— — — — — —
"Nope. This is just the beginning."
Lynn's calm voice echoed.
"Huh?"
Asuna blinked in confusion, not quite getting what he meant.
Hearing that, Hitagi narrowed her eyes slightly and explained, "That was just a projection of the Crab of Weight."
Asuna's eyes widened in realization. "So... that thing might actually show up for real later?"
Just the thought made her shiver.
Even that shadow was enough to make her feel—how small and powerless she was as a human.
If the real thing shows up...
She couldn't help but tremble at the thought.
"Looking for trouble, huh?"
Hitagi glanced at Lynn, then said in a soft voice, "I get the feeling... it's not the crab that's gonna be picking the fight."
Lynn grinned. "Wow, I didn't think we've known each other long enough for you to read me that well."
"No," she shook her head, "It's just that your intentions are way too obvious. So, shall we go?"
Lynn's smirk widened."Of course."
That crab looked at him like it had a serious grudge.
Naturally, there's no way Lynn was gonna let it slide.
Suddenly—
"Master! Master!"
Stella's voice rang out in Lynn's mind.
He raised an eyebrow. "Stella?"
A sweet voice answered, "And Luna is here too~"
"Master," Luna chimed in, "That crab... I think it might actually be useful."
Lynn looked a bit surprised.
Luna continued, "The moment it appeared, my star chart reacted. Just a little, but it did."
Lynn rubbed his chin, eyes narrowing.
"I see..."
That sealed it.
That crab was definitely not walking away from this.
— — —
Meanwhile—
Thanks to Lynn's purification magic, Hitagi could feel her body growing heavier.
Her weight...
Her real weight was finally coming back!
That long-lost sense of being truly alive... it was back!
Her heart was all over the place, but her lips curled up unconsciously.
But with that weight also came—the pain, and the memories.
Her mother...
A stifled groan escaped her lips. Her brows furrowed. The smile vanished, replaced by visible grief.
She knew this would happen the moment she chose to take her weight back.
But still—
The sheer flood of negative emotions felt like it might crush her all over again.
Her body swayed, almost collapsing.
Then—A large, warm hand gently rested on her head.
"Harmony."
Lynn's voice was calm and soft. He used the Nigimitama skill of [Four-Soul Devil] that symbolizes harmony, mediation, and compassion.
A wave of peace, compassion, and warmth flowed from his hand and into her body, soothing the storm in her heart.
Hitagi blinked in surprise and looked up at him, her eyes slightly unfocused.
Then, as if drawn to him— She leaned forward and buried her face in his chest.
Softly, she whispered,"…Dad…"
Asuna: "...Huh?"
Lynn: "...Wait, what?"
Lynn's expression twitched. A rare look of shock passed through his eyes.
He'd met a lot of people, taken in many companions...
But this? This was new.
He and Asuna exchanged glances—both unsure how to react.
Meanwhile, Hitagi clung to him like it was the most natural thing in the world, muttering "Dad…" again and again.
— — —
A while passed.
The painful memories settled down for now, and her mind cleared up.
And then...She froze.
What... what did she just do?
She… hugged Lynn?
Called him dad?
Ugh...
Stay calm! Deep breaths!!
But... She couldn't stay calm.
Lynn smelled so comforting... just like a father should.
Her eyes turned hazy.
It felt... really nice.
Almost like those painful memories were fading away into the background.
Then, looking up at Lynn with a small, subtle smile—"…Dad."
Lynn: "…?"
His tone was complicated, "You're… awake now, right?"
Hitagi pulled back from the hug, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear and smiling playfully.
"Why? You didn't like it?"
Lynn squinted. "I mean, not liking it is definitely not the problem here."
As someone used to being called "Master," hearing "Dad" like that was... something else entirely.
Once a kept man, now a keeper—so he had become the sugar daddy.
Hitagi smiled again, stepping back with her hands behind her back, cheeks a little flushed.
She hadn't expected herself to act so boldly.
But still...That feeling just now…
It was really nice.
The painful memories in her heart felt like they'd faded just a little more.
She gently touched her chest.
Her heart was beating faster than usual...
Was it because…She'd found something new to hold onto?
Now that the Crab of Weight's curse was gone, she felt so much lighter inside.
Off to the side, Asuna's face twitched.
Yeah… she definitely shouldn't have stuck around for this.
— — —
Lynn, on the other hand, rubbed his chin, quietly savoring the unique feeling Hitagi had just left him with.
Then his eyes narrowed.
He'd already locked onto the real Crab of Weight's location—traced it from the aura left behind by its projection.
Buzz—
A black magic circle rose beneath his feet.
The sudden change made both Yuuki Asuna and Senjougahara Hitagi snap back to their senses.
Hitagi steadied herself and asked, "What is that?"
"Teleportation magic," Lynn replied casually.
