Chapter 26: Strike First!

After the dinner ended, the warm atmosphere of the church was shattered by an uninvited guest.

“Oh, it seems I’ve arrived at just the right time?”

The heavy wooden door was pushed open.

The visitor wore a deep-V gown as red as a raging fire, looking completely out of place in the simple, holy church.

Gray stood up almost reflexively, blocking the visitor’s gaze from the others.

Lobelia covered her mouth and chuckled, a hint of mockery flashing in her pink eyes.

“Don’t be so tense, Gray.”

She elegantly lifted her skirt and performed a standard noble’s curtsy toward the Old Matron and the children trembling behind Gray.

Then, her gaze rested on Katy, her lips curling into a meaningful arc.

“Good evening, Sister Lobelia.”

“Good evening to you, Sister Katy.”

Though her tone was kind, Lobelia did not seem particularly pleased to see Katy.

Before the silence could linger, she looked back at Gray.

“The Association specifically asked to see you regarding the anomaly in the Graveyard of Ghost Ships and the two investigators who died in the line of duty.”

“Is there something you can’t tell me directly? I am the Captain of the Black Crow Squad,” Katy said, frowning slightly.

“I’m sorry, little sister.”

Lobelia’s voice was gentle, but it carried no warmth.

“The things adults need to discuss are very complex. Besides, the Association specifically named Gray as an A-rank Hero, not an E-rank Little Priest.”

She turned around, waving her hand as a pink mist filled the air.

“Work hard, little Captain. I hope you’re still this energetic the next time we meet.”

The moment she finished speaking, her figure dissipated into dust of magical light.

Only a few red rose petals drifted to the floor, leaving the cloying scent of perfume hanging in the air.

***

Gray stayed at the church for a while longer.

He only prepared to leave, his mind full of worries, once he was certain Lobelia’s mana traces had completely vanished.

Before he could step out the door, rain began to patter down from the darkening sky.

“Oh dear, what should we do?”

The Old Matron rummaged through the cupboards for a long time before finally emerging with a faded, old plastic umbrella.

With an apologetic look, she said, “What bad luck. This is the only umbrella left in the church. Gray, why don’t you walk Katy home?”

Katy felt a secret surge of joy.

Since the Matron had agreed to them sharing an umbrella, didn’t that mean she had passed the woman’s test?

However, as Gray took the umbrella, his brow was furrowed with gloom.

He was clearly preoccupied.

‘That detestable woman!’

Katy bit her lip.

In less than one minute of appearing, she had made this idiot lose his composure like this.

If those two were allowed to be alone at the Association later, wouldn’t that be disastrous?

‘What if old flames rekindle? What if he’s mind-controlled? What if he’s stolen from me—no, no, that’s too much.’

The scene she had once glimpsed in the Crystal Ball—where she was killed by a Gray controlled by Lobelia—remained vivid in her mind.

The girl clenched her fists and decided to take the initiative!

***

On the rain-slicked streets of Knox City at night, dim yellow streetlights spaced dozens of meters apart stretched their shadows long.

Huddled together under the narrow plastic umbrella, Katy and Gray walked side by side.

“Mr. Gray,” Katy said, breaking the silence.

“Your reaction when you rushed into that space in the Labyrinth today… was it a bit too intense?”

She asked tentatively, “Was it because you remembered something from your past?”

Gray’s hand tightened on the umbrella handle.

After a few seconds of silence, he gave a bitter smile.

“…I’m sorry. The future me will definitely tell you the reason, Miss Katy, but for now… I’m sorry, I’m just not ready.”

Katy turned her head to look at the lines of his profile and the sadness in his eyes.

She did not press him further.

“It’s okay,” she said with a light, breezy smile.

“Everyone has secrets, after all. I have them too.”

“Then what is Miss Katy’s secret?”

Gray asked casually, seemingly to change the subject.

“Me?”

Katy blinked, raising a finger to her lips.

She spoke with an air of mystery.

“Actually—I’m not human. I’m a member of the Demon Race.”

Gray was stunned for a moment.

Then, looking at the girl’s fair, translucent, and flawless face under the lamplight, he couldn’t help but laugh out loud.

