“… Sensei?” Kyouya raised an eyebrow, looking at me with a bewildered look.

“Yes?”

“Career counseling? Really?” Tatsuya looked unimpressed. “If you’ve forgotten, we already had one of them. Why would you want to talk to us about our careers? I mean, aren’t we stuck in this world where our only possible job is to be adventurers?”

I tilted my head. “Boys, I also mentioned ‘Job’ counseling, as in, your System Job. Fighter. Spearmen. And so on. Hey, I am not the gaming addict here, Tatsuya.”

“Point taken.” Tatsuya shrugged and sighed. “Haaa, question, Sensei. I’m starting to remember how all of this happened and how Kronnaz persuaded us into this. I thought this was to test us. To help us find an answer to her question. Are you even allowed to help us?”

[Divine Quest: Pass Belzac’s Trials and Training] was technically my Divine Quest, but they were also given to my students. It was there for us to unlock our Unique Job slots. While my trial was there for Belzac to see my current control of my shadows, the boys’ trials were about them finding a conviction to fuel their training.

For example, I wanted to surpass Belzac at his peak so I could become so powerful my friends and I wouldn’t have to worry about anything anymore. This was my way to take care of my family and friends. However, according to Kronnaz, the boys had recently lost some of their motivation.

I thought it was weird, since they kept fighting after our unfortunate fight with those wrath demonkins, but my assessment was wrong. After watching their dreams, they seemed more conflicted than I thought. They hid their insecurities after that battle, and somebody had to help them overcome that. Kronnaz thought they could do it themselves, but after three weeks, I knew I had to intervene.

“Did something happen in the three weeks we’ve been out?”

I shook my head at the boys’ concerns. “Belzac is forbidding us from entering the subspace until my training is over. Vivachel told me he was afraid I would run away, hehe. As such, I do not know if something happened to Hestia or the others, but I trust they are alright.”

“So…?”

“So I came here to help because you two have been taking too long. Even Hanazawa has found her goal to further her training.”

“Do you mind if we ask what it is?” Kyouya wondered.

“Quote, ‘To kick the fucking ass of that piece of shit pope who thought he could use me like a damn political pawn.’ I listened to her talks with Ilsaphone, and, well, I think she is starting to like her new powers after she learned what she could do with it.”

Hanazawa was a known graffiti artist back on Earth, and the moment she learned she could use her unique skill and divine blessing to turn her talent into a combat style, she instantly jumped onto the opportunity. To Ilsaphone’s chagrin, nevertheless.

Instead of listening to her and how her blessing could help people, Hanazawa thought she could use her power to quote, “Kick the church down and get revenge for all the damn saint classes I had to take!!!” It was pretty petty, but… it was Hanazawa. After getting a glimpse of her past by, ahem, eavesdropping on what she spoke with Ilsaphone, I’ve been able to understand her situation.

It brought a light to what I learned from her parents. Lies, you could say, but at the same time hearsay. Hanazawa’s childhood was troubled because of her unfeeling and unsympathetic parents. Her parents told me they tried their best to educate and discipline her, but every attempt didn’t matter as she kept rebelling against them. Now that I thought about it, they acted pretty well whenever we spoke… or maybe they didn’t know how to adequately convey their feelings to Hanazawa because of their jobs.

Regardless of the truth in this matter, I was just glad the girl was trying to find a reason to stay motivated. As much as I couldn’t tolerate her tardiness and laziness when I was still her teacher, it was bygones at this point.

“In addition, I have been taking up training from Belzac ever since I left my dream bubble,” I continued.

“Wait, have you gotten your unique Job already, Sensei?!” Tatsuya jumped onto his feet, surprise on his face.

“Calm down.” I gestured to him to sit back down. “I fulfilled my ‘divine Quest’ and unlocked the slot, but I have not gotten one yet. However, that is not important, what is important is why I altered your dreams and intervened. Why I am here is because of you two.”

