Bofuri (The Strongest Shield Of Tensura)-Chapter 105 - One Hundred And Five

"Yeah... about that," Kaede said with a nervous laugh as Rebecca rolled a large mirror over to the bedside.

Kirara glanced up, and immediately froze. "What in the... Super Sentai?" she breathed.

Slowly, she rose to her feet. As she did, a translucent blue cape unfurled from her shoulders, trailing down to her legs. It shimmered with an ethereal glow, constructed entirely from condensed magicules, yet it moved with the weight and grace of something real.

"How did this happen?" Kirara asked, staring at her reflection. Blue outlines flickered across her suit, glowing faintly. "Eve? Is that you? Did you do this?"

She turned toward Kaede and the others in the room, confusion growing. "Eve says you had something to do with this."

"It was the only way to bring you out of the coma," Kaede admitted. "And... it worked."

"You're literally a Power Ranger now," Glenda added, eyeing her with open envy.

Kirara narrowed her eyes at the former saint. "Power Ranger? Don't you mean Sentai? Are you American? Wait, are you an otherworlder too?"

"Yep. You're welcome, by the way. For waking you from a three-year coma and don't forget, turning you into a power ranger," Glenda replied, crossing her arms with a sigh.

"Enough with the Power Ranger?" Kaede said, exasperated.

Kirara, still stunned, shook her head slowly. "...Three years? That can't be right. It was only a few days ago that we broke out of Falmuth."

"Just calm down, Kirara," Kaede said gently, raising her hands in a soothing gesture. "We did break out of Falmuth, almost three years ago. You fell into a coma back then."

Kirara's helmet turned toward Kaede. Her voice was barely above a whisper. "Three years? I've been asleep for three years?"

"Hey, do you want to rest first..." Kaede began.

"No, I don't want to rest! I've been resting... for three years!" Kirara shouted, her voice cracking as the weight of it hit her.

"You're also a Power Ranger now, so... that's something," Glenda deadpanned, arms crossed. "I expected a bit more enthusiasm, honestly."

"Oh, trust me, I am ecstatic," Kirara said, turning toward Glenda with a tight smile. "Part of me is absolutely squealing inside at the fact that I get to be a Sentai. But an even bigger part is trying not to spiral, because I've just lost three entire years of my life."

Kaede stepped closer, her expression softening. "Kirara, I know you're upset..."

"I'm not," Kirara cut in, her voice quieter now. She lowered herself onto the edge of the bed, the magic in her armor shimmering briefly before vanishing in a soft flash of white light, leaving her in normal clothes. "I'm not angry. And if I were, it wouldn't be at you. It'd be at myself... for being so useless."

"Useless?" Glenda stood up, eyes narrowed. "You and I clearly have very different definitions of that word. Because, just to remind you... you are a Power Ranger now."

A silence fell over the room. Kirara looked at Glenda, blinking slowly. "...Who even are you?"

Glenda looked away, pretending to be offended. "...Rude."

Kaede sat down beside Kirara, her voice gentle. "Hey. I don't think you're useless. I never did."

"That doesn't mean I'm not," Kirara murmured. She stared at her hands. "I thought if I got stronger, maybe I wouldn't hold you or Shifu back. But instead, I became literal dead weight. Naming Eve the way I did... especially after seeing what happened when you named Acer. What was I even thinking?"

"Before I forget," Kaede smiled. "Say hi to Acer." Acer stepped forward, a nervous smile on her face.

Kirara blinked, turning her gaze to the green-haired dryad nearby. "Acer?" she said, eyes wide in disbelief. "Seriously?"

"Hello, Aunt Kirara. I'm happy you're awake," Acer replied with a warm smile, her soft voice carrying a mature grace that hadn't been there before.

Kirara stared, stunned. "For real? How did this happen?"

"Well, when monsters grow stronger, they tend to take on more human-like forms," Kaede explained with a small shrug. "No idea why, it just... happens."

Without hesitation, Kirara reached out, taking Acer's hand and pulling her down to sit beside her on the bed. "You were already cute before, but now you're just plain beautiful," she said, brushing a strand of Acer's hair aside. "You're going to be catching all the boys... or girls, whichever you're into."

