Sky garden.
A hidden place in the Rachel Temple where the Pope of Freya attends to her duties. In the back is a portal that leads to a pretty garden where she and her followers can take a break.
It is the Pope’s teatime. She is accompanied by a young lady with blue hair. Her eyes are covered by a white mask with a strange eye symbol in the middle. On her head is a large golden crown adorned with a red jewel in the center, similar to the Pope’s crown.
“Looks like our guest has arrived, Pope-chan-sama.”
The masked lady turns her gaze as she takes a sip from her teacup. The young girl sitting across her follows with her red, and purple eyes. What caught their attention was—
“—It’s a deviling.”
The Pope of Freya stares at the absurdity of the situation, while the two men besides her garbed in white and gold with capirotes over their heads prepare to cast their skill [Holy Light]—an offensive skill that deals magical damage effective against demons and the undead.
Devilings are rare aggressive monsters in the form of a slime with devilish wings, horns, and a smug grin. This Deviling, however, was tamed, and thus caused no trouble.
A puff of smoke appears where the Deviling is standing. The smoke disappears, and in its place is a young woman with short purple hair. Four more Devilings appear with her. Her clothes suggests that she’s a Stalker—specialists in spying, sabotage, and stalking. In this world, Stalkers were usually tasked with the
“It always amazes me how you easily sneak pass all those guards, Arisa-chan~”
The Pope’s guards stand down.
“I could’ve stolen your Pope from under your nose. Aren’t you a bit worried about the security here?”
Arisa proceeds to wave her hands in the air as if pressing, and swiping on something. A neat stack of crystal mirrors tied up as to not damage them, as well as a bag of witherless roses, and various herbs appear out of thin air.
“You could’ve just stored these in our storage, you know!”
The masked lady touches the mirrors, and the bag. They disappear into thin air just as they appeared.
“And here’s for the Pope.”
A piece of cake appeared out of thin air. The Pope begins eating the cakes. It did not disappear despite her touching them.
“Well, Pope-chan-sama, I’ll leave you to your cake. I wanna talk with Arisa here in my office”
The masked lady leaves her teacup on the saucer, and stood from her chair.
“Goodbye, Cespoirs. Thank you for accompanying me on my break again.”
“Niren-san’s been too busy lately, so I’ll be your second Niren anytime! Bye-bye~”
“Ah. I’ll leave my devilings here for now. Keep a close eye on the Pope, everyone.”
The devilings on Arisa’s body responds to her command. The four of them jump off her body and occupies the chair where Cespoirs stood up from, and the table. Uneasiness could be felt through the guards’ capirotes.
Arisa, and Cespoirs leave the garden through the Portal, leaving only the Pope, her guards, and the devilings.

◆◆◆

Cespoirs was given an office, and lodgings in the temple not only as a reward for dealing with the mess with Freya’s extremists, but also for her to keep quiet about the dark secrets she has uncovered. She has been helping the church using her knowledge as a Creator—specialists in potions, chemicals, and the manipulation of nature—, as well as keeping the Pope company, and telling her stories about the outside world.
“So why did you call me out here, Miyu-senpai?”
“Miyu-sen— It’s been months since we left that world! It’s Cespoirs now! Cespoirs!”
Cespoirs, and Arisa are avatars summoned by the being who governs their previous world. Avatars are summoned by higher beings as representatives, as well as a way to interact with the world. They get certain abilities beyond those of the natives. These abilities range from something simple such as being able to gauge their own stats, and abilities to being in control of a pocket dimension where they can store a limited number of select objects found in the world.
“Well, first of all, you’ve got quite the loot this time! Arisa-chan’s always been working hard for me! I’m so happy!”
Cespoirs leans over her desk to try and give Arisa a smooch.
Arisa uses her skill [Hiding] in response. [Hiding] makes the user invisible, but it’s an inferior skill because it is still able to be broken by detecting skills. What makes this the proper skill to use in this situation is its ability to also render most attacks useless.
“Just get to the point already.”
A very annoyed voice from the seemingly empty seat said.
“I need you to get married.”
“E-EEEEEEEEH!?”
Arisa broke her [Hiding] skill due to the surprise.
“You’ve been training so much in Dremuci Forest. You’re strong enough to get us more money.”
“What does that have to do with me getting married?”
“Don’t sweat the details for now. Your primary goal is finding the sign.”
“The sign? You’re not making much sense to me, sen— Cespoirs-san...”
The look of discomfort on Arisa’s face was very clear. In her original world, Cespoirs—who was known as Miyu in that world—was a grade higher than her. It was only right for her to refer to someone as such with “senpai”.
“Cespoirs-san!? I told you already! Just Cespoirs! Anyway, it’s just as I said. You need to find the sign. Specifically, the ones that can be found in Alberta, Payon, Prontera, Geffen, and Al De Baran. You only need to go to one of those places. You’ll know it when you see it.”
After giving a confirming nod, Arisa uses the skill [Chase Walk]. It is superior to the skill [Hiding] for its ability to give its user a way to move more freely while unseen, being unable to be broken by any detecting skills, and improving its user’s strength. Area of effect attacks, and skills are able to break the spell, however, and makes the user’s footprints more prominent.
“Jeez! You leave just as quickly as you visit! You’re so unfair, Arisa-chan!”
Cespoirs shouts at the footprints leaving through the door.
She waves her hands around and remotely adds Arisa to a party. This allows them to communicate telepathically and also to know each other’s status and location.
◆◆◆

