Chapter 208

Sakuna Memoir screamed and walked up to him. Then Karla noticed her, too: the beat-up vampire in Amatsu’s arms. “Ms. Komari?!” “Yes. Tremolo knocked her out.” “Ms. Komari… Stay with me, Ms. Komari…! She’s bleeding so much… Whoever this Tremolo is, I’m going to kill them… They’ll pay, they’ll pay, they’ll pay…” Sakuna gnashed her teeth, with tears in her eyes. The rest reacted similarly; it was a natural response to seeing so much blood. Normally, injuries such as these wouldn’t heal without a Dark Core. Amatsu pushed Sakuna aside as he stepped forward. “Move. Cornelius will treat her at the hospital.” “Wait.” Karla stood before him, a serious look on her face, her eyes brimming with determination. “I’ll heal her. My Core Implosion can save her in a flash.” “Don’t. That will shave down your soul. Do you remember what happened to the previous Goddess?” “Still! I don’t care if it shaves my soul! I can’t just stand back and watch as my friend suffers!” “But…” “Step aside, Brother. Only I can do this.” There was no stopping her. Karla’s eyes gleamed scarlet. Translucent mana enveloped Terakomari’s body, and her wounds began to visibly heal. “Huh? Where am I…?” When I came to, I found myself lying on a makeshift bed, staring at the dusky sky. I carefully sat up. Nothing hurt. Weird. Hadn’t Tremolo beaten me to within an inch of my life with her Core Implosion? There was blood on my clothes, but my body was in perfect shape. I was looking around in confusion when… “Ms. Komari!” “Gweh!” …an impossibly pretty girl the color of silver squeezed me tightly. There was a hint of chill to her skin. My coworker and friend Sakuna Memoir buried her face in my chest and sobbed. “…Huh? Sakuna, is that you? What are you doing here…?” “I’m so glad… Ahhh… Ms. Komari… You smell so nice… I don’t want to let you go…” “Are you really Sakuna?!” Is she acting like the sicko maid, or am I losing it? In any case, what’s the current situation? What the heck happened? “Karla healed your wounds. In exchange for a bit of her soul.” I heard a grumpy voice. I snapped my head up. There he was—Karla’s brother, Kakumei Amatsu. Karla was standing next to him. And it wasn’t just those two. There was also Karla’s retainer, Koharu; Cornelius of Inverse Moon; and a few soldiers I was pretty sure I’d seen somewhere before. What’s going on? Am I dreaming? “Brother.” Karla puffed out her cheeks. “I told you I don’t care about that. Don’t worry yourself. Ms. Komari, are you okay? Does anything hurt?” “No, I’m super…” “Good. Using Waving Moment was the right choice.” Now it all made sense. Karla had used her Core Implosion. How could I ever repay her? There was no question I would’ve died without her. Patting Sakuna’s head as she clung to me in tears, I looked at Karla. “But why are you here? I don’t remember you two coming to the Netherworld…” “We came here to search for you and Ms. Nelia. We’ll give you the specifics later. Better to talk somewhere more relaxing, yes?” “Sure…” “The threat has passed for now. Don’t you worry about anything. Please get some rest.” “…” Threat passed. Yeah. I’m healed now, so it’s… Ba-thump. My heart raced. …Wait. It’s not over yet. How didn’t I notice earlier? Someone was missing. Where was the foxgirl who’d fought by my side in Star Cave? A dreadful feeling overtook me. I screamed, “Fuyao?! What about Fuyao?!” Everyone blinked, taken aback. “F-Fuyao? You mean that fox…?” “She might still be in danger!” I shoved Sakuna aside and stood up. I looked around frantically. One of the people here refused to look me in the eye. The kimono-clad Peace Spirit—Kakumei Amatsu. “Amatsu! Do you know anything?!” “…No. I haven’t seen her.” “That can’t be…” “Ms. Komari, he’s lying,” Sakuna said, a serious look on her face. “I can tell. His constellation wavered a little.” “You heard Sakuna! You know something, Amatsu!” “…” His silence was telling. Something had happened. I couldn’t stay put. My reason and instinct were both telling me to book it. I bolted from where I stood and headed toward Star Cave. “Wait.” Amatsu grabbed my arm. “Her efforts will be wasted if you go now. Stay here and rest.” “I can’t do that!” I swept him aside and ran. Karla and Sakuna hurried behind me. It was obvious that Fuyao was in danger. I had to save her. Just like she’d saved me. As strange as it might sound, she was a kind girl. She deserved the help.