And so the curtain came down.

　The nightmare play opened by Noyes Dies from the Sixth House was brought to an end with her own death.
　If one includes the preparations for bringing Currier Versteyn to the kingdom of St. Renousseled, then the play is a long one.
　Whether this play had a dramatic ending or not, I don't know.
　But for now, I'd like to rejoice in the fact that my loved ones survived in the midst of the looming crisis.

'Kurohiko!'

　Cecily came rushing over.
　Makina-san had begun discussions with the instructor and others who couldn't go to respond to the golem due to her injuries.
　Shana-san also seemed to be consulting next to her.
　His companions swarm Rokia.
　Cecily came up to me and took my black, deformed left hand with both hands.

'I trusted you. I knew you would do it.
We managed to win, but after the Four Deadly Disasters, they were a formidable opponent.
"Such a powerful enemy, but you shake it off. Even with all these scars.

　Cecily-san withdrew her hand once, which seemed to be about to touch my body.
　Her gaze slid to the blood-soaked armpit - the destination of her gaze was the wound I made with the 'mad cherry tree'.

"Wound........are you okay?　Doesn't it hurt?
'It doesn't actually hurt that much. As Hibigami said earlier, it's probably just another effect of the noise medicine.

　The pain is lessened now, probably by the effects of the drug.
　The body that was unable to move due to the load of the forbidden curse is still somewhat heavy, but it can move.
　The wounds that were shot out by what's called the multi-stage variant technique of noise and the damage sustained by the 'violent burial' might also have sounded more if it weren't for the effects of the medicine.
　It still looks okay, but I'm a little afraid of what will happen when the effects of the medicine wear off.......

''But just in case, I'll do it gently, right?
Softly?　What are you--

　Cecily jumped into my chest, softly.

'Why, Miss Cecily!
Thank you for helping Currier out.

　Tears were welling up in her eyes.
　Unsure of what to do, and with nowhere to go, I placed my hands on both her shoulders for now.

'It's not just me,'
We needed your help, too.
Well if that's how you feel about it, it was worth the effort.
And I'm glad you're okay. Of course, I had faith in you, but--

　Cecily buried her face in her chest.

'I knew you were worried about me, too.

　Poof, a loosely clenched fist taps my shoulder.
　Lowering the tone of her voice slightly, Cecily muttered.

'I was worried about you, this guy.
I worry about people all the time, don't I?
Every time you worry about me, I'll give you a big hug.
...hmm?

　Wouldn't it be more beneficial to worry about that...?
　As I tilted my head back, Cecily wiped the tears from the corners of my eyes and looked up at me.

'You can move now, and the wound doesn't hurt so much, does it?
Yeah.

　Cecily's expression changes to one of indulgence.

'Well, squeezing, then, please.'
...Yes?
You worried me, so why don't you make me feel better?
Huh.

　Cecily's eyes moisten.

'No, sir?'

　Bruising.

Okay, but won't there be blood or dirt on it?
I don't care about that. Come on.
Okay.
We're going fast, aren't we?

　Cecily pressed up against her body in a gulp.

''Well ... like this?''

　I put my hands around his waist and pull him in lightly.

'Huh, it's a perk.'

　Then I let go of my body, "Well," and Cecily-san returned to her serious face and turned her gaze behind me.
　I follow the tip of her gaze.
　Beyond that, I saw Currier-san looking down at her fellow countryman who had died.
　Currier-san looked dejected.

''Call out to her, please. Because I believe that the one who will truly bring down the curtain on this stage that Noise has prepared is you and her.
Yes.

　He walks up to her and calls out to her.

'Thank you for your help, Mr. Currier.

　There was a little pause before Miss Currier opened her mouth.

'Whatever Noyes said about me--whatever his intentions were--everything he said about me was right.

　Without taking his gaze off the noise, Currier said.

'I was searching for my existence ... for a place to belong. I was searching for a place that would accept me as nothing more than an alien. But.........the world I was living in was a place where I would be mercilessly devoured if I wasn't careful. That's why I couldn't just show my weak self.

　This behavior would have resulted in her putting off even those who might have accepted her.
　She was silent, lonely, and harbored a sense of loneliness.
　Finally, she didn't even know the meaning of her existence, and finally, she wanted to find out the meaning of her existence....

For what purpose were we people of the Sixth Estate raised? If I knew that, I would be able to confirm the meaning of my life now. But........on the flip side, the only meaning of my existence is--
Well, what if...

　I clenched my fists and said.

