In the blink of an eye.
The once-bustling hall was empty again.
The gate of light still floated quietly there, giving off a faint glow.
Only...
Haimo was not actually alone in the hall.
There was another figure.
-Sasamori Aya.
She was still sitting in that armchair.
Her long, slender legs, clad in black stockings, were crossed, and she propped her chin on one hand with a languid expression.
She had not even glanced at the gate of light.
As though none of it had anything to do with her.
"Aren't you going back for a look?"
Haimo walked over to the long sofa Hestia had lain on earlier and sat down. He casually picked up the pot of tea on the table, which had not yet cooled completely, and poured himself a cup.
Tea flowed into the cup.
"To me, all of that is in the past."
Hearing that, Sasamori Aya rose from the armchair.
In that instant.
Her languid air vanished, replaced by an edge like a blade drawn from its sheath.
Step by step, she approached Haimo.
Her feet pressed against the floor.
She walked up to Haimo, one step at a time.
"I've already received a god's Falna and seen how vast this world is."
"What would be the point of returning to that cramped world that couldn't even satisfy me?"
At that point.
Sasamori Aya leaned down.
Bracing both hands against the sofa's backrest on either side of Haimo, she enclosed him entirely in her shadow.
Her exquisite Japanese features drew closer until their noses almost touched.
He could even clearly feel her warm breath, carrying a faint, distinctive fragrance.
"So, rather than that..."
Sasamori Aya's gaze slowly lowered.
Haimo's image was reflected in her black eyes.
And a flame called "desire" blazed within