[A Date into a Protection Mission]

A whole week had passed since the whole ordeal. Haru had just woken up in a bed, his coat and dress shirt were lying neatly folded on his bedside table, his lower torso was wrapped in bandages, although he could still see a bit of blood where he’d been impaled.

Around an hour had passed of him just sitting on the bed, before the door to the room he was staying in had opened. It was Airi who came into the room with a look of relief on her face.

Airi: Ah, you’re up already. In case you were wondering, the doctor’s already removed the wood lodged in your side, dear.

Haru: That’s great I guess, where are the others?

Airi: They’re at an inn right now, either still asleep or still eating.

Haru: I see… So why’d you come here so early? Though I have a feeling I already know what you want.

Airi: I’m just here to check on you and drop a message. The nurse told me you just woke up. You should get dressed soon, we’ll be leaving after those two finish up.

Haru: Got it, was that all you wanted?

Airi: Not quite, there is one more thing…

She leans in to give him a kiss on the cheek, along with a cheeky smile right after.

Airi: Tomorrow happens to be my birthday, so I want you to take me out on a date, just the two of us. You could use a break after all of this you know?

She then leaves the room, Haru was left speechless and unable to give her an answer. Though he just smiles to himself, knowing she was right about needing a break, before going ahead and getting dressed.

A day later, after the four of them had gotten home. Haru was waiting in the town’s park dressed up in some casual clothing just with his fur-collared coat stacked on top.

Just minutes later he went into a weapon shop nearby, just to keep himself occupied as he waited for her, he browsed through the shop’s selection of various knives, daggers, spears, swords, and axes.

He looked with a bit of disbelief due to the fact that he was looking at the real deal, since back in his world he’d usually just buy foam replicas of the stuff he saw inside the shop.

His eyes landed upon a large brutal-looking mace, possibly due to its resemblance to one of his favorite anime series. Though the ecstatic look on his face dropped down to despair when he saw the price tag.

Eventually he just left the shop empty-handed, though it’s not like he planned to buy anything.

As he was heading back to the park someone ran up and hugged him from behind, scaring Haru, even triggering his skill {Swift Demise} in the process.

Airi: Sorry I took so long, my sister and Elleth helped me pick a nice outfit.

Haru: It’s fine, but was this really necessary?

He deactivated the skill as he turned around to face her. She was wearing an off-shoulder purple dress with a miniskirt along with white thigh-high stockings and her usual shoes.

Hilariously enough the first thing that caught his eye was her demon tail. It was wagging like that of a dog’s, it told him that she was excited to go out with him and show off this outfit.

Airi: It’s not too plain right?

Haru: Huh? O-oh yeah it looks great on you.

Airi: Hehe, thanks. Now then let’s get going!

She grabs onto his hand and leads him along the way, taking a stroll down the various shops and restaurants, occasionally window-shopping in some.

It was quite the experience for the both of them, this being of course their first dates, Haru was especially nervous considering how terrifying she was back then.

He’s heard from Touka that she’s a lot better than those days, but he still wasn’t going to take much chances with that.

The pair then went over to various clothing shops, picking out outfits for him as well as hers. This reminded him of when he was a little kid, his mom taking him to clothes stores and picking out outfits for him.

It’s not like he didn’t already think of her as attractive or anything like her sister. All this did was make him more aware of it, although it was a bit weird going from flashbacks of his childhood to thinking of her in that way all things considered.

Airi: Hmm, what would work with this? Does this look good together, what do you think dear?

Haru: I’m not really the best person to ask but maybe these two I guess?

Airi: Ah I see, so this is what your preferences are.

Haru: W-wait no it’s not, ah fine you caught me red-handed.

Airi: I was just trying to tease you a bit, but this is fine as well.

After picking out a couple more she went on to try those outfits out, some of them were something else, from a nice comfy sweater, a formal black dress, a revealing swimsuit, and even a wedding dress.

Even the ones she picked out for him went from formal to really casual, the notable ones were a silver suit with a checkered tie and a gray Hawaiian shirt with some slacks.

The pair then went on to other shops, ranging from other clothing stores to weaponry, to magical books among the abundance of shops in the vicinity.

Thanks to this Haru saw exactly why this part was named the “money-hungry beast” a name fit for such a large shopping district such as Ersune’s very own.

