I'll kill you after I finish this game!

And so, when Fujii Ren opened his eyes again, it was already dusk on the beach, and he was facing a familiar face who had suddenly appeared there: Skadi.

...It wasn't just one person; there was also a girl standing next to Skadi, with twilight-colored hair and emerald green eyes.

The girl, dressed in a simple, or rather, tattered dress, was the one who executed and beheaded her every night.

"...Senior, why do you...?"

Although she cared a lot about the blonde girl, she was more concerned about the white-haired girl who was the first person she remembered seeing here.

This was not her dream. She knew it the moment she saw Skadi; ​​it was where she had come from her dream.

Judging from the slash mark on the other person's neck and their aloof demeanor, Fujii Ren probably knew that the other person was not a living person, and that she herself was not good at dealing with ghosts or similar beings.

"This place is a singularity, a personal singularity of the Seeking God. The girl in front of you is the soul residing in the guillotine that is half-fused with you. This place is her domain."

Skadi chuckled and took Mary's small hand, pulling her, who seemed a little shy, closer to her.

The singularity of the God of Seeking the Way: a soul residing within the guillotine!?

He widened his eyes slightly as he looked at the blonde girl. The girl's eyes were like those of a small animal, and she exuded a gentle and charming aura. Her gaze towards Fujii Ren was friendly, and there was also a clear shyness and expectation that she wanted to be friends with him.

“I am... Margaret Bluey, Lian can just call me Mary.”

Her hands, restless and shy, rose and clasped together. Even Fujii Ren, a girl, found the girl in front of him, who resembled a small animal, adorable.

Moreover, her maternal instincts were so strong that Fujii Ren, who already possessed some of the power of eternal destruction, could see that the other person was a soul.

A soul that is pure to the extreme and beautiful, but considering the cursed aura emanating from it, overall it should be considered the most evil and most beautiful soul.

However, what shocked Fujii Ren and the audience even more than all of this was that the girl's true identity was the God of Seeking Truth.

"Uh... I'm Fujii Ren." Faced with the girl's expression, Fujii Ren was slightly nervous, as this was their first formal conversation.

The guillotine, as a relic, is a disaster-level existence, while Fujii Ren herself is a lightning rod, or rather, the scabbard of a murder weapon.

However, the girl in front of her did not have that resentful feeling of a holy relic at all. Skadi spoke up and said that she was a god of seeking the truth, not a vengeful spirit.

Ultimately, the real collapse of Fujii Ren's daily life probably started with this girl.

Generally speaking, Fujii Ren would complain a little, but when she was actually facing the girl, Mary, she couldn't muster that feeling.

She didn't consider herself a person who would tolerate others, but for some reason, she just couldn't bring herself to get angry at this girl.

When he faced Mary directly, Fujii Ren had a feeling that "she would not intentionally hurt anyone, nor did she have any intention of hurting others."

My first impression of this formal meeting was vague, yet it also felt familiar. Why was that? I didn't quite understand, but...

“Singing…” Fujii Ren saw that Mary and Skadi were standing side by side and knew that the two knew each other. Since this girl wanted to get to know her, she said first, “You didn’t sing today.”

Fujii Ren, who has few friends and is not good at making friends, can only find suitable topics in this way.

“Ugh—” Mary widened her eyes slightly as she looked at Fujii Ren, a look that made the latter feel somewhat uncomfortable.

"No, I'm also embarrassed by your surprise. After all, every time I see you, you're always singing. What songs are you singing?"

To be honest, given how clumsy her words were, and how they made Fujii Ren look embarrassed, she didn't expect him to answer at all, so...

"Do you want to hear it?"

Mary smiled, and her answer startled Fujii Ren slightly.

"...To be honest, every time I saw you, I thought all you could do was sing."

"Usually... when Titi and Tohka aren't around... I feel lonely, so I can only sing like this, and Cagliostro really enjoys listening to me sing."

Holding Skadi's hand in her other hand, Mary wore a look of relief mixed with a touch of loneliness, even though she could go out anytime she wanted.

However, if someone goes out alone, it will always bring disaster to the outside world.

Fujii Ren roughly understood the meaning behind that expression: most viewers had a very good impression of the girl whose true identity was the Seeker of the Way.

However, the meaning of the other party's words, the affectionate way of calling out "Titi" in the first two names probably refers to Skadi, and the other one, Tohka, also sounds like a girl's name.

However, what Fujii Ren cared about most was the name of the foreigner who liked to listen to Mary sing.

"Caliostro?" Fujii Ren asked, puzzled, wanting to know who the other person was.

"Someone who is very similar to He Lian."

"..."

Fujii Ren remained silent, unsure how to feel about the answer. It was a completely unfamiliar name, yet she was surprisingly concerned about it.

“However, Cagliostro and Zhe said I can talk to you, and that you will be my friend too.” Mary’s face beamed with a happy and gentle smile, and her eyes looked at Lian with the same affection as those of a friend and a mother who embraces all.

That smile was so healing, and it helped Fujii Ren understand what kind of personality the girl in front of him had. You could describe her as an angel or a saint.

Although the other person affectionately uttered a single-word male name, Fujii Ren roughly knew that even if the other person did say it, the explanation would probably be similar to the one before.

"You... Marie, are you an 18th-century Frenchwoman?"

"—?" Mary tilted her head in confusion.

