Selena, Tio, and Myu found themself in the best inn of the city since Hajime left Selena with a lot of gold and told her before he left to go wild as he looked at Myu more worried about her than her or Tio at the moment. The room was extravagant for what passes in this world and the setting sun could be seen from the balcony the penthouse-like room had. Everything was kind of blurry up to that point and Tio did most of the talking while Selena kept messing with Myu hair while caring for her up there they were only a block away from the adventure guild so they know if anything happened.
Selena paced the small room like a caged beast, boots thudding softly against the wooden floorboards. She hadn't stopped moving since they got back—circling, clenching and unclenching her fists, occasionally tapping her fingers on the hilt of her blade like she was counting time she couldn't afford to lose.
Tio sat cross-legged on a blanket near the wall, Myu curled up beside her, munching on a biscuit someone had passed out for rations. Neither said a word at first.
But then Tio sighed and spoke, voice low and even.
"Selena, you're wearing a groove into the floor."
Selena halted for half a heartbeat… then resumed pacing. "I can't just sit here. I should be doing something. There's still people out there. Monsters everywhere. And we still don't even know how the hell the demons coordinated something this calculated!"
"Ugh…" Tio's voice broke Selena's flow of thought, pulling her out of the worry spiraling in her head. The original story she'd been trying to tell might as well have gone in the trash now. "Sorry, Tio," Selena sighed. "I'm not worried about Hajime. I'm worried about our classmates. Considering they somehow made it this far down into the labyrinth, the chance of them getting back on their own is almost zero. So Hajime is basically racing against time to save them."
'…I can't let Tio know I'm more scared than that. Not yet.'
Tio, however, was completely unfazed. "Then why not tell me more about these classmates? Most of the stories Hajime shared with me were… rather short."
"Haha, yeah, let's see…" Selena exhaled and began recounting everything—her and Hajime's descent, the events that shaped them, the battles, the near-deaths, the truths they'd discovered. She talked for a long while.
By the time she finished, Tio was wiping tears of laughter from her eyes. "Hahaha—oh my. Hajime really did simplify everything with short sentences, didn't he? His storytelling skills are absolutely atrocious."
Selena blinked and realized she had somehow wandered to the dining table while talking. Myu now sat comfortably on Tio's lap, munching on a snack as she listened. Whenever Selena said something she didn't understand, she tugged on Tio's sleeve and asked quietly.
Finally, Myu looked at Selena with complete confidence. "I don't think you need to worry about anything, Sister Selena. Papa will definitely save them."
But then Myu added, softer this time:
"But Sister Selena… you're not alone."
That little voice struck deeper than any wound Selena had taken in the labyrinth.
She turned, startled. Myu now stood with her hands folded behind her back, biscuit crumbs clinging to her shirt.
"Papa Hajime's strong. Big Sister Yue is super strong too. And Big Sister Shea can punch through anything. All of you together can do anything."
Selena's lips parted, but no answer came.
Tio smiled gently, reaching over to brush her fingers through Myu's hair. The little girl giggled.
"She's right, Selena," Tio said softly. "The weight of everything doesn't have to be yours alone. You have your friends, and us." A flirtatious look appeared on her face at the end.
"Yeah!" Myu joins in, not seeing the look on Tio's face.
Selena looked away, tension flickering in her eyes. "I know that… but-"
"…Then why do you act like you are?"
Tio's tone remained gentle, but her gaze was sharp—attempting to see through every mask Selena tried to keep up.
Selena swallowed. "I'm just… worried. Everything's been happening so fast, one event after another. Demons just seem to be appearing everywhere we go. I just…"
'What can I even say?'
The conflict on her face said enough.
Tio didn't press further. The moment hung between them, heavy and unresolved.
Before either woman could speak—
"Ah!" Myu suddenly gasped, digging into her small pack. "I almost forgot!"
Both Tio and Selena blinked as Myu pulled out something wrapped in cloth.
"Tio, this is the stuff I helped pack for Sister Selena! Remember? Papa said it was important!"
Selena turned her head, surprised, as Myu passed the wrapped bundle to Tio, who took it with a knowing hum.
Tio let the moment settle as she untied the cloth and revealed a small black case. She opened it silently and pulled out a thin note, folded crisply.
