When Butterfly finished her story, silence weighed heavily in the room. She stared blankly at the table, Megumi sitting across from her, motionless.
I'm sure she hates me now. After all, the only reason I'm here is because I was recognized by Nexus for murdering so many…
Now and then, the faint drip of water from the kitchen sink broke the stillness. Then, all at once, Megumi pushed back her chair, which toppled to the floor, and rushed to Butterfly's side, pulling her into an embrace.
"Even if you did horrible things, you've changed!" Megumi shouted.
"You cared about your family and tried to protect them! Even when the odds were against you, you still fought for what mattered!" she said, her voice trembling as she tightened her embrace.
Butterfly's eyes widened in shock when Megumi suddenly jumped from her chair and wrapped her arms around her.
"Thank you, Megumi." Butterfly said, hugging her back, a single tear falling from her eye.
For a moment, the girls simply held each other, sharing the warmth of their embrace, until they slowly sank back together. Megumi's face was now covered in tears.
"You're such a crybaby, you know that?" Butterfly said jokingly, letting out a small chuckle.
"I can't help it… your story…"
Megumi tried to speak while wiping her tears, but her trembling hands only made it harder to talk. Butterfly gently lifted her chin and, with a soft smile, wiped her face with a napkin, like a mother comforting her child.
"My story is mine alone. The mistakes I've made, the good and the bad, they're all mine to bear. You shouldn't concern yourself with it too much. I… I'm just happy you could understand me."
With a warm smile, Butterfly gently caressed Megumi's cheek after wiping away her tears.
"You see, my family… They're what I want to wish for."
"You can bring them back to life?" Megumi asked, surprised.
"No, unfortunately I can't. The Grand Bell doesn't hold that kind of power. There are limits to what one can wish for and bringing back the dead is among them." She looked away for a moment, her voice softening.
"But… as long as my wish is just to talk with them, even for a little while… then it's possible."
"In that case, we need to win!" Megumi said, determined.
"Yes!" Butterfly smiled softly, the tension between them finally fading away.
She glanced toward the window, noticing how peaceful the world outside was.
"What do you say? Do you feel like taking a walk?"
Outside, the two walked around the area, enjoying the beautiful day, while a rare, cool breeze was blowing just enough to keep it comfortable.
"Megumi," Butterfly called out, trying to get her attention.
"What?"
"What do you think of the others—Sato, Asahi, and Blueblade?"
Megumi kept walking, taking a moment to think before answering.
"Sato, Asahi, and Blueblade, huh… They're nice, I guess. It's easy to get along with them. Why do you ask?"
"You don't really talk about how you're feeling," Butterfly said softly. "So I just thought I'd ask."
"I see."
The two continued walking in silence for a while, until Butterfly spoke again.
"Do you have a crush on any of them?"
Megumi froze in place the moment she heard that.
"Butterfly!" Megumi shouted, her face turning slightly red.
"C'mon now, it's just some girl talk! We didn't really get to chat at karaoke, so I thought this would be a good moment to ask."
"Jeez… No, I don't have a crush on any of them," Megumi said, quickening her pace to get ahead.
Butterfly smiled and easily matched her steps, walking beside her.
"In that case, what is your type?" she asked teasingly.
Butterfly felt at peace walking beside Megumi, laughing and sharing small jokes along the way. At one point, she took a bigger step forward, turning to face her with a smile. She raised her hand above Megumi's head, meaning to pat her gently.
Before she could, a sudden ripple of mana brushed against her senses. Her smile faded as she turned sharply, her daggers manifesting in an instant.
From around the corner, a tall figure emerged, a massive greatsword resting on his shoulder. The moment he saw them, he felt the mana from Butterfly and began walking toward them with heavy, deliberate steps.
"Finally, another hero," the man said, almost relieved. "What's it been, eight days since the competition started, and I can barely find anyone."
He readied his greatsword, locking his gaze on Butterfly.
"Who knows," she replied, smirking. "Maybe they're just scared of you. Ever tried not looking so intense all the time?"
After speaking, Butterfly tilted her head slightly toward Megumi, keeping the hero in front of her within her line of sight. With a quick motion, she signaled for Megumi to take cover.
