Translator: Ranzan

  Anna Juunishima wore a black no-sleeve shirt with hot pants and high-heel sandals. There were sunglasses hanging over her chest, and one bracelets on each arm.

  She was slim and tall, and she wore clothes that fit her feminine, fierce demeanor.

  Behind her were three young men. They all looked out with sour expressions, one of them was in front of the other two, the driver of the car they were in.

  「You…why are you here?」


  Taiyou said in a surprised look and voice at these unknown characters.

  「Why am I not allowed to be here? This is Juunishima, after all! This here is my headquarters, so there’s going to be one or two of us here, at least.」


  「…I thought you were pursuing Pochi here.」


  He said with a light comment, and answered her with a frowning brow.

  「I did, but I wasn’t able to capture her. I heard you had arrived on this island and was thinking that a monster like you would never come, but now time’s out without me even getting close to her.」


  「Really, well, Kohaku fled away well too.」


  「This pisses me off, seeing you relaxed about it. Well, thanks to you I’ve been messing up, so they called me here to deal with you.」


  「You’ve been told to defeat me?」


  「…」


  Anna didn’t answer, but an icy smile spread on her face.

  Taiyou laughed at himself at the stupid thing was hearing after he caused all this carnage, but the fact that this girl appeared here meant she was his enemy.

  「Natsuno-kun…」


  Aoba worrily called his name, as she turned her clinging eyes towards him.

  It seemed that the trust and calm that she had previously had been pulled away.

  It was to be expected, because before Anna and her group had attacked Natsuno’s group on a trip, and she had been injured.

  Even though it wasn’t a big deal, it was certain one would feel worried in front of someone that previously injured you.

  Taiyou put power into the arm that held her, as if to tell her 「It’ll be okay」.

  「Okay…」


  Aoba nodded, and buried herself under his arm.

  He could feel Anna’s presence, and the fear of Aoba from her experiences with Anna.

  He felt strongly that he had to protect her.

  「Let that girl go, she’s going to get mixed up in this.」


  Anna said provocatively, as Taiyou became enraged.

  He strongly regretted not being able to protect her the last time she was attacked by Anna…there was something like trauma left in Aoba.

  There was no reason to leave her just because Anna told him, no, in fact he would stay with her because Anna told him.

  「No.」


  「Such a conceited attitude, are you really okay with that? I think any REAL man would want to make sure his girl is safe.」


  「Yeah, me too.」


  「Then do it.」


  「I already did.」


  Anna scowled at him.

  She took a sudden breath at Taiyou’s quick response, as her expression of surprise turned into a sour expression.

  His strange agreement with her had frustrated her.

  What the reason for her frustration was…was something Taiyou declined to ponder about.

  (No reason to think about it now.)

  There was only one thing for him to do now, show Aoba that he had the power to keep her from being touched, that was it.

  There was nothing to think about but that.

  「Well, too bad then.」


  Anna said with a sigh.

  「Big sis, are you really going to do this?」


  The driver of the car asked. He earnestly asked her, as if he seemed a bit lost.

  「Yeah.」


  「But…」


  「Just shut up.」


  Anna said, and the other three were quiet.

  He ignored the standing Anna, and looked at the three young guys, matching their gazes and taking a step ahead.

  Taiyou glared at them, took out his weapon, and placed it on his back.

  Taiyou’s power, knowing that he was invulnerable to ranged attacks meant that he prepared for a close one.

  「Here goes.」


  As soon as the others heard Anna’s call to attack, they all went forward to attack Taiyou.

  Taiyou took a step back. He didn’t face straight forward, but pulled his body back and hid Aoba behind him.

  After putting his right side out as his furthermost point, he gazed carefully at an approaching blade and dodged the tip.

  He went to counterattack as the attack went by, but where he was about to step in was stashed at from the other side.

  Left and right, his vision scattered to the front.

  The guys’ combinations were a barrage seeking to hem him in.

