“If you’re leaving, feel free to use the platform in the back. It will allow you to access the fast-travel system.” Hilde led us around the cottage to a small marble gazebo at the back. Just a small circular platform with a simple dome roof. There was a dark blue crystal at the center of the roof and a few others popping up from the floor.

  Sh- she has fast-travel here?! That’s so handy! I do not want to go back through where we came from…

  Talking with her let us know where Ayumu is. She’s apparently been staying in this world now. Big relief… Hopefully there aren’t more big monster outbreaks on earth any time soon. But we also learned something kinda scary… She got her powers with the help of the separator, right? Are they working together? I really don’t like that…

  If the separator gets their way, the people from this world will return to being characters in a game, and they’ll essentially lose their lives. If Ayumu’s working with them, that makes her our enemy. A real enemy…

  Or maybe… Maybe we can use her to get to the separator… Hmm…

  Nah… I’m getting carried away… One thing at a time. First, I need to eliminate the immediate threats to my girls. Only then do I get to start thinking about how to save the world. If I can even do anything, that is.

  “A fast-travel station out here? Does it work in the same way that the ones in the cities do?” Fast-travel stations were not supposed to be in desolate places. Ririna didn’t hesitate to take a closer look. How curious.

  “It’s the same as the ones you’re familiar with. Don’t worry.”

  Is it that big of a deal? The girls native to this world all seemed very intrigued. “Did this place used to have a city before the forest? I thought the crystals didn’t grow outside of large settlements.” Galene tapped the blue gem.

  “None that I know of…” Flanne replied. “This platform wasn’t even here when was here… Hilde, when did this show up?”

  “Earlier today… While you were in the town.”

  “The fast-travel crystals showed up in a single day?!” Sarasa almost jumped.

  “It was bound to happen whenever people got here. Let me explain…” Hilde started. “As you know, the crystals used for fast-travel transportation naturally grow in places where a lot of people gather.”

  No, we don’t… We don’t all know. They were nodding, but Carol, Hecate, and I were just trying not to look stupid.

  “Fast-travel crystals grow through the Life of people nearby and eventually form fast-travel stations. Here in the Forest of Illusion, the story is a little different. The Life of the numerous fairies is more than enough for fast-travel crystals to grow at an uncontrollable rate, but without actual people around, they lack the catalyst to properly sprout. You showing up was all it took for this to change.”

  Was that part of the lore in the game? I didn’t know they had an explanation for fast-travel stations…

  “Hmm… That makes sense.” Galene nodded. “We should consider ourselves lucky then. I was worried about the trip back…”

  “Nyaaahhh!” Stretch. “The sense of relief is making me lazy now… I just want to go home and take a nap. Who’s with me?”

  “I think we’ve earned it after everything we’ve been through…” Especially Carol… She pushed herself a lot. “Back to Ebrilyon, right?” I looked at Galene and Abby to make sure we’d go back together. They nodded.

  “We should hurry, then… I’m sure the princess needs my services again!” Does she, Flanne? She just thinks you’re lazy from what she usually says.

  “Wait… What about your sister? Hilde, do you maybe want to come with us?”

  “Ehh?” Under the hood and between the orange locks was a rosy tint on her cheeks. “N- no, thank you… I may not have my powers as the caretaker anymore, but my place is still here by the pillar… I don’t see any reason to leave it behind.”

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  “To be with Flanne? You’ve reunited for the first time in a long time, haven’t you? Isn’t it a waste to not stay together?”

  “I- Iroha! What are you saying? Th- there’s no need for that… I ran away from the position the Pillar gave me, while Hilde chose to stay… It’s too late for that… I- I don’t belong here anymore.” Flanne looked down, not wanting to look anyone in the eye.

  “That’s not true…”

  Hilde reached forward and placed a hand on Flanne’s shoulder. “If you wish to return, you’re welcome here. While it’s true that neither the Pillar nor I wish to keep you here against your will, that doesn’t mean that we don’t want you here.”

  Really? Flanne finally looked her in the eye. She was given the role of the Queen of Illusions. She could have followed her sister’s footsteps and lived here with the Pillar, working to protect the Forest and the Fairies. Yet that seemed like a scary future…

  Too robotic… Too monotonous…

  Avatars, or in their case, Agents, have human elements, but they’re not entirely human. Hilde can be happy fulfilling her role and being an agent. Flanne chose her human side. Chose to run away. Chose to pursue the many small wonders of the wide world.

  She betrayed them… Yet…

  “Thank you…” She hugged Hilde. “I was ready to leave everything behind. I left everything behind, but… I’m happy to hear that…”

  Woah… How embarrassing… It felt like we were intruding on something special, so we went on ahead. Good for them…

  It took her a few minutes to join us in Ebrilyon, but at that point, we were done for the day. In the Forest, the mist made it look like a foggy afternoon, but it had already become nighttime. Time to say goodbye and go to bed.

  “Alright, let’s all get some drinks to celebrate! Time to get wasted!” Sarasa pumped her fist up!

  “Huh?! Who was it that said they were feeling lazy and needed a nap?”

  “What are you talking about?” She tilted her head. “I have a special reserve of energy just for partying! Let’s go!”

  “Like having a second stomach for sweets and dessert… I’ve heard that one before…” She’s impressive. She was looking tired, but she completely bounced back.

