Shea and the others looked at her worriedly. Hajime folded his arms and tapped his
forehead thoughtfully. There had to be a logical explanation for what was going on.
Yue tugged on Hajime's sleeve and looked up at him with a worried expression. Since
she was still a goblin, it looked more like she was glaring though. Upon seeing that,
Hajime broke out of his musing and smiled reassuringly at her.
"It'll be alright, Yue. Like I said before, this probably isn't a trap, and since this is a trial
they wouldn't want to eliminate us right at the start. There has to be some way to get
you back to normal." Hajime's voice was filled with such confidence that Yue and the
others smiled.
"My guess is restoration magic didn't work because whatever turned you into a goblin
was another form of ancient magic. That magic circle probably had something special
built into it."
Since we needed restoration magic to get in here, the labyrinth designer obviously
factored in that we'd be able to use it. So they wouldn't have made a trial that could be
easily beat with it. Hajime explained his reasoning to everyone, who nodded in
agreement.
"In other words, if we keep going forward, we'll find a way to bring you back
eventually."
"Gugyaaa…."
"Exactly, there's nothing to worry about. Oh yeah, I almost forgot. Try using this, Yue."
"Gigi?"
Hajime handed her a jeweled earring. Being transformed into a goblin had robbed her
of the ability to use magic, but it appeared she could still manipulate her mana just
fine. Meaning she could use artifacts. Yue poured mana into the earring he'd given her,
which was a telepathy stone, and finally voiced her thoughts.
"Hajime? Can you hear me, Hajime?" Her voice seemed to come from everywhere and
nowhere at the same time, much like Tio's when she was in her dragon form. They
hadn't been apart for very long, but it still felt like it had been ages since Hajime had
heard Yue's voice, so the sound made his expression soften, and he smiled. Kouki and
the others had still been a little suspicious, but now that they were hearing Yue's voice,
they had no choice but to admit that the goblin in front of them really was Yue.
"Loud and clear, Yue. It sucks that you got transformed…. but I'm glad you're safe."
"Mmm…. I knew you'd be able to tell."
"Of course. How long do you think I've spent looking at you?"
"Mmm…. But I'm still happy. I love you, Hajime."
Hajime's smile grew wider. He'd been tense ever since learning about Yue's
disappearance, but now he finally relaxed.
A human and a goblin stared into each other's eyes with more passion than any
human-goblin pair likely had before. It appeared even when Yue was a goblin, Hajime
was more than ready to flirt with her.
Meanwhile, the rest of the party's eyes glazed over. Eventually, Kaori grew impatient
and coughed loudly to get Hajime's attention.
"Ahem! Can we get going now? Also, Yue, I'm glad you're safe."
"Mmm…. I'm sorry Hajime loves me more than you even when I look like this, Kaori."
"Are you trying to pick a fight!? Because it sounds like it!"
No matter what she looked like, Yue was still Yue. If her voice hadn't been enough to
convince Kaori, that abrasive personality of hers definitely was.
"I promise I'll get you back to normal, Yue-san! No matter what! So until then, just
leave everything to me!"
"Mmm…. Thanks, Shea. I can't fight right now, so I'll be counting on you."
Yue's goblin features twisted into a smile. It should have looked grotesque, but
knowing Yue was inside made it seem charming.
Kouki walked over and spoke in an apologetic tone.
"Yue-san, I'm sorry I attacked you. I didn't know it was you…. and I almost killed you."
"Mmm…. It's fine. Besides, I believed you wouldn't hurt me."
"Wait, does that mean…."
"Because I knew Hajime would stop you."
"I see…." Kouki's hopes were dashed instantly. He let out a hollow laugh and trudged
away. Shizuku gave him an exasperated look, wondering why he'd even thought for a
second Yue might have been into him.
"Now we just need to find Tio and Sakagami…. If they're in the same state as Yue, then
maybe we should hurry."
If they'd been turned into monsters too, it was doubtful other monsters would attack
them. However, they were still powerless in the middle of a labyrinth, which was never
good.
At Hajime's words, the others steeled themselves once more. They left the scorched
section of forest behind and resumed their search.
Ten minutes later, they spotted something.
"Hajime-san…. Even I can tell that must be Tio-san."
"Yeah, it's gotta be her."
"Mmm…. No one else acts like that."
"Looks like we're all in agreement."
Hajime stared coldly at the spectacle in front of him. Like he was looking at filth.
Shizuku and Suzu, on the other hand, were disgusted, while Kouki found the sight too
repulsive to even look at.
"Gugyaaah! Gigyaaah!"
"Higiii!?"
