I Don’t Want to Be a Heroic Spirit

Today was a beautiful day.

Yes, that's right—a cloudy day. A beautiful day.

After all, summer vacation had just ended, and compared to scorching sunshine, isn't overcast weather far more pleasant?

Over the break, Melusine had lost track of how many people suffering from heatstroke she'd helped to the hospital. At least double digits, for sure. She'd even run into someone trying to fake an accident for compensation.

Trying to scam Melusine of all people—honestly, that guy's luck couldn't have been worse.

Maybe it was because she'd done so much good lately, but even the police were starting to recognize her face. Which is why, when that incident happened, the whole process went something like this:

Scammer: "What kind of justice is this?! She hit me and won't even take responsibility!"

Then—smack. A clean slap, leaving both the scammer and Melusine stunned.

Police officer: "You dare try to con someone as honest and kind as Lancelot?! Have you no shame?!"

Melusine hadn't even said a word before the cops had already cuffed the guy. One officer even turned and apologized to her: "Sorry for wasting your time, Lancelot."

As she was leaving, she overheard another officer lecturing the crook: "There are only two kinds of people in this world—those who love our sweet Lancelot, and those who haven't met her yet. You expect us to believe she hit you and won't admit it? You'd have better luck claiming a spatial quake the size of the Eurasian Great Cataclysm is gonna land on our heads tomorrow—maybe one person would believe you."

Emmmm…

You guys are making me feel like a total bystander here…

Still, days like this really were perfect for doing good deeds.

Helping the police catch a conman had to count, right? They got results, and future victims were spared.

What Melusine didn't know was that the con artist's troubles were only beginning. Because it turned out that even among the inmates, there were quite a few who adored her. And once they found out why he'd been arrested… they made sure he'd remember this visit to jail for the rest of his life.

Not that Melusine would've cared either way. Right now, she had something else on her mind.

A girl had lost her cat and asked Melusine for help in finding it.

Melusine had managed to locate the little thing—named Qiqi, of all things—but now she was stuck on what to do next.

"Meow~"

Perched on a low branch in a small park tree was the cat in question.

Standing about ten meters away, Melusine stood still as a statue, posture upright and proud.

"I am the strongest. There is nothing I cannot do."

She said that often—but this was one of those times when her overwhelming strength was actually working against her.

In many worlds, dragonkind are apex predators. In the Nasuverse, pureblood dragons transcend simple biology to become phenomena or concepts.

And Melusine—once the Dragon of Albion—was the crown jewel of them all: the Grand of dragonkind, carrying 4.6 billion years of life information within her.

Even completely suppressing her draconic aura, her sheer existence made smaller creatures instinctively fear her.

"This is going to be tricky… If I get any closer, I'll probably scare Qiqi off…"

She frowned, visibly troubled. "…And seriously, what is with that name? It's a cat, not a zombie."

She remembered saving up 150 pulls to summon Kamisato Ayaka, only for a golden meteor to drop—and a voice to say, 'My name is Qiqi. I am a zombie.'

Same five-star Cryo sword user, but wrong country, damn it!

Kamisato Ayaka! You betrayed me! You're dead to this household! Absolutely DEAD to me—AAAAAAHH!!

Right now, what Melusine wanted was to retrieve the cat without frightening it.

She looked around, but there wasn't a single other person nearby.

Then, she locked onto a specific direction.

A moment of stillness—and then her body blurred into motion, a streak of light reaching into the shadows faster than the eye could follow.

What happened next was almost surreal.

Melusine's hand disappeared into a patch of darkness—and a few seconds later, she withdrew it, holding a very confused and helpless Tokisaki Kurumi by the scruff of her collar.

"Kurumi. I require your assistance."

Dangling like a startled kitten in Melusine's grip, Kurumi locked eyes with her. Her expression quickly turned strange.

This is you asking for help?! It looked more like an execution!

"Ara ara~ How delightful. Who would've thought that someone as powerful as Meteor would one day lower herself to ask me for help? I'm positively flattered."

Her life was in danger here. Having witnessed Melusine's inhuman speed, Kurumi knew the girl could kill her faster than sipping a cup of tea. But she wasn't about to back down—not even as a clone. If she died, so what?

"Still, your treatment of me is so rough—both when we first met and now… I'm just a delicate maiden, you know?"

Placing the back of her hand to her forehead, she struck a dramatically pitiful pose. "So please, would you mind setting me down first?"

Melusine neither answered nor let go. Her clear eyes simply blinked once.

"Kurumi. I require your assistance."

The exact same words, said with the exact same tone.

For a second, Kurumi wondered if she'd gone back in time.

"No… I didn't say I wouldn't help. Just put me down first, alright?"

"I require your assistance."

"…Could you at least apologize? You did nearly kill me last time, you know—"

"I require assistance."

"You—!"

"Assistance."

If you need my help, then PUT ME DOWN, DAMN IT!

Are you asking or threatening?!

This is driving me insane, you troll!!

