“What’s wrong with working together? We’re supposed to be friends. If it wasn’t for everyone else, I don’t think I’d even be alive right now. Maybe I would have just gotten killed by an enemy the normal way. Maybe I would have lost control and burned myself to a crisp… The only reason I can do anything at all is because I have everyone else with me. I rely on people all the time. So why can’t you rely on us, too?”
“I know, but…”
Psycho continued to stare outside.
“Well, if you just keep moping around, you’re not going to be much help at all!”
Homura had noticed Psycho was lost in thought lately, always with a serious look on her face, but she’d had no idea that Psycho was feeling this troubled. She’d figured Psycho had just been thinking sordid thoughts, as Jin said.
That settled it, then. It was time for Homura to cheer Psycho up.
“This calls for a love bomb. Prepare to be decimated with compliments!”
“A what now?!”
“I’m going to build up your self-esteem.”
“You do you…”
“I certainly will, thank you very much.”
Operation Cheer Up Psycho…commence!
“First of all, you’re very smart.”
“I already know that!”
“If you weren’t here, I doubt we’d understand a single thing going on in this world.”
Jin, Proto, and Tsutsumi all nodded in agreement.
“And you’re actually fairly pretty when you keep your big mouth shut.”
“I’m a total bombshell, whether I’m talking or not!”
“And you’re cute when you’re sleeping, too.”
“Why are you watching me while I sleep, you weirdo?! You need to start sleeping in a different room! And you look like a complete dingus when you sleep, by the way.”
“…I do?!?!”
Jin, Proto, and Tsutsumi all snickered in agreement.
“I can’t believe this…!”
Homura was in shock. Maybe she really would start sleeping in a different room.
Jin decided to join in on the love bombing. “You’re better at facing facts than any of us.”
“Jin’s right. Even though you say some crazy things sometimes, you’re the realist of our group.”
“It’s not that I’m a realist. It’s just that you all get carried away by all this fantasy mumbo jumbo!”
Proto added her two cents as well. “You’re the brains of the operation, our commander general! Without you I’m just a muscle-head.”
“In fact, we leave almost all the thinking up to you!” Homura interjected.
“Well, how about you don’t do that anymore, then!”
Tsutsumi spoke up as well. “Umm…I think you’re…very smart…”
“I am, ain’t I? Thanks, kid.”
Psycho had nothing but gentle smiles for Tsutsumi, unlike with the others.
“Hey, no fair! I said the exact same thing!” Homura whined.
Psycho stroked Tsutsumi’s head softly.
“Well, I’ll show you! I’m about to reminisce about us so hard!”
Not willing to be outdone, Homura began to relate some of the memories she had made with Psycho.
“I said it before, but it’s really fun being here with everybody like this. There are tons of things that are difficult or that I don’t like, but a lot of the time, the reason I’m able to overcome the hard stuff is because you’re there with me, Psycho.”
Homura knew she was being embarrassing, but she couldn’t stop herself now. Partly because she wanted to cheer Psycho up, and partly because she wasn’t about to let Tsutsumi be the only one to get a smile.
“I never had the kind of friends I could be myself with before. When I was down, thinking about the past, you gave me the pat on the back I needed, and the first time I lost control, you were the one who saved me. It made me so happy.”
Homura continued to share. She had so many memories now—with Psycho, with all of them.
“It’s not just you, either, Psycho. The only reason I can stand here like this now is thanks to everyone. Even before I died, I had been killing myself inside for a long time. But now when I do something strange, you all let me hear about it. And when you all are being weirdos, I can make fun of you and horse around. That’s what I love about us. It’s what makes us so great…”
Homura had gotten carried away, and now she was getting embarrassed. She looked down, her cheeks glowing red. She took a furtive peek around the wagon and realized it wasn’t just Psycho anymore. They were all blushing now.
“Look what you did! Do you see how awkward it is in here now?!”
The atmosphere in the wagon had grown slightly uncomfortable.
“Well, you know what they say… What happens in Galdorssia stays in Galdorssia… Ah-ha-ha…”
Homura was starting to panic. She threw up peace signs with both her hands, praying the gesture would come off as cool and breezy.
“Do you even know what that phrase means?! We’re staying in Galdorssia right now, you nincompoop!”
Homura would have to remember to ask Jin later what that phrase actually meant.
“Hmph… You know what, who cares?” Psycho said, sighing suddenly. All this whining and moaning was starting to feel silly.
It may not have been the fun, chill atmosphere that Homura was hoping for, but now that everyone was rolling their eyes at what a screwup she was, the energy in the wagon had returned to normal.
“Besides, I’m the one who dragged us all into this conversation in the first place. Fear not, it’s back to Psycho, Mad Scientist Extraordinaire, from here on out!”
Psycho was…not quite back to her usual self, but she did sound confident.
“There’s the Psycho we know and love. Mission accomplished!”
“I’ll give you mission accomplished!”
As the wagon trundled along, a ray of light broke in through the cloth canopy.
“We’re almost in sight of Galdorssia. We’ve sure got a lot to report. Everything that happened in Aurerich…not to mention School Village.”
“I know. Who would have thought something like that would occur, especially in a village like that…?”
Homura and the others thought back to the things they had seen and done during their detour to School Village.