Chapter 14

Eri's breath was coming in gasps, proof that she wasn't gone yet. The light Haz had shot at her was burning in her palms, making them scream. Still, Eri kept her grip on the attack, gritting her teeth from exertion. Then, with a shout, she threw her hands aside, redirecting the attack to the ground. Even that was enough to nearly blow her block, the asphalt shattering below her.

Yet Eri didn't falter. She forced herself to her feet, glaring at the shocked man in front of her.

"I'm not done," Eri told Haz. "Not yet."

Recovering from his shock, Haz plastered a smile on his face. "Do you still plan to fight, friend? I'm impressed. Unfortunately, you won't get far. Not without a partner—"

He stopped. Not because Eri had attacked him, but because light had begun to surround her. Haz's brow furrowed, but it wasn't long before he found the source. Slumped against the lamppost he had launched her into, Shoka gave Haz a glare that made Eri's look welcoming.

"I'm not done either, you piece of shit," Shoka declared. Then, her eyes closed as she fell unconscious once more.

She was out, but she had done enough. Eri could feel power flowing into her, a sign of their successful pact. Just to be sure, Eri pulled out a Black Cat Burst pin, and her hand glowed with power. She could use psyches again.

Thanks, Shoka. I'll make this count.

If Haz was upset by this development, he didn't show it. If anything, he was smiling even wider now.

"You're full of surprises," he said. "I have to say, I didn't expect it."

Eri faltered. "Why, Haz?" she asked. "Why put us through all this?"

"I already told you—"

"That's not what I mean!" Eri could feel the pin digging into her hand from how tightly she gripped it. "Don't you realize the pain we're all in?"

"Yes, I suppose the Game does bring its hardships," Haz said. "But you chose to play, as did all the Players. We must all live with our choices."

"Haz…" Eri swallowed. "Please, stop this. Let this Game end."

Haz shook his head. "I'm afraid I can't do that, friend. The Game can't end until a victor has been decided. There's only one thing left for us to do." Saying that, he lifted his hand, which began glowing with dangerous light.

"We don't have to fight!" Eri could feel her breath catch in her throat. Despite her words, she readied her psyche.

"No, Eri," Haz said. "We do."

That was all the warning Eri got before the light erupted toward her. It rushed forward in a wave, far too wide to dodge. Instead, Eri let the pyramid of Mr. Mews erupt from her pin, acting as a shield. Even then, the light shattered her psyche, only barely dissipating before reaching her.

Somehow, Eri knew that wasn't the extent of Haz's strength. If he really wanted to, he could have made the light strong enough to ignore her scrambled defense and erase her from this plane. Perhaps he was holding back in an attempt to follow the spirit of the Game. Or maybe it was possible to reach him.

"Do you still not understand!?" Eri used a Black Cat Crush pin, lunging at Hax with a lance of Mr. Mews. Haz took the attack head-on, blocking it with one hand. "After everything we've been through… Yuika and Marino… How can you see our lives as pointless!?"

The energy erupted from Haz's hand, sending Eri flying away. Even so she kept her bearings, landing on her feet and skidding until she came to a stop directly in front of 104. Before Haz could follow up, she pelted Haz using Black Cat Cards, making him cover his face with one arm to avoid getting scratched by the cards.

Then, he swept his arm, knocking the cards aside. Sprinting forward, he summoned a sword of light to his hands, swinging down on Eri. It radiated intense heat, making Eri's skin burn even as she rolled under the attack. In the same motion, she switched psyches.

Haz was ready. The moment a whirlpool of black flames appeared below his feet from Black Cat Burn, he leaped up and backward, escaping Eri's range entirely.

Eri ran toward him, charging a Black Cat Comet. "Humans aren't selfish!" As the comet fell, Haz lifted one hand upward to blast it out of the sky. Instinctively, Eri threw herself away from Haz's follow-up, the light barely zipping past her. "We make mistakes, and sometimes we hurt each other, but we find ways to make connections and thrive!"

