It’s been around 6 hours since everyone went to sleep, and…mostly everyone was still asleep.

Crystal was the only one awake, blankly staring out into the terrific slimy blob that was Diana’s [Slime Wave]. The more she inspected it, the more it dawned on her just how terrifying this spell could truly be.

Just like a certain Enchanter from Log Horizon, she couldn’t deal much pure damage, if at all really. Her [Slime] based attacks weren’t anything too powerful, and her sets of skills don’t make for a very high damage-dealing loadout.

But! What came in most important however, were the massive number of uses she could have with it! She could morph her body, slip through and past many conventional enemies, drown and suffocate them in slime, and corrode them away using her new [Slime: Corrosive!].

The corrosion effect won’t work on the stronger enemies, like the regenerating ghoul or the immortal golems, but it works well against small fries, and also on the environment.

“Hah…”

Putting Diana’s newfound awesomeness aside, Crystal’s been feeling somewhat odd lately.

You know, for her, Diana’s first impression was a bratty, loud, brash, and bold girl that charged at anything with no thought for safety measures. And, yeah! She lived up to that impression for a pretty good amount of time!

But then, just hours ago, she saw her, crying and blaming herself for nearly putting them at death’s door.

In this world, a single life didn’t amount to very much, and Crystal knew that well. That was just how this world works. In every second, at every moment, at every location, the threat of death always lingers by the edge of your neck, ready to strike at the right moment.

So, being put at the door of death wasn’t that scary, at least not for her. That was why she was alright with Diana being an idiot and putting everyone at danger, since that’s what pretty much everyone expects to do, am I right?

She wasn’t a human, so she didn’t understand what human morals and cultures were. She also didn’t bother to look into it and learn about them, resulting in the Crystal we all know today.

That was why she couldn’t relate very well to this human she knew as ‘Diana’. Of course, Diana wasn’t human anymore, but she didn’t know that.

All that, culminates to this moment, with Crystal sitting down, deep in thought as to what to do next with Diana.

It’s odd really. At first, she ‘sort of’ hated Diana for dragging her out from her home. But, as more time passes by, she began to realise herself that she wanted to leave as much as she did.

Maybe it was just the feeling of adventure, or the smell of the fresh air, or seeing the sun rising from the horizon, but she loved this world. All her life, as a mere spirit created to serve the dungeon, she never saw the cool little details that made this world so, magical!

She plays herself as a stoic badass that destroys the enemies with no mercy, but really, she also wanted to have as much fun as Diana was having at every moment.

She’s just too shy to join

And then, there’s also Rei.

At first, all she saw her as was an enemy, that Diana somehow manage to make into an ally. Being a former enemy, she was cautious of her, just like anyone would! Diana’s just a bit out of the ordinary.

But, as Diana got more intimate with her, they began talking more, and Diana even gave her a name. For some reason, when she noticed both of them happily talking(usually about food), she would feel displeased.

Crystal herself didn’t really understand why.

And again, she’s too shy to join the talk

And, well, they haven’t talked much. The only time they did was when they argued at that puzzle section, and I could hardly call that ‘Talking’. But, as they say, actions convey more than mere words.

It hasn’t been very long since they first met, and they haven’t fought together much either, but at the times they did, like in their previous struggle against that large monster and the monster army, she got a sense of how truly powerful she was, in more ways than one.

In an actual battle, she was an unstoppable whirlwind of death, plowing through waves after waves of enemies. If they fought seriously without anything held back, then Crystal would immediately lose with no chance to breath.

But, more than that, surely Rei would’ve also noticed that the ultimate potion had failed. Just like her, Rei was sensitive to mana, and her sense of smell was also powerful, so if Diana was still dead despite having drank that ultimate potion, she would’ve known.

“…Crystal.”

“U-Uah!? O-Oh, it’s you.”

Talking about Rei, she just woke up!

“……”

“……”

Well, despite that, this…this was awkward. Crystal didn’t have anything to speak to her about, and Rei seems to not be the type to break the ice, so here they were, just sitting inside this room, silently passing time by.

And, from what she’s seen anyways, Rei seems to be more concerned about food than anything else. Being the locked up person she was, Crystal didn’t have any knowledge of food, or any food related topics.

“Crystal? You there?”

What should she do then? Should she just leave Rei be then? Should she only watch from afar as she and Diana got along without her? No, of course not! But, how was she supposed to do so? How should she start a relationship with her? Should she start with ‘Hi’? ‘What do you like?’ maybe? She didn’t know, she didn’t know what to do!

“Hey, Crystal, uh…are you okay?”

