I'll kill you after I finish this game!

If she's merely being used as a tool, then what Fujii Ren said should be irrelevant...

Even though Fujii Ren told Mary directly that he would never treat her as a prop.

"Because I'm not very smart, I don't want to say anything obsequious..."

Fujii Ren turned his head away from Mary's gaze, gave a self-deprecating smile, and sighed softly as he spoke.

A strange and unpleasant feeling spread through their hearts.

Although the two of them were clearly connected at heart, and could roughly understand each other's feelings even without the other saying it, they found it difficult to resonate with each other at this moment.

The message has been delivered, but the desired response has not been received.

Mary deeply understood from Lian's sighing and bitter expression that Lian's actions and expressions also reflected her exhaustion and forbearance in trying to win her over.

In truth, they must have been so confused inside that they wanted to shout it out.

"It's still a bit strange, isn't it?"

Seeing Mary's expression and sensing her inner turmoil, Fujii Ren smiled bitterly and said, "After going through so much hardship with you, most people would complain, right?"

"Then Lian told me!! Don't treat me like a child who doesn't understand anything!!"

Mary spoke loudly to Fujii Ren about this. Although she hadn't been angry many times, in this situation, even Mary, with her good personality, felt like getting angry.

She wanted to tell Fujii Ren that she was not fragile at all, that she was very strong, and that she could now hold back her pain and not cry out.

But the pain in her heart was truly awful. Seeing Lian's unhappiness and self-abandonment, Mary disliked the emotions she was experiencing at that moment.

"...Then I'll tell you everything."

Looking at Mary, whose expression was resolute but heartbroken, Fujii Ren remained silent for a moment before speaking softly.

"Okay, tell me everything."

Seeing that Fujii Ren was willing, Mary gave a bright smile and nodded.

Whether it's resentment or insults, I hope Lian can vent everything that's making her uneasy to me, and I'll accept it all.

“If I could, I would do anything, because I am willing to accept anything.” Mary spoke like a child eager to prove herself, hoping to share Lian’s pain.

I hope Lian can relax and not be unhappy like this anymore.

Upon hearing Mary's words, Fujii Ren looked somewhat embarrassed and surprised.

“I said, Mary…”

Before Fujii Ren could finish her embarrassed words, she was suddenly embraced tightly.

Warmth, peace, tranquility, and serenity... The countless wonderful sensations that came from the embrace filled Fujii Ren's panicked and bewildered heart, allowing her to completely immerse herself in them and calm down.

Mary embraced her tightly, pressing her close to her like a mother Lian had never had, her other hand gently stroking her cheek.

The sea breeze at dusk caressed the two of them, and Mary's pure white dress fluttered in the wind, making her look breathtakingly beautiful in this unique scenery.

Fujii Ren unconsciously wrapped his arms around Mary's waist and hugged her back in response.

"Well, I think places like yours, where you can't read between the lines, are really... good."

Embraced and calmed down, Fujii Ren said with a wry smile.

Mary is simple and pure, unadorned, and can make Lian fully understand how her words and actions will affect the other person.

The other person's inability to read between the lines is a truly endearing and charming trait.

She'd do anything, she'd be willing to do anything... Don't just say things like that carelessly. If she were a man, she probably wouldn't be able to resist Mary at all and would fall for her.

Do you realize how dangerous your charm is to men? With your doting, motherly nature, it's no wonder Skadi is always so worried about you.

"Ah, uh, um...?"

They embraced, and Mary was somewhat taken aback by what Fujii Ren said, unsure whether it was a compliment or a rebuke.

The proof is this: look, even Mary is inexplicably surprised now.

Fujii Ren simply smiled and openly confided in Mary:

“I’m so scared, Mary.”

Because Mary felt the same way, Fujii Ren couldn't help but reveal a weakness he would never let anyone else see.

After her initial bewilderment, Mary quickly calmed down and listened to Fujii Ren's heartfelt words.

This time, unlike Skadi who remained inactive, she grabbed Ren... and grabbed her tightly.

Fujii Ren closed his eyes and smiled bitterly, telling Mary the root cause of his dejection, saying:

"I can't see the root of my feelings, and I don't know where they come from."

At this moment, she felt that Mary was very important and that this warmth was lovely, but was this how Fujii Ren felt?

She wanted to assert that this was perfectly reasonable, but how could she ignore the secret behind it?

"I've thought about it a lot and come up with a lot of excuses. What I just said wasn't a lie."

