[Saturday, October 20]
I woke up.
I sat up.
I recalled what Aldebaran had said in the dream.
"Don't tell anyone about our plan. It'd be best if you conducted your investigation in secret too. Don't forget—you live in a world ruled by the Earth Crystal. If it can erase one person's existence, it can erase a second. Making it feel threatened will only bring trouble upon yourself."
Though the Earth Crystal had never shown itself, it was everywhere... was that it?
Sploosh~ squish~
Azura beside my pillow bumped into me and rubbed against my stomach affectionately like a cat.
She was soft... but somehow... not as soft as... a "girlfriend."
I had no idea what she looked like, but my body remembered that soft sensation. My girlfriend should have been even softer than Azura... softer than this? Was she some kind of giant slime?
I reached out and poked Azura's springy body—or perhaps head—with a finger. The slick texture was strangely soothing, and I played with her for five minutes before getting up to wash.
If this body could gather darkness now, maybe it could restore her human form too.
Still, if I wanted somewhere crowded, the city center was the obvious choice.
But the city center covered a huge area. If I wanted to absorb darkness more efficiently, I needed to plan out a route...
"Good morning."
"Miluno~ morning hug~"
Barbara opened her arms and clung to me. It looked like I needed to get this girl back to Sacred Tree Park before she lost the ability to absorb darkness...
No, that wasn't right.
Maybe I could make use of her recently exploding popularity and hold some kind of event?
"Barbara, I have something I'd like to ask of you."
Perhaps because I was taking advantage