Later on they went to a diner nearby, grabbing a light meal to calm down after having gone a slight bit crazy with the clothes and other stuff. Even something simple like this made her smile.

He just stared and thought to himself, was this really the same girl who locked him in a shed bound to a chair in first year? Was this really the girl who threatened most of the girls who so much as talked to him, including her own sister?

Haru: I still remember what it was like after that whole shed incident. Got so scared every time I saw so much as a glimpse of her that I hid behind someone, thankfully Touka was there almost every time so I didn’t hide behind some random student.

He was so deep in his head only breaking sometimes to grab a bite of his meal as he was sitting with her, who looked quite satisfied with the meal.

Haru: To think I’d be going out with her, if someone told me in the past that I’d be going out with her so casually like this, I’ll probably call them a nutjob.

He thought to himself sitting there silently, just watching her. He honestly felt like a bit of a creep but what could he do about it.

Airi: Hey, aren’t you going to eat? You haven’t touched it much since it got here.

Haru: H-huh oh yeah, my bad. Lost in thought that’s all.

Airi: Are you ok? You can tell me and we can cut this short and just head home, I’ve already gotten my wish, to spend some time with you.

Haru: It’s fine don’t worry, though I can’t help laugh at that last bit, it’s a bit too cliche don’t you think?

He laughed a bit as a smile appeared on her face, seeing that he was somewhat back to normal while also somewhat agreeing with what he said despite actually meaning it.

Airi: So, we’re heading ho-

Haru: No, I wanna see this to the end, plus I’d end up feeling bad since it is technically my fault for cutting this short. Think of it as my sort-of birthday present.

Airi: Alright then, I’ll owe you this.

Haru: Owe me? Don’t know if that’s the correct word to use but who knows, I might just take you up on that.

The pair then got out of the diner, having already paid for and finished their respective meals. And once again she grabbed hold of his arm and led him along the way.

This time she took him to parts of the shopping district that he hasn’t been to at all, this of course made him a bit nervous and slightly scared.

Eventually Airi stopped somewhere in the middle of some of the shops looking around trying to find a specific shop, which confused Haru quite a bit.

At around the same time, in the dense forest nearby the shopping district. The sounds of someone getting chased echoed through. The shadowed figure was holding a child in his arms.

The figure looked back to see several thugs that were still after them, thankfully he ended up finding a nice place to catch his breath.

???: Big brother Grimmwald, are they gone yet? I’m scared.

Grimmwald: I don’t know, but don’t worry Princess Aria, I’ll hold them off so that you can escape. There's a large town nearby that you could hide in.

Aria: Huh, wouldn’t that mean? No! I want to st-

Grimmwald: Princess! They’re going to sell you off to god knows who if they get their hands on you, I can’t let that happen. I’m begging you, please run, run and don’t look back.

The knight, now named as Grimmwald, hands her a small dagger still in its sheath. She looks at him with some tears still in her eyes, he gives her a reassuring look.

Grimmwald: Just in case, remember to aim for weak points, got it?

The small girl nods at him as he wipes away her tears. Grimmwald pulls out his broadsword, getting ready to fight.

Grimmwald: Now go! I’ll hold them off.

Aria runs towards the town as the thugs finally catch up, one immediately going for her only to be stopped by the blade of Grimmwald’s sword, pushing the criminal back a bit.

Thug Leader: Oh, so you’re the bug protecting her, huh?

Grimmwald: Bug? Wrong, I’m the damn bug zapper!

Blue lightning surges around him and his blade, as the rest of the thugs come out of their hiding places. Each of them wielding some form of weapon, a magic staff, or a magical tome.

Thug Leader: I get trying to play it up for the kid, but aren’t you underestimating us too much? Though like it matters, we’re going to break through you regardless, right boys?

The rest of them shouted in support, gaining a grin from their boss as they were just about ready to beat Grimmwald to a pulp.

Thug Leader: Still wanna play the hero, huh kid?

Grimmwald: No, all I’m doing is performing my duties as the princess’ bodyguard. Now then, come at me!

He swings his sword back, charging it up with a lot of lightning as the thugs begin their attack as the lightning that surges through him and his blade roared louder than earlier.

