"At least some good news, huh?" Magi muttered, looking at the sleeping Yugiri.
The others nodded their heads while still wiping away their tears.
But this didn't mean everything was suddenly perfect after all; Hyoubu was still barely alive, lying a couple meters from Yugiri on his own bed.
"Uh... Senzo, if it isn't too much to ask, could you also please take a look at the Major's condition?" Magi asked, twirling his hair with his fingers.
He could clearly see that Senzo had spent a lot of energy to help Yugiri, but he had to try; not trying would leave a bad taste in his mouth, and he might regret it forever.
"Give me a moment to recover, and I'll take a look at Hyoubu as well."
"Really!?" Yo, he blurted out.
Magi's eyes widened after hearing Senzo's reply, and he couldn't help but deeply bow.
"Thank you, and please take your time and make sure to recover properly."
A smile appeared on Senzo's face seeing the others act so sincerely. This is what life is all about: sharing the joys of it with the people you love and trust.
"Haha, thanks. But don't get your hopes up."
However, he couldn't give them any false hope, so he had to clearly tell them about what he could see from here.
"His condition is terrible, much worse than Yugiri's, and most likely I will not be able to do anything for him. But that does not mean I won't try. I promise I'll try my hardest!" he stated with a resolute look in his eyes.
"That's more than enough already; you're our last hope anyway because the doctors here couldn't do anything either..."
Just like that, the earlier sweet mood turned somber once again, but in these circumstances that was normal.
Yo couldn't help but slump next to Hyoubu's bed as he blankly stared at him.
"If only I were stronger... then I would've been able to do more..."
Momiji and Sophie both looked at one another and then back at Yo, deciding to leave this to Magi.
"I know how you feel, but now is not the time to drown in regret. Remember the crisis we just made it through? Be proud of what you did there; after all, without anyone here, it might have ended a lot worse."
Senzo and Momiji nodded at Magi's statement, sharing his sentiment.
Sophie, on the other hand, grasped the edges of her shirt and gritted her teeth.
Yeah, unlike me, they all helped each other in saving the children and everyone else... Including me.
She couldn't come to terms with that reality; she knew she was normal, but still. What if she hadn't been there?
Would things have changed if only I were also an esper so I could actually be useful for them instead of having this title that's basically only for decoration?
While she was bashing herself, she didn't notice Senzo's gaze landing on her, and with a frown on his face, he kept staring at her.
Why is she so unbalanced? Unlike Yugiri, it looks more like inner turmoil?
The yin and yang in Sophie's body were going crazy; unlike the black slush he had seen in Yugiri, this looked more like a massive tsunami was happening inside her body.
The black and white colors were constantly mixing and crashing into each other.
"Sophie, are you—"
But before he could finish that sentence, he suddenly felt his phone go crazy in his pocket.
"Huh?"
"What's up, Senzo?"
"Ah, can you wait one second? It looks like I'm getting a call."
And after he said that, Senzo vanished out of the room, closing the door behind him in a hurry.
What's this now?
He quickly took the phone out of his pocket and unlocked it, only to be met by a weird message.
***
[ Multiverse Navigation OS – v1.1 ]
Welcome, User: [Senzo Kazuko]
First World Clear!
───────────────
Congratulations, Senzo Kazuko, you have finally cleared your first world and will be returned to Earth right after claiming your rewards!
(P.S.: These rewards are a special privilege from 'Him' because he was so satisfied with the conversation you had with him.)
Rewards:
> Ihachigo
> ??? (You'll see when you are back on Earth)
> ??? (Another surprise but I can guarantee you will enjoy it)
> Yugiri Kazuko
> Hyoubu Kazuko (reverted back to child)
> 29 Theme Shop Points (TSP)
> Magi Shirō
> Yō Fujiura
> Message from Him: These rewards are very special because I made a mistake in how I set this first world up, from the next one onwards the missions will be mandatory like I said before and they will count heavily toward your world rating. Enjoy these perks for now because you will need it lol. And I might have forgotten to add the Theme Shop prices (whoopsie) so I'll announce them here.
> Beginner Tier Cost: 30 TSP
> Intermediate Tier Cost: 90 TSP
> Advanced Tier Cost: 270 TSP
> Expert Tier Cost: 810 TSP
[ CLAIM ]
────────────────────
What does all this mean? And...
Senzo could only roll his eyes when he saw the amount of TSP he got and the price for the lowest tier.
"He must really be enjoying himself now, right?"
But what he didn't see was an exit button or anything; it looked like he really did need to claim it or have his phone be like that until he decided to claim it.
Those rewards, however, didn't make any sense to him. How can you give a person as a reward? And two unknowns... bastard.
I could stay here longer, but... I do really miss my parents and Ayako. But I will also miss Sophie and Momiji if I just leave...
"Ahhh! What a bastard you are!"
Senzo was fuming. Why would he get Magi and Yo but not Sophie or Momiji, or even a reverted Hyoubu?
Even though he wasn't sure what that meant, he felt like it was at least a good thing.
Should I just tell them everything and hope I can return here soonish? But...
He was lost and had no idea how to handle the current situation in the most optimal way.
They had been through thick and thin together, and leaving right now felt wrong, but he also knew he needed to return to Earth at some point.