Rewind

"Hill, let me go!" Daisy did not dare use skills like energy bursts, afraid of hurting her lover. She tried to pry the arm from around her waist, but Hill held her so tightly that Daisy could feel two streams of tears soaking her back where no one else could see.

"It's working! She's pulling out of that state! Keep talking—find something else to say!" Even the Venerable One could no longer maintain his aloof demeanor. He had spoken more today than he normally did in a year. His understanding of mental states surpassed everyone present, and he could sense that Daisy's formerly ethereal, immaculate state of mind—one that had seemed on the verge of merging with the universe—had retreated slightly.

If it retreated far enough, perhaps they would win?

Defending against Daisy was possible, but attacking her and treating her as an enemy was something Wanda could not do. She had been the last to rush forward. She had even wanted to abandon her principles and walk this path with Daisy, whether it led somewhere good or bad. As long as they stayed together forever, that was enough.

Now that there seemed to be a chance to turn things around, she took the situation seriously. Compared to all those uncertainties, it was better to return to how things had been before.

She understood the Venerable One's meaning the moment she heard it. Mages also had their own insights into the world and the mind, and she was no stranger to such things.

While Hill was still searching for the right words, Wanda asked urgently, "Do you remember what you said last time, on the waterbed at the Tokyo villa?"

Though she knew it was the wrong occasion, Hill still reflexively sneered, "Waterbed? Sounds like you two had a great