Chapter 4:

A Date With Fire and Water

DragonBorn


The weekend had arrived. Tatsuya was on the verge of waking up when he felt something heavy on top of him under the blanket. Still half-asleep, he peeked under the covers and saw the naked flesh of a girl cuddling snugly on top of his him. Thinking nothing of it due to his mental processes still in the middle of powering on, he yawned and covered the blanket back up and went back to sleep. That’s when his mind immediately reached one hundred percent functionality and awareness. He quickly got up and uncovered the blanket to find a sleeping Aika in a revealing red and black nightgown hugging tightly onto him. She wore a very creepy lovesick smile and was murmuring dreamily to herself about some sort of fantasy romantic situation with Tatsuya. “What the hell?!” he screamed.

Aika slowly opened her eyes and nonchalantly rose up in bed. “Good morning, Darling,” she said with a half-sleepy smile. She yawned and stretched her arms.

Tatsuya was too speechless to respond. The only sound that came out of him was an anxious and unintelligible groan that reverberated from his throat. When his mind began to work again, he pointed a finger at Aika accusingly and said, “What are you doing in my bed?!”

“To sleep with you, of course, silly,” she said bashfully, swaying her shoulders and glancing downwards like an innocent schoolgirl.

“But you already have a room!” he reminded her angrily.

“But I wanted to sleep with you, Darling!” groaned Aika like a spoiled child. “I snuck in right after you were sound asleep. I knew you wouldn’t allow me in your bed if I asked you directly, so I decided to do it after you went to bed,” she told him excitedly.

‘That’s sexual assault, isn’t it?!’ Tatsuya screamed internally. ‘I didn’t give my consent, and she admitted it! I should just call the police and have them take her right away.’

The sound of shuffling underneath the blanket caught the couple’s attention. Tatsuya and Aika exchanged confused glances. He slowly grabbed the blanket and pulled it off the bed with a hard tug. The reveal shocked the both of them greatly, draining the colors from their faces and paralyzing every inch of their body in a stupor. Dressed in the same blue dress as yesterday, Kanjomizu was sleeping soundly in Tatsuya’s bed. This time, both Tatsuya and Aika were at a loss for words.

Kanjomizu slowly got up and rubbed her eyes. She reminded Tatsuya of a cute bunny rabbit waking up for the first time in the morning. He was mesmerized by her beautiful and innocent appearance while also stupefied by her sudden appearance in his bed. “Good morning,” she told him. Tatsuya couldn’t handle how cute she was when she said that. He felt as if his brain might explode from excessive adorableness.

Aika wasn’t happy with the situation at all. “What are you doing in bed with Darling?” she asked Kanjomizu harshly.

“I woke up last night to use the restroom and I guess I came here by accident when I was trying to get back to the same room I woke up in,” Kanjomizu said.

‘Your sense of direction is that bad? And wait, this is the second floor! Your room is on the first floor! How can someone confuse rooms that aren’t even on the same floor?’ was what went through Tatsuya’s mind.

Kanjomizu turned to Tatsuya and hugged him, grabbing hold onto his body before he could even react. She snuggled her head against his chest with a giant smile. He didn’t how to respond to this situation. He hadn't even expected to be caught in this situation. Aika was fuming, seeing her darling being embraced by someone other than her. She grabbed Kanjomizu by the shoulder and in a threatening voice, demanded, “Take your dirty hands off my Darling, you directionally-challenged basket-case.” Her words carried an intensity that even Tatsuya was too afraid to counter.

However, Kanjomizu seemed to be unfazed. She casually turned to Aika and said, “Please don’t treat him like your property, princess.”

“He is my property!” declared Aika like a spoiled child.

“I ain’t anyone’s property!” argued Tatsuya. Aika flashed him a menacing glare, shutting him right up.

“Besides,” said Kanjomizu with a giddy smile, “he is mine. After all, we shared out first kiss.”

The memory of the accidental kiss flashed in Tatsuya’s mind. His face quickly became a deep scarlet color. “T-T-That was an accident,” he told her.

“But we still kissed, nonetheless,” Kanjomizu reasoned.

