Rescuing Fujimoto

In the room, a minute later

Shouta was sitting on the bed, already awake.

" Yumi ? Did something happen?" he asked , seeing my face.

The door slammed shut behind me, I couldn't hold on.

His breathing was erratic and uncontrolled, his voice choked with emotion.

— Shouta … I heard everything. Everything Shana did. — I began .

With Kairo . With Fujimoto . With Koharu … She's using them all. Manipulating them all. Without any limits.

I recounted word for word what I heard behind the door.

I told them about the bet on Yoshi .

I recounted the poison in Shana 's voice .

Shouta listened in absolute silence, his fists clenched so tightly that his knuckles turned white.

"She's too dangerous..." he murmured softly.

"She's irresponsible, Shouta . She doesn't have the maturity to lead anything. And now she's playing with real lives," I said , sitting down next to him, feeling my hands trembling.

He took a deep breath.

"I'll keep an eye on her. We still have time. If she tries anything today, I'll stop her," he said .

I shook my head.

"No. You can't stay near her all the time. If you do, Hiroshi will notice and might end up chasing you. But... stop them from going to Yosushí tonight. That's all I ask," I pleaded .

Shouta held my hand and nodded.

"I promise, Yumi ," he said . Shouta .

I took a deep breath and stood up.

"I need to go. Filna must be worried... I haven't shown up all day. And we also need to come up with a plan to save Fujimoto . I have a feeling something bad is going to happen to him," I said.

I grabbed a piece of paper from the table, quickly sketched the map, and handed it to Shouta .

"This is the house in the forest. Tomorrow, at dawn... meet me there, " I showed them.

He smiled, a tired but warm smile.

"I'll be there," he said . Shouta .

We slowly moved closer until our foreheads touched.

Their lips met in a firm, short kiss, but one full of urgency and trust.

"Take care," I whispered.

"Always," he replied.

I adjusted my hood, took a deep breath, and went out the side door of the building.

Path to the forest

The sky was starting to get cloudy.

The cold wind carried the scent of damp trees.

Each step felt lighter now that I knew my goal.

I arrived at the cabin.

I knocked on the door twice.

Filna opened.

I closed the door behind me and began to tell everything.

About Shana .

Regarding Fujimoto .

Regarding the real danger.

Filna crossed her arms, listening without interrupting.

When I finished, she took a deep breath and spoke with cold determination:

"Then let's save him. I'll take care of the support and tracking magic. You prepare the attack strategy. And don't worry about me. I'm fine on my own," she said . FILNA .

I felt my chest warm up.

"Thank you, little sister," I said.

She smiled, a small smile, but full of confidence.

"We're going to show the world that true sisters fight together," she said confidently.

The flame of the lamp flickered between us.

And at that moment... the plan to rescue Fujimoto began.

The cold wind swept through the trees as Filna and I extinguished the lamp, leaving us in total darkness.

The plan was in place, now all that was left was to wait.

Filna approached the window and lifted the curtain just enough to see outside.

"The cart is coming," she whispered.

The wood creaked in the distance, the horses' hooves pounding against the damp ground.

Filna stretched her hands forward, her silvery aura trembling, luminous like a stifled star.

" Teleport ," she said.

A white sphere appeared above the road and exploded silently, enveloping Fujimoto in an arc of light.

He disappeared from the cart as if he had been ripped away by the night itself.

Seris screamed outside, her voice filled with panic and anger.

What's going on?! Show yourself, you coward!

Filna breathed a sigh of relief.

"It worked. He was moved up the tree two points to the south. We have fifteen seconds," she said.

We ran through the silent forest, jumping over roots and dodging between tree trunks.

The moonlight reflected off the sweat on my skin.

Fujimoto was there, precariously balancing on the thickest branch, his hands trembling , completely lost.

"Hey! Wait! Who are you?!" he shouted when Filna grabbed his hand.

"Trust me," she ordered firmly.

And he pulled him to run.

I followed us through the shadows, concealing my presence until we reached the cabin hidden among ancient trees.

Filna hurriedly opened the door and pushed Fujimoto inside.

"Quick," she said, locking behind us.

He staggered, almost falling.

Filna pulled her hood back, revealing her pointed ears.

Fujimoto's eyes widened.

"You're... an elf ?!" Fujimoto asked.

"And if I do? Is there a problem?" Filna replied coldly.

"Why did you take me away from there?" he asked, breathing heavily.

"When my older sister gets here, she'll explain it to you," she said, crossing her arms.

"So you have a sister?" he insisted.

Filna raised her chin.

"Is there a problem?" she asked with the same cutting coldness.

He swallowed hard, speechless.

There was a moment of tense silence.

"Truly intelligent people think with their brains, not their hearts," he said . Filna .

Fujimoto blinked, confused.

"What?! What on earth do you mean by that?!" he asked. Fujimoto is completely confused.

Before he could finish, I knocked twice on the door, the signal.

"What's the password?" Filna asked.

