Yubikiri

"We're never going to allow ourselves to be humiliated like that, ever again," I declared to Leilei, en route to Yore.

"It's okay, Minori, I just—"

"No Leilei," I activated my levitate ability then turned and stopped right in front of her so we were eye level. "Look at me!" I took her chin in my dainty Pixie hands and adjusted her gaze from the ground to my eyes. "Nothing about that was okay, nothing! Not even a little bit. I swear to you that I'll never let that happen again. Now," I held up my pinkie for her to take, "I need you to swear the same to me."

"I... Minori.. I don't..." she sank her gaze again, "I'm just not strong enough—"

I grabbed her cheeks and squished them between my hands. "Never, ever, say that again. Do you understand me?"

She nodded, with eyes ripped wide open. She was terrified. 

Good. 

That meant she was paying attention.

"You are a witch of immense power. You found the strength within you to face your fears. Sure, I was there to push you, but you accomplished the feat on your own, never forget that," I said, each phrase more stern than the last. "And not only did you make such outstanding progress on yourself, but you helped me as well. I never would have gotten this far without you."

"But... it was my fault you suffered such a humiliating defeat... my fault Kosuke's dead... It was my own filthy deeds that caught up with me... the two of you shouldn't have had to pay the price for them... I got you stuck in my mess, and I didn't even have the decency to warn you of what a wretched woman I am!" she was sobbing again.

I was trying to breathe deeply, but my exhales all came out as low, throaty growls. Honestly, I wanted to slap her. But that would have been too much like something Reems would do, and I wouldn't have been able to live with myself if I'd subjected her to anymore of that. "Leilei, none of that was your fault."

"But it was, Minori! I was the one who was too afraid to do the beginner quests, and so me selling.... entertainment was merely a consequence of my own cowardice, my own weakness!"

"A weakness you've since overcome! Or have you forgotten about this?!" I took the spider barrette from her hair and held it up in front of her face.

"Still... it wasn't enough..." she said, taking the barrette, "it wasn't enough to spare us from what just happened..."

"Damage can be repaired. Wounds heal and even the cringing memories of humiliation gradually subside, somewhat..." Okay, I knew that was a lie. I would no doubt be thinking of that duel 10 years from now, at random, while in the shower. Indeed, I knew that particular cringe would not lessen. However, what would improve would be my ability to carry that cringe. What I said, however, was easier to accept in the moment.

I continued consoling her: "Even when you found yourself in an impossible situation, you managed to find away forward... sure, it may not have been the most noble path, but you learned your lesson and now you're all the wiser for it. Now we just need to overcome our present weakness."

"I see..." she said, still pouting, "you're angry because I'm weak..."

"Because we're both weak, Leilei. And there's only one way to change that, but we need to be on the same page." I held her gaze as she continued sobbing pitifully. "I know you well enough, even though we just met. There is not a doubt in my mind that you will rise to the occasion when the situation demands it. Just like you did at the spider cave. Well, you can go ahead and start calling me the Situation now, because I demand it." I wiggled my pinkie impatiently in front of her.

She eyed my finger for a moment, then looked back into my eyes and burst out laughing. "Minori, you're adorable!"

Getting laughed at after making such a serious declaration?!

I was at a loss for words.

All I could think of was that this must have been how Kosuke felt. Oh heavens, please don't tell me I've reached Kosuke levels of cringe!

I was about to sink onto the ground, where I would stay until the worms ate me, but then she curled her own pinky around mine and looked me right in the eye with what I can only describe as a glaringly fierce loyalty.

"I swear to you, Minori, I will never let any thing like that happen to us again. I swear that I will do everything necessary to become stronger, to protect myself and to protect you. I swear to help you revive Kosuke, and I swear to you that we will be best friends forever."

***

Our plans were slightly revised now. We were still going to Yore, but no longer only for the sake of trade and exploration. Most of all we needed information. Specifically, I wanted to know which dungeons were available to us at our levels: me being level 5 and Leilei level 7.

Of course, I'd done many dungeons back when I played the game from my computer, but because of all the discrepancies I'd ran into so far, I needed to first make sure that none of that had changed.

Then, after doing all our trade errands, we would decide which dungeons had the most suitable drops for us. Specifically, if there were any dungeon bosses that dropped good Doll-Making schemata. That was the key to increasing our strength as a party, being that Leilei already had a super high Kraft skill level. I needed to make sure I had a solid plan to continue leveling mine while also maintaining normal class progression by completing dungeons. 

Just like in most MMOs, those were the best sources of XP.

And of course, we hadn't forgotten about Kosuke. Leilei and I both agreed that we would find a way to resurrect him, despite that being a supposed impossibility.

Not even I was cold enough to abandon him like that, even though I'd decided to specialize in Frozen spells. Indeed, I officially made myself a Frozen Night Witch by putting my 1 Spec Point into my Improved Ice Shard, which increased the damage of Ice Shard by 10%. After putting four more points into Improved Ice Shard, I would unlock a new ability.

I could hardly wait.

We were hyper focused on becoming stronger, after all. So I was going to put my Spec Points into my Frozen tree every level until my lack of healing became a problem. 

"Look, the entrance!" said Leilei, pointing to the opening of the tunnel that came into view. It looked impossibly dark, like a black hole, or maybe even antimatter. I couldn't really describe it, but to say I was nervous as we approached was an understatement. 

We saw a couple, a Satyr and a Dryad, up ahead of us. They each reached out a hand to the black, then vanished without a trace. I didn't hear any screams, so that was a good sign.

I hoped.

Leilei took my hand in hers. I turned to see her smiling at me, and couldn't help but return it. Here goes nothing...

We simultaneously reached our free hands out toward the thick blackness.

As our finger tips touched it, the world turned inside out.