The girl couldn't sleep for most of the night. Various thoughts were spinning in her head and the events of the previous evening were repeating themselves. She thought about many questions that she wanted to talk about with her friends. When the first rays of the sun appeared over the horizon, she was finally overcome by fatigue, allowing her to rest for a few hours.
In the morning, Hitori was able to verify the truth of Silence's words when her worried mother woke her up. Waking up in an unfamiliar place, the woman was completely confused. Only the presence of all family members nearby prevented her from falling into hysterics. Having woken up her husband and not having received any clarity on the situation, they decided to ask their eldest daughter. Strong hugs and tears of joy on the girl's face confused the adults very much, but as soon as they heard about what happened yesterday, the parents also hugged their worried little girl tightly.
Even in the evening, upon arriving at the lair, the dragons and the guitarist came up with a story that they would tell to the adults who had woken up. So, yesterday evening, a thief broke into the Goto family's house. The attacker knocked out the people who were awake with a blow to the head. However, the criminal did not have time to do anything else, because Hitori discovered him. The teenager's frightened scream attracted a policeman patrolling the street, and the law enforcement officer managed to capture the thief before he could cause any harm to the girl.
After the ambulance arrived and confirmed their condition, the doctors brought the victims back to consciousness. The guitarist nervously said that the police took their statements and a statement about the attack that had occurred. Hitori was very worried about what had happened, and she did not want to stay at home, so she asked her parents to spend the night somewhere else. They agreed to her request, but then the question arose of where to go. The pink-haired girl's friends came to the rescue, and without objection, they agreed to shelter them after hearing the story of what had happened.
As the story progressed, images began to appear in their heads that matched what they heard, and they did not doubt the truth of their daughter's words for a second. Thanks to magic, Goto's parents attributed their amnesia to stress and the aftereffects of a blow to the head. After all, the doctor had warned them about this possibility yesterday.
— You're already awake, — the door to the apartment opened, revealing Silence on the threshold. — That's good. The courier should bring food soon, so get ready for breakfast.
***
— Do you want to ask questions first or listen to an explanation? — Sai asked, sitting opposite Hitori already in their apartment.
After finishing breakfast and thanking the hospitable hosts, the Goto family decided to return home. Wanting to understand the situation, the guitarist stayed with the dragons, seeing the family off to a taxi.
— Who... who was that yesterday?
— That insect is a renegade demon. It devours people to restore its own energy.
— But why me?! — Hitori cried out hysterically. — My parents suffered because of this.
— It's partly our fault.
— Explain it properly, — Ophis felt the girl in her arms trembling and threw a pillow at the guy's face in irritation. — From the very beginning. Otherwise, you'll confuse her.
— I'm sorry, — he realized how that might sound from the outside. — So, all myths, religions, and legends are true. All creatures mentioned in human history actually exist. You were unfortunate enough to meet a renegade demon. It's a creature that was transformed from a human or another race into a demon using an artifact. Pure-blooded devils replenish their race and recruit slaves for themselves.
— Slaves?
— Yes. They made a system like chess, where the main demon is the king, and the rest are his pieces. The retinue obeys its master, but if a demon suddenly escapes, then the supply of demonic energy from the king stops, causing them to mutate and lose their minds. Also, forcing apostates to replenish their strength by devouring people.
— It's terrible.
— A little, — Silence was not as emotional about this as the guitarist, but he tried to support her as much as he could. — And now we will come to the moment with our involvement. The God of the Bible created many artifacts for people in the past, in the hopes of giving them protection from supernatural danger. Sacred gears are stored in the soul of a person and appear at birth. Not every person is able to awaken it, but it allows its owner to stand out from the others. Including for mystical races.
— That glove, — the girl remembered the unusual power. — Is it my sacred gear?
— Right, — Ophis answered the question. — Most of the mechanisms are created from the souls and bodies of powerful beings. You contain one of the four pieces of the former dragon king Vritra. And, as I understood yesterday, you have a "Restriction Field". In this field, no one except you and those you allow can use their powers. However, this does not apply to more powerful beings.
— Ophis, — Hitori clenched her fists, waiting, — w-how are you involved in the attack?
— You see, Silence and I are dragons, — Ouroboros, feeling the pink-haired girl's emotions, did not dare to delay her answer. — Because we often spent time together, our dragon auras came into contact with a part of Vritra. Resonating with our power, the mechanism slowly awakened, which was felt by that apostate, — the quiet girl sank into thought, and this made Ophis nervous. — Do you hate us?
— No! — Hitori immediately screamed, but, realizing her actions, covered her face in embarrassment. — ... I can't hate you. The time spent with you two was the best in my life.
— You don't blame us for what happened?
— I... I had the mechanism from the very beginning, didn't I? So, I could have been attacked in any case, and so, you can help me figure it all out.
