I Sealed Sukuna’s Finger#350+351: Nagisa: No Way! Afternoon Plans, Sayaka's Girlfriend Mode

La Folia was safe and sound, Kanon—who'd been transformed into a Molded Angel—had been rescued, and even Kensei, the mastermind behind it all, had been sent off for immediate cremation.

Overall, the outcome could be considered a complete success.

After brief preparations, the entire group plus two speedboats were teleported directly back to Itogami Island's harbor through Bokue's technique.

Scene shift—

Under the blazing summer sun before autumn's arrival, light sparkled across the ocean surface. At the breezy Itogami Island harbor dock, Bokue, Nagisa, and La Folia strolled slowly along the waterfront.

Yukina and Sayaka had rushed straight to the rental window after disembarking—they needed to return the speedboats and pay for the two days' usage.

Kanon was with Bokue's group too, though still unconscious, she had to be carried on his back.

After all, a princess carry on public streets would draw way too much attention.

"So where are you planning to go after this, Bokue?"

La Folia glanced toward the dock entrance where the two girls were dutifully returning keys and paying fees at the rental window. She asked with a smile.

"After this? Probably got some things to handle."

Bokue thought for a moment.

"It's only ten in the morning. Sayaka will probably need to report to the Lion King Organization first, while I need to stop by the Special Security Force headquarters..."

"Special Security Force? Why?"

La Folia sounded curious.

After all, Bokue didn't seem like the type to cooperate with official organizations—he was all about freedom and spontaneity, doing whatever he wanted.

"Getting Kanon a medical checkup."

Bokue shrugged.

Not that he didn't trust his own methods, but Natsuki had complete examination equipment, and it was free anyway. A checkup would provide peace of mind and give Natsuki something to report.

"I see. Looks like we'll have to part ways soon then."

La Folia's smile carried a hint of regret.

As a nation's princess, she'd grown up surrounded by bodyguards and escorts. This time, due to the unexpected attack during her trip to Japan, her entire royal guard had perished fighting the magical constructs.

In other words, her only bodyguard now was Sayaka from the Lion King Organization.

And Sayaka had her own missions—not only protecting her safety but also reporting mission progress to the Organization. She was stretched thin.

So even if La Folia requested to continue following Bokue, Sayaka would never agree.

Unless there was another way—

"Oh, that reminds me, I actually have a small request."

As if struck by inspiration, the silver-haired princess's eyes sparkled. She clasped her hands together at her chest with a hopeful expression.

"Considering Miss Sayaka's heavy workload, I was wondering if Bokue could be my bodyguard during my stay on Itogami Island?"

Hmm?

Bokue hadn't expected this sudden request and froze slightly.

But Nagisa, walking on his other side, immediately looked displeased.

How could she do this?!

She hadn't seen Big Brother for two whole days! She'd planned to use this afternoon—while Sayaka was reporting to the Lion King Organization and continuing her guard duties—to properly make up for lost time with Big Brother, maybe even rope Yukina into it.

But now La Folia was directly asking Big Brother to be her bodyguard. That would mean no afternoon time at all!

No way, absolutely not!

But what excuse could she use to stop this...

Crap, she couldn't think of a legitimate reason.

Just as Nagisa was getting anxious about being unable to stop La Folia from ruining her plans, Bokue's phone suddenly rang.

Buzz buzz—buzz buzz—

Continuous vibration. Someone was calling.

Without thinking, Bokue pulled out his phone and answered on muscle memory, pressing it to his ear without looking.

The next second, a certain blonde girl's voice erupted from the phone like a jet engine.

"Finally you answer! Where the hell have you been, Bokue?! Do you have any idea how worried I was?!"

"Oh, Asagi..."

Before Bokue could recover from her explosive tone, she cut him off again.

"What do you mean 'Oh, Asagi'?! Oh your head! Where have you been for two days?! Do you know how many times I called?! Every time I tried, you were out of service! What interdimensional space did you run off to?!"

Asagi was panting furiously on the other end, clearly at her breaking point.

Bokue scratched his forehead. "I told you I was going to rescue someone. You were there that day. And obviously there's no signal on an island."

"But wasn't it supposed to be a same-day trip?!"

Asagi remained relentless.

"I checked that Sayaka Kirasaka's purchase records—she only bought one meal's worth of emergency food and one person's worth of first aid supplies. That's not enough for you to stay on an island for even a day!"

"Well~ that was the original plan, but we hit a small snag..."

Bokue explained.

"So we stayed one extra night on the island."

"One night? So you're already..."

"Yeah, I'm back."

Bokue looked around.

"I'm on Itogami Island now, at the harbor dock. But I still need to stop by the Special Security Force, so probably this afternoon—"

Before he could finish, he felt a light kick on his right calf.

Looking right, he saw Nagisa with an innocent expression.

Alright, message received.

After a pause, Bokue changed his answer.

"Actually, probably evening. I'll come find you after I'm done, Asagi."

"...Evening again."

After a second of silence, the blonde girl's voice noticeably calmed, though still reluctant.

"Fine, I get it. Just come by early, okay?"

"I will."

After appeasing his girlfriend, the call ended.

As Bokue stared at "Call Ended" on his screen, La Folia leaned in from his left.

"Was that your girlfriend?"

"Yeah..."

Before Bokue could finish confirming, Nagisa nodded enthusiastically from his right.

"Yep yep, that's Big Brother's girlfriend, Asagi!"

"I see..."

With confirmation plus corroboration, La Folia just smiled and straightened up without saying more.

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Meanwhile, Yukina and Sayaka returned from turning in the keys.

