A/N: I will do my best to keep this part brief.
Hello all! For Yunyun's birthday, February 29th (which only comes once every four years!), I have decided to release the first 5 chapters of a fic I have been writing for close to a year now.
This is a Reader (YN - "Your Name")X Yunyun fic I've been writing for about a year now. As of posting, I have around ~120k words of this fic written out, totaling around 20ish chapters.
While this story is mostly lore friendly to Konosuba, I have only taken small liberties with it for the sake of the Reader's involvement in the story. The Reader does NOT insert over Kazuma or anyone else in the series, but rather, is their own additional character.
For context, this story actually begins before the first season of the anime canonically, during the prequel series 'Kono Subarashii Sekai ni Bakuen wo' or 'KonoSuba: An Explosion on This Wonderful World!' (sometimes commonly called "the Megumin spin-off/prequel" or simply "the 'explosion' Konosuba anime").
While my main forte is Re:Zero as a fic writer (RemxReader), I wholeheartedly enjoy Konosuba as a close second for my favorite series and really wanted to write for this series as well.
Thank you and please enjoy!
(Fic header art is drawn by @AbhorTheRent, chapter 1 art by @perfArt_ )
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Inside the fortune telling shop at the outskirts of the Crimson Demon Village, Yunyun sat still in her chair, hesitant on whether she should ask a question that had begun to burn inside her.
Bukkororii, the Crimson Demon's foremost NEET had just run out of the shop, heart-crushed by a fortune foretold to him that was somehow worse than what he had expected to hear. While Megumin had run after him, due to him still owing a meal to her and her younger sister, this left Yunyun alone with the fortune-teller, Soketto.
Yunyun had only ended up here by getting roped into the fiasco involving her rival and the NEET, whose goal was simply to get more information about the fortune-teller herself. Bukkororii had asked Soketto to read his fortune in the process, and had specifically requested to know who his future partner in romance would be. With nothing appearing in the crystal ball Soketto had waved her hands around, using her magic of Divination, this had been the catalyst for Bukkororii running out.
Yet, as the onset of an idea forged from this escapade was fostered in Yunyun's mind, before she too got up to leave, intent on chasing after her rival, she remained seated.
"Umm... Soketto-san..."
While the fortune-teller was wrapping up the brief session she had hosted for the NEET, she turned back to see the timid twin-tailed girl was still in her shop.
"Hmm? Is there something wrong?"
Tilting her head as she said this, Soketto hadn't even realized the girl was still here. Being acknowledged now though, Yunyun began to nervously fidget with her hands as she broke eye contact, casting her crimson eyes downward as she worked her hardest to steel her nerves.
"Well... I... I w-was wondering if it would be possible for you to read my fortune too..."
Soketto could only warmly smile at the innocent girl's request. After all, how could she say no? She had asked so politely.
"That shouldn't be a problem. Here, let me get set back up."
Putting her crystal ball back between them on the table, the fortune-teller took her seat again as she once more waved her hands around the orb that revealed future premonitions.
Soketto was a skilled fortune-teller, there was no denying that. Her skill in it came only second to her own beauty, which she was widely regarded to be the most beautiful among the Crimson Demons.
Least to say, Yunyun right now with her burning question, was in very good hands on it potentially being answered.
Ready to hear her request though, Soketto nodded to Yunyun.
"Alright, what is that you'd like to know? What aspect of your future shall I shed light on?"
Being asked this broad and foreboding question, Yunyun swallowed hard as she did her best to keep her composure.
I-I didn't think I could get this far by just asking! H-How should I phrase it...?
Thinking hard as to what exactly she should ask, Yunyun took an extra second to get her wording exactly right.
"I... I'd like to know... Who—"
While Yunyun already knew what she wished to ask, she still needed to rationalize to herself what it meant.
Even though I consider Megumin a friend... I can tell she might not even see me as a competent rival yet... And maybe that will never change... So I have to ask this. I want nothing else in this world...
Inside Yunyun, she desired only one thing at the end of the day—
"—W-Who will be my first, true friend?"
Forcing herself to blurt out the words as crudely as possible, it was the only way for Yunyun to ask this of Soketto.
"A-Ahh... I see... I uhhh, I should be able to answer that. That is within my power to foresee. Hopefully."
In truth, Soketto could only manifest from within her the tinge of second-hand embarrassment for Yunyun's sake. While one could say her question was childish at best, it even bordered on desperate sounding, something even Bukkororii had managed to avoid appearing as when he asked for his fortune to be told.
Still though, using her Divination, Soketto consulted her crystal ball with Yunyun's earnest request.
While it might make my skills look like a farce, I'm not enthusiastic that this reading will be any different than it was for Bukkororii... Soketto kept her worry hidden in her thoughts though, hoping Yunyun wouldn't be too distraught over a lackluster, or even non-existent answer from the crystal ball.
But to each of their surprise—
"H-Hey! There's something coming into the picture!"
Too distracted from her own worried thoughts on how to best quell this outcast girl's sorrow when the bad news from her fortune came, Soketto hadn't noticed her crystal ball doing anything until Yunyun had exclaimed as such.
From within it's glossy exterior, a smoke formed, and slowly dissipating—
"—A person. There's a figment of an image emerging. I will try and make it clearer..."
Not having expected anything, or for that matter anyone to show up in her crystal ball, Soketto too now was almost as intrigued as Yunyun was.
Getting the picture to clear up as best as she could, amidst the smoke that cleared from view, appeared to be a splotch of the blue sky up above, as if the perspective of the crystal ball was facing directly upwards.
"— — —"
Waiting with baited breath, Yunyun watched as the scene cleared up more.
"That's odd... I did not intend to foretell the weather..."
Convinced this too was simply a blue sky coming out from behind the clouds, Soketto admittedly felt this was her Divination's kind way of telling Yunyun it did not have an answer for her, yet as she went to say that—
"—Wait! That blue... it's..."
It was hair, that much was apparent now as things went on. With a face coming into view now, it was obscured by the lingering smoke, leaving very little detail to it, however, what was still obvious was the sky-blue hair on this person.
"I... I think this is a boy. It's hair, but we still can't see the face..."
Trying her hardest, Soketto tried to get a clearer picture not only for Yunyun's sake, but also her own growing curiosity. Never before had her fortune-telling made her this intrigued, and with as much of a challenge as it was presenting even her, it only fueled her curiosity of it.
Yet, just as the face was beginning to clear up—
"Red..."
