Defense specialization and one night.

Maple changed into her usual red attire and stepped out of the Town with Mii, re-entering performance mode.

Before leaving the Town, Maple had formed a temporary party with Mii for today only.

"I'm slow on foot, so—[Ruthless]! I'll carry you wherever you want to go!"

"...You're going to carry me?"

Mii climbed up from the monstrous legs and straddled Maple's back.

Mii had not expected to be carried.

Mii then told Maple the destination.

"Alright, let's go!"

The creature surged forward with sudden speed, faster than any monster in the field—more monster-like than any monster.

After some time, the two reached their destination.

"Yo... [Emperor of Flame]!"

Mii dismounted and stretched her body, then activated her skill.

As if in response, monsters began appearing one after another.

"Love That Offers the Body"

Maple's activated skill completely shielded Mii.

To an enemy, it was terrifying. To an ally, it made the very idea of evasion or defense feel unnecessary.

Indeed, Mii did not need to defend at all.

As long as Maple stood beside her, Mii only needed to think about reducing the monsters' HP.

"...This is unbeatable."

She moved forward, continuing the hunt. When the area was nearly cleared, Mii collapsed from exhaustion.

She sat down, back to the lake she had finally reached.

"Thank you, Maple. Sorry... I dragged you through all this..."

Mii spoke her gratitude in her natural state.

"No, it's fine! But I think we should wrap up for today... I'm getting sleepy."

Night had deepened in the real world. Maple considered logging out for the day.

Thank you, truly. I think I’ll end here. I’m tired—pushed myself harder than usual today.

“That’s right! Then let’s do it one more time, just to finish?”

Maple dropped with a splash from the creature’s belly.

Returning to human form, Maple activated her skill, becoming a soft, fluffy ball.

Mii cautiously reached out and touched it. It felt pleasantly, deeply soft.

“Come inside…?”

“Y-yes…”

Mii parted the fur and slipped within.

Her body relaxed completely, wrapped in warm softness.

“Aah… good…”

“Good.”

Mii settled above Maple, nestled into the center. Time passed.

Then, both felt a sudden pull, the ball tightening around them. They reacted at once.

“What… was that?”

“Hm?”

Both pulled their heads out at once, poking up from the side of the fluffy mass.

The ball of fluff tore free from gravity’s chain and floated gently upward, drifting skyward above the lake.

“Maple… w-what’s happening!?”

“I don’t know!”

The ball of fluff rose straight up, stopping above the lake’s center.

“This… is an event?”

“I don’t know. If we fall, I can catch us—so it’s fine…”

At five meters above the water’s surface, the lake’s water surged upward like a column, wrapping around both of them.

But that lasted only an instant. They were enveloped in light—and in the next moment, they stood elsewhere.

“L-let’s get out of here?”

Mii slipped free from the fluff and dropped to its side.

Maple, unable to move as she was, had Mii burn away the fibers so she could step down onto the ground.

No. Not ground, exactly.

“Where… is this?”

“Maple… uh, the clouds?”

What Maple now stood upon was not soil.

It was soft, like clouds.

"Such a brilliant star..."

Maple checked her feet, then looked up at the sky.

The stars shone so brightly it was a sight that made one pause, breathless.

"Yeah, beautiful. Is this what a night with falling stars is like?"

They stood in silence, gazing at the night sky.

"...What now? Let's just keep moving. We don't know how to return... again."

Maple's suggestion met with agreement from Mii. They climbed over the cloud wall, again and again, advancing forward.

As they moved, they found a path stretching straight ahead—a road of clouds.

They stepped onto a narrow path, barely wide enough for two to walk side by side.

"Uh? Maple! Above!"

"Above?...Love That Offers the Body!"

Maple reactivated Love That Offers the Body, shielding Mii.

Immediately after, glowing objects rained down from the sky onto the path.

Maple stepped backward, absorbing the downpour, moving to safety.

The shower ceased abruptly.

They could now discern what had fallen.

"Exactly as Mii said... a night of falling stars..."

"Not something one would expect to fall physically..."

"Unknown how much force, but I can endure it. We should be able to proceed."

Maple resumed walking, alongside Mii.

The falling stars bounced off Maple and fell away.

"Would Sally dodge them all?"

"Even she couldn't manage that... could she?"

Stars continued to fall without pause along the path.

It was not a scene where one could easily weave through the light.

As they advanced, the end of the path drew near.

"Some of these stars are quite large..."

"No problem at all! We've arrived!"

At the end of the long path stood a wall of clouds, and within it, a horizontal crevice had formed.

They could not turn back now that they had come this far, so they advanced carefully through the passage.

The tunnel was not long. The end came quickly.

A radiant light poured into the space.

Quietly, a thread of light stretched downward.

It extended from the sky into a vessel made of cloud.

"Oh…"

"This…"

They approached the vessel and touched the gathered light.

There was no sensation of contact. Yet each received one item.

"【Heaven's Tear】?"

"Use… unclear. But perhaps something valuable? A material, maybe?"

"Maple, is that all we found here?"

"Probably. The path was straightforward. We could only go this way."

Maple nodded in agreement. They decided to end their exploration here.

The unexpected journey concluded. Each logged out.

The next day.

Maple spoke to Sally about the [Heaven's Dew].

"Perhaps it's a key item. Better to keep it safe."

"Agreed. Also, I should raise my travel permit soon."

Each day felt like an event period, more tasks than any other layer had seen.

"I must reach max level soon. I'll wait for you at the innermost point."

"Right. I'll catch up for sure."

First Kasumi, then one after another, crossed through the Nine Birds' Gate.

Then, one of them revealed information, and by early November, the town's final goal became clear.

Yes. Collecting three items.

With Mii and Maple already in possession of one, both guilds attempted to skip the information gathering phase and claim the [Heaven's Dew], but [Empire of the Flame Emperor] struggled against the star's power, exceeding their expectations.

In the Empire of the Flame Emperor, Maple occasionally received requests from Mii, stepping in as a helper to reinforce the severity of the situation.

The reward she received warmed her pocket, easing the loneliness she carried.

The Maple Tree was cleared after Maple led Crom and Kasumi through once, and Sally alone through once.

The remaining four had no intention of advancing beyond the final torii gate, so the challenge was abandoned.