俄罗斯o

Hanazono Hana, who had become Arraune, and Kaminari Totoha, who had become the Thunderbird, looked up at the sky in a relaxed manner.

The farmland outside the royal capital was full of greenery, and it was just now entering the harvest season. The fields stretched as far as the eye could see, with the mountains hazy in the background. There are no utility poles or other obstacles to the view, and there are no cars on the road to spoil the clean air. This kind of scene would be hard to find in Japan. A bird I\'d never seen before flew across the blue sky, making a sound like a kite.

\'It\'s peaceful...\'

Hanazono mutters again.

It has only been less than a week since I started sleeping in the kingdom, but life here is peaceful itself. The life in the base where I spent my time being scared of the foreign enemy, scared of tomorrow, and jumpy is now a far cry from oblivion. The sense of security that there are many humans around is also strong.

Hanazono and Kannari are not so terrifying looking monsters. Unlike Kenzaki (Durahan) and Okumura (Orc), who would scream and complain just by going into town, they were very fortunate in that area. Perhaps it was because of their appearance that they found some acceptable landowners when they saw the agricultural land outside the royal capital and wanted to help out.

\'\'Hey, Kannari-san. What shall we do?　One week later.

Yeah, I don\'t know...

While looking up at the blue sky, we leisurely have such a conversation.

Yesterday, at the third different world class meeting, Ryuzaki gave the class a notice. In other words, you can either leave this country to return to your home world, or you can take it easy and live under the protection of the country. It was a decision that had to be made at some point, but the classmates were very much in turmoil.

They would not be allowed the mushy talk of living safely in this country and joining up with that famous wise man when they were on the verge of returning to meet him. There is also the problem of the distance between this country and the forest where the wise man lives. If we stay in this country, we may not be able to see everyone else anymore.

I don\'t think it\'s all right for me to go home...

Kannari muttered. Oddly enough, Hanazono was thinking the same thing, so he looked up at the thunderbird sitting next to him.

\'\'Kannari-san too?\'\'

\'Yeah..... I think Miya is going back. But I don\'t want to go back to that world. That\'s why I\'m not sure.

He didn\'t have anyone he liked or a dream he wanted to do. In that respect, Kannari says, he might have been a little envious of Nekomiya Miya, who had both.

Hanazono also has a close friend named Aya Sugiura, so it\'s a story she understands.

Hanazono loved to grow plants. But it\'s not as big a dream as it sounds. When she came to this world, she became Alraune and was able to exchange words with the plants she grew. It\'s too sad to think that I\'ll have to give up this ability when I return to humanity.

\'I guess I\'ll stay here after all.

Hanazono nodded. I\'m sure Sugiura will miss her. But it\'s scary to think that I\'m going to start living in fear of something again.

It\'s time to get back to work. Hanazono slowly stood up. Just then, he could see a group of monstrous knights running down the street. Thinking that something must have happened, those knights stopped in front of the mansion of the landowner who owned this farmland and started talking to the gatekeeper about something. The gatekeeper quickly withdrew and invited the knights into the mansion.

Judging from the fact that the other farmers were looking at each other and talking about something, it seemed to be something that didn\'t usually happen very often. Hanazono felt a strange feeling of excitement.

\'\'Ah, Hanazono-san. \'\'That one.\'\'

Kannari said and pointed to another figure running from the street. It\'s an unexpected person.

Soraki Kyousuke and Himemizu Rin. It\'s the combined figure of those two people (named Stream Cross). Ei Hino is also flying right beside them.

\'\'Hanazono, Kannari!\'\'

With a big wave of his hand, Kyousuke came over to them. Ei is careful not to burn the vegetables that have grown up.

\'Yay, Hua-chan and Toriba-chan.

Rin also extends her arm outstretched from Kyousuke\'s shoulder to greet him, unintentionally.

\'\'That\'s kind of unusual, what\'s wrong with all three of you?\'\'

Uh-huh. Sort of.

I don\'t think this is the kind of place I\'d come to in a minute...

