Three Days

We closed the bedroom door behind us. A heavy silence filled the space, broken only by the distant sound of people talking in the ground floor hall.

I exhaled slowly and sat on the edge of the bed.

Shouta stood there for a few seconds, looking at the ground, as if organizing his thoughts.

— Shouta … — I called softly.

He looked up, visibly shaken.

"Seeing you disappear in those flames... I really thought I'd lost you , Yumi ," he murmured .

I approached and took her hand.

"It was the only way to fool everyone there, including you. I needed the scene to be real," I replied .

He clenched his fists, but didn't let go of my hand.

"Now they believe you're dead. But that means I can't stay by your side openly. If I stay any longer, Hiroshi might suspect I'm betraying him," she said with a serious look.

My heart tightened.

"Then stay. At least three more days," I pleaded firmly.

His eyes widened slightly.

— Three days…? — he said Shouta .

I agreed.

"I need these three days. If you leave now, you might ruin everything. And also... I don't want to be separated from you so soon," I replied.

Shouta sighed deeply, as if he were carrying tons of weight on his shoulders.

Then he smiled, a tired but genuine smile.

"Okay. Three days. I'll stay." Shouta agreed.

My shoulders relaxed and I felt my chest warm up.

"Thank you, Shouta ," I said.

He placed a hand on the back of my neck and slowly brought his face closer.

"Just be careful, Yumi . I really don't want to lose you," Shouta said.

I closed my eyes.

"I promise," I said.

Our lips touched, a slow, silent kiss, laden with everything we couldn't say.

When we pulled away, I took a deep breath.

"I need to go home. Filna must be worried. I've been out all day... she must be imagining all sorts of things," I warned.

Shouta held my hand once more.

"I'll wait for you," he said.

I agreed.

"We'll talk tomorrow," I said.

I went down the stairs and left the tavern. I followed the road to the forest. The smell of damp earth and green leaves guided me back to our little house.

I turned the doorknob.

As soon as I opened the door — PANG.

Something hit me on the head.

— Ouch! — I put my hand to the top of my head, surprised.

Filna stood before me, holding a small frying pan with both hands, trembling.

" Onee-sama !! You disappeared for a whole day! I thought you were dead!" she cried, her eyes filled with tears.

I couldn't suppress the weak laugh that escaped.

"It hurt a little... but I think I deserved it," I said with a smile on my face.

She dropped the frying pan on the floor and hugged me tightly.

"Don't ever disappear like that again!!" she shouted again.

I hugged her head and stroked her now gray hair.

"I'm sorry, Filna , but we need to talk urgently," I said.

I stepped back just enough to look into her eyes.

It's about Demonic Shana … and about what’s really going on in this world,” I said.

Filna swallowed hard, startled.

And the conversation that would change everything was about to begin.

We closed the door and sat down at the still messy kitchen table. The smell of cold coffee and damp wood lingered in the air.

Filna watched me with concern in her eyes, waiting for me to start talking.

I took a deep breath.

— Filna … I need to tell you everything that happened. — I said.

She straightened her posture, becoming more serious than I've rarely seen her.

"I'm listening, Onee-sama ," she said.

I rested my hands on the table.

"I've reunited with Shouta ," I said.

Her eyes shone like stars.

"So he's alive! And you...?" Filna was saying.

I blushed immediately, looking away.

"We were together last night... it was a wonderful night," I said, almost in a whisper.

Filna covered her mouth with her hands and laughed softly, happy for me.

Then I returned to the main subject.

"And I found Shana . I needed to test her. To find out what kind of person she really is. So I used a clone to confront her and observe her reactions and those of the Fujimoto group ," I revealed.

Filna listened attentively, with a serious glint in her eyes.

"And what did you find out?" Filna asked.

I sighed, clenching my fist.

— Shana is extremely powerful. Intelligent. And… dangerous. But I didn't sense any malice in her. There's something she's hiding. And I need to understand what it is. — I replied.

Filna crossed her arms, lost in thought.

"You and your boyfriend should keep an eye on her together to observe her actions," he said . Filla in a firm manner.

I lowered my eyes.

" Shouta can only stay here for three days... After that, maybe some wretched worm named Hiroshi will come after him," I said.

Filna 's face turned serious.

"The way you talked about this Hiroshi guy... it means he's a pretty cruel person," he said . Surprise film .

I nodded slowly.

Filna rested her elbow on the table and said with a confident smile:

"Three days is enough. Observe Shana for three days and write a detailed report. Then we'll decide what to do," Filna requested.

My chest tightened and I looked at my little sister with genuine concern.

"Will you be okay alone?" I asked, worried.

She laughed, light as the wind.

"Yes, I will. After all, someone needs to be in the house to keep it clean and well-maintained," she said , winking.

I let out a sigh of relief and stood up.

"So... I'm going back to Lilibel now. Shouta must be waiting for me," I said.

Filna walked over to me and hugged me with unexpected force.

— Be careful, Onee-sama . — Filna told me.

I stroked her newly transformed gray hair.

"Always," I said.

We moved away slowly.

She smiled and opened the door.

I stepped outside and faced the dirt road that led to the city.

The afternoon breeze ruffled my hair as I began to walk.

"Three days... everything will change within those three days."

I headed towards Lilibel 's tavern , where Shouta was waiting for me, and where Shana 's first day of observation would begin.

