Yue's answers were clear and concise, and occasionally she'd even make jokes.
However, there was just a slight hint of unease that layered all of her actions. Shea
could tell. Despite keeping up with the conversation, Yue's mind was on something
else. Something that was making her act just a tad more distant than usual.
In truth, Yue was still thinking about the battle she'd had with her copy.
"Do you really think you'll be able to stay by his side forever?"
After asking that question, Yue's copy had regained much of its strength. Yue's
overwhelming advantage had slowly been eroded away.
"Don't be stupid…"
Yue had refuted her copy's words and tried to force her way through with gravity
magic. But even as her copy had been forced to its knees by the power of her magic, it
had continued asking her cutting questions.
"Think about it. Why are you even alive right now?"
That's obvious. Because Hajime saved me. Guessing Yue's response, the copy had needled
her even further.
"Don't you get what I'm saying here? Fine, let me rephrase the question. Why didn't
Uncle kill us?"
Yue had thought nothing the copy said could hurt her anymore. That she'd be able to
force her way to victory. And yet, Yue found herself unable to ignore that question. It
cut through her heart as sharply as any blade. Though she didn't know it, her gravity
magic was getting weaker.
"You should know best of all. Your immortality isn't perfect. It wouldn't have been
impossible for him to kill you."
The copy had been right. Yue's automatic regeneration, the cornerstone that supported
her immortality, required mana to use. Once her mana was drained, Yue could no
longer regenerate. That day, when she'd been mercilessly struck down time and time
again, she'd been almost completely drained of mana. Killing her then would have
been possible. Dienleed had been more than capable of doing the deed.
The only reason Yue hadn't asked that question before was because 300 years of
imprisonment had taken its toll on her. The overwhelming despair, unending solitude,
and pitch-black darkness had twisted her emotions until nothing but hatred and anger
remained. She'd convinced herself that her uncle simply hadn't been able to kill her,
and discarded any other possibilities in order to further fuel her hate.
"He… never planned on killing me… from the very start?" Yue muttered quietly as the
realization washed over her.
"That's right. He'd wanted to seal you away."
Why? Why? WHY? Yue's heart hammered in her chest. If his goal had simply been to
usurp the throne, why had he let a liability like Yue live? The question circled around
inside Yue's mind.
There was a huge burst of wind, and the copy pushed aside the last vestiges of Yue's
gravity magic. It then counterattacked with a barrage of Onyx Blasts.
"Ugh…"
Yue was unable to neutralize them all, and one hit her in the shoulder. That single hit
was enough to send Yue flying through the air like a ragdoll. Her mental anguish
combined with the physical damage caused her concentration to slip, and she
returned to the world of flashbacks. But this flashback was different from the ones
before it. Until now, the memories she'd seen were ones she could have recalled on
her own, if she so chose to. This was a fragment of a memory she herself had buried
deep inside her heart and completely forgotten over her long years of confinement.
"I'm so sor— But there's no other— One day— someone you can— Will surely—
protect— This is all— But please, forget— Love—"
Snippets of conversation reached Yue's ear as she sped down memory lane. The voice
was familiar and kind, but also filled with sadness and regret. It was her uncle, Dienleed's
voice.
The memory was fuzzy, and it was hard to hear over the static. Yue couldn't clearly
make out Dienleed's expression or his words. But she knew that she was in the room
where she'd been sealed. As her consciousness had been hazy at the time she'd heard
this conversation, her own memories of it weren't perfect either.
There was one thing that she remembered distinctly, though. Something soft caressing
her cheek. Even though he'd betrayed her, even though he'd sealed her here, her
uncle's hand had been exceedingly gentle. It had been similar to the way Hajime
caressed her now. His touch had been that of a father who adored his daughter.
"But what about your real parents?"
Yue snapped back to her senses just in time to see that she was surrounded by five
elemental dragons, all of them emitting dark crimson sparks. She quickly used
Heavensfall and Spatial Severance to shoot down a few of the dragons, then attempted
to block the rest with a barrier. However her copy was clearly getting stronger, and
she was unable to deflect all of the dragons.
The wind dragon made it through and sliced through her flank. While Yue's automatic
regeneration healed the wound instantly, her clothes were shredded. And she no
longer had the leeway to restore them with restoration magic. Instead, she summoned
her own five dragons and had them face off against her copy's.
"What did you do to me?"
Yue shouldn't have had that memory. That can't be real.
She glared at her copy, but it just shook its head.
"What you don't know, I don't know. All I can do is force you to see things you know
but pretend not to."
"So then…"
"For example, what about our real father? We loved Uncle as if he were our real father,
but what kind of person was our real father?"
"What are you…?"
Naturally, he'd loved Yue. And he'd been mercilessly cut down by her uncle. But though
Yue wanted to say that, she couldn't. Because that memory wasn't there inside of her.
No matter how hard Yue searched the annals of her brain, all she found were vague,
indistinct recollections.
It wasn't that she'd forgotten her parents, but rather that over 300 years, none of those
memories had been impressionable enough to last. And that realization disgusted Yue.
"You know. You understand best of all. Just how your mother and father thought of
you."
The ten dragons canceled each other out, and Yue and her copy started firing magical
barrages at each other. All the while, her copy continued scraping through her memories.
"Aletia, you're such a wonderful girl."
"If there's anything you want, we'll get it for you."
"We'll make sure everything's perfect for you."
Yue's parents had never once scolded her. In fact, they'd never even considered it
possible. Her father and mother had done anything and everything she'd asked. One
could say she'd been raised in a caring environment, but was that really how parents
should act toward their children? It felt less as though they loved her, and more as
though they worshiped her. The only person who'd ever scolded Yue had been her
uncle. He was the one who'd taught her what it meant to be royalty, and what was
important for people to hold dear.
"Brother, you can't keep doing this! Don't you realize what that girl is?"
Yue suddenly remembered how her uncle and her father had always argued about her.
"The church is asking for a meeting? Again? No, it's fine, Aletia. I'll take care of it."
She remembered how her uncle had always been present for every meeting she'd had
with church officials. And the only time she'd met with them at all had been when he
couldn't get rid of them himself. At the time, Yue had gotten angry at him for being so
overprotective.
"You still remember, don't you?"
Once again, Yue snapped back to the present. She was being trapped by her memories
more and more often. A blast of spatial magic tore the space around her. Yue only just
managed to avoid being cut in half, but she wasn't safe yet.
"How Uncle looked when he first started putting distance between you and him?"
Irritation swept over Yue at those words. Her memories resurfaced, and her uncle's
face popped into her head. Though he'd tried his best to look expressionless, a hint of
anguish had shone through on his face. His eyes had looked tortured as if he was
struggling with some unspeakable suffering. At that moment, his wrinkles had seemed
to deepen, aging him by decades in the span of an instant.
"Ah…"
Another one of the copy's attacks landed. Blood and scraps of cloth flew through the
air as the magical bullet cut through Yue's leg along with the end of her coat. The copy
had regained its former strength and was just as powerful as Yue. It was only after
seeing its strength that Yue realized just how shaken she was.
"If you hadn't had someone to hate, if you hadn't thrown away all hope and given up
on thinking, you wouldn't have been able to bear the pain. You'd taken the most logical
conclusion at face value and convinced yourself it had to be the truth."
Yue couldn't deny it. Did I… alter my own memories?
For the first time, Yue began to consider the possibility that the truth was different
than what she remembered. At the same time, her initial question rose to the forefront
of her mind.