"Gobuuu! Gobbb!"
"Buhiii!?"
Hajime and the others found themselves in front of a group of goblins. The swarm had
ganged up on one of their own and were beating it mercilessly. However, they seemed
more intent on tormenting the lone goblin than actually killing it. In fact, the goblin
being ganged up on had no major injuries to speak of. Had that been all, Hajime would
have just assumed it was a case of infighting, or bullying or something.
"She's…. really enjoying it, isn't she?"
"A goblin making that kind of face is just wrong…. That'd have to be censored if it was
in an anime."
"Nagumo…. I admit my defeat. You're a far more accepting man than me."
"Please don't put it like that, Amanogawa. You're making it sound like I actually
approve of her perverseness. The truth is, I've just given up on curing her…."
As Shizuku had so aptly pointed out, the goblin being tormented had an expression of
ecstasy on its face. The only person who'd look that happy being beaten up was the
party's resident perverted dragon.
"Tio, you really…. Sorry guys, it's too late to save her. It's a shame, but we'll have to let
her go." Hajime shook his head sadly and turned on his heel. Yue and the others
followed suit without hesitation. Even Kouki, who'd normally yell out "You're going to
abandon your own comrade!?" or something to that effect, remained silent. He still
couldn't bring himself to look at Tio.
"Gug? Gyagyaaa!" The perverted goblin finally noticed her comrades were here. She
crawled out of the throng of goblins and rushed toward Hajime and the others on all
fours, an expression of pure rapture still on her face. She looked more like a cockroach
than a goblin, and even her fellow goblins backed away in disgust.
"Guygayagyagya!" Goblin Tio closed in on the party and leaped joyously at Hajime.
She'd gone from looking like a cockroach to resembling Lupin when he did his Lupin
Dive. Though her goblin speech was unintelligible, Hajime guessed she was saying
something like "Master, I missed you dearly!" So, naturally, Hajime's response was
blunt and to the point.
"Get away from me, you pervert." He gave her a merciless uppercut with his prosthetic
arm. There was an ominous crack, and Tio spun through the air four times before
crashing into a thicket behind her. Unsurprisingly, she'd been smiling even as Hajime
had hit her.
"Is she dead?" Goblin Yue peeked into the thicket and found goblin Tio lying
motionless on the ground. Yue picked up a branch and poked Tio a few times. She
twitched a little. Then, after a few seconds, she jolted upright and nonchalantly got to
her feet. It appeared not even a labyrinth's spells could cure Tio's perversion.
"Gyagyagya! Gogogo Gugu! Gugya!"
Though Hajime couldn't understand Tio's goblin-speak the way he could Yue's, it was
easy to figure out what Tio was trying to say. After all, the way she shouting and the
fact that she was blushing and cupping her cheeks said more than words ever could.
Plus, she kept sneaking glances at Hajime.
Now this is just blasphemous. Hajime reached for Donner. With some reluctance, Shea
stopped him. Before Hajime could do anything more, Kaori hurriedly handed Tio a
telepathy stone.
"Oh, a telepathy stone. Can you hear me now, Master? Thank you so much for greeting
me with that exquisite uppercut."
"Tch, so you're just as sturdy in this body, huh? If only you'd died…."
"Mmm!? How merciless! Please, insult me more. Haaah…. Haaah…. As I suspected, I
can't reach the true heights of ecstasy unless it's you, Master. Your faithful servant has
returned. Feel free to berate and scorn this ugly creature to your heart's content!"
For her, being transformed into a goblin was just another fetish to indulge in. In a way,
Hajime was right. It was too late to save Tio.
Tio threw herself at Hajime's feet and shouted, "Boil me or bake me as you please!"
Hajime, however, ignored her and slaughtered the group of goblins that had been
beating on her. Once he was done, he silently walked off. The rest of the party had no
desire to talk to Tio either, so they followed after him.
"A-Abandonment play? Oh, Master, you tease. Wait, are you truly planning on leaving
me behind!? Stop, I cannot walk that fast! I'm still dizzy from your previous attack!"
Tio's pleas rang out through the sea of trees. However, no one stopped for her.
Large, whip-like branches assailed the party. Razor-sharp leaves filled the air. Nuts
and seeds bombarded everyone. Roots lunged up from the ground, their tips pointed
spears. Each attack was powerful enough to be fatal.
The monster the party was currently facing was practically the same as the treemonsters they'd faced in the Great Orcus Labyrinth. Apparently, it was called a Treant.
However, the Treant they were facing here was much larger than the one they'd fought
in Orcus. It was easily ten meters wide and thirty meters tall. Currently, the only people
in combat were Kouki, Shizuku, Suzu, and some ogre-like creature.
