Chapter 13

Let's go back a little in time.

Inside the royal palace of the Kingdom of Heilich, in the room assigned to the summoners, Yae Katsuragi stared at her unconscious friend with a dark expression. It had been five days since the battle in the labyrinth, where they had experienced a life-and-death struggle and the feeling of loss.

After leaving the labyrinth, they spent a night in the inn town of Horuad, and the group returned to the capital in the morning by high-speed carriage. After that, the atmosphere was not one where they could continue practical training in the labyrinth. Although they were called incompetent, the death of a fellow hero had to be reported to the kingdom and the church. Moreover, it was a serious matter, but it was not right to leave the heroes with emotional scars. The kingdom and the church judged that the heroes must be taken care of until some fatal obstacle occurred.

After returning to the kingdom, Katsuragi hoped that Kaori would wake up soon, but at the same time, she wished that Kaori would just wake up from a nap. After reporting the death of Aichi, the king and Isthall were shocked, but they also breathed a sigh of relief that it was the "incompetent" Aichi who died. If the powerful heroes had died in the labyrinth, it would have raised questions like, "If they can't even survive the labyrinth, can they defeat the demon race?" If such doubts spread, it would be troublesome, as the heroes, the apostles of God, must be invincible.

However, there were people who thought differently from the king and Isthall. Among them were those who maliciously slandered Aichi. Of course, they didn't say such things in public, but rather in secret conversations among the nobles. "It's a good thing that incompetent one died. He was just a target in battle, and it was only natural that he died." This was already a reckless denigration. Katsuragi had been angry many times at such casual denigration of the dead.

In fact, Hikari, who had the strongest sense of justice, was the first to get angry. His reaction was so intense that it wouldn't have been surprising if he had attacked them. Hikari protested fiercely, and the kingdom and the church, realizing it would be unwise to make him have a bad impression of them, punished those who had spoken ill of Aichi... Conversely, a rumor spread that "Hikari is a kind hero who cares even for the incompetent." As a result, Hikari's reputation soared, but the evaluation that "Aichi was just a troublemaker for the heroes" remained unchanged.

At that time, it was undoubtedly Aichi who saved them. Facing a monster that even the heroes couldn't handle, Aichi alone had managed to hold it off, and it was a stray shot from one of the classmates that killed him.

The classmates, as if they had conspired, said nothing about the misfire at that time. No one could be sure it wasn't their own magic, and with countless spells raining down, "What if it was my magic?" was a topic no one wanted to bring up, as it meant they might have killed someone.

In the end, it was as if they were avoiding reality, thinking it was Aichi's own clumsiness. Without any evidence, it was easier to conclude that Aichi had brought it upon himself, and no one had to worry. The classmates' opinions were unanimously agreed upon without any communication.

Meldur, the captain, thought it was necessary to interrogate the students to clarify what happened at that time. But the students all avoided reality, insisting it was just a misfire and refusing to consider anything else. Even if it was a mistake, they were convinced of it. If it was truly for the students' psychological well-being, it needed to be clear-cut; otherwise, it would become a lingering issue. More importantly, Meldur wanted to understand for himself. He had promised to "help" but ultimately failed to save Aichi, and he felt the same pain over it.

However, Meldur's actions were not carried out. Isthall completely banned the students from discussing the matter. Meldur persisted, but in the end, even the king issued a ban, and he had to give up.

"If you knew about these things... wouldn't you be angry?"

Holding Kaori's hand, who had not woken up since that day, Katsuragi mumbled softly. The doctor's diagnosis was that there was no physical abnormality, and the deep sleep was probably a defensive measure taken by the body to protect the mind from the psychological shock. Therefore, she would naturally wake up over time.

Katsuragi held Kaori's hand and, beyond that, prayed to no one in particular, asking not to harm her gentle friend.

At that moment, Kaori's hand, which was tightly held, suddenly moved.

"!? Kaori! Can you hear me?! Kaori!"

Katsuragi called out desperately, and Kaori's closed eyelids began to flutter. Katsuragi called out even more desperately. In response to her voice, Kaori's hand tightly gripped Katsuragi's. Then, Kaori slowly opened her eyes.

"Kaori!"

"...Katsuragi?"

Leaning over the bed, Katsuragi looked down at Kaori with tears streaming down her face. Kaori's eyes, which were still out of focus, scanned the room, and after a while, her brain seemed to clear up, and her eyes finally focused on Katsuragi, who was calling her name.

"Um, yeah. It's me. Kaori, how are you feeling? Is there anything uncomfortable?"

"Um, yeah. I'm fine. I'm just a bit tired... probably from sleeping for a while..."

"That's right, you've been sleeping for five days... it's natural to feel tired."

While helping Kaori sit up, Katsuragi smiled wryly and told her how many days she had been asleep. Kaori's reaction was:

"Five days? Then... why... I, I was in the labyrinth... so..."

Seeing her eyes gradually lose focus again, Katsuragi, sensing "oh no," tried to change the subject, but Kaori recovered her memory first.

"So... um... Nanami-kun is?"

"Um... that's..."

Katsuragi showed a pained expression, struggling with how to convey the news. Seeing Katsuragi's expression and recalling her own memories, Kaori realized the tragic reality. However, she couldn't accept it so easily.

