At his words, Katorina looked at herself.
“A-ahhh!”
Katorina cradled her head in her hands at the sight. Her eyes widened, and her expression grew panicked.
“I-I’m, a demon. A demon. Humans and I can’t…”
Hearing this, I got the gist of what she was thinking.
Katorina must have thought she didn’t have anywhere to belong anymore.
“You’re such a dummy, Katorina.”
I let the words escape from my lips.
Katorina slowly lifted her head again. Her face was red and messy with tears.
“Kousuke said it earlier, didn’t he? You’re always going to be you!”
Iori told this to Katorina as well, prompting Andrealphus to shout, “Enough chatter! All of you!”
Andrealphus summoned numerous magic circles around him, firing off Vampiric Blades at Iori and the others.
As I watched him panic and fire off attack after attack, a thought came to me. For some reason, he wasn’t using Pain. Maybe, just maybe…the magic stones had been destroyed?
In which case, Andrealphus wouldn’t be able to regenerate anymore.
“Iori, I think the others might have destroyed those magic stones.”
When I said this, Andrealphus gave a demented scream.
“Hyeeaaah, heeh, heeh, heeh, hyeeeeauuuuugh, hnraaaaaaugh!”
While Iori and the others turned to Andrealphus, I shifted to Katorina.
If this setup was as I remembered, the brainwashing spell on Katorina was also linked to the magic stone that had been healing Andrealphus. In-game, the brainwashing is dispelled after defeating him, but perhaps there was a chance I could undo it right now.
I didn’t know how this would go. My only choice was to give it a shot.
“Hey, Katorina.”
I was about to reveal a few things that normal people would have no way of knowing. So there was the chance Katorina would grow suspicious of me, but it was way too late in the game to care about that.
I didn’t want to see her in any more pain.
“Y’know, when I joined the Ceremonial Committee, you really worried about me, didn’t you?”
“Nggh, nope, I don’t remember anything like that.”
No way, she definitely remembered. She didn’t need to activate her thorny tsundere mode at a time like this.
“The truth is, that made me pretty happy. Seriously, thank you for that.”
“I just said I don’t remember doing that!”
Oh yeah, that was definitely a lie. She was shaking even more now. In any event, I had to keep this up.
“Don’t worry about your body. It’ll be fine. That demon asshole didn’t mention it, but you’ll be able to control this power yourself, sorta like how beastfolk control their Bestial Transformation.”
When I said this, Katorina looked at me as though she couldn’t believe her ears.
“N-no way.”
“It’s the truth. I know of a few cases like that.”
Though I only knew them from the game, so I was clueless about the details. For now, however, I figured I’d just say whatever I could to assuage her.
“And Ms. Sakura, the Angel of Knowledge, is on our side. Don’t worry.”
Ms. Sakura’s reputation was incredible. Just mentioning her brought Katorina a measure of relief.
“B-but I’m a demon. I can’t be in places with other humans, just think about it. Are you stupid?”
It looked like she’d need one more push.
“In that case, you can just come over to my place. You shouldn’t underestimate the Hamamura family, okay?”
“But—”
“No buts. Me, Iori, Ludie, Yuika, Nanami, Yukine, Orange, even Class Rep—none of us would ever abandon you.”
I sensed Katorina’s power drain from her all of the sudden.
“I mean, at the very least, I’ll be right there with you. Hell, Nanami will be there, too. I’m going to stick by you no matter what.”
A shattering sound rang out, like something had broken. A crack appeared on one of the magic circles visible on her skin.
“And if you’re scared of staying in one place and having your half-demon secret getting out? Then come with me, and we’ll go adventuring ’round the world. I’d be happy accompanying you for a lifetime or so, no sweat.”
Katorina slowly but surely flew down toward me. She reached her hand out to me, and I gently caught her in my arms and stole.
She didn’t attack me at all. With ragged breaths, she simply gripped my clothes tight.
“My puppet magic was undone? Impossible! How?!” the demon shouted.
If what he’d said was true, the magic on Katorina was completely dispelled. The shattering sound I heard must’ve signified that.
As I thought all this, ragged gasps escaped from Katorina’s lips. “Hnh, haah, haah.” I felt her moist, warm breath on me.
Y’know, this was kinda hot.
Perhaps it was an effect of the seal being undone, but her eyes and mouth were half open, and her face had the same relaxed, languid look one got after a good massage. And her blood must’ve gone to her head, since her face was dyed vermilion, and sweat dripped down her brow.
“Tch, you’re worthless when it really counts. Even your chest is inadequate.”