Geffen. The city of magic.
A city built sunk in the ground. It is believed that the city was built by Wizards of the past using their magic. It is home to aspiring mages, and wizards. The buildings are made of bricks, and the roads of cobblestone. It is impossible to ignore the looming tower in the middle of the city—Geffen tower.
Geffen is a long way south-east of Rachel, but this was not a problem for Arisa, and her devilings. There exists a warp service in every city to facilitate the travel of adventurers, and merchants.
Arisa took the route of going to Geffen for its reputation of being magical place.
Knowing senpai, it’s probably not some ordinary sign she’s asking me to look for—
“—Looooooook where yooooooou are going, miss.”
“Ah. I’m very sorry— Y-You’re a talking cow!”
Arisa was so lost in thought, that she had not noticed the large white cow, and bumped into it.
“How ruuuuuuuuuuude.”
“Ah! I’m really sorry! It just surprised me to see a talking cow. This really is the city of magic...”
“I’m guessing yoooooooooooou are not from around here.”
“Yes. If it is possible, could you point me to the nearest inn?”
“Yes. Just follow the outer road going north-east. ‘Ifrit’ is the only inn in Geffen. Yooooooou can’t miss it.”
Geffen consisted of two main roads. The outer main road, and the inner main road. These roads go in a circle around the Geffen tower.
“Thank you very much, cow.”
Arisa bids her farewell to the cow, and makes her way around the outer road.
She passes through markets surrounding the outer road. Eventually, she arrives at her destination.
It is a building made of bricks and stone. In the center of the roof is a tower topped with a metallic sign with the word, “Ifrit”.
As Arisa approached the entrance, one of her devilings started feeling uneasy. It could tell something dangerous was approaching, but it was too late. From the inn came the source of the its uneasiness.
It was a small pink slime monster. It had angelic features like wings, and a halo. Despite its appearance, it was clearly staring at Arisa’s deviling with murderous intent.
This monster is an angeling. Angelings, like devilings, are rare monsters found in the wild. It is from the race of angels, which made it the natural enemy of Arisa’s deviling.
The angeling started to cast a mid-level holy-attribute attack.
“Raphi! Come back here!”
It was a soft voice that’s trying to be like a mother disciplining her child, but also trying to not be loud enough to be a nuisance. The source of the voice soon appears, and grabs the angelic slime monster, pacifying it.
“I-I’m sorry about that… He is usually not like this— Onoe-senpai!?”
Arisa was taken aback. Only people from her original world would refer to her as “senpai.”
The one who called out to Arisa was a pretty girl in a blue habit. Her light blue hair shows outside the coif she is wearing. Surrounding her are three more angelic slimes of different shapes, and colors. Two of them are cube-shaped, and the other one looks like a blue angeling. At first glance, you could tell that she is a Priest—a class capable of support spells, healing, and offensive holy magic.
Another girl follows the priest. Under 150cm, you can’t assume this girl is any older than an elementary school student. She had red eyes, and long flowing silver hair tied at the ends. Her red and white garb looked foreign, but it was clear that she is a Soul Linker—masters of spiritual powers, calling upon the spirits of their ancestors to improve
“Sana-dono, is there something troubling thee? Oh? If it isn’t the track team star. Umu. Very interesting.”
“Nene-senpai!? And you’re Īda-san from the archery club!”
“I see thou hast been transported here too, eh? It’s amazing how fate hath brought us here together in Geffen.”
Nene’s face shows an aura of confidence seemingly forged from centuries of experience. In their original world, there was a rumor floating around that Nene was actually an incarnation of a fox god… but of course, none of it was true.
“Miyu-senpai asked me to look for a sign in Geffen. Is there a chance you two might know anything about it?”
“Like that one? Miyu-dono is here, too? Umu. Very interesting indeed.”
Nene points to a large sign by the entrance.
“It’s… in a different language?”
“That’s right. Someone hath been paying to keep it up despite no one being able to read it.”
“...Is she playing a prank on me? Well, I better tell her about you two, either way.”
The annoyance in Arisa’s face was obvious. Cespoirs was the type to just do anything she wants, so Arisa has not ruled out the possibility of the whole thing being a joke.
“Would you care joining us for dinner, s-senpai?”
Sana asked meekly. She was never good around people in the first place.
“I have nothing better to do anyway, and it’s getting dark... I guess I’ll have dinner with you, and stay the night.”
The girls make their way inside the inn.
The inn was brightly lit. The floor was made with blue stone slabs, and the walls with blue bricks. In the center are two counters facing away from each other, with an inn staff occupying each one. There were tables around the room which could accommodate people for meals, and drinks, though, only two of the eight tables were occupied.
“Welcome back, dear patrons.”
The inn employee courteously greeted the girls, and bowed her head. She had noticed that a new person has joined them.
“This girl is coming with us.”
“Understood. Will she be needing a room to stay?”
“That is not needed. We three will be sharing the same bed.”
“Understood.”
Arisa’s face twisted. Hearing that the three of them would share a bed made her very confused.
“I could pay for my own room, you know.”
“Thou art our guest for tonight, Arisa-dono. Thou shall not need to spend a single coin so long as we’re here.”
Arisa had no choice but to accept the situation. Unlike Arisa, Nene and Sana did not have the support of someone who had merchant knowledge and skills like Cespoirs, which she needed to learn to become a Creator in the first place. They had little money to spend, so they’ve been sharing beds, and eating cheaply at inns.
The girls headed to the table on the southeast corner of the room.
As they all take their seats, a waitress approached them, and handed menus.
“What would it be for tonight, dear patrons?”
“I shall have the cheapest meal set!”
“Umm… I-I’ll have the cheapest meal set, too…”
“What about thee, Arisa-dono? Thou can choose anything from the menu? It shall be on us.”
“I guess I’ll take the cheapest meal set you have, too.”
It didn’t take Arisa much time to think. She had already grasped that these two weren’t as fortunate as her, and Cespoirs.
