(1) Scheme
Kousuke and Clara headed to the laboratory to make improvements to stabilize the staff.
Shurein, who had seen them off, suddenly noticed several gazes fixed upon her and involuntarily took a step back.
More than just a few gazes, it felt like everyone present was staring, creating an odd sense of pressure.
“Wh-what is it?”
Shurein managed to stop herself from retreating further after just one step and asked, but more questions were already approaching.
“Yes, Guilty.”
It was Colette who said it.
“Guilty, indeed~”
“That’s right.”
“Indeed it is.”
Peach, Silvia, and Floria followed suit.
Though no words were spoken, Mia also nodded deeply.
“No, I’m sorry. I truly don’t understand what this is about?”
Unable to fathom the reason for everyone cornering her, Shurein broke out in a cold sweat and offered her defense.
Peach watched her closely for a moment, then shook her head from side to side and looked at everyone in turn.
“It seems she genuinely doesn’t know~ It appears we have another one who’s oblivious here.”
“Indeed, it would seem so.”
As Peach and Floria spoke and stepped back, Colette and Silvia similarly took a step back.
Not understanding the meaning behind their actions, Shurein couldn’t help but murmur something of a complaint.
“What on earth is going on?”
Hearing her words, Peach couldn’t help but let out a sigh.
“Ah, everyone. This is no good. It seems she’s unaware~”
“What? To think there were still those afflicted with Colette’s disease… except for her, of course.”
Floria exclaimed in surprise at Peach’s words.
“That’s right.”
Silvia immediately agreed.
And the person who was the main subject of their discussion?
“Hey! Don’t bring up the past! I’m fine now!”
She protested.
Shurein watched their exchange, utterly bewildered and confused.
Mia, observing from a short distance, offered some advice with a sigh.
“Since the person herself is unaware, continuing this further will only make things worse. Wouldn’t it be better to get to the point?”
“Indeed, that’s true.”
Floria nodded at her own daughter’s words and looked at Shurein with a serious expression.
At that moment, Shurein felt an instinctive sense of foreboding.
Floria’s next words, she sensed, would be something regrettable for her.
And indeed, Floria’s words were:
“We’ll have you tell us everything about how far things have progressed with Kousuke over there.”
“…Huh?”
Shurein’s eyes went wide at Floria’s sudden statement.
Seeing the others nod with completely serious expressions, Shurein, for some reason, immediately thought of escaping.
Unfortunately, her attempt was thwarted by Peach, who had moved behind her.
“It’s no use trying to run away~ When it comes to Kousuke, there are no secrets between us!”
Shurein let out a dejected sigh, wishing they wouldn’t take this so seriously.
After all, without magic, Shurein knew she stood no chance against Peach’s seriousness.
Some time after Shurein was cornered by Peach.
Shurein ended up confessing everything, word for word, about her past interactions with Kousuke.
However, while Shurein was trembling inwardly with embarrassment, the other women looked bored.
“What? It wasn’t that big of a deal.”
“That’s right.”
Silvia nodded at Floria’s remark, which could have been interpreted as belittling Shurein.
Peach then piled on.
“Well, it’s a bit belated, isn’t it~?”
“Well, it’s hard for the person involved to notice their own racial weaknesses, isn’t it?”
Colette, at least, offered someフォロー based on her own past experiences.
However, her expression clearly indicated, “It’s about time.”
Shrinking her body in response to the merciless evaluations, Shurein cautiously glanced at the others.
“Isn’t that enough now?”
Shurein’s words, spoken with all the courage she could muster (?), were met with Peach shaking her head.
“That’s too naive~”
“I suppose so. If things stay this way, all the effort Shurein put into realizing this will be for naught.”
“N-no, well…”
Shurein felt another premonition of dread at the sight of Peach and Floria’s faces, but unfortunately, they were not the kind of people who would indulge her.
Colette, with a thoughtful look, grinned and said.
“Right. Since we’re already here, why don’t we set the stage for you?”
Shurein almost cried out “For what?”, but managed to hold back.
She didn’t have much time to speak anyway, as Silvia immediately followed up on Colette’s words.
“That’s right. At Kousuke’s current state, it might just work out well.”
Silvia said this, looking on, though it would have been better if she hadn’t displayed her talents as a Shrine Maiden at a time like this.
As it was, Shurein truly had no escape route.
The scheme the women (excluding Shurein) had devised was, for Shurein’s honor, never spoken of by anyone after its execution.
However, it was an undeniable fact that the outcome was satisfactory for everyone involved.
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(2) A Reunion After a Long Time
The day after returning from the past.
Shurein met with a certain individual at Vermilia Castle.
That person was Ines of the Prost Clan.
At first, Ines did not understand why Shurein had called for her.
She knew Shurein hadn’t been seen at the castle for the past few days, but since it wasn’t uncommon, she assumed it was just business as usual.
“Is something the matter?”
Ines asked as soon as she appeared. Shurein approached her and extended her right hand.
In response, Ines tilted her head but extended her right hand as well.
Shurein then let something drop into her palm.
“Did this prove useful?”
“!!! ”
Seeing what lay on her palm, Ines instinctively cupped her mouth with her left hand, her expression one of astonishment.
After regaining her composure from the shock, Ines, with tears welling up in her eyes,
“…Yes.”
She replied with a deep mix of emotions and nodded slightly.
Confirming this, Shurein offered a smile.
Shurein waited for Ines’s emotions to settle before asking, “By the way, what happened to the orb I gave you back then?”
She was curious about how the orb she had given Ines in the past had been used.
Knowing Ines, she never imagined it would be used for anything pointless.
However, Ines’s face became dumbfounded at Shurein’s question.
“You didn’t realize? The one Viana gave you at Alkis previously was that.”
“What!?”
Shurein was truly surprised by this answer.
It was completely unexpected.
At the same time, however, she recalled Kousuke’s attitude when she had given the orb to Ines in the past.
“Ah, I see. That’s why Kousuke didn’t stop me then.”
“That must be it.”
Ines nodded profoundly at Shurein’s words.
Only now did she realize why Kousuke hadn’t stopped Shurein from giving the orb to Ines.
And so, for Shurein, her first journey into the past, in its true sense, came to an end.
Whether this interlude had any meaning or not…
Well, please forgive it since Kousuke didn’t appear.
However, with this, the past arc truly concludes.
As for whether the final flag will be collected or not… even the author doesn’t know.