Saying what she saw, Yunyun saw the crystal ball on the table turn a striking shade of bright red, yellow, and orange, completely drowning out the blue that had been in its place. With the ball now returning to how it had once been, Soketto sighed.
"I'm afraid that's all that is willing to be revealed. I cannot shed any further light on this question."
Somewhat left unsatisfied by the brief teaser she was shown, nonetheless Yunyun did feel a sense of excitement still. After all, there was someone who had shown up in this fortune-telling, for the lonely girl, that was enough to feel joy over.
"This was very helpful actually, Soketto-san. Thank you."
Bowing her head at the fortune-teller's efforts, Yunyun went to stand.
"I should go and find Megumin now..."
"Hmm, I understand."
Wrapping her crystal ball back in the cloth she had intended to cover it with earlier, Soketto removed it from the table as Yunyun turned to depart. As the twin-tailed girl was just leaving though, Soketto still couldn't quell the curiosity growing in her, and called out to her one last time.
"If you end up meeting this mystery person, let me know."
Saying this with a warm smile, Yunyun nodded to her.
"I will. Thank you again."
Departing from her shop, Yunyun stopped as she exited the building. While the sunset now falling on the village she called home was not unlike the hue of red, yellow, and orange that had blocked any further details on this 'one true friend' she had seen in the crystal ball, Yunyun still vividly recalled the brief seconds she had seen the finer details of this person. Holding her hands to her chest, she gently whispered to herself, as if it reminded herself better of what she saw.
"Blue hair..."
With only a small aspect known of someone who was to supposedly be her 'first true friend,' Yunyun felt her heart skip as she dwelled upon the minute detail.
Unable to hide the wide smile forming on her face, she held her hands to her face as the hot blush on her cheeks radiated out.
"One day soon, friend-san... I will meet you!"
Letting her mind run wild with all sorts of things her and a friend; someone who'd always want to hang out, and wouldn't get annoyed by her could do together, Yunyun ran off in search of her rival, keen on at least for the time being, helping her.
***
"— — —"
Words! He thought, but no words could be said.
"— — —"
Breath! He yearned for, but no lungs could he fill.
"— — —"
Sound! He listened for, but could not hear.
"— — —"
Sight! He searched for, but could find none.
Rendered from his fate, he had felt no pain, but now, so far from home, he was now left without the one thing he had been able to take with him on his journey.
I... I guess when you die, there's no need for a body...
Still, even in death, he felt he should at least have some sort of vessel for his consciousness to inhabit.
"— — —"
He was but a speck of light, —perhaps what could only be described as his bare soul.
Unable to have the sensation of any real feelings, bad or good, he existed in this place until—
"YN-san."
From out of this nothingness he found himself in, finally a sound pierced through the void.
His name of all things had been spoken.
"Welcome, to the afterlife."
Instantly, YN's thoughts were a buzz of activity. He had well and truly died, and had done so, so far from home.
"You died only a few moments ago. But while your death was tragic, it was also heroic."
Recalling the last few seconds of his life that he could, YN felt the fear he had before shutter his entire being.
I... I remember an explosion... and a face... No... an expression... It made me feel... odd.
As his mind dwelled on these morbid thoughts, the voice from before spoke out more.
"Even while your actions before death were commendable... I'm afraid the circumstances you face here are a result of how you died, and where you died, not because of the significance of it."
Hearing this, if he had a throat, he felt like he might swallow this news rather hard. After all, it seemed even after death, he was still facing adversity after adversity.
"My name is Aqua, the goddess that guides all souls of young men who have died in Japan to the afterlife."
With this other voice's name and identity now known, YN still was unable to respond, and could only listen on.
It is true I died in Japan... So far from home... But I won't lie... This 'afterlife...' This doesn't feel as scary as I thought it could have been...
"Normally, I could grant you one of two choices, to either be reincarnated back in your world or to go lounge around in heaven like an old geezer, however..."
As the owner of this voice, Aqua, said this, her tone slightly changed, as if she herself were confused about the strangeness of this all.
"Because of the way you died... There was just nothing left. It all vanished. Even your soul barely survived it. Right now, if even the smallest thing went wrong in going to heaven, or being reincarnated, you'd truly cease to be. Death in the truest of terms."
With neither thing being an option to him, YN wondered why his soul had even bothered being moved to the afterlife at all.
I barely remember what killed me... An explosion... I don't remember much from just before it, but I think I remember protecting someone... I wish I could ask this Aqua lady if they ended up being okay...
"However, due to your valiant deed before death, and a small problem I have going on... I may be able to entice you into a third option."
Surprised to hear this, YN awaited an explanation of just what this third option entailed.
"A parallel world that has enjoyed peace for many, many years is now under threat by the Devil King's army! The lives of all the people that live there are now being trampled upon by monsters and all other types of foul beings. The fear felt by everyone due to the Devil King is overwhelming, so much so, no one who dies there ever agrees to reincarnation, so the population is shrinking all the time. This is why normally I offer to send souls off to that world to someone who has died in yours; to bolster its numbers."
Even as YN thought of how cliché this all sounded, he nonetheless had no way of protesting or questioning it in his current state.
"The way I make this more appealing, is that those that do choose this option, get to keep their memories and their body, unlike how being reincarnated back into your world would be."
And I, of course, lack one of those things now...
"Even those who become badly mangled by their death's usually retain more than enough of their body to be reconstructed before being sent off to this world. Your case is just that bad though... You have no body to be sent there in."
While he wished he could kick a wall or something, curse his fate, or anything to vent his frustration, YN simply let the goddess go on.
"Now you may be asking yourself 'Aqua-sama, why would I go to another world just so I can die painfully again!?' Well, that is because those who do choose the third option, get a huge favor from me!"
Alright, I'm listening... Not that I have a choice in the matter...
"Those that do commit to the third option, are granted the right to bring one thing of their choosing to this new world. An all powerful weapon, a skill or power that is second to none, almost anything is fair game, and that's where I believe you might find a solution to your problem."
'Anything I want' huh? Like a body... But if all I'm getting is a body...
"While my one boon to you could be a new vessel for your soul to be in, it would be only that. You'd have no magic sword or special skill to vanquish your foes. You would be just as you died, normal beyond belief."
Even having such mundane things levied to him, YN understood it would at least be a new beginning, something he had been searching for from the get-go anyway. It was what ultimately led to his death after all, and why he had been in Japan to begin with.
"Creating a new body for you to have is normally outside the scope of my ability however, just as it would be asking for more than one thing to be given to you, but that is where my offer here becomes slightly... off the record."
As if she was now whispering to him, the voice went quieter.
