The First Heroes and Eleonora's groups

After the two groups had met with each other, Eleonora's group and the heroes, the last group of each respective also did the same and got a good impression on both sides. Unlike Kurumi's group, this one is civil, and they warmed up the last hero group. The group led by Esdeath—which consists of herself, Raikou, Ais, Erza, Mao, Ayako, Momo, and Sonoka—has met with two girls. One is a hero, and the other is a miko or shrine maiden.

The hero is a young girl with long, dirty-blonde hair similar to Sonoko's and goes down to her waist. She ties it in a ponytail with a lavender ribbon and a matching clip. Her eyes are also lavender-colored. While the miko has long, rosy-purple hair that falls just below her waist. It is held back by a red headband with red ribbons. Her eye color appears to be a dark/moderate red. Their names are Nogi Wakaba and Uesato Hinata—unlike in the second group encounters, Esdeath's group came up with an understanding since Nogi Wakaba proposed so due to Uesato Hinata's advice to listen to Esdeath and her friends first before engaging in a battle between them.

Right now, they traveled around, trying to find any survivors and the safest place possible for Esdeath's group to gather with the other group. Even though Esdeath knew it was a futile attempt to discover any survivors in this ruined place with a horrible condition, she had no choice but to play along. With the newly gained abilities from her training with everyone, the former General has already used one of her abilities to detect any living beings near or around them and found nothing that resembles a human's presence or life force.

Looking at her teammates, Esdeath gave a shake to them. Erza, Ayako, and Mao have grim expressions on their face when knowing that. Raikou, Momo, and Sonoka gasped in shock as they learned that. While Ais flinched but was slightly shocked too.

Nogi Wakaba and Uesato Hinata also wear grim expressions as if despair invades them whenever they find nothing in their ways. Even went so far as to check a large underground mall under Osaka station, trying to find a slive chance of hope inside it. Wakaba swallowed her saliva, looking down at the place under the station she looked at with Hinata that had a doubt on her face.

"Wakaba-chan… are you sure? It looks like…."

"No… we still don't know it."

Wakaba convinced herself and turned behind her, stared at Esdeath's group, and asked them politely even though she had her own doubt about the underground mall. She didn't know, but at least Wakaba could hope for it.

"Everyone, I am sorry for this… but please listen to my selfish request. I want to look for any survivors further in there…. Please."

The leader of the first hero team tells them her selfish request while bowing politely, with her best friend does the same, trying to gain the approval and permission of Esdeath's group since the ponytail blonde girl involving them in their hero business. Although Wakaba knew they were just acquaintances and not that close, the dirty-blonde ponytail girl still wanted to bet on them since they were kind despite being strangers to her and Hinata.

Esdeath and her teammates went quiet as they witnessed that from Wakaba and Hinata. Some of them were stunned to see it because they didn't expect to see someone who seemed so desperate like that when bowing and requesting something from them. And after seeing it, they then stared at each other and nodded as if they seem agreed on something quickly without saying anything. Esdeath then spoke to Wakaba and Hinata, giving the answer and permission about her request.

"…Alright. We will investigate it further."

Wakaba and Hinata perked up as they lifted their heads with brightened faces full of hope. They feel thankful for them, especially the dirty-blonde ponytail girl since she is the one that really wants to find any survivors within these scattered and ruined towns. They really owe them a great debt.

"T-Thank you…! Thank you so much for that!"

Wakaba thanked Esdeath, who waved off her hands in dismissal as she thought of nothing big from that. However, she continued and warned the dirty-blonde ponytail girl before she and everyone began to enter the underground mall.

"However, if we find nothing or things get too dangerous, we must and should abandon it. We must prioritize our own safety."

"T-That… of course, we will. We don't want… any casualties to happen. Not anymore…"

Wakaba whispered the last sentence with a grim expression when she remembered it. Hinata could relate that since she is a miko and has always given a prophecy about nothing but dangerous ones so far. Esdeath sighed and grew tired of seeing these two suddenly go like that with their mood, even though she knew their situation wasn't that bright.

