Sally's face lit up with anticipation.
After entering his room, Ron locked the doors and windows securely. Moving to the bed, he focused on the crystal orb before him. The orb, now glowing faintly, had reached 100% progress.
"Let's begin."
The next moment, Ron felt his aura rapidly pouring into the orb, the scene identical to the previous time he used it. The orb's colour began to shift.
"Boom!"
A deafening sound echoed in Ron's mind, and his consciousness was pulled into another space. Shadowy figures appeared before his eyes.
A cold-eyed young man dressed in black.
A stoic orange-haired girl.
A calm, bearded middle-aged man.
A gaunt old man.
A red-haired girl wielding a sharp sword.
One by one, these figures were absorbed into the crystal orb.
"Crash!"
Another explosive sound snapped Ron back to reality. He opened his eyes, and with a thought, a figure materialized before him. Simultaneously, an influx of information surged into his mind.
"Ryūnosuke Akutagawa!"
"This is from the world of *Bungou Stray Dogs*. His primary ability: Rashōmon!"
Ron recalled the details of Akutagawa's character—a boy from the slums, marked by a painful past. Known as the Silent Mad Dog, he joined the Port Mafia after being invited by Dazai Osamu. Even after Dazai's departure, he remained a key figure in the mafia.
"Rashōmon is highly versatile," Ron mused.
"Offensively, it can take forms like Fang, Jaw, Abyssal Sakura, Linked Jaw Gate, or Prison Gate Jaw.
"Defensively, it offers Space Severance and Demon Armor Form.
"In terrain manipulation, there's the Sapling Form."
Ron scrutinized the figure of Akutagawa before him. Black boots, a white shirt, black short hair, and a white scarf around his neck, draped in a long black coat. His pale complexion and expressionless face completed the image.
"Not bad," Ron thought. With a flick of his thoughts, Akutagawa vanished.
---
### Assembling the Team
"Chii covers intelligence gathering. Killer Queen handles destructive power. Baki excels in close combat. Akutagawa enhances mid-range combat."
Ron evaluated his Nen beasts. "Before Akutagawa appeared, I was hoping for either a long-range attacker or an expert in on-ground intelligence. While Akutagawa isn't exactly what I expected, he's still a valuable addition. His skills don't overlap with Baki or Killer Queen, and they complement each other well.
"Mid-range combat and multi-target engagement—two things neither Baki nor Killer Queen specializes in.
"Moreover, Rashōmon's defining trait is its sharpness. It can even sever space itself."
Ron thought back. "In a way, Akutagawa's abilities, especially the Jaw Form, are somewhat reminiscent of Grandfather Zeno's Dragon Dive. It's similarly overwhelming in suppression."
---
### Journey to the Sky Arena
The next day, Ron and Sally headed to the airship terminal for their trip to the Sky Arena. Chii had already secured the tickets.
"Ron, can you tell me what my home is like?" Sally asked suddenly.
Ron hesitated. After a moment, he said, "I'm sorry, Sally, but I lied to you. You don't have a home."
Sally froze, her eyes widening.
"I don't have a home?"
Ron nodded. "That's right. After I saved you, we became friends. Since then, we've travelled from city to city without stopping anywhere for long.
"It wasn't until we reached the Sky Arena that we settled down. I became a fighter there, battling my way up. When I reached the 200th floor, the Sky Arena assigned me a luxurious suite.
"You, however, stayed in a nearby inn because, while you're strong, you're afraid of fighting and didn't become a Sky Arena fighter.
"By the way, we're not alone. We have two other friends—Nina and Shizuku. They're currently living in the suite assigned to me by the Sky Arena.
"When we get back, you'll meet them. Maybe it'll jog some memories."
Sally fell silent for a while before speaking softly. "Ron, did you lie to me earlier to comfort me? To keep me from facing my terrible past?"
That wasn't the case. Ron had simply made something up in the moment. Back then, he hadn't anticipated being called "father" by a girl older than himself—it had completely thrown him off. So, he improvised. Now that they were returning to the Sky Arena, he needed to adjust the narrative in advance.
"Ron, thank you. You're truly a good friend," Sally said earnestly.
Ron gave her a polite yet slightly awkward smile.
---
### Reunion at the Sky Arena
Three days later, the airship landed.
"There it is!" Ron pointed to the towering Sky Arena. "That's the Sky Arena. That's where we've been living—me, you, Nina, and Shizuku."
Sally looked toward the Sky Arena and nodded. "Mm-hmm."
Meanwhile, in the suite assigned to Ron, a message arrived on Nina's phone.
Hearing the notification, Shizuku leaned over. "Is it from Captain? Is he coming back?"
Nina smiled. "Yes, our brother is returning."
But as she read the message, her expression turned strange.
The message mentioned Sally but didn't delve into details about the Republic Gorteau. Instead, Ron had described Sally as a new team member with some memory issues. He also explained the fabricated story about her identity.
Nina explained the situation to Shizuku, who promptly noted it in her journal. However, she didn't include the part about Ron making up Sally's background.
For someone like Shizuku, who relied heavily on her notes to recall details after a while, this omission would later cause her to take the fabricated story as truth.
"Should we go downstairs to meet them?" Shizuku asked.
"Mm, let's go," Nina agreed.
The last time, Nina had stayed upstairs due to the chaos caused by Kyler. She feared leaving the Sky Arena might escalate Kyler's actions. But now that Kyler was no longer a threat, Nina felt it was safe to greet Ron and Sally in person.