Chapter III: What Makes a Hero
Kouki Amanogawa. He had been born to average, unassuming parents, but there was one person in his family that he respected greatly, even to this day. His grandfather.
Kouki’s grandfather’s name was Kanji Amanogawa, and he’d been a famous lawyer back in the day. It had been customary in the Amanogawa family to spend extended holidays at Kanji’s house. Since Kanji’s wife had passed away at an early age, he lived alone and doted on Kouki whenever he came to visit. Kouki, in turn, grew rather fond of his grandfather.
The thing he liked most as a kid was hearing Kanji’s stories about his workdays. During his years as a lawyer, Kanji had accumulated a lot of experience and wisdom, which he passed down to his eager grandson. Of course, he’d summarized his stories for Kouki, both so that his grandson had an easier time understanding the lessons contained within, and also to protect confidential client information. Still, he was a good storyteller, and Kouki had hung on to his every word.
Kanji’s stories were always about saving the weak, humbling the strong, and lending a helping hand to those who needed it. The protagonists in his stories always did the right thing and were always fair and impartial. In other words, they were stereotypical heroes. But of course, Kanji’s stories were just that. Stories. While they were based on reality, they were embellished to the point of being fairy tales.
However, as far as Kouki was concerned, the true hero was his grandfather. While other kids his age idolized popular fictional heroes like Kamen Rider, Kouki idolized his grandfather. And because Kanji was someone Kouki could actually talk to rather than a fictional character, his admiration for him was that much stronger. Kouki’s dream was to one day be like his grandfather.
Naturally, however, the world wasn’t like Kanji’s stories. Things weren’t perfectly split into black and white, and justice didn’t always win the day. Lawyers weren’t paragons of justice whose ultimate calling was to unveil the truth, but rather legal advocates whose job was to protect their client’s interests, regardless of who the client was. Indeed, the very reason Kanji had been such a famous lawyer was because he’d been able to accept both the good and evil that came with his job description and make rational decisions based on the evidence presented. He’d understood best of all that justice and idealism weren’t enough to fight against the dark side of society. Of course, he’d kept the more nuanced details of his job from Kouki, believing that a young child shouldn’t be exposed to such truths so early. He’d intended to eventually tell Kouki about his more grim stories once the boy was a bit older.
But unfortunately, he never got the chance. Not long before Kouki was due to start elementary school, Kanji passed away. And his death had a huge impact on Kouki.
It made sense. After all, Kouki’s greatest hero had just died. The passing of his beloved grandfather made Kouki immortalize the ideals Kanji had told him about in his heart as a way of honoring his memory. But those ideals were all tinged with childish simplicity, and they allowed no wiggle room for situations that weren’t black and white. Worse, the way which Kouki interpreted those ideals meant he would always side with what the majority believed was just, even if that majority was wrong.
Of course, that was hardly a unique mindset. Most children Kouki’s age believed in the same simple ideas of right and wrong that he did. However, most other children were eventually given cold, hard doses of reality that contradicted those simple morals they believed in. And after many setbacks and failures, they learned to compromise in their beliefs in order to survive the stormy sea known as life. They realized their ideals were nothing more than ideals, and the heroes they once aspired to be didn’t exist.
Most children locked their childish ideals away in a box and learned to face reality. It was part of growing up.
The same should have happened to Kouki. Had he experienced a normal childhood, he would have ended up perfectly fine.
Unfortunately for Kouki Amanogawa, he was too extraordinary. His superhuman talents allowed him to overcome the wall known as reality. He experienced no failures or setbacks and was always able to get his way through force. He was able to live by the ideals he believed in no matter the situation, and always come out successful.
As a result, Kouki never once doubted the righteousness of his actions. His parents, Shizuku, and his other close friends pointed out the dangers of believing he was always right, but Kouki always brushed their words off. Because of his natural charisma, and the fact that his actions were rooted in moral principles, everyone but those close to him believed Kouki truly was a hero and supported him. However, that sadly served to strengthen Kouki’s belief that his friends’ warnings weren’t worth listening to.
Naturally, not everything he did resulted in positive outcomes. Though he wasn’t aware of it, he caused almost as many problems as he solved. For example, the way he’d caused Shizuku’s classmates to get jealous of her.
However, Kouki always interpreted things in a way that favored his worldview, thus allowing him to continue pretending he was always right. These delusions were only possible because the vast majority of people supported and adored him. His popularity made him blind to his shortcomings. No matter how many times his parents or Shizuku warned him, he didn’t listen.
Though fundamentally he always tried to do the right thing, Kouki’s ideals became warped by their very purity. It was only after being summoned to Tortus that his worldview was finally challenged. Unlike peaceful Japan, Tortus was filled with violence and hatred. More importantly, in this world filled with the supernatural and superhuman, even Kouki’s godlike stats weren’t enough to make everything go his way. The biggest example of this was when a completely transformed Hajime had saved him and his comrades from the demon and her monsters in the Great Orcus Labyrinth. For the first time in his life, things hadn’t gone Kouki’s way. In the aftermath of his first-ever failure, the childish nature of his personality was finally revealed to all. Not only that—
“She was stolen from you, wasn’t she?”
“No! That’s not what...”
Kouki’s copy narrowed its crimson eyes and sneered at Kouki. Its hair was gray, and its armor black. Thirty minutes had passed since the start of their battle. Kouki was panting heavily, and sweat cascaded down his brow. But it wasn’t his exhaustion that caused him to stumble over his words.
“It’s like Shizuku said, Kaori’s loved Nagumo from the start... so she wasn’t...”
“Who do you think you’re fooling? I’m you, remember? I know you better than anyone. Even if you pretended to accept Shizuku’s explanation, the truth is you believe she was stolen from you. Hell, you still think you’re the one Kaori should marry. You’ve thought that ever since elementary school. Who cares what kind of run-in she had with Nagumo in middle school, you’re the one who’s known her longer. Besides, she’s meant to be your, the hero’s, heroine.”
“Shut up. I-I never thought anything like that! Stop spouting bullshit! You’re just another one of the labyrinth’s monsters. I won’t be deceived by you!”
Eyes bloodshot, Kouki glared at his copy and unleashed a barrage of light slashes at it. It lazily let loose an equivalent barrage of dark slashes to cancel out Kouki’s attack. A few of them even overwhelmed Kouki’s spell and punched through toward him.
“So you say, but you look pretty shaken up. Man, that legendary sword is wasted on you. Nagumo even went through all the trouble of honing it, too. Or is that why you don’t want to use it? Because the guy you’re jealous of made it stronger?”
“That has nothing to do with anything! Besides, I’m not jealous of—”
“Hahaha. You just keep averting your gaze from the truth, huh? Keep this up and I’ll only get stronger!”
Sneering, the copy unleashed a Celestial Flash - Shatter. It was clearly more powerful than the last one had been. Shuddering, Kouki dived to the side just in time. His instincts told him he couldn’t neutralize that attack head-on. But his copy launched another barrage of shockwaves at the location he landed, giving him no time to catch his breath. The attacks were getting faster as well, and it took Kouki everything he had to keep dodging.
Meanwhile, the copy continued leisurely poking fun at Kouki.
“You hate how Yue and the others all fawn over Nagumo too, don’t you? You think all those cute, strong girls belong with a true hero like you. And you just can’t understand why they prefer a guy like Nagumo, who’s willing to abandon people he doesn’t like.”
