Time had advanced in the Eastern Capital thanks to Komari's Core Implosion.
Plants grew all over the place, giving a new meaning to the nickname the "City of Flowers."
An Immortal poet described the situation thus: "Land outlasts kings." Yes, there was a tinge of desolation in this panorama of nature, but the people went on with their lives without much grieving.
After all, the terrorist was gone. A new Goddess had been appointed, and the villain putting the Heavenly Paradise in danger had been dealt with.
Perhaps Karla's Core Implosion could have brought the Eastern Capital back to its previous state, but she wasn't keen on using her power indiscriminately. There was much she yet did not understand about Waving Moment. Its use could come at a price, so she thought it best not to use it on such a large scale.
But she wouldn't hesitate to wield it if need be. No cost was too high to save her loved ones.
"Grandmother…you're awake."
Karla's eyes welled up as she smiled at her grandmother. The latter opened her eyes wide in shock. She looked down at herself, then at her surroundings, and finally at Karla. She understood everything and sighed.
They were at an infirmary in the Eastern Capital. Her grandmother had yet to awaken, so Karla used Waving Moment, returning her to the state right before she was attacked. Back to that night when she saw the fireworks with Komari. Her condition visibly improved as she went back in time, until she finally opened her eyes as though nothing had happened.
"Did you use Core Implosion?"
"Yes. You were showing no sign of recovery, so I was worried…"
"I would've healed eventually. Hell's Windmill won't go down that easy."
"Of course…but I am glad to see you well now."
Karla was almost—no, already crying. The doctors had said her grandmother would have never recover from that state. Thank goodness she could bring her back.
Karla sighed in relief as she sat down before her grandmother, who shot her a sidelong glance with the same sharp glare as ever.
"…I get the gist of what's going on. You're aware of your duties now, aren't you?"
"No, I wouldn't go so far as to say that. But I am thinking of doing my best in what I can. Anyway…are you really okay? Does anything hurt?"
Karla started tapping her grandma all over to confirm she was fine. Her grandmother was annoyed, but she allowed her granddaughter to do as she pleased…until she got fed up. "Enough already!" she yelled at her, and Karla pulled away. This conversely put her more at ease—her grandmother was clearly back to her usual self.
Karla explained what happened, since her grandmother was curious about it. She told her about Fuyao Meteorite being a member of Inverse Moon, about her fighting alongside Terakomari Gandesblood, about how they used Core Implosion to defeat her. Her grandmother listened to it all in silence, onlyo ccasionally humming in comprehension.
After the explanation ended, she grabbed Karla's arm all of a sudden.
"…You're a bit sturdier now."
"S-sturdier? Is that a compliment…?"
"I wonder. Your arms and legs are thicker, too. Have you been eating too many snacks?"
"Whaaa?! Stop groping me!"
She jumped back on reflex.
"I'm kidding." Her grandmother grinned.
Her grandmother could tell jokes? Incredible. The childhood trauma had her thinking the lady was about to rip her arm off.
"G-geez. And here I am worrying so much about you."
"Sorry. But it's true that you've gotten stronger."
Karla looked at her, dumbfounded. Her expression was surprisingly peaceful.
"U-um, so, you seem to be doing fine physically, but, um, are you all right in the head? Oh, I don't mean that in a bad way! I'm just wondering if rewinding time has some sort of adverse effect on the mind…"
"Enough about me. I'm fine. I'm more surprised about you being able to use Core Implosion. Or, I guess I shouldn't be. The Goddess always said this would happen."
"Wha…?"
"Core Implosion reflects the strength of your spirit. Take pride in the fact you can use it now. It means that you've found your resolve." Her grandmother looked away from her as she spoke.
Karla clenched her fist, mustering up her courage. She had found her resolve, yes. After getting backup from Komari, competing in the Heavenly Ball, and fighting the terrorist alongside the vampire girl, she knew what she had to do.
She looked at her grandmother's profile and said:
"I…will become a pâtissier."
"I see."
"But…" She stood up. She looked down at her grandmother, determination brimming in her eyes. "I will also do my part as the Goddess. Karin also wished for me to protect the country from the terrorists. Perhaps the job will be too much for me. Maybe I will give up partway through. But for now, I want to do my best. I want to live up to everyone's expectations."
Her grandmother sighed.
"If you've already made up your mind, then I've got nothing to say. Just don't overdo it."
"That's so unlike you. I thought you would insist I give up on being a pâtissier and focus on one thing…"
"I won't force you. I've always thought you should just be a pâtissier if you so wanted to."
"What?"
Thunder struck. What did she just say?
