Chisato finally understood the situation, but she spoke with a rather troubled tone:
"I'm sorry, I can't help you. I only have this one heart; if it's taken out, I could die."
Ryunosuke instantly looked dejected. "What are you thinking? I would never do something so foolish; I don't want you to die."
"Eeeeh~, you don't want me to die, huh? That's such an ambiguous sentence. Do you like me?"
Ryunosuke did not answer; he only stared at her in silence.
Chisato also knew this was no time for joking. The two of them found a bench in the outdoor park and sat down.
It was 4:30 in the morning; dawn would arrive soon. Here, perhaps they would be able to watch the sunrise.
Chisato remained her cheerful self, saying to him as he sat beside her:
"I'm sorry, maybe I really can't help you yet. As for the person who replaced my heart, I am still looking for them myself. I want to thank them in person for saving my life."
"If I manage to find them, I will definitely contact you."
Ryunosuke expressed his understanding. At the very least, his goal had been achieved; once Chisato met that person, she would surely inform him immediately.
Remembering Chisato's future, where her heart might be forcibly stopped or she might even be kidnapped, Ryunosuke said with a serious expression:
"If you are ever in danger someday, please let me know. No matter where you are, I will come to your side and save you."
Hearing such a cool sentence and a tone of voice that almost resembled a love confession, Chisato was momentarily stunned. After she regained her composure, her cheeks flushed a deep red.
(This guy... he's not actually hitting on me, is he?)
To distract herself, she swung her legs on the swing next to the bench while holding onto the chains, pretending to be indifferent.
"Don't worry, if I'm in danger I'll definitely contact you. But please don't jinx me, okay? With my abilities, just who exactly could hurt me?"
Chisato puffed out her cheeks, clearly feeling a bit slighted that her abilities were being doubted.
Ryunosuke immediately lowered his head, feeling a bit hopeless.
He certainly knew that an ordinary person would not be able to touch Chisato, but the problem was that the opposing party could use remote control to stop her heartbeat.
Ever since that heart was installed, it didn't just belong to Chisato; it belonged to someone else. Because the person who gave it to her never intended to save her out of kindness, but rather to control her.
Ryunosuke was determined to intervene in this matter, at least to ensure nothing happened to Chisato. After all, they were friends as well as close companions.
Furthermore, this mechanical heart could not be haphazardly installed into Arisu; at the very least, he had to resolve these hidden issues first.
They chatted for a while until the sun rose. The light of dawn illuminated both of their faces. Whatever Chisato was thinking, she suddenly asked Ryunosuke.
"If I really am in danger later, will you truly come to save me?"
"Yes... because we are friends."
"I see..." Chisato accepted Ryunosuke's answer and fell silent.
Perhaps from the beginning, she also knew that something was wrong with her heart? That was why she had hesitated over whether she should tell Ryunosuke if something happened.
It wasn't until 6:30 in the morning that the two of them finally parted ways. Chisato waved her hand, signaling see you tonight. Ryunosuke waved back in return.
The two turned and headed to their respective homes. Ryunosuke intended to sleep for a bit at his house to recover his energy before continuing the mission tonight.
Even though his wounds had not fully healed and required about seven to eight days of care, that did not stop him from seeking money. After all, Ryunosuke was the type of person who ignored his own physical condition for the sake of his goals.
With his current physical state, it was estimated that in less than 10 days he would be able to return to school. His recovery speed was truly extraordinary; for an ordinary person, those "severed meridians" wounds would surely have been fatal.
That was the reason Maruo was so eager to dissect him for the advancement of the medical world.
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8:30 at night.
After waking up, Ryunosuke prepared to put on his clothes. Chizuru, who was lying in bed, heard the sound and spoke softly while keeping her eyes closed.
"There is dinner I cooked in the fridge. Heat it up in the microwave for a bit, eat first before you go."
Ryunosuke's movements as he buttoned his shirt paused for a moment; he gave a word of agreement.
Chizuru rolled over and went back to sleep. She was very busy with filming during the day. Ryunosuke worked the night shift while she worked the day shift; the two of them alternated. If it weren't for that, she certainly would have been up cooking rice for Ryunosuke. The problem was, she was exhausted from working during the day and still had to be "messed around with" by Ryunosuke all night; her body truly couldn't take it.
Ryunosuke heated the food, ate it, washed the dishes, wiped the table, and then turned off the lights. Before leaving, he said to Chizuru, "I'm heading out."
Chizuru answered in a very faint voice from the bed, "Come back soon..."
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Ryunosuke returned to Cafe LycoReco, gathering with Chisato and the others to carry out the mission.
The mission this time was quite complicated; word was the opposing side had bombs planted in every corner of the building's hallways.
In order to evacuate the masses, Chisato recklessly charged directly into the enemy headquarters to draw their attention, while Shino and Takina were tasked with evacuating everyone in the building.
Ryunosuke served as Chisato's support, because only he could keep up with her movements and possessed the same ability to evade bullets.
Chisato did not say much, only ordering Ryunosuke to keep following and not to make any mistakes. This time she did not appear cheerful like usual, but was instead very serious.
Matters involving many lives meant Chisato did not dare to underestimate the situation. Her incredibly kind nature would not allow anyone to die.
Chisato changed her bullet magazine; this time it was not rubber bullets, but live ammunition. At this moment, she could no longer hold back as she usually did. Her opponents were ruthless terrorists who could detonate a bomb at any time.
Chisato stormed inside, followed by Ryunosuke right behind her. Neither feared the hail of bullets; they broke through the gunfire of dozens of people and openly returned fire.