"Riding horses is so graceful. I used to enjoy it back in my hometown, but are these horses just as calm as those on Earth?"

Ferdinand casually strikes up a conversation.

Could he really just be here out of mere curiosity?

Logically speaking... that's probably the case.

Though I did wonder, even if I shouldn't, whether I was being overly suspicious—after all, we're both transmigrants, and Origami said we should cooperate. Still, I admitted to myself that I might be being a bit too cautious.

"Actually, these horses over here seem calmer."

"Oh, that's a relief! I once fell off a horse as a child, and I still have a bit of fear about it. Since there are no cars here, I'll need to ride a horse if I'm to travel long distances—"

We're just having harmless conversation, but I can't trust him. It's

a fact that a classmate whose name I don't know—someone who killed Nanami and me—exists. Of course, the chance

of such a person being among the second wave is virtually nonexistent. Logically, I know it's an almost negligible probability. Yet I couldn't bring myself to

dismiss it entirely. Maybe my heart and soul haven't

healed enough to trust others so easily. "…If you don't have anything important, could

you please leave? I want to practice." I decided to cut the conversation

short. In any case, we'll be

leaving this town by the day after tomorrow. There's no need to build friendly relations with the second wave residents of this town.

Ferdinand cut off the conversation—no, perhaps even before that, he had shown signs of thought, then spoke.

"Hikaru-san... are you by any chance planning to leave this town?"

"...Eh? No, I'm not."

I stammered out the reply.

There was an undeniable discomfort at being read so easily.

"N-Na-Na-Mi-Sa-Nn... w-w-w-h-a-t-a-r-e-y-o-u-g-o-i-n-g-t-o-d-o?"

Ferdinand suddenly and randomly brought up the name of my childhood friend.

　

"Huh?"

"No... you're not planning to meet up with her, are you?"

"Meet up...? What do you mean...?"

I didn't understand.

What was he talking about...?

"Ah, right. I haven't really talked much with the second group, have I? So it's not surprising you didn't know... Actually, Nanami was reselected as an isekai transfer candidate."

"……What? ……You're kidding, right?"

"It's no joke. It seems she'd been preparing with your sisters? Naturally, to meet up with you, Kurose Hikaru."

While Ferdinand spoke with calm detachment, I felt my blood turn cold all over.

There was no hint of deception in his words.

...No, wait, he's said to be a law student-in-the-making, so lying probably comes naturally to him.

But still— that god.

If it's that god, the possibility of bringing back the deceased Nanami and including her in the second group—

is entirely plausible.I usually keep in touch with most of the transmigrants who've arrived in this town, but Nanami hasn't shown up yet. Still, she might be getting close, don't you think? For instance, someone heading straight toward this town from the north, completely focused—like that?

The thought that it's a lie kept swirling in my head, yet so did the possibility that it might actually be true.

If Nanami really did transit here, she'd be aiming to meet up with me.

No matter where she ended up, she'd surely head straight for this town.

That was beyond doubt.

If the situation were reversed, I'd do the same.

The choice of transfer location was pretty rough. That guy from the north probably picked the risky 'dart transfer,' where you throw darts at a map and transfer to the spot they land. I didn't have much confidence in my aim, so I chose a regular transfer... But maybe the guy from the north had a strong reason to absolutely transfer near Meltya, even if it meant pushing himself too hard?"

Deciding transfer spots with darts? I didn't realize such an option even existed.

Indeed, if, as he says, the one who ended up in the Abyss was Nanami, that would explain why she's aiming for this town.

Above all, Nanami is actually quite good at darts.

"Oops, sorry for going on like that. Anyway, if you're leaving town, I can take a message for you—just call me out. Right now, I'm mostly in one of the maze's lower levels."

With just those words, Ferdinand briskly left.

I could only watch his back, unable even to turn around and look after him.

"…He was kind of strange, wasn't he? Is Nanami the childhood friend of Hikaru you were talking about? Something about her coming here? What’s going on?"

"It’s obviously a lie. Crow, you don’t actually believe something so ridiculous, do you?"

"Ah, so it’s a lie? It kind of sounded real, though."

"It’s clearly a tactic to keep us trapped in this town. Otherwise, why would he come all the way here just to say something like that?"

"Huh… now that you mention it, you’re probably right."

Even as the two of them continued talking, I was lost in thought.

Nanami was here in this world.

In this empty, inconvenient world. Heading toward this town.

As he said, it somehow felt believable that Nanami was the one who had fallen into the abyss.