Hearing this reminded me. Right, this demon wasn’t just trying to use Katorina’s power for himself, he was trying to have a child with her, wasn’t he?
That aside, did he just say Katorina wasn’t cute? I couldn’t let that slide.
“No way, she’s super cute! Absolutely, one hundred percent, super-duper cute!”
She was a tsundere among tsundere, the most elite tsundere of all.
Her facial features were adorable, her physique fit her perfectly, and her voice was wonderful. Her loli-plus-pigtails-plus-tsundere look wouldn’t just sweep the world over but carve its beauty in the history books for all time. I’d drop to the ground and beg if it meant I got to hear her curse me out. If she showed a bit of her affectionate side after the abuse, though? I wouldn’t be able to ask for anything more—heck, they could probably get three seasons of an anime adaptation outta that.
As all this ran through my head, I felt Katorina move in my arms.
“Whoa, Katorina. You all right?!”
She flexed her stomach, slowly sat up, and raised her hand. Then her hand came down at me…with a lot of momentum? Huh?
The crack of her palm echoed around us.
“Ow, ow! What was that for?!”
For some reason, Katorina had slapped me across the cheek.
“Wait, Katorina, why are you attacking me like that? You aren’t still brainwashed, right?!”
Despite this, Katorina glared at me, her face beet read.
“Shut up, dumbass!”
“Master, it seems that you were saying your thoughts out loud. She heard you call her super cute,” Nanami told me as she fired arrows to keep Andrealphus in check.
“Huh?”
Katorina brought her face closer to me as I sat there confused.
“You’re embarrassing me, stupid! You’re obnoxiously loud, too, ugh. Everyone heard you, moron! Do you have any brains in there?! Stupid, stupid, stupid!”
I watched her as I cupped my stinging cheek. C’mon now, she didn’t need to call me “stupid” so much!
It was then that I felt healing magic come to me from behind. It was the Saint.
“Rina and Stupid, we’re in the middle of a fight. Get back if you’re not going to join.”
“Can I ask you not to call me ‘stupid’ like it’s my name? Please?”
“I think you’ve only got yourself to blame for that one,” Esmeralda said to me with a wincing grin. I didn’t understand any of it.
“Master, it appears to have run out.”
“What has?”
“That demon’s recovery magic, Kousuke,” Iori said before attacking the demon.
He was right; Andrealphus’s intense healing seemed to have disappeared. It looked like the magic stones were truly gone. No wonder Katorina had been able to return to her senses.
In that case, it looked like it was time for me to join in the fight and get this over with. Without his healing magic, Andrealphus was no better than a trash mob.
Just then, I felt a tug on my stole.
“Kousuke.”
Katorina was the one pulling on it. Seeing the awkward look on her face and overall vibe, I could sort of tell what she was going to say. But.
“Than—mmph!”
I wasn’t going to let her say it. Instead, I covered her mouth with my hand, giving her an exaggerated wink.
“That can come after everything’s over. Also, say that to everyone and not just the guy saying all the dumbass stuff, okay? Everyone was just as worried about you as I was, and all!” I said before taking my hand off her mouth. Katorina really was a cutie.
“Now then.”
I turned from Katorina and set my sights on the demon. Iori and the others had done a great job holding out this long. I applied my body enhancements and went to join in the fray—but at the exact moment, I felt another tug on my stole.
“Wait, Kousuke, I’m going, too.”
Katorina stepped up beside me. She was still in her demon form.
“Listen, Katorina, are sure you’re okay? Think you can use that new power?”
“…No idea,” Katorina said, looking at Andrealphus. “But I bet I could take down that guy.”
“That’s plenty, then. Let’s go finish him off,” I said, running while she flew in the air.
The demon must have seen how Iori and Esmeralda’s group were still ready to fight and sensed he had utterly lost. He flew high up in the air, attempting to flee the floor. Maybe he would keep going until he got out of the dungeon.
I had no intention of letting him escape, though.
“Nanami!”
“Leave it to me.”
Nanami’s arrow cut through the air and flew straight at the demon. Hitting a bloody and bruised foe with an arrow was child’s play for her.
Right after the demon slowed down from being hit by the arrow, Katorina grabbed him by the head.
“You made me attack Kousuke a whole bunch, didn’t you?”
It appeared the demon wasn’t as strong as Katorina in her imp form. She delivered several kicks to his stomach. Then looking my way, she tossed the demon to me.
Time to end this.
I waited for the right moment and released my katana from its sheath.