Chapter 30: Since My Role Was Over, I Decided to Say Goodbye

"Whoa! It’s spilling over, Reona!"

"Ugh, seriously! Why is this thing so flimsy?!"

"Ow…"

The noisy shouts forcibly dragged me back to consciousness. As I tried to push myself up from the futon, a small groan escaped me.

A dull pain throbbed in my abdomen.

—Right.

Yesterday, Yota stabbed me—no, Luna did.

There were no visible scars on the surface, but it seemed the wound hadn’t fully healed. That was a sword imbued with the magic of the Dark Witch, a magical girl of shadows.

Maybe it had some kind of effect that destroyed cells at their core.

Still, it’d probably heal in a few days.

For now, I only lifted my upper body halfway and glanced around.

This was my house.

The cramped, familiar four-and-a-half-tatami room.

"They say spicy food warms you up, so maybe adding some spice would be good! The stuff I ate in India was crazy hot!"

"Stop messing with the porridge, Kongou! I’ve never cooked before, so don’t butt in—just watch the fire!"

Even so, they were way too loud.

I doubted they were considering the injured party—i.e., me—at all.

From the voices, it was Reona and Kongou.

These two were ridiculously noisy when together.

In a bad way, they just clicked. No matter what they did, they’d always end up in a chaotic uproar.

Back when I caught a cold once, they came to visit, and I genuinely couldn’t tell if they were there to nurse me back to health or make things worse.

Finally, my patience snapped.

"—Shut the hell up, you two!"

I barked toward the kitchen.

Then—

"S-Sorry. Were we… bothering you?"

Standing there was Yota, wearing a bright blue apron.

An awkward, genuinely apologetic expression.

…Yeah, the pain in my gut definitely wasn’t my imagination.

---

"Why are you in my house?"

"Uh, well… After you passed out last night, Reona-san and Kongou-san came. They told me to go home for the night."

"And I told him to come back today. So, he kept his promise."

"...I see."

I nodded at Yota and Reona’s explanation.

It had gotten late yesterday. Yota’s family would’ve worried if he hadn’t gone back.

I was grateful these two had stepped in.

Yota had been covered in blood—if he’d gone home like that, it would’ve caused a scene.

"I figured you’d come first thing in the morning, but it’s almost noon."

"That’s… I had some errands."

Yota mumbled vaguely, but there was a hint of happiness in his voice.

No doubt, things were looking up for her.

"Anyway, we’re in the middle of making porridge. Well, Kongou and I were just shouting from the sidelines."

"No, Reona-san helped by buying the ingredients. I totally forgot about this guy’s food situation…"

Now that he mentioned it, I didn’t have rice in my house.

Hell, I didn’t even own a rice cooker.

"I forgot you can’t cook either. Thank god Luna-chan showed up."

—Luna-chan, huh.

Still, she’d gotten pretty close to them.

For some reason, that bothered me a little, but I pushed it down and checked the time on my phone.

"Noon, huh."

"Sleeping like a log, were you? You were out."

That explained it.

I felt way more sluggish than usual upon waking up.

Definitely overslept.

On top of that, maybe because my body was using energy to heal, my stomach growled loudly.

"...I’m starving."

"Got it! I’ll bring it right away!"

The moment I said that, Yota bolted out like a spring had been released.

…It’s a small house. No need to run.

From the other side—

"Yo, I kept the fire steady! Go on, take it to him!"

"Thanks, Kongou-san!"

Their voices carried over.

Probably trying to match Kongou’s volume.

Yota seemed unusually energetic. I hoped it wasn’t forced.

As I glanced in that direction—

"...You seem fine now."

Reona muttered under her breath before reaching for her bag.

"Leaving?"

"I’ve got things to do too. I even ditched work halfway last night. Not all of us get weekends off like self-employed Kongou."

"...Sorry about that."

Reona gave me a wry look.

"Honestly… You should let yourself rely on people sometimes. I am your stand-in big sister, after all."

"...You’re weirdly fixated on that."

"Well, yeah. But maybe I don’t need to be anymore."

There was something oddly sentimental in her tone, but before I could question it—

"Hey. You should talk to her properly later."

"Yota?"

"Yeah. Figure out what you want. What you want for her. Otherwise, you’ll both just end up miserable. Consider it advice from your elder."

With that, Reona stood up.

As she headed for the door, Yota appeared, carrying a tray with a clay pot—just in time to pass her.

Reona whispered something to her, then—

"See you, Haruto. And Luna-chan. C’mon, Kongou, we’re leaving!"

And just like that, she was gone.

"Already?! …Fine, fine."

Kongou sounded reluctant but obediently followed after a sharp look from Reona.

"Hey, if anything comes up, just call! Later, Haruto!"

"Later," huh.

A word that carried the expectation of meeting again.

…They had to know there wouldn’t be a next time.

There was only one thing left for me to do in this world.

Once that was over, I’d return to my original world.

