It was rush hour, the time when office workers were heading home.
"Emi, thanks so much for today~"
The one speaking was a young woman with short brown hair and brown eyes—an office worker named Rika Suzuki. She worked as a contract customer service representative for the major telecom company DOCODEMO.
And the person she was thanking was her close colleague—Emi Yusa.
Earlier that day, Rika had been dealing with an extremely difficult customer who refused to be pacified. In the end, Emi had stepped in to resolve the situation.
"It's nothing, really, don't mention it! I used to be totally clumsy when I first started, and you helped me so many times, Rika~"
Emi waved her hand dismissively, not wanting Rika to feel so indebted. When she first arrived in this unfamiliar world, she had been clueless about everything. If not for Rika's help, her life would have been much more difficult.
"Hehe, so what should we eat today? My treat~"
"Really? Then I won't hold back—I'll ha—"
Her words cut off.
From the corner of her eye, Emi caught sight of something flying in the sky.
Was she seeing things? No, she saw it.
A figure… with wings?
Could it be… an agent of this world's god? She'd heard that angels, the divine messengers, lived among humans to uphold peace.
And that figure was heading straight toward an area where the weather was rapidly shifting into a thunderstorm.
Was something serious happening? Serious enough to warrant an angel personally stepping in?!
"Sorry, Rika! I just remembered, I have a relative visiting today! I need to hurry home!"
Emi's voice carried deep apology and guilt.
"Oh, that's fine, don't worry about it! We can go tomorrow instead~"
"Mm, it's a deal! I'll be off then~"
Leaving those words behind, Emi gave Rika another apologetic bow before dashing toward the nearest gateway.
It seemed like something really serious was happening in another world.
In no time, she had stepped into an elevator connecting the inner and outer worlds.
Ding—
With that sound, the elevator doors slowly opened.
A gust of wind, carrying traces of malevolence, brushed against her, making her furrow her brows.
The moment she stepped out, every hair on her body stood on end. Her amber eyes widened slightly.
Before her was an apocalyptic scene.
A thick, suffocating aura of pure evil spread from the distance. Every breath she took felt like she was inhaling the very essence of malice. No—this wasn't just a feeling. It was real. The holy energy in her body automatically began purifying the taint.
At that moment, her eyes sharpened into a beast-like gaze.
The source of this malevolence…
It was the very nemesis of heroes—the Demon King.
She soon sensed others approaching—individuals with significant power. They were likely heroes, saviors, and similar figures.
Some of them seemed almost eager to slay the Demon King. But not all of them were driven by pure intentions. Some pursued this battle for their own desires, ambitions, or hidden agendas.
Emi had little respect for such people. She had some idea of what they were thinking.
There was a rumor—if a Demon King's world had already lost its god, then whoever slayed the Demon King would be granted divine authority over that world.
The gods had some kind of agreement about this.
Emi seriously doubted that someone who sought divinity for selfish reasons would govern a world well. More likely, they would become the next evil, a "hero who defeats the dragon, only to become a dragon themselves."
-----------
At the Eye of the Storm
"Eh?"
The dragon girl, Tohru, was utterly dumbfounded.
Did she just… unleash some hidden power?
Wait… Did she have a hidden power?
Could it be that her father had some unknown lineage, and she was now experiencing an awakening?
But—this power felt way too evil. Even more sinister than Fafnir's aura.
Boom—!
A deafening thunderclap illuminated the sky, turning the already darkened surroundings stark white.
Tohru's face paled.
The storm's lightning was striking down—too fast! So fast that she didn't even have time to react.
"Waaaaahhhh—!!!"
She was electrocuted so thoroughly that her entire body convulsed, her skin tingling as the scent of roasted meat filled the air. Her golden hair became a frizzy mess, with scorched blackened tips.
Terrified, she realized—she was floating.
Wait… no.
She was sitting on something.
What the—?!
Eyes wide like rubies, Tohru looked down.
She was perched atop… a massive egg-like sphere, swirling with dark energy?!
An egg?
It looked like a dragon egg. And that terrifying black aura, it was coming from inside it.
She could feel it. A pulse. A deep, powerful pulse.
It was beating—stronger and more terrifying than even her father's heart.
"W-W-W-What's going on?!"
Tohru, biting her little hand, was at a complete loss.
Did this just come out from under her? Right? Right!?
Did she just lay a dragon egg? Sure, she was a female dragon, so she could lay eggs, but how did she give birth to one so suddenly, without any warning? She didn't even feel anything!
And isn't laying a dragon egg supposed to require parents? She was the mother, but where did the father come from?
"Could it be Kobayashi?"
As soon as she clapped her hands and muttered this, Tohru cradled her face and showed a lovestruck smile. It seemed that Kobayashi must have done that to her while she was asleep. The more she imagined those inappropriate scenes, the redder her face became, as if her head was about to start steaming.
As for the fact that Kobayashi was a woman? Tohru didn't care at all.
In her understanding, having a child only required love between both parties.
Just then, the egg-like spherical vortex began to change. It started glowing, as if radiating light, and the figure inside the eggshell was gradually revealed.
The person had long, almost shoulder-length, golden-red hair, with grayish-white tips. His well-defined yet seemingly indifferent face held a pair of crimson eyes devoid of emotion—one of which bore a black lightning-shaped scar that ran through both eyelids. His slim and slightly underweight frame was clad in an ancient black outfit, with elements resembling both a priest's sacred vestments and an imperial court's regal robes.
Behind him, a pair of black bat-like wings, appearing malnourished and tattered, stretched out weakly. His tail, however, was obscured beneath a cloak and could not be seen.
Looking further up, his head bore a single, unevenly twisted gray-white horn.
"A dragonkin?"
There was no mistake. The person before her wasn't a pure dragon. As a true dragon herself, Tohru could instantly tell—he was a dragon-human hybrid, born of both dragon and human blood.
Was this… the child of her and Kobayashi's love?