“Alright… let’s run… Kanami, you’ll help me, right…?”
However, once they were away from the Walker family, Snow immediately became timid.
Her brave demeanor shown to the head of the Walker family was nowhere to be seen, and she shyly waited for my reaction.
I chuckled, thinking that people can’t change overnight.
“Yeah. If anyone tries to take Snow, I’ll fight them. Snow is my partner, my companion.”
“Will… will Rustiara-sama cooperate too… I wonder…?”
“I don’t know. She’s fickle.”
“Eh, really… Then, can you ask Rustiara nicely, Kanami? Ehehe.”
“If it’s just asking, I guess it’s fine…”
In Snow’s mind, Rustiara was also counted among those who would protect her.
I was a little exasperated to see Snow relying on others again. Seeing my reaction, she straightened her chest and tried to show that she was independent.
“N-no… I-I’ll be fine on my own, okay? Even by myself, even without an ‘hero,’ it doesn’t matter! This time, I’ll definitely escape. …W-where should I run? Anywhere outside of Laura Via is fine, anyway.”
Snow, trembling, stepped forward first.
She looked like she was about to leave Valfala and the Allied Nations at any moment.
“Snow, wait. There’s someone I still need to talk to.”
“Eh, eh? After all you said, I want to escape from my mother-in-law right away… Honestly, just being in the same country is terrifying…”
“Calm down. Inside Valfala during the Dance Battle Tournament, the Walker family can’t do anything too extreme, right?”
“That’s true, but…”
Snow was fidgeting, unable to keep still.
Having done something unfamiliar, she didn’t know what to do in this situation.
“I’ll properly ask Rustiara and the others to escort you, so calm down… It’ll be more reassuring with them, won’t it?”
“It will be reassuring, but won’t we be targeted by Fuziaze if we’re with them…?”
“Give up on that. To be blunt, I’m being targeted too.”
“So that’s how it is… Yeah, I knew it…”
Snow had no choice but to accept being targeted by various countries.
I invited her, but I can’t shake the feeling that Snow’s situation has actually worsened.
I told the dejected Snow about my future plans.
“I’m going to talk to Maria now. I think we’ll end up destroying the ‘Bracelet’ after our talk. However, considering my ‘Bracelet,’ it’s highly likely Maria will retaliate. Snow, please cooperate in restraining Maria.”
“I see. Speaking of which, your sister also had a ‘Bracelet’ on… Um, it sounds troublesome, but I’ll cooperate. Because I want Kanami to like me.”
Snow naturally said she wanted to be liked.
It made me a little embarrassed.
“Thanks. But Maria is strong, so be careful.”
“Eh, strong…?”
“If things go badly, Maria might be as strong as a Guardian… Maria is imbued with the power of the Guardian Arti…”
“Guardian…!? …W-what should I do? I want Kanami to like me, but… I’m a little hesitant about facing a Guardian…”
“No, Snow, you shouldn’t have to fight. It’ll be the same as when we explored the Labyrinth together; you just need to stay back. That alone will put me at ease.”
“Eh, really? Then, maybe I should go…?”
The conversation reminded me of our Labyrinth Exploration days.
Although I had decided to fight for real, Snow’s heart was still hesitant.
But that’s just right.
Snow, who isn’t too discouraged nor too obsessive, is the one I can watch over with the most peace of mind.
Now, all that’s left is Maria.
“Alright. Then, let’s go right away. I’ll get Maria back by tomorrow, and then—”
“And then?”
However, our momentum, which had been going smoothly, was interrupted by her words.
Before I knew it, darkness had gathered in front of us.
Then, Reaper’s voice echoed from within the darkness.
“Isn’t tomorrow a bit too soon, big brother?”
Reaper appeared.
She stood in our way, blocking our path, and joyfully blessed us with a smile.
“First of all, congratulations, big brother. You managed to save Snow-neechan. Congratulations, Snow-neechan. You were finally able to be honest with your feelings. I envy both of you.”
There seemed to be no falsehood in her words.
She congratulated us sincerely and expressed her envy from the heart.
I had anticipated Reaper’s appearance, but Snow had not.
She spoke to Reaper with a surprised expression.
“R-Reaper… So you were here after all…”
“Yeah, I’ve been nearby the whole time. So I know most of what’s going on.”
Reaper answered Snow and immediately turned her attention back to me.
“You took quite a risk, big brother. I didn’t expect you to persuade Snow-neechan so forcefully. I never felt such passion from you. I thought you disliked Snow-neechan, so…”
“…I do dislike her. But it might have been for the last time. Wouldn’t it be natural to go all out so as not to have any regrets?”