Why did he seal me away? Because of my special magic? No, I already know that can't
have been it. Was it just one final act of pity? No, confining me in an eternal prison of
darkness was far crueler than killing me outright. Then did he hate me? No, I've already
remembered that isn't it. Though Yue wasn't aware of it, there was a logical answer.
Was there something about me I didn't realize? Was something after me because of that?
Was that why Uncle sealed me? Does that mean whatever was after me before is still
here?
Endless questions presented themselves one after another. As Yue was deliberating,
her copy asked one last, biting question.
"Who are we? What are we?"
"Ah—"
Yue couldn't answer. Because that answer would reveal the reason why she'd been
sealed in the first place. And Yue did not doubt that whatever that reason had been, it
was still alive. Yue felt as though a lump of ice had settled in her stomach. Her entire
body felt unnaturally cold.
She stopped moving, and her copy's barrage of magic caught up to her. Rather than
guard against it, she let herself be blown away. She skid across the ground, came to a
stop, and somehow got back to her feet. Like always, her body was unscathed. But her
clothes were ruined. Her precious white coat was a ripped mess and covered in blood.
Her copy walked up to her and said once more, "It never once occurred to you that
maybe you should think about who and what you are, did it?"
This time, the words that followed served as a finishing blow.
"Do you really think you'll be able to stay by his side forever?"
Defeated, Yue was unable to respond with a definitive "yes." She could easily imagine
that the thing she'd escaped in the past would find her once again in her future. And
that thought terrified her. For the first time in ages, Yue just wanted to curl up in a ball
and cry.
To Yue, Hajime was the light. He'd cut through the darkness, illuminated her world,
and given her warmth, kindness, and happiness. Being cut off from that would be the
same as being dead. Yue's copy gradually drew closer. Every footstep brought Yue one
step closer to death. She looked up at the icy ceiling. Her crimson eyes stared back at
her. They were the same color as Hajime's mana, the color she loved so much. A second
later, a smile spread across her face.
"...…"
The copy came to a halt. A shadow of hesitation flitted across its face. Yue looked back
down at it and said quietly, "Even if I disappear, he won't be alone."
"No, you—"
"Hajime has Shea… And Tio. And even though I hate to admit it, Kaori."
The copy stared blankly at Yue, its mouth still half-open. But a moment later, it realized
what Yue was trying to say. It stared down at itself in utter disbelief. It could tell what
was happening to its power.
"In the end, Hajime Nagumo really is the center of your world, huh?"
"Of course…"
The copy wasn't getting any weaker. But it wasn't getting any stronger either. So,
though Yue had been brought face to face with a shocking revelation, her resolve
remained firm. It had been shaken for a moment, but now it was renewed.
"You two really are birds of a feather."
The copy's tone changed. Faced with the vampire princess' overwhelming love, it no
longer saw any need to copy Yue's speech style. Instead, it looked up wearily and
recalled how Hajime, too, had bragged about his love for Yue while overcoming his
own trial.
"I'm done questioning myself…"
"So it seems. I'm out of memories to revive as well."
Their power was equal. The copy had no more memories to dredge up. Both sides
gathered all of their mana. They poured everything they had into one final attack,
Draconic Thunder. Two dragons, one wreathed in golden thunder while the other was
wreathed in crimson, crashed into each other.
"Regardless of what the future holds, if I lose here, I'll never see Hajime again! So get
lost!"
"Ah!"
Between the two, it was Yue's dragon that was winning. After a fierce struggle, it
opened its maw wide and swallowed the copy's dragon whole. Then, it moved on to
swallow the copy as well.
As it disappeared, Yue's copy watched Yue with an exasperated, and slightly worried,
smile. With one final roar, Yue's thunder dragon vanished, and with it, her copy. Part
of the ice wall crumbled away, revealing a new path. However, Yue didn't even look at
it. She tottered unsteadily to the ice tree in the center of the room and stared at her
reflection. Her resolve was as firm as always. But this fight had put new doubts in her
mind.
The vague unease they espoused spread through her heart like a faint haze, obscuring
her thoughts. She desperately sifted through her memories, searching for a solution
to her worries. If her copy hadn't been able to provide an answer though, it meant that
she just didn't know. After all, everything it knew, she knew.
But even so, Yue couldn't help but search her memories. She felt compelled to. If there
really was something her uncle had tried to protect her from in the past, and if that
something was destined to find her in the future, then she needed to—
"Yue-san!"
"Ah, Shea?"
Yue felt a strong hand on her shoulder and snapped out of her reverie. She looked up
and saw Shea staring at her with a worried expression on her face. Shea's sky-blue
eyes met Yue's, and Yue could see just how seriously Shea was worried about her. It
seemed she'd been so deep in her memories that she'd spaced out. Past Shea, the path
they were walking down came to a dead end. Yue hadn't even noticed that. Realizing
she'd failed to hide how shaken she was, Yue looked down guiltily.
"Please, Yue-san. Tell me what happened."
Shea's voice was quiet but sharp. She took her hands off Yue's shoulders and grabbed
her hands instead. Shea's hands were warm and reassuring, reminding Yue that she
wasn't alone.
"...…"
But even so, Yue couldn't bring herself to speak. She didn't know how to say what she
wanted to say, or if she should say it at all. Her worries for the future were vague and
unclear. She didn't know how to explain them, and when she realized how vague they
were she suddenly felt embarrassed about putting words to them. Yue took pride in
being an older sister figure to Shea.
Unfortunately for Yue, all of her hesitation strengthened Shea's desire to know what
was bothering her best friend. Shea no longer felt as though she could wait leisurely
until Yue was ready to talk. Her sharp gaze made it clear that she was going to get the
truth out of Yue one way or another. Realizing that she couldn't deceive Shea any
longer, Yue sighed. But even if she was resigned to explain herself, she still didn't know
how to articulate her worries.
"I'm sorry, Shea… I haven't really sorted out my feelings myself."
"So you can't talk about what's bothering you?"
"Mmm… My fake said a lot of stuff about my past to me… Of course, that didn't change
my feelings about you or Hajime so I could clear the trial, but… I realized I might be
remembering some things wrong. I want to sort everything out before I explain, so can
you wait a little?"
"I see…"
Shea still wasn't satisfied. And she showed no signs of letting go of Yue's hands. Seeing
how stubborn Shea was being, Yue smiled. Her smile was filled with love and trust for
her best friend. You've grown strong, Shea.
When they'd first met, Shea had been a crybaby and a scaredy-cat. A worthless rabbit
who'd clung to Yue and Hajime for dear life. But she'd worked hard. Harder than
anyone else. No matter how much she'd cried, no matter how pathetic she'd looked
covered in mud and blood, she hadn't once given up. Before Yue knew it, Shea'd grown
so strong that she was the one protecting her. Shea's cheerful, straightforward nature
had saved Yue more times than she could count.
I guess it's not fair to keep thinking of you as a little sister, huh…? Yue extricated her
hands from Shea's and then grabbed them from the outside. She imparted her warmth
to Shea, the same way she had moments before.
"Yue-san?"
Shea gave her a confused look. Yue looked up at her and chuckled. The indistinct fear
that had settled within Yue's heart had disappeared. In its place burned a powerful
resolve. Yue's expression grew resolute and she said, "Shea…"
"Yeah, what is it, Yue-san?"
Shea's expression grew even more worried, but Yue didn't flinch from her gaze. Her
ruby-red eyes were filled with trust for her best friend.
"If… something happens to me, take care of Hajime for me."