"I can give you a new body, but only if you help me out with something... You see, the head arch-priest of the Axis Order, the sect that exclusively worships me in this parallel world, has been falsely accused of colluding with the Devil King's forces... to which the punishment is execution. Obviously, a goddess cannot forsake her own pontiff, so I must intervene. If you can deliver the evidence needed to free him, the body I can give you will become yours to own."
Wait, you can give me a body, but I won't own it until I run your errand?!
Thinking there had to be a reason for this, it was conveniently answered for YN.
"Like I said, creating a body for you isn't an easy task, as the most I could manage is making it temporary. Buuuut should you free that arch-priest, he should be able to bless that body with holy magic, and make it so it doesn't just fade away to nothing."
Admittedly, YN couldn't fault this as a bad deal. He was getting a new body, and a new start at life, and all he essentially had to do was be a messenger boy one time.
Alright, I agree.
"Since I sense you don't have a problem with this arrangement, I will do just that now."
Feeling a sensation all around his white-spec of a soul, YN could feel things begin to change for him now. While the goddess had said he had only died 'a few moments ago,' it still felt like hours to him, so this was a welcome shift.
"While I can't give you any powers or abilities for this new body to have, I will promise you one thing... I will see to it that your appearance fits your mission."
As a slough of new feelings seemed to overwhelm his soul, the voice of the goddess speaking to him became more and more distant.
"Fear not, for you will be able to speak and read the language of your new home world. You will find all that you need on your person for your task, but you must hurry once you arrive! I fear the arch-priest will not have much time left."
Unable to ask any followup questions of any sort, YN began to feel himself be whisked away by a warm sensation filling up what remained of his being.
Given his mission, YN was sent to this new world, where a lifetime of adventure was sure to begin.
***
Steadily, the rousing sensation of consciousness entered into his newly acquired skull. For the first time in a long while, YN had the return of all his senses.
A mild, soft breeze wafted across his face, as he felt he was lying down. A sharp bright light, one that must belong to the sun, rested on his closed eye-lids as they slowly began to open. He could smell the faint aroma of what could only be described as fresh flowers, and filling his ears was the soft sound of water flowing about, as if he was near a waterfall.
Picking himself up, he sat on the ground. The very first thing he did now in this new body though, was look at his hands.
They seemed exactly how he remembered them from before death. Patting his own torso down, he found he was in fairly basic clothes, cotton pants, and a cotton long sleeved shirt. His physique seemed the same too, but what he noticed when searching himself was the crinkle of parchment under his shirt. Reaching inside to see what it was, YN uncovered a bound and sealed letter. Reading the outside of it, it was simply addressed to 'the prosecution against Zesta-sama.'
"Wow... I really can read this language."
Immediately, YN had noticed the odd lettering and grammar structuring, but to his surprise, it all felt completely natural.
Slipping the sealed letter back into his shirt, knowing it may be bad if he were the one to break the seal, YN stood, and got a better look at his surroundings.
"There sure are a lot of... fountains here."
Having woken up right next to a larger one, YN knew why now he had heard what he thought was a waterfall upon waking up.
To make things even more odd, he appeared to be in a back alley of some kind, devoid of any other people or any notable foot traffic. Looking to the fountain he had woken up next to, he noticed the stone figure at its center.
Standing on one leg, as if gracefully dancing about, was a woman with a pair of folding fans. From these fans, the fountain had its water sprung, cascading down into the crystal clear pool below.
"This must be an altar to Aqua-sama... I guess it only makes sense I'd wake up next to something of significance to her.
While he had been unable to see her himself, YN leaned over closer to the stone idol to try and get a better idea of what she maybe looked like, but as he did that, he noticed the reflection of himself in the pond he was over.
"Huh?"
Paying the statue no mind now, he now turned his head downward to the representation of himself below.
"— — —"
To his very surprise, while his physique and hands had remained virtually unchanged, one thing definitely had changed.
"No way..."
Moving his hands about in the reflection under him, YN almost needed the extra motions to make him realize he was indeed looking at a reflection of himself, and not even potentially someone in the pond, under the water, looking back at him.
At first touching his palm to the surface of the water, and then finally touching his own face, he ran his hands up to the most major thing that had changed.
"My hair..."
Almost blending in with the sky above, had it not been for a few full clouds of white, YN might have doubted what had seen. But, there was no making the mistake now as he watched his own hands run through it.
YN's hair on this new body of his, had turned blue. A bright, azure blue.
"I'm going to stick out like a sore thumb, aren't I?"
Letting Aqua's words reverberate in his mind though, while he knew this had to be a change she had made, he couldn't dwell on that right now.
"She gave me a mission, and I have to complete it if I wanna keep this new body, so I better get at it."
Reassuring he still had the sealed letter in his shirt, YN went off in search of where this arch-priest might be held, determined to try and make the most of the situation he was in.
***
"How dare you accuse me, the head of the Axis Order, of such slanderous and preposterous charges?! Are you not ashamed of yourselves?! Why would I of all people assist agents of demonic origin?!"
Aimlessly wandering the city after asking a guard where someone who's arrested might be taken, YN had little luck navigating the city full of various streams, rivers, and hot-springs. It seemed that at almost every street corner, there were fanatics belonging to the religion that worshiped Aqua, who yelled at nearly the top of their lungs for people to convert and join them. This proved less adventitious than YN had hoped, as none of them were willing to assist him unless he himself would convert as well.
Something tells me if I told them Aqua herself sent me, I might get burned at the stake for blasphemy or something.
Yet as he rounded the latest street corner, he heard shouting of a different nature. With someone professing to be the 'head' of the Axis Order, this caught YN's attention, and he headed right over.
"Please, Zesta-sama, we apologize for this... If we could just leave it at that..."
Bowing her head in shame to these fiery words of condemnation, was a rather buxom, pink haired knight. Even with her entourage of guards behind her, she was clearly flustered at the man in blue robes standing before her, shouting at her.
"For goodness sake..."
Standing before this knight, now a free man once more, seemed to be the one YN was looking for. He was a tall man, about middle aged. He wore a priest's hat, and had long, dark-gray hair and facial hair.
That's a priest if I've ever seen one...
To YN, he appeared to be a kind looking man, even if he now seemed to be rather upset at the people before him.
I'm pretty sure I heard that knight lady call him 'Zesta-sama' so this has got to be the right guy...
He was wearing robes of a dark, nearly indigo blue that appeared quite regal. If anyone was going to be the head of a religious order, it had to be someone dressed like this.
