I, Matou Sakura, Third of the Flame-Chasers!

It hurt! It hurt so much! How had that idiot Akiko endured it?

And was what she said true?

As long as the pain exceeded its limit, you would stop feeling anything, because your nerves would already be dead, leaving you unable to feel anything.

Just thinking about it was terrifying.

"By the way, aren't you going back?"

Aozaki Touko looked at Kuzuki Alice beside her. There was nothing left for her to do now. She had originally planned to kidnap Alice to threaten that idiot Akiko, but in the end, this girl had been completely useless.

Fortunately, she had slapped her twice earlier and gotten some satisfaction out of it, so it was no loss for her at all!

"I'm waiting for Akiko."

Kuzuki Alice replied blandly, then said nothing more as she quietly read the book in her hands.

Aozaki Touko rolled her eyes at Kuzuki Alice and said nothing else.

"Alice, you're here~"

A familiar voice suddenly rang out, and Kuzuki Alice immediately recognized it as Akiko's voice.

Looking up, she saw Aozaki Akiko waving at her with a smile on her face.

"Akiko, are you all right now?"

Although she had watched that person heal Akiko last night, Akiko had been unconscious at the time, so it was hard to say what her exact condition was.

"Of course I'm fine."

Aozaki Akiko jogged up to Kuzuki Alice, affectionately took her hand, and gently swayed it.

"Alice, can I still live at your place from now on?"

"Why are you suddenly asking that?"

Looking at Aozaki Akiko, whose eyes seemed to be shining, Kuzuki Alice was a little bewildered.

What was wrong with Akiko?

"Just tell me if I can!"

Aozaki Akiko shook Kuzuki Alice's arm with a little more force. She had to make arrangements early for what came next. Though that sounded strange, that was roughly what she meant.

"Of course you can."

Kuzuki Alice answered, then asked worriedly, "Akiko, are you really all right?"

Although she was usually rather cold toward Akiko, Akiko was one of the few friends she truly acknowledged.

"That's great! I knew you'd agree, Alice!"

Overwhelmed with excitement, Aozaki Akiko suddenly hugged Kuzuki Alice. Slightly startled, Kuzuki Alice instinctively wanted to use magecraft to calm Akiko down.

But as Kuzuki Alice channeled her Magic Power into Aozaki Akiko's body, she quickly noticed something abnormal within her.

Akiko's Magic Circuits were gone!

There wasn't even a trace of Magic Power in her body.

.

Kuzuki Alice's expression changed instantly. Realizing that Akiko's Magic Circuits had vanished, she immediately understood why Akiko had asked that question earlier.

For a moment, Kuzuki Alice's expression became incredibly complicated. She softly said, "Akiko, you really are an idiot."

"I'm really sorry."

Aozaki Akiko smiled awkwardly. She had only wanted to keep living with Alice in that warm little house until the end of their high school years.

Though they sometimes went hungry, she had been happy.

Those had been the happiest days of her life since becoming the inheritor of Magic.

"You really are an idiot."

Aozaki Touko looked at her sister and let out a soft sigh.

As her older sister, she knew exactly what this girl was thinking. Otherwise, how could she be her sister? "Why are you still here?"

A cold voice slowly rang out. Everyone turned to look at Matou Sakura, who was slowly walking out at that moment, along with the child beside her.

Who was this child?!

Seventeen, That Person

"Why are you still here?"

Matou Sakura looked coldly at the people before her, completely lacking the gentleness she showed Pernor.

Pernor was her sister, after all. Naturally, she could not treat her the same as everyone else.

Unlike My dear Sister, Pernor was not so cold. Her pink eyes curiously observed the strangers before her.

That big sister who looked rather silly felt like she would make a very good "product."

And so would that young lady dressed all in black.

The others... didn't seem easy to push around, so she decided to forget it.

By the way, were they My dear Sister's friends?

Pernor was very curious about Aozaki Touko and the others, and they were equally curious about Pernor, who had appeared beside Matou Sakura.

They had never seen such a cute girl by this lady's side before.

Moreover, the girl's aura felt strange, much like the aura surrounding that lady.

"Lord Sakura."

Jeanne set down the bread in her hands and hurried over to Matou Sakura like a child seeking praise.

"What is it?"

Matou Sakura frowned. Honestly, she wasn't very good at dealing with this idiot.

And she couldn't simply send this girl back with a blast of Heat Vision like she had before.

She had a feeling that if she did, this girl would somehow escape the Hall of Heroes and come looking for her.

She really should have been more ruthless back then... "Lord Sakura, who is this cute child?"