The dragons looked at each other. Seeing how hard Hitori was trying to accept them, the couple couldn't help but smile. Their favorite managed to surprise again.
— Ah! Ophis, stop it, — Sai watched with a grin as his favorite squeezed the guitarist, tickling her at the same time. — Ha-ha-ha! Stop it, it tickles.
— Now let's talk seriously, — having laughed, the girl was ready to listen again. — What do you intend to do next?
— We are not forcing you to change your usual way of life, — Ophis said seriously, complementing the young man's words, — You can continue to live as usual, ignoring the sacred mechanism. Perhaps you will be interested in learning about the supernatural world, but do not delve too deeply into it. Then we can easily help with this. In any case, the choice is entirely yours.
— True. Only you yourself must decide what you want from life. We will accept any choice you make.
Following the advice, the girl thought for a long time. She was mixed with the desire to get to know her friends even better and the fear of a new dangerous and unknown world. She was less worried about herself, because, judging by yesterday's event, the dragons would protect her from danger, which could not be said about her family. Although Hitori believed that if she asked for help, they would agree. However, the girl did not want to cause them so many problems.
— I do not want to distance myself from you, — the guitarist made a decision and was full of determination. — I like spending time in your company and I do not intend to change that. However, I do not want to endanger my family again, so you can teach me how to use your mechanism.
— Do you just want to learn how to hide your aura or fully master the "limiting field"?
— Um... — the boy's question confused Hitori, but Ophis came to her aid.
— It's better for you to master the power of Vritra, then you can calmly defend yourself in times of danger.
— T-that's right. You won't always be able to come to the rescue.
— Exactly! — hearing the quiet one's words, a wonderful idea appeared in the dragon's head. Sai took his phone and, having taken a photo of the girls, he posted a new post.
— Ha! — Ouroboros did the same after reading the message on her phone. — Now everyone will know that Hitori is untouchable.
— What?! What are you doing? — The girl was overcome by a panic attack. She was able to read Silence's message. The dragon stated in plain text that anyone who dared to harm her in any way would be completely destroyed along with their kind. — You can't do that. What if someone gets offended by this and causes you trouble.
— Ha-ha-ha!
— This is not funny, Silence! — the guitarist began to wail. — If all these dangers exist, then you can't act so carelessly!
— Ha-ha! — the young man wiped away the tears that came from laughter. He could not hold back such a cute and funny reaction from Goto. — I'm sorry, but you don't understand something. That girl, he pointed at Ophis, who is hugging you like a teddy bear, has weight in the supernatural world. My dear, please introduce yourself.
— Ophis Ouroboros, the Infinite Dragon God.
— Eh?
— You are sitting in the arms of the strongest being in the world, Hitori, with wide eyes, the girl creaked* and turned her head to see her friend's smiling face. — Even if all the gods and strongest individuals united together, they would not be able to defeat Ophis.
— Is that r-true?
— Yes, so you don't have to worry about us, little one, she rubbed herself against her cheek again. — They should be worried about not offending us.
— Then, is Silence also very strong?
— Not as strong as I would like, — the young man complained. — According to my teacher, I am already at the level of the weakest dragon king, but with time there is every chance to overcome them.
— Dragon kings?
— Don't worry, Hitori, we will explain everything to you, — seeing her confusion, Ophis said. — And since you wished to learn how to control your power, you will soon meet Crom Cruach, Sai's teacher. It would be better to call your parents and ask them to stay with us for a week. During this time, you will be able to learn how to hide your energy from others and not worry about attracting attention to your family.
— Okay.
***
Summer was gradually coming to an end. There was only half a month left until the end of this beloved season. It was at this time that an event significant for many otaku and cosplay lovers took place in Tokyo — Summer Comiket. Thousands of professionals and amateurs gather here to demonstrate their skills both as an artist, selling their own manga and doujinshi, and as cosplayers, dressing up as their favorite characters from manga, anime or games. Numerous exhibitions and announcements from animation studios, competitions and exhibitions will not let visitors get bored these three days.
Moving in the crowd, four figures attracted numerous glances from those around them. Each person admired the beauty and detail of the costumes they were wearing. The interest directed at them was very unnerving for two people from the group, while the remaining couple did not pay attention to those around them.
— Why did I agree to come here? — said a tired teenager, clad in full black armor, hiding his identity. The only thing he could bargain for when choosing a costume. — I could have just stayed home and read books.
— Stop complaining, Hachiman. Otherwise, you will feel the full weight of adamantine armor, — Silence responded to the continued whining. Now he and Ophis showed their dragon features, covering their hands and part of their face with scales, changing their pupils to vertical, growing horns and releasing wings and tails. — It's your own fault for not telling me about your birthday. We could have thrown a great party, but you probably spent the whole day at home.