Shen Cheng also glanced at the other farmers in a somewhat confused tone. When the knight who came out from the mansion called out to the farmers, they turned blue in the face and ran into the mansion.

\'\'What\'s going on?\'\'

Speaking of which, there was.

Hanazono asked when she saw the situation, and Ei nodded.

\'\'The corpse (ghoul) is out.

\'Eh....\'

Hanazono and Kannari couldn\'t help but look at each other.

\'\'Ghouls, um, the other day...?\'\'

Yeah, last time.

Yeah, but why would I...

Hanazono\'s agitation bled into her voice with all her might. I thought it was peaceful. I thought it was safe. It felt as if that premise had suddenly been smashed. The same seemed to be true for Kannari, and his eyes were blinking.

As if to continue, Kyousuke opened his mouth.

\'\'We came here to tell you that, and because there was something we wanted to tell you two.

You want to talk about it?

Yeah. You know, the class meeting in a week.

It\'s just what we were talking about. But it\'s a bit unnatural for Kyousuke to bring it up out of the blue. Hanazono can\'t hide her confusion.

It\'s as if the answer has already been decided. I will remain in this country. I believe this country is peaceful and safe, and I don\'t want to lose my ability to talk to plants. I\'m sure that\'s wavering after receiving the report of the appearance of the corpse in my sleep, but my feelings are still leaning towards remaining.

\'\'Ah, um... we\'re thinking of staying behind, but...\'\'

\'Oh yeah, I knew it...\'

When Kannari said that, Kyousuke scratched his head as if he was a little troubled.

\'I just want you to think about it some more. If you\'re having trouble or something...\'\'

"Mr. Utsurogi.

Kyousuke\'s words were interrupted by Rin\'s tense voice.

\'We\'re getting close.\'

Hmm, well...

Kyousuke and Rin turned around, and Hanazono and the others turned their gaze in that direction as well.

They could see a group of moving corpses with decomposing body parts, as if they were seen in a zombie movie or zombie game, approaching us from the street. The mansion also seemed to have confirmed it, and leaving some guards behind, the knights drove their horses towards it.

A corpse.

Hanazono clenched her fists tightly. They were horrible death monsters that were too out of place in the peaceful farmland.

It felt as if they had come to shake their minds. But I\'m sure that more horrible monsters than that will be waiting for us when we leave this country. When I think of that, my consciousness hardens.

I\'ll protect them, Utsurogi-kun. Utsurogi-kun, you have to chase away the corpses and firecrackers.

\'\'Good, but......... Just let Kannari fly away........

Toriba-chan is afraid of heights!

\'Oh, uh, okay. Sorry.....

Rin separated from an apologetic Kyousuke and fell to the ground slyly. As it was, Kyousuke nodded to Ei, \'Blaze Cross! They merged into a single form, timing it with a cry of "I\'m sorry, but I\'m not going to be able to do that! Kyousuke looks down at Rin as he floats up into the air to avoid burning the crops with the flames burning from his entire body.

\'\'Himemizu, take care of the rest!

I\'ll wait for you.

Rin sent out a buoyant sign with her whole body, sending Kyousuke flying off to the group of corpses.

\'\'Um, Surin, I\'m not afraid of the heights, I\'m afraid of the thunderbolt...\'\'

Kannari timidly spoke up.

\'Yes, I know. The first day of the school trip, we had a lot of fun climbing the lighthouse, right?

So, why would you...

Maybe it\'s because I thought it would be tough to convince him, Utsurogi-kun.

Persuasion. With those words, Hanazono strengthened herself.

After all, I\'m going to talk about the class meeting in a week\'s time. By persuasion, I mean, I intend to change our minds. It\'s very much like Rin to say that it\'s very Rin to say that it\'s very much like Rin to say that it\'s very much like Rin to say that it\'s very much like Rin to say that it\'s very much like Rin to say that it\'s very much like Rin to say that it\'s very much like Rin to say that it\'s very much like Rin to say that it\'s very much like Rin to say that it\'s very much like Rin to say that it\'s very much like Rin to say that it\'s very much like Rin to say that it\'s very much like Rin to say that it\'s very much like Rin to say that it\'s very much like Rin to say that it\'s very much like Rin to say that it\'s very much like Rin to say that it\'s very much like Rin to say that it\'s very much like Rin to say that it\'s very much like Rin to say that it\'s very much like Rin to say that it\'s very much like Rin to say that it\'s very much like Rin.

