Mukuro Hoshimiya gritted her teeth and suddenly flung open the door.
"Wait a moment!"
Atalanta had only taken a few steps when she suddenly heard the sound of a door being opened behind her.
She turned around.
Mukuro Hoshimiya stood in the doorway, gripping the doorframe with one hand and waving shyly at her with the other.
Her long, golden hair was a little messy, and her purplish-black Astral Dress was still creased from the pillow.
Her red eyes were filled with embarrassment.
"Come in quickly, before anyone sees you."
Atalanta was somewhat surprised.
My ears twitched slightly.
But she still obediently walked over quickly and slipped past Mukuro Hoshimiya into the room.
The door was closed and locked again.
Mukuro Hoshimiya breathed a sigh of relief, then led Atalanta into the room.
Atalanta looked around the dark purple Gothic bedroom.
You live here?
"Um."
"Quite... unique."
"Thank you for the compliment."
Mukuro Hoshimiya pointed to the small bed.
"Please sit over there."
Then she took off her boots, climbed onto the big bed, and sat cross-legged in the quilt.
Atalanta glanced at the small bed, then at Belphegor sleeping soundly on it, and finally sat down.
The mattress had sagged under the weight.
She asked instinctively, "Is this alright?"
"It's alright, Little Bei sleeps like a log; even if the sky falls, you won't wake him."
Mukuro Hoshimiya casually grabbed a body pillow and hugged it to her chest.
Atalanta took a deep breath, preparing to get down to business.
" Mukuro Hoshimiya, actually, I came here today because I wanted to..."
"It's about this world, right?"
Mukuro Hoshimiya interrupted her.
"I know. You want to tell me that this world is a dream, and ask me to break free from it, right?"
"I already know about these things from Astolfo and the others."
Atalanta's ears twitched.
"You already knew?"
"Yes. They all told me that at the restaurant today."
Mukuro Hoshimiya rested her chin on a cushion, her eyes half-closed.
"The end of the Great Holy Grail War. My Spirit Origin Inversion. The Birth of Belphegor. Earth is doomed."
"I know everything."
Atalanta looked at her.
Mukuro Hoshimiya's tone was calm, neither like she was being forced to accept it nor like she was completely indifferent.
So what do you plan to do?
"Let's not rush to undo the dream for now."
Mukuro Hoshimiya waved his hand.
As for saving the Earth.
"Now we have two solutions."
She held up two fingers.
"I'll tell you two plans now; go back and explain them to them."
"You can decide which plan to use at that time."
Atalanta's ears perked up slightly, and she became completely focused.
"The first option."
Mukuro Hoshimiya raised one finger.
"Use the Greater Grail."
" Little Bei previously drained all the magic from the Greater Grail, but the Greater Grail's original function was not destroyed."
"As long as enough magic is replenished, the Greater Grail's wish-granting function will be restored."
"Then, using the Greater Grail, we can modify the outside world's environment, restoring Earth to its state before its magic was drained."
"The earth will become fertile again, the rivers will be full of water again, and the atmosphere will recover."
"It's like 'rewinding' the Earth."
Atalanta nodded.
This plan sounds quite feasible.
"The second option."
Mukuro Hoshimiya raised his second finger.
"Directly materialize the current dream world, covering up the previous Earth."
Atalanta's pupils contracted slightly.
"What's the meaning?"
It means exactly what it says: turning dreams into reality.
Mukuro Hoshimiya tilted her head.
"The dream world has now been greatly improved by Little Bei."
Because it absorbed the souls of other planets in the solar system, UO, weaving those planetary-level beings into the underlying structure of the dream.
"With those UO souls as support, the dream world has already met the conditions to transform from the spiritual realm into physical reality."
"After materialization, the new Earth will replace the old Earth."
"It's more habitable for humans than the old Earth, and it's almost exactly the same as the current dream world."
"When everyone wakes up, they will find themselves in a real world, exactly the same as the one they saw in their dream."
"You won't even notice any change."
Atalanta remained silent for several seconds.
Two options.
The first is to repair the old world. The second is to create a new world.
The first option is more conservative.
The second option is more radical.
"I understand. I will pass these two plans on to the others."
Atalanta nodded.
"Then they can decide which system to use."
"Um."
Mukuro Hoshimiya hugged the body pillow even tighter.