"The thing is, you lacked resolve. You worried for your country despite insisting you wanted to run a sweets shop. I knew you would live to regret it if you went down that path. I only told you to become the Goddess so you wouldn't feel remorse about it, but I suppose that counts as me forcing you from your point of view."
"Huh? But you said the country would collapse if I didn't…"
"I was ready to take it on myself if you never decided to do it."
Karla's jaw hit the floor.
Her grandmother had been testing her the whole time. She'd said so herself—insisted that Karla not do things halfheartedly. That day, when her grandmother had faced her granddaughter alongside Komari, she only accepted Karla because she had shown her the determination to achieve her dreams no matter what.
What a roundabout way of doing things. No wonder everyone misunderstood her.
Still, Karla grasped her concern. She'd been looking out for her in her own way.
"…Thank you, Grandmother."
"Hah. Do your worst."
"I'll work hard, both as the Goddess and at the Fuuzen. Though I'm not sure how well it will go…"
"There's still plenty of people going after our country. It wasn't just that Fuyao Meteorite punk. Are you ready to fight them all?"
"When you put it like that, I don't think I am…"
"Just say yes even if it's a lie!!"
"Yes, I am! Just stop yelling, please!"
She was still utterly terrified of her.
"…You might not be very reliable, but the people love you. You'll be fine. There's plenty of folks out there to help you, like Kidoshu."
"Would you help me, too?"
"If worst comes to worst."
"Thank you." Then Karla remembered something. "…I should speak with my Goddess, too. There must be lots to do for me to take over her job… So, um, do you know where she might be? I haven't seen her in a while."
Her grandmother grimaced for an instant, but it was so fast she might've just imagined it. No way Hell's Windmill would put on such a sad face, Karla thought.
"…Her work here is done."
"Excuse me?"
"I'll tell you about it one day. I'm sure you'll meet again… That aside, becoming the Goddess means you'll be taking care of the Dark Core. I should hand it over to you right now."
"Excuse me??"
What??
Karla's eyes turned into tiny dots, but her grandmother paid her no heed and got out of bed. She reached out for a drawer by the wall, opened the third one down, and took something out from it.
A bell. Just like the one Karla's cousin had gifted her. She still had hers tied to her right hand; it was uncanny seeing two of them that looked exactly the same.
"Huh? Is that…? You mean…?"
"Let me tell you about yours first." She pointed at the bell on her right wrist. "You showed a glimpse of Core Implosion when you were little, but you couldn't control it. Your will was still too weak. We couldn't have you just turning back time at every turn, so we used that to seal it."
"Um…but my dear brother gave this to me…"
"Kakumei knew about it. But…it seems it doesn't have the sealing power anymore. I suppose it broke after being exposed to so much mana."
Karla shook her hand, and a clear chime echoed through the Eastern-style room.
She could have never imagined her bell had housed that secret. She only saw it as a precious gift from her brother… Above all else, she was shocked to learn that she'd had Core Implosion since childhood and didn't realize it. She really was just like that vampire princess.
Her grandmother handed her the other bell before the confusion settled down.
"And this is the Dark Core."
"Excuse me?"
"The Heavenly Paradise's Dark Core. Its official name is the Rewind Bell. Which is also the name of yours. Basically, your bell was also meant to be a fake copy of the Dark Core."
"Wha-wha-wha-WHAT?! You must be kidding! I-is this really the Dark Core?!"
"Yup. That's the life source of the Heavenly Paradise right there."
"...…"
Her grandmother never told jokes. Well, she'd told one just now, but anyways. True to her word, Karla felt a mysterious power radiating from it.
Becoming the Goddess meant taking care of the Dark Core.
I can't take this!! She wanted to scream her lungs out, but refusing the bell would mean betraying so many people. She had to take responsibility. Protect it.
So Karla tied the Dark Core, the Rewind Bell, to her left hand.
A gentle chime reached her ears.
Taking it did not make her happy in the slightest. But she had to make sure not to express it.
The duties of the Goddess were beyond her imagination. But hey, if she just thought of it as a side gig to her profession as pâtissier, it would be cool. One of Karla's virtues was her ability to casually disperse any pressure on her.
"…I'm glad you're serious about it now. It took so long to convince you."
"You didn't convince me to do this. I chose my own path. But who knows, maybe I'll drop it halfway through."
"I'll persuade you once again if that happens. And if I can't, then I'll just kill you."
"How about you try taking a few more steps before reaching that conclusion?!"
"Just kidding." She laughed.
That was no joke. Karla forced a smile, then looked down at the bell on her right hand.
