“Is that it?” Hecate and Carol trekked through the forest and stopped in front of the portal. Such sight surprised Hecate, and she lingered behind Carol. “So this is where the portal was… Why did you two keep it a secret from us? Portals are dangerous. You should have reported its location, Carol.”

  “No way, no way… Why would we tell you unless we were sure you weren’t going to snitch? Me and Iroha have things going on in the other world. Why would we invite the PSF to the House and destroy the only way we have to go there?” Carol shook her head while shrugging her shoulders.

  “That’s how we were taught to handle portals. I get that Iroha wouldn’t know, but did you even try to convince her? They say portals kill people. Even being near one is dangerous…”

  “I think you should forget about that. That was probably a lie to keep us in line and make us stay away from the portals. Other than monsters, the portals are completely harmless. I was skeptical at first too, but not anymore. Whoever started saying not to approach portals probably knew about the other world and wanted to prevent others from finding out.”

  “Is that so…? What dastardly trickery…” Even after being told all that, Hecate stayed away from the portal. Something inside her still feared the portals. She doesn’t want to touch them if she can help it. This talk about going into the other world and seeing a portal right in front of her… Does that mean she’ll have to… *Gulp.*

  “D- do you know where Iroha is? She went ahead of us, saying she had preparations to make, but where is she? I thought we’d be meeting her here.” Hecate straightened her back in an attempt to remain composed.

  “Maybe… I think I know what she’s thinking, and if I’m not wrong, she should be here any second now…” Just as Carol finished, there was movement near the portal. Something emerged from the portal, a person. Hecate held her briefcase with a finger on the transforming button.

  “Hey. Here I am.”

  “I- Iroha?! Why are you coming from there?! How can you touch that thing so casually?!” Hecate took a step back.

  “Ah… Right… You were told portals were dangerous to approach, weren’t you?” Iroha walked away from the portal and joined the two of them. “Carol, didn’t you expin to her that whole thing was a lie?”

  “I did, but she’s still like this. These kinds of things take time, you know?”

  “Oh, I see.” Iroha turned to Hecate and reached for her hand. “It’s alright, Hecate. There’s nothing dangerous about the portals, okay? You can trust me on this. I mean, you saw me come out of it, and I’m fine, right?”

  “I guess so… Even so, this sort of thing is outside the realm of things humans can handle. It’s not something we should take lightly.” Why was fighting monsters easier than touching a portal? Hecate couldn’t understand why she was so hesitant about this.

  “Come, Hecate. It will be fine.” Iroha held Hecate’s hand, and they approached the portal. Carol had a sour look on her face. Why does only Hecate get the preferential treatment? “Carol, can you go in first?”

  “*Sigh…* Fine… Look closely, Hecate. Here it goes.” Just like that, Carol jumped into the portal and vanished.

  “She sure makes that look easy.”

  “That’s because it is.”

  “Can’t we get some protective items first?” Hecate tilted her head. “Surely it would be safer to cross with one of those hazmat suits on.”

  “Huh…” Iroha thought for a moment. “Would you take off your dress or wear it over it?” Odd thing to worry about, but Iroha was right. Neither. Neither option would work for her.

  “Alright… I get it…” Hecate got as close as possible without touching it and crouched. She then poked it with her briefcase, and nothing happened. Maybe it’d be fine if she dipped a toe in.

  “Uhmm… Hecate, it’s not gonna bite even if you poke it, and the temperature is fine, so you don’t need to do that either.” Hecate turned her face to avoid Iroha’s gaze. “You already saw us going in and out, so come on. Let’s go, okay?”

  Hecate tensed her shoulders and looked straight at the portal. “Alright… I’m ready… Let’s go in together.” She clenched Iroha’s hand.

  “Sure. Whenever you’re ready.”

  … (Line)

  The ndscape changed as we moved from world to world, forest to forest. The dense, colder trees were repced with welcoming trees that gave the sun space to shine through.

