Shiranui Flare IF Route: An Endless Song for You, Covered in Ashes - This is no time for tears—a strategy meeting for a comeback, held by the three of us.

Morning sunlight streamed into the infirmary corridor. Leaning against the stone wall, Shiranui Furea sat with her knees drawn up, unable to move. Lucas's blood, caked between her fingers, had already dried and turned black and crusted. (*If only I had disappeared.*) Those words kept spinning around and around in her head. If she weren't here, Lucas wouldn't have been attacked. He'd been struck on the head, hadn't regained consciousness all night, and was still in critical condition. Even Sara had been praying all night with a face on the verge of tears. Even Baldo had been so worried. It was all her fault. Because she was a rare elf from another world. [whispers] "...If only I weren't here." The moment she said it aloud, tears spilled over again. The bridge of her nose stung, and her throat tightened painfully. Drip, drip. The tears falling onto her knees soaked into the fabric. —Just then, she heard the faint sound of a door opening. Sara Tirherb emerged from the private room. Her honey-colored, soft wavy hair was disheveled from lack of sleep, and her deep forest-green eyes were bloodshot and red. Yet, those eyes were fixed directly on Furea. Without a word, Sara crouched down in front of her. [gentle] "...Furea." She gently grasped both of Furea's shoulders. Sara's hands were cold. She had been holding Lucas's hand all this time. But that coldness, paradoxically, managed to halt Furea's tangled, chaotic thoughts, just a little. [gentle] "You are already part of our family." Furea looked up. [surprised] "...Family?" [gentle] "Yes. So—I won't allow you to run away." Sara's voice was gentle. But within those words was a strength like steel. [gentle] "I absolutely won't allow you to disappear. Lucas, and I too—if you were gone, we would surely break." [crying] "...But, it's because I was here that Lucas..." Before she could finish—Sara embraced her. Tightly. Strength filled her arms, enveloping Furea's entire body. Sara's honey-colored hair brushed against Furea's cheek. It smelled nice. Of medicinal herbs and a slightly sweet floral scent. [gentle] "No. It's not your fault. Those thugs are to blame. Ilze Vanagur is to blame." [crying] "...But, but still..." [gentle] "It's alright. Because I'm with you." With those words—something burst. Everything she had been holding back came flooding out all at once. [crying] "Uwaaaaaah!!" Furea cried loudly. Like a child, she wailed and sobbed. Her nose ran, she couldn't see through her tears, and still she kept crying. Silently, Sara patted her gently on the back. [crying] "I'm sorry, I'm sorry... I, I..." [gentle] "There, there. You've had a good cry, haven't you." Sara's arms were warm. That warmth—physically crushed the thought that it would be better if she disappeared. (*It's okay not to disappear.*) (*It's okay for me to be here.*) For the first time in her life, she felt allowed to rely on someone else. —Just then. *Clack, clack*, footsteps echoed. [angry] "Hey! Are you making a racket again?!" Looking up, a nurse from the infirmary stood there imposingly. A stern-looking woman in her fifties. This was the second warning. She'd just been scolded moments ago for being too loud. [surprised] "...*hic*" Unable to stop her hiccups, Furea looked up at the nurse. [angry] "The patients are resting! If you're going to cry, do it outside!" [crying] "I'm sorry... *hic*..." [gentle] "We're very sorry, we'll be quiet now." Sara apologized on her behalf. But Furea, her face still a mess, shook her head. [crying] "N-no! I'll apologize! ...I-I'm very sorry... *hic*... uu..." Her voice was a wreck, mixed with tears, snot, and hiccups. The nurse sighed with an exasperated look and walked away. Sara let out a small giggle. [laughing] "...Hehe." [surprised] "W-what's so funny, Sara-san?! *hic*..." [laughing] "Because, Furea, you said 'I'll apologize! *hic*'... it was just too cute." [sad] "...That's mean. Please don't laugh at me..." But because Sara had laughed, the heavy stone in her chest felt just a little lighter. The tears still wouldn't stop, but the feeling of "wanting to disappear" from earlier—had vanished. --- Early afternoon. A subtle change occurred in the infirmary's private room. Lucas's finger twitched slightly. [surprised] "...Did it just move?" Furea had her hand against the wall by the entrance, unable to stand properly. Sara rushed to Lucas's bedside and grasped his hand. [gentle] "Lucas... it's me, Sara." Lucas's eyelids slowly opened. His gentle, droopy brown eyes stared vaguely at the ceiling, then—found Sara, and narrowed just a fraction. [whispers] "...Sara..." A hoarse voice. But he definitely called Sara's name. [crying] "Thank goodness... thank goodness..." Large tears spilled from Sara's eyes. Lucas slowly moved his head and looked towards the entrance. Finding Furea, his brown eyes—seemed to smile, just for a moment. [whispers] "...Furea... you're safe..." [crying] "I'm not safe! I wasn't safe at all!!" What came out of her mouth was a voice she couldn't tell was angry or crying. [surprised] "...I see." Lucas gave a wry smile. With his head still wrapped in bandages, that smile nonetheless regained just a hint of his usual nonchalant air. [serious] "Then—we'll make an escape route, the three of us." Furea's chest grew tight and hot. She suddenly felt ashamed of herself for only thinking about "wanting to disappear" until just moments ago. —An escape route, the three of them. She wasn't alone. [crying] "...Yeah." Furea bit her lip and held back her tears. But this time, the tears weren't from despair. —It was resolve. She nodded, small but clear. Sara, still holding Lucas's hand, looked at Furea. Lucas's expression of relief directed at Sara. And his gaze of trust directed at Furea. Within the same room, two precious emotions existed together. (*I want to treasure both of them.