“Hmm, ‘so as not to have any regrets,’ huh…”
Her smile vanished instantly, and Reaper asked with a serious expression.
“Hey, big brother, tell me. Why are you going to see Maria-neechan *right now*? We should take a break and then go after getting our bodies ready, right? Look, you’re still swaying even now. Maria-neechan is strong, you know? If you want to be fully prepared, you should sleep well tonight and fight tomorrow.”
Reaper’s question was valid.
If defeating Palinkron was the main objective, there was no point in pushing ourselves here.
Both my strength and Maria’s strength were necessary to defeat Palinkron.
Yet, there was no reason to weaken ourselves by overexerting here.
Faced with that correct logic, I desperately tried to make excuses.
“…Maria has lost her memories, just like me. It’s incredibly painful to have gaps in your memory. Only I can understand that pain. So, isn’t it natural that I want to help Maria regain her memories right away?”
“No, it’s not natural. If you get defeated here, Maria-neechan’s memories will never return. There’s no deadline for restoring Maria-neechan’s memories, so if you truly care about Maria-neechan, you should increase the chances of success even slightly. Therefore, it’s natural to be fully prepared and go tomorrow.”
“…Logically speaking, that might be true. But sometimes, you can’t accept things emotionally, right? Emotionally, I want to help Maria regain her memories right away.”
I piled on excuses that I myself found unconvincing.
Of course, Reaper frowned. The darkness swirling behind her deepened.
It seemed as if my suspicion was manifesting as darkness.
“…It really is strange. I heard ‘Christ Eurasia’ was rational, but you’re not at all rational right now, big brother. Why did you forcibly help Snow-neechan like that? There’s no need to rush anymore… Why are you going to see Maria-neechan in your exhausted state? Going now carries only risks… Hey, why?”
Reaper’s eyes, deeper than the darkness, stared at me.
They were eyes of suspicion that would not allow any lies.
“Th-that’s—”
“Is it because you have something to do in Valfala after helping Maria-neechan?”
Before I could answer, Reaper spoke my true intentions for me.
That meant Reaper had already figured out my objective.
Realizing I couldn’t hide it, I gave up and nodded.
It seemed I couldn’t come up with any more excuses.
“…Yeah, that’s right.”
“What are you going to do? Once you help Maria-neechan, you won’t have any business in Laura Via, right?”
Reaper’s expression gradually contorted.
“I do.”
“No, you don’t. Go then. Hurry up and chase Palinkron, big brother. Please…!”
I shook my head.
I clearly refused Reaper’s plea.
Seeing this, Reaper couldn’t hold back and screamed.
“—Just leave me and Rowen behind already! Big brother!!”
“There’s no way I can leave you two behind…!!”
I answered immediately.
“Why…? You have bigger things to deal with, right? You have a sworn enemy, right!? Then go there! Don’t go to Rowen!”
“Because I’m Rowen’s best friend… I can’t do that…”
“Because you’re best friends, so what!? What are you going to do now!? Rowen has already obtained everything! He defeated the ‘Strongest’ ‘Hero’ and attained ‘Glory’! He gained ‘Honor’ and stopped pretending to be someone else! There’s no role left for you, big brother!!”
“Before… I made a mistake with Arti, but I won’t make one this time. This time, I will fight. Surely, that is the role of a human facing a Guardian… I won’t pass that responsibility onto anyone else… not ever again!”
If I left everything to Reaper now, it would be a repeat of what happened with Maria and Arti.
The outcome would be that ‘Rowen would try to duel me no matter what.’ I could only see that future. Rowen, who had lost his composure, would surely become desperate as time passed.
“What are you saying, big brother! I don’t understand! I don’t understand what you’re saying! Why!?”
“—Rowen is waiting for me. That’s the reason.”
I answered Reaper, who had asked for the reason.
Hearing this, Reaper’s expression stiffened. A moment as if time had stopped passed, and she quickly regained her smile.
“…Heh, heheh, that’s right. …Rowen is waiting for you. That’s absolutely true.”
Despite her smile, a shadow loomed over her expression.
While laughing, Reaper murmured to herself. I had stopped making excuses, and now Reaper had too.
“I’ve watched Rowen for a long time, so I know. There’s no mistake. Rowen only has eyes for you now. —Rowen has lost sight of his own desires, so he’s pinning his hopes on the ‘Hero’ who awakened him.”
Reaper was thinking the same thing as me.
No, when it came to Rowen, no one could misunderstand.
He had, more than anyone, innocently expressed his desires in words.
—”I want to fight Kanami Aikawa in the finals of the Dance Battle Tournament.”
