"Hey, since we have the chance... would you mind putting this on for me?"
Black Ageha spoke hesitantly, clutching the ribbon in her hand.
"I don't really know the first thing about tying ribbons," I admitted.
"If you're going to put it that way, neither do I. I've never used one before. I don't think I can manage it on my own."
"Fair enough. I'll give it a shot."
After a fair amount of fumbling, the two of us managed to tie her hair back with the ribbon.
"How does it look?"
Black Ageha had gathered her hair into two bunches, one on each side.
"It's cute."
"I-I see..."
She nodded and looked down, her face flushed with bashfulness.
It seemed she was even happier than I had expected. Seeing her like that made the effort of getting it for her feel well worth it.
◆
The ninth day since the Demon King's defeat.
Continuing our flight from the Royal Capital, we had made our way to the Principality of Lind, a neighbor to the Sage Empire of Ritz.
In a few decades, the Principality of Lind would unify with several other nations to become the Nagara Federation. The town we finally reached was the capital of the Principality, a place called Grandlind.
"We're finally here," Black Ageha muttered, letting out a long sigh from her position in front of me on the horse.
"We've been on the move for a long time, after all."
"It's already late. I suppose all that's left is to eat and sleep."
"That was my plan, at least."
"I see."
After passing through the checkpoint, we found a dining hall for dinner and then searched for an inn.
"Today is the ninth day..."
I whispered the words to myself as I climbed into bed.
Back in the Royal Capital, the ninth day after the Demon King's defeat was when I had been murdered. I knew that being this far away in the Principality of Lind meant I shouldn't be in danger, but the tension still weighed on me.
"Hey."
Suddenly, Black Ageha, lying beside me, spoke up.
"You... you had an intimate relationship with her, didn't you?"
I knew immediately that "her" referred to the other personality of the girl before me. I hadn't expected her to bring that up so suddenly.
"I did," I replied, seeing no point in lying. After all, Ageha and Black Ageha were technically the same person, just different personalities.
"Then... do you want to do those kinds of things with me too?"
Black Ageha was fidgeting, looking embarrassed by her own question.
I wasn't quite sure how to respond. I cared for her, obviously, so saying I didn't want to would be a lie. But was it right to be so blunt?
"Well, I love you, so... yeah, I do."
In the end, I decided to be honest.
"I see. You love me. Well, if that's the case, I suppose it can't be helped. Here—"
With that, Black Ageha spread her arms wide on the bed.
"Uh..."
I tilted my head, not quite catching her meaning.
"Y-You're so slow! I'm saying... you can have your way with me. Honestly, don't make me say something so humiliating!"
Ah, I finally understood. Because I hadn't expected her to offer, it hadn't registered right away.
"You don't have to force yourself."
"I'm not forcing myself. I just thought it was... well, unfair that she had done it and I hadn't. Or do you find the idea of doing it with me unpleasant, Kiska?"
She was incredibly endearing. Faced with such earnest affection from her, there was no way I could remain indifferent.
"Ageha, I love you."
Before I knew it, I had moved over her.
◆
A strange sense of calm always follows the act.
I had now been intimate with both Ageha and Black Ageha. For a fleeting moment, I wondered if this was really okay.
But they were the same person, two souls in one body. It shouldn't make much of a difference which one I was with. Ageha would surely forgive me.
...She would, wouldn't she?
"Are you going somewhere?"
I noticed Black Ageha getting out of bed and putting her clothes back on.
"I just feel like getting some night air."
I started to think it wasn't safe for a girl to wander alone in the middle of the night, but a glance at the window showed the sun was already beginning to rise. Morning had arrived before I realized it.
"Make sure you come back soon."
I watched her leave the room as I spoke.
◆
After leaving the inn, Black Ageha navigated through back alleys, eventually reaching a desolate area that likely saw no foot traffic even during the day.
"Sorry. It seems I kept you waiting."
Stopping in her tracks, Black Ageha spoke to a shadow standing on the far side of the street.
"Not at all. I didn't mind."
Despite the words, the tone was dripping with blatant displeasure.
"I see."
"Hey, what's that?"
The figure pointed a finger. Black Ageha knew exactly what she was referring to—the ribbon in her hair.
"He gave it to me as a present."
"I see."
The sharp sound of grinding teeth echoed in the quiet air.
"Jealous?" Black Ageha asked, her tone heavy with provocation.
"Yeah. I'm incredibly jealous."
"Well, you're not having it. This was given by him to me."
"Whatever."
The shadow spat the word out.
"Anyway, can we just get started?"
"I suppose so. There's no point in chatting forever."
As she spoke, Black Ageha opened her <Item Box> and drew a sword from the void. The shadow did the same.
"Well then, shall we begin?"
"Our fight to the death."
In an instant, the sound of an atmospheric explosion rang out.
◆
"She's late."
I had been waiting for Black Ageha in our room, but she hadn't returned. I was starting to worry.
I knew she could easily handle any common thugs, but the memory of the mysterious culprit who had killed me in the previous timeline kept flickering in my mind.
It was the ninth day. Back in the Royal Capital, that was when I had died. I had felt safe here because of the distance, but now a sudden, sharp anxiety gripped me.
"I'll go look for her."
I opened the door and left the inn. After searching the surrounding area for a while, I heard a sound.
Squelch. The unmistakable sound of a blade cutting through meat.
I looked toward the source and saw a girl standing there, sword in hand. I recognized her even from behind. It was Ageha.
"Hey, Ageha! What are you doing?"
I called out to her as I ran closer.
The fight appeared to be over. In contrast to the standing Ageha, another figure lay on the ground, bleeding and motionless. A thought crossed my mind—maybe Ageha had tracked down the person trying to kill us and finished them off.
"Kiska..."
She turned around as she called my name.
Wait. Something was wrong.
The girl standing before me wasn't Black Ageha, but the ordinary Ageha. I tried to stay optimistic—they were two personalities in one body, so maybe they had just switched.
Until the next second.
I realized who was lying at the tip of her sword.
It was also Ageha.
There were two of them. One standing with a sword, and Black Ageha lying in a pool of blood.
"I guess the secret's out," Ageha said with a smile.
"Was it you...? Were you the one who killed me in every timeline until now?"
"Yep. That's right."
She nodded. Her smile was the very picture of madness.