No, even before that, what should she say do Diana? ‘It’s okay’? ‘I’m sorry for not being there’? Can Diana just accept that? Could she even say those words to her? Would she even-

“Crystal!”

“Uah!? W-What!?”

“Are you okay? You look pale.”

By the time she realised, Nestra was awake and was staring at her worriedly. Did she just ignore her this whole time? Should she apologise for not listening? More and more, her mind clouded with questions.

Stolen novel; please report.

“Crystal!”

“Uah!?”

“Are. You. Okay?”

“I-I’m fi-”

No, she wasn’t fine, not in the slightest.

“I, I don’t know.”

“Don’t, know what exactly?”

What’s wrong with her suddenly? Where did the stoic, badass Crystal that took down that giant monster go?

“What…should I say to Diana…?”

“What do you mean?”

“I…She was crying, blaming herself for everything…But, what should I say then? I’ve never comforted someone before…”

‘Oh…So that’s it.’ Was what Nestra thought as she looked at the confused Crystal.

It seems she was confused as to what to do for Diana, and whether Diana would even listen to her and calm down after that. The problem was simple really.

It was, a lack of [Self Confidence]!

It was rather confusing as to why the awesomely powerful Crystal would doubt herself on what to say to her fellow friend, but she won’t inquire further.

Solving a case like this was quite tricky, since giving someone confidence wasn’t as easy as taking it from someone else and giving it to her. And if she handled it wrong, her confidence might even take a hit and drop even further.

Hmm…Think, think…If this was a visual novel, what option should she pick to say…? Wait, no, that’s not an appropriate answer, but,

For her, the answer seems simple really.

“Just, be honest, I guess?”

“Be…Honest?”

“Yeah. Just say anything that comes to your heart. Diana might not like it, but it’s better than keeping a lid over it all.”

–But, what should I say then?

Even if she was keen on being honest, it still doesn’t answer the main question.

Though they may seem close, Crystal knew near to none about Diana. She didn’t know why she came into the dungeon, why she wanted her as a companion, what she liked and disliked, what her goals were, she knew none of those things.

She didn’t know where she came from, what this place called ‘America’ was, why she had the powers of a slime, what her stats and level were, what skills she had, nothing.

She didn’t know anything. She never bothered to ask anything.

And because of her ignorance, all that, boils down, to this very moment.

“Hngh…? C, Crystal…?”

“D-Diana!?”

With this, Diana was now awake, and the moment of action has come.

–I…What should I say to her?

She didn’t know.

–I, I’m not…I can’t be honest.

Honesty, was a difficult expression to give. Being genuine with someone needed courage and resolve. Did she have both of those aspects? Could she pull off this without messing it up? No, how can she? Because,

–I, can’t even be honest with myself.

She may be powerful and bold in battle. Her enemies may fall before her and her magic. But that was it. She was just powerful in battle. Just being powerful in battle wasn’t enough. But…

“Hey, Crystal…I…”

–No, I won’t hide, not now.

Yeah, she couldn’t hide behind her false façade any longer. What would hiding now do? She would just postpone it, again and again, until one day, everything breaks open, and the weak truth of hers is exposed.

She, didn’t want that.

“…Diana.”

“w-what is it…?”

Because,

“I’m…I…I’m sorry.”

“……Eh?”

The face she’s shown until now, the words that had left her mouth, were nothing but a lie.

“S-Sorry, for…what…?”

“For…For lying to you.”

“L…Lying…?”

Diana was obviously confused! She just woke up to see Crystal staring at her. ‘Maybe she’s finally angry at me…’ Was what she thought in her mind as she weakly replied to her call. But why was she sorry? And what did she lie about?

All this development was too much, even for a slime queen like her!

“Yeah…Um…Okay, uh, so what, do you think of me?”

“…Huh? O-Oh, um…You’re cool…really strong…and-“

“That’s…all a lie.”

“……So…You’re actually really weak?”

“N-No! I’m strong, you dumba-…I mean, yeah, I’m strong, but that part where you said I’m cool? I…really doubt that.”

‘Cool and Strong’ These were the two words that Diana had kept in her mind when she thought about Crystal. I mean, who can blame her? She could send magic blades through the air, cleave a giant in two, encase the enemy in a dome of death! That’s amazing!

“You see…I’m actually still pretty young, so I don’t know much about this world. I’m also…a magic fanatic. I love any magic that’s really strong and cool looking! Like, when that time we went ‘Poof!’ and appeared in that other room because of teleportation magic, I was impressed!”

Well, this was new. For the first time in, like, ever, Crystal was smiling as she talked! Not just smiling even, she was also laughing as she explained about herself. Not just Diana, but everyone else was also surprised by the sudden change!