“He believes you will provide the answer, that you will grant his wish, and he’s waiting at the summit of Valfala. He’ll surely wait forever… —But precisely because of that, you can’t go.”
Reaper, while smiling, shook her head in distress.
“—Precisely because of that, betray Rowen.”
Then, right before me, she brazenly asked me to betray my best friend.
There was no malice in her words.
It was all for Rowen’s sake.
Precisely because she truly believed that, Reaper was troublesome.
“Betray Rowen’s trust and expectations, big brother. If you do that, Rowen won’t disappear. Moreover, he might gain new, significant lingering desires. If his ‘lingering desires’ increase, his future will be secure!”
From within the darkness, Reaper produced a scythe.
It was different from when I first saw it.
The dark magic enveloping the scythe was several times stronger than before.
“I don’t want to see Rowen, who’s about to disappear, fade away! So…!”
She held the scythe horizontally, blocking our path.
It was a clear declaration: “If you want to pass, you must defeat me.”
However, I had already made up my mind.
The resolve to stand against Reaper.
“Move aside, Reaper. I will restore Maria by tomorrow. And then, I will go to Rowen.”
I took out the ‘Crescent Pectoral Azure’s Straight Sword’ from my ‘Inventory’ and assumed a stance similar to Reaper’s.
Reaper gritted her teeth, glaring at my sword with resentment.
“I’m begging you so much…! And you’re still going, big brother…!?”
“Yeah, I can’t grant that wish.”
“You said you were going to Palinkron earlier…! Liar…!”
“Aren’t you one too?”
We were both lying.
Accused of that, Reaper frowned and, with a defiant laugh, chuckled.
“H-heheh… That’s right… big brother.”
Reaper’s innocence was gone, replaced by the demeanor of a seasoned witch.
The girl before me was no longer the child she once was.
Reaper calmly continued her explanation.
“…It seems leaving ‘Connection’ as a backup was a mistake. I thought I could gauge your emotions and actions through the ‘Connection,’ but it seems that wasn’t the case. I also thought that if you realized I disliked you, you’d naturally leave… But you, big brother, don’t care even if you’re disliked, so…”
Then, she exposed her plans up to today as if complaining.
“Ah, it’s not going well… It’s really not going well at all. But if that’s the case—”
Reaper didn’t stop smiling.
She still seemed to have the upper hand. Rather, the seasoned her seemed to have foreseen this outcome, with a smile that suggested she still had cards up her sleeve.
“—I have a plan too.”
With that, Reaper melted back into the darkness behind her—and disappeared.
The darkness that had shrouded the surroundings vanished, leaving only Snow and me.
“She disappeared… Was it good to let her go…?”
“It’s fine. She probably headed towards Maria at the ‘Epic Seeker’s’ main base…”
“Towards Maria-chan’s place…?”
I had met Snow first to guide her in that direction.
I believe.
Maria will not fall for Reaper’s scheme.
Maria, who vowed to “move forward” to Arti, must have the strength and will to do so. I have that memory ingrained in my mind.
I wasn’t the one who defeated ‘The One Who Steals the Logic of Fire.’ It was Maria.
I can still vividly recall.
Her incomparably gallant figure at the end of ‘Purgatory,’ even gouging out her own eyes—
“I’m asking you again, Snow. Please fight Reaper with me. I want to cooperate as partners.”
“As partners, huh…”
“Yeah, I don’t just want to protect Snow unilaterally. I want Snow to protect me too…”
“That’s what a equal relationship means… In that case, I guess it can’t be helped. Yes. Let’s start from here, our new beginning… with Kanami and me.”
Snow’s reply was pleasant.
I had expected her to react the same way as before.
“…You’re motivated this time. You were so reluctant when it came to Maria.”
“Though we haven’t known each other long, I consider Reaper a friend. I’d like to get along with her better if possible. But if I run away now, we’ll never understand each other. That’s what I think…”
“I see…”
Snow understood instinctively. And now, she was ready to act on it.
It was completely different from how I was in the past.
As Snow started walking, she called out to me.
“…, hey, aren’t we in a hurry to get to the ‘Epic Seeker’ or else your sister will be in danger? Can’t you use Kanami’s ‘Connection’ to get to the ‘Epic Seeker’?”
“…The ‘Connection’ that was installed at the ‘Epic Seeker’ was deactivated long ago. It’s impossible. …But it’s okay. I’ve made arrangements.”
“Eh, you’ve made arrangements?”
“Yeah.”
I nodded with firm confidence.
However, that didn’t mean we had time to spare.
Snow and I hurried towards the ‘Epic Seeker,’ where Maria was.
