Koishi: ...

He was dead set on the idea of sacrificing himself for the cause, she was forced to admit that fact. No matter how persistent she was, it was never going to change. If she wished for a better outcome, she would have to momentarily snap him out of that mindset so that a confrontation could be possible. Thinking about her plan, the librarian slowly began to make his way to the front of the library, where the ritual would take place.

Koishi's mind: But how should I proceed?

Wracking her brain around, her time was limited, she needed to act fast and not hesitate if an opportunity showed itself. Silently, she followed the man's footsteps, trying her hardest to follow his cycle in an attempt to not be heard. It wasn't because she didn't want him to notice her presence but rather something to keep her body busy while she was thinking.

Unbeknownst to her, she couldn't be any more right. Right at that moment, a group of people was making their way to this place, planning to defeat the wicked evil lurking inside the library and bring back with them the fallen shrine maiden. Of course, nobody is here anymore, everyone was long gone by now and only a discarded item was left inside the stage. She was just lucky to stumble into it, nothing else.

Y/N: With this, we can finally end this search, after so long...

Mumbling to himself, he looked down at the pills on his hand, waiting for him to take the final step into oblivion, where he would rot away and disappear from everyone's memory. He didn't deserve to persist in the world of the living, not after what he did to get to this point. So many people perished because of his selfishness and cowardice that divine judgement was soon going to struck him down.

"How do you even plan on changing his path when you can't think about the future?"

Koishi: ...

She ignored the voice calling her out, finally matching the librarian's footsteps after a few tries. Both synchronized, she was like his shadow, always by his side, just like what a friend should be. She yearned for a good ending for the man who tried his hardest but nobody wanted to grant it, not even the one in question. For him, losing his life was part of a happy ending, he could not accept a world where his life outweighed those who perished inside those endless walls.

Then, a realization arrived in her head: if he didn't want to listen to what she had to say, she would need to force him to do so. Of course, he would resist but if she removed the thing that solidified his will during this whole journey then maybe her words would reach him. It was a far-fetched idea but it was the only one she had. He would certainly despise her for doing so but...

I had to be the bad guy to become his hero.

...

...

Standing in the back, the girl was silently reading the last survivor's book while he was busy preparing everything. Patiently waiting for her opportunity, she decided to pass the time by learning more about the man she wished to help, the man that she DID help. After all, he might try to attack her out of anger if she can't calm him down after the initial defiance.

Koishi: *Mumble* What is that..?

Looking at his current self, an anomaly was found, something that even he himself probably didn't know about. Unlike the last time she read it, when he showed her that he received a blessing from the gods from the Moriya Shrine, yet another line was written there.

Emotional Distortion: If this character clashes against someone with the same or higher emotional level, distort.

Koishi: ...

Closing her eyes, she pondered about the words written but decided to close the book in the end, done with her reading. The man, too, was done with his task and the result looked like a camp fire circled with minerals, an odd choice of design to her eyes but she didn't comment too much on it. Sitting away from the scene, she observed Y/N's back with displeasure.

Koishi's mind: I can do this, I have to do it, for his sake!

Hiding the book he offered her in her arms, she stood up and made her way closer to the main point of interest. It stood in front of her, almost nagging her at this point. She wished to destroy it into small pieces, she wished to do so above anything else, the thing that would end the life of her friend.

Y/N: So... this is it huh? To think that it took so long to get here.

'The amount of people who died.'

Koishi: ...

Watching the end of their hard work, she couldn't bring herself to feel any satisfaction, instead bearing a frown that she has never done in so long, genuine despise. In fact, it was so long ago that she couldn't remember herself, maybe it was the first time she ever arbored this face? Nonetheless, the emotion was indeed present inside her.

Y/N: You don't... you don't have to be this close.

Koishi: Mister Y/N.

She finally began, just at the few final steps, she proclaimed her desire loud and clear to the man that she trusted, the one who healed a scar that she couldn't remember nor completely forget. Taking the flaming torch from his hands, she stepped away and looked at him right into the eyes, gaining the will to stand up for her conviction.

Koishi: We don't have to do this!

Y/N: ...What are you talking about?

He seemed already tired by the sound of his voice, emotionlessly echoing around the duo. Averting his gaze from the fire of madness that she was holding, he asked her the question like he didn't know what she was talking about.

Koishi: You don't have to sacrifice your life for this!

She tried her best to sound as angry as possible but after regaining her emotions only a few minutes, 2 hours at most, she didn't know how to properly voice it in a correct way. The result did not change much in the end.

Y/N: Why are you giving me a lecture now?

Koishi: Because I know what you want to do and I don't want you to go down that path!

Y/N: *Sigh* Give me the torch, we'll talk about it then.

Koishi: ...

For the second time, she defied his demand, not backing out anymore. She made her choice and nothing would convince her to take another one, not him nor that voice in her head, she would stand by her own beliefs and stick to them.

Koishi: We can find another solution, without taking more lives!

Y/N: ...Did you already forget? Would it really be a loss if so many people are saved, at the cost of a single person?

Koishi: It's too many, too many for me, too many people I care for.

Y/N: Koishi, let me ask you something.