\'\'Well, calm down, you guys. It\'s just a matter of time before Utsurogi-kun and the rest of the team can take care of that level of corpse. But just to be on the safe side, I\'d like to talk to you where there is water.

I couldn\'t read any expression from the figure of Himemizu Rin (slime), who was going up and down, popping up and down.

Rin and the others moved toward the canal that ran near the farmland. A short distance away, Kyousuke and Ei were working in tandem with the knights to kick out a group of corpse demons. The corpse demons were more in number than what was reported. Whether this is a mere misreporting or an indication that the casualties are expanding, it\'s impossible to tell.

If it\'s the latter, there must still be more wights than here. I hope that Kenzaki and the others, who are currently working separately, are safe and can find them.

In such a situation, I persuade the two of them. Nothing made me feel like I was in a situation like this, but Rin forced it down. To Rin, the separation of the class and the spread of corpse damage were equally serious issues.

Hanazono and Kannari were clearly on guard while being brought in. Well, of course. That was a bad way for Kyousuke to cut them off.

Soraki Kyousuke is a kind man. Despite the fact that he\'s been going through a lot lately, Rin has no intention of changing that perception. I like him and he has helped me many times. But it\'s hard to convince these two to go along with that Kyousuke. That\'s why I stuck out.

\'\'Hey, Rin, what do you mean by that?\'\'

Hanazono said with some tension mixed in with her usual laid-back tone.

Hmm, I wonder what she\'s trying to do? No, I don\'t really mean to play dumb, but...

Rin dropped her body into the canal, absorbing the water and growing gung-ho in size. In the unlikely event that a group of corpses appeared from another direction, they would literally have to use this body as a shield.

\'\'Both me and Jinsei-san are planning to stay here........ \'\'Persuasion, is that what you\'re talking about?\'\'

Yeah, you\'re right. I\'m here to force my opinion on you two.

I don\'t intend to mend things weirdly here, so Rin said that clearly.

Hanazono and Kannari looked at each other.

\'\'The reason the two of you want to stay in this country is because you don\'t feel like going back to your former world that much, and it\'s safer inside than outside, right?

Are you trying to tell me that it\'s not that safe in this country either?

Oh, you can think like that.

Rin nodded as she looked at the group of corpses.

You can say that no place is safe, no matter how big or small the danger, without a price tag. I\'m always willing to risk my life for it, but, well, that\'s not what I\'m saying.

Cooing and compressing her bloated body, Rin crawled out of the canal.

\'\'I simply don\'t want to say goodbye to the two of you, do I?

Didn\'t me and Rin get along so well with each other that I would say that...

"When I got back to my old world, I was like, \'Oh, who and who didn\'t make it back, but it\'s good to be back! It\'s not, \'Oh, it\'s so good to be back together! Wouldn\'t it be better to say, \'Hey, you know what?\'

This is rather Rin\'s true opinion. And although she is firmly aware of it, it is also a selfish opinion that she thinks about because she was in the upper tier of the class caste. Rin, who had a bird\'s eye view of the class from a high position during her human days, thought that their class was a very good class. Even though there were some students who were a little difficult to get involved with, there weren\'t any problems happening, and she thought it was a class that everyone enjoyed getting along with.

Once you get down to the bottom, you realize that in the end, you only saw things at the top. The temperature difference between the center of the class and the outer edges is different. But still, Rin liked the second year 4 class, and the whole class wanted to return. It\'s a self-righteous idea that doesn\'t take into account individual circumstances. I\'m sure that Ryuzaki must have the same true intentions.

It\'s a good thing that we don\'t get along with each other, so it\'s selfish to say such things. I\'m not a good friend of mine, so I\'m not going to be able to hold back on the feelings of Mya and Aya,

I could see them both freak out and shudder when I mentioned the name of the best friend to each of them.