One day, in order to get through the hellish situation he was suddenly thrown into, Fujii Ren treated Mary gently, as if he were honing his own weapon.

In order to gain the power to resist, Fujii Ren unknowingly formed a deep friendship with Skadi, who protected her and granted her power, thus using this bond to conceal her true nature of craving power to achieve her goal.

A relationship of trust with them is a necessary condition for improving combat effectiveness; this understanding cannot be evaded.

Therefore, Fujii Ren wanted to use this idea, which was very much like her own, as a shield to suppress other emotions that came to mind.

Impulses are terrifying, inexplicable attraction, and terrifying to Fujii Ren right now, she said, looking into Mary's gentle eyes:

"If I can't explain something with reason... I'll feel like I'm being manipulated."

Resolutely severing ties with the bloody and cruel truth, Fujii Ren intended to become her own person through this act, but why...?

"I'm broken because Mary said something strange."

With a self-deprecating and bitter smile, Fujii Ren looked at Mary and said in a somewhat bewildered and choked voice, "Tell me... what should I do? What should I believe?"

After saying that, even Fujii Ren himself felt that what he said was very pathetic.

This is a typical example of showing weakness that even the person themselves finds disgusting.

To outsiders, he probably just seemed like a fool.

But she really made him confused, not knowing what to do or what to believe.

Moreover, from a woman's perspective, this is indeed not good.

Lian thought that she thought the same way from Mary's perspective.

"Fool, Fujii Ren, you're so useless," he thought to himself.

However, even I, who think this way, don't know what the truth is.

It's truly too tragic.

Am I that person's relic? What is my oldest memory? How old am I? Where are my parents? And who am I?

With her defenses against Mary completely shattered, Fujii Ren, tears streaming down her face, desperately sought the meaning of her existence, saying:

"Why is it that until now, I have absolutely no interest in my past roots? It's strange, isn't it? I have no parents! Normal people would investigate that, right? That would be perfectly reasonable..."

But what has this guy named Fujii Ren done so far?

Because it's as convenient as a character designed like that.

So, the existence of someone named Fujii Ren doesn't care at all about pursuing their own core, right?

Being caught up in such an extraordinary situation, the world was completely turned upside down. Even so, I never even properly considered who I was.

Mary didn't speak, but quietly stroked Lian's cheek, unconditionally accepting her feelings at that moment.

"I don't understand, who am I? Am I out of my mind? Am I crazy?!"

That's not how humans think; it's like a character created from a terrible script.

Are you acting with a will? Don't talk nonsense, what is your will, Fujii Ren?

A leap of symbols? Are you kidding me?!

"What am I adapting to? It can't be right."

His tone grew increasingly urgent, and as he no longer concealed his true feelings, Fujii Ren was still in a terrible state of mind: "I'm suddenly about to be killed, dragged into this, and just because someone doesn't conform to my own understanding, I'll kill them without hesitation. This is absolutely abnormal, absolutely abnormal. What kind of ordinary student is that?!"

Moreover, the level that experts in mutual killing took sixty years and tens of thousands of people to reach, she actually achieved in about two weeks.

Genius... that's what Sakurai said.

The monster's replacement... that's what they all say.

"A domineering talent..." That's what Skadi told her.

Because she's the main character? A pre-determined main character?

The one who manipulates relics, and is better at handling them than anyone else...

No... if it weren't for that, we wouldn't have finished talking by now.

So, Fujii Ren, for the sake of being myself, what should I believe in?

"Believe me."

Mary approached Fujii Ren and said this calmly.

They were so close their foreheads touched that she held Fujii Ren tightly, as if he were about to collapse, so tightly...

"Please believe me, I think you are necessary."

Looking directly into Fujii Ren's eyes, Mary sincerely said that she needed him: "My feelings belong to me, so even if Ren doesn't understand or know himself, I understand Ren, and I know you."

The lotus in her eyes, the lotus in her heart, has always been right before her eyes; it is not an illusion.

The sentiment conveyed carries just as much weight as Skadi's.

She must have been very lonely and in pain back then, not being able to hold onto Skadi like she does now, but she pulled through it all on her own.

So she regretted it deeply, especially after she understood Lian's feelings and heart.

So now, she cannot, and will not, let go of Lian in a state of confusion.

“I’m so glad to have you, I’m so glad to be with Lian.” Mary awkwardly and naively expressed her feelings, saying, “So I want to be with you, isn’t that unbelievable?”

Upon hearing this, Fujii Ren gritted her teeth, her voice still trembling: "But..."