“Pfft… if a cute girl like Miss Katy is a demon, then I suppose I’ll become a staunch supporter of the Human-Demon Coexistence Faction.”

“Hmph, believe what you want.” Katy pouted.

‘Stupid human. Sometimes the things you think are lies are actually the truth!’

The rain grew heavier, and the two naturally drew closer.

Because the girl beside him seemed so calm, Gray began to feel the situation was perfectly natural as well.

“You don’t have to tilt the umbrella toward me so much.”

Katy reached out and gently hooked the edge of the umbrella, straightening it.

“Mr. Gray’s left shoulder is getting wet.”

To ensure the small umbrella covered them both, she proactively moved closer to the center.

With every step they took, their shoulders brushed lightly against each other.

Amidst the pitter-patter of the rain, the sound of the girl’s breathing and his own heartbeat felt exceptionally clear to Gray.

‘Gray, cherish that girl Katy. She came to the kitchen earlier just to ask what kind of flavors you like. Don’t let her feelings go to waste.’

As the Old Matron’s advice echoed in his ears, Gray turned his head and stole a glance at the girl beside him.

She had hair as fine as gold thread, a delicate profile, a pert nose, and skin so white it was almost transparent.

Her beauty was enough to make one subconciously hold their breath.

‘Katy… she probably really is a girl who has never been in a relationship. That must be why she’s unaffected even when we’re this close, with our shoulders touching.’

‘She doesn’t understand the suggestive nature of this, nor has she thought about what might happen next.’

‘But right now, she is learning how to let her heart be moved with genuine interest.’

Thinking of this, a sense of indescribable tenderness welled up in Gray’s heart.

‘Miss Katy is a girl, after all. Her sensibilities are much sharper than mine. She’ll surely understand many things very quickly.’

‘When that time finally comes, just what kind of charming woman will this girl—who is so mature most of the time, yet sometimes seems so innocently cute—become?’

“A lot happened today,” the girl sighed softly.

“Yeah,” Gray agreed deeply.

“I almost thought our squad was going to lose its Captain on the very first day it was formed.”

A gust of wind blew, bringing a spray of fine rain.

The girl instinctively huddled further under the umbrella.

A pleasant scent of lily of the valley drifted from Katy.

In contrast, Gray felt he smelled of nothing but sweat and rain.

The fact that they were sharing an umbrella made him conscious of his own scent for the first time.

Consequently, he tried to move his body slightly to create some distance, but a small hand grabbed his shirt sleeve first.

“You’ll get wet.”

The girl’s voice held a hint of complaint.

“Ah, right…”

As if she were telling him not to leave her side, the girl continued walking while maintaining that slightly-too-close distance.

It wasn’t just their shoulders anymore; Gray felt his arm occasionally brush against Katy’s sleeve or her long hair.

This caused his focus to wander from time to time, while the culprit continued to look at the road ahead as if she didn’t care at all.

The rain gradually slowed.

Before they knew it, they arrived at a crossroads.

Since the direction of Katy’s home was opposite to the Hero Association, it was time to say goodbye.

“See you tomorrow, Member Gray.”

The girl retracted her hand from his sleeve and jogged across the street, standing under a small gazebo to shelter from the rain.

Then, Katy turned around and waved to him from across the road.

Her movements were full of energy and her expression was bright, just like when she had descended from the sky to reach out to him.

“Yeah, see you tomorrow, Captain Katy,” Gray replied with a wave.

He thought Katy would turn and leave immediately, but she remained standing there.

She looked at Gray, hesitating for a moment as if making a firm decision.

“Um, Mr. Gray.”

“What is it?”

The rainy street was empty of pedestrians, so their voices reached each other’s ears without needing to shout.

Under the streetlight, the girl twirled a strand of golden hair around her index finger.

Her eyes darted around, and for the first time, a shy, bashful smile appeared on that usually composed and beautiful face.

“If you could choose me… I would be very happy.”

Before the words had even finished landing, and before he could react, the girl turned and ran into the night like a startled young deer.

She left Gray standing alone at the crossroads, holding the old umbrella that still carried a hint of her warmth.

In the silence following the rain, the young man clearly heard his own heart skip a beat.