"This is not really healthy…."

Sonoka whispered, seeing Wakaba and Hinata. Raikou and the rest couldn't help but have to agree with that. Ais, Momo, Mao, and Ayako even grew tired and bored like Esdeath, but they don't want to be rude by showing it.

"Indeed. While I understand the current situation they have to deal with, these two shouldn't always be like that and must find some positivity to keep their minds clean and focused since they are heroes, the ones who bring hope and justice."

"They are both mentally and physically young, unlike with Eleonora dear. So, of course, they would be like this and have to find a way to steel themselves. They are not really prepared and pretend to be tough, while in actuality they are forced to be one since they are fragile."

Raikou voiced her opinion in a whisper and everyone, except for Wakaba and Hinata, had to agree with it. If it was Eleonora, they could understand but still worry about the young bluenette even if that girl told them not to worry her.

"Ahem. Anyway, should we help them…? We won't be able to move properly if Nogi-san and Uesato-san are like this."

Esdeath drew a deep and heavy sigh as she agreed with Sonoka's words. She and her friends then proceed to snap Wakaba and Hinata to back normal with the help of one of the spells Kikuchi Sonoka had in her abilities. The former student of Tootsuki Culinary Academy and the owner of her own western-style restaurant called Shunkatei is proficient in supporting magic. She chose to study magic more than others since it's a kind of familiar concept rather than ki, chakra, etc.

"[Mind Healing]."

As she called out her skill name, a bright light came from her right hand and covered Wakaba and Hinata's heads, clearing their minds so they would recover from their current state and get back to normal. And so, several seconds after that, Wakaba and Hinata returned to normal as they blinked and had confusion on their faces.

"W-What… what happened just now…? I feel so… relaxed…."

"Me too, Wakaba-chan. Did this… did any of you somehow make us feel this?"

Hinata asked Esdeath's group, wondering if what she guesses is true, and got a confirmation nod from Sonoka instead. The rosy-purple-haired girl blinked again and asked further about it.

"But… how…? Is this… magic?"

Sonoka nodded again; a smile was on her face. That got her question answered with a simple nod, but the Shunkantei restaurant's owner explained it further to Wakaba and Hinata so these two girls would fully understand it than just from a simple nod or assumption.

"Correct. It's support-type magic that could heal someone's mind. As its name, [Mind Healing] only worked on mental, not physical. Mostly used to make someone stay focused after in devastating or shock-like state like what you did experience earlier."

"It could also work on someone that suffers from PTSD and the likes."

Instead of Sonoka, the one that continues the explanation is Ais Wallenstein—another blonde who is Eleonora's lover. Uesato Hinata couldn't reply; she didn't know what to say before muttering in understanding.

"I-I see… it's magic. This is my first time seeing it. Although what heroes have could be considered magical, this is something else. All of you aren't heroes… right?"

Esdeath shook her head and confirmed what the rosy-purple-haired girl said.

"If you mean a hero like your friend, no. We have our occupation, duty, and responsibility, not some heroes like you've thought. However, we have some people with the same traits as your heroes."

"Really?! There are… another heroes?"

"You could find it out when my other friends came. But, for now… should we start investigating this underground mall to find survivors and a safe place for us to reunite with our own groups?"

"Ah! But… should we inform your other teammates before we go down there?"

Hinata asked with curiosity at Esdeath, and the latter put the finger on her chin, thinking about her words. She then looked at her teammates and got a chorus of approval nods. The light blue-haired woman sighed and shook her head as she answered the question.

"Seems so. Please wait for a while, then."

Wakaba and Hinata nodded at Esdeath. Then, the former General uses telepathy and sends the message to the other teammates. After waiting for several minutes, approximately ten minutes, Esdeath's group, Wakaba, and Hinata noticed several figures of people they knew.

Some of them waved their hands and shouted with a beamed tone.

"Hey, everyone! How is it?!"

"Tamako?!"

"Tamako-san?"

