When his fist landed on the face of the gray-haired "senior", when he subdued the aggressive guy to the ground, when he stood up and greeted the eyes from all directions that looked like they were a hero, Okkotsu Yuta never thought that he would see such a day.

He stood at the school gate. The security guard had disappeared somewhere - most likely taken away by the yellow-haired and gray-haired boys - and the students passing by had surrounded them in the center without him noticing.

Okkotsu Yuta shuddered in his heart when he suddenly saw so many humans around him.

Even he knew how fighting in public, especially in front of so many classmates of his age, would be viewed by the people he interacted with on a daily basis.

Bad kids, aliens, monsters.

Before he could figure out what their eyes were saying, Otkotsu Yuta took the lead in defining those eyes.

He lowered his head slowly like a child who had done something wrong.

A hand was placed on his shoulder.

The giant black cursed spirit surrounded him, calling "Yuta" affectionately and eagerly - if Sawada Tsunayoshi hadn't held her down, she would have rushed up when Otsuke Yuta had his first close contact with the gray-haired fist - but it was this kind of child-like and eager muttering like an ant on a hot pot that made him feel a little warm.

It doesn't matter if everyone hates him, as long as Tsuna and Saeka are by his side...

"Keep your head up, Yuta."

——This thought and Sawada Tsunayoshi’s voice appeared almost simultaneously.

The boy looked dazed, but still followed the instructions of his trusted brother and raised his head, meeting the first line of sight that met his.

“Great.”

The one who exclaimed in praise was a sports student. He was called over by his friends to watch the fun and to pick up his juniors if things went wrong. He said bluntly, "You are... Otsutsuki from the first year, right? You're really strong!"

This undisguised sigh of admiration seemed to have turned on a switch. The students who had originally wanted to flee as if nothing had happened, but had stopped because of the black-haired boy's desperate move, sighed in admiration after a brief prohibition.

The noise was even louder than when Okkotsu Yuta came in the morning. He looked around blankly and found himself surrounded by thousands of exclamations.

And all this was brought by one person.

Okkotsu Yuta was surrounded by the crowd in a daze. Through the crowd, he could see a brown-haired young man who had walked out at some point.

He pinched one finger of the claw of the cursed spirit he was holding - because Sataka in this form was too big for him, the boy could only hold one of her fingers.

But even so, one person and one cursed spirit were enough.

Amid the cheers of the crowd, Otsukino Yuta had a vague feeling of confusion and happiness, sensing that someone was changing his "fate" in the dark.

Just like a year ago, when his relationship with Riko was changed.

…

Even though they are now as close as they were when they were kids, until a year ago, Otkotsu Yuta was still unable to fully adapt to the huge cursed spirit around him.

At this time, he already vaguely knew that this dark monster was Rikka, the girl who stretched out her little finger and said she wanted to marry him, the girl who was run over by a huge train and whose face could no longer be seen.

But he was still afraid.

No one knew how much strength the little Otsukino Yuta had to control his limbs in order to calm down "Uriika" who was crying like a baby because of his rejection, and he tried to hug the huge monster gently with stiffness.

Unlike the soft and fragrant inside, this monster was so huge and sticky, with seam-like smiles on its black skin, and it could bite off a child like him one bite at a time.

While hugging this huge body, Yuta Okkotsu didn't even hear the sound of his heartbeat.

My elementary school physiology teacher once said that the human heartbeat is the greatest proof that we are human.

At this moment, he embraced this creature said to be "Rika", and once again confirmed that the other party had long since left the category of "human".

Rixiang is dead.

Right in front of him, just after saying goodbye to him with a smile, she died in front of him.

So, now this, huge, ugly, terrible.

But what is this thing that clings to him like a child?

【Too worried.】

The huge monster had no idea what he was thinking and kept calling out his name like a babbling child.

Otsutsuki Yuta lowered his eyes and saw the ring given to him by Norimoto Rika hanging around his neck.

The style is simple and even rustic, and it sparkles with a silvery luster in the sunlight.

That was the ring that Rika Kimoto brought, and she said it was the engagement ring for the two of them.

He thought of "Rika" who cried like a child and pushed down the building, causing it to collapse, because of his rejection. He thought of Rika who put her hands behind her back and smiled brightly at him. The two Rikas circled in his mind, like a chain that bound him at both ends.

And what about him?

The young Otkotsu Yuta lowered his eyes and thought for a long time, until the huge monster called his name again and again, as if it was joyful and crying, and he came back to his senses.

The thin boy hugged the huge monster.

【Worried... too much?】

He buried himself in the monster's body, his body trembling, even his teeth chattering, but he used all his strength to embrace the black cursed spirit.

"I'm here." He heard his own voice soothing the restless cursed spirit.

"I'm here."