— Short. — I replied quietly.

She opened it.

I entered slowly, with the hood still partially covering my face.

Fujimoto froze, his eyes trembling as if he were seeing a ghost.

Mayumi​ Yumi …?! — he stammered.

Filna sighed, crossing her arms.

" Yumi , present properly," she said impatiently.

He smiled, leaning one hand against the wall.

— Of course. My name is Elfsei. Mayumi Yumi . — I introduced myself.

— And I am Elfsei Mayumi "Filna ," Filna finished, her voice calm but sharp.

Fujimoto blinked, stunned.

"What?! You're sisters?!" he shouted. Fujimoto surprised.

I laughed, genuinely amused.

"I won the bet, Filna . I told him he'd be surprised. Lunch is on you tomorrow," I said .

Filna snorted, turning her face away.

"Wait a minute..." Fujimoto stood up, somewhat unsteady on his feet.

— Filna is an elf , and you're human! — she shouted. Fujimoto .

I nodded and approached, crossing my arms behind my back.

"Wrong. We're half- elves . Half human, half elf ," I said.

His eyes widened.

"But... your ears aren't pointed," he said.

I lifted my hair and showed the thin scar on the edge.

"I cut half of them," I revealed.

His expression froze.

"So how do you hear...?" he asked.

"Elven magic. But the cut affected my magical flow, and sometimes it fails," I replied .

He took a deep breath, absorbing each word.

"So you guys understand level manipulation, right?" Fujimoto asked.

Filna and I exchanged a quick glance, and he noticed.

"Yes," Filna replied.

"Because it was our father who created this project," Filna revealed.

Fujimoto choked.

"WHAT?!" Fujimoto shouted.

I breathed slowly, feeling a knot tighten in my chest.

"Two beings visited my father years ago. They promised to resurrect our mother. He believed them. But it was a lie… and our father was killed the next day," she said in a low voice.

Filna then stared coldly at Fujimoto .

"Remember what I told you? Think with your brain, not your heart. If our father had done that, perhaps we would still be whole," he said . Filna .

Fujimoto slammed his hands on the table.

"You're an idiot! Your father only wanted to save the woman he loved! " Fujimoto shouted.

Filna didn't even blink.

"And what did he achieve? Nothing but ruin," he said . Filna in a cold manner.

He clenched his fists.

"He was guided by love!" she shouted. Fujimoto again.

"And he did something stupid," she replied.

"You talk like that because you're just a child!" he shouted.

I started laughing.

" Filna , tell him your age and height," I said.

"Sixteen years old. One meter and forty-four centimeters tall," she growled .

Fujimoto's eyes widened.

"So... you're a loli ?" Fujimoto asked.

Finna turned as red as a strawberry.

"Look who's talking, you femboy !" she replied.

I almost fell to the floor laughing.

But then my face turned serious, and the atmosphere in the cabin changed.

"That's enough. We have something important to discuss," I said seriously.

Fujimoto took a deep breath.

"Okay... Why did you bring me here?" Fujimoto asked.

I crossed my arms and got straight to the point.

" Shana set a trap for you," I replied.

He turned pale.

— Shana … evil? — he asked, shocked.

— No. Just… an idiot. — I replied .

He frowned.

"I didn't understand," he said.

"My sources might be wrong, but it seems Shana is interested in Kairo . And to that end, she's making excuses to push everyone away... and be alone with him," I said .

"What?! That's absurd! Shana already has Max!" Fujimoto shouted.

"If she has that desire, it's because something inside her liked the sensation," Filna said calmly, as if discussing mathematics.

— Huh?! — Fujimoto looked at us, bewildered.

"Speak like a normal person, Filna ," I complained .

He swallowed hard.

"But... I can't believe it..." Fujimoto was saying when he finally realized the situation.

Filna crossed her arms.

"It seems you finally realized," he said . Filna .

I yawned, stretching my arms.

"It's late. Let's go to sleep," I said.

Fujimoto trembled, fighting back tears.

"I just wanted everyone in the group to be friends... but I failed," he said . Fujimoto is sad.

I smiled with calculated cruelty.

"You know what the problem is? You can have a thousand chances, and even a power that reveals the truth, but you'll never be a real leader. At best... a pawn," I said.

He raised his head, furious.

"What the hell are you saying?!" Fujimoto shouted.

I walked until I was just inches away from him.

"I told Filna about how you act, like someone who lives in a game. She asked me not to provoke you, but I needed to see," I said.

I moved even closer.

"You think you're in an isekai RPG , don't you? You thought you were going to assemble a team, save the world, become a hero." I lowered my voice.

My smile slowly widened; it was cruel, ironic, real.

"Wake up, Fujimoto . This isn't your game. And you... aren't the protagonist," I said in a completely cold tone.

He lowered his head.

The wind was pounding against the window, mocking me along with it.

The lamp flickered, almost going out.

And there, in that heavy silence, I knew.

The piece fell.