Rin has been listening carefully in the bath. Nekomiya Mimi and what Aya Sugiura said.

Nekomiya wants to go home with Kannari. Kannari is unsure of herself and timid, but essentially she has a talent that can shine like a brilliant, lightning bolt on stage. I would like to have her on the stage, even if only once. However, if Kannari herself wants to remain in this world, then I don\'t have the right to hold her back.

Sugiura wants to return with Hanazono. Every time Hanazono talked about the flower beds she had grown in the horticulture club when she was human, she wanted to see them when she returned to her former world. If I could, it would be with her. However, if Hanazono herself wanted to stay in this world, she had no right to hold me back.

What I can\'t say because I\'m her best friend, I\'m not her best friend, and I\'ll speak for her. I dissolve the words, digest them, extract them, and speak them in my own words.

\'\'Isn\'t that just the right thing to say to make us feel better?

Kannari was also alert and exposed, poking at a sharp point. But Rin was not frightened.

\'\'I\'m saying it. I\'ll try to make you feel like it. I\'m in this form now. The words you say are conveniently different. The words I speak will change to suit me. Like water, I change my shape to fit the vessel.

As he says it, he uncompresses the density of the compression and spreads it out wide all over his body. It stretched thin, became a circle, rippled, and then gathered and compressed again in one place. Kannari and Hanazono followed Rin\'s gaze, surprised, as she showed her transformative movements.

\'But no matter how much water changes shape, its molecular formula is H2O. The shape may change, but the most important part remains the same.\'\'

What\'s the most important part?

\'I won\'t say that because it would change the way I put it into words. It\'s like ultrapure water. No matter how well you make pure, impurity-free water, as soon as it comes into contact with the atmosphere, it ends up getting mixed in with something else.

It was Kannari and Hanazono herself who would remove the extraneous impurities from the words, which were as elusive as water, and find the most important part.

I hope they find it, Rin thought.

Both Nekomiya and Sugiura would surely be depressed if they had to break up with their best friend. It was hard to watch their classmates get depressed. If Nekomiya\'s tension goes down, it will affect the battle and morale. If Sugiura\'s tension goes down, his food will be bad. And that\'s not good either.

Well, but it will be fine. If something more was needed, it would be the turn of the two best friends this time.

What about the Utsurogi-kun and his friends?

When Rin looked up, Kyousuke and the others were just about to give the few remaining corpses a final tome.

\'\'Seiyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!\'\'

Chasing away the one stray corpse, Kyousuke\'s flame-clad punches smashed through Dotetrappa. Kyousuke\'s body, whose strength was increased by Beni\'s blood, was able to withstand a certain amount of physical combat, even when merged with Ei (Blaze Cross). Of course, it wasn\'t powered, so the only way to do it was to add speed and then burn it off with heat.

Still, in the current situation where he couldn\'t use flying tools like the \'Prominence Ball\' in order to not cause damage to crops, it was a gratifying ability enhancement.

There were three remaining corpses. One of them is being driven away by the knights. There are two bodies that Kyousuke and Ei should defeat.

\'\'It\'s Blaze Crush. Kyousuke!

Ei exclaimed.

\'What was that?!\'

\'It\'s a prominence drop!　The guy who kicks with his legs open!

Oh, that.

Kyousuke kicked the floor of the street and jumped. Ei erupts in full-body flames, pushing Kyousuke\'s body up into the air. The two remaining bodies are frozen in just one place. This is enough to topple them all at once.

Ei rearranges the shape of the leg bones. The shins open up as if they are jumping up and down, opening up vertically as if the structure of the leg has been turned into the claws of a raptor.

\'\'Blaze!\'\'

As Kyousuke shouted with his arms outstretched, Ei made the flames on his back flare up even more, accelerating them all the way to the ground.

\'\'Kraaaaaaaaash!

Clawed open flames scorched the bodies of the two corpses, trapping them up and down, biting and tearing them apart. The bones were thrust up like spears and then kicked out in one go.

