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Protected: Ore ga heroine Book 2 Chapter 6 Part 6
Ore ga heroine Book 2 Chapter 6 Part 2
CHAPTER 6 – THE WAY WE POWERLESS BEINGS FIGHT
PART 02
——
It turned out to be a terrifying ride…
I felt like I’d just alighted from a nausea-inducing, human-sized roller coaster. However, we’d reached Ziz Village in a third of the time it took us to make the initial trip.
Iris and I rested up at the temple while we waited for Tetra to gather all the villagers. I would need their help to accomplish my plan.
Slowly, groups of villagers started to stream into the temple behind Tetra.
“That’s everybody.”
“Thanks, Tetra.”
There were about 50 men and women gathered here in this large plaza, decorated solely with the coffin and goddess statue. There were some old people, and some young ones too… but everyone seemed to wear the same bored expression on their faces.
It felt like they were only gathered here because they were asked to do so. In fact, they resembled a bunch of school students during morning assembly, too busy staving off sleep. Just like me, who never bothered listening to anything the principal said during those times.
However, I needed these people to listen now.
“Erm, sorry to make everyone gather here so suddenly like this.”
“……”
Nobody responded to my awkward announcement.
Undeterred, I continued.
“I think everybody already knows that the ‘Monster of Haishin’ is raging right behind the sealed door now. Lea… or one of my comrades, needs to eat something soon if she wants to continue fighting.”
“……”
Nobody said anything in response. Some had turned to their neighbors, and were chatting with them.
“If the ‘Monster’ escapes from the sealed space, then he will surely destroy this world. So please, lend me your strength. I need your help.”
I gave a deep bow to emphasize my words.
Still no answer came.
Was I not sincere enough? Or did I botch up my explanation? In any case, things looked really bad.
Tetra had said that anything that was placed into the coffin would increase infinitely, but the rate at which that happened would depend on the number of people praying. Furthermore, only the villagers were able to make this work. If I couldn’t get their help, I’d never be able to gather enough of the item I needed to defeat Bahamut.
Just as I opened my mouth to plead again, Tetra stepped before me.
“Tetra?”
“Leave this to Tetra, Rekka-san.”
With that, Tetra steeled her expression and turned to the villagers.
“Everyone, please listen. From today, all of us are dismissed from our duties as guardians. That means that everyone is no longer allowed to utilize the gifts given to us by the gods.”
A commotion gradually spread through the silent crowd.
Gifts from the gods. She must have meant the artificial glow lighting up the village, and the coffin which could give them limitless items… If they were no longer allowed to use these items, it could very well spell doom for the villagers.
“How do you know we’re dismissed from our duties!?”
A sharp voice rang out from the crowd.
“That’s the conclusion Tetra arrived at after piecing together clues from all the scattered legends.”
“That’s a lie!”
“It’s not a lie.”
The villagers were getting agitated, but Tetra rebuffed all accusations in a calm voice.
“Is there anyone here who has examined the written works and legends about the village more than Tetra?”
Nobody dared to answer that question.
“Tetra is speaking the truth. Today, Rekka-san will defeat the ‘Monster of Haishin’, and our job as guardians will be over… Thus, we need to look for a new path towards the future… A path that allows all of us to survive.”
Silence fell over the plaza. It was clear that no one knew what to say.
These people, who had lived all their lives dependent on the gifts from the gods, were now being told to survive without any of those benefits… If I were one of them, I would probably be speechless too.
“…Then maybe we shouldn’t defeat the ‘Monster’?”
Someone suggested in a whisper.
Maybe that was what everyone in the crowd was thinking.
But,
“…That is nonsense!”
Tetra whirled and shouted towards the source of the voice.
“If the ‘Monster’ escapes, this village and the world above will all be destroyed!! Have you not been listening? If that’s what you really feel, then all of you are the worst!!”
Her shouts echoed through the plaza.
“Is everyone really happy like this? Living in this place with no suffering, but also no happiness. Doesn’t everyone feel a little sorrowful? Our lives had always been planned out by the gods, but today, we’ll finally have the chance to make a choice!”
Tetra’s voice was firm as she continued to reach out.
“…If we all stand together, we can overcome any new challenges, and this laziness which has besieged us for millions of years. So please… stand up and fight! Fight against the ‘Monster’! Fight against ourselves!”
Tetra must have wanted to speak these words to the villagers for the longest time…
“…Tell us what to do, Tetra-sama.”
…And it seemed like her words had finally moved the villagers.
“Thank you, everyone.”
Bowing to the crowd, Tetra returned to my side.
“Rekka-san.”
“Yeah.”
I nodded and reached into my pocket, retrieving the plastic bag which contained Tsumiki’s cooking — the Dark Matter.
“First, let’s make more of these with everyone’s help. And then…”
After explaining the basics of our battle plan to the villagers, I whispered a “Thank you” to Tetra.
With her help, we were ready for battle.
Now, it was just a matter of giving it our best shot.
Book 2 Chapter 5 Part 5
CHAPTER 5 – CONNECTING THE DIFFERENT THREADS
PART 05
——
“!?”
Had the ground split open? Were we going to be swallowed up by the earth?
I wanted to call out to the girls, but my voice wouldn’t work. My body had also stopped responding, and my head started to spin as a strange, indescribable feeling overwhelmed me.
Just as I was about to puke, it all suddenly stopped.
“……?”
I hadn’t realized that I’d screwed my eyes shut during the ordeal. I slowly opened them to see—
“Rekka?”
—Tsumiki and Iris staring down at me.
“……Huh?”
A glance around confirmed that I was in the backyard of the “Nozomiya”. Satsuki, Harissa and Tetra were here too, looking around with confused expressions on their faces.
Iris was the first to move.
“Rekka—!”
“Gyueh!!”
She had thrown herself towards me, embracing me with her entire body and causing me to fall backwards.
“I was so worried! I looked everywhere, but I couldn’t find you! So I asked around and someone said that you were at this girl’s house, and hadn’t gone to school for 3 days! I thought that Satsuki was right, that the strange curse had affected your head and made you weird!”
“No no no! Wait a minute, ouch!”
Iris was hugging me so hard that I felt like I was going to burst open. Her usually hidden tail was out in the open now, wagging furiously in response to her joy.
“I’m fine! I’ve been really healthy here! So relax, Iris! And hide your tail! Tsumiki’s gonna see it!”
“Huh? Oh, you’re right. Oops!”
In a flash, Iris had curled her tail around itself and tucked in back under her skirt.
“Huh? I thought I saw… Ehh?”
Luckily, it all happened so fast, and Tsumiki was too caught up in the commotion to really take note.
“Anyway, are you really alright, Rekka?”
Iris asked again, concerned.
“Yes, I’m really alright… But how did I end up here?”
I clearly remembered being in the fake world a moment ago, but here I was, sitting in “Nozomiya”‘s backyard. And how about Lea? And Bahamut? Just what had happened?
“Don’t you know, it’s because Rekka and I are connected by destiny~”
“No, I don’t think that’s the case.”
Just as I was puzzling over how to explain the situation to Iris, Tsumiki, who had been quiet all this while, suddenly rushed over and aimed a kick at my head.
“What are you doing, playing lovebirds here in my house!?”
“We’re not! Anyway, that’s not the point! How did I end up here, and when!? I don’t understand!”
