Date A Live Fragment - Date A Bullet 4

Page | 1
Table of Contents
○Prologue
○The Region of Competing Wind
○Neighboring World’s Revelation (Apocalypse Now) Hello, hello.
○On the Other Side, at the Same Time......
○War Games Are Also Lovely
○Once Upon a Time
○Blooming Fervently in Full Glory
○Last Dance
○Epilogue
Credits
Page | 2
Download all your fav Light Novels at
Just Light Novels
Page | 3
Page | 4
Page | 5
Page | 6
Page | 7
Page | 8
Page | 9
○Prologue
Coughing from forcibly gulping a large amount of seawater,
Higoromo Hibiki vomited it back out while in a flustered state. After
touching her protective headgear, she felt a sense of relief from
finding it still intact. Hearing a scream come from behind, she
hurriedly hid on the ground.
Due to the impact of the explosion, the Quasi-Spirit nearby her had
dropped out.
“Major──! Major Higoromo──! This is impossible──! We can’t even

move one step closer!”
As the Quasi-Spirit subordinate on her side screamed, Hibiki

instructed her to approach from below. The Quasi-Spirits were being
knocked down one after the other from this violent barrage.
A huge playing card somehow crawled about to join up with Hibiki.
“Major Higoromo! What should I do──!”
“Sergeant Ace of Spades! There’s no other choice but to go over to

that Czech hedgehog over there!”
Hibiki pointed to a white object that prevented a landing boat from

docking. It was some sort of steel barricade shaped like a quadruped
block.
“Don’t be absurd!”
“There’s no choice but to go forward! And pray to God that you

won’t be hit by that MG42
machine gun!”
Page | 10
Aces of Spades nodded as she shouted at the trembling new recruits
behind them.
“March forward! Follow after Major Higoromo’s ass! Let’s go!”
“Hey, you could have said it more elegantly! March!”
Soon Hibiki’s group will sink into the sea. They made a resolute
march towards land.
Hibiki ran towards the barricade, her body feeling heavier the
moment she left the water.
Gagagagaga, accompanied by that sound, her feet violently kicked up

dust. Seeing the nearby Quasi-Spirits being gunned down one after
the other, there wasn’t even time to breathe in trying to escape this
dangerous place.
“Arrival! How many people were taken down!?”
Aces of Spade responded to Hibiki’s inquiry.
“Three people!”
“No, it’s four. I am dead.”
A Quasi-Spirit waved her hand as she toppled down.
“F!”
“What?”
“A dangerous word beginning with F! That girl is a little bit

awkward!”
“So, what should I do now?”
Page | 11
Hibiki needed to sneak into the bunker through the gaps in the
fence. 7.92mm bullets were being fired continuously without
interruption. This would only continue to grow worse. They needed
to break through the barbed wire.
“Prepare the Nitro Dress cylinder!”
Ace of Spades responded to Hibiki’s command.
“Yes, ma’am! Bring the Nitro Dress cylinder along!”
The Sergeant took the large clotheshorse tube that a Quasi-Spirit

presented out and handed it over to Hibiki.
Hibiki gave a signal to the people who made it to reach the Czech
hedgehog.
“Run over to that barbed wire and blow it up at once!”
“Okay──” “Roger that!”
She took in a deep breath, wiping away the sweat and mud on her
face──
“Proceed!”
Once again they began to rush into the depths of hell. The sound of
gunshots was just like the stinger of a wasp buzzing close to her ear.
The barbed wire was only ten meters away, but the distance still felt
as far as a full marathon.
Somehow, they reached the bottom of the barbed wire. The

bunker’s machine guns wouldn’t reach here so she was given room
to breathe.
“Are you ready? As soon as this catches fire, run away immediately!
If you stay too close, you’ll be blown away by the blast! You won’t
Page | 12
even be able to scream! Eardrums will be blown up by the
shockwaves! Sergeant, match!”
“Fire for a playing card is a little……”
“Fine, then give it to someone else! If not, I’ll do it!”
Immediately after igniting the Nitro Dress explosive, they ran away.
The cylindrical crystal explosive was thrown at the barbed wire.
For a moment, the world stood still.
A terrifying cloud of dust blew up from the blast. Screams coming

from Quasi-Spirits erupted from everywhere. Inside, those that
sustained injuries let out sorrowful cries.
Anyhow, the barbed wire was broken. Now they just need to get into
the fortress.
“All members strike──”
Hibiki’s words came to a stop. Sitting on a 20mm cannon and

drinking tea, there was one girl that looked out of place in this scene.
On a table beside her were a noble antique pistol and rifle.
Hibiki screamed so loud that she didn’t care if her helmet would fall
off in the process.
“Gya──────! Kurumi────────────san!”
“Alright, I’m coming over now. Hibiki-san and the other rebels.”
Placing her black tea down, Kurumi reached for her short pistol.
She aimed at her former companion Higoromo Hibiki.
Page | 13
“Why is it like this……?”
Then, she didn’t hesitate to pull the trigger.
The fired bullet extended out towards the head of a Quasi-Spirit right
next to Hibiki.
The wet paper target on the helmet was smashed into pieces.
“She got me!”
Bang, she fell onto the ground.
“Now then everyone, the decisive battle has begun. To that end, I
intend to make full use of
<Zafkiel>. For the time being, I’ll accelerate with the First Bullet
<Aleph>!”
“How despicable──────! Retreat ────────────!”
Hibiki’s scream echoed vacantly in the air.
Page | 14
○The Region of Competing Wind
The Eighth Region Hod. The Kurumi clone next to her asked.
“So, what are you going to do? Me.”
“Anyway, let’s reconvene first.”
Cistus, the name that was given to this Kurumi clone. She was
defeated by the White Queen and imprisoned in the Third Region
Binah. Despite her having fought against Kurumi, after many twists
and turns, she accepted her social status as a clone and joined
together to fight with Kurumi in a united struggle.
“Cistus, please return back to the shadows.”
“I know, now then.”
Once Cistus went back to her shadows, Kurumi looked around

thinking of what to do next.
To be honest, she felt a little tired.
After all, it had only been mere moments since that fierce battle
fought in the Third Region Binah. Fighting each other, killing each
other, and fighting in order to live.
And somehow, she managed to escape. ……To her regrets, she didn’t
win, but had to flee. Of course, it was a huge reversal from that
previous situation. It was no exaggeration to say that she achieved a
substantial victory, but──
The information she learned from Hibiki was the extent of her
knowledge about the Eighth Region Hod.
Two forces were competing against each other and the fighting was
as fierce as the Tenth Region Malkuth.
Page | 15
But……Kurumi looked around.
“It’s too carefree.”
It was a brief carefree time. The transparent blue sky, giant white
columns of clouds that pressed against the heavens, lush grassy
surroundings, the gentle slopes that seem to continue on forever,
and the audible chirping sounds of cicadas.
……Although it should be impossible to actually have cicadas, Kurumi

walked carefully while twisting her neck.
Hibiki and Carte were nowhere to be seen. Cistus was exhausted and
had fallen asleep in the shadows. After that fierce battle, this was
unavoidable.
Despite this, the Astral Dress she was proud of……was feeling a little
bit hot. Particularly, the portion going down from her waist to her
skirt felt like being in a sauna.
However, this fashion sense was a symbol of her armament and

disposition as a maiden.
Ignoring the hot weather for the time being, she continued the
priority search for Higoromo Hibiki and Carte À Jouer.
Flying up to the sky would be a bit too difficult in her current

exhausted state. One of her priorities would be to recover the time
she had wasted──
A man-made building finally appeared in the far off distance.
It seemed that Quasi-Spirits from the Eighth Region Hod should be

here. Then, she should proceed over there. Even if they weren’t
there, she should go to a place that would be easy to rendezvous.
Page | 16
……Tokisaki Kurumi’s guess was a little off. The two of them also
wandered looking for a place to meet up. As a result, they had joined
the rebel army opposing Banouin, which was now in the exact
opposite direction of the Dominion of the Eighth Region Hod that
Kurumi was now heading towards.
“Listen well! We must become more elite than this! We are waiting
to select the best of the best!
Become a steel blade that can easily bury Banouin’s soldiers!”
After talking with the Demon Sergeant girl, Higoromo Hibiki adapted
on the spot in the span of three minutes. While assuming a crude
Astral Dress as a disguise, she was standing upright while listening to
that girl’s speech. As a new recruit with the rank of Private, she had
to abide to these rules.
The Demon Sergeant called herself Jugasaki Retsumi.
It felt like a pseudonym or name that wasn’t being used properly.

However, considering the various circumstances, Hibiki chose not to
ridicule her.
“Yes, sir!”
Incidentally, Carte À Jouer said, “Ah, no. This isn’t in line with my
image! Good-bye!” and disappeared with three of her playing cards.
“Degozaru!”
However, Ace of Spades, who was too late in escaping, was caught
and forced to undergo training with Hibiki. She followed behind the
Page | 17
cries of “Yes, sir!”, but despite already been scolded, she refused to
change.
“Private Higoromo!”
“Yes sir!”
“What is your goal?”
“To kill, destroy, overthrow!”
“Is that so? ……It should be just like that! Good, kill, destroy,
overthrow! I approve of this!
Now then, start running!”
Perplexed at the order, the Quasi-Spirits began running to

somewhere as Hibiki stared to take the lead to the forefront.
“Good, very good, Private Higoromo! But not enough, what do you
think is missing!?”
“Sir! If possible, I would like to sing a song, sir!”
“No need to ask, sing!”
Hibiki shouted loudly to the exhausted Quasi-Spirit running behind

her.
“Alright maggots! Sing after me! Sing from the bottom of your
hearts! If you understand, proceed! Small seven year old Kurumi-
san!”
“Sm……small seven year old Kurumi-san!”
“Drool dripping while taking an afternoon nap!”
“Drool dripping while taking an afternoon nap!”
Page | 18
“Squishy skin that is soft and smooth!”
“Squishy skin that is soft and smooth!”
“Adorableness is a perfect score without rival!”
“Adorableness is a perfect score without rival!”
“Let’s become family!”
“Let’s adopt her!”
“That child doesn’t understand!”
“Let’s discuss about that!”
“So like this it’s decided!”
“Private Higoromo, what are you talking about!?”
“Everyone seems quite excited!”
“Yes! Although I don’t quite understand, I don’t care since the tempo
is good!”
“By the way, the genre is military cadence! Mixing in obscene words
should immediately be banned!”
“Sergeant Higoromo seems to understand a lot!”
Jugasaki nodded several times as if impressed.
“By the way, am I really a Sergeant!?”
“Ours is a supreme meritocracy!”
“I see!”
Page | 19
Hibiki snickered on the inside. She had been promoted just by
running with a yell. Maybe it wouldn’t be too difficult to get away
from here.
……Despite her adaptability being high, forgetting her original goal

and purpose was one of Higoromo Hibiki’s shortcomings.
“Stand down, who are you!?”
Kurumi arrived a huge fortress, or rather a huge town guarded by a

castle. Kurumi was stopped by the guards asking for her name.
“My name is Tokisaki Kurumi. I came to give my greetings to the

Dominion.”
“This castle is currently in a state of war. I cannot let you see Kareha-
sama.”
“Ara, ara. A state of war……what is going on?”
“It has nothing to do with you. Go back.”
…..Treated like this, Tokisaki Kurumi knew exactly how to

counterattack against this girl.
“Then, this information about the White Queen is unnecessary. I

guess I’ll head back to the Ninth Region Yesod.”
“You……h-hold on a second!?”
Saying the name of the Queen was truly effective. The guard hurried
back into the town. Soon after, she immediately returned along with
a few Quasi-Spirits with Unsigned Angels in hand.
“Kareha-sama will see you. But take caution of your words before
you speak.”
Page | 20
“Yes, yes. I’m much honored.”
Kurumi smiled as she was allowed into the castle. After climbing up
some steep stairs, she entered the inner citadel where the lord of
the castle presided.
“……Well, well, you look exactly the same.”
The Dominion of the Eighth Region Hod welcomed Kurumi with an

elegant and graceful smile.
“Are there no chairs?”
“Unfortunately, as you can see, this is pure-Japanese style.”
Kurumi exchanged glances with her. Long black hair, a beautiful girl
wearing a kimono that others would question in this hot climate.
Contrary to Mizuha who gave a gentle impression, this girl exuded a

soft but blade-like atmosphere. So that’s how it was. Kurumi was
convinced that she was Mizuha’s older sister.
“You are Mizuha-san’s older sister……correct?”
“……Yes, that’s right. My name is Banouin Kareha. Please freely ask

away.”
“In order to go to the First Region Keter, I wish for you to open this
region’s gate. How about that?”
Page | 21
Page | 22
Kareha shook her head upon hearing what Kurumi had asked.
“It’s no good, it’s no good. Right now we are in a state of war, it’d be
impossible to do this unless the noise settles down. Moreover, in the
first place I can only open the door to the Seventh Region Netzach.”
As expected, Kareha had rejected Kurumi’s request. However, some

of this was already anticipated. In the first place, Kurumi didn’t think
she would be able to go to the First Region Keter right away.
“The second request is if you can find two Quasi-Spirits, Higoromo

Hibiki and Carte À Jouer.”
“Carte À Jouer……surely wasn’t she the former Dominion of the Third

Region Binah?”
“Yes, have you met before?”
“Yes, yes. Despite my looks, I am quite old.”
Speaking of which, Kurumi remembered now that she was the

former Dominion.
“Are you in that much of a hurry to go to the First Region Keter?

Don’t you want to spend some time relaxing here?”
“No, I can’t afford to rest.”
“A pity, time spent here would be like Heaven.”
“Compared to that, about that gate……”
“As I said earlier, the door will not open during a state of war. If I just
let you leave, I won’t be able to win this war. So……let’s end this war
together. I’ll make that the condition for opening the gate. How is
that?”
Page | 23
Kurumi sat down as she turned to look at Kareha again. Looking at
her posture while listening to what she had said.
“……Can you please explain the situation to me in more detail?”
Kareha nodded as she spoke.
“In the Eighth Region Hod, there are two forces competing. We are
Banouin, in other words, the official Dominion. On the other side is
Jugasaki Retsumi. She’s always aiming like a retainer trying to
supplant her lord……in other words, they are the rebel army.”
“I see, so this is a strife unfolding between mutual kinsmen. Indeed,

that is too terrible.”
“Then, let me explain our fighting style. Well, first of all would be the
weapon.”
Kareha handed a colorful toy-like gun to Kurumi.
“So, the objective is like this.”
What Kareha held in her hands was something resembling the poi
rake net used in goldfish scooping.
“This looks just like a water gun……”
While saying that, Kurumi pulled the trigger. Surprisingly, water

came out.
“Water shot out.”
“You win if you hit this target.”
“I see. Are you making fun of me?”
As Kurumi glared, Kareha kept a calm look as she slowly shook her
head.
Page | 24
“No, no. I find it horrible to kill people. So this water gun is used. This
way no one will be hurt.”
“……Hey, are you really using this to fight?”
“Well, if needed to describe this, it is just like an event. Although

many people will be injured, no one will die. It’s that sort of event.
……The other side also understands this well.”
“……Then there isn’t any need for my help?”
Kareha laughed as she shook her fan from side to side.
“Even if I describe it as an event, it won’t be decided until victory or

defeat is determined. If we lose, Banouin Castle will become Jugasaki
Castle. So please lend us your aid.”
Kareha lowered her head. ……Even if she refused, the other party
had already made it clear that the gate wouldn’t be opened until this
event was over, so it couldn’t be helped.
“Ha……well, in that case.”
“Ah, that Angel……can I ask for its name?”
“What are you asking about <Zafkiel>?”
“It can’t be used. If you want to use it, make the adjustments so that
it won’t cause damage.”
“Ehh……”
“What about attacking with the blunt side of the gun?”
“Impossible?”
“Impossible.”
Page | 25
There was no room for negotiation. However, Kurumi still felt
reluctant. Although her bullets served to defeat the enemy, there
were several options to stop the opponents’ movements without
killing them.
“How about improving <Zafkiel> into a water gun-type?”
Kurumi gave a serious look upon hearing Kareha’s proposal.
“……Then, I’ll be able to shoot?”
“Yes, then by all means shoot as rapidly as you please.”
It couldn’t be helped. Kurumi let out a sigh. Remodeling <Zafkiel> to

make it weaker rather than stronger, it wasn’t a good feeling.
“……Ah, in that case will my Astral Dress need to be changed as

well?”
“I will introduce you to a good tailor.”
In the Ninth Region Yesod, she had already decided to wear

something new by changing her Astral Dress to a skintight jersey. If
this was a non-lethal battle, then she could wear something she
would never usually think of.
Since the current season was summertime.
A refreshing outfit may be nice. Yes, for example──
Hibiki ran while thinking about how high the sky was. A classical M1
Garand was carried over her shoulders. The heavy gun was made of
wood and iron.
The sound of cicadas chirping entered her ears. The weather was
blistering hot. However, this heat also had a relaxing effect when
Page | 26
anticipating the exhilarating feeling of wiping away all of this sweat
away with a towel after this run was completed.
“Ha, ha, ha, ha……”
“Yes, yes, yes, yes……”
“Ace of Spades-san, are you okay?”
“Hahahaha, it should be fine to be a little resentful to those three

and my master for fleeing.”
The playing card girl was running sideways, since running regularly
would mean a stronger wind resistance for her with each narrow
step. Therefore, it was necessary for her to give three times the
effort than an ordinary person.
“After all, as expected it’s impossible for a flat surface like I to carry a
gun!”
Rather than have the gun hang from a shoulder strap, Ace of Spades
had it tucked away in the corners of her playing card. She couldn’t
shoot but could use a sword……there was a little resentment towards
that fact.
“Over here, everyone seems to be universally conscripted with

guns.”
“That’s why I can only drag my hind legs along. Uwa, this way I can
only smile while thinking of ways of moving forward.”
“Don’t worry, follow after me! I won’t let you let be scolded!”
“Ku……the sympathy of a Quasi-Spirit is permeating into me! If I

didn’t have master, I would have pledge an oath of loyalty right here!
So then, how about a vow of sisterhood!”
“Sister! I want a sister! I want to show off to Kurumi-san!”

Page | 27
Hibiki’s desire was truly straightforward.
“Then I’ll be the little sister! Big sis!”
“Can you call me Onee-chan here?”
“No, that point I can’t concede to.”
“Well, whatever. Then my sister-in-law, follow after your Onee-

chan!”
And so, a strange sister-in-law treaty was signed here. Incidentally,

Hibiki had been steadily promoted, reaching the rank of Lieutenant
without having participated in any actual combat.
“Lieutenant-dono! All members assemble!”
“Understood! Everyone line up! Alright, Ace of Spades-chan, also line

up properly!”
There was one strange person taking up a lot of space by standing

horizontally, but it wasn’t regarded with too much concern. Even
though a lot of comrades had tried to escape, there were still
numerous Quasi-Spirits left around.
“Eyes forward!”
Although Hibiki didn’t understand it quite well, this seemed to be a

military term they came up with. The Quasi-Spirits here seemed to
understand this as they gave salute.
“Eh, ahem, ahem. After three days, we have decided to cross the sea
at the center of the Eighth Region Hod and attack Banouin Castle!”
The soldiers stirred up a ruckus.
Page | 28
“However, it is already not an exaggeration to say that we are match
for a thousand! We, under the banner of the Jugasaki name, will kill
two birds with one stone! Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, let’s do our best
to etch our spirits of the folding screen like a Buddhist monk! (TL
Note: Entire line is a tongue twister in Japanese. Doesn’t really
translate well into English)
“O-Oh──!”
“Your response is too light!”
“Ooh──!!!!!!”
“Once more, again!”
“Oooooooooh!!!!!!!”
＼Degozaru──／
“Alright! Have fun training today! Confirm the situation!”
“Equipment ready!” “Equipment ready!” “Equipment ready!” “Um,

isn’t my swimsuit a little lacking in fabric?”
“Go forward!” “Forward at full speed!” “Full sprint ahead!” “Uh? Um,
that’s quite the fickle change.” “Who was thinking that we should
play Shiritori now?”
After this chaotic conversation, they began running today as well.
“Hmm, doesn’t this feel like joining some club activity?”
“A club activity, is that something that encourages you from middle

school to high school?”
“Why are you phrasing it suspiciously like that, Ace of Spades-san?”
“For me to be able to do this; there would have never been the

chance like this before.”
Page | 29
The Demon Sergeant (her actual rank was General) Jugasaki Retsumi
lead an army with a total of 500 people (NPCs included), while the
Banouin army came at a total of 700 people (NPCs included). As long
as they had the numerical disadvantage, they would be forced to rely
on a surprise attack.
The Eighth Region Hod was different from the other regions, with
there being two strips of land divided by a huge sea. The relatively
small space occupied by the rebel army could be described as the
extent in which they were forced into a corner.
From Jugasaki perspective, Banouin’s side was a group of people

living enthusiastically on fertile land. On the other side’s perspective,
Jugasaki Retsumi was a savage Quasi-Spirit stuck in a strange place.
However, despite the conflict, it was clear from their appearance

that it wasn’t a complete divide.
A water gun, a bathing suit, and a paper target somewhere on the

body……
Yes, all of the Quasi-Spirits were wearing swimsuits.
“Gently sway your body to avoid being hit!”
So the training proceeded like this. Hibiki stood upright and looked
onward (perhaps she had already transferred to the instructor side,
but Hibiki didn’t care since this seemed to be a common occurrence)
as she was moving, not moving, moving, not moving……the
surrounding Quasi-Spirits frowned at the sight.
“Are you looking to seek amusement, Lieutenant-dono?”
“No, no, that’s not the case at all.”
“……Let’s put that aside, how’s the search for Kurumi-san?”
Page | 30
“I’m still secretly investigating, but I can’t find her at all in this army.”
Well of course. If she was incorporated into the army, the rebel army
itself would suffer a rebellion at the expense of General Jugasaki. On
the other hand, since such a thing had not occurred, she was
definitely not here.
……That is to say.
“Now, now……she must surely be wandering around somewhere in

the Eighth Region Hod!”
“That’s right!”
The two of them looked at each other and ignored the possibility.
It was too horrible to even imagine──Tokisaki Kurumi joining the

Banouin army and even assisting Banouin Kareha.
That idea that this would be impossible would turn out to be an

absolute blunder.
This is how it happened.
“I see, I see. I’ll change into a swimsuit and serve as a challenge for
your various attractions.”
Right now Kurumi was a free-loader in Banouin Castle. Thanks to the

convenience of Kareha’s subordinates, they were being catered to
without even needing to lift a finger.
The two of them were having tea while looking out at the vast
garden in the castle. Despite her seeming preference for green
tea……Kareha didn’t hesitate to add ample amounts of milk and
sugar as if it was black tea.
Page | 31
“That’s right. The rebels have planned to cross the sea and challenge
the hard-working attractions built here. Finally, they have decided to
fight against me.”
“……So it really is peaceful.”
Kurumi was frankly stunned that this wasn’t a bloodthirsty war being
waged. However, Kareha muttered with a gentle smile.
“It’s true though. I don’t have many attractions left out there now.
The beach is almost completely destroyed.”
“No one will die?”
“In most cases, no one will die.”
“Ara, so there will be some dead?”
“There are occasional accidents with Unsigned Angels. And also…for

an example of this. The Empty-san.”
Like this Kurumi was convinced.
Vacant, hollow, such were the Empty. At that point, there was no
much else they could do.
“So right now it is peaceful. The Tenth Region Malkuth is too

excessively cruel.”
“I’ll leave the fights to death to the Tenth Region Malkuth and the
Fifth Region Gevurah. We strive to be peaceful and live long here.”
“……What do you know about the Fifth Region Gevurah?”
“I am still a Dominion after all. Just in case, I have stocked up on

knowledge about the other regions.”
Page | 32
“If possible, can you please inform me? My final goal is to arrive at
the First Region Keter, but it seems I’ll have to travel to many other
regions before that.”
Kareha laughed while covering her mouth with her fan.
“……Well, I have some spare time right now. Let me explain as

quickly and easily as possible.”
Kareha closed her fan and quickly began drawing something in the
air.
“This is……!”
“Each region is drawn so that it’ll be easy to understand.”
“The starting point is the Tenth Region Malkuth, then the Ninth
Region Yesod, and now the Eighth Region Hod……”
“Looking it like this, is seems I can take a shortcut.”
“That’s true. If you head to the Sixth Region Tiphereth, it should be

at least possible to reach the door to the First Region Keter……but
isn’t that impossible?”
Page | 33
Page | 34
“Why?”
“As you can see, the gate is locked.”
“Hmm, locked……”
The gate was tightly sealed and requires the consent of the
Dominion to unlock it.
“In the past, Hibiki-san hacked me in to go through the gate in the

Tenth Region Malkuth.”
“No, no. The security is nowhere as naïve as it is in the Tenth Region

Malkuth. For here, the gate is open for the Seventh Region Netzach
and the Ninth Region Yesod, but for the Fifth Region Gevurah, the
Sixth Region Tiphereth, and the Tenth Malkuth, the gate is under
strict management due to the gate being closed on both sides.”
“Is it because of the White Queen?”
“Of course.”
Kareha shrugged her shoulders.
“Even as a Dominion, I am afraid. The White Queen. ……How

terrifying. A monster, an apparition, she’s something that a Quasi-
Spirit should never draw close to.”
“I won though.”
“As far as I’ve heard, didn’t you resort to fleeing after returning the
favor?”
“You really know how to strike a sore spot……!”
“Ooh, how scary, how scary.”
Kareha joked while flapping her folding fan.
Page | 35
“Well, but as you said, we now know her method of sneaking in here.
I’m really grateful for that.”
While reminding her of the Kansai region, her words had slightly
strange accent to it that made others want to yell. However, Kurumi
chose to ignore this.
“I’m not happy at all to hear your gratitude.”
“Also. If possible, I would try to open a door to a region besides the

Seventh Region Netzach.
Ah, Hibiki-san and Carte-san seem to be on the opposite side, so

please give up.”
“……Ah, yes. Besides them, am I allowed to take some time from the
Quasi-Spirits here?”
Kareha’s fan came to a stop as she considered it for a while.
“Hmm. After all it is war. It doesn’t matter if you take enough time to
knock them out. But if it was me, it doesn’t matter if you absorb
enough time to kill?”
──Words uttered that were completely beyond expectation.
“Uhh……right now.”
Close to a secret whisper, Kareha spoke.
“If it was me, it doesn’t matter if you absorb enough time to kill.”
The summer sunshine, the dry atmosphere, and the humming of

cicadas.
The scorching sunshine itself was a roar of life.
So, there was a strange unease in the words ‘to kill’ said by Kareha.
Page | 36
“……You have a bad taste in jokes.”
It was a casual reply, but it still took a long time to say it.
Kareha laughed.
“My bad, that joke was in poor taste.”
Closing her fan, Kareha stood up slowly and walked towards the
courtyard filled with gravel.
“……I’ll go talk to the supporters. The more time you have, the
stronger you’ll be. Isn’t that right?”
“Yes, that’s correct.”
There were three different fuels that Kurumi required to fight.
Shadows, Reiryoku, and time. Shadows are in essence the infinite

bullets that fueled <Zafkiel> as well as the space for clones to be on
standby (of course as long as there is light, shadows are in ample
supply). Reiryoku is what is needed to build and maintain her Astral
Dress and Angel.
The most expensive one required for battle was the time needed to
use <Zafkiel>’s abilities.
……Thinking it over, there was a great cost paid in exchange for this
outstanding combat ability.
There were many ways of gathering Reiryoku in the Neighboring

World. In the Ninth Region Yesod, it was even possible to
supplement Reiryoku through singing.
However, time wouldn’t spawn easily like a drop item unless it was
intentionally replenished.
Page | 37
<City of Devouring Time> ──unless she used this ability to draw away
time from living creatures (including Quasi-Spirits) this fuel would be
consumed violently with each fight.
Of course, it would be possible to recover time in the Third Region

Binah……but that exception was due that region having the same
Spirit genus as Kurumi and likely that same capacity was also shared
by the White Queen.
In the first place, the concept of time is very weak in the Neighboring
World. In the Tenth Region Malkuth, time was only distinguishable
through the transfer between day and night.
Other than perhaps NPCs and BOTs, there was nothing living here
besides Quasi-Spirits.
“Um, Kareha-san.”
Kurumi interrupted her own thoughts as she called out to the girl
standing under the scorching sun.
“What is this Neighboring World?”
The concept of time was weak and various materials can be created
as long as Reiryoku is used.
It was as if──
“Who knows? This place is like heaven.”
Banouin Kareha whispered to her in a soft voice. Kurumi thought so

as well.
This Neighboring World was either heaven, hell, or a paradise……
“……?”
Page | 38
Because of the heat haze, Kareha’s presence suddenly felt distorted
for a moment.
“What’s wrong?”
“……It’s nothing. Now then, I’ll just wantonly stroll to acquire the
time needed from the Quasi-Spirits responsible for supporting
behind the scenes.”
“Please, if you may.”
As Kurumi stood up, Kareha grabbed her own arm while seeing her
off.
Even under the scorching sun, it felt as cold as ice.
“Not good. Sure enough is it because of the White Queen, or am I

simply breaking down?”
Kareha looked up towards the sky.
The dazzling light burned into her eyes, but it was nothing compared
to this love.
This castle, this sky, the sounds of these cicadas, even this rich forest
was all built by themselves.
When considering this, she should feel proud.
“Undoubtedly I’m only alive now through sheer luck……”
The memories of the distant past rose to the surface.
How many years has she been alive like this?
Or has it only been a few months?
The concept of time here was unclear for everyone. Even trying to
measure time through memories was impossible.
Page | 39
But vaguely, Banouin Kareha thought about herself for a long time.
“Kareha-sama.”
Sagakure Yui gently approached.
“Hmm?”
The Yui that was borrowed from the Seventh Region Netzach wasn’t
strictly a Quasi-Spirit.
Rather it could be said that she was the only living entity in the
Neighboring World that wasn’t a Quasi-Spirit.
Sagakure Yui was a handcrafted mechanical doll.
She was responsible for espionage, subversive activities, and

assassination. She had all of the functions necessary for a Kunoichi.
Nevertheless, she was made by the Dominion of the Seventh Region
Sagakure Yuri. She understood that the possibility of being betrayed
should always linger in her head.
……That said, Yuri had once discontentedly retorted that she would
never make such a defective product.
“Banouin-sama……your little sister wants to see you……”
Yui’s words caused Kareha’s expression to soften, but then it

suddenly turned gloomy.
“I don’t want to see her. Haven’t I already said that before?”
“Yes. But──”
Kareha waved her fan to silence her.
“I don’t want to see her.”
Page | 40
After closing this subject matter, she was about to leave as a voice
was heard from behind her.
“……Mizuha-sama said that she will come regardless of having

permission.”
“Ha?”
Kareha’s feet stopped as she turned back.
“Presently, the situation in the Ninth Region has calmed down, and
with Kirari Rinemu-sama there, there will be no problems even if she
goes out on a business trip. She would like to stay here with or
without permission.”
“……Seems like Kirari-han still has her wits……”
This was more like natural intuition rather than wisdom.
“Fine, let her come. But I still won’t see her.”
“……Why like this……”
Yui sadly frowned. For a moment a feeling of passion surged in her

throat, but Kareha managed to suppress it.
Closing the fan, she whispered coldly.
“I didn’t ask you for what is necessary.”
It was very much a sound argument. Yui quietly bowed in shame as

she briefly whispered to be excused.
……Kareha thought that she did something a little bad.
By no means did Yui mean any malice. Rather it would be better to

say that she wouldn’t hesitate dying if it meant completing her
mission. In the killing game held in the Tenth Region Malkuth, she
Page | 41
still happily participated despite knowing that she wouldn’t be able
to come back.
Wanting to call her back, the thoughts were there but the words
wouldn’t come out.
Shouldn’t she be indifferent to this matter──those words struck her

like a sudden revelation.
Kareha decided not to say anything.
“Aah──in the end, I am still me.”
Having said those words as if giving up on something, Kareha

stamped her feet on the white gravel.
“Thanks for the feast.”
“Um……what happened just now?”
The Quasi-Spirits responsible for rear-support asked with a look of

not quite understanding what just occurred. Fortunately, due to the
large number of people, it wasn’t necessary to absorb so much time
that it would leave them with extreme fatigue.
At best, everyone was just a bit more tired than usual.
“It’s nothing. Now then, it’s a pleasure to meet you all. Please
continue your support.”
Kurumi said that before deciding to quickly leave.
After walking through the castle gates, a fortress similar to a modern

bunker appeared in front. If the prior building, Kareha’s residence,
was the symbol of the Eighth Region Hod, this stronghold was the
keystone of the frontlines.
Page | 42
The sandy beach and sea was in front of this fort. The sandy beach
was surrounded by barbed wire. Kurumi thought that she had
vaguely seen this scene somewhere before.
However, as far as she remembered, she had never been to such a

place before. Since she had almost no memories left of the other
world, such thoughts were meaningless.
Well, if she recalled an old film, she ought to be able to recall it soon.
Ah, this was Omaha beach.
In any case, the war games hadn’t begun yet. So while strolling
through the fortress, Kurumi began to relax on the sandy beach.
If Banouin castle was an agglomeration of elegance, this was an

accumulation of boorishness.
“Ammunition, bring ammunition!”
As someone cried out, a corresponding person ran forward with a

plastic fuel tank. Really, there was the feeling of a war occurring
soon. While they won’t be killing people, it did feel like a slaughter
would happen in a different sense.
Thinking it over, it must be a crucial moment for them to leave

