After I felt my body slightly recover, I heard the voices of people chasing me from behind.
Soon, my position would surely be discovered by them.
Because of that, I carried Rosa-chan again and started walking.
Actually, carrying someone is much easier on the back than in front of the chest.
But since Rosa-chan hasn't regained consciousness, I couldn't carry her on my back.
If I did, she might fall off later.
——
Just as I expected, I was already exhausted by now. To the point that my legs couldn't even run anymore.
"There he is!!"
"Don't let him get away again!"
I was finally spotted by them. Their movements, of course, were very fast.
And it made sense that they could find me, especially since I was only walking.
But knowing they were right behind me, I forced my legs to run once more.
Obviously... my legs hurt so much, as if being pierced with needles from the soles of my feet.
If I stopped now, Rosa-chan would definitely be taken back by them.
And everything Vern-san had done up until now would be for nothing.
Because of that, I couldn't afford to waste this chance.
——
I kept running aimlessly, entering narrow alleys without knowing where they would lead.
They continued chasing me, as if they would never grow tired.
Suddenly, I saw a road ahead that was wider than these alleys.
That meant the road in front was a main street. And it would be much easier for me to escape from them there.
And sure enough, the road was wide and crowded with people.
Wait a second... isn't this a market?!
There were many stalls on the roadside, selling various goods and food everywhere.
People were buying and selling, walking back and forth.
Making this market even livelier and more packed.
I turned around and saw the people chasing me almost out of the alley.
I ran again, passing through the market to get away from them.
If possible, I wanted to reach the castle as soon as possible. In the castle, Rosa-chan could be treated and her condition would recover again.
Because of that, I ran toward the place where more people were gathered.
If my guess was right, that place should be a big and well-known location.
Maybe... I could see the castle from there.
——
I kept running until I almost reached that place, but suddenly I saw a bottle lying in front of me.
The bottle had been thrown onto the street by an old man standing on the roadside.
It was probably an alcohol bottle, since the old man looked like he had just been drinking.
Because it was thrown so suddenly, of course I couldn't dodge and stepped on the bottle.
Instantly, I lost my balance and fell, crushing Rosa-chan beneath me.
My vision faded away, as if this game had come to an end.
I couldn't check whether my body or Rosa-chan's was okay.
——
And that's how it happened, until I ended up here in this lobby.
Could it be that since I died in that game, I got kicked out? That's the most reasonable answer for now.
Especially since I was running while carrying Rosa-chan, and accidentally stepped on a bottle.
My body fell, and of course, there's a chance my life was lost.
A strong impact against the ground could've made my head hit hard.
Usually, when this game ends, Weinz appears again, doesn't he?
Especially since he said this was the last game he would give me.
FIUH
Out of nowhere, my ear felt like it had just been blown on by someone.
Maybe it was Weinz trying to mess with me, but I wouldn't fall for that trick.
I took a deep breath, then turned around to see who blew on my ear.
Instead of Weinz standing in front of me, there was a girl.
She was wearing white clothing with green patterns.
Her outfit was long enough to reach her knees, her ears were long and pointed. She was definitely an elf.
But looking closer, the outfit only covered up to her upper thighs, leaving her legs exposed.
Her thighs looked so soft and smooth, and together with her slender body... she looked even more beautiful.
Her face was just like Yuu-chan's — cute, yet beautiful. Her eyebrows were neatly shaped, perfectly matching her blue eyes.
Her body looked so soft that it made me want to touch her.
I had seen this girl before — in fact, I knew her very well.
Her face looked familiar, her clothes, her body... everything about her wasn't strange to me.
I could only stare at her in silence, unable to believe this was happening.
"Yukito-sama, how have you been? It's been quite a while since we were last together…" said the girl.
That way of addressing me... only two people had ever called me that in my life.
And if someone called me by that name, there was only one person it could be.
Without realizing it, my eyes started to glisten a little — maybe I was happy.
Happy to see that she was still here, and didn't hold any grudge against me.
Or maybe, I just missed her — missed seeing her face again and being with her once more.
"Are you crying?" said the girl, seemingly teasing me.
Reflexively, I wiped my eyes and stared straight at her face.
"No, I'm not!" I replied, trying to deny it.
"Well, whatever it is... I've wanted to see your face again for a long time, Yukito-sama," she said with a warm smile.
——
We both ended up sitting side by side, staring at this empty space.
The place itself was really boring, but the person sitting beside me made it feel a lot better.
"Cyve, where are we, exactly? Is this the afterlife?" I asked.
"If I can meet you here... that means I must have died too…" I continued.
That should be true, because if I could meet Cyve, it would mean I had also died.
But... dying because of stepping on a bottle while running... that sounds way too ridiculous.
"No, it's not like that..."
"Are you curious about this place?" asked Cyve.
"Of course," I replied.
She stopped looking at me and faced forward.
"We are both inside you, Yukito-sama."
"One of your skills actually possesses far more terrifying power than I expected," Cyve continued.
"Could it be... you're talking about my Creation skill? But that skill's pretty complicated, isn't it?" I asked, feeling very confused.
My Creation skill... I still didn't really understand how it worked.
But so far, it hadn't helped me at all. And now Cyve said this skill had an unexpected power?
After that, Cyve told me what she meant by us being inside my body.
——
(Cyve's side)
After I lost my life at the hands of Yukito-sama, I thought I would simply vanish along with my consciousness.
But I didn't.
My mind and soul still existed, but in a special place inside Yukito-sama's body.
I was first surprised to discover that Yukito-sama possessed a skill called "Creation."
And this white space has always been the place where I've stayed for quite some time now.
From this place, I can see everything Yukito-sama does.
Sometimes, I even feel jealous when I see Yukito-sama going on dates with that princess.
Then, when they were being chased, Yukito-sama nearly died from stepping on that bottle.
But instead, he appeared right in front of me. Meanwhile, his real body stopped — as if time itself had frozen.
And the reason my soul still lives and exists inside Yukito's body is because of the skill "Creation" he possesses.
That skill allows its user to obtain the abilities of others.
In one way — the user must kill the other person so that their power transfers to him.
Because of that, my soul and some of my abilities are now within his body.
——
When I explained this to Yukito-sama, he looked completely shocked. His expression made me want to laugh.
But one thing's certain — the skill Yukito-sama possesses is probably one that only he alone can have.
And since my soul resides inside his body now, sometimes I can give his body a bit of direction.
Meaning, I can share my thoughts with his mind. And of course, I'm happy to be with Yukito-sama again.
Especially since I don't know how long this condition will last.
Whether I'll suddenly disappear, or vanish together with him when he dies someday.
——
Before Yukito-sama's head hit the ground, I was completely shocked and got up from my comfortable position.
I was actually lying down leisurely at that time...
Then suddenly, I shouted his name, and a dazzling light made me unable to see anything.
And when I opened my eyes, his figure was already standing right in front of me.