"...…"
Shea was speechless. Her eyes opened wide, and she stared at Yue, dumbfounded. Her
reaction was only natural. This was the last thing she'd expected Yue to say. Still, Yue
was confident Shea would smile reassuringly and say, "Of course, you can count on
me!" However—
"Are you fucking kidding me?"
"Huh?"
To Yue's surprise, Shea's voice was stone cold. Her expression turned flat, emotionless.
But it seemed as though she was forcing herself to push down her emotions and look
stoic. Yue was so surprised by Shea's reaction that for a moment she forgot to breathe.
But a moment later she renewed her resolve. Yue wasn't joking about this. There was
no one else she trusted enough to tell. And she needed Shea to accept her request.
"I'm not… I'm saying this because I'm resolved."
"You're resolved?"
Shea grit her teeth together and narrowed her eyes. Despite Shea's withering glare,
Yue didn't shy away. Unable to keep her emotions in check, Shea's facade of
emotionlessness crumbled. Smack! A loud noise echoed through the tunnel.
"Ah!?"
Before Yue had any time to react, Shea slapped her. Or rather, Yue was so surprised
that she couldn't react. Never in her wildest dreams had Yue considered that Shea would
respond to a heartfelt plea like this. Though Shea hadn't used body strengthening to
increase the force of her slap, she hadn't held back either. Blinking in disbelief, Yue
raised a hand to her cheek.
"Shea?"
"Please take that back."
"...…"
"Take back that crap about how you want me to take care of Hajime-san if something
happens to you right now!"
Shea's face trembled in rage. She was seconds away from losing it completely. Yue's
eyes narrowed, her disbelief replaced with anger.
"Are you saying my resolve, my faith in you is just crap?"
"That's exactly what I'm saying."
Shea's sky-blue eyes stared deeply into Yue's deep crimson ones. Both of them knew
that neither of them would budge an inch. Why? Yue thought to herself. Why is she so
mad? Why won't she accept my trust in her? Sadness mingled with the anger
burgeoning in Yue's heart.
At the same time, Shea also thought, Why? Why would you say something so sad? Shea
and Yue glared silently at each other for a few minutes. Had anyone else in the party
been present, they would have been dumbfounded. Shea and Yue were so close that
no one would expect them to seriously get mad at each other.
The first to make a move was Shea. She leaped back and hefted Drucken, resting it atop
her shoulder.
"It looks like words won't convince you. I don't know what that fake told you, but it's
pretty sad seeing the strongest vampire in the world reduced to this pathetic state. I
guess I have to beat the cowardice out of you."
A spiral of light blue mana erupted skyward from Shea. Yue, who hadn't been prepared
for an actual fight, looked taken aback.
"Shea… Wait—"
Her words were interrupted by a full-power swing from Shea. Yue hurriedly
backstepped, just barely avoiding Drucken. The ground where she'd been standing on
exploded. Shards of ice shot everywhere as a massive crater formed in the floor.
Though the ground instantly began to regenerate, the force of the blow proved that
Shea was serious.
"Shea… You're taking this joke too far."
"Joke? Are you still half-asleep or something? Since you don't seem to get it I'll spell it
out for you. I'm dead serious. Yue-san, unless you take back that crap you just said…
I'm seriously gonna beat you up."
"Shea… Why?"
"You seriously don't understand? Unbelievable! The usual Yue-san, the Yue-san I know
would never act so weak! Wake up dammniiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiit!"
Shea once again swung Drucken with all her might. It accelerated past the sound
barrier, pushing a film of white in front of it. Yue used gravity magic to fall backward,
just barely avoiding the hammer. Shea's horizontal swing missed, and Drucken
crashed into the wall, shattering it.
Heedless of the damage she was causing, Shea fired off a series of swings. Each one
possessed as much destructive force as a falling meteor. To make matters worse, the
passageway was quite narrow. There was nowhere to run, and close-quarters combat
had never been Yue's specialty. It was only a matter of time before she was trapped.
However, Yue was more annoyed than she was afraid of being cornered.
"Cut it out already… Do you realize how much courage it took to gather this resolve!?"
Yue walked into the storm of swings and cast Heavensfall. Gravity drove Drucken
towards the floor, altering the trajectory of Shea's swing. Yue then leaped off the
hammer, which was stuck to the ground, flipped around in midair, and then cast
Crystal Coffin directly above Shea. By the time she'd landed behind the bunny girl,
Shea's thighs were encased in ice. It reminded Shea of the time she'd trained with Yue
to earn her right to join Hajime's party. Back then, the same Crystal Coffin had been
powerful enough to trap her in ice instantly, leaving her a sobbing mess.
"You call this resolve!? Raaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!"
But now, such a spell wasn't enough to even slow her down. All it took was a single
attack. Shea punched the ground, shattering the nearby floor along with the Crystal
Coffin. Her fist packed more of a punch than a cannonball. Yue stumbled from the
shockwaves sent out by Shea's punch, a look of disbelief on her face. She was certain
she'd put enough mana into the spell, yet Shea had shattered it easily. With a very
unwomanly grunt, Shea lifted Drucken with brute force, fighting against the massive
amount of gravity pressing down on it. She then pressed a trigger on the handle,
transforming it into bombardment mode. Without hesitation, she fired a barrage of
shotgun shells at Yue. The corridor was too narrow, leaving no room to dodge. Yue had
no choice but to put up a barrier. A hail of exploding slugs slammed into the barrier,
spreading shockwaves across its surface. For a moment, the corridor was filled with
ripples of blue mana.
"Shea! Cut it out al—"
"That's my line, Yue-san. Do you finally feel like taking back your words?"
"Why…?"
"Why? Do you really not know?"
"...…"
The neverending barrage of explosive slugs started putting cracks in Yue's barrier. She
repaired them instantly, but the overwhelming pressure of the barrage kept her
pinned in place. Though even if it hadn't, Shea's question had left Yue rooted to the
spot. Yue stared at her best friend through her barrier and the sea of bullets. Why was
her trust in Shea making Shea so mad? Unable to comprehend Shea's actions, Yue
knitted her brow in frustration.
But when she got a better look at Shea's expression, Yue gasped. Shea looked devastated.
Yue was sad too, of course, but Shea looked far worse. Tears were welling up in her
eyes, and though she was yelling, it was obvious Shea was more sad than angry. Yue's
words had cut deep.
Shea pulled the trigger again, a loud click echoing through the corridor. But no bullets
shot out. Shea had run out of ammo. In the silence that followed, Shea said sadly, "If
you're trying to entrust him to me, doesn't that mean you don't think you'll be around
in the future, Yue-san?"
"Shea…"
"Do you really think I'd accept a future like that? Do you really think I'd just say 'Sure,
leave it to me!?' That I'd accept that bullshit request of yours!?"
Finally, Yue understood the source of Shea's anger. Yue had thought her request had
been a way of conveying her trust in Shea. While it was true that Yue trusted Shea with
her life, the way she'd phrased her request had been all wrong. Shea loved Yue. So it
was only natural that a request predicated on Yue's death wouldn't be something Shea
wanted to hear. Even if Yue had made that request out of faith.
Shea would never accept a future where Yue died. Realizing how much she'd hurt Shea,
Yue furrowed her brows. But even so, Yue couldn't afford to take chances. What was
she, really? Why had her uncle sealed her away? So long as she didn't understand
those two things—
"I have to prepare for the worst…"
Yue would never take back her words. It was at that moment that Shea completely
snapped.
"Like I give a fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuck!"
"Ah!?"
