Barbara hesitated, her face reddening as she bit her lip before speaking up. "Yum-Yum, there's... something I need to ask you. After you leave this trial, please... sleep with me."
Yomite blinked, taken aback by her sudden request. He could tell she was serious, but he also understood that her emotions were running high, and she was trying to secure her place in his heart.
He sighed, weighing his options, and looked into her eyes. He knew it was important to reassure her that she meant something to him, even if it meant agreeing to something he might not have considered otherwise. "Alright, Barbara. If that's what you really want, I promise you, once this trial is over, I'll do anything you want."
A blend of relief and happiness washed over Barbara's face, and she nodded, her grip on the vase tightening. "Thank you, Yum-Yum. That means a lot to me."
With their agreement in place, Barbara led him towards the exit, their hands entwined, and laughter bubbling between them. Soon enough, they stood before the door.
"Thank you, Yum-Yum. Now my heart can rest easy, knowing the other me will be happy to hear you're planning to have a large family with her, with over nine children."
Yomite's eyes widened in surprise and confusion at Barbara's statement. "Wait, what? Nine children? When did I agree to that?"
Barbara giggled, her mood noticeably lighter than before. "Well, Yum-Yum, you did promise me that you'd do anything I want once this trial is over. And that includes having a big, happy family with lots of children, right?"
Yomite hesitated, unsure of how to respond to her sudden demand. He had indeed promised her that he would do anything she wanted, but he hadn't expected her to make such a significant request. He gulped, trying to think of a way to negotiate with her.
"Barbara, I understand that you want to have a family with me, but nine children is... quite a lot. How about we take things one step at a time and see how things go? We can start with one or two, and if we feel like we can handle more, we can have more...What do you...think?"
Barbara pouted, clearly not pleased with his counterproposal.
"But Yum-Yum, you promised! And I love children so much. Besides, having a big family has always been a dream of mine."
Yomite sighed, realizing that there was no easy way out of this situation. He had made a promise, after all, and it was important to keep his word sometimes.
"Alright, Barbara. If that's what you truly want, then I'll do my best to make it happen. But please, let's not rush into things. We need to make sure we're ready for such a big responsibility..."
He was more than inexperienced with having children...and having nine of them at once to boot...seemed rough.
Barbara beamed at him, her eyes sparkling with joy. "Thank you, Yum-Yum. I promise I won't rush into anything!"
Yomite nodded, feeling a strange mix of relief and apprehension at the thought of their future together.
As they stepped towards the door together, hand in hand, he couldn't help but wonder what other surprises awaited him beyond the trials.
"That being said, I'm just a recreation of memories and alternate scenarios from the ▒▒▒, so I'll never actually know whether you followed up on your promise. Still, I'm happy. Happier than ever, and I believe the true me will be even more so."
"..."
Yomite was taken aback by Barbara's revelation.
"Wait, so how does that work exactly? Can you explain it to me in a detail? I'm quite interested in how this trial worked behind the scenes. I do know a bit from what I deduced, but it's not much."
Barbara nodded her head, smiling.
"Of course, Yum-Yum. The trial is designed to test your mental and emotional resilience by creating various scenarios based on your memories and the people you know, with the intent to show you everything you're scared of to some degree. Each entity you encounter in the trial, like me, is a reflection of the thoughts, emotions, and desires of the person they represent. We're not the real individuals, but we're shaped by your experiences and feelings towards them, just like their experiences and feelings towards you."
Yomite furrowed his brow, trying to understand the complexity of the trial. "So, every entity I've encountered here was created based on my memories and emotions, right? Doesn't that mean that if I had no one I cared about, nothing would appear in this trial?"
Barbara shook her head. "Not exactly, Yum-Yum. The trial evaluates how well you can adapt, make decisions, and deal with difficult emotional situations involving the people you care about, however, that includes your fears. Fear of death, fear of animals, fear of hunger and so on. There is always something you fear deep down. The trial is a way to test your strength of character and your ability to handle the challenges that life throws at you. If a person with no fear or connections to society entered this trial, all he would find is the exit door without even needing the key, instantly passing. Such person has never appeared so far, but I deduce this would happen."
Yomite mulled over the information, feeling intrigued, "Do you perhaps know who put all of these trials here in the Spiral Abyss? I heard some weird message pop up, when Fake Venti was about to disappear, who was talking back then?"
Barbara hesitated, her expression turning serious.
"I'm sorry, Yum-Yum, but I cannot reveal that information. The origins and purpose of the Spiral Abyss and its trials are a closely guarded secret, known only to those who have been entrusted with it."
Yomite's curiosity only grew with Barbara's refusal to disclose the information. However, he knew he wouldn't be able to get it out of her. There was bound to be some bullshit anime filter that would prevent her from speaking or something, it always happened to main characters when they were about to know the truth of the world or more information about the final villain of an arc...
"Thanks, Barbara. For everything. Mostly for leading me to the door without trying to kill me again... I really appreciate that. I'll make sure to cherish the time we had together and do my best for the Real Barbara too."
Barbara's eyes filled with tears, but she smiled through them. "That's all I could ever ask for, Yum-Yum. I'm grateful for the time we shared, and I know the other me will be even more grateful for the love and support you'll give her." she smiled warmly as she slowly began to fade into the air. "Remember, Yum-Yum, always take care of the girls around you."
As her image disappeared completely, Yomite sighed and faced the door. He reached for the key he was given by Venti before, and with a slight hesitation, he inserted it into the keyhole.
***
