“Eh!? Eeh!? How did that happen!?”
Yuugo was very surprised and wanted an explanation, but Phi did not know much about it either, so all he could do was shake his small head and reply.
“I don’t really understand it either… Zenon said he wanted to travel to get a good look at himself. And Claire went with him.”
“Hohe…! I’m surprised to see a young lady from a noted noble family doing that.”
“Apparently there’s a big mess going on in the Rouge family. But I doubt they’ll force her to come back.”
“Zenon… I see, he…”
Ryuuga mumbled to himself.
Yuugo looked at his partner, thinking he must have felt like he owed Zenon for what happened in the insectary, and smiled.
“I hope he’s doing well. Let’s ask him about it when he comes back.”
“Yes. I’m sure he has a lot on his mind too.”
Ryuuga did not know what caused it, but he could empathize with wanting to get a good look at himself.
Jinba looked at him, and suddenly remembered something.
“More importantly, are you all okay? You could be sent back to Yamato because of that situation…”
“That is all right. Our families have made various arrangements.”
“Yamato is scrambling to search for the traitor. Us going back would only make the confusion worse… And some people with less than good ideas could take advantage.”
“So you’re staying here then! That’s great!!”
“That’s about it. And the same goes for Ryuuga and Phi.
Setsuna agreed with Melt as she cheerfully summarized the situation, and turned to Ryuuga.
Ryuuga’s gaze was still a little stiff when he looked at them, but he spoke more or less with his regular voice.
“…Are you sure? Yui is one thing, but I should be a big cause of concern for you.”
“To be honest, I am anxious, but Sakura and Raiha insisted.”
Ryuuga turned to them after hearing Setsuna.
Sakura let out a small snort, and spoke as if responding to his gaze.
“It is only natural for a warrior to repay her debts! And if you truly saw us as enemies, you would not have saved Raiha!”
“…That’s true now, but who knows when I’ll change my mind.”
“If the time comes… that’s fine.”
Said Raiha, who had been quiet all this time.
The air in the hospital room was a little tense, and Yuugo spoke to his friends.
“Let’s go out for a bit. It’s hard for them to talk with us here.”
“But big brother…!”
“It’s okay, Phi… We’ll be leaving for a bit, partner.”
“…Yes, I understand.”
After speaking to Ryuuga, Yuugo and the others left the room.
Ryuuga was left alone with Raiha, and as he looked at her, she spoke with a serious tone.
“…I don’t know what to say to you. I feel grateful because you saved me, but guilty for taking your father’s life… I feel like nothing I say will be right.”
“…”
“Even if someone else was behind it, I killed your father, and took away Yui’s light. I don’t know how to pay for my sins… Ryuuga, if you so wish, I’m willing to present my life and…”
“Quiet.”
“…”
Ryuuga interrupted Raiha, as she sought to compensate him for her crimes and asked if he was after her life.
She gulped a little and closed her mouth, and Ryuuga spoke with anger.
“…I do resent you. I can’t just simply forgive the one who killed my father. And… I haven’t forgiven you for getting close to me while hiding something that big.”
“…”
“But I… don’t want to kill you. At least not now.”
“…!!”
Ryuuga was angry, but sounded as though he pushed it down as he spoke to Raiha, who looked at him with surprise.
She opened her eyes wide, and asked him a question.
“Why…? I mean, I…!!”
“Yes, you’re the one who threw my family’s life out of order, but… your life isn’t just yours. Yuugo, Marcos, Melt, the combat miko, Phi, Yui… A lot of people reached out to save you. And I’m just going to take that away!?”
“…!”
The anger and hatred weren’t gone.
Still, he expressed that Raiha’s life was not something to just be thrown away, as he faced down gripping the sheets tight, as he continued.
“So don’t ever… ask me that again. If you want to pay for your sins, do it by living. I’ll keep watching next to you. To see if you really mean what you say.”
“Yes…!!”
He had not forgiven her completely, and did not completely stop looking at her with hatred.
Still, Raiha felt a mixture of happiness and guilt when he told her to keep living, and spoke with a trembling voice.
“…See? I told you it would be fine.”
“I was just a little nervous. Well, I don’t think we have to worry about Ryuuga now.”
Meanwhile, a group whispered as they peeked inside the room.
They were worried Ryuuga would get enraged and try to kill Raiha, and were relieved to see the issues between them were settled to a certain extent.
“But why was this necessary? If they wanted to talk, why not do it when we were there?”
“…They need time to face each other. We’d just get in the way.”
“Yes… It’s not just Ryuuga, I think Raiha is finally moving forward too.”
Time stopped for more than just Ryuuga five years before. Raiha’s guilt made her feel lost, and she could not stop looking at the past.
Ryuuga pardoned her and said he would in return watch her, meaning she could finally face forward… Yuugo smiled as he heard Setsuna say this, and spoke quietly after he stopped patting his little brother’s head.
“That settles this case. The time that was stopped by sadness is moving again.”
The scars created by Koumaru and the mad loong were not completely gone, but that did not mean they never would.
Yuugo was happy that his partner and friend were able to shake free from the past and face forward, and nodded while speaking, believing their path was certainly bright.
◇ ◇ ◇
“Hm, that’s my hero! He showed me the drama I expected, no, beyond my expectations!!”
Lost gave a standing ovation in the dark, sincerely praising Yuugo and his friends for their victory and for grasping their future.
Lost was very pleased with their efforts. Ryuuga broke free from betrayal and vengeance and the hatred that came with them, and Yuugo changed his heart through friendship.
And as he turned around… he spoke with an enchanting smile.
“No, I get it. This ending isn’t bad. It’s perfect. But… You’re curious, right? What are the stupid heroes (lol) doing… What happened to Egos after he tried to attack my hero? That’s what you really wanted to see, right? I know.”
Lost spread his arms in an affected way, and laughed loudly.
“I wouldn’t betray your expectations, would I? That’s taken care of too. I’m a little crazy pissed off that he tried to put his hands on my hero… That trash that tried to ruin the perfect drama will get the punishment he deserves.”
Lost smirked.
He clapped his hands, and green jewels in a bracelet shined.
“Now let us enjoy the greatest retribution after the greatest drama. Another epilogue… I will show you Egoshi Kirio’s greatest unfortunate ending.”
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Is Lost breaking the 4th wall…?