Yui now sat inside the grand halls of the Saionji mansion, her posture relaxed and unfazed as though the world hadn't just tried to tear her apart.
But the atmosphere around her was electric with tension.
Every single member of the Yuuna Faction had their eyes locked on her—some filled with unease, others with open hostility.
Weapons were clutched tightly, fingers nervously wrapped around hilts and triggers, as though they were expecting her to pounce at any moment.
A gentle, almost amused smile that gave away nothing.
Her gaze swept lazily across the room, as if the entire assembly of demons and skeptics didn't bother her in the slightest.
She winced, her body twitching ever so slightly.
Instantly, everyone around her stiffened.
A few stepped forward, the click of metal echoing as weapons were drawn halfway.
Suspicion thickened in the air like smoke.
But Yui merely raised a hand in reassurance, her tone light and casual.
"You don't have to worry," she said. "I just felt something inside me."
Her expression didn't change.
Still that same polite, calm face.
"Do you all wanna know what that is?"
She tilted her head slightly, as if genuinely curious whether they'd bite.
But behind that peaceful mask—beneath the words and charm—something darker was unfolding.
Her mana was being drained. Not slowly. Not subtly.
It was ripping away from her.
Being sucked out at such an alarming rate that her body was starting to weaken, the strength in her limbs threatening to falter.
And yet, she didn't let it show. She couldn't.
Because at this exact moment, she wasn't just here in this world—sitting on a cushion surrounded by wary eyes.
She was also deep inside Kouhei's subconscious, fighting another war entirely.
One body. Two fronts.
'What I do for love, huh?' she thought, biting down a grin. 'I just hope senpai keeps his end of the bargain~.'
"We are ready," Yuuna said calmly, her voice carrying a quiet resolve.
Yui turned to look at her.
In front of her stood all the members, prepared like a battalion on the brink of war.
Their expressions were grim, focused, and unwavering.
There was no hesitation in their posture—only purpose.
It might have been easy to think they were overreacting, but given the circumstances… this might as well have been a war.
Her eyes scanned the group.
"All of you plan on coming?" Yui asked, arching an eyebrow. "I don't think that's wise. Too many people will draw attention. This isn't something we want noticed, especially not there. How about we slim it down? Just four more aside from me. A group of five feels manageable."
There was a moment of silence as the others turned to one another, exchanging subtle nods and glances.
A quiet debate seemed to pass through them without a single word spoken.
They weren't just deciding who could go; they were deciding who should.
And eventually, the selection was made.
Yui. Hina. Nagisa. Aria. And Yuuna.
The only one among Kouhei's girlfriends not selected was Misuzu.
But when it came down to it, it made sense.
Misuzu, while capable in her own right, didn't possess the same resilience.
She was fragile—physically and emotionally. And someone had to stay behind.
So the decision, though difficult, was necessary.
"Alright," Yui said at last, a soft smile curving her lips. "This formation feels right."
"With that settled... let's move."
A quiet, haunting dream.
One that seemed far too beautiful—far too cruel—to be real.
About having a lover.
Something that should've always been beyond her reach.
But somehow... she had touched it.
It had slipped through her fingers like sand, yet for that brief moment—it was real.
It was enough to make her believe.
I really had someone...
That kind of miracle, to someone like her, wasn't just rare—
Because what she carried wasn't a blessing.
A curse that bound her body and soul.
Every single touch she gave... sparked uncontrollable orgasms in the other person.
Just brushing her skin could send someone into euphoric convulsions.
And if the contact lasted too long—if the pleasure spiraled out of control—it could kill them. Kill them in a climax of unbearable bliss.
So the idea of having a real lover—someone she could hold, feel, and not break—felt like a gift from a god she didn't believe in.
But fate, cruel as ever, had stolen him away.
What followed was an emotional collapse.
Despair crushed her ribs, rage burned in her veins, grief spilled like black ink across her mind.
She could feel the hand of Ayin—the very force that made her what she was—writing her fate in stone.
As if her destiny had always been solitude.
So in her dream, she sat there.
Knees hugged to her chest, head buried between her legs.
A trembling ball of sorrow.
Around her... there was nothing.
Pitch-black, suffocating darkness stretching infinitely in all directions.
No walls. No ground. No sky.
Just the cold, crushing weight of isolation.
Utterly, hopelessly alone.
A voice broke through.
Soft. Familiar. Warm.
She slowly lifted her head, her breath catching.
That awkward, endearing smile she hadn't seen in what felt like forever.
The one that made her heart ache from missing it so badly.
The one that made her believe she wasn't broken. That maybe... just maybe, she could be loved.
Suddenly, she jolted awake.
Her entire body flinched as she felt someone shaking her shoulders.
Her vision was blurry.
"You were mumbling in your sleep," Yuuna said softly, concern etched in her features. "Are you alright?"
Hina blinked, disoriented.
Then she asked, her voice barely above a whisper, "What name was I mumbling?"
Yuuna tilted her head. "Huh?"
"What name... was I mumbling?" she asked again—firmer this time, her eyes now clearer, more focused.
Yuuna hesitated. Her lips parted as she stared at Hina for a long second before she finally answered.
Hina went quiet for a moment, her gaze distant, then silently slipped herself out of the bed, her movements slow but deliberate.
"It's okay if you want to rest a little longer," Yuuna said gently, watching her from the side.
"No…" Hina shook her head faintly. "There's only three days left, right? I don't have the time to rest."
Yuuna stared at her, slightly stunned.
This was… the first time she'd ever seen Hina .
A woman who, for as long as she'd known her, had worn the same empty mask — no emotions, no reactions, just a void.
But now... now she was different. Her face was contorted in pain, urgency bleeding into every motion.
She looked shaken. Desperate. Fragile.
It was honestly shocking.
The despair and impatience that clouded her expression... it felt like seeing a completely different person.
But truthfully, Yuuna herself hadn't gotten any proper rest either.
They were all here together in this place now — far, far away from where they were.
And then— knock knock —a soft knock came at the door.
"Yuuna-sama," a voice called from the other side. "Our master would like to see you."
They were no longer anywhere near home.
Right now, they were deep in the most frigid place on the planet.
The coldest region in the world.
The continent of Antarctica.
They had come here using a teleportation circle — a complex one they were only able to activate after calling someone who lived here.
Someone with immense control over the element of ice. A whole clan that wielded such power.
And Yuuna... was acquainted with them.
She'd spoken with them beforehand, over the phone, carefully negotiating.
They had agreed to open a connection between their teleportation circle and hers.
Allowing them to fast travel across the globe in seconds.
They were here for a single reason.
A way to bring Kouhei back to life.