"Yutsuki-san?"
Looking at Yutsuki, who had suddenly broken into her base, Kurumi looked very surprised.
She saw that Yutsuki was currently wearing her complete Astral Dress.
Her black coat was stained with large patches of blood, making her look chilling at a glance.
"Yutsuki-san... are you all right?"
Kurumi asked with hesitation.
"Hm? Ah—this blood? Don't worry. It isn't mine. I was just tangled up with a disgusting female pervert. I really could not stand her clingy pestering anymore, so I dealt with her."
Using spirit power to remove the bloodstains from her body, Yutsuki waved her hand and answered lightly.
"That's not..."
Seeing Yutsuki's reaction, Kurumi stopped herself.
Yutsuki was fine.
Kurumi had understood that from the start.
Although she was covered in blood, aside from breathing a little quickly and looking sowhat tired, she did not seem badly injured.
At most, she had used up a lot of spirit power.
But that was exactly what made it strange.
(Why?)
An indescribable anger rose in Kurumi's heart.
The most important person to you is dead.
Why can you still be so calm?
Why did you not invert like the others?
Why have you not broken down in despair?
"Kurumi."
Yutsuki's voice rang by her ear, pulling Kurumi sharply back to her senses.
"W-what is it... Yutsuki-san?..."
Kurumi said, pretending to be calm.
"Just now, you seed like you were about to use Zafkiel on yourself. If I am not wrong, you were planning to go back into the past, right? And not with a bullet like the Twelfth Bullet that needs a huge amount of spirit power, but a bullet that can perform ti travel in another form."
Yutsuki asked that.
"——?!"
Hearing those words, Kurumi was shocked inside.
Only now did she realize that Ryougi Yutsuki had seen her use the Sixth Bullet.
"...Yes. That's right. The Sixth Bullet's ability is to send the target's consciousness back to the past from a few days ago. As expected of Yutsuki-san."
After hesitating for a mont, Kurumi honestly admitted it.
If possible, she certainly did not want to reveal the secret of her Angel to soone else.
But based on past experience, a clumsy lie made up on the spot would obviously never fool the girl in front of her.
(She is probably planning to use my Sixth Bullet to go back into the past and change history.)
Kurumi guessed in her heart.
However, unlike what Kurumi had imagined, there was no trace of surprise on Yutsuki's face.
There was also no wild joy of soone who had found their last lifeline.
She simply confird it as a fact, then continued asking.
"After going back to the past, what do you plan to do?"
"Eh?"
Kurumi froze.
Faced with Yutsuki's question, she did not know how to answer.
What did she plan to do?
Was the answer not obvious?
This world already had no future.
DEM's sche had succeeded. Next, they would collect the Sephira Crystals of the inverted Spirits for themselves. By then, the world would surely fall under DEM's control.
Even if that did not happen, in a few years, this world would be destroyed by the inverted Tohka and the others.
Then, aside from going back to the past and changing this cruel reality, was there any other choice?
However, under Yutsuki's gaze, Kurumi found herself strangely unable to speak and looked away. It was as if her inner thoughts would be seen through if she t those eyes.
Also, Yutsuki's calm and composed attitude sohow irritated Kurumi.
"Hehe——isn't that obvious? Of course I'm going back to the past and eating Shido-san before he dies, until not even his bones remain! And those hateful DEM people dared to steal my prey. I will never forgive them either."
With her usual wicked smile on her lips, Kurumi looked at Yutsuki and waited to see an angry expression on her face.
"I see..."
Hearing Kurumi's words, Yutsuki thought for a mont, then spoke.
"I understand. I will help you too."
"Hah?!"
Kurumi stared at Yutsuki in disbelief.
"Are you insane? Did you not hear what I just said?"
"I heard you. You said you are going to save Shido, didn't you?"
"Gh—"
Kurumi was at a loss for words. For a mont, she did not know what to say.
"In any case, after you go back to the past, rember to find the past '' first and explain the situation. Then 'I' should agree to help you."
Ignoring Kurumi's expression, which looked as if she had choked on a fish bone, Yutsuki continued.
"Will things really go that smoothly? 'We' are going to take Shido-san's life, you know. With your suspicious nature, Yutsuki-san, I do not think you would easily believe us even if we told you about the future.
Before Kurumi could speak, the clone inside the shadow raised her doubts first.
"Ah. You don't need to worry about that. I have a thod that will make the past '' believe you one hundred percent."
"Oh? What thod?"
"Wait! Why are 'we' pushing the topic forward without asking ? I never agreed to cooperate!"
