Unstoppable Resolve

(Ceruno)

"No, what are you saying! That's too dangerous!"

Miluno actually wanted to go to the Other Side; it's unclear whether she was genuinely confident or just reckless.

I put my hands on my hips and continued, "You were somewhat lucky to escape this time. It was Fomalhaut's carelessness that allowed you to seize the opportunity, but next time you might not be able to come back! And you actually want to Past? What are you thinking!"

She shook her head and replied calmly, "This isn't recklessness. If all goes well, they won't even notice my presence this time."

"What if things don't go smoothly?"

"Even if things don't go smoothly, I can open a wormhole and come back myself. Don't worry too much. I'm not that reckless. It's precisely because I've been there once and have some understanding of the situation on the Other Side that I have the confidence to come up with this plan."

Miluno has completely simplisticated the situation! Our enemy isn't some mindless blockhead. Since she succeeded once with her speed, she certainly won't escape so easily next time...

"Don't just stand there, let's go."

But she just tugged at me and led me away from the branch.

Where are we going?

"Go home."

Her answer was calm, which left everyone puzzled.

Going home—whose home are we going back to?

Although I could use teleportation magic to go back directly, Miluno insisted on taking public transportation back to the D3 District. Although I knew she had a villa in the Gray Zone, I still didn't know her address in the D3 District.

A strange itch stirred within me; the unknown began to outline the mystery, and some long-buried truth was about to be revealed...

A sudden alarm sounded.

Although the distance was considerable, the piercing buzzing was hard to ignore. Miluno was injured and had no magic power left...

[Special intruders have appeared in E5 District. Residents in the vicinity are requested to evacuate as instructed. The armed police are suppressing the intruders. Magical girls in the vicinity are requested to act quickly. Repeating this again--]

I was about to rush Past when Miluno grabbed my hand.

Give me the magic.

That's what she said, her expression serious.

But shaking hands isn't a good solution; considering the amount of magic lost over time, it simply doesn't replenish it...

Miluno understood this as well, and she added, "Open the Light-Shielding Bubble."

Wave your wand and open the bubble.

Like an egg with its bottom cracked and standing upright on a table, Miluno and I stood facing each other inside. Because it was opaque, the inside was completely dark, and we couldn't see anything.

But I could feel Miluno's hands groping over my body, moving upwards. She climbed onto my shoulders, found my neck, and cupped my cheeks... Finally, she sealed my lips with hers once again.

Being able to kiss someone you admire and love is a feeling that cannot be described as simply "overjoyed."

But it's a bit of a shame that it's always just to replenish magic power; I long for something purer...

But I always feel sorry for Yezi...

A sense of indebtedness.

The surroundings became quiet. Miluno accelerated the entire "eggshell," giving us ample time to replenish our magic. Her demands became aggressive; she opened her arms and hugged me tightly. Because we were so close, even the physical contact began to transfer magic...

It's like trying to take all of me into your body.

Even though it wasn't the first time, I still couldn't get used to it. My head, flushed with passion, was filled with rosy fantasies, wanting to do this and that with Miluno, but soon even that part of my thinking was taken away...

Just when I was thinking about taking things further, Miluno let go of me.

"Ha, ha--Goo-woo!"

I was breathing heavily, and I must have looked terrible.

Miluno's initiative is so unexpected, I'm completely overwhelmed.

In contrast, she herself looked much more normal, with only a slight blush, as if the intense behavior just now was nothing more than drinking water.

As expected of Miluno, how can she maintain her rationality even when doing something like this?

That's about it.

She took out a white handkerchief and gently wiped my lips; it carried the mixed flavors of Miluno and me...

"I'll go deal with the Monster. You wait here for a moment."

I shook my head, trying to shake off those twisted thoughts.

"But you still have injuries."

"Special type Monster are weak; this injury won't cause any problems."

Even if she's weak, she's still Monster with unknown abilities, and Miluno's current physical condition is bound to cause concern.

She patted my head.

"Your magic fills me with power, and today, I will not let anyone stop me."

"... I see."

To provide her with a solid protective shield.

"Then I'll wait for you here."

Even so.

But less than a minute had Past, and before I could even compose myself, she was back in front of me.

Only the crimson bloodstain on her boots proved that she had indeed done something...

"All done, let's go home."

"... Um!"

That's too fast! I wonder if that Monster is alive or dead...

But that doesn't matter; being with Miluno is what I want right now.

But... whose house should we go back to?

"Let's go home first."

But the Monster was just the beginning; the journey home was fraught with even more twists and turns.

The protagonist, a hot-blooded young man, saves a white van from being hit by it.

Helped an elderly woman with limited mobility carry her newly bought barbell back to her seventh-floor home;

Put the kitten that climbed up the tree and wouldn't come down, meowing, back into the doghouse under the big tree;

He takes the place of a retired soldier in an underground mascot costume no-holds-barred fighting tournament.

After enduring such hardships, it was nearly evening when they finally returned home...

My mother wasn't home, and the house felt empty and lacked a sense of warmth.

"A lot happened this afternoon."

Although it was Miluno's first time here, she skillfully took out an iced carbonated drink from the refrigerator.

"It's about time, Ceruno... To be precise, I've actually been planning to tell you for a while now."

"Mi... Miluno?"

Her serious expression made me nervous.

"Actually..."

Buzz--

The wormhole was buzzing, and it was incredibly loud.

Then, a red barrier enveloped the high-rise apartment building from the rooftop.

"It's Witch Domain!"

They probably noticed I returned to Skyreach City, so they want to take this opportunity to get rid of me, right?

"What's going on?! Are you all going to get in my way too?!"

Miluno, known for her calmness and rationality, suddenly erupted in rage, like a cylinder pushed to its limit, bursting forth with immense force.

"Ceruno! Give me magic!"

She just replenished her mana, why does she want it again?

I advised, "The opponent is a witch; let's wait for the other magical girls to come and deal with her!"

"No!"

She forced herself to sit up and pulled me Past.

"I'm going to tell you the truth today, and I won't allow anyone to stop me."

Then.

That was the second long, deep kiss.

When I opened my eyes again, the scene inside the barrier had changed drastically.

The original high-rise apartment buildings have been transformed into massive, vertical rock pillars, reaching even the clouds beneath them, resembling the legendary pillars of heaven.

The realm is a real illusion.

The wind ruffled her long, graying hair; Miluno's silhouette was as still as a painting.

As for the witch who attacked this time...

She had already stepped under his boots.

Tomorrow's two chapters will be about that... um...