A closer look revealed that the labyrinth's regenerative mechanism had restored the ceiling, which had been on the verge of collapse. This had always been the case, so the restoration was natural.

Even the final resolution was in vain. The phantom shed tears, became dejected, and disappeared without a trace.

"...Victory feels so hollow."

If someone else were here, they would definitely say, "You have no right to say that." Under the influence of Hajime and his group, the innocent Kaori is no longer there.

Let’s put this matter aside for now.

The scene returns to Yue and Shia, who launch a massive attack on each other...

“…Hu…Hu…Ahem!”

“Huh…Huh…”

The two of them lay together on the cold ice floor in a spread-eagle position. Their magic power was completely exhausted, and they could no longer stand up.

Silence fell between the two people who had collapsed to the ground exhausted, and each seemed to be thinking about what to say.

The first person to speak was Shia.

"...Stop saying such sad things."

"..."

"If you're feeling uneasy, let's resolve it together."

"..."

"No matter what our opponent is or what situation we face, we will not lose. I believe that as long as we are together, we can overcome all difficulties."

Shia panted as she spoke non-stop, while Yue, whose breathing was also disordered, listened silently.

"Weren't it Yue-san and Hajime-san who made me believe this? I absolutely don't agree with them changing their ways now. I absolutely don't agree with Yue-san saying depressing things out of fear of the future."

Because Shia has the ability to see the future, and because Yue is the "special person" that Hajime recognizes as someone who will never give up no matter what, Shia absolutely cannot agree with Yue's words. Not only the words, but also the attitude.

"Don't leave it to me! Get me involved! Please tell me, let's fight together for the future!"

For those who share their lives with Hajime, the concept of self-sacrifice should be unnecessary.

Rather than sacrificing your own future, it is better to fight together and live and die together.

That should be "enlightenment" for them.

And the person who understands this principle best is none other than the Moon.

"I absolutely won't agree to your request. Who would agree to such a messed-up request? Wuwu, wuwu."

“…Shia.”

Sadness finally turned into tears, flowing from Xia's eyes.

As long as he could defeat Yue in battle, he would be able to prove that he was strong enough to protect Yue. Then Yue would not be so pessimistic.

Shia held this thought, which is why she fought Yue. However, Yue, who is both her elder sister and her teacher, is indeed very strong.

Shia felt useless, unable to win. The thought of a future without Yue filled Shia with sadness. Yue's words hinted at her accepting that future, which angered Shia.

All the emotions mixed together and reached saturation, and Xia really couldn't control herself.

Yue fell to the ground, turned his head, and stared at Shia who was crying like a child.

After a fierce battle, his physical and mental strength were completely exhausted. Although he should have been exhausted, his mood was as refreshing as the winter morning air. In this strange feeling, Yue suddenly recalled the past.

──As long as you work hard, the future can be changed!

That was what Shia said when we first met. And then...

——Overthrow all obstacles and cross into another world.

That important promise.

...Ahh, really.

Yue sighed. She was ashamed of her words and actions and wanted to dig a hole to crawl into.

I actually behaved so shamefully in front of my sister.

Enlightenment...that's right, enlightenment.

Just as Xia said, she should have realized something when she was at the bottom of the abyss. But at this point, what else was there to realize?

Yue really wanted to slap herself, but Xia had already done it for her.

So, what is needed now is──

Yue drew magic power from the magic crystal to restore herself, then slowly moved. She knelt on all fours and crawled slowly towards Xia.

Then, Yue gently placed Shia's head on her lap and wiped her face, which was covered in snot and tears. Her eyes and actions were very gentle.

“…Shia, I’m sorry.”

"Ms. Yue?"

With her vision blurred by tears, Shia stared at the moon.

“…Shia is right. No matter what happened in the past or who I am, it doesn’t matter. I want to be with Hajime and Shia forever. So, all I have to do is remove the obstacles. That’s all.”

"Wow, that's what I'm saying."

“…Well, even if something happens to me, Hajime and Shia will definitely help me. I have nothing to worry about.”

"Of course, woooo."

"...Well, I'm sorry, my request was too much. Will you forgive me?"

"I forgive you! So please don't make such a sad request again! We have a deal!"

"...Yes, I promise."

Xia slowly stood up, sitting in a duck-like position, and hugged Yue, who also hugged the cute rabbit in front of her tightly.

The peaceful and tranquil time passed.

It felt like even the air caressing my skin had become gentler.

For the first time in my life, I had a big fight with a friend, but it ended up making us feel closer. The bond between us became stronger and more clear.

But let’s put that aside for now.

Loud footsteps rang out, breaking the silence, as if reminding everyone: Don't forget there are still victims here. Along with the footsteps came a low, trembling voice.

“…Great! I have no idea what’s going on, but it feels really good.”

““?”

Yue and Xia opened their eyes wide in surprise, hugged each other, and looked back in the direction of the sound.