Doi Tamako had a wide grin on her while waving her hands along with Takashima Yuuna, that smiled when she noticed her friends.

"Heeeeey, Wakaba-chan, Hina-chan!"

"Even Yuuna and Chikage?!"

"Why they were with them…?"

One of the people shouting is Doi Tamako, one of the heroes of this world and the current era, accompanied by her fellow heroes and several unknown groups of girls. However, Wakaba and Hinata noticed something familiar with a group of three girls that strangely had some outfits that resembled their heroes' outfits.

But another shock was made Wakaba and Hinata's eyes widen. A young girl with blonde hair goes down to her waist, with two chest-length bangs and several chin-length bangs. She also has a small ahoge, and her eyes are teal-colored. That girl is Iyojima Anzu, and the said girl is currently carried in bridal style with a reddened face of embarrassment and little excitement.

"A-Anzu…? What is happening with her? Why did she being carried like that?"

Nogi Wakaba mumbled while having a faint blush on her cheeks as her eyes got a good look at those several people, especially the one that carried Anzu in bridal style. Uesato Hinata also shared the same blush when she saw the person with a long blue-haired braided in a ponytail that exceeded her long legs and had sharp and gentle-looking blue eyes.

'W-Whoah… that person is beautiful.'

'O-Oh my. I didn't know there was a woman so charming like that could exist.'

They became enthralled by that person's beauty in a second so fast, even causing them to blush. However, it's not their fault to react like that since the woman with Anzu in her arms has a high charm level—even their friends couldn't escape from that as they were charmed by that person. Even someone like Koori Chikage could have a blush on her cheeks because she was attracted to that woman.

The scythe-wielding hero could only look away to hide her reddened cheeks. This is the first time that Koori Chikage to felt this.

'Honestly, to think she could do that. It is frightening. Does this woman have some sort of charm spell that made anyone suddenly attracted and flushed? Even Takashima-san and Doi-san also became like Iyojima-san.'

Chikage thinks of what happened before the two teams reunited, with her still flustered cheeks whenever the blue-haired mature woman in her early twenties pops into her mind.

'But… it's not like I hate this feeling, and she isn't that bad person. This is a similar warmness I felt before the whole thing became complicated like this.'

A small smile appears on her lips. It's a genuine yet charming and adorable smile that she rarely does, even to her fellow heroes and Takashima Yuuna. The girl that bears 'Yuuna' as her name is someone who mostly has no interest in romantic things or stuff since they care more about heroes or being one, and friendship is also one of many things that are always on their mind.

And after these two sides of the group reunited, they then shared the information about the current situation. After hearing it, the ones who were shocked are the heroes since they didn't expect such a strange and unknown situation. Even though they had already suffered that much despair, it was still not enough and caused the six young maidens to feel hopeless, as if there was no hope ever again.

Nogi Wakaba, the leader of the hero team and the first one, was the most shocked as a horror flashed on her face while she shaking in fear. Her face and skin suddenly went pale after hearing the information and report she got from their new ally.

"N-No way… those monsters… have such ability?"

Wakaba said in disbelief and in a shaky voice. Her childhood friend, Uesato Hinata, with so much concern on her face, put a hand on her team leader as she tried to give a little comfort. Chikage nodded and looked down grimly, while others had various expressions.

Yuuna was concerned while looking at Wakaba and Chikage, Tamako frustrated, while Anzu was terrified, her whole body shaking in fear. Their leader's reaction is justified since anyone would be like that, even if they are heroes since the five girls and one miko are just some ordinary girls who never expected something crazy like this to change their whole lives.

"Yeah. I couldn't believe it either, but… I witnessed it myself."

The black-haired scythe hero glanced at the blue-haired woman, who sent a small smile, causing C'ikage's cheeks to blush since she found it so charming. She couldn't resist it, and no one seemed could do that.

"…I see. Then, Anzu… is that true?"

Wakaba questioned her blonde bookworm friend, who, still shaking in fear, shakily nodded to confirm what Chikage tells her is indeed a fact. The wielder of Ikutachi's silver-gold sword only frowned in frustration when getting that response, hoping that it was not true, but it seemed the opposite.