"The guillotine comes from France, and Cagliostro is that one, right? The one from the necklace incident."

The person Fujii Ren was referring to was Count Alessandro di Cagliostro, who lived 280 years ago at the end of the 18th century and was a self-proclaimed alchemist.

Some believe he was the mastermind behind the scandal that triggered the French Revolution—the theft of the royal necklace.

A rare con artist, even a celebrity featured in world history textbooks.

If the Cariost that Mary mentioned refers to this person...

[Leizhe (yawning): Actually, this bastard just tricked his way into stealing the necklace and giving it to Mary, but after stealing it, he felt that this mortal necklace wasn't suitable for the noble and charming goddess in his mind.]

However, judging from Mary's attire, it can be inferred that she is an ordinary citizen or a person from the lower class.

After all, even a god of seeking the truth must have had a period of being a "human" at birth, right?

“Well, Mary, when she was still human, was indeed French. This singularity is Saint-Malo,” Skadi answered Fujii Ren’s question on Mary’s behalf.

Fujii Ren nodded knowingly. Sure enough, she had studied hard enough to know that it was a place name in France.

Saint-Malo in Brittany—no wonder it doesn't look like Japan at all.

"So let's get back to the original topic," Fujii Ren sighed, looked at Skadi, and said, "So what exactly is the purpose of letting me officially meet her?"

"What to do? That's a question for your heart. You didn't come here as a soul, but as pure consciousness. Your true self has already transformed into a beast in the outside world."

Skadi explained, then casually waved her hand in front of Fujii Ren, and a mirror-like opening appeared, reflecting a scene that made Fujii Ren's eyes widen.

Roar--

His blood-red hair, flowing like blood, was unlike his usual fair skin; it had turned an ominous, dark black.

His pupils were blood red, and the whites of his eyes were pitch black; his somewhat torn shirt was completely stained with blood.

I recognized myself at a glance, a version of myself devoid of reason and driven mad.

At this moment, Fujii Ren, like a ferocious beast, completely shattered the earth into dust in the alternate dimension. The wild power that erupted with every move completely shattered all human cognition.

However, even in this terrifying state, a certain white figure still steadily suppressed Fujii Ren as if she were being teased by a monkey.

"That was...me..."

"That's right. Right now, the consciousness controlling your body is extremely chaotic. If you can't be sure of yourself, you'll just become a walking corpse, simply trying to survive."

Skadi casually turned off the reality image and looked at Fujii Ren in front of her, saying, "If you're not prepared to continue, you can escape reality and stay here with Mary."

How could she possibly do something like that?

"Senior, stop teasing me, just tell me what to do."

Fujii Ren sighed. Was her senior, who always tested her will, unexpectedly malicious, or was she underestimating her personal will and beliefs?

What she cherishes is in reality; she cannot escape here to avoid danger.

Yuza Shirou has learned the truth and is choosing to face it, and Ayase Kasumi is still being affected by his situation. Fujii Ren can't just abandon them.

Perhaps Fujii Ren will reminisce and look back on the past, but what is lost is worthless and not worth her continued cherishing.

Only what exists right before our eyes is what we need to face.

"It's very simple. By using the power of Mary, who is merged with you, and by resonating with her spirit and soul, you can seek the power of God to help you find yourself."

Skadi spoke, gently and affectionately patting Mary's head.

Mary also showed an expression of enjoyment, but then realized what she had done and her cheeks puffed up in anger. She looked at Skadi with eyes that seemed to say, "I'm the older sister, you can't treat your older sister like that."

Looking at the very girlish Mary, Fujii Ren and the audience felt that it was hard to associate her with such a lofty and great being as the God of Seeking Truth.

"Then... what should we do?" Fujii Ren scratched the back of his head and looked at Mary, asking Skadi with some confusion.

“First, you must accept Mary wholeheartedly and without resistance. It starts with intellectual harmony, and then it comes to the soul,” Skadi explained.

"In that case...can I get to know her a little better?"

They needed to be completely honest with each other, and their thoughts and ideas had to be aligned—in other words, there were no secrets. Fujii Ren was slightly resistant to this, but she felt she could accept Mary's suggestion.

Since they're going to be in the same program, let them get to know each other better.

"Lotus, do you need my power?"

Mary approached Fujii Ren, looked him straight in the eyes, and said this, showing her complete trust in him.

First, Skadi's acknowledgment, and second, Cagliostro's connections; she didn't have many friends, but they were all precious.

Mary would be happy to have even one more.

"Ah, yes, but I don't want to use you for my own purposes."

Being stared at by those purest eyes, Fujii Ren truly didn't want to taint them with anything unclean, especially blood and slaughter.

"Uh-huh."

Hearing Fujii Ren's concerned reply, Mary let out a joyful chirp, then shook her head and said:

"I want to help Lian because of my own will, and I hope that Lian can stay by my side."

This direct statement made Fujii Ren blush slightly, scratching his cheek and unsure of what to say.

Yabaina, the maternal girl in front of her, really couldn't muster any resistance, and was completely led by her will.

Fujii Ren never received love or care from her mother or elders growing up, so she was unfamiliar with the concept of maternal love.

The gentle tone of the girl in front of me at dusk was so captivating that it was easy to fall for her. She was like a tender and considerate lover, a loving older sister, and a silly but endearing mother.

"What...what should I do?"