Just before the landing, Ei hastily reassembled the leg bones back together. Kyousuke and the others landed with a cloud of dust on the street. At the same time, the knights kill the last one just in time. With that, the wights in this place have been wiped out.

Kyousuke patted his chest in relief.

\'\'Thank you for your cooperation!

A man who looked like the leader of the knights said with a salute.

\'\'Your Highness has told me about you, but I\'m impressed.

Oh, no, well, it\'s not just me, so...

Kyousuke scratched his head in embarrassment.

The knights left with their heads down to explore the other wights as they were.

\'\'As expected, we won\'t stop at the level of wights anymore.

Ei says admiringly.

\'Oh, well...\'

When he calmed down, he looked at the corpse of the corpse lying on the street. It was completely charred to the core by Ei\'s flames.

As I take a breath, I have a lot of things to think about. The origins of the corpse demon. About Beni. The connection between them and the Red Moon Blood Race (Red Moon). And the \'problem\' that Benii himself has mentioned that Kyousuke is having. Kyousuke didn\'t shift his gaze from the carefully burnt corpse and asked Ei.

\'\'Ei, do I look like I have a problem?\'\'

Hmm?

Another classmate said that to me.

When Kyousuke said that, Ei separated from Kyousuke\'s body and floated up softly.

\'\'........Come on. It\'s hard to tell from my mouth.\'\'

It was a bit of a shove, which was unusual for him. Kyousuke shrugged.

\'I\'ve known Kyousuke for a while now, so I can\'t really answer the question of whether he seems to have a problem, objectively speaking.

Does that mean I end up having a problem?

What do you think?

I don\'t really know what I\'m talking about.

And even if Kyousuke really had some problems, Ei has never once brought it up to Okubi. It\'s also odd that Ei has been silent about his problems for so long. Ei did not say anything more to Kyousuke.

Suddenly, Kyousuke remembered Goubayashi, who had left the 2nd year 4 class before. Goubayashi had said that his current form was a reflection of the "demon" that lived inside him, and he had set out on an ascetic\'s journey to confront it. If we can say that those things are also "problems," then his current form is a reflection of the problems he needs to face.

My problems. Skeleton\'s problems. What is it?

Around the time he was thinking in agony, Rin returns with Hanazono and Kannari. Yes, there was some persuasion from these women. I thought that this one would be more hard work, but Rin\'s attitude as she crawled to the front of the pack was somehow oddly proud.

The expressions of Hanazono and Kannari, who are walking behind her, also seem to have changed a bit.

\'\'Utsurogikkuun!

\'Whoa...\'

Rin jumped up and down with a bobble and dived at Kyousuke. As it was, they unintentionally merged together.

\'\'Utsurogi-kun, we\'ve accomplished our mission for now. Let\'s go home!\'\'

Did you complete your mission with the two of them?

Yeah, yeah. We talked about it, we talked about it. I haven\'t come to a decision yet, but hey!　Hana-chan, Toriba-chan.

Hanazono was scratching her cheeks, looking a little embarrassed when Rin\'s voice came over. Kannari is Kannari, and his large body is shrinking.

\'\'Well, I\'ll think about it for a minute...\'\'

He smiled bitterly in the laid-back tone typical of Hanazono.

It\'s not that the problem is solved, but... Well, we shouldn\'t run away from it, you know.

Yeah. I\'ll see what I can do with Mya, and then I\'ll decide.

Yeah, well, you don\'t solve problems by worrying about them alone.

Rin\'s voice, which is unconcerned. I\'d like to think that he didn\'t see through Kyousuke\'s mind, but the key word \'problem\' weighs heavily on Kyousuke\'s body. On the other hand, I can honestly admire Rin for causing these two people to change their thinking enough to face the \'problem\' in that short period of time.

\'\'You\'re a great guy, Himemizu.

Uh, no. I didn\'t do anything that unusual.

The flow of returning to the royal capital naturally followed. First of all, in order to tell Hanazono and Kannari that they were taken care of, they all went to the mansion of the great landowner. There is no tension in the way Hanazono and Kannari are exchanging words with each other. They even had a somewhat refreshed expression on their faces.