“Huh? …We’re the ones who don’t understand. We came out here because we heard a huge commotion, then we saw all of you fly out of that hole. So what happened with you guys?”
Tsumiki asked, an eyebrow raised in query.
“The hole…?”
Tsumiki pointed—at the hole which existed in “Nozomiya”‘s backyard, which had now grown larger. Now, it was just the right size for a human to crawl through.
“…I see.”
The hole must have opened up from all the shaking caused by Lea and Bahamut’s battle, and we had been close enough to fall through it. That was what brought us back to the real world.
That means we had no time to lose. I needed to get back there as soon as I could!
I stood up and made my way back to the hole, fully intending to jump back in— But Tsumiki blocked my way.
“Wait a second! Where do you think you’re going?”
“Please, let me go! I need to get back there immediately!”
“——!!”
*slap!*
“Hu-h…?”
I dumbly raised a hand to where Tsumiki had slapped me, feeling the sting of the hit. My mind, which had been jumbled up with thoughts, suddenly calmed down a little.
Tsumiki continued to glare at me,
“…Well, go then! It doesn’t matter that I have no idea where you went, or what you did these past 3 days!”
As if letting out her anger, Tsumiki stamped a foot on the ground.
“I’ve been practising my cooking all this time…and I’ve gotten better! So I don’t need you anymore. Having a taste tester is optional, anyway. I can do this by myself. As for you… As for you, just go away and never come back!”
Tsumiki shouted with tears in her eyes.
“……”
I had been in such a panic due to everything that had happened, but now, my head slowly cleared.
Everything which I’d anticipated hadn’t happened as planned.
I had no way of hurting Bahamut.
Tetra had shielded me from his attack, and gotten hurt.
I hadn’t stopped Lea when she uttered her death wish, then I’d let her go to die alone.
My heart had been so overwhelmed with rage at my powerless self, but finally, I managed to regain a sense of composure.
Time passed more slowly in the fake world, but I’d still left Tsumiki all alone for 3 days. Now, looking into her tear-filled eyes, I apologized.
“…I’m sorry. I told you I’d be back soon, yet I took so long and made you wait.”
“Shut up! …Who said I was lonely!?”
Tsumiki was a headstrong girl, so she probably didn’t like to hear the implication that she had been lonely.
She probably didn’t want to show me any tears as well, so I dragged her into my arms, a silent offer for her to dry her tears on my shirt.
If I returned to the fake world like this, I might be killed, and Tsumiki’s “story” would come to a bad end, making her cry again. The more I thought about it, the more I shuddered. It wasn’t only Tsumiki; without me, Tetra’s “story” might also crumble into pieces.
Filled with rage and panic, I didn’t mind charging onwards and falling and getting hurt, but to drag all these girls into it with me— I would never allow it.
“Rekka, are you feeling better?”
“Satsuki… Sorry.”
“It’s alright.”
My childhood friend smiled graciously as she accepted my apology.
“You’ve said it yourself, Rekka. Let’s all put our heads together and think of a way to solve this.”
“She’s right, Rekka-san.”
Tetra nodded in agreement with Satsuki’s words.
“Tetra will help too. Lea-san is doing her best to battle for everyone, so that we can have the time to think.”
“I’ll do my best to help Rekka-sama too!” Harissa offered.
“I don’t really know what’s going on, but I’ll do anything for Rekka!” Iris added.
“Wait a minute. I’m serious when I said I have absolutely no clue. What’s going on here?”
Sniffling, Tsumiki looked thoroughly lost.
Iris looked slightly confused as well, since she didn’t know anything about the “stories”… Just then, she suddenly let out a loud scream.
“Rekka, your hand is heavily injured! We need to get it fixed!”
“Oh. Erm… Thanks.”
“Leave it to me!”
With that, Iris plunged her hand into her wormhole pouch.
“I brought lots of stuff from Phenerita which can heal you up, Rekka. Of course, there are some of the usual medicines which will do for now… Huh? There’s so much stuffed inside that they’re all stuck together now. There!”
With a heave, Iris gave a tug inside her pouch, and a heap of…what looked like medical supplies tumbled out with a crash. Wait, was that studded hammer really used to heal someone?
“Anyway, what’s up with that giant injection needle?”
I pointed to the huge needle resting amidst the pile of scattered medical supplies. Its entire length was almost my height.
“Hmm? That’s a medical gun used to heal the space monsters, that’s why it’s so big. Because it’s for monsters.”
Iris explained matter-of-factly as she placed a bandage over my fist.
For monsters, she said. Its diameter was as thick as my arm… The whole thing was large enough to spear me through.
“The syringe part of the medical gun which holds the medicine works just like my pouch, so it’s a wormhole. It can hold as much liquid as all the oceans on your planet.”
“Wow…”
“There are many others too. For open wounds, internal injuries, head injuries, blood transfusions…”
“Whoa…”
I broke out in cold sweat as I pretended to be fascinated by Iris’ grim descriptions.
The needle alone would be enough to cause a fatal wound, but to be injected with that much medicine would cause me to explode like a balloon…
“——Oh!”
A spark suddenly ran across my brain as I stared at the huge needle of the medical gun.
Various small pieces were starting to come together, as if pulled by invisible strings.
And a method to defeat the “perfect creature” slowly formed in my mind.
The different threads didn’t make sense on their own, but connected together, even the weakest threads could form a strong steel rope.
I was powerless alone— but with everyone’s help!
Tsumiki, “Nozomiya”, Tetra, Ziz Village, the method to rescue Lea, the way to defeat Bahamut, all weaved together.
“Tsumiki! Do you have any Dark Matter, I mean, failed cooking experiments right now?”
“Why must you mention ‘failed’!? ……Yes, I do have some.”
“Then give it to me. We need it right now.”
“Huh? I don’t get it. Anyway, are you going to leave again?”
“Sorry! I’ll explain everything later. There’s no time now!”
“You said that 3 days ago too. You promised you’ll explain it all to me…”
I guessed she was angry at being left behind again. No, I was sure of it, but we didn’t have any time to waste now.
“I’m really sorry! But I’ll definitely not abandon you, Tsumiki.”
“Wha—!? Waah, hey!”
Grasping both her hands in mine, I made a solemn promise.
“I’ll definitely be back before Food Champion, so please let me go now. I’m begging you, please trust me.”
“H-How can you say such embarrassing things with such a straight face!?”
“??”
Why was Tsumiki avoiding my gaze? Was I not sincere enough? Damn it…
Just as I was thinking of what to say to convince Tsumiki, Tetra came over and laid her own hands on top of ours.
“Tsumiki-san. Rekka-san is not a person who would abandon anyone by choice. Even if the other person isn’t even a human, even if the enemy is impossibly powerful, he will do everything he can to help. So please, won’t you believe us?”
“Erm… So you trust this guy?”
“Yes. Tetra trusts Rekka-san.”
“……Alright, I get it!! …I know you’re not a bad guy. I’ll believe you one last time. But you have to explain everything to me once you get back!”
“Thanks, Tsumiki and Tetra.”
I nodded to both of them in gratitude, then immediately set about getting things ready.
After all, we’d need some time to make sure everything was in place.
Thus, I needed to rely on Lea to hold on for as long as she could in battle.
I felt like a fraud, using a “heroine” to buy time for myself, but, Lea…
I would never fulfill your death wish.
