"Well? Pretty interesting, isn't it?"
Looking at the utterly stunned Yukari Yakumo, Roland could barely contain his laughter.
"You didn't notice, but aside from sending you messages through dreams, I haven't appeared in the outside world in any form. The presence and aura of Roland you're sensing now are only here because you've entered my dream."
He explained at a leisurely pace while studying the changes in Yukari Yakumo's expression.
And soon, he was rewarded with an expression that left him thoroughly satisfied.
Faced with news so bewildering that it made her forget even fear, leaving only loss and sorrow.
The legendary Youkai Sage moved her lips, but after a long while of faltering, she still could not get a single word out, truly resembling a helpless girl.
An eerie silence fell.
Roland spread his hands as though he had not noticed.
"Whew, how delightful. I've been keeping the news that the apocalypse could arrive at any moment to myself for so long. Finally, I found the right moment to share the burden with someone else."
"Does doing this help your plans for dealing with the apocalypse later?"
Yukari Yakumo pressed her lips together, overlooking Roland's blatant teasing. When it came to her sense of responsibility, even Eirin Yagokoro, who regarded her with mutual wariness, acknowledged one truth.
When Gensokyo faced a major crisis, you could always trust the Youkai Sage.
Yet the sight of Yukari Yakumo looking so serious only broadened Roland's smile.
"If you mean the plan itself, not in the slightest."
"Huh? Then why did you..."
"Because something this secret isn't easy to make public. It would cause quite an uproar, wouldn't it? Besides, having two people worry together always feels much better than worrying alone."
"Hehehe... Well, congratulations, then!"
Yukari Yakumo's face darkened. Looking at the