The day after finishing his discussion with Shurein, Kousuke had a Divine Union with Clara.
“I see. You explained it properly, didn’t you?”
“Ah. That was the correct thing to do, right?”
In truth, Kousuke hadn’t been explicitly told about the key by Clara either.
However, as he had noticed during his discussion with Shurein, he had received hints that led him to the correct answer.
Kousuke didn’t mind that Clara hadn’t given him a clear answer.
Given the situation of having come to the past, he could infer that directly providing the answer would disrupt the world’s management.
He believed it was natural to be cautious.
As Kousuke was thinking about this, he heard Clara’s laughter.
“Clara?”
“Oh. Sorry about that. But Kousuke, you’re thinking a little too hard?”
“Eh? No, but if I don’t, the timeline will get messed up—”
Kousuke tried to continue, but Clara interrupted him.
“That’s exactly why I said you’re thinking too hard.”
“…Um? What do you mean?”
Kousuke believed he had forcibly inserted himself into the past.
That’s why he thought he couldn’t act carelessly.
Indeed, the relief Clara showed when he first had a Divine Union with her shouldn’t have been a lie.
When Kousuke honestly expressed his doubts, Clara replied.
“Well, of course, we were also anxious when you and the others disappeared. After all, we had no clue where you went.”
When Kousuke and the others traveled to the past, all the goddesses, including Asura, had lost track of them.
That’s why they had rushed to bring Clara, even to a limited space called the Management Layer, to search for Kousuke.
This was because losing Kousuke in their current state would have been a significant loss for the Divine Realm.
Now that Kousuke’s location had been identified, the goddesses weren’t as anxious.
This was because a future where Kousuke remained in the past indefinitely did not exist.
It was a paradoxical way of thinking, but Kousuke found himself accepting the explanation, which made a certain kind of sense.
However, at the same time, another question came to mind.
“Huh? Does that mean the future is already set?”
“At least, for now, I would say so. But you, Shurein, and Mitsuki wouldn’t do anything so careless, would you?”
Regardless of whether a time paradox would truly occur, the idea that Kousuke and the others would go out of their way to act carelessly seemed unlikely.
Kousuke inwardly nodded in agreement with Clara’s confident assertion.
There was a real possibility that acting carelessly could lead to a future where he never came to this world.
Now, Kousuke wanted no part in such a future.
The same must be true for Shurein and Mitsuki.
Therefore, Kousuke nodded with confidence.
“Well, that’s true, I suppose.”
“Right. Well, for now, let’s proceed without too much worry. That said, it’s all up to Shurein’s efforts from here on.”
“Yes, that’s true.”
The dice had already been cast in their previous discussion.
Now, it was all about whether Shurein could find the correct answer.
“But you believe in her, don’t you? In Shurein.”
“Of course, I do.”
Without any hesitation, Kousuke answered easily.
***
At the same time Kousuke and Clara were having their Divine Union.
Shurein, who was the subject of their discussion, had left the hermitage and was taking a walk around the village.
What Shurein saw were sights that could be seen in any village, yet also sights she had never seen before.
The reason for this was that the scenes were so ordinary, they seemed out of place for a Vampire village.
“—To think that I would long for ordinary sights at this point…”
“Yes? Did you say something?”
Shurein’s voice, which she had muttered in a very small voice, didn’t quite reach Ines, who tilted her head and asked for clarification.
Ines had bumped into Shurein as she left the hermitage and decided to accompany her.
Shurein shook her head in response to Ines’s question.
“No. It’s nothing.”
Her longing wasn’t about the overall atmosphere of the village.
If asked for specifics, she couldn’t quite articulate it—
“—No. There’s no point in deceiving myself now.”
Muttering this time so Ines wouldn’t hear, Shurein’s expression became one of resignation.
What had been bothering Shurein more than the key to returning to her original time was the sight of children running past her from time to time.
Shurein already realized why the sight of these children was so captivating.
She had previously deceived herself into thinking it was because they were “of a different species,” but seeing this so clearly made her uneasy.
This feeling had been suppressed until her conversation with Kousuke, but now it was overflowing as if some restraint had broken.
At this point, she could no longer deny her own feelings of “wanting Kousuke’s child.”
As Shurein contemplated this, she let out a heavy sigh.
Ines, who had been watching Shurein’s demeanor, seemed to sense something, though she couldn’t see clearly, and her face grew worried.
“Are you feeling unwell somewhere?”
“Ah, no. It’s not that. But… well. Perhaps I was a bit overwhelmed by the energy of the children in this village.”
Ines chuckled at Shurein’s half-joking words.
“The children in the village are quite energetic.”
However, a flicker of sadness crossed Ines’s face as she said this.
Shurein, who didn’t miss Ines’s expression, tilted her head and asked.
“What is it? Is there a problem with the children being energetic?”
“No! It’s not that… I’m sorry. I just thought how nice it is to see innocent children. …Thinking like this, I guess I’m still a child myself.”
“Heh. Well, don’t say that. Being able to admit you’re a child is already the first step toward becoming an adult.”
“Is that so?”
“That’s how it is.”
Ines replied, “Perhaps you’re right,” to Shurein’s casual remark.
Even during their conversation, Shurein’s gaze followed the playing children.
Whether she realized it or not, Ines also looked at the children and murmured.
“Eventually, they’ll learn the harsh realities of life, won’t they?”
The children playing relatively safely within the village rarely encountered the threat of monsters.
“That’s probably true. No, I think the children feel it more keenly than you think.”
“Do you think so?”
“Mmm. That’s why they live each day so earnestly…”
Shurein stopped mid-sentence, intending to say “they probably do.”
Ines looked at her with a puzzled expression, but Shurein didn’t notice.
This was because she had just realized that her own words contained a crucial hint for their return.
I’ll keep you in suspense until the very end~
Well, you’ll find out what the key is in the next chapter lol
The long past arc (?) is finally coming to an end.
Please bear with me for a little longer.
