Finally, she exhales loudly and lowers her gaze, shaking her head.
“EdgeLord-kun... Every day with you is like an emotional rollercoaster. I don't even know how to perceive you anymore; the picture keeps breaking and then being stitched back together with mismatched pieces. This is clearly not what I expected when I woke up on the cold floor inside a pentagram... And what exactly did you see? I'm older than you. I could be your older... no, your middle sister. How strange...” – shaking her head in confusion again, she raises her palm to eye level, twirling an accessory on her finger with her other hand. At one point, it seems like she's about to take it off, after which she catches ten debuffs and explodes, but after a couple of moments, her palm slowly relaxes – halfway.
“How strange...” she repeats, then shrugs and gives a weak smile – although it's not exactly forced. “You know, when you're not trying to create an atmosphere of gloom and horror, it's much easier and more pleasant to talk to you. It's even noticeable in your interactions with the locals. I don't even know what's a mask and what isn't, or maybe it's both, but... I think the second option suits you better.”
Shaking her head and shoulders, she continues in a more cheerful tone:
“You're absolutely right – I can't give you any answer right now; all of this is new to me. I need time to process it. I won't sugarcoat it – after all that has happened, my heart and mind are saying 'no! absolutely not!', but... not entirely. In your words, I hear notes of sincerity, and, well, I feel like I was right when I assumed that the Phantom wouldn't take a thoroughly unscrupulous person as an apprentice. Even his own soul is as black as night, and yet, from his actions, I see that he is a man of honor. Therefore, this is not a case where you should judge a book by its cover. Those were my own words recently. So... it would be low of me to make promises that my soul doesn't fully resonate with, so I won't make them. But you can be absolutely sure that I will think about all of this carefully. Out of respect for your sincerity, and to figure everything out for myself. That's something I can promise with my head held high and a clear conscience – and this isn't a setup for a 'gradual fade-out,' or whatever it's called these days. The Kami are my witnesses – I don't throw words to the wind like that. After all, the end of the Divine Comedy is not yet in sight. The circumstances of life can resolve everything at any moment, even without our participation.”
Raising her head to the sky and closing her eyes, she took several deep breaths according to her own system until the picture of the universe in her mind cleared, and her emotions returned to their usual state from the confused one.
Returning to the world of the living, she slapped Batman on the back:
“What are you standing there for? It's almost sunset,” and she walked towards the hotel – noticeably more cheerfully than when she left the post office.