"Magic? Teleportation?"The two girls blinked, eyes widening in surprise.
Even Hitagi, who had experienced her fair share of supernatural weirdness, had never seen something as fantastical as actual magic before.
"So, we're going after that crab?" Hitagi asked, a flicker of understanding flashing through her eyes. Then she followed up, "Can I come too?"
After all, that monster was the one who'd taken her weight. She definitely had a bone to pick.
Lynn nodded. "Sure."
Hearing that, Hitagi calmly walked to Lynn's side and naturally latched onto his arm like it was the most normal thing in the world.
Asuna's eye twitched at the sight and she muttered, "You're adapting way too fast…"
Hitagi blinked innocently. "Can't help it. I'm already part of the devil's gang now. And besides…"
She tilted her head and smirked. "You're an accomplice too."
"Accomplice?!"
Asuna's expression froze.
Hitagi continued smoothly, "If you hadn't brought this devil guy over in the first place, I'd still be suffering all alone, wouldn't I?"
"So..."
She gave a soft, genuine smile. "Thanks for that."
Asuna opened her mouth, but all that came out was a helpless sigh. "That… doesn't feel like a thank-you I want to hear."
As the student council president, not only had she personally witnessed Lynn gathering his harem, now she was apparently one of the reasons it happened too?
Her conscience was not okay with this.
"Well then, see you next time—" Hitagi gave her a casual wave.
But just then, Asuna suddenly stepped forward and grabbed Lynn's other arm.
With a grin, she said, "Mind taking me along too?"
Hitagi: "???"
Lynn just shrugged. "Taking one or two doesn't make a difference."
In the next instant—The black magic circle lit up brightly!
And with a flash, the three of them vanished without a trace.
...
Somewhere far away from Shuchiin—
In a damp and shadowy underground cave, a black magic circle lit up out of nowhere.
A moment later, Lynn and the girls appeared in a flash of light.
Asuna and Hitagi blinked in slight disorientation.
"We're in… a different place?" They looked around the dark cavern with a mix of awe and disbelief.
Just a blink ago, they'd been in the city. Now they were here. So it really was teleportation magic!
Their hearts were still racing from the surreal experience.
"ROAR."
Suddenly!
A guttural roar echoed from deep within the cave.
The sound reverberated like a shockwave, and the entire cave began to tremble violently. Bits of rock tumbled from the walls.
"What the hell was that?!" Asuna yelped in surprise.
Hitagi was slightly calmer, frowning as she analyzed, "It must've noticed us."
"This is its lair, after all."
As she spoke, a deep rumbling sound grew louder—something huge was moving closer, scraping across the rocky floor.
And then— (👁️👁️)
Twin orbs emerged from the void—perfect circles, vast and silent, floating like dead moons.
Gulp.
Asuna swallowed hard, her voice trembling. "Those… those aren't its eyes, are they?"
Lynn answered flatly, "You can go ahead and drop the 'aren't' part."
As soon as he finished, Lynn snapped his fingers.
In that moment, a wave of light burst instantly illuminating the entire cave like it was midday.
The moss on the surrounding walls glowed faintly green under the sudden brightness.
"Whoa… it's huge!"
Asuna's eyes went wide. The cave was so massive it was almost hard to believe—but the real focus was the thing in front of them.
An enormous crab nearly big enough to fill the whole cave loomed before them.
Its shell gave off a faint glow, rough and uneven like ancient stone battered by time.
The edges of its carapace were jagged like saw blades, each serration sharp enough to slice through steel.
The thick crab legs were like stone pillars, covered in a thick outer layer and growing backwards-facing spikes, each the width of a human arm.
Just looking at it made Asuna and Hitagi feel a deep, primal fear.
"That's the real body… of the Weight Crab?" Asuna's breath caught in her throat. Her mouth went dry, and her heart was pounding like crazy.
Suddenly, the Weight Crab let out another roar and charged at them, all eight of its legs thundering across the floor.
Lynn stepped forward, unfazed. "You two stay here. Don't move."
"Eh?!"
Asuna panicked. "Wait, you're seriously gonna fight that thing?!"
"Shouldn't we— I mean, maybe we should just teleport back or something?!"
It looked way too powerful! Like, no way in hell they could win this kind of boss fight!
But before she could finish that thought—Lynn's aura exploded.
In the blink of an eye, he vanished.
And the next moment—he reappeared right above the Weight Crab's head!
"!!!"
The monster's eyes widened in something eerily human—shock?
Then—
Buzz—
An immense gravity field burst forth, trying to crush Lynn on the spot.
But he just grinned. "So generous. Giving me a buff before the fight?"
And with that—Lynn shot down like a meteor!
Whoosh—
A spark of starlight flared around his foot as he came crashing down—hard—right on top of the Crab's head.
BOOM!!
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