Thankfully he was able to hold his own against their numbers, his lightning boosted his speed and reaction time to a tremendous degree. None of them could even get close to her thanks to his speed and mastery over his sword.

As she ran ever closer to the town she couldn’t help but think to go back for him, if she did it’d be a waste of his efforts. That’s what she thought as she finally made it there.

All that was left was to find a spot to hide in or find someone trustworthy enough to take her in for the while. Aria wandered the town aimlessly for a while, trying to find a hiding place.

Eventually she would stumble upon an alleyway with some wooden crates strung about. Even going so far as to peer into the boxes to find them, luckily, empty.

Aria: Would this be a good place? No, it’s a bit too obvious. C’mon think, big brother is risking his life right now and I can’t even find a good hiding spot.

She weighed her options, the most obvious of which was to hide out inside one of the boxes.

Her biggest concern was how she was going to be able to get some food and water, since she assumed that she’d be hiding in there for a while.

Aria: Maybe I should just go somewhere else then, I’ll keep this spot in mind if else.

She then continues on wandering the town, carefully finding a good hiding spot. This search for a hiding spot slowly turned into trying to find people she could stay with for a while til the whole thing blows over.

Her first options were the kingdom’s guard, but that’d only make her easier to find.

As she kept on wandering, she kept getting anxious, to the point that she looked behind herself frequently in fear that at least one of the thugs she and Grimmwald encountered was following her.

The poor girl had to keep reassuring herself that no one was there in case, even catching the attention of some of the passers by before they continued what they were doing prior.

Aria: That spot with the boxes from earlier was the only good option I’ve had so far. Ugh, this sucks, though I just hope big brother Grimmwald is alright.

Just then she gets the feeling of someone closing in upon her, causing her to freak out and run off. In reality there was no one there, it was just her mind running wild and tricking her thanks to the current situation she was in.

She didn’t know exactly where she was going but she just ran, running from the nonexistent pursuer, across and around the town.

Meanwhile Airi was walking with Haru, her arms were locked with his left, her hands holding a single paper bag as Haru held the rest in his right hand.

Haru: Was it really necessary for me to stay out of the shop? It was just a swi-

Airi: Of course it was! It was one I had custom-made and I didn’t want you to see it so…

Haru: You’re lucky there was an ice cream stand nearby. Why were you in there for so long just to pick up one thing anyway?

Airi: W-well I got a bit carried away and tried some other ones they had as well…

Haru: You’re kidding me ri-

Haru feels something bump into his legs, he and Airi turn back to see who or what bumped into him. It was a little girl sitting on the ground, likely from having bumped into him.

She stands up, looking tired from running, which Airi noticed. When she looked up to face Haru, she got an uneasy feeling from him, like a great evil was about to awaken though she kept this to herself..

Haru: Are you ok kid?

Aria: H-huh, o-oh I’m very sorry for bumping into you mister.

Haru: It’s fine, though what’s a kid like you doing here all by themselves? Did you get separated from your parents or something?

Airi: Haru dear, I feel like we should get her something to eat first. She’s likely pretty hungry, right?

Aria nodded as she somewhat reluctantly grabbed onto Airi’s hand. With the latter giving her a bright reassuring smile.

Airi: So you were being chased by thugs who wanted to sell you off but this Grimmwald person was able to buy you time to escape?

Aria: We were initially headed for the capital to meet someone, but we were ambushed by those thugs, but aside from that you have it mostly correct.

The three of them were now at a local restaurant, Aria sat across from the pair as they talked.

Airi: Dear, can’t we just take her home for the time being? All we need to do by then is find Grimmwald and hand her back.

Haru: Sure, if we even knew where to find him and what he looks like, plus by the time we get her to our place it’d already be nighttime so we’d have to look for him the next day.

Aria: Let’s see, He wears white and gold armor, with a cape as well.

Haru: I guess that makes it slightly easier to find him, holdon Airi, where’s all the bags we were carrying earlier!?

Airi: Huh? Oh, I just used a teleportation crystal to send them back home, it’s a special model that just transports items to where the marker crystal it came with is in.

Haru: I could’ve sworn those we just used by the nobles an- hey don’t tell me you blackmailed someone into giving you one of those.

Airi: Now, now, let’s go find him, little one.