“That’s nothing,” scoffed Aika with an arrogant smile. “Darling and I have kissed before you even came along.” Excitingly, she pointed a finger at Kanjomizu and declared, “Which means that I will always be Darling’s first!” While she laughed smugly to herself, Kanjomizu took the opportunity to kiss Tatsuya again, catching him by surprise. When Aika finally took notice of this, her jaw dropped and she screamed hysterically. She quickly separated the two and dragged Kanjomizu off the bed. With Kanjomizu still in tow, Aika mercilessly hauled her down the stairs and literally threw her out the front door. Satisfied with her solution, Aika sprightly walked back up to join Tatsuya in his room. When she reached the third step, Umi had come out of the guest room and asked her where her her lady had gone. “I-I-I’m not sure, heh heh,” Aika answered nervously.

Suddenly, the sound of knocking drew both their attentions to the front door. Umi walked to the door and took hold of the knob. Aika had to stop this somehow. Once that door opens, her peaceful life with her Darling would be over. However, she was too late to act and Umi opened the door to reveal Kanjomizu standing outside.

“My lady!” cried Umi, “What are you doing outside?”

Before Kanjomizu could answer, Aika quickly ran over to her and pulled her into a hug. “We were so worried about you when we saw that you were nowhere to be found inside the house,” Aika cried dramatically. She pulled herself close to Kanjomizu’s ear and whispered, “You should’ve ran away when you had the chance.”

Kanjomizu quietly replied back, “I can’t leave my one true love.” Aika clicked her tongue irritably after hearing that statement.

It came time for breakfast and Tatsuya joined the others in the kitchen. Aika and Kanjomizu were sitting across from each other and were engaged in a stare-down. Their respective maids, Ingrid and Umi, sat next to them and were enjoying a cup of tea together with no animosity between them at all. Ingrid had prepared breakfast for everyone and had placed Tatsuya’s on the table before the seat perpendicular to the two romantic rivals. Tatsuya sat down and took a bite. It was heaven! Never before had a plate of fried eggs, rice, and grilled fish graced his tongue so passionately and filled his entire being with infinite flavor! It was strong yet gentle on the tongue, and he felt as if his taste buds was being enveloped in a sweet and savory wave. He wished he can enjoy this moment of comfort and love forever. However, this wonderous moment was unfortunately short-lived and disrupted by a shocking announcement.

“Owatatsumi Tatsuya is my fiancé,” Kanjomizu announced to the table, breaking the silence. The words sent everyone into a stupor with the color drained from their faces. It was a comment of great weight, an announcement filled with consequences, a declaration of war.

Aika quickly jumped to her feet and slammed her fists on the table. “You have no right to make such a dubious declaration!” she said, wagging her finger dismissively. “Why don’t you just leave already? You’re ruining the romantic atmosphere between Darling and me with your unnecessary presence.”

“I cannot leave the one I love,” Kanjomizu countered. “We established our bond after all.”

“What do you mean by that?” Tatsuya asked.

“The kiss,” she answered. “A kiss is a symbol of engagement between dragons.”

“Seriously?!” Tatsuya exclaimed. He glanced at Aika for affirmation. She simply avoided his eyes, thereby confirming the truth of those words.

“You didn’t know that?” Kanjomizu asked. “I thought every dragon knew that.”

“Owatatsumi-sama is not a dragon,” Ingrid told her. “He is a human.”

“No way!” exclaimed Kanjomizu and Umi in unison.

“But, he transformed,” stated Umi.

“I guess it would be more correct to say that he is not a full dragon,” Ingrid said.

“A half-breed, then,” concluded Umi. Tatsuya didn’t like the sound of half-breed. It made him sound like some sort of animal.

“Wait a minute,” he said, thinking back over the possibility of him being half-dragon. “I’m a human. There’s no way I can be half-dragon.”

“A half-human and half-dragon?!” shrieked Umi. “Impossible!” She shook her head and wore an anxious expression on her face. “T-T-Then that means, Owatatsumi Tatsuya-sama, y-y-you’re a Dragonborn?!”

“What’s a Dragonborn?” Tatsuya asked. “You said something about that too, Ingrid. Just what is a Dragonborn anyway?”

“Dragonborns are half-human and half-dragon hybrids,” she answered.

“So what you’re saying is that one of my parents is a dragon,” Tatsuya surmised. The idea seemed too crazy to be true. He shoveled in a spoonful of breakfast food when Umi noticed a black mark on the back of his right hand and gasped.

