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Ending B

No, she couldn't let that happen. She would not stand by and witness the inevitable end, she wished to put a stop to it. He would hate her for doing this but if she stepped back, she could only fear the future, she would not be true to her feelings, ordering her to do something about the situation.

Koishi's mind: I can't wait.

The ritual would mark the end of her window of opportunity, she needed to act before it happened. Quickly, her plan was formed, although quite rough on the edges but she could perfect it during her confrontation. When she glanced in the librarian's direction, she saw him kneeling beside the circle, making final adjustements, a perfect chance for her to begin phase one.

'He'll hate you for it.'

Koishi's mind: I have to be strong.

Her courage up, her footsteps lightly echoed around her while the distance between them shortened. Each sound felt like it wasn't coming from her but rather something right behind her, following her every movements and waiting for a weak spot to appear on her. Almost like if she lost focus of her emotions, she would be attacked by something.

Pushing that rather idiotic idea aside, she was now standing right behind the man, watching intently his back with bright eyes of confidence. Tired from every ordeals he went through, he could only sense the pair of eyes observing after a full minute. Turning around, the bags under his eyes seemed to have multiplied, pulling his body to the limit. Nonetheless, he greeted her with a smile.

Y/N: Is something wrong?

His voice felt a lot more feeble than when they first met. Probably since the end was so near, the man decided to drop the act of the lone wolf, revealing that behind the facade of a fighter that never rest was a weak animal with a rotting sanity, speaking to himself when his mind couldn't take it anymore.

Koishi: Are you alright?

She wanted to start the conversation with something light, to not jump straight into the topic. Seeing her worry, he rapidly shook his head and the fatigue accumulating was dissipating, applying yet another layer to pretend that nothing was wrong. Of course, he couldn't truly hide everything and he knew it as well, he just wished to have a better look on his face in his final moments.

Y/N: Nothing much to worry about, just the usual tiredness.

'I should stand strong until the end.'

'You won't make me fall again for such a trick.'

Koishi: It's... I wanted to ask you something.

She felt the pressure of her words weighing her down. Curious by the demand, the man stood up, the sword by his side following. Now that she wished to confront him, she was painfully aware of that weapon by his side, now a threat to her safety.

Koishi: ...

With no words said, she stepped back into the depth of the library and asked the man to follow her, fleeing from the possible ears listening to their conversation. Curious, he followed her and once enough distance from the circle was traveled, she stopped.

Y/N: Go ahead, tell me what's wrong.

Koishi: ...

Her words remained stuck, unable to be uttered, anxiety building up inside her. She knew what she had to do but couldn't gather the energy to pull the trigger and start the next chain of events. She wished to keep that friendship between the both of them but if she did that, it would only be temporary.

Koishi: It's about the ritual.

Raising a single eyebrow, Y/N did not say a word, feeling like she had more to say. That hunch proved to be true in the end.