\'\'But the couple of words I said didn\'t have any effect at all.

Hmm, well.... Because what you said, Utsurogi-kun...

He stops dead in his tracks.

\'....What did I say?

Nothing, nothing, nothing, nothing. By the way, I\'m hungry, Mr. Utsurogi, I\'m hungry.

\'There\'s hardly any left in your wallet now. We\'ll have to go to the mansion and get some vegetables and go home...

Kyousuke and Rin walked after Hanazono and the others. Behind them, Ei was watching them closely as they exchanged friendly words.

Rin received a call from Ei that evening. It was a rare occurrence, she thought, and slipped out of the girls\' common room. The lights had gone down and it was now completely dark, and a blinding fireball was waiting for her in the visitor\'s salon. Perhaps it is surprisingly convenient for the body to be able to find itself in any dark situation quickly.

\'Hey, Hino-kun!

Oh, Himesui. How\'s it going? How was Hanazono and the others?

Uh, yeah. I was having a serious discussion with Aya and Mya.

Sugiura really wants to go home with Hanazono and Nekomiya wants to go home with Kannari. I wouldn\'t go so far as to say that you have to put those feelings to rest, but it\'s still better to share and discuss them properly. Nekomiya said in his usual pretentious tone, \'\'Totally, you\'re so unnecessary,\'\' but there was a hint of relief in his words. Whatever it was, he didn\'t want to leave without being able to tell me the truth.

If he wanted to live in this world, that was fine. But if I could, I would stay with him until the last minute goodbye. Of course, it would be best if we could go home together. Hanazono and Kannari both listened to those two\'s words seriously.

\'\'Well, I don\'t think we need to worry about that one anymore. Is that all you have to do?\'\'

No, I\'m talking about Kyousuke.

As Ei\'s body floated up in the darkness, Rin couldn\'t help but freak out as Ei\'s body flared up in a strange way.

\'\'Hee!　Excuse me, Mr. Righteous Wife!　I\'m the only one who gets to be friendly with you, Utsurogi.

\'It\'s not. It\'s more of a serious matter.

This is pretty serious stuff for me too, but...

The side room can\'t survive if his regular wife hates him. I don\'t want to be kicked out of Kyousuke\'s side.

But the next words from Ei made Rin stronger in a different way.

\'\'Himemizu, what were you going to say to Kyousuke today?\'\'

\'Eh....\'

\'\'Utsurogi-kun\'s words were after...\'\' What did you mean by Kyousuke\'s words?

Uh, well, you know, it\'s just that...

If Rin had eyeballs, she would have unintentionally swept them into the air. That was very much not something he could say directly to his regular wife. The reason is that the many words he has tried to tell Kyousuke several times now, all of which could hurt his kind heart. And to tell them in front of his best friend, Ei, would be a suicidal act.

But even more surprisingly, Ei continued.

\'\'There\'s no substance to it.\'\'

Ugh.

\'Or maybe \'light\'. I think he was going to say something like that.

It\'s an unexpected illustration.

Yes, how can I say it, Kyousuke\'s words are light.

Whatever the reason, it\'s clear that Himemizu Rin was saved by those light words. It was Kyousuke\'s \'empty\' and \'light\' words that brightly illuminated the path for Rin, who was lost. That\'s why Rin has no small amount of fondness for that Kyousuke.

Just a bland response that seems to resonate when struck. Rin had begun to feel that in Kyousuke\'s words. It worked for Rin, but like Hanazono and Kannari this time, it doesn\'t have enough power to turn the hearts of those who were already on the verge of answering the question in the opposite direction.

\'\'That\'s fine.\'\' \'\'That\'s good.\'\' \'\'I think it\'s good.\'\' Kyousuke\'s words are usually like this.

Even when he expresses a negative opinion, there is no subjectivity to it.

It\'s okay. It\'s something I\'ve always felt, too.

Ei said in a somewhat calm but helpless voice.