“T-T-That’s the Mark of Marduk, is it not?” she stuttered, pointing at the mark. Ingrid confirmed it with a nod. “Why does Owatatsumi Tatsuya-sama have it?” Umi inquired.

“Not sure,” Ingrid answered.

“What’s the Mark of Marduk anyway?” Tatsuya asked, clenching his fist and putting the mark on full display for everyone to see. “What does this have to do with me?”

“We don’t know,” Ingrid told him. “However, we can assume that the mark is the catalyst that allows you to borrow the dragon powers of those you kissed.”

“Speaking of dragon powers,” said Tatsuya, changing the subject to avoid any more embarrassing memories concerning kisses, “what kind of dragon are you, Kanjomizu?”

“I am a Naga,” Kanjomizu answered humbly.

“She’s just a worthless water dragon,” scoffed Aika dismissively with pouting lips. “Besides, you prefer strong, fun, and sexy fire dragons over gloomy, emotionally unstable, and weak water dragons, right, Darling?” declared Aika triumphantly.

She was about ready to throw herself onto Tatsuya when he countered her comments with, “Who said anything about fire dragons being strong, fun, and sexy? Especially you, of all people.” Aika stopped halfway, bewildered by his comments. However, Tatsuya wasn’t finished yet. “You’re far from being strong, fun, and sexy. If anything, you’re pushy, aggressive, annoying, and lewd beyond saving.” The comments struck Aika like poisoned arrows. All the color was drained from her body and she sank down to the ground.

When she had time to recover from the assault, Aika quickly popped back up and laughed. “You’re such a jokester, Darling,” she said in obvious denial.

“So what are you doing here in the human world?” Tatsuya asked Kanjomizu, ignoring Aika completely. The fire dragon princess became petrified like a stone statue. Tatsuya ignoring her words has made her soul left her body.

“I came here to see the human realm,” Kanjomizu told him. “We dragons still acknowledge the human realm’s existence after all. And ever since the reinstatement of border crossing between both the human and dragon realms, it is the duty of the royal family and its members to get acquainted with the human realm so we can make informed decisions on matters related to it.”

“That sounds like a lot of work,” commented Tatsuya with a whistle. “So, when are you leaving back?” he asked.

“We were supposed to leave yesterday afternoon,” Umi told him. “But then we got caught in that attack with the Amaru.”

“Yesterday?” exclaimed Tatsuya, shocked. “How long have you been in the human realm?”

“Three days,” Umi replied. “This country, Japan, was supposed to be our last stop before heading back.”

“Last stop? Are you saying that you traveled around the world in three days?!” Tatsuya couldn’t believe what they were saying. The idea of seeing the entire world in just three days is too crazy to be true! And then a realization hit him. He stopped worrying over the trivial stuff and remembered that these were dragons, not normal humans. Meaning, they must’ve used some sort of magic or something to achieve this inhuman feat. He was tempted to ask, but decided against it for better or for worse.

“Well, that’s that!” announced Aika, who became reanimated upon hearing of Kanjomizu’s expected departure and return to her home. “It’s time for you to go home, princess,” shooed Aika, waving her hands in a shooing gesture. “You’re parents must be worried about you. Knowing how emotionally volatile Nagas are, I’m pretty sure they must be having four or five nervous breakdowns right now.”

Suddenly, Kanjomizu’s eyes began to tear up. Her lips quivered like that of a scared child’s. “I don’t want to go back home, not yet,” she said softly. The tears made her eyes sparkle, emitting a strong aura of innocence and cuteness that simply tugged at Tatsuya’s heartstrings. She faced Tatsuya and added with a sniffle, “Please, allow me to stay with you!” Tatsuya’s breath was taken away by how sincere and pure her feelings were. He somehow felt a strong urge to want to protect her and spoil her with love and affection.

Aika, however, wasn’t at all moved. She didn’t care if the Naga princess was sincere or not. The only thing that mattered was throwing out any unnecessary variables so she can go back to becoming the sole object of her darling’s attention and affection. “Yes, yes, we understand the sentiment,” she said quickly with a scowl. “But if you please, it is rude to overstay your welcome. Time to head back to your comfortable castle now, princess.”

“I don’t want to,” Kanjomizu told her firmly like a child getting ready to start a tantrum.