"Graaaaaah!" The ogre let out a primitive howl and swung a boulder-sized fist at the
Treant. Said ogre was, of course, Ryutarou.
During the course of their search, Hajime and the others had found a pair of ogres
locked in a duel to the death. After observing them for a while, they'd come to realize
one of the ogres was Ryutarou. The karate-inspired martial arts he'd been using had
made it easy to tell him apart from the actual ogre. That, combined with the fact that
he'd chosen to accept the other ogre's challenge instead of run away, had convinced
everyone that was Ryutarou. Only he could be that straightforward.
Furthermore, he'd been in such bad shape that had they found him any later, he might
really have died. It was only thanks to Kouki jumping in and intervening that Ryutarou
hadn't had his skull bashed in. Once the other ogre had been defeated, Shizuku had
given Ryutarou a long lecture about being reckless. It had been quite the sight, seeing
a beat-up ogre sitting formally and hanging his head in front of a little girl. The whole
incident had been so surreal that Suzu had burst out laughing.
After they'd successfully met up with Ogre Ryutarou, Hajime and the others had
resumed their search. Eventually, they'd found a large tree growing next to an altar.
Upon their approach, the tree had sprung to life and started attacking everyone,
leading to the present situation.
Judging from the Treant's strength, and the location they'd found it, it was likely this
floor's boss. If the party wanted to advance to the next floor, they'd have to defeat it.
The reason Kouki and the others had taken on the challenge alone was because he
wanted to prove he could be useful. However, because of how strong their foe was,
Kaori was providing healing support from the rear.
"Nnnnnngh! It hits like a truck!" A branch as thick as a tree trunk sliced through the
air and headed straight for Kouki. He blocked it with his sword, but the force of the
blow made him groan in pain.
Shizuku was unable to assist, as she had her hands full striking down the flying
shuriken leaves. Suzu had to use her full arsenal of barriers to keep the party safe,
while Kouki frantically searched for an opening from which to strike.
"Gah! It's no use. As long as Kaori's here we won't get worn down, but…." Shizuku
unleashed shockwaves one after another, slicing down any leaf or branch that drew
close. But she grit her teeth as she realized that she wouldn't be able to push any
further.
Now that they'd experienced firsthand just how ferocious a labyrinth could be, they
realized Hajime had been right when he'd said they would die if they challenged one
on their own. Shizuku knew that without Hajime's help they would have died long ago.
The confidence they'd built up during their time in the Great Orcus Labyrinth had been
torn to shreds. Shizuku weighed her options, then yelled out her plan.
"Kouki! Use Divine Wrath!"
"I can't! It takes too long to chant!"
"Don't worry, we'll protect you! Trust in us!"
Kouki hesitated over whether or not to agree to Shizuku's plan. The Treant they were
facing was stronger even than the monsters the demons had brought with them. It was
only thanks to Kaori's support that they hadn't been wiped out. But even with her help,
a moment's lapse in concentration would see them killed. No sane person would leave
themselves defenseless in front of such an opponent.
However, it was also true that their current strategy lacked the firepower to defeat the
Treant. At this rate, they would eventually lose.
Besides…. Kouki thought back to Hajime and Yue's reunion. About how absolute their
trust was in each other. Despite Yue's goblin form, Hajime had instantly realized who
she was. Yue, too, had possessed absolute faith that Hajime would stop Kouki from
killing her. Honestly, he'd been a little jealous of their unwavering devotion to each
other.
It was that jealousy that drove Kouki to his final decision. After all, he had comrades
he trusted too. This was his chance to prove his bonds were just as strong as Hajime's.
"Alright, I'm counting on you guys!"
"Yep, just leave it to us. Ryutarou, Suzu, tighten your defenses!"
"Roger!"
"You got it!"
Kouki raised his sword high and stopped moving. As he was concentrating solely on
casting Divine Wrath, he was defenseless. The Treant wasn't going to let such an
opportunity pass. It shot branches at Kouki from both sides, while raining a torrent of
leaves from above and firing a barrage of nuts from the front.
"Reject all malice and let this be a holy ground that denies thine enemies passage!
Hallowed Ground!" Suzu had been ready for the attack, and she pulled out her
strongest barrier to defend against it. Cracks appeared in the dome as it weathered
the Treant's initial barrage.
"Mrrrrrrrrrgh!"
The continuous assault eventually proved too much for Suzu's Hallowed Ground, and
it shattered. Suzu was thrown backward from the impact, and Shizuku and Ryutarou
rushed in to fill the gap.
"Haaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!"
"Uoooooooooh!"
With spirited cries, the two of them unleashed every technique at their disposal. But
even their best wasn't enough to let them survive unscathed, and the two of them were
quickly covered in deep cuts. Blood spurted from their bodies and dyed the ground
red.
"Holy Blessing." Kaori cast a single spell, and Shizuku's and Ryutarou's wounds
vanished instantly.
Holy Blessing was an intermediate-class spell, but with Kaori's ungodly mana
reserves, she could easily power it up to an advanced-class spell. Her healing spells
worked so fast that it was like they were rewinding time. Even factoring in the increase
in power being in Noint's body gave her, Kaori was an unbelievably skilled healer.
Suzu once again cast Hallowed Ground, buying the party another few seconds. Shizuku
and Ryutarou regrouped, ready to fend off the next assault. The cycle of Suzu erecting
a barrier, it shattering, Shizuku and Ryutarou guarding for a few seconds, Kaori
healing them, then Suzu recasting her barrier repeated three times.
By now, Kouki had nearly finished casting. A massive amount of mana was
concentrated within his sword, which was glowing brighter than the sun. He tightened
his grip on the hilt and sucked in a deep breath.
"Alright everyone, let's do this! Divine Wrath!" After saying that, he swung his sword
down, unleashing his most powerful attack. A dazzling shockwave of mana ripped
across the ground, obliterating any leaves, branches, and nuts in its wake. It then
slammed into the Treant's main body in an explosion of light.
"We did it!" Kouki yelled jubilantly.
Hajime, who was waiting safely in the rear, muttered, "Ah, that's a death flag…." and
Kouki had stepped right on it. The light faded and the dust cleared, revealing a
wounded but still very much alive Treant.
"You're…. kidding me…." Kouki gasped, dumbfounded. He wasn't the only one
surprised. Shizuku, Suzu, and Ryutarou were just as shocked. Until now, there was
nothing Kouki's ultimate attack hadn't been able to kill.
Divine Wrath was the most powerful offensive spell in existence, the hero's trump
card. When he'd just arrived in Tortus and been low-leveled, it might have been
possible for something to withstand Kouki's Divine Wrath, but not after he'd gotten so
much training in.
And yet, the Treant remained undaunted. Sure, it had been damaged a fair amount,
but those wounds only made it more ferocious. This whole time, Kouki had believed
himself capable of clearing a labyrinth. He'd been certain he'd be fine. After all, Hajime
had done it. To Kouki, it seemed impossible for there to be something Hajime could do
that he couldn't. However now, he was forced to face reality. Even his most powerful
ability had failed to bring down a labyrinth monster.
No, this can't be real. There has to be some kind of mistake! Kouki shook his head in
denial. Just then, Shizuku shouted to gain his attention.
"Kouki, look! You didn't land a direct hit!"
"Huh?" Kouki followed Shizuku's gaze and saw a mountain of wooden splinters and
tree trunks. It appeared the Treant had used a bunch of trees as a shield to guard
against Kouki's Divine Wrath.
Where on earth did it get all those trees from? There wasn't anything right before I
attacked…. Kouki's question was answered seconds later by the Treant. The monster
glowed with a faint light, and seconds later trees started sprouting from its roots.
"Th-This is its special magic!?" Suzu gasped. Her guess was spot-on. The Treant's
special magic was "Regrowth." It allowed it to sprout as many trees as it pleased, and
control them freely.
"O-Oh no! Let this be a— Hallowed Ground!" Suzu quickly realized her full chant
wouldn't make it in time, and shortened it. A shimmering dome of light surrounded
the party just as a flood of attacks came in.
Sharpened branches and roots slammed into the barrier one after another. This time
the attacks weren't coming just from the Treant, but also from the trees it had created.
Branches filled the air, blotting out the sky. The barrage was so thick Suzu and the
others couldn't even see the Treant anymore. A makeshift Hallowed Ground had no
chance of withstanding such an attack. Cracks had already started to appear all over
the barrier, and it would shatter in another few seconds. And this time, it seemed
unlikely that Kouki and the others would be able to hold out long enough for her to
cast it again. Kouki himself knew it was far too optimistic to think they could.
"I can't…. hold on any longer…." Suzu grit her teeth as her mana drained away at an
alarming rate. Watching her struggle to hold on snapped Kouki back to his senses. In
a way, he was relieved. It wasn't that his trump card was ineffective, it had just been
blocked. But regardless, the fact that it had meant that Suzu was now suffering.
