44: Hero Rena

The rain had ceased, and a pale, eerie sunlight peeked through the clouds, casting a silent gaze upon the unfolding story.
It seemed to favor the radiant girl below, illuminating her and the Golden Axe she held with a mystical glow.

“Ah… at last, my legendary analysis time has arrived,” Dan mused, visibly pleased.

“Behind me stands a dazed schoolgirl, and ahead, a young girl who was floating above the pond earlier.
They’re clearly the same person… but something’s off.”

Dan’s eyes calmly compared the two, seeking the anomaly.

The luminous girl peered curiously into the large mirror at her feet, still gripping the golden axe in one hand.
With the small fingers of her other hand, she tapped gently on its surface, as if playing with it.
Then, with a puzzled expression, she called out to Dan.

“This mirror’s broken! Rena—I mean, me—I don’t show up in it!”

The child’s innocent remark was enough to soften the severity in Dan’s expression.
He stroked his chin thoughtfully and murmured with satisfaction.

“I see… she doesn’t appear, huh?
That would mean the child is a fake.
Mirrors only reflect the truth, capturing events and memories to create visions…
That solves the first mystery.
Now, it’s time to take that back.”

With a confident smirk, Dan started toward the girl holding the axe.

“It’s not me—it’s Tom who shows up! Let him out already!”

The sudden shout from little Rena froze Dan in his tracks, his muddy, barefoot steps coming to a halt.

“What!?”

At that moment, Rena’s true consciousness and presence shifted into the little girl’s body, and she locked eyes with “young Tom” reflected in the mirror at her feet.
He bounced excitedly, cheering her on.

“Rena! Take him down! Hero Rena with the bright red cape!!”

Hearing Tom’s voice, Rena felt a surge of certainty.
The result of “believing without doubt” was finally paying off.
Her body, merging with her younger self, rapidly returned to its original high school form, but the Golden Axe in her hands felt heavier—not in weight, but in the overwhelming power emanating from it.
She gripped the axe firmly with both hands, her whole form shimmered with radiant light, and faced Dan.

“So, the mastermind wasn’t the boy… it was this little girl!!”

Dan’s rocket-like legs ignited, propelling him toward the golden Rena.

The axe’s intensified glow added to its heft, causing her to stagger.
In that precarious moment, a stabilizing force enveloped her, and Tom’s gentle, warm voice echoed in her ears.

–It’s okay. I’ll protect you, Rena.–

Suddenly, her arms felt lighter, and Rena swung the axe.
Her tearful strike smashed into Dan’s face, then drove downward with such force that it shattered the cursed mirror beneath him.
The Golden Axe, its purpose fulfilled, vanished, and Rena found herself running toward a certain place without realizing it.

“Gah… ugh!!”

Dan’s face, struck by the historic axe, turned a deep, dark hue, and his prized “eye for truth” began to lose its power.