Sakiko had come here expecting nothing but despair. At best, she'd imagined the two of them reconciling before she died alone in solitude the following day.
Instead, Makoto hadn't forgotten her at all. He was even willing to spend a huge amount of resources to save her.
Their relationship had never been that deep before... well, her own lips were being savored by Makoto at this very moment. From that perspective, couldn't they already be considered a couple?
For the first time in over a month, Sakiko once again felt genuine joy and sweet happiness. Yet deep down, she couldn't shake the feeling that she was being somewhat unfair.
The reason was simple.
If she hadn't made such an excessive request earlier, would Makoto still have gone this far to save her?
She didn't want him to think she'd only thrown herself into his arms because her life was in danger. But how was she supposed to prove otherwise later?
While her thoughts drifted, Makoto gently ruffled her hair.
"Let's start. You know how to use the Invitation, right?"
Sakiko finally snapped back to reality. Her face reddened slightly as she nodded at once.
"I'll wait by the teleportation gate for your invitation."
With the plan settled, the two returned separately to the Main God Space.
Yukino was already waiting outside her room for Makoto. The moment he arrived, they left together and headed toward a room tucked into a corner of the Tavern's main hall.
This was where the teleportation gate was located.
The moment Makoto opened the door, even his heavy mood lightened slightly.
The Tavern's teleportation gate was an ordinary fireplace.
Yukino smiled.
"Every territory uses a different design for its spatial gate. The first time I crawled out of this one, I got soot all over my face."
Makoto nodded and took out the Invitation.
Then he silently repeated Sakiko's name.
Almost immediately, a soft voice came from the other side of the fireplace.
"Kitano-kun... is that you?"
Her voice trembled with disbelief even though the system had already notified her.
"It's me, Sakiko."
Makoto bent slightly and held out his hand.
A pale, slender hand emerged from the fireplace.
He grabbed it without hesitation and pulled.
A beautiful blue-haired girl emerged through the ashes.
There was a little soot on her face, but it did nothing to diminish her doll-like features. More importantly, Makoto was the only person reflected in her amber eyes.
She hadn't even noticed Yukino standing beside them.
Sakiko immediately threw herself into Makoto's arms, and he instinctively hugged her back, just as he'd done every time on the hotel sofa.
Yukino watched with a smile.
The corner of her mouth, however, was beginning to twitch.
She had already tried to imagine just how much of a threat this Sakiko might be.
Apparently, she'd still underestimated her.
In terms of beauty, Sakiko was every bit Yukino's equal. That blend of elegance and fragility around her would undoubtedly awaken any boy's protective instincts.
More importantly, she seemed considerably closer to Makoto.
'Had something happened between them in the real world?'
Then Yukino remembered something even more troubling.
'They're living in the same world.'
'Doesn't that mean that if they wanted something to happen, there's no one who could stop them?'
At that thought, Yukino felt the Zanpakuto in her hand trembling.
"All right, Sakiko. Calm down. We're still out in public."
Seeing that Sakiko seemed about to lean in and kiss him, Makoto wiped the soot from her face and gently reminded her to settle down.
Only then did Sakiko finally notice Yukino.
Her turbulent emotions immediately receded.
She brought both hands neatly together in front of her skirt and bowed with flawless etiquette.
"It's a pleasure to meet you. I'm Togawa Sakiko, Kitano-kun's teammate from his first Mission World."
For one brief moment, Sakiko felt an urge to define exactly what kind of relationship she and Makoto shared.
In the end, she restrained herself.
The reason was the same as before.
She didn't want to become someone underhanded when it came to her feelings for Makoto.
Yukino had also been raised as a proper young lady, so naturally her own manners were impeccable.
After returning the greeting, she said gently, "Togawa-san, please try to keep your emotions under control for now."
"Your current identity is a new teammate I've recruited. We should avoid letting anyone else notice that there's anything unusual about you."
Sakiko nodded seriously.
After surviving four Mission Worlds, she understood perfectly well how treacherous the Main God Space could be.