Banouin castle. Despite repelling them each time, there was no room
in their hearts to relax.
Along the way, due to it being a rare opportunity, she proceeded to

change directions in order to see the fortress from the high
mountain portion.
“Ara?”
Page | 43
Kurumi encountered a group that seemed to be training for scouting.
Kareha’s personality likely assisted in the leisurely foundation.
Banouin’s soldiers gave the impression of calm behavior.
But these girls had a crisp single file walking style with a severe
expression marked on their faces.
“……”
Silence. The Quasi-Spirit thought to be the captain stared at Kurumi

with razor sharp eyes. With a bitter smile, Kurumi intended to
explain she was a guest of Banouin Kareha.
“How rude, I am──”
At that moment, someone raised an arm to give instructions without

waiting for her to speak.
And there was one problem. Their Unsigned Angels weren’t set up as
water guns at all, but rather as lethal weapons set to kill……!
“Ara.”
So that must mean they are rebels rather than being part of
Banouin’s forces. Slightly troubled, Kurumi slanted her head. After
all, these current weapons could still prove fatal. They must have
come here for reconnaissance before the war began.
Nevertheless, since they were holding up weapons, Kurumi

reflexively lifted up her own weapon.
Judging how much effort would be needed──Kurumi sighed and shot

herself with the First Bullet <Aleph>, jumping while aiming her legs at
the captain of those Quasi-Spirits.
It was an artistic and beautiful drop kick.
Page | 44
Alas, Kurumi didn’t care about the captain fainting as she dragged
her along with one hand to throw as a weapon against the other
Quasi-Spirits now standing motionlessly from shock.
“Cistus, please take care of this.”
“I know. Yes, yes. I have already taken plenty of care.”
Accompanied by that voice, Kurumi’s shadow began to distort as a

pure white arm appeared below the scouts’ feet.
“Alright, boom!”
With that lovely voice, the Quasi-Spirit was slammed onto the
ground…….apparently her ankles had been grasped by both hands
coming from the shadow and forcibly pulled downwards.
“Gyabun!?”
There was the rough sound of a face making a direct collision with
the ground. One more person had passed out. The Quasi-Spirits that
saw this hurriedly checked their feet──so this time Kurumi used a
rolling spin kick linked with a summersault kick to send them flying.
By the time Kurumi gently wiped the dust off her skirt, everyone else
had either fainted or was groaning quietly.
“……Maybe I overdid a little too much.”
“But if you gone too easy on them wouldn’t that risk the chance of
injury?”
Cistus had a legitimate point. If either side sustained grievous

injuries, it would no longer be a fun war game.
Page | 45
“……Now then, should we move them back to say hello to these
rebels?”
“Is that possible?”
“I don’t mind providing free-loader service, but if the war is going to

start soon immediately……perhaps we shouldn’t.”
“A war always starts with a single bullet~”
Cistus’s allegations were very reasonable. But if possible, Kurumi still

wanted to see the rebel side.
Hibiki and Carte should be on the other side, and there was even a
slim chance they were under an emergency. Incidentally, she could
go to help break them out.
“……Hmm. I see.”
Cistus nodded, but her expression showed disappointment.
“What’s the matter?”
“No, it is necessary to confirm if Higoromo-san is over there. And if

she wants to leave, there should be help provided for her escape.
But there is one more possibility of this. The fact that me is
missing……”
“?”
As Kurumi slanted her head, Cistus muttered out a “well, it is fine” as

she threw the fainted Quasi-Spirits into the shadows.
“For now, let’s release them after crossing over to the other side.”
For the time being, Kurumi returned to the fortress and requested a
rubber boat to cross the shore.
Page | 46
Despite knowing that she was being treated as a guest, hearing that
she wanted to travel to the other side caused the Quasi-Spirits to
express worried looks at her. While they were still reluctant, Kurumi
managed to get their approval after stating she wasn’t heading there
looking for a fight.
“So, I’ll be heading out now.”
“Be careful……”
The Quasi-Spirits saluted three times.
“Let’s go~”
Kurumi replied in a leisurely tone as she started the engine of the

rubber boat.
“But for the sea, it’s too hot out for this outfit. I’ll need to change
clothes soon.”
“Ah, I also want a swimsuit too.”
“I think it would be ideal to plan on summoning one more Tokisaki

Kurumi clone…….”
“Run! Keep running and running! Endurance is very important during

war!”
“Yes sir!”
“Fine! I’ll treat you to crepes if you all run safely!”
“Great, Captain Hibiki is the best!”
“Ahaha, yes speak the truth!”
Page | 47
“I see as usual, you all are peerless at being cheeky……everyone must
keep running! If you are slower than my flat self, then there will be a
punishment game!”
“Ace of Spades is the devil!”
“Being a devil is fine, I am a playing card!”
Hibiki had trained her squad with the highest level of training and the
lowest amount of dropouts.
General Jugasaki praising her made her even more successful.
Right now Hibiki had the rank of Major and was spearheading a
squad with over 40 members.
“Whew, this reminds me of when I was an idol producer as Hibi

P……”
“You’ve done everything……”
Of course, she didn’t treat those Quasi-Spirits as pawns even after

her success.
While talking to everyone with an “I understand”, she agreed,

affirmed, advised, and guided each one of them.
Thanks to this, all forty members were morally enthusiastic. They

served as the role model which had won the admiration of the other
battalions.
“Well, the day has finally arrived, Ace of Spades-san.”
“Ah, so what about a swimsuit!”
“What kind of swimsuit would look good on Major Hibiki?”
“Cute style? Pure style? Glamorous style? 2D image style?”
Page | 48
“Leaving out that last one, my foundation is being pure. Look, I am
just like a lump of pureness!”
Hearing Hibiki’s words, her soldiers all nodded.
“That’s exactly how I see it as well, that’s right!”
“Uuu. I’m so touched by Ace of Spade-san’s understanding……”
It was the same for the idols she produced as well. She tended to
gain respect from others as soon as she got things in shape.
While she thought it was her special ability, it may just be part of her
innate characteristics.
“Now then, we are dissolved for today! War is coming soon, so do

your best!”
“Yes, ooh!”
All forty of them responded in unison after raising their fists up the
sky.
……Incidentally, to put it plainly, Hibiki was enjoying her life as a

rebel.”
She was fully enjoying it.
Well, the problem was here. Although that girl was sure she was
okay, she was also worried with anger at Higoromo Hibiki being
enlisted in the severe occupation of the military. How inversely
proportional would her anger be now?
“……Wow.”
An eerie voice leaked from the girl.
Page | 49
During wartime, all members must naturally change into a swimsuit.
However, all outfits for those below the level of first-class private
were uniforms.
A navy blue swimsuit was completely lacking in feeling gorgeous.
However, being at the level of leading her own squad, she could
freely choose her swimwear.
That was the superior’s privilege.
Quasi-Spirits above the rank of lieutenant excitedly looked at

swimsuit samples and chose to make adjustments to their Astral
Dresses.
“Ufufu, fufufu, Ace of Spades-san, look at this swimsuit……”
“It’s gorgeous…….are you also going to choose for me!?”
“Of course, we both became superior officers at the same time!”
“However, I am only a Sergeant……in order to keep the army

consolidated, Major Hibiki……no big sister.”
“It seems that you can do whatever you want with superior
privileges! Those diving into the same hell should be able to choose
their own swimwear!”
Ace of Spades began to seriously consider then.
“What should I choose, maybe a blue pareo with something white

underneath♪”
Hibiki was happily choosing a swimsuit. During this period, people

who longed for Hibiki as a big sister were smiling and talking to her.
……Behind them, there was only one person sending a sharp gaze.
Page | 50
Page | 51
“Ho──, ho──, ho─────……”
So it turned out to be like this.
It was the complete opposite of her expectations.
“U-Um……Jugasaki-sama will meet you now.”
A voice came from behind Kurumi. She had explained the story to a
girl on patrol after safely crossing the sea.
Seeing the captain being taken out from the shadows, the Quasi-
Spirit indeed confirmed she was one of the rebels and contacted
Jugasaki. Of course, the girl told Kurumi to wait for a while, but
Kurumi wasn’t the sort to obey that.
Along with Cistus, she looked around the rebel’s hideout.
……How could she describe it, the atmosphere felt like a mix
between a school festival and a sports festival. For example, there
were soldiers running around in sportswear. Besides that, there was
a girl squealing while choosing a swimsuit.
“It’s almost time for war.” “I’ll have to do my best not to run away
immediately.” “Um──which swimsuit is good?” “Do you remember
the battle plan?”
And the conversation went on so forth.
Compared to Banouin Castle which was busy getting ready, they

looked like they were having a lot of fun.
……While she worried about searching here, she must have been
enjoying herself.
“U-Um……”
Once again, the Quasi-Spirit mumbled.
Page | 52
Finally, Kurumi turned around and revealed an alluring smile that
would pull someone in at just the first meeting.
“Yes, I’ll go.”
Cistus had already evacuated into the shadows, trying not to get into
trouble.
After entering the tent, Jugasaki Retsumi, who was planning an

operation while looking at the map, looked back at her.
“So you are Banouin’s guest?”
“Yes, that’s right. Well then, I’ll be returning this back first.”
From the shadows, people were rolling out just like balls and piling
up within the tent.
This sloppy approach, of handling this mysterious phenomenon of

taking out people from the shadows, caused noise to spread
throughout their surroundings.
Jugasaki glanced at them.
“So they were really sneaking about?”
“And they also raised a gun at me with no questions asked. Are you
planning on starting a fight where we’re trying to kill each other?”
Jugasaki silently flicked her finger between the captain’s eyebrows.
“……”
As the captain tried to stand up to confirm the situation, her face

immediately started turning pale.
“So you were going to try and kill Banouin’s side?”

Page | 53
“N-No! That wasn’t it!”
The captain hastily shook her head to deny this.
“Then, what about that gun?”
“T-That was……force of habit……I didn’t intend on using it……”
“Really?”
Kurumi interjected.
“──Answer, Ensign Todou. Were you really going to kill Banouin?”
The atmosphere of the venue had changed completely.
The weight of the atmosphere was enough to even silence Kurumi.

Jugasaki Retsumi was very angry. But Todou muttered in disapproval.
“……But we are supposed to be killing each other.”
“This is not killing. This is war.”
“War means to kill each other!”
“Not in this world!”
Jugasaki refuted Todou’s words. The stunned team members woke

up one after the other; grasping the situation they held out their
guns to intimidate the surrounding Quasi-Spirits.
“Injuring others will only accelerate our decline just like what is
happening in the Tenth Region Malkuth. It’s important to win, but
we mustn’t kill!”
She lashed out her tongue at the Quasi-Spirit called Todou.
Page | 54
After standing up, she glared at Jugasaki with sharp eyes in a manner
that completely disagreed with her.
“──What naivety. That’s why you keep losing.”
Jugasaki was trembling with tears in her eyes. Seeing that expression,
Todou’s face showed a hint of disdain.
The surrounding Quasi-Spirits also lowered their faces. Perhaps

noticing this, Todou summoned her Unsigned Angel──firmly grasping
on her firearm.
In this atmosphere that could explode at any moment, Kurumi

blankly muttered.
“……Then wouldn’t it be just fine to go to the Tenth Region

Malkuth?”
──A very reasonable reply.
If she really wanted to find a place to kill each other, Then, she
should go to the Tenth Region Malkuth to kill as much as she
wanted.
“Isn’t that the perfect gathering place for people with abnormal
minds? Yes, because I was once involved there as well.”
Betrayal, conspiracy, deception, and slaughter, it was a place for

unusual Quasi-Spirits that specialized in fighting.
……Of course, the concept of death for Quasi-Sprits is weak and the
hurdles for murder are low.
If killed, they would fade into particles of light and disappear just like
in a game world.
However, the Tenth Region was clearly the farthest behind from the
other regions that drew the line at killing.
Page | 55
So if she really wanted to kill.
She should just head to that region.
“That’s──”
Todou’s speech suddenly grew incoherent.
“Ara, ara, what’s the matter. You’re making me think that you do
want to go there. Could it be?
You don’t want to go to the Tenth Region Malkuth because you are
afraid?”
Those words sparked Todou’s contempt just like having to listen to

the foul teasing coming from a child.
At the very moment Todou tried to counter with an attack, <Zafkiel>

had already been pointed at between her eyebrows.
“I don’t think there is anything terrible of wanting to kill each other.

But everyone is trying to live in some shape or form in each
region……I find that very commendable.”
Todou bit her lip while shaking from the humiliation.
Nevertheless, Kurumi’s assertion was certainly correct. If she wanted

to kill each other, there was already a designated region for that. It
was not that difficult to head to the Ninth Region Yesod and then to
the Tenth Region Malkuth.
But choosing not to go to the Tenth Region Malkuth meant being

coward.
Kurumi’s haughty demeanor left the coward speechless.
“……Wait a minute, Tokisaki Kurumi.”
Page | 56
However, at that moment there was someone who stopped Kurumi.
It was Jugasaki, who replied with a sad look.
“I don’t think what she was trying to do is right and I promise it won’t
happen again, so please don’t blame Ensign Todou anymore.
In response to that statement, Kurumi lowered <Zafkiel> while a little

disappointed.
Todou silently left the tent with her subordinates without giving a
word of thanks.
As Kurumi shrugged, Jugasaki let out a sigh.
“I want to change the mood for a bit. Can you accompany me,
Tokisaki Kurumi, the Third Spirit?”
“──Well, I don’t particularly mind.”
Todou breathed out a sigh of relief. She thought she was going to be
killed for sure. That Tokisaki Kurumi was undoubtedly the genuine
article. It was only because of the agreement in the Eighth Region
Hod that she wasn’t killed. But if someone were to attack her, she
would respond immediately back with lethal force.
They had survived solely because of her whims. The difference in

power was simply too vast.
“Second Lieutenant…..no, Captain……”
“We failed. Already there’s nothing that can be done.”
Page | 57
It was already no longer possible to infiltrate the rebels. Moreover,
this grudge held against Tokisaki Kurumi meant she would become
likely be an enemy in the future.
“……But there is still a chance. Crossing that sea again, when the war
begins, the opportunity would surely come. I’ll have the chance to
kill her.”
Who cares if it means been spoken ill of?
Even they liked the Eighth Region Hod. They didn’t want to disturb
this peaceful region. But the current situation was the worst. With
the White Queen, the countless Empty had gradually become
unreliable.
“……For sure, I’m going to crush Banouin Kareha. I’m going to dispose
of that fallen traitor……!”
──In the past it used to be more innocent contests.
Jugasaki muttered out little by little. Although this region had been
divided into two halves by the sea since the very beginning, the
games themselves started out as innocent competition like racing or
hide-and-seek.
There was stuff related to studying and even an all you can eat
contest was held.
Just……little by little, it gradually became more aggressive.
The Quasi-Spirits that fled from the Tenth Region Malkuth also
brought along the values from the Tenth Region.
Page | 58
In the Ninth Region Yesod, popularity as an idol is absolute──in that
case the values were too far apart. But the Tenth Region Malkuth
and the Eighth Region Hod share similar values.
……So the battles grew more and more intense.
Many were injured and some had disappeared. Some people

recognized defeat and turned into Empties.
It was around that time.
Banouin Kareha brought the water gun rules to form a healthy

pretend war.
But then she placed herself on the peak. Since then, they’ve fought
time after time but Banouin Castle still hasn’t collapsed.
“So that’s more or less the history between me and the detestable
Banouin.”
Kurumi walked besides Jugasaki while looking at her. Despite saying

that she hated her, it seemed like she was having a lot of fun.
So Kurumi had no worries about wanting to clarify that point.
“You say that it’s awful, but you seem to be pretty happy.”
“W-What! Leave me alone!”
“……Are you very close to Banouin-san?”
The response was very dramatic.
“I don’t get along with her at all! She’s an abominable enemy! Truly
vile! The lowest! The worst!
An unpleasant weird woman that pretends to be rich! She never

comes over here to even talk! Ah, awful. I get angry at the very
thought of that woman!”
Page | 59
Furious steps stomped onto the ground.
Kurumi thought to herself if it was possible.
──Ah, did I step on a landmine?
“She hasn’t even shown her face in the recent wars! Really, she’s
cutting corners! What, while I’m obviously hard at work! Just
thinking about that makes me angry!”
It was a rant-inducing reply.
“F-Forget that. Kareha-san must have her own considerations……”
But without a doubt there were many sides of Banouin Kareha that
aren’t quite understood.
However, Kurumi didn’t think that her stature was terrible. She
didn’t have the shallow black-heartedness of Momozono Mayuka
that she met in the Ninth Region Yesod, nor did she have the cruelty
of the White Queen.
She was Quasi-Spirit with a slightly odd accent and refused to share
the depths of her heart.
Of course there must be a secret. Surely she must be hiding

something. But, that was just an irrelevant passing matter for
Kurumi.
But that wasn’t the case for Jugasaki Retsumi.
“You too! Why is she sheltering you!? Are you her ally!?”
She abruptly pointed in her finger at Kurumi in her unreasonable

anger.
“Like I said before, as a guest──”

Page | 60
“Yeah, thinking it over calmly, aren’t you also the enemy! Why are
you here!?”
“Didn’t I already explain it at the very beginning!? I came specifically

to bring back your soldiers that crossed over the sea! I!”
“Then of course you are the enemy! You’re already participating in

the war!”
This strange timing caused Kurumi to remember about Higoromo

Hibiki.
In spite of her all of her worries, her own anger at Hibiki who was
having fun with all of the soldiers here……!
“Yes, I will participate. I am just an enemy.”
“Then let’s do it! You’ll have the same price as Banouin Kareha──a
bounty on your head!”
“You’re giving me a bounty……!?”
Jugasaki smiled as she revealed a piece of paper. Kurumi’s face

emerged on the light brown paper while a number was shown
further down. It looked straight out from western play.
“Rejoice! Your value in gold is as high as that scoundrel Kareha!”
“……Um, sorry. What does this ALIVE OR ALIVE mean? Shouldn’t it

normally be DEAD OR
ALIVE?”
“No, you’re not allowed to kill people after all.”
Page | 61
“Huh……”
Her tone relaxed, but then she recognized how troublesome it would
be for her to actually be defeated.
“Then, I’ll hurry along back now.”
“Really? Isn’t there someone that you wanted to meet or are

searching for?”
“……No, there is none. Because even if, she seems happy here.”
“U-Umu. Don’t overdo it; this is the Eighth Region Hod.” (Basically a
pun that gets lost in translation. The ordinal Japanese part starts out
with the phrase hodo hodo nina) Kurumi began pulling on Jugasaki’s
cheeks without hesitation.
“Fu ~afufunfa!” (What are you doing?)
“My apologizes, I didn’t assume you were the type to tell such a silly
joke.”
In this manner, Kurumi crossed the sea again and returned back to
Banouin castle.
“,,,,,,Mu.”
“What’s the matter, Major Hibiki?”
“Ah, it’s nothing. I don’t why, but I suddenly felt the chills cover my
body.”
“Did you catch a cold?”
“I haven’t had a cold since being born……”
“Now, I have a bad feeling. For example, something like Kurumi-sama

watching both of us laughing.” (Correct answer)
Page | 62
“Wow that would be the worst!”
“Of course we are also both hard at work. But if looking only at the
current situation, it would be enough to make her furious.”
“Ahaha. But Kurumi-san seems to be over around Banouin’s side.

After this war, let’s go over there to play!”
“……Why does this feel like a death flag……?”
Ace of Spades whispered to herself.
──Now, it was time for war.
Initially, Banouin followed the usual interception manual and made

plans to counterattack at Banouin Beach.
But her single guest insisted that she must at least make it past the
barbed wire.
While skeptical at first, her opinion was still adopted and that single
guest was added to the team stationed at the fortress.
A declaration of war had already been issued and Banouin estimated

that the raid would take place within three days after the completion
of their training.
On the other side, Major Higoromo Hibiki argued that since the
declaration of war had already been sent, there should be no issue.
They should launch a fearless surprise attack on the morning before
the end of their training.
Page | 63
She managed to persuade Jugasaki who was reluctant, and so they
planned for the surprise attack to be on the day before the end of
their training.
──Well, that girl would at least consider that much.
Moreover, the guest had diligently transformed <Zafkiel> into its

water gun version. The quietly sandy night beach was the perfect
place to move her hands while thinking.
“Kurumi-sama.”
Swish, Sagakure Yui suddenly appeared.
“Ara. Uhh. You are……”
Kurumi narrowed her eyes in surprise. It was a face that she had
seen before. Kurumi immediately remembered that she was a Quasi-
Spirit that had participating in the killing game in the Tenth Region
Malkuth. ……Wait, she started to rethink. Indeed, she should have
died during that time.
“I am Sagakure Yui.”
“……You, didn’t you die in the Tenth Region Malkuth?”
“That happens a lot.”
Yui seemed to want to end the explanation here. Like saying that she
wouldn’t reveal any more, she handed her a large piece of
cardboard.
“Here are the blueprints for the swimsuit. By following this, there are
no issues with making adjustments to your Astral Dress.”
“Thank you.”
Page | 64
Unlike the simple jersey-type Astral Dress used in the Ninth Region
Yesod, this time it was an imaginative swimsuit Astral Dress.
In order to avoid vulgarity, the colors were red and black. But the
amount it left exposed was significant.
If possible, there was the imagination of that person looking away

while embarrassed. But then she thought, “That’s too stupid!” as if
roasting herself.
……Determining the degree of adjustments would be difficult. Being

too delicate wouldn’t leave a lasting impression and being too
sensual would attract too much lewd attention.
“──Kurumi-sama. Are you sure they’ll launch a surprise attack

tomorrow morning?”
“Eh? Ah yes. I……can’t say with 100% certainty, but it should be

around 60%.”
Sure enough, after fighting alongside each other for so long,

something like that would be easily seen through.
As for Hibiki, she likely wouldn’t be able to predict this. Although she
knew that Kurumi must be in Banouin’s territory, she couldn’t
imagine Kurumi participating in this war.
“Kurumi-san would find this too tedious, so even if provoked, that

wouldn’t be enough to participate in this battle!”
Such was the assertion laid out in front of Hibiki’s eyes.
Well, it should be like this. If she were to participate, they would all
be annihilated no matter how much water they used.
However, however.
“Fufu, fufufufu. I never imagine that I would be fighting seriously.”

Page | 65
Unfortunately, Tokisaki Kurumi was also determined to take this in
full earnest.
Because Kurumi thought this would be the perfect chance to blow

away this itchy feeling bothering her. Also, it’s been a while since she
wanted to see the scene of Hibiki openly sobbing.
“……What a twisted sense of love……”
Yui muttered to herself.
“This is not love. This is punishment.”
“Well, regardless of what it is, if Kurumi-sama participates, it seems

likely that the Banouin faction will win again……”
“By the way Yui-san, Kareha-san doesn’t want to talk much about it,
but are there detailed records of the region meeting?”
“No, there are no records. It is impossible for us to know the

contents of the meeting.”
“I heard that──the White Queen appeared.”
“Yes. In the process, suspicion arose on the Empty that were working
behind the scenes. For that reason, we heard that the Empty have
been confined or expelled in most of the regions. The Ninth Region
Yesod and the Tenth Region Malkuth seem to have been neglected,
but……”
“……A difficult problem for sure……so then where are the Empty?”
“They are Empty so there’s little room for emotions. They’ve

basically docilely accepted these orders.”
“The Empty I’ve seen in the Third Region Binah were truly
abnormal……”
Page | 66
“The Sixth Region Tiphereth has closed all of its gates except for the
Seventh Region Netzach. If Kurumi-sama wishes to head to the First
Region Keter, you must go from the Seventh Region to the Sixth
Region, and then proceed further to either the Fifth Region or Fourth
Region.”
“Can’t I just jump to the Fifth Region from here?”
“As you may have heard, the Fifth Region is adjacent to the Third
Region Binah. So we have completely closed the gate from there to
prevent any passage into the Eighth Region.”
“……Ah, so passing here means having to go through the Ninth

Region Yesod?”
“Kareha-sama hasn’t mentioned that, but I believe that to be the

case.”
“Speaking of which, is Mizuha-san here as well?”
“Yes. Kareha-sama said she didn’t want to see her, so I was informed
to guide her to a separate room.”
“She doesn’t want to see her……why would that be the case? Isn’t
she her sister?”
“Yes. Unusually, those two are real sisters.”
Banouin Kareha and Banouin Mizuha became Quasi-Spirits at almost

the same time. Mizuha only remembers having an older sister. Of
course, since they’ve both stated this……Quasi-Spirits have come to
except this. To that extent, those two could be considered “as if
sisters”.
“However, for Kareha-sama who has forgotten

everything……Mizuha-sama may just be a self-identified sister.”
Page | 67
Sagakure Yui sadly looked down.
“Forgotten……”
Kurumi slanted her head as Yui spoke.
“Quasi-Spirits seem to have too many memory gaps……”
The passing and experience of years (even she wasn’t sure how many
days and months have passed here) have led to Quasi-Spirits
understanding that they have come from the other world.
But their levels of memories tended to differ. There are people who
remember nothing and others who can recall only a little.
Although Banouin Mizuha understood that Kareha was her older

sister, she lacked almost any other memories.
Kareha had said that she doesn’t remember anything.
When they first arrived here, they often acted together. But since
Kareha has become the Dominion of Hod, she has cut off virtually all
form of contact between them.
It was almost as if abandoning her own sister.
Fortunately, Mizuha soon found her calling as an idol──and soon

rose to the high position Dominion as well.
“Hmm, that’s strange. Could one simply sigh and accept this
treatment?”
Anyone abandoned like that would normally have to choose

between despair and anger.
At the same time, no matter how she thought about it, Mizuha
wasn’t the type to use anger as motivation.
“……Who knows, I don’t know much about them either.”

Page | 68
Yui had a painful look on her face.
As Kurumi was polishing her swimsuit, she recalled about Banouin

Mizuha.
Well, she did seem like the sort of girl with a strong tendency to
depend on others. Fortunately, Kirari Rinemu took up that role.
Additionally the role of being Dominion also caused Mizuha to grow
significantly.
“If you have time to meet with Mizuha-sama……”
“I will think about it.”
Well, it didn’t matter too much to herself if these sisters had a good
relationship or not.
Rather than that, focus was given on terrifying Hibiki. Kurumi’s

thoughts were preoccupied with that.
Page | 69
○Neighboring World’s Revelation
(Apocalypse Now) Hello, hello.
……That is to say, it is me. Major Higoromo Hibiki, a battalion captain
or something like that.
Immediately before the end of training, we would launch a surprise

attack early in the morning.
With this, we would sweep past the barbed wire and attack the
fortress with the fastest speed and smallest amount of sacrifices.
Although I intended for it to be like that, we had been seen through.

Despite having said that, it was clear that we reached past the
barbed wire much faster than last time. Everyone was looking onto
me with respect.
“Now, let’s charge through!”
Someone there marching was blowing a trumpet.
“Everyone, attack────!”
With rifles up, all members on hand invaded the fortress.

Then──they encountered.
“Ara, ara, ara. This really must be a coincidence, right?”
They saw an oni.
They saw a demon.
No, they saw a God.
To phrase it bluntly, they saw Tokisaki Kurumi.
……Of course, this wasn’t impossible. As long as she wasn’t part of

the rebels, it was possible for Kurumi to be on Banouin’s side.
Page | 70
However, she was the type of person to view this matter as too
troublesome.
Hibiki stared……she shouldn’t be concerned about the power

struggle between these two major factions.
“Alright, Major Higoromo Hibiki. It’s so wonderful that you’ve been

promoted. An S-rank producer in the Ninth Region, being a Major
here, Hibiki-san’s talent really took me by surprise.”
Not good, she looks completely livid.
Even though she was giving them a full smile, she was so angry that
there was the illusion of a furious aura standing behind her.
This feeling of anger was more terrifying than even murderous

intent. If it was the latter, it would just end with, “Ah, I’m going to
die”. But even she couldn’t guess what sort of punishment Kurumi
would employ when truly angry.
“That is to say, I’ve also decided to give it my all.”
The <Zafkiel> in both her hands was different from usual. Although
its old rifle appearance remained unchanged, there was something
resembling a poorly bright yellow pump added to the tip of the
muzzle.
“I’m slightly disappointed with this design, but that’s the proof of it
being good entertainment as a toy, correct?”
While saying so, she pulled the trigger on her short gun.
“Hegu!?”
The poi paper on the helmet of the Quasi-Spirit standing next to her
was precisely shot down. It seems that <Zafkiel>, like the other
Page | 71
weapons, was shooting water bullets rather than the usual shadowy
bullets.
Certainly, Kurumi also had the poi paper attached to her body. It
looked a little cute.
But there was one more problem.
“Kurumi-san, yes!”
She raised her hands up for the time being.
“What is it, Hibiki-san?”
“Your swimsuit looks great!”
“Yes, thank you very much. So can I take that as your last words?”
Kurumi smiled slightly.
Hibiki also smiled a little.
She then took a deep breath.
“Everyone withdraw────! There’s a self-conscious bomb here! And

one that can continue to explode indefinitely!”
“Ufufufufu, what precise instructions. So then Major Hibiki, I’ll have

to chase after you!”
“Gya! It’s a Romeo and Juliet scenario, but one where Romeo is
coming to kill you────!”
“And who is Juliet here?”
Kurumi began to move. The soldiers that raised their guns at her
were shot down one by one.
Page | 72
Soldiers with their poi paper struck automatically fell down while
raising the white flag.
In this war, this was regarded as a dead man that could no longer
participate in any subsequent battles.
“Uwaa, having Kurumi-sama behind as the enemy is the worst!”
Ace of Spades, who was a conspicuous easy target, desperately fled.
“Uwa, I really have the worst luck, the world’s first class in being
unfortunate───!”
As Hibiki was crying and screaming from being targeted by Kurumi,

they stumbled across Banouin’s soldiers who also activated their
Unsigned Angels.
“Ah!”
There were many non-lethal Unsigned Angels and Higoromo Hibiki’s

fell into that category. Her ability was <King Killing>──the super
heretical ability to swap identities and replace the target.
In that split second, Banouin’s soldiers transformed into Higoromo

Hibiki and were shot down by Kurumi’s <Zafkiel>.
“Ah, isn’t using <King Killing> too cowardly!?”
“Uwaa, despicable or not, I’ll do anything to survive!”
Hibiki cried out, causing chaos while swapping appearances with

Banouin’s soldiers.
Additionally, conscious that this was now a withdrawal battle, she

was also protecting her own soldiers while retreating.
This was causing Tokisaki Kurumi to grow more and more upset.
Page | 73
“Stand──still──for──me! Hey, you don’t know anything about my
hardships!”
“S-Sorry! Even though I don’t know what you’re angry about, I am

sorry!”
“I don’t want to hear a half-hearted apology!”
“Sorry! And also once more, <King Killing>!”
“The boat is ready!”
Hearing what Ace of Spades had said, Hibiki confirmed that she was
herself again.
“Alright, get in and retreat!”
After jumping in, she immediately swung her head to the right. As
expected, water bullets from
<Zafkiel> were still coming from behind.
Kurumi pouted from Hibiki eluding her by a single thread.
“Wait for me!”
“I won’t wait to be killed!”
“I won’t kill you. How about choosing life rather than death!?”
“No way──!”
“This is like the relationship between Tom and Jerry. The only
problem is that Tom, the cat, is by far the strongest.”
Ace of Spades muttered with a grim look.
Hibiki wondered if that was just a normal relationship between cat

and mouse.
Page | 74
“……Reach won’t make it now. Fine then, run away! I’ll solve this war
by myself!”
“P-Please remember! This war has only just begun!”
The entire army retreated, including the boat Hibiki was riding on.
Only the Quasi-Spirits that had their poi paper struck down remained
while raising a white flag saying, “I’m dead”.
“I will absolutely not forgive you!”
The sound of Kurumi’s resentful voice reached Hibiki’s back.
“You lost──!”
Jugasaki barked out. Hibiki lowered her head and apologized to

everyone including Jugasaki,
“I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I didn’t expect Kurumi-san to be so serious! It

was completely out of my calculations! Everyone, I’m so sorry!”
“But......it really was impossible. Because that was like a typhoon,

waterspout, firestorm, blizzard, and avalanche all coming together at
us.”
Ace of Spades tried to comfort her.
“That much huh.”
Apart from Hibiki, Ace of Spades was the only one who knew about
the true terror Kurumi could inflict. Her whispers proved most
persuasive.
“Major Hibiki, please remain firm!”
Page | 75
Page | 76
“It is fine, yet our battalion’s loss rate is 20%!”
“Uuu. 20% means……8 people died.”
“But is that Tokisaki Kurumi really so strong?”
Hibiki nodded towards Jugasaki’s whisper. Immediately afterwards,

the powerful soldiers that had seen her strength up close also
agreed.
“Just like a calamity in this world.”
“I see……so the prize money on her head did nothing but bring
unnecessary trouble on ourselves.”
“Ha……but why was she fighting so seriously?”
Hibiki tilted her head while confused. Ace of Spades muttered in a

low voice.
“Could it be……a worried friend angry at being left out while you
were off spending your time in idle amusement? Degozaru.”
Having slanted her head, Hibiki couldn’t process those words at first.
However, as Hibiki gradually started to understand the meaning

behind those words, her face slowly turned red.
“S-So that means. Is it possible Kurumi-san was overcome with worry

that I, Higoromo Hibiki, would suffer a miserable defeat and have to
crawl back to this mob-like military force like a dejected loser!?”
“Why are you phrasing it that seriously!?”
Hibiki let out a strange “pya” sound as she collapsed onto the
surrounding soldiers’ arms.
“U-Umu. ……This time, I have a hunch we’re only going to fail……”
Page | 77
As Jugasaki said regretfully, Ace of Spades nodded in agreement.
“……No, it won’t. If Kurumi-san is here, I will try to come up with a

solution……”
Hibiki, who had collapsed from feeling too much joy, spoke while
fluttering her feet.
“Can you do that?”
“The target of Kurumi-san’s anger seems to be only me. Alright.

