Across countless worlds: Yearning to become a giant of light.

Chapter 100: Daigo had his own battleground, and so did I; we all have bright futures (sadly).
The atmosphere at the scene instantly became eerie.

Upon seeing Shinjo Akane's ambiguous relationship with Chen Lin, Rikka Takarada couldn't help but recall what Shinjo Akane had said to her when she struck up a conversation with her in front of the station:
[Although I prefer giant monsters, I also really like Chaos... I want him to be mine.]
In an instant, an unprecedented sense of crisis surged in Rikka Takarada's heart. Even if she didn't know what Akane Shinjo's purpose was for Chaos, or whether she knew that Chen Lin was Chaos, she couldn't just sit idly by in this situation!
She strode up to Shinjo Akane and Chen Lin, her two best friends beside her not saying a word, but they still took on the role of creating a lively atmosphere, following behind Takarada Rikka with an air of accusation.

However, to the surprise of the two best friends, Rikka Takarada's target was not Chen Lin, who "appeared" to have cheated, but Akane Shinjo, who was holding Chen Lin's hands.

"Good afternoon, Shinjo-kun..."

As the saying goes, courtesy comes before force, so Rikka Hodo gave the first word.

It's just about the tone...

In Namiko and Ren's words, it was the first time they had ever seen Rikka make such a deep and gloomy voice, like the intimidation of a 'beast'.

"Eh? It's Rikka-san, good afternoon~"

Akane Shinjo seemed oblivious to the atmosphere, smiling broadly as Rikka Takarada stormed up to her, even using her surname—a rather distant form of address—as if she were quite pleased.

Her voice still had that coquettish tone from before, which made Rikka Takarada's eyebrows twitch. If she weren't an emotional person, she probably would have bulged veins on her forehead by now!

"Perfect timing! I just met a very 'handsome' senior, Rikka-kun. Shall I introduce you?"

Even though she didn't know Chen Lin's human name, Shinjo Akane still acted very intimately as she introduced him to Takarada Rikka.

"Excuse me, Shinjo-kun, the senior you just met is my... friend. No need for introductions."

Rikka Takarada crossed her arms and replied in a tone that seemed to assert her sovereignty.

Sparks seemed to fly between the two of them.

As for Chen Lin, one of the parties involved...

His crisis instincts were screaming warnings that it was best not to speak at this time, and to let Rikka Takarada and Akane Shinjo resolve the conflict on their own, so as not to get himself into trouble.

New Human: Is this how I'm supposed to be used? Answer me!
"Oh, is that so... I'm so envious~ Friend, are Rikka and Senpai childhood friends?"

Akane Shinjo continued to ask with a smile.

"No, it's not..."

She wanted to, but unfortunately, it was not an option.

However, this honest answer actually weakened Rikka Takarada's momentum, making her two best friends behind her feel a pang of anxiety.

You can't give a straight answer right now, Rikka!
"How long have you known each other? Five years? Four years... or less than a year?"

Akane Shinjo continued to press her advantage.

Rikka Takarada: ...

How could someone possibly give such an answer in less than six months!

And they were being led by the nose...

[Chen Lin...]
Rikka Takarada couldn't help but look at Chen Lin standing to the side.

[Do you need my help?]
Seeing Rikka Takarada like this, Chen Lin wondered whether he should take the initiative to speak up and take her side.

After all, he really couldn't figure out whether Shinjo Akane's personality was that of a crazy woman in the early stages or a 'god-like' woman who returned to reality later on, even though her figure had already been improved by Azur Lane and was on par with the movie version.

But it’s better to be safe than sorry!
[......]
Rikka Takarada remained silent for a moment, but instead of directly asking whether she should help, she asked Chen Lin a question.

[Is Shinjo... special like me?]
Chen Lin was slightly taken aback upon hearing this.

After thinking for a moment, he replied:

[Not a type.]
Hearing this, Rikka Takarada felt a pang of loss. It turned out she wasn't the only one who was special.

"What's wrong? Rikka-kun, haven't you known each other for very long?"

In reality, Akane Shinjo is completely unaware of the spiritual exchange between the two and is still waiting for Rikka Takarada, who is pretending to be deep in thought, to answer.

"I guess so... about one or two months."

Seeing that Shinjo Akane couldn't access the private chat, Takarada Rikka's sense of loss at not being the only one vanished instantly, replaced by a sense of superiority that thought, "So you can't hear our whispers."

"We've only known each other for a short time~ If this counts as friendship... Rikka-kun, you shouldn't mind if I become friends with my senior, right?"

Although she didn't know why Rikka Takarada had suddenly regrouped, Akane Shinjo continued her offensive, smiling as she kept asking questions.

It seemed they were certain that the easygoing Rikka Takarada wouldn't confess in public. After all, besides Rikka Takarada and her two best friends, students from other classes were passing by and had already seen them vying for the affections of a handsome senior.

If this tit-for-tat continues...

'This guy is shameless!'

Namiko and Ren, who were standing behind Rikka Takarada, were greatly shocked. Rikka had made it so obvious.

The other party actually pretended not to understand!
'Rikka...don't lose!'

Rikka Takarada naturally noticed the other students watching curiously from afar. If she said no, she would only be verbally attacked by Akane Shinjo...

She must take the initiative and fight back!
Fortunately, Shinjo Akane's overly eager attack left an opening, which Takarada Rikka seized upon.

"Let's be friends... Oh, so you don't know his name yet."

Upon hearing this, Shinjo Akane's smile froze a little. 'His name' naturally referred to the human name [Chen Lin], not the name Chaos, but she had been so busy 'acting cute' that she hadn't asked.

Unfortunately, school uniforms don't have student badges, so it's impossible to find out someone's name by observation, like in detective movies (@Conan).

"Also, he's my savior! It's not just a simple friendship! Whether or not we become friends depends on him, not me... Shinjo-kun, you should ask for his name first."

Regaining her confidence, Rikka Takarada took the initiative to step forward and force Akane Shinjo to retreat, causing Chen Lin's original position to shift from Akane Shinjo's side to Rikka Takarada's side.

'Ohhhhhh!!!'

The two best friends behind her were incredibly excited. If the atmosphere hadn't been so awkward, they might have burst into song right there.

"Come on, Chen Lin, I'll show you around my school."

This sentence is even more ruthless and merciless.

By directly stating Chen Lin's name, Shinjo Akane had no reason to ask Chen Lin's name afterward, which led to her continuing to pester him.

"Hmph...hmph...hmph..."

Watching the four figures disappear into the distance, Shinjo Akane, who stood there like a lackey, gritted her teeth and took deep breaths.

Roar----

The silver dragon in the fighting device sensed its master's anger and roared, wanting to teach that arrogant female (Rikka Hodo) a lesson.

"No, Gin-chan... I was too hasty this time and wasn't prepared."

It won't be so simple next time.

If that still doesn't work, then we'll have to resort to unconventional methods...

(End of this chapter)