Haru: Don’t ignore me!

Aria and Airi head out of the restaurant casually as Haru is left there, presumably to pay for the meal they just had.

Though he would later catch up to them after paying, still no luck trying to find Grimmwald despite his outfit making him an extremely easy target to find.

After a while they slowly were losing hope as they kept trying and failing to find him, even splitting up wasn’t enough to track him down. Though only having three people, it’s no wonder they struggled trying to find him.

Eventually the three of them just went to and stayed in the park, obviously exhausted trying to find someone who definitely should’ve been super easy to find.

Haru: At this point I’m just hoping he’s just taken off his armor to justify how hard it is to find him.

Airi: I understand what you’re thinking, but please put up with it for a little while longer. At least for her sake.

She pointed towards Aria, who was pacing back and forth hoping that she could see Grimmwald once more.

At the same time someone was approaching from behind, they were clad in white armor, their cape flowing a little in the slight breeze. Could it be, have their efforts been actually worth it?

The figure taps on Haru’s shoulder, getting his attention quite quickly.

???: Hey there, that’s Aria right?

Haru: Huh, oh the kid? I think so, she didn’t really give us her name. Are you Grimmwald then? Airi, could you go get her for me?

Grimmwald: Yep, I’ll have to thank you two for taking care of her. Sorry about all the trouble she’s caused.

Haru: Don’t worry about it, kids are kids after all. And it’s not like she was much trouble at all anyway.

Haru continues talking to him as Airi goes to get Aria, though the girl seems to be a bit stubborn to go with Airi. Even needing to pull her just to get her to move.

It seems as though she’s scared, clinging to the back of Airi’s leg as she approaches them. Haru goes towards them, squats to get on Aria’s eye level to ask her something.

Haru: Kid, what’s there to be scared of, that’s him right? He’s got the armor and cape just as you said. Huh, what’s that look for? Did we get the wrong person?

Unbeknownst to them as they try to calm her down, Grimmwald pulls out a dagger, going to stab Haru in the back. Aria then pushes Haru out of the way of the dagger simultaneously, causing him to miss.

Haru: Whoa, what the hell man. Overprotective much?

He then notices the look on Grimmwald’s face, it was a sinister one as he still held the dagger, raising his arm once more going for another stab. Along with reverting back to his original form, that of a lowly thug.

Thug: How about you just let me kill yo-

Airi tapped him on the shoulder, making the thug confused for a couple of seconds just before blood spikes rupture out, coming through various parts of his body instantly killing him.

Haru: What the- Airi what the hell was that! You just brutally killed him!

Airi: Dear, it was either that or let you be stabbed. I mean you didn’t seem to be doing much to defend yourself.

Haru: That’s cause I wanted to catch his dagger with my bones just before it pierces me! It would’ve been so cool!

Airi: Dear, perhaps I need to remind you about this!

She pulls up his shirt a bit, revealing the bandages covering the injury he received a week ago during their fight with Arke.

Haru: Ok, ok I get it. Jeez you could’ve just said it instead of pulling my shirt up. There’s a kid here too y’know.

At the same time the rest of the thugs, including their boss, finally show up. Though it’s more like they needed to cool off for a slight bit after seeing their comrade get brutally killed.

Thug Leader: How about you hand over the kid then?

Haru: Huh, hell no! You look like a damn creep!

Thug Leader: Y’know what, I’ll just kill you inst-

Large explosions occur blocking their view with dust and smoke as Haru quickly activated {Fleet}’s cruiser form, going on to pick up Airi and Aria using his bone tendrils then running off with them.

He positioned them in front of him in such a way that only he could take attacks from behind while still being able to see clearly in front of him. He fired his cruiser guns consistently as the thugs gave chase.

Along with that Airi helped out a lot, providing shields, covering fire, and even making Haru’s wounds coagulate and dry much faster all thanks to her blood magic.

Later they found a nice place to hide out in for a bit as the thugs are still on their tails.

Haru: Airi, you two down so you can make a run for it. I’ll go hold ‘em all back alright?

Airi: Are you crazy dear?! Even with your new skill they outnumber you by a lot!

Meanwhile Aria remembers that the real Grimmwald told her mostly the same thing which subconsciously caused her to cling onto Haru’s arm, not wanting to leave him like she reluctantly had to do to Grimmwald per his orders.