The sun was already beginning to set when the rooftops of Lilibel appeared between the treetops. The orange light reflected off the windows of the stone and wooden houses, painting the city with an almost illusory calm.

The tavern where Shouta was staying was on a side street, away from the main traffic. I pushed the door open carefully.

The sound of the bell above her echoed through the silent hall.

Shouta was sitting at a table near the window, his arms crossed and his gaze fixed on the street, as if he were ready to react to anything.

When our eyes met, his face immediately softened.

He stood up and walked over to me.

— Yumi — she said softly, with visible relief.

I couldn't help but smile.

"Sorry for the delay. Filna was really worried," I said.

"I'm glad she's alright," he replied , pulling out a chair for me to sit next to him.

We sat together, and the comfortable silence lasted for a few seconds before the true weight of the situation resurfaced.

Shouta rested his elbows on the table.

"We need to talk about what we saw today," he said.

I agreed, crossing my hands over my lap.

" Shana is very powerful. But I can't sense any malice in what she did. Even when she activated that absurd power... I didn't feel any intention to kill me. It seemed more like a test," I said.

"I thought the same thing. Her expression changed when the clone disappeared. It was... like she knew it wasn't really you," he said . Shouta .

I bit my lower lip, lost in thought.

"And that means she has perception far beyond the ordinary. Perhaps even dangerous for whoever is manipulating the kingdom," I said.

Shouta leaned closer.

"Then let's observe her. The next three days will be dedicated solely to that," Shouta said.

I looked at him with genuine concern.

" Shouta ... you know that if you stay here too long, Hiroshi will suspect you're cheating on him," I said worriedly.

He looked away, clenching his fist.

"I know. But…" Shouta sighed heavily.

"You asked for three days. So three days it will be. Even if it costs you dearly later," he continued . Shouta .

My heart trembled a little at that.

"Thank you, Shouta ," I said.

He chuckled slightly.

"Don't thank me yet. We haven't even begun hell," he said.

I moved a little closer, looking into his eyes.

"The plan is simple: watch Shana without interacting. Discover patterns. Identify who she protects and who she fears," I said.

"If we uncover connections, we'll find out who's manipulating the kingdom," I continued .

"And for that, we'll need to act like shadows," he added . Shouta .

I agreed.

"We'll start observing early tomorrow morning. Rest today. Yesterday's transformation must have drained a lot of energy," I said cautiously.

"It wasn't that bad," Shouta said, trying to sound confident.

I simply placed a finger on his lips, stopping him from continuing.

"Yes, it was. I noticed. You don't need to hide anything from me, Shouta ," I said.

He laughed, defeated.

"Okay. You got me," Shouta said with a smile on his face.

"Tomorrow... we'll start watching Shana at dawn," I murmured .

"I'll be ready," he replied . Shouta , without taking his eyes off mine.

I sat down next to him again, and we rested our joined hands on the table.

We stood there in silence, observing the slow movement in the room, the clinking of glasses, distant conversations, and the light footsteps of the waiters.

For the first time since returning to World One, I felt a true peace, even if brief.

"We'll stay here until the night is over," he said . Shouta , with a discreet smile.

I nodded, resting my head on his shoulder.

— Yes. For now… I just want to be with you. — she said. Shouta .

And so we stayed together, quiet, while the world outside kept turning.

The smell of freshly baked bread wafted through the Adventurers' House hall.

I was sitting at a small table in the darkest corner, hood pulled down, my back to the wall. Next to me, Shouta pretended to read a scroll, but his eyes scanned the surroundings just as much as mine did.

They were at the main table.

Shana .

Koharu .

Max.

Fujimoto .

Ros is behind the counter.

Cassandra wasn't there.

Ros was wiping a glass with her usual worn-out cloth when I heard Fujimoto 's voice :

" Ros , where's Cassandra?" she asked. Fujimoto .

"He left early for the Baths House. He went to meet his partner," the old man replied casually.

"Partner…"

On the other side, Koharu tilted her head.

"What's his name?" she asked .

— Kairo . — he said Ros .

I felt the air change.

Shana , who until then had seemed relaxed, became serious. Her gaze sank into some memory I didn't recognize.

My heart raced.

"Ah... so that name is even fitting for the Queen of Demons..."

Suddenly, Shana raised her voice, changing the atmosphere.

"Hey, Koharu . Want to go to the hot springs now?" he asked. Shana .

"I want to!" Koharu replied without thinking.

Max sighed loudly.

"You guys love these hot springs, huh?" he grumbled .

Fujimoto 's voice , sounding a bit awkward.

"The water there is very warm..." said Fujimoto .

One second later:

"Are you an idiot?" Koharu interrupted, glaring at him.

I had to hold back a laugh.

"Some things never change... humans remain human, even in another world."

"Calm down... I 'm not used to this..." Fujimoto murmured .

"Aren't you going?" he insisted. Koharu , looking at him and Max.

"Not today," they both replied at the same time.

Shana and Koharu stood up.

"Come on, before it gets crowded," Shana said, smiling.

The two of them went out the door, excited.

Max rested his chin on his hand, looking towards the exit.

"I bet this is going to cause trouble," he commented .

Fujimoto chuckled softly.

"It always works out," he replied .

I looked away.

"Yes. Chaos is the only thing guaranteed when Shana is involved."

I leaned towards Shouta and whispered:

"Let's follow them," I told him.

He nodded slightly, without drawing attention.

We got up discreetly some time later, as if we were just going out for a "walk around town".

Nobody noticed.