Then, there should be a way!
Probably! Maybe! So──”
She took in a deep breath.
“We will hold a Tokisaki Kurumi countermeasures meeting!”
Hibiki let out such a voice.
“Ara, ara, ara. You seem quite angry.”
“Not──at──all. Not──even──a bit. I’m──not──angry──at all.”
Kurumi was lying down on the tatami mat and speaking in a

prolonged tone. Kareha giggled a little at seeing this sight.
“I’ve heard already from Yui, but your friend is over on the other
side?”
“Not just on the opposite side. But also actively participating. And
even promoted to Major.”
“Oh my. What a capable person.”
Page | 78
Kareha was so amazed that she covered her lips with her hand.
“That’s right, I was surprised as well.”
“……So she is your friend.”
“……”
Kurumi fell silent. After all, in the first place……no that wouldn’t be
wrong, but. Kurumi believed that there was no one who could be
called a friend for herself. And even if there was, it would be gone
now.
She didn’t lead such a naïve life that would easily allow the existence
of a friend to come in.
However, in this Neighboring World, it wasn’t the case that she

always maintained a lonely height apart from others.
In any case, it wasn’t something she would deliberately seek out. But
at the same time, she also wouldn’t go out of her way to make
enemies in this world unless there was deliberate ill intent involved.
Additionally, when Hibiki tried following her, it was her who also
allowed this.
So, if she considered it like this……
“Ah, opps. So Hibiki-san is your former friend.”
Finally reaching such a conclusion, Kareha laughed even more.
“That’s funny coming from you. Have you noticed so far?”
“Not really, I’m not aware at all.”
Kurumi recalled that she once called Hibiki a friend, but that was just
an excuse to get her into a haunted room. Hibiki also ridiculed this by
saying, “I’m only a friend when it’s convenient!”
Page | 79
Even now, if she were to say with an evil smile that Hibiki was just a
pawn she was using, no one would probably be convinced.
“Forget it, she’s a friend. A friend. Yes, yes. ……Ah, so that’s why I am
angry.”
“Everything is fine, so just don’t pass over each other. Or do you

already know that it’s too late?”
“I have a feeling you’re speaking from experience.”
“Really?”
Kareha grinned. Suddenly those words came out from Kurumi’s

mouth. But this wasn’t speculation. It was an inadvertent thought
that passed after speaking with both of them.
“Could your friend perhaps be Jugasaki-san?”
Kareha fell silent and narrowed her eyes.
Apparently, her guess had landed right on the mark. Kareha lowered
her head as her smile disappeared. She took a sip of her tea as if
trying to evade the question.
“Who knows……”
“Even if it’s not my place to speak, aren’t you two the ones missing
each other?”
“……That’s my own business.”
“I’m a little bit interested. What’s going on? I’m a just a freeloader,
so I can keep a secret.”
“……I can’t trust you.”
Page | 80
“At this point you might as well have confessed. At this point, when
you phrase it like that, I already know it has something to do with
Jugasaki Retsumi.”
“Mu.”
“Would it cause a scandal for you to have interacted with the rebel
leader in the past?”
“I didn’t say there were interactions. Just……”
The words came to a stop here.
Kareha narrowed her eyes and hesitantly opened her mouth.
“……You said that you won’t tell anyone?”
“I won’t say anything. I’ll even swear on my Angel <Zafkiel>.”
Those words more or less touched on Kareha’s heartstrings.
Fuu, she let out a sigh.
“Then let me tell you an old story.”
In this manner, while still speaking in her strange dialect, Banouin

Kareha began to speak──
……The Eighth Region Hod was neither nearly as peaceful as the

Ninth Region Yesod nor as wild as the Tenth Region Malkuth. Rather,
it can be seen that Quasi-Spirits from the Tenth Region Malkuth
constantly flowed into the Eighth Region Hod.
Since the Ninth Region Yesod valued idols as much as at the same
level as the laws of physics, Quasi-Spirits could do nothing there.
Page | 81
So even if they tried a full-scale riot there, the cheers and singing
voice of idols would lead to their system of values being shaken or
lead to banishment.
In contrast, the Eighth Region Hod was neither as stable nor

bloodthirsty as the Tenth Region Hod.
It can be described as an incomplete region. All that was here was

the wind, summer, sea, and sky.
Kareha Banouin chose to become the Dominion of the Eighth Region

Hod.
“With your strength, you’ll be able to do something about it.”
Kagarike Haraka, the oldest Quasi-Spirit, backed her up with this. She
led the Quasi-Spirits who flowed in from the Tenth Region Malkuth,
made regulations, and defeated those who resisted.
But she didn’t kill them. Rather than letting the losers perish like in
the Tenth Region Malkuth, she chose to protect them.
And then her little sister Mizuha tried her best to act without really
understanding anything. She healed their injuries and did her best to
calm them down while singing a song.
She gained allies.
Gradually, the number of allies also increased along with those that
followed behind Kareha.
The number of people coming from the Tenth Region Malkuth

decreased and the Eighth Region Hod ushered in a period of
peace──but then the number of allies who turned into Empty also
increased.
Page | 82
As Kareha exhausted her head while troubled over this, a young girl
appeared before her.
“Banouin Kareha! Compete with me!”
She shouted like that.
She would one day become……the girl called Jugasaki Retsumi.

Moreover, a girl that was once an Empty.
“That girl was once an Empty?”
Kurumi interrupted. Kareha narrowed her eyes while giving a

nostalgic look.
“After completely being defeated in the Tenth Region Malkuth, she

arrived at the Eighth Region Hod just before she was about to die.
But still, compared to now, 80% of her dazzling blonde hair had been
bleached white.”
Laziness and malaise attacked every Quasi-Spirit who turned into an

Empty. Energy, dreams, and even hopes were shaven away.
That was a powerful scream to overturn all of that.
Of course, Banouin Kareha didn’t hold back at all. Using her Unsigned
Angel fan, she fought back to her heart’s content.
The next day, she tried again as if nothing had happened.
Then rather than fighting Kareha, it was against Kareha’s

subordinates. Although she lost again, she was clearly stronger than
last time.
Losing, losing, losing, winning, winning, winning, and winning again.
Page | 83
As victories gradually accumulated, it became impossible for anyone
other than Kareha to defeat her, and eventually even Kareha was
defeated.
Even though the Dominion Kareha already anticipated this, the girl
who had regained her brilliant blonde hair smiled and said, “Let’s
fight again next time”.
“……In any case, I feel uneasy. You should at least demand something
from me now.”
As Kareha said that, the girl spoke.
“Give me a name!”
So then, she said Jugasaki Retsumi in a half-joking manner, but that

name was surprisingly accepted.
“Good! A great name! It’s super cool!”
And so she made the name Jugasaki Retsumi her own. She seemed
to especially like that strange name.
Since then, she became a friend who constantly challenged Kareha.
Sometime she won, sometimes she lost.
However, Jugasaki’s blonde hair kept shining so long as she didn’t get
tired of losing or winning.
Just like a sun that never sets.
“You were beaten black and blue when first arriving at the Eighth
Region Hod.”
“Don’t be concerned about me!”
Page | 84
Before even noticing, she had settled in Banouin Castle without
permission. Rolling about like a fickle cat, greedily enjoying the
refreshments that Kareha provided.
“Hey, how long can we be like this?”
“……What is it?”
“I feel worried about becoming an Empty again.”
“If you looked like this right now, wouldn’t it be unlikely to change
into that?”
“It feels similar to how you’re only grateful for being healthy after
catching a cold.”
The wind blew in a season that was constantly summer.
“In front of such good weather and beautiful scenery, why do we

have to die?”
“Rather than dying, isn’t it just disappearing?”
Hearing what Kareha had said, Jugasaki shook her head.
“Listen, Banouin. That’s death. No matter how you try to hide it, that
disgusting feeling is death.
Turning into an Empty and lightly fading away, all that is just a
pretense dodging the issue.”
“……It’s like you say.”
Jugasaki’s opinion was both half-correct and half-incorrect.
“So then Jugasaki-san. What do you think after seeing this?”
Page | 85
Kareha grinned as she peeled off the disguised wig. Half of her
gorgeous hair was still black, but the other half was glistening silver.
“─────”
Jugasaki was staring blankly at Kareha’s hair for a while. Slowly, while
staggering, she approached Kareha, grabbing her whitened hair.
“Hey…..that hurts.”
“When did this start? When?”
Jugasaki’s eyes were burning with the feeling of not accepting any
lies.
“……When did it start? Even I’m not quite sure about this.”
Kareha turned her head to the side as if already having given up a

little. Hearing her say those words, Jugasaki grabbed her by the
collar──staring into each other’s eyes.
“I’ll die.”
“You can’t die.”
Both of them were silent for a moment.
Jugasaki let go of her collar and took a deep breath in.
“Then one last thing. What is your wish? Is there anything that
you’ve done that makes you feel alive?”
“Isn’t that obvious?”
With a fearless smile, Banouin Kareha informed her.
“During the moments when seriously fighting against you──”
──And so, the story came to an end.
Page | 86
Kareha suddenly raised both of her hands as if surrendering.
“……So that’s why this war has begun?”
“Because that child is too stubborn.”
Kurumi raised her eyebrows at Kareha who was still grinning.
“However, that child was serious about helping me through fighting.

It’s normal to not win.
Because if I lose, I might die.”
An evil smile.
A smile that expressed controlling her was unbelievable fun.
Speaking of good or evil, her behavior was undoubtedly evil.
“……Give me a moment.”
“So you’re angry as well.”
“I’m angry because of being underestimated.”
But Kurumi revealed an even more evil smile as she pointed her
restored <Zafkiel> at Kareha.
“──My <Zafkiel> can express special powers through consuming

time. Each one is considered inherently incomparable──to
everyone’s Unsigned Angels.”
“……What is that supposed to mean for example?”
“That’s right. For example──looking into your memories to see what

the truth is.”
Kareha looked upset for the first time.
Page | 87
“Alright, that’s out of the question. It won’t work because of your
expression, so it’s out of the question. If I’m trying to play a villain, I
at least need to threaten to kill the people you love.”
“……If that can be done, I wouldn’t be having such a weary time.”
Kareha whispered off into the distance.
“So in the end, what do you want to do?”
Kareha hesitated. Even if she lied to this girl in front of her, she
would be easily exposed.
So it would be the same regardless of what she said.
The question would be……what she would do and what will happen
afterwards. Surely it will be a huge gamble.
“I, actually──”
In an absent-minded tone, Kareha told her the truth that wasn’t

known to anyone.
While listening, Kurumi’s smirk gradually disappeared.
“──That’s it, that sort of feeling.”
“……Is that enough for you?”
“Yes.”
Muttering briefly, Kareha gently touched Kurumi’s <Zafkiel>. It was

an act that she would generally abhor, but Kurumi allowed this.
She pointed <Zafkiel>’s muzzle in-between her eyebrows.
“Now that you’ve heard me out, you can do it. It’s easy for you to
shoot me.”
Page | 88
“──I won’t shoot you. It’ll be a waste of bullets.”
Kurumi moved away <Zafkiel>’s muzzle. It was statement showing

that she won’t harm Kareha.
“That means you will assist me?”
“……No way. Either way, you have no plans on opening the gate to
the Seventh Region Netzach, correct? Well, I will take the time to
clearly judge you. In the event that you were expecting me……”
While muttering, Kurumi slightly narrowed her eyes. Kareha froze. A

chill struck her back as if instinctively telling her it was a crisis.
With even the slightest mistake in her choice of words, Kurumi would
take her life.
However, that was also exactly the desired situation to win. Kareha
drew attention of the disaster known as Tokisaki Kurumi and then
needed to try her best to survive.
“……I’m very grateful to you.”
“I’m not interested in killing people who want to die. But I have killed
people before who wanted to live.”
“I see.”
Kareha softly smiled, but also with some disappointment.
“The greatest bout in my lifetime. Ah, scary, scary.”
“Then tremble all you want in your sleep tonight. I will protect you
tomorrow.”
“Huh? Where are you going?”
“I’ll be acting on your behalf. You still need to talk to Mizuha-san.”
Page | 89
“……Thank you.”
Kurumi waved her hand as if saying it was fine before leaving.
Being alone, being alone, being alone.
Taking in a deep breath, it felt as if the fresh air was about to replace
all of her cells.
Weaving her Reiryoku to create a tub, Kareha filled it with water to

soak her feet.
“It’s cold.”
The sensation of coldness permeated her bare skin. The feel of her
blood freezing soon quickly disappeared with the heat from the sun.
All that remained was lukewarm water against her skin.
However, Kareha thought that this was the feeling of being alive.
In the end, living was immersing oneself with warm water and dying
was drowning in cold water.
However, during the moment of drowning in cold water──that’s

when the desire for life becomes strongest.
Of course, that wasn’t a truth applicable to everyone.
At least Banouin Mizuha would think so.
Jugasaki Retsumi recalled the pain of half becoming an Empty.
All of the Quasi-Spirits didn’t consider Empties a big deal. It is said

that there is no more suffering, ugliness, pain, everything just
disappeared.
Page | 90
Wrong, that wasn’t it at all.
This was some sort of disease. A feeling of being so weary that even
a single finger couldn’t be moved anymore.
Decaying eyes that lost any sense of fear or desire to live.
“……Commander Higoromo (promoted once again), was it also the

same for you?”
After Jugasaki revealed her past as an Empty, she asked for Hibiki’s
opinion. Hibiki was also once an Empty. Before meeting that girl, she
was convinced that she would eventually disappear.
“It might not have been that bad for me……ah, no I don’t mean it like
that. But maybe it is because I had become even more of an Empty.
Fatigue means pain, but being an Empty even releases you from that
pain.”
“Is that so……”
Few Quasi-Spirits could recover after entering the late stages of

becoming an Empty. Jugasaki and Hibiki were part of the rare
exceptions.
“Then how can that White Queen keep Empties in that hollow state
and manipulate them……”
“That……I don’t know.”
A life that loses the will to live would eventually perish. Yet those
touched by the White Queen were both fanatical and willing to die.
“The White Queen’s evil hand is creeping into the Eighth Region Hod.
To temporarily stop this war to secure the region──”
“It can’t be done.”
Page | 91
Both of them sighed together.
If the war ceased, it would undoubtedly increase the number of

Quasi-Spirits that become Empty.
“Well, let’s leave that alone for the time being. First we need to plan
our combat strategy.”
While saying so, both of them stared at the operations map.
“Kurumi-san is like an elusive phantom. She can fly through the sky
and shooting her down would be quite difficult.”
“That should be fine. The Eighth Region Hod is too windy. It’s difficult
to fly well. Flying securely at low altitude means shooting will be no
problem.”
“Although it’s just a prediction, Kurumi-san will likely come after me.
Probably she’ll only chase me down completely.”
“You look quite happy, Commander Hibiki.”
Hibiki’s expression loosened. The fact that Tokisaki Kurumi was angry
and chasing after her was already her greatest possible expression of
friendship.
To be frank, she couldn’t help but feel her heart grow more excited.
“Yup, I understand! This is what they call a yandere!”
“How rude, I’m not a sick person!”
While it may appear to look like being a yandere, it was distinctively

different for Hibiki.
“Leaving that aside, should Commander Hibiki serve as bait then?”
Page | 92
“I really want to do that, but I wouldn’t even last ten seconds as a
decoy.”
“I suppose so.”
Hibiki already deeply understood that when describing Tokisaki

Kurumi──her abilities can only be explained as nonsensical.
In the Neighboring World, the only person who handed the White
Queen a defeat.
Even if Hibiki tried attacking back continuously with a single-handed

gun, <Zafkiel> would shot through her poi paper as she awaited
death.
“Anyway, you can only run away if you encounter her. If you use
<King Killing> to transform into someone else, it is fine if it’s an
enemy, but that would also mean incurring heavy sacrifices on our
side.”
“Yeah. If you would do that, I wouldn’t have promoted you to

Commander.”
“To sum it up, for you to encounter her means instantly having to
run away. Then the only hand that we can play here is……”
“Something like myself, a playing card.”
Suddenly, Sergeant Ace of Spades, Hibiki’s personal assistant,

popped out.
“Well, Ace of Spades-san could launch a surprise attack……no, that

wouldn’t work. It would only last the moment when Ace of Spades-
san appears. If it’s Kurumi-san, she could take care of it right away.
“I’m completely flat, which means standing out……”
“……Hmm?”
Page | 93
──Then, Hibiki turned to look at Ace of Spades again.
“Excuse me.”
“Gozaru?”
Hibiki grabbed Ace of Spades’ shoulders and started shaking her. Of

course as a playing card, that just means grabbing the reverse side.
“Commander Hibiki-dono──?”
“……Just once, it might succeed.”
In fact, this situation was strange. Carte À Jouer’s whereabouts were

unknown and only Ace of Spades had joined the rebels for some
reason.
When crossing the barbed wire from the beach, Ace of Spades’
position should have been seen by Kurumi.
In other words, she didn’t realize the existence of Ace of Spades.

Even if she noticed, she would pay it too much attention. After all,
even Kurumi wasn’t all-powerful God.
“……Alright, Sergeant Ace of Spades. Let’s startle Kurumi-san

together.”
“My older sister has an evil look on her face. But this sounds
interesting. Count me in on this strategy.”
Ace of Spades also grinned.
Page | 94
○On the Other Side, at the Same Time......
──The Fifth Region Gevurah
Overwhelming heat and trees that kept violently burning, it was truly
a region worth being called hell.
That was the Fifth Region of the Neighboring World, Gevurah.
And right now, there was war there of greater magnitude than the
one in the Eighth Region Hod.
No, this couldn’t be even called a war.
No matter how cruel, in war both sides at least share the same
understanding. Both sides either have irreconcilable ideological
differences, or try to kill each other in the name of justice.
But this was different.
In the first place, they weren’t even the same kind of race anymore.
These women (Empty) attacking could already no longer be called
human.
Yes, they weren’t human anymore. A huge monster, a bizarre

creature similar to an insect with human body parts wiggling around
just like a nightmare.
I don’t want to die. I don’t want to become that. This was the
common view shared by Quasi-Spirits fighting at the forefront.
These women (although they longer had any traits that could be
distinguished by gender) had built a nest near the gate forcibly
opened to the Third Region Binah as they began their region
invasion.
Page | 95
It should be mentioned that they had struck misfortune by sheer
luck. In the first place, the Fifth Region Gevurah was an impregnable
area where it was difficult to normally live. The edge of the region
was filled with magma with even an eruption occasionally occurring
once in a while.
Originally, the enemies of this region were the raging volcanos.
But right now these volcanos were what they could rely on. It was
precisely the volcanic magma hurled at the Empty that curbed the
region invasion.
Of course, that wasn’t all.
In order to protect the Fifth Region Gevurah, the region was flooded
by combat-type Quasi-Spirits. The only region connected to the Third
Region Binah was this Fifth Region Gevurah.
The Second Region Chokmah and the Sixth Region Tiphereth had
achieved a complete blockade by destroying <Shamayim Kavees>.
Only the Fifth Region Gevurah hasn’t destroyed or sealed the

pathway to the Third Region Binah. This decision was made from the
judgement of the Dominion Haraka.
If all routes were blocked, there would be method of

counterattacking──although this was an extremely belligerent
choice.
Incidentally, Kagarike Haraka was currently absent. She was on a

business trip to the Tenth Region Malkuth and actively trying to find
a Dominion for there.
Kagarike Haraka, who had already predicted this, had gathered her
disciples to lead the fight.
Page | 96
Stand at the apex was the one wielding the Unsigned Angel <Lailaps>
and the Astral Dress
<Brinicle>, the one who was called Biscuit Smasher.
It was Tsuan.
“Humph.”
The sounds of light breathing. While spinning, the giant monster in

front of her eyes was smashed opened. Not only that, seeing one of
them be blown away threw the surrounding monsters into a
whirlpool of confusion.
“Swish.”
Split vertically, split horizontally, and crushed from above.
Everything was shattered just like a biscuit. She didn’t even bother
looking back at the Quasi-Spirits behind her.
She just kept rushing forward while muttering that “it’s not enough,
it’s not enough”, rampaging on the ashen rugged earth.
“Amazing, even us sempai can’t catch up at all.”
One of the Quasi-Spirits who frantically chased behind her let out a
despondent sigh. Then, there was another person running side-by-
side with her nodding in agreement.
“Finally, I understand why Haraka-sama said she is a genius seen

once in a century.”
“Hey, you know what? It’s like Lu Bu from the Three Kingdoms. I
think there a feeling of being just like that.”
“Ah, so it’s a Chinese feeling.”
The two of them mercilessly destroyed the small fry left by Tsuan.
Page | 97
A headless insect monster with countless human feet squirming. A
floating monster composed of countless heads combined together.
They were horrifying monsters that could be made from a God with
malicious intent.
But.
Monsters manufactured from malicious intent were completely

destroyed by monsters born from chance.
“Humph.”
Another monster was mowed down by a light voice that couldn’t be

heard without raising one’s ears.
Finally, she noticed the two people behind her.
“Hey, that humph is just fine……but are you going to ever try a war
cry showing your fighting spirit?”
Page | 98
Page | 99
“……I suppose my voice was too low……it was originally meant to be
a war cry……”
After a brief moment of silence, both of them muttered together.
“……Too cute.” “……Too cute.”
For some reason, rather than being defeated as a warrior, they had
been defeated in cuteness.
Both of the sempai lowered their shoulders in frustration.
Incidentally, Tsuan had imagined herself like a screaming ape roaring

on the battlefield.
“Dieeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!”
──With that sort of feeling, she wanted to let out a voice which
would make enemies terrified just from hearing it.
“Humph.”
But in reality it had sounded like that. Moreover, the monsters that
had lost all capacity to think kept attacking without feeling any sense
of horror at all.
At the end of the battle, Tsuan’s face was bright red from hearing
comments about her voice from her sempais. She then shattered the
surrounding ground with her Unsigned Angel
<Lailaps>.
“That should be enough for today. Good work out there, Tsuan.”
“Thank you……”
While still a little disappointed by the failure in the sound of her

voice, Tsuan was still full of vitality.
Page | 100
This was the region where Tsuan had grown up. Regardless of
whether or not she was born here, this was the place where Haraka
had instructed her on combat skills.
Despite having said that, it was an extremely desolate hometown.

One step away from the town would give people the impression of
hell. It was an extreme wasteland where greenery couldn’t grow. In
addition, hot magma was continuously ejected from the cracked
ground.
It occasionally erupted to startle the surrounding Quasi-Spirits.

Regardless of day or night, the rumbling of the earth let out a
gigantic roar.
Even though it was a region that looked like the end of the world,
Tsuan was unexpectedly angry to find out it was being invaded.
It seems the feelings for her hometown were still kept in her heart.
……But only. There was one thing she cared about.
“I’m angry there’s no Tokisaki Kurumi here.”
Tokisaki Kurumi, who had completely defeated her, was nowhere to

be found here. They seemed to have been defeated by that White
Queen and she was unknowingly teleported away. That was the only
feeling bothering her, even if there wasn’t any particular physical
damage.
It was the impatient desire of wanting to hack away at

something──such was this impression. In other words, she hasn’t lost
yet. Surely, absolutely.
Strictly speaking, it may have been called defeat. But in the final
analysis, the one who had defeated her was Tokisaki Kurumi.
Page | 101
If it weren’t for that, she would be feeling this embarrassment.
Clinging on to the hem of her Astral Dress, she felt lightly lost.
Not wanting to be tightly hugged, Tsuan moved her arms away in a

hurry.
“Nothing.”
Regardless of seniority, Tsuan would basically continue to use this

informal tone.
There was no such thing as sempais or kouhais in battle, so there

wasn’t any issue since there were no Quasi-Spirits that could defeat
her here.
“No, but that expression just now was great. It looked just like a girl
in love!”
She was shocked to hear those words.
But at the same time she was convinced. Every time she thought
about Tokisaki Kurumi, there was an itchy feeling in her chest. A
fluffy feeling that made her felt like not being herself. A sense of
numbness that reached even her fingertips. This must be from her
desire to kill Tokisaki Kurumi.
This was love?
“I see, so this is love.”
Alright, then she should confess the next time they meet. At the
same time, she would smash
<Lailaps> against her face.
“Ah, but then she wouldn’t be able to hear that confession.”

Page | 102
In other words, she should confess and then strike?
“Thank you, that was helpful.”
“? I don’t quite understand, but it’s nice to be thanked by Tsuan!”
Although this Quasi-Spirit had no idea, Tsuan’s goal had completely

shifted from an ordinary person at that moment.
Love like murder, or murderous intent with love, Tsuan didn’t

separate those notions and accepted both.
Although it was a bit dated and out of sync with the current status
quo, that’s how it was.
Tsuan had become a yandere for Tokisaki Kurumi.
──The Ninth Region Yesod.
Kirari Rinemu was lying on a soft cushion, being a “no-good Quasi-

Spirit”. She was squeezing her entire body, refusing to move even a
single finger.
Around the same time, the staff members around her were busy
working on this or that.
Kirari Rinemu was the deputy Dominion of the Ninth Region Yesod.
Since the original Dominion Banouin Mizuha had headed to the

Eighth Region Hod, she was entrusted with the government affairs
(idol work).
But that didn’t matter. She was unrivaled in irresponsibility.
She was a heavenly-gifted optimist that also habitually practiced

truancy. So she was lazily spending her time on a cushion being a no-
good Quasi-Spirit.
Page | 103
“Ah~, so busy~”
Kirari Rinemu flapped around moving both her feet. Seeing this,
Mizuha’s secretary took in a deep breath.
“Suuuuuuuuu~”
She exhaled just like a karate master.
“Haaaaaaaaaa!”
“Hey, was that first deep breath a preliminary movement for

sighing?”
“Yes. I wanted to express my disappointment.”
The secretary replied indifferently to Rinemu’s accusation.
“How awful, lifting up my fingers after eating potato chips will leave
stains on my glasses.”
“Where did you come up with such a fiendish idea you rotten
heretic?”
“Isn’t that statement a little too much to say to the Dominion!?”
“In our minds, you are just something that has attached onto
Mizuha-sama, someone appropriate on the level of cheap sweets.”
As soon as Rinemu said something, the secretary would refute

without any misgivings. Usually, Mizuha would be the one trying to
stop her secretary, but unfortunately she was on a business trip right
now. Thus, the secretary didn’t hesitate at all to lash out at Rinemu
with a volley of insults.
“……And then there’s also the matter about Momozono Mayuka.”
Page | 104
“Hmm? What’s wrong with that child?”
“Not what’s wrong, but we need to decide on her sentence…….

Mizuha-sama was too kind and only sent someone to monitor and
observe her movements.”
“That child hasn’t committed any crime. The bad guy is one called
Rook, that Empty right?”
“No, before that Kirari Rinemu……there’s the crime of trying to

deceive you.”
In the first place, the origin of the commotion that shook the Ninth
Region Yesod started when Momozono Mayuka tried to incite Kirari
Rinemu. She planned on deceiving Kirari Rinemu to obtain the “Voice
of the Moon’ and also expected Rinemu to die in order to disrupt
Mizuha’s mental state.
It was a scandal that led to even more grave scandal.
“That sort of thing isn’t a crime. Ah, wait a minute. Can you please
call Momonantoka-san here?”
“……You want to meet with her?”
“Of course we need to meet.”
The secretary sighed as she gave the instructions to the nearby staff.
Rinemu was clutching onto the cushions in a regretful manner, but

then soon got up for the first time in a while in order to encourage
herself.
“……What is it?”
Page | 105
Momozono Mayuka turned her face to the side in a rotten mood.
Her idol activities had already gone out of business. Unsurprisingly,
the fans were gone and the dedicated staff had moved elsewhere.
She had been brutally rejected in this region.
She was the person who probably understood it best.
She faced Rinemu in a semi-selfish manner.
Rinemu suddenly approached her and casually grabbed her hair.
“Ah, as expected. You’re turning into an Empty.”
“That has to a be a lie……!?”
Shocked by this, Mayuka took out a small powder compact to

confirm her own appearance.
……No greying had occurred. There was no change in skin tone.

Mayuka understood that she had been deceived while glaring at
Rinemu.
“Sorry, sorry. That was a lie just now……but are you aware?”
“That’s……”
Mayuka looked away while holding onto her wrists anxiously. Forget
being Dominion, she wasn’t even an idol anymore.
It was the result from trying to struggle surviving alone. But that was
all. Now there was nothing she could do or pursue.
“……I know, but what can I do?”
“Is that so?”
“Well, what do you want me to do!? For me who am no longer an

idol, there’s no value or merit!”
Page | 106
Rinemu slanted her head while speaking.
“For one, isn’t being difficult to endure your charm point?
“──Huh?”
Mayuka stared at Rinemu with a dull look. What in the end was left
within herself?
“You, yooooour──black-heartedness, of course!”
Hearing that remark, Mayuka, who had been stiff for a while, started
trembling and screaming with tears in her eyes.
“What kind of idiot considers that a good quality──────!”
“What’s wrong! With only you in the Ninth Region Yesod, you could
manipulate everyone as chess pieces without hesitation! So of
course that’d be amazing! Just like a fortune teller scam, right?”
“Are you praising me!? Hey, does this person really think that she’s
praising me!?”
“Momozono-san, I’m sorry but Kirari-san really believes she is

praising you.”
Mayuka was speechless at what the secretary had said.
“You’re a complete idiot.”
“Even though I’m a fool, you are indeed black-hearted. But ah, that’s
also a part of your personality, right? In that case, if being an idol
won’t work, then make full use of being black-hearted in order to
survive. That way I think you wouldn’t have to worry about turning
into an Empty!”
“How can being black-hearted work for anything?!”

