My limbs……can’t move……
A throbbing soreness from her badly battered body and the wound that seared as if it were ablaze, it all compounded to her pain as she suffered from her injuries that made her feel as though death was closing in on her. And she knew that she wasn’t in the condition to search for a hiding place anymore.
Graiya soon landed before Yō, shaking his head while looking at her sorry state.
“If you didn’t put up that much of a struggle, you would have died a little easier. Struggling all the way to the point of death is really very unsightly you know, Ojou-chan.”
“Well it sounds about right when you put it that way.”
Though it might sound like a joking reply, it actually was all that Yō could do. For her strength was draining quickly out of her due to her numbed limbs and the burns that covered her body that sapped at her with all its pain combined.
Her current self could be liken to a prey lying on the ground haplessly. Being looked down upon by others was just something that couldn’t be helped anymore and as Yō thought of that, she began to laugh bitterly.
Graiya looked at her with pity as he closed in slowly while gathering another mouth of flames in his jaws. Just then---
A small shadow came between the two of them.
“Leave…Leave Yō-san alone!”
The flowery adornments shook before Yō’s eyes as Kirino, who had tailed Yō’s movements in the sky from the ground, stood between the two of them.
Graiya fixed his angry stare at Kirino:
“Move aside you little brat.”
“No, I won’t! Yō-sama is one of [Underwood]’s benefactors! If my…my benefactor is to be in trouble, how can I cower aside in fear! My…Our pride isn’t that low to do that sort of thing!”
“Kiri…Kirino...!”
Kirino’s eyes were filled with tears but the words that she shouted were filled with her determination.
Graiya’s enormous eyes glinted with a dangerous light as he gave a harrumph as he intimidated Kirino by standing taller.
“Our? Your [Underwood]’s going to be destroyed by tonight. As long as the huge dragon goes berserk, it wouldn’t even last a second. What pride are you counting on huh? Move aside now!”
His intimidation caused Kirino to shiver in fear but despite her young age, her heart was strong and supported with a reason that she would not back down on. Kirino fought against her senses as she stared back at the Black Dragon to shout out her resolve:
“If…If that is so, that’s more reason for me to stand in your way! Being a part of [Underwood], if my Community were to be annihilated, our lives will just continue to that very moment! So, until that very last moment, I will serve the morality and justice that I believe in to protect the benefactor of my Community!”
With a voice that quivered on the verge of crying, she shouted out words that were morally justifiable even if words seemed to give out on her. And it would seem that the conversation had come to an end.
Graiya squinted as he appraised Kirino---
“……Well, just hug that sense of pride and disappear together then---!”
“Ugh…Kirino……!”
Yō ran over after recovering from her numbness and shock to stand before Kirino. It was a desperate attempt but she didn’t have any other plans. To save Kirino, she could only use her own body as the human shield and so she stood before Kirino.
Without any other place to run to and without any more time to escape.
Graiya gave an earth shaking roar while spewing a wave of heat towards them.