A leopardwoman who introduced herself as Eve .
After parting ways with her, I walked through the dimly lit forest .
The sun is about to fall...... .
A really dim forest .
A scenery only filled with lonesomeness .
However, I donât feel that much anxiousness .
Walking in front and behind me were the Takao Sisters .
This reassured feeling I had is probably thanks to the presence of these two girls .
I...
[Umm...]
âstarted speaking with some words of gratitude .
[Once again, thank youâ- very much, Takao-san . ]
[Woah, awesome... Once againâ Kashima said . You can just call me by my name . The two of us were Takaos, right? Also, that honorifics habit of yours? You donât need to do that, weâre both in the same grade anyway . ]
Itsuki lightheartedly said .
Sheâs trying to be caring .
I can tell from her voice .
[......Itsuki-san and Hijiri-san, both of youâre quite amazing . Even when weâre in this kind of place, I donât feel like youâve changed the way you acted back when you were in our previous world . ]
[Humans are creatures that change, whether theyâre sent to a different world or not . ]
Walking behind me, Hijiri said .
[Something may have been an impetus for that to happen, but in the end, people who could change in whichever world that is will change and people who donât change wonât change . ]
[Y- You really are amazing, Hijiri-san......]
My shoulders dropped .
I could only say âamazingâ .
I dislike my lack of vocabulary .
(Even after reading so many novels, I canât find the words I want to say when it comes to actual conversation...)
I am trying to put together a clever conversation in my head .
However, it quickly falls apart .
As I thought, Iâm really bad at live communication .
Iâm also trying hard to change myself .
However, we may not be able to change some parts of us that were already deeply rooted to our personalities .
[By the way, Kashima . ]
[Ah, un . ]
[I have something I want to ask you . ]
Something that the Takao Itsuki wants to ask me......?
I wonder what that is .
[What... is it?]
[Why are you in Asagiâs group?]
[Eh?]
[No matter how I look at it, Kashima is much closer to Prez . ]
[That isâ-]
I thought back to that time back in the royal castle of Alion .
â³
The First Trial .
The requirement that we need to achieve is to kill a monster .
However, I couldnât kill it .
I canât do it .
It was at that time .
Asagi...
[For the frightened Poppo-chan, this reliable Asagi-san will help you . ]
She whispered .
Speaking of the resultsââ I was able to achieve killing it .
In front of us lies the monsterâs corpse .
[You did it, Poppo-chan~! It looks like a lucky hit after you got frightened and got impatient, but it turned out to be a breakthrough! With this, first trial completed âª]
Asagiâs proclamation was conspicuously loud .
I think she made it louder on purpose so that the other people around us could hear it .
Asagi then approached .
From diagonally behind me, she placed her elbow on my shoulder .
[Umu! Iâll explain it so that even Poppo, who had sent most of the nutrients to her breasts rather than saving enough for her brain, could understand . ]
Affectionately, she began speaking .
[Humanity has been surviving by holding each otherâs nyand . But the time that we donât work together, we woof begin crushing each other next . Therefore, kweh also have to work together . ]
My legs were slightly trembling .
It was as if my body was being entangled by a snake .
At that time, I thought that Ikusaba Asagi was âfrighteningâ .
Iâm unable to reply .
My words wonât come out .
[Kobato-san . ]
From behind me, Asagiâs hand crawled over to my left breast .
[Have you heard about the story of humans?]
â½
Iâm scared .
Iâm scared of Ikusaba Asagi .
I then spoke .
[Just like that...... I ended up being in Asagiâs group . ]
Looking easygoing, Itsuki crossed her hands behind her head and said .
[I personally have a bad feeling about Asagi......]
Before I knew it, I could feel moisture in my body .
Itâs not because I got wet from the rain .
I donât like this feeling......
I know well when I sweat .
I spoke .
[Un, I know . ]
With an innocent expression on her face, Itsuki tilted her head .
[Hmm? You also thought sheâs dangerous, Kashima? ......Is Asagi holding on your weakness?]
I shook my head .