Sealing both you and Bahamut up, then destroying the fake world with you in it… I would never do that.
You were left alone for so long, I’d never leave you alone again.
I’ll fight, to ensure that nobody needed to sacrifice their lives, until all of us could smile together and welcome a happy end.
I’ll definitely rescue everyone.
Book 2 Chapter 3 Part 5
CHAPTER 3 – PRAYER AND BETRAYAL
PART 05
——
“Huh!? What!?”
The magical physical strength was gone as well, as I pitched forward and fell on my face. My chin hit the ground hard, and stars danced before my eyes for a moment.
“…Oh dear, I guess you really are an ordinary human being, Namidare Rekka.”
The disgustingly-cute elephant fairy Baa-kun, whom we had been searching for all this while to no avail, was once again floating before my eyes. My transformation bracelet was also back in his hands.
“Baa-kun, why…?”
“Yes. I was indeed suspicious at first that you were merely hiding your true powers from me, so I decided to put you in a dire situation where you’d be forced to use them… But you have disappointed me, Namidare Rekka. You’re just like any other normal human being.”
“?”
What was he saying?
“In short, Baa-kun-san had hidden himself away just now, to test if you are a human with any superpowers.”
R explained patiently, meeting my confused gaze.
But I still didn’t get it. If he really wanted to test my powers, we could still work together in battle. There was really no need to put all of us in danger of being crushed flat by Leviathan.
Then, I recalled the icy feeling I’d felt back when Baa-kun and I were standing before the “sealed space”, right after I’d told Baa-kun that I was just an ordinary human.
Had he been planning this all the way since then…?
“…Bahamut, I didn’t expect you to turn up in person.”
Just then, Leviathan’s voice, filled with hatred, boomed down from far above our heads.
I tensed, but the “monster”s eyes were trained only on Baa-kun.
“I’ve been waiting for this day, when I will finally get my revenge.”
“Is that right? Sorry to have kept you waiting.”
In contrast to Leviathan’s rage, Baa-kun’s attitude was full of jest. I glanced up to see his mouth stretched wide in a grin.
“I was quite anxious when I saw that you almost managed to break through the seal, since that meant that you had regained most of your strength. But now that I’ve seen you, I guess it was a needless worry. I mean, there’s less than one percent of your original power left within you right now, am I right?”
Less than one percent? Did Leviathan truly possess such a tremendous amount of power?
Ignoring my shock, Baa-kun smiled indulgently.
“Well, I’m quite curious to learn how you regained this strength, seeing that there’s nothing for you to eat in this ‘sealed space’… But you’re still so weak that you can’t even break through that little old seal, and you want to exact revenge upon me? That’s just suicidal.”
“…I promised that I would defeat you with my own hands, so as to redeem us from the mistakes you’d made. No matter how weak I may be, I’ll surely defeat you,” the white serpent declared.
“Hahaha! To think that I’d come here, all prepared for battle. How foolish of me. So, shall I show you just how much our powers differ after these billions of years?”
Baa-kun teased, before turning to me once again.
“By the way, Namidare Rekka. I’ll take back this power which I lent to you. It’ll be child’s play defeating this creature single-handedly.”
With that, Baa-kun tossed the bracelet into his mouth and chewed it up.
Once he swallowed it, his entire form started to change.
His body started to grow till he was as tall as I was, then expanded till his girth was three times my size. His limbs extended as well, while five fingers with talons sprouted from his front legs. Finally, his nose, ears and tusks grew to match his new size.
He was no longer something as cute as a fairy…now, he resembled a fearsome demon.
Placing his hands on his stout tummy, Baa-kun scrunched up his snout and turned towards Leviathan, who was charging towards him.
*SNORT!*
Suddenly, an explosion shook the ground.
“GYYYYAAAAAOOOOOO!”
The huge serpent twisted as it screamed in agony.
*SNORT!* *SNORT!* *SNORT!*
With every blow ejecting from Baa-kun’s nose, explosions bloomed all over Leviathan’s body.
Blood gushed from its body like fountains, and the smell of burnt flesh stung my nose.
Leviathan, its body buffeted by numerous explosions and blood spewing, still continued its charge towards Baa-kun.
However, it was all in vain.
Then, Leviathan conjured up several water spouts around its body, which then morphed into water snakes that struck out at Baa-kun.
It was still futile.
All its desperate attacks and miraculous water magic just bounced off the elephant demon’s body, as Baa-kun remained standing firm and firing strikes at the serpent.
I stared at Baa-kun, the one whom I should never have trusted. Why was it that he appeared so sinister now?
“GUURGH…… GYAA…… URGH……!”
Finally, Leviathan used up all its power and collapsed, unable to hold itself up any longer.
Under my dumbfounded gaze, its giant serpentine body started to break up into pieces and disintegrate.
“Oh, it looks like it can no longer maintain this form.”
“…What do you mean?”
“Leviathan and I take on different forms depending on the amount of power residing within our bodies. Thus, when depleted of strength, it becomes hard to maintain our giant form. I think there’ll be nothing left of Leviathan now but a mere shell.”
“What are you guys, balloons!?”
If their bodies were inflated by air (=energy), then it was natural that they would shrink in size once the air had been let out, leaving only the rubbery skin.
“Well, it does work that way. Let’s go search for its shell now, and put a needle to it?”
Smiling, Baa-kun sauntered off.
After yelling out to the girls, I dashed off after him.
When we finally caught up with Baa-kun, the one we saw collapsed at his feet…was none other than what looked like a human female.
“Baa-kun! Who’s that!?”
“Hmm? Oh, this is Leviathan’s shell.”
“I…see…?”
I guess it must be true, since the only living creature within this “sealed space” was the “Monster of Haishin”. In that case, it meant that the woman must really be Leviathan.
But even though it might resemble a human now, it was still the “Monster of Haishin”, the “most powerful creature” that had almost destroyed Earth…
Then I should just stand by and watch Baa-kun eliminate her…
“Hmm…? So it’s really true…”
R, who was shaking her head and twirling around in midair, stared at Leviathan as she spouted her nonsense again.
Yet it somehow ignited a strong reaction within me.
“Oi, what is it? What’s really true?”
I hissed in a soft voice so that the girls wouldn’t hear.
“Well, she seems like a ‘heroine’ to me.”
“……Huh?”
“I said, that lady there is most probably a ‘heroine’. I thought it wasn’t possible at first, but I’m quite sure of that now.”
“…!? Baa-kun, wait a minute!”
Responding instinctively to R’s revelation, I shouted and dashed towards Baa-kun. Stumbling the last few feet, I leapt between the two of them and shielded Leviathan with my body.
“Oh dear… What are you doing?”
“Erm, well…”
I broke out in a cold sweat under Baa-kun’s narrowed glare.
“Rekka-san! What are you thinking?”
Tetra and the other girls appeared shocked as well. I guess I must seem crazy.
But I couldn’t explain my own actions. Was it because Leviathan was now in human form? Or was it because she was a “heroine”? It must be a combination of both that made me unable to watch her be killed.
Moreover…I was slightly suspicious of Baa-kun’s story.
And the way he treated me after discovering that I had no powers.
As well as the way he attacked Leviathan so viciously.
Furthermore, the conversation between Leviathan and Baa-kun seemed extremely strange.
Baa-kun had told us right from the start that he was “seeking revenge”.