I am afraid but I have to accept it, and I am still afraid even if I accept it.

As a cursed spirit, Saeka is like a willful child, unable to understand his double torment. Otsutsuki Yuta is just a child, but he has to fulfill his responsibility to comfort her.

A twisted relationship formed between the two.

At one point, Otsutsuki Yuta thought that he would have to maintain this relationship with Riko for the rest of his life, until death.

He even worried about what would happen to Riko if he died, and ended up sweating profusely.

Then he met Sawada Tsunayoshi, a cursed spirit.

He and Riko discovered the cursed spirit in an abandoned building.

He was tricked by his prank classmates into going to an abandoned building. Those bad guys locked the door to the first floor, so he had to stay there with Satoka.

Fortunately, this time he was not locked in a closed environment like the sports equipment room. After looking around the first floor and not finding any windows, he prepared to go to the rooftop and ask Riko to take him out.

Then he "picked up" the brown-haired young man lying on the roof.

The brown-haired young man seemed surprised by his appearance and almost jumped up and shouted "There's a ghost", but he managed to suppress the impulse with great difficulty.

Having begun to understand the philosophy (?) of getting along with others, Otsukide cautiously withdrew his gaze and glanced politely behind the other person.

Very good, there is no shadow, yes... wait, there is no shadow?

Is it a ghost? ! !

Before he could scream, Rixiang in the shadows trembled and called out.

[Leave... Too much worry...]

Okkotsu Yuta was stunned.

He turned around and had never seen Rikka like this before.

Ever since Rixiang turned into this huge black monster, he has become invincible like the villain in the story.

The adults who looked tall and mighty in the young Otsutsuki's eyes were just like toys in her hands. She could easily crush them to death with just one finger.

——This is not a joke, nor is it an exaggeration. At least Otsukotsuki Yuta has seen "Uriika" playing like a child and pressing an adult who tried to bully him to the ground.

However, even such a "powerful" person like Rika showed an attitude that could be described as fearful at this moment.

Is this person... scarier than Utsukuni?

Okkotsu Yuta looked at the gentle brown-haired young man and a hint of fear emerged in his heart.

The other party looked very relaxed, and even showed a hint of surprise when he discovered Rika behind him.

"That's rare... Is she your friend?"

This is the first time that someone has been able to see the "incense".

Not only did he see Rikka, he also identified her "gender" and asked him if she was his friend.

Otsukotsu Yuta glanced at the huge monster lurking in the darkness. Logically, even if it was just to make "Rixiang" happy, he should have nodded and said yes.

But is this really the fragrance?

Is it really that Li Xiang?

Unrecognizable.

So he clenched his fists, until the corners of his eyes turned red, and then he lowered his head.

"Yes." He said in a disappointed tone, "She is... Rixiang is my good friend, and she is the one who promised me that she would become my wife in the future."

The brown-haired young man let out a dry "Wow!"

Although no words were spoken, Okkotsu Yuta guessed that the other person probably had an expression similar to "kids nowadays are really good at playing."

However, Riko, who was shivering in the shadows, overcame her fear and rushed up happily, calling out "Yuta".

The brown-haired young man under the moonlight also stood up.

Okkotsu was so worried that he didn't really see his facial expression just now.

But if the other party has no shadow, he might just be in human form, but actually a weird-looking guy.

However, as the other person approached, Okkotsu Yuta found that this was a guy who looked too much like a human.

In other words, if he hadn't known that this person had no shadow, he would have thought it was a human being.

The cursed spirit, who looks very much like a human, is wearing a black suit and a cape of the same color. He looks like a business elite or a gangster boss who walked out of a TV drama or a comic book.

But his expression was gentle. Okkotsu had seen many kinds of expressions, disgust, hatred, love, fear, but none was as gentle and calm as this one, as peaceful as the endless sky.

There was a pair of clear and warm brown eyes in the sky. After realizing his caution, they blinked and stopped at a suitable distance.

"I'm sorry, I didn't expect that there would be... someone here at this time." He said, and paused. Ottokotsu felt that he might mean that he didn't expect that there would be someone who could see him here at this time.

Blinking, he heard the young man continue, "And I'm actually here for a date... A guy asked me to come and watch the stars."

Only then did Okkotsu Yuta remember that this abandoned building seemed to have been a planetarium built by the school.

He looked around twice but didn't see any equipment that could be used to view the stars.

The brown-haired young man coughed and scratched his cheek.

"Stargazing with the naked eye." He said with a wry smile.

Such small gestures and tone make him more like a human being, and a very popular one at that.

Anyway, it must be completely different from him.

Okkotsu lowered his head and took a step back.

"I'm sorry." He finally said in a muffled voice, "I just want to leave here and go home... Can you let me go back?"

——he asked.