"...You're lying, right? Katsuragi. After I fainted, Nanami-kun was saved, right? Ah, ah? Is that right? This is a room in the castle, right? Everyone came back, right? Nanami-kun is... training, right? At the training ground? Um... I'll go out. I have to thank Nanami-kun... so, let go? Katsuragi."

Kaori, trying to avoid reality, rambled on about finding Aichi, and Katsuragi tightly held her arm. Katsuragi's face was filled with sorrow, but she still looked at Kaori resolutely.

"...Kaori. You understand, right?... He's not here anymore."

"No..."

"Like you remember."

"No... don't..."

"He, Nanami-kun..."

"No, don't... don't say it!"

"Kaori! He's already dead!"

"No! He's not dead! Absolutely, there's no such thing! Why, why are you saying such cruel things! Even if you say it, Katsuragi, I won't allow it!"

Shaking her head, Kaori tried to escape despite Katsuragi's restraint, and Katsuragi, like a cocoon, held her tightly, not letting her go. She embraced her tightly to warm Kaori's cold heart.

"Let go! Let go! I have to find Nanami-kun! So please... he must still be alive... let go..."

Unconsciously, Kaori, while shouting "let go," buried her head in Katsuragi's chest and cried. Clinging tightly, she sobbed with a dry throat. The only thing Katsuragi could do was to hold her friend tightly, hoping to ease the pain of her wounded heart.

How long had it been? The bright sky she had seen from the window was now dyed red by the sunset. Kaori's nose sniffled as she sat up from Katsuragi's embrace. Katsuragi, worried, probed Kaori.

"Kaori..."

"...Katsuragi... Nanami-kun... fell... the value of this place..."

Kaori's whisper, low and fading. Katsuragi did not try to comfort her with empty words. Such words might provide temporary comfort, but the result would be an irreparable wound to Kaori. Katsuragi did not want to see her friend hurt any more.

"That's right."

"At that time, one of our spells hit Nanami-kun... who was it?"

"I don't know. No one wants to talk about what happened then. Thinking it might have been their own... it's scary."

"I see."

"Do you hate them?"

"...I don't know. If I knew who it was... I would definitely hate them. But... if I don't know... this is probably the best way. Otherwise, I, I wouldn't be able to bear it..."

"..."

Katsuragi and Kaori, who had lowered her head, spoke intermittently. Soon, Kaori wiped her red, swollen eyes and looked up at Katsuragi. Then, she declared resolutely.

"Katsuragi, I don't believe it. Nanami-kun must still be alive. I don't believe he's dead."

"Kaori, that's..."

Hearing Kaori's words, Katsuragi showed a pained expression and tried to persuade her. But Kaori, with both hands on Katsuragi's cheeks, smiled and spoke.

"I know, it sounds ridiculous to think he could still be alive after falling from there. ...But, it hasn't been confirmed, right? The probability is less than one percent, but as long as it's not confirmed, it's not zero. ...I want to believe."

"Kaori..."

"I'll get stronger, strong enough to protect you in such a situation, and then I'll confirm with my own eyes, about Nanami-kun. ...Katsuragi"

"What?"

"Please lend me your strength."

"..."

Katsuragi, who had been staring at Kaori's eyes, saw no signs of madness or avoidance of reality. Only a pure will to "not give up until I'm convinced." Such a Kaori, once she made up her mind, was unmovable. Not just Katsuragi, even Kaori's family found her stubbornness difficult to handle.

In general, the possibility Kaori proposed could be considered zero. Believing someone could survive after falling into that abyss would be seen as avoiding reality. Most people, including Ryutaro and Hikari, would try to correct Kaori's thinking. But because of that...

"Of course. I'll be with you until you're convinced."

"Katsuragi!"

Kaori tightly hugged Katsuragi, saying "thank you" many times. "You don't need to thank me, we're friends, right?" Katsuragi, who was known as a contemporary female samurai, was not just a title.

At that moment, the door to the room suddenly opened.

"Katsuragi! Is Kaori awake...?"

"Hey, how is Kaori...?"

Hikari and Ryutaro, who had come to visit Kaori, were wearing training clothes, dirty all over. Since that day, they had become embodiments of training, partly because Aichi had died. They had refused to retreat, and almost got killed, but Aichi had saved them from certain death. They didn't want to show that kind of incompetence again and rushed in with great determination.

Such a pair now stood frozen at the entrance to the room. Katsuragi, surprised, asked:

"What are you...?"

"Sorry!"

"Sorry for disturbing!"

Before Katsuragi could finish her question, they hastily answered and quickly left the room. It seemed they had seen something they shouldn't have, and Kaori was confused. But Katsuragi, who was more perceptive, noticed the reason.

At that moment, Kaori was sitting on Katsuragi's lap, with her hands on Katsuragi's cheeks, and her face was almost touching Katsuragi's, as if they were about to kiss. Katsuragi, supporting Kaori, had her arms around her slender waist and shoulders.

In other words, they had created a passionate yuri scene. If this were a manga, the background would be filled with blooming lilies.

Katsuragi sighed deeply, then glanced at Kaori, who was still dazed and didn't understand what had happened, and called out to the door.

"Come back quickly! You two big idiots!"