a/n: Thank you for reading, everyone!
With a sickening roar, the demon they'd been sent to slay charged toward the already-prepared group of Exwires. The ground beneath them trembled violently and caused some of them to stumble, including Konekomaru. Occupied with the task of reciting scripture, Konekomaru did not have time to catch himself and would have fallen to the ground and been trampled if it weren't for Okumura-kun's quick arm on his back, holding him in place.
He was going to send a brief thank-you glance to his classmate before he heard him gasp in something akin to shock or horror. "No…"
And then his hand on Konekomaru's back was gone. There was a gush of wind, so sudden and so strong that it caused Konekomaru's clothes to shudder under the force of it. Okumura-kun was no longer next to him. As soon as he was moving, a flurry of voices exploded around the group, barely audible over the raging demon's stampede:
"Rin, don't!"
"Okumura, what the hell do you think you're doing?!"
"Nii-san!"
There was a deafening bang as Okumura-sensei fired his guns before the demon could cause any harm, hitting his intended target with perfect aim. Kamiki-san ordered her familiars to help without hesitation, and there was an intense flash of blue.
Rin had unsheathed his sword and burst into flames, leaping into the air, narrowly avoiding being bitten. Pushed the blade deep into the giant demon's head.
The demon submitted to the power of their attacks with a ghastly shriek and scattered into thousands of tiny black specks. The group stood all panting and wide-eyed as the tension from their latest mission began to ebb.
Then Okumura-sensei, along with an irritable, seething Bon, strode forward, seeming ready to lecture him.
And lecture him they did.
"Why'd you have to go and scare us like that?" Bon shouted. "Charging in all by yourself? You could've gotten yourself killed!"
Okumura-sensei looked equally worried, telling his brother that such reckless behavior was uncalled for and demanding what in Assiah had possessed him to rush so senselessly into battle.
In response, Okumura-kun scratched his cheek and offered a sheepish grin, strangely resembling a child who had just been caught doing something they shouldn't have.
"Relax, no harm done," he said airily. Then he looked down at his hand, which was curled delicately as if protecting something. "I saw this little guy and knew if I didn't do something he was going to be crushed."
His fingers uncoiled slowly, carefully, revealing to them what lay inside his palm: a tiny, defenseless, colorful butterfly.
Konekomaru's eyes widened slightly. A butterfly. He'd just thoughtlessly risked his life to save a butterfly.
Bon and Kamiki-san scoffed in disbelief. Moriyama-san smiled gently, but the concerned glint in her eyes did not fade. Okumura-sensei just stared, bewildered, and Konekomaru felt as stunned as his teacher. As the butterfly fluttered away from Okumura-kun's open hands, however, he simply watched it go with a tenderness that no demon could ever possess.
Konekomaru suddenly found himself smiling. What a strange person Okumura-kun was.