"What's wrong? Not used to having someone else comb your hair?" Kurumi Tokisaki put the comb away and gently gathered Little Futayo's silky blue strands together.
"Yes. I have always tended to it myself," Futayo said honestly. Truthfully, it wasn't that she disliked it—it was just that the person combing her hair was the one she revered as her divine master. How could she not feel shy?
"These are yours. I've kept them safe all this time." Kurumi took out Futayo's original hair accessories and ribbons. With delicate care, she tied her long hair into a neat ponytail.
When the final ribbon was secured, Futayo looked even more valiant. Kurumi smiled softly. "As a token of reconciliation, I've personally combed your hair and tied your ribbon. But next time I get angry, I'll pull it off again."
Then, sliding her hands around Futayo's neck, Kurumi embraced her from behind. Their cheeks brushed together, sharing warmth, their mingled scents surrounding them both.
Her elegant face carried a serene smile as she whispered tenderly, "No matter how many times I pull it off, I'll always be the one to comb your hair again—to tie your ponytail once more. This ribbon will be my eternal forgiveness to you."
"My lord!" Futayo's body went rigid. She had always managed to remain composed when Kurumi teased her—but this time, she couldn't. Her face grew tenser, the faintest blush blooming across her delicate cheeks. Kurumi could even feel the heat rising from her skin.
Kurumi's crimson eyes narrowed with delight as she rested her head against Futayo's back, holding her tightly. "Little Futayo, I know you're about to face the boss. And you don't want me to follow you inside. So I'll wait here—for your triumphant return."
She nuzzled against Futayo's cheek, every motion filled with affection. Futayo's emotions were delicate—she couldn't respond to bold advances—but this soft, tender affection reached her heart directly. Proof of that was in her reddening face, her clear eyes clouded with shy moisture, and her trembling frame.
Kurumi blinked slowly, her long lashes fluttering. She knew what she was doing—using her authority as master to lift the three mountains weighing upon Futayo's heart, to let her own feelings flow straight into it.
It was a despicable tactic. Were she not Futayo's lord, such feelings might never have swayed her. But Kurumi didn't care. Even if it was underhanded, she would use every means to win her knight's heart—because her longing for Futayo was too deep, too consuming.
"My knight, you must return victorious. I will be right here, waiting for you." Tilting her head slightly, Kurumi brushed a strand of hair from her face—and pressed a soft kiss against Futayo's cheek.
"M-M-My lord..." Futayo froze completely, her ears turning bright red. The gentle touch still lingered on her face—Kurumi had kissed her. She had actually... kissed her!
Before Futayo could react further, Kurumi stepped back with a graceful smile, standing elegantly once more.
"My knight," Kurumi said, hands folded behind her back, her voice gentle yet commanding, "this is my blessing to you."
"Now go—take my forgiveness and my blessing, and slay the boss. Bring me victory, and glory." Her wine-red eyes curved into a soft smile, her expression as warm as spring sunlight.
"Yes, my lord!" Futayo's firm reply rang out. She rose to her feet, her slender figure radiating both strength and grace as she strode toward the boss gate—straight and unyielding, unstoppable.
Resting her hand upon the massive doors, Futayo turned back once more. Kurumi stood there, smiling gently, and said, "May fortune favor your blade."
With a resolute nod, Little Futayo pushed open the massive doors to the boss chamber. Alone, she stepped inside. She had repeated this motion dozens of times before, but never had her heart been this full of determination—the burning desire for victory surged stronger than ever.
ROAR! A deafening dragon's cry shook the canyon, the shockwave forming a fierce gale that sent Futayo's clothes fluttering wildly.
Two enormous eyes glared down at her. Before her coiled a colossal, rainbow-scaled dragon more than two hundred meters long. Even one of its pale-golden pupils was larger than Futayo's entire body; the crimson slit within it alone dwarfed her.
Meanwhile, outside the canyon, Kurumi Tokisaki watched with a faint, knowing smile. "Little Futayo, the boss you face isn't the 99th-floor guardian—it's the 100th-floor boss. The Fairy Dragon King. Kayaba Akihiko said it's impossible to defeat, even if all ten thousand players fought together. But I believe... even alone, you can win."
ROAR! The Fairy Dragon spread its wings, casting a vast shadow that swallowed Futayo whole. Its iridescent wings seemed to split the heavens apart. A multicolored health bar appeared above its head—marked with ×100. The true final boss—one hundred health bars in total.
At the same time, deep within the Dragon's Valley on the 100th floor, Kayaba Akihiko opened the system console, activating a live broadcast of Futayo's battle.
