Hmm...

(Yeah, less of this effect and more motion might give this part a bigger punch.)

(I'll try animating that asset Ena sent me yesterday a little more and...)

That should do it.

I'll try playing it from the beginning...

Hey, not bad...!

I'll have Kanade and the others take a look at this.

(Still, thank goodness...)

(I'm so glad Mafuyu chose to run away...)

(I was so worried since it really seemed like the walls were closing in on her.)

(So, I'm really glad what I said ended up helping her a little.)

(Unfortunately, running away doesn't do anything about solving the root cause of her problems...)

(I'm sure a lot of stuff's going through her mind right now...)

(And I need to start thinking about what's gonna happen moving forward.)

(After all, I'm partly responsible for her running since I was the one who suggested it to her...)

Still...

...

What more can I do for her? I mean, I still haven't been able to deal with my own problems after running away.

I should take a quick break...

My eyes are starting to hurt after staring at this screen for so long.

I know! I can go see if that ribbon I found the other day looks good on Rin.

(That should help take my mind off things...)

Let's see. Where's Rin...?

Oh...

Hey, MEIKO!

Mizuki? What are you doing here...?

I came looking for Rin.

Do you know where she is?

Rin's gone somewhere a bit far away.

Far away?

Yes, there's a new area in SEKAI now.

Wait, what new area?

You've got me curious now.

Maybe I should go check it out.

Did something happen...?

Huh? Wh-Why do you ask?

You're not acting like your usual self...

Is something bothering you...?

Oh...

Hmm... Well...

It isn't bothering me per se, but it is kinda bugging me...

What's bugging you...?

Oh, um... I was thinking about how relieved I am that Mafuyu decided to run away.

And she seems to be doing a lot better now that she's in Kanade's care.

Right.

*Nod*

So, all of that made me realize that I need to keep supporting her. After all, I'm the one who said it's okay for her to run...

But...

I don't really know what to do since I've never gone past this point...

This point...?

Yeah, I don't know what you're supposed to do after you've made a run for it...

...

Running is only a temporary solution, right?

You have to deal with your problems eventually.

But I haven't actually done that yet...

That's why I'm not really sure if there's anything more I can do for Mafuyu...

If you don't know, then face them.

Huh...?

If you don't know what to do after running, then stop running and face your problems.

...!

But that means...

I know. That's easier said than done.

But if you truly do wish to help Mafuyu, then this may be the best time for you to do that.

By doing so, you may learn something new. It could be the very thing that she needs to hear.

Like what you told her the other day.

...

(Yeah, I was able to make that suggestion because of what I went through...)

(So, now that we've both run...

If there is something new I can learn by actually facing my problems...)

(Plus, there's...)

(I've been asking so much of Ena...)

(She's been waiting for me ever since that day...)

(I don't know if I'm really ready for this...)

(I really don't know, but...)

Thanks, MEIKO...

I feel a little better now after talking to you.

Really? Then, good for you...