"So that's why you two started fighting?"
In the pitch-dark grove, four figures stood talking beneath the glow of the Luminous Moss.
After hearing the whole story, Naohara took a sip of hot tea to steady himself, then glanced at the two beside him with speechless disbelief.
Momonga, standing nearby, shook his head at Herohero, clearly indicating the guy was beyond saving.
"Hey, what's that supposed to mean?"
"I'm the victim here, okay?!"
He had come with genuine intentions to clear up a misunderstanding, only to get attacked out of nowhere. And now his two best friends were making fun of him. The more he thought about it, the more aggrieved he felt.
Fuming, Herohero stomped off to a corner and started drawing circles on the ground, muttering curses at Naohara and Momonga for being such heartless friends.
"Just you wait. I'll make you regret this."
"Just wait…"
He didn't even bother lowering his voice, so the two of them could hear every word.
Momonga silently picked up a camera and exchanged a knowing smile with Naohara.
Interesting.
After settling Herohero's side of things, Naohara turned to the other main party involved.
"Clementine, don't you have anything to say?"
Looking at Clementine, who was pressed close to him and staring at him with a foolish grin, Naohara felt something was off.
He was currently in his Dragonoid form, yet she hadn't reacted at all. From beginning to end, she hadn't said a single word, just kept staring at him.
Every so often, she even let out a small laugh, which only made Naohara more confused.
"What do you want me to say, Naohara?"
Instead of answering directly, Clementine asked back with a bright smile, clearly in a very good mood.
"For example, about who we really are. Or why I know your true name…"
Naohara pointed at the black scales covering his body and the dragon horns on his head. He had reverted to his Dragonoid form, and the change was dramatic. Yet she hadn't reacted at all.
He had actually been looking forward to seeing her startled expression.
"None of that matters. As long as you're Naohara, that's enough."
Clementine reached out and touched the jet-black scales on his body. Like someone who'd just found a new toy, she ran her fingers over them, completely absorbed, without a trace of fear or shock.
"Hmm. The quality of these scales is pretty good."
She even knocked lightly on them and gave a serious evaluation.
The Clementine from before might have been frightened or flustered. But after everything that had just happened, especially her failed suicide attempt, she had come to terms with it.
Appearance, race, none of that mattered anymore. As long as he was alive, that was enough. She didn't want to go through losing a friend again.
It didn't matter if he wasn't human. It didn't matter that he knew her real name. None of it mattered.
All she wanted was redemption.
"Hey, Naohara. The truth is, when we first met, I was planning to kill you."
Clementine said it casually, though her ears perked up slightly as she watched for his reaction.
She felt it wasn't something she should hide. Instead of letting it rot inside her, it was better to say it out loud. Even if he got angry, she would accept it.
"I see. Actually, back then I was planning to twist your head off too."
Naohara didn't react much. He simply smiled, placed a hand on Clementine's hair, and spoke those terrifying words in a gentle tone.
Beneath that sunny smile lay something far darker. Of course, that was only if you looked past the mask.
"Really? That's great."
Hearing that Naohara had wanted to twist her head off, Clementine's expression didn't change at all. Instead, she let out a relieved breath.
That was perfect. If Naohara had wanted to kill her too, she felt much better about it.
Momonga, who had been quietly watching the whole exchange, finally couldn't hold back his comment.
"You two… no wonder you ended up as friends."
Momonga pressed a skeletal hand to his skull and spoke with a tired, speechless tone.
Seriously. Is this how people make friends now? First meeting, and both sides are thinking about killing each other.
"Isn't meeting people always kind of absurd like that?"
"Fate is just… that strangely wonderful thing."
Naohara walked over, patted Momonga on the shoulder, and laughed.
Wasn't that exactly how he and Momonga had met? He started out with the goal of being isekai'd together, and now they'd become indispensable to each other. Everything along the way had been unpredictable.
"Running into you, you bastard, is the worst luck I've ever had."
The red points in Momonga's eye sockets flickered as he tossed out the complaint.
"Then keep being unlucky. I'm sticking to you for the rest of your life."
Naohara grinned and slung an arm over Momonga's shoulder, chatting as if nothing had happened.
Off to the side, Clementine saw Naohara talking with him and quietly moved farther away. This wasn't the moment to butt in.
She was surprised that Momonga was undead, but only surprised. As Naohara's friend, she didn't believe he would harm her, so there wasn't anything to fear.
She walked over to a patch of grass nearby, bent down, and picked up a slightly damaged gift box, then slowly headed toward the corner.
Holding the box, Clementine took a moment to compose herself before approaching Herohero, who was still drawing circles on the ground.
Watching him curse the two of them for being disloyal while he kept at it, Clementine leaned down and spoke, a little embarrassed.
"I'm sorry I misunderstood you earlier. I got the gift… and I really like it."
Her feelings toward Herohero were complicated. Fear, panic, anger, despair, and finally guilt. It had been a complete emotional whiplash, ridiculous enough to make her want to laugh.
Now that she understood what he had been trying to do, she felt even more awkward. He had come sincerely to clear up the bad blood, and she had been ready to stab him.
"It's fine. I didn't think things through either."
Hearing her apology, Herohero stood up and waved it off, signaling it was nothing. He wasn't holding it against her.
Mainly because he was just too handsome for her to appreciate, and Herohero could understand that.
"Then… please take care of me in the future, He—"
"Just call me Herohero. No need to be formal."
"Okay. Then I'll be in your care, Herohero-sama."
"Mm. You too, Clementine-san."
Only minutes ago they had been ready to kill each other. Now that the misunderstanding had been cleared up, they were already starting to feel more at ease.
Watching from the side, Momonga and Naohara nodded, then exchanged a smile. Making up was the best outcome.
Some misunderstandings are nothing once they're explained. But if people let pride get in the way and ignore them, even close relationships can turn into strangers.
Herohero and Clementine had ended up getting to know each other the hard way.
"Good, good. Now that the misunderstanding is cleared up, next…"
"Clementine, let me ask you…"
Naohara clapped his hands as he walked over, and with their next steps in mind, he directed his question at Clementine.
"Clem!"
"Huh?"
"I told you. In front of you, I'm always Clem, not Clementine."
Clementine shook her head and spoke with complete seriousness. Naohara paused for a beat, then nodded.
"Got it."
"Then, Clem… do you want to join us?"
The smile vanished from Naohara's face. He looked at Clementine solemnly, waiting for her answer. Momonga and Herohero also turned to look, and an invisible pressure filled the air.
Clementine didn't hesitate.
"I only have one answer: I swear myself to you."
She had no reason to refuse.
Whether it was for redemption or something else, she had already run out of any other path.
"Then let's go. It's time to head back to The Great Tomb of Nazarick."
[Gate]
With her answer in hand, Naohara swept his arm, and a dark vortex appeared out of thin air.