“What did you say, you worthless water dragon?!” shouted Aika angrily. Kanjomizu’s words were really getting on her nerves.

“I want to stay with the one I love,” said the water dragon princess.

“E-Excuse me?” stammered Tatsuya, taken by surprise by that last comment.

“You see, even before we shared that kiss, I fell in love with you at first sight,” explained Kanjomizu. “When you prevented me from jumping off the bridge, the words you used to encourage me to live on, it was really cool. For the first time in my life, I actually felt like there was someone in this universe who would actually miss me if I were to die then and there.”

“A-A-Anyone would do the same!” argued Tatsuya logically.

“Are you sure?” Kanjomizu wondered.

“More or less,” Tatsuya reassured her with a nod.

Kanjomizu’s expression suddenly turned dark and depressing. “So that means that our encounter wasn’t fate at all. It was just a coincidence that could’ve happened with anyone else. Does that mean that my love is not true at all? I should just forget about all of this.” She grabbed the chopsticks and pointed them dangerously at her chest. “This world is too cruel for someone like me to survive.”

She brought down the chopsticks without even a second thought. Tatsuya quickly slapped the chopsticks out of her hands and shouted, “Are you stupid or something?!” Kanjomizu faced Tatsuya with lifeless eyes and a heartbreaking expression. He cleared his throat and spoke in a more calm and kind tone. “Don’t be stupid,” he scolded her. “You’re life is very important. Don’t act like its something you can just give up so easily,” he said. And then, blushing deeply, he added, “And I would be very sad if you were to kill yourself before my very eyes.”

A little bit of life reappeared in Kanjomizu’s eyes. “But I’m pretty sure that my love for you is just some coincidental infatuation that came about right after you saved me yesterday,” she wept miserably.

“That’s for you to decide!” declared Tatsuya, pointing a finger at Kanjomizu. “That’s your choice to make. You choose to live what kind of life you want” He was blushing the entire time he said that.

Kanjomizu couldn’t believe it. For the first time in her life, she felt empowered. Never before had someone told her that she could choose for herself how to live her own life. She had the power to decide her own feelings, the power to freely choose how to feel without being a slave to emotional instability. Before, she could do nothing but accept life as what it was and respond to its misfortunes with submission. But now, she was told that she could choose how to live life her own way. Her eyes began to shine with renewed vigor. Having accepted Tatsuya’s words for herself, she smiled and said, “Then I decide to love you, Owatatsumi-sama.”

Everyone around the table were too shocked by the declaration to speak. Aika was the first one to regain her senses and immediately said, “Impossible! Darling belongs to me only!”

“Darling? Is that your nickname for Owatatsumi-sama?” inquired Kanjomizu.

“Exactly! Only people in love can give nicknames to each other!” said Aika with a haughty laugh.

Kanjomizu’s brows furrowed. She was apparently thinking hard about something. An idea popped into her head and she gasped. With a content and delighted smile, she turned to Tatsuya and said, “Thank you for everything you’ve done, My Love.”

After breakfast, Tatsuya was pestered by both Aika and Kanjomizu to go on dates. The latter only joined in after seeing how assertive the former was being in her desire to solidify her romantic relationship with their significant other. Tatsuya was so overwhelmed with their constant pestering that he agreed to take them both out. However, despite being overjoyed over the fact of going on a date with Tatsuya, Aika didn’t like the idea of having Kanjomizu tag along. It was natural for her to be apprehensive against the Naga, an inherent instinctive emotion that flows within the blood of every Draco. Of course, mixed in there was also her own biased dislike against anyone who tries to steal Tatsuya away from her. Nevertheless, going on a date with Tatsuya was an opportunity she couldn’t let slip away. Even if means going with a rival, she will take advantage of any opportunity that comes her way to spend time with her Darling.

And so, the three of them entered the city to commence with the date. Both dragon princesses clung tightly onto either side of their loved one, drawing the attention and ire of many jealous men to Tatsuya. In their eyes, he might as well be a guy who does not deserve the love and attention of two extremely gorgeous goddesses. Tatsuya did his best to be as humble as he can about it and not do anything that could be misconstrued as flaunting or showing off.