And trying to digest the newly found information, Wakaba let out a heavy, depressed sigh, then turned her head to face the bluenette woman, who earlier could make herself and Hinata blush with a serious-looking expression.

"I'm sorry if this is… stubborn of me, but is that really… true?"

"It is. My teammates and I fought them. We didn't expect that since we thought they are…. could be defeated easily with no real efforts."

Wakaba grimaced when hearing the last sentence. If someone said that, then it means the hero team she leads is currently weak to deal with just those monstrous beings, but she makes no excuse and had to admit it since that is indeed true since they were easily overwhelmed by the monsters in that caliber.

"Then our situation is even direr than we've expected."

"I'll say, but if you have no problem—we can assist you in eliminating them."

The young bluenette woman said, proposing her idea to the dirty-blonde ponytail girl, causing the latter to blink her eyes in surprise. She slightly raised her brow in confusion and replied.

"B-But… your team isn't heroes like us, right…? I mean, no offense, but even as heroes, we are still weak and… fragile, and I don't know what happened with you. I also don't even know how you and your group fight them."

Worry was evident on her face when she talked about that. She is clearly worried about the safety of their new supposed-ally and not because Wakaba didn't know how they would fight the monstrous beings, but it's also one of her responsibility as a hero. She couldn't stand anyone that hurt around her.

The young bluenette woman was stunned and chuckled, then replied to Wakaba's words and smiled gracefully. That smile… that charming, genuine smile, causing the dirty-blonde ponytail girl to redden her cheeks as she enthralled. She was somehow weak and couldn't look away from that; even worse, she could just agree on everything because of that smile.

"We're honored and grateful that you worry about us, strangers, who just meet like that, Nogi-san. However, you don't have to worry since we are not ordinary civilians. We already have some experience in such a thing. We may not be heroes like you and your friends, but we have some decent strength to enough deal with them."

Even after hearing that, Wakaba wasn't convinced and still has a doubt. She then looked at her friends in turn, which got a chorus of nods confirming what that woman said was true, except Hinata since she was with Wakaba and wasn't with that woman's group.

With an uncomfortable expression when she received those responses, Wakaba sighed in defeat since she had no choice but to believe what her friends had witnessed. Her sense of justice and heroism are the ones that cause her to act like this, and she couldn't help but worry.

"…Very well, I will believe it, for now—until I saw it myself. Is that okay?"

"It is and very understandable, Nogi Wakaba-san."

This caused the ponytail girl to blink in realization and ask with curiosity.

"How did you—"

"—know about your name? It's easy because your name as a hero alongside your friends is worldwide famous. Anyway, we should introduce ourselves. My name is Eleonora Pendragon, and they are my teammates."

With Eleonora introducing herself first, the others followed her and did the same as they got to know each other until Wakaba heard something unbelievable. Her eyes widened in shock, the same with her friends when one of the girls that resembled Wakaba did her introduction.

"Y-You are Nogi's? But how…? I didn't recall—"

"It is because we are from the future, Gosenzo-sama!"

Sonoko reveals to them are causing Wakaba and her friends to be shocked even more. But that dirty-blonde spear hero then continued with her cheery and bright smile, ignoring the expression her Ancestor and her friends have right now.

"And we are 300 years in the future! It's wonderful for me to meet with you, Gosenzo-sama! At first, I thought something like time travel was impossible and only existed in fiction, but then Nora did it, and voila…! She blew up those theories!"

Sonoko did spread her arms in surprise and was amazed by that. Gin and Sumi agreed with her as they find it hard to believe but learned it is indeed possible, just very hard to do since their bluenette lover could perform such amazing feats without worrying about anything.

While Wakaba and her friends are still dumbfounded, Gin takes her turn and continues what Sonoko has said.

"Yeah, yeah! I also had a similar reaction at first but got used to it afterward. With the existence of magic and the likes, I don't need to be shocked by that again. Slowly but steadily, things will be a norm for us, which happens for me!"

