Rita patted her two pets. "I have to go back. It’s not over yet." They really were in a rush. As soon as she said this, Lightchaser stepped forward and took her other hand. At once, streams of starlit water rose up and swallowed their bodies. Rita quickly tossed her capsule machine, [Foolishness Game], and backpack to Nivalis. The loot she had taken from killing the three bosses was already stored by BlueStar. The lantern and the helm that had been floating around her and spectating shot back into the mark on her hand. Almost at the same instant they sank into her skin, the three of them dissolved into water vapor and drifted away into the evening sky over BlueStar. Shadow.Q stepped out of a portal, face grim. "The Judge was taken? Is she in danger?" The moment Rita left, the remaining copies of BlueStar Judge on the battlefield vanished too. Even though the fact her two pets hadn’t stopped it meant it should be safe, Shadow.Q still had to make sure. "You really are a politician," Nivalis said. "Relax. She’s back on the battlefield. She’s fine." B8017913 tapped at its tablet at lightning speed. "True. As long as you didn’t tell that not-so-easygoing new teacher that she has plenty of other teachers outside, nothing will happen. But now? Hard to say." Shadow.Q: ... Thank god she had ducked out early. Who knew things had gotten even scarier after she left. Before leaving, she couldn’t help saying to Nivalis, "Promise me, never go into politics. If you absolutely must, tell me first. I’ll help you pick a department." Google seaʀᴄh N0veI.Fiɾe.net Nivalis: ... Opposition, huh? On the River of Time, a small boat drifted slowly upstream. Above their heads stretched a sky like an oil painting, full of clashing colors. Huge pink star trails, pale blue planetary rings, gray-purple nebula clusters, silver rivers of stars, and scattered stardust. Even moon sand drifted overhead. So many things floated by, but never felt chaotic. Wisps of starlight smoke hung in the air. The water mirrored the boat and the beings upon it so perfectly that even if you flipped the view upside down, you’d never doubt what you saw. Rita, in cat form, was curled up asleep at the stern, her tail wrapped tightly around her body. At least her teachers had some humanity. Once they entered the River of Time, they let her rest before settling accounts. She was utterly exhausted. The moment she learned this journey would last at least a year, she shut her eyes. GodDraw77 sat at the side of the boat, gazing at the grown-up apprentice with a sigh. "She’s really not the same as when she was little." Lightchaser stood at the bow, arms crossed, her back to her apprentice and friend. She stared into the endless river ahead with no readable expression. She only gave a faint "Mm." Even without much time together, both of them could see it. Their apprentice’s eyes carried doubt. When they had first arrived in BlueStar, that clumsy fainting act had been a test. A test of their attitude. A test of their intentions. A test of whether their tolerance toward her was still what it once had been. She wasn’t sure if these two teachers might harm her. Everyone on the boat knew she wasn’t truly in deep sleep. Soon after they boarded, GodDraw77 had told her to rest. She closed her eyes. But then, for a brief instant, her condition and aura had clearly improved. She had used her time-stop skill to recover. It was obvious to everyone. The sudden appearance of the deep-blue helm gave it away. She even tried to cover it up by transforming into a cat, as if the helm’s appearance had been caused by that. Maybe she was dozing lightly, maybe not asleep at all. The slightest stir would wake her. She was afraid. She was desperate to recover her strength and fighting ability. The boat gave her no sense of safety, not even with Lightchaser and GodDraw77 beside her. It was painful to watch. Like when a house cat that was once affectionate, playful, and bright runs away for a while, and when you finally find her again, she has grown powerful—but now distrusts everyone who comes near. Lightchaser said, "Outside, you’re supposed to stay on guard all the time. I taught her long ago never to rely on anyone. She hasn’t done anything wrong." GodDraw77’s lips curved, a silent smile hidden from Lightchaser. She didn’t argue. She hadn’t expected Lightchaser of all people to sound so stiff. Maybe Rita sensed the gaze on her. Maybe she knew these two sharp-eyed powerhouses saw through everything. At the stern, the orange-and-white cat stopped pretending. Still with eyes shut, she rested her head on her crossed paws. After a long hesitation, she whispered, "Sorry. I didn’t mean to." She didn’t open her eyes to see their reactions. She waited. No response came. Her chest tightened. She parted her lips, but no words came. After a few seconds, she repeated in an even smaller voice, "I’m sorry..." She breathed lightly, almost holding her breath. A few seconds later, she turned her head the other way, shutting herself off. This time, she expected nothing. But she heard movement. Soon, a piece of cloth, warm from body heat, fell over her and covered her completely. A hand the size of three cat heads pressed down, not gently, patting the cat’s head through the fabric a few times. Outside, GodDraw77’s annoyed voice rang out. "Gentler! If she were an actual cat, you would have killed her just now." Lightchaser retorted, "But she’s not a cat." She gave a few more annoyed pats. "See? She’s fine." Under the cloak, Rita’s head bobbed from the impacts, her brain buzzing. Teacher, didn’t you notice you were knocking my HP down with those pats? But before she knew it, she had fallen asleep to their bickering. She suspected Lightchaser had actually smacked her unconscious. "Eh? Where’s BS-Rita’s cooking teacher? I had something to ask him." "No idea, maybe fainted from anger." "But BS-Rita went too far. How could she talk about her cooking teacher like that?" "How long is Foolishness going to keep laughing?" "Probably until Captain and the others next door stop laughing."