Part 2
Haruto was sitting beside Yuna, catching up on everything that had happened in the past few days.
She was telling him about the monsters that had escaped from a dungeon, ruining their chance to investigate more about the "Golden Eyes."
"About that…" Haruto said calmly. "I already found it."
Yuna raised her eyebrows, intrigued.
"Really? And what is it like? A fierce beast? Wild? One of those that bites first and asks questions later?"
Haruto paused, looking at her seriously.
"Just promise me you won't panic."
Yuna narrowed her eyes, suspicious.
"Haruto… what did you do?"
"Let's just say… the myths about her are a little overblown. She's actually more normal than you'd think."
Yuna blinked, then frowned.
"Her? How do you know it's a 'her'?"
"Well… it's kind of a long story, but—"
A red flash cut him off.
At his feet, a teleportation circle lit up with a magical hum.
In a blink, Thalindra and Rina emerged from it.
The difference in height between them was the first thing that stood out.
The scene looked straight out of a comedy: a dwarf grumbling with her arms crossed, standing next to a tall half-human girl, her tail wagging with joy.
"…She's tall," Yuna said in amazement.
Rina spotted him, and without hesitation, ran straight to him, her golden eyes sparkling with excitement.
"Harutooo!" she cried, hugging him tightly. Her tail was wagging so fast it nearly blurred.
"Thank you for saving Rina!" she said, grinning from ear to ear.
Haruto smiled, gently patting her head.
"Welcome back, Rina."
Yuna watched in silence, her brain still trying to process the scene.
Thalindra, meanwhile, plopped down onto a nearby rock with a long, exasperated sigh.
Haruto decided to get straight to the point.
"Yuna, this is 'Golden Eyes.' Well, technically, Rina the Velociraptor."
At that exact moment, Kizuna floated in, tossing tiny bursts of confetti with a victorious smile.
"Reunion unlocked, Kizu! Affection bonus +10!"
Rina pulled away from Haruto and trotted over to Yuna with childlike enthusiasm.
"You must be Yuna, the green-haired elf!" she said like she'd known her forever.
Yuna stared at her for a second. She couldn't tell if she should laugh or be concerned.
"Yeah… nice to meet you, Rina."
Haruto crossed his arms, amused.
"She classifies elves by hair color. It's her personal system."
Yuna sighed.
"So that's why you told me not to freak out…"
"She's a hopeless idiot," Thalindra added, eyes closed in resignation.
Rina tilted her head.
"I don't know what 'hopeless idiot' means, but if you say so… then yes, Rina is that."
The three of them stared at her for a moment.
Yuna and Thalindra couldn't decide whether to laugh or be alarmed.
Haruto just shook his head, a smile forming on his lips.
"Forget them, Rina. Come on, let's get that collar off you."
Rina touched the collar still hanging around her neck and frowned in visible discomfort.
"Bad collar," she muttered. "Olivia says it can't come off…"
Haruto stepped forward, raising a hand toward the collar.
"Leave it to me," he said calmly.
"Dispel!"
A flash of light ran across the surface of the metal, and in a matter of seconds, the Nulite structure cracked and crumbled with a dry snap. The collar fell to the ground like a broken shackle.
Rina stood still for a moment… and then burst into gleeful celebration.
"Rina free again, yay!" she cried, spinning around as her tail wagged like a joyful flag.
Yuna and Thalindra stared, mouths agape.
"It can't be…" Thalindra muttered. "That ability is…"
Haruto crossed his arms, calm as ever.
"Yeah. It's the one from the grimoire your grandfather gave us."
"It breaks bindings. Even Nulite can't withstand it."
The two continued staring at him, still processing what they had just seen.
"You do realize how broken that is, right?" Thalindra added, half in awe, half in resignation.
Haruto shrugged with a smile.
"Is it that bad?"
"Yes. Yes, it is," both replied in unison.
Meanwhile, Rina was playing with her tail.
"Tail is here… tail is gone! Tail is here… now gone again!" she chanted, fascinated.
Haruto watched her, eyes glowing with affection.
"She's… too cute," he said dreamily. "Like that clumsy but adorable big sister who's taller than the protagonist."
Yuna glanced at him sideways, already sensing what was coming.
"You're not seriously going to ask—"
"Can I keep her?" Haruto asked with complete sincerity, gazing at Rina like she was a living plush toy. "I've always wanted a sister like this."
Yuna sighed.
"She's not a puppy, Haruto…"
"But look at her!" he insisted, pointing at Rina, still entranced with her tail. "She's adorable, energetic… and she does tricks!"
Thalindra clicked her tongue.
"If you train her right, she might even bring you stuff."
Yuna sighed again, defeated.
"You can't adopt everyone you find cute."
"Why not?"
Silence.
"…I'm starting to understand why Mizuki chose you," Yuna muttered, rubbing her forehead.
Meanwhile, deep inside the dungeon…
Simmone and Eliza walked through a dark corridor, their footsteps echoing off the stone walls like forgotten whispers.
Simmone suddenly stopped in her tracks.
Her expression shifted. Her normally cold eyes turned grim.
"…It can't be," she murmured.
Eliza looked at her, alert.
"What is it?"
Simmone raised a hand to her temple, as if something invisible was pressing on her skull.
"I felt… something strange."
"Strange how? An enemy?"
"No. Something even worse…" Simmone muttered, freezing in place.
Eliza stared at her, waiting for some threat, some danger… something real.
"I feel like someone's trying to steal my spot as Haruto's favorite sister."
Eliza blinked twice.
"…Sorry, is that serious? I still don't fully understand human priorities."
Simmone grabbed her by the shoulders with dramatic intensity.
"Of course it's serious!" she shouted, shaking her. "That position is mine by right!"
Eliza sighed, with the patience only a millennia-old vampire could muster.
"So… shall we finish this dungeon and go back?"
"Exactly! There's no time to waste, vampire! Let's go—before it's too late!"
Eliza followed in silence, murmuring…
"I'll never understand humans…"
Meanwhile, Haruto was still trying to convince Thalindra and Yuna about including Rina in the party.
"Look at her—she's adorable, agile, and technically she can turn invisible... isn't that useful?"
Yuna crossed her arms, thoughtful.
"It's not about being adorable, Haruto."
"We don't know if she's dangerous... What if one day, she loses control just by instinct?"
Haruto felt the pressure building.
"And she still has to face Cherri," Yuna added. "She can't just avoid what she did to the elves."
He sighed, rubbing the back of his neck.
"I already resolved that with Cherri. I took responsibility for Rina."
They both stared at him, stunned.
"You did WHAT!?" they shouted in unison.
"If Rina causes any trouble… I'll take the blame."
The silence that followed was deafening.
Thalindra covered her face with her hand.
"Haruto… how can you be this irresponsible without consulting us?"
"We're a team!" Yuna added, her voice firm. "Decisions like this… we make them together."
Haruto clenched his jaw.
He hadn't acted on impulse.
He'd just… felt it was the right thing to do.
At that moment, Rina—who had been quietly listening—tilted her head.
"Rina… did something bad?" she asked, eyes wide with innocence, not fully understanding.
The three of them turned to her.
Haruto looked into her eyes—not with judgment or expectation. Just calm.
"Rina… what do you want to do?"