\'It just took me ten years to realize that. To realize that in a little over a month, Himemizu. You\'re a big deal.\'\'

Yeah, no...

\'There\'s no need to be modest. I\'m happy. There\'s someone who will look after him properly. If it\'s Himemizu, I can give him the Kyousuke First Class certification.

What are those creepy credentials?

I\'m sorry, I\'m just kidding. I\'m just trying to make it nice.

Ei coughs out a cough.

\'You\'ve already noticed that, Himemizu. Kyousuke has no such thing as desire or initiative.\'\'

It was something I had begun to feel as a strange feeling a little while ago.

The first time he thought it was strange was during the Second Otherworldly Class Conference. Back then, Kyousuke had asked Rin for an answer, and she had followed it. He\'d said it as if it was his opinion, and I thought they just happened to have overlapping opinions, but that wasn\'t the case.

Surely, Kyousuke has always lived like that, asking others for their opinions and replacing them as if they were his own. That\'s why there is no subjectivity in the words he speaks. There is no substance to them. There is no truth in them. Therefore, it is light.

She is similar to Rin, but the exact opposite.

Rin may differ in her opinions with her goofiness, but the essence at the center of it all will never waver or differ.

\'\'Then, Utsurugi-kun, you\'re empty...\'\'

Ei nodded at Rin\'s muttering.

\'Yeah, Kyousuke is empty. I can understand why he was reincarnated as a skeleton.\'

You\'ve been dating that kind of Utsurogi-kun for a long time, haven\'t you, Hino-kun?

\'We\'ve been together. But now that I think of Kyousuke, I don\'t know if it was the right way to go out with him.

It shows that from the time Ei noticed Kyousuke\'s problem until now, he hasn\'t changed a single thing.

Ei has tried many things in the past to help Kyousuke gain his independence. Mostly when they were hanging out, she tried to get him to do what he wanted to do. That\'s what I\'ve been doing since I was a kid. Letting him read books and play games. Kyousuke was enthusiastic about it, to a point. But that was it.

Books are fun, and games are fun. That\'s why he still borrows and reads only children\'s books, and he continues to play endlessly the retro games that Ei pulled out of the house and lent him. But he never tried to acquire a new hobby from there.

Rin asked with a sudden thought.

\'\'Speaking of which, um, who are Utsurogi-kun\'s parents?\'\'

He\'s dead. In a fire.

I see...

Somehow, my predictions have come true. It\'s a bittersweet feeling.

\'I didn\'t like it when I was reincarnated in this wisp\'s body. Kyousuke was involved in the fire that killed my parents. To that guy, the fire was supposed to be a symbol of the deprivation of a happy home, but he didn\'t refuse me, and he didn\'t hesitate to merge with me. Even more so.

Ei didn\'t say a word beyond that. Rin told him, the intensity of the flames mindlessly diminished.

\'\'It can\'t be good as it is, right?

Yeah, but...

It can\'t be good. I like Utsurogi-kun, but I don\'t want to keep looking at him like this, like he\'s empty and doesn\'t have himself.

\'Yes, it\'s hard to keep looking at that thing,\'

Ei barely nodded.

\'Thanks, Himemizu. It was nice talking to you.

Me too. I\'m glad to hear your story, Utsurogi-kun. Thank you, Hino-kun.

\'Kyousuke is happy too. Having a friend like you.

You\'re my friend.

Rin\'s shoulders slumped discouragingly, and she was spread out on the floor in a sticky way.

Friend, friend. It can\'t be helped. I think I\'m making a pretty blatant appeal. But well, that\'s fine. I\'m sure that even if I wanted to be that kind of person for Kyousuke in his current state, I would be told \'I see, so let\'s do that\'. It\'s a light, empty word.

It\'s a very good idea to have a good idea of what you\'re looking for.

\'\'Well, that\'s fine. I\'ll do my best as a Kyousuke first class qualification holder. Masazuma-sama.

"In case you didn\'t know, Hime Water.

Ei said, looking a little confused.

\'Oh?\'　What?

It\'s not like I have romantic feelings for Kyousuke.

No!