  “Maybe some other day… I don’t have it in me for any celebrations right now.” Galene shook her head.

  “Sorry, Sarasa…” Abby felt genuinely bad for raining on Sarasa’s parade.

  Flanne was with them. Next time… After saying their goodbyes, the three of them left.

  “Hmmm…” Sarasa stared at their backs quietly. “Well, we can get wasted with just the five of us. Let’s go!” Completely unfazed?!

  “No! We’re all tired, and we can’t even drink. We’re too young.”

  “No, you’re not. You’re good. Don’t tell me you’ve never tried drinking before… You’re not little kids anymore. Live a little! Even Carol makes the cut, no one’s gonna say a thing.”

  “What do you mean even I make the cut? You picking a fight?”

  I had to pat Carol’s head to protect Sarasa’s life. “Be careful. She has the crown now. If you piss her off, she’ll smack you in the head with a giant hammer!”

  “Nyah?! I forgot! Never mind. Forget everything I said!”

  “Smart choice.” And good job, me, for protecting her life. “Let’s all just go home today. It’s getting late.”

  “Yeah… I guess we have to…” Ririna agreed but sounded bummed out.

  “What’s wrong? You also haven’t had enough?”

  “Huh?! I- It’s not like that…” She only now realized she let it show on her face. “I mean… I think it would have been cool to celebrate. After all that, just going home feels a bit anticlimactic.” A small laugh escaped her lips.

  Hecate tapped her shoulder. “She’s not wrong. Humans are happier with proper motivation. An ending like this doesn’t feel very rewarding, does it?”

  So… They want to celebrate? If they insist, I’m not gonna say no…

  “Hmph… Let me just say, I don’t need any rewards, but I would reject them…” Does Carol want a reward or not? I don’t get it.

  Rewards, huh? Not a simple celebration? Just where are we going with this? “Uhmm…” They closed in on me. “Ju- just what kind of rewards are we talking about here? Also, finding out more about Ayumu ends up benefitting all of us…” It’s not fair of them to expect me to reward them when we all benefit. “Then again, if it’s something reasonable, I don’t mind doing something nice for you…”

  “There’s only one thing it could be, right?” Sarasa shrugged. “Lewd stuff! What else are we going to do this late?”

  “Le- lewd stuff?!” “Huh?!” Carol and I leaned back in almost the same way.

  “Flawless logic… That and vampiric activities are the only two things that come to mind.”

  “A- are they?!” Hecate’s not biased at all…

  “Ahh… It’s time then…” Ririna held her chest while blushing. “O- okay… I’m ready!”

  “Y- you’re all idiots!” Carol cut in front of them with her arms crossed. “*Sigh…* Not like you’re going to listen to me, so if you insist, I get first dibs!” You too?! “I’m one of her first girlfriends, so you two have to wait your turn.” She pointed at Hecate and Sarasa.

  “W- wait… By that logic, shouldn’t I be the one who goes first?” Ririna meekly raised her hand…

  “Guhh… Technically, yeah, but since I was the one who did the most this time, you wait.”

  Ahh… Is there anyone with a single brain cell left? “Fine…” Not that I’m any different. Too tired to think. “Let’s go! Right now! I don’t care how many of you there are, I’ll take on all of you! At once!”

  “…” They huddled close. “She started doing combat poses.” Ririna whispered.

  Then Hecate, “Oh no…”

  “I think we might have broken her… What now?”

  “See? This is why I said we should have gotten wasted… She wouldn’t have broken, and we all would have had our happy ending! Someone put her to bed, please.”

  “Ughh… Guess I have to be the voice of reason again…” Carol snapped me out of it by slapping me. “Wake up, Iroha. Change of plans. We’re too tired for that right now.”

  “Ah! What…?”

  “Don’t worry your pretty little head over it.” Sarasa stroked my hair. “We’ll come up with a good idea for a reward and tell you about it later.”

  With a mysterious smile, Hecate nodded. “We’ll stay in touch.” Conspiring with Sarasa.

  “Uhh… Since when do you two get along? Didn’t you find Sarasa too suspicious?”

  Hecate shrugged. “She’s not a threat anymore. She’s sneaky but good to have when she’s on my side.”

  Really? What does Sarasa think? “We’re besties now! She’s kinda scary, so I have to make sure I stay on her good side.”

  “Ahh… Yeah… I totally get it…” Hecate was betrayed by Carol…

  “No way! Me? Scary? How could that be?!” The tragic-heroine-sobbing-on-the-floor pose… Is her dress gonna be okay?

  Either way, that was it for today. It’s late, and we can’t be messing around forever. Before I could leave, Ririna made one last request.

  “Iroha… Could I hold onto your pistol for a few days?” She tugged on my dress from behind.

  “My pistol?” I had it with me… “Why?”

  “I want to study it… I wasn’t much of a help this time, so I want to find a way of helping you in the future.”

  “Come on… It’s not like that… It was nice having you with us. I swear.” She can take a look, though. I checked for chambered rounds before handing her the pistol. Can probably take out the magazine too. “Here you go. Don’t go pointing it at anyone, especially yourself, okay?”

  Her eyes lit up. “Alright… Thanks!”

  What’s she going to learn from this?