"Do you think… they'll meet again?"
Renamon had appeared behind Chen Ze at some unknown moment, asking the question quietly.
Her usual composure and elegance were gone. What replaced them was a faint, lingering sorrow.
Though she hadn't known Greymon long—and hadn't spoken a single word to him from beginning to end—
The bond he shared with the Yagami siblings stirred something in her, a regret rising from deep within.
They had deserved a better ending than this.
"They'll definitely meet again."
After a short silence, watching this unusually emotional side of Renamon, Chen Ze gave a firm answer.
"Because this is what 'destiny' has arranged."
Though he had personally witnessed the entire "Hikarigaoka Incident," Chen Ze never felt that made him the protagonist of anything.
Not the protagonist—not even a supporting character.
At most, he was just a witness.
Greymon had ultimately returned to the Digital World through "death," and the children who witnessed this battle would one day travel to that mysterious world themselves.
"The question isn't what will happen to them in the future. It's what we're supposed to do right now."
Taking a deep breath, Chen Ze looked up with a helpless smile.
A massive ring of light was slowly forming in the sky.
On its far side lay a radiant, otherworldly landscape.
Even without having been there, Chen Ze knew instantly—that was the Digital World, the place where Homeostasis resided.
"Another Digital World…?"
Following Chen Ze's gaze, Renamon also noticed the gateway—one that connected not to her own Digital World, but to an entirely different one.
Ancient, chaotic information rippled from beyond, like the first sprout of new life—full of infinite potential.
And as the gate opened, a strange force began tugging at Chen Ze and Renamon, lifting their bodies off the ground.
It felt like weightlessness, yet not quite.
This mysterious power, flowing out from the other side of the gate, urged all Digimon toward it without pause.
Crack—!
Just when Chen Ze thought he and Renamon would be drawn into the Digital World like this, a sound like shattering space-time erupted sharply.
Then—
The gate began to fracture.
Within its splintering frame, countless scenes flashed:
Mystical worlds.
Primitive worlds.
Modern worlds.
Strange, warped worlds…
Each spatial crack revealed a different parallel Digital World—some even belonging to time turned inside out.
[Go. You two are no longer welcome here.]
Without warning, Mirei Mikagura's voice echoed again in Renamon's mind, but this time she sounded noticeably weakened.
Clearly, forcefully shattering the Digital World's gateway and interrupting Homeostasis's pull had taken a heavy toll—even for someone aided by Mastemon.
"Let's go. It's time for us to head home."
Ignoring Chen Ze's uncertain expression, Renamon tilted her head slightly and smiled—an elegant yet oddly adorable smile.
...
"YukimiBotamon… did it leave?"
In Mimi's room, the girl stared out at the golden fox and blue dinosaur flying together into the unknown time-space beyond her window. A strange tremor stirred faintly in her heart.
"YukimiBotamon… will we ever meet again?"
In the darkened room, Mimi whispered to herself.
"We will. I'm sure we'll meet again."
Whether it was a girl's intuition or simple stubborn will, Mimi nodded with full seriousness—completely convinced deep inside.
"Mimi? Are you awake?"
When she opened her door and walked toward the candlelit living room, her parents' voices sounded from the entrance.
"Dad, Mom—welcome home!"
Seeing her parents return hand in hand, Mimi immediately broke into a big smile and ran toward them with open arms.
"Today, I'm going to tell you a story… all about YukimiBotamon!"
...
"Those siblings…"
At the same time, not far from Mimi's apartment, Sora stood on her balcony, staring blankly at the two Yagami siblings who had narrowly survived.
Or rather—ever since Tai had taken the whistle from Kari and, like a true hero, faced his own fear and trembling head-on, Sora's eyes hadn't left him for a moment.
From the start of the battle until its end, those two siblings—who seemed to know one of the monsters—had never left the battlefield.
Even the two smaller Digimon who later joined the fight had only done so because of them.
So Sora couldn't help but wonder—
Who exactly were those siblings?
Why were they dragged into such a battle?
Most importantly—
Tai's courage deeply impressed her.
Sora had always been a girl who lacked courage.
Even when scolded by her mother, she only dared to hide and sulk alone, never defending herself.
She knew her own flaws well and genuinely wished she could be an outgoing, cheerful girl.
But personality couldn't be changed in a day. Every time she encountered hardship, hiding became instinct—a habit she couldn't break.
Yet, after seeing Tai's courage—standing up for his sister, standing up for Koromon—Sora suddenly realized how trivial her own fear and self-pity were in comparison.
If she had to describe her feelings toward the boy now, Sora could only choose words like "astonishment," "admiration," and "worship."
If only she could someday be like that boy—
Brave enough to face anything without fear.
"…I want to change."
Looking down at her own hands, Sora whispered, determination flickering faintly in her eyes.
"I don't want to disappoint Mom. I'm going to become courageous… just like him."
As she murmured this, a small, unnamed emotion quietly took root in her heart.
Sora's intuition told her that someday in the future, she would meet that boy again.
And when that day came—
She wanted to be someone braver, more outgoing, someone capable of speaking proudly to the person she admired.
---
A/N: This volume ends perfectly. The beginner's village quest—witnessing history—is complete. Next comes the age of hackers.
T/N: VOLUME ENDDDDD