“…”

“…”

They kept silent. Both frowned and even began to grimace, probably reflecting on everything that had happened, or, what they missed out on in the three weeks they’ve been stuck here. The trial wasn’t to break out of this dream, it was to find a reason to continue fighting. Kronnaz was patient, which I guess was a trait of a good god, so she didn’t care for the “when.” It was the “if” she cared for the most.

“As the leader of this group, I have a responsibility to take care of you. And, unlike Hestia’s and Grimnir’s group, we are here purely on a training trip. I need to fully embrace my fenrir bloodline, while Hanazawa has to become worthy to wear the mantle of Ilsaphone’s saintess. Which brings us to you, two.”

“…” Tatsuya clenched his hands into fists while he shut his eyes. Tension was on his face.

“… Uhm.” On the other hand, Kyouya spoke up, but he nonetheless was equally as tense. “Then, what will you be talking with us about? You said you saw our dreams, right?”

“I apologize.” I bowed slightly. Necessary or not, I intruded into their memories without their permission.

“No, no, it’s alright, Sensei. Not like we left you with any choice… I know what I’ve been doing is pathetic. My unique skill was the only thing keeping me valuable as a party member by being able to defend everybody… but now, I’m just a normal person trying to fight giant monsters and demonkins strong enough to threaten you, Tasianna, and even Ellaine.”

“Have you spoken with Ellaine, yet? The problem you have was the same one Ellaine had which influenced her to accept Klea’Hatma as her partner,” I explained, still feeling slightly irritated by that fact. Klea’Hatma has been useful for us, but we didn’t need her.

“… I had heard something like that, but not the real details.” Kyouya shrank his body up a bit, looking even more defeated.

“That is why allow me to speak what I would have told Ellaine if I were there when she accepted that demoness. Comparing yourself to others will motivate you, but do it too often and it would only cripple your mindset. Personal growth and evolution can only happen if you accept your own flaws and build upon them, instead of denying them altogether.” My mind wandered to Ellaine’s face and all the sweat and blood she had to shed ever since she became a demon contractor. “However, if you must use borrowed power, do not let it consume you. Grasp it, pound it down, and never, ever let it rule you. Make that power your own, no matter what.”

“… It feels like you were talking to Ellaine right there, Sensei,” Tatsuya commented casually, but I felt he wasn’t taking my words seriously.

“I wasn’t. Tell me, how much has Kronnaz told you? Has she told you exactly why she was so interested in the both of you, to the point she was willing to help you train?” Both shook their heads, so I let out an internal sigh. “She is helping you two because she wants you to leave Peolynca.”

Both boys raised an eyebrow, looking like they weren’t hearing correctly, so I elaborated on it. “Unlike Ilsaphone, who wants Hanazawa’s help for, or Vivachel, who acts like everything is a playtoy, Kronnaz dislikes otherworlders. While she can tolerate Hestia, she considers me and our entire class to be unwanted guests.”

“You? Sensei, you died, how are you at fault here?”

“Because, as she explained it, I died when you were transported to this world. My soul, instead of being reborn normally, was transported here and found a new body. In this case, my soul became part of a new fetus.” I turned to Mother who was looming over me. “I became a warg out of luck. I wasn’t meant for this body, you could say.”

Hearing it from Kronnaz and then reinforced by Ilsaphone was shocking to hear. Hestia was planning to become a dragon, but I was born as a warg through sheer luck. However…

“It is something I cannot change anymore. I have to live my life now. As a Peolyncian, I cannot exactly leave, hehe.” I giggled at how Kronnaz sighed when I brought that fact up to her. “However, she is currently planning to train you, make you strong enough to survive our future fights, because she wants you and the rest of your classmates to leave this world.”

“So we’re tools?” Kyouya deduced the meaning of my words. “Tsk, nothing has changed then. First used by the church, which I don’t even know why, and now used by a god just so she can kick us out, instead of doing it herself. And how exactly does she plan on doing that? She saw us fight against her! Even with Ellaine, we stood no chance.”