The next attack was too fast for Eri to dodge. Light slammed into her stomach, throwing her into the wall of 104. Pain raced through her entire body, and for a moment Eri forgot how to breathe.

"Those connections are sometimes dangerous, you know?" Haz said, taking his time walking toward her. "There are some out there who would risk the deaths of millions to save a handful of individuals close to them."

From how he spoke, it was as if he had personal experience with someone like that. Even so…

"So what?" Eri finally recovered, grabbing her Black Cat Blades pin and swarming Haz with Mr. Mews. Yet he held firm, barely flinching from the onslaught. "If we didn't care about others, our lives wouldn't have meaning! Maybe those people would be making the wrong decision, but they would only do so because they found love. That's worth protecting!"

Another beam of light flew at her. Though she moved to doge, it managed to clip her arm. Eri bit her tongue to keep herself from screaming.

"Enlighten me," Haz said, gearing up for an even larger attack. "What makes your bonds so valuable?"

He held back, clearly waiting for Eri's response before attacking. Knowing that, Eri spoke from the heart. "They're what drives us. It isn't selfishness, it's joy. When people buy clothes I design, they're happy, even if for a moment. Small actions like that connect us all. Gatto Nero was never about me. It was about the people who would wear my clothes. People like Shoka."

"Is that so?" Haz asked. Then, he released the light he had been building. The blast was too much—no psyche would protect her. Knowing that, Eri threw her arms over her face, bracing herself.

It burned like hell. The light was trying to seep inside her and tear her apart. Eri couldn't help but scream, her vision going black for a moment. Yet she remained on her feet. Swaying, but still upright.

As her vision returned, there was a blob of green in the corner of Eri's sight. She gasped, forgetting her pain for a brief moment. The fuzziness in her eyes faded a moment later, letting her see the girl who had stopped in front of 104.

"Shiki…" The most important person in Eri's life. She was here. Not in the UG, but close enough to matter. She was staring up at 104, seemingly lost in thought. Neither she nor the hundreds of people nearby knew a fight between two individuals with spectacular powers was taking place on another plane of existence.

Shiki had no way of knowing, yet she was here regardless. Seeing the other girl, Eri felt her soul come alight. The pain was washed away, hope flooding her body in its place.

The Black Cat Comet pin was in her hands in an instant, and this time when the comet of Mr. Mews fell too fast to be blasted apart, Haz flinched. It was minor, hardly noticeable compared to the damage he had done to Eri, but she had made an impact.

Haz knew as much. His hands glowed with power once more, as a dozen beams shot out in different directions, before all curving to hone in on Eri.

Eri scanned. Sending her mind past the dozens of intangible figures in the area, Eri reached out to the person who mattered most.

"Come on, Eri. I know you can win this."

The lights were inches above Eri now, but at that moment, time seemed to freeze. Eri took a deep breath, closing her eyes for just a second.

Thank you, Shiki.

Time returned to normal as Eri moved. Her body was practically controlled by another, twisting and turning to let multiple light beams zip past her. For once this week, Eri felt in total control. She was facing an opponent dozens if not hundreds of times more powerful than her, and she had never felt closer to victory.

When the last beam hit the ground, Eri could see the confusion in Haz's eyes—the way his brow had furrowed. He had never expected Eri to last this long, even if he was holding back.

Eri's eyes met his. "After everything, how do you not understand our feelings? You said before we only care about what makes us feel special… but our bonds are what's so special to us! They bring us new perspectives, happiness, even reasons to live!"

Before she knew it, Eri was running toward Haz. He stepped back and fired a blast at her, but she weaved aside without slowing down. A single leap took her into the air, above Haz. This close, she could see his shoulders tense, as he leaned back instinctively and charged up another attack. Eri knew she would reach him before he could release it.

Any doubts had faded. Her soul had never been aligned quite like this. A single goal overcame all other wants and needs, driving Eri's hands forward. The simple pin in her hand responded to those emotions, warping into a golden pin with a bronze silhouette of Mr. Mew's head. It shook with an energy Eri had never felt before, begging to be set free.