In any case, the Heavenly Ball was over. Things were quite different from the original plan, but she had made peace with her grandmother, become the Goddess, and obtained the courage to continue running her sweets shop.
And it was all thanks to the strongest vampire princess in the whole universe.
I should go thank her.
***
"Lady Komari, you will accept the truth this time around, won't you?"
"…"
"Look at the papers. Here's a photo of you going wild with a cherry blossom storm as a backdrop."
"..."
"I know you remember it. At least up to the point where you sucked Lady Amatsu's blood. By the way, I could feel my insides boiling, threatening to blow up my entire body right when I saw your shapely teeth come in contact with her filthy neck. But that aside, you cannot deny that you sucking her blood is what caused all this. You have to admit that, at the very least."
"...…"
Infirmary. On the bed. I was getting attacked by my maid.
This happened every single time. I woke up and glimpsed an unfamiliar ceiling. I'd already seen that coming, but it seemed that, in fact, I had lost consciousness after sucking Karla's blood. Just like when I'd sucked Nelia's at the Daydream Paradise.
But…something was different this time around.
I mean, no, I still couldn't believe that somehow it was me who'd turned the Eastern Capital into Nature Land, but I was certain that something had happened to me.
A specific scene was burned into my mind.
A flurry of cherry blossoms and whirling jade mana.
It felt like I'd dreamed of that after sucking Karla's blood.
"…Since you're not eagerly denying everything, I'm guessing you remember something."
"No, I don't. I just had a dream."
"Could it be your consciousness becomes clearer every time you use Core Implosion? Or perhaps it was due to the different nature of it this time? Or maybe you've just grown up? Has your spirit grown stronger?" Vill muttered in deep thought.
Thinking on it carefully, it was absolutely stupid that a vampire would black out the moment she sucked someone's blood. I mean, sure, I didn't like the stuff, but who fainted from that? Was I just that frail? Maybe I did need to look into this.
"Vill, would you mind if I sucked your blood?"
"You will not."
"Wh-why?! You let Sakuna!"
"You simply will not do that. And you should take this reaction as stronger proof than anything else, because I know that having you suck my blood would activate your Core Implosion and make you go berserk."
"That's why I'm asking! I wanna make sure! C'mon, just a little slurp!"
"I said no! H-hey! Stop it!"
I grabbed her arm to try and bite into it, but she pushed her hand against my forehead, and I could do nothing but lick. I was so close!
Despite my frustration, I cooled off quickly.
What am I doing? It's like I'm some sort of sicko.
"Oh my, I've got your saliva on me now. Whatever shall I do?"
"W-wipe it! No, don't lick it! That's nasty!"
"Fine…" Vill begrudgingly wiped her arm.
I was red up to my ears. I mean, I only did it to confirm what would happen if I sucked blood…but there was something more important to take care of at present.
I'd been stuck in the infirmary ever since the day Fuyao invaded the Heavenly Paradise. It was that same "all my mana's gone" thing like always (which I was beginning to suspect was related to me sucking blood as well). Anyhow, I couldn't go outside. So I hadn't been able to see Karla. I had gotten letters from Prohellya and Leona, though. Nice Core Implosion! and I won't lose the next war! respectively.
I wondered where that kimono girl was. The papers said she had won the Heavenly Ball and become the Goddess…but this was Six Nations News we were talking about. I couldn't trust them.
"Vill, is Karla doing okay?"
"She said she would become the Goddess and work the Fuuzen at the same time. Wonder which one she sees as the side gig."
"That's what I want to know. It would be pretty funny if Goddess was the side gig."
"Yes. And she's right here, so why don't you ask her?"
"Huh?"
Right then, someone knocked on the door.
"Come in," Vill said without my permission.
The door opened before I could say anything, and in walked the kimono girl.
Karla Amatsu. The only person out there who understood me.
"Komari, it's been three days. How have you been?"
"Karla! How have you been?"
"Oh, I'm doing fine." She put on a soft smile and walked up to us. "Here are some get-well gifts." She handed me a bag from the Fuuzen.
"…Wait. Didn't the shop burn down?"
"Yes, but I can make these in any kitchen."
Now that was the mark of a pro. I opened it right away to find wrapped kudzu manju. The same as the one I shoved in her grandma's mouth. I could practically taste their sweetness on my tongue.
"Can I?"
"Go ahead."
"Thanks!"
I unwrapped them and bit into a bun. It was so good. Karla's confections were the best in the whole world. While I was lost in flavorful bliss, Vill crossed her arms and asked:
"Lady Amatsu, is your grandmother doing okay? I believe Waving Moment should take care of things."