'Be there for me.'
What?
I don't want to live in a world without Mr. Currier.
Blackberry....
If, like Noyes said, Currier-san's place in the country is gone then I'll leave the country.
I mean, come on. You know what?　It was an easy idea--
Makina-san's goal of defeating the Four Deadly Disasters has been accomplished. That's why I think the option to leave is still possible. I'll be able to earn my living expenses after leaving the country by working as a mercenary in Ruvelargan or the Empire. And I've received an invitation from Shana-san to investigate the power of the forbidden curse. If I can find a place to settle down in Ruvelargan and get a place to live and be accommodated, I'll have a place to settle down for the time being. And in the meantime, we'll stabilize our mercenary business. And I've heard that there are many areas in Ruvel Argan where mercenaries are needed right now.
Oh, baby.
'I will work hard and make money. If I can, I'll get status and honor. It would be more convenient for me. When I've made my fortune, I'll build a house in a quiet place. I will build you a place where you can come back whenever you want, where you can feel safe and secure.
Well, you've come up with a very specific proposal. No, I appreciate the sentiment, but there's no reason for you to go there.
It's worth it to you.

　I look straight into Currier's gray-blue eyes.

'To me,'

　Mr. Currier turned away.

'Shh, but you can't make everyone happy with your earlier plan, can you?　There will be people who will be sad to see you go.

　Oh, yeah.

'I want everyone to be happy. If I can, I want everyone I love to be happy.

　I remember talking about that when I gave Currier a rubdown in the Cirrus Baths.

'Then I'll take them all with me. Or I'll call them in.
What did you say?

　Currier-san, who seemed to be somewhat agitated with emotions, returned the face she had turned away from.
　It was like a surprise.

''I'll call everyone to the land we talked about earlier. Oh, of course, I won't force you to go there.''
I'll call you, you...
''Oh, if you want, maybe we can make that place a village.......I'll aim for a village that will make my loved ones happy. No, if we're going to do it as a village, I might ask Machina-san or someone else I know from Renousled for a little help at first, but... Oh, but I think I'd like Machina-san to live in the village if possible. --
The way you talk... if only you had the chance, you're really going to make it happen. But, you see, it's not going to be that easy--
Don't worry. I'm sure that even if the world is against you, I will protect you all with my life. No, I'd rather have a world that is hostile to the people I care about...

　I said.


"I'm going to destroy it, sir.


　Pouting, he was.
　It was Currier-san.

　..........
　Oh, that?
　I thought this was the best way to make everyone happy....

'Huh, huh, huh, huh, huh!'

　It was Rokia who gave a high-pitched grin as she said this.

'So I told you. That's the proof that you have the potential to be the greatest evil of all. Or maybe the day will come when Sagara Kurohiko being a forbidden user will be the greatest misfortune for someone else?
..........

　It's a terrible thing to say.
　What was the evil in that story?
　It's just that he wants to make the people he cares about happy, that's all.

He's not afraid to make the world a hostile place if it gets him there. That's what he'd do. In order to protect your loved ones, for example, even if you were to make an enemy of that apocalypse itself, Sagara Kurohiko would do his best to destroy it. It's a good idea to use any means possible. Just like Noyes said, if he judges that the method is necessary to achieve his goal, even if it means sacrificing himself, he will use that method without hesitation. That's why we have to avoid becoming Sagara Kurohiko's "enemy". To be honest, it's too good to be worth it.
..........

　If you want to protect your loved ones, you can't choose any means.
　Why does Rokia talk about such an obvious matter now?
　And Currier held me close.

'Don't lead Kurohiko down a strange path, Rokia. That supreme wickedness is what you end up 'wanting' to do to Kurohiko.
Well, what do you think?
I won't let them do it anyway. I'm not the only one. My friends who care about Kurohiko will bring him back if he's about to be led astray.
'Well, as long as Currier Versteen, Cecily Arkwright, and Makina Renausphere are alive and well, we'll be fine.

　Currier-san gave Rokia a sharp glance as she untied her arms from holding me close, while she sniffed grimly, humphing.
　Looking down, I opened my mouth.

''Um, Currier-san,''
Hmm?
Speaking of which, I... haven't gotten an answer to a question you asked me yet.
'Questions?　What do you have?
'Yes. So, tell me again. It's about where I am... well, you know, where I am...

　That time.
　The day I met Rokia for the first time.
　After we parted ways with Rokia, Curie-san and I went into the house to borrow a bath.
　I asked Curie-san after her bath.

"You don't want me to be your place, do you?

As for me being Currier-san's place........no?

'Oh, that question. Well I didn't answer that question properly.
'It doesn't have to be forever. It doesn't have to be all the way through, even if it's just sitting around until Currier-san finds a place that he feels is his true place.
You know what I mean.

　Currier-san looked away from her gaze in embarrassment, and her lips twitched a bit.

''............................ro.
'What?　What?
''H~~~''
Hey, what's going on?
So, you know, you're not...

　I thought I was meditating, and then Currier-san turned up the volume.


"You've already become - my place!


Mr. Currier, sir.

　Oh, shit.

"What the hell?　Hey, what are you crying about all of a sudden, you!

　I noticed that tears were spilling out of my eyes as I poloed.
　I felt embarrassed and hid my face with my arms.