  He took a step back.

  They followed up with another attack, as he ran back over the stone tiles with Aoba in arm.

  「Ug.」


  He tripped on the edge of one tile and lost his balance. Then one weapon scratched the edge of his nose, and he almost was unable to avoid it, while the end of his nose split open in a trail of new blood.

  「Natsuno-kun!」


  「I’m fine! It’s a scratch!」


  「We’ll give you a fatal blow!」


  「Now, die!」


  「Roaaaah!」


  They saw their chance as they dove in for a new attack. The three all attacked them with their weapons at once.

  Cold flashes of light chased both Taiyou and Aoba.

  「Don’t mess with meeeee!!」


  Suddenly, the air was filled with the sound of roaring yells.

  They both attacked as Taiyou shot out his right arm.

  The two swords scratched his cheeks, while the last sword was caught by his arm.

  「Wha?」


  As he held onto the blade of the sword, he put power into bending it.

  The sword was bent until the guy holding it let go.

  Taiyou ignored the pain in his hand and spun the sword around as his own, and swung it.

  Then, he stabbed out at the fellows that had attacked him.

  「Ah!」


  At that moment, Taiyou’s movements stopped.

  His arm was spun around somehow from the back.

  When he looked, somehow Anna had gotten behind him and had grabbed Aoba and spun her and Taiyou as she pulled Taiyou’s arms behind his back.

  With Anna’s power she could only pretend she was powerful in that instant.

  However, as it was a surprise move, he didn’t understand what had happened and was slow to defend.

  「Now get him!」


  「Raoooohhhh!」


  At Anna’s command, the other guys came charging at Taiyou.

  He didn’t think that Anna would sacrifice herself to make that attack.

  「Huff…pant…」


  Taiyou was nearly out of breath, and it wasn’t that his breath was hoarse, but he had also taken quite a bit of damage.

  「I never thought…anyone would make a move like that on me…」


  Anna’s strategy…he was taken aback by her unexpected strategy of self sacrifice.

  He thought it was an impossible move for her to do, he had been struck in the side of the head, and was stabbed in the shoulder by a sword.

  All of Anna’s troops now were knocked out.

  In Taiyou’s counterattack, the three guys were face-up on the ground, while Anna was holding a broken rib and spitting up blood.

  It was a dirty win for Taiyou, but he had taken some damage as well.

  「Natsuno-kun, are you okay?」


  「I’m fine…and you? Okay?」


  「Yeah…totally…」


  「Is that so?」


  Taiyou nodded, and walked towards Anna.

  「We’re passing through.」


  「Go ahead, you can see we can’t stop you.」


  「…yeah.」


  He breathed deeply, as Taiyou spurred on his damaged body and passed by Anna on the side with Aoba next to him.

  As he passed, Anna called out to him.

  「Wait…you’re not going to kill me off?」


  「Purpose and means…there’s no reason for me to.」


  「You don’t hate me?」


  「Aoba is untouched.」


  「So that was the result?」


  「Results are important.」


  Anna suddenly fell quiet as Taiyou and Aoba walked in through the door.

  「Where next?」


  「Um, the email says climb the stairs to the second floor.」


  「And from there?」


  「Go in the door that’s decorated the most tacky.」


  「This one.」


  As Aoba led him with her smartphone in one hand, he followed, and they progressed to the center of the building.

  「Ugh…」


  He became dizzy.

  His arms fell behind his back as he stood, and Aoba came out from under him.

  「Natsuno-kun, are you really okay?」


  「Don’t worry, it’s no big deal. Do we go left next? Or right?」


  「Um, right.」


  「Okay!」


  They turned right as Aoba said.

  Taiyou’s feet stopped as the corridor opened up.

  There stood the next group of enemies waiting.

  「Saegusa…Tsukumo.」


  In the back of his mind, he had expected this after meeting Anna, but it seemed that he had brought the three daughter/mother pairs with him to fight as well.