Before Zesta could continue his rant at the poor lady-knight, YN approached.
"Umm, excuse me, Zesta-sama?"
"Hmm?"
Managing to catch the pontiff off-guard by a sudden address, he turned to look at YN.
"You are the head of the Axis Faith, are you not? I uhhh..."
"Yes, that is me. —I can assure you though, if this is about the rumors of my crimes, I have been cleared of them. Go on, tell this man, and the public of my innocence!"
Gesturing to the lady-knight as he said this, she faced YN before bowing once more.
"For mistakenly charging the honorable Zesta-sama, head of the Axis Order, we humbly offer our sincerest apologies."
"We apologize, Zesta-sama!"
With the entourage of guards also bowing and following suit with their superior, their muffled voices behind their helmeted heads echoed out in unison with their words.
Hearing this news, YN felt slightly distraught over this revelation.
Huh? Wait, was I too late?
"Umm, Zesta-sama... Does this mean you've been freed? How did that happen?"
Unsure if by chance he had already done something to cause this, YN was completely lost now.
"Ahh, it's all thanks to that smug-looking prosecutor in her glasses who arrived at my cell with a magic, lie-detecting device."
Putting his hands together as if in prayer, he then looked back at the lady-knight behind him.
"—Please be sure to give her my sincerest thanks. Had it not been for her, who knows how long you fools would have kept me in chains."
"Zesta-sama, we never had you in chains...—"
"—OOOooohhoooh! Seeing her confident, so-sure-of-herself expression slowly well up with tears was such a thing to see!"
Having turned back to YN to say that, the pontiff once more returned his attention to the lady-knight, still unsatisfied with his belittlement he had already delivered to her.
"In a truly just world, you'd be at my feet, begging for forgiveness for this transgression! Yet, I will turn the other cheek and let this be."
"W-We appreciate your understanding in this—
*SMACK*
Deploying a folded up fan to the top of her bowed head, YN could tell the lady-knight was at her very limit in holding back against Zesta.
"If only that brain of yours... was as big as your chest!—"
"Zesta-sama!"
Worried he was going to get himself arrested again, YN stepped in between the lady-knight and the pontiff.
"Please! I-I understand you may still feel resentment for the misdeeds against you! But I really need a moment of your time before these guards have a change of heart!"
Surprised at the blue haired one's interjection, Zesta recoiled his folded up fan back into his sleeve, and finally turned away from the lady-knight, but not before giving her a cold look. Now with his attention fully on YN, his expression became much more kind, as he was finally ready to listen to whatever it was he had been wanting to say so badly.
"How can Zesta, head of the Axis Order, be of service to you, child?"
Taking a deep breath, YN removed the sealed letter from his shirt.
"It may sound crazy, but I was sent here on a mission to clear your name of the charges levied against you, but it seems someone already beat me to the punch."
Only raising a brow to YN in response at first, Zesta questioned him.
"Hmm... I see... Are you by chance a new convert? Did a zealous zeal come across you seeing a Holy Man such as myself be dragged away under false charges?"
Incorrect on all fronts, YN handed the pontiff the letter he had woken up with, which now felt utterly useless.
"It's a very long story Zesta-sama, but this was supposed to be the thing meant to clear your name."
Truly fearful that he had been 'too late' as Aqua had warned him not to be, YN thought that now because he couldn't make good on his end of the deal, he might actually end up losing this newfound body.
I really don't know if Aqua was getting at the fact that I needed to be the one to free Zesta in order to convince him to bless this new body with that holy magic so I don't lose it...
To YN, the least he could hope for now was to show Zesta of his original intent, and hope this kind looking, but stern-hearted arch-priest could still fulfill what he needed done in the first place.
As these worries plagued YN's mind, Zesta took the sealed letter, and looked it over.
At first looking uninspired by it, he read to whom it was addressed to on one side. Flipping it over though—
"—!"
Seeing his eyes go wide and his facial hair stand up on end, the pontiff's expression went from neutral to surprised and awestruck in the blink of an eye.
"It... It cannot be—! This seal—! How did—?! Who—?!"
Looking rapidly between YN and the unopened letter, Zesta couldn't believe what symbol was stamped onto the blue-wax seal that kept the letter shut. Letting not an extra second go by, he delicately broke the wax, and unfolded the parchment. Holding the paper to his face, his eyes scanned the words written on it.
YN could only remain silent, holding his bated breath as he watched Zesta's eyes go from side to side as he read each line of the letter. Even though YN hadn't a clue what was inside, it appeared it was of great significance to Zesta regardless.
Finally removing the letter from before his face, his vision jumped from it to YN several times more before his stupefied mouth could form words again.
"I-I cannot believe it...! Who... Who are—?!"
"Z-Zesta-sama? Zesta-sama!"
Cutting off his question, a trio just down the street were now quickly approaching YN and Zesta. While the one calling out to him was yet another buxom lady, with long blonde hair, and dressed in a flowing blue dress not unlike a nun might wear, she was accompanied by two more girls behind her.
Approaching YN and Zesta, the pontiff greeted the woman in blue robes.
"C-Cecily-san! Please! Take a look—!"
"—Zesta-sama! You were arrested! H-How did you manage to get released—"
"—That matters little right now! —Here! Take this! Read it! —B-But look at the crest in the seal before you do!"
Disregarding the blonde woman's concern of his unexpected freedom, Zesta shoved the letter in Cecily's face, keen on sharing whatever significance this letter YN had given him meant. As Cecily flipped the letter over from front to back as told to before reading it, YN got a better look at the two girls she had brought with her.
While both clearly not also members of the church, the one who currently eyed him with a suspicious glare was the shorter of the two. With a large wizard hat, a red, short cut dress, and a staff, this indicated to YN she must be a mage of some sort. To her flank though, was a much more plainly appearing girl.
With her medium hair done up in twin-tails that fell on her shoulders, tied off with red-ribbons that matched her crimson red eyes, the taller of the two darker haired girl's also wore a short, pale-pink skirt, pink tie, purple thigh leggings, and knee-high boots. But what distinguished her the most from her shorter counterpart, was the black shirt she wore, allowing her to sport a fair amount of cleavage.
Seeing she was being looked at more than her rival was by this blue haired person, the twin-tailed girl could only blush and smile at YN while halfway raising her hand to wave.
Raising his hand just like she had to also wave, YN immediately saw her expression change when he did so.
With a soft gasp, the girl's friendly wave froze in place. While the blush on her face remained, her entire expression now glistened with shock as she kept her crimson eyes dead-set on YN.