Well, "returned" wasn't quite right—the rental window was at the dock entrance anyway. By the time Bokue's group had leisurely strolled over, they'd just finished up.

Including the still-unconscious Kanon, all six gathered at the dock entrance to chat.

"Phew~ At least we've safely delivered Princess La Folia to Itogami Island."

After two days and a night on that deserted island, the familiar feeling of civilization made Sayaka relax slightly, letting out a relieved sigh.

"But I've still got other things to handle. First, I need to report to both the Lion King Organization and the Kingdom of Aldegyr that everyone's safe, so..."

She glanced meaningfully at the silver-haired princess who'd arrived with Bokue.

Sayaka only meant to give La Folia a heads-up. After all, from their time on the island, she'd learned that while the princess had a gentle personality, she could be stubbornly childish about certain things.

Like this morning when she'd accidentally pulled the covers off Bokue—any normal girl would've closed her eyes out of embarrassment and propriety. But not this princess. Not only did she refuse to look away, she completely ignored all protests and insisted on looking...

But just as Sayaka was thinking this, La Folia's response caught her off guard.

"Yes, I know. Bokue already explained everything."

The silver-haired princess smiled, agreeing without hesitation.

Now Sayaka was the one caught flat-footed.

Huh? When did she become so reasonable?

Though given their age difference it might sound strange, the War Dancer couldn't help thinking exactly that.

"Oh, and please let me take Miss Kanon too."

"Huh?"

Bokue hesitated, glancing at the silver-haired girl slumped unconscious on his back, chin resting on his shoulder.

After all, he'd just said he was taking Kanon to the Special Security Force.

But Sayaka seemed to read his mind and explained immediately.

"Don't worry, I'm planning to take Miss Kanon to the Special Security Force anyway. The Lion King Organization already briefed me about the recent masked angel incidents on Itogami Island. Plus, Princess La Folia came here specifically about Miss Kanon. Having Her Highness present will make it easier to explain their family relationship."

Oh, that made sense. Very thorough planning.

Bokue was about to say as much, but after meeting the War Dancer's eyes, something felt off. He tilted his head curiously.

"I get your plan, Sayaka, but why do you seem so... serious? Or maybe overly formal?"

"HAH?!"

The moment those words left his mouth, Sayaka—who'd been the picture of "Lion King Organization's War Dancer of the Year"—completely lost her composure. All that professional confidence evaporated, replaced by burning cheeks and barely concealed embarrassment.

"Wh-what do you mean 'overly formal'?! We're discussing serious matters here! What else did you expect? God, who does Bokue think he is, criticizing me like that..."

"Okay, okay, I get it, my bad."

Seeing the War Dancer girl about to spiral into full meltdown mode, Bokue quickly raised his hands in surrender.

But that gesture completely set off Sayaka's emotions.

She clenched her small fists, leaning forward slightly, her already flushed cheeks puffing out with indignation.

"What do you mean 'okay, okay'?! Are you saying I'm annoying you?!"

"..."

"..."

"..."

Those words hung in the air, bringing instant silence to the dock entrance.

For one simple reason—Sayaka's outburst sounded exactly like... a girlfriend throwing a tantrum at her boyfriend.

"That's not what I meant."

Bokue finally broke the silence. He shifted the unconscious silver-haired girl from his back into his arms, then held her out to the still-fuming Sayaka.

"I just meant you've got a lot to do this afternoon, so don't waste time on trivial stuff."

"You've got nerve saying that... whose fault do you think this is?"

"Fine, sorry, my fault."

"Hmph..."

Though reluctant, she still took Kanon from Bokue's arms, letting out a soft huff.

"Whatever, I won't hold it against you. We're leaving now."

"Oh, safe travels."

Bokue casually waved his still-raised hand.

He'd meant it as a simple goodbye, but unexpectedly, Sayaka didn't immediately leave with La Folia. Instead, she stopped, meeting his eyes for a long moment.

Finally, her tone softened slightly as she managed:

"I know. You... you all be careful too."

Only then did she turn away with Kanon on her back.

La Folia smiled and waved as well.

"See you later~"

With that, she followed Sayaka out.

The previously crowded speedboat rental window suddenly felt empty.

Only after watching the three disappear through the dock exit did a certain Sword Shaman with her ever-present cello case narrow her eyes at the young man beside her.

"Bokue-senpai, care to explain what that was about?"

"...What do you mean?"

Bokue hadn't quite caught on yet.

"Oh my, Yukina-chan means Sayaka's attitude change toward Big Brother!"

Nagisa smiled with narrowed eyes, helpfully clarifying.

"Big Brother's been with Sayaka for two days so maybe you didn't notice, but we definitely felt the difference."

"R-right, that's exactly what I meant."

Yukina furrowed her brows slightly, putting on her business face.

"Be honest—did something happen between you and Sayaka on that island? Something... 'inappropriate' perhaps?"

"Nothing like that happened."

Bokue shook his head, still confused.

If anything was inappropriate, it was Sayaka threatening him with a sword to his back on the first night, accusing him of peeping when he'd just been worried and come looking for her.

But then again, if he hadn't done anything inappropriate with Sayaka, then that small puddle of white fluid on the bedroom floor this morning... hmm...

It definitely wasn't La Folia's. And if not La Folia, then it could only be... Oh right, Sayaka had mentioned something about her stomach being pressed.

So could it be—!

Just as Bokue was piecing together the truth, Nagisa's voice rang out.

"Well then, if Big Brother says nothing happened, then nothing happened! And now that Miss Sayaka's handling Kanon too, we can go straight home and start having some serious fun with Big Brother... hehe~"