“Shut up already! Those girls all love Nagumo... and that’s their decision... so...”
“Oh, and you hate how strong Nagumo is too. You think all that strength should belong to you, don’t you? Hell, you just plain don’t like Nagumo.”
“You’re wrong! Sure I think he’s a little selfish, but he’s saved my life multiple times... How could I hate him?”
“Are you serious? All those times he saved you, you were jealous. You didn’t feel grateful at all. You were just mad because you thought it was your job to swoop in and save everyone.”
“That’s not true! You’re lying!”
“Am I? Then how come my power’s still growing?”
His desire to be a hero, his jealousy bordering on hatred for Hajime, and his desire to monopolize Kaori while still wanting other girls to be enamored with him were all things he’d thought somewhere in his heart, but Kouki had truly managed to convince himself he hadn’t. He was subconsciously ignoring his own true nature, which was why his copy kept growing in power. And because this was happening subconsciously, he couldn’t even stop it. The copy raised its black sword high, gathering pitch-black mana around it. Since it was a direct counterpart to Kouki’s Holy Sword, Demon Sword was a fitting name for it.
Grinning, the copy thrust its Demon Sword up toward the heavens. A pillar of black light rose up to the ceiling and burst, transforming into countless dark meteors. They hurtled toward Kouki, a dark meteor shower of death. Kouki used Flash Step to evade the barrage and desperately searched for an opportunity to launch a counterattack. But his copy showed no openings, and cold sweat started pouring down his back.
To make matters worse, the meteor shower had slight homing capabilities and each meteor unleashed a mana shockwave upon exploding which made avoiding every meteor even more difficult. If he dodged too early, the meteors would follow him and if he dodged too late, the shockwave would catch him.
Thanks to all the improvements Nagumo made, my fake’s even— N-No, that’s not what I should be thinking. This guy’s just strong. Kouki shook his head, banishing those negative thoughts. After all, they weren’t the “right” thing to think about someone who’d helped him before.
Unfortunately, though, his conflicting emotions caused him to make a fatal error. He mistimed dodging one of the meteors. Realizing he was about to get hit, Kouki tightened his muscles. He relied on his divine armor to protect him and instead focused on launching a counterattack.
“Ngh! Fly Forth— Celestial Flash - Storm!”
Celestial Flash - Storm was a Celestial Flash with invisible blades of wind added to it. Furthermore, Kouki had used enough mana to fire off a double-digit number of light slashes. It truly was a storm of flashes. However—
“You’re wasting your mana. Gather— Heavenstrum - Shatter!”
The remaining meteors gathered around the copy’s sword. The Demon Sword glowed with a malignant black light, and the meteors merged into a single stream. It thrust its sword toward Kouki, sending the beam at his Celestial Flash slashes. It was as if the copy was trying to prove it didn’t even need to dodge. Indeed, the difference in strength between it and Kouki was already that great. The copy’s black beam obliterated Kouki’s Celestial Flash - Storm in an instant.
“Ah!? Provide a bulwark— Divine Armor!”
A veil of white light covered Kouki’s armor, and Kouki held his sword in front of him like a shield. A second later, the dark light swallowed him whole.
“Nnnnnngh!”
An immense wall of pressure assaulted Kouki. Though he tried to stand firm, his protective veil of light began to flicker. Heavensturm was originally a relatively weak spell that covered a large area. But thanks to Hajime’s maintenance, Kouki’s sword had been restored to its original power. On top of that, the copy’s Demon Sword had been powered up even more by Kouki’s denial of his negative emotions. Even so, it was quite a surprise that its power was enough to overcome Kouki’s nigh-impregnable armor.
“Gaaaaaah!?”
With a low-pitched whine, the light surrounding Kouki’s armor vanished, and Kouki was blown backward by the dark beam.
“Bwah!”
He felt as though he’d just been pummeled by a heavyweight boxer. He rolled across the ground, coughing up blood as he came to a stop.
“You wanna beat Nagumo, don’t you? You wanna make him kneel in front of you and beg for forgiveness. That way you’ll be able to get Kaori back and make Yue and the others yours. Then you’ll save the world, take your classmates home, and be praised by everyone.”
“Shut uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuup!”
Ignoring the pain lancing through every inch of his body, Kouki screamed and got to his feet. Entrusting himself to the dark emotions welling up within him, he charged. A spiral of pure white mana rose up from his battered body. Its dazzling radiance filled the room; Kouki had just activated Limit Break. He was being pushed hard enough that he no longer could afford to use it strategically.
Furthermore, he couldn’t bear to hear any more of his copy’s barbed taunts. He was supposed to be in the right at all times, which was why he absolutely didn’t want to accept that he was feeling the things his copy said he was.
Bolstered by his tripled stats, Kouki shot forward in a streak of light. He closed the distance between him and his copy in an instant and swung down his glowing white blade.
“No thanks, I think I’ll keep talking.”
Scoffing, the copy blocked Kouki’s Holy Sword with its Demon Sword. The two swords clashed with a thunderous boom, and shockwaves rippled across the ground. However, the copy remained unhurt. Judging by the black aura surrounding it, it too had activated Limit Break.
Kouki’s Holy Sword, wreathed in divine light, warred with his copy’s Demon Sword, clad in an ominous black aura. He locked eyes with his opponent, and when he saw the disappointment in his copy’s eyes, he flicked his wrist in anger. His downward slash transformed into a horizontal cut, aiming directly for his copy’s neck. But Kouki’s copy blocked even that lightning-fast attack with ease.
“Going straight for the neck, huh? I thought you were against murder?”
“You’re not human!”
Determined to cut down the fake in front of him, Kouki unleashed a flurry of even faster slashes. His sword traveled so fast it left glowing afterimages in its wake. It was easy to see why he was the hero. His fast and accurate swordsmanship was so overwhelming it was like a storm had descended upon the copy. Everyone would agree he was among the top fighters in this world. But the enemy in front of him was even more powerful. Smiling leisurely, the copy blocked all of Kouki’s slashes with ease. It was like it was weaving a barrier with its sword, creating a zone that Kouki couldn’t penetrate no matter how hard he tried. Moreover, whenever Kouki showed the slightest opening, it would hit him with a counter. Before long, Kouki’s body was covered in numerous small cuts.
“Uwoooooooooooooooooooooh!”
“What’s wrong? Shouldn’t you tone down the bloodlust a bit, hero?”
The copy’s teasing infuriated Kouki. And naturally, that made the copy even stronger. Forgetting all about Limit Break’s time limit, Kouki lost himself in anger and started slashing at random. His swordwork became sloppy, leaving him more open than before. Sparks flew as his sword collided with his copy’s again and again. It regarded him with cold eyes, like a hunter ready to finish off its prey. This time it hit Kouki with the words he most feared, and the ones he wanted to hear the least.
“If this is all you’re capable of, you’re just gonna get more things stolen from you.”
“What!?”
“Stop pretending like you haven’t noticed. If I’ve noticed, that means you have too, right?”
“I don’t wanna hear anymore!”
Kouki was determined to stop his copy from speaking another word, no matter the cost. Turning his rage into power, Kouki thrust his sword forward.
“Who do you think Shizuku’s been sizing up these past few days?”
“Ah...” Kouki’s rage boiled over the tipping point. His mind went blank, and his ears stopped registering sound.