However, before the battle, the one who was talking about revenge was Leviathan instead.
It was as if their positions had been switched.
Just as I was about to confront Baa-kun,
“…Alright, this is it.”
Suddenly, his attitude changed.
“Namidare Rekka, I have no more use of you. Now die.”
With that, he eloquently pronounced my death sentence.
“What!?”
“Goodbye, useless being.”
Baa-kun aimed his long snout towards me.
Shit…! I was going to explode!
My body locked up, unable to move a muscle as thoughts of myself exploding filled my mind.
“Rekka!”
Then, the flames of the explosion blinded my eyes as I faintly saw a translucent barrier shimmering into place before me. It was Satsuki’s magic.
“Oh, you deflected my attack,” Baa-kun noted in mock admiration.
“Escape spells and protective magic are my specialties, after all!” Satsuki yelled furiously.
Baa-kun smiled, before aiming another attack at us, but before he could do so, Harissa had appeared beside me as well, pulling Tetra along.
“Jearim Neckrum!” She chanted.
Then,
“Hmm? Where did everyone go?”
Baa-kun looked around in puzzlement, as if we had disappeared into thin air… Yes, it was Harissa’s invisibility spell!
It was the first time I was involved in the spell, and I noted that I could still see the girls standing beside me, as well as Leviathan. I guess Harissa must have cast the spell over all of us.
Satsuki waved us over, then indicated that we should all hold on to her.
Harissa and Tetra grabbed on to one of Satsuki’s arms each, while I hefted the immobile Leviathan upon my back and rested my hands on Satsuki’s shoulders.
Then, all of us floated into the air.
But just as we were about to head towards the temple,
“Hmm~ Maybe I should seal the exit just in case.”
Satsuki grimaced as we heard Baa-kun whispering to himself.
In the end, we floated in the opposite direction, getting as far away from Baa-kun as we could.
Book 2 Chapter 3 Part 4
CHAPTER 3 – PRAYER AND BETRAYAL
PART 04
——
It seemed that Leviathan had suddenly regained its strength, and was rampaging behind the door. At this rate, the seal could be destroyed any minute… Seeing everyone, who had gathered due to the commotion, present, Baa-kun spoke out.
“It’ll be bad for all of you if Leviathan escapes to your world, right? So the best strategy is for us to move in right now.”
“I see. Guess we don’t have a choice.”
I gulped at the sudden change in circumstances and steeled myself.
“…But Rekka hadn’t slept a wink. Will you be alright?” Satsuki asked with narrowed eyes.
“…I was waiting for you in bed,” Harissa huffed.
It was a weirdly tense situation. I hurriedly changed the topic.
“Well! Anyway, are you two really coming along?”
“Of course.”
“I’ll support Rekka-sama all the way.”
Yes, I’d expected just that answer from the two of them…but there was still one more person.
“Why are you here, Tetra?”
“Tetra was the one who dragged you into this in the first place, so she has the duty to see you through it till the very end.”
“Well, but-”
“She means to come along no matter what you say,” Harissa explained.
Tetra smiled.
“Yes. Tetra will not allow you to head into dangerous territory alone. You were the one who said that you would be with her all the way, after all.”
“…..!”
Unable to meet her intense gaze, I swallowed my protests.
Why were all the “heroines” this time round so stubborn?
“Rekka…I’d like to hear more about your story with her once we get back, alright?”
“……”
Satsuki and Harissa were both glaring at me angrily for some reason. What was going on!?
“By the way, how are we supposed to get to the other side of the seal, Baa-kun?”
As a last resort, I turned to Baa-kun in hopes of changing the topic. I hoped the spell to teleport us there would be so difficult that the girls would have to stay behind. They’d surely kick up a fuss, but it was infinitely better than putting them in harm’s way.
“Since we’re on the outside of the ‘sealed space’, we just have to cast a simple spell to open the door. The spell helps to keep normal humans out of the ‘space’.”
…Wait, did that mean that the door would be left open once we entered?
It was too dangerous, and I briefly wondered if I could get the girls to wait for us outside… Nahh, even if I could lock them up somewhere, they would probably use magic to escape and come after me anyway. I gave up.
“Alright. But I expect the three of you to stay out of harm’s way.”
“Alright.”
“Yes, Rekka-sama!”
“Tetra understands.”
I hoped they would keep their word…
“Are we done chatting? Let’s go.”
With that, Baa-kun started up a complicated chant.
~~~~~
As the door opened and we finally entered the “sealed space”,
“……Huh?”
We found ourselves still standing inside the temple.
“Baa-kun, what’s going on?”
“The gods created a fake Earth inside this ‘sealed space’. I guess you can call it a man-made, or god-made parallel universe? But it’s not a perfect copy, so no life can grow here. Besides, the temple is now located aboveground.”
So we were in a fake world that resembled the real one?
As we exited the (fake) temple, the scenery which greeted us was not of Ziz village, but of an area on the surface, just as Baa-kun had said. In fact, the place looked awfully familiar.
“Isn’t this where our city is built? It looks different because there are no buildings.”
“Oh, you’re right!”
Hearing Satsuki’s reasoning, I finally recognized the area.
No life… Which meant that there were no humans, so there were no homes and shops and roads. I could almost recognize the landscape and rivers, but the surrounding forest made it hard to see too far. Light was pouring down from the sky, but it didn’t feel like real sunlight.
“Well, it’s a place that resembles our world, but it’s actually quite different in many aspects, the most important being that time passes extremely slowly here.”
“Ohh~. A world that’s like ours, but not… What a strange place.”
Come to mention it, I couldn’t hear a single sound.
Was a world without life this silent…? Now I finally understood the meaning of the phrase “silent as the grave”.
“I think I’ll go crazy if I had to spend three days in this place.”
“Me too.”
“Me three.”
“Tetra thinks so too.”
Yet this world, which all of us found uninhabitable, was where Leviathan had been trapped for eras.
“By the way, where’s Leviathan? This is strange. If it was rampaging right against the seal, we should have encountered it the moment we entered this world.”
“Maybe the opening of the door made it wary, and it’s now hiding somewhere, watching us… Rekka, you should transform now.”
“Urgh…alright.”
Heeding Baa-kun’s advice, I lifted up the arm with the bracelet… I totally didn’t want to do this.
But now was not the time to grumble, as I got ready to transform.
“Erm… Why did I have to do this chant again?……… Twirly twirly twirling jump! Transform me into a twirly destructive magical girl!”
Chanting the horrible spell Baa-kun had taught me, I drew a circle with the bracelet on my arm, then formed a V-sign with my fingers, with tongue out.
‘I want to die…’
I thought as light surrounded my body.
“Pfft!”
“…P-pfft!”
“R-Rekka-sama? What is- pfft!!”
Unable to control themselves, the three girls were defeated by my transformation.
I’ll say it again.
I just wanted to die.
Well, at least transforming into the magical girl gave me extreme physical strength, so I didn’t need to rely on Baa-kun as much.
The main bulk of the fighting would probably be left to Bahamut, the “perfect creature”. I mean, he was probably the only one strong enough to face Leviathan, the “most powerful creature”. I would most likely play a supporting role.
“Alright, it’s up to you now, Baa-kun…… Eh?”
Baa-kun was gone.
“Hey, wait! Where did Baa-kun go!?”
“Huh? I-I don’t know.”
