Chapter 26: Her cheeks were flushed, so I decided to tell her how I felt.

“…Ahahaha!”

The boy in front of me had a sword sticking out of his back, piercing clean through his stomach.

I yanked it out without mercy, and red liquid splattered down. A cry of joy escaped my lips.

To think he’d fall for such a simple feint.

Once, Amurtat had given me such a hard time—and now, here he was, collapsing effortlessly into a pool of blood.

Holding back… suppressing my magic had been such a hassle.

Because if I’d unleashed it without restraint, Amurtat would’ve been reduced to ash in an instant.

And that would’ve been boring.

I wanted to see that face twisted in agony.

That’s why I wasn’t even close to going all out.

Did he really not notice?

He was just a mid-level officer. I’ve absorbed the Seed of Darkness. The difference in power is obvious.

Give them hope—then, the moment they reach for it, crush them with despair.

A solid tactic.

By intentionally exposing a gap, I made him think he had a chance. Lured him in. That was a complete success.

Even using a scythe to fight was all part of the setup—to plant the false idea that I couldn’t transform my staff into a sword.

I’ve thought this for a while, but his fighting style is riddled with waste.

He never truly aims to kill me.

He always stops just short, forcing me into retreat.

He could afford that because the gap between us used to be overwhelming. But now that I’m the magical girl of darkness—Dark Witch—that’s pure folly.

Which is exactly why I could handle Amurtat’s so-called finishing move with ease.

I let out a fake scream to bait him into letting his guard down.

Watching him close in, convinced he had me, was so ridiculous I nearly burst out laughing.

“…If it weren’t for you… for all of you, none of this would’ve happened.”

Just as the laughter died down, that bitter voice slipped out.

If the Legion Brigade hadn’t shown up, I never would’ve had to fight.

I could’ve stayed as me, lived happily.

And if they hadn’t lured me into their trap…

Crunch.

Something scraped inside my mouth as I stared down at Amurtat.

“…”

He tried to say something, but his mouth was filled with blood. Whatever words he had were lost in the gurgle of his coughs. Blood dripped from his lips.

Was he begging for his life?

If so, how pathetic.

I glanced down at him, crawling like an insect.

Payback for that time he humiliated me.

Should I keep him restrained and torture him for a while?

Rip off his nails. Drive needles of magic into his body, one by one, each a little closer to the center.

The image of Amurtat writhing in agony made me smile without thinking.

But with a shake of my head, I severed that sweet temptation.

I’ll kill him.

If I wait too long… something might happen.

Like that time—when I thought I had Savaros beaten, and he used someone else as a shield…

Besides, getting Haruto back from the south comes first.

It’s a waste, but it can’t be helped.

With judgment in my heart, I raised my sword—

“…Yeah. You’re right.”

—when, of all things, I heard agreement… from the criminal himself.

---

“…I’m sorry, Youta. This is all our—no, my fault.”

Amurtat pushed himself up, leaning against the wall as he spoke.

He kept choking on his own blood, so his words came out in fragments.

For a normal person, these wounds would be fatal. Even with a superhuman body, he shouldn’t be able to move.

Yet somehow, he was smiling. A self-deprecating, clear-eyed smile.

It made no sense. The exhilaration I’d felt just moments before was rapidly fading.

“…Why do you know my name?”

I hurled the question at him.

If I’d still been swept up in rage, maybe I wouldn’t have noticed. But now, it was unmistakable—there was no way he should know my name.

That’s right.

He said it back then too—when I fought him as the Silver Witch, for the very last time.

I was too preoccupied to dwell on it then, but now…

Now, in this world, there’s only one person who should still call me Youta.

Warning bells went off in my head.

Don’t listen. Don’t let him speak. Kill him now.

A sharp pain stabbed through my temples.

Dread crept down my spine.

“…You saved my life. Of course I’d know. Didn’t… I say that… before?”

The moment Amurtat said that, the blood-soaked black outfit around him dissolved in light.

And standing there—was Haruto.

My best friend. The boy who’d always watched over me.

He wore the same clothes he’d had on earlier, when I saw him with Minami. No signs of battle. Nothing changed—

Except for the gaping wound in his stomach. And the red coating every inch of him.

Worse, the bleeding hadn’t stopped. His fresh outfit was already soaked through with new blood.

“Ah…”

And then, I finally understood what I’d done.

Why hadn’t I noticed?

The hints were there. Scattered around me.

A ridiculous fantasy had become a horrifying reality, right before my eyes.

My lips trembled in fear.

—I’d hurt Haruto.

The sword slipped from my hand with a clatter, falling into the pool of blood.

The splash painted fresh streaks of red across the floor.

—I tried to kill him, driven by hate.

My head throbbed like it would split open.

I fell to my knees, bowing my head, clutching it in both hands.

