"Ah, that...? Something's off... Maybe it's because it's dark. I fell down... Ahaha."

"——Refreia"

—— Perhaps we alone could bring it down.

To say I never even considered it would be a lie.

When I opened the status board to swap the barrier stone, I saw the viewer count had suddenly surged to 1.6 billion.

Alex and I both encountered the Demon King at the same time. Probably, this is the hottest spot among all current transmigrants.

The viewership race is decided by total viewers over two weeks.

Since I had low attention early on, I must make a massive comeback by this final stage to claim first place.

And now.

As planned, the battle against the Demon Lord has significantly boosted viewership.

This is the decisive moment.

Had you not harbored that awareness somewhere deep inside—

—perhaps we could bring Nanami back to life.

—perhaps we could save her.

—maybe even save myself through that act.

Perhaps my unconscious longing leaked out, pushing her beyond her limits.

In the darkness, Marcothias groans, searching for me, or perhaps for Reflair.

How much damage did Reflair's attack inflict? There's some bleeding, but it doesn't seem to have caused serious harm.

I support the fallen Reflair from behind, then shatter the barrier stone I'd just exchanged moments ago.

A translucent membrane instantly spreads out centered on me.

"Haa... Haa... Hikaru...? Are you there...? Something's wrong... My legs hurt... What's happening? It's so dark... I can't see where the potions are..."

"Sorry, I'll make it bright soon."

When I dispel the Darkness Fog, Refleia looks at me, relief washing over her face.

Yet her already pale complexion turns even paler.

Refleia gasping in a pool of blood blurs into Nanami's final image, her heartbeat pounding so loudly it feels like it's hammering against my chest.

Though I'm not injured myself, my whole body trembles as if paralyzed, strength draining away.

I pull out every potion from my Shadow Storage and apply them to the wounds, but they only stop the bleeding for a brief moment—practically useless.

Massive bleeding. Obvious fatal wounds.

I knew I had to act immediately—but the sight of Reflia gasping, drenched in red blood, robbed me of my composure.

I hadn’t properly anticipated the possibility of being in such a situation.

I’d been too naive.

I’d thought, if it was just me getting hurt, that’d be fine…

I’d been arrogant.

Because I’d survived until now without dying, I’d casually assumed I’d make it through this too.

I’d been fine alone descending into the third layer.

Even the fourth layer hadn’t fazed me alone.

That’s why I’d unconsciously believed I could handle even the Demon King.

But even more than that, encountering the Demon King was what would make them "first." Without even grasping the risks involved, he had chosen

that path. He hadn't considered the danger of waiting at the staircase to the fourth floor. He hadn't thought about the risk of being alone with just two people. He hadn't even seen

the obvious truth—that he was weak. A

cold numbness spread through his entire body. Everything—this entire

mess—was the result of his own poor judgment. Trembling uncontrollably, as if the hands weren't his own, he pulled a rope from the Shadow Storage and tightly bound

Refirea's thigh to stop the bleeding. There was no choice—stopping

the bleeding was the only priority. "Refirea, why did you do something so reckless? We didn't actually have to defeat that thing. There was no need to push yourself like this. All we needed was to

buy time." To keep her calm, he forced a calm tone into his voice.

The bleeding seemed to have just barely stopped thanks to the rope, but the situation remained uncertain.

Should we wait for someone with healing magic to arrive...?

No, there's no time for that.

"…Didn't Hikaru say something like that before? That she'd bring her childhood friend back to life… that she'd stand out… become the best…?"

"That's true, but that doesn't mean you have to push yourself so hard! Once you're dead, it's too late to fix anything!"

"Haa… haa… But if I become the best… I could tell them… that it was because of me… that they'd stay by my side from now on… I'm so foolish… I don't understand… But she said… if I became the best, she'd do anything I asked… she said that…"

Half-dazed, Refrea kept repeating the same words.

I was the one who pushed her to the brink. I was only thinking about my own circumstances, never truly considering how she felt. I kept telling myself that if I just kept pushing, I’d soon reach what I wanted, and even explanations were brushed aside.

"I’m the idiot here..."

"...If I can just be with Hikaru, I wouldn’t need anything else... If I defeat the Demon King... I’ll become the greatest... Then... Hikaru will surely come to love me... and stay with me forever, right? I just didn’t know what else I could do..."

"............"

I didn’t know how to respond.

Even if I explained that I was being watched or that ratings mattered, how could Refreia, who lived in a world without television, possibly understand?

I should have known that—this kind of thing...

Within her imperfect understanding, her answer must have been one that surpassed my expectations more than ever before.

Perhaps she thought that by demonstrating her maximum usefulness as a direct assault unit, she might change my feelings—

"……Wait here. This is just a light wound; I'll be fine."

Whether due to the heightened state from battle, fortunately, there was no pain.

…No, perhaps I had already reached the point where I couldn’t feel pain at all. I couldn’t tell.

Reflair’s gaze was vague—was she looking at me, or was she seeing nothing at all?

The faint, flickering light seemed so delicate, I couldn’t help but worry about when it might vanish.

Her murmured words, repeated like a delirium—“If only I could become the best”—tore at my heart.