As this moment of locked eyes seemed to last minutes, it was finally broken by Cecily's equally shocked voice.
"This... Zesta-sama! Where did you get this letter from!?"
Gesturing to none other than YN, the blonde haired girl in her dress of blue stepped before him, blocking his view of the crimson eyed girl he had been in a staring contest with.
"Where... Where did you get this letter from?! Tell us, please!"
"Please, share with us the origin of this! If this holy missive is from whom it says it's from... these are words from Aqua-sama herself!"
Both clearly enamored by the simple letter, these priests it seemed had already deduced where it had come from.
But to answer them truthfully, YN was at a significant crossroads.
Shit... I either tell them the whole truth, or a lie...
Weighing each side, YN could only nervously respond.
"Well, you see..."
If I tell them the truth, Zesta might thank me for this by using that holy magic this new body needs to stay around. But at the same time, it might spell trouble for me later on... I don't think at this point they'd think ill of me, rather, I think they might put an uncalled-for importance on me. If I lie I could avoid all that, but I might as well kiss goodbye to this body then, because Zesta would probably never give me the holy magic I need...
"We must know where you received this correspondence! It is vital to our Church!"
"This is something not seen in ages! To be holding such a thing in my hands right now... I can scarcely believe it!"
While YN was torn on what he should do, the two priests went on and on, trying to bait any response out of him they could beg for. Before long, the curious pair of awestruck clergy members were bouncing different theories about what this moment meant, and what the smallest trivialities in the words of the letters could mean.
Hearing all these complex terms be wondered and debated over in such rapid succession, YN knew all sorts of questions were going to be expected of him as soon they focused their attention back at him. While he wasn't afraid of having to answer so many per-say, what he feared was in one way or another, letting them down, and missing his chance to have this new body of his blessed with holy magic to fully cement his soul's ownership of this new vessel.
As a great anxiety built in YN with these pressures levied to him, compounding with the stress he already had for the situation he still found himself a part of, only one person here could see the apprehension in his eyes, and fully understood what that was like to feel. Stepping forward, bypassing the two bickering fanatics, she cautiously approached.
"Ummm..."
Now also vying for his attention, but in a much more soft and sincere way, the twin-tailed, crimson eyed girl had moved to YN's side, and now spoke to him too.
Hearing her voice, one that was free of any outstanding pressure or desire for information from him, YN's mind felt at ease hearing the girl speak to him.
"Y-Y-You l-look sorta nervous... S-So why not take a deep breath? I would probably get all tongue-tied too from so many questions, although I can't recall a time that has ever happened to me..."
Hearing a tinge of pain in her last words said there as she brought a gentle finger to her chin, YN for some odd reason felt the vast majority of his troubles be washed away as he followed the girl's advice, opting to take that deep breath.
"S-See, i-isn't that better? These two... T-They aren't bad people. Really. They've only b-been kind to me and my... r-rival here. So why not see if you can h-help them?"
While she continued to timidly form her words as she spoke, the twin-tailed girl put a hand to her chest as she finished.
"I can sort of see it in your eyes... You do have something that might help them... Even if you don't think you have the courage to say it, I think you do."
YN couldn't tell if it was just that she had given him good advice to begin with, or that she had just said she believed in him, but he couldn't shake this sensation that he had now from her words.
This girl... Why do I get the feeling it's not often she does this sort of thing? I'm just a stranger, and yet at first when she waved at me, I got the impression something was up by the way her expression suddenly changed and she just started to stare at me... Why would she do that and then come over here and try and encourage me onward like that?
He just couldn't shake the feeling he had now. What was it? YN just couldn't put his finger on it. Just the way this twin-tailed girl spoke so kindly to him right now was something he hadn't realized he might have desperately needed.
With both the priests getting a handle on themselves in this moment of zeal, they finally turned their attention back to the one person who could answer them; YN. Allowing him the space to answer them, the twin-tailed girl nodded to him, giving YN the last spec of courage he needed to finally tell them the origin of this letter. As she now took a step back, away from YN and out of earshot, he spoke so only the clergy members before him could hear.
"It sounds crazy but... I died. —In my old world, that is! My soul met Aqua-sama, and from there, she offered me several choices, including one that entailed coming to this world. What made that option unique was I'd get to keep all my entire self, —my memories, upon coming here, something you couldn't do in the other options... Normally this also meant keeping your body too, but unfortunately the way I died was rather... violent. So much so, I had no body to be reincarnated here with, which meant I was really left with no option..."
Getting into the real details of his issue, both Zesta and Cecily listened in with great intrigue.
"Normally, Aqua-sama said there'd be little she could do, but if I did her a favor, she'd pull some strings to get me this new body. That favor was freeing you, Zesta-sama. Aqua-sama gave me that letter to do that."
"—!"
Surprised beyond belief, Zesta's eyes it seemed couldn't go any wider.
"Zesta-sama! Truly you have earned Aqua-sama's recognition as head of the faith!"
Unable to form words himself still, that left Cecily herself to remark on this as Zesta's hands began to shake as he continued to read the letter again and again, realizing it had been made for his sake.
Before long though, his voice croaked out in the dryness his throat had found itself in, and he roared out.
"See?! Do you not see?! Aqua-sama herself hath sent a messenger from the heavens above to plead for my case! That pompous prosecutor lady's own records of her magical lie detector are no longer needed, so spare yourselves the paperwork!"
Yelling these revelations at the lady-knight and her entourage of city guardsmen that were still nearby, Zesta's first priority now still seemed to be further sticking it to the one who had wrongfully arrested him.
"Zesta-sama! Don't you realize what this means?! He is a Herald of Aqua."
Cecily did her best at trying to get the pontiff to focus on what really mattered here; YN.
"You are correct! Truly we are blessed to be visited by someone with such magnanimous importance! What other words do you have to share with us?!"
"Herald-sama! Do you bring us any more news from Aqua-sama herself?! Any decrees?! Commandments?! Anything!"
With Cecily just as pushy as Zesta was for information now, YN could only hold his hands up, trying to get them to calm down some.
"I-I'm no herald, no... T-The only thing of Aqua-sama's that she mentioned was that this body would need to be blessed with holy magic in order for it to permanently be my own... She was able to pull a lot of strings to get me a new body, but she said if I freed you, you should be able to cast your own holy magic on it and fulfill that requirement for me... If you don't, I'm afraid of how little time I'll have left in this body..."
Laying it out, all complete and bare for this entire group to see, both Cecily and Zesta looked at each other, as somehow this had managed to become more complex than it already was.
