It was decided to put Kanade through a test to see if he was on his own.
　If he passes the test, Suzu will return home quietly.
　However, if he failed the test, Kanade would be taken back to his village.

　A promise was made that if he failed the test, Kanade would be taken back to the village.

　Suzu's test was to be held immediately.
　I walked out of the house and went straight out of town.
　After walking for a while, we came to the forest.

Then we have our first test.

　When we had entered the depths of the forest to some extent, Suzu, who was walking in the lead, stopped.
　She turns around and looks at us.
　........By the way, it's noon now, so Tina is staying home.

　She said she's going to need everyone for the last test, so she's going to meet up with us later, but.......
　Tina was depressed that she couldn't help in a situation like this.
　I'll have to follow up on that later.

　Aside from that.

　Right now, we have to pass Suz-san's ordeal.
　Let's think about that.

'The first test will be to see how well you all bond.
Bond?
If you ask me, Kanade is an adventurer together with you all. As an adventurer, you need to work together with your friends. In other words, it's all about the bond between you and your friends. If you don't have a good bond with your fellow adventurers, you won't be able to continue for long.

　No wonder.
　I'm not saying it's wrong.
　Just how do we measure the bond?

Actually there's only one of you that I'm working with.
What?
I talked to him beforehand and got him to be on my side.
Oh, no, you can't be...

　I look at everyone's faces.
　They all shake their heads in unison, as if they don't know that.

'You can't try to check. They won't crack open their mouths easily.''
How in the world could you possibly...
'At first, it was to help me convince you to help me bring Kanade-chan back when I was having difficulty bringing her back, but since it's a good opportunity, I'll use it as a test. The first test will be to find the traitor in you all. If you're building a real bond, it should be that easy, right?
....
'By the way, Mr. Lane is not a traitor. I can assure you of that. So, I'll let Mr. Lane find the culprit.
So I'm supposed to be the one to find out who's connected to Suzu?
'Yes, that's what I mean. However, if you get one answer wrong, you're done at that point. You're out. You're not allowed to fail, okay?
That's a lot of responsibility.
Come on, Rayne, keep up the good work!

　Kanade is cheering me on.
　This test, we can't fail it!

　A traitor who is connected to Suzu-san behind the scenes........
　To tell the truth, I had arrived at a certain answer when I heard the story.
　However, I'm not 100% sure of it.
　Let's ask everyone a few questions to find out for sure.

　First of all, Tania.
　That's right. What questions should I ask Tania?
　I thought for a moment and then spun the words.

'What does Tania think of Canade?'
What do you think of it, but I don't think about it, okay?　I don't think of them as weird but important friends or anything like that... but, well, that's what I'll miss when they're gone... so I'm against it.
Yeah, thanks.

　Go on, the question for Sola.

　Well, what do we do now?
　If Sora has a quick mind, she might have arrived at the same idea as me.
　Given that possibility I'll ask her honestly.

'Who do you think is the traitor, Sola?'
'It's a foolish question. Isn't the answer to that question already solidified in Rain?
Is that Sora's answer?
'Yes. Sola would support Lane's idea.
Well thank you.

　Next up is Luna.

　Luna has excellent intuition.
　Like Sora, she's quick-witted, but she has the second keenest intuition after Kanade.
　The question for Luna is.....

How does Luna feel about Suz?
What do you mean?
'Just tell me what you think. Are you a good mother, or something like that?
'Hmm, well I guess I'm a good mother, huh?　It's a bit forceful, though. But that forcefulness is also an act of caring for your daughter. Isn't there some part of it that can't be helped?
I see.

　Finally, a question for Nina.

　Nina is a little girl, but...
　Hence, we can see things with pure eyes.
　Let us rely on that.

What does Nina make of this test?
Well...?
Can you tell me what you think?
Hmm ... just as I said, I guess ... it's not like he has some other purpose or anything ... it's just not ... ...
"As you said, it's a test of our bond.
Hmmm.
All right, all right. Thank you.

　End of questioning.
　I keep popping Nina's head.

That's the end of question time! Come on, Ms. Lane. Your answers, please.
Wait.
Maybe you need some time to think?　I wouldn't mind a little bit, but I can't wait too long, can I?
I haven't finished my question.
What?
I didn't ask Suz any questions.
...I see.

　Grinning, Suzu smiles.
　It's a fun, somehow happy... and yet fearless smile.

'Yes, fine. It would be unfair if you don't have questions for me as well. You can ask me anything you want. Just one thing, though, okay?
Do you think that bringing him back to the village is the best thing for Kanade?

　I didn't hesitate to ask him a question.
　It was something that seemed completely unrelated to this test.
　For that reason, Suzu looked at me quizzically and used a pause to answer.

What do you mean by that?　Is this related to the test?
'Maybe it's relevant, maybe it's not. More importantly, can you answer me?
''Well yes. We think it's best for you, Kanade.
Why is that?
'As I said before, Kanade is still a child. She's not ready to go outside yet. That's why.
I see.
Are you happy now?
'Yes. I think I know what you want to know.

　The last question is a bonus.
　I simply wanted to know Suz-san's thoughts.

　In Suz-san's mind, Kanade is still a child...
　Unless we can get him to change his mind on this test, Suz will not be convinced.
　We need to focus on that in the future.

　The first test?
　Then it's as good as done.

'Now, please answer the question. Who is the traitor who is communicating with me?
It's...

　Once I look at everyone.
　Tania, Sola, Luna and Nina.
　Any of these people are connected to Ms. Tin.

'There is no such person. That's the answer.
...I see.

　After saying it crisply, Suz opened her eyes wide once and........
　Then he looked at me with a somewhat amused look on his face.

'What do you mean by that?　You mean you didn't understand?
'No, no. The answer is that none of us are connected to Tin,
'I see...'
"You say things that make me suspicious and make me look for a culprit that shouldn't be there... that's your goal, Suz-san, isn't it?
....
'Now, let's say ... let's say I nominate Tania. Then I would have danced around Suz-san's information and doubted Tania. Is there a bond of fellowship there?　It can't be.
....
'The correct answer to this test is that no one should doubt their fellow man.... Don't be misled by superfluous words, but trust your fellow man. That's the answer Suz-san is looking for. Isn't it?

　A small silence.

　........somewhat, and Suzu smiled softly.
　And crackled and clapped.

'Brilliant. All in all, you're right, Rain-san.''

This is just another way to test your bonds.

　Suz replies to her daughter's zit-eyes in a matter-of-fact manner.
　As expected, how can I say........
　Suz's brazenness of nerve is far superior to his.

'And yet, you're well aware of that, aren't you?　When did you realize the answer?
I wasn't absolutely sure, but that's when I heard about the problem.
'What?　From the beginning?

　It seems that the answer was unexpected, and Suz-san made a surprised face.

　But to me, it was a natural answer.
　There's no way any of the men in my group would be willing to help bring Kanade back to the village.
　Everyone believes in Kanade, relies on her, and wants her to stay with them.
　That's the only thing I believe and don't doubt.
　So I realized that everything is Suzu-san's bluff........a lie.

　When I told her that, Suzu-san rolled her eyes again..........and then she smiled gently.


I'm very proud of you.