The three girls were so amused by my transformation pose that no one had seen Baa-kun leave.
In a panic, we started calling out to Baa-kun, but were only answered with silence.
“R… Where’s Baa-kun?”
I whispered.
“I was watching Rekka-san’s lovely transformation too, so I don’t know.”
“Hey hey…”
Without Baa-kun in this “story”, the chances of winning against Leviathan were almost zero.
We split up and started searching for Baa-kun amidst the nearby rocks, but with no success.
“Rekka-san, what should we do?”
“……”
I had no answer to Tetra’s anxious question.
I had just cast my eyes to the ground in frustration…when suddenly, the sky darkened.
As a huge shadow loomed over us.
“Satsuki! Harrisa! Run!”
“!!”
“Huh? What? Wahh!”
Satsuki responded immediately to my warning, grabbing Harissa and leaping away. She had probably used some flotation magic, and the two of them cleared out of the way with a single bound.
“Ah! Rekka-sa-”
“Watch out!”
Grabbing a confused Tetra, I leapt out of the way as well. Still unable to fully control my strength, I ended up leaping a considerable distance in the opposite direction of where Satsuki went.
As I was still suspended in the air, “it” descended from the sky.
It was enormous… I could just imagine it easily smashing a skyscraper to bits. No, it was even larger than that. A humongous white serpent landed onto the ground, instantly creating a crater underneath itself.
“Leviathan!”
Rather than a serpent, I guess it was more accurate to call it a dragon, but it wasn’t like those dragons from fairytales. It had horns on its head, as well as wings and a huge fan-like tail. Its body was covered with wavy lines, and floating above its head was a weird contraption which resembled golden headphones. It was definitely a fantastic creature; a true “monster” created by the gods.
Shit! Were we really supposed to take on this creature alone?
Why wasn’t Baa-kun here with us at this critical moment? With no answer, I had no choice but to face the situation head-on.
“Tetra, you stay here.”
“Rekka-san!”
Hiding the weeping Tetra behind a distant rock, I ran back towards Leviathan.
“Hm? What?”
Just then, R let out a gasp as she tilted her head to the side, as if surprised by something.
“R, what’s up?”
“I don’t know. Maybe it’s just me.”
“What’s wrong with you!”
Why did this future being choose to speak in riddles at such a time!?
“Satsuki! Harrisa!”
I yelled for the other two girls.
“Rekka!”
“Rekka-sama!”
I soon heard their replies, which meant that they were searching for me as well.
The two girls were caked in dirt, but didn’t look to be injured in any way. It was a great relief.
“Rekka, what should we do?”
“I’d like to know too…but let’s just wing it.”
I was actually just acting tough, but there was nothing I could do but hold out now.
“If I lose, you two grab Tetra and head back to Earth via the temple!”
“Definitely not. I’ll stay to support you.”
“Me too!”
Why couldn’t these girls just listen to me for once!?
“Argh! Dammit! Then at least promise that you won’t go anywhere near the ‘monster’, alright!?” I demanded desperately, before dashing off towards Leviathan.
And this stupid skirt was just getting in my way!
Cursing the magical girl costume, I lifted up my stick.
Just then, the creature turned its enormous head and looked down at me.
“You bastards… You came in with ‘him’, didn’t you? Are you ‘his’ comrades?”
“Him”? Who was this “him”?
But I had no time to ponder that.
The power Baa-kun had given to me was destructive indeed, but how effective would it actually be against this humongous “monster”?
In desperation, I swung my stick out towards the creature.
Just then, I suddenly de-transformed.
Book 2 Chapter 2 Part 5
CHAPTER 2 – UNDERGROUND PEOPLE AND THE MAGICAL GIRL
PART 05
——
While it was shocking to learn that there was a tunnel leading down to the underground world right in the hills behind the school, I was even more appalled at the deteriorated condition of the tunnel. As the steps were steep, with rocks of all sizes littered all over, we spent half the time tripping and stumbling along. While Baa-kun had offered to light our way with his magic, it was still very dark, and the sense of claustrophobia great.
Right now, the tunnel had widened somewhat, and the ceiling was high, so we were able to walk normally.
However, Tetra warned that the walls and ceiling at this point were really weak, and there was a possibility that stones might fall from above onto our heads. Thus, we had to remain on constant alert.
“Just how many hours have we walked…?” I asked no one in particular as I trudged along listlessly.
“About ten hours,” Satsuki replied, equally exhausted.
*pant…pant…*
Tetra, who was panting so softly that it sounded like an insect’s breath, was unable to come up with a reply. Since she was used to being underground, I guess it was the physical exhaustion that had tired her out.
“Come on, everyone, strive on,” Baa-kun cheered.
“Rekka-san. Only bishounen are allowed to show signs of weakness,” R teased.
Of course they would say so, they were floating through the air, after all. And R was especially irritating.
“Well…things will be much easier if I can just transform into the magical girl,” I sighed.
In the face of the tough trek ahead, my embarrassment was slowly withering away. Furthermore, if I transformed, I’d have enough energy to carry the two girls along, but…
“As I’ve said before, I won’t recommend it. The transformation is designed for a short battle, and turning into the magical girl will just sap your energy and magical power, so you’ll need to preserve it for later use,” Baa-kun countered.
Then why didn’t he design something that was more economical…?
Argh, this was getting unbearable.
“Tetra, it’s hard to imagine how you managed to make your way to the surface despite losing your rations and light. It was mostly an uphill trek, right?” I asked, not hiding the admiration in my voice.
*pant, pant!*
“Oh, sorry. It’s alright, you don’t need to reply.”
“*pant, pant…* It’s, ok. Tetra just, wanted to, save the village…so, *pant…pant…*”
Tetra replied breathlessly, limbs weak and eyes slightly unfocused. We’d been taking short breaks all this while, but she had been in this state for the past few hours.
Yet the one who was always hurrying us along was also none other than this tiny girl.
“The village must be really precious to you.”
“*pant*?”
“Nah, it’s nothing. Just talking to myself.”
Why did both Tsumiki and Tetra have to carry such heavy burdens on their tiny shoulders?
Seeing that, I was even more determined to help them in any way I could.
I wanted to rescue them in their “stories”.
…Just then,
Baa-kun’s magical fire suddenly extinguished with a poof.
“What?! Oi, what’s going on!?”
“Could it be!? Leviatha-…!”
Shrouded in darkness, all of us descended into panic mode. Then,
*rumble…*
When I heard that noise, I reacted instinctively.
“Watch out!”
“Huh?”
Using Satsuki’s shocked exclamation to pinpoint her location, I pounced towards her.
The grinding noise of tumbling rocks crashed just beside us, and a sudden weight toppled the both of us down onto the ground in moments.
“Ouch… Satsuki, are you ok?”
“Ah…yes. Rekka…you’re too close.”
As my eyes got used to the darkness, I saw that Satsuki and I were so close, our noses were almost touching.
“Oh! Sorry!”
I hurriedly jumped off of her.
“It’s ok…”
With a soft moan, Satsuki slowly sat up, keeping her eyes averted from mine. Arghh, this was awkward!
“Che! If you guys had gone just an inch closer.”
Shut up already, R! If we had really been an inch closer, what would it have been like!?
“…Well. So what was that sound?” I quickly changed the topic.
Looking around, I saw that a large boulder had indeed fallen from the ceiling, and was now lodged into the spot where Satsuki had been standing just moments ago.