“We talked big about how Ellaine shouldn’t give up… about how she shouldn’t regret her actions, only to eat dirt not once, but twice.” Tatsuya grabbed his head where Vifi’Yok kicked him, massaging it as he continued. “… I haven’t been able to say this, but thank you, Sensei. You saved my life. If you hadn’t wrapped me in your shadow armor, I would have died, right?”

I didn’t say or do anything. I felt uncomfortable thinking of that shocking moment. To make sure my students will make it out of Peolynca alive, I promised myself to become stronger. At least, this should be my graduation gift for them.

“And after I lost my unique skill, I don’t know how to go forward. I don’t know how to handle this blasted druidification thing. I should drink the blood of strong monsters to gain more transformations? How can I be sure Belzac isn’t tricking me? Am I gonna lose myself?” Tatsuya grimaced, looking like he was about to cry. “All I know is to trash talk. I’m useless. Dead weight. I couldn’t help my parents when they were in pain, I couldn’t get over my damn coffee addiction to train despite knowing the reality I was in, and now, I don’t know how to get strong enough to fight with Aurora! I don’t know the path ahead!”

“… It feels like we’re just foot soldiers, compared to you, Sensei.” Kyouya admitted. “That one-year ‘ training’ at the church helped us become strong enough to take care of common bandits and C rank monsters. We’re above average, compared to the normal Peolyncian. However, if we want to fight demonkins and princes of sins, we need to be more than just grunts. Even with Yorshka’s instructions—”

I clapped my hands, interrupting Kyouya before he continued on his rant. His and Tatsuya’s attention was back to me.

“And that is why I am here.” I looked at them straight into the eyes before I spoke my next words. “If you need a push, then I am here to help you two take the next step. If you need power, then allow me to give you that chance.”

The boys looked at each other, utterly confused at what I was talking about.

“Are you talking about training?” Tatsuya brought it up but I just shook my hand.

“Not quite. Remember what I said before? About how if you need borrowed power to continue forward, you should do your best to make it your own?” Both of them nodded. “Hestia’s [Idol], Ellaine’s [Okl’Luthier’s Power], and Hanazawa’s [Twilight Paladin]. In a way, you could argue Tasianna buying her [Ice Magic] from the SP shop and me getting [Stygian Voltage] from my evolution are also undeserved powers. We gained them not through effort alone, but also luck while two unique skills came from the gods. My point is, if life gives you lemons, use it to make the best lemonades in the world.”

[“The power of the shadow pack.”] Mother suddenly spoke out, causing both of the boys to start understanding what I meant.

“Sensei, are you meaning to ask us to become part of your shadow beasts?!” Kyouya's jaw dropped.

“[Shadow Pack] allows me to make everything my shadow beasts. as long as they are sentient and eligible. Not only monsters or onnikais, but also humanoids. Humans count. However!” I raised a finger. “Anything who becomes part of my shadow pack will become a monster, which means you can also evolve. I am offering you this option, but think this through. I do not know how my skill will affect you, and neither does Belzac or the gods.”

There was also this title:

If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

Pack Leader

A title given to the designated Alpha of a group of beasts or beastmen. While fighting with the Alpha, the pack members’ Strength and Intelligence will gain 5% of the Alpha’s current Strength and Intelligence. The Alpha will unconditionally gain 25% of all received experience from its pack members. A list of members can be seen with this title

5% of my Strength was huge. It helped my garms and virigresses when they fought with me, so what would happen if humans were to get 5% of a B rank fenrir’s power?

Whether Tatsuya or Kyouya remembered that fact about my title or if they were just overwhelmed by my offer, they couldn’t help but gulp. However, this offer was something I planned before I learned how troubled they were. Before any of them could answer, I had to stop them.