[No, itâs not that . ]
â¡
âPoppo~ You really want to go to Ayakaâs side, right?â
âUn...... It was like that at first . ]
âHohâ?â
âIâm now, well...... Iâm indebted to Asagi-san for that time back in that trial......â
âOhh~! Youâre really kindhearted, arenât you?! This Asagi-san is deeply moved . â
â½
I wonât run away from Asagiâs group .
Thatâs because...
[This might be able to help out Sogou-san someday . ]
Itsuki blinked her eyes in surprise .
[Eh?]
I tried making a smile .
But...I couldnât .
[Itâs because Asagi-san thinks Iâm an idiot...... And perhaps, she doesnât have anyone she could leak out her true emotions......]
Asagi has a good relationship with most of the girls .
She has lots of friends .
However, there isnât anyone she could call as her close friend .
Yes, this whole time .
All throughout this time .
[Asagi-san is very smart, thatâs why sheâs very selective about who she could let her true emotions out . And Iâm sure that she knows that Iâm afraid of her...... Therefore, umm...... Iâm sure that she thinks that I can never go against her......]
(In fact, she often talks about things that were different from what she talks about with the other children...)
It should alright for me to say that itâs not just being superficial, but itâs authentic .
I like reading .
Thanks to that, I could understand such subtleties...... I think .
I somehow think so, but...
[Living a life of hiding your true emotions can be more stressful than you think . ]
Hijiri interjected .
[No one is strong enough to go through his entire life wearing a mask of lies . Besides, the smarter a person is, the more that person would desire to show herself to others . It confirms their superiorityâ- it makes them want to assert it to others . ]
Itsukiâs brows creased .
She looks pretty confused .
[Hmmm~? Elder Sister...... What exactly does that mean?]
[It just means that when people are smart, they want to brag about how smart they are to someone . ]
[Ah, I see . Eh? But youâre also smart, Elder Sister...... right?]
[Now that youâre saying that, I guess I couldnât deny that . ]
[Even though itâs the Elder Sister huh . ]
[Well, yeah . Iâm still human . ]
Hijiri lets out a small smile .
[Well...... If someoneâs too smart, they could also be thinking on a different level from those who desire to show their superiority to others . ]
[Hmmâ Someone you could boast at huh...... Ah, say...... Is there even any meaning with boasting myself to others......?]
[Youâre definitely my little sister that Iâm proud of . ]
[Fueeheheâª]
(Hijiri-sanâs answer just now...... Thatâs probably not the answer that youâre trying to ask her, Itsuki-san......)
However, I canât say anything .
Looking like sheâs feeling better, Itsuki turns her questions towards me .
[But Kashimaâ? Why would it be for Prezâs best interest for you to talk about Asagiâs real emotions?]
[She may tell me . ]
[Hmm? Telling you......? What is?]
[Iâm sure that somewhere along the way, Asagi-san will tell me about her important plans . ]
I expect that she would at least utter a hint .
[If Asagi-san were to try planning something that could endanger Sogou-sanâs life...... I, the person closest to her......]
I place my hand on my chest .
As if Iâm trying to calm my heart down .
[Iâm sure that Iâll be able to go tell Sogou-san about it as soon as I can . ]
Itsuki stops walking .
[Kashima, youâ-]
[Itâs alright . ]
Gulp
I gulp down the saliva into my thirsty throat .
[Thinking about this âfoolishly frightened Poppoâ...... Asagi-san wouldnât think about something like this . ]
Even if I thought about an idea like this, I wonât have the courage to do it .
If itâs Ikusaba Asagi, she would think something like that .
Sheâs right though .
In fact, I donât have the courage to do so .
Yes...
Itâs still not time .
(.........Therefore, I need to get stronger . )
Then...
[It seems that itâs the right decision to search for Kashima-san . ]
Hijiri said .
Thereupon, I remembered about the question Iâve been holding in for a long time .
[N- Now that I think about it...... Why did Hijiri-san and Itsuki-san come here to help me?]
[I guess it would be because the current Sogou-san needs a living Kashima-san . ]
[M- Me?]
[What a boring person . ]
[Eh?]
Hijiri touched the hilt of her sword thatâs in its scabbard .
[Without telling us, the Goddess had sent a separate task force for this expedition . No one among them uttered a word, so itâs kind of hard to guess...... But their purpose is probably to assassinate the girls in Sogou-sanâs group . ]
[......... . Ehhh!?]