I was glad I’d acted quickly… I silently thanked my reflexes.
“Rekka-san! Satsuki-san! Is everything alright?”
“We’re ok. How about you two?”
Tetra, whose eyes had started to glow in the dark, and Baa-kun, quickly dashed towards us.
“Baa-kun, what happened to your light?”
“Sorry, sorry. A bug flew into my eye.”
“H-Huh? A bug? Hey hey, can’t you be more careful?”
*patter…*
“…! Who’s there!?”
My senses still on high alert after the incident, I reacted immediately upon hearing a strange sound coming from behind us.
“…*pant, pant, pant*…”
“…Huh?”
My body was tense, expecting an enemy, yet the voice which replied me was strangely cute…and familiar…and flustered.
After a moment, a fist-sized ball of fire appeared, chasing away the darkness from the tunnel.
And the one who followed was,
“H-Harissa?”
…It was the tiny form of the mage whom I’d left at home.
~~~~~
In fact, Harissa had cast an invisibility spell over herself, and had been following us all this while.
“S-S-Sorry! Rekka-sama was acting really weird, so I was worried, and…sorry.”
“…It’s ok. I should have explained things to you. Sorry.”
I hadn’t wanted to drag Harissa into a dangerous “story”, but I’d ended up doing just that. How stupid.
“Well, guess we have no choice. We can’t just let Harissa trek all the way back home from here alone. Not that we can’t trust her to do so, but it’s better if she comes along with us,” Satsuki suggested.
“…Alright, though I was hoping you’d go back with her, Satsuki.”
It was true. I didn’t want to place my childhood friend in such reckless danger. In fact, a dangerous incident had already happened to her just a few minutes before.
“But I was the one who led Tetra-san to you. Even if you disagree, I’ll still come along.”
*gulp…sigh~*
Knowing that nothing I could say would change her mind, I shrugged in defeat.
“Whatever. Harissa, it’s dangerous here, so keep close.”
“Y-Yes! Thank you, Rekka-sama! And thank you too, Satsuki-san!”
Oh dear… Seeing Harissa so excited somehow added to the burden already weighing heavy on my shoulders.
Either way, when the time came to tackle the “monster”, I’d make sure to do it alone. It was the safest option.
“How about we let Harissa light up the way from now on? Baa-kun is just too unreliable.”
“Haha, how mean.”
“It’s true. We’re counting on you, Harissa.”
“Yes! Leave it to me,” Harissa replied cheerfully as she used her staff to generate a slightly larger fireball. With the extra light, we could clearly see the path ahead of us.
And so, our party of four, plus one creature, continued down the tunnel. A few hours later, we finally reached our destination.
Book 2 Chapter 2 Part 1
CHAPTER 2 – UNDERGROUND PEOPLE AND THE MAGICAL GIRL
PART 01
——
Quickly, we brought the girl up to the guest room on the second storey of “Nozomiya” to rest, while Satsuki whipped up a simple porridge for her. The girl, who had appeared so weak when Satsuki first brought her in, slowly started to gain strength as she ate and drank.
“…Fuuu, thank you for the meal.”
The girl, who was sitting upon the futon, bowed her head in gratitude, stone accessories clinking gently with every movement.
Seeing her out of the danger zone, the group of us gathered around let out sighs of relief.
“It’s alright, I’m just glad you’re ok,” Satsuki reassured her with a smile.
“Tetra apologizes. She accidentally dropped her rations and light on her journey to the surface… Anyway, it was a shorter trip up to the surface compared to going all the way back to the village, so up she came.”
“…? What do you mean, journey to the surface?”
Did she come from somewhere other than Earth?
“Exactly what it means. Tetra came up from the underground village.”
“……”
Did that mean she was some sort of mole person?
Seeing our confused expressions, the girl cast her eyes down.
“Tetra apologizes. It must be hard to believe what she is saying…”
She bowed her head in apology.
“Erm…”
Just as I was about to clarify the situation, I remembered that we didn’t even know her name.
“Tetra Metra Retra, but Tetra is just fine,” the girl, Tetra, replied as she turned her brown eyes to me. They looked perfectly normal now, so I guess they only glowed in the dark.
“So, Tetra, what did you mean when you asked us to save you just now? You were talking about a ‘monster’…can you tell us more?”
Only Satsuki, as well as R, were present with Tetra and I at that moment, so I felt that it was alright to ask, since I was sure she had some fanstastic story to tell.
However, Tetra looked doubtful as she glanced between Satsuki and I.
“Alright, Tetra is not afraid to tell…but there’s really a ‘monster’ in her story, so…”
“Oh… I guess we look like normal high school kids who won’t be able to help… Anyway, did Tetra come to the surface to seek help from someone specific?”
“No, because Tetra and her people won’t be able to handle the situation on their own anymore, so she’s come up here as a last resort…”
“I see. I’m guessing the ‘last resort’ is me.”
“…? What do you mean?”
“Well…”
…I explained the “Namidare Lineage” to Tetra.
“‘Namidare Lineage’…”
“Well, I’m sure it sounds preposterous, but I think the ‘Lineage’ is what brought you to meet me.”
“…Oh.”
It was obvious that Tetra was a “heroine”, what with her “story” involving something as fantastic as a “monster”. It was classic “Namidare Lineage” material.
“Since Tetra is not really looking for anyone specific to help, her meeting with Rekka-san of the ‘Namidare Lineage’ is probably destiny. If you don’t mind, please listen to Tetra’s story.”
With that, Tetra began her tale.
She was born in Ziz Village*, an underground community created for the express purpose of standing guard over the sealed “Monster of Haishin”. And right now, it seemed that the seal was in danger of breaking open.
“A guardian village underground…”
“Yes. Tetra’s ancestors were created billions of years ago, and have been standing guard over the ‘sealed space’ ever since.”
“Wow, that’s a really long time… Satsuki, when did humans first evolve on Earth?”
“About seven million years ago, I think.”
Hmm, did that mean that while both surface and underground people were humans, we had different origins? Their glowing eyes were definitely different, for one.
“But why is the seal suddenly breaking? If the ‘monster’ is a living thing, then its strength should have ebbed throughout all these years of being sealed away. Does that mean it is still as strong as ever?”
Tetra shook her head sadly at Satsuki’s query.
“Tetra isn’t really sure…but since the seal is billions of years old, it might have deteriorated somewhat over the years. Which means that if the ‘monster’ finds a way to regain its strength, it will be able to break the seal totally.”
“…And if the ‘monster’ is revived, both the underground village and Earth’s surface may be destroyed by it again?”
I groaned as I glared up at the ceiling.
So my newest enemy was a godly “monster”.
“Isn’t there some way to renew the seal on the ‘monster’?”
“…Tetra apologizes. Nobody knows how to do that anymore.”
Judging from Tetra’s story, it seemed like all the methods to strengthen the seal and keep the ‘monster’ trapped were lost to history, and that was the reason which had driven her up to the surface to seek help.
However, Satsuki and I had a way to deal with that.
“Excuse me.”
With that, Satsuki stood up and left the guest room.
She was a magician gifted with the Great Magic of Creation, which gave her the power to access the Akashic Records, a record of everything that had happened in our universe from its very beginning to the present time. With that ability, searching for the lost methods was child’s play.
