Even as Haruto helped himself with a pistachio waffle cone from a nearby stand, Tokino would immediately tap his forehead the moment Haruto turned around. He did not fair better in the cable car; it had a carriage-like rustic design. The more Tokino giggled, the more Haruto’s cheeks reddened.

Sitting in front, Tokino giggled again. “Seems to me you’re stuck in the tsun-tsun phase, Haruto (春人くん)….” she winked with a smile.

He grunted. “Could you stop calling me that…?! And how do you even know about that trope?” Haruto pointed.

Tokino shrugged, eyes closed. “A woman knows her stuff, honey…. Especially how in the realm of—satisfaction….” she smirked, eyes drooping.

Haruto’s cheeks reddened further. “I-I don’t want you to call me that, either— Hey!,”

He got two more forehead taps after the cable car session.

To kill time more, Tokino decided to go to the park. Walking by the kite-flying children and pet owners, Haruto sat by a bench while Tokino played hide-and-seek with the children. He realized not only was she very polite to them—she talked in a motherly manner—even scolding some of them.

As Haruto looked at another view in the park, Tokino’s words came to light. He saw an eighty-year-old man playing chess with himself. However, he was not unhappy. The elderly acted like he was playing with another man comically—switching between characters. Moments later, a woman walked up to him. “Geri… it’s time for lunch.” she accompanied the old man to a nearby nursing home.

Just as he observed further, an infernal tap tormented Haruto once again. Tokino came by to tell him that they would eat at another joint since it was noon. This time, Tokino suggested they should eat croque monsieurs and financiers. Haruto agreed.

“Do you like Western food?” she smiled.

“I’ll eat anything if I have to, but they were never my favori— Hey!” His reaction caused Tokino to giggle.

Five taps occurred during the afternoon, and by dinner, two. For the last seven days, thirty taps occurred.

Haruto stayed at a lake house Tokino rented recently. While she slept soundly, Haruto experienced a peculiar nightmare. It was not the same that he had before. It did not even correlate to him.

In the nightmare, Haruto saw himself tied up to a chair. His wrists and ankles bled, but he felt no pain. Haruto also realized a white cloth tied to his mouth. In front of him was a blindfolded man he never knew of, in the same position that he was.

Next to the man stood a dark, shadowy figure Haruto could not make out. The last thing he saw before waking up sweating bullets—was the figure holding the man’s right arm. As he got up, Haruto felt moderate pain from his throbbing head.

The next day, Tokino decided they take a stroll in town. Haruto walked from behind.

She turned around. “You know… this is strange. I already told you that you’re now free—yet you’re still following me. Got nowhere to go, huh?”

Haruto’s cheeks reddened. “Th-That’s not true…! I have my family back home!”

“Then why are you still here?” Tokino stopped walking and stood in front.

Still flustered, Haruto tried to respond, but all that came out was inaudible word salad.

Tokino giggled. “Just admit it, Haruto.” she walked closer. “That place isn’t for you anymore. Besides—the empire’s practically gone. Also…” She held his shoulders; Tokino’s expression sullied. “…Adel’s dead. Are you hurt?”

Haruto sighed with eyes closed briefly. “No…” he shook his head, “…Adel died fighting for what he stood for. What I stood for. No warrior worth their salt could ask any more than that.”

Tokino let go and smiled. “Well, then it’s settled. I’ll now extend your monitoring hours for a month.”

“W-What?! Why?!” Haruto’s eyes narrowed.

Tokino giggled. “Do I have to say it, again? You’ve got nowhere to go. And besides—I wanna do this again….” she neared her index finger.

“Hey!”

Haruto’s reaction made her giggle once more.

Tokino skipped around on the street, humming the same tune again with hands tied behind her lower back. Back in the park, she insisted on Haruto play with the children. Reluctant at first, he sighed after seeing Tokino smiling wide; and a tap.

Surprisingly, Haruto had a lot more fun than he thought. He even laughed, and eventually, Tokino joined in the fun. Haruto kept his smile and waved the children goodbye—that was until the inevitable occurred again on the forehead just as he turned around.

Still walking from behind, Haruto viewed Tokino a little brighter than before. He remembered this feeling. However, deep within, Haruto felt dread for the coming days. He sweated bullets briefly. As said thirteen days went by, thirty-five taps occurred. At that point, Haruto could feel it even when it never happened. Tokino still found more ways to surprise him.

During the town’s charter day, she insisted he dance with her at the square. Haruto rejected but to no avail. Tokino quickly pulled him up from sitting. His two left feet were no match for her perfect coordination by a literal sense, as Tokino never slipped up even once.

