Chapter Twenty-Four: Stardust / Chapter Twenty-Five: Lisa's Attempt

"So, where is your music?" came the challenge.

Yukina's pupils trembled.

"My music... my music..."

Suddenly, she understood.

Eight people came running from the distance, panting for breath.

On the shattered platform, blue roses *Frenzied Bloom*ed.

Countless iron rose-vines hung down from the top of the platform—that was what the eight people below saw.

Yukina's long hair was lifted by the vines. Blue roses formed her crown and covered her entire body. Shiko drew her sword, her expression solemn, and faced her once again.

"Her gaze held nothing but single-minded earnestness."

Suddenly, Yukina softly opened her mouth and hummed a melody.

"Then let's treat this as an extra live." She raised her eyes and met Shiko's gaze without looking away.

Roselia's vocalist, Yukina Minato, sang the first note in the center of the battlefield.

"We went all out to win!"

"(Passionate gaze!)"

I'll give everything I have, just to seize victory!

Pure roses surrounded Shiko.

A new challenge was gradually taking shape.

No matter what kind of stage it was, I would face it with a smile.

The two figures whirled across the battlefield, dancing a war in the lost garden covered with thorns and roses. Iron clashed against iron, accompanying Yukina's singing.

Even if this stage wasn't my specialty!

I would still sing my—

The thorns and steel gathered once more. The final strike!

PASSIONATE ANTHEM!

The platform collapsed in an instant. When the others dispelled the smoke, they saw the two of them standing amid the shattered stones.

Yukina stood with imposing dignity. Thorns bound Shiko's entire body, pinning her to the ground. Her hands were empty, and her expression was calm.

"Why didn't you resist? You had a chance," Yukina asked.

Shiko's expression was calm and indifferent, as though the person who had just been speaking with such passion had been someone else. "This is no longer my Revue. It's your live now. At a live, what fans should do is quietly appreciate the performance."

"Revue?" Yukina tilted her head. By then, the others had rushed over and hurriedly pulled the two apart, placing themselves between them.

The two quickly explained together, "It's fine, it's fine..."

Only after confirming that they really would not fight again did the others fully relax. They gave them some simple treatment and took them back to their camp.

One of them lay on Ichiri's back, while the other lay on Lisa's. They had fought too fiercely to walk again anytime soon.

Shiko turned toward Yukina. "Sorry, Yukina. I was only acting just now..."

The others turned to look at the ruins left by the battle. Acting...

As one of the people involved, Yukina was even more speechless. "Acting?"

"Yes." Shiko's expression held nothing but sincerity. "No matter what, I wouldn't get angry at Yukina. Besides, I've also done things that delayed our journey. I don't really care that much about this sort of thing either, so what right do I have to criticize you?"

"Then what were you thinking while you were fighting?" Nijika asked curiously.

Shiko's face flushed. "You really want to hear?"

The others all nodded.

Shiko's expression grew complicated, but in the end she still let out a breath and put on a zombie-like face.

"Yukina, my Yukina"

"I saw you many times in my dreams."

"In my dreams, your silver hair was as smooth as moonlight."

"Your golden eyes shone like stars."

"Even your cool expression blossomed into a flower-like smile."

..."

"Stop!" Lisa hurriedly interrupted Shiko's rapid-fire chanting.

But it was already too late. The moment those deranged lines came out, everyone looked at Shiko with horror. Even the members of Kessoku Band, who had some understanding of her idol obsession, were no exception. Shiko felt Ichiri stumble slightly beneath her. Taking advantage of the movement, Shiko buried her burning face in Ichiri's long hair.

"Then why did you put on that performance?" Yukina asked. She had shown little reaction to Shiko's words; perhaps she was too exhausted to react to anything.

Shiko took a deep breath and calmed herself. She raised her head again. "So you would smile." Her tone sounded as though she had been assigned an absurd task that she had no choice but to complete.

A trace of confusion flashed through Yukina's eyes. She remembered the declaration Shiko had made earlier. "Didn't you say you had torn yourself apart?"

Shiko quietly turned her gaze away. "...Forget that. I was going through a bit of a chuunibyou phase. I'll do my best at the other thing I need to do, too."

Yukina suddenly relaxed. She buried her face in Lisa's long hair.

"Is that so? Then, thank you."

