[Human civilization is something she can never accept, but after long deliberation, the Dark Koyanskaya finally agrees to your proposal. She decides to start by accepting you as a "human."]
[You didn't speak for a long while. After some time, you said your farewells to the playful Beast and left.]
[In the evening, you rode Pegasus back toward your settlement. Just thinking that, back home, there was a pink-haired woman waiting to teach you magecraft filled your chest with anticipation.]
[You don't know… What special magical lesson that woman will teach you today?]
It was night.
The moon and stars were sparse in the sky.
[You sat there as usual, accepting her guidance along the path of magecraft, but for some reason, every time she looked at you tonight, her gaze carried a mix of worry and resentment, as if she'd been holding back words she wanted to say.]
[At first, you didn't notice such a small detail. You were focused on controlling the Resentment, trying to condense it more finely. Even so, you kept feeling her eyes on you, frequently, almost persistently.]
[In the end, you couldn't hold back and asked why she was acting so strangely tonight.]
[She looked at you faintly, lashes lowering, and softly asked:]
"Today… did you see the other me?"
[You couldn't help being startled.]
[You had gone in the complete opposite direction from her all day. How in the world had she noticed?
Under your questioning, she told you the reason.]
[She hadn't seen it with her own eyes. But the scent of the Dark Koyanskaya still lingered on your body, and Light Koyanskaya—ever sensitive to smells—could naturally pick out that unique odor.
Once things were somewhat clear, you suddenly remembered something and asked:]
"Before this, you said your goal was to evolve into a complete Beast, right? When you complete your final evolution, what happens… to the other you?"
"That's simple."
Light Koyanskaya spoke casually as she gazed at the starry sky outside the tent.
"My personality and hers—only one of us will live in the end."
Hearing that, Izaya couldn't help asking:
"What if… you fail to complete the final evolution?"
Light Koyanskaya looked slightly surprised, then lightly shook her head.
"Then I'll only have half the power of a Beast… For me, that alone isn't enough to take revenge on humanity."
Before the youth in front of her, Light Koyanskaya could be said to be fairly honest.
She didn't particularly care what would happen to that other self. She only wanted revenge on those humans—more than even the vengeful dead of Tunguska did.
How were the non-human creatures of this planet raised and abused by humans?
The images formed from resentment surfaced almost constantly in her mind.
Neither Koyanskaya nor the Dark Koyanskaya could forget that hatred. Their paths to revenge were different, but they never forgot their common goal: to take vengeance on humans—essentially, to annihilate humanity.
Yet lately, since she'd been spending so much time with this man, her thirst for revenge had clearly faded.
In the past, her mind was filled with nothing but the countless tragic forms of creatures who had been cut apart and butchered by humans. But now, interspersed among those memories, there were many scenes that featured him.
Now, aside from the thought of evolving into a complete Beast and destroying humanity…
Most of her thoughts revolved around Izaya.
She had never said it aloud in front of him, but she wanted to stay with this man for a very, very long time.
"The Dark Koyanskaya isn't like me," she said softly. "She will never acknowledge human civilization. Because that would be the same as denying her own path—and to her, that would mean losing the meaning of her life."
Light Koyanskaya shared yet another unknown secret.
She had never truly come into contact with the Beast itself, but she knew her own path very clearly.
For the Dark Koyanskaya, she was filled with hatred and vengeance. That hatred was the meaning of her existence. In this, there was a fundamental difference between them.
After all, now Light Koyanskaya had something beyond revenge that defined her existence—
The man in front of her.
Thinking that, Koyanskaya slowly leaned in. Her delicate, beautiful cheek approached the man, and she gently pressed her forehead against his.
Several strands of pink hair fell messily before her lips, adding a hint of lazy allure.
Her beautiful golden eyes lowered. Their breaths mingled, so close it felt as if their faint exhalations brushed across each other's faces.
"Sajyou-kun… you don't have to worry about me," she whispered. "Believe me. I will safely inherit the will of this land, Tunguska, and complete my final evolution."
"Compared to that…"
She gently covered the back of his hand, her voice soft and honey-sweet.
"Even if it's another 'me'… the scent she left on your body is still extremely unpleasant."
"But it's fine. Soon… I'll erase that smell completely."
Under her gentle lead, the palm slowly slid upward along her plump form, tracing that beautiful curve.
She lowered her head slightly. Her delicate crimson lips neared the man's ear, exhaling like orchids in bloom.
"Your magecraft lessons are almost over," she murmured. "From now on, we'll focus on training your physical strength."
"And besides…"
Her voice dropped even lower, tinged with a teasing purr.
"Instead of always staying passive… don't you ever want to pin a Beast down yourself?"
Something seemed to ignite within Izaya. He finally abandoned his habitual passivity and decided to seize the initiative.
He set his hands on Koyanskaya's shoulders and gently pushed her back, bringing her down beneath him—
Together, they stepped into tonight's beautiful course of lessons.