— I don't see anything wrong with spending your day at home, — he looked around the noisy crowd from under his helmet. — I saw the video from your last day off. You destroyed that club, disrupted the singer's performance, replaced him on stage, and forced Goto-san to participate in all of this.
— Ha-ha-ha! It was fun, — the young man laughed without feeling a drop of shame. — Hitori rocked it then! The people were delighted.
— Don't be shy, Hitori, — Ophis tried to calm the guitarist, who was walking with her head down, trying to hide her flushed face. She had tried an alcoholic cocktail for the first time then, confusing it with juice. — You were so cheerful back then. You communicated with the audience without any fear and amazed them with your music.
— Oh, don't remind me, Ophis. I'm still ashamed to remember, — the girl complained, trying to forget her actions. — And anyway, why am I dressed like that?
— Who, besides the Dragonborn, is worthy of being near the strongest dragons? — Sai asked with a grin, looking at Hitori dressed in the iconic fur armor of the Dovahkiin and a horned helmet hiding half of her face. — Well, there's also a suicidal warrior hanging out with us.
— Ha! Ha! Very funny, — Hachiman replied with obvious sarcasm. — I already regret introducing you to this game.
— Don't sulk, God of War Hachiman. Ha! — Sai was still glad to learn about this nickname of his friend from the funny fat man they met in Akihabara. — I was able to glean some interesting things from there for my own strengthening. And in general, don't whine. As a gift for the past birthday, you can choose any goods here — I will pay for everything.
— Wow! What amazing costumes, — a familiar voice interrupted their conversation. A dark-haired woman approached the group with a camera in her hands. — Can I take a picture of you?
— Sensei?!
— Huh? This voice, — narrowing her eyes, she approached the ebony warrior. — Hikigaya, is that you?
— Y-yes.
— Goto-san is here too, — Shizuka looked at the four of them carefully. — And Ophis and Silence.
— You decided to spend some time here too, Shizuka? — Ophis's question made the woman frown.
— Listen, you shouldn't talk so familiarly to your elders.
— Ha! It may not look like it, but I'm older than you, — Ouroboros shocked her with amusement. — You're about 25, while I'm well over 30.
— Lies!
— Haha! It's absolutely true, — she showed her driver's license. — See?
— Indeed, — the woman muttered in shock. — But you look so young.
— You look very young yourself, Hiratsuka-sensei.
— Hachiman is right. You're still very attractive, — Sai narrowed his eyes slyly, — just remember his reaction to your swimsuit at the summer camp. Couldn't concentrate on anything else.
— Silence! — the embarrassed teenager hissed, hitting him with his elbow. — Don't listen to him, sensei.
— Wow, what familiar faces, — a girl in a bright pink outfit approached their group. — I'm surprised to find real dragons here. The magical girl is glad to see you.
— Serafall. Are you shirking your work?
— Hey! — the demoness was indignant, — Unlike you, I can't travel carefree and have fun all the time. I have a responsibility for my people.
— Hachiman, — the dragon handed him his wallet, — you can go with Hiratsuka to choose a gift for yourself for now. At the same time, buy something for your girlfriend.
— She's not my girlfriend, — Hikigaya protested weakly, easily understanding the hint. — Let's go, sensei. Let's empty this capitalist's reserves a little.
— You didn't just come to us for no reason, did you? — Ouroboros asked when the extra people left their company.
— Yeah, I have something to talk about, — Leviathan looked at the remaining pink-haired girl with interest. — So this is your new addition, for whom you threatened everyone. Considering her appearance on your weekend, does she know about everything?
— Hitori is a member of our pack, so you can speak freely.
— Okay. My friends and I really want to know why the Khaos Brigade started all this?
— I don't know.
— What? But they all say that Ouroboros is their leader.
— I don't control their actions, — Ophis said phlegmatically. — My only order is to attack the red one. In exchange for this, I share a piece of my power with them. And what they do with it besides that is none of my business.
— So you're saying that they are all controlled by someone else, and you just give them power?
— Yes. I don't care what they do or what happens to them. Feel free to catch or kill them. I won't interfere.
— I see...
After finishing their conversation, they went their separate ways. Silence went to look for the teacher and student. The pair were found near a stand with a popular anime, where they were talking enthusiastically about something.
— Have you finished your secret conversations? — Hachiman asked furtively, returning the wallet as they continued to travel around the pavilion. — And who was that? Another dragon?
— Yeah, thanks for agreeing. You just saw with your own eyes one of the Demon Lords, Serafall Leviathan.
— Really? That magical girl?
— Ha! Strong personalities have their own cockroaches in their heads, — the young man headed towards his other half.
— I noticed, — Hikigaya looked at his friend with a sigh.