The brown-haired monster—it was unclear whether it was a ghost or something else—blinked his beautiful brown eyes.

"Getting out of here?" he asked. "How are you going to get out?"

Actually, Otkotsu Yuta didn't want to answer the question, but he had to go home, and his schoolbag was still at home with today's homework in it, and he hadn't done his homework yet.

So he swallowed, mustered up his courage and said, "Jump from here. Then, Rika will catch me."

As he said this, he shrank his neck, actually he was still a little scared.

When I looked up, I saw that the brown-haired young man's eyes widened slightly.

"That sounds a little scary." The other person stroked his chin and said, looking at him, "Can I hug you?"

This made Okkotsu Yuta's eyes widen.

He hadn't heard anyone say that to him for a long time.

Logically speaking, the other person was just a chance acquaintance of his, and there was a high probability that he was a non-human. Even "Rika" was afraid of him. Otsukino Yuta should try his best to avoid contact with the other person.

However, perhaps because he had been carrying a burden that was difficult for ordinary people to understand for many years, and was locked up here by his classmates who he unilaterally thought had finally become his "friends", Otkotsu Yuta had some bad thoughts in his heart.

The other person's brown eyes looked particularly seductive under the moonlight.

Then, for some unknown reason, Okkotsu Yuta nodded.

“Sure.”

He stretched out his hands as if he was bewitched, and when the other person reached out to hug him, he closed his eyes and snuggled in the other person's arms.

Even if it was a horrible hell, if he could always be accompanied by such a warm embrace, he would have no regrets even if he opened his eyes again and saw hell.

Then he heard the sound of the wind.

"Don't you want to take a look?"

The young man's smiling voice came to my ears.

Okkotsu Yuta opened his eyes.

Above the city glowing with warm lights, the brown-haired young man held him in one hand and walked between the rooftops.

The huge dark cursed spirit followed behind them, and it did not seem impatient at all. Instead, it was delighted by his joy.

【like】

Okkotsu Yuta heard the voice of "Uri-ka".

[I am too...happy, like...

Do you like it?

Okkotsu Yuta reached out and touched his heart, and heard its beating, thumping in his chest.

He looked up and saw the profile of the brown-haired young man, who looked frighteningly reliable.

This is the first time.

Okkotsu missed it so much that it was his first time and it felt as warm as if he had touched the sun.

But he didn't want this to be the only time.

So they arrived at their destination, and before the young man was about to turn around and leave, he plucked up his courage, reached out and grabbed the corner of the man's clothes.

"Do you need a reward?" he asked.

Under the other party's puzzled gaze, Yuta Otsukotsu mustered up the courage to ask: "Send me back... Don't you need any reward?"

For example, like in the fairy tale, swallow him up and become one with him forever.

But even so, Okkotsu Yuta wants to keep this warm feeling.

Because he finally felt the warmth of the warm light.

So he plucked up his courage, raised his little face, and tried his best to make himself look extremely reliable.

"It's getting late, Mr. Monster." He said seriously, "So, do you want to stay at my house for one night?"

——Even many years later, when he recalled the past, Otkotsu Yuta still remembered that night.

He grabbed the clothes of his brother named "Sawada Tsunayoshi" and made the most correct and painful decision in his life.

Then, life began to change.

The man leaned down slightly and touched his cheek. It was as warm as the sun and as gentle as the wind.

He said, "Okay."

"Yoota."

Yukotsuki thought too much that it must be the most beautiful dream he had ever had in his life.

The way he addressed Mr. Yokai changed from "Mr. Yokai" to "Mr. Curse Spirit", then to "Mr. Tsunayoshi", and finally to "Mr. Tsunayoshi", and it became rare for Utsukino to like a man other than him.

Under the guidance and encouragement of the other party, the gloomy and introverted Yuta Otsukino gradually became a "famous person" on campus. He became famous because of his resistance to the bullying of his "predecessors" and became a well-known figure.

It’s no exaggeration to say it’s a beautiful dream.

Then, the next day...

"Otsutsukoshi-san!"

Looking at the energetic young men who were trying to greet him...and the energetic little gangsters, Okkotsu Yuta fell into silence.

Sawada Tsunayoshi, who was worried that the child would continue to be bullied and his parents would be called in (this sentence sounds so familiar), stood beside him and touched his chin with interest.

The child's panicked cry for help was directed at him. Sawada Tsunayoshi patted his head and hummed.

"Listen to what they say."

So Okkotsu Yuta swallowed his saliva and mustered up his courage.

"You, you are..." doing what?

The red-haired man standing in the front took a step forward and said excitedly, "Brother Otsutsuki! We already know that you defeated our former big brother!"

"According to the rules of the martial arts world, from now on we belong to you, Brother Otsutsuki!"