The battle with the Demon Lord of “Sloth,” Belphemon, continued.

　　Crane’s surprise attack proved highly effective; Belphemon was caught completely off guard, pinned face-down on the ground, clutching half its face as it let out a howl of agony toward the sky. Seizing this opening, Crane used Dark Despair again, severing one after another the chains the Demon Lord had plunged into the ground, cutting off its energy supply. Without replenishment, unable to regenerate, the Demon Lord’s body could no longer withstand high-intensity damage. Facing the combined onslaught of the group once more, it crumbled and was quickly buried in the smoke of the explosions.

　　“Sakura, cover me!”

　　“Coming!”

　　Belphemon’s massive shadow gradually emerged from the smoke. Sensing the moment was near, Crane and I exchanged a glance, and each understood the other’s intent. I grabbed Crane’s hand, was carried into the sky, and then hurled forward. Using that momentum, I thrust the Rose Rapier head-on at the re-emerging Demon Lord—a strike potent enough to seize its full attention.

　　Its face heavily damaged, Belphemon fell into a true rage, completely losing control. Before it could make a major move, I used Thorn Whip to entwine its neck, restricting its actions, and told Crane in the sky, “It’s all yours!”

　　“No need to tell me.”

　　Crane spread her arms and controlled both hands, releasing her ultimate technique—Chaos Degradation. The “Angelic” right side gathered pale blue “Light” energy, while the “Demonic” left side gathered pale red “Dark” energy. Both were released at Belphemon simultaneously, merging to create a brilliant gateway. Immense energy erupted from it, and together with the surrounding environment, Belphemon was sucked inside, banished to the far side of a different dimension.

　　Jumping off the side of the Demon Lord’s body, Crane grabbed my hand once more, catching me and carrying me away from the ripple effects of the dimensional gate. We soared through the sky in a brief moment of solitude.

　　“You ‘Supported’ very well.”

　　She threw this line at me out of nowhere, and it made my heart itch with irritation—I couldn’t help but feel she was speaking against her conscience.

　　“Not very convincing, huh.” I pouted and turned my face away, in a bit of a huff. Sneaking a peek at her reaction—though she didn’t show it too obviously—I could still faintly detect a flicker of annoyance cross her face. She was probably being just as petty as me. This only proved one thing: we were both immature women.

　　The mission was a complete success—a victory for the Free Birds.

　　We thanked Magnamon and Zudomon for their help, bid them farewell, and then exchanged a few words with Mr. Heath, reflecting on the difficulty of the battle. Then, the group returned to the Sylvan Garden to report.

　　This time, Chairman Flower was personally standing at the entrance to welcome our triumphant return. Aside from the Lilimon and Piccolomon flanking both sides, there was someone else by her side—a human woman with exceptionally proportioned figure. She was very refined, with an undeniable aura, and appeared to be perhaps slightly older than me. She wore a police uniform, looking upright and charming.

　　Skipping past Chairman Flower’s long-winded introduction, I’ll get straight to the point: she was “Snake.”

　　“Senbongi Snake, nice to meet you.”

　　I stepped forward to greet her, as she was the person I had been looking for. “Nice to meet you, Officer Senbongi…”

　　“Ah, no need for such formalities,” she replied with a sweet smile. “I’m not a police officer; I’m a fashion model. The Chairman said someone was looking for me urgently, so I came in during a break in a photoshoot and didn’t have time to change. Please forgive any inconvenience.”

　　The handover of the mission was handled by Captain Owl; I trusted them to accurately convey the news to Chairman Flower. As for me, it was time to settle a score with the woman in front of me.

　　I asked her point-blank, “Do you recognize me?”

　　“You are…” She studied my appearance, thinking for a long time before stating, “You look very much like an old friend of mine.”

　　“Is her name Shimizu Iwami?”

　　I mentioned my mother’s name. Hearing it, she immediately rushed forward and grabbed my arms, asking excitedly, “Yes, that’s her! How… how is she? What happened? Why are you here instead?”

　　I recounted everything to her, start to finish.

　　After listening to my account, she let out a long sigh and slumped onto the grass of the Sylvan Garden. The light drained from her eyes, and her expression became unspeakably heavy—she looked as if she had aged fifty years in an instant.

　　“She sent you to find me?”

　　“Not exactly,” I stated truthfully. “I just wanted to see for myself what kind of person she lost to.”

　　“Is it as simple as that?”

　　“As simple as that.”

　　“Heh, heh.” She gave a weak laugh and said to me, “You win, Bandai Sakura.”

　　She called out my name, even though I hadn’t told her.

　　Sensing my surprise, she revealed the truth. It turned out my mother, Ms. Shimizu Iwami, had long known that she might one day meet with misfortune. So she had drawn up her testament in advance, arranging everything for after—including transferring her account to my name, assigning Snake as my personal mentor to help me acclimatize to this world as quickly as possible, inheriting her physique within it, and living as freely and carefree as she did in life.