Page | 107
“Use it to protect the Ninth Region Yesod.”
“……But my Unsigned Angel isn’t suitable for fighting.”
“But can’t you also use your brains?”
“Kirari-san. In other words, you want to place Momozono Mayuka as

a gatekeeper?”
“That’s exactly it. Right now shouldn’t we have more regular patrols?
I was so angry at what was talked about during the region
conference!”
“Uh. That’s certainly true──”
The secretary mumbled out those words while standing up.
“……Hey, has it really been random so far? There are no divisions or

even regular patrols?”
Mayuka held her mouth in disbelief. The secretary gave an

embarrassed nod.
“I went there yesterday and I’m planning on going again today……but

the gatekeepers said……”
“So there aren’t any regular patrols! Aren’t you guys supposed to
defend the Ninth Region Yesod!?”
“It’s too peaceful here.”
“The adjacent region is the Tenth Region Malkuth. Until a while ago,
it was in a state of isolation due to Doll Master. But with that person
dead, it looks like the fight of a successor has rekindled.”
“……Is that right?”
The secretary tilted her head with a dull expression.
Page | 108
Mayuka glared at the secretary before turning her eyes over to
Rinemu.
“You guys are just focused on idol activities and not working on
guarding the key areas, right?”
“Well. No one seemed to report it to Mizuha. I was really shocked to

find out during that turmoil.”
“……I’m sorry about that……”
As Mayuka watched the secretary lower her head, she could tell that
it was from not wanting the idol Dominion to know──how cursed.
That was the disadvantage of having an idol be the Dominion.
In order to shine as an idol, the whispers of the dark side of the

region disappeared before they could reach her ears.
“So in other words even information hasn’t been gathered? Not that
I care, but have you always been this careless? In that case, before
you know it……”
“It’s clear that information means life. But I was dying at the time, so
I could manage this.”
The secretary felt increasingly guilty of Rinemu’s compliant.
Seeing this scene, Mayuka sneered. Compared to when she was

brought in here, even she didn’t know when she started
straightening her back and speaking with confidence.
“Okay, okay. I’ll take command. For the time being, gather those
mindless guards. So it’s fine that I will be the best at this?”
“No problem. Report to me, Mizuha, or secretary-san.”
As soon as Mizuha’s name was uttered out, Mayuka’s eyes were

filled with anger again.
Page | 109
“I don’t like Mizuha. I’ll go report to Rinemu sempai.”
She turned her head away while proclaiming that. Rinemu slanted
her head while looking at her.
“Do you hate Mizuha?”
“I greatly hate her! Because I don’t have anything, she has it all!”
This wasn’t a lie. Momozono Mayuka hated Banouin Mizuha. Yes, it

was possible to describe this emotion as hate.
She has everything that she didn’t have──being loved by others,

being kind, working hard, an endless kindness that allowed her to
believe in the future, herself, and her companions.
So of course she greatly hated this.
“Hoho.”
“I also hate Rinemu sempai too, so don’t get me wrong.”
She also disliked Kirari Rinemu.
She was the opposite of Mizuha. Even if not loved by anyone, she
would keep walking forward in the path that she set out. Even
though Mizuha wanted her dead, she didn’t take any issue with that
at all.
──Jealousy. Just like a fool that constantly had these thoughts

comparing herself to others.
“Then you can report either way!”
“……Even though I hate sempai, I don’t want to be with Mizuha

more.”
“? I don’t understand.”
Page | 110
“It doesn’t matter if you don’t understand, because it’s just my
mood. Even though I hate Rinemu sempai, just talking is fine.”
“What a strange kohai!”
“Yes, then please take care then, strange sempai♪”
Mayuka smiled slightly. It was a contemptuous smile, but somehow

it seemed like a smile that came from the very depths of her heart.
“……You seem quite happy coming from that smile.”
As Rinemu nodded with satisfaction, Mayuka immediately stopped

smiling and turned away.
──The Eighth Region Hod.
Banouin Mizuha didn’t fulfill her goal of coming to this region. That
was to talk to her older sister Banouin Kareha.
……Mizuha had almost no memories of the past. Before she could

notice, she was already living in the Neighboring World. Only the
knowledge and common sense of the other world was instilled in her
mind. Almost all Quasi-Spirits were born this way──no, the fell down
like this.
Some don’t have any memories of the past, while others retain only
a little.
In Mizuha’s past memories, the only unique fact was──Kareha being

her older sister.
Only this truth has been engraved on her body since waking up in the
Neighboring World.
Page | 111
It always felt like Kareha had more memories than herself, but
Kareha never tried to tell Mizuha anything about the other world.
What sort of family they had, what sort of people their parents were,
and how did they live as sisters.
Kareha didn’t say anything at all about that.
Mizuha somehow read the mood and didn’t try to ask any questions.
In the first place, the difficulty of survival in the Neighboring World
made it inappropriate to think about those sorts of things.
──But now should be the time.
Somehow Mizuha felt this way. In other words, she had a

premonition about this.
So, despite this busy period, she entrusted the Ninth Region to
Rinemu and her staff and left to visit the Eighth Region by herself.
However, Kareha refused to see her for some reason. Although she
could tell from a glance that she didn’t want to meet up, this was the
first time she had been clearly refused.
Be that as it may, she also needed to head back to the Ninth Region
Yesod soon. She had already spent over 10 days here.
Mizuha decided to leave the gate of Banouin Castle to take a walk for
a change of pace. While a brief walk would take her to the fortress,
she could reach the beach by going through the fortress and barbed
wire.
However, Mizuha didn’t intend to go that far. Just walking from the
path to the fortress was enough.
“Summer……”
Page | 112
It was always summer in the Eighth Region Hod.
Spring, autumn, winter, and summer.
……There was the feeling of having been four seasons in the past.
However, since Kareha became Dominion, there has only been
summer.
“Because I like summer.”
She once said that while laughing.
Mizuha considered her to be an outstanding sister and excellent

Dominion. Just by talking to her, she was crushed by the feelings of
her own inferiority.
……Even though she liked her, even though she trusted her.
But it felt like there was always something dividing them. No,
perhaps she was the one who drew the line. Being irritated by her
own inferiority, was she the one who avoided Kareha……?
She shook her head.
Regardless, she was now the Dominion of the Ninth Region Yesod.
She had to talk to Kareha face to face.
Not as a sister──but as a Quasi-Spirit.
However, Kareha didn’t want to meet her. Obviously there must be a

very important reason for this.
“I wonder what I should do.”
The sounds of the cicadas were particularly noisy. The sharp noisy
sounds of life. It was obviously artificial, but the constant sounds
made an effort of proving to be summer.
Page | 113
“Ara, could this be a coincidence?”
An exquisite voice, having the signs of an icy chill freezing the

surroundings even in this summer heat.
“Tokisaki……Kurumi-san?”
Tokisaki Kurumi, who had been defeated by the White Queen in the
Ninth Region Yesod, was standing right in front of her.
“Eh? How are you, why──”
Kurumi reached out to stop Mizuha’s words.
“This is a good opportunity. If possible, why don’t we chat for a bit?”
“……Ah, okay……”
“Thank you very much.”
Not paying much attention, she moved her jaw to give thanks.
Mizuha’s eyes were drawn to elegant and gentle gesture.
“Having just arrived here, I’m not familiar with the surroundings──is
there a teahouse nearby?”
“Ah, yes. There are shops where my acquaintances are quietly

working.”
“Let’s go over there then.”
Mizuha led her to a teahouse that was small enough to be

considered full if four people had entered here.
The beautiful sea and sandy beach could be seen clearly thanks to
shop being on a slope (with the barbed wire and fortress even
looking embarrassed for inconveniencing the view).
Page | 114
“Welcome……oh, my.”
The clerk was surprised to see Mizuha’s face, but then immediately
handed served them refreshing barley tea,
“Mizuha-sama has actually come to our store.”
“Yes, I’ve been here for a while. I wanted to see my sister Kareha-
sama……but I haven’t been able to meet her yet.”
“Kareha-sama, I’m sorry, but she hasn’t been here recently…..”
“If I can meet with her, I’ll tell her to come by this store.”
“Thank you. So what will you want to order?”
“I’ll have animitsu……Kurumi-san?”
“I’ll have some ujikintoki please……”
“Alright, please just wait a moment.”
The clerk disappeared into the store.
Then, as Kurumi tried to open her mouth, she was interrupted by a

ringing sound coming from a bell.
“Ah, a wind chime.”
The bells on the wind chime were ringing from the ocean breeze.
The round shape of the glass wind chime made them as adorable as
a jellyfish.
“There are also wind chimes made of iron.”
“Huh. I thought all wind chimes were like that.”
Page | 115
“There is a difference in sound. The iron version is a bit……like a
musical instrument. Since a glass bell is simpler to make, it also has a
simpler sound.”
“Which one do you prefer?”
“The iron version, with a little stronger wind, it would sound just
right.”
“Thank you for waiting, here is your animitsu and ujikintoki. Please
enjoy and relax ~”
Animitsu, a summer tradition mainly composed of beans, agar, red

bean paste with black honey, and usually accompanied by fruit.”
“If you think about it, animitsu is a desert that I don’t understand.”
Mizuha agreed with Kurumi’s words.
Both red bean paste and honey were ingredients sweet enough to
compete on their own. So adding honey to red bean paste was only
just an overkill of excess sugar. Moreover, if you add unsweetened
beans and dice shaped agar, you’ll also get animitsu.”
In this shop, oranges and pineapples were also included to add extra
color to the beans and agar.
Mizuha first ate the red bean paste for a while before challenging the
agar with bites of fruit and honey in-between. This way the sourness
of the fruit added a more balanced flavor.
“I’ve seen it on my smartphone before, but animitsu is a derivate

made from assorted sweetened jelly. While eating beans and agar
covered with black honey, stuff like red bean paste was included as
extra filling.”
Page | 116
“I like having the red bean paste as a guaranteed filling to help adjust
the volume.”
As Mizuha was idly chatting, she looked over at Kurumi’s

appearance. Rather than her usual elegant dress, she was wearing a
thin pareo over a bikini-styled swimsuit.
“Oh? Are you wondering about this swimsuit?”
“Y-Yes. I was a little surprised by how you changed clothes.”
“Isn’t there a saying of when in Rome? You look the same as usual.”
“Yes um, a swimsuit……because there needs to be permission to let

others look……”
“……Looks like being an idol is hard.”
The sound of the chime bell repeatedly interrupted the conversation.
After a brief silence, Mizuha finally cut to the main subject matter.
“Kurumi-san……why are you here?”
“I fought against the White Queen in the Third Region Binah.”
“Eh……?”
Kurumi indifferently stated how she successfully escaped the Third

Region Binah after taking her revenge on the White Queen.
Nevertheless, the heat of the battle seemed to be felt by Mizuha,

who repeatedly nodded at times with a mysterious expression.
“……So coming all the way to the Eighth Region Hod……that must
have been tough.”
Page | 117
“Yes. ……I plan to leave here soon to head for the First Region Keter.
Although right now I’m stuck here because of being held down by
your sister.”
Mizuha paused at the word sister.
“Kurumi-san, about my sister Kareha-sama……was there something

that looked strange to you?”
Kurumi tilted her head as if a little troubled by this question.
“Because I haven’t known her for long, I……”
“I see……sorry, I asked something strange.”
“You are Kareha-san’s real little sister……is that correct?”
“……Yes. Although I have almost no memory of the other world, I still

remember that point clearly. That person is my older sister
connected to me by blood.”
There was no confusion in those words.
“You don’t have any memories of your sister?”
“Yes. ……Only, my sister may still remember. But she’s never talked
to me about this.”
Mizuha lowered her face.
S-rank idols, even with a sad expression they still look

beautiful──Kurumi thought about this blankly. But then she noticed a
contradiction.
“According to Sagakure-san, Kareha-san doesn’t remember anything

about the other world──”
“……No. As a younger sister, I can understand. It’s not that my older

sister doesn’t remember.
Page | 118
She’s keeping it secret.”
Mizuha concluded that.
“I……am very dissatisfied and uneasy about that.”
The memories of the other world (reality).
Generally speaking, it could be said that Kurumi possesses memories.

She remembered her cause and knew what needed to be done.
……Yet, she couldn’t remember the name of that important person

but could recall the name of her enemy.
However, she never told Hibiki about this. It was useless to say and
would only make the mood feel heavier. But more than anything
else──it was because it was important.
“……Even I have some things kept secret from Hibiki-san.”
“To Higoromo-san……?”
“Yes, yes. I have a great deal of trust in Hibiki-san from going through
so many life or death scenarios together. But there are still some
things I wish not to talk about. Isn’t it also the same for Kareha-san?”
No matter how important the friend……no it’s because it is an

important friend. They are things you absolutely don’t want to tread
into.
“I’m not denying the idea that everything should be shared.

However, I can agree with that notion simply because of the
extremely complicated results of my own lifestyle.”
To have killed people.
To have piled up enough corpses to form a mountain, to crush them

like a bug. Killing, killing, and keep killing. A vengeful will to keep
Page | 119
killing in the future, a desire to remove all obstacles. It has nothing to
do with the amount of sins. No, it was likely that Tokisaki Kurumi
being Tokisaki Kurumi was already a sin.
But she still didn’t regret it.
……Just, she didn’t want to say it out loud to Hibiki
“So isn’t it the same for your sister? Because you are her little sister,
she doesn’t want to tell you the truth.”
“So──it’s like that?”
“I have a question to ask. May I?”
“Ah, yes. Please go ahead.”
“This is coming from Sagakure-san. Immediately after becoming

Dominion, Kareha-san acted as if abandoning you. Do you hold a
grudge?”
Mizuha widened her eyes in surprise as she shook her head.
“No, not at all.”
“Why? Normally……wouldn’t that feel resentful? As soon as power

was acquired, wasn’t there the feeling of having fulfilled your
purpose?”
“……No, not at all. Rather it can be said to be the opposite.

Immediately after my sister became Dominion of the Eighth Region
Hod, it became filled with savage conflicts. So I needed to quickly
leave here. Because I am not suitable for fighting like my sister.”
“Then what are you hoping by coming here?”
Page | 120
“Yes, hope. ……Thanks to that, I became an idol. I met Rinemu-san
and everyone else. I became the Dominion of the Ninth Region
Yesod. I came here to talk as a Dominion, not as Mizuha.”
Mizuha’s gaze held a powerful conviction.
“……Hmm. In that case……”
She didn’t come here as a younger sister, but rather to talk as a

Quasi-Spirit.
“I will deliver that message for you. Probably Kareha-san doesn’t

know the reason Mizuha-san has come here. If she still refuses to
meet you, then it’ll be nothing more than Kareha-san’s neglect.”
“……Thank you, Kurumi-san.”
“Speaking of which, do you know about Jugasaki Retsumi-san?”
“Eh? Y-Yes. They weren’t completely hostile back then……”
“Did Kareha-san say anything about Jugasaki-san?”
Mizuha had a strange expression upon hearing those words──she

looked sad.
“Yes. Jugasaki-san often came to the castle to play. Although, I

imagine it must be difficult now.
Even if my older sister is fed up with it now, I was jealous.”
“Jealous?”
“It’s because it was only Jugasaki-san whom my sister had no

complaints about. She happily said,
“That child is really tiring.” To be honest, I was a little jealous.”
“Ara, ara.”
Page | 121
Kurumi charmingly twisted her neck while thinking about the reason
why she looked sad.
“So it’s sad right now. ……Because it isn’t possible for those two to be
like that anymore.”
Both of them were already in an absolute position.
The Quasi-Spirits gathered in the Eighth Region Hod could no longer

allow them to have a good relationship. No, it wasn’t so much as
allowing, but rather it was like viewing it as intolerable.
Fighting seriously while not reaching the point of killing each other
had become their reason for living.
It had to be taken seriously in order to prevent people for turning

into Empties.
If it was revealed that this battle had been a sham……the entire

Eighth Region Hod would be shaken to the core.
Everything would become untrustworthy. There would be the

possibility of the fights escalating into actual killing and accelerating
the transformation into Empties.
And the person rejoicing over this the most──would be the White
Queen.
“……I want to solve this, but……”
Kurumi sighed. Acting in the benefit of strangers wasn’t part of her

personal creed. It certainly wasn’t.
But allowing things to become for the benefit of the White Queen
was intolerable.
Page | 122
“But for a solution……what could be done?”
“About that point. How to solve this……no, could it be done……?”
“Tokisaki-sama!”
Sagakure Yui rushed into the teahouse.
“Sagakure-san?”
“……Higoromo-dono has arrived at the beach. She wants, um…..she’s

calling out for Tokisaki-sama to come out.”
“──Ugh.”
Because the atmosphere had suddenly changed, the teahouse clerk

dropped her tray in a panic.
Sagakure and Mizuha both felt cold sweat traveling down their
backs.
“Hibiki-san told me to come out……is that right?”
“Y-Yes. That’s probably the case.”
Sagakure felt a strange panic as she finished speaking.
“Ufu, ufufu. Ufufufufu. Calling me out. For Hibiki-san, isn’t this prank
a little too much?”
As Kurumi prepared <Zafkiel>, the teahouse clerk fled deep into the
store.
“Now then, Sagakure-san, Mizuha-san, I’ll be heading out for a bit.

Please excuse me.”
“Ah, alright. Um……please keep it within moderation……”
Page | 123
“Yes, yes, of course. I’ll be sure to slap her silly in moderation. Now
then, farewell.”
Standing up from her seat, Kurumi adjusted her pareo a little and
then left.
“……Is she going to be alright, Higoromo-san……?”
“I don’t know. ……Only, it’s true that the other side seems strangely
excited.”
“Hmm……but, Higoromo-san does seem unexpectedly energetic……”
Even if there were 100 Higoromo Hibiki, she wouldn’t be able to beat
Kurumi.
“But probably she’s thinking about avenging her previous defeat.”
As Sagakure said this, she realized that the nature of this problem
was different. Avenging her previous defeat……what means would
Higoromo Hibiki use to achieve that?
In a sense, that was terrifying.
Higoromo Hibiki was standing alone on the sandy beach. There was
no shooting coming from the fortress. Apparently, following her
declaration of war, they were remaining on standby until Kurumi
arrives.
“Fuffuffu, fufufunofu. My knees are shaking.”
“Ooh, trembling with excitement.”
“No, I’m really scared. But breaking the poi paper means losing. Even
Kurumi-san wouldn’t unreasonably break the rules of this region!
Probably!”
Page | 124
“Well, what will happen now? Because there is also the chance of us
scattering like cherry blossoms in the Eighth Region Hod.”
“That sort of pessimistic thinking is forbidden!”
Hibiki took a deep breath while waiting for her lovely (?) Tokisaki
Kurumi. If comparing it to the Three Kingdoms, it would be like a
mob solider waiting for Guan Yu. Generally speaking, that would be
synonymous with an instantaneous death.
“N-No. I’m not an infantry soldier; I will use strategy to suppress

Kurumi-san……generally speaking, it ought to be the same role as
Zhuge Liang.”
Un, un, Hibiki was convinced of that while by herself.
“Hi──bi──ki──san──?”
Guan Yu had arrived.
On the sandy beach, Tokisaki Kurumi confronted Higoromo Hibiki.

Both them had the poi paper somewhere on their bodies.
Their fighting spirit was transparent. All that was left over was for the
fight to begin.
But……Hibiki naturally understood. It was impossible to win in a

head-on battle. Kurumi also understood this, but her evil smile
showcased that she was confident at victory no matter what Hibiki
threw at her.
“Hello Kurumi-san. Fufufu, I can’t believe you are on Banouin’s side.

A considerable gap has happened since we’ve moved from the same
place.”
Page | 125
Hibiki tried to talk while mentally wiping away her cold sweat.
Kurumi was brimming with motivation. However, if it went on like
this, she wouldn’t fall into the trap.
“……I suppose so.”
Therefore, Hibiki decided to use a conversation for the time being. If

she talked, Kurumi will respond. Because even if she was prepared to
vigorously shoot, it won’t begin until they finish talking and she’s
completely terrified.
“But why are you on Banouin-san’s side?”
“It’s a coincidence, a coincidence. I just happened to arrive at

Banouin-san’s place by chance.
Also, the athletic department atmosphere over there was no good

for me.”
“S-So it’s like that. Then you have to fight.”
“That’s right. Now then, without holding back──”
“But!”
Too dangerous, Kurumi was about open fire just now.
“But Kurumi-san, for us to be like this──don’t you think it’s just like
Romeo and Juliet!?”
“……So you’re still saying that.”
Confronted by this overly leisurely speech, Kurumi promptly tore a

hole through that idea.
“Two people who are in love are being torn apart, see just like this!”
“Who are the two in love with each other, I say who.”
Page | 126
Kurumi’s shoulders shrugged as if she was stunned. Alright, she took
the bait……Hibiki mentally laughed.
“Speaking of which, Kurumi-san is Romeo.”
“I would be Juliet, on this matter I won’t concede.”
Kurumi stood up and insisted. It seemed that even if it was absurd,

there was no way for Kurumi to concede.
Hibiki, while smiling, continued the topic. In order to slowly induce

Kurumi to her destination, she kept moving delicately.
“Oops, as one would expect Kurumi-san is in maiden mode. But what

if I say, Kurumi-san’s behavior is eye-catching for Quasi-Spirits!”
“……W-What is eye-catching.”
“Ah, it’s because Kurumi-san is so handsome just like the Romeo that
those children have aspirations for!”
Hibiki spoke from the heart. The trick was to add repeated small
truths to a huge lie. Kurumi also began to slowly move in line with
Hibiki’s pace.
“Well, well, I feel honored. But I’m Juliet. But, unlike them, I have no
feuding families of the sort. So once you capture Romeo, shouldn’t I
plan on not letting go?”
“──Now then. What are you planning on doing, Hibiki-san?”
“Gue.”
Kurumi stopped and shot with her gun at the desired spot. Suddenly,
part of the beach sank with a bang.
“So it’s a pitfall. What a classic.”

Page | 127
Kurumi whispered as if stunned. Under her feet, there was a trap dug
by Hibiki and her side during night time. Naturally, they had applied a
masquerade on top, but Kurumi’s eyes didn’t let go of the slight
unnaturalness.
“E-Exposed. But how did you seen through the plan?”
“On the contrary, it looked unnatural. There’s a spot where it doesn’t

have a causal look to it and the appeal of something being hidden
there.”
As Kurumi proudly pointed that out, she hadn’t noticed yet.
“But this battle is our victory, Kurumi-san!”
Hibiki’s plan had two stages. The first stage was the pitfall. Even with
the most upmost care, Kurumi will notice this trap.
So this situation had already been factored in.
And the second stage. The real trump card, Ace of Spades.
She was now buried under the pit. Hiding herself within the soil at
the bottom of the pit, she listened for Kurumi’s voice at the edge of
the hole to confirm her location.
Standing up, she ran up the wall all at once.
“Wha……!!”
Ace of Spades jumped out in front of Kurumi, completely surprising

her. Even <Zafkiel> couldn’t aim at Ace of Spades at this angle and
barely missed.
She skillful used a sword to try to aim and pierce at Kurumi’s poi
paper right in front of her eyes.
Extremely narrow, but this was a familiar distance for Ace of Spades.
Page | 128
But.
The next moment, Tokisaki Kurumi, Higoromo Hibiki, and Ace of

Spades were all taken aback by a shock.
Fate sometimes gave rise to an unexpected sight.
As Kurumi saw Ace of Spades come flying out, she immediately

grasped the situation and concluded that interception was
impossible. However, it was barely possible to avoid this.
At the same time, she leaned back as if falling down.
Ace of Spades of course was still hot in pursuit. But the tip of the
blade was barely unable to reach the poi paper. Inevitably, the blade
reached her chest as it was shifting backwards.
……And, to repeat it once again.
Tokisaki Kurumi’s swimsuit was a black and red style bikini with a
pareo.
Seeing that she couldn’t cut the poi paper anymore, Ace of Spades
reflexively stopped.
Coming to a halt, even though the point of her blade didn’t injure
Kurumi──
Snap.
“Ha?”
“Eh?”
“Mu?”
Page | 129
The tip of the blade reached the string of the swimsuit, with it
popping open from not being able to withstand the impact.
Afterwards, the summer breeze completely left Kurumi’s bare chest
exposed.
Exposed.
Time felt frozen.
Ace of Spades, Higoromo Hibiki, and Tokisaki Kurumi, none of them

had moved.
A chest that was exposed. Unable to recognize this situation, no the

brain refused to understand it.
“Porori!!”
Hibiki shouted.
Because of this loud yell, Kurumi could finally move.
Her face flushed red as she crouched down while clutching her chest.
Ace of Spades didn’t miss this opportunity to pierce the poi paper
without hesitation.
“It worked! Degozaru!”
“W-What have you done……Hibiki-san! ……Hibiki-san……?”
Enraged, Kurumi stopped mere seconds from exposing her fangs to

Hibiki. Ace of Spades also turned around to see what happened.
Higoromo Hibiki was spraying out blood from every orifice in her
face.
All while having the most satisfied expression.
Page | 130
The two of them looked at each other awkwardly. Kurumi muttered
while holding her bikini in her hand.
“……So this is how I lost?”
“It should be.”
“I’m unable to accept this……”
Hibiki had the most serene look as blood was flowing out from her
noses, ears, eyes, and mouth.
“From a first glance, it looks like a patient struck with a terrible

virus.”
“Ah……”
Upon waking up, Kurumi was waiting with an expression just like a
bodhisattva. Moreover, because of this situation, no matter what she
thought, it would have been better for Kurumi to be angry. Hibiki
was immediately prepared for death.
“So you’re awake.”
Kurumi’s voice was calm. Hibiki asked while fearfully trembling.
“Um, my memory is jumping around a bit……did I win?”
“I feel like I lost.”
“Ooh……but why am I……huh? My hand is red?”
“No, it’s not just your hand, but your entire body.”
Kurumi gave Hibiki a small hand mirror. Hibiki’s entire body was dyed
red. It looked as if somebody had drowned in blood.
Page | 131
“Kurumi-san……I think this may be too cruel……”
“It’s convenient to pass the responsibility to me, but this is your own
self-destruction.”
“Huh, are you serious?”
“Really serious.”
Ace of Spades also joined in.
“Eh. So that means I was continuously bleeding. Have I been infected

with a deadly virus?”
……Kurumi carefully observed Hibiki.
“Do you have any memories?”
“Ah, um, the pitfall trap had been exposed. Ace of Spades-san, who
was lurking down below, launched a surprise attack…...”
“That’s right.”
“I don’t remember anything else from that point on!”
Kurumi suspiciously looked at Hibiki’s chest. She was hurriedly

covering her Astral Dress’s exposed midriff.
“Don’t act suspicious……”
“……Well, it is fine if you don’t remember. But I am still very angry.”
Kurumi glanced over at Ace of Spades.
“Now, what are your circumstances then?”
“Even if you ask me for the situation……”
Page | 132
“What happened to Carte-san?”
“My master Carte-dono took the opportunity to escape while only I

was left captured behind.
And for some reason Commander Higoromo-dono rose through the

ranks while I am still a sergeant.”
“Ha, I see……commander!?”
“Yes, I am a commander, a commander!”
“Just like in the Ninth Region Yesod, Hibiki-san can leave her mark no
matter where she goes……”
Kurumi sighed while in shock.
“Um, then……Kurumi-san, do you admit defeat?”
Hibiki nervously asked. Ace of Spades watched on while wondering if

this was okay. After all, that was an incomparably despicable surprise
attack. Furious and finding it unacceptable. That would be taken as
given unless said otherwise.
On the other hand, Hibiki was convinced that she would admit losing.
“──It can’t be helped. Regardless, it’s true that my poi paper has
been broken. It’s my defeat. In the future, I won’t be participating in
the Eighth Region Hod’s mock war.”
Although Kurumi was ruthless, she wasn’t so cowardly that she

would not acknowledge defeat and act in anger and shame.
If it meant killing each other, she would use any means to defeat her
opponent. But that wasn’t a line she would be willing to cross in this
war game.
“T-Thank goodness……I’m saved……”
Page | 133
“Oh, why are you saved? Does Hibiki-san think I am a narrow minded
person that would rebuke her after losing?”
“N-No……”
Hibiki’s face twitched.
The girl called Higoromo Hibiki could in fact──actually remember!

From one to ten, although fainting from losing blood in excitement
wasn’t predicted, all that had transpired had been recorded into her
memories.
But, but……
If this matter was revealed, Tokisaki Kurumi will undoubtedly punish

her with a smile.
She needed to feign losing her memories from that physical blow
earlier if possible.
But the problem was that Kurumi was likely still holding her doubts.
Her suspicious glance just now was proof of that. However, it hadn’t
reached a certain level yet. In other words, Kurumi would clearly
intend to inquire more information from her soon.
(If that happens……I’ll die……!)
Cold sweat oozed out from Hibiki’s entire body.
“……Why are you sweating, Hibiki-san?”
“Because it’s summertime and it was really difficult fighting Kurumi-

san just now.”
Hibiki quietly lied.
The game had shifted to the second stage. In other words──how to

escape from Kurumi’s inquiry and analysis.
Page | 134
She must never be caught staring at Kurumi’s chest……absolutely,
absolutely never.
“Hey, Hibiki-san. Does Hibiki-san really not remember anything?”
Kurumi asked with a gentle smile.
“Yes, of course……by the way why are you holding your hand like
that?”
Hibiki was convinced that she was still suspicious. The reason Kurumi
was holding her hand against her chest was because her swimsuit’s
string had snapped. It would be naturally strange if Hibiki, who
needed to pretend not knowing anything, didn’t point this out.
“……You completely took the bait.”
“No, I don’t remember anything!”
Kurumi stood up.
“I’ll inform Kareha-san about my defeat. Will you be returning to the

rebel base?”
“Eh, are you leaving already?”
Hibiki instinctively asked that question. Although Kurumi looked

puzzled for a moment, a fearless smile emerged as she lightly
pinched Hibiki’s face.
“Aren’t we still enemies? And especially Hibiki-san, aren’t you

forgetting one thing?”
“Eh?”
“Come out, Cistus!”
Page | 135
At that moment, Tokisaki Kurumi’s clone, Cistus emerged yawning
from the shadows.
“Hello everyone. Good-bye everyone.”
She smiled while holding a water gun.
“Gya────────────!”
“This is too sudden, gozaru────────────!”
The two of them were frothing while trying to make their escape.
Kurumi shouted from behind their backs.
“There’s no plan to admit defeat here. Also, after this battle, Hibiki-
san needs to be carefully interrogated. Let’s have a nice chat!”
“Uwa, I really don’t remember anything!”
A complete lie.
While feeling a strange pleasure and guilt for lying to Kurumi in this
situation, Hibiki jumped to her boat.
“──Successfully landed. Are all members present here?”
The soldiers all nodded in response to Second Lieutenant Todou’s

words. It seemed that Higoromo Hibiki and the mysterious playing
card had landed earlier and stirred a commotion.
But fortunately, there weren’t too many people on lookout.
Page | 136
Page | 137
“Verifying Unsigned Angels, confirm with each other if Astral Dresses
are intact.”
Their Unsigned Angels were subjected to a typical battle

transformation. They also had stealth type Astral Dresses that made
infiltration easier.
Their captain Todou announced with sad but determined eyes.
“The Eighth Region Hod must not turn into the Tenth Region
Malkuth. Moreover, it cannot be handed over to the White Queen. In
order to preserve peace and order in this region, we will become oni.
As oni, we must kill Banouin Kareha.”
The girls nodded while squeezing their weapons with their small
slender hands.
“We will probably die.”
──From the very beginning, they held no consideration from

themselves after killing.
“But let’s make it a meaningful death.”
──Despite only death being certain.
“This region is actually more serene than anywhere else. The Ninth
Region Yesod is too peaceful to adapt and the Tenth Region Malkuth
is too merciless. Even so it was impossible to go to the Seventh
Region Netzach or the Sixth Region Tiphereth, so a group of people
gathered here──to live freely though competition.”
The desire to compete with others without killing each other.
Sure enough, they were still scared of disappearing. But it being too
peaceful was too boring.
Page | 138
The Eighth Region Hod was an unmistakable paradise for such odd
Quasi-Spirits.
Banouin Kareha is trying to destroy this──
According to the report, tomorrow is the final decisive battle. They

had infiltrated the rebel army.
──Having pledged to each other.
Their hearts were beating violently, their thoughts in disorder from

the fear and exhilaration.
“I will kill you. Banouin Kareha, the woman who fell into becoming
the White Queen’s minion.”
The determination of Ensign Todou and her subordinates was firm

yet strong.
And also, they weren’t mistaken.
“……You said that you beat Tokisaki Kurumi?”
“Yes, although it was quite risky!”
“Good job! Then you are now Colonel, a Colonel! Just below me!”
Jugasaki Retsumi patted Hibiki on the shoulders.
“Ah, alright. Thank you very much. Are there any other Colonels?”
“None!”
Jugasaki raised her chest.
Page | 139
“More importantly, tomorrow is the final battle! Once more we will
challenge that fortress and castle again! This time victory will be
awaiting us!”
The morale of the rebels had reached its peak due to the early
elimination of Tokisaki Kurumi.
After finishing her speech, Jugasaki whispered to Hibiki and Ace of

Spades.
“……I have something to say.”
The two of them stayed in the strategy room with Jugasaki.
“What’s the matter?”
“Yup. ……I think we will be able to reach Banouin Kareha this time.”
“Yes, for sure……I also think we can probably do it.”
“Same, even though my humble self will do nothing more than

follow.”
“So, then. ……What should I do?”
Like a girl forced to leave a school behind due to tuition, Jugasaki

spoke while looking disoriented.
“What do……what do you mean?”
“To be honest, I just wanted to beat Kareha-chan, so I don’t know

what to do afterwards!”
Jugasaki stood tall and loudly spoke.
Silence.
This was bad, both Hibiki and Ace of Spades’ intuition caught on to
that.
Page | 140
“……Jugasaki-san, maybe.”
“You didn’t think about anything after defeating Banouin Kareha?”
“Speaking of which, you just said Kareha-chan, right? ……You guys

are friends!?”
“That’s right? Oh, yes……I haven’t had the chance to say that yet.”
“That’s right!? If the last boss is a former friend, the morale of the
troops will plummet!”
“Ah, she’s not a former friend. I still think of her as a friend now.”
“Is that so! Listen well, Jugasaki-san! Generally speaking, this now
looks like a fixed match!”
That was the biggest problem. The Quasi-Spirits in the rebel army
thought that this was a battle fought for control over the Eighth
Region Hod. They were seriously fighting even if they weren’t killing
each other.
The story would be completely different with the revelation that

Jugasaki and Banouin are friends.
Additionally, the rebels have been constantly losing. Regardless of

defeat or victory, they had never won once.
In other words──whether defeat or victory had been already

predetermined; it was a situation where it would be impossible not
to have these thoughts.
“What did you say!? The rebels and I have always fought seriously!”
“The problem is what it looks like……”
“A feeling of it being impossible to win anyway……”
Page | 141
Hibiki and Ace of Spades nodded together. Assuming the worst, if
awareness of this false match spreads, it would have a severe
negative effect on the mental states of these Quasi-Spirits.
Specifically, it would accelerate the transformation into becoming an

Empty.
If both sides collapse to the point where they could no longer

compete, then it would be all over for this region.
“……Don’t get along with Kareha-chan yet……right?”
Jugasaki quietly asked her. Hibiki let out a groan. The usually frank
and confident leader was gone. Here was a girl suffering from
heartache over not being able to talk with a friend for a long time.
“Sister……w-what should be done?”
“……R-Right now, we can only keep it a secret……”
“Kareha-chan……”
The three of them all quietly sighed.
“So you lost?”
“I lost.”
Banouin Kareha chuckled and smiled. Kurumi turned away as if her

mood had spoiled.
“That was surprisingly easy. What secret weapon did they employ?”
“It was because I was too overconfident in my own strength. Yes,

yes. I won’t say anything more than that, so please feel free to keep
questioning to your hearts content.”
Page | 142
With that said, Kurumi rolled around in that tatami mat.
However, Kareha didn’t particularly blame her. Instead, she kept

trying to ask how Kurumi was defeated.
Although Kurumi was reluctant, Kareha’s questioning was quite

persistent. At last, she confessed that she had lost because her
bikini’s string had been cut and she had reflexively crouched down.
Kareha’s response was quite dramatic.
A burst of laughter, a great roar of laughter, and thunderous

applause.
“Ahahahahahahahaahaha!”
“You’re laughing too much, you’re laughing too much.”
Kareha covered her stomach with her hands as she rolled around on
the ground.
“I thought my abdominal muscles were going to cramp……ku……”
Kurumi rebuked Kareha with a quiet gaze. Kareha, then just like
Kurumi, stretched out her limbs while looking up at the ceiling.
“But that’s too weak. It looks like I really am going to lose this time.”
“Wouldn’t it be fine to lose?”
“……That wouldn’t work. In any case, I am──the Dominion of the

Eighth Region Hod. So I have to win.”
She stared up faintly at the grains of wood on the ceiling.
For some reason, Kurumi thought that one of those marks resembled
a human face.
“Doesn’t that grain of wood resemble a human face?”