"Zesta-sama, surely you will give him his reward, won't you? He was tasked by non-other than Aqua-sama..."
With Cecily already in favor of immediately rewarding YN, the pontiff put a hand to his bearded chin in thought.
As he thought though, there was actually one other person here, just out of earshot, who's interest in YN circumvented even the pair of priests currently doting on him beyond belief.
T-That has to be him... The one I saw in Soketto-san's crystal ball... He has the same blue hair...
As the taller of the crimson eyed girl's was also now deep in thought, contemplating what this all meant for her too, Zesta had finally come to a conclusion.
"I will do as Aqua-sama is requiring of me, in gratitude to her for doing so much for me in my time of need."
Feeling like all his problems were about to be behind him, YN perked up again.
"R-Really?! T-Thank you, Zesta-sama, I will—!"
"—However, first things first."
Zesta cut off YN's words with this, and reaching into his long, wide, sleeve opening on of his regal blue robes, the pontiff removed a solitary sheet of parchment paper and writing quill, complete with an inkwell and cap.
"For me to bless this vessel crafted by Aqua-sama herself with holy magic is no great concern, but rules are rules, especially those rules set out by the Faith itself to protect it!"
Presenting this paperwork to YN, Zesta proudly proclaimed the one stipulation he had.
"—To receive the blessing of holy magic and retain your body, you must sign here and join the Axis Order."
Being shown the single, solitary condition, and having half an idea of the weight of its implication, YN's apprehension skyrocketed again.
I-I have to convert if I want to live?! Are you kidding me?!
"I-I-I...—!"
Unable to come to answer, the ongoing battle in his mind was one of his morals vs will to live.
Can I really just sign up for a church I don't know the first thing about?!
Taking the offered parchment and pen, YN saw it had already been dipped in the ink, and was primed to be used. As he looked upon the paper, a monumental amount of text was sprawled upon it. Due to the sheer volume of it, it was impossibly small and nearly illegible to read, and with how bad his hand was shaking holding it, it was even more of an obstacle to decipher.
In this moment of complex mental debate, it wasn't helped either that both Cecily and Zesta's aura was overbearing. They each were filled with overwhelming zeal at the idea they were going to be the ones to sign up someone who they believed was a 'Herald' of the god they worshiped.
I guess... I guess it can't be helped... I don't want to die again after all...
Bringing the inked quill close to the parchment, just as it was about to meet the paper's fibers and deposit it's black oil—
"—Huh?"
Speaking up for the first time in this conversation at all, the shorter of the crimson-eyed girls, the one with the staff and wizard hat, spoke up. As this caught YN's attention, he looked over to her, and saw she was looking upward, but her vision was steadily moving downward, until her worried gaze seemed to be going right through him, as if she was now looking at something behind him.
"—Huh?!"
With the taller crimson-eyed girl also now exclaiming and looking just past YN, as he had gone to look at just what they both were staring at, he felt a small tugging sensation on his pant leg.
"—?"
"~Nyaa?"
Pawing at him, was a small black cat with an innocently oblivious face.
Looking back to Zesta and Cecily now, the blonde haired lady-priest had lost her more eccentric expression, while the pontiff had seemed to gain a new, yet different one. While it seemed nearly everyone's reaction was different, one thing united them.
They were all looking at something behind YN.
Okay, just what is—
"—Blueberry head."
With no one else fitting that description, the shorter of the two girls now addressed YN directly.
"—pick up Chomusuke, and hand him to me."
As YN still had his hands full with the pen and paper Zesta had handed him, his mind placed an immediate priority on them over what he assumed was the black cat at his feet, as he needed to sign this paper in order to keep living. But as this girl insisted—
"—Now!"
YN cast aside the things in his hands, and moved to quickly secure the small cat, hearing the urgency in the younger girl's voice. However, he had done so with such haste he had tripped forward while doing so, which in reality—
*WOOSH*
—had probably prolonged his new body's existence just a bit more.
The velocity of whatever he had narrowly missed wasn't lost on YN, he too was aware of the danger that had just eclipsed his nearby self.
"T-This way!"
Calling out to him, was the taller of the two crimson-eyed girls, and heeding her words, YN finally reached them with the small cat in his arms. Handing it off to the shorter girl, she nodded in appreciation to him and then lifted the cat before her to speak to it.
"It's surprising the lengths some are willing to go for you..."
As YN wondered why she would say such a thing to a cat, he finally looked to where everyone's attention seemed to be fixated at.
"—It seems I've lost the element of surprise."
YN finally caught his first glimpse of whom everyone seemed entirely focused on, and as he did, he heard the new voice belonging to this person.
Scantily clad in nothing but boots, a leotard, and a hooded cloak, a buxom woman with fiery red hair stood just before where YN had his back turned to not a moment ago. Immediately, YN knew who it was that had nearly taken him out.
"You may have managed to get rid of me the last time we met, but I promise you, I won't miss a second time."
"—Tch..."
"—Gck..."
Noticing that each of the crimson-eyed girls had taken a hostile demeanor to this new woman, both Cecily and Zesta remained unchanged. Clearly, this red-haired woman was addressing specifically the two girls, whom she must have had a history with already, and not the two priests.
What is going on?!
Since YN didn't have a clue what this was all about, but did know that this woman was dangerous given she had just narrowly missed in her attempt at taking him out, he moved himself to the side of the two crimson eyed girls to not be in their way.
Yet, before either of them could answer—
"Megumin-san!"
Addressing her by her name now, Zesta spoke to the shorter of the two girls.
"H-How familiar are you with this woman who so brazenly shows off her body like this?!"
Unsure if his expression and tone implied he was aroused or concerned about this woman, Zesta posed this question to the shorter of the two girls, 'Megumin' as she had been called. Before she could answer the pontiff's already unimportant question though, the cloaked woman with the fabric horns upon the hood she wore spoke up.
"It's irritating enough that you spotted me before I had the chance to grab what I've followed you two here for, but at least here in this city, those pesky country-bumpkins can't interrupt us. Luckily for you, Wolback-sama seems particularly attached to you both, so rather than prying her from you, all I will simply ask is for you to hand her off to me and—"
"—Megumin-san! Please! I must know how you became antiquated with her!"
Still giving out the mixed vibe of 'interested' and 'disgusted,' Zesta spoke over the woman he desired more information about.
"Why is this woman appearing before us such a hussy! She wears her cowl as if it does anything to give her modesty! It's improper!"
Spitting while he spoke now, Zesta only became more worked up the more he went on.
