35: Enigmatic Watcher

“I’ll ask you once more.
What are you doing there?”

Rena was overwhelmed by the man’s strange, oppressive aura, feeling her inner “confidence” shrink away.
Her body grew heavy, sinking downward, and before she knew it, she had reverted to her original form in a school uniform.

The man, noticing the change, turned to glance behind himself with a puzzled expression.

“The girl who was lying there has vanished,
and the child floating in the pond has suddenly transformed into a girl in a uniform.
Interesting.”

The source of her power—her ability to believe without doubt—had weakened.
And in that moment of hesitation, the strange magic binding her to this world’s rules unraveled.

The golden axe she clutched became heavy, dragging her down, and Rena kicked frantically,
struggling to keep herself from sinking, relying solely on her own strength.

“I lost my confidence…
and the world’s rules unraveled because of it!?”

Desperately trying to regain her composure, Rena battled the pressure of the water and the bizarre situation around her.
She clung to the golden axe with all her strength, refusing to let go.

“Quite the fascinating turn of events, wouldn’t you say?”

The domineering man said, turning his piercing gaze toward Mr. Fishing Rod.

“Uh… yes, well… If I had to guess…
She must have some kind of mysterious power.
Maybe… maybe the girl who was lying there and the child in the pond are the same person?”

“The one who floated up from the pond was initially a small child, wasn’t it?
And now she’s transformed into a grown girl.
Very well.
You’re suggesting that she had hidden her true ability, and that you, by seeing through it,
accidentally revealed a secret of this world to her.
Overjoyed by her newfound strength, she would then gaze up at you with admiration and say,
‘I’ll stay by your side forever!’ ”

“What!? Wait, that’s absurd!
She’s just a student!
No way would I accept a situation like that!
I mean… it’s a bit amusing, but still!”

“Amusing, is it?
Then we’ll proceed with that ‘setting.’”

The man stretched out his left arm toward Rena, his hand opening wide.

And in that moment, everything froze.

Then, in a low and commanding voice, he intoned:

—Second Mirror.

“Huh—!? Kyaaa!!”

The words exploded into a deep, reverberating sound unlike anything Rena had ever heard before.
The air itself trembled, and the shockwave raced across the surface of the pond like a bolt of lightning.

In front of her eyes, a wall of violent splashing water rose, then scattered—
and in its place appeared a large, ornately decorated mirror.

“Wh-what!?
Where did that mirror even come from!?”

Reflected within it was her younger self,
dressed in a light blue dress, clutching the soggy rice ball plush like a flotation device.
Rena stared in stunned confusion.

Then, the mirror cracked—
shattering into countless shards—

and before she could react, she was dragged toward the inevitable master who had always been waiting for her at the shore.