The girls all started eating their meal. Their main mean is something called “Fried Grasshopper Legs”. With the name, you’d expect legs from the mantises found north-west of Geffen, but instead what they got was a whole grasshopper. Rather than fried, it looks like it was steamed. It was laying on its back, and a carrot is being held by its legs. They were also served honey grape juice.
Arisa who was used to fancy, and expensive food due to the money she and Cespoirs makes, was pretty disgusted with the idea of  eating insect-type monsters. Again, she had no choice but to accept the situation.
The girls had finished their meals, and are getting ready for bed.
Their room is small with only a big drawer, a desk, and a bed made for two people. It’s difficult to imagine how the three of them would fit.
Nene, and Sana sit on the bed, while Arisa prepares to make her report.
Arisa waves her hands around the air and gestures as if she were pressing buttons. A telepathic link was formed with Cespoirs. This is called [Messaging]—an ability exclusive to avatars that allow them to telepathically commuznicate with each other. It is required for the user to be aware of the target’s existence and identity.
“Cespoirs, I’ve found two girls from our world.”
“Oh! As expected from my Arisa-chan! Please confirm to me their identities.”
“First-year Sana Īda and third-year Nene Tsubota—”
“—Nenecchi is here!? How wonderful!! I will add them both to our party, so they can hear me as well.”
Nene and Sana started poking something in the air.
“Nenecchiiii!!!”
Nene and Sana both jump from the loud voice that suddenly entered their heads. Their ears were not physically damaged, but their “brain-ears” were utterly destroyed.
Arisa seems to have gotten used to this loudness already and was completely unfazed.
“Oww… My ears… M-Miyu-dono? Is that thee?”
“Nenecchi!! It’s been too long!!”
Cespoirs sounded like she was bawling. Arisa has known her long enough to know she wasn’t being genuine about it.
“Miyu-dono! It’s been long time!”
Nene’s usual smug and cool aura disappeared. She was acting like how she looks.
“Hello to you, too, Sana-chan!”
“H-Hello… Miyu-senpai…”
“You two better start referring to me as ‘Cespoirs’, by the way. Anyway, Arisa-chan, I need your report on the mission I gave you.”
“The sign you’ve lead me to… It’s in a different language! Are you playing a prank on me!?”
“A-Ahh! Arisa-chan calm down! That’s odd… Well, I know what the sign says anyway.”
“Then what was the whole point of this thing!?”
Arisa was visibly annoyed. She’s often calm and collected, but when it comes to Cespoirs, she just breaks down.
“Ehehe… I guess wanted you to do the quest properly…”
“Jeez! You really do anything you want, don’t you!?”
“Arisa-chaaaaan! Forgive me!!”
Cespoirs sounds like she’s bawling again, but Arisa already knew they were crocodile tears. It will never work on her.
“Let’s just get this going.”
“Okay. I need you to go to Prontera tomorrow, and meet with an archaeologist named Metz. Just tell him, ‘I’ve been following the signs…’, also… Sana-chan. Nenecchi. Can you come with Arisa-chan tomorrow?”
“Umu. I think Sana-dono, and I can come. But in return I want thee to lend thy assistance as well.”
“As expected of Nenecchi! Ask away!”
“We need to find the ‘Dagger of Edda’. Sana-dono and I have studied in the Juno library, and found that this artifact is able to open a portal to another dimension. I think this can be a way for us to go home—”
“—Eeeeh? Going home? That’s impossible.”
Nene suddenly went quiet. The shock of what Cespoirs said—and the way she said such depressing news so naturally with her usual cheerful and somewhat manic tone—hit her to the core.
“M-Miyu-senpai…? What do you mean?”
Sana who has been quiet for the whole conversation suddenly spoke up.
“It means what it means. It’s impossible for us to go home even with the ‘Dagger of Edda’. And I told you to call me Cespoirs, you know—”
“No! I refuse to call you Cespoirs! You have always been, and will always be Miyu-senpai to me! And what about our families and friends from the previous world!? Why do you act like you know so much, Miyu-senpai!?”
Sana was screaming. At the same time, she broke into tears. She was in complete rejection of what she just heard.
“That’s because she does, Īda-san.”
Arisa closed her eyes and lowered her head. She was in complete acceptance of this fact. She knows she wouldn’t have come so far if it weren’t for Cespoirs.
Everyone in the room were avatars representing the same higher being. One thing separates Cespoirs from everyone in the room, though. It is the fact that she is the main avatar.
Main avatars are the mouthpieces of the higher being they represent. Not only do they inherit their will, but also their knowledge and experiences beyond the world.
“I’m sorry I had to deliver it that way, Sana-chan, but it is true. I do know much. Even things outside of this world, or the previous one. As far as I know, that world we came from is only a memory now. Like waking up from a dream.”
“M-Miyu-senpai…”
Sana was convinced. Somehow, she felt like Cespoirs was not lying. She felt the presence of the higher being’s will in her words—the god who was governing their previous world.
Due to the shock and the fatigue the whole day brought them, Nene and Sana had no choice but to lie down flat on their bed.
“Sigh… I didn’t think it’d break them that much, Arisa-chan.”
Cespoirs had stopped telepathically delivering her messages to Nene and Sana to let them rest.
“Well, it’s not like I didn’t have the same reaction when you told me. It can’t be helped.”
“We better sleep too, Arisa-chan. I’m sure it has been a long day for you.”
“Alright. Goodnight, Cespoirs.”
“Goodnight to you too, my dear Arisa-chan! Pope-chan-sama! It’s time to sleeeep!”
Jeez! At least disconnect at the right time before yelling to your Pope, you idiot!
Arisa cuts the telepathic link between them, and proceeds to head to their bed.
She laid besides Sana. The three of them managed to fit in a bed made for two people. It must’ve helped that Nene was so small in the first place.
Too close.
Arisa was so close to Sana’s face. It was obvious that she cried herself to sleep. Despite this, Arisa couldn’t help but notice her features. She had very soft-looking lips, and pretty skin. Despite her eyes being a bit swollen, her beautiful eyelashes still stood out. Her sleeping face was cute, yet elegant. Arisa felt like Sana is someone she needs to protect.
Arisa’s face lit up a bright red.
Ahh! What the heck am I even thinking!?

