Everything Saemi had told me so far was within what I expected. The time I spent with Saemi made me notice small, subtle things that clearly meant something. One of them was the way Saemi was clumsy when she interacted with me. As I thought about it, Saemi continued.

"Just before we came here... do you remember we met on a train on the way to school?"

Saemi asked, and as she spoke, I noticed that her tense body betrayed the tension that the memory of that moment brought.

"Of course, you took a picture of me"

I said with a smile as I looked at Saemi. Her body jumped when she heard my words, but as she looked in my direction and our eyes met, her cheeks puffed up.

"Geez, could you not tease me? You have no idea how much I regret doing that"

Saemi said with a embarrassed look, burying her face even more into my chest. After a few seconds of silence, Saemi continued.

"In fact, that's what I wanted to talk about... some time before that happened, Shinji had told me that you might be following me and that I should be careful. At the time, I didn't know who you were, so I thought it was just nonsense. But somehow, we always ended up on the same train. I guess that's why I ended up getting scared. I thought that if I told Shinji, you would stop following me"

After that, Saemi fell silent for a few seconds before continuing.

"I should have considered that you lived in the same area, and it was just a coincidence that we took the same train"

After hearing her words, I remained silent, absorbing everything Saemi had said.

"Aren't you going to say anything?"

Saemi asked as she turned her gaze towards me. Hearing those words, I turned to Saemi and met her eyes.

"Do you want me to say something?"

Hearing my words, Saemi fell silent while still looking into my eyes. Seconds later, Saemi lay back on my chest again and fell silent. I didn't know what she might be thinking now, but for me, I hated the Saemi from the past. Even though it was all a misunderstanding, it doesn't change what she did. However, I think I can love the Saemi of the present. That was the conclusion I came to. As I thought about it, Saemi's voice echoed.

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"...I feel like, somehow, I don't want to be forgiven. My past mistakes will remind me of what I can't go back to, and that's what I think. Besides, I feel that if you forgave me now, it would be the same as you deceiving yourself"

Saying that, Saemi got up and straddled me, our eyes meeting, anticipating each other's next moves. Slowly, Saemi brought her face closer to mine.

"From now on, I'll do my best to earn your forgiveness in your heart. I know it might take time, and maybe it will never happen, but I want to try"

Saemi said with a smile on her face. Our lips touched softly, initiating a kiss. That afternoon, it felt like Saemi and I had truly connected for the first time.

Later that day, specifically at night, I was lying in my bed, looking at the status screen. During dinner, I shared our plans for the next day, which basically involved exploring the dungeon located in Arclight. This was our main goal, but due to recent events, we ended up significantly delayed on this mission.

DO YOU WISH TO MELD THE SKILLS (FAST STEP) AND (SHADOW STEP)?

Upon hearing these words, I mentally accepted. Soon after, the voice spoke again in my mind.

CONGRATULATIONS, YOU HAVE ACQUIRED THE SKILL (SHADOW TELEPORT)

As soon as I heard the name of the skill, I raised an eyebrow in doubt. Although "Fast Step" and "Shadow Step" could be called teleportation, I knew very well that both were far from it. While "Fast Step" made me cover a short distance at high speed.

"Shadow Step" allowed me to enter the shadowy world and move from one point to another, but even so, neither of the two could really be called teleportation.

With that in mind, I got out of bed and directed my gaze to the farthest corner of the room.

"Shadow Teleport"

Without hesitation, I invoked the name of my new skill and, in the blink of an eye, emerged from the ground exactly where I wished. It was a completely different sensation from just being fast; it felt like I had moved instantly from one place to another.

With a smile on my face, I returned to my bed and lay down. Although it was a relatively basic skill, it would still be very useful.

The next morning, as soon as I woke up, I went to the dining hall, where I found all the girls already awake and having breakfast. Sylvia greeted me with a warm smile.

"And to think that today we will part ways... I'll feel a bit lonely"

Sylvia spoke with a touch of melancholy in her voice, which made me look at her in doubt.

"Why are you talking as if we're leaving and never coming back? You know all we're going to do is go to the dungeon and come back, right?"

Hearing my words, Sylvia let out a small laugh.

"I'm just kidding, though it is true that I'll feel a bit lonely"

Sylvia said with a smile, her friendly treatment making me think that if she weren't a princess, she might have a crush on me.

"When the time to leave for real comes, you'll be the first to know, so don't worry too much about it"

I said as I bit into a piece of bread. Upon hearing my words, the smile on Sylvia's face widened even more.

"I'm glad to hear that"

Sylvia bid farewell with a smile and accompanied us to the palace gate. After the farewell, we headed towards the dungeon.