Natsumi found herself in a dire predicament, her normally keen instincts clouded by a rush of overconfidence. The demon she had been tracking proved to be far more formidable than she anticipated, and now she found herself wounded and cornered, with nowhere to run.
As the demon closed in, its snarls echoing in the narrow alley, Natsumi braced herself for the inevitable confrontation. But just as the demon lunged forward, a blur of movement caught her eye. Before she could react, a swift strike from jij's weapon sent the demon crashing to the ground, lifeless.
Relief flooded through Natsumi as she stared at her savior, her breath coming in ragged gasps. For a moment, she was speechless, her usually sharp tongue rendered silent by the shock of the encounter. But as jij turned away, their expression unreadable, Natsumi's gratitude was quickly replaced by a surge of curiosity.
"What...?" Natsumi began, her voice barely above a whisper as she struggled to find the right words. "Hey, wait!" She called out, her tone more insistent this time as she took a hesitant step forward, her injuries forgotten in the wake of the encounter.
As she approached jij, Natsumi's mind raced with conflicting emotions. Gratitude warred with curiosity, while a nagging sense of unease gnawed at the edges of her consciousness. She was used to being the one in control, the one who didn't owe anyone anything. Yet here she was, indebted to someone she barely knew.
"Thanks for the save back there," Natsumi said, her voice a touch softer than usual as she finally caught up to jij. Despite her attempts to maintain her usual bravado, there was a vulnerability in her words, a rare glimpse beneath the surface of her confident facade.