Moving on instinct, Kouki attempted to cast Light Burst, heedless of the fact that he’d get caught up in the blast as well. His copy deftly dodged out of the way with Flash Step and smirked at him again.
“You don’t wanna think about it? First Kaori was taken from you, and now Shizuku...”
“Dieeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!”
“Come now, is that something a hero should be saying? Besides, yelling won’t change the fact that Shizuku likes Nagumo more than you. I don’t blame her, either. He’s saved her a bunch of times, and she’s always wanted to be the damsel in distress.”
“Raaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!”
Kouki swung his sword down, his eyes full of hate.
This wasn’t possible. It couldn’t be possible. Kouki denied his copy’s words, trying to cut through reality itself. Its power rose exponentially as a result. The aura surrounding the copy’s sword flared up, making the light covering Kouki’s blade look like a flickering lantern in comparison. It blocked Kouki’s haphazard attack with ease, then hit him with a roundhouse kick to the stomach.
“Gaaah!?”
Grunting in pain, Kouki slammed against the wall behind him. Thanks to the mana-absorption ability Hajime had added to Kouki’s armor he could remain in Limit Break for longer, but he was burning mana so recklessly that even then his time limit was approaching.
“Don’t wanna listen to the truth? Are you going to try and deny Shizuku’s feelings too?”
Shaking its head in disappointment, the copy glared coldly down at Kouki. Panting, Kouki used his sword as a crutch to struggle to his knees. His venomous glare ruined his otherwise handsome face.
“That’s impossible... Shizuku would never...”
His voice came out as a low, bestial growl. Meanwhile, his copy sounded nonchalant. Though its words were barbed, its tone was almost pleasant.
“Haven’t you noticed how much she’s been smiling at him, and how often she lets herself pout around him?”
“She does that around everyone.”
“How do you explain the looks she shoots Hajime when he’s flirting with Yue and Shea then?”
“She’s just annoyed... that Nagumo does such indecent things in public...”
“Then why does she give Kaori those guilty looks sometimes?”
“She’s just worried about Kaori...”
“Man, you are one stubborn guy. Do you really not want to believe the truth that badly?”
The copy thrust its sword in front of Kouki. Kouki glared daggers at it, but sadly for him, looks couldn’t kill. In fact, his anger only served to amuse his copy. But just as the copy was about to finish Kouki off, it muttered “So he’s already here,” and turned to a section of the wall. Its lips curled up into a wicked grin.
“What perfect timing.”
“You think you can look away!?”
Sensing an opening, Kouki thrust at his copy. However, it blocked without even turning back. As Kouki struggled to overpower it, it glanced back and said, “Now then, will you be able to deny reality when it’s staring you in the face?”
“What’re you saying!?”
A second later, a section of the ice wall crumbled away, revealing a new passage. Since Kouki had yet to complete his trial, this could mean only one thing. Of course, Kouki was unaware of how the trial rooms were linked, so he gazed curiously at the new passage.
“Looks like he’s not done yet...”
The voice echoing through the room was a familiar one, but also the one Kouki wanted to hear least right now. To make matters worse the scene reflected in his eyes lent credence to his copy’s words. Hajime had just walked out of the passage, carrying Shizuku on his back. His gaze naturally turned to Shizuku, and her expression burned itself into his memory. She was sleeping peacefully with a relaxed smile on her face, her cheek resting against Hajime’s back. Something inside Kouki snapped.
A torrent of pure white light rained down on Hajime. Standing before him was a familiar face. But he’d never seen that familiar face make such an unfamiliar expression. Kouki looked like a demon as he leaped at Hajime, swinging his sword down at him. Is he so engrossed in his battle that he mistook me for a monster or something? I guess I could just throw Yaegashi in front of me and he’ll come to his senses and stop... No, those eyes don’t look sane. There was a madness in Kouki’s eyes that made it obvious to Hajime that the hero wasn’t in his right mind.
Sensing that Kouki wouldn’t stop, Hajime leaped back to avoid the blow. A pillar of white light slammed into the ground he’d been standing on a second later. Cracks spread out across the floor. Though they repaired themselves instantly, it was obvious that Kouki had struck Hajime with the intent to kill. Hajime glanced over at Kouki’s copy, who was grinning a short distance away. He then turned back to Shizuku, who mumbled slightly, but remained firmly asleep. He was amazed at her ability to sleep through such a racket. Though her being awake would go a long way to resolving this situation, interrogating Kouki came first. Hajime turned to him and asked, “What the hell do you think you’re doing, Amanogawa?”
Kouki looked down at his sword, which was stuck firmly in the ground. His bangs covered his face, making his expression unreadable.
“You... It...”
“What? I can’t hear you, man. Look, we’re not the enemy here, that guy over there is who—”
“We?”
Kouki jerked his head up, his eyes gleaming ominously from behind his bangs.
“What the fuck is with this us and you bullshit? Shizuku doesn’t belong to you.”
“Stop spouting bullshit and go finish your trial. Your opponent’s over there, not over here.”
Though Hajime’s voice was calm, he had a bad feeling about Kouki’s current mental state. The hero drew his sword out of the ground and staggered toward Hajime. As expected, Hajime’s words weren’t getting through to him. Mana rose around Kouki as he prepared to strike again.
“Oh, I’ll finish it alright. I’ll put an end to everything!”
Kouki’s eyes bulged, his pupils burning with insanity. Brimming with hatred and bloodlust, Kouki charged at Hajime. He swung his light-infused sword horizontally, aiming for Hajime’s neck.
“Tch. So you’ve already been corrupted? Moron.”
“Shut up! If you just disappear, everything’ll go back to normal! Dieeeeeeeeeee!”
Hajime’s premonition had been right on the money. Kouki had lost to his copy, and had thereby lost to himself. Hajime swayed to the side, avoiding Kouki’s blade. He watched calmly as the sword flew inches past his face. Judging by Kouki’s earlier words, and the way that he’d looked at Shizuku, Hajime surmised that his appearance had been the final nail in the coffin to cement Kouki’s defeat. Tch, I came at the worst possible time.
“Celestial Flash - Eightfold Wings!”
“Whoa.”
Using the least amount of movement possible, Hajime dodged the barrage of light slashes.
“Calm down, Amanogawa. If you’re not careful you’ll kill Yaegashi.”
The way Hajime phrased that made it sound like he was holding Shizuku hostage, but what he was saying was just the truth. However, Kouki was incapable of rational thought right now.
“You coward! Release Shizuku at once!”
As expected, Kouki interpreted Hajime’s words the wrong way, even though he was the one attacking Shizuku. Enraged, he unleashed another flurry of blows. It was then that the sleeping princess finally awoke. Though she had been exhausted after her trial, it was still impressive how she’d managed to sleep through all of this.
“Mmmmmm... What’s going onnn? Let me sleep for a bit longer...”
“I can’t believe you can sleep in a situation like this. You better get up or I’ll throw you like a human cannonball.”
At this point, even Hajime was a little annoyed by how Shizuku was still half-asleep. He reached back and pinched Shizuku’s thigh. If that wasn’t enough to wake her up, he’d really throw her. Hopefully, that’d be shocking enough to bring Kouki back to his senses too. However, Hajime was unable to have his fun, as his pinch, fortunately, woke Shizuku up. He brought out his Cross Bits and deployed a cube-shaped barrier. Kouki’s sword flashed as his attack dispersed around the invisible spatial barrier. The thunderous roar that accompanied it alerted Shizuku to the fact that they were in battle, and she hurriedly dropped off of Hajime’s back.