"Thank you," Acer replied, cheeks slightly pink. "You've gotten more beautiful yourself, Aunt Kirara."

"Oh? You think so?" Kirara glanced at her reflection in the nearby mirror and blinked. She had to consciously resist the urge to flinch, her features were incredible, her hair looked like silk, and her skin practically glowing. "Yeesh... I look like a model. And seriously, why do you keep calling me 'Aunt'? That makes me sound old. I'm more like an older sister."

"Well... that's because you're mother's closest friend," Acer said sweetly.

Kirara slowly turned to Kaede, one eyebrow raised. "...Mother?"

"What?" Kaede shrugged again, casually. "You were there. I raised her like my own. Motherhood, y'know?"

Kirara squinted. "I feel like there should be a bit more to motherhood than that."

Kaede only smiled and gestured toward the other girls in the room. "Then allow me to introduce my other daughters, Ari, and Hanae."

Kirara looked at the tall, sharp-eyed Antari and the graceful dryad beside her. "Ah, I was wondering who they were, and why they were here. Are they also...?"

Kaede nodded. "Yeah. Ari evolved from an Army Ant queen, and Hanae is a dryad."

Kirara's eyes widened again. "And they're both beautiful too. Honestly, I think they get it from their mom." She smirked teasingly at Kaede.

Hanae beamed at the compliment, while Ari turned her head slightly, hiding a faint smile. "Thanks, Aunt Kirara," Ari said, her voice quiet but sincere.

"Thank you, Aunty," Hanae echoed warmly.

Kirara glanced around at them all, letting out a low whistle. "You've been busy," she said, giving Kaede a meaningful look.

"You don't know the half of it," Kaede groaned, rolling her shoulders. "If you're not going to rest, then I might as well show you around the city."

Kirara blinked. "Oh. Right. Where are we, anyway?" she asked, idly patting Acer's head as she spoke.

"Kyusha City," Kaede replied. "Right in the heart of the Great Forest of Jura."

Kirara tilted her head. "i didn't know there was a city in the Jura Forest."

"There wasn't," Kaede said with a proud smirk. "I built one."

Kirara stared at her. "You... built a city."

Kaede held up two fingers. "Two, actually. This is the second one."

Kirara sank a little on the bed. "You built two cities, while I was wasting away in a coma thanks to my own mistakes..."

Kaede stepped closer, voice gentle. "Why don't we take the tour? Once you've had a chance to clear your head, we can sit down and really talk. Catch up on everything."

Kirara didn't respond right away. Her eyes drifted back to the mirror and the reflection of the woman staring back at her. "Three years..." she whispered. "God..."

"Kirara," Kaede said, her voice firmer now, extending a hand. "Tour."

Without waiting for a reply, she clasped Kirara's hand and pulled her gently to her feet.

Kirara stumbled a little as she stood, still disoriented, her grip instinctively tightening around Kaede's hand. "Okay, okay, I'm coming," she muttered.

Kaede led Kirara out of the infirmary and into a corridor. At the end of the corridor, a pair of massive doors hissed open.

Kirara stopped walking.

Through the doors stretched a sprawling view of Kyusha City, towering structures woven from both crystal and metal. The city was carved into the very mountain itself without ever destroying it, it looked like it had grown here.

Kirara stared, her mouth slightly agape. "This... this is insane."

"Right?" Kaede said, grinning. "The first city has more of a forest feel. That one's also the capital."

Kirara's eyes stayed fixed on the horizon, on the sky that shimmered with protective wards like glass sheets set against a painted dusk. There were people walking below. Kids. Families. Beastkin, dryads. A few Antari in full armor strolled side by side with cloaked elf mages and robed lizardmen.

"...And they're all okay with you ruling over them?" Kirara finally asked.

Kaede tilted her head. "We're all part of a collective, working towards an ideal."

Kirara looked at her sideways. "That's dangerously close to cult-leader talk."

Kaede gave her a sly smile. "The Antari basically pushed me into the position, and It's only a cult if I start asking for worship."

"...You haven't, right?"

"Not officially."

"Kaede."

"I kid, I kid." Kaede said, holding up both hands. "Mostly."