Page | 143
“Which one?”
Kareha looked to where Kurumi’s hand was pointing.
“Ah, I thought it was a black cat.”
“I refuse. I can’t stand having a cat look so terrible.”
Kurumi answered immediately. Perhaps finding strange, Kareha

giggled.
“You like cats.”
“Yes, yes. ……Well, it’s just like that.”
Kurumi looked a little embarrassed as she turned to the other side.

Surely, Kareha thought that this must mean it wasn’t ordinary for her
to admit fondness,
“I like puppies. Isn’t Mizuha just like a puppy?”
Kareha said in a leisurely tone. Kurumi thought about Mizuha.
“Hmm……isn’t that girl more like a cat?”
“No, a puppy. Just like a puppy.”
“……Do you like puppies?”
“Yes.”
If that’s the case, she must also like Mizuha.
“Then it would be good to see her, Mizuha-san.”
“At this late hour.”
“……Wouldn’t you regret it now if you didn’t see each other?”
Page | 144
“I still have time.”
Kareha laughed. Indeed, she had heard from Hibiki that there was
still some time after hair started greying. Just like thin layers peeling
one by one, everything turned white.
“Doesn’t time go by so quickly? No matter how much I have, it is

always still not enough.”
“Ah……but for Kurumi-han, time is a weapon.”
“What is Kareha-san’s weapon?”
“My wind and cherry blossoms.”
“Ara, that doesn’t seem to match this season.”
Kareha laughed in agreement before suddenly asking.
“……Kurumi-han. Will you bear witness to my affairs until the very

end?”
“You said end……you mean until the end?”
“Yes. So how about it?”
“I will bear witness to your victory or defeat, but──”
After that, it would not be possible to achieve the time that Kareha
desired.
“I hope you can see the moment when I die.”
Kareha said that while laughing again.
“You must not disappear. It’s people like you who can live long.”
“To come and encourage me, how kind.”
“Impossible.”
Page | 145
Kurumi sneered.
“Because I will live long, I will rush to the Seventh Region Netzach.
Although it will be after this farce is over.”
“Like this huh.”
Kareha didn’t particularly blame her or make a special plea.
“It always feels like this, if we go on like this……it’s like a female high
school student fully immersed in summer vacation.”
“Ah, so that’s what it is.”
“We are like classmates, so that’s why I’m being lazy like this.”
“If you feel like classmates, do you think there will be no

interactions?”
“I don’t think so. I am also a proper lady. So there’s a feeling of being

opposed to a class’
cliques.”
“Ah……looks like it.”
As if convinced, Kurumi nodded. Kareha then whispered in a dreamy

state.
“Mizuha will be part of the next generation. Retsu-chan and

Higoromo Hibiki-san will probably be included as well.”
“Hibiki-san is part of my entourage. I expected Kurumi-san to say

something like that.”
“That person? No wonder you’re about to lose.”
“……How nosy.”
Page | 146
Kareha and Kurumi stared at the ceiling while talking about various
things.
“Retsu-chan, I’m the one who gave her that name.”
“I’ve heard about that. And I forgot to say this then, but……your
naming sense is really unique.”
“This isn’t self-praise. ……But I was joking when I received her

unexpected joy……”
“There must be a degree of excess.”
“That’s right, I am an excessive person.”
The sound of cicadas slowly changed to their evening version.
“Ah, so it’s dusk now.”
“Those cicadas don’t actually exist, right?”
“Yes. Summertime in Japan wouldn’t be the same without cicadas.

So I had it made by Quasi-Spirits from the Ninth Region Yesod.”
“How fastidious……”
However, Kurumi didn’t think that the sound of cicadas was

particularly bothersome.
“Summer.”
“It is summer.”
Time passed by calmly and quietly.
The days seemed to go on forever, with this entire day seemingly

having gone by in a split second.
Strangely, Kurumi didn’t feel it was all too bad.
Page | 147
She considered quite unusual. To think she would actually pursue
rest in a place like this.
“Summertime……it must be because of that.”
Kurumi’s whispers were buried under the eager chirps coming from
the evening cicadas.
Page | 148
○War Games Are Also Lovely
──And so the war had begun.
Despite defeating the biggest obstacle Tokisaki Kurumi, the fortress

and Banouin Castle were very much alive. However, this time
Jugasaki’s morale was at an all-time high. With the clear and calm
judgement of Higoromo Hibiki, the Jugasaki army rushed to the
sandy beaches with a raging momentum.
“Kuh……different from before……!”
“They──got──me──!”
A scream resounded. One by one the poi paper from Banouin’s

soldiers was shot down.
Moreover, Jugasaki, who had been in the backline until now, had
jumped to the forefront.
Naturally, the Banouin army was pushed back by this overwhelming

aura.
“Don’t be afraid! Move forward at full speed! Go all out! Laugh

heartily to your own content!”
Even if the meaning behind her words and deeds are unknown, it
was the sound of a trumpet of victory for the rebels whose morale
was at an extreme high.
Every move Jugasaki made caused the rebels to let out a scream of
joy.
Intense, heroic, brave, and beautiful, all the qualities of a wild beauty
of a lovely girl engaged in combat.
“This way……we can win!”
Page | 149
As their subordinates asked Hibiki, Hibiki replied with, “don’t let
down your guard”, even though she was also certain of their victory.
The winner would experience the feeling of being alive, the feeling of
victory in combat, and the feeling of being alive through fighting.
The same thing goes for the losing side. Although defeated, they
would also feel alive in this battle.
Like the serpent of reincarnation (Ouroboros), they had been

repeatedly fighting──and living through that joy.
The fortress finally fell and Banouin’s main squadron from the main
castle finally came out to fight. The rebels, who had realigned their
camp at the fallen fortress, also restarted their advance.
Consequently, both armies were confronting each other right outside

the castle walls.
“Banouin Kareha──! Is here──!”
Responding to Jugasaki’s challenge, Banouin Kareha slowly appeared.

The awe-inspiring majestic Jugasaki Retsumi versus the bewitchingly
elegant Banouin Kareha. Kareha opened her mouth while moving her
fan.
“It’s too noisy here. Jugasaki-san, have you come here to lose
again?”
“Idiot, of course we came to win! We might have lost dozens of

times, but now I see the signs of victory!”
“……Yes. The chance seems five times more than before. It looks like
the fortress has fallen.”
Until now, the rebels had almost completely lost. Usually, they would
be left in a tragic state without even reaching the fortress……being
Page | 150
pinched in by the fortress and the main squad, their small vanguard
would erode away and be defeated without much effort.
However, this time they survived even after taking down the fortress
and arrived all the way here.
Not only that, they would also now have to worry about enemy
attacks coming from the now conquered fortress.
Additionally, the number of soldiers was about the same on both

sides.
And to phrase it lightly, with the exception of Banouin Kareha,

Banouin’s soldiers lacked experience in a drawn out fight.
This was the drawback of winning too easily so far.
But──Banouin Kareha didn’t waver.
“But. We haven’t gotten so weak to lose to something at this level.

Right everyone?”
Banouin’s gentle smile caused a chill to reach her soldiers’ hearts.

Occasionally, fear not only restrained people, but also sometimes
inspired them.
Even if it meant being injured, they would stand up from this fear.
Kareha’s gaze held such a power.
In order to defeat the rebels, Banouin’s soldiers cried out to the

heavens. Not deterred in the slightest, the rebels began transforming
their Unsigned Angels into their non-lethal state one after the other.
“This time we’ll win!” ──Jugasaki.
“You’ll lose this time as well.” ──Banouin.
The trumpets of war echoed against each other.
Page | 151
Jugasaki shouted, “All troops charge!” Banouin Kareha responded in
kind with, “Get rid of them.”
The war where no one will die had begun.
“Mizuha-san, you can see better from here.”
Then, on a cliff overlooking the battlefield, Tokisaki Kurumi waved

her hand to Mizuha. Mizuha ran to her side while tilting her head in
confusion.
“Tokisaki-san, aren’t you participating?”
“……A lot has happened.”
“Mizuha-sama.”
Waiting by her side, Sagakure Yui whispered into Mizuha’s ear.

Mizuha let out an ‘ah’ sound from her mouth as she lowered her
head in a panic.
“I’m very sorry, Tokisaki-san.”
“……It is fine, I don’t mind.”
She couldn’t raise her gun at such a straightforward apology. In the

case of Rinemu, who would laugh “Ahahaha! You lost! Ahahaha!”
she could retaliate as much as she wanted.
“In terms of the war situation……ah, the rebels still hold the
advantage.”
“B-But. Kareha-ane sama is amazing.”
The soldiers gathered around Jugasaki to steadily cut down

Banouin’s army. With Kareha as their rampaging horse, Banouin’s
army brought chaos onto the battlefield.
Page | 152
Although Cistus was included in Banouin’s troops, it was Kareha’s
strength that was more prominent.
As soon as her fan was swung, countless cherry blossoms appeared

fluttering against the wind.
Even a small petal could land a strong blow if struck, puncturing the
poi sheet in an instant.
“Defense! Defensive formation! Surround Kareha-san and

concentrate on defense!”
After Hibiki gave the instructions, her immediate subordinates began

to move.
Although it was a roughly processed shield held together like an iron

plate, it was able to block Kareha’s attack. Sure enough, cherry
blossom petals couldn’t pierce through an iron plate.
“Push forward and wait!”
“Yes sir!”
The soldiers that heard Hibiki’s instructions surrounded Kareha.
“Colonel Higoromo! Stop pushing forward! Kareha is about to

rampage!”
In response to the warning from Jugasaki, Hibiki was about to change

the order──but she was one step too late.
“It can’t be helped. This may make you hurt or cry, so can you please
bear with me?”
Kareha moved.
Surrounded by the iron shields, she casually moved to the corner.
“Sss!”
Page | 153
Poking the shield with her fan, the shield crumbled apart like paper
with a single swipe. At the same time, the soldiers were all blown
away.
“Eh……eh!?”
The surrounding soldiers were all stunned. Kareha had easily broken
through their siege.
“F-Follow me! Surround her after securing some distance first!”
Hibiki gave her instructions. But the soldiers couldn’t move as if

rendered frozen by Kareha’s outrageous power.
“I’ll suppress Kareha! You guys just surround them!”
Jugasaki shouted as she began to chase after Kareha.
“Colonel Higoromo, I’ll leave the command to you! It’ll be fine, you
have already defeated over half of them! All you have to do is imitate
my command!”
“Ok!”
And so, Jugasaki Retsumi finally approached Banouin Kareha.
“Hello, now die!”
“As vulgar as ever!”
Gagagagaga, the machine gun type Unsigned Angel was firing water
with tremendous power.
The target was the poi strip of paper on Kareha’s head.
However, the waves of bullets were all cut off and blown away by
Kareha’s fan.
Page | 154
Both were surrounded by the shield siege.
Jugasaki shouted. Loud, happily, and innocently, it gave a fresh

impression of an elementary schooler competing in a race.
“This time, we’ll win!”
“This time will still be my victory!”
Kareha responded while pleased and motivated.
The firearm shot out water and the fan scattered the sakura petals.
Jugasaki approached Kareha while also dodging. The battle swirled
like a tornado where no one else could interfere.
“──Their target is clearly the poi paper, but they’re fighting fiercely
as if trying to kill each other.”
It was no wonder that this fight had Kurumi’s admiration. Although

their bullets were water and sakura petals, it still had enough
destructive power to cause each other’s side to bleed from a single
graze. Mizuha watched the two of them fight as if praying.
“Sagakure-san, who do you think has the advantage?”
“……That’s……”
She mumbled while struggling to look at Mizuha. Seeing Mizuha nod,

she began to speak.
“It’s Jugasaki-dono.”
“Ah, I also agree.”
“……Kareha-sama’s consciousness is more distracted than usual. It’s

as if……she’s indifferent about losing.”
“That’s right. But can it really be thought of like this? Kareha-san is

showing her true power and going all out as she does normally.”
Page | 155
“Wha──”
“……Surely, she must have been waiting until now.”
But it wasn’t always like this.
Suppose there was a girl who could be strong for someone. What if
she was working hard until someone came to beat her?
To keep going all out in order to not lose to any stranger──
But now, there was a desire to be defeated by someone that she

knows well.
──Really, how strong.
Kareha sighed in admiration. If they were really trying to kill each

other, she would likely been dead four times now. It took all of her
strength just to protect her poi sheet.
Never be overthrown by someone other than her. Kareha worked

hard for that.
Because of that, it was too late anyway.
She was both happy and a little sad. Jugasaki may think that she has
weakened. But that would be wrong.
Not being able to use her full strength because of reasons──on the
contrary it was the exact opposite.
──This is my strength.
Struggling with all of her strength, effort, and tension to be able to

live like this.
This was for the sake of Mizuha, the girls that admired her, and her
own personal sense of justice.
Page | 156
But that was now over.
Just keep staying the same. Be myself──that was already enough.
Clearing all accounts, closing up shop, she finished her review by the
light of the fireflies.
The fan flashed once, twice, three times. Jugasaki avoided them all at
a paper-thin difference. It felt as if all her movements had been seen
through──no, it must have been seen through.
Perhaps over and over, just like watching a video, she had studied
Kareha’s movements. If she made this attack, it would evade like
this. And after evading, move in this manner to counterattack and
take the advantage──
She was happy to the point of tears.
It wasn’t an illusion of wanting this to keep going on forever.
Ah, but──
There is a beginning because of an end and there is an end because

of a beginning.
Banouin Kareha and Jugasaki Retsumi both knew it would be over

soon.
“──Unsigned Angel <Ougai Sange · Kogarashi>.”
A genuine tornado manifested in this duel surrounded by shields.

The sakura petals scattered, scattered, scattered. Far from the poi
paper on her head, it was a serious technique that could tear apart
her entire body. Yet, Kareha went all-out without hesitation.
Jugasaki laughed fearlessly.
“I’ve already seen through this trick!”
Page | 157
Yelling out at the same time, she activated her own Unsigned Angel.
“──Unsigned Angel <Vajrantana>! Mode……cannon.”
The shape of the machine gun transformed. The caliber grew larger
as the gun barrel changed into a cannon barrel. Jugasaki shouted
after setting up this huge cannon.”
“All members spread out!”
Even though it wasn’t part of Hibiki’s commands, the surrounding

shield soldiers quickly fled after hearing that majestic scream.
Jugasaki knew well. Kareha, after firing that tornado, wouldn’t be

able to move from the amount of Reiryoku consumed. She wouldn’t
be able to escape.
……But as usual, it was fine. A single petal could cut into her body like
a razor and leave her in a critical state……but even if it wasn’t for
that, she would lose if caught in that tornado.
However, Jugasaki had a cannon which could penetrate that tornado.
The other side of the tornado was invisible to her, but──
“I know, Kareha! You’re there! Shoot! Fire! Pierce through!”
Jugasaki quickly predicted Kareha’s location.
The heavy artillery let out a loud roar as it shoot out an oversized
water bullet. The cannonball went straight for Kareha without caring
about the tornado.
“Ah────”
Page | 158
She understood this feeling. No doubt this would hit the poi
paper──more than leaving just a hole; it would completely blow it
away. The tornado slowly disappeared.
By the time she noticed, everyone watching her was holding their
breath. She lowered her fighting hand and just stared.
“Ah……”
Banouin Kareha’s poi paper, which had never been broken before,
had been completely wiped out with nothing left.
Kareha spoke in a calm and relieved tone.
“I’ve lost.”
Cheers and cries erupted at the same time.
“She actually……lost……”
Mizuha softly fell. Sagakure Yui quickly rushed to hug her as she
asked Kurumi.
“So with this……Jugasaki Retsumi will be the Dominion of the Eighth

Region Hod.”
“That’s right. ……But as I originally said, will Kareha-san become the

next rebel army?”
“Yes. ……Some of them won’t follow her after losing, but……”
Despite having said that, this mistaken that led to her defeat was
only at a paper-thin difference.
Additionally, there were too many abnormal elements this time. It

was fine to consider this to be an accidental victory.
“……But it seems Kareha-san looks resigned?”
Page | 159
“Eh……!?”
Yui and Mizuha anxiously turned to look at the battlefield.
Kareha patted the dust off from herself and then turned to face
Jugasaki. Kareha softly sighed and announced with a bright
expression.
“Ah, ah, I finally lost.”
“Did you see that!”
Jugasaki posed with a smile and victory hand sign. While watching
her, Kareha smiled and nodded.
“Yes, yes, you win, you win. Banouin Castle is now changed to
Jugasaki castle.”
“Eh? Seriously?”
Kareha looked stunned at Jugasaki tilting her head.
“……What were you fighting for?”
“Well……to win……but I didn’t think of anything after that……”
Kareha gave a look that screamed “are you kidding me” and sighed
again.
“Well, I’ll teach you what a Dominion should do.”
“Eh……I’m the Dominion?”
“Isn’t it natural because you won? Take responsibility for your

victory. If you don’t take anything after winning, it’ll be too pitiful for
the people who have followed you so far.”
Page | 160
Jugasaki turned away as if her mood has spoiled. Kareha laughed
while thinking she looked like a child.
“Now listen everyone, it was me who lost and suffered a complete

defeat. If anyone disagrees, they must defeat Jugasaki on their own.”
Noisy chatter surrounded them as a result of those words.
Perhaps not having made any recognition of what happened after

victory or defeat, it seemed everyone didn’t fully understand the
current situation.
Inevitably, Hibiki raised her hand and asked.
“Um……so what does that mean for us in the future?”
“After this……”
Kareha opened her mouth to speak, but Jugasaki loudly shouted to

interrupt her.
“A party!”
“……Party?”
“We you see, we won after all. Afterwards, the positions will reverse
after that!”
“……With that said, shouldn’t you say that the game is over now?”
Kurumi, who had arrived there, asked in a stunned tone. Jugasaki

whispered “I guess you can also think of it as that”, while trying to
dodge the issue.
“……You need to forget about that. I am no longer the Dominion. You

are the Dominion now.
Page | 161
From now on, you’ll lead the fight for the Eighth Region Hod, so of
course it’s necessary for you to fight.”
“Eh, that’s too troublesome……”
As Kareha stared at her fiercely, Jugasaki felt herself shrink in size.
“Ah, I know, I know. I’m responsible for winning. Alright, then as my

first order as Dominion, let’s throw party where Banouin’s side can
come as well!”
While still having some misgivings, the surroundings let out a cheer
in response to those words.
The war was over. It will start again anyway, but the biggest event
was now over──it was fine to be a bit noisy now.
The beach was chosen as the venue for the party. It left an odd taste
to hold a party where they had just been fighting, but Banouin Castle
couldn’t hold everyone there.
After all, choosing the beach made one think of a barbeque.
It was summertime with swimsuit and the water guns as toys to play
with.
At first, the atmosphere was awkward between Banouin’s side and

the rebels. But the fact that they didn’t kill each other made things a
bit easier for them.
Extremely ordinarily, the party atmosphere for the girls gradually

increased.
Kurumi and Hibiki, the two were finally at close distance apart.
“Yeah, we can finally meet up!”
Page | 162
“Yes, yes. It’s been a while; do you remember when my swimsuit
came undone?”
“……No! Nothing in particular!”
As natural as flowing water in a stream, Kurumi insisted on asking

about her memories involving the swimsuit. Hibiki strongly reminded
herself that she would lose the moment she got careless.
“Humph. ……Leaving that aside, it’s finally over.”
“It’s a burden off my shoulders too. I don’t want to be a Colonel ever

again.”
“Isn’t it pretty good? As Colonel Higoromo, wouldn’t you live a

leisurely life here?”
“Hahaha, no way ~”
Hibiki mentioned to her that fireworks were created just for this
party venue.
“So are you going to set off those long-awaited fireworks?”
“Seeing the elegant taste, I happily accept them.”
Kurumi’s face brightened as the fireworks were being presented.

Lighting up──blue, red, yellow, multicolored light shinned during the
night sky.
“Ahahaha! So──much──fun──!”
Hibiki held the fireworks in both hands and spun around in a circle.
Perhaps emotions were at high like this because the war was over.
“Really, don’t throw around fireworks like that.”
Despite chiding her, Kurumi also moved her fireworks closer to the
grassy field to sketch out the literal characters for that name.
Page | 163
Only, the problem was that she didn’t know the meaning behind
those words. Name, she couldn’t remember that name anyway. As if
a piece of her head had been dug out, only that person’s name
was──
“Forget about it. Think optimistically.”
The road to the word beyond (reality) was still far away.
Even so, the thoughts for that person hadn’t faded at all.
Just──this warm and sleepy world inevitably made her self-aware.

Going on like this would make her consider taking a long vacation
here.
“Hibiki-san, there’s almost no more fireworks.”
“Eh.”
Hibiki grunted while throwing her fireworks into the bucket.
“I’m going to ask the new Dominion, Jugasaki-san, to open the gate
to the Seventh Region Netzach. Here……staying too long makes me
feel lazy.”
“Uh. ……That’s really poking at a sore spot, Kurumi-san.”
The Eighth Region Hod was overwhelmingly happy compared to the

other regions.
Even the intense training wasn’t painful and only caused you to
sweat a lot. Here wasn’t any killing or singing, so there’s less mental
fatigue.
Plus──this was summer anyway.
Although it was a hot summer, it continued on forever. It was as if

the entire region was whispering for them to take a break.
Page | 164
Whether the sound of dawn or evening cicadas, even when it
became quiet during night──it was inevitably reminiscent of summer
vacation.
“Ah, Kurumi-san. Fireworks! Fireworks!”
“You just finished setting off the fireworks──”
But Hibiki vigorously turned Kurumi’s head towards the direction of

the sea. Then, Kurumi understood what she was trying to say.
“……When were these type of fireworks prepared?”
“They were specially prepared after victory a long time ago. It seems
from the other side of the sea, the left-behind group heard of our
victory and took them out of the warehouse.”
In the night sky, huge sunflowers bloomed. They were launching

super-large fireworks.
The girls cheered.
At this point, it didn’t matter who was a part of the rebel army or
Banouin’s army.
Just appreciating this violent and gorgeous beauty──filled their

hearts with satisfaction.
“Then let’s go.”
“You don’t want to watch it?”
“No need to watch it at all.”
Kurumi said internally. The person she wanted to watch this with
wasn’t part of this world.
Page | 165
And more importantly──seeing something so beautiful in the sky
would make her feel like stopping here.
“Is Jugasaki-san here?”
Kurumi yelled out to the rebel Quasi-Spirits who were watching the
fireworks.
“Our leader seems to be talking to Banouin Kareha at a teahouse on

the other side of the fortress.”
“Ara.”
“Oh, are you going to see Jugasaki-dono?”
Ace of Spades stood up from lying on the sandy beach.
“Yes, that’s right. Does Ace of Spades-san wish to accompany us?”
Ace of Spades nodded at Hibiki’s invitation.
No, rather it was the corners of her playing card that bent down a
little.
“What’s with this……it’s too dangerous here……”
Looking closely, every part of her body was scorched black. This was
likely due to the residue left behind by the fireworks.
Page | 166
Page | 167
“Paper is flammable……”
“I wanted to be at least plastic……!”
She bent her knees in astonishment……no, it was her entire playing

card self that was bending down.
The Quasi-Spirits that disappeared, they left behind their regrets and
grudges till the very end.
However, this sort of thing was unbearable for Banouin Kareha.
“Retsu-chan!”
They ran up to each other and hugged. The coldness of skin caused
her hairs to stand up.
The Astral Dress gradually faded.
“Pull yourself together! Hey, Retsu-chan……hey!”
It was a surprise attack.
Kareha invited Jugasaki to the teahouse. As all the Quasi-Spirits were

participating in the barbeque, the teahouse was silent without any
lights on.
“Eh, I wanted to make some noise because it’s the long-awaited

moment of being together with Kareha-chan.”
“I would like that as well, but there are many things I need to inform
you before that.”
What to do as the new Dominion, how to handle emergencies,

relationship with other Dominions in each of the regions, and so on.
Page | 168
“What a pain……”
“That’s not okay. If you return to the rebels after winning, the
balance of the Eighth Region Hod will collapse. Victory without
meaning, isn’t that the same thing as allowing everyone around here
to turn into an Empty?”
Fu, Jugasaki puffed her cheeks out. While complaining that it was
annoying, one could tell that she was still taking notes in a serious
manner.
“How about a defensive war next time? Mutually with another

region at our own convenience.”
“Would that be any different?”
“It’s different. Like uhh……”
“Ah, if it takes this long to say it, I would have been able to settle it
myself. Pass, pass.”
This time it was Kareha’s turn to pout. Jugasaki shouted without

showing any concerns.
“But it’s been so long since we’ve talked like this!”
“Yes. ……Well, that’s because you were always losing.”
As Kareha said teasingly, Jugasaki turned her face to the side.
“But I won this time.”
“Yes, yes. It was amazing.”
Bang, hearing that loud noise, both of them looked up in surprise.
Page | 169
Far across from the beach, huge fireworks rose up from the rebel
site.
“Oh……” “Ha……”
Both of them let out a sound of admiration at the sight before

laughing together.
“To think there was such a thing.”
“Because I have been waiting for the day to use it!”
Jugasaki raised her chest. That smile was a bit too dazzling for
Kareha.
“By the way, is it true that the season of the Eighth Region Hod is
controlled by Kareha-chan?”
“Yes?”
“So, for example……can we go from summer to autumn?”
As Jugasaki lightly asked, Kareha clenched her fist and slightly raised
her eyebrows.
“S-Sorry! Forget what I asked just now!”
Noticing this, Jugasaki hurried to apologize. But Kareha slowly shook

her head.
“……It’s okay to change the season. But I would be happy if you wait
a little.”
“A little?”
“Yes. I want to immerse a little bit more in this summer.”
Page | 170
“I feel like we been doing summer for a while now……”
“I like summer.”
“But isn’t it too hot to dress up like this?”
“Is it too hot? I find it unexpectedly cool.”
Kareha laughed. Jugasaki looked on at Kareha in surprise as she

spoke.
“Hold me for a bit.”
Without waiting for a reply, Jugasaki hugged Kareha.
“Wha, wait. Can you let go of me?”
“Uh-huh…...it really doesn’t feel hot.”
“Right? ……Now can you let go?”
“You use a good shampoo.”
“Hey, that’s creepy. Hurry──up──and──let──go!”
Kareha pushed back Jugasaki’s jaw with her fan, but she didn’t falter.
Eventually, Kareha gave up and put down her fan.
“……Hey, Kareha-chan, are you hiding something from me?”
Jugasaki suddenly declared just like a surprise attack. The girl shook
slightly as if those words had pierced her heart.
“……Certainly, yes.”
“Do you not want to say it or still can’t say it? Do you trust me or
not? Which is it?”
“I don’t want to say it, but I trust you.”
Page | 171
After hearing those words, Jugasaki quietly let go of Kareha.
“Hmm. Then it’s fine. By the way, I have no secrets at all!”
“Yes, yes, I know you don’t have any.”
“So I’m trusted!”
Confronted by this smile that could brighten onlookers, Kareha also

laughed.
Have hope, a desire to cling on this hope. To say clearly that it didn’t
exist. Even so, Kareha──
“……Actually, I”
Struggling to squeeze out those words, Banouin Kareha was most

unprepared for this moment.
It wasn’t a water gun, but an Unsigned Angel fired with the intent to
kill.
“Get down!”
Kareha was pushed away by Jugasaki. The five roaring gunshots

struck Jugasaki, not Kareha.
The scene in front of her was dyed red. The sound of her hope was
gradually crumbling.
“It’s not over! Kill her!”
Tokisaki Kurumi had once said that there was someone in rebel army
who wanted to actually kill her Quasi-Spirits. Kareha didn’t even
know that her name was Todou.
Page | 172
Not participating in this happy war, these girls mistakenly thought
that killing her would make the Eighth Region Hod peaceful. Or
perhaps were they incited by someone else?
In any case, they had even removed Jugasaki, who had been their
leader, as an obstacle.
Whatever the reason, this behavior was absolutely unacceptable.
“Banouin Kareha! I will defeat you here for the Eighth Region Hod!”
“……Fool. Now, shatter!”
Countless bullets of condensed Reiryoku were fired. A weapon

intended for killing was incomparable to a water gun. However, this
was still cruelly insignificant for Kareha.
“<Ougai Sange>──Kamikirimushi”
Springing to life, the cherry blossom petals surrounded the five of

them.
“T-This is……!?”
Cold and without hesitation, Banouin Kareha’s Unsigned Angel

crunched those five apart. And then, Kareha abandoned all interest
in them.
“Retsu-chan!”
Kareha’s scream resonated.
On the way to the teahouse, Tokisaki Kurumi’s group was walking

leisurely.
“Ah, Kurumi-san. About Kareha-san and Jugasaki-san──”
“That they are good friends? I’ve heard that before.”
Page | 173
“To fight as enemies all the time……it must have been painful.”
“Although I want to say be that as it may……”
In any case, Kareha must say good-bye to Jugasaki. This would be a

pretty shocking event for Jugasaki.
“……Is summer over already?”
Hibiki whispered as if suddenly remembering.
“If the Dominion changes, will the season also change?”
“It may change. It seems this season was done at the request of
Kareha-san.”
“But to be honest, Kareha-san and summer do look like they go

together. Wearing a complete kimono in this weather.”
“I like summer even if I don’t go along with it.”
“Is that right?”
“Yes, yes. ……Why is it that I only noticed after reaching the Eighth
Region Hod? I like summer.”
Did she like summer from the very beginning, or did she like after
coming here?
And if the latter──then why?
It was like a vague reply that could be grabbed but not be caught.
“Like this……for me it would be better for autumn to come early.”
Hibiki whispered as if sulking for a bit.
Page | 174
“To be jealous of even the season, that’s quite heavy for a Quasi-
Spirit……”
“I’m not jealous!!”
“──Retsu-chan!”
Kareha’s scream came from the direction of the teahouse.
Kurumi ran first with Hibiki following immediately afterwards. A little

while later, Ace of Spades also started running.
An unpleasant premonition burned in Kurumi’s chest.
At that time, the contents in which Banouin Kareha had confessed to

