Afterwards, I spoke with Tania and Sola.
　Their reactions are much the same as Kanade and the others.
　Although they were trapped in the dream, they were not completely immersed in it.
　They seemed to feel something uncomfortable.

　I believe it.

　With those words, I left Tania and Sora and....
　Continuing on, we decided to look for Nina.

'Well where is Nina?'
A girl of the gods, I believe. What kind of dreams did she have?
You dream about being with your mother.
Who is Nina's real mother?
...missing.
Well.....

　Nina usually didn't seem to miss her mother...
　My eyes are a hell of a knothole.
　How could a child ... and a little one like Nina be okay with being away from her mother?
　Even if on the surface there is nothing there, deep down inside, she must have been searching for her mother.
　I'm not sure what I've done not to notice that until now.

''Rain-sama, you don't have to worry about it.
Did you read what I was thinking again?
It's easy to understand.
Totally....

　Iris doesn't try to be mischievous and says with a serious face.

'It's a flaw of Rain-sama's that she carries everything on her back just because she's a companion... but it's also a virtue. Keep a good distance and don't make a mistake in adding or subtracting.
'That being said I think I know I'm being too nosy or too concerned or something.

　Treating someone's problems as if they were your own, even though they are your friend, is an extreme act.
　In other words, it's an inflated arrogance to think that you're the one to solve all problems.

　But still.
　Even so.

　After all, I do care about Nina.
　I can't help but care about my friends.

　Because....
　I think that's what being a friend is all about.

Oh, man!

　When I told her my thoughts, Iris gave a wry smile.
　But it wasn't a disgusting kind of giggle...
　It was somewhat gentle, like a parent looking out for their child.

''It's just like you, Rain-sama,''
Yeah?　I know it's called hubris, but I don't blame you...
'But only if you stick to it.... That's the reason why everyone chooses to be with you," she said. I, too....wish to be with you.
"...Iris...
Phew, too much chatter.

　As if to say the story is over, Iris is one step ahead of me.
　I feel like I could touch Iris' heart now...
　Have they not yet opened up to you completely?

　Or.....
　Does Iris have any doubts?

Miss Lane?　You're going to leave me behind.
Oh, yeah I'm sorry. I was just spaced out.
'Hmph, get a grip. You're not just a vague cat, Kanade.

　Is that phrase popular...?

Well.

　I'm curious about Iris, but...
　They say you can't chase two rabbits without catching one, and right now we have to put Nina first.

'Which one should we look for?'
'Well let's find a park or a street lined with stalls or something like that. And if I'm going to take a walk with my mother, that's probably the theory.
Yes, sir. It's just...

　Iris looked at me.
　I met her sharp gaze and nodded back.

　Then I looked around.

'You're surrounded.'
Yeah, that's right.

　A stinging killing spirit flies in from all directions.
　Because of the fog, visibility is poor and we can't see anything that looks like an enemy.
　But there's something out there, and it's definitely targeting us.

'Are they the assassins of Alpha-san?　It's reasonable to assume that he hated us and tried to eliminate us by force...
No, I don't think so.
Is that so?
'Mr. Alpha said he wasn't going to do anything to mess with us for a while. He didn't seem like the kind of person who would break that promise, did he?
I understand what you're saying, Rain-sama, but I'm glad to hear that it's easier for me to understand and talk to you, Alpha-san's assassin.

　Now, if that someone surrounding us isn't an assassin for Mr. Alpha....
　There are going to be other forces at play.
　It's quite a messy situation.

Do you have any idea who Iris is?
"The demon tribe that's helping me....

　'I don't remember being an ally from the beginning,' said Iris, adding more words.

'Either way, let's check out the other party first. Rain-sama, may I leave the other half to you?''
Yeah, I'm on it.

　After a firm nod, we cover each other's blind spots and are back to back.
　Then I hear a small laugh from behind me.

''Hmph.''
What's going on?
We killed each other back then, and I never thought I'd end up having your back. Life is a strange thing, isn't it?
Well but it's not bad, is it?
Yeah, it's not so bad.

　Almost at the same time...
　As the enemy attacked, we moved to intercept.

"Come on. "Come on, otherworldly fire.

　Iris summoned the Red Lotus Flame and intercepted the attacking black shadow.
　The black shadow, swallowed by the flames, let out a scream of gangs.
　As it was, it turned into dust and turned into a demon stone.

''Are you a demon...?
Yeah, I'm sure!

　This one also passed through Kamui and cut both black shadows.

　In the thick fog, the enemy that was visible was ... a monkey.
　Of course, it wasn't an ordinary monkey.
　It had what looked like horns growing here and there on its body, and its mouth was filled with uneven fangs.

　It's a demon that looks like an ape, a night monkey.

''Alpha-san is using a demon........?　No, that's as good as it gets....
I don't think so. I agree with you there.

　Create a dreaming ward that covers Kagne...
　On top of that, using a demon, that's too much.
　Even the strongest species is completely overcapacity.

''It's hard to think, but is this demon a product of chance...''
Or maybe it was another one of your enemies.

　Alpha's problems alone are quite troubling...
　On top of that, there could be other enemies lurking around.
　That's a bit of a headache.

Anyway, what we have to do now is...
''We're going to destroy the demons here so that no one in the city will be harmed!

　It was really reassuring to have Iris on my side.
　He was breathing perfectly, and the coordination worked well.

　However, there were a lot of enemies.
　Due to the fog, I couldn't get an accurate count, and I couldn't help but become passive.
　Still, I keep fighting...

"Huh?

　He heard the commotion and saw a small child at the edge of his vision.

'Not good!'
Kyahhhh!

　In response to the child's screams, the demons all change their targets at once.
　From here, they won't be able to run in time.

　I can imagine the worst possible scenario, but........

Huh!

　Heroes are the ones who appear in a pinch.
　Chiffon appeared out of nowhere and cut down a demon that attacked the child.