□ Sakura Amagi
I went on a date with Yumeno-kun.
He’s a boy who just transferred here and fought alongside me against the Arch Demon on his first day. The next day, he teamed up with me.
Because of my negative unique skill, “Magic Discharge,” my classmates tend to avoid me, so he’s like a savior to me.
No matter how strong I am, I can’t keep going solo forever. I know that… And that’s exactly why I felt down when I couldn’t find anyone to team up with.
But he’s willing to fight with me.
He supports me precisely when my attacks get too intense, keeping me steady. And he doesn’t falter from the effects of my “Magic Discharge.”
The student council president mentioned it too—just having him behind me brings me immense relief.
He even helped Eriina . That was a lifesaver. I went overboard there, and I regret that.
So, I ended up inviting Yumeno-kun. Not because I was jealous of the president who kissed him out of the blue.
Seriously.
We’re party members, and we’re still just high schoolers, right? Getting close isn’t a bad thing, right? Yumeno-kun seemed genuinely happy, and I’m glad I found the courage to ask him out, even though it was a little embarrassing.
He complimented the outfit Eriina picked out for me, and when he said he was “mesmerized,” I felt shy… but I was happy. I’d never heard anything like that from a guy before.
Then, he shared something heavy from his past with me.
I felt trusted. I could tell he wanted to grow stronger with me, and I realized this Shidou person he’s avoiding must be significant. That’s why he opened up.
Though he spoke casually, not remembering… in other words, not knowing why he’s there, must be terrifying.
And to make things worse, adults betrayed him.
He must have been overwhelmed with gratitude and fear.
So, he ran away.
Thanks to that, I met him. He gave me hope, and now I want to help him move beyond his past.
And then… well, it’s embarrassing to remember.
I thought that if I kissed him, I’d end up like the woman he despises, but I couldn’t stop myself.
In a way, I felt like a coward.
Maybe I used his pain to get close to him. A pang of guilt.
Yet he seemed happy… and I couldn’t help but rely on that.
I want to be by his side, don’t I? I ended up brushing it off that way.
On the way back, I think I created a warm atmosphere, even though we didn’t talk much.
Yumeno-kun looked at me as if he saw through my feelings, nodded when I gazed at him, and gently patted my shoulder, thanking me.
But I’m the one who should be thanking him.
I felt saved.
It felt like I belonged by his side.
Because of that, I couldn’t tell Eriina about it.
She laughed and forgave me, saying we’d talk tomorrow. The people around me are all so kind.
But I made a mistake.
“Um, since you’re teaming up with her, are we splitting up?”
Why?
Why would it come to that?
No way! I don’t want that!!!
Even though I thought that, I couldn’t speak. I got nervous… my throat was dry.
“Why do you have such low self-esteem?! Toma-kun being there is a given; I just want to be included!”
“Oh, phew, that surprised me!”
“Right back at you!”
Thankfully, Eriina kept the conversation going in a flustered way.
“Yumeno-kun, I don’t want you to leave, okay?”
That was all I could manage to say.
“And so, Eriina always said she’d team up if she could get ‘Magic Resistance.’ So I wanted to confirm with you, Yumeno-kun.”
My words felt like just an excuse. If only I’d said something yesterday, I wouldn’t have made Yumeno-kun worry. I’m such an idiot.
“No problem at all. With Amagi-san as our front line, me in the middle, and Sayamura-san in the rear, we’ll be really stable.”
“Right, right!”
“So, my joining’s okay?”
“No objections.”
“Great! ♡”
“Thank you. Looking forward to it. ♡”
With that, we officially became a three-person party.
I felt relieved.
□ ??? (???)
It lay sprawled across the barren ground within a dungeon, its mouth gaping open.
As it did, a swarm of magic energy drifted toward it, pouring into its maw.
The sharp, oppressive magic in the air faded, returning peace to the area.
Once it finished devouring, it rose and began to walk.
Its destination…
As it walked, it noticed something strange lying on the ground.
A peculiar rectangular object. It radiated an unpleasant magic, covering the area in its aura.
It wasn’t particularly relevant to it, but the magic was there.
So it consumed it.
