Reunion

She appears in the original work and even has her own dedicated illustration.

But honestly, I knew very little about Sepia.

She wasn't a fully implemented character, and she wasn't a main player in the story.

At best, she felt like a healing NPC stationed in the infirmary.

She wasn't someone I'd ever been particularly interested in.

We'd spoken maybe a handful of times, strictly on a professional basis.

That said, she was a Valkyrie — so naturally, she was quite beautiful.

In terms of character archetypes, she was unmistakably the older-sister type.

If Leila gave off the vibe of a fresh-faced college freshman still clinging to youth.

Sepia felt like a woman who might already have a child — richly, unmistakably adult.

Tall, generously proportioned, with a beauty mark beneath her eye.

She had the kind of image where she'd ask, *So, what brings you in today?* — and then casually start undoing your belt buckle.

*No, that's going too far.*

Anyway. The point I was trying to make was this.

She was the sort of person who smiled warmly at everything, gentle by nature.

I'd never wondered what someone like that looked like when they were furious to their very core.

I hadn't particularly wanted to know — but the answer was right in front of me.

*Tell me everything, or I'll make you regret it.*

That was the message in her cold, piercing gaze as it drove straight into my chest.

Sepia stared intently at the needle she was holding.

Then she exhaled a long, heavy sigh, and spoke with a face carved from stone.

"So… you drove dozens of needles like this into your own body…. to augment your ability? To act as antennae that channel electrical current through your nerves…?"

"Yes. You understand it perfectly."

"You! Are you out of your mind?!"

"Eek!"

Sepia, wearing the expression of something out of a horror story, seized me by the shoulders.

The sudden movement startled me so badly my whole body lurched.

Don't scare people like that. I have a weak heart when it comes to surprises.

I stared at her with undisguised irritation.

Her emotions had reached a boiling point, and her voice rose sharply.

"There's no way your nerves could withstand something like that! Your body could be falling apart as we speak!"

"It's fine. I have a resistance to electricity. I can handle this much, I—"

"Resistance just means you endure it better! Once nerve tissue is spent, it doesn't come back!"

"Ugh, waaah!"

Okay, I get it. I get it, so stop shaking me!

My head is rocking back and forth and I'm getting dizzy!

But I couldn't be harsh with Sepia here.

Her behavior came from a place of genuine concern for me.

And snapping at her would be out of character for the Leila I was performing.

So I gently caught Sepia by the wrist.

Then I pulled her in and wrapped my arms around her.

"Wh— Lei, Leila?!"

"Haaah… I told you, I'm dizzy."

"Mm, ngh…."

She's a non-combatant. Pull her like that and she can't do a thing.

The moment I held her still, Sepia went docile as a lamb in my arms.

Hmm. Up close like this — she really is lovely.

And that concern for her patients is rather endearing.

I suppose I'll add her to the list of people worth keeping an eye on.

I wonder what expression she'd make when she's suffering.

I crushed the desire before it could surface and pressed my mask back into place.

Then I smoothed her disheveled hair and spoke.

"Even so… there's no other way."

"What do you mean…."

"I'm weak. This is the only method I can rely on."

"But Leila, you're B-rank, which means—"

"Not *B-rank, which means* anything. Just *only* B-rank."

I corrected her in a calm, even voice.

Sentiment wasn't a combat-oriented skill, of course — but this particular thought was nothing but the truth.

In this world, B-rank was weak.

The Valkyrie ranking system went all the way up to S.

The Erosion Species had their own threat classifications.

B-rank was a loser left behind by the inflation of power.

*The only reason I've been able to perform like a strong character is because this is a neglected backwater city. Nothing more, nothing less.*

An A-rank Valkyrie could defend an entire city alone.

An S-rank Valkyrie could reshape history alone.

By comparison, I was a perfectly average Valkyrie — the kind you'd find anywhere.

To close even a fraction of that gap.

I had no choice but to claw and scramble.

Perhaps she understood what I meant. Sepia pressed her lips shut.

The reason I'd done something this reckless wasn't because I wanted to die.

