Around them, the crowd stood frozen, jaws slack, unable to believe the sight unfolding before them.
A boy they'd written off as dead was not only alive but bantering with the goddess's daughter like it was just another day.
The absurdity, the rarity of it all, snapped them out of their stupor.
Excitement buzzed through the air, and hands fumbled for phones, fingers trembling as they aimed to capture this impossible moment, a snapshot of a miracle and a legend intertwined.
Camera shutters clicked faintly, whispers of "This is unreal" and "No one's gonna believe this" rippling through the onlookers.
Mika caught the movement out of the corner of his eye, his brow furrowing as he spotted the growing forest of screens pointed their way. He shifted, still half-pinned under Charlotte's enthusiastic embrace, and muttered. "Hey, Charlotte, can you take care of this? I don't want my face to be all over the news tomorrow because of some sort of scandal with you."
Her head popped up, her cheeky grin widening into something almost feral with delight. "Of course!" She chirped, her voice brimming with enthusiasm. "Anything for you, Mika!" She then twisted to face the crowd, her expression souring in an instant.
The playful gleam in her eyes vanished, replaced by a look of pure irritation, like they were pests buzzing around her perfect moment with her Mika. Her lips pursed, and then her gaze sharpened, those striking blue eyes flickering to a vivid, unnatural pink that seemed to glow with intent.
She didn't raise her voice. She didn't need to.
"Go away." She whispered, her tone soft but laced with a chilling authority. "Don't disturb us."
The words slithered through the air, and the crowd stiffened as one. Their eyes glazed over, mirroring that same eerie pink hue, and without a word, they turned and shuffled away, phones slipping from limp hands, feet dragging as if pulled by invisible strings.
In moments, the park was empty as well as everyone in a hundred metre radius, save for the two of them, the silence settling like a curtain drawn shut. Even the ambulances that has just arrived rode away along with paramedics in it.
Seeing that her work was done, Charlotte then spun back to Mika, her grin returning as she tilted her head, practically glowing. "There! All taken care of. Pretty good, right?" Her eyes sparkled, fishing for praise, but Mika didn't bat an eyelash.
He just leaned back against the tree, unfazed, like this was routine...And for him, it was.
He knew her blessing [Eternal Charm of the Fallen Succubus], an SSS-ranked blessing inherited from her mother, one of the five battle angels.
It was a power as dark as it was dazzling, letting her bend anyone to her will with a mere glance.
Individuals, armies, entire crowds, as long as they met her eyes or stepped into her domain, they were hers to command. She could make them dance, fight, or even slit their own throats with a smile on her face.
Worse still, she could slip into their dreams, unraveling their minds from the inside until they broke.
It was twisted, a beautiful nightmare wrapped in her devilish charm.
And she looked the part, too, long pink hair cascading like silk, blue eyes that could shift to pink with a thought, a presence that oozed allure and danger in equal measure.
And even right now, she gazed at Mika with that succubus-like glint, like a predator sizing up her prey, searching for the perfect moment to tease him into her grasp.
Her eyes flickered pink again, a subtle shimmer, but Mika caught it instantly.
His hand shot out, snagging her ear and giving it a sharp tug. "Oi? What do you think you're trying to right there? Trying to make me fall for your with your blessing?" He asked, his tone flat but edged with warning.
"Ow, ow, ow!" Charlotte yelped, flailing dramatically as she squirmed under his grip. "That hurts! Okay, okay, I was joking! Geez, Mika, relax!" She rubbed her ear when he let go, pouting like a scolded child. "And of course I wouldn't use it on you to make you fall in love with me. That'd be cheating, winning your love with my powers would be so disgraceful." Her voice softened, sincerity creeping in as she met his gaze. "I want to win your heart for real, you know...My own way."
Mika sighed, exasperation and reluctant fondness. She was a whirlwind, cheeky, relentless, but genuine in her own chaotic way.
"Yeah, well." She then added, crossing her arms and looking away with a huff. "It's not like it'd work on you anyway. No matter how hard I try, or how much I push my power, you're this...bizarre entity I can't touch. It's like you're immune or something." She shot him a sidelong glance, half-accusing, half-curious.
He released her ear, shrugging. "Doesn't matter. Immune or not, it's still not right for you to try it on me. Keep that stuff to yourself."
His tone was firm, but before she could brace for another lecture, she felt his hands settle gently on her cheeks.
Startled, she looked up and her breath caught.
Mika's dark eyes softened, his usual deadpan mask slipping into something warm, caring. "Hey." He said quietly. "Are you alright? Did you get hurt back there? I know I managed to get you out of the way but did you get hurt as I did so?"
The moment Charlotte heard these words of concern, her heart slammed against her ribs, a squeal bursting out before she could stop it.
"Mika!" She launched herself at him again, arms wrapping around his neck as she rubbed her face against his chest like an overeager cat. "You do care! Oh my god, you're so sweet, you're just shy about it, aren't you? You love me with all your heart, don't you? I knew it! I'm so happy!" Her voice was a giddy torrent, her grip tightening as she nuzzled him relentlessly.
