Dorothy continued her analysis:
"Look, if Megan and Audrey count as one person, there are still eight of us. And while only eight have an intimate relationship with you, if we count girls like Tifa who have tasted it, the number is probably even greater, right?
"So there are quite a few people holding Special Dewdrops already, and that is enough for now. Your time is limited, after all. Focus on taking care of those of us closest to you first."
Her reasoning was simply too thorough, and Shade could not find any grounds to refute her for the moment. After thinking it over again and again, he was ultimately persuaded:
"All right. I'll set aside half an hour every night to make Dewdrops—fifty at a time. I'll supply you first. Once everyone has at least ten Dewdrops on hand, I'll use blood to make more. The Falling Star Beast incident has only just ended, so battles on that scale probably will not happen again for a short period of time."
"I'll tell everyone about the supply of special materials. They'll all cooperate with you."
Dorothy smiled happily.
Afterward, the two practiced with the Silver Flute as usual. It was only during the last hour before bed that Dorothy spoke to Shade about Snow White Princess. She had him describe the circumstances of the Spirit Rune's formation once more, then made a bold "prediction":
"This Spirit Rune corresponds to the quality of 'Innocence.' It is the earliest and purest emotion you felt toward fairy tales, and it is also the core power of all fairy tales. Once the Mystic Lock takes shape, it should be able to erode other people's Mystic Locks, infecting the world with the purest feelings so that everyone can experience the happiness you felt. That is