“Man, you’re one hell of a heavy sleeper.”
“I-I am not! It’s just that your back was so comfortable that I...”
“Well, whatever. We can debate your sleeping habits later. More importantly, do something about that guy.”
Hajime fired two explosive slugs from his Cross Bits to counter Kouki’s next spell. The slugs crossed trajectories right in front of Kouki, exploding and sending shockwaves hurtling toward him.
“Wh-What do you mean, ‘more importantly’? Wait, what on earth’s going on!?”
Tearing up at Hajime’s callous treatment of her, Shizuku’s expression went from hurt to shocked as she saw what was going on. She couldn’t believe it. The person attacking them was Kouki of all people. Her surprise was understandable. After all, she hadn’t expected one of her best friends to be trying to kill her.
“It looks like the trial managed to corrupt him. He thinks I’m the root of all evil or something.”
“No...”
Shizuku followed Hajime’s gaze and saw he was staring at Kouki’s copy. The copy was grinning as it watched Hajime defend Kouki’s attacks. That was all it took for Shizuku to piece together the situation. Her expression turned grim, and she turned to Kouki.
“Kouki! Don’t lose to your copy! You’re doing exactly what it wants! Come back to your senses and overcome yourself!”
She watched Kouki with concern in her eyes. Though he was far from perfect he was still a good guy and Shizuku’s longtime friend. Furthermore, he was a disciple of the Yaegashi style, and thus part of the Yaegashi family.
This was the first time Shizuku had seen such hatred in Kouki’s eyes. She couldn’t bear to see him like this. Raising her voice, she did her best to get through to Kouki. However Kouki just smiled, his eyes still full of hate and bloodlust.
“Don’t worry. I’ll save you, Shizuku.”
“Kouki? What are you saying?”
“You’ve been brainwashed by Nagumo, right? It’s fine, you’ll go back to normal once I kill him.”
Kouki turned from the stunned Shizuku back to Hajime.
“Nagumo, even if you’re a former classmate, don’t think you can get away with hurting my friends. I’m gonna kill you and free Kaori and the other girls from your brainwashing! Then I’ll save the world together with them!”
Shizuku was at a complete loss for words. It was quite possible Kouki would have ended up like this much sooner had Shizuku not talked to him the night Kaori left to join Hajime’s party. The weight of her words had kept him from going berserk. However, she hadn’t been able to truly change Kouki’s mind, and he’d still harbored some resentment toward Hajime. That was the reason why he’d always argued with Hajime when they were traveling together. Still, Shizuku had kept him from completely cutting ties with Hajime, or trying to take Kaori back by force. At the same time though, that meant it was only because Shizuku had been by his side that he’d remained sane.
Kouki’s thought processes and worldview were very childlike. It was understandable, since he’d run into no obstacles he couldn’t overcome with his juvenile ideals until now. So it was also natural that he’d be furious that his last female childhood friend had been “NTR’d” from him. He’d barely been able to retain his sanity by continually denying the truths his copy had battered him with, but in the end, he’d been forced to accept reality when he’d seen Shizuku sleeping happily on Hajime’s back. Even Kouki wasn’t so delusional that he could deny what he was seeing. And once he’d accepted reality, his downward spiral had begun.
Kouki, already overflowing with emotion, had decided to substitute reality with a convenient fantasy. That was the only way he could protect his fragile heart. He’d convinced himself that Hajime Nagumo was a monster who’d brainwashed Kaori and the others, and was a devil who was trying to stop him from saving the world. Shocked by Kouki’s wild assertions, Shizuku ground her teeth and tried her best to make him see reason.
“Kouki! Get a hold of yourself! Don’t let your copy deceive you!”
“Shizuku...”
Shizuku carefully chose her next words. She spoke softly and kindly, as if she were trying to calm a child throwing a tantrum. She knew that if she messed up, Kouki would end up going past the point of no return.
“Listen, Kouki. I know it’s hard to face the ugliest parts of yourself. I almost died myself, so I understand. But if you don’t accept your negative emotions and overcome them, you won’t be able to advance. If you truly want to save this world, you can’t allow yourself to cling to your delusions. Your real enemy is yourself. That grinning, black version of you! Open your eyes, Kouki!”
Shizuku’s words echoed through the chamber. The copy didn’t move. It seemed interference from comrades was considered a valid part of the trial. But its sneer didn’t fade as it looked down at the original it was created from. Hajime silently watched the scene play out from behind Shizuku. The reason he hadn’t instantly fought back when attacked was out of consideration for her. Under the watchful gaze of Shizuku, Hajime, and his copy, Kouki smiled. Though it resembled the charming smile he’d often give girls back in Japan, there was something warped about it.
“Thank you, Shizuku. Thank you for always worrying about me.”
“Kouki...”
Hope and sorrow warred within Shizuku.
“I’m truly happy. Even though you’ve been brainwashed, you’re still thinking of me.”
“Kouki?”
“It’s fine. I’ll beat my fake, and save you from Nagumo. You won’t have to spend any more time with a guy you don’t even like. I’ll bring you back where you belong, Shizuku.”
“......”
Shizuku balled her hands into fists.
Her expression turned flat, and she asked quietly, “Where I belong? What do you mean by that?”
“I see, so you’ve forgotten even that. Poor thing. Nagumo truly is a monster.”
“Answer me, Kouki.”
“By my side, of course. That’s how it’s always been, and that’s how it always should be.”
Shizuku looked up in exasperation. Dark clouds gathered in her heart, and she breathed out a pained sigh.
“Kouki, do you remember what we talked about on the bridge, that night Kaori left?”
“Yeah, of course I do. You said something about how I can’t always assume I’m right, didn’t you? Don’t worry, I always thought Nagumo was a scoundrel, but thanks to your words I stuck around with him to make sure. And now I know for a fact that he’s a filthy traitor.”
“No! Kouki, what I was trying to say was—”
“Don’t waste your breath, Shizuku. You’re brainwashed so you don’t realize it, but I’m doing the right thing.”
Kouki interrupted Shizuku, disregarding her words. By telling himself everyone was being brainwashed, he had an excuse to fight for his ideal future. Kouki turned to Hajime, his eyes gleaming with dark insanity. His Limit Break, which he’d purposely toned down while talking, came back in full force, and white light erupted all around him.
“Kouki, stop!”
But Shizuku’s desperate cry didn’t reach her childhood friend. Kouki rushed forward, leaving a trail of light in his wake. He didn’t even spare Shizuku a second glance. His gaze was fixated solely on Hajime, his sworn enemy. Shizuku’s attempts at persuasion had failed. The copy’s grin grew wider, and Hajime clicked his tongue in annoyance. The emotion drained from his eyes, replaced by a cold, calm stare.
Shizuku paled as she watched the change in Hajime’s expression. A deathmatch between the two of them was the worst possible outcome.
“Wait, I can stop him!”
Under the effects of his Limit Break, Kouki’s stats beat out Shizuku’s by a fair margin. It was unlikely she could stop him, and attempting to do so would only end with her getting hurt. Still, she couldn’t bear to see two people she cared about try to kill each other. She pushed her exhausted body into action and jumped in between Hajime and Kouki.