Screaming in frustration, Shea threw herself at Yue like a human cannonball. The
sudden assault caused Yue to falter for a moment. That momentary hesitation was all
the overpowered bunny girl needed. Shea drew Drucken back, then magnified its
weight with gravity magic and strengthened herself to the utmost limit. Pouring all of
her sadness and frustration into a single blow, she swung down.
"Bwagh!?"
Yue's barrier shattered like glass, and the full force of Shea's hammer hit her square in
the chest. The air was blown out of her lungs as she was launched backward at
unbelievable speed. But Shea didn't stop there. She revolved with the force of her own
swing and continued charging toward Yue.
"You don't understand a damn thing, Yue-san!"
She wound back like a pitcher and threw Drucken at Yue.
"Ngh! Hallowed Ground!"
The barrier formed around Yue just in time to block Drucken. However, the speed Shea
had thrown it at had multiplied its destructive power. There was an explosion as
Drucken plowed through the barrier, its speed unhindered. As Yue approached the
dead-end they'd been walking toward, the wall started to dissolve. But it was
dissolving too slow for either Yue or Shea's fastball to pass through. Drucken's impact
sent out a shockwave that obliterated the nearby ice and sent Yue barreling through
the newly-formed opening. Its energy finally spent, Drucken fell to the floor. At the
same time, Yue hit the floor and slid across it. Once she stopped she got to one knee
and stared at the collapsed wall worriedly. Just then—
"Wh-What!?"
"Wh-What just happened!?"
Two confused voices called out. Specifically, Kaori and her copy. The two were locking
swords. But both of them were so surprised by the sudden intrusion that they forgot
their battle. Heedless of their surprise, Shea punched through the crumbling opening
and walked into the room. Her ears and tail were stiff. She pulled back on Drucken's
handle, and the hammer returned to her. It landed atop the handle with a satisfying
clang. Shea then swung it back and started tapping her shoulder with it.
"Let me remind you what real resolve is supposed to look like, Yue-san! You better not
underestimate this bunny girl!"
Turning to Yue, Shea thrust Drucken out in front of her. She was too mad to care about
her surroundings right now. This was the first serious fight either of them had had
with a friend since being born. Kaori and her copy watched on in confusion, their
battle all but forgotten.
Let us turn back the clock a few minutes. Like everyone else, Kaori had found herself
in an open room with an ice tree at the center and had been forced to fight her copy. A
trial of this nature, where she'd been forced to face the ugliest sides of her, had been
especially difficult considering her past. But she'd been prepared. After all, Kaori had
known better than anyone just how many cracks her heart had.
"We promised to protect Hajime-kun, but we failed. We got jealous of Yue because we
felt like we couldn't match up."
"How come we weren't special?"
"How come we were the only weak one?"
"We even threw away our original body to grow stronger, so why did he pick Shea and
not us!?"
"We were the one who was meant to be by his side! We're the one who loves him the
most!"
"We don't want to lose him! Don't take him away from us!"
The copy's words had clung to Kaori, dragging her down into a bottomless swamp.
She'd wanted to plug her ears, avert her gaze, and shout that she'd never thought any
of those things. It was as if the copy knew exactly what to say to rub salt in her mental
wounds. The pain was so unbearable Kaori had wanted to scream. To hurl insults at
her copy and call her a liar. But instead—
"Haaah!"
"Ngh."
She'd stepped forward. Unhesitant, unwavering, she'd continued to march forward.
Using her frustration to fuel her aggression, she'd slashed down with her twin blades.
Every single one of her strokes had been unbelievably accurate. So much so that the
copy had been driven back. Kaori hadn't been striking in a blind rage. She knew that
cutting down her copy would mean cutting down her own weakness, and she struck
with surgical precision. Her spirit had burned beautifully, clad in the divine body of
God's Apostle. Her silver form had clashed with the pitch-black form of her copy.
The two had danced across the battlefield, their hair splaying out behind them. Their
swords clashed endless times, sending a meteor shower of sparks through the air. The
battle had been intense. But it also had a mystical beauty to it, like an ancient shinto
dance. As time passed, Kaori grew even more adept at coping with her mental scars,
which made her power grow in turn.
"Yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!"
"Ngh, you've gotten even faster!?"
Unable to weather the onslaught, the copy jumped back. It then unleashed a beam of
black disintegration at Kaori. Kaori aligned the top of her sword with her copy and
unleashed a disintegration blast of her own. The two beams collided, sending out
ripples of annihilation. Anything the ripples touched was obliterated instantly.
"Your jealousy, your frustration, your impatience, and your inferiority complex haven't
disappeared! You're still just as ugly as before, so why are you getting stronger!?"
"Even if my feelings haven't changed, I can still grow."
Kaori's voice was surprisingly gentle. A chill ran down the copy's spine, and it glanced
over its shoulder while maintaining its beam. As it feared, Kaori had managed to create
a magic circle in midair behind it using her feathers.
"Thunderburst!"
"You can even cast spells remotely now?"
The copy unfurled its wings and shot into the air. About thirty minutes had passed
since the battle began. All throughout, Kaori had been unable to use her feathers to
create remote magic circles. But the copy had no time to process this development, as
Kaori unfurled her own silver wings and chased it down. She swung down with her
blades, and the copy raised its own to block. There was a loud metallic clang as the
four swords collided.
"I'm… not getting any stronger?"
Until now, the copy had been steadily growing in strength. With every barbed taunt,
Kaori's heart had been further wounded. But now, that had stopped happening too.
"Seeing you like this shows me just how self-centered I am," Kaori muttered back. But
she was talking more to herself than her copy.
"I was like this back in school, and even when I left Shizuku-chan to join Hajime-kun."
For two years, Kaori had been completely lacking in self-awareness. All she'd wanted
was to talk to the boy she loved, but she hadn't been able to find ways to make that
happen. And so, she'd thrown herself desperately at him, causing trouble for everyone
in the process. She knew how big a loss her leaving the party would be for Kouki and
the others. But even then, she'd been miraculously reunited with the boy she thought
had died. She couldn't stand other girls being closer to him than her, so she'd
prioritized her feelings over the good of the party.
"That's right. It's pathetic. We're so egotistical it's disgusting."
With how much the copy had already been strengthened, it was far stronger than
Kaori. It knocked her swords aside and launched a barrage of disintegration feathers
at her.
Kaori weaved her way in between the onslaught of death and said quietly, "I want to
change. I want to be kind like Yue. Strong like Shea. Wise like Tio. And cute like
Shizuku-chan."
Though they were in the middle of a fight, Kaori's quiet voice carried far. For a
moment, the copy thought Kaori was being honest about her jealousy, but a moment
later it narrowed its eyes. It could feel itself getting weaker.
Kaori turned around in midair, letting a few of the feathers strike her. However, she
avoided taking any fatal damage and flapped her wings to accelerate. She moved faster
than she ever had before, so fast she left afterimages in her wake.
She didn't just seem faster to the copy because it was getting weaker. She really was
just getting that much faster. There was a single reason for Kaori's sudden power-up.
She was finally learning how to draw out the full potential of the body she inhabited.
The long hours of training were finally beginning to pay off. Her growth, as she put it,
was more than just mental.
Kaori unleashed a barrage of lightning-fast sword swings. The copy deflected them all,
relying on its strengthened reflexes, and said with conviction, "I see… The reason I'm
growing weaker even though you haven't found a way to dissolve your negative
feelings is because you're moving forward despite knowing you hold this darkness in
your heart. Even before this trial began, you were already beginning to grow."