◆◆◆
The sun was setting and it was time to go home, but Sana often stays to practice more in her archery club. She was carefully aiming for the target with a drawn bow. She was garbed in a white gi, and a navy hakama.
Besides her was Arisa. She was donning the same outfit as her. Sana was not part of the archery club rather she was known as the track field star in her school. Archery was a hobby for her, but it was obvious that she was just as good, if not better, in the art of kyūdō as she is in running.
Sana releases the bow.
Ah... I just can’t do it…
The arrow did not hit the target.
In contrast, Arisa’s arrow hit the bull’s eye cleanly.
“Īda-san, you need to work on your full draw. Here I’ll teach you.”
Arisa approached Sana. She went behind her, and grabbed her hands, still gripping the bow, and bowstring. Arisa dragged Sana’s hands to raise the bow over her head. She brings their arms down, and spreads them apart, partially drawing the bowstring. With her right hand, she pulls Sana’s hands to her cheeks.
“And release.”
Sana releases her hands from the bowstring, sending the arrow straight to the bull’s eye.
“T-This is amazing, senpai! I did it!”
Sana was so excited, she almost didn’t notice the situation.
“Yes. Good job, Īda-san.”
Arisa’s praise snapped Sana out of her excitement. She finally noticed the situation. Arisa’s hands were still holding Sana’s. They were very close. Her face turned bright red.
“Onoe… s-senpai…”
Sana awoke from her dream, or rather, it was a memory from her previous world.
She opens her eyes and sees Nene’s sleeping face. She feels something clinging to her.
“O-Onoe-senpai!”
Arisa was clinging to Sana as if she were a body pillow. In contrast to her calm and mature demeanor, Arisa moves around in her sleep a lot.
Arisa was awoken by Sana’s voice. She quickly noticed the situation, and released Sana from her grasp. She forced her body awake, and sat on the bed in seiza.
“Ah! I’m very sorry, Īda-san! I’ll make it up to you by treating you to breakfast!”
Arisa made a deep bow.
“O-Onoe-senpai! Please raise your head!”
“W-What’s going on here…?”
Nene woke up due the two girls’ ruckus.
“Nene-senpai, I’m going to be treating you two to breakfast. It’s time to wake up, and prepare now.”
“But…”
“It’s alright. I was just your guest for last night after all.”
The girls changed into their usual clothes, and made their way downstairs. They took the same table they did last night for dinner.
“What would it be, dear patrons?”
The same inn employee from last night approached them again.
“Get us the best breakfast you can serve.”
“O-Onoe-senpai... are you sure?
“Yes. I told you I’d treat you to breakfast, didn’t I?”
“Understood.”
The employee took their orders, and went away.
Just as Arisa had asked, they were served the best breakfast the inn could serve. For their main meal, the three of them were served “Special Toasts”. They were  large toasted breads garnished with huge amounts of meat, cheese, and vegetables. They were also served sweet pancakes that could rival those made by Thachentze. For their beverage, they were served an herbal tea mixed with royal jelly. It was pretty clear that they got a huge upgrade compared to last night’s dinner.
“Arisa-dono! C-Can we really have all this?”
The surprise was clear on Nene’s face. She’s been quiet the whole morning, but this had seemed to lift up her mood.
“Of course you can. Miyu-senpai left me with much more money than I needed anyway.”
The girls had started to eat their meal. While the expensive and delicious food did lift Nene and Sana’s moods up a bit, the atmosphere was still awkward and silent.
A loud and cheerful voice in their heads broke the silence.
“Good meowning, everyone!”
Eh… Meowning?
Arisa’s eyebrows furrowed.
“Umm… Miyu-senpai… A-About last night…”
“Sana-chan, I completely understand why you felt that way, so there’s no need to worry yourself, okay?”
“I-I still want to apologize! Please forgive me for last night, Miyu-senpai!”
“You can apologize by calling me ‘Cespoirs’ for now on.”
“S-Sorry, Miyu-senpai, but I refuse.”
Sana didn’t want to budge. Still calling her “Miyu-senpai” was her way of rebelling against this world. She didn’t want to forget the experiences, and memories she had from the previous world even if she can’t go home anymore.
“Uhh… Well, I guess that’s fine. Do what you want, Sana-chan. I won’t hold it against you~”
“T-Thank you very much, Miyu-senpai.”
“So what are you two planning to do now?”
“We are gonna join Arisa-dono on her quest.”
Nene, who has not spoken much the whole morning, spoke up. Her smug aura was finally starting to return.
“Oh! You made the right choice, Nenecchi!”
“And thou shalt tell us about the ‘Dagger of Edda’ in exchange.”
“Eh… I have been granted the omniscience of the god of our previous world, you know. And when I say you can’t go home with the dagger, you can’t.”
“Thy omniscience is pretty limited, is it not, Ces-dono?”
Nene said confidently while putting her fingers on her chin.
“Hmm..? How can you tell?”
“Umu. It is very simple. Thou hath expressed surprised at the sign Arisa investigated. Thou did not expect it to be written in another language, which tells me of thy knowledge about this world.”
Nene had caught Cespoirs in a checkmate.
“Fufufu. As expected of my Nenecchi. It is as you’ve said, the omniscience of the god of the world we came from doesn’t extend to this world, but I fully well know the ‘Dagger of Edda’ can only bring you to the place called ‘Ginnungagap’, and nowhere else. If you wanna challenge the wisdom and knowledge of a god, I won’t stop you, but I’ll definitely work you like a horse if you want the info on the dagger, so come visit me once you’re all done there, alright?”
“Of course, Ces-dono. Honestly, I hath been wanting to see thee ever since Arisa-dono told me thou hath been transported here as well.”
“Nenecchiiii! I’ve missed you soooo much too!! Ahem… Anyway, Arisa-chan, you know what to do now, right? I’ll leave everything to you.”
Cespoirs cuts off the telepathic link.
“Īda-san. Nene-senpai. We’ll leave for Prontera  immediately after we finish our meal, is that okay?”
“Understood, Arisa-dono.”
“Umm… Onoe-senpai… C-Can you call me by my first name from now on, too?”
“Only if you call me by mine, Sana. We are party members now after all.”
“G-Got it, Arisa-senpai!”
Sana gave Arisa a smile that is completely bereft of the traces of what happened the previous night.
I guess it’s fine staying in this world for a bit longer…