Kirara exhaled slowly, and despite herself, a quiet laugh escaped.

Kaede took that as a win.

"We'll head to the plaza first," Kaede said, nodding toward a lift platform. "It's the best place to get a view of the whole thing. And there's a stall there that makes the best hotcakes in the forest."

"Are you trying to bribe me with pancakes?"

"Hotcakes," Kaede corrected.

"...Lead the way." Kirara smiled.

---

"These are good," Kirara said, finishing the last of the pancakes on her tray. "Much better than the ones back home, even. How'd that happen?"

She and Kaede stood on a high balcony overlooking the sprawl of Kyusha City. From their vantage point atop the central plaza, the entire city stretched out below them, layers of stonework, rooftops, and winding streets bathed in the soft orange glow of the setting sun.

Kaede smiled, her gaze flicking to the horizon. "I remembered a lot of recipes from back home. Stuff from the games I used to play too. I wrote them all down for the chefs, and they turned it into a book."

She held her hands apart to show its size. "It's like this big, and this thick."

Kirara raised an eyebrow. "That's a cookbook?"

Kaede nodded. "Turns out a lot of people wanted to start food stalls in the market district. So I had to create licenses. Once someone qualified, they could pick a recipe to use."

Kirara leaned on the railing, watching as the sun dipped lower. "What about restaurants?" she asked absently.

Kaede paused, her fork stabbing into the last bite of her pancake. "Those require a different set of licenses," she replied, then popped the piece into her mouth. When she finished, she passed her tray to a waiting goblina server.

The goblina silently collected both Kaede's and Kirara's trays, gave a polite bow, and left.

Moments later, a blonde girl with bright yellow antennae that had black stripes at the tip on her forehead arrived, dressed neatly in a server's outfit. She carried a silver tray with a bottle and two glass cups. After placing them in front of the girls, she gave a curt nod and departed without a word.

Kaede picked up her glass and lifted it slightly toward Kirara. "Think you're old enough to drink?"

Kirara turned away from the fading sunlight to face her. "You know," she began softly, "I used to count the days until my sixteenth birthday. I was going to tell you after we escaped..."

She reached for her own glass, holding it for a moment. "I'm eighteen now. Or at least, my body is. Does that count?"

She took a sip... and immediately frowned. "This isn't..."

Kaede burst into laughter. "What, alcohol? Were you seriously expecting that?" She grinned. "It's grape juice!"

Kirara stared at her glass, then rolled her eyes, a small smile on her face. "You're the worst."

Kaede snorted, a mischievous glint in her eyes. "Me? I'm adorable."

The two of them laughed quietly, their amusement soft against the vast silence of the balcony. Below, the city of Kyusha sprawled out like a glowing tapestry, and above them, the sun dipped low, finally surrendering to the horizon.

"It's beautiful," Kirara whispered, her voice barely louder than the wind. The fading sunlight bathed the skyline in a warm orange hue, casting long shadows and gentle gold across the buildings.

Kaede nodded, her smile soft. "It is."

They stood in silence for a while, watching the sky deepen into twilight as the first stars peeked through the blue.

"You've been so busy... and you did an amazing job," Kirara said quietly. Her gaze lingered on a tall building in the distance, its lights just flickering on.

Kaede's smile wavered, her expression dimming. "Yeah."

Kirara's voice cracked. "And I... I missed all of this. I wasn't part of any of it. Because I've been asleep... for three years."

Without a word, Kaede stepped behind her and wrapped her arms around Kirara's. "It's alright," she murmured, her voice gentle and grounding.

Tears welled in Kirara's eyes as more buildings below blinked to life with warm light. "I love you, Kaede."

Kaede froze... just for a moment. "...Yeah."

Kirara turned slowly, her brow furrowing as she looked into Kaede's eyes. Searching. Hoping. Then, she smiled softly and began to pull away...

Only to stop when Kaede caught her by the waist and held her close.

"Kirara... I..."

Kaede never finished the sentence. Kirara leaned in, and their lips met in a quiet, trembling kiss. Behind them, the city of Kyusha came alive, a thousand lights illuminating the night as the moon rose high above them.