---

Fiore was staring at me with wide eyes.

Was it truly that shocking that I had called her name?

I suppose it was also my fault for disregarding their feelings and dragging things out like this.

My heart was weighed down by a subtle pang of conscience.

Just as Fiore seemed like she was about to say something, her face flushed and her mouth opened and closed.

“AAAAHHHH!”

Suddenly, a shriek rang out.

Looking around, I noticed that the outsiders who had been in the meeting room had somehow surrounded us.

Could it be that the thing that pushed me earlier was one of those outsiders?

“Did you guys see that?!”

“Oh my goodness, what just happened! Hey, check my teeth! Are they not rotting?!”

“What the hell was that!”

No.

They looked like a bunch of drama-watching aunties screaming in shock.

Their reaction only made me feel more embarrassed, and out of the blue, Fiore grabbed my wrist and started running somewhere.

“Wait, hold on!”

I nearly stumbled.

Just managing to regain my balance, I was dragged along by Fiore to yet another place.

#

“Hey, who was that who just touched you?”

“Really, may you be blessed!”

Seeing the outsiders getting all worked up, Nutricha was pouting and making a displeased face.

She let out a big sigh and watched the departing crowd.

“…I’m disappointed. I thought it was my exclusive privilege.”

Feeling slightly sentimental as I looked at them, the outsider named Yuri burst out with a shocked expression.

“What the heck, why are you only coming out now?!”

“That was a great scene, for real!”

“No, you idiots! Didn’t you notice anything weird?”

At that, question marks popped up over the faces of all the outsiders, and Yuri pointed in frustration towards the path Tanton had taken.

“How could a mere human recognize the name of the Host?!”

“…!!”

With Yuri’s words, it seemed they suddenly realized something and panicked.

The ability to recognize the name of an Elite Outsider.

Only other Elite Outsiders or a select few humans whose mental strength had reached a level comparable to that of an Elite Outsider could achieve such a feat.

And those select humans were strong enough to wipe out commoners like themselves.

“Ow, yikes.”

“W-we’re not here for an inspection, are we?!”

“W-well, if that were the case, we wouldn’t have gone and confessed to the Host.”

“That’s true, but…”

Watching the atmosphere darken in an instant, Nutricha sighed.

These simple-minded fools were my friends.

If they knew about Tanton, they would realize he wasn’t as big of a deal as they thought.

The scene of Tanton calling Fiore’s name kept circling in Nutricha’s mind.

To dispel this sticky feeling, she made a mental note to annoy Tanton the next time he appeared in the Unconscious.

“…Be prepared.”

#

Fiore and I arrived at a place much farther away than before.

Unlike Fiore, who was an Outsider, I was in a human body, so I gasped for air as soon as we stopped.

Real Elite Outsiders should consider that humans differ from them in physical abilities.

I nearly had my pelvis dislocate along the way.

“…About what you said earlier.”

After confirming I had caught my breath, Fiore opened her mouth quietly.

“Should I take it to mean that…?”

“Well… yeah, sort of.”

At my answer, Fiore made a small sound of affirmation and gave a slight smile.

“Well… thanks for accepting it. Uh… yeah.”

Since Fiore was the one who confessed first, I suppose my response was the least I could do.

Heh, to think I’d end up dating an Outsider.

This would be the talk of the town in Rondan.

Would people think I had peculiar tastes?

Come to think of it, there was something that piqued my curiosity.

Didn’t Asti gradually return when she obtained the Interrogator’s body last time?

The appearance people saw then was exactly how I saw the Interrogator.

That means if the power of the Outsider fades, the way I see Fiore now would really be the same.

The way I see Fiore now could very well be her true form, while people see something weird about her.

…I considered this happy delusion for a moment.

Well, whatever.

As long as she looks pretty in my eyes, that’s what matters.

As I approached Fiore, who was fidgeting, and pulled her into a hug, I felt her body tense up.

“I’m sorry for not recognizing you until now, Fiore.”

“…You’re saying that now?”

As I carefully released her, she bowed her head, seemingly embarrassed.

She had always shown a confident demeanor, so it was amusing to see her like this.

“By the way, where exactly is this place?”

“…My park. The reason I said I could call it a landscaping job is because of this.”

So, this is the realm of an Elite Outsider made by a Cook?

The fact that I arrived riding on a Dandelion signifies this as an entirely pure space for Fiore.

A space not conjured up, but one from the beginning of creation.

Then, to others, this would appear as a horrifying landscape.

“It’s way more beautiful than the garden in front of Rondan.”

