Mr. Lane, are you okay?
'Chiffon!　Why are you here...

　Chiffon is supposed to be trapped in a dream.
　So how could it be...

Miss Lane, it's...
Oh, oh, yeah.

　I have questions, but I don't have time to pursue them.
　We need to make intercepting the demons and the safety of the city's people our top priority.

'Come. Otherworldly fire.
GigaVolt!

　Iris and Chiffon used their magic to reap the demons all at once.

Huh!

　I cut down the guy who was left behind with my Kamui.

　With the addition of Chiffon, the battle line was exceptionally stable.
　As expected of a new hero.
　That fighting power can be summed up in one word: amazing.

''Fufu........is it something like this?''

　Soon after, the demons were eradicated.
　Just to be sure, I used several dogs to look around the city, but I didn't find any demons.
　It's a relief to know that we didn't find any demons.

　After that, we'll take the kids back to their parents and....
　We moved to an unpopulated square and heard from Chiffon.

'There's not much I can tell you, though.
How did Chiffon end up there?
'It was just a coincidence. I was shopping for something my mom asked me to do, and I heard some fighting noises... so I went to see what was going on... and Rain and... that boy?　was fighting a demon.

　Chiffon looked at Iris, and the girl?　He gave me a questioning look.

'She's Iris. A friend, a potential new companion.
What?
What?

　Iris makes a startled sound and I spill out a similar voice.

''I........are you a friend of Rain-sama's?''
'What?　No, I'm going to, but...

　Maybe I was the only one who thought that?

".........Hmm, it's nothing. Just because I'm a little surprised, doesn't mean I don't like it.

　Good.
　Here's the thing: "I'm very self-conscious. Please don't get me wrong. I was about to get back on my feet when he said.

'Yes, I see. It's nice to meet you, Mr. Iris. My name is Siphon Nox. I'm a bit of a hero, but I'm still a hero.
It's nice to meet you. It's Iris.

　After shaking hands with Iris, Chiffon looks at me.

''Rain, how did you guys become demons?''
That's ... I'm not sure, to be honest.
What, you don't get it?
'I was walking around town with Iris, and then all of a sudden, he appeared. Did it happen to enter the city by accident, or was it someone else? I have no idea, do you?
'Yeah, well...'
We can't leave it alone now that we've seen it. Anyway, I'm going to look into it now.
If that's the case, I'll help you with that.
Are you sure?　You're on your way to run an errand, aren't you?
'Yes, but I'm a brave man. I can't just leave the people of this town knowing that they might be attacked by a demon. If there's anything I can do, I have to do everything I can.

　As if doing so was a given, Chiffon said once and for all.

　Perhaps, but Chiffon is still trapped in her dream.
　Still, he never forgets his mission.
　I'm taking the sword for someone else.

　It's not a very good idea, but it's not something I would normally do.
　I understood once again why Siphon was chosen as a brave man.

''Chiffon, there's something else I want to ask you, okay?
'What?　What kind of things?
'I want you to report back to the guild. There's no guarantee that the demons won't invade again, and when they do, they'll need someone other than us to help them out. You'd better report it to the guild and ask them for backup.
'Right, that's true too. But why me?
''I'm just an ordinary adventurer, you know. Rather, it would be quicker to talk about all sorts of things if Chiffon, a brave man, went there.

　I don't know what kind of risk I'm taking by acting with Chiffon, who is trapped in a dream.
　Maybe I'll end up being at the mercy of Alpha-san...I want to avoid acting together until I can figure out a few more things.
　That's my true feelings, and sometimes that's the reason why I'm separating from Chiffon.

''Even if it's not me, I think Rain-kun is also very well known.......''
'In a situation like this, titles take precedence over name recognition, right?　That's why Chiffon is the right man for the job.
'When you say that, well ... yeah, I get it. If that's the case, I'll report back to you. What about Rain and the others?
We're going to look around the city some more. Maybe we'll discover something new.
You know what's out there, right?
I know. And Chiffon, just in case.
Yes.

　He smiled and waved and parted ways with Chiffon.
　We were able to part ways swiftly.

''Rain-sama, what will you do after this?　As originally planned, with the aim of waking up your people?
'I need to talk to Nina and Rifa and Tina. But it's not as simple as just waking everyone up and then it's all over.

　Someone sent a demon into the city to take advantage of this incident.
　We don't know what their purpose is, but........
　He's the kind of guy who uses demons.
　It wouldn't be for any decent purpose by any stretch of the imagination, and we can't overlook it.

''One problem after another...''
'It's a headache. But for now, let's just digest what we have to do, one by one. There's no other way to do it and maybe something will come to you sooner or later.
'Well, come to think of it, it's a little late for that now.
What is this?
Does that mean Iris is going to cooperate with me?　Will you work together to solve this case?

　I've been working with you somehow since you woke me up, but....
　What does Iris want to do?　What are you going to do about it?
　I don't think I heard that part of the story clearly.

'Really, it's a bit late for that now, isn't it?

　Iris let out a sigh, feeling somewhat dumbfounded.
　Then she turned her straight gaze to us.

''I'm willing to cooperate with Rain-sama. It's just that I don't like humans. I don't care what happens to the people of Kagne.
I see...
Only I, personally, cannot forgive Miss Alpha. Therefore, I will turn against her.
And why is that?
'I, too, was at one time caught up in her dreams. I had a happy dream that my family and friends were alive. And it was ... tremendously unacceptable.

　Iris bit her back teeth gingerly, as if to endure something.
　Then she grabbed his chest with a trembling hand.

'Father was there. My mother was there. My best friend was there. They were all laughing. It was a very happy dream....that's why I can't forgive them. Mr. Alpha stepped on everyone's death. He thought it was the right thing to do and pretended it wasn't. You took the death of everyone from me.

　Just in time, the corners of Iris's eyes hung up.
　She was showing a tremendous amount of anger.
　The feeling is not hard to understand.

　It's sad and very painful when someone you love leaves you.
　Still, the memory of that person's death is an important one.
　It can't be replaced by anything else, it's an absolute thing.

　To dream of Alpha's dream is to forget it.
　It means to be deprived of a precious memory.

　Some might think that as long as you're happy, that's all that matters...
　Me and Iris are not okay with that.
　On the contrary, we are the type of people who get angry when something important is taken from them.

That's why I'm going to fight with you.
'Yeah, all right. Can I count on you?
Yeah, you can count on me.

　Iris ran her hands up her skirt and gave a clean bow.