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"Inumaki senpai?" A wide-eyed intruder caused my senses to heighten, almost prompting me to attack out of adrenaline rush.
"Jeez, Nanami! How long have you been standing there?"
"Uh..." Nanami scratched the back of his head and averted his eyes. "Since the start of the fight. I just watched."
And he didn't say anything?
I reached for my phone tiredly, still siiting down and not giving the cursed corpse a chance to recover. "Toge, are you still there?"
"Salmon! Fast!" Toge clapped his hands and did his little cheer.
The corners of my lips curled up into a smile. "Thank you, Toge-chan. Can you please bring me back now?"
He released his cursed speech effect over me and yawned, probably exhausted after cursing the two of us. I smiled wistfully. If it were me who cursed a family member, I would've been nearly dead from the backfire by now.
I put the call down after promising Toge I'd get him those large seashells from the souvenir stores, then turned to Nanami who looked at me with sparkling eyes. I think he was unaware of it, though.
"Please teach me how to do that, senpai!" He bowed at me rather intensely.
Senpai?!
I gaped at him, surprised by his uncharacteristic enthusiasm. "D-do what?"
"That fast attack. It's very accurate. Please tell me how to control my cursed energy like that."
"But... I wasn't using cursed energy?," I replied, myself unsure.
"You what?" Nanami stumbled a bit. He giddily sat down in front of me, wide-eyed and highly interested. "Please teach me!"
Someone was kidnapped by an alien, it seems.
I chuckled, realizing the ever-so-stoic Nanami Kento could be this passionate about something. I teased, "why should I?"
Nanami's expression calmed down a little, then he looked past his shoulder as if thinking of something behind him. "I want to get stronger to protect... things."
Things, huh.
I grinned knowingly. "Like? Haibara-kun? Yeah, cute things indeed."
"No!" He scratched his nape and tried to escape my sight with flushed cheeks. "Generally everyone, including him, too."
Nanami showing his emotions was probably rarer than Gojo not eating sweets. I whispered "sleep" to the cursed corpse then readily stood up.
Without giving the determined junior much time to prepare, I lunged at him, aiming for the open area just below his ribs. My sudden movements alarmed Nanami who quickly jumped back to avoid getting hit in crucial parts. I took his discomposure as a sign to advance.