“…Are you trying to flatter me?”

“Of course. I’m honest in places like this.”

Fiore, who had a meaningful smile, let out a relieved sigh.

“Hmm?”

“Uhm, no. It’s just that I finally finished an assignment whose outcome was uncertain.”

An assignment with an uncertain outcome, huh.

I suppose that’s how she felt about it.

Sitting next to her, I gently patted her head.

“Ugh, don’t treat me like a child!”

“Is that so? Even if I’m an adult, I think it’s okay to pet someone cute.”

“…Geez, that mouth of yours!”

Whether it’s the placebo effect or her hidden feelings coming to light, right now, Fiore looked even cuter than before when she was already beautiful.

“By the way, what about that meeting?”

“Almost done. We should get back to our respective places soon.”

“Then I guess I should leave too.”

“…Right. You have stuff to do as well.”

As I smiled brightly at Fiore, who muttered under her breath, ‘I could do with more…’ without quite being audible, it dawned on me.

Hmm.

Yeah.

There are still a lot of things to be done.

To accomplish what I need to, I shouldn’t waste a single day.

“…If you pet that Dandelion, you can come whenever.”

“Oh, I see.”

Could she have given me that as a way to call me whenever she wanted to see me?

So, is “useful” referring to something that benefits her?!

Well.

To be honest, when you think about it, it was a pretty helpful gift.

In a way, it also meant I had a designated emergency escape route, so it wasn’t bad at all.

What being would dare intrude upon the realm of an Elite Outsider?

Of course, that would be a different story if it were other Elite Outsiders.

Then, a forgotten truth suddenly came to mind, chilling me to the core.

I recall that Bell was an even higher-tier Outsider than Fiore.

That meant Bell’s influence could reach this far.

…Doesn’t that mean she was watching everything that just happened?

Feeling fearful about the incoming aftermath, I shuddered.

Crack.

An uneasy sound echoed from somewhere.

Unlike the sound of glass breaking, it was a more chilling noise.

I turned to look where the sound was coming from, realizing something was cracked.

Was it the wall? No matter how hard I tried to avoid admitting it, I couldn’t ignore it.

This is bad, the space is crumbling!

No, even if it is, it’s still the realm of another Elite Outsider, right?

How could it be falling apart so easily…

As I thought this, a memory from the past surfaced.

The Dragon Slayer’s strength, which had shattered the Record Keeper’s words with a punch.

That meant the only Outsider who could do something like this was her.

Bang!

A heavy sound resonated as a pale fist and purple clothing came into view through the fractured opening.

That fist disappeared again, and something beyond the broken space became visible.

“Hi, eek!”

The lifeless eyes of the Dragon Slayer locked onto me.

“Nang─gun.”

With a long, drawn-out voice, the Dragon Slayer called my name as she completely shattered the crack, revealing her full form.

“T-That person…!”

Fiore pushed me back as if trying to protect me.

She wasn’t alone; three others followed behind her.

It wasn’t just the Dragon Slayer who had come.

Bell, Cook, Record Keeper.

All wearing similarly cold expressions as they approached.

“What are you doing?!”

“Shut up, weed. She doesn’t have any interest in you.”

Soon the Dragon Slayer’s gaze was fixed back on me.

Just seeing her was enough to send shivers down my spine.

“She has granted you freedom, Nang-gun. But it seems her choice was a mistake.”

At the Dragon Slayer’s words, the three behind her nodded in unison.

It appeared they had coordinated before coming.

“Now that it has come to this, she cannot help but cement a reality with you.”

But the next words from the Dragon Slayer were so unexpected that the three Outsiders who had planned to nod froze in shock.

Fiore, upon hearing this, stepped forward with a shocked expression, blocking the advancing Dragon Slayer.

“Are you insane?! What are you talking about now?!”

“Let go! You, a weed, or rather, a thief! How dare you think of stealing Nang-gun away from her! I can no longer tolerate this!”

“What are you deciding unilaterally?! Tanton is terrified!”

“Gahhh! Are you trying to mock me now? Don’t dare speak Nang-gun’s name carelessly in front of me!”

The Dragon Slayer was particularly riled up, causing the other Outsiders to start rushing in to restrain her.

“C-calm down! While I’m upset about this human, forcing him is not good!”

“A-right! If you do, your bond will fall apart!”

“Raydan Tanton, hurry and run!”

But even if they told me to run, there was nowhere to escape!

As I panicked at the absurdity, the Dragon Slayer raised her arms.

“Let this go! I said let go!”

…What a loud and chaotic day it was.

 

---