"That would be nice..."
Hearing Souta's words, Miku suddenly smiled sweetly.
She knew Souta said such things because of his strong sense of justice.
But in this situation, she couldn't help but feel like he was angry and standing up for her, wanting to fight against the injustice she had suffered and punish the world on her behalf.
This made her feel both touched and... a little romantic.
"What's nice?" Souta asked, confused.
"Nothing," Miku dodged the question.
She picked up the manga book Souta had placed back on the bedside table, looking at the male and female protagonists on the cover with a warm smile.
The young man sitting before her had once saved the world for a girl.
Miku envied Kurumi from the manga—why hadn't she been as lucky?
"You and Kurumi must have a really good relationship."
Miku's tone was half a question, half a sigh.
"Kurumi..." Souta's face showed a look of fond remembrance, accompanied by a smile. "Yeah, we're close."
Then, recalling the messy love triangle depicted in the manga, he quickly added:
"Oh right, the chaotic romance in the manga is all fake. That was just Honjo Nia making things up, so don't take it seriously."
"Huh?" Miku blinked. "She made it up? But isn't Shiroyasha's lolita figure your favorite type? The fact that you could give up your natural preferences for Kurumi is really touching."
"..." Souta facepalmed.
How the hell is that touching?!
That just makes me sound like a total creep!
"Miku, I have to correct you—I don't have that kind of relationship with Shiroyasha." Souta said seriously. "That's just Honjo Nia's nonsense."
"Really..." Miku tilted her head. "Come to think of it, how does Honjo Nia even know your stories? Are you actually acquaintances?"
"No," Souta shook his head and explained, "Honjo Nia is a Spirit. She has the ability to access any recorded information—past, present, and future. She used this ability to take the events involving me, Kurumi, and Shiroyasha, exaggerated them, and turned them into manga.
Her power is incredibly versatile. For example, if she wanted to, she could check what you're saying and doing right now with just a thought."
Upon hearing this, Miku instinctively looked around, as if checking for hidden surveillance.
Souta chuckled. "No need to worry—you can't stop her from seeing if she really wants to."
"..." Miku sighed helplessly. "Does Honjo Nia often spy on people's records?"
"Not really," Souta thought for a moment and said, "I think she's actually pretty lazy and wouldn't bother checking random things."
This was just his own guess.
After all, Angel: Rasiel had the power to see the future, yet Nia had still been captured and tortured for five years by Isaac.
Souta could only assume she was too lazy to check her own future.
Hearing this, Miku breathed a sigh of relief.
Having her privacy constantly spied on would be a nightmare.
"So, a lot of the things in the manga are fake?" Miku asked.
"Yes," Souta nodded. "Those are just Nia's personal tastes—nothing to do with the real me."
"Then... can you tell me the real story between you and Kurumi?"
Miku looked at him with curiosity and anticipation.
"Sure, it's not really a secret."
Souta nodded and began recounting his past with Kurumi.
Miku's emotions were unstable right now, so he didn't mind indulging her a little.
Meanwhile, Miku listened with fascination.
This kind of pure and beautiful love story completely captivated her.
Her fanbase had been 90% male, and the betrayal of those fans had made her lose all faith in men—to the point of developing a fear of them.
But for that very reason, she longed to see true, sincere love. Even just once.
Kurumi is so lucky to have someone willing to save the world for her...
Miku sighed inwardly.
If only she had met Souta earlier, she wouldn't have had to suffer so much...
As Souta was in the middle of his story, the hospital room door suddenly opened.
Miku jumped in surprise and turned toward the entrance, only to see her parents coming in to visit.
She immediately tensed up, unsure how to explain Souta's presence.
Souta simply put a finger to his lips, signaling for Miku to stay quiet.
Miku instinctively obeyed.
The people who entered the room completely ignored Souta. After checking on Miku and talking for a bit, they soon left.
Souta took out his system phone and checked the time—it was past 8 PM. The light outside had already dimmed.
He stopped telling the story and looked at Miku, asking:
"By the way, Miku, how long until you turn 17?"
"Around six months. Why?" Miku asked curiously.
"Six months, huh..." Souta muttered, calculating. "The story begins when you're 17, and you became a Spirit half a year before that... which means... it should be happening right about now."
Understanding this, Souta quickly turned to Miku and instructed:
"For the next few days, don't speak. Act more despairing... no, actually, I'll use divine power to create a layer of despair around you. Don't worry, it won't affect you. Just keep up the act until the First Spirit finds you and gives you a Sephira Crystal—then you can drop the disguise."
"Okay, I'll be careful." Miku obediently nodded.
Souta nodded back, then reached out and cast his divine power, forming a layer of dark, negative energy around Miku's surface consciousness.
Although he wasn't as strong as Mio Takamiya in pure power, his versatility was far superior—so fooling her wouldn't be a problem.
"All done. I'll be leaving now."
Souta bid Miku farewell and walked toward the window, clearly planning to leave that way.
Miku quickly threw off her blanket, got out of bed, and grabbed Souta's sleeve.
The moment her fingers touched his arm, her expression turned extremely unnatural—like she was suppressing some deep discomfort.
Souta gently pulled his arm back, putting some distance between them, and sighed helplessly.
"You have androphobia (fear of men), right? Don't force yourself."
Miku scolded herself inwardly for being so weak.
Right now, just touching a man's skin with her fingertips made her feel nauseous—like she was about to throw up.
Although touching Souta wasn't as unbearable as others, the discomfort was still there.
"It's okay," Souta smiled. "I don't mind. So, why did you stop me?"
"Um... are you really leaving?" Miku asked anxiously.
"Yes." Souta nodded. "Your voice is already back, so it's not convenient for me to stay here any longer. Besides, I have things to do."
"No," Souta replied. "In fact, it's something that requires a lot of patience."
Collecting faith took time—it wouldn't all flow into his Divine Kingdom at once.
"Then... will you come visit me again?"
Miku asked nervously.
"Don't worry, I will."
Souta thought for a moment and said, "I'll stay with you until you receive your Sephira Crystal."