Chapter 390: Stubborn Fox

After facing enough ’attacks’ Mika opened his mouth, about to apologize for taking advantage of her feelings like that, about to say he was sorry for making her worry, about to—

"Call me Big Sis, Mika."

He froze.

"What?"

She had stopped her tail-brushing and was looking at him with a solemn, serious expression.

The tears were still there, shimmering at the edges, but her gaze was firm.

"I said." She repeated slowly, deliberately. "Call me Big Sis."

Mika blinked and asked with narrowed eyes,

"Why would I do something like that?"

Her expression hardened as she exclaimed,

"Because of the emotional turmoil you put me through, Mika!"

The frustration returned.

"Because you took advantage of my feelings!"

"You knew that I would come running if I thought you were hurt! You knew that I couldn’t handle seeing you in distress for even a single moment!"

"And you used that against me! You set it up perfectly and you broke my heart!"

Her voice cracked slightly on the last words.

"And for that alone—for that alone, you should call me Big Sister!"

Mika stared at her for a moment.

Then he scoffed, crossed his arms and shook his head firmly.

"There’s no chance in hell that’s happening."

Astrid’s eyes widened in surprise.

"And you know, Astrid." Mika continued, his voice calm but firm. "I was honestly about to apologize."

"I was going to say sorry for taking advantage of your feelings like that. I was going to admit that maybe I went too far."

"But seeing how you’re acting right now?"

He shook his head again.

"I’m not going to apologize. Instead, I’m going to reprimand you for being so clueless. For not even understanding that I was faking it. For falling for something so obvious."

"I mean, come on, Astrid—I was rolling on the ground like a fish! I was screaming about amputation! And you actually believed it?!"

"That’s on YOU, not me!"

Astrid’s jaw dropped.

"You—you—you can’t say something like that after making me so emotional! That’s too much! That’s absolutely too much!"

Mika didn’t respond.

He just stood there, arms crossed, expression unmoved.

And seeing this, Astrid’s confidence wavered.

"Please." She said, her voice softening. "Please, just—just call me Big Sis. It’s not that hard. Just do it once. At least once."

Nothing.

"Please, Mika. I’m begging you. One time. One single time."

Mika’s expression didn’t change.

"No."

"Please!"

"No."

"ONE TIME!"

"No means no, Astrid. It’s not happening."

And that was when she snapped.

Her expression shifted. The tears retreated. The vulnerability vanished. And in its place—coldness.

"Fine."

The word was ice.

"Then you’re no one to me. Just like you said before. You’re a stranger. Just a stranger and I definitely don’t care about a stranger like you."

Her tails flicked behind her.

"You can trip and fall however you like. You can break your leg for real next time. I won’t come running. I won’t care at all."

She gave him one final brush—the gentlest of touches across his cheek with the tip of her tail.

Then she turned and walked away.

And seeing this, he realised that he hadn’t fulfilled the reason he came here in the first place.

"Wait, hold on, Astrid—don’t go just yet!"

She kept walking.

"I think your Venus complex is flaring up! I think I need to handle—"

"I don’t care, Mika."

Her voice floated back to him, cold and distant.

"I don’t care what you have to say. And even if my Venus complex is flaring up, it has nothing to do with you. Nothing at all."

"But Astrid, come on. Please just listen to me—"

"I have nothing to say to a stranger like you."

And with that, she launched into the air.

The Anti-Demi-Human Alliance members, seeing their leader depart, quickly scrambled to follow.

They shot confused glances at Mika as they passed, clearly unsure what had just happened, but unwilling to stay behind.

Mika watched her go, a heavy sigh escaping his lips.

"She’s so stubborn." He muttered. "So ridiculously, impossibly stubborn. As long as she doesn’t get what she wants, she won’t listen to anything. She won’t follow anything. She just...shuts down."

He ran a hand through his hair, frustrated.

"How am I supposed to deal with that?"

And that was when Nuri appeared at his side suddenly, her face creased with concern.

"Mika, are you alright?" She asked softly. "And...is Astrid gonna be okay? She seemed really upset. Like, really upset. I’ve never seen her like that before."

She bit her lip, genuinely worried.

"Shouldn’t you, like...go after her or something? Talk to her? Make sure she’s okay?"

Mika gave her a wry smile.

"Honestly, Nuri? I don’t know."

He looked in the direction Astrid had flown, his expression conflicted.

"Astrid is always the way she is. Stubborn to the core. But what I do know is that right now, if I chase after her, she’ll only become even more stubborn."

She’ll push me away harder. She’ll dig in her heels and refuse to listen to anything I say."

