There they were, those white gates, floating against the backdrop of the dark sky. The two giant sna

There they were, those white gates, floating against the backdrop of the dark sky. The two giant snakes that had been wound around it a second ago were now sprawled out on the ground below. It didn’t look like they would open their eyes any time soon.     “Oh, I’ll make sure to return Ouroboros to its original dimension, so I think we’re good to go now~” Ecolo said, floating next to the snakes.     “Hey, Ecolo. I was wondering… Could we maybe send Ally home tomorrow, or the day after that instead?” I asked nervously.     “Huh~? Why?”     “B-b-b-because, this is just so sudden! I don’t want to say goodbye so soon, when we’ve only just become friends!” I spoke my honest mind. “Oh, I know! Couldn’t you just make it so that those doors stay here forever? Then Ally could come and visit us whenever she wants!”Wouldn’t that just be perfect?!I was so excited about my idea, but Ecolo just gave me a simple shake of the head.      “This kind of dimensional door is re~ally unstable. Even I probably don’t have what it takes to make them last for that long…” Ecolo gave a laugh as if to say, “Sorry, no can do!”Really…? They were making it sound like we wouldn’t know if, when, or where the gates would appear next once Ally went back home… So did that mean we didn’t even know if we would ever meet her again?     “And ‘cause it’s so unstable, the gateway could go poof at any moment. So, you know, it’d be better to have her go back as soon as possible. Tomorrow or the day after probably won’t cut it~”Really, for real?! The shock was coming in for a double-whammy!So we couldn’t even hang out for a little bit longer or take our time to say goodbyes? Ally had to go back right this instant?!     “But that’s just…!”     “I mean, the chances of the gates opening here again were tiny, like once-in-a-miracle tiny. I guess in a way we kinda have to thank Ouroboros for this chance, huh?”     “Huh? What?”Sometimes Ecolo says stuff I don’t get at all.     “Well, don’t sweat the small stuff! Anyway, Ally, you gotta hurry on in.”     “A-awgh… Ally, don’t forget about us! Let’s meet again someday, okay?”As much as it bothered me, there was nothing else I could say at this point! But there came Ecolo’s cheery voice again, about to deal me a third shock.     “Sooo about that. There’s nothing certain when it comes to crossing space-time, so you can’t really make her promise not to forget you…”Wait, was that really what it came down to?!     “Look Amitie, you guys might end up forgetting all about Ally as well… That’s just the way it works, so there’s really no one to blame.”     “H-huh…”HUUUUUUUH?!No, no, no! Me, forget Ally?! You’ve got to be kidding me!We barely had any time together! We barely did anything together! No way, Ally! I don’t want you to go home! I want to see you running about all over the place, yelling about love! I want us to laugh about all sorts of things together!I felt like if I tried to put all that into words, it would’ve just sounded like a bunch of selfish whining. So I couldn’t say anything — I just stood there, opening and closing my mouth without making a sound, when…     “It’s all right, Amitie.” Ally put a hand on my shoulder.Ally was beaming even at a time like this.    “After all, we have our love,” she said.     “Love…?”     “Yes, love.”My voice came out all nasally and wobbly. But Ally spoke calmly, as if trying to convince and comfort me.     “We all have shared a deep, deep love for each other. Even if our memories fade, our love will not.”     “Really…?”     “Yes, really! Because, as much grief as it brings me to hear you tell me so kindly that you are sad to see me go, it also makes me incredibly happy. That is because I feel the same way you do.”     “Ally…”     “This wonderful love has already become a part of me. Therefore! As long as I am me, I will carry this love in me, and it will never, ever disappear!” Ally said, bumping her fist against her chest.Love… The love that Ally taught me about.     “Saying goodbye is a lonely thing, but we won’t be lonely, no, not at all—!” Ally shouted.     “You really are something, Ally,” Arle said.     “I concur. It really has been an honor to meet you,” Ringo said, standing up straight as if to salute her friend.Yeah… This was goodbye.     “So, please, Amitie… Smile for me.”Right, of course. Ally was right…     “Yeah!”I shook my head, flashed her a grin, and nodded. After all, if there’s one thing that I’m proud of, it’s my smile!     “……”Ally let out a deep sigh.     “Amitie…”Right when she was about to say something, she started floating up into the air.     “Eek!” With her feet off the ground, Ally flailed in a bit of a panic.         “Hmm, looks like we’re out of time, huh? Take a look at the gate~”Hearing that from Ecolo, who had been watching us silently up until that point, we looked to the gate. The once shut doors had opened up a smidge, a white light shining through the gap.     “Uhm, erm… Thank you so much, for everything!” Ally shouted, slowly drifting to the doors, as if she was being sucked in.     “Ally—!” I waved my arm as wide as I could.Please, please, don’t let me forget about all of this! Holding tightly onto that wish in my head, I waved goodbye with all my might.     “See you—!”     “Gugugu—!” Arle and Carbuncle called out too.     “Let’s continue collecting data on love until our paths intersect again!” Ringo said.     Looking down at us from above, Ally then spoke. “Hehehe… Amitie, you truly are the Great Hero!”     “M-me?!”That ended up being our final words to each other. Smiling, Ally disappeared into the beam of light coming from the doors.     “Ah…!”SLAM! The doors swung shut. And then they slowly began to fade away.Oh… As I was thinking that, Ouroboros’s form, too, started to melt away into the darkness. The light of the stars now returned to the pitch-black sky, twinkling softly. …Ah. We had been so wrapped up in everything that we hadn’t noticed that night had already come.Ally.I forgot to tell you, but… You know what I think? I think you’re the Hero.“They are someone who remains full of love no matter how difficult the situation they face. Someone who seeks out love so persistently, one can say that their heart is brimming with love. That is what it means to be the Great Hero!”That’s what you said, right? I don’t think there’s anyone, anywhere, that fits that more than you!As if to tell me that she heard me, I felt a voice coming from beyond the doors. That was the voice that had called Ally before. I’m sure of it! -- source link

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