Since the Magic’s existence was to be kept in absolute secrecy, Satsuki had to be alone while harnessing its power to recover the way to seal the “monster”.
“How is she planning to recover the lost information?”
Just as I was conjuring up an excuse to Tetra’s question, Satsuki returned, her face deathly pale.
“Satsuki?”
I called out to my childhood friend hesitantly, but she ignored me, her gaze fixed on Tetra.
“……?”
Tetra tilted her head to one side, a confused expression on her face.
“…Satsuki!”
“Oh!”
I called out louder, taking her by the shoulders and shaking gently. Satsuki finally seemed to break out of her trance.
“…It’s useless. Sealing the ‘monster’ requires a special tool that can’t be utilized right now,” Satsuki whispered to me before hurriedly taking her seat once again.
“…You can’t be serious.”
I could only clutch at my head in frustration at her answer.
I was so certain that this could be easily resolved with Satsuki’s knowledge, so this was indeed a great shock to me.
Did that mean that I’d need to face the “Monster of Haishin”, a creature capable of destroying the Earth, head-on in battle? Impossible! I’d most probably run away than engage the “monster” in a fight.
It was a stalemate.
“Arggh~~~ Dammit!”
If only I had some convenient weapon to help resolve this “story”, or meet with a new character who could be of some help.
“Chirp chirp chirp chirp.”
For some reason, R, who had floated up into the ceiling so that only her lower body still remained in the room, started to chirp like a bird.
Just as I was wishing that I could float as well, if only to drift up and give her a good knock on the head, I heard a sudden knock at the door.
Was it Tsumiki?
I stood and made my way towards the door leading out to the corridor.
“Come on in. Do you need me to taste test something again… Huh?”
I stopped short as I opened the door.
The one standing outside was not “Nozomiya”‘s poster girl.
Nor was it her parents, having returned from their errand in town.
Nor was it a human.
“Hello there. My name is Baa-kun, nice to meet you.”
It was a disgustingly-cute chibi elephant fairy(?) wielding a weird-looking stick.
“Excuse me~”
Flapping his large ears, Baa-kun drifted through the air and slid past me into the room.
“R-Rekka? What’s that?”
“What!?”
Both girls, eyes widened in shock at the sight of the disgustingly-cute fairy, immediately scooted all the way to the back of the room.
“Hello there. My name is Baa-kun, nice to meet you.”
Baa-kun chimed again as he alighted on top of the futon that Tetra was sitting on just a moment ago.
“Huh?”
Standing behind the creature, I spotted a huge chibi-fied bandaid stuck across its back.
It caught my interest, but the overall presence of the fairy was so overwhelming that I didn’t know how to respond. In the end, I settled with,
“Who the heck are you!? What do you want from us!?”
“I’m here on a mission, of course. And haven’t I introduced myself already? I am Baa-kun.”
“Enough with the stupid answers! Of course we’re shocked, what with the sudden appearance of a weird creature! Shall I call the TV station to report your presence!?”
“That’ll be too much trouble. I’ve come with information that will be useful to you. Won’t you hear me out?”
“……”
Usually, I would have just grabbed Baa-kun and thrown him out the window, then wrapped myself up in the futon and convince myself that it was all a dream.
But now, I needed all the help I could get to resolve Tetra’s “story”.
I walked over and plopped myself down in front of Baa-kun.
“So, what do you want to say?”
“Hmm… Before I start, can I just confirm that you are Namidare Rekka?”
“Yes, that’s me.”
“I see. This is great. I only know you by name, so it would be trouble if I got hold of the wrong person.”
How did such a fantasy creature even come to know my name?
“Alright, let’s start from the very end.”
Baa-kun let out a disgustingly-cute smile that gave me goosebumps.
“Namidare Rekka, I need you to harness my power and become a magical girl to defeat the ‘Monster of Haishin’.”
“………………………………………………………………………………….Huh?”
It wasn’t an exaggeration to say that the temperature in the room suddenly dropped to zero.
——
Note:
Tetra’s village is named after Ziz, a giant griffin-like bird in Jewish mythology, said to be large enough to be able to block out the sun with its wingspan. Behemoth, Leviathan and Ziz were traditionally a favorite decoration motif for rabbis living in Russia.
Book 2 Chapter 1 Part 3
CHAPTER 1 – POSTER GIRL AND DARK MATTER
PART 03
——
Lunch break was coming to an end, and I slowly made my way to the stairwell leading down from the rooftop.
R was floating around me in circles, body hunched so that she looked like a tiny boomerang, chanting, “I’m~so~dizzy~”. Her actions contrasted starkly with my misery, but it couldn’t be helped since she couldn’t physically be more than five metres away from me.
Ignoring R, I jogged down the corridor. I’d escaped to the rooftop of the special rooms block to vent my frustrations out of sight, and if I didn’t hurry back, I’d be late for my next lesson.
“Hey hey hey hey wait wait, you over there!”
Just then, a voice, speaking excessively fast, shouted from behind me, halting my progress.
Turning around, I found a fork stabbed into my face by a girl in a slightly worn-looking uniform.
“W-what?”
Our school ties were the same color, which meant that she was a freshman just like me, but her overbearing attitude immediately sounded alarm bells in my head.
“Have you eaten?”
“Huh…?”
Stunned by the unexpected question, I could only come up with a dumb reply.
The girl, with shoulder-length hair tied in a small ponytail on her right side, tapped her foot impatiently.
“I asked, have you had your lunch yet?” She asked again, clarifying herself.
“…Not yet.”
In fact, I hadn’t had lunch, since I took the first chance I got to escape from the classroom to destress. If I didn’t, Satsuki and Iris would have grabbed one of my arms each and forced me to make the gutwrenching decision of who I wanted to eat lunch with that day.
“So you haven’t eaten lunch? You’re not lying, are you?”
“I’m telling the truth… Anyway, isn’t this a weird question to ask someone at the end of lunch break?”
I knew I hadn’t eaten that day, but normally, most students, myself included, would have finished lunch by this time.
So what were the odds that this girl would have asked me this particular question today…?
“Then please eat this.”
With that, the girl stabbed at “something” on the plate she was holding in one hand with the fork.
…Erm, well… What was “this”, actually?
It was black.
But not the natural black of sesame seeds or seaweed.
To be honest, the color resembled something you’d get from mixing all the shades together on a paint palette, then combining it with the clumpiness of potato starch mixed with sulfuric acid… I didn’t know where that description came from, but it seemed to prefectly describe the blackness of the substance on her plate.
And now, that weird black blob was being pushed into my face.
My survival instinct kicked me in the ass, as if telling me to “Run! Run or you’ll die!”
“S-Sorry, but I’m not hungry. Bye!”
With that short excuse, I turned to escape, but she dashed to stand in front of me again.
“All the more you should try this. I’ve added dried plum, lemon, grapefruit, broadbean chilli paste, salty miso and balsamic vinegar to this dish specifically to boost appetite.”
“That’s too weird! That’s just too weird!”
“Sour foods make you salivate more, so you feel hungry. Spicy foods too, so I’ve added everyone’s favorite curry rice in as well.”
“You added too much stuff! And which part of that black blob even resembles curry rice!?”
“Well, I mixed it all together, then grilled, steamed, and chilled it, before adding my secret ingredient.”
But aside from hotpots and salads, don’t all other foods taste bad when mixed all together!? And that secret ingredient did not sound good. For all I knew, she’d added mud into the dish!