“However, do not forget, this is a counseling session. Before the two of you choose anything, we need to talk.” I then looked directly into Tatsuya’s eyes before looking over at Kyouya’s. “You need to be honest with yourself. Speak your mind about what happened. And you, Tatsuya-kun, listen to him.”

“S-Sensei?!” Kyouya flinched while Tatsuya looked at him quizzically. Kyouya probably understood what I meant, seeing as he knew I saw his memories. “I-I don’t want to bring something that old back up, again.”

“This is not only for you, Kyouya-kun, but also for Tatsuya-kun. Your inner dilemma and your inability to choose what you want to do is currently trapped inside your guilty consciousness, creating a martyr complex where you want to be relied on. To be useful for others and to stand up for them.”

“Kyouya?” Tatsuya seemed affected by my words. Considering he has been friends with Kyouya since childhood, it would be obvious to him. “What have you been dreaming about?”

“…”

“Kyouya!” Tatsuya stood up.

“Tatsuya-kun, you shouting will not help him! Sit down!”

“Uek! Kuk…” Tatsuya grit his teeth, dropping down on the couch while leaning his head back. To create an environment where teenagers could talk properly, it was necessary to eliminate any chance for possible judgement.

At least, that’s what I remember from that psychology lecture.

“Kyouya-kun, I know you probably would rather not tell this to Tatsuya-kun, of all people, but you two are friends. You should not keep so many secrets from each other. It will make you feel better by getting this off your chest.”

Be diplomatic and give them a chance to either go forward or backwards. It was necessary to encourage them and show them what would happen if they were being truthful. Never admonish them.

“…” Kyouya gripped his fists together before turning to Tatsuya, cowering before him, looking smaller than his build would suggest. “I… Tatsuya, I’m sorry.”

“For what?”

“For… when I moved with my parents. We promised each other we would keep in touch and that we would meet in summer. However, I didn’t do that nor in winter. I know we drifted apart, and I think our friendship probably would have stopped if we weren’t playing together online.” Kyouya lowered his face, even starting to tremble slightly. “… I didn’t want to, but—”

“But you wanted to change, yeah, I know.” Tatsuya let out a deep sigh as he ended his friend’s sentence. He then shuffled closer to Kyouya, tapping him on the shoulder. “Come on, dude, don’t you think I wouldn’t be happy for you? You changed so much when we met again, I couldn’t help but be jealous.”

“What are you talking about? Didn’t you change because I was away? The moment we meet again, I see you chugging down coffee like a madman. Not even the light stuff or a frap, but black coffee! You literally drank that black goo willingly!” Kyouya’s mood suddenly changed as he erupted from his seat, looking at Tatsuya as if he was crazy.

“I told you already, it was because of school. Getting into Shiroko wasn’t just money, money, money, it was also a lot of studying! Just because you felt less stressed out by the entrance exam, I needed that coffee to stay up to learn! I couldn’t understand the physics and math stuff at all!”

“Then why didn’t you tell me about the fact your parents had a court case earlier?!”

“…!”

Kyouya’s shout shut Tatsuya down, causing the latter to fiddle with his fingers as he averted his eyes away. Kyouya, knowing what he said, sat back down and took a deep breath.

“S-Sorry—”

“Nah, stop it, dude. You’ve apologized too often already…” Tatsuya sighed. “I thought we talked about this already. I already said sorry for not telling you this earlier. Why are you bringing this up again? What does this have to do with what Sensei said?”

“… I… I didn’t just do all of this training just for my appearance.” Kyouya bit his lips and scratched his hair. Anxious as he was, he was finally revealing what he was holding back. “I didn’t want to be that fat, sweaty kid who followed you around like a dog anymore, but I also wanted to be useful to you. Like, actually useful outside of just gaming, Tatsuya. Your and my dad are good friends, but my dad didn’t know about your family’s trouble after it was resolved. Didn’t you trust us?”

