Agiri Rinka was thoroughly exasperated.

The summer sun was scorching even before noon, and the concrete jungle only amplified the heat.

Mikage Academy had many autonomous zones, including summer retreats.
But the place she was in now was different.

Rows upon rows of towering structures—all medical facilities.
Second only to Tōka Rescue School in scale, this medical district was built using an entire Dungeon Core.

(Damn, it’s hot… Why don’t they just cover the sky with a dungeon already?)

Glaring at the unbearably bright sun, Rinka scrunched her face in irritation.

And part of her exasperation was due to the two people behind her.

“—Are you really okay? If you’re still feeling unwell, I can carry you.”
“I’m fine. You really are such a worrywart. I’ve only been able to do light exercises until now, so if my body gets any rustier, it’ll be a problem, right?”
“Well, yeah, but…”
“Still, I appreciate the concern… Thank you.”
“Mihaya…”

Behind her, Touraku and Mihaya chatted intimately.
Their interactions only fueled Rinka’s irritation.

(Why the hell have those two been flirting nonstop since leaving the hospital?! Try putting yourself in my shoes for once! Even Lutra-chan looks awkward—wait, no, she actually seems kinda happy?!)

A quick glance at Lutra revealed her smiling as she held Mihaya and Touraku’s hands.
The sight was nothing short of a happy little family.

(Ugh… So jealous…! I want that too…! I want—!)

Floating into Rinka’s mind was the image of a silver-haired girl in a white dress, smiling softly.
Freed from her curse, the girl—now her true self—waved innocently at her.

A summer heat-induced hallucination.

“You’re training with that Rokuhara guy now, right? Do you have another session later today?”
“Nah, today’s a break. I just… really wanted to spend time with you.”
“…Idiot. Since when did you get so bold?”

(Why are they being so lovey-dovey in broad daylight?! And Touraku’s grown way too much! Rokuhara-san, you’ve overdone it!)

Touraku’s skills were already near-perfect.
He had reached the limits of human capability.

Thus, most of Rokuhara’s training focused on mental fortitude.
The final piece Touraku needed to ascend even higher was the strength of his own heart.

(I knew his issues were mental, but still… Why did he have to turn out so flawless?! And what’s up with that Rokuhara guy? He looks shady, but yesterday he brought honey-pickled lemons to training. Keeps treating us to meals, too. Is he… a good guy? Is he actually a good guy?!)

In the end, Rokuhara’s training had been a resounding success.
And the most significant result? His approach to Sorciera.

“…Mihaya, I thought I wanted to save Sorciera—to save Kei-kun. But I was wrong.”

Touraku’s sudden confession made Mihaya realize his earlier chatter had just been his awkward way of easing his nerves.

She waited quietly as he fumbled through his thoughts.
Sensing his tension, Lutra tightened her grip on Mihaya’s hand.

(Translator note: the following pronouns may seem to be incorrect because of the honorifics but -kun isnt always just for young men. It is also for any persons gender you consider close but also respect. Literally just learned this and I’m probably gonna have to edit all of the chapters I uploaded to fix this now.)

“I want to stand beside her. Not to protect her, but to fight alongside her. So… I need your help.”
“…I see. So that’s your answer.”

Touraku nodded.

“I always saw Kei-kun as someone weak who needed saving. Unconsciously, I looked down on her… I didn’t realize it until Rokuhara-san pointed it out.”

A self-deprecating smile crossed his face.
But when he looked up again, his expression was clear.

“So I won’t ‘save’ her anymore. I won’t protect her—I’ll fight with her. And it’s not just me. Everyone feels the same. Everyone wants to stand by her side.”

Mihaya listened quietly before replying, “…Yeah.”
Then, she grinned mischievously.

“Even if she says no, we’ll force our way next to her! And then we’ll tell her, ‘Quit playing the tragic heroine all by yourself!’”
“Uh, I wasn’t planning to go that far…”

Lutra, who had been silent until now, finally spoke up.

“I’ll say it. And while we’re at it, I’ll provoke Onee-san too.”
“Lutra, isn’t that a bit off-track? We’re not actually fighting her, you know?”
“To prove our worth, we should fight Sorciera seriously at least once. Touraku, with our current power, we can cut through ‘that.’ Absolutely.”

Touraku gave a wry smile at Lutra’s firm nod.
Mihaya tilted her head, confused.

“‘That’?”
“Our final form. A Star-Slash beyond Star-Slash.”
“Though it can’t even last a minute yet.”
“Hmm… I need to get back to the frontlines soon. Or I’ll get left behind by you guys.”

Mihaya said cheerfully before suddenly breaking into a run, still holding their hands.
Lutra stumbled after her, and Touraku hurriedly followed.

Ahead of them was Rinka, walking slightly faster.

“You’re fighting with us too, right?”

Mihaya slung an arm over Rinka’s shoulder.
Startled, Rinka flinched before turning to look at them.

Seeing the expectant looks in their eyes, she forced a tired smile.

(You could’ve just kept flirting, but no, you had to drag me into it…)

Still, she didn’t seem entirely opposed.

“Leave it to me. Honestly, you guys might not even get a turn.”
“Oh? Pretty confident, aren’t we?”
“Well, I’ve been through way worse. Right?”
“Ugh… Did all three of you grow too much while I was gone? I’m feeling a little left out. Maybe I should ask that Rokuhara guy to train me too.”
“I’d advise against that.”
“Yeah, yeah.”

Rinka replied flatly as Touraku nodded beside her.
Having seen Mihaya and Rokuhara together, they both knew.

Those two were way too compatible.

(If they start training together nonstop… and I get dragged into it…)

She was glad Mihaya had recovered.
But the thought of being roped into training as a non-combatant terrified her.

(Well, if that happens, I’ll just make up an excuse and bail. Sorry, Touraku. You’ll have to handle those two alone.)

She mentally clasped her hands in apology toward Touraku.

Just then, a notification chimed from Rinka’s Dive Gear.
A message had arrived.

“Ah, hold on a sec.”

Excusing herself, she stepped away.
Opening it, she saw it was from her rival.

(Clam, huh…)

Surprisingly, they’d been exchanging messages frequently since swapping contacts.
Most of it was just them one-upping each other over Sorciera, but at least they weren’t on bad terms.

(Guess I’ll have to team up with her one day.)

They didn’t have enough people to fight Zero.
So they’d have to join forces.
Even if they’d eventually fight for real, they needed to cooperate when the time came.

(Who knows? We might make a decent team.)

Smiling faintly at the thought of the eventual battle, Rinka opened the message.

『YEEAAAHHHH WWWWW Hey “self-proclaimed ally” Rinka-chan, you seeing this? I’m about to nurse your precious Sorciera back to health and pamper her like crazy WWWWW Gonna feed her porridge, aaand here it goooes! WWWWWWW』

Attached was a photo of Clam holding a tray of porridge, perfectly framed to highlight her cuteness.
Behind her was what looked like Sorciera’s bedroom door.

In other words, Clam was about to pull a sneak attack under the guise of “nursing.”

“—Huh?”

Her voice dropped to an uncharacteristically low growl.
The calm, analytical mind honed in Silver Twilight had already been incinerated by rage.

“Rinka, what’s wrong?”

Sensing the shift, Touraku approached.
Rinka turned with a perfectly plastered smile.

“Sorry, something just came up.”

Two seconds remained until the enraged Rinka used a disposable teleportation device (5,000,000 yen) to warp to Fectom.