Shana's Bracelets.

Yumi was still enveloped by the hellish flames when she began to laugh.

The sound echoed through the steam of the hot spring, eerie and almost insane.

— Things are going to get really fun from now on... hahaha !!! — said Yumi.

The words were his last.

Shana's demonic energy consumed her completely, and when the flames died down, Mayumi Yumi was no longer there.

Shana took a deep breath, slowly dissolving her demonic form. The red glow in her eyes faded, revealing exhaustion.

On the other side, I could already feel the heat of the fire passing through the walls.

— It's fire... we need to go there now! — I shouted .

I ran away without thinking.

“Wait a minute, you idiot!” Max complained , coming up behind me.

I arrived at the locker room, the laundry baskets were overturned, the towels were scattered, the floor was covered in steam and the smell of burning.

But what really made me stop was what I saw right ahead:

Cassandra, holding Shana's bracelets.

She looked confused, as if she had just woken up from a dream.

— Hey, what does this mean? — she asked , startled.

"Is anyone here? Did you get in without paying?!" asked the real Cassandra.

— What? — I replied , surprised.

"You yourself served us and authorized entry!" I said.

Cassandra blinked, not understanding.

"Me? Impossible. I just got here. I overslept today and was late for work," Cassandra said.

— What's up? — I murmured .

“So... the person who greeted us wasn't you?” I murmured.

Cassandra's eyes widened.

"I don't understand what you're saying. I'm going back to work, if you don't mind," Cassandra said .

(That bracelet on her arm… is the artifact that prevents Shana from being affected by my power. The same one Yumi took from her.)

— Hey — I said quickly.

“Could you keep this bracelet for me?” I asked her.

"But isn't she from someone in your group?" Cassandra asked.

— Please. — I took three gold coins from my pocket.

— Keep it safe, okay? — I managed to buy this favor from Cassandra.

Cassandra hesitated, but nodded.

— Okay. — she accepted.

She put the bracelets in the inside pocket of her uniform.

Soon after, Max, Shana, and Koharu appeared in the hallway.

Shana looked tired, but relieved.

—I heard your voice, Fujimoto… and Cassandra's too, — Shana said .

Cassandra turned around, confused.

“Have we met?” Cassandra asked.

—I actually believe you're the real Cassandra, — Shana replied .

"Really? What are you talking about?" Cassandra asked, not understanding anything.

"The enemy must have drugged you and used a transformation technique to take on your appearance," Shana replied .

Cassandra's eyes widened.

—But… why? — asked Cassandra.

“To try to kill us,” Shana said calmly.

Cassandra took a deep breath.

— I see… I hope that imposter is dead.

Koharu raised an eyebrow.

"Why?" Koharu asked .

— Because she kept the coins you gave her, — Cassandra replied .

Koharu smiled lightly.

"Don't worry, we killed her and got everything back," Koharu said .

She handed the coins to the receptionist.

"Here, back to you." Koharu handed over the coins.

Cassandra smiled sweetly.

—Thank you so much, you're really cute, — Cassandra thanked .

"By the way, Mayumi Yumi won't bother us since she's dead," Koharu said.

I was paralyzed .

— What?! — I swallowed dryly.

"Yumi… the same one who had the transformation ability?" I asked.

—Exactly. — Koharu replied.

(Something's wrong here... but I'll think about it later. I need to make sure Shana doesn't notice I have her bracelets.)

Max then approached.

"Cassandra, why were you picking up their laundry basket? And why were ours on the floor?" Max asked.

“It looked too messy,” Cassandra replied, still calm.

"The girls' clothes were on the floor too. I'm just doing my job," Cassandra said .

We exchanged glances.

Max crossed his arms.

—Fujimoto didn't react. So it's true. — Max said.

Cassandra just smiled, not understanding anything.

Max cleared his throat.

"Okay, I think we've taken care of what we had to take care of. We better get going," Max said .

— I agree. Cassandra, I'm sorry if we caused any trouble, — Shana said .

— No problem at all. — Cassandra said with a smile.

Shana then looked at us.

"Boys, go change first. Koharu and I are still going to enjoy the water for a bit," Shana said.

A few minutes later, Max and I were already dressed.

— Hey, girls! — Max shouted .

"The locker room is free. We'll wait for you outside," Max said .

—Right! — they both replied .

As we left the place, Cassandra reappeared in the hallway, smiling.

“Leaving so soon?” Cassandra asked.

— It's… y-yes . — I replied , a little nervous.

She gave a smirk and walked closer.

“You’re interesting, kid,” he said , handing me a piece of paper.

"This is my address. If you could visit me tonight, I'd be happy," Cassandra said .

She winked with her right eye.

I got the message.

Max nudged me and laughed.

"Look at you! You even got the clerk's address!" Max said sarcastically.

“Shut up, Max,” I muttered, blushing.

“So she wants me to come… so we can talk about the bracelets.”

Meanwhile, Shana and Koharu were getting dressed.

“It can’t be…” Shana murmured, rummaging through the basket.

“My bracelets… are gone!” Shana cried in despair.

"Did they steal it?" Koharu asked , worried.

— Yes. I would never forget them. — Shana replied .

"Let's ask Cassandra. Maybe she saw something," Koharu said, trying to calm Shana.

Max and I saw Koharu and Shana in distress and asked what had happened.

"It seems the heroes stole my bracelets," Shana said seriously.