[She must have intended to place a mental burden on Sogou-san by letting her precious companions die . ]
Iâm quite shocked .
[W- Why would she do something so horrible...... Even though itâs the Goddess herself that summoned them...... So that everyone could return to our previous world...... Even though everyone is working hard to defeat the Great Demon Emperor for the sake of a Goddess......!]
[The Goddess wants Sogou-san as an obedient pawn . Thatâs also proof how valuable the S-Rank Heroes are...... But in order for her to achieve that, she must first destroy her mindâ- Then, brainwashing her and rebuilding her in the way she wants . ]
Hijiriâs eyes look directly at my own eyes .
[And Kashima-sanâs death would probably have a really negative impact on Sogou-san as well . I knew that based on what I saw . ]
(I- Is that so...... When Hijiri-san said that, I felt a little happy......)
[How boring . ]
From behind the darkness, Hijiri weaved her words .
[If Sogou-sanâs heart is to be broken right now, itâs easy to imagine what will happen after that . ]
Her figure drenched in rain .
Her wet clothing clinging to her skin .
Those accentuated the lines on Hijiriâs body .
Sheâs slender, but doesnât look frail at all .
Her dignified figure calmly stands under the dim lights .
I canât exactly explain it, but I felt a sense of dreadfulness looking at her .
[Kashima-san, you said earlier that everyone is working hard So that we could return to our previous world, right?]
[Eh? U- Un......]
A few wet strands of her hair stuck around her mouth .
Hijiri gently brushed them away with her slender fingertips and elegantly pulled them back .
[The requirement for us to return to our previous world is to defeat the Great Demon Emperor . And even if we were to accomplish thatââ]
Takao Hijiri .
Clear...
Clever...
Cold .
(......Hijiri-san . )
[I just canât see how that Goddess could have meekly return us to our previous world . ]
â½
[Ohhhâ Poppo, youâre back! Weâre worried about you~]
The group of 2-C welcomed our return .
The first one who embraced me was Ikusaba Asagi .
[Hmmâ-? So, why were you together with the Takaos?]
[I happened to meet them and they helped me......]
Asagi glanced towards the Takao Sisters .
[Fuunnnn... It seems that Takao were quite the kindhearted people huh...... Hehhh......]
[Kashima-san......]
[Ah...... Sogou-san . ]
It was Sogou Ayaka who was rushing over towards us .
Ayaka placed her hands on both of my shoulders .
[Are you alright? Youâre not hurt?]
I could tell that she was sincerely concerned about me .
Unexpectedly, I could feel my cheeks relaxing to a smile .
[Un, thanks to the Takao Sisters......]
I didnât call them âHijiri-sanâ or âItsuki-sanâ .
Because I felt like I shouldnât be perceived as being close to them right now .
Especially by Asagi .
Ayaka sent a grateful glance towards the Takao Sisters .
[Yes, Takao-san and the others......]
Immediately after we returned, the Takao Sisters just lightly reported to Nyantan .
They didnât look like theyâre going to be involved with the other students .
Then, I thought of something butâ-
[I hope youâre aware that youâve wasted my precious time by disappearing of your own accord...]
It was Kirihara Takuto who spoke towards the twins .
Even though heâs been disregarding their existence in the class until now .
[Heh... Whatâs the matter, Kirihara? Itâs quite unusual for you to get involved with us . ]
Itsuki brazenly responded .
She placed herself in between Hijiri and Kirihara .
Itâs as if she was protecting her sister .
[Sogou has already dropped out among the candidates . ]
[......Huh? What the heck are you talking about? I donât understand what youâre suddenly saying . ]
[What Iâm saying is that the only decent S-Rank left might be Takao Hijiri... . . and this me . ]
[No, like I said, I donât know what you mean . ]
[Either you sisters join us or youâll be joining the side of the dropouts...... Youâre going to have to make a decision . ]
Itsukiâs eyes fixated on him .
[You seriously have maggots in your brain, Kirihara . ]
[Takao Itsuki, the words of this King Vessel is a gift I pass to you...... For just a freebie with your sister, youâve been barking a lot today . ]
[I wonât deny that I may be just a freebie together with my sister...... For the Naked King who has been ignoring us until now, whatâs the matter with you now?]
