Chapter 5: From Stalker to Savior
The anticipated day arrived quickly and uneventfully... No, that's a lie. Aika Kiryuu's constant questions were irritating, and Kaori and Yui's curiosity didn't help either. Chris was actually relieved to have the Saturday afternoon off after enduring so many "games" involving a childhood friend she couldn't remember, and was now preparing to spy on him. She kept her window open, ready to see when he would leave.
A simple shirt and pants that wouldn't draw attention. One of her mother's hats. Running shoes in case she needed to follow him quickly. A pair of dark sunglasses to keep people from seeing where she was looking. Her gear in her pocket, just in case her paranoia turned out to be correct. The rest would begin as soon as Issei left for his date and... the sound of the door.
"Speak of the devil."
—"I'm heading out, Mom! Going on my date, I'll be back later!" —Issei shouted proudly from his front door. Chris rushed down the stairs as quickly as she could and slipped out unnoticed by her parents. At the end of the street, she spotted Issei walking away. Chris started to follow him, pausing only to wave at Miki, who was outside. She didn't say anything beyond returning the greeting.
Luckily, Issei didn't take a train or bus, so she managed to keep up without any trouble. At no point did he turn around, allowing Chris to blend in with the crowd. From a distance, she watched Issei as he waited for "Yuuma Amano," just as he had bragged about in class.
Before Yuuma arrived, another figure approached Issei. To Chris's surprise, it was an eccentric woman wearing a dress with bat-like wings draped over her shoulders. "What the hell?" The woman handed Issei a flyer.
After reading it, he tucked it into his pocket. Chris glanced back to look at the woman again, but she had already vanished. Moments later, Yuuma appeared. Chris couldn't locate the flyer woman anymore, but for now, she decided not to worry about it.
The couple's date began. Yuuma, just like in the photo, was smiling—a fake smile. But Chris felt something else that unsettled her: it was like an animal stalking its prey.
It was a sensation she had only felt from animals before, but it also triggered absolute fear toward the woman. "That woman is dangerous."
The pair started at a restaurant, where Chris sat at a table far from them but close enough to observe as they ate ice cream together. Despite her fear, Issei seemed to be doing well for a pervert, though anyone with sharp eyes could see him glancing at Yuuma's chest now and then. "I guess that's something."
Next, they visited a clothing store. Through mirrors and while staying near the fitting rooms, Chris watched as Issei and Yuuma tried on different outfits together. Although they didn't buy anything, it seemed like a pleasant experience. If it weren't for the hostility radiating from Yuuma, it could have passed for a normal date.
Now that she thought about it, Chris had never been on a date... at least not with a guy. Outings with Hibiki and her friends didn't count as dates, just gatherings.
Afterward, they headed to the cinema. Chris had to convince the ticket booth attendant to tell her which movie they'd chosen. To her surprise, it was a romance film. However, since her priority was Issei, she barely paid attention to the movie, focusing instead on the "lovebirds" sitting ten rows ahead of her. They were holding hands.
Was it just her imagination, or was the tension around Yuuma intensifying? It felt like she was becoming irritated.
After the cinema, they visited a gift shop, where Issei bought Yuuma a present—a pink bracelet. Chris had to admit, for a first-timer, Issei had some talent. Despite his occasional glances, she hadn't heard him mention oppais once. He just smiled as if the simple act of being out on a date was enough.
The hostility around Yuuma, however, didn't subside. It shifted again, transforming into that predatory aura Chris had sensed earlier.
At the end of the date, with the sun setting, the two headed to the park. With no crowd to blend into, Chris decided to sneak closer through the bushes to listen in on their conversation.
—Hey, Ise-kun.
—What's up, Yuuma-chan?
—Can you grant me a favor?
Issei seemed thrilled, looking both expectant and overjoyed. "I guess this is the part where they kiss," Chris thought. "Maybe I shouldn't watch."
—W-What's your favor?
—Would you mind... dying right now?
"What?" Chris's eyes widened like saucers upon hearing those words. She was as confused as Issei.
—Huh? I'm sorry, could you say that again?
—Would you please... die right now?
"I didn't expect that so quickly. And extreme"
But the surprises didn't end there. When Yuuma spread black wings from her back, the words of Zelretch echoed in Chris's mind, but she doubted this was the angel he had spoken of. The hostility radiating from Yuuma was overwhelming.
—The last few days I spent with you... —Yuuma conjured a light in her hand that formed into a spear. She was preparing to attack Issei. —It was so much fun.
Issei stared at his girlfriend, Yuuma, now ascending with those black wings and wielding a strange spear. Was he dreaming? It felt so surreal. Yuuma's gaze shifted direction, and she smiled.
—But first, I think you should come out, Miss Stalker. There's no point in hiding anymore.
Issei was puzzled by the expression on Yuuma's face—until the bushes began to rustle, and a defiant voice emerged.
—So, you knew all along, huh?
A figure stepped out from the shadows at the entrance. It was a girl wearing a yellow shirt, blue jeans, sneakers, dark sunglasses, and a white hat. Issei squinted, trying to figure out where he'd seen her before. The silver hair tied into long twin tails jogged his memory, but... "It couldn't be her... could it?"
—Yu-Yukine-san?
The girl removed her sunglasses, revealing striking violet eyes. It was her—his childhood friend. The one he hadn't spoken to since enrolling at Kuoh Academy.
—Oh, so you two know each other? —Yuuma's smile turned wicked. —Well, this just got a lot more entertaining. How about I start with you, Miss stalker? It's nice you've been following us—it's always better to kill two fools instead of one.
She hurled her light spear with incredible speed.
Issei barely managed to call out half of Chris's surname before the spot where she had been standing erupted in a cloud of smoke from the impact. His mind went blank as he stared at the spot where his childhood friend had seemingly perished. "This has to be a dream... this can't be real."
As the smoke cleared, it revealed Chris, who had narrowly dodged the spear by shifting her position.
—Oh, you dodged it. That just means you'll be more fun to torture than Ise-kun.
—So, it's true what you told Issei. You really intend to kill him.
—What tipped you off? —Yuuma replied with an amused, almost bored expression.
—No. —Chris reached into her pocket, pulling out a pendant that began to glow in her hand. A victorious smile spread across her face. —I just needed your intentions to be fully evil. —She glanced back at Issei for the first time. —Sorry, Issei, but I'm going to kick your date's ass.
—Oh? —Yuuma's intrigue deepened.
Suddenly, everything fell silent. Issei's ears picked up Chris's voice—loud, commanding, and elegant.
—Killter Ichaival Tron!
The crystal's glow transferred to Chris's body, and her clothes vanished in a blinding light so intense that Issei couldn't make out anything but her silhouette and silver hair. Then, as if cued by the transformation, music began playing—a soaring rock instrumental, as though a live band had materialized in the park.
"No... that music... it's coming from Yukine-san!" Issei realized.
The red crystal light enveloping her body began to take shape, forming pieces of an otherworldly armor. The gleaming figure approached Issei as the red crystal shifted, attaching itself at the base of her neck, just above her chest.
The light dimmed, but the music continued, pulsating with power. Chris now stood beside him in an incredible red-and-white combat suit. Parts of the armor shone around her hands, hips, and head, like a superhero straight out of a manga.
Her gloves suddenly morphed, transforming into sleek crossbows. Gripping them with a determined air, Chris looked up at Yuuma with a defiant smirk.
—"Alright, birdbrain. I hope you're ready, because Ichaival's hunting an angel tonight."
Let the show begin.
