Rita silently looked away.
She firmly believed there was still a difference between herself and Deceitful Bloom.
At the very least, she did not deliberately stir up trouble.
A few days later, Deceitful Bloom sat beside her as usual, studying the draft, when she suddenly asked,
"You've visited other timelines."
"In those timelines... did I ever go see her?"
The moment Rita remembered the idiotic act of collecting a tiny bottle of Variational Quicksand from every timeline, she immediately became irritated again.
Still, she answered honestly.
"No."
"Not a single one."
That answer would probably make Byme laugh out loud.
And it also made Deceitful Bloom smile faintly.
Rita instinctively asked,
"You already know she wouldn't want to see you in Graveyard of Bones, right?"
The smile vanished.
The softness in Deceitful Bloom's eyes slowly faded as she lowered her gaze toward the painting in her hands.
"Mm."
Even the flowers on her vines drooped slightly.