It was an unavoidable choice, made in order to survive in this world.

That seemed to be how she'd taken it.

*Especially since I'm from Headquarters, of all places. That makes it all the more convincing.*

Well — in reality, it was just work to sharpen the detail of my performance.

As I laughed to myself with a quiet, sinister *heheh* —

Sepia, still nestled in my arms, asked to be let go.

She sat up and straightened her rumpled clothes.

Then she took a slow, deep breath, looked at me, and spoke with an expression that had gone somewhere dark.

"Leila. Do you know the state your body is in?"

"My condition…?"

"It doesn't show on the surface, but the inflammatory response inside you is severe. Almost as if you'd overdosed on some kind of drug…."

Ah. That.

I had a fairly good idea of what she was referring to, so I quietly looked away.

Because I already knew the likely cause.

The reason my insides were a wreck was Trance.

A dangerous skill that left the body in ruins once the effect wore off.

I'd been sustaining Runner's High continuously to keep the pain at bay.

The severe inflammation was almost certainly the side effect of that.

But Sepia didn't know Trance existed.

She continued, her voice carrying genuine worry.

"I want you to stay healthy for a long time, Leila. Ever since you arrived as Adjutant alongside the new Commander — the atmosphere at the branch has improved so much."

"Oh… has it?"

"So as much as I'd like to tell you never to do something like this again…. I suppose the fight must have been intense enough that you had no choice."

"…."

"Please. Take care of yourself."

"Yes. I'll be more careful."

She's kinder than she looks.

While I'm recovering, I might as well work on raising her affection a little.

As I quietly marked Sepia as a potential target —

She seemed to have finished what she'd come for.

She handed me a painkiller as a parting gesture and moved to leave.

I still had something to say, so I reached out quickly.

"Oh, wait."

"Yes?"

"Please don't tell anyone about my condition. Especially not the Commander…."

"Haah…. Yes. Understood. If that's what you're asking."

Information like this leaking out would be a problem.

I made her promise to keep this between the two of us.

She asked me to rest and took her leave.

And just like that, I was alone in the infirmary again.

"Haah…. I suppose I should sleep a little…."

The hour was early — the sun hadn't even risen yet.

The Commander was in his room being looked after by the squad members, apparently.

I'd go check on his condition once morning came.

Feeling somewhat worn, I lay back down on the bed.

The conversation had woken me up completely —

but perhaps the painkiller Sepia had given me contained something mildly sedating.

I closed my eyes, and sleep came drifting in.

I sank into a pleasant, drowsy warmth and slipped away —

and at some point, a dull thumping sound pulled me faintly back to consciousness.

"Leila!"

"Whuagh!"

Someone threw themselves onto me as I lay there completely unguarded.

My limp body jolted hard, and my injured leg twitched sharply.

I'd taken a painkiller, but the wound was deep enough —

a cry escaped my lips before I could stop it.

A-an attack?!

Still half-asleep, I flailed my arms wildly —

and then a familiar voice reached my ear.

"Leila…! Leila…."

"Who… who's there…."

I looked down and found a mass of red hair filling my vision.

On closer inspection, it looked remarkably like a person's hair.

My blurry gaze sharpened.

The confusion in my head settled —

and I realized someone was nestled against my chest.

"Arishia?"

A petite, lovely girl with red hair.

Yes. The one who had thrown herself into my arms was none other than Arishia.

I'd already known she was arriving — but I hadn't expected to meet her like *this*.

I felt a warm, solid weight against me as I reached up and stroked her hair.

I'm not sure how long I stayed like that, with Arishia clinging to me.

By the time I noticed the sky outside the window had turned blue —

she slowly lifted her head from where she'd buried it.

Tear-streaked, eyes red as embers.

And yet her gaze was sharp — furious, almost frightening.

"Liar."

"Wh— pardon?"

Oh. I was being accused of something, apparently.

I blinked, thrown off by her opening word —

and she glared up at me, pressing the top of her head into my stomach as she cried out.

"Liar! Liar!"

"Ow ow ow ow! That hurts! My back, my baaack!"

