While everyone was happily eating downstairs, the two upstairs began their escape plan.
However, they got off to a bad start.
Rikka, who planned to climb out the window and slowly descend from the roof, had just stepped out when she triggered a trap that Toka had set up earlier.
The people eating downstairs only heard a series of metallic clangs and the sound of an iron basin tied with a rope falling down.
"You fell for it."
"Eh?"
Before they could react, Toka put down the dishes in her hand, took off her apron, and walked outside.
She lightly jumped to grab the eaves, then flipped herself up with an almost perfect gymnastic move, showcasing the Takanashi family's ancestral lightness skill, and quietly looked at the two in front of her.
Rikka was still recovering from being solidly head-shot by the iron basin when the big BOSS, Toka, was already in front of her.
"I didn't expect you to stand on her side… What exactly do you mean?"
Looking at Yuta, who had betrayed her, Toka felt confused; they had agreed to be on the same side, but he had switched to the opposite side in the blink of an eye.
"Who knows? I don't even know myself."
This statement was true; Yuta didn't know why he was doing this. He just saw Rikka so sad and wanted to go with her, even he couldn't say why.
"That last line was pretty cool."
"You can shut up now."
Even in such a situation, the two in front of her had the leisure to chat, and a hint of melancholy arose in Toka's heart.
Perhaps Yuta was not reliable at all.
"Honestly… It seems you are, after all, a dangerous person!"
Toka had already categorized Yuta as an enemy, raising the spoon in her hand, ready to first clean house and, by the way, annihilate the enemy camp.
Facing her older sister, Rikka naturally drew her weapon (a folding umbrella) and stepped forward to meet the enemy, while Yuta seized the opportunity, no longer caring about his original plan to sneak away, and directly leaped from such a high second floor. Toka, watching from the side, became incredibly nervous; if anything happened, this matter would be huge.
Fortunately, Yuta still had some sense; he jumped into the bushes below, using the plants to cushion the gravitational potential energy as much as possible, converting it into elastic potential energy, and landed on the road.
Getting up, Yuta ignored the pain from being pricked by the bushes, stood up, looked at Rikka who was still in a standoff, and spread his arms.
"Jump! Jump, Rikka!"
Toka, who had just breathed a sigh of relief seeing Yuta unharmed, was startled by Yuta's shout, because she saw Rikka actually jump down, and her heart leaped into her throat.
Fortunately, Rikka, who also landed on the bushes, bounced up and was indeed caught by Yuta. Although Yuta also fell to the ground with Rikka, both of them were fine.
"Are you okay?"
"I'm fine… I'll take you to where the Twin Azure Cruiser (bicycle) is hidden…"
Watching the two slowly move away, Toka did not pursue them. She knew she couldn't stop them; even if she blocked them here today, they would find another opportunity to go.
But she was afraid. She was afraid that Rikka would collapse after seeing the truth. Ever since their father's original house was sold, she had never let Rikka go back, nor had she told her...
She looked at the two moving away, especially Yuta. Perhaps he really could help Rikka emerge from the shadows, just as Fang Wuwei had said, to give them more time...
"Honestly… what a busybody…"
She wasn't sure if she was talking about Yuta or herself.
At this moment, Fang Wuwei, who was drinking tea in the living room, was also preparing to act. Seeing Toka turn and leave directly after coming down from the roof, Fang Wuwei got up and followed her.
He just didn't know the way, but he didn't plan to take Toka's car to get there. He had other methods; setting aside everything else, running there himself would probably be faster than Toka.
On the other side, Yuta was already riding his bicycle, heading towards their still unknown destination, with Rikka trailing behind, wearing roller shoes and sliding forward.
Although this somewhat affected his progress, it didn't matter; if it was Rikka, it was fine, without any complaints.
"How much further do we need to go?"
"About ten kilometers."
"What… Is it that far?!"
He wasn't wearing shoes, and his feet would hurt from pedaling the bicycle.
"It's okay! Because Dark Flame Master is the strongest!"
"The strongest?"
"Mm, indeed, you are the strongest! Dark Flame Master is the strongest!"
To a chuunibyou, the best confession is to admit that the other person is stronger than oneself.
Although Yuta didn't detect the subtle hint of affection hidden in Rikka's words, since Rikka said so, Yuta couldn't give up; he had to endure no matter how much it hurt.
"Speeding up, hold on tight!"
"...But the truly strongest is Evil King's True Eye."
"Haha, okay, okay~"
——This is a cute dividing line——
Along the way, the two chatted and laughed as they moved forward, until they neared their destination, when Rikka finally began to recount how she discovered the invisible boundary line.
"You said you saw it? Three years ago?"
"Mm… On the night father left, I saw it."
At that time, Rikka was still a normal, cute child, standing alone on the breakwater. In front of her was a drop of more than ten meters and the ocean. She gazed at the sea, but her eyes were lifeless like ashes.
Suddenly, a flashing white line appeared before her eyes, shining like the Milky Way, carrying countless halos, dividing the sky and the sea.
Although it was just countless lights from the opposite shore forming a line, to Rikka, it was the only light at that time, the only hope, and even a belief.
"Through the invisible boundary line, I saw father… I saw him, so he is still here, watching over this place, watching over me, from the other side of the boundary line.
Definitely."
We cannot know why Rikka was standing alone on the breakwater that day, nor do we know what Rikka, with a heart as dead as ashes, would have done if that 'invisible boundary line' had not appeared.
Chuunibyou was not only an escape from reality but also the motivation that sustained her life.
The invisible boundary line saved Rikka, but it also harmed her.
Rikka, tired from sliding, was now sitting on the back seat of the bicycle, letting Yuta carry her forward.
For Yuta, he could neither affirm Rikka's words nor deny them. Reality was incredibly cruel, and Rikka would eventually have to face it, but… he couldn't bear to hurt her.
Suddenly, Rikka told Yuta to stop the bicycle and jumped off the back seat.
"Are we there?"
"Mm! It's just ahead, my base, the place where father and everyone else lived!"
Rikka wanted to walk there herself, to walk through that familiar street, to walk towards the place she once called home.
She was full of anticipation. She hoped her father was still there, she hoped for that past happiness, she hoped for the past joyful times.
But, there was no home from her memory, nor was there that beautiful warmth. All that was there was an empty plot of land overgrown with wildflowers and weeds, and a "For Sale" sign stuck in the middle.
Standing blankly in place, she couldn't accept this reality for a moment; her mind was completely blank. Yuta, slowly pushing his bicycle behind her, seeing this scene, could only stand still.
Not far behind them, Toka, who had already arrived by car, opened the car door and got out. She had known they would come here and had been waiting for a long time.
But what they didn't know was that further away, on the rooftop, a figure stood quietly, their right eye flickering with a red light…
Looking at Rikka, who was walking blankly into this desolate plot of land, Toka offered no comfort, no apology, but just spoke coldly.
"This is reality. Father is no longer here! This is the present! Can you still not accept reality?!"
Rikka didn't respond, nor did she make any movement, seemingly not having heard at all… But the tears quietly streaming down her face had already given the answer.
A long silence ensued. Although the continuous sounds of cicadas and crickets filled the air, both Yuta and Rikka felt only a dead silence.
Finally, Rikka gave her answer…
She pulled out the folding umbrella from beneath her and, with a crying voice, began to chant her exclusive incantation…
"Explode, reality… Break, nerves…"
In response, Toka, in front of her, pulled out her spoon from behind her back.
"Banish… this world!"
As Rikka lifted her eye patch, the tears floating in the air and the golden light reflected from Rikka's right eye flashed and disappeared.
The battle was about to begin…