Kaori struck relentlessly, her swords trailing silver arcs through the air. Her peerless
swordsmanship was now truly at the level Noint's had been. Though it was only by a
factor of milliseconds, the copy was now slower.
Kaori's swords began grazing the copy, inflicting numerous superficial wounds.
Feeling a sense of accomplishment, she said, "It's true, I was jealous of Shea. But at the
same time, I was happy!"
When Kaori had seen Hajime accept Shea, she'd been jealous, sure. But she'd also been
happy that one of her friends had had her wish granted.
"Yue really pisses me off. But at the same time, I want her around!"
Kaori would never again let her feelings of inferiority get in her way. She'd overcome
those back in the Sunken Ruins of Melusine.
"I even managed to realize how Shizuku-chan feels!"
Kaori was still as reckless and straightforward as before, but she was at least more
aware of her surroundings now. Rather than wallow in jealousy and hate, she had
chosen to focus on bettering herself. Kaori had been facing her own negative emotions
long before she'd reached this trial. Which was why—
"I'm scared of the ugliness inside of me. But I won't turn away from it!"
Kaori cast one of her evolution magic spells, Limiter Removal. In doing so, she was
able to simulate the Limit Break spell Noint had been capable of using. Clad in silver
mana, Kaori shot forward at unprecedented speed. She had in every way become
Noint's equal in terms of strength.
"I'll never lose to myself! I'm going to protect the people I want to protect, and go back
home to Japan with everyone!"
"It seems there's no need for words anymore. It looks like I won't be getting any
stronger."
The copy smiled as one of Kaori's swords sent it flying. Despite transferring bodies,
Kaori was still undoubtedly human in the way she'd grown. The copy landed
unsteadily on the ground, and Kaori alighted across from it. The two stared at each
other silently for a few seconds.
"This is the end. Here I come!"
"Very well. Show me everything you've got! Prove you have what it takes to cut down
our weakness!"
Two shooting stars shot toward each other, one silver one black. They clashed in the
center of the room, right next to the ice tree. Shockwaves spread outwards from their
swords, and eddies of mana swirled around them.
The two of them were evenly matched, but only for a moment. Soon enough, Kaori's
swords started pushing the copy back. Like sunlight banishing away darkness, her
silver mana began to erode her copy's black mana. Kaori and her copy looked into each
other's eyes, their faces inches apart.
Kaori's eyes burned with a fierce determination, while her copy's were dark and silent,
like the sky on a new moon. Smiling faintly, the copy closed its eyes and resigned itself
to its fate. It almost looked as though it was bathing in the light of Kaori's mana. But
just before Kaori could deal the finishing blow, a section of the wall crumbled away.
There was a thunderous boom, and a familiar blonde girl rolled into the room.
"Wh-What!?"
"Wh-What just happened!?"
Kaori and her copy looked over in confusion. When Kaori realized the blonde girl on
the floor was Yue and following in after her was Shea, she initially breathed a sigh of
relief. But then she realized that Yue was sweating and her expression strained while
Shea looked downright menacing. Confused once more, Kaori tried to puzzle out the
situation. Before she could, though—
"Let me remind you what real resolve is supposed to look like, Yue-san! You better not
underestimate this bunny girl!"
Kaori's jaw dropped open in shock as she watched Shea point Drucken toward Yue.
She had never seen Shea this angry before, and she had no clue what was going on.
Moments ago, she'd been about to finish the epic showdown between her and her
copy, completing her somewhat traditional, but nevertheless significant personal
growth arc. But now Yue and Shea had butt in with a showdown of their own, and
Kaori suddenly felt left out.
The copy, being a product of the labyrinth, already knew that Shea and Yue had cleared
their trials. However, it still had no idea why two allies were fighting amongst each
other. To it, it seemed as though Yue and Shea were in a battle to the death. Their
swords still locked, Kaori and her copy stared at each other. They came to some kind
of understanding and nodded to each other. Kaori then turned to her two friends,
steeling herself.
"U-Umm, Yue? Shea? What are you—"
"Shea… Listen. My memories aren't—"
"Shut the fuck up! I don't care what reason you have! The Yue-san I know and love
would never act so timid! She'd never give up her position as the only person special
to Hajime-san! What do you mean, 'You have to prepare for the worst!?' You damn
coward!"
Yue's expression stiffened. She'd never expected to hear venomous insults from Shea,
the one member of the party who treated everyone with kindness. Meanwhile, Kaori
was beginning to tear up. Yue and Shea were ignoring her completely. Her copy drew
its swords back and gently patted her on the shoulder. Though it was a product of the
labyrinth, even it couldn't help but sympathize with her plight.
"The reason I was sealed away wasn't what I thought it was…"
However, Yue didn't know what that reason was anymore, which was why she wanted
to be ready, just in case. And the only one she could count on was Shea, the person she
trusted most.
Why can't you understand how I feel!? No matter how earnest Yue's pleas were, though,
Shea wasn't going to listen.
"Like I care!" Shea rejected Yue's explanation without hesitation. She didn't care what
kind of shocking truths Yue had discovered. She would never accept a future without
Yue in it. Nor would she accept anything Yue had to say so long as Yue didn't believe
she had a future.
Why can't you understand how I feel!? Shea's sadness and frustration at Yue's
stubbornness turned into anger.
"If someone stands in our way, we slaughter them and keep going forward! That's been
our motto this whole time, hasn't it!? So what the hell is this preparing for the worst
crap!? You stupid midget vampire!" Shea was so worked up she was just hurling insults
at random now.
"M-M-M-Midget? Fufufufu, now you've done it…"
This time, it was Yue's turn to snap. Any sympathy she might have had for Shea's
feelings vanished. Her eyes glinted with a fierce light. She'd tried playing nice, and it
had just made Shea cocky. Shea saw the anger in Yue's eyes and scoffed. She puffed her
chest out, showing off the difference between her and Yue's assets. She was clearly
trying to provoke Yue.
Thunder rumbled as Yue started the process of summoning her lighting dragon. She
looked absolutely murderous. The battlefield suddenly got a lot more dangerous.
Kaori and her copy both brought their hands to their mouths and watched on in
trepidation.
Lightning struck the ground behind Yue as she muttered, "This is your last chance to
take that back, you worthless rabbit."
Shea calmly replied, "That's my line, you old midget."
There was no turning back now. Yue and Shea glared at each other, their lips twitching.
Both of them were furious.
Kaori timidly butt in, "U-Umm, you two? Could you calm down for a second? I don't
know what happened, but—"
"Looks like you need to be reminded just which of us is stronger. I'll turn you into
roasted rabbit!"
"Hmph, I'm not worried about a cowardly midget like you! I'll beat you for sure this
time!"
Yue and Shea ignored Kaori's attempts to mediate. This was going to be their first
serious battle since they'd met. Yue's thunder dragon shot forward with a roar,
signaling the start of the fight. It bore down on Shea, intent on frying her to a crisp.
Shea responded by shooting forward with explosive force. She swung Drucken
sideways, the shockwaves from the blow powerful enough to interfere with the
dragon's gravity field. Without the gravity to hold it together, its lightning shot out
randomly. Hair billowing behind her, Kaori watched the two of them fight with glazed
eyes.
"Oh yeah… Those two are best friends. Of course they'd ignore me. Well… I guess I
really am useless after all…"
"H-Huh!? My power's returning!? Get ahold of yourself, you stupid woman!"