*Crack.*

Like a wrestling bear hug.

Arishia wrapped both arms around my waist and squeezed.

She was monstrous even among A-ranks when it came to raw strength.

I screamed as pain shot through me like my spine was about to snap.

Of course, Arishia wasn't being serious.

If she'd actually meant to break me, my ribs would have been powder long ago.

This was just her venting frustration — but it *really* hurt.

I couldn't exactly yank her hair in retaliation.

In the end, I had no choice but to endure this hellish ordeal.

And then, as the strength drained from her arms, she murmured.

"You almost… died."

"…Arishia."

"You said you'd come back safe no matter what…."

Had I said that?

Thinking back, I vaguely recalled saying something like that when we parted.

But from my perspective, nearly a month had passed since then.

Honestly, the memory was hazy. It had been a throwaway line.

*Come on, you're still hung up on that? How inconvenient….*

But that thought evaporated almost immediately.

The face of the girl in my arms caught my eye.

Her lips pressed tight, pouting, glaring up at me like she'd been wronged.

It was an expression that came from somewhere genuine — and I found it utterly delightful.

*Haah…. If I'd actually died, she would have given me an even better reaction.*

Thinking about it that way, I felt a pang of regret.

Like dropping a perfectly marbled cut of wagyu into a cup of instant ramen.

What a waste, squandering it here like this.

Feeling the loss, I reached up and cupped Arishia's cheeks in both hands.

I applied just enough pressure to make her lips pucker out.

She furrowed her brow at me.

"Stop that. What are you doing."

She said it — but she didn't pull away.

My, my. A cat is a cat, but this one's a tame house cat.

I smiled and released her cheeks.

Then I reached up and gently tickled her small, delicate ears.

"Hehe. Thank you. For worrying about me."

"…I wasn't particularly worried."

"Is that so? Then let's say that's what it was."

What am I going to do with this adorable creature.

I failed this time — but next time, I'll make sure to break her properly.

I smiled quietly to myself, already imagining the many ways I could torment Arishia.

And as I savored that warm, cozy time with her —

the infirmary door suddenly burst open with considerable force.

I reflexively turned toward the sound.

Standing there was a familiar girl with bun-shaped rolls of hair.

"Leila-sis! I heard you woke up! Are you alright?!"

"Oh, Yubina!"

"Huh…."

"What?"

Yubina, who had grown quite attached to me this loop.

She'd been waving energetically — but the moment she looked our way, she froze.

Her gaze dropped to Arishia, still nestled in my arms.

"You're…. Arishia, who came from Headquarters?!"

"…."

"S-sis! You know her?!"

"Yes. We're both from Headquarters, and besides — I'm the one who called Arishia here to Lumia."

"That's incredible-swa!"

Yubina's eyes sparkled with open admiration.

Well, appearances aside, Arishia was an A-rank Valkyrie.

To Yubina, she must have seemed like someone truly extraordinary.

But Arishia's gaze had shifted to Yubina as well.

The expression she'd been wearing — warm and content, nestled happily in my arms — had gone rigid.

She looked back and forth between Yubina and me once each.

Then she fixed me with a flat, sunken stare.

"Leila…?"

"Yes? What is it?"

"I'm *Arishia-san* to you…. So why is she…?"

"Ah."

It seemed she didn't care for the way I'd addressed her.

I'd been using formal address with Arishia from the very beginning — even now, even after everything.

And yet with Yubina, it had taken barely a week to reach the *sis* stage.

Perhaps that was what was bothering her.

Arishia, who had been watching me with a cool gaze, suddenly snapped her eyes toward the entrance.

Yubina let out a pathetic little shriek and her shoulders jumped.

Then Yubina's eyes darted around, and she balled her fists and met Arishia's stare head-on.

"Stray cat…."

"A, a formidable foe…."

A catfight had broken out over me, completely unprompted.

I hadn't intended for this — and yet here we were.

I performed a look of bewilderment and shrugged my shoulders.

The more toys to play with, the better.

That was precisely, entirely, my feeling on the matter.