"Myu, why don't you check if those soldiers outside are still handing out the honey crackers you like?" Tio said gently, eyes still on Selena.
"Ooh! Okay!" Myu chirped, bouncing up and running to the door like the emotional tension had never existed. She left behind only crumbs and sunshine.
Once the door clicked closed, Tio handed the note to Selena and rested the case beside her.
Selena hesitated… then unfolded the note.
"Since you've been lazy about making your own bullets lately, here's a starter pack of materials I prepped. You'll need to transmute them yourself if you want to get any real use out of it.
Don't burn through everything in one fight. —Hajime."
There was no heart drawn at the end. No smiley face.
Just sharp, practical advice.
And somehow… it still warmed her chest.
Selena closed her eyes and let out a long breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding. Her fingers brushed over the case—metallic, familiar, heavy with expectation.
Tio tilted her head slightly, watching her.
"Seems he knows you well."
Selena nodded. "…He always has."
Then quieter, almost too quiet to hear:
"I just wish I knew how to let you in the same way."
Tio reached out and gently squeezed her hand. "Then just keep giving me moments like this. That's more than enough."
An hour had passed since Hajime took off to rescue the Hero's Party, and Selena found herself hunched over the workbench, trying to craft a bullet by hand. It was a painstakingly slow process—far slower than she remembered—mainly because she'd grown used to taking the perfectly forged ones Hajime always had ready for her.
"Ugh," she groaned, slamming her face into the table. "I hate this!"
Across the room, Tio sat with Myu in her lap, their hands rhythmically clapping together as they played patty-cake. The repetitive clap-clap-slap of their game echoed cheerfully in the quiet room, filling the silence Hajime left behind. It was almost ridiculous how much Tio had taken to the simple game. When she'd shown it to Myu earlier—desperate to entertain the little girl with no toys around—it had turned into an unexpected hit.
"Very good, Myu. You won again," Tio beamed, overacting her loss with exaggerated shock.
Selena glanced over. It was obvious Tio had thrown the match again, but it worked—Myu was smiling. And more importantly, she was distracted. When she wasn't, the girl tended to retreat into herself, her thoughts drifting toward her missing mother… and now, Hajime too.
"Sister Tio, I'm hungry," Myu said, her little stomach growling audibly.
"Oh dear," Tio chuckled, gently patting her belly. "Let's see what kind of meat I can prepare. Your daddy left me quite the selection inside his cooler-type artifact."
"Yay! Let's go see what goodies Papa left!" Myu cheered, hopping to her feet with renewed energy.
As the two walked toward Hajime's storage artifact, Selena stared down at the distorted casing of the bullet she'd just tried to form.
"Great," she muttered, holding up the misshapen thing between her fingers. "I messed up the transmute again…"
She leaned back with a sigh, rubbing her temples as frustration pooled in her chest. "I used to be better at this."
Tio looked over her shoulder, a knowing smile playing at her lips. "Fufu… Keep at it, Selena. Hajime knew you'd grown lazy relying on his work, so he gave you something to keep your hands—and mind—busy."
Selena didn't respond immediately. Her hand moved to the back of her neck, massaging out the stiffness as she muttered under her breath, "…He really does know how to annoy me even when he's not here."
But despite her grumbling, she pulled another cartridge casing from the pile, reset the mold, and tried again.
The warm smell of sizzling meat filled the room as Tio worked over a compact cooking plate, humming to herself while Myu sat on the nearby counter, kicking her legs happily. Selena stayed seated at the table, tools laid out in front of her, a half-finished bullet resting in the mold. For now, she was just watching the two of them.
"Smells good," Selena murmured.
"Fufu, of course it does," Tio replied with a smirk, flipping the skewers with elegance. "You'll see—Hajime isn't the only one in this world who can prepare a satisfying meal."
"I'm just surprised you haven't burned the place down yet," Selena teased.
"Myu made sure I stayed focused," Tio said, ruffling the girl's hair.
"I watched everything," Myu announced proudly.
Selena smiled faintly, her frustration from earlier starting to fade. The peace was fragile, but it was here—and for now, that was enough.
Myu suddenly tilted her head, eyes wide and curious. "Sister Selena, what's Japan like?"