The trio entered a gift shop at Aika’s request. After browsing the aisles just for the sake of being on a date, Aika spotted a box on the front counter that held keychains. Upon closer inspection, the trio realized that the keychains were that of cartoon characters. Aika picked up one of a red-haired twin-tail girl in a black gothic dress. She was immediately drawn to the character’s design. Kanjomizu grabbed one of a long blue-haired girl in a flowing blue dress. Like Aika, Kanjomizu became infatuated with the character’s design. There was just something about both girl’s respective keychains that resonated with them.

“Do you want that?” Tatsuya asked the girls. They glanced at him with hungry eyes, not even bothering to hide their desires. He nodded with a smile and took their keychains. He went up to the cashier and bought the keychains for them. “Here you go,” he told them, handing them back their respective keychains. “I guess you can think of it as a gift for our date,” he said, blushing slightly.

Both dragon princesses were happy beyond words. Especially Aika, who then and there made a personal promise to forever treasure this gift since it was the first gift she had ever received from Tatsuya. She glanced back at the box and noticed another keychain. She took it out and an idea popped in her head. It would be her way of saying thank you for the gift. She took the keychain and handed it to Tatsuya. “You should get one too,” she told him. “This one is just perfect for you!” Kanjomizu took one look at the keychain and immediately agreed.

Tatsuya took the keychain but he wasn’t the least bit excited. Why? Well, the character on the keychain somehow made him feel infuriated. He felt as if the character was mocking him somehow. It was that of an average teenage boy dressed in typical high school attire. There was absolutely nothing striking or appealing about this character at all. And yet, Tatsuya felt some sort of connection with it that only made him feel more and more infuriated. He wasn’t sure about buying it, but the girls’ sparkling pleading eyes made him buckle under and complete the purchase.

After they exited the shop, Tatsuya took the girls to eat at a nearby restaurant. As they waited for their food to arrive, Tatsuya asked Kanjomizu, “Are you enjoying this outing, Kanjomizu-san?”

“Yes, I am,” answered Kanjomizu with a small smile. “Also, please call me Mizu. I feel as if my name is a real mouthful to pronounce.”

Tatsuya was hesitant to call her by that nickname. The request somehow felt too embarrassing for him to accept. But once he saw the sparkling pleading light in her sapphire eyes, he couldn’t help but choose to satisfy her request. “Uh, okay then, Mizu,” he said with a gulp. His cheeks turned bright red when he said her name.

Kanjomizu couldn’t but smile. Her ears turned a slight pink color and she felt a warmth coursing through her entire body. “It sounds very nice, the way you said it,” she told him.

Aika didn’t like the look of this exchange at all. “Hey, wait a minute!” she demanded, “Having Darling call you by a nickname makes you even more special than me!” A wry smile tugged at her lips and she decreed, “I’ll call you by that nickname too! That way, I’ll still have a high chance of coming in first. Besides, you said it yourself that your name is too much of a mouthful to pronounce anyway.”

“I see,” Kanjomizu said thoughtfully.

Tatsuya was getting really annoyed over Aika’s petty attitude and hostility against Kanjomizu. “You don’t have to listen to what that idiot have to say,” he told the water dragon princess.

“That’s fine with me,” Kanjomizu told them. Aika let the victory get to her head, laughing haughtily with crossed arms and a smug attitude, much to Tatsuya’s chagrin.

Once the food arrived, the three of them said their prayers and dug in. Aika scooped a spoonful of her curry rice and held it up to Tatsuya’s face. “Now, Darling, say ‘Ah’,” she prompted him with a smile. Tatsuya didn’t respond and ate his food quietly as if she wasn’t there at all. However, Aika, being the aggressive girl she was, gradually pushed the spoon closer and closer to Tatsuya’s face. His annoyance increased with each inch the spoon reduced in distance. It culminated in him relenting rather reluctantly and taking in the food with no argument save for an irritated expression. This was a losing battle anyway. Since they were sitting so close to each other, Aika’s aggressive aura became even harder to overcome. Of course, it can also be chalked up to Tatsuya’s tendency to be a pushover.

