Defense Specialization- Until Next Time

After a blink of dark silence—like waking from sleep—the event was already over. Maple and Sally opened their eyes and found themselves together in the spectator area.

All around, other players were buzzing some swapping excited reactions, others satisfied as they warped back to the Tenth Layer.

“Uh? Huh!? Did I… die?”

“Ahaha—both of us. So, this is what it feels like when you die in an event.”

“Eeeh!? I was sure it worked! How did you do it?”

“Well…”

Leaning back against the tall flowerbed behind her, Sally began to explain how.

“You were tanking 【Break Core】 with 【Bomb Eater】, right? So no, we didn’t 【Discard】 it.”

“Of course!”

“Before the explosion, I hurried my inventory open—behind my back—and pulled out a certain item.”

“A certain item?”

“Fufuu, guess what?”

“Ummm… hmmm…”

“Hint: Fourth Layer.”

“Fourth… ah! The talisman!”

“Correct.”

The sealed-ofuda they bought on the Fourth Layer—an item of which you can carry only three—when stuck on a target, it randomly seals one skill.

At the final moment she slapped it on Maple’s back and sealed 【Bomb Eater】.

Without 【Bomb Eater】, 【Break Core】 works as a true self-destruct and drops HP to zero.

“But… that seal picks a random skill, right?”

“Right. So, it was up to luck.”

“I knew it!?”

“…Even so, today I felt luckier than anyone in the world. And I wished for it—I thought maybe it would listen.”

“True… I did promise to give you three favors as thanks. Mmm…”

It was not the result Maple expected, but Sally had asked for her second favor—and by coincidence Maple ended up keeping that promise.

“Still, I could not have done it if I had not learned to operate my inventory as is mid-battle. I probably could not have reached my pouch in time.”

“Ah! Then I should not have showed you that trick…”

“Thanks to you, I picked up a new technique.”

“Mmmm—fighting really is hard.”

“Maybe so,” Sally laughed softly.

They had traded technique after technique, deflecting and answering in a dense duel. Even so, the two did not hold a long post-match analysis.

Maybe because everything they needed to say had already been exchanged inside that fight.

“Hey… can I ask just one thing?”

“Mm, what?”

Her tone turned serious—like right before saying something especially important.

Under the fall of her black hair, her eyes held the opposite of that fierce will from the battle: a trace of doubt, of worry.

She pushed past it, took a long breath, and let the words come.

“Did you have fun?”

“…Yes. I had fun.”

When Maple smiled as she said it, Sally’s face lit up, bright as day. Seeing her even happier than herself felt funny—and Maple could not help but laugh back.

“Then… can I use my third favor now?”

“Eeeh!? Are you sure? I was planning to ask for something pretty big, you know! No deadline either—isn’t it too soon?”

“Before I forget.”

This fire to chase a win. (She did not say that part aloud.)

“Mm! I’ll hear it anytime!”

“…Will you play with me again?”

“Of course! I am not an expert gamer—maybe not even intermediate yet—but I am past beginner for sure! I learned there is a lot of fun in this!”

Maple looked her straight in the eyes, smiled even bigger than before, and declared, full of energy:

“So—let’s play again, okay?”

“I will keep hunting for more special things we can try! Yes… so I will be waiting. Always.”

“Mhm!”

An ending to this story—an ending to one dream.

Above them, in the sky where the sun had set, a scatter of stars had already begun to twinkle.