"Is she okay?" she asks Kazuma who nods at her.
"How am I alive?" she hears the blue-haired woman ask before she turns and looks at Kazuma and then at her.
'I don't have any money, so don't ask for it. Everything that I had is gone." she says to him before falling back to the floor.
Rachel didn't say anything, she didn't know if the woman was just putting up an act or if she had lost everything and had given up living, both options came with their problems.
"Greate, then that means that you won't have a problem coming with us." she hears Kazuma say to the woman who only stares at the white floor.
"We are going up the tower and that means that we need a team, so what do you say?" he says to the woman who doesn't move.
"Kazuma." she says to the brown-haired man who tells her to wait and let the blue-haired woman think.
Rachel couldn't help but raise an eyebrow when she heard Kazuma let out a breath, he didn't sound frustrated, nor did he sound worried, if she had to say anything, she would say that Kazuma sounded like an adult who was surrounded by children.
She doesn't say anything even when he starts walking toward her, he stops halfway and looks at the other woman.
"I've been around long enough to know that there are heroes and there are villains."
"Devils and gods, but we aren't any of them." he says to the two of them.
"There are knives, plates, and chairs, everyone uses them but no one cares if they break, but then there are those special, knives, chairs, and plates that people brag about and then get furious whenever anything happens to them."
"What I'm trying to say is that we are the normal plates, we break and no one cares."
"And that's where we shine." he stops talking and points at her.
"You want to see the stars and you're willing to go up there alone. Let me tell you it's boring if you do it alone." He turns and looks at the blue-haired woman.
'You lost everything, that means that you have nothing to lose but everything to gain. Take it from someone who's done it before, it's easier if you have friends to help you." he says to the woman.
She doesn't know why but her feet begin to move and before she knows it she finds herself holding Kazumas hand.
"Waite what do you want?" she asks him.
"Me." he smiles at her, his eyes shining with a hint of mischief along with something that she can't understand.
"I want to go home, but if I can't, I guess I'll settle for a harem of beautiful women and so much gold that I won't have to work ever again." Kazuma answers her.
"Gross." she hears the blue-haired woman say.
"Look she has enough strength to talk back.' he says while looking at her
Rachel can't help but feel her eyes widen as Kazuma tightens his grip on her hands, it's not enough to hurt her, but it is enough for her to know that she won't be able to let go of him, even if she opens her hand.
"Attention Regulars follow the blueline so that you can begin your lessons.' a voice that seemed to come from every direction said to them.
"So Rachel, how do we" Kazuma starts to ask but an arrow made of blue light appears between them.
"Okay but how do we get her to pass the test? I mean we both started at the bottom." he asks her.
She doesn't know what to say because none of the stories that she has read ever said anything about someone who was from the tower entering without being chosen.
For a moment she considered lying, but then decided that there was no point in doing it, so she told him the truth and said that she didn't know.
He turns to look at the blue-haired woman and says ." It's time for you to choose, stay here and do it alone, or come with us, and we will figure it out."
They follow the arrows of light that guide them through the halls of the second floor until they reach a room where a man with long gold hair is waiting for them.
Rachel can see several people that look Humanbut there are a few that look completely different.
The man looks at her and raises an eyebrow, she quickly realizes that she is still holding Kazumas and and lets go of it.
His grip isn't as strong as it was before so she can free herself without any effort.
She was about to step forward when she noticed that someone ran up to where Kazuma was and grabbed his other hand.
The blond man seems surprised but doesn't say anything, he just smiles and hums to himself, before pointing at the open door.
For a second she doesn't move, she doesn't understand why but she hesitates to follow the pair inside, something inside of her doesn't like what she sees.
Kazuma had promised to go up the tower with her and see the stars with her, he had never said anything about anyone else and here he was holding another woman's hand.
It was true that they had just met, but a promise was a promise.
She takes a deep breath and mentally kicks herself, he hadn't broken his promise and in fact, he had asked her about how they could go up before she told him that they needed a team.
The second passed, and she ran back to his side before he could go any further, again she held his hand, the moment that they entered the room they felt the eyes of everyone.
She looks around for an area with enough empty seats that she doesn't have to be separated from him, but her eyes stop when she sees a familiar face.
"Baam," she says to herself.
the boy who stole her place as the main character of this story, the curse that would devour the tower, the monster that can never die until the story is over.
The boy that she raised, the same boy who she gave everything to. She taught him how to speak, act, and to some extent think.
He smiles at her as their eyes meet.
She hates him more than she can hate anyone, she didn't know that she could hate anyone until he stole everything from her.
A gentle squeeze reminds her that she isn't alone and she turns to look at Kazum, she smiles at him and they walk to an empty spot.
She makes sure that her back is turned to that boy whose name she wants to forget, it's only when she finally sits down that she lets go of Kazumas hand again.