My survival instinct kicked me in the ass again.
“……!!”
I quickly turned around again, ready to dash out of this place without a shred of shame…but the girl tripped me up in an instant. The moment I crashed onto the floor, she climbed on top of me. I can’t escape!?
“Come, be a good boy and eat it.”
“Wait wait wait! I actually don’t like spicy food!”
“Oh. It’s alright, since I added chocolate and mont blanc in as well.”
“More weird ingredients!? O-Oh! You added curry with beef, right? My religion forbids me from consuming beef!”
“What’s your religion?”
“Erm…”
What was that religion that forbids the consumption of beef?
“I knew you were lying. Seriously, why does everyone lie?”
“…Everyone?”
“Whenever I ask someone to try this, they all lie and escape. How rude. I actually spent all night cooking up this new item to add to ‘Nozomiya”s menu, so everyone should be grateful and try it.”
“…Just curious, where are all the prople who lied to you?”
“They’re all sleeping in the school infirmary.”
“GYAAAAAAAAAAHHHH!”
That was just too crazy!
Just then, another female student appeared further along the corridor of the special rooms block.
“Tsumiki! What are you doing?”
“Tsk!”
The girl, Tsumiki, clucked her tongue in annoyance, before prying my mouth open forcefully.
“I’m not going to let you stop me again! And you better eat up too… Eat it!”
“GYAAA-pu!?”
The moment that black blob was shoved into my mouth, a taste I’d never experienced before spread across my tongue… Then, memories of that time when I went on a picnic with the old man and mum, and when I played with Satsuki in the park as a child, suddenly flashed through my mind.
“That’s your life flashing before your eyes. I’m outta here.”
With that, my survival instinct bid me goodbye as my vision went black.
Book 2 Chapter 1 Part 1
CHAPTER 1 – POSTER GIRL AND DARK MATTER
PART 01
——
It had been five days since the “Namidare Lineage” was awakened within me, and I had saved three “heroines” from three different “stories”.
Since that school opening ceremony day, I had not been dragged into any more new “stories”, and thus would have led a steady, uneventful, ordinary high school life… Or so I thought.
“Rekka-sama, are you feeling a little tired this morning?”
“…Huh?”
I was stumped when Harissa Hope asked me this question before I headed to school.
With her golden curls and cerulean blue eyes, Harissa looked like a foreign girl, but she was in fact a mage from another world. Unable to return to her own world, she was currently staying at my place.
Since her arrival, she had taken on the responsibility of getting the household chores done. Dressed in a rabbit apron today, she had been hard at work all morning. She had on some of my old clothes under the apron, as my mum’s clothes were too big for her. At first, I was afraid she would dislike them because they were guy clothes, but she seemed to really like them.
Oh well, Harissa was just that sort of industrious, hardworking girl. She might be clumsy at times, but it just added to her charm, and I found her really cute.
Now, with her looking up at me through her lashes, all worried, I suddenly thought that this was a situation most guys would love to find themselves in… I quickly glanced away from her.
“Nah, I just didn’t get enough sleep. I’ll be fine after catching a nap at school,” I lied nonchalantly.
“I see. That’s great. Have a good day, Rekka-sama.”
Accepting my excuse at face value, Harissa gave me a bright smile as she bowed.
Waving goodbye to her with a hand drenched in cold sweat, I exited the house.
~~~~~
I was walking to school alongside Ootomo Satsuki, when she suddenly took a peek at my face.
“Rekka, are you tired?”
“……Huh?”
Stunned by the fact that it was the second time I was being asked the same question, I was late to reply. Awkwardly tilting my head to one side, I sneaked a glance at Satsuki.
She was dressed in our high school uniform, which was a sight I still hadn’t gotten used to, and it made my heart beat a little faster. Since that incident on the first day of school, I’d discovered that she was actually a magician, but our relationship had not changed much since then. It seemed like our bond as childhood friends was still quite intact.
Just then, Satsuki did a little stretch, flipped her long black hair over her shoulder, and looked towards me. I felt like a little boy under the gaze of a watchful, worried big sister.
I knew I should be grateful for her concern…
“Nah, my muscles just feel a little tight. Maybe I exerted myself too much during physical education yesterday,” I fabricated a believable reason on the spot, not looking back at her.
“I see. You can get a cold compress from the school infirmary if the ache doesn’t go away.”
“Yeah…” I replied, keeping my eyes on the road straight ahead.
~~~~~
“Good morning, Rekka.”
“Hey, good morning.”
The one who had greeted me so readily when I entered the classroom was none other than the beauty seated next to me, Iris.
Her real name is Iris Pheneritas Psyfacor, and she was an alien. Though she kept it hidden beneath her clothes so that she resembled a human, she actually had a beautiful silver horse-like tail growing from her butt.
Right now, she was dressed in our high school uniform and studying in the same class as me, posing as a transfer student…I’d rather not touch on the actual reason why she was here on Earth.
“Rekka. Why do you look a little tired?”
Iris asked as she tilted her head to one side, her long twin tails following the movement. Then, she moved closer to me.
“………Is that so?”
This was the third time today, and I had no more energy to avert my eyes or lie.
“Yes. Your expression seems to say ‘I’ve had enough’.”
“……”
Her words were perfect in describing my current mood, but I kept silent.
Suddenly, Iris leapt up from her chair and into my arms, as if unable to tolerate my surly attitude anymore.
“H-Hey!”
“Seriously! You get to see me so early in the morning, you shouldn’t be looking so down!”
“Erm, I see you because we’re attending the same school-”
“Rekka, don’t talk back to me!”
Her selfish attitude was just what I expected from a nobleman’s daughter.
And with her embracing me straight on, a part of her was pressed right against my chest… I wouldn’t name it, but it’s the part with two soft mounds! And to do this first thing in the morning was just too attention-grabbing!
“…Rekka! And Iris-san! Please let go of each other this instant!”
Having had enough of the scene, Satsuki scolded as she banged a fist on her desk, glaring with narrowed eyes at Iris. By the way, Satsuki was seated on my other side. Trapped between these two girls, the trouble never stopped coming.
“What’s wrong!? You’re being so noisy. I’m just worried about Rekka’s health!”
“That does not seem to be the case.”
“Don’t be so grouchy. You’ll never grow big boobs that way, no matter how much milk you drink.”
“Well, it seems like your brain hasn’t grown as well as your boobs, Iris-san.”
These two were not just casually flinging insults at each other. They were hurling them with all their mights.
“…I think it’s about time we had a thorough discussion about that, don’t you think?” Iris taunted with a cold, confident smile.
“Of course. There are some things which I’d love to discuss with you, Iris-san,” Satsuki replied with a smile that made shivers run down my back.
Their gazes locked over me, still trapped in the middle, and sparks seemed to fly. Please do this somewhere else, I don’t want to catch on fire.
“Then let’s go outside for awhile,” Iris said.
“Alright. We’ll decide the victor when one of us is no longer able to stand up,” Satsuki declared.
“Hey, wait, both of you!”
Yes, I said I wanted them to move away, but this really called for a mediation. What they were implying just seemed too dangerous. What did Satsuki mean by one of them no longer being able to stand up!?
Don’t we normally aim to resolve discussions as peacefully as possible!?
And so, another mentally-draining day begins.
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