Seeing her clone and Yutsuki continue the conversation on their own, Kurumi hurriedly spoke up.
"Why not? With only 'our' strength, even resisting DEM's attack is already barely possible. Right now, we cannot find a breakthrough. The best thod is to find more help. Honestly, we are at the point where we would even borrow a cat's paw."
"Besides, as a partner, there is no one more reassuring than Yutsuki-san."
"..."
Faced with her own very reasonable argunt, Kurumi had no reply.
"Well, if you are worried about information leaking, then you can relax. Because of my special passive , Westcott's Beelzebub cannot search for ."
"...What is the thod you ntioned that will make the past 'Yutsuki-san' believe us?"
After a long inner struggle, Kurumi finally suppressed the unpleasant feeling in her heart and asked.
"Ah... actually, there are two dreams I have always kept in my heart. And one of them is sothing I have never even told Shido."
"Dreams?"
Kurumi looked puzzled.
Yutsuki walked over to Kurumi's side and whispered into her ear.
Gradually, Kurumi's expression changed from confusion to shock.
She looked at Yutsuki in disbelief.
"Yutsuki-san... you..."
"Well, that reaction is natural. After all, it does not match the impression people have of at all. Ah—damn it, this is so embarrassing... I was planning to take this with to the grave and never say it."
With a bitter sigh, Yutsuki could not help covering her face and softly wailing.
Kurumi was briefly choked up.
Yes.
Just as Yutsuki said, it was a very pure, very small dream that completely did not match the impression she gave people.
But that simple sentence made Kurumi lower her head.
The anger in her heart turned into deep guilt and self-bla.
Because if those words were true...
Then the calm, composed girl before Kurumi felt more sadness and despair over Itsuka Shido's death than anyone else.
"Why... do you not use my ability to return to the past and save Shido yourself?"
Finally, Kurumi voiced her doubt.
"Mm... there are probably two reasons."
After thinking for a mont, Yutsuki answered.
"First, I do not have the ability to travel through ti myself. If I fail to change history, then I would have to borrow 'your' power again. That process itself carries a certain risk of failure. After all, I do not have absolute confidence that I can make you trust ."
Hearing Yutsuki's explanation, Kurumi began imagining the situation where Yutsuki ca to find her.
Indeed, just as Yutsuki said, even if Yutsuki revealed so information that only Kurumi herself should know to prove she ca from the future, Kurumi would likely think that the other party had learned that information through so thod she did not know about, and was only telling such a lie to confuse her so she would not eat Shido.
After all, unlike the clearly kind and harmless Shido, Ryougi Yutsuki was simply too dangerous as an opponent.
Even if Kurumi knew she had no ill will, she would instinctively be wary.
"...I'm sorry."
"No need. If anything, I am the one who should apologize. Because of that small bit of hope in my heart, I am making you do sothing so painful alone."
Yutsuki shook her head and said with sha.
"And then, the second reason is just my personal judgnt. Compared to sending the current back to the past, the past '' should be able to help you better... Kurumi."
"What do you an?"
"You will understand when the ti cos."
After answering vaguely, Yutsuki walked to Shido's corpse and crouched down.
As if she did not want to wake him, she carefully adjusted his bangs with her fingers.
Looking at Shido's peaceful face, as if he were asleep, Yutsuki's eyes showed pain and helplessness.
"And besides... I have already been left behind..."
After whispering softly to herself, Yutsuki soon stood up.
Then, under Kurumi's doubtful gaze, she pulled Kurumi into her arms.
"Y-Yutsuki-san?!"
Kurumi was suddenly flustered.
To be honest, she had already lost count of how many tis Yutsuki's unexpected actions had thrown her off balance.
"I'm sorry, Kurumi. In exchange for not stopping you, from now on, no matter what kind of difficulty you face or what kind of pain you suffer, whether it is sadness, pain, anger, tears, or self destruction, I will stand on your side."
Yutsuki's calm yet firm words sounded by her ear.
Kurumi felt soone gently stroking her head.
(It feels so comfortable...)
Kurumi could not help thinking that.
Gradually, her stiff body relaxed.
Warmth.
Peace.
Relief.
Those feelings slowly rose in her heart, gently healing the heart that had been torn open again and again.
(A mother's embrace... maybe this is what it feels like.)
That thought appeared in her heart.
Then, as if seeking comfort, Kurumi unconsciously hugged Yutsuki a little tighter.
"I promise you, Kurumi. No matter what the result is, the future will never be despair."
TL:So peak bro...
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