Morning dawned.
Haruno woke in a fog, mentally asking herself the classic three questions: "Who am I? Where am I? What am I doing?"
She looked around with bleary eyes at a room she recognized—her own bedroom. The bed was hers as well. But that chaotic scattering of clothes everywhere was definitely not something she would've done.
And the two hands clasped around her abdomen, plus the broad torso pressed against her back—those belonged to someone else… Rei Ao.
"Mmph!"
Just trying to move made her body ache all over, forcing a wince and a sharp intake of breath. The pain helped clear her head somewhat.
Memories that had been missing gradually came back together like puzzle pieces.
Last night…
She'd originally meant to tease Rei Ao a bit, never expecting him to turn the tables on her. Rei Ao wasn't following any normal script at all; he just straight-up kissed her.
When that first kiss ended, her head was spinning. Haruno recalled that smug smile on Rei Ao as he said, "So, how about now?"
That was obviously a provocation. Combined with her not wanting to lose, it was impossible for her to let such a challenge slide.
So she'd retorted, "Hah, that's all?" And then… step by step, it developed into this outcome.
"Hah, that's all?"
A mocking voice sounded right by her ear.
He hadn't been asleep at all; Rei Ao rolled over with an undiminished sense of energy.
"!!!"
Haruno saw him, still in top form.
"How can this be?"
She couldn't help blurting out in astonishment. Her memory told her they had battled half the night. So why did he look like he was still raring to go?
"Haruno, weren't you the one who said you'd leave me in shreds last night? Then how come you were the one who passed out? Even after you dozed off, I was still going."
"Huh?"
She felt her mind go blank.
"You mean I fell asleep while you were still…? Are you even human?"
This was beyond monstrous!!!
"Oh? You call me inhuman. Aren't you bold."
Rei Ao narrowed his eyes.
"I've never met someone as mouthy as you."
Underneath it all, her entire body—inside and out—had become soft. Especially up top, which was much softer than the otherwise plain figure Yukino had. And yet Haruno's mouth was so much "harder" than Yukino's. They certainly were sisters.
"I've decided: I'm not leaving today until you're thoroughly 'painted' into submission."
"Wait—mmph!"
...
"…"
In the living room, Yukinoshita-mama was quietly sipping tea. Her teacup nearly slipped out of her hand.
They…
She stared upward toward the second floor, feeling at a loss. She'd gotten no sleep all night. After the short break, she took a quick bath and was now trying to calm herself with tea. But it started again, more fiercely than before. She could hear it clearly, even though she was on the first floor.
She wondered if she should leave for a while; continuing to stay here would be too strange. But she then looked down at her own abdomen and pursed her lips. Deciding she'd remain, she murmured to herself:
"If I hadn't suggested all this to Haruno that time, would things have turned out differently?"
She attributed the "error" of her elder daughter to her own actions. She felt she was letting Yukino down. Thus, she figured she ought to stay and witness it. Even though she had never experienced any intimacy herself, making her own body feel weird.
…
Frieren's World.
The Elven lands.
"Frieren? You're not dead?"
Serie eyed Frieren, baffled, then at last spoke.
"Mmm, do you really want me dead so badly?"
Frieren, wearing a dead-fish-eyed stare, shot a glare at her grandmaster. After tidying up a bit, Frieren had come here to see her teacher again.
"So I guess I should say 'long time no see?'"
"Long time no see… yeah."
Serie composed herself. She waved her chin, sizing up Frieren and Aura. They looked no different than they had before vanishing. Indeed, to them, barely days had passed. But by the current timeline, decades.
"So you're telling me you two vanished without a trace for decades. Not even I could find you while traveling the entire world. Then suddenly you pop up with a human in tow. Tsk. Lemme guess. I'm curious: why? Fill me in."
Frieren had some surprise that her teacher had been traveling far and wide searching for her. Even so, she remained outwardly calm.
Shrugging, she explained wryly:
"I happened upon the Goddess's Monument, ended up activating it successfully, and then time-warped decades into the future."
"As I suspected,"
Serie said without blinking. From the moment she laid eyes on them again, she had guessed as much.
"Jumping forward in time to the future… Huh, that's just the kind of bizarre stunt that girl would cause."
She sighed with mild wonder, then waved them off.
"Fine, you're alive—great. But scram now, don't bug me."
"Really chasing me off that quick?"
Frieren lifted her staff.
"I happen to have a type of magic you don't know, Master."
"What?!"
In a flash, that lazy air around Serie vanished. She was instantly in front of Frieren, at a speed nearly imperceptible.
"Magic I don't know? Show me! Quick, I gotta see!"
Her eyes blazed.
At that, "Heh-hem." the quiet presence of Fern off to the side sharpened. She seemed to hear Frieren let out a faint snort. Frieren raised her staff with a serious look.
"What are you trying to do?" Serie asked, suspicious.
The moment Frieren's staff touched the air, Serie's eyes went wide.
"That girl's mana is so different!"
If Frieren's mana was once like a lake, previously so great it rivaled an ocean, now it was of an even more profound scale. Something about it was incomprehensible.
So few days had passed for them, yet how had she grown so enormously?
While Serie racked her brain, a green magic circle formed up ahead. A torrent of nature's essence poured forth, brimming with life energy.
"This magic…"
Serie stared blankly at the scene. Even if she couldn't parse the magic's principle, she could feel the mighty breath of nature swirl around. Just being touched by a thread of that power made her cells vibrate in joy.
"Frieren, what exactly are you doing?"
Never before had Serie been this shaken. If such a monstrous magic got out of control, the residual energy alone could destroy everything for miles around.
Frieren gazed at the glowing formation, posture solemn:
"I intend to resurrect her."
~~~
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