◆◆◆

After the Prontera, they were tasked by Metz the Archaeologist to meet with his associates and gather golden crumbs of a jewel called the “Sobbing Starlight”. With not much information given to them, the girls continue on to the next destination.
Comodo. A beach city famous for its pubs, casinos, and all other forms of debauchery.
“We’ve got 4 crumbs so far, huh? Guess we better head back to the casino and deliver these gifts to Dearles-san for the next one.”
“I-It’s amazing how many gifts we’ve bought, Arisa-senpai. It’s like your coffers never run out.”
Sana tightens her arms around a smokie doll Arisa bought her. It was a smokie with a cape, a propeller on its head and a star on its cheek. Arisa had noticed Sana looking at it with interest in the shop, so she bought it for her with her own pocket money.
Sana and Arisa entered the casino. Their eyes went to a certain silver-haired girl on the slot machines. Her face was a little red.
“Sana-dono! Arisa-dono! Come play with me!”
“Nene-senpai, have you been drinking?!”
“Ehehe… Just a little. Hic.”
Nene collapsed face first on the slot machines.
“Sigh… Well, I guess I’m carrying her. Good thing she’s so small.”
Arisa carried Nene on her back, and then went upstairs with Sana.
The girls had met with a grey-haired man in fancy clothes. He was playing on a blackjack table.
“I’ve got the ‘artsy’ items you’ve wanted, Dearles-san.”
Because Arisa was using one of her hands to support Nene’s weight, she had no choice but to gesture with one hand.
A sack of items containing an assortment of dolls and knick-knacks appeared out of nowhere.
“Ahh, so is this the stuff you brought? Lemme take a look-see…”
Dearles started scouring through the sack.
“Nice, nice. These’ll sell for—Err… I’m glad to say that you pass for now. I think you’re read for the next step. Now I’m gonna send you to Lamadin for part two of my test.”
“Eh!? More tests!?”
“Yeah I know…”
Dearles waved his hands, and suddenly, Arisa, Sana, and Nene were in a room made of stone. In the middle of the room is a floor of glass tiles cornered with 4 stone pillars.
They are greeted by a young lady in beach attire.
“Welcome to part two of Dearles’ exam where your sense of rhythm will be tested! My name is Lamadin and I’m in charge of grading your performance and determining your qualification.”
“P-Performance?”
“That’s right! During the test, you must dance to the beat of the music. Nifty, huh?”
Arisa put Nene down on the corner of the room.
“Dancing…”
“Talk to me when you’re ready!”
Arisa felt unsure about the whole thing. While it is true that Stalkers are known for their high agility which gives their body nimbleness, the thought of dancing slightly embarrassed her.
Well I guess it can’t be helped.
Arisa let out a deep sigh.
“I’m ready.”
“—Wait, Arisa-senpai!”
Sana put down the doll she’s been holding besides Nene, and stretched her arms towards Arisa.
“[Increase Agility]!”
A strong light formed around Arisa’s body then disappeared.
“Woah! My body feels even lighter than usual!”
“I-I’ll be rooting for you, Arisa-senpai!”
Sana’s spell and words of encouragement filled Arisa with determination.
“Alright. I’m ready.”
Arisa moved to the floor with glass tiles.
“The test will begin shortly. Please do your best~”
The music began playing from nowhere. Unexpectedly, it was a funky beat with sounds of synths and electric guitars. It wasn’t much different from music from her world she thought.
Arisa’s body began moving on its own. Her movements were fluid and graceful thanks to her high agility, but also to Sana’s magic.
Arisa’s devilings leapt out from her shadow to dance and fly around to the beat.
While dancing, she caught a glimpse of Sana. She was sitting besides the passed-out Nene while bobbing her head to the song. She was making the smokie doll with her hands as well.
How cute…
The music came to a halt.
“Well done! Congratulations! You passed the test! I’ll send a message to Dearles-san right away, so please go speak to him again.”
“Good job, Arisa-senpai! You looked great out there!”
“A-Ahh…”
Arisa’s face was red from embarrassment after she realized what just happened. Being forced to dance in front of her underclassman felt like she was being bullied.
Nonetheless, Arisa went to pick Nene back up, and spoke in a quiet, stuttering voice.
“L-Let’s go, Sana…”