A day later, back at the lake house, just as he caught a bite, Haruto fell victim to Tokino’s tap once again.

He grunted and turned his head around. “Could you stop that…?! I finally had a good catch after two hours—” A massive splash of water burst out of the lake behind him. Haruto felt his clothes sogged. His prize turned out to be an unwanted bite: a semi-terrestrial, orange-scaled fish the size of the lake house itself. The creature’s yellow eyes gazed right at him and roared thunderously.

As the enormous monster lumbered forward, Haruto backed away. On the other hand, a smiling Tokino walked past him and covered her mouth briefly. “Oh my… what a site. The locals here called this species of bullfrog goldfish the ‘God of the Tarn.’ It’s quite a rare treat to see….”

Haruto’s nerved popped. “Why the hell is that your reaction right now?!” he looked at Tokino from behind.

She giggled and approached the fish slowly. “I told you. We’re looking at a rare treat….” she pulled out her rapier via Runic Art. She jumped up high and lodged her weapon into the monster’s brain faster than Haruto’s thought process.

Now, all Haruto saw in front of him was a crater where the monster’s head should be; the sun shined through it. It also decided to shine through Tokino. The whole world slowed to a crawl as his mind was now too preoccupied with her appearance. Alongside a confident smile, her lustrous lavender crown waved about midair. Haruto’s heart bounced a bit.

Coming down, Tokino turned around and walked to Haruto. She helped him get back on his feet, and she smiled intimately at him with a tilted head. Haruto’s heart skipped once more—but alas, “Hey!” another tap occurred.

Back inside the lake house, Tokino taught Haruto basic cooking skills. It took him repeated tries to properly fillet the meat. It took him even more not to make the stovetop burst into flames. Miraculously, Haruto managed to make dinner. Tokino found it delectable. As such, her “reward” for him was more or less obvious.

Later that night, in bed, Haruto experienced the same nightmare again. Unlike before, the shadowy figure was now a middle-aged woman wearing a noble’s clothing. Unfortunately, he woke up sweating bullets again at the last second. The last thing he remembered from the nightmare was a man suspended in the air via metal wires.

In the afternoon the next day, Haruto and Tokino sat at the same bench in the park. This time, only the elderly man from before was present in the area; he finally won chess against himself.

Looking at Tokino, Haruto decided to do something he should have done long ago. He neared his index finger to her, but she countered perfectly. “Ah ah ah….” she waved her finger. “You don’t get to do that. You’re not monitoring me….”

Haruto chuckled. “Never hurts to try, they always say….”

“Oh, really…?” Tokino smirked, “Well, if you manage to win—you’ll get to monitor me for a month from now on….” she tilted her head.

Haruto chuckled once more. “I hope you don’t mean it in THAT direction…!” With a confident smile, he unleashed his unlimited finger works, yet no matter what, Tokino’s head weaved through all of it. It even forced him to use both hands and his innate ability. Eventually, she pushed him down on his back at the bench. She stood victorious, and another forehead tap was inevitable.

Tokino pulled him up. “Don’t worry…. Starting tomorrow and there’s only half a month left for you. By the way, remember my bet?” She moved to Haruto’s right ear. “That will have to wait….”

He flustered with cheeks reddened beyond belief once again. Tokino giggled at it all and patted his head. He paid no mind, surprisingly.

After all that, Haruto sighed and looked at the sunset. She decided to move closer. He sighed again with eyes closed. “I suppose it’s pretty obvious that I’m falling for you, isn’t it?”

Tokino looked at him. “Is there any shame in that? It just means we clicked.” She now looked at the sunset as well. “To be honest—I feel like we’ve been together for years now…. I never even knew it was possible to feel this way. But I’m not ashamed,” she shook her head.

Haruto’s eyes sulked. “So you’re saying you liked me the minute you saw my face? I tried to kill you….”

Tokino’s smile disappeared after hearing his words. In her mind, she knew she could not do much. She even had second thoughts about tapping Haruto’s forehead all the time.

She moved even closer and held his shoulders. “Listen, Haruto…. I know a longtime relationship is too much to ask for now. But either way—I’m here to help you heal some wounds.

“When I saw your eyes… they looked troubled—like you needed saving. I don’t know how you lived your life on Earth or how you lived in this world, but my mind decided I couldn’t just leave you alone in the dark. I experienced that—many times….” she showed him a serene smile.

Haruto felt a familiar warmth emanating from her—so he smiled back. Unfortunately, he did not have wounds. Tokino severely underestimated his deep scars that day.

Far away from the park, the sibling defector Feuer finished his mission, looking at the sunset as he walked through town. With his presence looming, the world gave the sorry child another test.