Kurumi.
──For myself, the goal is slightly off.
──If the battle continues this way, the transformation into an Empty
will only continue.
──You see, pain is not enough. The matter of me becoming an Empty

must be kept a secret.
──So before that happens, I want to lose gloriously.
──Ah, but I can’t lose on purpose. I must lose after I have fought with
all my strength.
──Then, it may be possible to leave the Eighth Region Hod.
As if dreaming, Kareha had said those words. Obviously something

had happened. Something fatal that should never be allowed to
occur.
“Kareha-san!”
“Tokisaki-san……”
Page | 175
Kareha, who was holding Jugasaki’s body covered in blood, was
standing there.
“……<Zafkiel>──The Fourth Bullet <Dalet>!”
A quick response before being asked anything, the bullet that

reversed time was shot into Jugasaki.
The punctured hole healed as blood returned to her body.
But──
“Retsu-chan!? Hey, hey, wake up……wake up……”
“It could be……we were one step to late.”
Strictly speaking, the bodies of the Quasi-Spirits in the Neighboring

World, while also including Kurumi herself, are not made of flesh and
blood. The physical body was made of Reiryoku which constitutes all
types of matter.
So being shot between the eyebrows and having one’s heart crushed
wouldn’t necessarily mean death. However, Quasi-Spirits could only
move because of the Sephira fragment acting as their core.
The Sephira fragment was like the blueprints for psyche of the Quasi-
Spirit. In this way, Reiryoku was able to build the physical body. The
fact that a finger had been injured meant the Sephira fragment had
grasped the trauma and given the body the information that the
finger had been damaged.
Of course, if the body is repaired, then the healed wound will also be
easily repaired. However, the issue with Jugasaki right now is the
information that had been engraved on her Sephira fragment. If it
Page | 176
said, “I have died from a bullet”, it was no use to rewind time. Life
can’t be given to a person that has chosen to die.
In this sense, Jugasaki Retsumi was currently standing at the dividing

line.
Whether the Sephira fragment would choose life or death,

wandering between this line……the choice would be up to Jugasaki
Retsumi.
“It may well be a drowsy sleep in the world beyond. Whether you
wake up or disappear, it’s fifty-fifty honestly.”
“……Retsu-chan, to protect me……”
Kareha collapsed to her knees. The color of her hair was changing
along with the night breeze.
“What happened──”
The rebel army and Banouin’s army rushed down from the beach
and saw the worst case scenario together.
Damn, Kurumi cursed her own mistake. At the moment Kareha

screamed, she should have first sent Hibiki and Ace of Spades to hold
them back until the situation calmed down.
But it was too late.
They saw it.
The remains of Jugasaki Retsumi who collapsed, the traces of battle

that remained and Banouin Kareha holding onto her. And above all
else, all of the color had faded from Banouin Kareha’s hair.
Page | 177
Perhaps Jugasaki Retsumi was the last lynchpin for Kareha. Because
she was there, Kareha was barely able to escape being an Empty.
But that lynchpin broke and disappeared.
And worst of all, every Quasi-Spirits besides Kurumi, Hibiki, and Ace
of Spades misunderstood the situation.
“……Kareha-sama……did……you……Jugasaki-sama?”
Someone said something that shouldn’t have been said.
“Please wait!”
Kurumi shouted quickly──standing up and shooting <Zafkiel> up into

the air.
“Kareha-san pleaded with me to help Jugasaki-san. Please stop this

useless speculation. If Kareha-san is hurt by these words, wouldn’t
that also injure Jugasaki-san?”
“……Kurumi-san!”
Kurumi realized from Hibiki’s cry that she made the wrong choice
again. What she should have done first was suppress Kareha.
“Sister!”
Mizuha, who should have been on the sandy beach, shouted to her.
Everyone turned their attention to Mizuha.
Kareha jumped to the roof of the teahouse. Her beautiful black hair
had completely faded. Her silver hair was glistening under the
moonlight. Even her kimono was a mess.
It was extraordinary.
It was an extraordinary beauty.
Page | 178
“Are you intending to run?”
As Kurumi asked──Kareha nodded with a grin.
“I haven’t done it. No one would believe it now.”
“If you escape now, won’t that just convince them?”
“……Even that no longer matters. I’m leaving.”
Kurumi let out a sigh.
“So you may become my enemy.”
“That said, I’ll do what’s appropriate. I am an Empty. All I want is to

scatter and fade away.”
“……I’m in no mood to listen to your ridiculous words.”
“Don’t go, sister! Don’t give up……!”
“No, that won’t do. I can’t go over to the enemy. ……Good-bye.”
As soon as Kareha unfolded her fan, the surroundings were

immediately covered by a snowstorm of cherry blossoms.
Fortunately, it had no attacking power. But the sheer number was
overwhelming.
Kurumi jumped to the roof and looked around──Kareha was no

longer there.
An all too painful silence, despite not participating, it felt like being
complicit in a bullying scene.
The cause lied with everyone, but a single person had made the
worst mistake.
Page | 179
Kareha embraced the nothingness and disappeared.
Bystanders believed her to be the culprit.
“……Really, every one of them. How irritating.”
Moreover, Kurumi wasn’t able to chase after her.
A violent wind passed through everyone who was there.
Summer──was soon about to end.
Page | 180
○Once Upon a Time
──Sinking.
Feet being dragged, painful, unbearable pain. The view change from
blue to black. It was like being forcefully dragged into the deep sea.
Can’t breathe. Can’t speak.
……Ah, but. Somehow for some reason it feels comfortable.
Drown, bleach everything, and fill the empty container with joy.
Be willing to die for that person, abandon everything for the sake of
that person, and accept that person.
A voice entered into her ear just like a parasitic bug.
Hallucinations, auditory hallucinations, and a voice giving persuasion

that it was useless. There was nothing that can be done about being
polluted. And that this was pleasure, not pain.
“……!”
Waking up.
First, confirm if her consciousness was normal.
My name is Banouin Kareha. My little sister’s name is Banouin

Mizuha. The name of enemy is, enemy, the name of my enemy is──
“The White Queen. ……My enemy is that queen.”
Today was the same as yesterday.
However, she was calmly familiar with the problem.
It took more than a minute to think of her as an enemy. The enemy

they should hate and the enemy they should destroy.
Page | 181
Until yesterday, it took only five seconds to reach that recognition.
But today it took a minute. This time difference didn’t occur only due
to environmental changes.
“……I’m going to……all of a sudden……”
Emptying. Becoming a hollow girl and becoming a follower of the

White Queen.
With a sigh, Kareha once again checked her surrounding

environment. At the edge of the Eighth Region Hod, an unclear
abandoned house with it also being unknown who had built it.
“Forget it, it’s just like this. Now……yes, I must die.”
……Actually, she wanted to search for it.
For it could be a new survival goal, a dream to obtain the right to

exist, or simply a sense of freedom.
However, it looked like her destiny wasn’t constructed like that.
“Nothing to be done, nothing there can be done.”
Kareha stood up. There was only a little bit of her once proud black
hair left.
“……Retsu-chan, are you okay?”
Tokisaki Kurumi rewound time and she was able to avoid

disappearing. However, it was unknown what had happened since
then.
She even slightly cursed her own circumstances for not letting her
know what had transpired afterwards.
Page | 182
“──Banouin Kareha-san.”
Turning back to the source of that voice, several Empties stood

smiling at the entrance of the abandoned house. There were more
than expected. Although their hairstyles and appearances differed,
they had all been bleached.
One of them stood up and spread out her arms.
“We’ve come to welcome you. You’ve heard the White Queen’s

voice of grief, right?”
How did they sniff her out, where were they staying before, there
were a mountain of questions.
However, there was no hostility. Somewhere deep in her heart, she

had recognized herself as part of the same species as these Empties.
“Aah──so it’s like this.”
“This region will come under the control of the White Queen sooner
or later. By then, Kareha-san will be reinstated as Dominion──”
It was easy to reject such a stupid request. But her proposal did have
an irresistible temptation.
“Yes, I want to come back.”
“Certainly, you can come. We, through our faith, obtain satisfaction
and happiness.”
“……Are you satisfied?”
“Thirst? Hunger? Or scared of becoming an Empty?”
Thirst.
Hunger.
Page | 183
Fear of becoming an Empty.
Everything was as she had said.
“I’m……what can I do?”
“Let’s destroy it for the White Queen. Because this Neighboring

World is a world that shouldn’t exist.”
…..Holding on.
If pushed one more time, she may have truly fallen.
However, that Empty had chosen the wrong word.
“──Sorry, um.”
“Eh……?”
“This world, no matter how malicious……is still a miracle. To ask why,

it’s because I am here.
It is a miracle I am here and can experience this summer. That’s why

all the rest of my life is extraneous.”
“What are you saying?”
“My gratitude. It’s all thanks to you guys. I remembered where I was
standing──farewell.”
Banouin Kareha opened her fan in front of these Empties.
“Even if I’m turning into an Empty, I will not lose to you.”
Unsigned Angel <Ougai Sange>.
Each sakura petal attacked the Empties with a razor-like sharpness.
Page | 184
“W-Why……!?”
“You wouldn’t understand. How beautiful this Neighboring World is.”
An icy glare.
The Empties realized their mistake. No matter how much Banouin

Kareha had become an Empty, her vessel itself was distorted.
“So……this disgusting world……what……value……”
“Because Mizuha is here. That’s all──this Neighboring World is

priceless.”
The Empties couldn’t understand the meaning behind Banouin

Kareha’s words as they dissipated.
A deep breath.
“Now, I ought to drop dead.”
“Alright then. What to do to get your foolish sister back to normal──”
Kurumi thought while crossing her arms.
Banouin Mizuha stumbled upon hearing Kurumi’s words. They were

at the former Banouin Castle. On the top floor, with Jugasaki Retsumi
laying on the futon, Kurumi, Hibiki, Ace of Spades, and Mizuha
surrounded her by the bedside.
“……Are you not intending to kill?”
“From what happened before, killing her then would have just made
matters worse.”
The current situation was extremely bad.
Page | 185
The Quasi-Spirits in the Eighth Region Hod didn’t know what to do.
Having taken them for granted, the two leaders in charge had
disappeared at the same time.
Banouin’s case was especially serious. Not only did she lose, but the
leader they had believed in had turned into an Empty. Although at a
low level, there were already Quasi-Spirits beginning to turn into
Empties.
If left unchecked, it would be like falling into a bottomless swamp.
In any case, as expected by now, Higoromo Hibiki and Banouin

Mizuha took over as the temporary leaders. In short, they decided to
conduct a search for Kareha while sending messengers to the
Seventh Region Netzach and the Ninth Region Yesod.
Despite her sister turning into an Empty, Mizuha had her trust barely
maintained by being the Dominion of the Ninth Region Yesod.
However, Banouin Kareha could no longer be Dominion anymore.
First of all, they had to wait for Jugasaki Retsumi to wake up──
On the other hand, there was also no good reason to leave Kareha
alone right now. They had to find and defeat her as soon as possible.
“Killing each other to stop the Empty process……that may be a

contradiction, but it could be what’s best for Kareha-san right now.”
“That’s the tested method of the Tenth Region Malkuth. ……I agree, I
can only think of that.
Although it would be different if we knew what Kareha-san was

looking for.”
The former Empty Hibiki also agreed.
“B-Be as it may. ……It’s not at the extent of being too late, isn’t it?”
Page | 186
As Ace of Spades pointed that out, Hibiki deeply thought.
“……A completely dramatic reunion, or.”
Hibiki was once just like this. Being one step away from death, she
was saved by another Quasi-Spirit.
Hibiki’s chest felt painful just remembering her.
“Then, there’s only Jugasaki-san. I repaired her wounds with my

Fourth Bullet <Dalet>, but if her mind doesn’t return……”
“……I can try to pull it out.”
As Hibiki said that, there was a slight degree of tension in her voice.
“Pull it out……you say?”
“Invade her memories and give stimulation through my using my

<King Killing>.”
“……Is that capability feasible?”
“There is none. ……It’s as impossible as trying to hammer down a nail

with a smart phone.
However, my Unsigned Angel takes away memories. But my

Unsigned Angel takes away memories to imitate the flesh. I think at
that moment, I’m undoubtedly connected to a Quasi-Spirit’s……soul
or something like that.”
Despite having an indifferent vagueness, there was a certain weight

to Hibiki’s words.
“……Specifically, how would you proceed?”
As Kurumi asked, Hibiki gave a complicated expression.
Page | 187
“Uhh……using <King Killing> and before completely snatching away
Jugasaki-san, I’ll forcefully release it.”
“Ara, ara. That’s a sinister act no matter how you phrase it. Hibiki-
san, please declare the shortcomings first honestly.”
Uneasy sweat fell down Hibiki’s back while looking at Kurumi’s cold
eyes.
“First of all……with Jugasaki-san’s current state, the robbery could

succeed. In other words, I will be replaced by Jugasaki-san. Of
course, I would disappear. And then, I would release it right after
stealing……I’ve never done this before so I don’t know if it is
impossible or what state it would cause. But it is pretty dangerous.”
“Feelings aside, what is the success rate?”
“3……no around 20%......”
“Rejected. Only above 80% will be taken into consideration.”
Kurumi easily dismissed this. The disadvantages were too great. Of

course, Kurumi wanted to save Jugasaki. However, she wasn’t foolish
enough to throw Higoromo Hibiki into a reckless operation.
“……If you work together with someone close to Jugasaki-san, it may

be possible.”
“Close to Jugasaki-san, that would mean──”
In other words, it would be Banouin Kareha.
“……I see. In order to save Jugasaki-san, we must help Kareha-san.

And to do that, we have to stop her from becoming an Empty.”
“Moreover, no killing yet……”
Page | 188
“Kurumi-san, what is the success rate?”
Hibiki casted the previous question in reverse just now.
Without hesitation, Kurumi informed her.
“It’s around 10%. But certainly Kareha-san will be dragged here.”
Tokisaki Kurumi smiled fearlessly. Because of this smile, the

surrounding tension finally loosened.
She would certainly do it. Nothing was impossible for her. At least,
Hibiki was confident of that.
“Then, we need to wait until Kareha-dono is discovered.”
“But the results don’t seem optimistic. Although Sagakure-san is

helping to──”
Immediately afterwards, as if to match that timing, everyone

received a message from the smartphone’s app.
Sagakure Yui had discovered Banouin Kareha.
Yui’s discovery of the abandoned house was not coincidental, but

rather through careful reasoning and logic.
First of all, it was difficult to imagine that Kareha would head to the
other shore. If that were they case, she would have to leave the
teahouse, head to the fortress, and then cross the sea from the
beach.
Although Kareha had disappeared from the roof of the teahouse

under the cover of her cherry blossoms, the possibility of not being
noticed by any Quasi-Spirit was extremely low.
Page | 189
In that case, Kareha would head to the direction of Banouin Castle.
She wouldn’t enter the castle, but into the mountains behind it.
Despite being somewhat steep, this dense forest would cover

Kareha.
But that was the end to her analysis. After that, they could only
conduct a down-to earth search.
So Yui decided to do a carpet search while working with the Quasi-

Spirits Mizuha had also instructed.
Dividing the mountains by a grid, she explored each area one by one
until discovering this abandoned house.
“……This smell.”
The residual odor was too weak to be called the stench of death.
Although it was something that an ordinary Quasi-Spirit couldn’t
perceive, Yui was a mechanical doll Kunoichi.
The fight here……no, it was unilateral slaughter rather than an actual

fight. She guessed that the lives of several people had come to end in
an instant.
“Here?”
Yui followed the footprints on the ground. Not far from this
abandoned house, she should be able to find her from this trail.
Yui decided to leave the abandoned house.
Silently leaping from each tree branch to the next, she continued
following the trail of footprints on the ground. <Izuna> had turned
Yui’s body semitransparent.
The scenery suddenly became brighter.
Page | 190
It was a solitary open space in the forest. She was there, sitting
straight and closing her eyes as if meditating.
“……Hm? Is it Yui? So you’ve found me.”
Even without opening her eyes, Kareha had recognized Yui’s

presence. Yui felt shaken and a little confused as she opened her
mouth.
“……Yes. Kareha-sama. Please return to Kareha Castle.”
“If you take one step closer, I may kill you?”
As soon as that remark was made, Yui’s footsteps came to a halt. She
knew what the other person said was true. If she took another step,
Kareha would mercilessly cut her down.
“If you want to defeat, please call Tokisaki-san. I will stay here.
Always.”
“……I understand.”
“Yui.”
Yui stopped upon hearing that call. Kareha remained unchanged,

speaking while keeping her eyelids closed.
“When you turn Empty, your values will change. Becoming hungry
and hollow, if you don’t find something different to fill the vessel,
then you’ll feel at a complete loss of what to do.”
“As for me, what I want is to fight each other. ……Alright, go back and
tell Tokisaki-san of this location. Don’t tell anyone else
Page | 191
anyway……that will only increase the amount of unnecessary
sacrifices.”
“Yes.”
Yui sharply took a step back, raising a smoke signal to stop the
search. As Kareha had said, she would surely not move from this
spot.
She would wait here for Tokisaki Kurumi and then fight her.
But by that time, the Empty process would accelerate and her ego
will collapse.
Kurumi nodded after hearing Sagakure Yui’s report.
“Can you show me the way?”
“Of course I can.”
“Will you be okay?”
Confronted by Hibiki’s uneasy inquiry, Kurumi thought for a moment.
“Sure enough, I said around 10%, right? But, that’s right. Materials
need to be gathered first.
Mizuha-san, may I ask a few questions?”
“Ah, alright……what do you want to ask?”
“Can you please tell me Kareha-san’s abilities? What can or can’t be

done with her Unsigned Angel and Astral Dress──”
“……That……I can’t do……”
“Ara, why would that be?”
Page | 192
“Even I’m not aware of Kareha-ane sama’s abilities. The name of her
Unsigned Angel is <Ougai Sange>. When the fan is opened, it scatters
sakura petals in order to attack……that’s about what I know. Her
Astral Dress is called ──Flower Creation Spirit Dress No. 17 < Bleume
Ales>; I don’t know anything other than that.”
“……She really is cautious.”
Mizuha smiled bitterly.
“Perhaps I didn’t have her trust. My older sister is a mysterious

person.”
“……Is that so? I think Kareha-san very, very, much……cherishes you.”
Kurumi could help but smile.
“How about we go with you?”
“……No, if possible, just leave this to me and Kareha-san. I imagine

the situation is bound to escalate into a fierce fight.”
“I’m fine with that……”
As Hibiki complained, Kurumi lightly flicked her forehead.
“No matter how much you don’t care, aren’t there things I don’t wish
to show others?”
“Mu, then it can’t be helped. We’ll be waiting for you here.”
“Yes, yes. And please let the other Quasi-Spirits adhere to this policy
as well.”
“I understand. I’ll inform them along with Higoromo-san.”
“Next then──Cistus!”
Page | 193
From the shadows, a pair of hands emerged. Mizuha let out a
startled shriek.
Cistus emerged from the shadows.
“What’s wrong, me?”
“……I think there is a high possibility of my fight with Kareha-san

getting interrupted.”
“I imagine so as well.”
“So it’s your job to clear out the hindrances first.”
“Yes, yes. I understand. Me. So I will head out first.”
Cistus gently jumped out from the castle tower.
“Where is Cistus going?”
“Opening a path to lend a hand. If Sagakure-san’s analysis is correct,

the Empties that have resonated with the White Queen are defiantly
lurking. Kareha-san doesn’t seem to want to give in, but she could
become polluted if left unchecked.”
“My sister……would stand by the White Queen……?”
“It’s a possibility, nothing more than that.”
Fanaticism always originates in emptiness.
And in her current state, Banouin Kareha was definitely in danger.
“To sum it up, I, Tokisaki Kurumi, will fight against the Dominion of
Eighth Region Banouin Kareha. We’ll use to the opportunity of
fighting for one’s life to stop her from emptying. After helping her
regain her reasoning, I’ll bring her back here.”
Page | 194
“Yes. Then I’ll take over and invade Jugasaki-san’s mind with <King
Killing> and rescue her with Kareha-san.”
“Well, well. Both I and Hibiki-san have it quite rough. And here I
thought it would have been a more quiet summer vacation.”
“That said……please bring back Kareha-san as soon as possible.”
Hibiki asked while raising a single hand.
“Yes, look forward to a delivery on the same day.”
Kurumi fearlessly smiled while clapping her hands.
The whispers that she had rejected were growing stronger again. She
bit into her cheek muscles and tried to resist it with the pain──but
she couldn’t reject it. There was the feeling of it grower stronger by
the day. Despite not liking it, she couldn’t deny it feeling
comfortable.
──What makes you feel good?
──Have you ever experienced a numbing happiness?
──Have you ever considered what it means to be here?
──Hey, hey, hey. Do you want to erase your anguish, agony, and
despair?
“……Don’t listen.”
Kareha whispered as if trying to convince herself.
Under this wind, the sound of the rustling leaves felt like a vicious
sneer.
“Come here, hurry up, hurry up……”

Page | 195
Desperate for death, longing for life, requesting a chance to come
back, her wishes were changing by the second.
Her heartbeat echoed in her ears. She felt a terrible headache. Like
almost losing her memories, it felt like something important was
missing.
Eliminate these evil thoughts through breathing……at least this could

help eliminate her perception of these whispers.
Then, Kareha felt it.
The noise of the forest turned silent for a moment, as if held under
threat of gunfire by a muzzle.
The evening cicadas began to chirp. By the time she opened her
eyes, the blue sky had turned into a sunset sky.
Did she lose consciousness or did the pain of waiting cause her to
lose track of time?
Either way, she──finally arrived.
A black and red Astral Dress that blended with the evening glow. A
vintage pistol and long rifle was held in her hands.
“Have I kept you waiting?”
“You made it. So I’ll forgive you, Tokisaki-san.”
“Aren’t your feet numb from sitting here for so long?”
“Don’t be absurd.”
Kareha stood up with a bitter smile. In this dense forest, this was the
only open area where one could see the sunset.
Page | 196
A red sky that was suitable for death.
A red sky that was suitable for slaughter.
“……Come and let’s kill each other.”
The fan──<Ougai Sange> opened.
“Kihihihi.”
Kurumi smiled suddenly and hurled her weapons forward. The

weapon Kurumi took out this time was by no means a water gun, but
rather an old-style gun that would cause a fatal injury once the
trigger was pulled. And behind her was a huge clock dial.
Kareha’s heart was soaked with both fear and joy.
“──Banouin Kareha. Unsigned Angel <Ougai Sange>.”
“──Tokisaki Kurumi. Angel <Zafkiel>.”
The sakura petals scattered, the shadows converged.
“Come, come.” “Let us.” “Let us.” “Fight (date).” “Date (fight).”
──It had begun.
The sound of loud gunfire.
The world was beautiful and cruel, which is why there was a longing
for life (death).
Rapid fire that just took a few seconds, the condensed shadow
projectiles was blocked by <Ougai Sange>. However, in the time it
took to swing the fan, Kurumi fired five more rounds.
“Tekka.”
Page | 197
But the bullets dissolved against the harden petals. Kurumi clicked
her tongue──the countless petals surrounding Banouin Kareha made
it difficult to hit her.
“The First Bullet <Aleph>……!”
“I knew you would do that.”
Shoot the First Bullet <Aleph> at herself to challenge her in close-

combat.
“Agito.”
Kareha waved her folding fan──the sakura petals attacked. In peril,

Kurumi kicked against a tree trunk to change directions to avoid the
attacks.
“With a swing of your fan, you can change your sakura petals into
iron. And then you surround your enemies with them to attack. It’s a
standard but rather tricky weapon.”
“You’re the one using rather outdated weapons.”
A cheap provocation, but Kurumi intentionally responded.
Page | 198
Page | 199
“Ara, ara. You can’t appreciate their elegance?”
“I wouldn’t know. A rugged gun wouldn’t be a good match for our

Quasi-Spirits……that sounds like the malicious words that child would
say. ……Huh? That child’s name……what was it again……”
Kareha’s eyes winded. While confronting her, Kurumi told her.
“Jugasaki Retsumi, the Quasi-Spirit which you gave a name to.”
Upon hearing that name, the light returned to Kareha’s eyes.
“……Yes, that’s right. That’s right……why would that important

thing……be almost forgotten.
No matter what, I wish to remember it.”
“Could it be because it matters that you almost forgotten it?”
“Maybe so!”
Slowly, Kareha took staggering steps.
“Hato.” (TL note: kanji 波濤 reads as surging waves)
If the sakura petals just now were attacking like a fierce serpent, this
time it was like a terrible tsunami. The sakura petals produced by the
fan proliferated explosively.
“Ku──!”
Kurumi leaped backwards and escaped into the forest. However,

since each individual sakura petal was small, the trees couldn’t stop
their invasion. The flower petals zigzagged and attacked like a flood.
There was little time for thinking in this severe situation.
Page | 200
However.
“The Third Bullet <Gimmel>……!”
But for Kurumi, who walked through the tightrope of life and death
countless times, this wasn’t a crisis.
Under the influence of the Third Bullet <Gimmel>, the trees

accelerated in aging as they collapsed one by one. She rushed to one
of the huge trees that she kicked down.
“If you have a tsunami, I’ll make a raft.”
Even if it withered, the size of the tree was large enough to block the
petals. Rather than a raft, the huge tree better resembled a
surfboard. Kurumi approached forward while continuously shooting
from <Zafkiel>.
But that was no threat to Kareha. No matter how poor her condition
was, she was still a Dominion after all.
“Ninjiyō.” (TL Note: Kanji 刃傷 reads as bloodshed)
The sakura petals gathered around her closed fan to assume a

sword-like shape.
With a blade exceeding 10 meters, Kareha swung the sword to cut

down the approaching tree and slash off Kurumi’s head.
The moment before the sword could wound her body, Kurumi
blocked the attack with <Zafkiel>.
<Zafkiel> creaked, but its barrel wasn’t sliced off.
“The folding fan does everything! No, isn’t the essence the petals
themselves?”
Page | 201
“Exactly. This folding fan……as you say, it’s something like the
catalyst. It isn’t everything.
Perhaps seeing that it shouldn’t go on like this, Kareha regrouped to

gain some distance.
With a swing of her fan, the petals that made up the blade
scattered……but the petals didn’t land and stayed around Kareha.
Kurumi also knew that each petal had the sharpness of a razor and
the toughness of steal. In contrast, that huge blade was just for
show.
“……Somehow, the information seems to be flowing in. I know all of

Tokisaki-san’s tricks.
First Bullet <Aleph> to accelerate, Second Bullet <Bet> to slow down,

Fourth Bullet <Dalet> to rewind time, and the Seventh Bullet
<Zayin>……to stop time.”
“The harmful influence of the emptying process. Looks like

information is forcefully shared.”
“……So my condition is completely exposed?”
“Yes, yes, it is completed exposed──but even then there is no

problem.”
A yellow Astral Dress just like a sunflower fluttered in the air.
All of the Empties died under the golden light of that sun.
“──My apologizes. I sympathize with your existence, but I can’t

overlook trying to force erosion on someone who is trying to
endure.”
Page | 202
Cistus declared coldly as she pulled the trigger. The Empties
disappeared into light participles, misunderstanding the joy of what
they had done until the very end.
“……So in conclusion, no one will get in the way.”
“I should give you my thanks, it seems.”
Kareha laughed. Kurumi clenched the short gun in her hand.
“I don’t know what you are trying to do──”
“Yes, I already have a plan.”
To try and kill each other, but not kill. A killer who would not kill.
Even if she wanted to, she wouldn’t kill.
Despite this contradiction, Tokisaki Kurumi──still smiled calmly.
“The Second Bullet <Bet>!”
Kurumi chose the bullet that could delay time. While moving around
with the momentum from kicking the trees, was she waiting for the
opportunity to shoot the Second Bullet <Bet>?
With her arms, could she shoot through the dozens of sakura petals
guarding her?
……The answer would be no.
Once the trigger was pulled, the bullet could only advance forward.
The chances of hitting her were close to zero.
What’s more, she had seen through Kurumi’s tactics. She had chosen
the Second Bullet <Bet> rather than the Seventh Bullet <Zayin> in
order to conserve time.
Page | 203
In that case, Kareha made her decision.
To be on the safe side, she implemented defenses to thoroughly

avoid getting struck by the Second bullet <Bet>.
Hide in the woods and wait for her time to run out. In that case, she
would run out of cards to play.
At the same time she carefully set her trap and waited.
“<Zafkiel>──the Second Bullet <Bet>!”
In this manner, she used the Second Bullet <Bet> seven times. But
not a single time did it hit Kareha. She avoided all of the attacks.
Kareha carefully placed pieces of petals used to protect herself onto

the ground little by little so Kurumi wouldn’t notice. Five groups of
petals had been deployed. They had fallen on to the ground,
masqueraded to the point where it wouldn’t be noticed without
careful observation. In such battles, people rarely take the ground
into consideration.
Obediently fall in to that trap. Step in there. Despite being pushed on

the defensive, she plotted her strategy.
Striking with her own strategy while trying to kill each other. Just by
doing that, she felt fulfillment from her work.
That emptiness and whispers would go away.
“Really, you’re such a good person, Tokisaki-san.”
“Ara, ara. What do you mean by that? I’m a good person? Kihihihi.
That’s an amusing joke!”
Now!
Page | 204
“──Kika.” (TL Note: Kanji 奇貨 reads as rare opportunity) Opening
her fan, the hidden flower petals revealed their identity as they
flooded towards Kurumi from front, back, left, right, and above.
“Hmm, I see. I take back that previous statement. The two of us are
really alike to think up something so similar.”
“Eh……?”
It was at that moment, Kurumi kicked off against the ground.
“The Second Bullet <Bet> is a bullet that delays time. It’s not as
powerful as the Seventh Bullet
<Zayin>, but it all depends on how one uses it.”
“……!”
Just in that moment, the situation had reversed. The petals were
swept away as something had struck Kareha. The attack came from
every direction, leaving her nowhere to escape Blood coughed out
from her mouth.
“……A tree……?”
Kurumi stood there while still having that smile on her face. ……No,
that wasn’t a smile. It was just like a crescent moon in the night sky,
a cunning and ominous smirk.
“……Be that as it may, I wasn’t able to come out unscathed either.”
The petals that couldn’t be avoided tore through Kurumi’s Astral

