Returning to his own room, Yuji Itadori lay down on the bed.
The bed wasn't exactly soft, but it was surprisingly comfortable to lie on.
Noticing a notification for unread ssages, Itadori opened the Chat Group interface.
[Jealous Witch's Object of Escape: I'm back! Not only did I scout out the location for my date with Emilia tomorrow, but I've also gotten much closer to Rem.]
Natsuki Subaru had posted several pictures in the group; he was in a village with Rem, interacting with the local children.
[Jujutsu Physical Education Student: Looks nice. You got close to those kids that quickly?]
[Jealous Witch's Object of Escape: Mm-hm, those kids are all really well-behaved! Everything went smoothly today! Just one minor bad thing, my hand got bitten by a puppy!]
Natsuki Subaru posted another picture, showing a string of teeth marks on the back of his hand.
[Jealous Witch's Object of Escape: But Rem already helped take care of it.]
[Unsurrounded One: As long as you're okay.]
[Jujutsu Physical Education Student: Have you finalized the plans for tomorrow?]
[Jealous Witch's Object of Escape: I have a few plans in mind, let's just go with the flow! It's getting late! Kazuma hasn't said anything for a while, so he must be asleep. I'm going to get so rest now! Goodnight!]
[Jujutsu Physical Education Student: I get the feeling that guy Kazuma might be out partying again or sothing, but goodnight for now. I need to rest too.]
[Unsurrounded One: Goodnight.]
Yuji Itadori closed the group chat interface, though he had no intention of sleeping.
It had been a long ti since he'd slept for an extended period; at most, he only closed his eyes to rest his mind.
Because with his current body, he didn't require long periods of rest.
Furthermore—
If he fell asleep, he was prone to dreaming, and he might dream of the people who were once most important to him.
Upon waking, they would all be gone, replaced by the mories of himself attending their funerals.
Yuji Itadori didn't want to attend anyone's funeral ever again.
"I'll head out for a bit," Yuji Itadori muttered to himself, then walked out of the room, intending to wander around.
However, as he pushed open the door, he saw Himl leaning against the corridor railing, looking up at the brilliant starry sky.
"Aren't you sleeping yet?"
Itadori's voice pulled Himl's attention back.
"Not yet. The starry sky tonight is beautiful. I was going to watch it with Frieren, but she said she was sleepy and fell asleep. We also agreed to watch the sunrise together tomorrow. I heard the sunrise view here is magnificent, so I plan to stay up all night to make sure I don't miss it—though Frieren might oversleep again."
Himl shook his head with a smile, then looked at Yuji Itadori.
"Itadori, aren't you going to rest?"
"I'm not very sleepy."
"Is that so? Then, do you want to chat? There's nothing else to do anyway."
"Whatever works."
"Itadori, you have people you value deeply too, don't you?"
"Yeah. It's just that most of them are no longer around."
"I see. I'm sorry."
"It's sothing that can't be helped."
Yuji Itadori looked up at the sky. It had been a long ti since he'd paid attention to the night sky.
In the world he ca from, the cities were brightly lit, making the night sky appear as a simple, dull grey.
Only in worlds like these could one see the brilliant Milky Way.
"Speaking of which, why didn't you let say your group nickna during the day?" Itadori asked. "You don't seem like the type to be easily embarrassed."
When chatting in the group, Himl frequently referred to himself as a handso guy, and he was the sa when talking to his companions. He seed like the very confident type who shouldn't be shy.
"Because I don't want Frieren to know my thoughts."
The upward curve of Himl's lips beca slightly more pronounced.
"Why?"
"Because Frieren herself hasn't truly understood the emotions and bonds between people yet—at least, she lacks awareness in that regard. And on the other hand—"
The smile remained on Himl's face, but there seed to be a hint of hidden emotion within it.
"Also, I don't want to beco a burden to Frieren."
"A burden?"
"Yes. You probably know, right? Elves are a very long-lived race. We've been traveling together for a while now, but to Frieren, this is rely an insignificant mont in her life. We are just passersby in her long existence. I will grow old, but Frieren won't. I don't want to beco a Binding Vow for Frieren; she is soone who should keep moving forward."
Himl's tone held only a faint touch of regret, but no sorrow.
Yuji Itadori listened to Himl's words without responding.
In a sense, he was sowhat similar to Frieren; both had very long lifespans, at least far longer than those of their companions.
"However, to , what's most important is the present. Being able to spend ti together and having those monts permanently etched in my mind—that's true happiness. Perhaps one day, Frieren will understand too. But in my eyes, living well in the mont is enough."
Himl looked up at the starry sky again.
Yuji Itadori fell into a thoughtful silence for a mont before looking up at the sky.
"It's getting late. I'm going to rest."
"Going to rest already?"
"Yeah. Getting a little sleepy. Goodnight."
"Goodnight."
Yuji Itadori waved his hand and returned to his room.
He lay on the bed and closed his eyes.
...
The next morning.
The group had just finished watching the sunrise and was preparing to return to the inn to rest.
The Hero's Party's stamina was almost depleted—not because of staying up all night or traveling to see the sunrise, but because of the effort to get Frieren out of bed.
Frieren's ability to sleep in could be described as exaggerated; it was as if she were glued to the bed.
Today, she looked like a small child, a complete contrast to the cold Elf she had appeared to be yesterday.
In the end, it was Eisen who carried Frieren out along with the bed, which finally did the trick.
With a few hours left, Yuji Itadori planned to wander around the town before returning to his original world.
But right then, he received another group ssage—
[Jealous Witch's Object of Escape: @everyone This is bad! This is bad! Sothing huge has happened!]
[Jujutsu Physical Education Student: Did sothing happen?]
[Useless Goddess, You Really Deserve to Die: Why are you tagging everyone this early?]
[Only Love White-Haired Elves: Did sothing go wrong?]
Yuji Itadori also narrowed his eyes slightly.
[Unsurrounded One: What's wrong?]
[Jealous Witch's Object of Escape: I've triggered Return by Death!]
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