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By the time Bokue Keikain and his companions reached the surface, roughly ten minutes had passed.
Summer was in full swing, and the days were at their longest.
When Bokue and Nagisa first teleported to Keystone Gate, it had been just past five in the evening. After all the chaos they'd endured, it was still barely six. The sun hadn't moved much since their arrival, though now, without any clouds to soften its rays, it felt even harsher and more piercing.
"It's so hot… Why is it ridiculously hot here?"
As they stepped out of the elevator back into Keystone Gate's first-floor lobby, Asagi murmured under her breath, annoyed.
After all, it was late July, arguably the hottest period of the year. Yet, inexplicably, the largest structure and financial hub of Itogami Island—the Keystone Gate—currently had no air conditioning running at all.
The accumulated heat from a day's worth of sunlight had turned the expansive lobby into a giant sauna.
No—it was worse. A super-sized sauna.
Of course, it wasn't difficult to understand why. Earlier, to confuse and panic the authorities about their intentions, the apostles from Lotharingia had deliberately sabotaged the building's power grid before proceeding to the underground facilities. The entire above-ground section, nearly twenty floors, was plunged into a blackout.
The severity was evident just from the group of electricians frantically repairing the electrical panel near the entrance.
"Sigh… And here I thought we'd find some nice restaurant inside Keystone Gate for dinner. Guess that's off the table now."
Though Asagi hadn't planned this at all initially, she spoke as if dining here had been her idea all along, shooting a pointed look at the two middle-schoolers glued to Bokue's side.
"And after all that drama earlier… Anyway, Bokue, come to my place first. I need to shower and change—I'm covered in dust after walking through those corridors."
"Fine by me. Whatever you say," Bokue shrugged casually.
Heh heh…
Asagi smiled triumphantly, silently gloating. Her glance towards Nagisa and Yukina became openly provocative, translating clearly to: See, little girls? Your dear "Big Brother" is coming home with me, and we'll even have dinner together afterward. So how about you two obediently head home alone, hmm?
That clearly wasn't okay!
Nagisa wanted to protest immediately, but self-restraint held her tongue. Making a fuss would surely inconvenience Bokue, and she'd rather avoid that.
Surprisingly, it was Yukina who smoothly resolved the potential awkwardness with unexpected emotional intelligence, promptly chiming in after Asagi's declaration.
"Then, let's part ways at the Keystone Gate entrance. Aiba-senpai, Bokue-senpai—Nagisa and I were just about to head home ourselves anyway."
"Oh~ How thoughtful. Alright, be careful on your way back, girls~"
Asagi, thoroughly pleased by Yukina's maturity, softened her attitude considerably.
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Moments later, after saying brief goodbyes before the partially ruined Keystone Gate, Bokue and Asagi headed off together. Only Nagisa and Yukina boarded a city bus at the nearby stop, preparing to return home.
Unlike Asagi, whose apartment was conveniently located in the central district, Nagisa and Yukina represented the ordinary students of Itogami Island. For them, walking back home from the city center wasn't impossible—but definitely inconvenient, hence their choice of public transportation.
As the bus trundled along, Yukina brought up a lingering question that had been nagging her.
"Hey… Nagisa?"
"Hm? What's up, Yukina-chan? Something on your mind?"
Nagisa turned instantly, eyes sparkling with her usual cheerful warmth.
"Don't be shy! You can ask anything you want~"
"It's nothing major, really…" Yukina hesitated, momentarily thrown off by Nagisa's open demeanor. "I was just wondering—why were you and Bokue-senpai even at Keystone Gate to begin with?"
"Oh, that…"
Nagisa tapped her lips, pretending to think seriously for a moment.
"Well, we were originally at home when suddenly we heard about the incident at Keystone Gate. Since Big Brother's girlfr—ah, I mean childhood friend—Asagi-senpai works there, he was worried something might happen to her, so he took me along."
Catching herself from blurting out "girlfriend," Nagisa tilted her head cutely, offering a convincingly innocent smile.
"Though, honestly, it's a good thing we went. Who knows what would've happened if that executioner had actually destroyed Keystone Gate."
"Ah, you're right about that…" Yukina nodded absently.
Yet mentioning home made Yukina recall a peculiar sight she'd encountered earlier.
When she had rushed into Nagisa's home after hearing explosions, she'd found mysterious white splatters all over the floor. She was about to ask when Nagisa cut her off with a sudden question.
"How about you, Yukina-chan? How did you end up coming here?"
"Me? When I heard the alarms, I ran straight to your house. Finding no one there, I immediately headed to Keystone Gate," Yukina explained. Then, after a brief pause, she continued hesitantly, "But… when I entered your home earlier, there were these white splashes all over the floor. It looked like some kind of… liquid? What exactly were you and Bokue-senpai doing?"
"Eh!? Th-that…?" Nagisa jumped slightly, quickly averting her gaze as her cheeks reddened.
"Ahaha~ That was… um… Big Brother and I were making a cake!"
"A cake?"
Yukina blinked, genuinely puzzled.
This was an area completely foreign to her training as a Sword Shaman. Her culinary knowledge revolved mostly around wilderness survival—identifying edible plants, distinguishing poisonous berries, or creating balanced meals from limited resources. Cakes, cookies, pastries—such delicacies were entirely out of her expertise.
"Yes, yes, cakes! We were trying to whip up some cream frosting, actually," Nagisa blurted out desperately, improvising rapidly.
To enhance credibility, she even added a shy little laugh, scratching her cheek as if genuinely embarrassed.
"We're still new at baking, so we weren't exactly skilled yet. We kinda… made a mess."
"Ah, is that so…"
Yukina still felt a nagging sense of unease, as though something didn't quite add up, but she had no logical rebuttal and decided to let it go.
Suddenly, Nagisa's eyes brightened with excitement.
"Oh, I know! Yukina-chan, when we get home, why don't you taste-test it? You can tell me your honest opinion and maybe give me some suggestions!"
"Eh? M-me? But… I've never made cakes before…" Yukina stammered, surprised.
"Don't worry about that! It doesn't matter if you don't bake—just give me your perspective as a regular eater."
"Is… is that so? Well… okay then."
Yukina finally nodded shyly, surrendering to Nagisa's contagious enthusiasm.
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