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Faced with Ryuu's question, Lyra scratched her head and let out a helpless sigh.
"You really love putting people on the spot, huh? I can't give you an answer to that. Even if you asked Alise or the goddess herself, it'd be the same."
"Huh? W-What do you mean?!"
"Then let me ask you instead—do you think justice is something simple, with just one right answer?"
"....."
If it were the old Ryuu, the naive little elf who didn't know much about the world, she would've answered yes without hesitation.But now, as she slowly matured, she fell silent.
Lyra shrugged.
"Let me tell you this—there isn't only one version of justice."
"In other words, if someone ever tells you there's only one way justice should look, that person is definitely a dictator who refuses to hear others' wishes."
"!!!"
Lyra turned to look at Dan. Her eyes squinted like she was gazing at the sun, lips curling into a soft smile.
"Hey, Ryuu. I can't tell you what's the 'right' thing to do, but I can tell you why Dan did what he did just now."
"W-Why...?"
"Because he did it for us~."
"Eh?!"
"Maybe the goddess figured it out long ago—Dan doesn't actually share our beliefs. He might not even agree with what we're doing deep down."
To be honest, most of the Familia had probably noticed it too.
But only Lyra and Kaguya—realists who were so alike they couldn't stand each other—truly understood him on a deeper level.
"I even suspect he has no solid stance on what justice really is. If Kaguya and I hadn't saved him back then, I doubt he'd even be walking this path with us now."
Ryuu couldn't understand. Her sky-colored eyes trembled, her voice shaky.
"But... didn't Dan agree to join us in the end? Doesn't that mean he wants to protect justice too...?"
Lyra raised her hand and gently cut her off, speaking in a calm, serious tone.
"He's not protecting justice—he's protecting us, the ones who believe in justice."
A flower blooming stubbornly through the wind and rain—plenty will praise its purity and strength.But very few will use their own bodies to shield it from the storm.
Lyra looked straight at the shaken young elf girl, as if saying: you are included in that "us," too.
"If Dan does have his own version of justice, then protecting our pure ideals of justice—that's his justice. Even if it means staining himself in blood, he probably sees it as necessary."
Ryuu suddenly lifted her head, clenching her fists, her teeth biting down behind her mask.
"But if that's true… then it's just so unfair to him...!!!"
"Don't tell me… Don't tell me he thinks I—we're the kind of people who just sit back and enjoy his protection without guilt, thinking the world is this innocent and pure place, and that we can easily create some dreamland where everyone can laugh together like idiots?"
The elf girl was frustrated with her own immaturity—angry that Dan would carry such a burdensome and arrogant belief.
"And also… Also, I'm the senior here! He's the one who should be protected, not me!"
Lyra couldn't help but laugh.
She obviously cared so much, but just couldn't say it directly.
What a hopeless little elf.
One moment she's overthinking the definition of justice, and the next she's getting mad on Dan's behalf.
Is turning her into a love-struck fool the most efficient way to save this idiot…?
Tsk tsk. Dan, you really are a sinful man.
"So, how about trying to understand his justice too? Let's keep struggling together to figure it all out."
With all these tangled emotions in her heart, Ryuu took another step forward, her sky-colored eyes reflecting someone's inner turmoil.
This time, Lyra didn't stop her.
"Dan… about that magic—let me teach you."
"....."