“Isn't that great, Sanae?”
Koutarou relaxed as well. Since they had escaped from the crisis for now, he let out a sigh of relief.
“Yeah!”
Sanae cheerfully nodded and clung onto Koutarou's back like always. She then peeked over Koutarou's shoulder and stared at Yurika. Once she woke up, everything would be back to normal.
“Koutarou”
Kiriha was the only one who still had a serious expression on her face. After putting away her cellphone, she touched Koutarou's shoulder.
“What is it, Kiriha-san?”
“I'm sorry for saying this while you're so relieved, but it's not over yet. Sanae has only recovered temporarily. The fundamental problem hasn't been resolved”
“What!?”
Hearing that, Koutarou's expression changed. He knew that Kiriha could be trusted, and her seriously spoken words were enough to return Koutarou's tension.
“You're kidding!?”
And if Koutarou trusted her, so would Sanae. Sanae leaned forward and looked at Kiriha.
“What do you―no, wait a minute?”
Koutarou was about to reflexively question her, but he noticed something mid-sentence.
“Now that I think about it...”
Ever since Sanae's body had begun disappearing her actions had been very precise, as if she knew this would happen. And he could tell that the actions of the person she had been talking to on the phone had saved Sanae, but this too was odd. The person she had been speaking had never showed up here.
“Kiriha-san, what do you know? And what kind of situation is Sanae in?”
In the end, Koutarou ended up asking Kiriha. Sanae left the talking to Koutarou, though since this was about herself, her hold around Koutarou's neck naturally grew stronger.
“Explaining will take a long time, but we don't have much. It will be faster for you to see for yourself. Come with me, Satomi Koutarou!”
Quick to action, Kiriha began moving towards the entrance. Her destination wasn't underground, but somewhere on the surface.
“Okay! Let's go, Sanae!”
“Yeah!”
“We will go too”
“Yes, your highness!”
“I'll be right behind you after I lock up!”
Koutarou and the others quickly chased after Kiriha. They still didn't understand the situation, but they knew that it was for Sanae's sake.