There is a person there.

That was Kaori, whose temples were twitching but whose face was all smiles.

"Hehe, seeing how shocked you all are, you don't even take me seriously. It's okay, it's okay, I don't mind at all, okay? Is it because your quarrel was so important that you messed up my trial and beat up my other self without even noticing? It's okay, I'm just airborne anyway! Hehe."

Yue and Xia hugged each other, looked at each other, and then remembered at the same time.

Come to think of it, during the battle just now, I seemed to have knocked something away, stepped on something, and even made something explode...

The two men were sweating profusely, frequently stealing glances at the smiling Kaori, then quickly looking away. Their expressions were like those of criminals who had committed a serious mistake.

Shia spoke cautiously, as if facing a bomb about to explode:

"Ah~ um~ Miss Kaori? Um~ A-Anyway, please calm down first."

"Ahahaha, Shia, you're so funny. Look how calm I am."

Shia looked away, letting Yue take over.

"...Kaori, uh~ um, is your trial okay?"

"Hmm~? I guess I defeated her myself."

Yue and Shia breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this. After all, if the quarrel implicated Kaori and prevented her from passing the trial, they wouldn't know what to do. However, their relief was short-lived, as Kaori's next words made them freeze.

"Yes, I defeated the phantom myself... but it was beaten beyond recognition by the two of you, and was on the verge of death."

“…”

"So I'm okay with this, right? You won't tell me that because she was practically defeated by you two, it's invalid, right? What do you think about that? Hmm?"

Yue and Xia's sweat poured down like a waterfall.

Kaori squatted down beside the two of them, looking at them with a smile from a very close distance. Yue and Shia really couldn't meet her gaze.

Or rather, she had her knees together and her hands on them in a very cute pose, but her eyes were a single color, devoid of any brilliance, which was truly horrifying.

Then, perhaps unable to bear the fear, or perhaps it was a form of arrogance towards a friend, Yue turned her head away, pouting, and as usual, fueled Kaori's anger:

"...Then, you just need to wait for her reply and call again, right?"

Yue whispered back, and a new vein suddenly appeared on Kaori's forehead, her smile becoming unfathomable.

"... Yue? What did you just say?"

"...I said I was not wrong. It was your fault, Kaori. Who told you to kill her so quickly?"

Now Xia was panicking. She was at a loss as to what to do, and urged Yue, "Yue, Miss Yue, that's so mean! Apologize! Apologize to Kaori right away!" However, Yue turned her head away and ignored her.

Shia glanced back at Kaori anxiously, then let out a mournful "Ahhh!" and immediately apologized:

"Um, um, Kaori-san! I'm so sorry—"

But before she could finish her words, Kaori stood up, and all she could see was Yue.

"Haha, Yue is really interesting, coming here to cause trouble and saying things like that... Now, why don't you cultivate friendship with me too?"

Judging from the fact that Kaori was swinging her two greatswords vigorously, her way of cultivating friendship must be to fight with them.

After seeing this, Yue looked away guiltily...

“…Want to fight? You bastard!”

At the same time, he took a fighting stance. If his opponent was Kaori, Yue would be unable to resist the urge to act.

But similarly, if her opponent is Yue, Kaori will become rude.

"Hehe, hit me if you want! You bastard!"

Then, the second round of the quarrel began, and the trial hall, which had just been regenerated, was destroyed again...

"Tsuki-san! Kaori-san! I might not be able to convince you with this, but please stop it!! Calm down~~!"

This time, it was Xia who ran to mediate the fight.

The new passage that had already appeared seemed quite lonely.

Volume 10, Chapter 2: Great! It's really perverted!

By virtue of the hazy feeling, you can know that you are dreaming.

That was something that happened in the past. Although it is memorable, it is neither special nor of any value.

The location is in an old park.

In the evening, crows flew by with clumsy cries in the depressing orange sky.

There were hardly any people in the park, save for a few elderly people who lived nearby, strolling their dogs in a corner. And occasionally, you could hear the equally clumsy engine noise of a postman's car or a motorcycle.

Two high school girls were sitting on a park bench, the setting sun shining on them, casting long shadows.

One of the girls stretched lazily, not looking like a teenage high school girl, but rather like an exhausted office worker.

“Huh~ah~”

Even his moans sound like an old man.

Another high school girl, Eri Nakamura, felt that this was inappropriate and gave a wry smile.

"Ling, you look a bit like an uncle, don't you?"

"Eri, is there anything I can do?"

The girl swinging her legs like a child in a tantrum is Suzu Taniguchi, who is considered Eri's best friend. Her trademark is her braids. I don't know if it's an illusion, but it seems like they're swinging along with her legs.

(Ah, I remember this happened shortly before the summoning...)

Huili now seemed to be in a dream, looking down at the scene with a cold emotion, as if her soul had left her body.

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