"Even despite how risque it is though, there still lies an unfounded charm to it! Its motif and symbolism are like a poetic analogy! The shamelessness of wearing a swimsuit in broad daylight while also concealing part of it with a raincoat, which wearing those two at the same could also be a—"
"HEY! Just who do you think you are, speaking of such things about me? Drop dead!"
Now enraged at the arch-priest for his unwelcome comments on her attire, the woman before them fired back at him, not wishing for him to continue. To this though, Zesta could only widen his eyes as his expression showed he was not one bit off-put by the retaliation of harsh words.
"Zesta-san, it's best if you don't anger her. She is an adversary of ours."
Warning him of the dangers, Megumin helped shed more light onto who this was.
"She's been tailing us all the way to this city, waiting for the opportunity to take this furball away."
"~Nya?"
She spoke of course, about the small black cat this woman had tried nearly ending YN's life to get to for the sole, innocent act of picking it up.
"She's after Comusuke-san... Strange... That's a rather... unforeseen goal of someone dressed so... uniquely."
With Zesta even finding it to be an odd motivation, YN could see the mounting displeasure on this woman's face.
"I uhh, I think you all are just making her more angry..."
YN, now for the first time speaking up in this, tried to get them all to focus back on this 'adversary' that was clearly hostile. Agreeing with him on this too, was Megumin's taller counterpart.
"Yes, c-could you both be happy with that explanation and be done with it?"
At least with one other person agreeing with him, YN had begun to feel as if the taller crimson-eyed girl had a more level head compared to anyone else around now.
"Okay, maggots. If you want to save yourselves from my painful wrath—"
"—And what should I do if I want you to hurt me?!"
Whilst the red-haired woman was voicing her frustration, letting it be known she was done playing these games, Zesta had cut her words off with yet another annoyance to her.
"Z-Zesta-sama!"
Does he know when to shut-up?!
The twin-tailed girl too was in the same boat as YN; just how much more was everyone here going to egg on this intimidating woman?
"I'll just oblige you with that then—!"
Taking a different stance, the hooded woman reached out with her palm, facing right towards Zesta, and chanted the needed words for her attack.
"—Fireball!!"
Bursting from her hand, a bright light was brought forth, and it took the shape of an orb of hot, red fire, perfectly matching her red hair and her flared, angered disposition. Shot out like a canon, YN could only watch on with his eyes wide open at this display.
F-Fire magic?! There really is all sorts of magic in this world, isn't there!?
For his first time bearing witness to the phenomenon, his body remained frozen in place. Had this spell been aimed at him, he surely wouldn't have been able to react in time, but thankfully, the one it was aimed for paid it nearly no mind.
"Reflect."
Lifting his own palm forward, but with much less effort, Zesta called upon his own magic. With a blue shield of light protecting him, the fireball met its target. Held in place for but a second, it was immediately repelled back to its caster.
"—!"
Alarmed at the quick counter, the hooded woman evaded with great speed, but as she moved, her hood came down, and her long cloak opened.
"Ahhh... A demon girl..."
Ready for the fight to continue, everyone stopped and realized just who, or really, what this woman before them was.
Two small horns adorned her amber-haired head where her own hood had also had faux horns. Her body was now nearly entirely exposed, spare the high-legged leotard she wore. Seeing this, Zesta had a small tint of rosey-red go across his face, and YN couldn't be excused from a similar reaction either, however, his awe of magic and the counter he just saw were more at the forefront of his mind than the appearance of buxom demon girl.
*BOOM*
Having avoided the fireball, it simply did not disappear into thin air. Rather, it gained lift, and slammed into the high stone cliff-face overlooking the city. YN watched how the fireball exploded upon impact, but due to the hardness of the stone, there was not a landslide to accompany it, only a cloud of dust that had formed out of the dissipating smoke. Even at the lack of destruction, the shock-wave of its intensity could be felt through his feet.
Fully recovered once more though, ready to go on, the demon woman spoke back up.
"And here I was thinking you were just some perverted old man... That was quite the upsetting rebuttal."
YN couldn't help but notice the two crimson eyed girls were also looking on in disbelief.
Is such a powerful magic attack a rarity? Or is there another reason they're so surprised an arch-priest was able to counter a demon's attack?
Thinking it only had to be normal that two such notable tiers of people were adept at such feats, YN was woefully unaware of the real source of their shock.
As Zesta seemed to be having some sort of inner existential crisis, having clearly felt lustful towards someone who was now a sworn adversary against his ideology, —his very identity as an arch-priest, YN's attention was taken away from his quiet mumbling about orc and ogre girls Zesta had fancied, and rather had it taken by the demon girl who was now seriously sizing up the priest's abilities.
"But what can a human priest really do against me?"
"He can end your very existence."
Stepping forward now, was Cecily. Defiant to the demon in her blue robes and her shimmering blonde hair, the woman-priest now met the challenge of facing down the demon before them.
"My, what a sense of humor you all have."
With a sly smirk upon her face, the demon-woman finally announced her title, and went to introduce herself.
"I am an underling of the great dark god herself, Wolback-sama... I am—!"
"—Sacred Highness Exorcism!!"
"—!"
Narrowly missing the demon women by a mere fraction of a second in reaction time on her part, a blue-ish white beam of what could only be some kind of 'holy magic' rushed past her face, fanning her clothes with the wind it had created rushing by.
YN could only assume such magic must again be no small feat by the way the two crimson-eyed girls reacted to this as well. If it truly were some kind of special magic, it only made sense that being cast by someone titled an 'arch-priest,' it must be lethal to 'demons.'
"I regret to inform you, Demon-girl-san... I am the pontiff of the Holy Faith of the Axis Order—"
"—Tch..."
"—Arch-Priest, Zesta!"
Boldly proclaiming his own title and occupation to the demon woman, a frustrated expression went across her face as Zesta stoically looked on, meeting the challenge of the violence she threatened.
Stepping forward to Zesta's flank, the other blue-robed individual stepped forward.
"Likewise, I am the Axis Order's most beautiful priest, Cecily."
Introducing each of themselves, the demon girl still stood her ground, but the tenseness of the air remained determined on both sides of the plaza this stand-off now took place in. The lady-knight and the guards in her entourage from before were still present, but had avoided being involved until now. With each of the priests rising to meet the challenge, it at least seemed there would be fighting chance now, and morale was higher for all involved with them at the helm of facing this foe. Moving to back them up, not only was the demon-woman out-powered by Zesta, she was also overwhelmed from sheer numbers now. YN hadn't a clue how the power-scaling in this world worked, but surely this red-haired woman was at a steep disadvantage now. There was no way she'd be able to secure the small black cat now without intense difficulties.