"I agreed with you, Gin. But it was not slow, it was too fast! Everything is escalated quickly! When we realize it, everything has already happened just like that."

The three girls who were formerly heroes kept talking while Wakaba and her friends were dumbfounded but then snapped back after around five or seven minutes. She then tried to assort her mind and clear it, inhaling a breath to calm herself before saying something to them as a response.

"So… time travel is… real? Genuinely… exist and possible…?"

"Yeah, Gosenzo-sama! Even dimension traveling and another world also exists, you know."

Hearing that made Wakaba have a headache for the sudden information, which confused herself and her friends. Even further, she is slightly uncomfortable with being called 'Gosenzo-sama' or Ancestor by someone around the same age.

"Tama's head is swirling! This… this is confusing!"

"M-Me too, Tama-chan! All of those things she said made… my poor brain about to explode…!"

Tama and Yuuna are confused because their heads can't digest the information they've received, while their own partners seem to accept that very well compared to them. They could easily comprehend the swarm of new and strange information they got quickly and easily.

"Oh my, oh my. It seems that is too much."

Yasaka said in surprise but chuckled, amused seeing that. Her fellow mother also did the same, while Eleonora only laughed awkwardly seeing that.

"It seems like it. We will wait until they can take it so well."

Eleonora's teammates nodded in agreement and then waited for Wakaba's team, except for Chikage and Anzu, to fully comprehend the sudden burst of new information they just got from their newly-formed ally.

------

Nogi Wakaba felt dismayed upon learning the truth after carefully assorting and comprehending the information she had just found. She couldn't believe that someone like Sonoko, who is the opposite of her personality and acts more like Hinata, was her descendant and mistook Sumi as her descendant because they resembled each other.

'But, a more important thing is that they are really from the future! 300 years later, and the battle with those things had ended in their time. It took us that long to stop humanity from ruin. That proves we're weak and couldn't fully protect them!'

And Wakaba sighed, with a faint blush suddenly visible on her cheeks, remembering another thing that her descendant said. Slowly, her cheeks reddened further and covered her whole face as it resembled ripe and delicious tomato color.

'And she is dating… currently dating that woman—that girl who is the same age or younger than us. It is hard to believe for someone… to be developed into such. She is the same as Hinata and Anzu; their bodies developed too well! Damnit!'

She thought in frustration because of that. But nothing she could do, and she had to forget that kind of thought. Although she hopes that her body will grow in the same way as Hinata did in the future with puberty. She couldn't expect to have the same body as Eleonora since that is beyond anything.

"Ahem. We… we seem to have already understood all of… that. Many things are hard to take in, but after thinking about it very well, we… no, I finally understand that and accept the fact. The lack of evidence could cause doubt, but… from what I've known, they seem to have no reason to lie to us."

Hinata voiced her opinion and answer. This time, Wakaba had to agree with her childhood friend. While it sounds crazy and unbelievable, they have to accept this fact, and the fact that Sonoko called Wakaba 'Gosenzo-sama' earlier could be counted as a piece of evidence, even if it is small.

"As crazy as it sounds, Tama couldn't help but have to agree with Hinata. Becoming a hero and battling those things is already crazy for us, right? It shouldn't make us surprises more… supposedly."

Tama smiled nervously, while Yuuna nodded with enthusiasm and showed off her energetic, cheerful side.

"Tama-chan's right! Ryu-chan is a good person and helped us earlier! She is also very powerful than us, I believe so!"

Eleonora blinked and wondered in confusion about the nickname Yuuna gave to her. She then asked the red-haired and cheerful hero fans girl about that.

"Ryu? Is that my nickname, Takashima-san?"

"That's correct, Ryu-chan! Since you are Pendragon, it is your nickname, and it suits you!"

Yuuna said with a big beaming smile to respond to Eleonora's question as the latter could only scratch her cheeks and didn't mind the nickname since it's not that bad because so far, she only gets called by her first name and not her family name, which is quite weird but acceptable.