Ever since she was old enough to perceive the world, Amel—the current leader of the Winged Race—believed she was a special existence. In the world Kaito came from, this could be described as that sense of omnipotence unique to adolescence, a phenomenon known as "chunibyo"—a powerful conviction that she was a being set apart from those around her.
However, it was not that she was arrogant. Amel simply sought to be the "cool self" she envisioned in her heart. While her words and actions were certainly eccentric, she never once sought to disparage or look down upon others.
Had that been all, it might have ended as nothing more than a case of early-onset adolescent delusions. But the truth of the matter was that Amel was, in fact, a special existence.
She was a Special Individual of the Winged Race who possessed black wings, and even at a young age, her martial prowess far outstripped that of her kin. Stronger than any member of her race in history, by the time she reached five hundred years of age, her power rivaled even that of a Peerage-class High-ranking Demon.
With her immense strength and a peculiar brand of charisma, she eventually inherited the mantle of leader, becoming a special Winged Race member in both name and reality.
Yet, as fate would have it, to be "special" is also to be an "outlier." While Amel herself was merely trying to live up to the cool persona she imagined, those around her perceived her behavior as nothing but bizarre.
"Because she is a special existence, her way of thinking must be different from ours," the people around her concluded. It wasn't that they were mocking Amel; they had simply decided that her thoughts were beyond their comprehension and left it at that.
One might call it a rational judgment—provided one does not consider the feelings of the person on the receiving end.
Amel had no Understander. Since the Winged Race was already a people who rarely interacted with other races, she had no one she could truly call a friend.
Of course, Amel told herself this was not a bad thing. Since she was special, it was only natural that those around her wouldn't understand her, and in a way, it was only fitting for her to remain solitary. That said, it wasn't as if she lacked a secret desire for an Understander—for a friend—if such a person existed.
The great turning point for Amel arrived after eight hundred years of life, during a tea party she attended at the invitation of World King Lilliwood Yggdrasil.
There, when she happened to catch sight of a certain man—Kaito Miyama—a tremendous shock struck her heart like a bolt of lightning. It was a sensation she had never felt before, an impact that made her very mind feel numb.
To put it simply, the shock came from the fact that she had experienced love at first sight with Kaito. But Amel did not recognize it for what it was.
To begin with, Amel had zero experience with romance. Beyond that, she didn't even have friends, and she had never once discussed such topics with anyone.
Thus, Amel did not realize that shock was love at first sight. Instead, she perceived it as the resonant impact that occurs when two special existences connect with one another.
Possessing a personality prone to strong convictions, Amel became certain that Kaito was the fated Understander she had been seeking, and she approached him with soaring spirits.
She felt a brief moment of anxiety when Kaito seemed bewildered by her sudden advance, but as they shared tea and conversation, those fears quickly evaporated.
Kaito did not look at her with eyes of judgment or curiosity. Though he occasionally wore a pensive expression at her dramatic declarations, he showed no trace of revulsion. He truly listened, seeking to understand Amel's words and feelings.
(As I thought, Miyama-kun is a special existence just like me! He truly understands my words and my thoughts, and he even tells me I’m cool. I’m so happy... I’ve never had this much fun in my entire life.)
Amel had become so fond of Kaito in such a short time that she wished she could keep talking to him forever.
In reality, from Kaito's perspective, Amel simply spoke like someone with a case of chunibyo. Since he already knew plenty of far more eccentric weirdos, he didn't think Amel was particularly strange.
However, entirely without realizing it, Kaito had perfectly resolved Amel’s lifelong struggle of having no Understander. With every word they exchanged, Amel’s affection for him climbed toward the heavens.
(…I see. The reason I never had an Understander until now was so that I could meet Miyama-kun here! I’m certain we were Sworn Friends who pledged a firm vow of friendship in our previous lives! Yes, that must be it. I wonder if I should call him Sworn Friend... Is that... Is that strange? He won't be put off by it, will he?)
Harboring great joy and a sliver of anxiety, Amel addressed Kaito as her "Sworn Friend." And just as she hoped, Kaito accepted the title without a single complaint.
It goes without saying that a storm of delight raged in Amel’s heart. While Kaito was simply used to being called by strange names and thus didn't bother objecting, because their perspectives had aligned in such a warped way, Amel’s affection exploded even further.
Kaito had absolutely no way of knowing it, but her affection had reached such a level that even if he were to abruptly propose to her at this very moment, Amel would likely accept on the spot.
However, Amel herself did not yet understand these feelings as "love," viewing them only as the intense joy of having finally met her Understander.
When Amel, whose heart was currently swept up in a storm of rapture, eventually realizes the true nature of that love... their relationship may shift once again.
Serious-senpai: "Being eight hundred years old means she's actually younger than Laguna or Falce, huh..."
???: "That’s right. Her relative youth and her mental innocence might have worked in a positive direction. If another few thousand years had passed, she might have become jaded like Isis-san was in the past, and the difficulty of becoming friends with her would have spiked."
Serious-senpai: "...Even if that were the case, the scary part about Kaito is that he’d probably establish a flag with her anyway..."
???: "True... Kaito-san would definitely find a way to manage it regardless."