“Dude, I… Haaa, of course, I didn’t think of you like that, but this was a problem for our family. I told you that, already. We had to handle this ourselves, or did you want us to ask your dad for help? What was he supposed to do? Daisy’s dad is an asshole, and he targeted my dad because of some of his enemies.”

“Then it would have been even better if you asked my dad for help! He just became CEO and managed to win over the entire board of directors! He could have helped you! Maybe not in the court, but outside. All the evidence was faked, right?” Kyouya was pushing Tatsuya, trying to get more information from him. I was contemplating if I should intervene, but both of the boys fighting now might be better.

“I know you came to hate Franz-san after all of that. You even apologize to Sensei about it. What did you dream about? You wouldn’t act like that when it comes to him.”

“… Hey, dude, you’re really start—” Tatsuya was starting to become irritated, but before he could push Kyouya back, the latter didn’t back down.

“Don’t ‘Hey, dude’ me! This is what I’m talking about! You can’t rely on me, right? Even after all the time we’ve been in Peolynca, fighting tooth and nail back-to-back. Urgh, FUCK!” Kyouya jumped onto his feet and began circling around the room. “Be honest with me, did I fuck up our friendship, or not? Elementary to middle. Did I fuck it up?!”

“Argh! Why the hell would you want me to say something like—”

“DID I FUCK IT UP!”

“FUCK OFF!” Tatsuya jumped onto his feet and grabbed Kyouya’s collar. I almost instinctively stood up, but managed to hold myself back. “If you want me to say it that badly, then, yes! What the hell did you think?! We made a fucking promise! You don’t fucking know how much I prepared for our summer! I entered a tournament and got us tickets for the premier of that pocket creature movie! And instead of telling me it a month or so ahead, you told it to me three days before our rendezvous!”

Tatsuya threw Kyouya onto the couch, almost knocking it over. “And then you declined coming to winter, then the next summer, and only when that damn game came out did we finally talk, again! But do you know how lonely I felt? Fuck the internet and all the social media! I just wanted us, the two of us, to just go around the city and eat some stupid pockies together!”

Tatsuya fell onto the floor, massaging his face in exhaustion. Both were breathing heavily, completely silent after what happened. At this point, saying anything would only have the reverse effects.

“… I want to kill that bastard Daisy. That's what I dreamed about. There, you happy?” Tatsuya admitted. “I wanted to find a way to change the court case, but it was obvious it was impossible. I don’t know much about legalities and it’s just a stupid dream. My mum cried so much during that whole court case, I even blamed dad for not doing enough… I was a freaking spoiled brat and just as useless as one. Still useless, though, even after everything.”

“…” Kyouya recomposed himself and stood up from the couch. He walked over to Tatsuya, speaking to him while standing above him. “You never told me this part. You’re doing, again, dude. Why can’t you rely on me for anything? You can rely on me for fights, but not something this personal?”

“Rely on you for what? It isn’t your business?”

Kyouya’s eye twitched as he grabbed Tatsuya’s arm, pulling him up onto his feet. “Rely on me to kill Daisy, of course!”

“W-What?!”

“Hold on, Kyouy—” I felt like I just heard something stupid right there. I wanted to interrupt the two, but Kyouya spoke before I could.

“Imaginary Daisy, of course?! I’m not a psychopath who wants to kill my classmate!” He released Tatsuya’s arm. “But I’m talking about everything in general! Rely on me! Let me help you! I-I just want to be useful to somebody! Especially when that person is my best friend who made my childhood something I still fondly remember! Without you, I wouldn’t have been able to bring myself to get rid of all that fat!”

“… Woah.”

“Don’t ‘Woah’ me, dude. Come on! I’m telling you everything here, but that is all you got to say? Jeez!”

Kyouya turned around, massaging his temples while Tatsuya stood there, opening his mouth up like a goldish over and over again. He didn’t know what to say, and from the look of things, if a third party wouldn’t help out now, none of them would continue speaking. In other words, it was my turn.