◆◆◆

The completion of the “Sobbing Starlight” had brought Arisa and her companions to a quest from the gods.
They were tasked to bring balance to the land of the dead, Niflheim.
“I don’t want us to fight, but I can’t let you stop me. I’ve already sold my soul to the Dark Lord to become a living human again so I can’t give up now! We’ll have to battle!”
A hoard of monsters appeared from where the pleasant-featured lady was standing, the middle of a pentagram symbol.
Arisa thought that the monsters that appeared were easy. The biggest one that appeared was a humanoid figure that had a skull for a head with 3 pairs of eye-holes that glowed, and a bigger hole on the top. It had horns at the side of its head that spread horizontally. It also sported an otherworldly cape.
This must be the Dark Lord himself…
Sana and Nene had limited fighting experience however. All they could do is watch from the sides as Arisa eliminated all the smaller monsters.
Arisa was easily dodging all the attacks coming from the monsters. She slashed on them with their sword knocking them back to each other.
“[Bowling Bash]!”
The sword she was using was meant for Plant-type monsters, but it did a good job at dispatching the undead monsters that were summoned.
Arisa had noticed something passing in her peripheral vision.
It was the “Dark Lord” heading quickly towards Sana and Nene who were doing their best fending off against stray undead.
“Tch.”
Arisa used her skill [Backsliding] to quickly catch up with the “Dark Lord”.
The “Dark Lord” swings his arms aiming for the two girls when a shadow appeared before them.
Arisa and her devilings were sent flying through the air.
Still, she tried her best to stand back up.
“[Heal]!”
Sana had casted a healing spell on Arisa, but her level as a priest was too low for it to have any noticeable effect.
“I think I can take one more hit from this guy. I’ll dodge everything you’ve got! [Bowling Bash]!”
Arisa’s attacks weren’t too effective, but she did a great job dodging everything. But she knew she couldn’t just dodge forever.
Arisa was hit again. Her body went flying like it was a puppet whose strings had been cut. Her devilings bursted violently as well, leaving only one alive.
“Arisa-senpai!!!”
“Sana-dono, we need to get out of here!”
“B-But Arisa-senpai is…!”
Sana was desperately crying.
“It’s no use!”
“Arisa-chan died, huh? You two should get out of there. I’ll tell you what to do after.”
Cespoirs’ voice echoed in Sana and Nene’s heads.
Sana didn’t want to leave Arisa behind but they were left with no choice. Using her last blue gemstone, Sana casted a spell.
“[Warp]!”
A portal appeared from where Nene was standing and she disappeared. Sana tried approaching Arisa’s body, but a horde of undead blocked her way. She had no choice but to head to the portal as well.
“Arisa-senpai…”
Arisa’s body as well as her devilings disappeared.

◆◆◆

She opened her eyes and saw a familiar ceiling.
“I-I guess I’m back in Ifrit…”
She said with a grunt. She was back on the bed she shared with Sana and Nene.
“Arisa-chan, welcome back!”
Arisa heard Cespoirs’ voice. She looked around the room but no one else was there. It took her awhile to realize it was [Messaging].
“Cespoirs… The Dark Lord—”
“—Shh… Go back to my office for now. I’ll explain everything.”
Arisa makes her way back to Rachel Temple.
“Ah. Looks like she’s arrived.”
The door to Cespoirs’ office opened.
Inside the room was Cespoirs Sana, and Nene arranged as if they were called to the principal’s office. Arisa had noticed that her two companions were wearing different outfits. Sana was wearing a garb that looked like what Nene was wearing before but in blue, and Nene was wearing a white tunic with red accents that you would find acolytes to be wearing.
As soon as Sana saw Arisa’s face, she leapt from her seat and ran towards her. She hugged Arisa so tightly she could barely breathe. From her eyes, it was obvious that she’d been crying the whole time.
“Arisa-senpai! I can’t believe you’re alive!”
“Oh! So Arisa-dono was alive after all!”
“It’s not that Arisa-chan survived, more like she resurrected. It’s impossible to die in this world through usual means, you know.”
Sana looked at Cespoirs and puffed her cheeks. She was still clung to Arisa. She and Arisa had not experienced death in this world yet, because of their careful and humble lifestyle.
“Jeez! You never tell us anything, Miyu-senpai!”
“Ehehe. You never asked.”
Cespoirs said as she scratched the back of the crown she’s wearing.
“Anyway, why is everyone wearing different outfits all of the sudden?”
“I guess it’s time for me to explain. You two go back to your seats.”
Sana went back to her seat besides Nene, and Arisa took the seat opposite of them.

