[Time for some open narration since he's weird like that...]

Ahem! She said with a confident smile on her face. As cowardly as she appeared before, the adorable lion girl had chased away the demonic crows from ripping Kamijou Touma's body to shreds. This moment of bravery had touched the heart of our spiky-haired protagonist. With a smile and a nod, he said-- [He'll clear his throat.]

... I'm in your debt, little lion girl!