“Tatsuya-kun.” I drew his attention to me. “That dream… I told you people sometimes want to keep their demons to themselves. However, Kyouya-kun just asked you something. To allow him to help you kill Franz-san.”

“Imaginary!” Kyouya shouted, but I ignored him for now.

“Do you want that?”

“… Of course, not. I know all of this is because of his dad, but even then, I don’t want to see him dead nor his dad. It’s just… his dad is a lawyer, a prosecutor, but that old bag was willing to lie under oath just to fuck up my dad. That’s perjury, he should know that! And his son, who’s being trained by his dad to become a prosecutor, too. Why in the hell would I want my country to gain another piece-of-shit lawyer like that?”

“So you dislike him because of his father instead of that one moment when you asked Franz-san to persuade him?”

“W-Well, I mean, it still stung, yeah… But, maybe… I-I don’t know. I just can’t get myself to like him at all, Sensei. I hate it whenever he speaks or even comes into my sight.” Tatsuya seemed indecisive. He needed another push.

“I know you’ve only known him when you both enrolled into Shiroko but—”

“Uhm n-no, Sensei. That wasn’t our first time meeting.”

“Huh?” Now I was flabbergasted. I thought I knew everything from his dreams.

“Well, it was actually our third time speaking when I asked him about that thing with his dad. I actually met him after Kyouya left me waiting after summer. I didn’t know what to do with the ticket, so I wanted to give it to somebody at the arcade.” Tatsuya tapped his forehead, trying to remember things. “I met him there with his cousin. Was showing his younger cousin around Japan, I think. She was a foreigner, but I guess that makes sense for a Half-German like him.”

Franz has a younger cousin? Well, that shouldn’t have been too weird.

“In any case, his young cousin — can’t remember her name — tried to cheer me up with her broken Japanese. Found her nice, so I gave the tickets to her, and that was when Franz came over, totally overprotective like those stereotypical big brothers, you know. We had a big misunderstanding.” Tatsuya sighed. “His cousin solved everything, thankfully. Franz then accepted the tickets and went with his cousin to the movies. We met the next day, in the park. That’s where I learned his cousin loved playing games, so we spent some time together.”

Sounds like a lovely girl.

“And you managed to remember him but not his cousin’s name?” Kyouya asked.

“W-Well, yeah! I never met her again, and I forgot to share my number. I wouldn’t have recognized Franz either, if he hadn’t reminded me… Shit. Urgh, it stings, again.” Tatsuya clenched his teeth.

Oh…

“… You felt betrayed.” I spoke that out.

“… He’s changed. Not only when we met, but over the years during school. Randomly getting white hair like that. I didn’t know what happened to him, and I hated him too much to ask.” Tatsuya looked conflicted. “He was pretty nice, you know. As kids. But, maybe he was just being nice because his cousin was around, and he didn’t want to scare her…”

“If that is the case, then, Tatsuya-kun, I think I know what you really want, right now.” I walked up to him, confident I now knew how to solve his internal turmoil.

“Coffee?”

“No!” I slapped his shoulder, causing him to yelp in surprise as I forgot to hold back my strength. After apologizing, I continued, “Ahem, I was talking about confronting Franz-san on this.”

“… You want me to talk to him?”

“Yes, of course. You want to know exactly why this happened. Tatsuya-kun, I know you might not believe me, but Franz is not an extremely scary person. During our first year together at Shiroko, I met with him for some consultation concerning financial problems. I told him a bit about my life, and he accepted everything without judging me for it. He changed, yes, but he seemed like a rational person.”

“Sensei, didn’t you find him scary?” Kyouya brought up, causing me to shiver a bit.

“Not him, his father! Of course I would be scared of his father! The first time we met, I thought I was about to get sued after he criticized me for being underprepared and unsuited to teach his son! He told me that in my face! If it weren’t for the principal, I really thought I would faint on the spot!”