*) Furea pushed down the complicated feelings in her chest tightly—and made a smile. [excited] "...Alright! This is no time for crying! Time is too precious!" Her voice cracked, but she didn't care. --- Evening. Despite the doctor's emphatic insistence on "absolute bed rest," Lucas was trying to sneak out of the infirmary. [serious] "The blueprints are at the Lanterna Inn. If I can't move, I can't work." He stated it matter-of-factly, his head wrapped in bandages. [angry] "Wait just a moment, Lucas! You mustn't move yet!" [angry] "There are rules, patient! Please go back!" [surprised] "Lucas-san, that's really not a good idea, I'm telling you!" The three of them tried to push him back—but Lucas wouldn't stop at all. [serious] "It will hinder tonight's work. Me moving is the most efficient, right?" [surprised] "Hinder?! You—your own life is being hindered right now!" In the end, bowing to Lucas's insistence, they all ended up moving to the inn. Sara supported Lucas's shoulder, Furea carried the luggage, and the doctor saw them off while grumbling behind them. --- When they returned to the Lanterna Inn, the innkeeper Baldo came rushing out from behind the counter. [crying] "You were alive, young master...!" His face, with its unshaven stubble streaked with white, crumpled, and Baldo looked ready to cry the moment he saw Lucas. [sarcastic] "Baldo-san. Shouldn't that be 'Lucas-san' instead of 'young master'...?" When Furea retorted, Baldo paid no mind and clapped Lucas on the shoulder. [laughing] "What're you talking about. All young merchants are 'young master'! Now, now, I'll make some potato soup, so sit down!" Warm soup was brought to the dining table. A simple soup with potatoes, a little meat, and medicinal herbs. Furea picked up her spoon. The warm liquid settled into her stomach. (*Ah, I feel alive.*) Her self from just moments ago, crying in the corridor, felt like the distant past. [serious] "...Hey." Furea put down her spoon and looked at the two of them. [serious] "Why do you think Ilze went out of her way to come personally?" Sara's hand stopped. Lucas looked up. [serious] "She's the head of the Vanagur Trading Company, right? A big boss with a hundred and eighty underlings—she didn't send a subordinate or a messenger, she came to the infirmary herself. She threatened us herself." A brief silence. [serious] "...Indeed, that's not a rational decision." Lucas narrowed his eyes. [serious] "Isn't the scariest thing about a threat not showing your face? Not knowing who's watching, or from where—that kind of fear is the most effective. Yet she deliberately came directly." [serious] "Does that mean her emotions are driving her?" Sara tilted her head. [serious] "Yes. I don't think it's just business obsession. If it's a rare commodity, wouldn't it be enough to have a subordinate retrieve it? The fact that she came herself—I feel like there's a different, more personal obsession at play." At Furea's words, Lucas nodded. [serious] "If that reading is correct—Ilze is partly driven by emotion. Emotion creates openings." Lucas's voice was low and quiet. But—the atmosphere in the room changed. As if the despair from moments ago had been suddenly illuminated by a light. (*We might be able to turn this around.*) Furea clenched her fist. She still didn't know the answer. Why Ilze was so fixated—the reason was still shrouded in darkness. But. If the opponent is driven by emotion, there's an opening to exploit. --- On the table at the Lanterna Inn, parchment and bottles of medicinal herbs were spread out. Lucas unfolded the blueprints and began scribbling with charcoal. Even with his head bandaged, his hand didn't hesitate. [serious] "First, let's decide roles. Furea—you're the decoy." [serious] "Okay." [serious] "You'll go to the designated location alone and buy time with Ilze. Sara—you'll compound a paralytic. To neutralize the guards. Within two days." [serious] "...Understood. Leave it to me." Sara picked up a bottle of herbs. Her eyes no longer held any hesitation. [serious] "I—will make this." Lucas pointed to a spot on the blueprints. [excited] "A sphere that simultaneously emits light and smoke. Throw it, and everything within ten meters turns pure white in an instant. Let's name it the 'Surprise Ball.'" [surprised] "...Surprise Ball?" Furea tilted her head. His naming sense was as mysterious as ever. [serious] "Also—we'll prepare an anonymous tip to the guards. At the exact moment Ilze comes to pick up Furea, they'll raid the place, catching her red-handed in illegal elf trafficking. We can round them all up at once." [surprised] "Wait a moment." Furea picked up the blueprints. [serious] "...This Surprise Ball won't actually explode, right? It just flashes light and emits smoke, right?" [serious] "About seventy percent chance it'll be fine." [surprised] "Seventy percent?!" Furea shrieked. [surprised] "Lucas! Raise the probability a little more!" Sara raised her voice too. [serious] "It's fine. One in ten of my inventions is a hit. This time, I'll make the hit." [surprised] "One in ten?! So that's not a thirty percent chance of self-destructing, it's a ten percent chance of succeeding?!" [serious] "Well, you know, we'll manage with fighting spirit." [sarcastic] "If fighting spirit could stop explosions, I wouldn't be having such a hard time either!!" At Furea's retort, Sara burst out laughing. [laughing] "...Hehe. Really, you two are always like this." Drawn in by Sara's smile, Furea laughed too. Lucas also chuckled softly beneath his bandages. —Just then. Suddenly, Furea's gaze was drawn to Lucas's profile. (*I'm glad this person is here.*) Even with his head wrapped in bandages, he was spreading out blueprints and smiling. He had protected her before. (*This time—it's my turn to protect him.*) A quiet emotion flickered deep in her chest. Love for Lucas. But it wasn't just that. —Resolve. [serious

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Episode 6

Name: Shiranui Flare IF Route: An Endless Song for You, Covered in Ashes
Author: Novelia

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