"Cecily-san, it would appear this demon girl is the mastermind behind my false incarceration and this entire mess with the city's hot-springs."
"It is without a doubt, Zesta-sama, she is the perpetrator of this entire debacle."
Even now, Cecily, who came off as a rather lively, kind-spoken person, had an air of harsh hostility to her voice.
"Tch, I have no idea what either of you are talking about. The only thing I've been doing is looking for Wolback-sama since arriving here—
*Snap*
Cutting off the demon woman's words, Zesta raised his robed arm high, and with a snap of his finger—
"—Gah?!"
As a flash of light erupted from underneath the demon, YN was forced to cover his eyes as the brightness blinded him. Narrowly getting a view of the result, he saw the hooded cloak the demon had once worn disintegrate and fall to pieces as she barely managed to escape the attack, a very similar appearing magic to the one Zesta had shot from his palm only moments ago.
But from out under her cloak two large wings unfolded, and airborne she remained from her dodge as the magic that had sought to end her pierced the sky. Truly alarmed now, it was apparent by the startled expression she wore, this woman no longer wished to pick a fight for the small fur-ball. Gaining more altitude, the demon made distance between her and the pair of priests.
"The demon is routed! Pursue after her! For the Holy Order of Axis, make her pay for this transgression!!"
Said with great zeal, Zesta shouted for a pursuit of their most loathed foe.
"With haste! Demons...—"
Taking the reins of the fervor brewing among all the gathered guards, and even a few more blue-robed, Axis clergy that had begun to trickle in whilst the hostilities had gone on, Cecily gave the final war cry the crowd needed to give chase.
"—must perish!"
"Hyaa!!"
Rallying everyone present, a mob was formed.
With various smaller magic spells, rocks, and even an arrow or two being shot at her, the demon-woman retreated to a higher altitude.
"It's a demon hunt!!"
Zesta, at the helm of this mob, led it out of the plaza in the direction the demon was now flying in. As YN and the two crimson eyed girls stayed back though, having no real qualm in this altercation, it was then that he saw it.
It was faint and small at the distance it was, but it was a familiar sight.
A red and orange ball, nearly invisible against the evening sky had formed where the demon-woman still was. She had turned back one last time, and launched one final long range attack, perhaps if only to slow her pursuers down.
Yet, to where she aimed, that couldn't be true.
Growing larger and larger, it was clear this magic, this Fireball the demon had launched out in her retreat wasn't headed for the mob following her.
No.
"U-Uhhh... Yunyun."
Being the first to recognize that this fireball was headed towards them, the shorter of the two crimson-eyed girls had already moved across the plaza and hid behind the corner of a nearby building. Thinking it was obvious where this attack may end up, the wizard-hat-and-capped-girl had expected her twin-tailed friend, Yunyun as she was now called, to follow, yet as she looked up at the incoming ball of fire, she remained frozen in place.
"Y-Yunyun! Get out of the way, you're going to get burned to smithereens!"
"— — —"
Locked in total shock it seemed, the taller of the two girls—, Yunyun, could only watch as the ball of fire rapidly closed in, launched from the fleeing demon. If she remained as she did, it'd surely envelope her in flames.
Why isn't she moving? She's gonna die if she just stands there!
At the opposite end of the plaza from the wizard-hat girl, YN had taken cover too out of instinct. Seeing this girl though, standing in the midst of danger, it prompted a recently sheltered away memory to halfway resurface in his mind.
"—Gk..."
Putting his hand to his head to mind the mild pain, he stared at the girl looking up at her impending danger whilst her shorter companion still yelled onward from far away for her to move.
That look on her face... It's just like when—
The fireball was rapidly closing in now. Shot from such a distance, it had to be potent in its power to reach so far.
Yet, as he saw this impending doom, YN couldn't help but have these painful memories all of a sudden paralyze him.
When... When I died... I died seeing a face like that...
The last few moments of YN' previous life were fuzzy— blurry, at best.
Aqua-sama said my death was 'heroic' and 'commendable...' But why are these vague memories coming in now of all times?
Large enough and bright enough to over-shine the setting sun with its intensity now, if nothing was done, and all remained the same, Yunyun was going to be no more.
The look of struck fear upon her face was quickly beginning to form into an agonizing horror of imminent death.
That look...
Seconds remained for her life.
—I hate that look.
Becoming more solvent in his mind, the expression Yunyun wore was one not unlike one of the last things YN had seen before he died. To him, nothing was worse now due to the pressure of death that his mind closely associated with it now.
Thundering across the paved stones of the plaza, a pair of feet moved with great pace to prevent a terrible fate. With all of their owner's summoned strength, they leapt in the path of destruction.
I'm afraid...
Wrought with fear for themselves, the candid motion of their jump blotted out the fiery flame from Yunyun's crimson eyes.
I don't want to feel that pain again... but,—
"—Hu-h?"
—I'll do it.
Spared the painful death, Yunyun was instead forced to watch on.
I'll be the one... to take it instead!
Just like he had felt in his first death, YN had the unsavory sensation of an intense and wicked heat kiss the skin of his body.
Encapsulated in speechlessness as she watched on, the boy who Yunyun had felt her heart had seemingly hung itself on from a simple fortune telling, slowly had his blue hair swallowed up by the mass of fire that had been aimed right where she was standing. Just like what had been shown to her in the crystal ball, Yunyun saw this boy's blue hair be enveloped in a sea of red, orange, and yellow.
"—?!"
As the torrent of flames enshrouded his vision, YN saw just what he had seen in his first death.
That look... That's much better...
Gone was that dreadful ache of fear before it was permanently etched into Yunyun's face. With the fire swallowing him whole, YN was blessed with one final sight.
They're... they're glowing.
He was sure this was not merely the heat of the flame's doing, causing his vision to be warped.
No.
Yunyun's eyes, full of emotion and astonishment, were glowing a radiant, bright crimson light.
Yet, with the destruction of himself now, this pair of glowing eyes, now welling up with tears, were the final sight he saw.
Those... those eyes...
For just in the same way as he had died before, he died again.
—they're the most beautiful thing I've ever seen...
Seeing himself reflected in these pools of beauty, YN sacrificed himself for another, meeting a terrible and lonely fate of death by means of an explosion so powerful, it was utterly painless and instant.
For a second time, YN experienced death, dying for the sake of another. And all in such a short time.
***