When she'd been operating alone, even a little useful information could cost nearly everything she owned.
Now she carried an unimaginably valuable item in her eyes.
If anyone discovered it, people would absolutely come to kill her.
The side effects were enormous, but those were mainly a problem for a lone Player.
If a large group or powerful organization obtained the eyes and used the resources of an entire faction to sustain them, keeping them active might actually be possible.
That thought suddenly made Sakiko realize something.
'If whoever implanted these eyes in me had access to an enormous organization, why would they need to use me as their vessel?'
'Could the person behind this also be operating alone?'
There wasn't enough evidence to answer that, so Sakiko temporarily suppressed the question.
Her immediate problem was keeping her Fate Value from reaching zero.
"Let's go back to my room first. We can discuss everything there."
Sakiko silently followed Yukino.
She didn't notice anything unusual about those words until she entered Yukino's personal room.
In terms of luxury, it far surpassed Sakiko's own room, which she'd barely decorated even after upgrading it.
But that wasn't what caught her attention.
She immediately saw signs that Makoto lived here too.
Two separate sets of cups rested on the table. Even the plush toys on the sofa had been shifted to one side, creating two clearly defined personal spaces.
The training equipment farther away had also been divided into two sets. One used plain-colored hygiene supplies, while the other used primarily pink supplies.
Sakiko's heart sank slightly.
She suddenly realized that after fighting alongside her in his first world, Makoto had apparently fought beside the girl in front of her during his second.
'Does that mean Yukino and Makoto already share a bond no weaker than mine? Maybe even stronger?'
Sakiko merely lived in the same real world as him.
Yukino could spend every day with Makoto inside the Main God Space.
She desperately wanted to ask what exactly was going on.
Obviously, now wasn't the right time.
Unexpectedly, Yukino spoke first.
"Makoto-kun has been training and resting here lately. My room simply has better equipment."
"We've already decided to form a fixed team after I advance to Professional, so Togawa-san, please don't misunderstand. We're simply getting used to arrangements we'll need later."
Her tone was gentle and perfectly polite.
Sakiko couldn't find a single fault in her words. Yukino had even gone out of her way to help save her.
Even so, Sakiko could still sense the faintest hint of competition in the air.
After all, Yukino was already casually calling him Makoto-kun. She had already kissed Makoto many times, yet she was still calling him Kitano-kun.
"I understand. In the Main God Space, survival comes first."
Yukino gave her an appreciative look.
If Sakiko already understood that principle, then no matter what happened later, the three of them should at least be capable of maintaining surface-level cooperation.
Becoming actual friends would be even better.
That might not be quite so easy.
"All right, let's sit down first. Togawa-san, would you like something to drink?"
Sakiko sat and shook her head.
"There's no need to be so formal, Yukinoshita-san. Also, could you call me by my given name?"
Yukino blinked.
Was Sakiko deliberately extending an olive branch?
She glanced toward Makoto in surprise.
After seeing him nod, she smiled.
"All right, Sakiko. Then you can call me Yukino too."
In truth, Sakiko simply disliked the surname Togawa.
She could tell Yukino had misunderstood her intention, but perhaps that misunderstanding wasn't a bad thing.
Once all three were seated, Makoto spoke first.
"We all understand the situation now. The question is how we're going to solve Sakiko's problem."
He was still considering how to explain what he could accomplish with Making Fake Become Real when Yukino spoke first.
"If the cost is only 1 Fate Value per day, then we can keep her alive for now."
"I currently have 30 Fate Value. Makoto-kun should still have 15, right?"
"We also obtained quite a few items from the Naruto world. We can use Fate Value as the stake in Wagered Duels at the Arena. I'm sure someone would be willing to participate."
Makoto looked surprised.
"You can obtain Fate Value that way?"
Sakiko nodded.
"You can, but most Players price Fate Value at roughly the level of a B-rank Side Mission. That's why almost nobody wants to wager it."