"Hah, like that'll happen. If they get intimidated by something that small, they don't even deserve to be in this competition."
"I guess you're right—After all, there's nothing to be scared of now that I'm looking at you."
Megumi had already moved to a safe distance, ready to witness the battle unfold.
"You little—!" The hero growled, frustration twisting his voice.
He slammed his greatsword into the ground, and in an instant, the earth cracked open, a jagged line tearing straight toward Butterfly.
Butterfly dodged effortlessly, landing on the roof of a nearby house in a single graceful motion.
"Do you really think you can get away with mocking me?" the hero shouted.
He leapt high into the air, his greatsword glinting in the sunlight. As he descended, he aimed straight for Butterfly, who swiftly dodged to the side, and the house beneath her was smashed to pieces.
Such a short temper.
"Do you really think you can keep dodging forever? You'll get tired eventually and when that happens, you're finished. I can swing this sword all day if I have to."
Is that so?
Butterfly dashed in the opposite direction, throwing daggers as she moved. The hero deflected each one with his sword, growing more and more frustrated.
"Just come at me already! We're getting nowhere like this!" he shouted, his voice echoing through the street.
And it seems like he is impatient as well.
From a safe distance, Butterfly kept her eyes on him. That's when she sensed it, a strange, heavy mana hidden beneath him, as if something inside him was being forcibly suppressed.
Let's test something.
She stopped throwing daggers and abruptly changed direction, sprinting straight toward him. A smirk formed on the hero's face as Butterfly closed the distance, barely a meter away.
"You're mine now."
A thick burst of hot steam exploded from his body, rushing out to engulf her. But in that same instant, Butterfly's foot brushed the ground lightly, and she launched herself backward, retreating far beyond the cloud. The scalding air dissipated into the sky, leaving the hero standing there, confused and wide-eyed.
"But how?"
"Your mana gave you away," Butterfly said calmly
"Tsk."
The hero charged straight at Butterfly, no longer caring about what lay around him. Now that his ability had been exposed, there was no reason to hold back.
He swung his greatsword wildly—smashing it into the ground, through trees, and even into nearby houses, desperately trying to catch her. But it was useless. Not even once did he come close to touching her.
It seems like speed isn't exactly his strong suit.
Butterfly thought, watching his movements.
Still… he's not slowing down. He really can keep this up.
Both were on the ground when Butterfly noticed a hole in one of the buildings the hero had smashed earlier. Without hesitation, she dashed toward it, the hero charging right after her.
"You made the wrong move, woman. In this enclosed space, you've got nowhere to run."
"Do I now?"
Butterfly threw her daggers into the floor in front of her, then lifted her hand to her face, two fingers raised.
"Axiom—"
The moment the hero heard those words, he stepped back in a panic, trying to escape the building before he was caught inside her range, but it was already too late.
"Wonder Box!"
As her voice echoed, the room around them began to fade. The shattered walls and wooden beams melted away, replaced by a vast desert that stretched endlessly in every direction.
"A Axiom?!" the hero exclaimed, a hint of surprise in his voice.
"Scared?"
"Scared? Don't make me laugh. If this is your Axiom, you just made things easier for me. There's nowhere for you to run or hide now."
Once again, the hero charged at her, hot steam pouring from his body as he ran, unaware of what a Axiom was truly capable of.
"Indeed," Butterfly said, raising her hand, ready to flick her fingers. "If this were all my Axiom could do, I'd be at a disadvantage."
She smiled. "But it's not."
With a snap of her fingers, the scenery shifted instantly. The desert around them dissolved into deep blue, and within a heartbeat, both were submerged underwater.
The steam surrounding him vanished at once, swallowed by the ocean. His movements slowed as he struggled to process what had just happened, helpless against Butterfly, who now swam swiftly toward him, daggers glinting in her hands.
With ease, Butterfly swam past him, striking again and again as she looped around. His blood mixed with the water, leaving a trail of dark burgundy that slowly bled into the blue surrounding them.
The hero began to glow, his body slowly turning into a source of light within the water. In the next instant, that light shattered, fading into countless fragments as Butterfly released her Axiom.
Back in the torn house, the remaining traces of the hero's mana slowly dissipated into the air, returning to Nexus.