  “Wait… We didn’t move?” Hecate rapidly moved her head, taking in her surroundings. “No… This looks different… Is this what the other world looks like? It’s surprisingly normal.”

  “Yep, we made it. See? It wasn’t that hard.” I smiled at Hecate, then let go of her hand. After a few steps forward, I gestured toward the trees. “There are crazier pces out there, but a forest is just a forest. It’s different from the one we were on, but it’s pretty normal by our standards, huh?”

  “Certainly… I wouldn’t think this is a different world at a gnce… I can easily handle this much.” Hecate nods, allowing herself to rex. “Hey, Iroha, can I see your… What did you call it? Magic? I’ve always been curious about those kinds of things.”

  “Ehh? You wanna see my magic?” It’s a bit embarrassing being put on the spot like that, but I can’t say no to my Hecate. “I’ll show you, but it’s not exactly magic. My skills are more like feats than magic. If you want actual magic, you’ll have to ask Carol.”

  “Oh…?” Hecate looked at Carol with a curious expression, then focused on me when she saw me move. “What are you gonna do?” I unfolded my sword and looked around. This is a good opportunity for me to see what this thing can do…

  “Hmmm… Watch this.” Burst Dash! I shot in the direction of a nearby tree, leaving a shockwave behind. Hecate was proud of her eyes and was shocked at how hard the movement was to follow. And now, Ssh Flurry! I’ve fought things tougher than a tree, but cutting one with a katana is still no joke.

  But, as expected, there was no need to worry. My new sword cut through the wood multiple times without facing any resistance. In less than a second, the tree fell to the ground into small pieces. It’s incredible… I barely had to use any of my strength… “How’s that?!” I had an amused smile on my face, and so did Hecate.

  “Everything makes sense now… I understand how you’ve been able to fight alongside us with such ease. With abilities like those, it would be weirder if you couldn’t!” Hecate was satisfied and turned to Carol next. “Can you do that too? What kind of magic do you have?”

  “Tch. Don’t compare me to Iroha, okay? She has that stupid driver thing she told you about, so it’s impossible for any of us to match her.” Hecate’s expectations were high, and Carol wasn’t having any of it. “I’ll show you what I can do, but don’t get the wrong idea. It may not be as fshy, but I learned it all by myself, not with help like her.”

  “I understand. No matter what, I still think it’s impressive you learned something like that.”

  “Hmph… Looks like you got it. I’ll show you something, so watch.” Carol extended her hand with her palm up. Then, white mist quickly gathered into a shape.

  “A knife? Did you create a knife?” Creating things would be cool, but it’s not quite that.

  “It looks like a knife, but it’s just an illusion.” Carol flicked her hand and spun the knife a few times before offering it to Hecate.

  “It dissipated…” As soon as she tried to take it.

  “Exactly… It’s just an illusion. I can manipute it however I like it, but even I can’t touch it.” So… Those spins were fake? Carol’s getting good at this.

  “I see… You’ve really grown, Carol…” Hecate had a tender look on her face, and Carol opened her mouth, being temporarily lost. “Hey… I was thinking…” Hecate smiled enthusiastically. “Is it possible for me to learn magic as well?! Could I learn how to create bdes of blood?”

  “Huhh…” Carol and I looked at each other. She’s getting carried away, huh? What should I tell her? “That’s… an oddly specific spell… It’s possible that you may learn some kind of magic in this world, but you don’t choose what you get. I can’t say for sure…” If I could, I would definitely look in the VISS Driver for a skill like that and get it for her.

  “That’s right. I didn’t choose to learn how to make illusions like this. It just kinda turned out that way.” Carol confirmed what I said. “Either way, why would you want to make bdes with blood? Wouldn’t it be better to get something that doesn’t need you to bleed first?”

  No, no, Carol. You don’t get it. That kind of reasoning is useless in situations like this… The aesthetics is where it’s at, and Hecate would look absolutely amazing controlling blood like spells. She got the goth-loli dress going on and all. It’s right up her alley.