"See, I knew it… I'm just a stupid failure…"
"Wait, no, I didn't mean that! You're not stupid at all! Those two are just so into their
fight that they're not paying attention to you! It's not because you're easily ignorable
or anything!"
"I knew it… It's like I don't exist to them…"
"Ah, I'm getting stronger again!?"
Kaori was so pitiful that the copy, a part of the labyrinth's trial, was trying to console
her. A sight like this had never been seen before, and likely would never be seen again.
Yue and Shea's fight grew even more vicious, their concentration focused solely on
each other.
"I'm gonna make you eat your words, you fucking perverted vampire!"
"Like you're one to talk, you exhibitionist rabbit!"
"Who're you calling an exhibitionist!? You're the one who keeps jumping Hajime-san
in public!"
"Are you saying I'm just like Tio!? I'm gonna make you piss your pants again, you leaky
rabbit!"
"What!? That was ages ago! I should've known you'd get petty in your old age, you
hag!"
"Fuck you! I'm gonna kill you, Shea! I'm gonna flatten those stupid bags of fat of yours
with gravity magic!"
"H-How could you!? I'm going to protect Hajime-san's favorite boobs with my life!"
Or rather, Yue and Shea's fight was growing even more petty, not vicious.
Of course, all the while they were battling at a level mere mortals could barely even
comprehend. Yue would fire off thousands of bolts of magic, which Shea would reflect
back or destroy outright with a single swing of her hammer. And yet, the pettier the
insults became, the less tense the fight got.
"Sorry, but Hajime isn't interested in big blobs of fat! He's an ass man! More
specifically, he likes my ass!"
"You're delusional. Hajime-san loves my boobs! He was playing with them all night last
time! It's proof I'm better at you at fighting and sex! Pah!"
They'd devolved into discussing Hajime's fetishes. Had Hajime been present for this,
he probably would have been weeping in the corner with Kaori. Furthermore, Shea
seemed to be channeling her inner Miledi. Her taunts were both annoying and onpoint, making Yue angrier and angrier.
"I'm the one who taught you everything there is to know about sex. I'm responsible
for your growth. I know everything you do! I'll prove that no disciple of mine can
surpass me!"
"Bring it on! Disciples always overcome their masters one day! I'll beat you both at
fighting and fucking right here, right now!"
A veil of pale blue light surrounded Drucken. Shea swung it faster than the speed of
sound, crashing the hammer face into Yue's lightning dragon. It blew apart in a burst
of sparks, but then a second one appeared on her flank. It sped forward at tremendous
speed, maw wide open.
Yue had chosen the perfect timing to strike. Shea had just finished a huge swing,
meaning she inevitably had to show a momentary opening. However, Shea reacted
instantly, dropping to the ground even as she was turning a full 180 degrees. The
thunder dragon's jaws closed on empty air, inches above Shea's bunny ears. Shea then
used the recoil from firing Drucken to slide underneath the dragon and used a single
finger to flip herself up into the air. She landed feet-first onto the ground and launched
herself at Yue.
"I'll beat you to a pulp!"
"Weak! Just like your love for Hajime!"
Yue blocked Shea's supersonic hammer smash with a spatial magic barrier. Shockwaves
spread out in every direction, pulverizing the surrounding ice. A moment later, Yue
dexterously counterattacked. She hit Shea with a space-severing strike that would
turn normal humans into mincemeat.
The air creaked as it was ripped apart, and the nearby walls and ceiling disintegrated.
However, Shea just—
"Secret technique— Grin and bear it!"
Withstood the attack. With her body. She was, of course, using evolution magic and
strengthening magic to raise her endurance to the limit, but even Yue hadn't expected
her spell to do no damage at all. In fact, she'd been hoping the attack would have given
Shea a concussion, ending the fight.
"Pathetic, Yue-san! If this is all you've got then you can't stop meeeeeeeeeeee!"
"You damned overpowered rabbit!"
There was a quiver of fear in Yue's voice. She couldn't believe how tough Shea was.
Panicking slightly, Yue retreated in the face of Shea's charge. At the same time, she
gathered all of her mana.
There was a loud boom, and chunks of ice were blown off the floor and walls. Flames
scorched the air, while lightning blasted through the ice. Another explosion pounded
at everyone's eardrums, and ripples of mana spread out across the room. The severity
of the damage to the environment showed just how serious these two were.
However—
"Yue-san, you umm… jerkface!"
"Shea you… big dummy!"
Their insults were growing even more childish. It seemed they'd run out of good ones.
Kaori and her copy watched with empty eyes as Yue and Shea called each other gradeschooler names while having an epic battle the likes of which history had never seen.
They were both sitting in a corner of the room, hugging their knees. Even though this
was meant to be the room for her trial, Kaori had become just a spectator. She'd been
seconds away from completing her trial, but now she was watching Yue and Shea
insult each other. Kaori's despair was understandable.
Her copy slowly got to its feet and said resolutely, "I'm going."
It looked surprisingly gallant. In fact, it was hard to believe it was composed only of
negative emotions. It seemed more like a brave warrior heading off to die. Kaori's eyes
widened in surprise.
"Are you going to try and stop them!? You can't, you'll die!"
It was far too reckless to try. The battlefield occupied by the overpowered rabbit and
broken vampire was undoubtedly a field of death. The moment anyone stepped
between them, they would perish. However, the copy's resolute expression didn't
change.
"I am a trial of this labyrinth. I cannot allow others to interfere with my, with your trial.
This is my pride as an offshoot of the labyrinth."
I will do this. For my sake, and for yours. Seeing the copy's smile, Kaori was at a loss for
words. She knew full well the copy stood no chance at stopping Yue and Shea's battle.
Something even deeper than friendship was connecting the two, driving them to fight.
It was possible they'd just both gone crazy.
But even so, Kaori smiled. She got to her feet and looked her copy in the eyes.
"Come back safe and sound. I'll be waiting for you!"
"Fufu, guess I've got no choice but to come back now."
Kaori looked like a loyal wife watching her husband go off to war. The scene between
the two of them would have been a perfect fit in a movie. If Kaori and her copy weren't
so mentally drained, they probably would have cared more about how absurd this
situation was. The copy reluctantly turned away from Kaori, then stared at the field of
death, destruction, and petty insults.
"Kaori Shirasaki's copy, now sortieing!"
"Please stay safe!"
The copy charged forward without hesitation, just like the original would have. But
second later—
"Outta my way!"
"Kyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!?"
It was flying through the air. The copy traced a perfect arc through the sky.
"M-My faaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaake!"
"Ngh, I-I'm fine! I can still keep going! I'll stop them, so just watch!"
The copy flipped in midair during the peak of its arc and spread its black wings to
steady itself. Its hair and clothes were singed, but its resolve was unscathed. Then, it
raised its twin blades and faced the battlefield with the courage of a hero. In fact, it
seemed to be enjoying playing the role of the tragic martyr. That made sense,
considering it was a copy of Kaori.
The copy glared at Yue and Shea and shouted in a voice loud enough to shake the
heavens, "Cut it out, you two! This is our battlefield! Stop disturbing the trial!"
Two simultaneous explosions and a barrage of insults flew between Yue and Shea as
they ignored the copy completely. Both of them were focused only on each other.
They'd attacked Kaori's copy on reflex, registering it as nothing more than another
obstacle. Annoyed at being ignored twice in a row, the copy snapped.
"Y-You bastards! Fine, I'll make it so you can't ignore me!"