“I’m also a bit shy…and I get embarrassed quickly. When I was first born, Admin said that I needed to be brave as the last boss, so I put on a mask over myself, a persona I suppose. And, I guess it just stuck around…But, also because of that, all I could do was hide…hide, and nothing else.”

She smiled wryly as she recalled her first days in the dungeon, having to put on a brave front as she tackled the adventurers head on. Over time, she even grew an arrogant and haughty way of speaking, which only served to hide her inner feelings from others, even her own creator.

“So…yeah. That’s, pretty much how I really am. Because of that, I…I don’t know what to say about your guilt, or anything really. I only said ‘It’s okay’, because…I didn’t know what to say to you. But, I, really think it’s okay, that you put us all through that, because that’s just how life works, right?”

There. She finally said it all. Everything she’s hidden under her cold exterior, her genuine thoughts and feelings she had kept tucked under the rug, everything was now wide open to see.

“Crystal…”

Yet, despite that, she didn’t feel stiff or anxious about it. For the first time, she felt genuinely relaxed, as if a large weight had been lifted from her.

But-

“H-Hya!? D-Damnit!! D-Don’t j-just hug me s-suddenly!!”

“Hehe~, sorry. But, I’m sorry too then. I’ve, also been lying too.”

“…?”

Letting Crystal go, Diana took a deep breath, and looked straight into her eyes.

“Will, you listen too, Crystal?”

“Uh…Yeah, sure.”

……………………

“…Eh? EH!? Y-You’re…You’re from another world!?”

“Ehehe~, yeah, that’s right.”

Obviously, Crystal was surprised! Since Diana was really keen on explaining this place called ‘America’, which was a place she had never heard of, she had thought that maybe it was someplace really far away. But, nope! It’s in another world!

The fact that another world besides the one she currently knew wasn’t very surprising, since spirits like her came from another world, but for a human like Diana to be brought here from this thing called a ‘Monitor’!? How unexpected!

From what Diana told, the world she was born in was a place without any magic, which was probably due to Earth’s low concentration of mana. Then, what kind of spell was cast to bring her here?

[World Travelling] wasn’t something that uncommon, since the human kingdom has a spell capable of doing exactly just that, most often used to summon existences known as ‘Heroes’, but there didn’t seem to be anyone in Diana’s room, and her monitor definitely wasn’t some kind of magic device!

“…Then, no, ice, cream?”

“Yeah, sorry…But I can still make hotdogs!”

And of course, Rei’s first concerns were about the food she was unable to taste. But hey! Hotdogs and hamburgers should still be something she can make! Well, she’d need to increase her cooking skill first though.

“…Yay.”

Okay~! Rei’s back to being happy again, so all’s good!

Well, while Rei was concerned about food, Crystal wasn’t doing any better either.

‘T-Then…! S-S-Space Magic!?’

If the use of [Space Magic] was a fact, then that should explain all the odd anomalies Diana felt before she woke up in this world, like how the sounds outside her room suddenly vanished, or how she just lost consciousness and woke up.

That doesn’t explain why she swapped genders though

[Space Magic] was high tier magic. Like, so high tier, that not even master magic casters could even master! It was one of the pinnacles of magic!

Similar to that teleport spell from the earlier challenge, [Space Magic] allowed the caster to warp and bend space to their desires, which also allows them to teleport. Of course, with mastery, the user can bend the laws of physics, distort gravity, and even stop time at some occasions!

If there was someone who would be able to do all that, he would be an archmage!

‘Haa~, I wanna meet him~’

“Crystal?”

“H-Hya!? W-What is it!?”

“So…Do you believe me?”

“…I don’t think I have a choice? It sounds so bizarre that it sounds true.”

‘How does that even work!?’ She retorted softly in her heart as she smiled. Well, she seems rather unsure, but she believed her, I suppose?

But, she’s glad to see that they haven’t changed one bit. Rei was still being the silent food-lover she is, and Crystal, while she was much more open and genuine now, was still acting like her usual self.

“Ne, Crystal?”

“Hmm? What is it?”

“Umm…It’s a bit random, but…Do, you still want to go home?”

Ah…right. Despite all this, it didn’t change the fact that Diana had forced her out of her own home. And now that she felt the full pressure of her actions, she was feeling guilty over it.

But, well,

“No, not anymore.”

“…Are you sure?”

“…Yeah. It took me some time, but I think I finally realised my own desire to leave and journey out into the world, together with you of course.”

“C-Crystal…!”

And so, comes the end of this arc, where the main heroines finally make up and realise each other’s feelings. Together, they shall strive through this world, and discover its many wonders and secrets!

And also try and cook some food for Rei to eat too!