  “What a bummer…” Hecate let out a sigh. “At least it’s not completely out of the picture. I hope you’ll help me with this, Iroha.”

  “Sure… I don’t know how much I can help, but I’ll see what I can do.”

  …

  “Ririna! I missed you so much!!”

  “Ughh… We’re actually doing this every single time…” Carol facepalmed when she saw me running to hug Ririna.

  We were meeting her in the Gathering of Flowers. She was waiting for us at a table near the corner. I actually asked her to come here just before meeting with Hecate, so it doesn’t make much sense for me to react like this, but let’s not talk about that.

  “Ahahaha… I’m happy to see you again too, Iroha.” Ririna returned my hug, and the other two got closer. Ririna knew Carol, but there was someone there she didn’t. “Uhmm… Who is that?”

  Carol shook her head and then pced one hand on Ririna’s shoulder. “I regret to inform you, but she’s another one.”

  “An- another one?” Ririna had a bad feeling, but she wasn’t sure yet. I let go of her and kept my mouth shut.

  “Yes, another one! Iroha got another one!”

  “No way!” Ririna looked at me with a surprised look while Carol looked annoyed.

  “Well… Why don’t we all take a seat before we start talking? I’ll expin everything, okay?” Ririna shrugged her shoulders, and both of them sighed. Hecate and Ririna sat across from each other, and I sat between both of them with Carol on the other side.

  “This really is a different world, huh?” Hecate whispered while we were settling down. “I’m not sure what stands out the most, seeing angels out in the street, the fast-travel thing you were talking about, or having a coffee shop in such a medieval-looking town.”

  “Ahahaha… You’ll get used to it.” I whispered back before raising my voice. “Now, how about some introductions?” Everyone nodded. “Ririna, this is Hecate. Carol and I are friends with her. We kinda work together, and, well… she’s also my newest girlfriend…”

  “I- it’s nice to meet you, Hecate.” Ririna slightly bowed. “I work as an alchemist, and I owe a lot to Iroha. I use my creations to help her out whenever I can.”

  “An alchemist, huh…? Hmm… You sound like a loyal person. It’s a pleasure to meet you.” I don’t know how much of that she meant, but she was at least acting polite to Ririna.

  “Th- the pleasure is all mine!” Ririna bowed again, a little stiffer this time. Why? I’ve never seen her acting nervous like this before… She seemed like the kind of person that gets along with everyone.

  “Ririna, you can loosen up a little, you know? There’s no need to be so formal.”

  “Ah! Sorry… It’s just that… He- Hecate… The way she looks… Isn’t she someone important? I wasn’t expecting you’d get with someone like that. Won’t we get in trouble if I offend her?” Ririna spoke somewhat quietly, but loud enough for all of us to hear it. If Hecate is angry, of course there will be trouble. But that’s how it is with every lover.

  “Someone important?” Hecate brought one hand to her cheek as she pondered what that meant.

  “Probably because of your dress… And the way you like… carry yourself…” She does look pretty imposing at times. I can see why Ririna would think Hecate’s a big shot. “It’s not really like that, Ririna. Where we’re from, Hecate is… well… not exactly normal. But it’s not that big of a deal.”

  “What do you mean ‘not normal’? You shouldn’t judge people by their appearances, Iroha.”

  “Yeah… See, Ririna? This is what she’s like. It’s just a fashion statement, so you can treat Hecate like a friend, right?” I finished clearing Ririna’s misunderstanding and turned to Hecate for confirmation.

  “It’s fine. You certainly don’t need to be uncomfortable around me.”

  “Whew… Thank you…” Ririna loosened her shoulders. “Your hometown must be a really interesting pce…” She said that as a passing comment. She didn’t want to pry for some reason… Probably because I’ve given her vague answers in the past.

  “Actually, Ririna…” I raised my voice a notch and spoke resolutely. “One of the reasons I called you today is because I wanted you to know more about me. There’s a lot I haven’t told you, and I want to be honest with you.”