"I WON'T LET YOU DENY THEIR WORTH!" Eri screamed. From her pin, a rainbow stream emerged. Haz had no time to react before it slammed into him, erupting into an explosion of sheer force. Even Eri was thrown back, landing on her back and needing to cover her eyes.

Then, finally, it was over. As the dust settled, Eri dared to open her eyes, too spent to do much more.

Her heart stopped.

That attack had taken every last ounce of Eri's energy… and Haz was still standing. He was panting, his clothes noticeably scuffed, but he wasn't down. He could still fight.

Eri couldn't. She couldn't even sit up at this point, feeling as though she had run a dozen marathons back to back. Using a psyche might destroy what little was left of her.

She lost.

No… I can't fail… Shiki!

As Eri lost consciousness, she knew she wouldn't be waking up this time.

"...ri… Eri!"

Where… am I?

Despite all odds, Eri opened her eyes. In the haze of her vision, she saw a bob of brown hair and two dark, dazzling eyes.

"S-Shiki…?" Eri expected to be sore, yet her body didn't have a scratch. It was as if she was waking up from a nap rather than a battle for her life.

Finally, the haze cleared. It really was Shiki in front of her. Or rather, above her. They were on one of the benches near Hachiko, Shiki sitting down while Eri was… Eri was… lying on her, her head resting on Shiki's lap.

Oh.

The blush on Eri's face was from the heat of the sun. Nothing else, nope. She was feeling totally normal right now.

"Eri!" Shiki lifted Eri up to pull her into a tight hug, and all semblance of composure fled her body. "You're here, you're okay!"

Though she had no idea what was going on, Eri tightly returned the hug, tears flooding her eyes. She buried her face in Shiki's shoulder, though the sniffles she heard told her Shiki was crying as well.

How was this possible? The last Eri remembered, she had lost in the fight against Haz. Shouldn't she be erased right now? Yet Shiki was here, holding her. That was proof Eri wasn't just not erased, but alive. She was back in the RG, despite losing the Game. So… what had happened?

Finally, her curiosity was too much. Reluctantly, she pulled herself away from Shiki, only for her breath to catch in her throat as she met her best friend's wonderful eyes. "How…" She swallowed. "How did I end up here?"

Shiki shook her head. "I don't know. I was anxious about you fighting the GM today, so I came here after visiting 104. You and Shoka were passed out on the ground."

That made Eri perk up. "Shoka?"

"Right here," the girl in question said. Turning around, Eri saw her, awake, but a few steps away to give them space. Her blush renewed, as she realized she and Shiki were still practically pressed together.

Fully extracting herself, Eri moved into a proper sitting position next to Shiki. Looking Shoka over, her eyes widened as a realization came to her.

"Your hoodie!" She pointed at it. "It's from Gatto Nero!"

Shoka coughed, pulling her hood forward a bit. "Yeah, I guess everything went back to normal when the Game ended."

Next to her, Shiki was blinking in confusion. "What do you mean—oh my God, I forgot about Gatto Nero!?"

Eri didn't know whether to laugh or cry. She settled for locking her hands together and staring at the ground. "I'm sorry. They took it as my entry fee…"

"Oh, Eri…" Eri found herself in an embrace once more, Shiki leaning into her to hold her close. "It wasn't your fault. None of us got to choose our entry fees. Besides, I would have given up a thousand Gatto Nero's for the chance to see you like this again."

"Shiki…" That one word was all Eri managed before her throat clogged up. This felt like a dream, to the point that Eri's heart stopped for an instant as she had to consider that possibility. But no, this wasn't a dream. The feeling of Shiki holding her was too real to be fake.

"I don't know how I'm here," Eri managed to croak out, "but I'm so happy to be back."

What should have been a total defeat was somehow a moment of triumph. She was alive, Gatto Nero was back, and Shiki didn't resent her. For the first time in a week, everything felt right in the world.

This is your doing, isn't it? Eri smiled. Did I manage to get through to you after all? Has your outlook on humanity changed?

Either way, thank you, Haz.