　　“How ‘free’ was she?”

　　“The two of us were the elite of the Sylvan Garden. The ‘Twin Flowers’ referred to us.”

　　The moment she mentioned “Twin Flowers,” I understood. It was one of the four most famous elite duos among the guilds, alongside the Order of Holy Knights’ “Red and Blue,” the Wind-Chasing Brigade’s “Rainbow Starlight,” and Atlantis’s “Amphibious Brothers”—collectively known as the “Guild Quadrille.” Their fame reached every corner of the Midgard system; truly household names. I had previously come across an introduction to them in my mother’s diary, but I never imagined she was one of the flowers.

　　“Wow, that’s truly impressive,” I complimented her insincerely. “So, she wanted you to be my mentor…”

　　What was this? Did she not trust her own daughter? Did she think I couldn’t forge my own path? Or was she worried I’d be tricked in a strange world? I didn’t think any of that was likely.

　　“If you’re unwilling, I won’t force you,” she said in a negotiable tone. “She also told me that if, upon our first meeting, you proved unruly—insisting on going against me and refusing to trust me—I should feel free to deal with you personally, to teach you that the cruelty of this world is no less than that of reality. As things stand now, though, it seems that won’t be necessary.”

　　Of course not. Having defeated a Demon Lord, the Free Birds weren’t about to be tied down by a snake. That said, Snake was still someone worth my trust, being an old acquaintance of my mother’s; it wouldn’t hurt to make a new friend.

　　I told her about my situation. After listening, she didn’t seem surprised, but instead asked me, “So, have you found a way for you to return to reality yet?”

　　I shook my head, indicating we hadn’t.

　　She didn’t say much else, only expressing sympathy for my plight, and revealed to me, “Based on my deduction, Chairman Flower likely shares the same predicament as you, though she has her own concerns.”

　　In other words, she didn’t trust any “person,” and even with her own servants, she remained guarded. This was likely why her garden was filled with Digimon.

　　“So, Chairman Flower has no friends?”

　　“Pretty much,” Snake told me. “The closest relationship she has is with people like Heath. Other than that… there doesn’t seem to be anyone else. She rarely initiates contact with others; it’s always them coming to her.”

　　“What was my mother’s relationship like with the Chairman?”

　　“How should I put it…” Snake looked slightly troubled. “If I say it was good, it wasn’t that good. If I say it was bad, they truly respected each other and showed each other a great deal of face. Oh, right, I forgot to tell you—the Chairman of the Sylvan Garden is replaceable.”

　　“Replaceable?”

　　It was the first I’d heard of it.

　　“Do you remember the agreement between me and your mother?”

　　“Of course,” I rattled off without hesitation. “Whoever evolved to Mega Level first would be eligible to run for the next Chairman… Speaking of which, after so much time in the Digital World, it’s a bit strange that you haven’t become Chairman yet, isn’t it?”

　　Her face immediately turned sour, as if I had struck a nerve.

　　“Ah, that… actually, there’s nothing strange about it,” she said sheepishly. “I did earn the eligibility, and I did challenge the Chairman… it’s just that, well—I’ve never been able to beat her, have I?”

　　“That really is…”

　　“But it doesn’t matter!” She suddenly shifted her tone, casting me an expectant look. “Now that you’re here! If it’s you, I believe you won’t end up like me—biting off more than you can chew and getting thrashed by the Chairman.”

　　No, no, no—she thought far too highly of me. If I went, the result would be the same, possibly even worse. Just think about it: if I had that kind of ability, why would I still be tagging along with Owl and the crew? And besides, if I had that kind of strength, how could I have been pushed around like that by a pervert in the first place?

　　Seeing my feigned modesty, she smiled and told me I wasn’t being frank. I admitted as much—not only was I not frank, I was also a bit arrogant, conceited, and proud. Who could blame me? I was young.

　　Being young is an asset; no arguments accepted.

　　“How about we give it a try?” she suggested. “You and me, right here. Just a friendly match, what do you say?”

　　“A try it is.”

　　Though Bandai Sakura wasn’t an expert fighter, she would never back down from a challenge placed squarely before her.

　　An informal sparring match, no room for pre-battle banter. Once we switched to our Digimon forms, we went straight at it. She was a lotus; I was a rose—one purple, one red. In the end, one won and one lost. No need to guess—the loser was definitely me, without a shred of doubt.

　　Through that brief clash, I discovered her strength was anything but ordinary. It was no exaggeration to say that within the Free Birds, aside from Owl, no one else was her match. Both in combat experience and nimble response, she far surpassed us. She truly deserved her place as the strongest in the guild, second only to the Chairman.

