ep forward—

And made their sword and bell bump together with a loud pitch.

As Haruyuki merely watched that spectacle silently, a whisper from Takumu standing next to him reached his ears.

“..It seems we were worried about nothing.”

“..You got that right. But..I’m glad. I’m so glad..really..”

Haruyuki also unconsciously extended his arm, and firmly held Cyan Pile’s shoulder.

While receiving Accel World’s blue moonlight, the four Burst Linkers remained standing there like that for a while.

However, eventually, Kuroyukihime raised her head, and ordered her subordinates in a refreshed voice.

“Now then..Let’s go back. To the real world.”

After withdrawing from the Unlimited Neutral Field through Koenji Station’s portal, Haruyuki returned to his home’s living room in the real world.

Although the duel had followed unexpected developments one after another, the total time that had passed wasn’t even an hour. In other words, on this side, it had been an event that had lasted a mere three seconds.

However, the instant he returned to his real body, Haruyuki felt like so immensely fatigue that he was on the verge of falling prostrate over the table. He endured it, and raised his head.

Once he readjusted the focus of his blurred vision, he saw Chiyuri’s face there, also blinking her eyes incessantly in the same manner.

The two of them locked gazes for just a moment. Just that made something hot well up in his chest and made his eyes nearly wet, so Haruyuki opened his mouth hurriedly.

“....It would have been fine if you told us.”

Then, next to him, Takumu also spoke while shaking his head slightly.

“That’s right. About getting in touch with master..no, before that, if you have told us that you had joined forces with Noumi for the sake of getting back Haru’s wings, we wouldn’t have needed to worry like that.”

As the two boys used a reproachful tone because of their own self-reproach over doubting their childhood friend, Chiyuri made a show of giving a big sigh, and then responded in an amazed voice.

“Hey, I told you before! I only had once chance to turn back Dusk Taker’s time with ?Citron Call?! Even if the chances of it were one in ten thousand, I couldn’t afford for Noumi to notice. I didn’t think it was possible, but if Noumi had placed something like a bug-tapping application or device on me, he would find out the instant I explained it to you!”

After the two boys gulped and looked at each other, Haruyuki mumbled dumbfoundedly.

“Y-You thought that far..Even though you’re Chiyu..”

“Wait, what’s that supposed to mean!!”

Shouting and getting up from her chair with a ‘GATA’, Chiyuri went around the table in order to jab Haruyuki.

But then, she collapsed to the floor as if dizzy, so Haruyuki and Takumu also hurriedly stood up and knelt down in front of Chiyuri.

“C-Chii-chan, are you okay!?”

In response to Takumu’s question, she nodded her head lightly while still hanging her head—

And then Chiyuri suddenly whispered in a delicately trembling voice.

“....I did my best.”

*POTA*?A single drop of water made a sound on the flooring carpet as it fell down.

“....It was very tough, but..I did my best. I really did my best, so....”

*POTAPOTA*?The drops that fell one after another shone beautifully like jewels on top of the floor.

Haruyuki felt his chest prick, and this time spoke quietly in a voice that was trembling deeply.

“Yeah..Thank you. Truly, thank you, Chiyu.”

Heaving one great sob, Chiyuri raised her face that was overflowing with tears and suddenly jumped at their two necks with a ‘GABA’. She strongly drew close Takumu with her left hand and Haruyuki with her right hand, and shouted while pressing all three of their heads together strongly.

“I love you..I love you both!!”

And then, Haruyuki also firmly held his childhood friend’s back as she started sobbing like a child.

Unable to hold it back any longer, his own tears flowed out. Takumu also followed as something shined on his cheeks from under his glasses.

These three, who had been born in the same year and grew up in the same place, continued shedding their respective tears like that for a long time.