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By the ti Bokue Keikain and his companions reached the surface, roughly ten minutes had passed.
Sumr was in full swing, and the days were at their longest.
When Bokue and Nagisa first teleported to Keystone Gate, it had been just past five in the evening. After all the chaos they'd endured, it was still barely six. The sun hadn't moved much since their arrival, though now, without any clouds to soften its rays, it felt even harsher and more piercing.
"It's so hot… Why is it ridiculously hot here?"
As they stepped out of the elevator back into Keystone Gate's first-floor lobby, Asagi murmured under her breath, annoyed.
After all, it was late July, arguably the hottest period of the year. Yet, inexplicably, the largest structure and financial hub of Itogami Island—the Keystone Gate—currently had no air conditioning running at all.
The accumulated heat from a day's worth of sunlight had turned the expansive lobby into a giant sauna.
No—it was worse. A super-sized sauna.
Of course, it wasn't difficult to understand why. Earlier, to confuse and panic the authorities about their intentions, the apostles from Lotharingia had deliberately sabotaged the building's power grid before proceeding to the underground facilities. The entire above-ground section, nearly twenty floors, was plunged into a blackout.
The severity was evident just from the group of electricians frantically repairing the electrical panel near the entrance.
"Sigh… And here I thought we'd find so nice restaurant inside Keystone Gate for dinner. Guess that's off the table now."
Though Asagi hadn't planned this at all initially, she spoke as if dining here had been her idea all along, shooting a pointed look at the two middle-schoolers glued to Bokue's side.
"And after all that drama earlier… Anyway, Bokue, co to my place first. I need to shower and change—I'm covered in dust after walking through those corridors."
"Fine by . Whatever you say," Bokue shrugged casually.
Heh heh…
Asagi smiled triumphantly, silently gloating. Her glance towards Nagisa and Yukina beca openly provocative, translating clearly to: See, little girls? Your dear "Big Brother" is coming ho with , and we'll even have dinner together afterward. So how about you two obediently head ho alone, hmm?
That clearly wasn't okay!
Nagisa wanted to protest imdiately, but self-restraint held her tongue. Making a fuss would surely inconvenience Bokue, and she'd rather avoid that.
Surprisingly, it was Yukina who smoothly resolved the potential awkwardness with unexpected emotional intelligence, promptly chiming in after Asagi's declaration.
"Then, let's part ways at the Keystone Gate entrance. Aiba-senpai, Bokue-senpai—Nagisa and I were just about to head ho ourselves anyway."
"Oh~ How thoughtful. Alright, be careful on your way back, girls~"
Asagi, thoroughly pleased by Yukina's maturity, softened her attitude considerably.
❁❁❁❁
Monts later, after saying brief goodbyes before the partially ruined Keystone Gate, Bokue and Asagi headed off together. Only Nagisa and Yukina boarded a city bus at the nearby stop, preparing to return ho.
Unlike Asagi, whose apartnt was conveniently located in the central district, Nagisa and Yukina represented the ordinary students of Itogami Island. For them, walking back ho from the city center wasn't impossible—but definitely inconvenient, hence their choice of public transportation.
As the bus trundled along, Yukina brought up a lingering question that had been nagging her.
"Hey… Nagisa?"
"Hm? What's up, Yukina-chan? Sothing on your mind?"
Nagisa turned instantly, eyes sparkling with her usual cheerful warmth.
"Don't be shy! You can ask anything you want~"
"It's nothing major, really…" Yukina hesitated, montarily thrown off by Nagisa's open deanor. "I was just wondering—why were you and Bokue-senpai even at Keystone Gate to begin with?"
"Oh, that…"
Nagisa tapped her lips, pretending to think seriously for a mont.
"Well, we were originally at ho when suddenly we heard about the incident at Keystone Gate. Since Big Brother's girlfr—ah, I an childhood friend—Asagi-senpai works there, he was worried sothing might happen to her, so he took along."
Catching herself from blurting out "girlfriend," Nagisa tilted her head cutely, offering a convincingly innocent smile.
"Though, honestly, it's a good thing we went. Who knows what would've happened if that executioner had actually destroyed Keystone Gate."
"Ah, you're right about that…" Yukina nodded absently.
Yet ntioning ho made Yukina recall a peculiar sight she'd encountered earlier.
When she had rushed into Nagisa's ho after hearing explosions, she'd found mysterious white splatters all over the floor. She was about to ask when Nagisa cut her off with a sudden question.
"How about you, Yukina-chan? How did you end up coming here?"
"? When I heard the alarms, I ran straight to your house. Finding no one there, I imdiately headed to Keystone Gate," Yukina explained. Then, after a brief pause, she continued hesitantly, "But… when I entered your ho earlier, there were these white splashes all over the floor. It looked like so kind of… liquid? What exactly were you and Bokue-senpai doing?"
"Eh!? Th-that…?" Nagisa jumped slightly, quickly averting her gaze as her cheeks reddened.
"Ahaha~ That was… um… Big Brother and I were making a cake!"
"A cake?"
Yukina blinked, genuinely puzzled.
This was an area completely foreign to her training as a Sword Shaman. Her culinary knowledge revolved mostly around wilderness survival—identifying edible plants, distinguishing poisonous berries, or creating balanced als from limited resources. Cakes, cookies, pastries—such delicacies were entirely out of her expertise.
"Yes, yes, cakes! We were trying to whip up so cream frosting, actually," Nagisa blurted out desperately, improvising rapidly.
To enhance credibility, she even added a shy little laugh, scratching her cheek as if genuinely embarrassed.
"We're still new at baking, so we weren't exactly skilled yet. We kinda… made a ss."
"Ah, is that so…"
Yukina still felt a nagging sense of unease, as though sothing didn't quite add up, but she had no logical rebuttal and decided to let it go.
Suddenly, Nagisa's eyes brightened with excitent.
"Oh, I know! Yukina-chan, when we get ho, why don't you taste-test it? You can tell your honest opinion and maybe give so suggestions!"
"Eh? M-? But… I've never made cakes before…" Yukina stamred, surprised.
"Don't worry about that! It doesn't matter if you don't bake—just give your perspective as a regular eater."
"Is… is that so? Well… okay then."
Yukina finally nodded shyly, surrendering to Nagisa's contagious enthusiasm.
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