Dress. But she was not fatally injured. The trees had swept away
most of the petals.
The Second Bullet <Bet> she had originally fired was not intended to
hit Kareha, but rather the surrounding trees.
Page | 205
But Kareha still couldn’t figure it out. Why did the fallen trees lunge
at her? Kareha desperately tried to figure it out while panting
intensely.
Delaying time……slowing down…… Even if the tree was kicked, they

delay would continue until released……
“Ah, so that’s it……”
“Yes. My Second Bullet <Bet> can delay the effects of momentum.”
The trees struck by the Second Bullet <Bet>. At that moment,

everything was postponed. Even if kicked, it would only stay there
with that power stored.
“After that……I fought while adjusting the timing with the Second
Bullet <Bet> so that all of them would launch together.”
“How daring. To do something as difficult as that!”
As soon as she was amazed, Kareha sighed. Kurumi phrased it lightly,

but this took extraordinary skill. The bullet’s powers weren’t
extraordinary, but rather it was Kurumi’s usage of it. How much time
should be delayed with the Second Bullet <Bet>, how much force
should be placed in each kick, which coordinate to direct the motion
vector, the appropriate firing interval for each bullet──it was
impossible to accomplish today’s results without solving all of that in
just a couple of seconds.
The throbbing pain dominated her body.
“……It hurts.”
“You look like you’re in a lot of pain.”
Page | 206
“After all, I was hit by trees coming from every direction. ……I lost.
Hurry up and kill me.”
“Oh, you’re not resisting being killed?”
“Of course. After all, I’m gradually turning into an Empty. Sooner or
later, I’ll end up in the White Queen’s clutches, don’t you know?”
“As long as you can resist it.”
“……I don’t think so. Besides, I’m always terrified of not knowing
when I will betray you all.
You must kill me.”
“But, if you find a reason to live──”
In order to stop a Quasi-Spirit from becoming an Empty, they must

find meaning for existence that couldn’t be extinguished.
“That can’t be done. Because, I actually──”
──Actually, I’ve been dead since a long time ago.
The firm tone in Kareha’s words firmly resonated with Kurumi’s

heart.
Page | 207
○Blooming Fervently in Full Glory
When Banouin Kareha first arrived in the Neighboring World, she
didn’t remember it. She just remembered that her last name was
Banouin and her little sister was Mizuha. And she was surrounded by
her father, mother, grandfather, grandmother, and many
servants……a blissful, luxurious life that could almost be described as
boring.
That’s all she remembered.
In the Neighboring World, through terror, excitement, and

restlessness, every day was lived to the fullest.
……Sometimes she wanted to return to those boring days, but that

feeling would be soon forgotten.
She didn’t care about the past. The present was now more
important.
After fighting against a Quasi-Spirit in the Tenth Region Malkuth, she

was caught in the Compile──engulfed by a dark memory.
Kareha had no idea which Spirit this memory belonged to.
It was the memory of a Spirit triggering a spacequake. There was a

mountain of rubble as far as the eye could see, and a single girl
standing alone.
Although this memory short-lived, it gave Kareha’s memories a

violent stimulation.
The memories that should have been sealed were brought back to
life.
She had already died from a disaster. The cause of the disaster was
unknown. It may have been an earthquake, spacequake, typhoon, or
Page | 208
some other man-made accident. Well, the cause didn’t matter too
much.
After all, Kareha was crushed underneath the rubble and a fire had
broken out. She understood that her father, mother, grandparents,
and servants had all died. The diffused smoke was causing her to
cough. At the same time, she understood, “ah, so this is a dead end.”
“Sister──!”
Her little sister kept crying, trying to pull her out of the rubble while
shouting “No, no.”
“Don’t do this, you have to run away.”
Despite wanting to say that, her throat was trembling but her voice
wouldn’t come out. It seemed that her lungs had been crushed.
God, God.
I may die in this completely helpless manner.
But in that case, at least leave a way for my little sister Mizuha to
survive.
If she were to die a meaningless death, at least──give her a

meaningful life.
So, with certainty, she had died then.
However, after opening her eyelids, she found that they were in a
different world. Mizuha was openly crying with a tear-stained face,
but she didn’t seem to know why.
But there was one thing that they both knew.
Page | 209
They weren’t humans, but rather an existence called Quasi-Sprits──it
was only that.
“As soon as I remembered, the emptying process began.”
“Because you realized you died……?”
Confronted by Kurumi’s question, Kareha weakly replied.
“I don’t know……perhaps that’s the case. After all, there are not
many Quasi-Spirits like me who can remember what happened
before death. Even if there is, they usually gather in the Tenth Region
Malkuth.”
The Tenth Region Malkuth was different from the Eighth Region Hod,
a region where killing was clearly required. It was a place where
Quasi-Spirits couldn’t live without walking on the boundary between
life and death.
“……So if you go to the Tenth Region Malkuth……”
There was still hope. As long as she continued killing there without
being killed, there is the possibility of survival.
“Hmm. But, I already understand. My dedication towards life hasn’t

reached the point where I would keep killing until being killed. And
one more thing, I want that……I despise that.”
“What do you hate?”
“……I don’t want to say it. Even if I don’t say it, you should know by
now.”
As if giving up, Kareha laughed.
Page | 210
“So, I’ve decided to die here. ……Is that fine?”
After a long silence, Kurumi slowly shook her head.
“I’m not qualified to give any permission for this. This is your choice
Kareha-san. ……But there is one thing that I need you to do. You
need to save Jugasaki-san.”
“What happened to Retsu-chan?”
“She’s in a coma. If you don’t have the strongest connection to

Jugasaki-san, she will probably die.”
Hearing those words caused Kareha to sigh.
“……I have to save her. Please take me there. Ah, but before that……”
“Before that?”
Kareha shrugged.
“Can you help heal my injuries?”
“Yes, of course (gunshot).”
Kurumi smirked and pulled the trigger. The bullet fired was the
Fourth Bullet <Dalet>. Although her injuries were repaired, Kareha
widened her eyes in surprise.
“What kind of person shoots while she is talking!?”
“When using the Fourth Bullet <Dalet>, I wanted to be scary. It was

just a mischievous prank.”
“I ask you to stop before going to far.”
Kareha lightly tapped Kurumi’s proud head with her fan.
“You’re truly incomprehensible.”
Page | 211
“Don’t fret, you have to hurry.”
“Incidentally, Hibiki-san is always saying, “Please don’t shoot! You

absolutely can’t shoot!?”
But as a matter of course, I always aim for her brows. I don’t know
why she stares angrily at me after that.”
“Ah, that’s for sure. It’s the same with me. That definitely would
never work.”
“Right? I haven’t done anything wrong.”
“No, I meant you’ve done something wrong.”
The two of them looked at each other and couldn’t stop laughing.
“……It feels strange how we get along.”
“Why? I’m obviously not the type to make friends.”
“What about Retsu-chan?”
Kareha turned away with a bashful face.
“That girl……look, she is. A close friend, a comrade, a companion,

something like that.”
“Ah, you’re trying to make a distinction somehow.”
“Isn’t Higoromo-san the same for you?”
“……No, not really. Hibiki-san doesn’t exist that way for me.”
“Hmm……”
Kareha’s sensible expression caused Kurumi to feel a bit

uncomfortable. So she lightly kicked her. Naturally, Kareha retaliated
back.
Page | 212
The two of them kicked back and forth to the point of a cat fight
breaking out. But realizing that now wasn’t the time for this; they
ended the meaningless scuffle and quickly set off.
Seeing Kareha and Kurumi flying over to the castle, Hibiki and the
others expressed their relief.
“Sister!”
“Ah, Mizuha. I’ll talk to you later.”
Kareha stroked Mizuha’s head and approached Jugasaki. Mizuha

froze in place. She felt overwhelmed by both being left out and
having her head stroked again.
“So she’s been sleeping ever since then, this slacker.”
Kareha lightly smiled while pinching Jugasaki’s nose.
“Alright……Higoromo-san, what should I do? Is there anything

necessary?”
“It’s fine. All you need is my Unsigned Angel.”
Hibiki summoned her Unsigned Angel to her right hand──<King

Killing>. The surroundings were ruffled by the evil look of those huge
claws.
“Ah, although it looks fierce, it’s basically not for attacking!”
While speaking, Hibiki held Kareha’s hand with her right hand.
“There’s not much time, so let’s infiltrate Jugasaki’s mind as soon as

possible. That being said, she looks like she simply lost consciousness
in my opinion.”
“Understood. Alright, Retsu-chan, I’m here to save you.”

Page | 213
“Kareha-san, good luck. ……No, rather than saying that. Please
treasure your own heart.”
Under the watch of everyone, <King Killing> touched Jugasaki’s

chest.
“Connected to the core of Jugasaki Retsumi──let’s go!”
As those words came to an end, the surrounding landscape became

distorted. The memories rotated in reverse at a furious momentum.
Everything that constituted Jugasaki Retsumi, her creed, character,

philosophy, all sorts of cherished things──
Kareha jumped into it all.
──The starting point.
Alone, empty and scared, standing at a bus stop with no clear

destination.
Her name had disappeared.
Neighboring World, Quasi-Spirit, bestowed with an Astral Dress and

Unsigned Angel.
The rain never stopped and there was no destination.
So where should I go?
“Come here, here.”
A girl appeared and pulled her hand. She learned what was necessary
to live in this Neighboring World and learned how to fight.
Page | 214
Ah, but I don’t have a name.
Even with an Astral Dress and Unsigned Angel, there was no sense of
self──
“If you don’t care, let me give you a name.”
With those words, she gave me all that I wanted to do.
There was a steady stream of guilt.
Because the name I gave you was merely on a whim. I lightly gave
your life a direction. There was nothing more sinful than this.
You don’t need to thank me for anything. Because someone else

would have given you a more appropriate name.
So please don’t look at me with such touching eyes.
You should embrace a better life.
──Intermediate point.
The girl who gave me my name, for some reason always seemed so
lonely.
She is strong. Everyone, including her little sister, respects her. While
arrogant, there was also elegance.
But why, why, does she seem so lonely?
So, while it was embarrassing, I wanted to be her friend.
I wanted to fill up that loneliness even if for a little.
Really, she allowed for people to feel embarrassed.
If you ask me, that girl was just like a sunflower.

Page | 215
Beautiful like a jewel and shining brightly during summer.
Competing with you, understanding you, and talking to you.
And each time she glowed. I really think there is no better person to
lead the Eighth Region Hod.
No jealousy, just happiness and pride.
──Dead end.
……What should I do? What should I fight?
I already noticed in my heart. I can never see her again.
In that case, I have no meaning to survive.
“……You’re a fool.”
Hearing that leisurely voice, Jugasaki hurriedly turned around.
“……Kareha-chan?”
Someone she wanted to meet, to compete against, to not lose to,

the girl that she didn’t want to feel lonely was standing in front of
her.
“Go back, Retsu-chan.”
She slightly tilted her head while holding onto that hand.
“Why are you here?”
“Because of a mysterious phenomenon.”
“Like that, so it is that mysterious?”
Jugasaki quickly accepted Kareha’s statement. Since Kareha said it

was mysterious, it should be mysterious.
Page | 216
“But……are you okay? Can we get along again?”
“……Just for a bit, we can still get along.”
“How much is a bit?”
“You really are obstinate……let me think. Let’s go play together.”
“Hmm, that’s not enough.”
“Do you want to stay overnight?”
“If you want to do that, let’s stay together all day! That’ll be more
fun!”
“Well, if it’s only that, it should be fine.”
“After that, let’s play together!”
This caused a brief silence between the two. Jugasaki, feeling her
request was a bit intrusive, gazed on at Kareha’s expression while
trembling a bit.
Banouin Kareha had an expression that looked like a mix of crying

and laughter for a moment.
But after seeing Jugasaki sulk, she covered her mouth with her
folding fan and chuckled.
“……Yes. Let’s always play together. If that’s the case, can you go
back?”
“Huh, go back……how do I go back?”
“Hmm, I don’t know. Can you go back if you wish to return?”
“Eh, how could it be that easy……”
Page | 217
“No, even if it feels too casual, please leave as soon as possible!”
Suddenly, someone squeezed in to interrupt them.
“Ah, Higoromo-san.” “Oh, Colonel Higoromo!”
“Will you both please work harder? In the inner part of the mind, I
can’t solve this problem!
Look over there!”
The two of them looked at the direction where Hibiki pointed. Both
of them tilted their heads at the sight.
“Uh, is the ground crumbling?”
“Also, it feels like something is approaching.”
As if it were jelly or pudding crushed by a spoon, there were large

fissures on the ground.
“Yes, because I am usurping Jugasaki-san’s personality and mind. So,

uh, that’s just like a metaphor? If swallowed by that crack……I will
really become Jugasaki-san in reality.”
“……Y-You guys were trying something this crazy──!?”
“So I want to stop as soon as possible! I didn’t mean to become

Jugasaki-san at all!”
“U-Uhh, then what should I do!?”
Hibiki grabbed Jugasaki’s confused shoulders and spoke while

shaking her.
“Fly into the sky!”
Page | 218
“Fly where!?”
“Anyway, please keep going up. If the surface of the mind rises, then
I will be forcefully blown away!”
“I-I see……Kareha-chan, let’s hurry together.”
“Ah, um. Then Higoromo-san, we’ll fly up now.”
Jugasaki and Kareha softly floated in the air. Jugasaki flew straight up
as instructed.
“Wow, so this is my head! It’s a mess!”
Jugasaki giggled happily.
“It’s my first time experiencing flying in someone else’s mind,

but……Retsu-chan’s head looks like a trash can flipped upside down.”
“What was that? Kareha-chan’s head must be quite like this as well.”
“Which one would that be? There must be a beautiful scene within
my head.”
Carefully organized, painted pure white, and empty──
“Then, I’m going to bother and make a mess there.”
“……That, might sound interesting. Do you want to mess me up?”
Kareha laughed. Jugasaki’s face flushed red upon hearing that. With
her being surprisingly innocent, she was very weak coping in regards
to that issue.
“W-What is that really, I’m not good in that.”
“Right. You are still an oboko.”
Page | 219
“Oboko. What is that, the name of a weapon?”
“Well, just ask Mizuha. That child actually very much resembles that
word.”
“Ah, yes! I remembered! Will I be the Dominion when I wake up!?”
“Yes.”
“Isn’t there a bunch of things to do!?”
“I would assume so.”
“Won’t there be any spare time for having fun?”
“Hmm, well can’t you give priority to have fun first? After all, haven’t
you been working hard until now?”
After listening to what Kareha had said, Jugasaki looked confused for
a moment, but then quickly nodded in agreement.
“Yeah, there are times where one wouldn’t be condemned for take a
small break!”
“Yes, of course, of course.”
“Then, after waking──let’s have some fun!”
“……Hmm. Let’s have lots of fun. But there is one problem.”
As Jugasaki looked confused, Kareha continued on.
“Weren’t you scared after seeing how I looked?”
Kareha said that with her tone less confident than usual.
Gradually, the color of the sky began to change. Night was over and
dawn had arisen. The golden morning light began to dye Jugasaki’s
world.
Page | 220
“……How beautiful.”
“I-I’m beautiful!?”
“No. ……I meant the scenery.”
“Ah, so it was that.”
“What’s wrong? Do you want me to praise you for being pretty and
cute?”
Jugasaki, who had been silent for a moment, whispered.
“……Yes. Even I……would like to be praised like that……”
“Haha. Are you referring to the person from the legends?”
“The person from the legends? Is that the rumor of the person who
is sometimes seen during the Compile? Isn’t that a hoax?”
“It doesn’t seem to be a rumor. That Tokisaki-san seems to be

chasing after that person from the legends.”
“Eh!? No, hold on. Isn’t that boy in the other world!?”
“That’s right. Because of this, Tokisaki-san has been traveling across

the different regions of the Neighboring World. If she can perhaps
reach the First Region Keter, maybe she’ll be able to return to the
other world?”
“……To do that would be completely nuts! That Tokisaki is amazing!”
“Yes. That’s what it’s like to be in love.”
A single sigh.
Jugasaki looked up in the sky and whispered.
“Hey──will we also be able to fall in love?”
Page | 221
“I suppose it’s possible? ……Although I’m not in love with anyone
yet.”
“You are a lonely person, Kareha-chan.”
“I don’t think it matters. Ah, the exit should be coming up.”
Jugasaki looked up as well. The sky that glowed white past the
golden sky was infinite.
Intuitively, Jugasaki understood that this was the end.
“Alright, let’s wake up together!”
“It’s because of you that I’ve had such a hard time──”
Reaching out to touch the sky, it was like holding a film of air. After
pressing hard against it, the film suddenly burst. With that, both of
them had finally noticed. It seemed that they had both been
underwater until now.
──Eyes being open.
Jugasaki steadily stood up and found her hand being firmly held by
Kareha. Additionally, Hibiki, who had been sleeping on Kurumi’s
knees, also woke up. But wanting to take advantage of this situation,
she laid tightly on Kurumi’s legs while pretending to be asleep.
“Retsu-chan……good morning.”
Looking at her pure white long hair, Jugasaki broke into tears.
On the other hand, Kareha happily laughed while fidgeting with her
long hair.
Page | 222
“Does white hair look good on me?”
“……It is fine, isn’t it?”
“No problem at all.”
Listening to the conversation between the two, Kurumi slightly

turned away. Her voice was so persuasive that even Kurumi, who
knew about it, could be convinced.
Kareha was trying her best to weave a lie. And to this, Jugasaki was──
“Great!”
Jugasaki screamed while hugging Kareha. An innocent smile and joy,

it seemed Jugasaki honestly believed her from the bottom of her
heart.
“Then let’s play! Where should we go first!”
“Anywhere is fine, but shouldn’t you change clothes first?”
“Huh? Ah, I am wearing pajamas. Okay, I’ll change into an Astral

Dress, wait for me for a bit!
We are going to have so much fun starting from today!”
Jugasaki jumped out of the futon while full of energy.
“Higoromo-san, Mizuha. Although I’m a bit embarrassed, can I have

fun for a bit? Anyway, if I were here, the situation would grow even
more complicated.”
“Y-Yes. I don’t mind──”
“Alright Mizuha!”
Jugasaki changed clothes and came back in no time. She leaned over
Mizuha’s shoulder and asked her innocently.
Page | 223
“What is an oboko?”
“Obo……obo!?”
Mizuha looked confused as her face flushed red. As Hibiki secretly

laughed while still pretending to be asleep, Kurumi pinched her
cheeks.
“Oh. Kareha-chan told me that Mizuha can tell me more about it.”
“Sister!?”
“It’s fine, it’s fine. You should tell her. As a Dominion, it’s necessary
to receive this education, right?”
“Hmm? Is it something difficult to say?”
“No, it’s not difficult……Jugasaki-san, listen.”
Mizuha gently whispered into Jugasaki’s ears.
“Oboko is……whether or not you are experienced in sexual matters.”
Jugasaki’s face turned completely red after she heard that.
“Kareha────────────────────!”
“Ahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!”
Kareha loudly laughed as Jugasaki chased after her.
──This issue had come to an end. The surrounding people must have
thought of it like that. But Kareha didn’t think so and neither did
Kurumi.
But what about Jugasaki? She was smiling so innocently, so it was

impossible to tell. After a moment of hesitation, Kurumi decided to
tell Hibiki the truth. Pulling on her sleeves, both of them exited the
Page | 224
castle. Afterwards, both of them went to a teahouse that was open
for business.
After being greeted by the clerk, she listened to their request of

being left alone to talk.
“Um……so what’s wrong?”
“Kareha-san’s transformation into becoming an Empty is unlikely to

have stopped.”
“──Huh?”
Hibiki lowered her head with a stunned look, turning pale as she
understood the meaning behind Kurumi’s words.
“H-How can it be!? Shouldn’t have it been already resolved……!?”
“Not yet. Kareha-san’s emptying hasn’t stopped. I’m afraid sooner or

later she will become an Empty.”
“But the progress should have stopped……”
“In order to achieve that, she has to keep fighting with her life at
stake. However, Kareha-san has rejected this method. And she
neither wants to turn the Eighth Region Hod into a battlefield like the
Tenth Region Malkuth nor does she intend to head to the Tenth
Region Malkuth.”
“Why……if she heads to the Tenth Region Malkuth with her

ability……she should be able to even become Dominion.”
“……About that point.”
Kurumi also didn’t know the reason. Only, she could vaguely
understand the truth.
Perhaps, she──
Page | 225
“Anyway, I can’t stop Kareha-san anymore. And what’s even more
troublesome is her authority as a Dominion.”
“……There’s the possibility of being used by the White Queen……?”
“Yes, yes. I’m also worried about that. Kareha-san has likely also
considered this. So──”
“……Does that mean choosing self-destruction? How can that be!”
Hibiki loudly stood up from the teahouse chair. Kurumi also felt
troubled. Despite it not being related to herself, she still felt helpless.
Die or kill.
If that choice was in front of Kurumi, she wouldn’t hesitate on

deciding to kill.
But that would be her choice as Tokisaki Kurumi. ……She didn’t think
it would be right to force this path onto Kareha.
“But that’s wrong.”
“Isn’t it not up to us to decide?”
“……”
Hibiki lowered her face.
“Isn’t there……anything……a way……”
As Hibiki whispered that, Kurumi grabbed her hand and sadly asked.
“I wanted to ask you. Is there any other way to save her? For
example, something that would change her reason for living.”
“That……I don’t know.”
Page | 226
“Like everyone else……Mizuha-san and Kirari-san, like how they can
calmly live in the Ninth Region Yesod?”
“That’s also……”
Hibiki mumbled something unclear to herself in regret.
“……I think probably Kareha-san has already tried many attempts. So

likely she came to this conclusion after all those various attempts.”
Even Kareha wouldn’t have given up at the very beginning.
As a Dominion, she should have obtained a lot of information. And

on that basis, she had drawn such a conclusion.
“At least if she can live in the Tenth Region Malkuth……no, that’s no
good. There are individual differences even for Quasi-Spirits living in
the Tenth Region Malkuth. From what you’ve said, Kareha’s
transformation into an Empty is quite severe……it’s a miracle she’s
still survived to this day.”
Both of Hibiki’s hands were shaking.
Not just another person, Hibiki was also once an Empty.
“Most importantly, Kareha-san herself doesn’t want to fight in the

Tenth Region Malkuth. No, it’s more complicated than that. Although
it is necessary to kill in order to survive, she has refused to use killing
as means of survival.”
Kurumi remembered Kareha’s weak smile. Although fighting against

Kurumi to her fullest extent allowed her to stay in the Neighboring
World for a little bit longer……it was impossible for her to keep
fighting Kurumi forever.
No, nothing could be done──they were completely stuck.
“……Anyway, we need to watch them……”

Page | 227
“There seems to be nothing else that can be done……”
Hibiki and Kurumi both let out a sigh.
The cicadas began chirping again. Although it was a rich summer

instrument, it felt particularly noisy right now.
“……Kareha-san has been suffering alone all this time.”
“From what she’s said……it seems like it.”
Even a close friend……no she couldn’t tell her because of being a

close friend.
“Hey, Colonel Higoromo and Tokisaki Kurumi────!”
Both of them jumped out of their chairs.
Looking back, it was Jugasaki. Behind her, Kareha was standing

quietly.
“Hey, hey! Banouin Castle──ah no, that’s not it anymore. Even

though the castle is now under my jurisdiction, it’s temporarily being
managed by Mizuha. So, Kareha-chan seems to have a villa. I want to
go play there for a while, how about it!?”
So she was asking for Hibiki and Kurumi’s opinions.
Both of them looked at each other and nodded in agreement.
“Okay, let’s do it now! Let’s enjoy this summer vacation!”
Jugasaki raised her fist.
As Kareha was looking at Jugasaki, Kurumi and Hibiki looked away

without being able to respond.
“I’m so excited──!”
Page | 228
Jugasaki’s scream echoed in the teahouse.
Kareha couldn’t help but smile as she poked Jugasaki’s cheeks.
It was hard to imagine her becoming an Empty while being so

energetic now. For a moment, Hibiki thought that she had
misunderstood what Kurumi had said.
She thought Kareha was pulling a prank and wouldn’t turn into an
Empty.
However, Kareha gently placed her finger against her lips after
intersecting eyes with Hibiki.
Then, she laughed weakly behind Jugasaki. The moment she saw that
smile, Hibiki understood.
──Ah, she’s finished.
She reached her end point a long time ago.
“Okay, let’s go to my villa. You guys are both welcome.”
A villa sounded nice, but it was actually a building full of old Japanese
homes.
Kareha inform them while putting on airs, “it is very distinguishable”.

Jugasaki pleasantly responded with, “at least it’s more humane than
that castle”.
“Ah, the bathroom is huge and clean. That’s pretty impressive.”
Kurumi peered into bathroom and nodded with satisfaction.
“The water facilities are the latest equipment. There are no bugs in
the Neighboring World, so it’s fine to leave the door open. In the real
world, being on the veranda would mean centipedes, beetles, and
Page | 229
stink bugs flying around and mosquitos out for blood, which is very
troublesome……”
“Centipedes can’t fly, right?”
“Falling down from the ceiling is like flying.”
“Ugh.”
Kurumi felt her back tremble a bit from imagining that. Regardless of
being a Quasi-Spirit or Spirit, there was no one that wouldn’t be
intimated by a falling centipede.
“Compared to that, I can’t sleep without a bed.”
“There are futons. A bed would match the décor of this house.
Would you allow this?”
“Kurumi-san, Kurumi-san, if possible, I want to sleep in the shape of a

人 character.”
“As for me, if I feel my chastity is in danger, I will subconsciously pull

the trigger on <Zafkiel>.
So if you want to……”
“Please let me withdraw my previous statement!”
“Because there are four people, why not sleep in the shape of a 井
character?”
“That would mean two people across……and two other people on

bottom will be supporting them……very interesting, I recommend
Hibiki-san be on bottom.”
“That would be too heavy! No, not heavy, Kurumi-san is as light as an

angel’s wings, sir!”
Page | 230
Hibiki gave in under the torture of <Zafkiel> being pressed against
her cheeks.
“Alright, if we do that, I’ll be on top! Kareha-chan looks heavier!”
“No, you would be heavier.”
“Ah?” “Hm?”
Jugasaki and Kareha looked at each other. Even for their closest
friend in the world, there should be a line where neither side could
afford to concede.
“Who is heavier, wouldn’t that be decided in a single shot through a

weight scale?”
Then, Tokisaki Kurumi, who gladly poured oil into this fire, pulled out
an old scale from the washroom.
“Okay, then whose going first?”
“Me! Let me go first!”
Jugasaki took off her coat and socks and gently sat on the scale.
Unfortunately, weight was the most important secret for a Quasi-
Spirit. To phrase it in an acceptable manner, Jugasaki frowned upon
finding that the number was a bit off from her ideal.
“Next up is me. ……Ha!”
Kareha laughed fearlessly as she took off her Astral Dress.
“Eh!?”
“Up to that much!?”
“Losing a battle in weight would be a hopeless failure!”

Page | 231
Kareha, who was all but naked, stood on the scale. To repeat it again,
weight is the most important secret for a Quasi-Spirit. If using
linguistic expression, one could see that Kareha had a proud smile on
her face while looking at the number from the scale.
“Gagagaga, give me another chance!”
Jugasaki also took off her clothes. However, while both were
fighting-type Quasi-Spirits, Jugasaki’s toned muscles from fierce
exercise were different from Kareha who exercised moderately.
“How, come──”
Height and body shape were both about the same, only weight was
different. However, this was an absolute difference.
Such a sad truth was revealed.
Incidentally, Kurumi and Hibiki were also secretly weighed

afterwards, with Kurumi having a proud look on her face afterwards.
After playing with the scale for as much as possible, the four of them
decided to clean the room first.
“……In the Neighboring World, can’t we just reset what is inside?”
“It’s more exciting this way Kurumi-san……”
“I still have a certain attachment to this place. Please forgive me──”
……As Kareha had advocated, the four of them started busily cleaning
with the tools in their hands.
Hibiki wonder for a while if this was okay.
But, because they were relaxing so carefree like this──it was

necessary to think of this again.
Page | 232
Kareha’s attitude hadn’t changed much even though her hair had
whitened. It looked like……she had no fear of disappearing.
Was she determined or did she still have hope?
Hibiki wished it for it to be the latter. But likely the other answer was
correct.
Banouin Kareha had already accepted her end.
After they finished cleaning up, Kurumi and Hibiki went out for a
stroll in the forest nearby the villa……calling out Cistus who was
hiding in the shadows. Kareha and Jugasaki were preparing dinner
together. Since four people in the kitchen would be crowding too
much, they decided to alternate cooking between Kareha and
Jugasaki together, and Kurumi and Hibiki.
But after being called, Cistus said, “I have nothing to suggest”.
While saying that, she shook her head.
“Cistus, do you……agree with Kareha-san’s decision?”
“Yes, yes. Although me would think to do whatever she likes, I

recommend watching over both of them.”
“But Cistus……”
“Neither the Neighboring World or the world beyond are beautiful

places. Have we learned the reason a long time ago?”
She knew, she knew.
Higoromo Hibiki had once fiercely devoted herself to revenge.

Tokisaki Kurumi was here, surviving fierce battles one after the other
while holding onto a terrible past.
Page | 233
Conflict couldn’t be avoided in even the most peaceful Ninth Region
Yesod.
“Death and annihilation are inevitable concepts in the Neighboring

World. And most of the time, it comes abruptly. So, if there is……the
slightest possibility of allowing Kareha-san to feel a little bit better.”
In the Tenth Region Malkuth, there were Quasi-Spirits that died in

vain.
Even the Ninth Region Yesod and Eighth Region Hod were no
exceptions.
One day, they wouldn’t be able to decide how they end. But for
Kareha……she had decided her end for herself.
Perhaps that should be the goal.
To part ways just like this.
So maybe Kareha’s approach was ideal after all.
“……But, I still……”
Something was still missing. Hibiki thought that there was something
else not yet seen.
“Isn’t it almost time for dinner? Please excuse me for this.”
Cistus jumped into Kurumi’s shadows. Despite being the same as

Tokisaki Kurumi, the principles and assertions were different from
the moment of birth when her past was extracted.
What’s more, the past Cistus had experienced was much different
than even the other Kurumi.
Page | 234
After that, Cistus stopped talking.
Dinner was boiled eggplant, grilled fish, grilled pork, grated miso
soup and white rice.
“This is the first time in a while that I’ve made this, so how is it?”
“Ah, this is delicious. Yup. White rice with ginger and followed up
with miso soup……um, it’s very Japanese……!”
“Hibiki-san, aren’t you Japanese?”
“I am a relatively unknown nationality.”
“I don’t think I’m Japanese anyway.”
Jugasaki muttered to herself.
“Do you want me to rename you right now?”
“No, I like that name. After checking in a dictionary, Jugasaki means

violence with guns, and Retsumi means beautiful. So it’s the perfect
name to describe me!”
“Sure, that’s a partial translation, but that does sound like a good
name……”
“Speaking of which, does the Kuru in Kurumi mean crazy?”
As Jugasaki asked, Hibiki raised her hand.
“Rather than crazy, I think madness suits Kurumi-san more!”
“I think insanity is more appropriate. Or is it some value measured in

three?”
As Kareha chattered, Kurumi turned away while looking unhappy.
“Yes, yes. I don’t mind your opinions. I like my name so it is fine.”
Page | 235
“Speaking of names, I was often mistaken for my name.”
Kareha spoke as if recalling something.
“Mistaken?”
“Ah, shouldn’t Kareha also mean dry leaves?”
Kareha nodded in agreement.
“The characters in my name are supposed to mean gorgeous wings.

But each time the words dry leaves came up in language class, a
naughty boy would laugh at me.”
“Well, if I were there, I would shut them down immediately.”
“Scary, I don’t know what that means. But that’s scary!”
“I wouldn’t use such crazy methods. At best, I would cut them into
fresh fish fillets.”
“That’s scary too!”
“For that specific guy who made fun of my name, I took off his pants
and tied up his feet with them……”
“Kareha-san used to be surprisingly bold.”
“That’s all a matter of the past. If you don’t offend me, I wouldn’t
fight back. Usually only when people made fun of my name or
harassed Mizuha that I would fight back.”
Kareha replied while pretending to recall nonchalantly.
“I don’t remember anything about the other world.”
Jugasaki said while twisting her neck.
Page | 236
“It’s strange. No, I don’t remember. But we still know all sorts of
things. For example, I know that the name of my Angel is <Zafkiel>.
But the memory of the other world is too vague. It’s like a long
forgotten dream.”
“Yes, yes, life in the Neighboring World is──────like a long dream.

Because it is a dream, it can be both sweet and a nightmare a times.
And a dream means waking up sooner or later someday.”
Kareha happily laughed while eating the grilled fish.
“I don’t want to wake up. If I’m in a dream, I would rather live here
forever.”’
Jugasaki mumbled out while reaching her chopsticks for the ginger.
As nighttime arrived, as expected the idea of sleeping the formation

of a 井 character had been rejected. But on Jugasaki’s suggestion, all
four of them slept in the same room as they laid out the futons.
“……I’m fine with this.”
“Jugasaki-san, I want to go to sleep.”
“That’s not good. This is a rare opportunity. Let’s talk about

something!”
“Talk about what?”
“Colonel Higoromo, what would be good for a topic?”
“Hmm, following conventions, it would be talking about love──”
“Topics about love, topics about love, then let me start.”
“Forget it. It feels like it’s going to be a solo show from Kurumi-san.”
Page | 237
“Eh……”
Kurumi’s voice sank to the very bottom. Hibiki’s sudden words left
her unable to respond.
“U-Um……I would like to talk about love too……”
“Hoho, I’m interested. Is there anyone that you like?”
As Jugasaki flinched over talking over the topic, Kareha asked her
teasingly.
“……No. in the first place. Feelings of love……I wonder that is like……”
“You want to start from here?” “From here really?” “Starting from
here?”
Jugasaki blushed, groaning while covering her face with the futon.
“I don’t know. Everyone says that it can’t be expressed in words.”
By everyone, she meant the rebel forces.
“Have you ever asked them?”
“I was listening to everyone.”
“I’ve heard some people say they fell in love with a prince they’ve
only seen once in a memory.”
“Oh……a prince……oh……”
Kurumi’s voice immediately dropped. Hibiki groaned. If they dig any

deeper in this topic, it would be like walking into a Kurumi style
landmine.
Page | 238
“Although I’m not sure why, Quasi-Spirits that have fallen in love are
very strong. When they decided to do something, their spirits look so
dazzling.”
“It should be like that. Love is very powerful.”
“……Eh, with that statement. Maybe even Kareha-chan is in love!?”
“That……I cannot affirm. Maybe, who did I fall in love with?”
Kareha laughed. All three of them turned their attention to her. At

that moment, Kurumi quickly communicated with Hibiki through a
brief glance.
Being in love must mean there was something holding her onto this
Neighboring World.
If that love deepened, it may provide a reason for her to stay in this
Neighboring World──!
“Who is the person?”
“I also want to know!”
Kareha smiled and shook her head.
“Unfortunately, that’s a girl’s secret.”
“Hmm, if you say that, it’ll get boring listening. Alright, this topic is
over!”
Hibiki argued against Jugasaki’s words in a hurry.
“No, don’t stop, let’s continue! The other person must be someone
close to you!?”
“Secret, it’s a secret. I can’t say. Go to sleep, go to sleep.”
“──Isn’t it Jugasaki-san?”
Page | 239
Kurumi directly asked. Jugasaki froze. Hibiki regretted that she didn’t
cover Kurumi’s troublesome mouth.
Kareha smiled softly and answered Kurumi.
“Half correct.”
“~~~~~~!?”
Jugasaki inadvertently leaped out of her futon. Her limbs flung

around like a high-speed bon festival dance.
“Eh, ehh!? Ha, uh, eh────!?”
“The other half is a secret?”
Kareha didn’t care about how embarrassed Jugasaki was as she

smiled. Jugasaki rushed out in a panic.
“Hibiki-san, can you please follow her?”
“Aye sir!”
Hibiki jumped out of her futon and chased after Jugasaki.
After seeing both of them off, Kurumi asked Kareha with a stunned
look.
“Are you serious? Or was it just a joke?”
“I’m really serious.”
“But, then──why?”
Why would you want to die?
Why would you give up on living?
Page | 240
If you are in love, isn’t it natural to want to stay alive?
──No, something felt different.
Something was off. Something was amiss. Kurumi could understand

her feelings.
The same thing happened to her. Throwing away her life, to have
risked it all for just a fleeting encounter.
After all, this happiness. Even if it meant damaging a life that was
short on time.
Even if she wanted to resist her.
……Shaking off those noisy memories, as she saw Kareha’s soft smile
in front of her eyes, Kurumi could only helplessly smile back.
“You really like her.”
“I’ve fallen in love with a terrible mess.”
Kurumi finally understood Kareha’s mysterious smile.
“Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa……”
Jugasaki crouched down while trying to endure the shame.
“Jugasaki-san, General──are you okay?”
“Not at all.”
Hibiki also squatted down. Her face was bright red and in distress (?).
Her age-appropriate behavior made her seem adorable.
“Isn’t that great. She said that she likes you, you rascal.”
Hibiki nudged her with her elbow.
“It’s good! You’re liked!”