He sighed again.

"So for now...I’ll just give her some time on her own. Let her cool down. Let her think. Maybe after a while, she’ll be willing to listen."

Nuri nodded slowly.

"Oh. I see."

There was a pause.

Then Nuri hesitated, fidgeting with her hands. Her cheeks flushed slightly. She looked down, then up, then down again.

"Well..." She began, her voice shy and hesitant. "If you’re really not going to go after Astrid right now...that means you have some time left, right?"

Mika raised an eyebrow. "I suppose so?"

"And if you have some time left..." She trailed off, then forced herself to continue. "Do you want to come with me and the other demi-humans right now?"

"Why? Where are you going?"

Nuri’s face lit up with a smile.

"We’re going to go for a little ice cream party! After winning, we have to celebrate after all! And I’m buying free ice cream for everyone—because of my victory, you know, and the commencement of football in the demi-human world!"

She puffed up proudly, then deflated slightly, her shyness returning.

"So...if you’d like...you can also come as well."

She looked at him with hopeful, uncertain eyes.

In the past, Mika hadn’t always been the most receptive to invitations like this. Even though he wasn’t cold or mean or anything like that, whenever someone invited him out, he would often deny and do his own thing instead.

It was a habit he’d developed—a distance he’d built up because of the way he had to act around the Battle Angels, always careful, always guarded.

That same distance had extended to Nuri as well, from time to time.

So she fully expected him to say no.

To reject her.

To go off and do his own thing like he always did.

But instead—

Mika’s face broke into a wide, genuine smile.

"Sure." He said. "I love ice cream. And free ice cream is even tastier. If you’re treating, then I’ll definitely come along."

Nuri’s eyes went wide.

"R-Really?! Really really?! You’re actually coming, Mika?!"

He nodded, still smiling.

"Yeah. And actually—I have a friend named Maria. She might like to come too, if that’s okay. Can she join?"

Nuri’s face practically glowed with joy.

"Of course! Of course! Bring whoever you want! As long as you come!"

And then, unable to contain herself, she shot into the air like a rocket.

"MIKA AGREED, GUYS! MIKA AGREED!"

She shouted at the top of her lungs, flying toward the gathered demi-humans.

"THE PARTY IS A GO! I REPEAT, THE PARTY IS A GO! WE’RE GOING TO CELEBRATE THIS VICTORY WITH ICE CREAM!"

The demi-humans erupted in cheers.

"WHOA! FREE ICE CREAM!"

"LONG LIVE THE PRINCESS!"

"THIS IS THE BEST DAY EVER!"

Nuri hovered above them, beaming, before turning toward the human side of the crowd. Her expression softened.

"And honestly." She called out. "I’m so happy right now that I don’t mind treating you guys as well! So anyone who wants ice cream can follow along!"

The humans hesitated.

They had just lost. Humiliatingly. Their leader had been defeated, their pride shattered.

Joining the victors for a celebration felt...wrong.

But then—

One girl smiled and shook her head.

"Honestly? I don’t mind at all. After a defeat like that, I definitely need some ice cream to restore my spirits."

She stepped forward and walked toward the demi-human group.

Another student followed.

"Yeah, me too. I don’t mind some ice cream at all."

"Free ice cream from a princess? Count me in!"

"I want strawberry!"

"Chocolate for me!"

"Can I get both?!"

Slowly, one by one, the humans began to cross the divide. Hesitation melted away in the face of free dessert and the infectious joy radiating from Nuri and the demi-humans.

Soon, an entire parade had formed.

Humans and demi-humans mixed together, walking side by side, while Nuri was sitting on top of Mika’s head and leading them in the front.

Behind them stretched a massive crowd of students from both sides, all chanting:

"Ice cream! Ice cream! We want ice cream!"

"Ice cream! Ice cream! We want ice cream!"

"Ice cream! Ice cream! We want ice cream!"

Students who hadn’t been at the match watched from windows and doorways, utterly bewildered by the sight.

An army of humans and demi-humans, united in purpose, marching toward the cafeteria with a single goal:

Ice cream.

"What the hell happened out there?" One student muttered, watching the parade pass.

"No idea." Another replied. "But apparently... they’re getting ice cream and they said anyone was welcome to join."

"I’m not complaining. Let’s go!"

And they joined too.

The parade grew.

And at the front, walking beside the flying, cheering Nuri, Mika smiled.

It had been a crazy day.

A murder. A revival. An impossible goal. A crying Battle Angel’s daughter. And now an ice cream parade.

Just another normal day at Solaria Beyond Academy.