“Yaegashi, to your right.”
“Huh? Ah!?”
Though she was confused, Shizuku’s body moved on reflex. She lifted her katana to her right and turned around. Kouki’s copy was running straight at her. A shiver ran down her spine and she prepared for impact, but before the copy’s sword reached her, a familiar object wedged its way in between them. One of Hajime’s Cross Bits. It glowed crimson, indicating that it had Diamond Skin active. It was there to cushion the force of the copy’s blow, making it easier for Shizuku to block. Unfortunately, the copy had been strengthened beyond belief thanks to Kouki’s weakness.
“Ngh!”
Groaning in pain, Shizuku was blown away by Kouki’s copy. Wisps of black mana trailed behind the copy, filling the space between Kouki and Hajime. Kouki swung his sword down at Hajime with enough force to split a boulder. But Hajime blocked it with an azantium-coated Donner. As a sharp metallic clang rang out, Hajime heard Kouki’s copy say, “I’ll keep Shizuku company. You focus on your hated foe.”
Shizuku narrowed her eyes and shouted, “Ngh, you little— Get away from me! I don’t have time to waste on you!”
“Give it up. That guy can’t see anything but Hajime Nagumo. This trial’s between him and Hajime now. Don’t interfere.”
“Don’t just go deciding that on your own!”
It seemed the copy had decided to use Hajime for Kouki’s trial. This was now a test to see whether or not Kouki would be able to calm his rage and accept reality for what it was. The copy was content to see how the fight between the two of them played out. Annoyed at being used as a trial examiner, Hajime glanced over at where Shizuku and Kouki’s copy were dueling.
“You sure you wanna fight me? Your precious childhood friend’s under attack.”
“That fake’s a part of me. It won’t kill her. And roughing her up a bit will teach her not to get brainwashed by scum like you again.”
“Didn’t you call it a monster earlier?”
“It’s a monster with my personality copied into it, isn’t it? In that case, even if it is a monster it won’t kill Shizuku.”
“That doesn’t make any sense at all.”
Kouki truly was the master of interpreting reality in the most convenient way possible. Though he’d just disavowed his copy by claiming it was a monster, he also believed it wouldn’t hurt Shizuku because it was his copy. That logical inconsistency didn’t seem to bother him one bit, though. In fact, regardless of rhyme or reason, Kouki seemed to have convinced himself that really was the truth. He put even more force into his blade, trying to cut right through Donner. But even with his Limit Break-enhanced stats, he was unable to make Hajime budge. It was like he was facing a fortress of steel. Furious, he shouted, “Prepare yourself. I won’t let you have your way with Kaori, or Yue, or anyone else anymore! I’ll free them all from your tyranny!”
Kouki flicked his wrist and turned his overhead slash into a horizontal one. He aimed for Hajime’s neck without hesitation. But of course, Hajime blocked the blow with ease. This time with Donner’s muzzle.
“Wha!?”
Kouki yelped in surprise, and Hajime brought his face closer to the hero’s. He glared coldly into Kouki’s eyes and said, “When you’re this stupid, there’s no point in even pointing out your stupidity. But let me say just one thing. Who do you think you are, saying Yue’s name without honorifics? You bastard.”
“Ah!?”
Hajime unleashed his bloodlust, letting it cascade over Kouki in waves. The pressure Hajime emitted was so immense, he could hardly be considered human. In the face of such overwhelming, monstrous might, Kouki stiffened.
There was a loud boom as Hajime pulled the trigger, and his railgun-accelerated bullet knocked Kouki’s sword away as if it were no more than a plastic toy. Kouki’s wrist was unable to withstand the impact, and he was forced to let go. His Holy Sword spun through the air. Before he even had time to register what had happened, Hajime hit him with a powerful front kick.
“Gaah!?”
His bones let out an ominous crack and Kouki shot backward at unbelievable speed. Hajime chased after him and followed up with a roundhouse kick. Kouki felt as though he’d been run over by a truck as he changed directions from backward to sideways. He was traveling so fast he didn’t fall downwards at all, like a human bullet. With no way to stop himself, all he could do was cover the back of his head as a protective measure. That small measure was what saved him from falling unconscious as he crashed into the ice wall with enough force to pulverize it.
Still, he’d taken a significant amount of damage. Kouki coughed up blood as he struggled to all fours. Even though he was wearing the strongest armor in Heiligh and using Limit Break, he’d been nearly taken out of commission by a kick from Hajime. On top of that, Hajime hadn’t even activated his Limit Break. Kouki ground his teeth, frustrated by the difference in strength between them. But of course, Hajime wasn’t going to give him any time to wallow in regret.
Before Kouki could get to his feet, another loud boom echoed throughout the room. Two streaks of red light shot toward him. But Kouki managed to sense the attacks coming and rolled to the side. Unfortunately, that wasn’t enough. Hajime had fired a third shot in the direction he’d predicted Kouki would roll, and it clipped his shoulder as he struggled to his feet. Pain lanced through him, but Kouki had no time to register it.
That last bullet was way faster! Indeed, Hajime’s third bullet had been magnitudes faster than his first two. The reason for that was simple. Hajime had wrapped his first two shots in mana to make it look as though he’d accelerated them with Lightning Field, but in truth, he’d only accelerated the third shot. And the reason he’d fired two normal shots was so— “Gaaaah!?” they’d ricochet off the ice wall instead of destroying it. By utilizing the uneven terrain, Hajime had accurately bounced his bullets so they’d pierce through the gaps in Kouki’s armor and shatter one of his kneecaps.
“Ngh! Come, Holy Sword!”
Lying on the ground, bleeding from his leg and shoulder, Kouki nevertheless called out to his Holy Sword. It answered his summons and flew to his outstretched hand. But of course, it flew in a straight line. Meaning before it could reach Kouki’s hand, Hajime intercepted it and pinned it under his boot. Whether out of loyalty or just because it was designed to, the sword struggled underneath Hajime’s foot, straining to reach its master. However, Hajime’s foot didn’t budge in the slightest.
“Pathetic. Why don’t you use the extra features I added to your equipment? You’d put up more of a fight that way at least.”
There was no disdain in Hajime’s voice. He was just calmly stating the truth. But that calm analysis of reality pissed Kouki off even more, and his hatred burned fiercer than ever. There was nothing resembling the old, charismatic Kouki that had once existed in his expression. The man who’d condemned murder more than anyone now resembled nothing more than a crazed murderer. Hajime leaned down and pressed Donner against Kouki’s forehead. Like Kouki, he was emanating enough bloodlust to cause normal people to faint. It was obvious Kouki’d been checkmated. All Hajime had to do was pull the trigger. But a desperate voice called out to him before he could.
“Nagumo-kun, please don’t do it! I promise I can bring him back to his senses!”
Even as she fought Kouki’s copy, Shizuku pleaded with Hajime to spare Kouki’s life. That didn’t please the copy one bit.
“Looks like we need to get you off this stage, Shizuku.”
“Agh!?”
