Silly Hotaru, hard work alone won't get you into his world.

Becoming friends really was the best solution Hotaru could think of.

Not only would she avoid taking what Amaru had inherited, but she would also gain a powerful ally for her master.

Granted, that ally had unilaterally declared war on her master not long ago.

But after Amaru took control of this force, hadn't she already stopped things from escalating by recalling the naval units that intended to attack the Land of Hot Water?

So this really was the best outcome!

Brimming with joy, Hotaru silently gave herself a huge pat on the back.

But the girl before her showed no such happiness. In fact, another nearly uncontrollable impulse stirred in those eyes she had been trying so hard to keep calm.

"Friends?"

"I'm afraid that might be difficult, Hotaru."

Looking at the left hand Hotaru had deliberately extended, the girl who had just lost her teacher suddenly sounded downcast and distant.

"Huh?"

At that answer, Hotaru, who had thought her proposal was perfect, froze again. Not only did the joy rising in her heart slowly cool, but she no longer knew what to do with her outstretched hand.

"Why?"

"Do you not want to be friends with me, Amaru?"

Such a gentle refusal inevitably left her upset and incredulous. After everything they had experienced tonight, she had thought they could already be friends.

Before long, however, Hotaru found a clue in the sudden shift of Amaru's gaze.

She followed it to her master, who stood beside her.

The key was clear now. Her master was the central reason behind all this, and following that line of thought...

Doctor Shinnō!

Hotaru arrived at the answer, and her agitation quietly subsided.

Doctor Shinnō, who had never reappeared, must have done something in the meantime.

And judging from everything that had happened,