Chapter 120

“… Ah.”

When we came to, we found ourselves standing on the sandy shore of the sea.

It seems the trial was successful.

Stella, looking around, scratched her head in bewilderment and said,

“What…? They called it a trial, but it didn’t seem like much happened…”

We had simply enjoyed what felt like a pleasant vacation.

Well… I already knew how to get through the trial, and Evan also seemed to have figured it out on his own without me saying anything, so no matter what, we would have eventually escaped the trial.

The only difference was that we got out sooner.

Ideally, we should have gotten out immediately, but since the time inside didn’t really matter in the grand scheme of things, I thought it would be better to use this opportunity to rest thoroughly before leaving.

From their perspective, it would only feel like they woke up from an uneventful, yet memorable dream, so I wasn’t surprised by their reactions.

“Is that how it was for you too, Stella…? It was the same for me.”

“… Hmm, Uriel, I don’t think you’ve ever called me by my name without an honorific.”

“And neither have you, Stella?”

“Hmm…”

Well… at least it seemed that the events from within that dream-like trial weren’t entirely meaningless.

Just looking at the situation now, this is something we couldn’t have imagined before the trial.

Prior to the trial, Uriel always addressed others with honorifics. Now, she was calling others without them—almost like speaking to a real friend.

“Since it’s not an inconvenience, why don’t we drop the honorifics altogether?!”

Even Uriel, who seemed to think it might not be so bad, suggested making this new way of addressing each other official. Though this might seem confusing, because of the way we interacted throughout the dream-like experience, Stella also seemed to feel no discomfort using Uriel’s name directly.

It seemed like this trial, which we all endured together, had served as a catalyst to strengthen our bonds as friends.

“You two as well!”

Uriel turned her gaze towards us.

Why did she suddenly look over here…

While I was surprised by this sudden shift, Evan turned to look at me.

“I don’t mind, but what do you think, Aria?”

Asking me this so suddenly…

What am I supposed to say here…

I fell into thought, glancing at both Uriel and Evan.

We’ve maintained certain boundaries for so long, so it feels awkward to suddenly drop them. Making this decision isn’t easy.

Of course, if I could, I’d like to relax a little more, to maintain a good relationship with them… but…

Wouldn’t it feel strange if I didn’t attach honorifics like “brother” or “sister”?

This made me hesitate about whether it was appropriate to use a more casual tone.

Nevertheless…

‘This can’t go on forever…’

If we’re going to continue spending time together, it would be better for us to become closer.

Maintaining our old habits just for the sake of keeping up appearances doesn’t seem like a good idea.

To begin with, our current so-called “concept” is already a bit ambiguous.

Of course, going as far as dropping all politeness entirely would completely destroy the image we’ve built up so far, so that’s not an option.

…

Wait a moment.

‘Now that I think about it, I did speak casually to Evan…?’

Hmm…

Before we returned here, while in the trial, I had indeed spoken casually to Evan. But that was within the dream, wasn’t it?

At the time, only Evan and I were there, so it didn’t feel like a problem.

But now things are different.

Now, we’re not just with Evan, but also with Stella and Uriel.

If I suddenly dropped the formalities only with Evan, it would raise eyebrows from Stella and Uriel. And if I also dropped formalities with the other two, it might also feel awkward given how we’ve interacted until now.

It might be better to just change the titles while maintaining the respect.

Then at least…

“…[Evan…?]”

All I have to do is call his name, right?

After saying it, I felt embarrassed and instinctively turned my head away.

“Huh…”

Evan looked surprised, clearly not expecting me to drop the honorific and call him by his name so directly.

…

Even as the Hero destined to save the world, I didn’t want to put it too bluntly, but seeing his expression, he seemed kind of clueless… or rather, he looked somewhat foolish.

He’s the type to seem naive and kind-hearted in games, but that’s why I admired him.

“Looks like he didn’t catch on.”

“Exactly.”

“…[What do you mean by ‘he didn’t catch on’?]”

When Stella and Uriel started whispering between themselves, I asked what they were talking about. They acted startled and tried to brush it off, saying it was nothing.

What’s with these two? I was just genuinely curious, yet they’ve overreacted so much.

These two…

Whatever they were talking about, judging by their sheepish expressions and fidgeting, it didn’t seem like something they could confidently acknowledge.

‘Could it be…?’

Might they have started to feel a bit jealous, seeing me speak casually to Evan and showing more familiarity?

I think that’s a plausible explanation.

Until now, I had kept a slight distance, but now I seemed much closer. If they harbored any feelings for Evan, my behavior shift could have made me feel like I’d dropped my usual “perfect” facade.

So, it wouldn’t be surprising if they were starting to feel some jealousy.

Or maybe not.

But actually, this is somewhat good news for me.

“… I remember! We should hurry back…!”

Evan suddenly recalled something and exclaimed.

Even though some of the memories of the trial may be vague and incomplete, resembling more of a dreamlike experience, the vivid memory of spending a long time there was undeniable.

Thus, Evan probably felt the need to confirm how much time had passed since then.

When Stella and Uriel heard his words, they looked puzzled, tilting their heads in confusion. Nevertheless, Evan didn’t linger to explain and ran ahead.

“E, Evan?!”

“Come on, let’s go together~!”

Hold on just a moment.

Take me with you!

Even though I am the Saint, I don’t do much exercise and there’s no way I can keep up!!

Aaaah!!!

*

“… Hmm?”

“Gasp gasp… Why is it so fast?”

“That was good exercise~”

“…”

I’m about to collapse…

No, I feel like I’m going to collapse…

Even though I’m on the verge of collapsing, somehow I managed to stand up.

It felt like running to the point of almost losing my breath. Despite the exhaustion, I felt a strange sense of exhilaration that reminded me we’d truly returned.

I didn’t expect that this would be how I’d fully realize it.

“Can’t be… it hasn’t even been a day yet?”

Evan looked surprised that no time had passed in the real world.

Of course. That’s only natural.

If time passed while we were in the trial, that would actually be the problem.

Even in the game, if time continued to pass during the trial, it would make the trial extremely difficult.

During the game, you have to keep a tight schedule to hit high points; you have to take care of things as efficiently as possible.

The trial is one of the necessary elements for achieving top points, but it’s also the one that takes the longest. If we spent time there and it counted in the real world…

That would just be unfair.

“Frankly, I don’t really understand what Evan has been saying since earlier…”

“What does it mean that time didn’t pass?”

“Didn’t you remember anything that happened in the trial?”

“About the trial…”

“The trial…”

The two thought for a moment and then shook their heads.

“I vaguely remember bits and pieces, but I can’t recall exactly what happened.”

“It’s the same for me. But I do remember that we all had fun together!”

Uriel smiled brightly as she said this.

At this, Evan made a complicated expression, scratching his head.

“Maybe… it’s because I’m the Hero, but I remember almost everything that happened there.”

“Hmm…”

“Could it be…?”

“Uh… we spent roughly two weeks inside the trial.”

“Two, two weeks?!”

Evan’s revelation shocked the other two.

As he began explaining what that place was and how they had lived for those two weeks, his tone grew serious.

After listening to Evan’s full explanation, the two eventually wore confused expressions.

“Did time distort…? Or is it something else like a different dimension…?”

“Ugh… I feel dizzy…”

As I watched the two, who had clearly changed quite a lot, I quietly reflected.

‘Trials… We need to be careful moving forward.’

They seem to have changed their personalities quite drastically.