Unnih...!

　Kanade stared at the prison that confined him.
　If there had been any strength in his gaze, the prison would have caved in.
　That's how much he was glaring at it.

'Nyan!

　Gasp!　And kicked the prison.

'Nyah, nyah nyah nyah!

　The chattering numbed his legs.
　The numbness traveled to his tail and his hair pinged.

'Huh ... no?'

　Has it been almost ten days since they put me in jail?
　They only get a light hearing at the beginning and leave the rest.
　Three times a day, food is only offered and no one else comes in.

　What on earth do they want?
　Kanade thought about it.

　I've thought about it, but....

Uh ... just let me out!

　Thinking about it didn't give me any answers, so I decided to make a bad move.
　Shake the prison with a crunch.

　It's really just a bad joke.
　It won't mean anything.

　Still........I'm sure my fellow prisoners must be struggling as well.
　I'm sure they are not just sitting back and giving up.
　That's why I have to work hard too.
　I will not give up, I will continue to resist until the end.
　And then you will meet Rain again.

　When Kanade made a strong decision....
　The door to the prison opened.

　Kanade tilted his head slightly.
　It was still early for mealtime.
　The inexact belly clock told him it was not yet time to eat.

　Then who the hell was it?

It's been a while.
'Meow!　You.........brave!

　It was Arios who showed up.

'How dare you show your face!

　All the hair on Kanade's body stands up against him.
　He tries to jump at Arios.......but the prison blocks him.
　Still, he guns the prison and glares at it as if it were shooting at him.

'Hmph. How are you?　It's been a while since he was put in prison, and yet he is still able to move this much. It's not a bad idea to have a newborn baby. The only thing that is top notch is their physical strength. I'm not like the other guys.
What do you mean...?

　The tone of Kanade's voice dropped when he heard the other guys.

'You know what I mean.　You're not the only one being held captive. The Dragon Race, the Spirit Race, the God Race and the God Race and that crazy ghost. And we've also got Rain.

　Arios hides and lies about Rain's escape, but...
　Now Kanade couldn't see through the lie.
　Arios's words were bothering him, and he couldn't help but wonder.

'What do you mean, you ask!　How is everyone else doing!
Hmph, noisy. Well, I'm a nice guy. I'll give you a special answer.

　Arios grins and says in a sticky, loping voice.

''The dragon tribe woman is still going strong. Like the cat spirit race, she's got a lot of strength. But........the others are more subtle. The spirit tribe doesn't have the physical strength, and the god tribe is still a kid. And those ghosts are just like mere mortals in terms of their physical abilities. They were fussy at first, but now they've calmed down. Maybe he'll die a debilitating death sooner or later.
"You people...!!!!!!

　Kanade unleashes a fist.
　It was blocked by the prison but....
　Crash!　He made a loud noise and shook the entire prison even more.
　It was as if Kanade was expressing his anger.

'If anything happens to everyone, I will never forgive you!
Don't bark. You can't do anything.
d*mn it...!

　Kanade bit her lip in frustration.
　It was frustrating, but Arios was right.
　As long as the magic locks are on me, there's nothing I can do about it.

　Still, I haven't given up hope.

''Rain.........''
Yeah?
Lane will take care of it!
'Oh dear don't you listen to people?　They've got Rayne, too, you know?
Still, I'm sure he'll take care of it!　You can help us!　Rain is........that kind of person!
..............

　Arios flinched slightly as Kanade showed his absolute trust in Rain.
　Why did he flinch?
　Arios cannot realize the reason for this.
　He can't get to the reason that they were shown a bond that their party didn't have, and that he was envious of them, even if only slightly, and so on.

'Oh well. I just thought I'd teach you a few things today.
...what?
They're going to execute you.
What?
You were seen as a danger to the nation. And I'm going to have to take it personally.
'How could that be!　We're not doing anything!　Rain didn't do anything, either!　I mean, I'm only doing what's good for people...!
...Rain is an eyesore.