Mika didn't push her off this time. Instead, he let out a small, resigned smile, one hand resting on her back and rubbing gently.
"Of course I care." He said, his tone calm but tinged with affection. "You're my childhood friend of eighteen years, Charlotte. We've basically been together since birth."
"...If you almost got plowed by a truck, I'd worry. Any friend would, so don't read anything else into it."
But Charlotte wasn't buying it. She pulled back just enough to beam at him, undeterred.
"Nope! You care because you love me. There's no way around it, it's destiny!" She dove back in, snuggling closer with a smug little hum, ignoring his exasperated groan. "You can deny it all you want, Mika, but I know the truth." He shook his head, disbelief etched into every line of his face, but the faint curve of his smile betrayed him as she clung on, determined to rewrite his protests into her own romantic narrative.
Mika then sighed, the sound heavy with exhaustion and disbelief. "What shitty luck, though." He muttered, running a hand through his messy hair. "Me getting into a accident is one thing. But of all the days this could've happened, it happened on the one day I bumped into you on the way." His gaze drifted for a moment, taking in the now, empty park, the scattered debris from the crash still lingering in the distance.
Then something clicked, and he frowned, glancing around. "Wait, Charlotte, what happened to that little girl? The one I pushed out of the way. Is she alright?"
And in response, Charlotte lifted her head from his chest, her cheeky grin softening into something gentler as she met his eyes.
"You don't need to worry." She said, her voice warm. "She's fine. She went home safe with her mom a little while ago. I saw them leave, she was shaken up, but not a scratch on her." She tilted her head, watching relief flicker across his face.
A tender then look bloomed in her eyes, softening her features further. "You're so kind, Mika." She murmured. "You were willing to take that hit from the truck just to save her life. That little girl you didn't even know."
But he didn't accept the compliment and only scoffed in response, brushing it off with a wave of his hand. "There's nothing kind about it." He said, his tone gruff. "I knew I wouldn't die from something as boring as a truck. So, of course I'd do it, it's not like my life was at risk." He avoided her gaze, clearly trying to downplay the whole thing.
But Charlotte wasn't letting it slide. She leaned closer, her voice steady and insistent.
"Sure, it's true you'd be fine, no one's tougher than you...But I know you, Mika. Even if you can't die from it, you still felt it. That truck hit you at full speed, sent you flying into a tree."
"That kind of pain? Most people would hesitate, invincible or not...But you didn't. You chose to save her anyway." She paused, her eyes glinting with something fierce and adoring. "If that's not kindness, then I don't know what is."
"...It's one of the reasons I fell for you so hard."
Her loving gaze pinned him in place, raw and sincere, and it made him squirm. The weight of her affection, unfiltered, unshakable, always threw him off, like a spotlight he couldn't dodge.
He shifted uncomfortably, about to deflect again, when he noticed her expression change. The tenderness in her face faltered, replaced by a flicker of worry. Her brows knit together, and she studied him more closely, her voice dropping.
"Mika...are you alright? Really? After that accident, I mean."
He blinked, caught off guard, then rolled his eyes.
"Of course I'm alright. Why are you asking something so dumb? You know I'd be fine even if a whole building dropped on me. What's with you?"
Charlotte didn't laugh it off like he expected. She bit her lip, her hands tightening slightly where they rested on his arms.
"I know you're tough." She said, her tone quieter now, laced with concern. "I didn't panic at first, I never do, because it's you. But then...you were lying against that tree for so long. Usually, you'd pop right back up, shrug it off like it was nothing. But this time, you just...stayed there. Crashed and didn't move. It freaked me out." She hesitated, her eyes searching his face. "I only stopped worrying when I finally touched you and felt you were okay. But still..."
Her voice trailed off, and Mika glanced away, his smile faltering like he'd been caught out. She was too sharp, always had been and it unnerved him how easily she could pick up on things he'd rather keep buried.
Charlotte pressed on, her expression shifting fully into worry, her usual playfulness gone. "Why were you lying there like that, Mika? Like you were dead? You scared me."
"...Are you really alright? Don't brush me off or keep secrets like you always do, just tell me the truth."
Her voice turned soft, almost pitiful, pleading with him as she leaned closer, her hands hovering like she wanted to check him over herself.
Mika flinched, his eyes still fixed on some distant point beyond the park. He didn't want to say anything, really, truly didn't.
What was swirling in his head right then was too big, too raw, a life altering revelation he wasn't ready to unpack, especially not with her.
It involved Charlotte, tangled up in ways he couldn't even begin to explain without cracking open parts of himself he'd kept locked away for years.
But her eyes, those wide, pleading eyes brimming with worry bore into him with such sincerity, such unguarded concern, that he couldn't just brush her off like usual.
She deserved something, even if it was just a sliver of the truth.