Defense Specialization — After That

A few days later, Maple and Sally stood in the lobby of Maple Tree, saying goodbye to their guildmates.

“Then, please take care of the guild for us!”

“Yeah. You already cleared things with Payne and Mii, and even Velvet and Lily. We’ll manage simply fine.”

“Once things settle down, you’ll probably come back for a bit. We’ll keep taking it easy like always.”

“And who knows—by the time you return, we might look way stronger. There’s still a lot of the Tenth Layer we haven’t explored, and the Eleventh should be coming too.”

“As for me, I’d love to see latest items… maybe even a renovation feature for the guild home.”

“Maple! Sally!”

“We’ll take down the bosses in your place!”

“Mm. Everyone’s dependable—you don’t need to worry, Maple.”

By now, everyone in Maple Tree was a top-tier player. It felt almost nostalgic to think back to when Mai and Yui were still so new.

“We also assessed a new Maple Tree team style during the PvE event. Sounds a bit smug, but the results felt rather good.”

“Of course, we felt the gap with you two gone, but Chrome covered it. Don’t sweat it.”

“Exactly. He’s absolutely dependable.”

Chrome was the kind of great shield user any guild would kill to recruit. In Maple Tree, Maple’s wall-like defense and Sally’s evasive tanking had led the team while Chrome reacted to danger in the split-second it mattered—and his player skill was authentic. Even if he took on the parts Maple and Sally left behind, he wasn’t going to hit his limit that easily.

“But if Maple’s away, who’s going to manage the ‘surprise us out of nowhere’ role? We’re used to Maple shocking us every time.”

“U-um… that role is…”

“Hmm… no one can replace her!”

“Eeeh!?”

The others nodded instantly. You can fill a combat hole with solid play—but you can’t imitate Maple’s knack for drawing rare skills like a giant magnet. If it were imitable, they wouldn’t’t have needed to multiply 【Atrocity】 with clones—by now they’d all be grotesque forms, a whole pack of monsters stampeding across the field.

“Let’s just look forward to the next time she comes back. I bet she’ll amaze us fresh all over again.”

“Right? We’ve seen enough that it should feel familiar—and yet somehow, we still get surprised, over, and over. It’s funny when you think about it.”

“Then that role can stay Maple’s.”

“U-um, will it really work out…?”

“Don’t overthink it. If you just act like usual, the skills will flock to you anyway. Probably.”

“Mou, even you, Sally… Got it! I’ll definitely find something new again!”

“We’re looking forward to it!”

“Angel form, machine form, monstrosity… and more. What’s next, I wonder? Heh, if we take our time thinking, maybe one of us will actually guess right.”

“Ooh, I like that. One prediction per person, and we wait to see!”

“Yes, and it’ll depend on the theme of the layer, too. I’ll mull it over at my pace.”

“In that case, we should prepare a prize from everyone for whoever guesses right.”

“Good idea. That might make it even more fun.”

“Sounds impressive!”

At Sally’s suggestion, Kasumi nodded, and Mai and Yui’s eyes sparkled. In truth, nobody had ever predicted Maple’s next evolution correctly. If someone had nailed “she’ll come back from scouting with tentacles” ahead of time, they should probably become a fortune-teller on the spot.

Even at a moment of parting, they chatted about nothing and laughed together, letting a warm, gentle time flow through Maple Tree. After they talked to their hearts’ content, Maple lifted her head and looked around at everyone.

“Ahaha—yeah! It’d feel weird to get gloomy! Okay, I’m counting on the new Maple Tree to shine!”

“I’m counting on them too. And don’t you dare make Maple worry, okay?”

“Ha! You got it! Maple Tree’s not a one-great shield show!”

“Right! Let’s snag top placements in the next events too.”

“Heh. If the guild master leaves us with that, I need to stock up on books.”

“The workshop will run full tilt. Wherever we’re short, I’ll patch it with items.”

“We’ll defeat the enemies for both Maple and Sally!”

Everyone’s words were so reassuring. Facing the six who told them not to worry with their chests out, Maple answered with a bright smile.

“Then… when we meet again, tell us everything that happened, okay?”

“From me too. Until we meet again.”

The two bowed once and left the guild home. Outside the door, they stood side by side and raised their blue panels.

“All right, Sally—shall we?”

“Yeah. Ahh… studying is rough.”

“Real life and the game are both important.”

“They just sent us off so warmly—if we’re coming back, we should do it after we’ve managed things properly.”

“Mm-hm! And it’ll be more fun that way!”

“No doubt.”

“Okay, count of three?”

“Sure. Then…”

They glanced at each other once, then set their fingers on the same spot of their respective panels.

“Three, two, one!”

Tap. They pressed the button—and Maple and Sally chose Logout.

***

Their long journey reached its curtain call.

Thank you all so much for the incredible support.

It was a happy, joyful journey for me, too.

To everyone who read along—just, thank you. I’ll treasure the countless warm memories you’ve given me.

And that’s that. Thank you, truly, for reading “BOFURI: I Don’t Want to Get Hurt, so I’ll Max Out My Defense.” for such a long time!