Kanjomizu watched the romantic act between them with awe. She could feel Aika’s romantic appeal growing stronger through this one action. The fire dragon princess had managed to monopolize Tatsuya’s romantic affection and attention; at least, this was what Kanjomizu believed to be true. She couldn’t bear to lose to her rival in love. Kanjomizu took a spoonful of her own plate of curry rice and turned to Tatsuya. “Me too,” she told him. Tatsuya turned to her with a puzzled expression. “Please,” she said with a cute flushed expression. Her cheeks and nose became a bright rosy red.

“Uh, sure,” Tatsuya said slowly. He was completely taken aback by how cute she was with that expression on her face. The way her bright sapphire eyes were slightly covered by her eyelids when she was looking up at him reminded him of a video he once saw on the internet of a pleading baby Siberian husky. He cleared his throat and opened his mouth. Kanjomizu fed him the food and smiled. Tatsuya swallowed the food and blushed, his cheeks turning a deep crimson color.

“I guess I underestimated her when I assumed she didn’t have the guts to be assertive,” Aika mumbled under her breath. Angry at the fact that her Darling was being swayed by the charms of a girl other than herself, Aika quickly grabbed Tatsuya’s head and brought his face to her chest, hugging him tightly. Of course, it wasn’t Tatsuya’s fault at all. The real perpetrator was the water dragon princess who dares to declare her love for Aika’s one and only Darling. As she clung tightly to Tatsuya’s head buried deep in her chest, Aika flashed Kanjomizu a smug victorious smile.

Tatsuya was caught by surprise by this sudden move on Aika’s part. Having his face buried deep in a girl’s chest automatically turned his face an even deeper shade of red. Somehow, he couldn’t find himself fighting back at all. The position he was in somehow felt calming and comfortable. Her chest was soft and warm, like a pair of feather pillows. He knew that Aika possessed a great pair of assets that drew the attention of boys and girls alike, but experiencing them firsthand through contact was very different than just seeing them with his eyes. The feeling was very comforting and addicting.

Aika loosened her grip a bit to make Tatsuya feel even more comfortable in her chest. She ran her hand through his hair and softly said, “This is nice, isn’t it? I’ll comfort you with my chest whenever you want, Darling. Good boy, good boy.” Tatsuya felt like he was being suspended peacefully among the clouds.

Kanjomizu knew she had to counter this somehow if she wants to bring the battle back to a draw. Right now, Aika was having the advantage. Kanjomizu settled on fighting this battle head on and pulled Tatsuya out of Aika’s grip. She pulled his head into her own chest and caressed his hair. Although she felt a little embarrass in doing so, she couldn’t help but smile slightly at the prospect of winning her Love’s affection and evening the playing field once again. Kanjomizu blushed a light pink color as she held Tatsuya’s head against her chest.

Tatsuya could feel a noticeable difference between both girls’ respective chests. Kanjomizu’s chest was noticeably larger than Aika’s by a smidgen, this he knew already from their very first encounter. But because of the slight difference in size, Tatsuya noticed that the water dragon princess’ chest felt very nurturing and tranquil. While Aika’s chest had a sense of comfort and warmth, Kanjomizu’s possessed a very peaceful aura and caring feel that would make anyone want to cuddle with them. Tatsuya felt like he was resting on a pair of cotton clouds.

“I will be here for you too, My Love,” Kanjomizu told him while caressing his hair.

“Ugh! Enough already!” demanded Aika. She pulled Tatsuya away from Kanjomizu’s grasp, but the latter responded quickly with an equally strong grip. Tatsuya was literally in the middle of a tug-o-war. The most terrifying thought running through his mind right now as he was being fought over like a toy, along with the fact that on either side of him were two non-human girls who are capable of tearing his limbs off without even trying. They tugged him to the left and to the right, shaking his entire body like a plastic doll. “Let go!” Aika told Kanjomizu furiously,

“I won’t,” countered Kanjomizu timidly. Despite her timid tone, she was really putting up a good fight against the fire dragon princess.

Having enough of being the center of this selfish war, Tatsuya furiously ordered them to stop. “Let me go, damn it!” he demanded angrily. His anger caught both of the dragon princess’ attention and brought them back to their senses. He forcefully brought his arms down to his sides and away from their grasp. With a disapproving shake of his head and an irritated sigh, he added, “If you girls are going to fight again, I will cut this date short and we will be spending the entire day at home doing nothing!” Saying that made him feel like an annoyed father admonishing his two rambunctious daughters. Both girls immediately stopped their fighting and acknowledged their lover’s orders.