　Arios looks terribly gloomy and says in a cold voice.

''A mere beast tamer defied me, a brave man, and inflicted a tremendous humiliation. And that's not all. The fact that he's more active than I am, threatening my position as a brave man, this is unforgivable, and even if I killed him a hundred times, it wouldn't be enough.
Oh, you're...
'But come on ... unfortunately, there's only one life for Rain, right?　Even if you wanted to kill him a hundred times, it would only be one time, wouldn't it?　Well, you better make sure he's sorry before he kills you. That's why we've decided to use you two. That idiot calls you "friend" and "comrade" a lot of times. If I kill you guys in front of Rayne... haha, hahaha!　Oh man, I'm getting really excited. I can't stop laughing now!
Crazy....

　Seeing the jealousy and hatred for Rain that was hidden deep inside Arios, Kanade was even terrified.
　His body naturally trembled.

　Sometimes, madness erodes a person's emotions.
　Trapped by fear, Kanade's tail and ears droop.

　Gently closing her eyes....

"...Rain...

　I wished my loved ones well.



----------



Good day to you.

　Nina woke up to a cool voice.
　It was a hard bed, but she was sleeping soundly, probably due to the fatigue she was experiencing.

　Nina tried to get up she felt dizzy and wobbled.
　As it is, she falls off the bed.

'Nina!

　The sound woke Tina up and she shouted loudly.
　I want to help her somehow, but she is trapped in a birdcage and her magic is blocked.
　I feel very frustrated that I can't do anything about it.

'Oh my God, are you okay?'
What...?

　The door to the prison opened and Nina was held up.
　The person who held Nina up was .......Monica.

'Well it looks like you're not hurt. I don't even feel like I'm sick. Then it must simply be that you are losing strength. Have you been eating properly, do you eat properly?
You are.　That's not what it's about, and you usually know what happens when a child is locked up in a prison cell!

　Tina barks in anger, but Monica keeps a cool face.

'Oh dear. That's true, too. I'm sorry. However, as expected, I can't let you two escape on your own. But...................I'll do this for you. Hmmm.
Hmmm...?

　Monica touched the magic lock around Nina's neck.
　At that moment, there was a sound of the lock coming off with a click.

''What...?''

　The magic lock is still attached to my neck.
　However, the key is off, so all that's left to do is lightly twist the connection to take it off.

''Yes. Now you can take the magic lock at any time. Oh, but you should think about the timing, though, right?　You can get away with it right away, but you can also keep it a secret until the right moment. You can't tell if the lock is off by looking at it, and no one will even check it because no one will think it's off.
How do you...?

　Nina asks.
　Monica giggles in response.

I was just going to watch it happen. So I could see that Arios-sama would be at a disadvantage, so I decided to take Rain-san's side for a bit.
I don't know. You're on the side of the heroes, aren't you?　If it's a disadvantage to the brave men, how can they be on our side?　Wouldn't that be even more of a disadvantage?
In that case, we'll still get what we want.
Hmm?
That's all I have to say. I don't intend to have any more conversation than is necessary. Now, good day to you........................oh, yes. I almost forgot. Tomorrow, your executions are to take place.
What?
'What to do. I'll leave that up to you guys, but with your help, young lady, you might be able to help others.
My...
But please be careful with your timing. I've made it this far, so please don't make a reckless assault that could ruin it, okay?　So ... this time, have a good day.

　Lock the cell and lock the door
　Monica bowed gracefully and walked away.

　The two left behind were unsure of their future decisions.
　I don't know why, but she removed the magic lock.
　They also gave me some information that would put Arios at a disadvantage.

　It might be a trap in the normal course of events, but....

Nina what do you think I should do?
Hmm I want to help everyone!

　I don't care if it's a trap or not.
　Kick it all to the curb and help everyone....
　And then they would be reunited with Rain.

　Nina and Tina, with a firm resolve in their eyes, decided to save their strength for that moment.