Veins bulging in her forehead, Kaori's copy flapped its wings. Moving faster than the
eye could follow, it dropped right in between Yue and Shea. As it landed, it swapped
out the grip on its blades. It held its swords in front of it, flat sides facing outward. The
copy was planning to knock Shea and Yue out simultaneously with the flat of its blades.
Its first target was Shea, who was currently being petrified by Yue's stone dragon's
breath. Using gravity to accelerate its strike, the copy slashed down at Shea.
"I've got you now! Accept your punishment!"
But just before the copy's blade hit Shea—
"Hmph!"
Shea broke free from the petrification. It seemed she'd used evolution magic and
restoration magic to halt the petrification's progress. After which sheer force of will
had been enough for her to shatter the thin layer of stone that had formed over her
skin. The copy didn't even have time to be impressed. As Shea broke free, she grabbed
hold of the copy's blade with just one hand, avoiding getting cut by grabbing the blade
between her fingers. Not only that, she'd grabbed it from the side, since Kaori's copy
had intended to strike with the flat of the blade.
"You've gotta be kidding me!"
The copy was utterly nonplussed. Meanwhile, Shea was still completely focused on
Yue. She yanked the copy's blade backward, like a pitcher. Then, with perfect form, she
threw it right at Yue.
"Take this!"
Her throw was so perfect it could be called art. Naturally, Kaori's copy was still holding
onto the blade.
"Haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!"
She shot toward Yue like a black meteor. Despite her screams though, Yue only had
eyes for Shea.
"Swallow it whole, Overcharged Draconic Thunder!"
A lightning dragon many times the size of Yue's previous ones descended from the sky.
It opened its jaws wide, ready to catch Kaori's copy.
"Eeek!?"
The copy squealed and desperately wrapped itself in its wings, activating its
disintegration abilities. Yue's oversized lightning dragon swallowed it whole.
However, a second later, Kaori's copy shot out of its back. It had used its wings'
disintegration powers to open a hole in the dragon. A second later, Shea dashed
through the same hole. She'd charged forward the moment she'd finished throwing
Kaori's copy. It seemed she'd planned to use the copy as a meat shield all along.
On the other hand, Yue blocked the path in front of her by deploying multiple
Heavensfalls. She was planning to push Shea back with the power of gravity.
"Hwaaaaaaaaah!?"
As a result, though, the copy was sucked into the gravitational field and slid across the
ground toward the floating spheres. One couldn't help but pity it. Had Shizuku been
present, she would probably have gone off on Shea and Yue for hurting her best friend,
even knowing it was just a copy of Kaori. And the copy writhed on the floor, struggling
to get up against. The moment it finally managed to raise its head—
"Mmmph!?"
Shea jumped on its face, sending it crashing back to the ground again. Without even a
backward glance at what she'd stepped on, Shea swung Drucken at Yue. While Yue
managed to avoid the impact by falling backward and erecting a barrier, the copy
wasn't so lucky. Shea's swing hit the ground, and the resulting shockwaves sent the
copy flying. Slivers of ice glimmered all around it, as did a few droplets of water. It
seemed the copy had begun crying.
The fight built up toward its climax, the combatants unaware of the poor victim they'd
tormented. Both Yue and Shea's clothes were a mess, and while their respective magic
had kept both of them unscathed, they were both panting. Their mana was almost
gone. It was obvious both of them were nearing their limits. But they were both too
stubborn to pull out their magic accessories to replenish their mana.
"Yue-san…"
"Shea…"
Yue summoned her five elemental dragons while Shea readied her ball and chain.
Waves of golden mana flooded the room while a tornado of pale blue mana rose up to
heavens. The air crackled as their mana collided. Realizing this would be their final
clash, both of them exchanged glances. Standing between them was a stumbling Kaori
copy, but neither of them paid any attention to it.
"Run away, my fake! Get out of there!"
"Fweh?"
Kaori had her hands cupped around her mouth and was screaming at her copy to flee.
But the copy's reactions dulled. It seemed it still hadn't fully recovered from that
earlier barrage of attacks, meaning it was in no shape to escape from this final clash.
"You don't understand a damn thing!" Shea shouted.
"You're so stubborn!" Yue replied.
Yue unleashed all five of her dragons, focusing their destructive energies on a single
point. In retaliation, Shea swung with all her might at her metal ball. She sent it flying
at maximum power toward the dragon onslaught. The respective pinnacles of magical
and physical destructive power clashed in the center of the room. Unbelievably
powerful shockwaves rippled outward, destroying everything in their path.
"Ah!?"
The copy barely even had time to scream before it was hit. The shockwaves sent it
flying toward Kaori, white smoke trailing behind it. It bounced across the ground a
few times, then rolled to a halt at her feet. Smoke was still rising from its body, and it
wasn't moving at all.
Kaori covered her mouth and whispered, "H-How horrible…"
The copy's face twitched.
"I'm sorry. I couldn't defeat them."
It seemed the copy was still alive, though only barely. Kaori swept it up in her arms
and hugged it tightly.
"Don't talk! If you waste too much energy, you'll die! You've worked hard enough! Just
rest!"
"You know…"
The two of them were talking to each other as if they were lovers, but they were
ostensibly the same person. Of course, the copy was being guided by the labyrinth, but
their emotions and personality were fundamentally the same.
Unfortunately, their reunion was cut short by an ominous rumbling above them. The
ceiling had been so badly damaged by Yue and Shea's fight that it was threatening to
collapse on top of them. Seeing the cracks directly above it, the copy shouted, "Run! I'll
be fine!"
"No way! I can't leave you behind!"
Both of them were spouting lines that would fit right in with a soap opera.
Too weak to move, the copy implored Kaori to run away on her own. But Kaori refused
to leave her behind. Of course, this all could have been solved had Kaori picked the
copy up and taken it with her, but such an aesthetically displeasing solution didn't
occur to either of them.
"I am nothing more than your copy. A shadow. It is my destiny to die here."
The copy smiled faintly. Kaori hesitated for a moment, then steeled her resolve.
"I guess you're right. Take this!"
With a cute yell, Kaori thrust her blade into the copy's chest.
"Wha? Why?"
Kaori looked away awkwardly and replied, "I-I mean, if you died to something that
wasn't me, the labyrinth wouldn't recognize me as someone who'd cleared it so… my
only choice was to kill you before you died."
Kaori was absolutely correct. But that then begged the question of why she'd bothered
to have that dramatic exchange with her copy moments before.
Looking back on it though, all of Kaori's entreaties could be interpreted as her not
wanting her copy to die so that she could be the one to defeat it. Of course, Kaori
wouldn't admit that to her copy now that it was beginning to disappear. The copy,
however, guessed everything and its eyes glazed over.
"Fufufu, looks like we've grown stronger than I thought. I'm happy you've matured
this much, but this really isn't the way I was hoping to go out…"
Looking up, the copy noticed the labyrinth's self-restoring properties were fixing the
ceiling already. That was hardly surprising; the labyrinth had been doing that ever
since the party entered. Realizing that even its final sacrifice had been a waste, the
copy slumped its head. Tears spilled from its eyes as it vanished into mist.
"Victory has never felt so hollow…"
Had anyone been listening to Kaori, they would likely have retorted "Like you have
any right to say that." The pure Kaori who had first come to Tortus was long gone.
She'd been poisoned by Hajime's philosophy now. Meanwhile, Yue and Shea's battle
had finally drawn to a close.
"Cough…"
"Wheeze…"
Both of them were lying on the ice, panting. They were so drained of mana they
couldn't even stand. Silence filled the space between them as they searched for the
right words to say. After a few minutes, the first one to finally speak was Shea.
