"So, if you did become stronger. What would you do?"

Scala kept asking questions. 'Let me see…' Tenjouin pretended to give it some thought.

He knew what he would do.

"Well, I guess I would beat up the person I want to defeat."

It felt more pa.s.sionate.

He realized once again how he felt as he answered.

He had come to this world and touched a sword for the first time. It was the first time he had seen magic. He had skills, but he started at 0 with everything.

But now he had surpa.s.sed the kingdom's knights and killed monsters that had been difficult before. He fought demons and was victorious.

Before he knew it, Tenjouin had discovered the thrill of climbing higher mountains and surpa.s.sing them.

Am I combat maniac?

He chuckled to himself. Scala listened to his answer and then said,

"I've decided! I choose you!"

She had decided something.

"Huh?"

"You want to become stronger, don't you?"

"I do…"

"Then I shall make it come true."

He didn't know what was happening

But Scala looked happy as she grabbed his hand. With her other hand, she pulled out a teleportation sphere and threw it.

When the sphere shattered, a magic circle appeared in that spot.

"Now, let's go."

Scala forcefully pulled Tenjouin's arm.

However, such methods did not sit well with him. And he frantically resisted.

"Wwait a minute! Go!? Go where? What do you mean about making it come true!?"

Tenjouin tried to pull away from her grip as he asked this, but he was not strong enough.

Scala didn't look at all disturbed by his desperate struggle, and she replied in a calm voice.

"Isn't it obvious? I am going to train you and make you stronger."

"What? Stronger?"

"If everything goes well, you will gain strength incomparable to where you are now. You may even be able to catch up to Yato."

At the mention of training, Tenjouin stopped struggling and looked at her with wide eyes.

It was so sudden that he did not know what to think, but Scala's last words sounded clearly in his ears.

He might catch up to Yato. To Kamiya.

And he would be much stronger than before.

He had given up only a moment ago. But if he was with a G.o.d of superior strength, maybe it was possible after all.

"I thought you might be worth something the moment you first challenged me to a fight. And now I know that there is someone you wish to beat. So you have no reason to refuse me."

It seemed that Scala had seen something in Tenjouin.

And his question and challenge to her to fight had miraculously made a good impression on her.

Perhaps they were fundamentally quite similar to each other.

He could defeat Kamiya and become stronger…

Tenjouin muttered this to himself as if Scala was not there.

Just putting it into words seemed to make his heart burn hot.

When he imagined the moment of victory, all of his will to resist seemed to melt away.

However, that was the problem.

"Let's go then. Time is of the essence."

"Uh, wha!?"

Once Scala was finished answering his question, she pulled him forward toward the magic circle. And then she jumped.

Her body went inside of the circle, and then both she and Tenjouin disappeared.

"I didn't say that I would go with you yet!!"

"Te-Tenjouin!?"

Tenjouin screamed as he was dragged into it. But his voice suddenly cut off.

Miki frantically tried to stop him, but she was too late.

He was gone in an instant, and only Miki remained.

"Wh-what should I do…"

Things had happened so suddenly that she could not make decisions in time.

The room had been so loud a moment ago, but now everything was silent.

In any case, she thought that it would be best to go and tell Luri.

What had happened was practically an abduction. But since she had said she was going to train Tenjouin, Miki would call it an apprentices.h.i.+p.

While she decided this, she continued to stand there motionless. And then she suddenly remembered something as she raised her voice with an 'Ah.'

"I forgot to tell him."

It was the reason she had come here in the first place.

It was too bad she couldn't tell him.

She felt strong regret over this.

After all, the information had to do with the ultimate reason he had come to this world.

-She finally knew where the demon lord was.

She had been able to ask one of the four great generals she had brought back from earth before.

After being summoned, Tenjouin had been able to learn the basics of sword and magic and gained experience through killing monsters.

Then he pushed back the wave of monsters that swept the country until the place was considered to be safe again.

But up until now, the location of the demon lord had been a mystery. And now they would be able to go and defeat him.

It meant the end of the long battle in this world.

And yet, Scala had forcefully taken away Tenjouin.

Furthermore, no one knew when he would return.

Miki was worried about the future, but there was no point in thinking about it now.

She would just have to pray.

Besides, even though she knew the location, there were lots of preparations to be made.

And so there was no real need to rush.

No need to rush…

"Why am I always the person who has to wait…"

Miki had nothing but complaints.

She had thought that she could be together with Tenjouin when she came back from earth…

She sighed. Strangely, she did not feel the same sense of sadness as before.

Perhaps it was because she had experienced this before. But she did not like being used to it.

"…I'll go look for Luri."

She had to explain what just happened.

Luri would probably think the same thing as her.

Thinking about it like that, she somehow felt less inclined to tell her.

Why do I have to do this…

She sighed again. While she didn't care to, Miki teleported away to where Luri was.

You would think that things would settle after returning from earth. But now he was taken away to be trained by a G.o.d.

But they knew where the Demon Lord was now. Their final purpose now felt like a very realistic possibility.

Bonus:

(Friends)

"Luri."

"Oh, Miki. What is it?"

"I don't seem to have any luck with men…"

"Oh, what happened? This is so sudden."

"I don't know if I could feel any more sad…"

"Uh, so what are you talking about?"

"Do you think I'd be punished if I punched him the next time we meet?"

"I don't know what you're talking about, but why don't you just do what you want?"