Because of her desperation, Shizuku had revealed an opening. The copy took full advantage of that and hit her while she was unguarded with a full-power Light Burst. Shizuku stumbled backward, and the copy followed up with a Celestial Flash - Shatter. It seemed the copy had no qualms about using the extra features Hajime had added to its equipment. Before Shizuku could even think about defending herself, Hajime’s Cross Bit appeared in front of her. Thanks to Hajime’s prompt protection, Shizuku managed to avoid taking serious damage. The copy had, of course, held back to avoid killing Shizuku as well, so the shockwaves from the shatter effect of the Celestial Flash were only strong enough to give her a concussion and knock her out. They also blew her backward, but Hajime’s Cross Bit caught her before she hit the wall. It then gently placed her on the ground, leaving her leaning against the wall. It then created a spatial barrier, protecting Shizuku from anything the copy might try to do to her. Smiling, the copy shrugged and turned to Hajime. It pointed its Demon Sword at him and unleashed a barrage of black light. The spiral of black energy was large enough that it’d hit Kouki as well as Hajime. It seemed the copy was planning on burying them both in one go. Hajime spared Shizuku a glance, muttered “God, what a pain,” and jumped away. Naturally, he left Kouki where was he was.
Once the fight was over, Yue and the others ran over to Hajime. Or in Yue’s case, flew into his arms using gravity magic. Hajime turned to her in surprise, then gave her a gentle smile that was the complete opposite of the grim expression he’d had on until now.
“Mmm... Hajime.”
“Yep, it’s me. How’d your trial go, Yue? I guess it was pretty hard, huh?”
Yue smiled, glad that Hajime had picked up on her feelings right away. Though it had been more worrying than hard, since now Yue was unsure what the future held. She was embarrassed she’d let such a slight problem rattle her resolve, but Hajime didn’t seem bothered at all and hugged her tight. Shea and Kaori knew about Yue’s circumstances—Yue had told Kaori while the two had been having their own fight—so they weren’t surprised at how spoiled she was acting. Ryutarou, Suzu, Tio, and Shizuku, however, were. Hajime looked over the rest of his party members and nodded.
“Looks like everyone made it out alright. Let’s get going, then.”
“Wait, hang on! We still need to heal Kouki-kun!”
Kaori looked down at Kouki, who was lying spread-eagled on the floor. Ryutarou and Suzu nodded in agreement.
“Do we really have to?”
“Yes, we really have to!”
Kaori held her ground, and Ryutarou and Suzu nodded once more. Hajime grimaced, but he didn’t stop Kaori from going over to Kouki.
“You said he absorbed his copy, right? I think doing that damaged his soul. It’ll take a while to properly cure him.”
He’d pushed himself far past his physical limits by combining Overload and the copy’s strengthening, so his body was in just as bad shape as his mind. Of course, his physical injuries could easily be cured with restoration magic, but his spirit was a different matter. A human’s spirit was quite fragile, and Kouki had harmed it quite severely by fusing with his copy. If Kaori wasn’t careful in repairing it, he could wake up with a completely different personality. In fact, if she failed it was entirely possible he’d turn into a cheery guy who’d say things like, “Sup, everyone! It’s a great morning today, isn’t it!? Hahahahahaha!”
As Kaori explained all this to Hajime, his expression grew more and more reluctant. He unconsciously hugged Yue tighter, which she was of course perfectly fine with.
“Whatever you do, just don’t heal him fully. As long as his life’s not in danger that’s good enough, right? The last thing I want is him waking up.”
“Huh? Why...? Oh yeah, I guess that might be best.”
Kaori cocked her head in confusion, but then instantly realized what Hajime was getting at. Knitting her brows in worry, Kaori began healing Kouki just enough to avoid permanent damage.
“Hey Nagumo, I realize Kouki tried to kill you and all, but... you know...”
“Nagumo-kun...”
Ryutarou and Suzu, who hadn’t guessed what Hajime’s intentions were, looked unhappy with his decision. They thought Hajime was doing this to spite Kouki because he didn’t like the hero. But at the same time, Kouki had tried to kill Hajime so they couldn’t really argue.
Shizuku on the other hand just watched Kouki with a sad look on her face the entire time. She’d known him the longest out of anyone, and he was practically family to her. In response to Ryutarou and Suzu, Hajime pointed at Kouki. There was no animosity in his expression, just annoyance.
“Look here, think about what a hassle it’ll be to heal him fully.”
“Hassle...? Oh.”
“Looks like you figured it out, Taniguchi. Listen up. Amanogawa failed his trial. He couldn’t bear to face his true self, so he took it out on me. That’s not going to magically change when he wakes up. He’s still gonna be pissed at me.”
“You mean it’ll just be a repeat of what happened here...”
“Exactly. Well, he was being egged on by his copy this time, so it’s possible he won’t go on a rampage the moment he wakes up this time, but still...”
Hajime fished his compass out of his pocket and looked down at it.
“We’re almost there. I’m guessing this was the labyrinth’s last trial, but there’s no guarantee there isn’t something waiting for us at the end. The last thing I want is to be attacked from behind while dealing with the labyrinth’s trials.”
“Haaah... I guess he’s lucky to even be alive.”
Sighing, Ryutarou reluctantly nodded. Hajime’s argument made sense. But like Shizuku, he couldn’t help but be a little sad at how things had turned out. Only Yue was unaffected by the gloomy atmosphere and smiled blissfully as she rested in Hajime’s arms.
“We should just leave him here...”
“That’s not good enough, Yue-san. We should finish him off while we have the chance.”
Shea hefted Drucken ominously.
“You two... I understand how you feel, but control your rage. Your hatred for Kouki is causing him nightmares.”
Tio shooed Shea and Yue away, acting like a reliable older sister for once. Reluctantly, Shea stowed her hammer and Yue dispelled the mini lightning dragon she’d summoned. The two of them were still mad that Kouki had dared to attack Hajime. They also hated how he’d used their names without honorifics, but the biggest thing was that he’d been serious about killing Hajime. Kouki groaned painfully in his sleep as the two girls directed their hatred at him. His brow furrowed, and he broke out in a cold sweat. Chances were he was dreaming of being attacked by the vampire and bunny girl duo. Shaking his head, Hajime smiled at the two of them. While he was glad they were angry on his behalf, if Kouki’s nightmares destroyed his psyche any further it would defeat the purpose of keeping him alive.
“Tio’s right. I went through all the trouble of not killing him, so don’t ruin it.”
“Mrr... Fine, if you say so, Hajime.”
“You lucked out, you damn hero.”
Shea spat at Kouki’s feet. Were you always this aggressive? Hajime thought as he turned to her in surprise. In an attempt to placate Shea, Hajime used his free hand to pat her bunny ears. In seconds, Shea went from gangster Shea back to her normal, mellow self. Yue scooted over a little to make room for Shea, and the bunny girl gladly settled into Hajime’s arms. Yue rubbed her head in Hajime’s stomach while Shea leaned against his chest. Shea closed her eyes and wrapped her bunny ears around Hajime’s neck. Her tail bobbed happily back and forth.
Yue and Shea’s fight had ended with the two of them growing closer, but it had also made them more clingy when it came to Hajime. I guess something pretty big happened during their trials. Hajime smiled gently and wrapped his arms around both of them. Things had been bad enough when it was just Yue and Hajime flirting, but now that Shea had been added to the mix their flirting was even more diabetes-inducing. Feeling a little left out, Tio sidled over to Hajime as well. After a few seconds of silence, Tio said, “Master, I have a confession to make.”
“Hm? What?”
“The truth is, I was using you all this time to get my revenge against the gods!”
