Using teleportation, she jumps to the stratosphere and observes the entire scope of the eye.

She repeated teleportation to get closer, but strangely, she couldn’t advance upwards beyond a certain distance.

――It was as if something was blocking her.

Tsugumi manipulated threads to create something resembling a hang glider and began to circle in place. Since she couldn’t get any closer, she had no choice but to observe from this position.

The large eye visible through the rift was staring intently at the site of the dawn’s star―the pedestal of the ritual―and showed no sign of shifting its gaze toward Tsugumi, who was flying.

And, though she hadn’t noticed from afar, she saw that between the eye and the rift, there were tentacle-like things writhing, gradually stretching downward.

She still didn’t have the full picture, but given this situation, it felt like it had a rather horrifying appearance.

……Thinking that this was originally meant to enter her, she felt a slight shiver run down her spine.

Regardless of its form, Eris had said that this deity was an automaton without will.

Opening the gate―creating a rift to release the magical beasts―was likely the deity’s power.

She didn’t understand the meaning of terms like “vanguard,” but based on the way Eris spoke, it was possible that the sky had split even long before thirty-one years ago.

The strange phenomenon that occurred at that time was probably defined and worshipped by the ancients as “Mi•ya•gu•sama?” to preemptively block the invasion of magical beasts. It was an incredible play. ……Perhaps there was a seer priestess back then.

However, even though the definition had changed, the power itself remained unchanged.

It was likely that, for better or worse, the only existence capable of directly intervening with the rift in the sky was this deity.

Moreover, though it was an uncontrollable force, having such an existence without its own will was probably convenient for some.

It was unclear how the Dawn’s Star had acquired that information, but if its purpose was to manage the rift, it could be said to have been an optimal choice.

――Well, in the end, it all got nullified like this.

That aside, the reason why this supposed will-less deity was attempting to descend to the earth was likely because the pedestal was inscribed with a spell that encouraged it.

……Somehow, Tsugumi felt that the spell must have activated when Azuma poured the red sand. If it had been stopped at that point, this situation might not have happened.

If that were the case, wouldn’t it be better to destroy the pedestal? However, if the pedestal played an important role, Eris would definitely intervene if she tried to destroy it. In that case, the chances of winning would be almost zero.

……After all, she would have to directly attack the eye.

With that in mind, Tsugumi launched a thread slash at the eye, but just as the thread was about to reach, it slipped through the eye and danced into the void. At the same time, Tsugumi was hit with a vertigo strong enough to make her stagger.

“……Huh?”

The sudden dizziness made Tsugumi lose her concentration, and she fell gently towards the ground along with the unraveled threads.

As she fell slowly, she wondered why the thread had slipped through the eye.

――Perhaps the eye was neutralizing physical attacks. Additionally, it seemed to have some sort of debuff effect. The moment the thread entered the eye, there was a sensation of her strength being drained from her body.

……It’s very troublesome that attacks don’t seem to work. She needed to find another method.

So, Tsugumi teleported back into the air just before hitting the ground and stared intently at the area around the eye. This was probably the time to use her ability to see the red threads.

While staying as high up as possible, she observed the giant eye.

Although it was less visible compared to threads tangled around buildings, she saw several places where threads were swirling within the large iris, which was based on various shades of green. Those were probably the core that created the eye.

――But Tsugumi couldn’t reach the core with her attacks. No matter how much she strained her power, she couldn’t extend the threads to the core.

She also tried aiming a borrowed staff at the eye, but it showed no reaction. …Perhaps she had exhausted her power with the earlier miracle. It was unfortunate, but if it couldn’t be used, it had to be discarded as an option.

After experiencing several falls and much trial and error, Tsugumi was caught off guard by something that suddenly arrived.

――Something flew toward her with a sound like “hyun.”

“……Hmm? Huh, waaaa!!”

Before it could pierce her side, Tsugumi managed to catch it by entangling it with her threads, and with her heart pounding, she took hold of the object.

It was a short, single-edged blade emitting a dull shine—a dagger.

As she looked at the blade, which seemed familiar, she noticed that there were words carved into the metal.

【――Waiting on top of the southeast building. Yurie Mibu】

Reading the words, Tsugumi was startled and checked the building in the indicated direction.

On top of that building, there was a roaring bonfire and Yurie Mibu, who was waving at her.