I had some terrible memories of that despicable man. If there were any modern-time villains, he could pass as one.

“However, during all those teacher-parent meetings, I also learned how reserved Franz-san was around his father. He acts completely differently,” I recalled as much as I could to persuade Tatsuya. “You feel troubled about Franz-san because of your past relations with him. If you feel so conflicted you want to kill him inside your mind, then it would be best if you settled this by talking with him. Even if all he can say is nonsense, it would be best if you spoke.”

“… But he’s currently in the empire.”

“Exactly, and we know the demonkins currently control the church and also the empire from the shadows. At least, they have their hands everywhere. And, most likely, after Hestia took away your unique skills, the demonkins probably will know something is up. In other words, if you want to meet Franz-san, then you need to become stronger.”

“…” Tatsuya stared at me, rolling his jaw slightly before he started nodding. “Beats fighting around like a tool. I got all the fulinoe leaves I want because of Hestia, and now I can get a chance to beat Daisy’s jaw in. Sounds good.”

“Hold on, I didn’t— Actually, nevermind. It is your business, you are an adult, haaaa.” I shook my head before turning over to Kyouya. “How was it? Getting everything off your chest.”

“… Good. Thank you, Sensei. I finally got to know what Tatsuya has been thinking all this time.” He bowed deeply. “As such, I want to ask… is the [Shadow Pack] transform reversible?”

“Kyouya?!” Tatsuya looked bewildered.

“I think I know what I want to do now, Sensei.” I nodded to Kyouya, recognizing his more sharpened eyes. “I want to become a Rank S adventurer before we leave Peolynca?”

I tilted my head, not expecting such a simple goal.

“I want to be like you and Hestia-chan, Sensei. I want to be so strong that people can rely on me safely, and when I can help them, I want to be able to do it without fearing about myself. Those demonkins? Even stronger than them, if possible. I want to get my unique skill, and if I have to struggle to own it, then I will!”

“That is a martyr complex, Kyouya-kun.”

“I know! I know that. I’m not saying that I want to be a hero, but when it comes to helping my friends, I want to be their hero. When you need me, Sensei, I want to be there fighting by your side. And, to do so, I need to learn from you. That is why, until I return to Peolynca, I want to become a part of your pack! I want to hunt and fight with the future strongest fenrir to become the strongest adventurer!”

“Hehehe, but would that not mean you will become stronger than even Hestia and me?”

“That’s the point, Sensei!”

“Oh, and now you sound like Hestia. Honestly, choose one person and take them as your role model, Kyouya-kun. Flip-flopping around is not good.” I smiled. “I will talk with the gods about it. Tatsuya, what about you? WIll you become a part of my pack, too?”

“… I want to be able to control this druidification of mine. If that is my only valuable skill now that [Rush Hour] is gone, then I better train it up. In any case, Sensei, you probably want to meet the remaining 15 of the class, right? I’ll get stronger, so, please, let me be a member of your pack, too!”

And my smile widened even further as the world around started to become fuzzy. Tatsuya and Kyouya started to fade, probably from the fact they finally found a reason to keep on training. In addition to that, I have also found two more pack members to welcome. Only Hanazawa was left.

“See you later, Sensei!”

“Thank!”

I waved at the boys as they disappeared in front of me and the world shattered into pieces, returning everything back to nothingness. The only people left in this place were my Mother and me.

[“They are quite interesting, just like your garms, Saori.”] Mother spoke reservedly.

“Hahaha, they are a bit too colorful, no? But, I came to like them over the years because they are so interesting. Haaa, although sometimes I wished I had normal students.”

Still, my memories of our time in Shiroko High School were a valuable experience for me. I was quite fond of them, and Tatsuya was right, I wanted to help them. And the first thing for that goal was to train myself, also.

However, before that…

“Let us go find your body, Mother.”

[“Mhmm. Thank you, my pup.”]

It was time to revive my dearest Mother.