Page | 241
“Ah, or do you think Kareha-san didn’t mean it when she said she
liked you?”
“Uh.”
Jugasaki suddenly turned motionless.
“A-About that……I don’t know, but I’m very glad……I think……”
“So isn’t this great?”
“But, but. ……Only half.”
“You’ll let Kareha-san like you full-heartedly soon! Rather than just
watching, do you think that’ll give you a chance!?”
From the great deal of damage she was taking from these words, it
was irrefutable proof of liking her.
“Hibiki……um, who do you like?”
“……Well, that’s also……probably not love. Or perhaps it would be

better not to be in love.”
Hibiki followed Kurumi knowing that separation would come one

day. She was as loyal as a dog and mischievous like a cat.
Although the day of parting would come, Hibiki wasn’t frustrated by

it.
Not because she did her best for that person, Hibiki followed without
asking anything in return.
“──I just want to be with her. Anyway, even if we can spend more
second together, I think that is love.”
“……But.”
Page | 242
Jugasaki’s expression grew heavier as tears began to spill.
“………..Kareha-chan is thinking about dying.”
“So you really did know……”
Of course, it was impossible not to know. It was in the peaceful

Eighth Region Hod, but she was a Quasi-Spirit that had climbed up all
the way to the position of Dominion.
If Kareha was near the end of her life turning into an Empty──it was
easily understandable that death would only be a matter of time.
“But then, let’s work together to stop Kareha-san, Jugasaki-san!”
“……I’m scared.”
“Scared……?”
“If, if, even if I beg and cry for her to stay, begging, clinging, Kareha-
chan will still disappear……!”
Afraid, she let out all her tears.
“……But, if you leave it like this, you won’t even be able to convey
your feelings to her!”
Hibiki knew very well it wouldn’t be peaceful.
When a love can’t be passed on and lingered endlessly, it sometimes

even turned into the clear fires of revenge.
Having experienced this beforehand, Hibiki understood it well.
“I dare say. You have to at least convey your thoughts──or else

Jugasaki-san will definitely regret it for the rest of your life!”
Page | 243
“What……are you thinking……?”
Hibiki tightly squeezed her hands and pulled her up.
“Tomorrow! At sunset! Let’s have you confess!”
“Confess!?”
“If my intuition is correct, there is probably no more than two days

left. ……So fight valiantly.
Yes, this is a fight. Jugasaki-san will go on date and beat the value of
living into Banouin Kareha-san!”
“I, me with her……a date……uh, uh……I’m not confident at all……”
“No problem, turn half of Kareha-san’s love into 100%!”
But who was the person the other half of that love was going to?
Jugasaki knew that the only other people closely connected with
Kareha were her little sister Mizuha and Sagakure Yui.
Her real little sister Mizuha and the mechanical doll Sagakure Yui
would be a little strange for a relationship.
Who could it be?
“Another Dominion……possibly……?”
“No, it can’t be……I think. After the Dominion meetings, she would
always look exhausted……all-in-all, completely mentally drained.
Besides, a relationship with another Dominion would have already
caused rumors to spread.”
“That’s true.”
“So I don’t know who the other person is……someone for Kareha-
chan I don’t know……”
Page | 244
“But, Jugasaki-san definitely accounts for half of her love. For the
time being, you’re still in first place. Then like this……only you can do
this.”
“……Only I can do this.”
Jugasaki’s expression had changed from bashful to distressed, but

now it quickly switched to full determination as she said that.
“I see. I’ll do it!”
“Alright, let’s do it!”
Jugasaki and Hibiki tightly clenched their hands. Hope had finally
been reignited in their eyes.
The remaining half of love.
Who she liked, Jugasaki was vaguely aware.
And it may be an opponent Jugasaki had no chances of defeating.
Page | 245
○Last Dance
──A beautifully moving spring.
──A fervently lonely autumn.
──A sorrowful weeping winter.
──And also. Here is only a radiant summer.
“Let’s go on a date!”
In response to Jugasaki’s declaration, Kareha repeatedly blinked.
“A date?”
“Yup, is it no good? Do you not want to?”
“It’s not out of the question and I don’t hate it. Really……a date…...a
date……”
Kareha bashfully covered her cheeks with her hands.
“What to do, I am very happy. Alright, let’s go on a date.”
“Ok!”
Kurumi poked Hibiki on the elbow.
“Hibiki-san, is this your evil plan?”
“Yes, this will work!”
Kurumi stopped trying to refute her impulses. Regardless, this was a

necessary attempt.
“By the way, Retsu-chan.”
“Hm?”
Page | 246
“When you say date, what do you plan on doing?”
“……………………”
Beads of sweat started to drip down from Jugasaki’s face.
“Could it be that you didn’t plan anything?”
As soon as Kareha pointed that out, Jugasaki suddenly burst out into
tears. Kareha sighed while wiping away her tears with a
handkerchief.
“Hey, hey, it would be terrible to go on a long-awaited date with a

face like that. First you need to modify your Astral Dress before going
out on a date. I can do this, but can Retsu-chan change the look of
your Astral Dress?”
“Ah, uh. I should be able to.”
“I need to get dressed as well. Wait for me for a bit.”
With light footsteps, Kareha walked into the next room and closed
the sliding door.
“Ara, ara. Kareha-san looks elated. For Jugasaki-san’s Astral Dress, it

may be better for the both of you to think up the design.”
“What about Kurumi-san?”
“I’ll help Kareha-san consider. Well, I won’t be able to assist much

though.”
Kurumi said that as she headed for Kareha’s room. Remaining there,
Hibiki and Jugasaki nodded to each other.
“Okay” “Let’s do it!”
To design a lovely outfit that would astonish even Banouin Kareha──!
Page | 247
◇
“……That’s about it, the two of them planned like this. Tell me what
you think.”
“There’s not much that can be done. I basically only have this outfit
to see others with. The rest is just pajamas.”
Kareha, who looked like she was about to cry, was the complete
opposite of her normal calm composure.
“Well, I don’t have much confidence in changing clothes……”
But anyway, having experience being an S-rank idol, it was easy to

recommend a dress that suited her.
“A white dress with a straw hat is an option.”
“Isn’t that too cliché!? Doesn’t that feel just like a summer
apparition?”
“Eh, it’s too old-fashioned for sure. But my usual clothes are based
on a red and black tone, so I look forward to this pure style of
clothes.”
“It’s not for you to wear! It’s for me!”
“But, if it was for me, I would still recommend wearing Western

clothes. The contrast with your usual outfit will serve as a big shock
for Jugasaki-san.”
Kareha settled down from her flustered emotions.
“……I’m surprised, it’s not too bad.”
Kareha laughed while wearing the outfit.
“Un. Let’s startle Retsu-chan!”
Page | 248
And so the time for the date arrived.
“Everything went alright on your side?”
“It’s perfect!”
“Yes, yes. We are ready as well, so let’s open the door now.”
“Okay on, one, two!”
Kurumi and Hibiki both opened the sliding door at the same time.
Although Kareha wasn’t wearing a white dress, she had on a
sleeveless blouse and shorts that reached knee length. Unlike her
usual kimono, having her knees and arms exposed made Kareha a
little uncomfortable, but her dignified appearance still gave an
elegant impression.
But while those two were full of self-confidence──they froze upon

seeing Jugasaki.
Jugasaki Retsumi was wearing a yukata. Her hair, which was usually
roughly tied together, was beautifully braided and decorated with
hair accessories. Her posture with her back straightened was the
same as when giving commands to the rebels.
Even Kurumi was frankly taken aback in admiration of this beauty.
“H-How is it……?”
“……Uh, uh……it looks perfect on you.”
Hearing those words from Kareha caused Jugasaki’s expression to

instantly light up.
“Thank you. Well then, uhh……where are we going?”
Page | 249
“What about just going for a walk around here? I don’t feel like going
for a swim and isn’t it surprisingly fun to take a leisurely walk?”
“So be it then.”
“Alright, let’s go Retsu-chan.”
“Okay!”
Regardless of how it started, the two of them held hands. The two of
them set off after talking to Kurumi and Hibiki.
With those two left behind, Kurumi looked a bit annoyed while Hibiki
grew excited.
“That exceeded my expectations. I didn’t predict there be a yukata.”
“Humph, it’s our rebel army’s victory! ……By the way, can this date
stop Kareha-san from turning into an Empty?”
Being asked by Hibiki, Kurumi silently shook her head.
“Why? Love is a strong emotion. If she really fell in love──”
“……Hibiki-san, do you know the other person that Kareha-san fell in

love with?”
“Eh, I don’t know. But……I wonder if it’s something like the

Neighboring World itself?”
To be in love with this miraculous world.
Page | 250
Page | 251
No matter how one loved and cherished this world, the world will
never respond in any way──
“Ah, well. If it was such a sweet story, I’d be happy too. We may have
managed to do something for her.”
“……So that’s not it?”
“......Yes, yes. That’s not it. What a sad mistake. Even I hope that this
will be enough.”
However, Hibiki didn’t have any clue whatsoever.
There was no one around or another Dominion who Banouin Kareha

would like──
……No, wait.
There was one more person.
“No way.”
Hibiki stared at Kurumi with a terrified look──Kurumi looked away in

an unhappy mood.
“Is there nothing that can be done?”
Hibiki appealed. Kurumi silently took out <Zafkiel>.
“The only thing we can do is at least……at least let them part ways
peacefully.”
After conforming that those two were no longer visible, Kurumi

pulled on the trigger. From the depths of the forest, an Empty
appeared staring at them.
“Hibiki-san, please be on lookout.” “Understood.”
Page | 252
The Empties, sensing that Banouin Kareha was approaching her limit,
began to gather.
No warning or advice given, Kurumi fired her bullets from <Zafkiel>.

They were sinful the very moment they had gathered here. At this
moment, they were trying to pull their friend Kareha into becoming
Tokisaki Kurumi’s enemy.
Kurumi considered what noble feelings would confront those two

before having to part ways.
By no means could she allow these Empties to hinder them with a

smirk.
“I will never allow you to disturb them. ──<Zafkiel>!”
“And of course, I’ll also be participating. To hinder a fellow

comrade’s romance, I’ve decided to shoot no matter how much you
scream and cry.”
Not only Kurumi, but even Cistus joined in and began shooting. At
first their counterattack was decent, but it quickly began one-sided
as their defenses were breached. The surviving Empties were of
course completely destroyed.
Holding hands while walking aimlessly, there was the feeling of

sparks scattering within her heart.
And it felt ever so cozy.
Even after scattering, there was something warming up her chest.
Page | 253
Kareha laughed to her hearts content. She thought it would be
difficult to find a topic. But fortunately, the topics never seemed to
run out.
After all, there was so much had accumulated all this time. As the
Dominion and the rebel leader, there standing position had become
so different that it became impossible to talk.
Such days had lasted for so long.
So for example, things like discovering an interesting book, a fun

game, or a friend (a subordinate to be exact), any topic they had
found amusing to talk about.
And so on, the topics that should have vanished after discussing
were still talked about.
“……So is it love?”
The words that Jugasaki uttered were just like a bomb. However, her
expression was even more serious.
“I want to talk with Kareha about so many things. I don’t want to

stop talking and holding hands like this. I want to go to the beach
together, play together, there are so many things I want to do.”
Jugasaki stared at Kareha.
“Retsu-chan, you should also know that.”
Of course, Kareha breathed out a small sigh.
“This I can easily find out. Kareha-chan’s circumstances. …..Ah, but

there’s one thing I don’t understand.”
It was as if asking a question that signaled the end.
However, they wouldn’t be able to move forward without asking.
Page | 254
Jugasaki smiled while wanting a simple answer. Taking a deep
breath, Kareha stared at Jugasaki with jewel-like eyes.
“……Kareha-chan, who is the person you are in love with?”
At that moment, Kareha’s body trembled.
“What sort of Quasi-Spirit? A Dominion……no that can’t be it. But I

don’t understand. If you hate or dislike telling me, even though I’ll be
sad.”
Wrong, definitely wrong.
If that were the case, her face would blush red. She would tell her
about the object of her affection while embarrassed.
But her face was one of resignation.
It was as if speaking the object of her love was taboo.
“I.”
“Un.”
“Was forced to love the White Queen.”
Kareha burst into tears.
At that moment, Jugasaki recalled the various rumors circulating in

the other regions.
The Empty that swore allegiance the White Queen served her with
fanaticism.
It was──rumored to be some sort of brainwashing ability. And it only

worked on the Empty, so it wasn’t same to become an Empty. But──
“Forced……what do you mean?”
Page | 255
“I have fought the White Queen before. It should be……”
It must have been a fierce battle fought with other participating

Quasi-Spirits or other Dominions in another region. The memories of
the battle and the faces of those that also fought couldn’t be
remembered.
“Almost all of the people here I am meeting for the first time.”
Those words were not only directed to Kagarike Haraka, but also to
herself and the other Dominions.
“At that time……I was probably under attack. At that time, I was
infected by this ‘awakening of love’.”
“Awakening, of love…...”
The Empties were all in love with the White Queen. But it wasn’t just
a simple love.
It was a love worth sacrificing their lives without any hesitation.
……But this power was far more atrocious, passionate, and hopeless
than expected. For the White Queen, this awakening of love was
both a weapon and a virus.
To invade, desecrate, defile, and break.
“I only have half of it left. I really love Retsu-chan. Only half of it is

gone.”
Jugasaki tried to rush to her side, but her body couldn’t move.
Don’t give up, do your best, don’t lose──she hated how she could
only think up these mediocre words.
Page | 256
Likely, there was already a great deal of effort Kareha had needed to
persist. If that wasn’t enough to stop it──
“So that’s why there’s no other way. After we finish speaking, we

need to go our separate ways?”
“Kareha……!”
It can’t be. There was still something she needed to tell her.
However, no amount of words could convey these feelings. I like you,

no matter how much she screamed until exhausted; it wouldn’t be
enough to let the other person know how much love that truly was.
Even if she said the same thing a hundred times, even if she yelled it
out as loudly as possible, it wasn’t enough to completely express it.
“……Un. It looks like it’s almost here. Summer vacation has come to
an end.”
──There was the image of a knot being untied.
Normally, those that became Empty would lose their memories,

thoughts, pride, and even instincts.
When that time came, the White Queen would take full opportunity
of this. Fill that void with love for the White Queen. This awakening
of love would change the very nature of a Quasi-Spirit──turning all of
their emotions into feelings of worship and fanaticism.
But Kareha endured.
She deeply held onto her sense of self and persisted until this very
moment.
“Because I wanted to be with Retsu-chan until the very end if

possible.”
Page | 257
“Why, why is it me? A-After all, Mizuha, your other companions,
there are so many important people.”
“Yes. Mizuha is important. She’s very important. Besides, she just

became the Dominion of the Ninth Region Yesod. It won’t be good if
I hurt her. That’s because I love her as family.
“……Then, why……am I here……?”
Kareha gave a weak apologetic smile.
“I’m selfish. Even if I hurt you, I still want to be with Retsu-chan.”
It was terrifying. If her love for the White Queen surpassed her love
for Jugasaki Retsumi, Kareha would run the risk of hurting Jugasaki.
“Ah……”
But, the other half of her love had won.
Kareha clearly won against the White Queen.
“I’m sorry, I’m really sorry. Please forgive me. Showing this miserable
face crying to you like this, but, but still, I──”
I wanted to be with you.
I wanted to spend this summer with you.
Fighting, playing, having fun, and spending our time together.
“Me too!”
Jugasaki cried out. She had made up her mind. Romance was
something that could at time injure both sides.
“I don’t want to be apart from you. I feel sad, frustrated, I want to do

something. But surely I can’t do anything? So I want to tell you.
Kareha-chan!”
Page | 258
“Un.”
In love, the most important thing was not being afraid of getting
hurt.
Jugasaki could no longer hold back the tears. Kareha also burst into
tears.
Weeping, weeping, feeling hopeless, but still the conclusion came.
“I love you.” “Me too.”
“I can’t express it in words.” “I love you.”
“But.” “So.”
In the very end, Kareha filled her last words with her love.
In the very end, Jugasaki dissolved into tears as she said those
difficult words.
“Good-bye Kareha-chan.”
“Good-bye Retsu-chan.”
The miraculous encounter also ended just like a miracle.
“Ah──”
The orange sunset filled the sky with golden light. Banouin Kareha
had already disappeared.
Jugasaki Retsumi reached out her hand and realized that girl was
gone.
This was death.
No matter how it was phrased this was death and loss.
“Kareha, Kareha, Kareha──!”

Page | 259
I wanted to play more. I wanted to talk more. I wanted to be
together more.
She thought they could keep playing pretend forever.
Jugasaki felt all of the regret strike her heart. Standing up while
clutching her chest, she still moved forward.
……In front of her were two visitors. Tokisaki Kurumi and Higoromo
Hibiki.
“I’ve monopolized Kareha for myself.”
“……Yes.”
There should have been many other people who would have wanted
to bid farewell to Kareha.
For example, there were Quasi-Spirits who were her companions and
her real little sister Mizuha.
However, Kareha chose to completely abandon her position as

Dominion and be with the target of her love one last time.
Jugasaki was both happy and grateful for that.
Hibiki wept at this terrible choice and wondered if she could also
make this decision.
Kurumi was convinced that she would likely do the same thing as
Kareha and choose to part ways.
To go mad from love.
To sacrifice oneself for love.
“Farewell, the person who lived for love.”
Page | 260
Kurumi stroked Hibiki’s head as she was crying and left those words
behind for Kareha. Then, she continued in a quiet and cold voice.
“White Queen. Next time I will return the favor and do what Kareha-
san couldn’t. I will kill everyone who holds this profane love for you.
Only this way can their souls find comfort, I’m certain.”
Page | 261
○Epilogue
Jugasaki Retsumi became Dominion and made her first decision. She
gathered the Quasi-Spirits in the Eighth Region Hod on the sandy
beach and stood alone on the stage to inform them of Kareha’s
death.
“Informing all members. Banouin Kareha has passed on!”
In front of the Quasi-Spirits, she didn’t shed a tear──rather she was

openly sobbing just like the rain.
Then she told them everything without concealment. There was no

reservation. She included the fact that two of them were close
friends.
The shudders quickly subsided as sounds of sobbing and weeping

dominated the scene.
“I think Kareha wouldn’t have been willing, but I still want to say it! I
met her, learned what love is, developed my sense of self, and
parted with her! It’s so sad and frustrating, and I regret not being
able to do anything!”
Jugasaki tightly gripped the mic in her hands.
“But! Even so I won’t be lethargic! Even if I can’t help but cry for a
while, I will never stop there!
Me! I loved Banouin Kareha! I’ll keep her memory in my chest

forever! And! This Eighth Region Hod that she took care of will
definitely be protected! Because! Because…….”
Taking a deep breath, she declared as the Dominion.
Page | 262
“Follow me. The Eighth Region Hod will continue to compete
healthily without hatred, killing, or sorrow. In order to make this a
happy region forever……!”
There was no response.
However, Jugasaki standing on the stage could see their faces well.
Despite the tears, there wasn’t anyone crouching. Everyone shed

tears and wept, but they also showed determined looks to Jugasaki.
Yes, it wasn’t just enough to tell them to follow her. She would also
need to follow them. If left behind again, there wouldn’t be a second
chance.
“I’ll follow you too! I’ll run swiftly with all my strength!”
Jugasaki straightened her back and saluted.
Gradually, one by one everyone followed suit. Those that were

enemies, those that were allies, everyone present stood upright──
“……Thank you everyone. Thank you very much.”
Seeing everyone salute back, Jugasaki closed her eyes.
The wind blowing on the beach had become slightly colder. Thanks
to this, the girls finally realized it
Banouin Kareha’s summer had come to an end.
──The Third Region Binah, the throne room.
“──Ara, well. Well, well. Banouin Kareha-san, so you insisted on

enduring until finally fading.
Page | 263
Really, how pitiful that is.”
Three people listened respectfully to the White Queen.
Rook, Knight, Bishop──the three white chess pieces were kneeling in

front of the Queen.
“What about the Eighth Region Hod? The Empty there seem to have
been killed by Tokisaki Kurumi. For now, it will likely be difficult to
open the gate to there.”
In response to Rook’s words, the White Queen responded in a

displeased manner.
“It can’t be helped. Leave that alone for the time being. Compared to
that, put more effort on the strategy for the Sixth Region Tiphereth.
If they fall, the Fifth Region Gevurah will be completely isolated. I’m
not good at fighting, so I’ll leave this to you for the time being.”
“As you command, then for the Seventh Region Netzach──”
“Aah…...”
The tone of the White Queen’s voice decreased. It clearly indicated

her discomfort.
“Although I want to destroy it, it seems that it can’t be done.

Line……it is highly likely that Sagakure Yuri knows something.”
“That is.”
“Yes, questioning via torture should cause her to spill out that
information. So I’ll leave it to you.”
The gate to their destination opened and all three of them

disappeared.
After waving farewell to them, the White Queen lightly stretched.
Page | 264
“Although the idea of infecting the Dominions was quite good, falling
in love with someone else was quite unexpected, me.”
Changing her gaze to the open space, she spoke as if someone else
was there.
“Going crazy for love and dedicating everything for love. What a
wonderful story. Ah, ah! Let’s fulfill our love as soon as possible……!”
Silence. A single person on the throne, she covered her cheeks with
both hands while looking bashful.
Like this, it was as if, she was really in love.
Hibiki was standing in front of the gate between the Eighth Region
Hod and the Seventh Region Netzach. Kurumi was talking to Jugasaki,
who had come to see them off.
Ace of Spades called out to her.
“Well. I was remembering about Kareha-san.”
“Oh……”
“Abandoning life for love, it feels carefree just saying it. But those
who truly abandon their lives are not just injuring themselves. They
don’t care if they are hurting the ones that care for them.”
This will never be a praiseworthy act.
Prioritizing one’s own ego to the point of hurting others──that was

pure selfishness.
But then she persisted with her selfishness, crying and wishing to be
with her until the very last moment.
Page | 265
Hibiki considered.
Could she be like her? Or would she just retreat from not liking this?
She wasn’t sure.
What was waiting at the end of this journey? That──was not clear at
all.
“……By the way, what are your plans, Ace of Spades-san?”
“Although it would be nice to continue traveling with you, the Eighth

Region Hod is still in a state of chaos. After the situation has
stabilized, I’m going to ask Jugasaki-dono for permission to go on a
journey.”
“In the past few days, Ace of Spades-san has changed so much. Look,
at the beginning, you could only give a mechanical response.”
“……That’s certainly true. It’s probably from being together with

Kurumi-dono and Hibiki-dono.
You two possess so much Reiryoku and information. My loyalty to

my lord remains the same, but this is a separate matter──”
Ace of Spades extended out her flat hand.
A little surprised, Hibiki shook hands with her.
“It is undoubtedly thanks to you two that I have been able to make
such a change. Thank you very much.”
“That’s our line; you’ve helped us with so many various things. ……By
the way, where did Carte-san go? Not even saying hello to Kurumi-
san.”
“I think she should be in the Seventh Region Netzach by now.”
“Eh, how come?”
Page | 266
“Because isn’t that where Kurumi-dono is proceeding to next? So, if
she goes there to build a stronghold there in advance, it may be
appreciated……or so she thinks. Although the Eighth Region Hod is
peaceful, the Seventh Region Netzach is quite dangerous.”
“……Another dangerous place, huh? I went straight to the Sixth

Region Tiphereth and skipped the Seventh Region Netzach. What
kind of place is it?”
“To phrase it lightly──I suppose it is an abode for demons.”
“Hmm, I don’t quite understand.”
“Here, I have written a summary of what I know so far about the

region.”
“Oh, thanks!”
“There will be a chance for us to meet again in the future. Until then,
please take care of yourselves!”
“Okay, take care, Ace of Spades-san!”
“……And there you have it, a letter of introduction from Kareha. You
shouldn’t take the Seventh Region Netzach lightly……I think.”
After receiving the letter from Jugasaki, Kurumi asked.
“Are there still any problems with this region?”
“Saying that everything is fine would be out of the question. But all
of us have found our purpose for living. Defeat the White Queen. So,
we will work hard for that, training, fighting, and competing to grow
stronger. We’ll do so even more vigorously then the Tenth Region
Malkuth and the Fifth Region Gevurah.”
Page | 267
It wasn’t just Jugasaki. All of the Quasi-Spirits in the Eighth Region
Hod had a burning passion to take revenge on the White Queen for
Kareha’s sake.
Under such circumstances, the White Queen and her subordinates

wouldn’t be able to take advantage of this.
“So when the time comes for a decisive battle against the White
Queen, please contact me.
Absolutely!”
“……Yes, yes. Of course.”
It was unlikely that she would have the chance to fight one-on-one
against the White Queen.
With her countless Empties, they would always be an obstacle when

fighting against her.
But what if she also had numerous allies on her side?
They should help in bringing the situation closer to a one-on-one

fight.
……To be honest, the White Queen was strong. But after fighting
against her twice, Kurumi understood that it wasn’t hopeless and she
could be defeated.
“The White Queen must be──”
Killed. No, she was an opponent that had to be killed. Not by anyone
else, as her inverted clone, it must be by Kurumi’s own hands──
“……What’s wrong, Tokisaki Kurumi?”
“No, it’s nothing. I’ll contact you when the time comes.”
Page | 268
She despised the White Queen. The thoughts of wanting to kill her
had come since their very first meeting.
……But.
On the other hand, because of what happened to Kareha, there was

one more thing to worry about the White Queen.
The White Queen had the power to use love in order to drive
someone mad.
Where did this come? Was it just a whim? Or did she consider it an
efficient way to increase the number of allies?
Or possibly──did she thought up this because of falling in love with

someone?
The more she considered this, the more the feeling of hatred in her
heart burned.
If, and that is if, that wicked and unscrupulous ability was derived
from us.
It must be left with no fragments, no dust, not even memories to

preserve it in history.
Completely eradicated from this world────────!
The End of Sizzling Summer
An inexplicable sense of nostalgia is often induced at the end of

summer. This seems to be a universal phenomenon, with even many
works in the United States or France depicting the end of summer.
In Japan as well, students are likely to have a long one-month of

summer vacation. There are countless works describing summer and
the end of summer.
Page | 269
Yes, taking a recent work for an example, there is Air (2000)……has it
already been 18
years……
All in all, for students, the end of summer means the end of summer
vacation and the story as well.
Of course, it’s treated differently, if there is such a story to tell.

Perhaps for most people, it’s a boring and mundane summer. (It’s
the same for me as well) From elementary students to junior high
students to high school students to university students, for most
people transitioning into becoming adults, summer vacation is
nothing more than summer vacation.
But still. One can touch glimpses of a summer fantasy. To give

examples, a fleeting romance, a passionate friendship, or a
mysterious adventure……
Summer vacation may be the time to bring us such common

fantasies.
The theme of this year’s Date A Bullet is the end of summer.
By the time the cicadas stop crying, their story came to an end. ……In
this manner, it can be said that Kurumi played an important
supporting role while the main heroines were those two Quasi-
Spirits.
At the same time, I want to take the opportunity to describe death

and disappearance in the Neighboring World.
Even in a place like heaven, the end will come. Tokisaki Kurumi is also
no such exception.
When she reaches the First Region Keter after a long journey, that’s
will be when the voyage comes to a conclusion.
Page | 270
Alright, my only regret this time is not letting a shark appear. In
terms of the setting it couldn’t be done……no, I should have done it
somehow anyway. Do you like watching shark movies, George? (TL
Note: Reference to the cartoon Curious George)
Then comes the as usual thank you speech. Thank you every time
Tachibana-san, NOCO-san, and Editor-san. Every time I feel like I’m
dragging the manuscript along.
The next stage will be the Seventh Region Netzach, the hometown of
the mechanical Kunoichi, Sagakure Yui. In the suspicious mechanical
kingdom, Tokisaki Kurumi and Higoromo Hibiki will challenge a
strong enemy──! ……I hope I can deliver it with feeling. Thank you
very much in advance.
Also, everyone, reading this book, please be careful of heat

stroke……!
Higashide Yūichirō
Page | 271
Credits
Translation Group: Date A Live’s LN Translation
EPUB is done by JLN
Page | 272
Download all your fav Light Novels at
Just Light Novels
Page | 273

Date A Live Fragment - Date A Bullet 4

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

You might also like

Date A Live Fragment - Date A Bullet 4

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Date A Live Fragment - Date A Bullet 4

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Page | 1

○The Region of Competing Wind

○Neighboring World’s Revelation (Apocalypse Now) Hello, hello.

○On the Other Side, at the Same Time......

○War Games Are Also Lovely

○Once Upon a Time

○Blooming Fervently in Full Glory

Just Light Novels

“Major──! Major Higoromo──! This is impossible──! We can’t even

As the Quasi-Spirit subordinate on her side screamed, Hibiki

A huge playing card somehow crawled about to join up with Hibiki.

“Major Higoromo! What should I do──!”

“Sergeant Ace of Spades! There’s no other choice but to go over to

Hibiki pointed to a white object that prevented a landing boat from

“There’s no choice but to go forward! And pray to God that you

“March forward! Follow after Major Higoromo’s ass! Let’s go!”

“Hey, you could have said it more elegantly! March!”

Gagagagaga, accompanied by that sound, her feet violently kicked up

“Arrival! How many people were taken down!?”

Aces of Spade responded to Hibiki’s inquiry.

“No, it’s four. I am dead.”

A Quasi-Spirit waved her hand as she toppled down.

“A dangerous word beginning with F! That girl is a little bit

“So, what should I do now?”

“Prepare the Nitro Dress cylinder!”

Ace of Spades responded to Hibiki’s command.

“Yes, ma’am! Bring the Nitro Dress cylinder along!”

The Sergeant took the large clotheshorse tube that a Quasi-Spirit

“Run over to that barbed wire and blow it up at once!”

“Okay──” “Roger that!”

Somehow, they reached the bottom of the barbed wire. The

“Fire for a playing card is a little……”

“Fine, then give it to someone else! If not, I’ll do it!”

For a moment, the world stood still.

A terrifying cloud of dust blew up from the blast. Screams coming

“All members strike──”

Hibiki’s words came to a stop. Sitting on a 20mm cannon and

On a table beside her were a noble antique pistol and rifle.

She aimed at her former companion Higoromo Hibiki.

Then, she didn’t hesitate to pull the trigger.

“She got me!”

Bang, she fell onto the ground.

“How despicable──────! Retreat ────────────!”

Hibiki’s scream echoed vacantly in the air.

“So, what are you going to do? Me.”

“Anyway, let’s reconvene first.”

“Cistus, please return back to the shadows.”

“I know, now then.”

Once Cistus went back to her shadows, Kurumi looked around

To be honest, she felt a little tired.

“It’s too carefree.”

……Although it should be impossible to actually have cicadas, Kurumi

However, this fashion sense was a symbol of her armament and

Flying up to the sky would be a bit too difficult in her current

A man-made building finally appeared in the far off distance.

It seemed that Quasi-Spirits from the Eighth Region Hod should be

Become a steel blade that can easily bury Banouin’s soldiers!”

The Demon Sergeant called herself Jugasaki Retsumi.