided the performers.

"Hmm, not bad at all."

"Isn't it?"

The music wrapped the listeners in warm sunlight and the sensation of floating upon a cool sea, creating an astonishingly vivid atmosphere. At times it felt like lightning striking and fierce waves crashing. The final melody offered the tranquil comfort of a vast, peaceful ocean.

"..."

The audience began with mild interest, yet soon they stared at the conductor with completely vacant expressions.

Swish.

When the performance finally concluded, Maestro offered the crowd a gentlemanly bow.

Clap, clap, clap...

At some point their eyes had lost all focus. They began applauding with blind, mechanical obedience.

"Hahaha, such enthusiastic applause leaves me at a loss for how to respond."

He gazed with satisfaction at the party hall, where a chilling silence lingered beneath the sound of clapping, then slowly descended from the stage.

"How did you find it, you lovely young couple over there?"

He approached the nearest pair to ask for their impressions.

"It was enchanting."

"Truly the finest stage."

Clack.

Maestro's joints creaked as he made a satisfied gesture upon hearing their favorable replies.

"Oho! The woman is an innocent village maiden... and this man confessed his feelings the moment he came of age. This is pure love."

Thud.

He turned away from the couple and muttered in an excited tone. This was one of Maestro's abilities: the power to delve into the memories of anyone captivated by his music. Wandering about and asking questions might appear to be mere entertainment, yet it ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠was an important ritual tied to his convictions.

"I also like pure love. Shall we greet the other guests?"

The puppet approached another pair, this time addressing a noblewoman.

"How did you find today's performance?"

"Ah, it was so beauti—"

Flinch.

Maestro suddenly froze mid-answer and spat coldly.

"You rotten non-virgin..."

Having glimpsed the woman's ugly past through his ability, he displayed intense fury despite his lack of expression.

"What? Eleven men you've cycled through? Are you joking?"

"Pardon? Wh-what..."

The noblewoman in her thirties, who had been standing in a daze, finally regained her senses at his furious rebuke.

"Nine men you sucked dry while dating and then discarded... two divorces where you took half their assets?! And now you're living luxuriously with some wealthy conglomerate man?! This is not pure love!!!"

"Hii... hiiik?!"

Maestro convulsed as though foaming at the mouth, his wooden body trembling violently.

"You have no right to watch the stage!!"

"Kyaa... kyaaaaaaaak!!!"

The extremely agitated marionette swung his baton.

Crack!!

Pop...

The woman was instantly crushed into a single point before exploding like a balloon.

"Who is it this time... the ones who dare defile pure love...!!!"

Maestro glared at the dazed audience with mounting excitement. His gaze soon landed on a particular man.

"You there. How did you find this performance?"

"It was absolutely fantastic... like something from heaven..."

With a faint hope, Maestro questioned the young blond gentleman...

"Shut your mouth! You rotten golden-sun bastard!!!"

His voice burned with passion as he rebuked the man.

"What?! You toyed with your childhood friend and sweetheart before casting her aside, got your kind female boss pregnant then quit and vanished?! On top of that you blackmailed and violated the virtuous wife of your subordinate colleague!!"

"Hu... hugh?!"

The gentleman finally regained his senses and began shaking uncontrollably before Maestro's rage.

"You are dismissed as well!!"

BOOOOM!

In the end, the blond gentleman exploded into pieces and perished.

"Huu... huu. This world is far too harsh for pure love to survive..."

The wooden puppet clutched his chest as though in pain and muttered quietly to himself.

"Nevertheless, I shall fight. For the sake of all pure love that exists in this world."

Clack. Clatter.

He seemed to regain his composure and left the party hall.

"Huh? Did something just happen?"

"I was wondering the same."

"Wait, where did my partner go?"

It was only then that the audience's minds returned to normal.

It was an ordinary morning assembly.

Yet unlike usual, Professor Bajina entered the classroom with a rigid expression.

Slide.

"I have news for all of you. An emergency summons has been issued."

"What?"

"Hmm, so it's beginning already."

The emergency summons was one of the academy's systems for handling anomalies in specific regions. It was a dispatch mission that assigned real combat experience to students stronger than most special forces units. Since it counted as an official assignment, points would be awarded. They would select the single most suitable class and deploy them.

"This mission involves resolving a series of disappearances aboard a cruise ship and protecting key personnel. Humans are better suited than other races for this, and since our human class possesses the highest skill level, we have been chosen."

After obtaining the experience book, breakthrough materials, and several hundred diamonds during the relaxed sports festival event, it seemed the next main story was truly beginning.

"But Sia, what exactly did we learn here? What could they possibly have taught us that justifies sending us outside?"

"Ahem, that's a dangerous statement. It's only natural that what you learn at the academy is useless. Do you even remember the calculus you studied in high school?"

"...No."

"You students are saying such things right in front of your professor..."

The professor glared with clear discomfort at our openly dismissive conversation. Yet since no one else was suitable for the mission, he simply sighed as though left with no choice.

"In any case, five people will be deployed for this mission. You will infiltrate by disguising yourselves as reception staff and crew members aboard the passenger ship."

"Looks like we're all going. How about using this chance to do some pulls and increase our party members?"

"The limited banner hasn't opened yet. I keep telling you that regular pulls are a waste of resources."

Jinwoo, apparently finding the mission bothersome, immediately suggested recruiting more companions. Ryushia scolded him, repeatedly stressing that gacha without a plan would lead to financial ruin.

"Ah, if that's the case, a new gacha has opened today."

"...?"

A white angel suddenly popped into view and quietly joined the conversation.

"What did you say? Bunny girl pickup?"

"...!!!"

Labi leaned close to his ear with a wicked grin and whispered.

Jinwoo snapped to full attention at that single phrase.

"Don't you want to see Ryushia in a bunny girl outfit? The costume changes the moment you pull her."

Before he realized it, he had completely fallen for the angel's temptation and swallowed hard.

The chance to see Ryushia with bunny ears and a wiggling tail?

"...Bu-bunny girl... doesn't really appeal to me. Let's not pull, shall we?"

Grip.

Ryushia suddenly seemed frightened of something. She grabbed Jinwoo's sleeve with a pale smile.

"Let's go right now."

"I must decline. I am a man, after all! How could you ask me to wear such a crude and provocative outfit!"

Of course, despite Ryushia's desperate pleas, Jinwoo was already completely fixated on the idea of seeing the black-haired, large-breasted, squinty-eyed beauty in bunny cosplay.

"First of all, the bunny girl outfit is highly inefficient and inconvenient for combat. It appears to be nothing more than a garbage pickup created by the development team for their own personal gratification. Rather than wasting resources on such a pointless endeavor, it would be far wiser to conserve them for the next banner and use them as a concentrated Spirit Bomb, would it not?"

"Bunny bunny, carrot carrot."

Ryushia practically had a fit as she shot back, but Jinwoo refused to budge. His determination to witness that sight was absolute.

"Ryushia, stop acting like a delicate maiden and try it on like a man."

"...You idiot!!"

Thwack!!!

She struck Jinwoo with a mortified expression, yet he simply smiled slyly and said:

"Scared?"

"..."

It was a direct challenge to his pride as a man.

"If it doesn't come, then that's that. Ryushia, don't tell me you've become such a weak-minded girl that you're already frightened before we've even begun?"

"F-fine!!! Let's settle this! We shall see who emerges victorious!"

In the end, she rose to the provocation and got dragged into the bet.

...All according to plan.