Night had fallen, and for the time being, peace had returned to Sky Dome City.
In the distance, faint reports of Honkai beast activity could still be heard, but the small-scale incidents were manageable by the city's defense forces.
After prolonged battle, exhaustion began to set in. Continuing the investigation would be unwise in such a state.
So, Kagura, Himeko, and Kiana found a nearby hotel to rest for the night, planning to resume their investigation into the Honkai disaster the following day.
"Kagura, got a minute? Care to join me for a drink?"
After everything had settled down, Himeko appeared at the door to Kagura's room, dressed in her casual clothes.
"There's something I wanted to talk to you about."
Gone was the awe-inspiring Valkyrie armor of Himeko Murata.
In its place, a slightly tight white blouse clung to her form.
Hints of her voluptuous figure peeked through—smooth, fair skin with a soft flush of pink.
Her long, red hair draped over her shoulders, still damp and shimmering with droplets of water, carrying the faint scent of a freshly taken bath.
Everything about her exuded the allure of a mature woman—graceful, radiant, captivating.
"Umm… I don't really have the best alcohol tolerance, but…" Kagura wiped a small trickle of blood from her nose, then smiled. "Well, since it's an invitation from you, Himeko-neesan, how could I possibly refuse?"
Inside the hotel café, the two sat across from each other.
It was late—so late that while a bar might still be lively, a place like this café was completely empty.
"Kagura… thank you. For everything," Himeko said softly. "If it weren't for you, I might still be stuck in the Sea of Quanta… or dead. I'm really glad we met."
She poured herself a glass of chilled whiskey and took a long swig.
"Ahh… this is good. It's been so long since I've had whiskey this smooth. Hic~"
Kagura watched her, her expression mixed with amusement and concern.
"You really shouldn't drink so much, Himeko-neesan. It's not good for you."
"C'mon… I'll be fine." Himeko gave a relaxed smile. "Alcohol's a wonderful thing. It eases the fatigue, softens the sorrow..."
She downed another mouthful before continuing, more seriously this time.
"But let's get to the point—Kagura, I'm worried about you."
She set her glass down, her golden eyes meeting Kagura's with quiet intensity.
"Starting tomorrow, I want you to stay here. Once we've finished investigating the Honkai outbreak in Sky, the Hyperion will make sure you receive your full reward."
As she spoke, she activated the communication device on her wrist.
"I've already contacted Theresa and the others. The situation in Abyss City has basically been resolved.
Bronya and Seele have successfully returned to the real world, and the Hyperion will rendezvous with us here soon.
Once it arrives, I can give you whatever you need—Honkai energy samples, Valkyrie armor schematics, you name it."
Kagura took a small sip of whiskey, then asked calmly, "Himeko-neesan… why are you suddenly excluding me from the mission?"
"The reason is simple. You're our guest—not a soldier of this world. There's no reason for you to risk your life alongside us."
Himeko's voice was gentle but firm.
"Whether it's fighting off Honkai beasts or investigating the source of the disaster… that's our job as Valkyries.
It would be irresponsible of me to push that burden onto someone like you—a traveler. It's too dangerous, and if anything were to happen to you… I'd never forgive myself."
"Thank you for your concern, Himeko-neesan. I truly appreciate it." Kagura smiled softly.
"But on the flip side—I can't just sit back and let you and Miss Kiana go into danger alone either.
The force behind this Honkai incident might be far more powerful than we think. If my negligence ends up causing either of you to get hurt… then I'd be the one unable to forgive myself."
"Besides, if there really is someone out there using Honkai energy to experiment on innocent civilians in this city, I can't just stand by and do nothing. This is about lives. At that point, it has nothing to do with how much I'm getting paid."
"…Sigh." Hearing that, Himeko let out a long, heavy sigh. "But if you keep coming with us… it's going to be extremely dangerous, you know that, right?"
"I know," Kagura said calmly. "And I can handle it."
"You might end up being hunted by some powerful organization," Himeko warned. "You could find yourself overwhelmed and outnumbered."
"If it comes to that, I'll make sure to get you and Miss Kiana out safely—no matter what."
"The Hyperion can only offer so much as compensation, you know."
"I told you," Kagura replied with a firm smile, "when it comes to matters involving innocent lives, compensation stopped being relevant a long time ago."
"…Hmm." Himeko fell into thought for a moment, then took another deep swig of her whiskey.
"You're really something else, Kagura. I just can't say no to you… You know, if only we were real sisters… that would've been wonderful."
"Aren't we already?" Kagura beamed. "A big sister shouldn't exclude her little sister from battle—especially not one who can fight!"
She gently reached out and brushed Himeko's cheek.
"Himeko-neesan, like I said—you're a kind and powerful person. Even in my original world, you're someone admired by countless people… That's why I want to fight alongside you. For all the beautiful things in this world."
Before either of them noticed, a pair of tears quietly rolled down Himeko's cheeks.
This woman—always strong, always composed, the dependable red-haired elder sister figure—was crying.
Why, even she didn't seem to know.
"You little brat… always saying such weird things…" She rubbed her eyes and sniffed. "Must be the whiskey… way too strong, it's stinging my eyes."
Then she took a deep breath.
"It's getting late, Kagura. You should rest. Tomorrow, we're back at it—digging into the source of this Honkai outbreak."
"Mhm! Himeko-neesan, you too. Don't you dare sleep in just because you're drunk! I don't want to find you snoring away with the sun already halfway up!"
"Pff—what did you just say, you cheeky brat? I'd never sleep in that late!"
As Himeko walked away down the hall, Kagura sat in silence, staring at her retreating figure.
Then, quietly, she lifted her glass and finished the last of her whiskey.
Her thoughts drifted.
Traveling through worlds, recording what she saw, collecting unique technologies and samples from other universes—that had been her original purpose in stepping into the Eye of the Abyss.
But now, faced with a crisis that endangered countless lives… how could she stay on the sidelines?
The people of this world were just as real.
Their lives—no less valuable.
No matter what happened, at the very least here and now—in this city standing on the edge of disaster—she had made a choice.
She would walk alongside Himeko and Kiana. That was her new mission.
'I'll do everything I can to protect you.'
And more than that… if her actions—her very presence—could help steer this world toward a better future, if it could help those warriors finally live lives filled with true happiness…
Then why wouldn't she give her all?
With that thought, Kagura slowly raised her right hand.
Red.
Blue.
Green.
Purple.
Yellow.
Orange.
Six colored lights glimmered one after another on the back of her hand.
And yet…
'How do you even snap with this thing, anyway…?'
"Hic~"
"…What am I even thinking about…?" She slumped back in her chair, cheeks warm. "Urgh… I think I might actually be a little drunk…"