Koishi: Hm?

She tilted her head to the side and the man asked her a question.

Y/N: If you had to sacrifice yourself to save many people, many that you care for and love, would you end your own life for their sake? Would you be the selfish one and let them die because you were a coward, fearing your own death?

Koishi: ...

Y/N: I don't want to run away anymore, I just want everything to end. So give me the fire.

Koishi: ...I guess we're different mister Y/N.

Without averting her gaze, she aimed one of her hands at the pile of wood and worthless rocks and launched a Danmaku at it, turning it into a bright firework of explosion. Once the lights vanished, nothing was standing on top of the circle anymore.

Koishi: Unlike you, I fear not for the lives that I've already lost but those that I can still lose.

Y/N: ...

Witnessing her betrayal, his tired eyes became hollow, filled with resentment. Looking back at the culprit of that disaster, he still couldn't arbor fury onto his visage, too tired to do so but she knew that he was furious.

Y/N: So you toss aside my trust for your selfish desire?

Koishi: ...

Y/N: I should have beheaded you the moment you weren't looking, you're worse than the others who dared to enter this prison.

Koishi: I don't care what you think of me, I want to make you realize something. I want you to acknowledge your own life, that you can only live-

Suddenly, she felt a gust of wind to her left and when she touched that side of her face, a warm liquid was running down, the burning sensation of a wound exposed to fresh air. Standing before her, the librarian was holding his blade stained with her own dirt. Gritting his teeth, he seemed able to crush the hilt of his weapon effortlessly.

Y/N: Don't you give that bullshit, I've heard it too many times for me to care at this point. Acknowledge my life? Are you even listening to what you are saying?

Koishi: I'm selfish, just like many people, I won't hide it. I'm selfish because I want to keep my friends by my side, I don't want to lose any of them.

Y/N: ...

After a moment of silence, she noticed his gaze beginning to lose its exhaustion and he was directly staring at her along with Clownpiece's flame, lost under its madness. With a second swing, a second wound opened on her right arm. Tossing the object aside, the youkai with a third eyes faced her previous ally.

Y/N: Acknowledge your own life- How am I supposed to enjoy living when I'm forced to sit inside this terrible place, knowing that I would get killed here by a monster coming from outside that damn door?! You want me to happily smile and wait for my end, doing nothing but counting the days?!

Koishi: ...

Y/N: How am I supposed to enjoy living when every waking moment for me is a nightmare, forced to hear the voices of those I abandoned, telling me how much of a worthless piece of crap I am! Is that what living truly all about?!

Koishi: Life is not about looking at the past Y/N, we have to learn from our mistakes and build our own future!

Y/N: Priceless coming from one who couldn't even do that by herself!

Koishi: ...

Lowering her focus, she was forced to accept that. She couldn't remember why she closed her eye, meaning that she didn't know why she suddenly opened it again. She didn't face her past, she simply forgot about it.

Koishi: Even then, I wish for you to not be like me, I want you to move on on your own!

Y/N: What's the point of even trying? This world does not like my presence, everyone wants to kill me and this library wants nothing more than to do the same, it discarded me just like how I discarded those who believed in me! I'm nothing more than a failure, a coward that should have stopped running a long time ago!

Below her feet, the ground was slowly vibrating, an earthquake beginning to form. From above her, a rain of dust slowly dropped down and books were falling from their respective bookshelves.

Y/N: If this is all that world has to give to someone like me then I want nothing to do with it! If I have to end myself in order to bring a smile on someone's face then so be it! They all wished for happiness, they don't deserve what I made them go through!

Koishi: ...

Y/N: It was all my fault, all because I was there and existed! Everything is my fault!

Koishi: This isn't true, you have to stop pointing everything at yourself! Trust me, it makes you do actions that you will regret in the end...

Just like that, their conversation ended abruptly, the lights of the library turning off while the unknown voice called out to the both of them for the last time. The voice that would warn them from intruders, now warning them for a whole new reason.

???: No librarians detected inside the library, locking all exits.

She was trapped within the place with something that was no longer called a "librarian" by that place's standards. The darkness around her did not remain for long and was soon chased away. Standing in front of her, the man was looking back at her, not wearing the black and red outfit anymore.

Instead, he was wearing a suit made of patched up fur and badly made too, everything stitched together poorly. Instead of his usual weapon, he was wearing paws with claws at the end of them while shooting a deadly glare at the small girl in front of him. The result made him look like a badly made lion with spots lacking fur and exposing its outer skin.

Koishi: Y...N?

"Can a coward like me even become courageous? All I remain is a scaredy cat."

???: Don't be afraid Koishi, you are right.

Behind her, a voice called out her name. Widening her eyes slightly, she turned around, expecting to find a familair face but was instead met a completely different one. She never saw her before but still managed to get her name in her head. All because of the time the man she considered her friend told her about his own friends

Koishi: Maria?

Maria: That's my name but let's leave it at that for now. Everyone, we have a job to do!

Yelling at people behind them, the small girl followed the direction the unexpected librarian yelled at. some distance away, a familiar girl wielding a spear was there, Alice. She was one of the people who freed her from her nightmare, along with Maria. Beside her, 2 other figures were there, figures that she recognized from the small dolls she saw.