Shiko also breathed a sigh of relief and changed the subject. "Um... I thought you would improvise a new song just now. I didn't expect PASSIONATE ANTHEM."

"I only sing songs I can perform perfectly. Improvisation is too unstable."

"That really is just like you..."

Chapter Twenty-Four: Stardust

It was noon again. At the edge of a small grove, a passing shower had just ended, leaving the air cool and fresh.

Thin white smoke rose from beneath the shade of the trees.

"Ding, ding, ding!" Lisa picked up the bell beside her and called to Yukina in the distance. "The food's ready! Yukina, could you go call the others over?"

Yukina went to find the others while Nijika helped arrange plates on the wooden table. Lisa lifted the lid, set out the bowls and chopsticks, and ladled out miso soup. Nijika brought over a plate of salad.

"Don't the members of Roselia dislike vegetables?" Nijika asked Lisa after setting down the large bowl. Lisa and Nijika generally took turns preparing meals for the group, but whenever it was Lisa's turn, there were always very few vegetables—especially green peppers, carrots, celery, and bitter melon. Nijika had remembered that.

"I found some wild fruit nearby," Lisa said. "I don't know what it's called, but everyone used to like eating it. This kind of fruit was common where we set out from, but we haven't seen any on the road for a long time. I saw some again today, so I used it to make this."

"Mmm~" Nijika picked up a small piece and tasted it. "It's a little like a tomato, but more sour—where did this salad dressing come from?" She certainly hadn't made any here, and she didn't remember Shiko knowing how to make it.

"You taught me. Don't you remember?"

Nijika remembered that she had indeed mentioned something like this while chatting. But she had only given a rough explanation and hadn't expected Lisa to reproduce it.

"I tried improving the recipe you taught me." Lisa proudly winked at Nijika.

The others returned as well. "Wow, it's 'Bloody Mary'!" Ako cried happily.

"Bloody Mary?" Shiko asked.

"That's what these fruits are called. Ako named them that." Lisa pointed into the bowl.

"I'm digging in." Everyone gathered around the table and began dinner. The salad was well received by Roselia and praised by Kessoku Band as well.

It wasn't only the food. Every day, the two of them also took meticulous care of the tent layout, the storage of their belongings, and all kinds of snacks. Aside from battle, they looked after everyone with equal care in their daily lives. "I have two moms," Ryo once remarked unexpectedly, and it actually expressed what everyone felt.

"I'm full." Yukina was always the first to finish eating. "Wu-san." She looked toward Shiko. Shiko understood, quickly finished the rest of her food, and put down her bowl and chopsticks. "Then we'll head out first."

"Do you want me to come watch?" Nijika asked.

"We know our limits." The two left. The others finished eating as well and took people away with them. Soon, only Nijika and Lisa remained.

The sounds of battle came from nearby. It was them. Ever since Shiko and Yukina's battle, Yukina had discovered that fighting other ability users was the best form of training, so she had established a special after-meal exercise. The members who leaned toward combat had to find opponents and spar with them. For some reason, Yukina especially liked looking for Shiko.

"Whenever this happens, I feel like the two of us are particularly useless." Nijika ate fruit boredly.

"Yeah. Even Rinko has some combat ability, while the two of us are purely support." Lisa couldn't sit idle and began clearing away the bowls and chopsticks, even though they were disposable.

"Want to play cards?" Nijika pulled out a deck from somewhere. It wasn't like an ordinary deck of playing cards.

"This is..."

"Little Shiko introduced it to me before. It's a popular tabletop game where they come from. Little Shiko calls it 'Rising Up.'"

By the time they reached the third round, the others returned one after another, sweaty and bearing a few minor injuries. The two quickly abandoned their cards, brought over water and towels, and treated the wounds.

"Thanks. We've nearly cleared out all the monsters nearby." Yukina accepted the towel and noticed the cards on the table. "What's this...?"

Soon, all ten of them were playing around the table. They didn't play for long, however, because the monsters soon gathered again.

"Didn't we clear them all out?" Ryo casually blasted away a small monster that rushed at them.

"We did clear them out before..." Yukina asked in confusion as she pierced the monster Ryo had blasted away onto a thorn.

Most of the monsters that emerged from the ground were slimy insects and tentacles. They weren't strong, but they were disgusting. After everything ended, several iron tubs were set up in preparation for a bath.