  “Wait… You don’t have to do that… Just because we’re together now, it doesn’t mean you have to tell me everything.” Ririna shifted in her seat, but she had a smile on her face that told me she wanted to know.

  “Even so, I want you to hear me out. I want to tell you everything. Otherwise, it just doesn’t feel right with me. Is that okay?” To my question, Ririna nodded after a short pause.

  “Are you sure about this, Iroha?” Carol and Hecate were both worried. We couldn’t say anything about what we did to others, but that only applied to people of our world. Still, telling Ririna everything would mean sharing some very shocking information.

  “It’s fine. I trust you, Ririna.” She can handle it. I reached for her hand and leaned in closer. Carol and Hecate did the same, though it wasn’t as if they were going to learn anything new. “You see, the truth is…”

  …

  I told her about who we are, our world, and what we’ve learned so far. Ririna had a serious yet calm look on her face. “You’re doing surprisingly well for someone who was told they were a fictional character.” Carol leaned back as she casually said something like that.

  Ririna responded with a wry smile. “It’s really out there… It’s hard to believe… Oh! But it’s not like I don’t believe you or anything! If you’re the one saying it, it’s probably not a lie.” She turned to me while panicking to expin herself. “It’s just that… It doesn’t really matter… I think.”

  “It doesn’t matter?” Hecate was interested in how she got to that conclusion.

  “If someone told you right now that you were fictional people too, what would you do? You’re still alive, and you’re still yourselves, right? Besides, you said I used to be a fictional person, so it actually doesn’t matter anymore.”

  “Yes! That’s absolutely right!” While expining, I got closer and closer to her, and at this point, I was practically clinging to her. One hand on hers and the other wrapped around her. I knew she wouldn’t freak out… “Hey, hey, Ririna, wanna come visit our world? I wanna show you around.”

  “Ehh?” All three of them opened their mouths.

  “Are you serious, Iroha? Right now?” Carol smmed her hands on the table.

  “Yeah. We have plenty of time today. It’s still early.”

  “Is that even possible? If I could, I would love to go…” Ririna blushed while wiggling in my arms.

  “I can’t say for sure, but it should be. We told you there are monsters going to our world. Why wouldn’t you be able to come too?”

  “Wait, Iroha… You can’t bring her with us right away. She might die from the culture shock! You have to ease her into it first. There’s no way she won’t start freaking out the moment she sees a car or something like that.” Carol shot down the idea.

  “That’s not true! I get that our worlds are, well… worlds apart, but I’ll be fine. I’m used to dealing with strange things and coming up with ideas on the fly! I may not know what a car is, but it’s not gonna freak me out!”

  “Oh yeah? You wanna bet on it? I was just looking out for you, but if that’s how you wanna be… How about I get to kiss Iroha for every time you lose your mind?”

  “Fine by me! And if I don’t get surprised, I kiss her as much as I want without you interfering.”

  “That’s ridiculously greedy, but fine. There’s no way you’re gonna st.” Carol crossed her arms while Ririna put on a competitive face.

  “I don’t mean to interfere, but those are my lips that you’re betting on all by yourselves. Don’t you think you need my approval?”

  “Right, right… It’s important for us all to be equal.” Hecate chimes in. “As Iroha’s partners, it’s unproductive to try to get ahead of each other.”

  “Stay out of this, Hecate. You may be older than me, but I’ve been dating Iroha for longer. Just watch and learn how things work around here first.”

  “That’s right! Novices should stay out of this! And you, Iroha, since this is to appease your girlfriends, you can’t say no, okay?” Ririna stared at me with a forceful look on face.

  “Yeah… You have my approval… Do whatever you want…” My heart’s melting… No matter how things turn out, I win… Or do I? I would rather kiss all of them.

  Oh well… I can’t wait to bring Ririna back with us… What should I show her? What should we do? How is she going to react? Ahhh… I can’t stop thinking about it!

  Bam100