Clawing at my silver hair, desperate to escape the terror.

The ends dipped into the blood, soaking in crimson.

Tears fell—but they were nothing compared to the blood I’d spilled. Too little to even dilute it.

“Aaahhh…”

The sob that slipped out meant nothing.

The vivid sensation of stabbing my sword in him—driven by hatred, almost gleeful—still clung to my hands.
So did the joy I felt as I watched him collapse.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry..."

Even before guilt could settle in, my chest was ready to tear itself apart.
My heart creaked and screamed.

This has to be a dream. The worst nightmare imaginable.
It has to be.

—Would I wake up if I plunged this sword into my own chest?

Even if not... maybe I’d at least end up in the same place he’s going.

That hope—fleeting and fragile—rose within me. Just as I reached for it—

"...It's okay."

A warm touch landed on my head.

"Haru... to...?"

Haruto’s voice was gentle as he stroked my head.
Such a large hand.

"I’ve been lying to you this whole time... So this is the punishment I deserve."

I looked up at him.
And I flinched, instinctively.

If Haruto had glared at me with hate in his eyes—

No, that would’ve made sense.
I tried to kill him, after all.

Who could possibly forgive someone like that?

But what I saw in his eyes was the same kindness as always.

"Why...?"

Why do you look so content?
That was the question I meant to ask.

But Haruto must’ve interpreted it differently.

"This form... was to locate the source of your power."

He looked down as he continued.

"I got close to you, pretending to be a friend. That was my goal. So... if it’ll bring you peace... you can do whatever you want to me."

"Why would you go that far...?"

"Don’t you remember...? You... shielded me and ended up absorbing the 'Seed of Darkness'..."

The Amurtat that had just been inside me—the memory of Haruto using me as a shield.

Now I could finally recognize that it had been twisted.
When I saw Haruto in Amurtat’s face, I acted on my own will. I chose to shove him away.

I nodded, slowly. And Haruto went on.

"That’s why I have a ‘responsibility’... and for that, I’m ready to be killed by you."

"Don’t say something that sad...!"

As he spoke, his face grew paler and paler.

"Wait—healing magic!"

A looming sense of death pressed down on me. Half-mad with panic, I began to cast.

"Light Heal!"

A basic healing spell.
Why didn’t I think of it sooner?

This should be enough to heal his wounds instantly—

—But the magic that should’ve gathered in my hand vanished without a trace.

"Light Heal!"

Again.
But the same thing happened.

This time, despair took hold.

"Why...?"

"Probably... in this form... you can’t use your old powers anymore... Don’t worry. This much... is nothing..."

"Don’t give me that crap!"

I grabbed his ashen hand, desperate to feel even a little of his warmth.
Instead, the heat from his body was rapidly draining, and I felt my barely-held-together heart begin to shatter.

My vision blurred again. I nearly slumped forward.

—If this world is nothing but despair, then let it all burn.

That fleeting, decaying temptation echoed through my mind.
So sweet, so easy to surrender to—I had to fight with everything I had not to give in.

Haruto was still breathing.
There had to be something I could do.

I pleaded with the universe, grasping for anything that could save him—but nothing came.
I hated myself for being this useless.

To be powerless in the face of a life slipping away right in front of me.
To be reduced to tears and nothing more.

It would’ve been easier if he hated me.
If he’d looked at me with disgust and spat venom, I could’ve thrown myself into hell and called it justice.

—But that would’ve been nothing more than self-serving atonement.

And Haruto’s gentle eyes wouldn’t allow it.

Being accepted only made the ugliness inside me feel even more unbearable.

"You’re an idiot... Risking your life for someone like me just because I shielded you once..."

Haruto was the one in pain. But my heart felt like it was the one being crushed.

I clenched my fists so tight they dug into my knees. Warm droplets streamed down my cheeks.

I hated myself. Hated how pathetic and ugly I was. I wanted to disappear.

"Of course... that’s not the only reason."

Even then, Haruto pulled me into an embrace with one arm.
I had no idea where he was finding the strength—but it was firm, unyielding. I couldn’t resist.

"Wait—what are you doing!?"

He pressed my face against his chest, ignoring my confusion, and used his other hand to fasten something around my neck with practiced ease.

His still-wet blood stained my cheek red.

"...Tch..."

The moment the restraint loosened, I scrambled away in a panic.

Haruto groaned, clearly in pain. I was terrified for him.

—And yet, his eyes were fixed on my chest.

Following his gaze, I saw it—
A silver accessory shaped like angel wings.

"This is..."

Stunned, I looked at him. And even on the edge of death, Haruto smiled at me with that same sweet smile that always made my heart flutter.

"Looks like... you’re the most important thing in the world to me. —So my life... doesn’t weigh much at all. I just want... to see you smile... always."