“First of all, what you fought there, Arisa-chan… That wasn’t the Dark Lord. I know you all heard the rumor about the Dark Lord being defeated by a certain High Wizard, but according to the information I’ve received from Rachel’s spies, it seems like the Dark Lord had made that wizard’s body his home as he recuperates. The Dark Lord is still alive, and resurrecting beings that are still alive just doesn’t make any sense. Rather, Arisa had fought is an illusion of the Dark Lord. Significantly weaker than the real thing.”
“You say that but he was still too much for me.”
“Yes, Arisa-chan. That’s why—”
A large and ornate white bow appeared out of nowhere, and dropped on the table.
“T-That bow! That’s the legendary Sherwood Bow! How the heck did you get your hands on it, Cespoirs!?”
The bow caught Arisa by surprise. She has heard stories of a legendary bow owned by great thief of the past from the thieves’ guilds. It perfectly fit the description from the stories she thought.
“Well, I know some people. Besides, bows just seem to fit you more, Arisa-chan. And for my next gift—”
2 quivers appeared the same way the bow appeared.
One quiver contained a hundred Silver Arrows, but Arisa’s attention went to the other quiver with fancy arrows.
“What’s inside this quiver, Cespoirs? There are only 5 arrows.”
Arisa picked the quiver of interest up.
“Oh that? Those are called Arrows of Counter Evil, and just as its name suggests, it’s the best arrow to use for undead and demons like that illusion.”
“Do you think I might be able to defeat him with these?”
Arisa touched the quivers and they disappeared. She hanged the bow around her body.
“Not quite. I have a few more gifts for you, and also for Sana-chan!”
“E-Even me?”
A tuxedo, a dress, and two diamond rings dropped to the table.
“Cespoirs? How are those gonna help me beat the illusion?”
“Remember what I said about you getting married, Arisa-chan? Well, I’m gonna have you marry Sana-chan!”
“E-EHHHH!?”
Arisa and Sana’s shock was in unison, while Nene was smiling proudly.
“Nenecchi was telling me about you two, you know.”
“B-But, Miyu-senpai… Isn’t this a bit too fast?”
“Well, you wanted to help Arisa-chan out, right? I don’t really want you risking yourself in that place, so I had you change into a Soul Linker so you could support her remotely. Marrying is the only way to do this.”
Arisa was keenly listening to what Cespoirs said. It made sense to her somehow.
“Why the tuxedo, though? We’re both girls, you know. And who would hold the ceremonies?”
“I just thought you’d look great in it, Arisa-chan! And it’s not like we’re in any hurry. The illusion isn’t really much of a threat. I’ve got Pope-chan-sama to agree with this! She doesn’t usually do stuff like this, but I guess she thought it’d be fun as well.”
“I mean, if it’s for the quest, I don’t mind getting married, but what about Sana?”
“I-I don’t mind, Arisa-senpai…”
“You know, you two can just divorce afterwards and hold another wedding in the future. Ehehe.”
Cespoirs told the two of them with a mischievous laugh.
“M-Miyu-senpai!”
“What about Nene-senpai?”
“I’m gonna be going to St. Capitolina Abbey east of Prontera to study as a monk as Ces-dono requested. I would stick around for thy wedding, however.”
“Yes. I’ll have Nenecchi trained so she can investigate the situation with the wizard and the Dark Lord. The wizard was described to have orange hair in twintails… Sounds like someone you know, right, Sana-chan?”
“C-Could it be…!?”
Sana gasped. She had been reminded of a classmate she had from the previous world.
“So there are more of us here, huh?”
“We can’t be too sure, Arisa-chan. That’s why I want to send Nenecchi out to investigate herself, and training her to be a monk then a champion would be the best decision since she’ll be able to defend herself with holy-property magic. For now, though, I still need you to get the sign from the gods. So you two better get married now!”

◆◆◆

Arisa adjusted her ascot, and tied her hair in a small low ponytail. She looked in front of a mirror.
“I guess this works.”
The door burst open.
“Arisa-chaaaan!! It looks so good on you!!”
Cespoirs was bawling as she dashed to grab Arisa’s shoulders. She couldn’t tell if they were crocodile tears or not.
“Ah! Get away from me! You’re too close!”
“I can’t help it! My Arisa-chan’s getting married!”
It was time for Arisa to head to the altar. The wedding was being held inside Rachel Temple. This place was special because it was not usually used for weddings.
Cespoirs was walking Arisa towards the altar where the Pope of Freya was waiting.
“H-Hello there, Pope-chan-sama.”
It needed to be done, but Arisa was still nervous about the whole thing.
Eventually, the Bride appears.
Sana was being walked to the altar by Nene. She was wearing a beautiful wedding dress with a veil on her face.
“W-Woah…”
Arisa muttered under her breath as her face lit up.
“Sana, y-you look so beautiful.”
“S-Senpai…”
Both of them were feeling extremely nervous, but they were able to do their vows and exchange rings properly.
“I wish you eternal happiness. No matter how dark the present may be, always stand by your loved one’s side and look to the future with hope. You may now kiss.”
Cespoirs hurriedly got up from her seat to cover the Pope’s eyes.
“C-Cespoirs? Your hands! I can’t see!”
“Go ahead! Kiss you two! I can’t let the Pope see this!”
“K-Kiss...? I-I don’t think I’m ready for this, Miyu-senpai…”
Sana’s face turned even redder. She looked down when—
Chu!
Arisa held Sana’s chin and kissed her. Contrary to what would be expected on weddings, the kiss was light and quick.
Both their faces turned even more hot and red. It looked like a puff of smoke came out from Sana’s head.
“M-My first…”
“T-There we kissed! Let’s get this over with!”
“Kyaaaa! That was so good! Your honeymoon can wait. You two go change. Let’s prepare to see you off, Arisa-chan.”
Arisa and Sana awkwardly walked away from each other with their faces red, and headed to the changing rooms.