Aria: No! I’m not going to leave mister! I’ve already done the same before, I don’t wanna!

Haru: Kid, look at the situation right now, it’s either this or the both of us have to focus on both fighting them off and protecting you. Look at me, I’ll be fine, alright? I promise to come back and help find the real Grimmwald.

He pats her on the head as he looks at Airi, his eyes asking her to protect the kid and herself all the same, along with reassuring her that he’ll be fine.

Haru: Alright then, Airi, kid, I’ll see you both later!

The two of them then leave him as he turns back, the 155mm cruiser guns mounted the same way as his destroyer guns were loaded and ready to fire, same with his 40mm anti-aircraft guns.

Haru: You can come out now, you’re there aren’t you big guy?

Thug Leader: Hmmm, so you knew I was here listening in the whole time? Impressive for someone like you.

Haru: Knew? You must be kidding, I was just spitballing. I didn’t actually know you were there. Honestly I just said that cause I thought it sounded cool and appropriate for the atmosphere.

Thug Leader: You’re an interesting one, but then again bugs like you ought to be swatted away, Iron hide.

The thug’s previously human flesh turned into metallic scales, his face took on a more monstrous appearance with large fangs. His fingers gained long sharp nails as did his toes.

Haru fires off blasts from his cruiser and anti-air guns at him, along with launching bone spikes right at him. His metallic skin just deflected all of it the same.

He mostly aimed for his legs, feet, and head to disorient him. He wasn’t fighting just to defeat their leader and the leader clearly knew this as he got the hint with what Haru told him earlier.

He then noticed that Haru had disappeared from his sight, he then reappears behind him and just as he was about to fire {Fleet} forcefully deactivated and mere seconds later jet-black spikes fired in all directions.

As all of that was happening, Airi and Aria finally made it out of the forest surprisingly enough. The forest was a lot less wide than they thought, reaching an elevated railway as the rest of the thugs finally made it there as well.

Thug 1: Look lady, just hand us the kid and we’ll let you two off. Granted our boss doesn't kill the other dude.

Airi: Stick close to big sister, alright? I’ll protect you, I swear.

Aria nodded, clearly anxious, nervous, and scared. Airi created a pair of swords using blood magic, these swords weren’t too ornate, they were just a pair of simple cutlasses before coating them in hellfire.

She then began to fight them off, holding her own quite well, even deflecting the spells that some of the thugs were using. All the while keeping her guard up, not even letting one get close to Aria.

As the battle went on, one of the thugs summoned up an army of golems. She was able to handle it just fine, even with dealing with the other thugs in between. Using her skill {Hellfire}, which she got after becoming a demon, and her blood magic.

Though slowly over the course of the fight she started to get overwhelmed, the golems seemed to be never ending, and the thugs just kept getting back up. It was clear she was getting tired but kept pushing just to protect Aria.

Airi: I’m running out mana, attack after attack, why won’t they go down? I can’t even get to the summoner with how much is coming!

???: Thunderbolt Frenzy!

Aria recognizes the voice as the lightning takes out most of the golems in front of the two. A figure walked out from the side of the forest, their breath hoarse seemingly from running.

???: Princess, I’m sorry I took so-

Aria: Big brother Grimmwald!

She runs up to hug him, seeing that his armor was scratched, cracked, and even broken in some parts, his cape was tattered. She then lets go and flashes a smile at him, glad that he had returned.

Airi pointed her sword towards him, since encountering the fake one earlier made her slightly more cautious.

Grimmwald: Miss, could you put those down? I’m the real one, why would I take down most of the golems if I wasn’t?

Aria: It’s true big sister, he’s the real deal this time!

Airi: I see, then let me introduce myself. I’m Nishijima Airi, one of the heroes summoned to this world.

Grimmwald: Grimmwald, I’ve heard of your king having summoned heroes but to think I get to meet one in the flesh. Though we should save the talk for later, there are still enemies afoot.

Airi: Right, I guess I’ll back you up then, sir knight?

Grimmwald: Please do.

He clutches his sword as he coats himself in lightning, joining Airi to fight against the golems, aiming to take out the summoner so no more can be brought forth.