"It did. I returned her back to before she was wounded. She looks like nothing ever happened. And that's not all good, since she's yelling at me every day now."
"Really?! Oh, thank goodness…" I said, still munching on my bun.
Hats off to her power to turn back time. Karla had saved me after Fuyao slashed my chest, too. Quite a difference from this failure of a vampire.
"I should go see her later."
"Oh, speaking of which, you cracked her vase, didn't you?"
I froze.
I considered feigning ignorance for a second…which was bad enough, to be honest.
I bowed, bun still in hand.
"S-sorry! I didn't mean to! I mean, if we're being specific, it was Vill's fault that it broke, but a subordinate's fault is the boss's responsibility! I'm so sorry… I'll do anything you ask, please forgive me…"
"N-no, it's nothing that serious… Koharu."
"Yes."
The black-shrouded ninja appeared out of nowhere, like a shadow.
The way Karla's right hand appeared was shocking enough, but then I had a second tiny heart attack once I saw what she was holding. The vase I'd supposedly broken.
"Here," Koharu said, handing it over.
The crack was gone. It was as good as new.
"Did you…"
"It just repaired itself when I was rebuilding the Amatsu residence. My grandmother says you can have it as a souvenir. I don't think you would like it, but…I hope you accept it, as a symbol of reconciliation."
"V-VASEEEY!!"
I was touched. I didn't care about getting the pottery, but I was just so glad about her grandma forgiving me. Now the guilt wouldn't eat away at me. I would no longer have nightmares about that vase crushing me to death. Though I still had to apologize directly to her.
"Glad to hear it, eh, Lady Komari? Here, let me use it as a chair," Vill said.
"No, you're not! We're putting this in my room! As decoration! Good vasey!♪"
I rubbed my cheek against it. It felt like I was opening my eyes to the virtues of pottery. Hoshigakiemon was a true artist. Now this is beauty worth ten billion yen… Hrm? Hold on. Ten billion yen? Should I be taking this vase worth ten billion yen? I felt chills go down my spine.
Karla bowed to her deeply.
"Komari, thank you so much for everything."
"Huh? For what?"
"With your help, I was able to achieve my dream. I wasn't planning on becoming the Goddess…but I am free from my family circumstances now and can continue running the Fuuzen. It's all thanks to your support."
"…"
No, I really didn't do anything. It was your mind of steel that did all this. But I was not convincing her of that, no matter what. She was too humble.
"I am not sure if I will be able to do a good job as Goddess. I mean, it is just my side gig. I can't neglect my main profession as pâtissier."
"So that's how it is. You're a behemoth in the sweets space now, huh?"
"Yes, which is why…I may run into many obstacles. I may trouble many people. And in those times, I might want to ask for your help. Maybe a Goddess shouldn't be asking this sort of thing, but…will I be able to count on you going forward, Komari? Will you stay by my side, even now?" Karla asked bashfully.
She had no confidence, but it was only natural. She'd never wanted to be the Goddess.
I didn't think I would be able to help with much, but…so long as she wished for it, I would be there to lend a hand.
She was my friend. The only person who truly understood me.
And joining hands was the best path to happiness.
"Of course." I shook her hand with a smile. "I'll do anything I can. Just call me if you ever need help. And even if you don't need help. I'll come to hang out anytime."
"Thank you…!" Tears welled up in her eyes.
We stared into each other's eyes in silence for a while, until Karla cleared her throat and straightened her back. I stared at her in confusion.
"We can't have only my dream be achieved."
"Huh?"
"I won the Heavenly Ball. Thanks to you, no less. So just as we agreed, I want to help you achieve your dream."
"Huh??"
"Let's publish your novel. I'm sure plenty of people around the world will be moved by your story." She beamed even stronger.
The autumnal wind blowing in from the window swayed her hair.
I heard a chime.
And so, we'd both made our dreams come true. Something we likely wouldn't have achieved on our own. It was thanks to Karla…and for her, thanks to me…and thanks to so many other of our friends, that this miracle materialized.
I didn't know what the future had in store for the Heavenly Paradise, but now was the time to savor this happiness. Rejoice in the realization of our dreams. My novel was getting published! It would be turned into a real book sold at bookstores!! I had to revise the text. I had to make it all proper, use all the right words, now that it was really going to be a book. Excitement filled my chest as I stared into Karla's smiling face.
"Lady Komari! Don't jump on the bed!"
"I can't help it!! HELL YEAAAH!! I'm a novelist now!!"
"There's no guarantee it will sell, though."
"Who cares!!"
There was no hiding my joy.
We moved deeper into fall. Winter was right around the corner.
(The End)