After calming Aya-chan down, we finally left the mountain.
That said, we didn't just leave without making sure everything was in order. We thoroughly investigated the area to confirm that there were no other monsters performing Concealment. If we had missed any, it could have been disastrous.
Fortunately, after a thorough search, we found no other monsters.
By the time we reached home, it was nearly dawn. Aya-chan was fast asleep, and I was battling intense sleepiness on the way back.
Even though I kept dozing off repeatedly, both my father and Renji-san told me I could sleep, but strangely, I couldn't. I was exhausted, yet my mind was oddly sharp, replaying the battle in my head every time I closed my eyes.
The opponent was strong—far stronger than anything I had faced before.