Max slammed his fist on the table.

—Then let's get them back, love. — Max said confidently.

Shana smiled, touched by the gesture.

— Thank you, Max. — Shana thanked.

"Let's talk to Cassandra to see if she knows anything," Koharu said .

"Cassandra went home and asked us to close the establishment, she left the key with us to return to her tomorrow," I replied.

“Then we’ll talk to her tomorrow,” Shana said with a sad look.

Later, we were all gathered in Koharu's room.

The atmosphere was tense.

"Would you like something to eat or drink?" he asked , trying to lighten the mood.

— It won't work. I made plans to go out with Cassandra tonight. — I replied .

Koharu and Shana looked at me in shock.

— What?! — Shana exclaimed .

"I already knew. She gave him the address , " Max said calmly.

Shana just laughed.

—Okay. Go. After all that fuss, it's good to relax a bit, but don't forget to ask about my bracelets.

I blushed, trying to hide it.

— Don't worry… I'll be going. — I said.

The night was cold, but my heart was beating fast.

As I walked, I heard a voice calling me.

— Fujimoto! Wait!

It was Koharu.

— Koharu? — I said

She crossed her arms, glaring at me.

"Tell me, why are you going to her house now, in the middle of the night?" she asked .

—It's not what you think! — I replied.

"You've been acting strange since we left the fountain. What are you hiding?" she asked again.

I was silent for a moment. Then I took a deep breath.

“Should I tell her …?”

— I'll tell you everything. — I replied.

I explained my plan: Cassandra had the bracelets, and I planned to take them to a magical artisan to discover their origin.

Koharu widened her eyes.

"So you want to use her power to analyze the bracelets?" Koharu asked.

— Exactly. — I replied.

— This is dangerous, but... I trust you. — he said , with a slight smile.

I smiled back.

— Don't worry. Everything will be fine. — I said.

I arrived at the address that Cassandra gave me on the paper.

I knocked on the door twice.

—Is anyone home? — I asked.

The door opened softly, revealing Cassandra in simple attire, her blonde hair loose around her shoulders.

—Come in, Fujimoto. I've been waiting. — Cassandra said .

I walked in, my heart racing.

"Did you bring the coins?" she asked .

— Yes. — I held out the three gold coins.

She took it, smiling.

— Very well. Here are the bracelets, — said Cassandra.

She handed me the artifacts. I held them tightly.

(Let me check her status…)

Name: Dolberg Cassandra

Class: Magic Artisan

Level: 21

ATK: 174

DEF: 150

INT: 162

HP: 150

SPD: 150

ATK MAG: 174

DEF MAG: 150

Skill: Sahõkuri — “This skill allows one to open the essence of an item or tool, but only if the user touches the object's power core .”

"Cassandra… could you use your ability to see the essence of these bracelets?" I asked her.

For a moment, his smile faltered.

— Of course… but how did you discover my ability? — she asked.

— I heard some comments around there. — I lied .

Suddenly, I felt a slight tug on my chest.

A momentary dizziness.

“It must be something I ate today,” I muttered .

"I can imagine." "Wait here, I'll prepare the spell upstairs," Cassandra replied .

She walked up the stairs slowly, the sound of her footsteps echoing.

“She’s lying. She’s going to try to kill me.”

The bedroom door closed upstairs with a sharp click.

While I was at Cassandra's house, in the Adventurer's House, Koharu couldn't sleep.

Suddenly, he heard knocking on the door.

“Come in,” she said, sitting down on the bed.

The door opened slowly, revealing Shana and Max.

“We came to see how you are,” Shana said, her tone calm but concerned.

Koharu looked away.

— I'm fine... — Koharu replied.

Max crossed his arms.

"Don't tell me you and Fujimoto had a fight?" Max asked .

“It’s not that,” she replied, sighing.

Shana approached, her expression firm.

"You can trust us, Koharu. Tell us what happened," Shana said .

Koharu hesitated.

—Only if you promise not to get mad at me… or Fujimoto.

“What do you mean?” Shana asked , frowning.

— I'll tell you, but swear you won't say anything. — Koharu said .

Shana and Max nodded.

Koharu then told him everything: how he found him, his plan with Cassandra, and his intention to use her power to investigate the bracelets.

Shana jumped to her feet.

— What?! Has he gone mad?! — Shana asked irritably.

Koharu lowered her head.

— I'm sorry... I should have tried to stop it. — Koharu replied .

Max sighed.

"He just wants to understand. He thinks you're hiding something, Shana," which isn't true, but he's overconfident in his own suspicions.

Shana took a deep breath.

“Do you know where Cassandra’s house is?” Shana asked .

— No. I asked Ros , but no one knows anything about her. — Shana replied .

— Damn ... If he gets into trouble with that woman... — Shana muttered.

Max put his hand on her shoulder.

— We can only hope he comes back alive. — said Max, trying to comfort Shana.

Shana then spoke softly, but with a weight in her voice:

"He needs to come back quickly. Those bracelets were given to me by the Elven Queen to hide my presence from demons, mystical beasts, and angels," Shana revealed.

Koharu and Max were shocked.

— What?! — Koharu and Max screamed.

"If the item falls into the wrong hands, all three of us will be in danger. Promise me no one will walk away. Understood?" Shana said .

— Understood! — they replied together.

Koharu closed her eyes, praying silently.

(Fujimoto... please come back alive. And bring the bracelet.)