Page 287

#

Tina could never bring herself to do anything more intimate with Kazanaki Hikaru than holding hands.

Only the true Tina is the one she can love deeply without reservation. Fortunately, Kazezaki can become the true Tina and luxuriously receive the love that originally did not belong to her... Even knowing that she is a substitute, she is willing to accept it.

It was like this a year ago.

Will it be the same a year from now?

Kuroiwa Shu was a companion and an accomplice, so she also learned about the existence of Tina, a girl whose personality was completely opposite to that of the refrigerator girl she knew, yet equally fascinating.

We went to Tokyo Skytree together; it's the warmest place in the world.

They also enjoyed the cherry blossom rain in March together. I remember that day, Kuroiwa Shu suddenly had a brilliant idea and took out a "soul imaging device" that had been put aside. With this, Tina transformed into a spirit that could be perceived by sight, and personally expressed her sincere gratitude and apology to Kazakiri Hyouka, and said, "I like Kazakiri."

Tina also solemnly expressed her heartfelt gratitude to Kazezaki Hyouka, and at Makoto's urging, she shyly said that she also liked Hyouka.

At that moment, Feng Zhanbinghua was in a state of shock, surprise, excitement, and wanting to cry, her eyes trembling with tears, and she couldn't utter a single word for a long time.

Even if Feng Zhan knew that it was just a purely platonic affection, or even a "compensation" they gave her before leaving... what did it matter? With her words of "like," everything was enough!

Black Rock stood by, looking dazed and confused.

She wondered if she were the one being confessed to, would she also lose her composure because of this happiness?

However, for the past twenty-odd days, Tina has never given up, pleading desperately every day, hoping that Black Rock can let go of "that matter" and take advantage of the training officer as a powerful backer to escape the cycle of reincarnation.

She was so considerate of herself...

However, she didn't know that Black Rock Shooter was a powerful backer on par with the training officer, and that if it weren't for Black Rock Shu, she and the Black Sheep Red Wolf team would have had a very long time to escape the cycle of reincarnation and return to the world.

Therefore, she will never let Tina know about this.

It's best not to leave her with even the slightest bit of guilt. I wish this beautiful and kind girl eternal happiness.

#

#

The day of parting finally arrived.

The huge square that had once hosted academic societies was deserted that morning, except for Tina and her group, of course.

Those who came to pick up Tina were the trainer, the sea dragon girl, Xia Shi, and the owl. When Xia Shi saw the long-lost girl Tina, he could no longer suppress his emotions and rushed towards her.

In front of everyone, another scene of being tackled to the ground unfolded. It took Tina quite a while to calm Xia Shi down after she got up.

"Huh, the Black Sheep Squad...where are Violet and the others?"

"They're waiting at the entrance to the hyperdimensional portal, you're the only one missing," the owl said.

Tina nodded in response, then turned to the trainer with a hint of guilt: "I'm sorry, I had such a good opportunity, but... I still couldn't persuade Blackrock..."

The trainer nodded: "Black Rock may indeed have something he has to do, so there's no need to make things difficult for others... By the way, next, let Sea Dragon take you directly to the hyperdimensional portal. Once you enter, the portal will close automatically."

"And what about you...?"

"Of course I will go back... but there are still some troublesome matters to be resolved in the cycle of reincarnation. It may take a month or a few years, but I will go back. Also, I have already discussed this with Seol-yu and the others in advance."

"Okay, then you must come back soon! ...Yes, it was on behalf of Tina who instructed me."

With a grateful look in her eyes, and of course, with her own feelings, Tina realized that her trainer had always been her trainer.

Uncle Wolf smiled slightly and gave a faint reply, "Mm."

Black Rock followed Wolf Uncle, and as he left, he seemed to be hiding something. He was in such a hurry that he didn't even say goodbye when he brushed past the girl.

The girl subconsciously reached out to grab Hei Yan's departing figure, but grasped only empty air.

The trainer used magic to open a dimensional portal and stepped into it without hesitation.

Black Rock followed closely behind, but as he reached the door, he subtly shifted his gaze.

As if knowing she would turn to look at her, the girl smiled brightly, her smiling eyes meeting Black Rock Shooter's gaze. In that instant, Black Rock's face flushed crimson, and she turned her head away as if to avoid him, hurriedly stepping into the dimensional portal.

...The instant her body stepped through the door and was teleported away, Hei Yan felt as if the entire world behind her had vanished without a trace in that instant.

Even the girl's smile has become much more blurred in my memory.

Do you regret it?

The surrounding world was dark and devoid of light, and a voice asked from in front of her.

Black Rock clenched his fists tightly, but a smile played on his lips as his firm footsteps echoed through the dark universe.

"If I've come this far, I'm sure I can break this damned cycle and see her again."

……

After bidding farewell to Kazakiri Hyouka, Misaka Mikoto, Shirai Kuroko, Saten Ruiko, and Uiharu Kazari, Tina leaped onto the giant dragon. With a roar that resounded through the heavens and earth, the sea dragon spread its wings and soared swiftly into the boundless blue sky.

"Super high-definition photo of a giant dragon taking off!! Wow, so cool!! Even if it gets out, no one will believe it's real!"

Saten Ruiko watched the icy blue dragon, which only existed in fantasy novels, disappear into the horizon, her eyes filled with indescribable emotion. She looked at the photos she had taken with a smug expression.

"Tina is gone..."

As early spring gazed into the distance, a wistful remark silenced everyone from their awe and excitement at witnessing the dragon.

Yes, Tina is gone.

We'll probably never see each other again..., right...?

#

#

The area on the back of the sea dragon is so vast that it could easily accommodate several tennis courts, let alone carry a few people.

Tina sat on the back of the sea dragon, with all the scenery below her in her view. The Academy City, which she had spent a whole day searching for Kazakiri Hyouka but hadn't been able to explore completely, now looked smaller than even a town model.

Thinking it over, I decided to leave anyway.

So, is the next step to return to the Closers plane... back to the world where Truetina was born?

No, no, I should say, return to your original world!

Because, from some point onwards, the soul that coexisted with AI Tina only retained the awareness that "I have always been AI Tina."

The feeling of returning home is indeed one of trepidation; I'm even a little nervous.

Tina

She cried out in her heart.

"Huh?" the girl replied with a charming smile.

"Promise me"

Tina's voice was more serious and earnest than ever before; this unprecedentedly solemn tone immediately made the girl's heart leap into her throat.

"W-What happened..."

"Without Kazanatsu Hyōka, I can no longer appear in physical form, so from now on... from now on... from now on, Tina, you must never dislike me!"

"Why... why are you suddenly saying something like that..."

A hint of disappointment flickered in the girl's eyes. There was no way she would ever look down on her! Saying such a thing only proved that Tina didn't fully trust her…

"And never leave me!"

That's even more impossible! Tina really wanted to shout it out, but what Tina said next completely stunned her.

"Tina left Fengzhan Binghua, and she didn't become the second Holy Emperor... But, if Tina were to leave me even slightly, even I, without any warning, would directly become... become..."

"I promise you, you won't say it again!"

"All along, I've loved you more than myself?" Tina's lips curled into a slight smile as she spoke in a teasingly arrogant tone.

"Then you can't leave me even for a second! Otherwise... I'll become... become... well, I'll definitely be a hundred times worse than you!!"

After a brief silence.

"Hmph! Then...won't you marry me?"

-

[The End]