Selena blinked. "Japan?"
"Yes!" Myu nodded. "Papa says that's where you're from! What was it like?"
Tio perked up as well, eyes gleaming. "Oho? I've always been curious about your old world too. You've never said much."
Selena leaned back in her chair, staring at the slowly spinning ceiling fan above her. "It's… busy. Bright. Crowded. You'd see cities that never sleep and trains that run faster than horses. Vending machines on every corner, food stalls with smells that make you hungry even when you're full."
Myu clapped. "Sounds fun!"
Tio tilted her head slightly. "Did you have many friends there?"
Selena went quiet for a moment. Her fingers absently traced the edge of a bullet casing.
"…Not really," she admitted. "In grade school… especially between third and sixth grade… I didn't talk to many people. I guess I was always a little different."
Tio turned toward her, the meat momentarily forgotten. "Different how?"
"I didn't fit in. I kept to myself a lot. I wasn't good at small talk, and didn't understand what people expected from me. I didn't know how to play the games everyone else played."
She paused, her voice growing softer. "I remember this one time… a boy asked me out. Just out of nowhere. I was surprised, but… I said yes."
Myu leaned in, eyes sparkling. "Oooh! Was he nice?"
Selena gave a dry chuckle. "Not really. It didn't last. Just a couple of days. He broke up with me like it was a joke. Like I was the joke."
Tio frowned, a rare seriousness settling on her expression. "That must have hurt."
"It did," Selena admitted. "More than it should've. I think… I was just so lonely back then. Even a lie felt like something. And when it ended, it reminded me that I had nothing."
She looked down at her hands, voice low. "That's probably why I've never been into guys. Not really. It's not just that one time, but… it made me realize how easily people could play with someone's heart. Especially when they don't even understand what love is."
There was a pause, quiet and heavy, but not uncomfortable.
"…Where was Papa Hajime?" Myu asked innocently.
Selena's lips curled into a faint smile. "We didn't meet until high school, sweetheart. I didn't even know people like him existed."
Tio watched her for a long moment. It was rare for Selena to speak so openly, and even now, her vulnerability was wrapped in careful words and sidelong glances. But it was there. Honest. Raw.
"You're letting me in," Tio said gently.
Selena didn't look up. "I'm trying."
Tio crossed the room and knelt beside her, resting her hand on Selena's knee.
"Then I'll treasure every step forward," she whispered. "Even the small ones."
Selena glanced away, pretending to scoff. "You're so dramatic."
"And you're terrible at taking compliments."
"Yeah, well… I never practiced that part either."
The three of them sat like that for a while—Myu humming happily as she chewed on a cooked skewer, Tio quietly basking in the moment, and Selena… finally allowing herself to breathe.
Later that night, silence blanketed the city—save for the soft sound of Myu's breathing between the two women who shared her bed. Selena lay still, arms folded behind her head, eyes closed but far from asleep. Her senses were always active, and tonight, they flared to life with a sharp jolt.
Dozens—no, hundreds—of life signatures suddenly surged at the edge of the city. Monster types. Fast, large. Too many to be a scouting party. Her body tensed instantly.
Shit.
She sat up without a word, the motion smooth and practiced, but even that was enough to disturb Tio. The dragon stirred groggily as Selena slipped off the bed.
"Selena…?" Tio blinked through the darkness. "What's wrong?"
Myu shifted with a content sigh, unconsciously hugging Tio now that Selena's warmth had left.
Selena stepped to the window, her eyes narrowing. In the distance, just beyond the city's gates, a glow—flickering, angry—climbed into the night sky. The crackle of fire. The orange haze of destruction.
"They're here," Selena said. "The demons are attacking."
Tio was on her feet in seconds, crossing to the window as Selena already moved toward the corner of the room where she'd stashed her ninja gear. Armor, weapons, mask—it had been a while since she'd needed to go all out, but this wasn't the time to hold back.
"You're planning to meet them head-on again, aren't you?" Tio asked, voice tight.
Selena didn't answer at first as she tied her bracers. "What else would I do?"
"You're going solo. Again." Tio stepped in front of her, blocking her path. "Selena, there are thousands of them. And this time… you won't have Hajime or Yue or Shea covering your blind spots."
"I know."