After they finished at the restaurant, the trio walked along the streets with no clear destination in mind. For the girls, they were satisfied as long as they were able to spend as much time as possible with their lover. During their walk, a man ran into Tatsuya, knocking him down. The man quickly got back up on his feet and ran down the street. Tatsuya pulled himself up and shook his head to shake off a small daze that was settling in. He reassured the girls that he was okay and the trio continued on their date to nowhere.

Upon coming to the window of a clothing shop, Aika pointed to a dress on display and expressed interest in it. Although she didn’t outright beg for him to buy it, Tatsuya could very well tell that she wants it. He glanced at the price tag and noticed that it was just barely within his price range: 8250 Yen (equivalent to about $64). Tatsuya wasn’t rich by a long shot, but he would always get a monthly allowance from his parents, sent to him from wherever they currently are, that was more than the average pay of a typical part-time working student; his allowance: 320,000 Yen monthly (equivalent to about $2500 a month). To be honest, he’s not exactly sure where the money comes from. Heck, he’s doesn’t even know what his parents do for a living! He remembered once asking his father what his job was and the only reply he got was a jaunty laugh and a slap to the back. It was obvious that his father was dodging his questions, and even his own mother didn’t budge on telling him the truth either. Since then, Tatsuya just accepted the money for granted.

“That’s a nice dress and all, but I don’t know if I’ll be able to afford it and have money left over to buy breakfast and lunch for school,” Tatsuya told Aika.

“How about I get Ingrid to start making breakfast and lunch for us every day?” Aika suggested. “She is a maid after all.”

“Now listen, you, don’t go and start making trouble for others,” Tatsuya told her sternly.

“I can have Umi help too,” added Kanjomizu.

Tatsuya let out a sigh. He reached into his back pants pocket for his wallet. It wasn’t there. He felt around his pants and checked each and every crevice—nothing. “Impossible!” he shouted. Once again, he did a run through of his pants pockets. Again, he reached the same conclusion. He had his wallet just a while ago when they were eating at the restaurant. ‘Could it have fallen out somewhere along our walk?’ he wondered anxiously. “My wallet is gone,” he told the girls.

Aika brought her hand under her chin in thought. “Could it have fallen out when that man collided with you a few moments ago?” she asked.

“Are you saying that the man stole it during the collision?” asked Tatsuya.

“That’s seems to be the only possible explanation,” admitted Aika.

The three of them quickly ran down the street in the direction of the man. They came to an alley when the sound of giddy counting caught their attention. It was the same man as before. He was a skinny and short man dressed in a brown overcoat and fedora. In his hands was a black wallet—Tatsuya’s. He was happily counting the money he had successfully lifted from Tatsuya during the little accident they had.

“Give that back!” shouted Tatsuya, announcing the trio’s presence before the man.

“Eek!” exclaimed the man, dropping the wallet and money to the ground. His face was filled with fear and anxiety after being found out. “I’m sorry! Please take it! You can have the money back, but just let me go!” he begged.

Tatsuya quickly went for his wallet and picked it up, uttering a sigh of relief. “If you leave right now without a fight, I’ll forget the whole thing. Just make sure we don’t see your face ever again,” Tatsuya told the man harshly.

“Of course,” obliged the man with a nervous laugh. He reached into his overcoat and pulled out a grey revolver. “As if!” he said, chuckling hysterically. “Now, if you don’t want to get shot, hand me your wallet!”

“What the hell is your problem?” said Tatsuya with a frown. The man held the gun straight for Tatsuya’ head. Tatsuya, undeterred by the gun in the man’s hand, took a step forward confidently. He was prepared to knock the gun right out of the man’s hand and knock some sense into him with a kick. The man flinched back and unconsciously pulled the trigger. The sound of the shot filled the alley and the bullet cut through the air like a knife.

“Darling!” screamed Aika.

“My Love!” joined in Kanjomizu.

Tatsuya brought his arms up reflexively to block the shot. The black Mark of Marduk spontaneously appeared on the back of his right hand again. It glowed brilliantly for a second and then stopped. When the bullet was only a few inches away from Tatsuya’s forehead, it stopped in its track and fell down. Everyone watched in awe at the projectile’s unexpected failure and descent.