Koishi: Jenna, Clara.

They all approached and stared at the one that was once their ally. Maria standing at the front, she took her position of leader and calmly stared back at their opponent, wielding her rapier in a casual manner.

Jenna: To think that...

She stopped herself from saying anything else, only giving the man a sad gaze. She cracked her knuckles hidden under her gloves and assumed a combat stance. All of them followed the same and Koishi was left confused.

Koishi: We're not gonna fight Y/N, right?

Maria: No choice Koishi, it's just that time with the witch and when you broke down I'm afraid.

Koishi: Uh? How do you know my name? What do you mean by "When I broke down"?

The librarians all glanced at each other awkwardly, not wanting to respond but in the end, a single sight escaped Maria, who kneeled by her side before grabbing her shoulder.

Maria: Tell me, did Y/N tell you that he could revive us for a short amount of time?

Koishi: He did... but he said you couldn't-

Maria: He brought us back to life, even for a short amount of time, meaning that the book he uses to revive us gains more information of our memories. He never really realized but he always tried to bring the most recent version of our memories.

Koishi: So that means... you knew that you were dead from the beginning?

Alice: Positive.

Koishi: Then why didn't you say it before?!

Clara: Huh? What do you think would have happened if we suddenly told him: "Hey, by the way, I remember how my body turns into nothingness each time you revive us. We know about our own death."

Clara, unlike the time when she fought against Marisa and Reimu, was wearing a purple outfit with many swords by her side. It was like each one of them was serving a specific purpose.

Jenna: He would have broken down, he already blamed himself for our own deaths before and that would be the last straw.

Koishi: But what do we do now? If we can't convince him then what can we do?

Maria: Simple, just like before, we receive him like any guest.

Koishi: ...

The girl with short purple hair stood up and observed the horrifying lion on the other side of the library, illuminated once more. She did not fear, she did not hesitate at the idea of fighting one she trusted as an ally.

Maria: It was my fault that everything went down anyway, this is my way to repay that error.

Koishi: ...

Jenna: So stand proud Koishi, we have to show him that there's more to this world than grief and loss!

Koishi: ...Right.

Standing alongside every other librarians, all of them watched the lone lion who then unleashed a roar that could easily rupture their eardrums. Not even feeling a single bit of pain in their ears, they watched as a group emerged from the bookshelves.

...It was a perfect copy of the librarians assisting Koishi.

Maria?: Everyone, if we remain careful, those guests will be no trouble.

Clara?: Can't wait to get started~!

Alice?: Alice, entering combat form.

Jenna?: Jenna, ready to fight.

"As long as people are standing by my side, even a scaredy cat like me can gather the courage to become a courageous lion."

Koishi: ...

He told her many times before but only after seeing that result of their conflict, it clicked in her mind. He himself said numerous time that he was a coward, too scared to do anything on his own and sacrificed everything. If his emotions are seeping out then he was now showing the opposite, about his half-baked courage when circled with people by his side.

He was always a scaredy cat, he could never ignore the truth, he would always be a coward so he pretended to be courageous by fighting.

Koishi: I want to see Y/N... the Y/N that can move on from his emotions.

Maria: We all do, we all do.

Holding her thin sword, the woman began her final speech to all who could understand her.

Maria: Everyone, this is it! This will be our final battle, for the sake of one we hold close to us! To end this horrible cycle in this prison, we will put our lives on the line for the last time, to be able to rest once and for all knowing that one will be able to smile in peace!

The other librarians nodded and faced the final boss leading to the end of the journey. Koishi, too, assumed a fighting posture and with a burst of energy, she began to feel her emotions boiling up inside her heart.

I will fix this, this is what my heart is telling me.

[Koishi Komeiji]

[Level: 47]

[HP: 261]

[Stun Resist: 60]

[Passives]

-Third Eye: The person is capable of visualizing the attacks and information of the opponent.

-Sharp Intuition: If an opponent attempts to clash with this character's attack with an evade, cancel the evade and inflict twice as much damage.

-Persistent Fervor: After winning a total of 15 clashes, this character inflicts 2-5 additional Stun damage per successful attack for the rest of the battle.

-Mental Manifestation: (Unique to this character)At the beginning of the battle, [Koishi Komeiji] can use a special attack that grants the user the "Mental Manifestation" status. In that state, [Koishi Komeiji] permanently gains 20% Strength, Defense & Evasion and becomes immune to Stun damage. In addition, [Koishi Komeiji] reduces the damage received to themself by (10 * number of allies alive)%. In that status, if 2 other allies are stunned, this character becomes stunned as well and loses this status for the rest of the battle.

-Mental Whiplash: (Only activates while the "Mental Manifestation" effect is activated) All enemies take 10% of their current Stun Resist as Stun damage at the beginning of each turn. Cannot stun enemies with this effect, leaving them at 1 Stun Resist.

-Magic: This character is able to use magic.

-Danmaku Fighter: Increase Evasion/Stun Resist by 20% during battle.

-Flight: This character is capable of flying.