No—I had to go back.

---

"…Delicious."

I muttered those words without thinking as I took a bite of the porridge.

Even for someone like me, who doesn’t usually care much about taste, the warmth of it brought me comfort.

It was the kind of sensation that made me want to sigh—so soothing it felt like it was healing me from the inside.

"Really?! I learned how to make it from Mom this morning. Ehehe, I’m glad you like it!"

Youta’s face lit up with pure happiness, his joy practically overflowing.

That was the kind of mood it was.

Under his watchful gaze, I emptied the entire clay pot. Then, I placed the tray with the pot by the futon and pushed it toward him.

"Thanks for the meal. It was good."

"Glad you enjoyed it."

A relaxed smile spread across my face from the fullness. Maybe I’d eaten a little too much, but that just proved how tasty it was.

"…Hey, Haruto."

Though he had been smiling brightly just moments ago, once he saw me take a breath, his expression shifted. His voice came out quiet.

"…About yesterday… I’m sorry. It was my fault."

"Nah, it’s fine. For me, a wound like this is—"

"Yeah, Reona told me. That you have strong regenerative powers. But… that doesn’t change the fact that I hurt you. So… I’m really sorry."

Youta lowered his eyes, his face etched with regret.

Seeing him like that made my chest tighten painfully.

I couldn’t let him make that kind of face.

That’s what my heart demanded.

I hesitated, unsure how to respond—but in the end, I realized the only thing I could do was speak honestly.

"…Youta. If you really feel sorry, then I want you to smile. Didn’t I tell you? Seeing you like this hurts me way more."

"I can’t smile… Just thinking about how I could’ve killed you makes me sick. If there’s anything I can do to make up for it, just tell me."

But instead, he only looked even sadder.

…Youta probably wouldn’t be satisfied unless he could atone in some way.

Fine, then.

"In that case, as an even exchange… forgive me."

"…Forgive you?"

"Yeah."

I had hurt Youta—Luna—over and over as an enemy.

Of course, I never went as far as taking his life, but if you added up all the pain I’d caused, it would far outweigh yesterday’s wound.

And besides—

"If you hadn’t protected me, Youta, you could’ve lived happily—without suffering at all. And yet, I kept everything from you and still stayed by your side."

"That’s… not a big deal. I chose to save you on my own. And… Reona told me you were keeping your identity a secret because you were worried about me, right?"

I silently shook my head at his words.

…Saying it was for his sake might sound nice, but the truth was, I just didn’t want to be hated by the only real friend I’d made in this world.

"—It’s your fault."

Even if I knew that deep down, the thought of hearing him say it to my face terrified me.

That’s why I’d planned to keep hiding it until the very end.

In truth, when he—now the Magical Girl of Darkness, Dark Witch—had spat those bitter words at me, the emotional pain had far outweighed the physical. Pathetic, really.

"Even if it’s not a big deal to you, it is to me. If you deny that, then your own argument falls apart too… right?"

Checkmate.

I smiled at Youta, who looked like he’d just been outplayed.

"So, if you forgive me, I’ll forgive you too. That makes us even, doesn’t it?"

"…You’re still going easy on me, huh?"

Along with those words, Youta gave a fragile smile.

Still on the verge of tears. But deep within that expression, I caught a glimpse of the same inner strength he’d always had.

This much was fine.

Believing that, I decided to confess to him.

---

We’d settle things by forgiving each other.

That’s what Haruto had said.

…Probably because he could tell how much it weighed on me.

In the end, despite my resolve, I still ended up relying on him.

But thanks to that, I did feel a lot lighter.

Suddenly feeling embarrassed, I stood up, planning to take the tray and wash the dishes.

"Youta."

—But Haruto stopped me.

"I need you to listen to what I’m about to say."

His gaze was deadly serious.

There was no way I could refuse.

"…Okay."

I nodded.

Then, turning back, I stared straight into Haruto’s eyes.

He was looking right back at me, our reflections mirrored in each other’s pupils.

I gulped.

Honestly, I was crazy nervous.

Thinking about it calmly, we were just two young guys alone on a rooftop.

And Haruto’s room—not that this was unique to his place—was really small.

Literally, we were right in each other’s faces.

The reason Reona and Kongou had left was probably because of that.

Besides, right before leaving, Reona had whispered something to me.

—If he tries anything you don’t like, don’t hold back just because he’s recovering.

Because of that unnecessary comment, I couldn’t help but be hyper-aware.

Even though I could tell he was still in pain whenever he moved.

—Not that I’d mind if it was him.

As soon as that thought crossed my mind, Haruto spoke up.

"I’ll come clean about everything now. I’ve been working to remove the ‘Seed of Darkness’ inside you. By filling you with positive emotions—affection, friendship—I was trying to suppress its power."

"Is that what you meant at the amusement park?"

…I remembered.

Back when he’d said he wanted me to return to my old self, despite everyone else’s expectations.