Nanami was surprisingly proactive.

There were times when, even in situations that made even Cecilia hesitate, Nanami would be the one to push forward.

Even when first chosen as a transmigrator, she had ultimately been thinking about how to live positively. Meanwhile, I still can't even figure out how I should live.

Nanami is here in this world.

Now that Refrea and Jeanne are also here, if Nanami were with me, I might be able to face things more positively.

Maybe she’d slap some sense into my endless self-doubt and tell me that the other world is fine.

— That was the sweet, dangerous poison called "hope."

Just as there's no way to tell whether the message is true or not, Ferdinand's words are equally impossible to judge—true or false.

Just as Jeanne dismissed them with "It's a lie!"

His words are too convenient for me.

Yes, I know that.

...Even so.

I can't ignore them or simply discard them.

"Hey! Hey! Crow! Are you okay!? What good does it do to be swayed by some fool's ramblings? A fallen transfer from the abyss being Nanami? That's impossible!"

"B-but... what if it's true? Why didn't I even consider that possibility?"

"Come on, pull yourself together. The Narakawa Transfer—whether it's a monster or a human crawling out of hell, who knows? It's gotta be a tough, battle-hardened mercenary in their thirties. There's no way Nanami could be weaker than me!?"

I can understand Jeanne's point.

Nanami couldn't possibly be that strong.

In fact, most humans wouldn't stand a chance.

But Jeanne doesn't know about my sisters.

Serika and Karen. If those two prepared thoroughly and sent Nanami off—maybe escaping from hell isn't impossible.

Even guns can be brought through the transfer, and firearms should work just fine against monsters in this world. If you hit the core of their spiritual energy, even a demon lord could be taken down with a single shot.

After all, the killing power of guns—especially rifles—is extremely high.

"Sorry, Jeanne. If Nanami's really come to this world, then I... I have to stay here and wait for her."

"Hey... Are you seriously saying that...? What about the journey? We've prepared for it, even practiced horseback riding like this... No, wait—more importantly, I'm certain now. She's lying. There's some reason she wants us to stay in this town. Even if Nanami really did come here, couldn't we just reunite after the message is recovered? We've already prepared, and I... I was looking forward to it too..."

Jeanne was right—probably I was wrong.

The chance that Nanami was chosen as a transferee and came to this world was low.

Logically... I knew that.

But once I'd touched upon that possibility—

"Naomi... when she finally arrives here, believing I'm here, if I'm not, she'll be heartbroken... I'm sorry."

Once the messaging function is restored, it'll all become clear—whether Ferdinand is lying or telling the truth, and where Naomi really is.

At least until then, I can't leave this place.

The closer I am to finding out, the more impossible it becomes.

　

Besides... why would he go to the trouble of making up such a lie?

He's surprisingly straightforward.

Even though I thought I couldn't trust him at all, I still want to believe what he says.

...No, I already do.

"Jeanne. Just until the messages come back online—just until we get answers. So... can you please delay your journey?"

"Postponed? You mean postponed...? Clo, aren't you the one who can't open messages? Are you relying on my message? If so, I'd rather not. I'm not your messenger, and if you want to know something, you should check it yourself with your own message, right?"

Her argument was perfectly reasonable.

If I'm staying here waiting for Nanami, I should naturally check the messages myself.

"...I get it. When that time comes... I'll check the message myself."

"Clo... you... really mean that? You're serious about this...?"

Jeanne seemed surprised by my words.

Probably because I said I'd open the message that I'd been avoiding all along.

But if Nanami is coming here, and I can confirm that, then I felt I could finally bring myself to open it.

At least, that's how I feel right now.

"I was looking forward to it... going on a journey,"

"Jeanne"

"I was really looking forward to it!"

With those words, Jeanne dashed off toward the town.

I can't even follow after her.

"Are you sure about this, Hikaru?"

"It's just my selfishness. I'm sorry, Reflair."

"Oh, I don't mind at all. As long as I'm with Hikaru, anywhere is fine. Well then, I'll go chase after her a bit."

"...Please."

I knew, of course, that Jeanne had secretly been looking forward to this journey.

Though not expressive by nature, Jeanne was a bit like Karen in that way.

I'm with her because I'm repaying the favor of receiving the relic that revives the dead. Therefore, acting against Jeanne's wishes would be nothing short of repaying kindness with betrayal.

...Yes, I understand that.

Even though I know it's wrong, I still prioritized my own selfish desires.

　

I don't have the right to chase after her.