"Humans can't defeat dragons," he muttered. "But if one among millions slays one, they'll earn eternal fame and glory. This will be the reward for the miracle of dragon-slaying." He enabled a global stream, forcing every player to watch. A battle worthy of the world's witness.
"What the hell?! A Rainbow Fairy Dragon King?! And it's got a ×100 health bar? You've got to be kidding me!" The player base erupted. No one complained about the forced broadcast—every eye was glued to the breathtaking sight of the massive dragon filling the screen.
The dragon's golden eyes focused on the tiny figure before it, full of disdain. With a huff, it exhaled a small flame toward Futayo—mockery written across its gaze.
A blue glow flared from Futayo's forehead—the Divine Technique for acceleration. The word Speed shimmered beneath her feet, and her body blurred upward, ascending over two hundred meters in an instant, soaring above the sluggish flame. The Tonbokiri shone as she thrust it forward, piercing straight into the dragon's nose.
A shallow wound appeared. The dragon's health bar dropped—slightly. For a moment, the Fairy Dragon froze, its immense pupils locking on the small figure before it.
"Stare…" Futayo's clear eyes met the dragon's gaze—tiny against its vastness, yet utterly unwavering.
ROAR! The dragon's pride exploded in fury. With a thunderous sweep of its claw, it struck downward like lightning, intent on crushing the insolent ant before it. But Futayo's acceleration flared again, her body vanishing in a flash and reappearing at the dragon's neck.
"Haaah!" she cried, standing tall upon the scaled surface, swinging the Tonbokiri in a clean arc before driving it deep into the dragon's spine—half the blade buried, only the hilt visible.
One health bar vanished instantly.
The dragon was stunned. The wound meant nothing to its massive body, but the audacity of the attack—the sheer defiance—was unbearable. How dare this insignificant human climb onto its back!
ROOOAAAR! The dragon's scream shook the sky. Its mighty wings beat with such force that the winds became blades. Within the storm, Futayo's uniform shredded under invisible cuts, her HP bar beginning to fall.
But the reflective damage effect on her armor triggered, sending backlash through the wind and slicing into the dragon's HP as well.
In the roaring tempest, Futayo downed HP potions one after another, all while relentlessly striking the dragon.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Its wings flapping furiously, the multicolored dragon soared into the sky.
Finding its own body too large to attack the pest on its back, it began to shrink. In mere seconds, the enormous creature compressed into a sleek, two-meter form—now facing Futayo directly.
Outside the canyon, a group of blue-clad figures sprinted toward the site. They were the combat players of the Crystal Guild.
"Kimi-nee!" At the front ran Asuna. Though her relationship with Kurumi had deepened, she was still bound by traditional restraint—unwilling to show it before others. To everyone else, she was merely an ally. In truth, she was Kurumi's secret lover.
Kurumi, however, found that secrecy frustrating. Why must I hide my love? It's not even a heterosexual affair! she thought with exasperation.
"Asuna! What are you all doing here?" Kurumi asked, raising a brow in surprise.
"Um... Futayo-senpai's fighting the boss—we were worried," Asuna said as the group approached. Only then did Kurumi notice the glowing panels before each of them—screens showing the live broadcast of Futayo's battle. Her expression turned faintly strange.
"Don't you have one too, Kimi-nee? It's been force-enabled for everyone!" Asuna added, half-smiling, having guessed Kurumi's thoughts.
"Maybe I disabled it by choice," Kurumi said calmly, opening her system interface. Using her GM privileges, she accessed Futayo's battle feed manually—while inwardly sharpening her metaphorical knife.
"Kayaba Akihiko... your death wish grows stronger by the day. Forcing everyone to watch, yet excluding me? Fine—I'll handle it myself."
"What the—what kind of magic is that?!" someone shouted. On the live feed, the smaller Fairy Dragon chanted in a complex, ancient tongue.
Then the sky froze over. A mountain of solid ice materialized above the clouds—descending straight toward Futayo.
"Holy crap! What the hell kind of attack is that?! A whole mountain's falling—anyone caught under it's dead for sure!" The Crystal Guild members cursed in disbelief. This boss's power was beyond absurd. Flying was bad enough—but dropping mountains?
Within the Dragon's Valley, Kayaba Akihiko calmly pushed up his glasses, eyes gleaming. "That's why the Fairy Dragon is impossible to defeat. I gave it infinite instant-cast forbidden magic. Even if a hundred million players attacked together, it could wipe them all out in minutes."