Episode 163: The Way Friends Exist

"Guess it wasn't a dream after all, huh?"

"Remember it?"

"Yeah... maybe because I've fully returned to this side. My memories are faint... just barely there..."

"Then you saw it, didn't you?"

The final moments of Hane Kariya.

The temporary friend nods slowly.

"So... that's how it is..."

Then the "Gambler" falls silent.

There's nothing more I need to say.

All that's left is to wait for her words.

I never thought it would be allowed—couldn't bring myself to believe it.

But if I were in the opposite position... No, never mind.

It's pointless to think about it.

The warrior's expression was hard to read.

The glasses are reflecting light, making the eyes hard to see.

Only the out-of-place, grandiose fanfare pouring from the television screen lingered between the two.

It was strange.

I had been assaulted by a human who had once saved my life.

I had been cornered by zombies, facing certain death.

I had even nearly been devoured by a monster.

Despite having felt death's grip many times before,

still.

I had never felt such fear as I did now.

Vulgar in speech, unpleasant in personality, and possessing no particular charm that draws people in.

The fact that someone could stay by my side for so long despite all this—this girl before me was the first such person.

After a brief pause, her first words were:

"Uh-huh. So you kept something so important a secret all this time...?"

I thought, That's wrong.

I can't hold back.

I can't resort to such cowardly tricks.

And yet...

Before I knew it, I realized my eyes were burning hot, as if set on fire.

"…………………So..."

"So?"

"Yes……but……"

At that moment, the gambler, acting in accordance with his youthful appearance, let out a feeble voice.

Damn it. This isn't cool at all. Not at all like me.

If I'm going to show such a tearful face, I might as well have cut my own throat.

Yet still, the tears kept falling, one after another.

"Because... if I don't do this, I'm sure we won't be able to stay together... I, I just wanted to make up for it... The 'Gambler' skill is only useful in places like the 'Master Dungeon'..."

But that was all just selfish reasoning.

"Well, there's a saying about the world, isn't there? 'Kindness forced upon others'..."

"...I, I know... I know..."

I shouldn't cry.

This isn't the time to cry.

The "Gambler" himself wasn't the type to prefer smoothing over problems with such tactics.

That's exactly why I feel I must do something—anything—about it.

But I just can't seem to control my emotions.

After all, it's been emotions I've been holding back for so long.

"So? Anything else?"

"...Anything else?"

"Like that dark, hidden secret you've been keeping buried?"

"……No. That's all."

"I see. Is that so?"

Then, the "Warrior" let out a long, deep sigh.

"Well, to be honest... I knew about it."

"Knew...?"

The "Gambling Master" looked stunned.

"Yes, more or less."

"More or less...?"

"It was because of you, 'Gambling Master,' that Ayano-chan died. And the dangers of that skill, 'Fate Manipulation.'"

"Wha... Wait, aren't you saying almost everything?!"

Confusion set in.

The girl he'd thought of as a friend was transforming into something incomprehensible right before his eyes.

"Since when... was it?"

"Um, let's see... maybe about half a month ago?"

"So it's been that long?"

The warrior let out a wry smile.

"Yeah. After all, didn't you, 'Gambling Master,' keep rewriting the parts of the information notebook that didn't suit you?"

At that moment, the gambler's mind flashed with the thought of

"Information #100"... You are betraying the "warrior."

That phrase, the one I'm thinking of.

...Were you watching that?

"Well, luckily, I can gather around ten gold in information fees without needing the help of the 'Gambling Master' here."

"But why?... Was there something suspicious about it?"

Then the warrior laughed innocently,

"There were a lot of things that didn't add up, but... the first thing that caught my attention was that line. 'The favorite food of the Dungeon Master is his beloved wife's...' something like that."

"…………What's wrong with that?"

"Well, you see, I actually met Nakamichi En-san face-to-face once."

"Yeah, that's right."

"Back then, when I saw how he was dressed and how he treated Kuryakudō-san, I suddenly thought... 'This guy probably doesn't have a wife at all.'"

The gambler furrowed his brow deeply.

"O-oh... I see..."

"Then, whenever I casually bought information just to pass the time, I naturally ended up uncovering things the gambler had been trying to keep secret. That's about it."

The hobbit girl now regretted having underestimated her friend's imagination all along.

But...

If that's the case...

One question suddenly came to mind.

"Then... if that's the case..."

"?"

"Why did you... stay by my side all along?"

"Huh?"

"Well, I mean. I... killed your friend, didn't I?"

"Yeah. And you kept it a secret, sneaking around like a thief."

"Being with someone like that... wasn't it painful? Even then, all along..."

Or maybe even while you were with me.

Perhaps there had been hatred in her heart toward me all along.

"I don't know... even if you say that, blaming her won't bring Saya-chan back. The more I hear, the more it seems there's room for compromise."

"But..."

Whether that truly convinced him from the heart was another matter entirely.

Now, he realized with a sudden clarity that the "gambling expert" knew absolutely nothing about this friend in any real sense.

And yet,

"Hey, Mr. Gambler..."

The nameless girl looked at him with an expression full of deep loneliness.

"Anyone can make a choice that turns out completely wrong... and end up hurting someone unexpected, even causing someone's death."

Her eyes weren't fixed on the "Gambler" in front of her—they seemed to be looking at someone far away, somewhere beyond.

"But..."

"And, Gambler... After this matter is settled, are you planning to cut all ties with me from now on?"

"Eh?"

Her eyebrows naturally furrowed into a frown,

"I-I mean, I don't have any intention of doing that... But... you know..."

"When mistakes happen, you should first think about 'what to do next.' Isn't that how it works? With companions... no..."

The warrior took a small, shaky breath, then said,

"—That's what friendship is about."

"…………Ah…………"

That's right.

I'd forgotten.

It's sweet.

He really is a soft-hearted fool. This guy.

Tears, which should have settled, threatened to spill again—then the "Gambler" looked up.

He couldn't fathom the struggle behind the words the girl had just spoken.

Losing a companion she'd thought of like a sister—surely that wasn't something trivial.

...But.

If she said it like that...

Then I have no choice but to face it head-on.

That's right, I truly mean it.

There, the "warrior" straightened up, as if regaining composure,

"Then, that's settled....Let's go, 'Gambler.' I can't linger here too long."

"Wait a moment."

Before he realized it, the "Gambler" had spoken out with sudden urgency.

"What is it?"

And then, an unexpected promise—unlike him at all.

"I heard there's a 'miracle worker' in Chiba who has the ability to revive the dead—just a bit away from here."

"…Huh?"

"It's said that it requires an unimaginable price to be paid. …Once the battle against the 'King' is over, I'm going to head there. And I'll bring Hanei Saiba back to life—absolutely, without fail."

It was a rather uncertain piece of information, after all.

By the time they realized it, the gambler had clearly declared it.

"Absolutely," they said.

"Resurrection of the dead, huh?"

The warrior muttered, as if speaking about someone else.

"Well, it's not entirely impossible. After all, the gambler themselves came back from the brink of death."

"Yeah..."

The two girls briefly locked eyes.

"In that case, let's hope—just a little, but not too much."

"Yep."

And with a soft huff, the "warrior" turned her back and left the room.

After that, she rubbed her swollen eyelids vigorously and continued on.

No matter what obstacles lay ahead of her from now on,

they would never become a problem.

The girl who called herself a "Gambler" felt that way.