However, the man wasn’t going to let some crazy miracle stand between him and the money. He shot a few more rounds in hopes of landing a hit and stealing back the fortune he had foolishly relinquished in a failed bluff. But as the all of the bullets reached a certain distance where there was only a few inches between them and Tatsuya, they all fell down the ground. It was as if they had hit an invisible wall or barrier that was protecting Tatsuya from outside harm.

Aika smiled sadistically at the man’s failed attempts to hurt Tatsuya. “So, you have the guts to try to shoot my Darling for his money, eh?” she said in a dark and cruel voice. The man flinched back at the tone of her voice. Aika touched her wrist and it began to glow a luminous red color, like the crimson flames of a phoenix. From her glowing wrist, Aika pulled out a long crimson chain whip with a red bladed tip and a red handle. She grabbed the whip by both hands and smiled dangerously at the criminal. The man, terrified for his life, slowly backed away with a horrified expression. Then, quicker than a pouncing lion, she lashed the whip out and grabbed the man by the body. “Now burn!” she ordered. Flames suddenly enveloped the chain whip quickly engulfed the man. He let out a painful scream as his entire being was being barbecued. Tatsuya and Kanjomizu were too speechless to stop Aika, and the current situation terrified them so much that they thought it was best to remain silent. Once a minute or two passed, Aika retracted her chain and the weapon disappeared into thin air. The flames disappeared and the man was now laying unconscious on the floor, his body appeared to be uninjured for the most part; however, possibly as a side-effect of being engulfed by magical dragon fire, the man’s skin had noticeably become darker as a whole, like the color of leftover charcoal during the end of a family barbecue.

“Is he going to be alright?” asked Tatsuya nervously.

“He’ll be fine,” Aika reassured him. “I only did enough damage to knock him out. The only real punishment was the feeling of being burned alive and having his skin blackened to match his black heart.”

“What was that whip you had?” inquired Tatsuya.

“That’s my Dragon Regalia,” answered Aika.

“Dragon Regalia?”

“Dragon Regalias are the personal weapons or objects of dragons that are bonded with them for life. They represent a dragon’s personality and are often referred to as their symbol or personal emblem,” Aika explained. “Each Dragon Regalia is unique to the dragon they are bonded with.”

“Was it alright to be using your weapon in the first place?” Tatsuya asked her worriedly.

“It’s fine,” reassured Aika, waving her hand dismissively. “Conjuring Dragon Regalias use little magic and is legally allowed as long as it is for defensive purpose. Also, the power and strength of Dragon Regalias are dependent on their user’s energy input. Meaning, the wielder has total control over how strong and powerful they want to make their weapon. This is why it is recommended to use Dragon Regalias during encounters with normal humans because their powers can be controlled. With magic, it is a bit harder and requires intense focus to do so, which is very physically and mentally draining, which can be very dangerous to the health of the dragon. Besides, using magic before humans is more dangerous and can have negative effects on the human psyche. With Dragon Regalias, it is possible to knock a human unconscious enough for them to forget the encounter in the first place.”

“I see,” said Tatsuya with a nod. “Wait a minute,” he said, realizing an important fact from Aika’s explanation, “how did you know that the guy was a regular human?”

“His scent,” Aika told him. “Dragons have a unique scent that is very different from every living being in this world. And since we dragons have a very strong sense of smell, it’s very easy for us to pick out our kind from a crowd of normal humans. Additionally, each of the thirteen tribes carry a unique smell among them too, allowing us dragons to tell each other apart based on our tribes.”

“Amazing,” breathed Tatsuya in awe.

After having enough excitement for one day, the three of them went back home together. Along the way, Tatsuya’s head replayed the scene of him being protected from the bullets by an invisible wall. The Mark of Marduk had appeared on his right hand yet again and glowed brilliantly for a short time before going back to being a normal black tattoo mark. Something was telling him that the mark was more than just for show. It felt as if the mark was protecting him from danger. Could it be that the mark was responsible for putting out that defensive invisible barrier to protect Tatsuya from harm? But the thought of such a mark having that kind of power seemed too crazy and unrealistic to him. His head was starting to hurt, so he threw that thought away in the back of his mind and cleared his head. He would just have to wait to get some answers. Till then, he will do whatever he can to survive his current life of living with two dragon princesses.