　　“You… you’re incredible…”

　　Bracing my aching back as she pulled me up from the ground, my face bitter, I asked for confirmation: “My mother… in her lifetime… did she really have strength like yours?”

　　“You want my honest opinion?”

　　“Of course.”

　　“She was stronger than me.”

　　I suddenly felt a pang in my chest, a feeling I couldn’t quite name.

　　“I hate to admit it, but it’s the truth. She was better at solo combat, and in terms of physical stamina, she was far ahead of me. If she were still alive, the position of Chairman would be hers.”

　　Coincidentally, I felt the same way.

　　Since she had admitted it herself, there was no need for me to push further. The purpose of my visit was fulfilled; it was time to go back—yet I couldn’t go back. Wasn’t that, in itself, a kind of tragedy?

　　Owl and the others came rushing over after hearing the commotion. Seeing us safe and sound, shaking hands and sitting together chatting like sisters, they finally let out a sigh of relief.

　　“You two… did you have to make such a scene…”

　　While Owl was walking over, Snake leaned into my ear and asked, “Is he your boyfriend?”

　　I denied her guess with absolute certainty: “No, he’s my savior. He promised to help me find a way back to reality. I’m one of them now.”

　　“Not bad. Taking down Belphemon right after joining—you have potential.”

　　“Hardly. I’m still far behind you.”

　　We smiled at each other, and then she said, “Young people shouldn’t be so polite; it’ll go to this senior’s head! Hmm? Speaking of which, there was a request for me to serve as a bodyguard for a Pukumon and assist it in crossing the sea. I couldn’t find where it was, so I’ve been putting it off…”

　　I felt this was purely an excuse—one she had clearly made up on the spot, without even a rough draft. To put it bluntly, she was using her senior status to dump the tasks assigned from above that she didn’t want to do onto us, sugar-coating it as “training” and “a favor.” We were all women here; who couldn’t see through whom?

　　“Speaking of which, Sakura, could you guys check it out for me?”

　　What did I say? As expected, more made-up reasons followed.

　　“I don’t want them to have a bad impression of our Sylvan Garden because of my personal reasons. I’ve already cleared it with the Chairman. Just think of it as a favor to your senior, okay?”

　　I wasn’t the one to make that call; ask our Captain, he was right in front of you.

　　“Okay?”

　　I repeated it to Owl. He was stunned for a moment, then tilted his head and said to me, “You’re just… going to be… this rash about it? Not even going to… talk it over with the rest of us?”

　　He was right; I was a member of the Free Birds, and I should prioritize the team’s interests.

　　So I flatly refused her: “Senior Snake, as you can see, our Captain… and everyone else, seem quite reluctant. Besides, compared to yours, our strength is like children playing house. Could you perhaps find someone more capable?”

　　Normally, a senior who was thick-skinned enough to hear such a rejection would have backed off and withdrawn their unreasonable request. Snake did exactly that, leaving me with plenty of face—but another senior on the other side didn’t seem to feel the same way.

　　“Don’t go looking for anyone else.”

　　Owl cut in just in time, stepping forward and leaning into my ear: “It’s not every day a job comes knocking. Opportunities are there to be seized; everything is up for discussion.”

　　With that, he turned back to Snake and began to persuade her: “Truly, wait for us a moment while we discuss our plans internally. We’ll see if everyone has enough free time. If it’s all good, it’s no problem—the Free Birds are happy to serve you.”

　　So this was what he meant by “discussing”? I have to say, Owl, I’m looking at you in a new light again.

　　As I said, he’s the Captain, so he makes the calls; my opinion was just my own. I, of course, had no problem—I was always free. So while they were discussing, I asked Snake, “Senior, I just heard you mention crossing the sea… where are you going?”

　　“The aquatic guild, Atlantis.”

　　“Is it for something special?”

　　“Nothing special,” she said. “It’s just a Pukumon who wants to go there to propose. I don’t know what he did before, but he’s extremely unwelcome there—the slightest disagreement and they’re ready to draw blades on him. I felt sorry for the guy, so I took the request.”

　　She truly was a kind person, completely unlike what her name suggested.

　　“Is it dangerous?”

　　“Depends on who you’re asking about,” Snake explained. “Pukumon is a Virus-type; what he fears most are the ‘Vaccines’ in the water stirring up trouble and ruining his plans. Your senior here is all alone and can’t even swim—the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak, you know?”

　　I was sick of her act—it was beyond absurd. At the same time, I couldn’t fathom what good it did her to wear a woman’s coyness and cunning so transparently on her sleeve. I could only pray this wouldn’t turn out to be another adrenaline-fueled ordeal, or the Free Birds would once again have to put their lives on the line, spread their wings, and search for the meaning of survival.