"Do you?" Tio snapped. "Do you really? Because all I see is the same damn girl ready to throw herself into the grinder like her life means nothing!"
Selena's hand clenched at her side. "What do you want me to say, Tio? That I should just stand here while people die?"
"I'm not saying that," Tio said, voice lower now. "I'm saying you don't need to destroy yourself to save everyone. Not tonight. Not alone."
Selena hesitated, her lips parted, breath catching on words she didn't want to say. The truth was—she hadn't planned. She'd seen the fire, felt the threat, and her instinct had screamed: move. Her original plan had been to dive straight into the chaos.
But she wasn't alone anymore.
Tio stepped closer, resting her hand gently on Selena's armored shoulder. "The people will be running toward the Adventurer's Guild. That's where the strongest fighters in this city are likely to gather. If we set up a proper defense, we can turn this into a push—not a slaughter."
"They came at night," Selena muttered, frowning. "They waited for most city to be weak"
"Exactly. Which means panic is already spreading. If we unleash our real power inside the city, we risk turning this place into rubble. You and I are good at killing mobs—but not here, not with civilians still trying to escape."
The sharp, distant sound of screaming pierced the night air, faint but clear enough to make both women still.
Selena grit her teeth. Her entire body itched to move, to act, to stop the bleeding before it began. But Tio's words were right. Her instincts had been forged through blood and fire—but this wasn't just about brute strength anymore. This city… wasn't a battlefield yet. Not unless they made it one.
She let out a long, deep sigh.
"Fine," Selena muttered. "We head to the Guild. Form a line. Push out. Support the guards."
Tio smiled softly. "Good. I'll wake Myu and find a safehouse near the Guild to leave her in. We'll move in five."
Selena nodded, the fire still burning in her chest—but now, it had focus.
This time, she wouldn't fight just because she could.
This time, she'd fight smart.
"I don't think Myu's going to leave our side," Tio said quietly, glancing back at the sleeping child nestled under the blanket.
Selena adjusted the last strap on her gear, her expression unreadable. "Then you take her with you. Head to the defense line. I'll go into the city and help people evacuate."
Tio narrowed her eyes. "Of course you will."
"It's the best option," Selena replied, meeting her gaze.
Tio crossed her arms, expression firm but not unkind. "This is the best I'm getting out of you, isn't it?"
Selena gave a lopsided shrug. "Yeah."
A long pause hung between them before Tio finally sighed and stepped closer. "Fine. But don't overdo it. From the stories you told me—about the Orcus Labyrinth—you know how to pace yourself now. So don't waste all your strength early. We'll need to push back later."
"I know."
Without warning, Tio leaned in and kissed her. It was slow, gentle, grounding. She wasn't trying to spark heat—just clarity. To steady the storm always raging behind Selena's eyes.
When they broke apart, Selena lingered for a heartbeat, her forehead resting lightly against Tio's.
"Better?" Tio whispered.
"Much," Selena admitted. "Sorry. I'm already making you worry."
"That's part of the deal," Tio said with a small smile. "But we will talk about this sacrifice complex of yours one day."
"Haha… let's not." Selena chuckled sheepishly.
The sound of doors slamming open echoed through the inn's hallway. Voices shouted. Footsteps thundered. The city was waking in chaos. From their window, they could see panicked civilians rushing into the streets—some armed, most not. A few adventurers were already taking up position, trying to guide the civilians, but it was disorganized. Messy. Frightening.
All the noise stirred Myu. The little girl sat up slowly, rubbing her eyes and yawning.
"Is it morning already?" she mumbled.
Tio gently cupped her cheek. "Not yet, dear. But we need to move soon."
Myu blinked, confused. "What's going on?"
Selena knelt by the bed, brushing Myu's hair back with a faint smile. "Looks like some evil demons decided to attack the city while everyone was sleeping."
Myu's eyes widened, but she didn't panic. "Are we going to fight them?"
"You and Tio are going to help defend the city," Selena said. "I'm going to help people get to safety."
Myu looked up at her with wide, brave eyes. "Stay safe, big sister Selena."
Selena smiled and ruffled her hair. "I'll try, kid."
With one last look between them, Selena stepped back toward the window. Her form shimmered with mana—and then vanished in a flash of light.