◆◆◆

“Seems like everything’s ready. Usually, you can’t use skills such as [Kaahi], and [Kaizel] on other people as a Soul Linker, right, Nenecchi?”
“It is as you say, Ces-dono. It would just leave the caster confused.”
“Now, Sana-chan, try casting [Kaahi] on Arisa-chan.”
“[Kaahi]!”
Arisa was briefly enveloped by a purple light.
“Amazing! Sana-dono did not need another Soul Linker, but it worked!”
“Yes. That’s why I had them marry, Nenecchi.”
“Umu. I can see where thy plan’s going now, Ces-dono. As expected.”
“Now Sana-chan. Do a [Soul Link] and cast [Kaizel].”
“[Soul Link]! [Kaizel]!”
Arisa was now being enveloped by a purple light continuously.
What’s this? I can feel Sana’s presence and emotions. This must be the power of [Soul Link]...
“Now that everything’s ready. It’s time to transport her back to the witch, Nenecchi!”
“Roger that, Ces-dono!”
A portal appeared in the middle of the room.
“S-Senpai! I know death doesn’t mean much in this world, but… You still need to be careful, alright?”
“I’ll keep that in mind, Sana.”
Arisa stepped into the portal and disappeared.
“Sana-chan, what do you think about living together with Arisa-chan in Geffen?”
“E-Eh… I don’t mind, but why Geffen?”
“Because it’s time for us to make real zeny!”
Cespoirs cackled to the sky with her arms raised like a maniac.

◆◆◆

“Do you really think you have a chance of stopping me? Hmpf. Every fool must learn. Prepare to die!”
Arisa had returned to face the illusion of the Dark Lord.
“[Double Strafe]!”
Two silver arrows flew from the legendary bow, but it was not enough to cause significant damage. She and the illusion had been doing the same thing. The illusion catching up to her while she creates distance with [Backsliding] while doing damage with [Double Strafe]. Eventually, she had exhausted her quiver of silver arrows.
“Tch. I guess I have no choice. [Double Strafe]!”
Two arrows of Counter Evil flew from the bow. It was followed by two more. Despite the attack doing significant damage, it was not enough to finish off the illusion.
Arisa had thought she was being inconvenienced by Cespoirs again for giving her a limited number of the effective arrows. She was about to curse her under her breath when she realized why exactly she was casted with [Kahii] if she were going to fight in long range.
That Miyu-senpai… She should at least tell me about the whole strategy…
She was putting it in one final gamble.
Instead of using [Backslide] to create distance, Arisa had let the illusion approach her and—
“[Bowling Bash]!!”
She used her bow at an extremely close range. She had released the bowstring, but the distance was too close for the arrow to leave the bow. It was doing significant damage to the illusion. She repeated the motion of drawing and releasing the bowstring a few more times while dodging the illusion’s attacks.
Eventually, Arisa was hit.
Her body came flying through the air, but she recovered quickly. Her wounds immediately got healed.
“This must be Sana’s [Kahii]...”
Despite being far away from each other, Arisa could still feel Sana’s presence. Knowing this filled her with determination.
Arisa stood up and used [Chase Walk]. Because the illusion was a boss-type monster, it could easily feel Arisa’s presence.
Arisa approached the illusion in a blink of an eye. Sana’s [Soul Link] had made it so Arisa’s movements under [Chase Walk] would be improved.
Arisa became visible again, jumped and aimed her bow on the illusion’s skull a close range.
“[Bowling Bash]!”

◆◆◆

Sana was seated on a bench in the city. She was longingly looking at the big fountain in the middle.
“I’ve stocked up on supplies.”
“Ah. W-Welcome back…”
“Hmm? Something up, Sana?”
“N-No! It’s nothing, senpai… I just realized, we’ve sure come a long way, huh?”
“You think so? We’re still doing the same things, though.”
“T-That’s not what I mean… Jeez. You really can be so dense sometimes, Arisa-senpai.”
Sana’s voice got even softer. She lowered her head and pouted.
“A-Ah… Well, I think it doesn’t matter if we’re still doing the same things. I’d be alright doing this forever as long as you do it with me.”
Arisa reached out to Sana’s head and began to rub it as if telling her, “You did a good job making it this far.”
Sana’s face began to turn red in response.
“Haa… A-Arisa-senpai… Don’t you need to do some more farming today?”
“Right. Let’s get to it.”
Arisa let go of Sana’s head.
Sana began casting her spells.
“[Kahii]! [Soul Link]!”
“Looks like I’m all ready. See you later, Sana!”
“Be careful, senpai!”
Arisa threw a strange jewel in the fountain, and a portal opened up. She proceeded to the portal.
She was transported to a strange grassy plateau with floating buildings. Below the cliffs are nothingness. In the middle of the plateaus and the floating buildings is a huge column standing on a lower plateau. There were demons everywhere you look.
It was a place that would instill terror on anyone. It’d be easy to get mobbed by demons and die because of their sheer numbers.
Arisa, however, was filled with determination. Because of the [Soul Link], she could feel Sana’s presence. She was not alone in this alien world.
Sana was sitting on the bench waiting for her beloved senpai to return safely. With the [Soul Link] in effect, she felt Arisa’s presence. She gazed at the blue sky.
I guess it’s fine living in this world after all...