Seeing Yurie’s seemingly normal appearance, Tsugumi’s heart raced with agitation.

……If Yurie is here at this point, then the help sent by Tono must have been Yurie.

――Just how much did Tono explain to Yurie? This anxiety crossed her mind.

Well, she knew it was not the time to be thinking about that. Still, it was terrifying to think that she might lose a friend because of the secret she was holding… that was all she thought.

Even so, Tsugumi teleported down to Yurie. She had never intended to run away, and most importantly, she needed allies to face that giant eye.

Yurie’s face lit up with a flower-like smile, and she said to Tsugumi—Hagakure Sakura.

“Great! I heard you were captured, but you’re safe!”

“……Yes. I managed to escape. Did Yurie, um, end up fighting Azuma?”

“Ah, Azuma had various things happen and lost consciousness. Look, she’s lying there.”

Looking in the direction Yurie pointed, Tsugumi saw Azuma, bound hand and foot like a cocoon, lying on the floor.

……Tsugumi had many thoughts about Azuma, but this state was truly pitiful.

“Well, first I want to talk about that eye up there, but before that, there’s something I want to briefly mention.”

Yurie said this and looked at Tsugumi with a serious expression.

“I’ve heard from Tono…… Hagakure Sakura is you, isn’t it? Ah, Tono is not at fault. I realized it and questioned her. In hindsight, I feel I’ve done something wrong to Tono.”

“……I see. So it’s been discovered.”

The truth revealed as if discussing trivial matters made Tsugumi feel a sense of resignation. It seemed that the secret had indeed been exposed.

“Well, if it weren’t for this situation, I probably wouldn’t have noticed. I suspected some connection between Hagakure Sakura and Nanase Tsugumi, but I didn’t think they were the same person.”

Yurie said this with a somewhat troubled smile.

“……There might have been various circumstances, but I was a bit shocked that you didn’t confide in me. Well, that’s just my personal feeling, so you don’t need to worry too much about it. ―Well then, now that I know the secret you wanted to keep hidden, will you continue to be friends with me? To be honest, that’s more important to me.”

Hearing Yurie’s words, Tsugumi opened her mouth in a daze.

“Is that, well, rather, is it okay with Yurie? …To be friends with someone like this?”

Tsugumi had kept her true identity a secret mainly because Bell had told her to keep it quiet, but also because she was embarrassed to be found out pretending to be a girl.

Additionally, from an outsider’s perspective, it was understandable if she was seen as a cross-dressing pervert like Azuma.

When Tsugumi modestly revealed this, Yurie tilted her head in curiosity and said.

“Well, Tsugumi isn’t doing anything to misuse her female form, right? So there’s no problem. Even if that form is Tsugumi’s preference, my friendship with you won’t change at all. …Well, even if you said now that you want to end the friendship, I wouldn’t let you go.”

Yurie’s final words were spoken in a soft voice, so Tsugumi didn’t catch them all, but it seemed that Yurie had no intention of ending their friendship.

Tsugumi sighed in relief at this fact. Even for Tsugumi, the idea of being disliked by a close friend was terrifying.

“Ah, but even though it couldn’t be helped this time, you should still come clean to Ran-chan yourself. If she hears it through someone else, it will definitely create complications.”

“Yeah. ―Once we get back from here, I’ll make sure to talk to Suzushiro myself.”

Tsugumi said this and nodded firmly.

Now that things had come to this, it was likely just a matter of time before others found out. That’s why she needed to talk to the trustworthy people before that happened.

If she told Bell, she would probably grant permission to speak.

Yurie then glanced at the sky as if keeping track of time, and with a serious expression said:

“We don’t have much time, so let’s leave personal matters for now. ―Next, I want to discuss that thing in the sky. Tsugumi, do you know anything about it?”

Asked by Yurie, Tsugumi nodded with a solemn expression.

“Yes, I’ll give a brief explanation. That thing is――”

As Tsugumi shared the information she knew, Yurie looked up at the sky, deep in thought.

Then, while staring at the eye floating in the sky, Yurie said in a quiet voice:

“Okay, I understand. ―Let’s wake Azuma.”

Tsugumi froze momentarily at the abrupt suggestion and, though puzzled, asked Yurie:

“……Why is that?”

“Hmm? Oh, it’s because―――”

Yurie began to explain her thoughts.