Suzu and Ryutarou turned to her in shock. You’re actually gonna tell him that!?
“Huh? I knew that already though?”
Suzu and Ryutarou turned to Hajime in shock. You already knew that!? Hajime and Tio silently looked into each other’s eyes. After about ten seconds Tio asked, “What’s my punishment?”
“Nothing.”
Tio fell to her knees in despair. Suzu and Ryutarou also fell to their knees, but for a different reason. This really isn’t the time for that... they thought. Suzu decided it was up to her to ask the right questions and turned to Hajime.
“H-Hey, Nagumo-kun. Did you really know that was what Tio-san was thinking?”
“Huh? Course I did.”
Hajime went on to explain that Tio had already told him a good amount of her past. There was also the fact that she’d left her village to investigate the heroes who’d been summoned. And when she’d discovered Hajime was stronger than the hero, she’d decided to stick with him instead. Putting the puzzle pieces together had hardly been difficult for Hajime. More than anything though— “Besides, I’d like to think I have an idea of what kind of person Tio is.”
After all, Tio Klarus was one of Hajime’s precious companions. It was only natural that he’d pay attention to her. He knew just how badly she thirsted for revenge, as well as the fact that she was a trustworthy ally who wouldn’t hesitate to give her life for her friends.
“That’s part of the reason why I asked you to come during my fight with Noint, you know?”
Hajime’s fight with Noint had happened eight thousand meters in the air. If his only goal had been to get Aiko to safety, he could have asked Yue to come up using a teleportation portal. Of course Tio had been free at the time since she was on lookout duty, and Yue’s strength was necessary to protect Liliana and the others at the palace, but part of the reason Hajime had chosen Tio was also because he wanted to give her a chance to get back at the church that had ruined her life.
“Master...”
For once, Tio seemed at a loss for words. Her heart welled up with emotion, but she couldn’t figure out how to express it. Tio looked so cute that even Suzu blushed, while Ryutarou slapped himself to keep his head clear. He wouldn’t be tricked into falling for this pervert a second time.
“Master, may I rest in your arms as well?”
Before Hajime could say anything, Yue and Shea scooted to either side, making space for Tio. Realizing that Tio must have had quite a difficult trial as well, Hajime just shrugged his shoulders and allowed it. Beaming, Tio nestled into Hajime’s arms, in between Yue and Shea. Now there were four people flirting instead of three. The scene was so sickeningly sweet that Ryutarou couldn’t bear to look at it. A short distance away, Kaori watched Tio and the others enviously.
“Awww, I missed my chance. Well... I guess this is good enough for Kouki-kun. Hajime-kuuuuuun!”
“Huh? Hey, Kaori! Weren’t you the one who said we should heal...”
Kaori fired one last half-assed burst of healing magic at Kouki and then left him to go run into Hajime’s arms. She had at least made sure his life wasn’t in danger, but that was about it. Kouki twitched a little as Kaori’s final bits of healing magic washed over him. Even though Kaori was the one who said healing damaged souls was a delicate business, she hadn’t been all too delicate at the end. Shizuku looked worriedly from Kouki to Kaori.
Kaori tried to wedge herself into the group hug as well, but was stymied by Yue. As she ran forward, Yue fired a small pebble at her forehead. This time, however, Kaori would not be deterred. She dodged the missile and squeezed her way in next to Yue. Naturally, this meant that Kaori was in between Yue and Hajime’s arm. Yue smiled threateningly at Kaori, who smiled back. As usual, the two girls summoned their illusory stands and glared daggers at each other. Ryutarou and Suzu watched in amazement as the two girls silently warred with each other while also flirting with Hajime. Realizing everyone had forgotten Kouki, Shizuku walked over to make sure his pulse and breathing were normal. Once she confirmed that he was fine, she breathed a sigh of relief.
“Ryutarou. Could you carry Kouki?”
“Sure... I guess Kouki was the only one who didn’t succeed. He’s gonna be depressed when he wakes up.”
Ryutarou’s expression clouded over as he hoisted Kouki onto his back. Suzu looked at him, her expression also troubled.
“Yeah... Though we don’t know for sure if we succeeded either... Besides, as long as he’s alive, he can try again!”
Suzu smiled cheerfully, trying to lighten the mood. Ryutarou shook his head to clear it of negative thoughts and smiled back at her.
“Good point. He fucked up big time, but at least he’s alive for us to beat some sense into him. And if he wants to try again, we can just help him out. Like we always have.”
“Yep!”
Shizuku smiled as she watched over her two friends. Noticing she was looking at them, Ryutarou and Suzu both thought, It’s because you act like that that everyone calls you the class mom! Shizuku’s smile quickly turned into a glare, as if she’d read their thoughts, and they quickly started thinking about something else. Sighing, Shizuku glanced over at Hajime and the others and shifted gears. Her trial had already taught her to stop prioritizing others and suppressing her own desires. She’d decided to live for herself now.
Naturally, this meant she no longer felt any shame about staring longingly at Hajime. Tio was the first to notice Shizuku’s gaze. Cocking her head quizzically, the dragonman turned toward her. Yue and Kaori were too busy fighting to notice, while Shea was busy trying to calm them down.
Shizuku brought a hand up to her chest, reminding herself of what she’d learned from her trial. She curled her fingers into a fist, and Tio easily guessed what she’d resolved to do.
“Now this is quite interesting... Fufu. Good luck, young lady.”
“Huh? Did you say something?”
“Oh, I was simply wishing a troubled young maiden luck in her endeavors.”
Hajime was momentarily confused by Tio’s response, but then he followed Tio’s gaze and saw Shizuku psyching herself up. He realized what was going on right away. It was hard not to, since he’d already heard Shizuku’s confession earlier.
“Man, you’ve gotta be kidding me.”
Hajime’s gaze met Shizuku’s. The moment it did, Shizuku blushed. A second later, her expression became determined, and she walked over. Unaware of her true intentions, Ryutarou and Suzu followed after her. Shizuku stopped beside Hajime, on the opposite side of where Kaori and Yue were still glaring at each other. She was awfully close to him. In fact, she was practically glued to Hajime’s left arm, which was currently holding Shea.
It was then that Yue and the others noticed her presence as well. Yue turned around with a questioning look while Shea blinked in surprise. Shizuku locked eyes with Kaori. They shared a look, and Kaori figured everything out. Her eyes widened in surprise. She wasn’t surprised by Shizuku’s feelings, but rather by the fact that she wasn’t hiding them anymore.
Once she’d gotten over her shock, she beamed. Her smile was gentle and kind, filled with understanding and acceptance. It encapsulated everything she felt about Shizuku in one expression. She quietly mouthed, “Good luck” at Shizuku, showing her support. Shizuku nodded and smiled back. She held in the tears of joy that threatened to spill forth and looked hesitantly up at Hajime.
“Nagumo-kun, thank you for saving Kouki.”
“All I did was beat him up.”
Hajime’s tone was curt. It was precisely because he knew Shizuku’s feelings that he didn’t really want to deal with her. Unfortunately for him, she wouldn’t be deterred. Smiling nervously, she added, “But you didn’t kill him. You kept him alive for Kaori’s sake, and a little bit for my sake, right? What was it you said before, twenty percent for my sake?”
“Yeah, I guess I did.”
