Kiyomi had fed Sako a Recovery Potion.

They stared down at Luna from their chairs intently, —Sako on a black chair that Kiyomi had conjured up—still sitting backwards on them. Kiyomi had soundproofed the room with a spell this time just in case.

Luna was still tied up on the floor like a helpless rabbit, and Sako’s eyes were vicious and watchful, like a waiting predator.

Kiyomi would stay out of this one, sitting further away from the two. In fact, she wished she had a snack.

“I just thought… it would be fun for both of us.” Luna chose her words carefully. “I didn’t plan on causing any serious pain… I mean… except for breaking your bones… and the stabbing…”

When Kiyomi glanced at Sako, she was trembling and restraining herself. Yikes. Wrong answer.

Luna realized her mistake too and tried to fix it. “It’s not like you would’ve died… and… I planned on healing you after with a Recovery Potion…”

Another wrong answer. No, Luna, try again.

“And…” Luna was thinking, trying to find something else. “Even if you died, you would come back, and it’s just a game—”

Kiyomi hadn’t seen when Sako had gotten up. Sako had moved so swiftly. Kiyomi only saw when she swung the chair against Luna’s head with one hand. The number that came up was huge, in size and damage, in a black and bold font.

The blow sent her across the room until she hit the wall and fell on the floor with a loud thud. Her HP dropped from 25% to 0%.

Kiyomi had felt that. It made her shiver. That Critical Hit had been well over 1 million. The average endgamer would struggle to get remotely close to half of that damage in several hits even while constantly critting to weak spots with elemental advantage and having an Attack Increase with a Defense Break on the target. She had done her research and used a calculator, so she knew.

Sako made slow steps across the room to Luna’s body.

Kiyomi’s eyes were stuck to Sako. She was on the edge of her seat. What would Sako do next? The situation was horrible, absolutely horrible: she didn’t have snacks. I wish I had snacks...

She wondered if she could convince the innkeeper downstairs that it was Luna who had broken the window.

Sako opened the holoscreen to her inventory and tapped a few buttons on it. It closed and a glowing flask of Recovery Potion appeared in one hand. She kneeled by Luna’s body and put it to her mouth before tilting upwards, pouring the liquid into her mouth.

Luna’s HP came up above her head. Her HP went up to 50%. The bar vanished. She opened her eyes, looking around and confused. Her eyes settled on Kiyomi. “What happened?”

“Sako murdered you with a chair,” Kiyomi replied. That was her favorite part.

“Oh…”

As Luna turned her head to Sako, Sako put her lips to her forehead.

“W-what are you doing?!” Luna said.

She removed her lips. “There’s your kiss.” Her tone was flat, passionless.

“Um… thanks… I… wasn’t expecting that.”

Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

“I know.” Sako stood up. “I’m a girl of my word, so you can still come to the banquet this evening if you want.”

Luna was skeptical. “This isn’t a ruse, is it?”

“I’m not Kiyomi.”

True, true.

“So, it’s… like a… date?” Luna asked with a little hope in her tone.

“Call it whatever you want.” Sako didn’t care anymore.

“Can we make Luna pay for the chair and the window?” Kiyomi asked.

“What?! Why me?!”

“Because it’s your fault obviously,” Kiyomi replied. It wasn’t actually. “Right, Sako?”

“What? It’s not her—”

“Just let her pay for them. She hurt you, didn’t she?”

Sako thought about it then looked down to Luna on the floor. “You’re paying.”

“OH COME ON, REALLY?! Don’t you have money?”

“No, we’re broke,” Kiyomi replied.

“Fine. I’ll pay, but I want another kiss first. And untie me.”

Sako sighed, holding in her mild irritation. She moved across the room, picked up Luna’s bloodied knife, and walked back to Luna. Her footsteps were slow but firm on the way back, and she held the knife like a calm, experienced killer who was waiting for the chance to stab her victim.

Luna noticed her threatening posture.

Sako walked stiffly with a grim gaze in her eyes. Like someone thirsty and desperate for something—someone willing to kill anyone without a second thought.

“Please don’t stab me.”

“Like how you stabbed me?” Sako asked.

Luna lost the courage to reply.

Once down on both knees, she cut the rope. Reluctantly, she moved her lips to Luna’s forehead again. When they were inches away, Luna quickly lifted her arms to grab Sako’s head, but Sako was faster: Sako caught her wrists. “What are you doing?”

“Uh… nothing… just…” Luna turned her head away, looking in another direction and sweating bullets.

That would’ve been a good attempt to kiss Sako on the lips if Luna’s Agility had rivaled Sako’s.

While still holding Luna by the wrists to prevent her from trying again, Sako kissed her forehead.

“Sako, do you have any snacks?” Kiyomi asked.

Sako took something from her inventory and tossed it at her. “I got it from lunch yesterday.”

Kiyomi caught it with both hands. An ice-cream sandwich. “Thanks.” She unwrapped it and started munching. So good! She hadn’t asked earlier because she hadn’t wanted to interrupt the juicy scene.

Sako let go of one of Luna’s wrists, now dragging her towards the door by the other wrist.

“Wait, where are we going?” Luna asked.

She didn’t answer.

“You won’t throw me down the stairs, right?!” Luna tried to pull her arm free from Sako’s hand.

“I just might if you don’t shut up.” She opened the door with her free hand and dragged Luna down the stairs.

Kyomi followed, refusing to miss even a moment of this.

Sako marched up to the counter to a middle-aged lady in an apron. “Good afternoon.”

“Good afternoon, dearie!” The old lady gave a friendly smile then frowned when she saw Sako’s disgruntled face. “You seem a bit down.”

“It’s because my friend here broke something upstairs. She tossed a chair right out the window.” Sako sighed and hung her head. “I told her not to do it, but she didn’t listen. And then she overreacted and yelled at us for a petty matter.”

“Aw, that’s awful! Is that what the shouting was about earlier?”

Sako nodded slowly.

Kiyomi was dumbstruck. Sako lying?! The world must be ending. She took another bite from her ice-cream sandwich.

“Is it okay if I ask what the matter was about?”

“I… rather not say. It’s a very personal matter that I’m not comfortable telling others about,” Sako replied.

The old lady nodded understandingly with much sympathy. “That’s alright then. I respect your privacy.”

“But she had a change of heart and apologized to us. She’s even willing to pay for the damage and the chair.” Sako looked at Luna. “Right, Luna?”

“…Right…” Luna took a few gold coins out of her skirt pocket and set them on the counter. “This should be enough, right?”

The oldy lady nodded and smiled. “Thank you.”

The reason Luna had taken it directly from her pocket rather than going to her inventory on her holoscreen was that she had them in a quick slot rather than fully in her inventory. Kiyomi figured that anyway. It was the only explanation.

That’s that then. Kiyomi was satisfied with the ending.