"Please don't say such sad things anymore."
"...…"
"If you're worried something's coming for you, let's beat it up together."
"...…"
"It doesn't matter what we're up against, it doesn't matter how bad the odds are, as
long as we're together, we'll never lose. I'm sure of it."
Shea was surprisingly eloquent for someone completely out of breath. Yue listened
quietly, her breathing slowly steadying.
"You and Hajime-san are the ones who taught me that. So no matter what you say, I'll
never accept your request. Not as long as you're so scared you've given up on your
own future, Yue-san."
It was precisely because Shea could see the future that she would never allow Yue to
act so defeatist. Especially since Yue was the one who stood by the side of the one man
who never gave up no matter what destiny threw at him.
"Don't entrust your future to me! Let me help you! Instead of asking me to take care of
Hajime-san, ask me to fight together with you!"
Those who fought along Hajime had no need for weak-willed sentiments like selfsacrifice. If whatever was after Yue was powerful enough to destroy everyone's future,
they'd still fight it together. After all, they'd resolved to share their fates. And Yue
should have known that best of all.
"I'll never agree to your shitty request, no matter what. How could I?"
"Shea…"
Tears spilled from Shea's eyes as her sadness finally overwhelmed her anger. She'd
hoped to beat Yue in a fight, and thus prove she was strong enough to protect her. That
way, Yue would have stopped acting so weak. That was what Shea had thought. But in
the end, her master had proven too tough to defeat.
Shea had failed to win, and she was just as frustrated at her own weakness as she was
at Yue. The thought that Yue might die because she wasn't strong enough was
unbearable. At the same time though, she couldn't stand how defeatist Yue was being.
She'd kept her emotions somewhat in check during the fight, but now they were
spilling over.
As Shea bawled her eyes out, Yue gingerly lifted her head off the ground and stared at
her best friend. Though Yue had expended every last drop of mana and was utterly
exhausted, her mind felt as cool and clear as a sunny winter morning. The haze of
unease that had wrapped itself around her had vanished.
"The future is something we always have the power to change." That had been one of
the first things Shea had said to Yue and Hajime. Furthermore—
"We'll beat down anyone who stands against us and bust our way out of this shitty
world." She'd made that promise with Hajime.
Yeah, you're right. Yue sighed to herself. She wanted to just crawl in a hole and hide.
She couldn't believe she'd shown such a pathetic side of herself to Shea.
Resolve, huh…? Shea was right. Yue had resolved to fight back when she'd escaped the
abyss. What meaning was there in resolving to do anything else? Yue wanted to slap
herself, but Shea had already done a good job of that.
Right now, what she needed to do was something else. She replenished her mana using
one of her accessories and struggled to her knees. She then crawled over to Shea.
Putting Shea's head on her lap, she gently wiped away her tears and snot.
"Shea, I'm sorry."
"Yue-san?"
Shea looked blankly up at Yue.
"You're right. It doesn't matter what happened in the past, or who I really am. I want
to be together with you and Hajime. And if something stands in the way of that, we'll
blast it to pieces. Isn't that right?"
"Y-Yeah, that's right."
"Mmm… Even if something does happen to me, I'm sure you and Hajime will save me.
So there's nothing to worry about."
"Isn't that obvious? Waaaaaaaaah."
"Mmm… I'm sorry for asking such a horrible thing from you. Can you forgive me?"
"Of course! But don't you ever ask for something like that again! Promise me!"
"Mmm… I promise."
Shea dragged herself up into a sitting position and hugged Yue. Savoring the warmth
of her best friend's embrace, Yue hugged her back. The two of them stayed like that
for a few minutes. It felt as though the air in the room had gotten warmer. This was
the first time in both of their lives that they'd fought with a friend. Fortunately, their
fight had only served to strengthen their bonds. As the saying went, what hadn't killed
them only made them stronger.
However, they had completely forgotten about the one casualty of their fight. Kaori
approached the pair, her footsteps breaking the silence. In a low growl, she said, "Good
for you. I have no idea what you two were fighting about, but it looks like you worked
it out."
"Hm?"
Still hugging each other, Yue and Shea turned blankly to Kaori. She was smiling, but
that smile didn't reach her eyes.
"Fufufu, you look confused. I guess you didn't even realize I was here. That's fine, I
don't mind. Not at all. You were busy fighting each other, right? You didn't even notice
you beat up my copy while I was in the middle of my trial. That's fine, I guess I'm just
easy to ignore! Fufufufufu!"
Yue and Shea exchanged glances. Then suddenly, they remembered. Come to think of
it, didn't I throw something in the middle of that fight? And then blow it up with my
hammer?
Shea and Yue broke out in a cold sweat. They glanced back at Kaori, then quickly
averted their gazes. Guilt colored their expressions. With all the caution of a bomb
disposal expert, Shea said, "Ah, umm, Kaori-san? D-Don't you think you should calm
down a little?"
"Ahahaha, that's a good one, Shea. I'm as calm as calm can be."
Shea shrunk back and passed the baton on to Yue.
"K-Kaori… Umm, did you manage to clear your trial?"
"Hmmm? Oh, I beat my fake alright. Killed it with my own two hands."
Yue and Shea breathed sighs of relief. They would have felt horrible if they'd
accidentally destroyed Kaori's trial for her. However, Kaori's next words wiped away
any sense of security they had.
"Yep, I killed it… after you two had beaten it to a pulp."
"...…"
"That still counts as a clear, right? The labyrinth won't say it doesn't count because you
two beat it up first, right? What do you think?"
Yue and Shea once again broke out in a cold sweat. Kaori crouched down next to them,
her grinning face inches from theirs. Neither of them could look her in the eye. Despite
her docile posture, there was a deep darkness in Kaori's eyes. Frankly, she was
terrifying.
Unable to withstand the silent pressure coming off from Kaori, and wanting to protect
her friend, Yue pointedly turned away from Kaori and said in a purposely provocative
tone, "Then you should have just healed your copy and started over."
Kaori's smile grew deeper and even more terrifying. She'd truly lost it now.
"What did you just say, Yue?"
"It's not my fault. You're the one who killed it instead of healing it."
Panicking, Shea hurriedly said, "Y-Yue-san, that's going a bit overboard! We're the ones
in the wrong here! Hurry up and apologize!"
Much to Shea's chagrin though, Yue just harrumphed and doubled down. Timidly, Shea
looked over at Kaori. Seeing her expression, Shea hurriedly tried to apologize.
"U-Umm, Kaori-san! I'm really—"
Before she could, though, Kaori got to her feet. The only thing she was paying attention
to was Yue.
"Fufu. That's a funny joke, Yue. You barged into my room, messed up my fight, and
that's what you have to say? How about we deepen our friendship too, huh Yue?"
Kaori drew her twin blades, a murderous glint in her eyes.
Still avoiding Kaori's gaze, Yue said, "F-Fine, bring it, you bitch!"
She dropped into some strange karate stance. Yue's stubbornness increased tenfold
whenever it came to Kaori. Likewise, Kaori had no qualms about going all out when it
came to Yue.
"Fufufufu. You're on, bitch!"
And so, round two of the best friend fights began. The room had just finished repairing
itself, but it was once again ruthlessly destroyed.
"Y-Yue-san! Kaori-san! I know I'm not one to talk, but you really shouldn't be fighting!
Calm down!"
This time, it was Shea's turn to act as mediator. No one even noticed that part of the
wall had crumbled away, revealing the path forward.