"Yukina? What's wrong?" Lisa asked when she saw Yukina staring at the horizon.

"Look over there." Yukina pointed into the distance. The sun had long since set, but a faint white glow still came from the horizon, illuminating half the sky.

"I remember. That's..."

Before Yukina could finish, the earth suddenly began to shake! Her physical strength was just enough for her to remain standing, and she immediately grabbed Lisa. In that instant, she remembered this phenomenon—earthshine.

Earthshine was a sign of an earthquake.

"An earthquake?!" Cries of alarm rose one after another across the trembling ground. Fortunately, the area where they were was relatively flat and comparatively safe. Everyone reacted quickly, crouching down and covering their heads while waiting for the earthquake to pass. Only Shiko failed to react for an instant before Ichiri pulled her down beside her.

As their bodies swayed, Shiko spread a layer of sponge across the ground to keep anyone from falling. This should be enough. They only had to endure this period. Fortunately, this was already a safe zone.

But a crack split open in the earth before them. Ako nearly fell in, but someone managed to pull her back. The so-called safe zone wasn't entirely safe after all.

"Wu-san, try creating a platform—the kind you made last time!" Yukina shouted.

Shiko was already trying. The ground slowly bulged upward, but combined with the earthquake waves, the movement instead caused an even greater tremor. Several more cracks appeared in the earth. Aside from Yukina, whose body had been strengthened, everyone fell to the ground. Something that had flown from somewhere grazed Shiko, and sharp fragments of stone flew everywhere. Shiko tried her best to avoid them, but she still inevitably suffered injuries.

"I'll do it!" Nijika shouted. She pressed both palms against the ground, and blinding light burst forth from beneath them!

Nijika hadn't used this move in a long time, but she had continued practicing and improving it!

[Stardust] Lv3! It connected Nijika's body to the earth and drew upon the earth's healing power!

Light overflowed from every crack in the ground, transforming into mist. Everyone bathed in the pure white haze. The minor wounds Shiko had just received healed immediately. She wiped at one of them, and after a trace of dirty blood came away, her skin was flawless and white.

Moreover, the ground stopped shaking. The devastation before their eyes gradually recovered through Nijika's efforts alone. The cracks were repaired, the shattered stones fused back together, and no matter what was happening around them, the small patch of land where they stood remained as steady as a cradle.

The others quickly got up and gathered around Nijika, reducing the area of land she needed to control. Shiko took out a golden jade slip to replenish her Mental Strength. Rinko played the supportive [Glory Hymn], while Ryo immediately assisted her, gathering the power of the sound waves around Nijika. Lisa broke her cookies into pieces and fed them to Nijika, who was unable to change her posture. After holding on for an unknown length of time, the sky and earth gradually fell silent. The faint light rising from the ground finally dimmed. Only after raising her head and confirming that everyone was unharmed did Nijika let out a breath and collapse peacefully into Lisa's arms.

She slept until the moment before they were due to set out the next day.

Chapter Twenty-Five: Lisa's Attempt

"Awake?" A voice reached Nijika through the haze. Who was it speaking to? The next instant, Nijika realized it was speaking to her.

Only then did Nijika become aware of her body.

She opened her eyes. The darkness receded, and light once again filled her vision. Lisa was sitting beside her. When she saw Nijika open her eyes, her brows relaxed, and she brought over some water and a few cookies.

"Feeling better? Don't speak yet... Do you want some water?" Seeing Lisa like that, Nijika couldn't help laughing. "I'm not sick." Nijika carefully recalled what had happened and finally remembered the scene before she passed out. She had merely overdrawn her ability after not doing so for a long time. It was nothing serious.

She tried moving her hands and feet. They were basically normal. Seeing this, Lisa finally relaxed.

"We were originally planning to set out." Lisa explained the situation to Nijika. "But last night's earthquake had a major effect on the river. It seems to have created a barrier lake upstream, so we have to spend a little time dealing with it first."

"Then we're going to..." Nijika had already tried sitting up and begun changing clothes. She realized that she wasn't wearing the same outfit she had worn before passing out.

"I changed you," Lisa said. "That outfit was dirty."

At that moment, a head poked in through the tent entrance. It was Yukina. "Idochi-kun is awake?" she asked. "Are you all right?"

"I'm fine, I'm fine. I've completely recovered."

"That's good. Wash up, eat breakfast, and set out immediately."