"Anyway, it doesn't matter which method we use, as long as the Earth can be saved."
"The remaining matter, about ending the dream and letting me go back..."
She glossed over the matter and didn't continue.
Atalanta did not press the matter further.
The two remained silent for a while.
The only sounds in the room were Belphegor's slow, deep breathing and the occasional soft clinking of chains.
"That..."
Atalanta spoke first.
"Those children you see next to the kindergarten."
"They are all doing well. They eat well, sleep soundly, and are happy every day."
Mukuro Hoshimiya tilted his head and glanced at her.
"Have you been taking care of them?"
"Um."
Atalanta's ears tucked down slightly.
"At first, it was simply because there was nothing else to do."
"Later, it became a habit."
"Those children are adorable."
When I tell them stories, they gather around and hug my arms. When I draw, they hold up their pictures for me to see.
"There was a little girl with pigtails who would cry and run to me for a hug every time she fell down."
Atalanta's lips curved slightly as she spoke.
Mukuro Hoshimiya looked at her.
You like them very much.
"Um."
"But you know this world is fake, right?"
Atalanta's smile faded slightly.
"I know."
"That's why I joined their team. So that these children could wake up to the real world."
She paused for a moment.
Even children in dreams have real souls. They are children in the real world who are truly asleep.
"If the dream disappears, they will return to the real world and continue their lives."
"But if the real world is destroyed, they will disappear along with this dream."
I don't want them to disappear.
After listening, Mukuro Hoshimiya remained silent for a while.
"You're a good person."
Atalanta's ears twitched slightly, as if she were taken aback by this sudden comment.
"I told you before in the restaurant that the Holy Grail can't grant your wish."
Mukuro Hoshimiya buried her face in the pillow, her voice muffled.
"Making all the children in the world happy is too grand a goal."
"But isn't what you're doing right now making the children around you happy?"
"If we do it one by one, it might not be impossible."
Atalanta looked at her.
A complex emotion surfaced in the green eyes.
Then she chuckled softly.
"The same to you."
"Um?"
You're not a bad person either.
"Although you caused such a big mess, you meant no harm."
"I'm just too lazy."
Mukuro Hoshimiya peeked half her face out from under the body pillow.
"Hey, can we change that review?"
Atalanta's lips curled into a slight smile.
The two chatted for a while longer.
What we talked about is no longer important.
It was probably just some trivial, everyday things. Very peaceful.
It was just like two ordinary friends chatting.
Finally Atalanta stood up.
"I should go back. The others are probably still waiting for my news."
"Um."
Mukuro Hoshimiya also got out of bed and stepped barefoot onto the carpet.
She escorted Atalanta to the door.
Before unlocking the door, Mukuro Hoshimiya suddenly stopped.
"Um, there's something I'd like to ask you."
"What?"
"Don't tell anyone where I live here."
Mukuro Hoshimiya kept her head down, her fingers gripping the doorknob.
I don't want to be disturbed by too many people.
"You can talk to them about the two plans, or you can say you've met me."
"But don't tell me where I live."
Atalanta looked at her.
"Okay. I promise."
Her voice was very earnest.
Mukuro Hoshimiya looked up and smiled at her.
"Thanks."
She unlocked the door and pushed it open.
The evening sunlight streamed in, casting a warm, orange glow over the dark purple Gothic room.
Atalanta walked out, turned around, and gave Mukuro Hoshimiya one last look.
I will come to see you again later.
"Hmm. We'll see when the time comes."
"Next time you come, don't say 'it's not here'."
"Um..."
Mukuro Hoshimiya's ears turned slightly red.
Atalanta's lips curved into a slight smile as she turned and left.
Her footsteps faded into the distance, disappearing from sight.
Mukuro Hoshimiya closed the door.
Deadbolt.
The room fell silent again.
Mukuro Hoshimiya walked barefoot back to the bedside, climbed onto the bed, and wrapped herself back in the quilt.
She lay on her side, looking at the round, sleeping demon king curled up on the small bed next to her.
" Little Bei."
What kind of person do you think Atalanta was?
Belphegor did not respond.
I think she's a good person.
"Better than those people who were chasing after me."
"At least she won't say something stupid like 'You should go back to the Tree of Life ' the moment you meet her."
Mukuro Hoshimiya closed his eyes.
"But she's not wrong either."
Those children really need a real world.
"The Earth really needs to be saved."