Hajime wasn’t going to take back his words. But he still seemed unhappy admitting that. His grumpiness helped alleviate Shizuku’s nervousness, and she giggled. Yue grumbled to herself as she watched the two of them talk while Shea muttered, “Ah, so it’s finally happening.”
“I guess you really did protect me like you promised.”
“I’ve got my limits though. I’m not protecting you from everything.”
“I know. But thanks to you, we didn’t lose our friend. I know he’s a huge troublemaker, and a moron, but... he’s still like family to me.”
Shizuku looked up at Hajime with a mixture of gratitude and sadness, and he shrugged noncommittally. In truth, Hajime had wanted to kill Kouki and be done with it, to prevent him from being a potential threat in the future. But after seeing Kaori and Shizuku’s expressions, he’d come to realize sparing Kouki had been the right choice.
At the very least, it would be a lot less hassle dealing with whatever trouble Kouki caused than dealing with two traumatized girls who’d just seen the man they love kill one of their friends.
At the same time, Hajime was both impressed and nonplussed that Shizuku had continued trying to help Kouki even after seeing the radical transformation he’d gone through. She really is like everyone’s mom. While Ryutarou and the others were disillusioned with Kouki, Shizuku was just sad that things had come to this. Which showed just how much she cared about him. Had any of the people who idolized Kouki, such as his other classmates or the noble ladies in the castle, seen his actions here, they would likely have wanted nothing to do with him ever again. But Suzu, Kaori, Shizuku, and Ryutarou shared a bond with Kouki that went deeper than that. Like Shizuku had said, he was like family. Not just to her, but to all of them.
So if Yaegashi’s the mom, does that make Amanogawa the rebellious son? Normally Shizuku would have glared at Hajime for thinking such rude things, but she was too focused on her own concerns at the moment. She took two deep breaths, then looked passionately up at Hajime.
“Thank you for carrying me after my trial as well. It was the first time anyone’s ever done that for me, but it felt surprisingly comfortable.”
“Says the girl who threatened me into doing it.”
“Uh, well... I suppose I did, but that was the only way you were going to hold me, wasn’t it?”
Shizuku blushed to the tips of her ears. Her heart pounded in her chest. It was amazing how different she looked from her usual, aloof self. She gently laid a hand on Hajime’s left arm. In truth, she wanted to grab it, but she was too embarrassed to do more than rest her hand on it. She could feel everyone’s gazes on her, but she nevertheless gathered her resolve and said in a shaky voice, “A-Anyway, I’m really grateful to you. So here’s your reward. A-Also, it’s proof that I w-wasn’t joking about what I said before!”
Shizuku went on tiptoes and grabbed Hajime’s arm to hold him in place. Then, using No Tempo to keep Hajime from reading her movements, she quickly leaned over and kissed Hajime on the cheek. He felt the soft sensation of her lips press against him. They were hot, and just a little wet, and they warmed him to the soul. The kiss lasted only a second, but it was long enough to convey her feelings to Hajime.
A second later, there was a loud thud behind Shizuku. Ryutarou had been so shocked by her actions that he’d dropped Kouki. In fact, he was so shocked he hadn’t even realized that he’d dropped his friend.
Shizuku quickly stepped back, her face burning red. She looked down, too embarrassed to meet anyone’s gaze. But then she slapped her cheeks and rallied herself.
Hajime was at a loss for what to do. He knew what he needed to say. Hell, he hadn’t even accepted Kaori yet. There was no way he could accept Shizuku’s feelings. That being said, he needed to choose his words carefully. Had Kaori looked worried he would have rejected Shizuku outright, but to his surprise, she was smiling. If he dismissed Shizuku’s feelings outright, it’d just cause more trouble down the line.
Though Shizuku had no way of guessing Hajime’s feelings, she saw him wavering and decided this was her chance. She steeled herself and said, “Yue, Shea, Tio... Kaori. I learned a lot from this trial. It taught me what bad habits I need to fix, and what my true feelings are. I know Nagumo-kun already has Yue and Shea, and I know you love him too, Kaori. I realize this makes me a horrible person. But even so...”
Shizuku trailed off, hesitating, but Kaori smiled and gave her the push she needed.
“It’s fine, Shizuku-chan. No one thinks you’re a horrible person. Besides, it’s not like you can control who you fall in love with. If anything, I’m happy you’re finally putting your own desires before other people’s, Shizuku-chan.”
“Kaori...”
Shizuku had been worried that confessing her feelings would make Kaori upset, so seeing Kaori support her wholeheartedly took a large weight off her shoulders. Yue shrugged her shoulders, then smiled fearlessly. No matter how many new rivals popped up, Yue would fight them all fair and square, like she’d told Kaori. Shea on the other hand just shook her head in resignation, while Tio winked at Shizuku. Shizuku smiled, relieved that she could proceed without stepping on any toes. Holding her head high, she said, “I’m in love with you, Nagumo-kun. And I’ll do whatever it takes to make you mine.”
Shizuku’s smile was like the clear blue sky that came after a storm. Free of worry and utterly captivating. It had the same dazzling radiance as the morning dew on a bright, clear dawn.
“Shizuku-chan, you look super cute right now! Alright, it’s finally time to take down the Yue-Shea pair combo by creating our own childhood friend combo!”
“What? Kaori, I’ve barely even... Heh. Well, I suppose that might not be a bad idea. We’ll make Nagumo-kun ours and ours alone.”
“I knew this would happen eventually, Shizuku... I’ll bury you and Kaori both.”
“You can’t do that, Yue-san! Oh, but we can’t let them have Hajime-san all to themselves! We’ll take you head-on, Shizuku-san!”
Yue, Shea, Kaori, and Shizuku all started jostling over Hajime, who was looking forlornly off into the distance. Shizuku hadn’t even bothered waiting for his reply. When he’d tried to say something Kaori had interrupted him and said, “Prepare yourself, Hajime-kun!” Worse, even Shea had added, “You’re going to say no, right? We already know so just stay quiet for once, Hajime-san.”
So now he was sulking by himself. In the end, he knew he wasn’t going to shut down Shizuku so hard she actually gave up, so he decided to just leave it be.
“Hey, Master. I feel as though I’ve been left out of everyone’s conversation. What should I do now that the others have all paired up?”
“Why not start panting over being ignored like you always do?”
Tio started panting. Hajime looked down at the girls in his arms and thought to himself, I really wish they’d stop arguing over who likes me more. Ryutarou sighed, half in exasperation half in amazement, as he watched the fight for the Hajimebowl begin.
“I can’t believe even Shizuku fell for him. What’s so good about Nagumo, anyway?”
“Wow, he even won Shizushizu’s heart. Nagumo-kun’s a real Casanova! What if I end up falling for him too? W-Will I spend my nights doing all sorts of naughty things with Onee-sama...? That actually sounds pretty hot.”
“Oi, come back to your senses, Suzu. Don’t leave me alone in this den of insanity.”
Suzu brought a hand to her chin and considered the prospect while Ryutarou sighed yet again. It was then that he finally realized he’d dropped Kouki, and hurriedly picked him back up. He looked from his best friend to Hajime, and muttered quietly, “Hey, Kouki. I kinda get how you feel. I can’t really blame you for getting jealous.”
Of course, Ryutarou knew Kouki wouldn’t be able to hear him. The question was, how would he act once he woke up? If he ended up going on a rampage again, Ryutarou decided he’d be the one to knock some sense into his best friend.
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