Jeanne stared curiously at Pernor beside Matou Sakura. Cute people were always loved by others.

Jeanne was no exception. If possible, she wanted to give this adorable little one a proper hug.

"Pernor is My dear Sister's sister."

Pernor lifted her little chin slightly, wearing a proud expression.

Before Jeanne could react, the child spoke again. "Is this silly-looking big sister My dear Sister's XXX?"

"Huh?"

Jeanne looked confused, while Matou Sakura's mouth twitched slightly. Aozaki Touko and Aozaki Akiko, who understood a little, wore similar smiles. Were they truly sisters, after all?

As for Kuzuki Alice... this person dressed all in black was actually frighteningly pure.

"What is XXX?"

Jeanne looked utterly puzzled, but quickly put the question out of her mind.

She smiled at Pernor and said, "Hello, Pernor. My name is Jeanne d'Arc. I'm not Lord Sakura's servant."

"Then what is Big Sister Jeanne to My dear Sister?"

Pernor smiled faintly. Her face, which had looked like that of a three- or five-year-old child moments ago, now resembled a little devil's.

"Not XXX, and not My dear Sister's servant either. Pernor can't understand why Big Sister Jeanne is staying by My dear Sister's side."

"Huh?"

Jeanne blinked. That question truly stumped her.

Before, she could still have given an answer, but after Lady Gaia and Lady Alaya reached an agreement with Lord Sakura and tacitly approved of Lord Sakura's actions, her existence really no longer served much purpose.

That's right, why was she staying here?

Jeanne wore a troubled expression, making Matou Sakura want nothing more than to punch this idiot hard.

Had she eaten so much cream from the bread that it had wiped away everything that happened before?

"That's right! I hope Lord Sakura will bring people warm light and hope!"

Jeanne finally remembered, revealing a holy smile.

That smile was somewhat too dazzling for Pernor, making her dislike it.

No one in that world would wear such a smile.

It was really unpleasant.

"Pernor doesn't like it."

The smile vanished from her face. She tightly grabbed Matou Sakura's hand and tugged lightly.

Matou Sakura immediately understood what her little sister meant. She bent slightly and picked Pernor up into her arms.

Jeanne, meanwhile, looked utterly confused. Why did Pernor dislike her?

Had she said something wrong?

She wanted to ask Pernor why she disliked her, but Pernor had no intention of paying Jeanne any attention. She buried her face in the soft breasts of My dear Sister.

Matou Sakura merely glanced at Jeanne and said nothing. She roughly understood what was going on. To Pernor, that was simply how it was—Jeanne's presence was indeed somewhat dazzling, so dazzling that Pernor found it unpleasant.

Holding Pernor, she walked over to Aozaki Touko and the others. Her gaze swept over Aozaki Akiko and Kuzuki Alice as she said flatly, "You may leave."

"Mm."

Aozaki Akiko nodded with a smile, then her expression turned serious as she bowed to Matou Sakura.

"Thank you!"

"...No need."

Matou Sakura understood what Aozaki Akiko wanted to convey. She must be very happy now, happy that she no longer had to bear the burden of being a Magician.

Now, no one could stop her from living the life she wanted. That old man was dead, and the Fifth Magic had been absorbed by the system. That meant the Fifth Magic would no longer exist, truly becoming a magic that existed only in records.

"But have you really thought this through?"

It was simply a matter of personal curiosity.

She looked at Aozaki Akiko before her.

"Even if you no longer have to bear the responsibility of being a magic heir, the hidden world isn't something you can completely cast off through your own wishes alone."

"Perhaps there will be people unwilling to give up who come looking for you and shatter the life you want. And having lost your power, you would be utterly unable to resist. What would you do then?"

This also counted as a test.

After all, Aozaki Akiko was destined to become the Fifth Magic User. She wanted to see for herself what this so-called fate was like.

And what the Nasuverse valued most was fate. After all, the Root that recorded everything existed above everyone's heads.

Like fate itself, it could neither be seen nor touched, yet you knew It existed.

"I don't know."

Aozaki Akiko answered quickly, a smile on her face.

"But I believe Alice will protect me!"

"Huh?"

Kuzuki Alice, suddenly mentioned, wore a surprised expression before becoming somewhat helpless.

She certainly could protect Akiko, but how long could that protection last?

She understood Akiko. She was like a gust of wind, never willing to be bound to one place.

"Is that what you think?"

Matou Sakura suddenly smiled and could not help looking at Aozaki Akiko before her.

She really was beautiful... The thought arose in her heart unbidden, but it was the truth.