Kirihara deeply sighs .
[Itâs just that Iâm going to finally make you two aware of this King Vessel...... Donât make me say it again . Youâre exactly that so-called âgood grades but stupidâ kind of person......]
[I donât want you to say that to me just because Iâve beaten you several times in the finals . ]
Clack
Kirihara cracked his neck .
[Iâve intended on being a generalist after all......]
[And so...... what?]
[Even so......]
Kirihara held out his hand towards Hijiri .
[Hijiri...... You should do a better job disciplining your little sister . ]
Plak
Itsuki blocked Kiriharaâs hand as he was about to reach out to her sister .
[What the hell are you doing, donât try to touch my sister without permission . ]
Without any change in her expression, Hijiri stayed silent .
It seems that her eyes were also observing Kirihara .
[In my mind...... I planned to go easy on you for now, trying to bear a compassionate heart but......]
Sighing, Kirihara combed his hair behind his back .
[Iâll show you the disparity between us... I just hope that this would end up with you staying safe but......]
[Just do it . ]
Silence .
In that moment, everyone paused as if the time has stopped .
And then...
[]
âââCrackle, craaccckkkllleeeeâââ
[Oi! Thatâs enough, you little brats!]
In fact, Nyantan was about to make her move and stop them .
But it was Abyss, the eldest daughter of the Four Revered Saintsââ who stopped them .
[You want this situation to get more annoying that much!? Want me to knock some sense into your f*cking brains until you start getting obedient, just like what I did to that mannerless moron Oyamada!? Hey, what the f*ck do you all want!?]
Looking at him, I could see Oyamada Shougo standing behind Abyss with a bruise on his cheek .
With a hateful look in his eyes, heâs glaring at Abyss .
He probably did something that he got smacked .
The reason why he wasnât near Kirihara was apparently because he was with Abyss .
Kobato gulped .
(To be able to get between those two without feeling any nervousness...... As I thought, the Four Revered Saints were amazing......]
It was Kirihara who pulled away first .
[Every single one of you were really lucky that... you narrowly escaped death . ]
Unhappily rubbing his neck, Kirihara sighed .
[Because this half wits were acting like theyâre good guys, the number of these misapprehensive low specs thatâs better off dying has been increasing...... Itâs these idiots and incompetents that donât understand that theyâre dragging the feet of the strong people, did you think they would change whether weâre in a different world or not? This is... the Kingâs solitude...... Tsk, how dangerous......]
Itsuki also stepped back .
[......Just because we came to a different world, you suddenly started losing your grip huh, Kirihara?]
[Itsuki . ]
Hijiri finally opened her mouth .
[You saved me, thank you . ]
[Fumuu...... For bastards like him, Elder Sister doesnât even need to deal with him yourself . ]
[Ohh, it seems like everyoneâs already here?]
The person who arrived next was the eldest son of the Four Revered Saints, Agito .
He somehow appeared from the opposite direction of where the innermost part of the Demon Zone should have been .
Moreover, heâs now riding on top of a horse .
[Iâm sorry, but we have to leave before the sun rises . ]
Agito glanced at Nyantan .
Nyantan slightly nodded .
Around us, some of the girls......
[ [ [Kyyaaahhh, Agito-san âª] ] ]
Their high-pitched chorus rang out .
[Hey!? Heâs even riding a horse!? Plus, itâs even a white horse!]
[Dreamy, too dreamy! Youâre seriously too dreamy!]
[Heâs not just a dream! A prince on a white horse! I never thought that it would be real......!]
[Ahri! Itâs the opposite of that, Ahri! Itâs Prince Charming, Ahri!]
[Ah, I canât share such a magnificent sight on SNS, what a tragedy......!]
Wryly smiling, Agito looked towards Alionâs direction .
[How should I say this...... Putting aside that strange march of monsters anomaly, it looks like we were supposed to go back to Alion anyway . ]
Without looking at Agito, Kirihara asked .
[Did something happen?]
[From the encampment we placed near the border of the Demon Zone, a messenger riding on top of a fast horse came from Alion . ]
From above the horse, Agito informed us .
[The Great Demon Emperor that hadnât moved until now has finally started a massive southward march . ]