Outwardly smiling but inwardly screaming, Kurumi was losing her mind.

No matter what she said, nothing got through. Melusine might as well have been a wall. Kurumi's usual elegance was slipping, her smile starting to twitch.

Damn it… If I could beat you…

Sure, this was just one of Kurumi's countless clones. But even a clone doesn't want to die.

Melusine couldn't get near Qiqi without scaring her—but Kurumi could.

Under Melusine's watchful gaze, Kurumi climbed the tree with ease. It didn't take long before the cat began to trust her.

Apparently, Kurumi was very good with cats.

By the time she came down, Qiqi was curled up peacefully in her arms, eyes half-lidded in feline bliss.

"There there, such a good girl… Meow~"

"Meow~"

Qiqi meowed back, and a slight blush colored Kurumi's cheeks.

Right then, she didn't look anything like the infamous Spirit of Calamity, Nightmare. She looked like any other girl who adored cats.

Her innocent smile sparkled bright enough to make one forget how dangerous she truly was.

"Qiqi, listen to me. Stay far, far away from that girl over there. If you turn into someone as cold and dense as her, nobody's gonna like you."

She threw a quick glance at Melusine.

Her voice was low, but not too low—just loud enough to ensure Melusine could hear if she wanted to.

But much to Kurumi's disappointment, Melusine didn't so much as blink. Not even a twitch.

"…You really are no fun," Kurumi muttered in frustration.

"Alright, take Qiqi already. I need to head back to my main body."

Casting a reluctant glance at the kitten, Kurumi resolutely held her out.

And saw Melusine take a step back.

"…Hm?"

Kurumi blinked in confusion. Then her eyes gleamed like she'd stumbled across treasure, lips curling into a smirk.

"Don't tell me… you're afraid of cats?"

"Quite the opposite. It's cats that fear me."

Melusine lowered her gaze and said evenly, "If I come closer, Qiqi might run off again. We'd waste even more time trying to find her."

"…Yeah, Qiqi does seem a little uneasy around you."

Kurumi had sensed it earlier but assumed it was due to the separation from her owner. Now she understood—the fear came from Melusine.

They say petting a cat's back sends a message of safety and comfort. It works—but only after you've earned their trust.

The fact that Kurumi could calm Qiqi down so quickly said a lot.

"So, I'll leave her in your care until she's back with her owner."

"Yeah, yeah, fine. I'll do it."

Kurumi sighed, looking exasperated. "There's no way I'm letting this sweet little thing get traumatized by you."

She did love cats. Once, during a date with Shidou, she'd stumbled on three people torturing a stray and had shot them dead on the spot. She didn't even bother with her time-devouring abilities.

Since she was going to return Qiqi, Kurumi swapped her black-and-red Astral Dress for a school uniform—God knows which school—and let her long bangs cover her golden clock eye.

"…By the way, are you sure this is okay?"

Walking behind Melusine, Kurumi gently patted the kitten in her arms while casting a sharp, predatory gaze at the other girl's back.

"You're showing me your back like this without a hint of defense. Aren't you afraid I'll attack?"

"Foolish question."

Melusine didn't even turn around. Her voice was flat, almost arrogant.

"I am the strongest. To me, all enemies are weak and powerless. Every battle is dull and meaningless."

"If you were to strike, I could cut off your head thirteen times before you even completed the motion."

Her tone was calm. She wasn't boasting—she was stating a fact.

Kurumi clenched her teeth but couldn't refute a word.

"…Yeah, yeah, I know. I'm not gonna do anything."

She gave Melusine an annoyed glare and puffed her cheeks. "Even my main body got taken out in a heartbeat when we fought. A mere clone like me wouldn't stand a chance… Hmph! You're so dull! You don't even know how to joke."

Ugh, fine, it's true—but would a little humility kill you?! I have feelings too, you know?!

So frustrating… and I can't even hit you!

All she could do was snuggle Qiqi a little harder.

In this cold, materialistic world, where human hearts were colder still, only cats could bring her comfort.

…Shame this one wasn't hers.

As much as she loved cats, Kurumi didn't have the "time" to own one. Caring for them properly took effort and consistency.

So she'd go to cat cafés or places where strays gathered whenever she needed a dose of healing.

After a few moments of silence, she looked at Melusine again and hesitantly asked:

"…You pulled me out just because you couldn't get close to Qiqi, didn't you?"

"That's only one reason."

Melusine's voice was calm. "When you saw Qiqi, I sensed longing from you. You wanted to get close. So I let you help."

"…As I thought. Your senses are far too sharp."

A chill ran down Kurumi's spine. Narrowing her eyes, she asked, "When did you first notice me?"

"When you looked at me. Around the school, probably?"

Kurumi's expression darkened.

Because that was exactly when she'd first started observing Melusine—from the shadows near the school.

In other words, Melusine had known all along. She'd simply chosen not to bother dragging her out.

I'd better warn my main body later: don't send "me" to tail Meteor anymore… she's way too sharp.