Ch.127 Case Closed

[Ah]

[The stream]

[Is it over...?]

[Huh, wait, why?]

[Even yesterday's missile didn't cut it]

[No, it's not cut off. It's just pitch black.]

[It's shaking again]

[Ah, another missile has landed.]

[No Name-chan, hang in there!]

[TV announcer turns pale after the second one]

[Of course, the US military just fired off their new weapon twice.]

[They really don't care about appearances anymore]

[So, that fountain is real after all...]

[No Name-chan!]

[No good, she's not responding after all]

[It looks like there's no breath like before?]

[Really, it settled down quickly]

[Why?]

[I don't know]

"--Ruru!"

"Ruru-san!"

[Oh, this is Ruru-chan's streaming screen!]

[Ruru-chan also goes to the evacuation center!]

[EmiChiho is there to greet her!]

[That was good for now...]

[But Haru-chan...]

◇◆◇

3rd person's POV

A large hole in the ground.

A medical facility is located a few kilometers away from it.

It has become a temporary evacuation shelter and a gathering place for residents who have evacuated from nearby areas.

At the entrance, in the area where the emergency escape device received a signal, Fukaya Ruru appeared.

--The girl sat there, dazed and unfocused.

"...Anyway, let's go to the infirmary. If the stream earlier is correct, Ruru-san is-"

"Yes. Ruru, please rest on a stretcher right away."

"...Haru-chan"

[Ruru-chan spoke!]

[Is she safe for now?]

[I was worried because the timing of the wristband and the missile was almost the same.]

[I'm glad Ruru-chan, whom Haru-chan tried to protect, is safe.]

[Yeah……]

[But……]

[Haru-chan is...]

"Haru-chan... why, why..."

"Ruru..."

"...I'm sorry, but we have to transport Ruru-san first."

"Yes, please."

She doesn't respond even when Emi calls out to her or shakes her shoulders.

Clearly realizing that the situation was not normal, Chiho immediately began barging out instructions to the nearest medical team.

"It's my fault... I didn't notice..."

[Ruru-chan...]

[Haru-chan was the one you cared about the most...]

[Sometimes her eyes turn completely black...]

[She's crying...]

[It can't be helped, Ruru-chan, you thought that miniature Haru-chan would turn back into glamorous Haru-chan at the wishing fountain...right?]

[Haru-chan won't grow up!]

[No, apparently she's supposed to be taller than Ruru-chan]

[...About 1 cm! Just a little bit taller! And she'd still be slender!]

[lol]

[Hey, at least make a serious comment at a time like this]

"Why... Rather than someone like me, you're always more..."

At first, the onlookers ran over but then watched from a distance... but having watched the livestream just before, they understand what's going on and turned away.

"Yes, she is clearly mentally unstable... and several people who can use calming magic are already..."

[But it was all unbelievable.]

[Yeah]

[In the first place, it was a 500-floor RTA]

[Haru-chan and No Name-chan were involved...]

[It's a collaboration between two big titles...]

[You could say it was unexpected, but you could also say it was expected, it's a terrible thing]

[In the end, it took exactly two weeks... and only Ruru-chan returned.]

[At least they cleared it and got the reward]

[No Name-chan listens to what she says, so now Ruru-chan]

[Ah, I'm sure she won't be prone to misfortune any more.]

[That was the only good thing...really]

[It's Haru-chan's wish after all.]

[But even though anything can come true, to take Ruru-chan as priority over herself...]

[Precious]

[Too precious]

[But No Name-chan doesn't show up even at a time like this...]

[Usually she would say "Precious" too...]

[No Name-chan...]

◇◆◇

Ruru's POV

"Haru-chan"

--The girl who was with me just a moment ago.

A little girl.

A girl.

Formerly a man.

"Haru-chan...Haru-chan."

Just now... yesterday too, she was protecting me with her cloak, and even though she seemed spaced out, she was actually paying more attention to her surroundings than Emi-chan.

Beautiful blonde hair.

Blonde hair with a bit of curl.

Blonde hair that smells good.

We were together just a moment ago.

I kept smelling it while we were sleeping, it's a scent that makes me feel safe and excited.

Haru-chan.

A man.

I'm sure she wanted to turn back.

Because she absolutely hated us crowding around her.

But I've always been forcing myself on her, clinging to her, and showing her my girly side.

Because I love her.

It's a one-sided feelings.

I don't really know about love or anything, but I probably love her more than Emi-chan...more than my mom and dad.

Haru-chan says some unpleasant things from time to time.

Things like alcohol and living together.

That's why I took advantage of the kindness of an adult man.

Perhaps unconsciously, I thought, "It's something a child who isn't interested in romance would do, so she'll forgive me."

But.

That's why.

It's my fault.

"……………………………………"

◇◆◇

3rd Person's POV

[Ruru-chan...]

[Kushima-san has been on her heels the whole time, but it doesn't seem like it's enough]

[Well, that's true...]

[Ah, the stretcher]

[Yeah, there was the dragon battle, the fight with No Name-chan, and that collapse? Leaving Haru-chan behind and returned.]

[Please stay safe...]

"...Yes, she's not responding to Emi-san and my calls. We've confirmed from the live stream that she doesn't have any serious injuries, but just to be sure, we'll cast some magic on her and give her a thorough examination right away..."

Ruru is picked up, laid on a stretcher, and carried away with a rattle.

'--It's my fault.

This happened because I met Haru-chan.'

Her thoughts, gradually.

It's being twisted in an irreversible direction.

◇◆◇

"...I never thought it would end like this."

"We underestimated his kind nature..."

"I knew she wasn't the type to get attached to things, but... I didn't think she'd go this far."

"Rather than returning to her original form, she wanted to make sure that a girl she knows will be saved. That's typical of you, Haru-chan."

It's all over.

The young girl named "Haru-chan" is revealed to the world as originally a "human in a different form," and at the same time, the source of the conflict, known as the "Wishing Fountain" is made public.

Although everyone at the Origins are sad, they are looking forward to welcoming today's farewell with a smile.

Even if "he" Is no longer a little girl, the person who should have been there is still their favorite person from three and a half years ago -- Soya Harumi.

Surely... He'll hate the hassle and create a new account, and restart with a small community of only the Origins, and continue conquering dungeons.

And surely, he would show us the cutting edge of human dungeon conquering -- or so we thought.

But, now.

"... How's the communication from the wristband?"

"It's been cut off... Until just now, even though the transfer function was broken, I was still able to check her vital signs."

"...Let's keep an eye on them a little longer. Even yesterday, for several hours... I don't know if it was the missile's impact, but we didn't know if they were safe or not."

"That's right. I'm sure that child will be fine."

"...That's right. In the event of an underground collapse, being small is actually an advantage."

"So, will you continue this for a while longer? Your work as a The Origins?"

"Yes. Anego too, please do something about the panicked older sisters first."

"Okay."

--But surely Haru-chan will show up again, rubbing her sleepy eyes.

That's what they believed.

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