"Yeah. The ‘cooperators’ I mentioned were former members of the defected ‘Legion Brigade.’ They’re living as ordinary people now."

"Like Reona and the others?"

"That’s mostly correct. Most of them were subordinates of me or the others."

I see… So that woman who helped me change at the hotel was… She used -sama because he was her former superior?

The thought of all those people—Haruto’s inner circle—seeing me in such a state made my cheeks burn.

But there was something about his words that didn’t sit right with me.

"…But the ‘Seed of Darkness’ is gone, right?"

The Youta in my dream had said that Savaros’ lingering will had vanished.

But when I asked, Haruto silently shook his head.

"Take a look at this."

He pulled out a slightly unusual smartphone and expanded the screen.

A seed-like diagram was displayed, with a small "5%" written beside it.

The rest was written in a language that looked similar to English, but I couldn’t make sense of it.

"This shows the ‘Seed of Darkness’ corruption rate. The higher this value, the more influence it has over you. Right now, it’s surprisingly stable, but…"

"Th-then…"

A dry, stinging sensation rose in my throat along with my unease.

Seeing me like that, Haruto’s face twisted with guilt.

But he pushed through and continued.

"Yeah. The ‘Seed of Darkness’ hasn’t disappeared. It’s still inside you, Youta."

---

"…So you’re saying something like yesterday might happen again?"

I gave an evasive answer to Youta’s trembling voice.

What happened the other day occurred even when the corruption rate had dropped significantly.

It wasn’t that I didn’t trust her—but this wasn’t something to take lightly.

The corruption rate was synced with Youta’s emotions. If she were struck by unprecedented despair, there was no telling what might happen.

"But don’t worry. I’ve already planned a way to extract the 'Seed of Darkness.'"

"…I see. Quit scaring me like that."

Youta let out a relieved sigh, and as if all tension had left him, he looked at me with a soft smile.

"And once the 'Seed of Darkness' is removed, Youta, you should be able to turn back into a man."

"W-wait, hold on. …You’re telling me to turn back into a guy?"

"Yeah. That’s what you wanted, right?"

For some reason, Youta’s mouth twisted awkwardly.

He was muttering under his breath, but since it was all in his mouth, I couldn’t make out the words.

So I decided to press on.

—This is the end of everything. To sever any lingering attachments…

"And with that, my role will be over. …Thank you for everything, Youta."

"Thank you for everything…? Don’t say stuff that sounds like goodbye."

Youta puffed out his cheeks, as if offended by the bad omen.

But—

"…No, that’s exactly what it is."

I firmly confirmed it.

Me returning to my own world wasn’t because I believed I had no place in this one.

At first, I had felt that way—but being with Youta had eased that loneliness.

This was solely to ensure the 'Seed of Darkness' extracted from his body would be completely eradicated.

The problem was, the damn thing was nearly indestructible by physical means.

Back when he was Luna, his purification powers might have worked—but now, that was impossible.

Corrupted by the 'Seed of Darkness,' he had lost his power as the Silver Witch.

And that wouldn’t change even if the seed were removed.

No—it was more accurate to say the seed couldn’t be removed alone.

Had the Sacred Beast done this to suppress negative emotions? Or had the 'Seed of Darkness' itself willfully absorbed his power?

I didn’t know which was true—but the 'Seed of Darkness' and the Silver Witch’s power were now inseparably intertwined.

Yet leaving it unchecked wasn’t an option.

Without a host, the 'Seed of Darkness' would absorb the emotions of those around it. No matter how securely it was contained, a rampage was inevitable.

So I would seal it within myself—this vessel—and take it back to my world to dispose of it.

That world was uninhabited. Even if it went out of control, it wouldn’t matter. The one-way transfer device still existing was a stroke of luck.

"…Then just don’t remove it."

"That’s not an option."

I mercilessly shut down Youta’s feeble protest.

"Why not?! If it means never seeing you again, I’d rather stay like this!"

"If something like yesterday happens again, there’s no guarantee things will end safely. That’s why I can’t leave it like this."

I was fine because it was me—but the thought of that blade turned on a stranger made my blood run cold.

I couldn’t let him carry that sin.

"But… but—!"

He shook his head violently, silver hair swaying wildly.

"Besides… there’s another sin I haven’t confessed to you yet."

"Eh…?"

…A truth I’d have rather kept hidden.

But I had to tell him.

"The sin of the entire 'Legion Brigade'—dragging you into battle. …I’m a clone of Savaros. That’s why I have to bear all the blame."

Even if I’d been deceived, the sin of bringing conflict to this world wouldn’t vanish.

That’s why I wanted to atone by saving the Silver Witch—the one who stopped our rampage.

After explaining this, I finally said:

"It’ll hurt me too, not being able to see you again. But I told you, didn’t I? To me, you’re the most important person in the world. As long as you keep smiling… that’s enough for me."