"I tried arranging Wagered Duels before, but I didn't have anything valuable enough to offer, so no one accepted."
Makoto nodded.
That was understandable.
Fate Burn only lasted one minute per Fate Value, but if that single minute was enough to decide a battle, then even 1 Fate Value could become extraordinarily valuable.
Under Yukino's plan, the two of them could deliberately lose Fate Value to Sakiko, immediately removing the threat to her life.
That would also mean Makoto didn't need to expose Making Fake Become Real yet.
He could take more time and devise a safer solution.
But Yukino's next words immediately raised his guard again.
"The problem is that everyone will realize we're deliberately transferring Fate Value to Sakiko."
"Arena matches are public, and Sakiko currently has only 1 Fate Value available to wager."
"If we repeat this too many times, someone will eventually start watching her. Anything capable of consuming Fate Value is almost guaranteed to involve an extremely powerful mechanism."
The room fell silent.
Sure enough, no method of saving Sakiko was completely safe.
The only question was how to minimize the risk.
Sakiko broke the silence.
"I don't want to become a burden to either of you."
"Fate Value is extremely important to every Player. If the only way for me to survive is to keep taking yours, then I'd rather die."
Her voice remained perfectly calm, and her expression didn't change at all.
Even Yukino, who had already survived more than one life-or-death crisis, couldn't help viewing Sakiko with greater respect.
Her delicate appearance easily gave the impression of a sheltered young lady.
Apparently, her ability to endure hardship was no weaker than Yukino's own.
Makoto nodded as well.
"We can transfer it once under the excuse of a team-entry test, but we can't give her too much at once."
"Here's what we'll do. Each of us will give Sakiko 1 Fate Value. Then Sakiko will team up with me and enter the next Mission World together."
"I'll handle the rest once we're inside."
Makoto had ultimately decided to solve the real problem in a Mission World.
Sakiko and Yukino exchanged a glance.
Neither asked how exactly Makoto planned to accomplish that.
Both of them had already witnessed enough of his mysteries.
If they kept asking, they would eventually reach the core of Makoto's abilities.
In the Main God Space, exposing the true nature of one's power could sometimes be equivalent to handing someone your life.
If Makoto didn't volunteer the answer, neither woman would pry.
Trusting him was enough.
With the plan settled, the three headed toward the Tavern's Arena.
The moment they opened an Arena match with Fate Value as the stake, they immediately attracted the attention of the other people in the Tavern.
"Yukinoshita, what are you doing? You've gone insane enough to gamble Fate Value now?"
Fox, the familiar bald patron, immediately called out to her.
Yukino was already something of a celebrity among the Tavern's Veterans. Among Players at roughly her level, she was practically undefeated.
She answered the question without the slightest hesitation.
"I found a promising recruit and wanted to test her ability. If she's good enough, then that 1 Fate Value can be considered my welcome gift."
"Then why is this newcomer who's only completed two missions wagering too?"
Spink, the bartender, narrowed his eyes.
"Don't tell me the three of you are hiding something."
His experience had already allowed him to notice something suspicious.
Makoto stepped forward before anyone else could answer and deliberately put on an irritated expression.
"I might not have much Fate Value, but that's no reason for her to look down on me."
"I'll show her that even as a newcomer, I still have a chance of beating her."
The surrounding crowd immediately responded with jeers.
Everyone simply took Makoto for a hot-blooded rookie whose pride had been wounded.
Spink merely smiled.
His gaze remained deep and unreadable.
After that, everything became much simpler.
Yukino fought Sakiko using only swordsmanship.
Before long, Sakiko's unpredictable flames forced her onto the defensive, and Yukino voluntarily jumped out of the Arena.
Then it was Makoto's turn.
He demonstrated a body strengthened by cursed energy along with Spatial Manipulation, dragging the fight out against Sakiko for quite some time.
In the end, his lack of offensive options caused him to exhaust his cursed energy.
After losing, his wagered Fate Value was transferred to Sakiko.
With that, Sakiko's Fate Value finally rose back to 3.
…