No matter how I tried to justify it with noble lies, I had used her—

for the sake of coming in first place.

And this is the result.

The crimson crimson blood was the same as the blood that Nanami had spilled.

Just because it was another world didn’t mean blue blood flowed, nor was it odorless like in a game.

The intense red clinging to my palm. Her pale face, smiling. Her ragged, thin breath. The fierce pounding of her heart.

The world grew sharper in contrast, speaking to me.

This is reality. This is all that exists right here, right now.

(What am I doing…?)

I had hidden among shadows to protect my heart, yet left my heart behind, stranded on Earth.

Perhaps I'd always been looking down at myself in this world as if I were something entirely separate from my true self, floating vaguely above it all. Somewhere deep inside, I believed this wasn't real—couldn't be real.

That’s why I could do anything, even reckless things. I thought I could die without consequence.

The world I observed from above felt unreal, and the only reality for me was simply that 'Nanami had died.'

That’s why I couldn’t face it directly. Me.

This world.

The reality right here, right now.

The girl who’d saved me so many times—

even myself—

"Refleia, it’s okay. I’ll be fine soon. Just wait a bit."

"U… um. I’m fine. I’m…

It can’t possibly be fine. Is this bravado, or have I just always pretended to be strong? I don’t know.

Anyway, one thing was certain: there was no time.

The heat fading away gradually.

Her left leg, now stiff as a statue, was almost severed, and it was clear that ordinary recovery methods—potions or scrolls that could be replaced with crystals—wouldn’t work.

Holding Liufrea’s body close, she trembled with frustration, her fingers shaking as she opened the status board.

Points: zero. Only a few crystals left.

… She had no way to heal her wounds.

—Only one option remained.

The salvation prepared by the gods. Nothing else.

It lay just a little deeper within the status board.

"Would you like to borrow points? Up to three points can be borrowed."

The gods’ salvation: borrowing points.

… Of course, there were drawbacks.

But I chose the 3 points without hesitation.

《Borrow 3 points YES / NO》

I press YES.

《Warning! If you borrow points, you won't be able to use any points except crystals and the borrowed amount until repayment. YES / NO》

I press YES.

《Warning! Borrowing points will be considered as forfeiting the current campaign, 'First Viewership Race.' YES / NO》

That's right. This is the drawback. Currently, the viewership race has reached second place. All that effort will vanish with a single press of this button.

At the same time, it meant permanently losing the means to bring Nanami back to life.

Of course, her life couldn't be weighed against that of Reifia.

Yet, for a fleeting moment, I feel disgusted with myself for hesitating.

"Hikaru... where are you...? I... I failed. I should've at least let Hikaru escape... If I hadn't been saved by Hikaru back then... I would've died... just like that..."

Refleia murmured, her lips trembling as if in a delirium.

Her eyes, devoid of light, searched weakly for my form.

"I... I'm here... right here. I'm really here, right beside you, Refleia."

"Hehe... you're so strange..."

"I'm sorry. I failed you, and it hurt you. But I'll fix it soon. Just calm down."

White flesh was visible from Refleia's thigh, nearly torn apart.

The bleeding wouldn't stop, not even with ropes, and oozed relentlessly, staining the ground a dark red.

She was in shock—she could die at any moment.

And if she dies—

in that instant, her body will be lost forever, turning into a silent, fist-sized stone.

"I know... I understand...!"

Without speaking to anyone, I screamed, pressing down on the "YES" on the status board. Immediately after, I tapped the three-point 'Great Healing Scroll' from my inventory.

The viewer rating race display briefly showed "1st," then shifted to "Withdrawal."

At the same time, I handed the scroll appearing from midair to Reflair.

"Reflair, open this yourself. Go on."

"…Eh? Hikaru… which one…? I don’t understand…"

"Ah, come on. Just like this—pull this string, that’s all."

Supporting her from behind, I guided her hands,

"…Yeah. Like this…?"

With fingers nearly devoid of strength, she barely managed to break the scroll's seal.

— At that very moment.

The scroll vanished into a pale blue flame, and in its place, a gentle light enveloped Reflair's body.

"Ah... ahh... What... Hikaru... Is this...?"

"I'm glad I made it in time. You're... safe now."

Whether from the demon king's fang or claw, her leg—once on the verge of being severed—slowly, yet surely, began to restore itself.

At the same time, color returned to Reflair's face.

It was fortunate she had once used a Great Healing Scroll before.

If she hadn't, she might not have been able to respond quickly enough.

Relief washed over her entire body, and now, despite the danger having passed, sweat poured down like a waterfall.

It was barely in time.

If the demon lord's attack had been a little deeper, or if the target had been her torso instead of her legs, she wouldn't have survived.

A few minutes later, Reflair's body had fully returned to its original state.

The only thing left at the scene was a pool of blood—her sole proof of having suffered a fatal wound.

The demon lord, unable to locate us within the barrier, kept howling into the distance.

The voice emanating from its massive frame was likely audible throughout the entire tier.

With that kind of noise, other explorers would soon arrive to hunt it down—or at least buy us some time.

—My fight… no, my battle is over.

Nanami, I'm sorry.