No.........because I was so happy........
Oh, honey....

　That's when Currier-san stepped forward towards me to get something out of his clothes pocket, and that's when I saw him.

''Hm?''
What?

　Miss Currier slipped away.

　I tried to support her as soon as I could, but I couldn't support her well.
　I hadn't broken the curse on my left arm, so I guess I made a mistake in trying to support her with one right arm.

　A soft, fuzzy, soft touch on my right hand...

Uh--

　When I opened my eyes, I saw Currier-san's face at a distance where our noses were almost touching.
　It's as if Currier-san has her hands on the ground and is covering me as I lay on my back. Such a state.
　And my right hand was grasping ... Currier-san's left, chest.
　Both of our faces had turned bright red.

I'm sorry, I'm sorry. Are you okay?
Yes, yes....

　Muuumuu.

　Ah.

Wow!　Excuse me!　I mean, how could it get so goofy when the curtain is just about to fall...!　Oh, that's a terrible script!　Not good enough!

　I was ranting and rushing to get my hands off of him.
　But.
　To my surprise, Currier-san grabbed my hand and tried not to let me go.

''What?''

　What? Why?

"Mr. Currier, what are you doing?
Okay.
'You said 'okay' so nicely... what's 'okay' about it?
I didn't think I'd gotten the answers to my questions, either.
"Answer?
When I asked him if he'd like to give it a squeeze at Cirrus Baths.

"Do you want to give it a squeeze anyway?

..........

　Aaaaah!

Yes, that's fine!
But you seem to be delighted, don't you?
Well, I mean, if they were in the Currier's chest, I'd...
Huh, you've become the place for me to be. Hmmm........strangely enough, I'm not in a bad mood either. So there's nothing wrong with having your breasts squeezed.


It's too much, of course...


　Oh my God, you scared me.
　Now, that's Cecily's voice.

'What are you doing in the presence of the others, what are you doing?　I did not send out Kurohiko to draw the curtain in this manner!　I mean, what is it!　This nasty deja vu flow!　Screw you!
'Cecily?　I, what the hell is wrong with you?

　Currier-san, who rolled her eyes, haha, she guessed something.

I'm sure you're not the only one.　It's called milking each other, right?　Let's see, I should rub it back in, too...?
'I've heard that milking each other is a term used for a relationship between a man and a woman in the first place!　And it doesn't mean we're going to touch each other's breasts!　I mean, what are you going to do when you show off your chest rubbing with Currier in public?　We're just a bunch of s*xually-exposed lovers?

　Cecily, it was in full swing.
　'Ha, anyway.

''And for now, would you please let go of that hand, Currier-san? I'm as embarrassed as you'd expect me to be here, too, I mean.
Hmm?　Oh I feel like Cecily is upset with me, so I don't want to do that now.

　Me and Currier-san raised our bodies.

'If you feel like rubbing, feel free to call me anytime, Kurohiko.

　Curie-san smiles at me without any evil intentions.
　Cecily, on the other hand, has a smirk on her face.

''You know when you take it seriously, don't you, Kurohiko?

　It was a shimmering dark aura.
　It was a pressure, beyond the noise, a pressure.

''It's a reflection on Currier too, you know!　d*mn it!　Because in some odd way you lack knowledge or have poor instincts!　Oh, God!　If left unchecked, I think these two will suddenly go as far as they can go........!

　Cecily-san holds her head with an expression that is typical of a beautiful girl.

''Oh I didn't know it was such a painful position to watch over two dullards, but, well--''

　Huh, I sighed, and Cecily hugged both of us on the shoulder.

'Well, we're both safe today, so we'll let it go.

　Miss Currier's expression softened.

'I'm sorry you had to worry about that, Cecily. Your voice was duly heard while I was fighting the noise. Thanks.
I won't let anything happen to you.
Yeah?
If someone tries to force the responsibility on Currier like Noyes said, I will definitely protect you. Even if it involves my grandfather and brother, I'll protect them.
Thank you.

　Cecily put her index finger on Curie-san's lips as she was about to say thank you.

'We're best friends, aren't we?　It's only natural to help each other. It's not tactful to thank me, is it?
Okay, okay.
Well. Now, shall we perform a healing ceremony on Kurohiko? Can you take off your jacket?
You're going to take it off here?
'What man who was just at the breast-rubbing stage would say that?
..........

　Cecily, don't you think you're being a little too plain?

　Curie-san puts her hand on my jacket.

I'm not going to be shy about it, because I'm naked on top. I don't mind it. Cecily, let's get you both out of it.
Jeez, I'll take it off myself!
Hmmm, we're going to let you take off your clothes.　Aren't you glad that these two pretty girls let you strip down to your clothes?　Look~ Please hold still~?

　

　In the end, I decided to give up and give my body to them.

　.......................


　Was it good to end things like this?