Kuro's Teleportation Magic brought me to the Hero's Hill, the place where we teleported to earlier today.
Standing in front of the huge stone monument that was once said to be left behind by Neun-san, Kuro turned to me and spoke with a gentle smile on her lips.
[Kaito-kun... Thank you so much.]
[Ahh... Well, I'm glad that Kuro and Dr. Vier were able to reconcile with each other.]
I immediately understood that the words of gratitude she said to me were referring to Dr. Vier's matter.
[Unnn. If you hadn't made your move, Kaito-kun... I don't think Vier and I would ever have a chance of reconciling... Perhaps, we'd never have made up if you hadn't made your move.]
[.....]
[I'm really glad... I could feel happiness from the bottom of my heart. As I thought, Kaito-kun really is amazing. I'm so happy that I've met you and became your lover... Once again, thank you.]
...How strange. Because of this matter, I've been through a lot and am extremely tired.
But seeing Kuro's smile, I felt like all that tiredness I felt was worth it.
In the end, the reason why I had moved around that much... I understood that there was no difficult logic to it, for all I wanted was to see Kuro's smile.
Kuro smiled like that for a few moments before she reached out a hand towards the night sky.
[...Kuro?]
[Wait for a bit, okay?]
As she said this, powerful magic power that seemed to shake the air was released from Kuro's body.
[...Twilight of the Stars, Memory of the World, Afterglow of the Distant Day... "Planet Memory".]
[Eh? Wha!?]
As Kuro calmly spoke those words, in that moment, the scenery in my eyes drastically changed.
The night sky, which was supposed to be slightly cloudy, suddenly turned into a starry sky... C- Could this be what Kuro was doing earlier? She... changed the weather?
[...This is the "Starry Skies of a Thousand Years Ago".]
[A- A thousand years ago?]
[Unnn. I'll just slightly mess with the world for a little while.]
She's just nonchalantly saying that, but that sounds like a really big deal... In other words, what she's saying is that she had rewound the time of the sky back to a thousand years ago...
In front of the astonished me, Kuro continued to speak while staring at the huge stone monument.
[A thousand years ago, under this starry sky... I had presented Neun... No, Hikari-chan with a choice.]
[A choice? To Neun-san?]
[Unnn. I had her pick a choice between "going back to her previous world" or "staying in this world".]
As I recall, Lilia-san told me that the stone monument and the Japanese katana here were endowed with a very powerful State Preservation Magic.
And the words she said just now... It's just a guess, but I think it was Kuro who casted that magic... However, why was she telling me this story after making the same starry sky that was present thousand years ago?
As soon as this question came into my mind, Kuro looked away from the stone monument and gazed at me.
[...The truth is that, if I had wanted to, I could have "sent Kaito-kun back to your previous world" without having to wait a year.]
[...U- Unnn.]
That isn't anything surprising. Kuro is Shiro-san... The God of Creation's half-body, so her power is comparable to that of the almost omnipotent Shiro-san.
It wouldn't be strange if they were able to send me back to my world. However, the questions in my mind just increased.... Why is she talking about this now?
[...Kaito-kun. I told you that I wouldn't ask you about this until after the Festival of Heroes, didn't I? I said I would respect your choice...]
[U- Unnn.]
[...However, can I be... a little selfish?]
[Ehh?]
I haven't told Kuro what I'm going to do after the Festival of Heroes ends.
No, I tried to tell her. But Kuro didn't want to hear it, saying that I could tell her about it after the festival was over.
It doesn't matter what choice I make. After she told me that she would respect my choice... The topic was never brought up again.
But now, after mentioning the question that she would ask after the Festival of Heroes ended, Kuro stepped forward, moving closer to me.
Then, hugging me with her small body, she spoke.
[...Kaito-kun. Please don't go back to your previous world... From now and forever... I want to stay in this world that I love, together with my beloved Kaito-kun. That's why, in this world... I want you to stay by my side.]
[...Kuro.]
She's a kind girl. She doesn't want to make me feel like she's narrowing down my options, so I didn't dare mention my choice until now.
But now, Kuro had made it clear to me that she doesn't want me to go back to my world... To be honest, I couldn't help but feel happy.
Gently hugging Kuro's body back, I spoke as gently as I could to reassure her.
[...Kuro, I've actually made a request to Shiro-san.]
[...You did?]
[Unnn... I asked her to allow me one chance to "say goodbye" to the people who took care of me in my world.]
The request I made to Shiro-san... It was a request to let me say goodbye to my uncle and aunt who had taken care of me, whether it's by letter or through other means.
In response, Shiro-san agreed to let me "return to my original world for some time, before returning back to this world"... Well, that's apparently something she would grant if I pass some kind of final ordeal...
[K- Kaito-kun... Does that mean...]
[Unnn. I'm not going anywhere... I'm also going to live in this world... standing beside Kuro.]
[Kaito-kun...]
[Kuro... Errr, ummm... "I love you".]
[!? Kaito-kun!?]
I was feeling embarrassed, but I somehow managed to express my feelings... To which, Kuro hugged me tightly.
[I love you too! Kaito-kun, I love you... I'm happy, I'm so happy.]
[Ahahaha... It somehow feels embarrassing though.]
Kuro tightly clung on my body... Not wanting to let her loving warmth escape, I tightened my embrace.
Still hugging my body, Kuro looked up and smiled, looking really happy from the bottom of her heart.
[...Hey, Kaito-kun.]
[Unnn?]
[...I want to kiss.]
[Unnn, me too...]
Under the light of the stars shining upon our bodies, Kuro's face and mine came closer together... until the distance between us finally became zero.
Dear Mom, Dad———– Under the star-filled sky, I told Kuro of my choice, just as Neun-san had done in this place in the past. It's not that I don't have any lingering regrets in my previous world. However, I've already made up my mind. Even after the Festival of Heroes ends———– I'm going to live in this world.