Kouki banished the worries and hesitation he'd felt until now. And prepared to use his
second trump card, Limit Break. Using up two of his trump cards this early in the
labyrinth wasn't a wise move, but Kouki realized he'd been naive in thinking he could
survive without them. Before he could activate the skill though, Kaori intervened.
"Transient Infinity!"
Transient Infinity was a restoration spell that maintained a person or object in its
original state for as long as the caster supplied mana. Silver light enveloped Suzu's
cracked Hallowed Ground, returning it to the pristine condition it had been in upon
being cast. No matter how much the Treant hammered on the barrier, it was unable to
put even a dent on it. Any damage dealt was instantly reverted thanks to Kaori's spell.
"Whoa, thanks Kaorin!" Suzu glanced over her shoulder, and Kaori saw the tears in her
eyes.
She must have been really scared. Or maybe she's just really relieved now. Kaori smiled
at her and nodded reassuringly. Kouki and the others relaxed a little as well and turned
back to see how Hajime was doing.
Like the three of them, Hajime and his party were also surrounded by an army of trees,
but they were having no trouble whatsoever dealing with the onslaught of wood and
leaves. Hajime had deployed four of his Cross Bits, and they'd formed a pyramidshaped barrier around everyone. Since the barrier was made of spatial magic, it was
nigh impossible to penetrate. Not even the Treant's strongest attacks could crack it.
He'd created an impenetrable fortress for himself.
"Looks like they're at their limit. I thought they'd be able to do a bit better, but…."
Hajime muttered to himself as he gauged the expressions on Kouki and the others'
faces.
"Hmm, if that hero guy used Limit Break, won't they be able to manage somehow?"
"Maybe. If he uses that powered-up version of it, definitely. But the recoil that comes
afterward will be a problem…. Even healing magic can't do much for the exhaustion
that comes with using Limit Break."
"Mmm…. Restoration magic should be able to, though."
At Yue's words, Kaori bit her lip.
"I'd like to preserve my mana as much as possible. Restoration magic takes up a lot,
and I'm the only one capable of using it right now, so…. This is still just the beginning
of the labyrinth, so there's no telling what's waiting for us further down, and I already
used up one of my spells…."
"Indeed. In that case, I suppose you should take care of things before that boy attempts
to use Limit Break."
Hajime was a little worried that Kouki and the others wouldn't be recognized as
people who'd contributed to conquering the dungeon if he kept helping them like this.
And if they weren't able to obtain ancient magic, then he wouldn't be able to use them
as pawns for the upcoming battle against the Noint army.
That was why he'd wanted Kouki and the others to handle this monster, so they'd have
proof of their contribution. However, Kaori definitely had a point. There was no telling
what was waiting for them further down, so wasting more mana than necessary was
not a wise decision. Sure, he did have a stock of jewelry charged with mana still, but
Yue and Tio weren't in fighting condition, and Hajime had no idea when they 'd be
back to normal.
To make matters worse, their equipment had been taken from them as well. If they got
too cocky, Hajime didn't doubt they'd find the tables turned on them.
"Master, I can more or less guess what your worries are, but I think you needn't
concern yourself so much with whether or not they achieve any results in battle."
"Hm? Why not? Does it have something to do with the theme of this labyrinth?" Hajime
tilted his had, and Tio nodded. She might have been an incorrigible pervert, but her
vast wisdom and intellect meant her words were worth heeding. Though it didn't
change the fact that she was a pervert.
"Correct. This is merely conjecture, but I believe Haltina's labyrinth is meant to test
our bonds."
"Our bonds, huh….? Come to think of it, the stone epitaph at the entrance said
something like that too."
"Precisely. Those words referred not only to forging a bond with beastmen and having
them guide us here but also to the fact that our bonds would be tested within this
labyrinth. Discerning which of our comrades were fake, finding and accepting those
who were transformed, all of this is testing our bonds. Testing whether we will protect
our powerless partners, or leave them to die."
"I see…. If that really is the goal of this labyrinth, then all of these trials would make
sense. And…. Amanogawa's already accepted Sakagami and fought together with him.
Hell, he even entrusted his life to him back there. Since they've already proven all that,
it shouldn't be a problem if I finish everything else off from here on, huh. As long as
Amanogawa and the others keep overcoming the trials that test their bonds, anyway."
"That is what I suspect. But remember, this is still conjecture."
Conjecture it may have been, but it was backed up by a good deal of evidence. If Tio
was right, then this labyrinth, which wasn't interested in testing its challengers'
martial prowess, was probably the most fitting one to have brought Kouki and the
others along for.
Hajime mulled over Tio's words one more time and glanced over at the giant Treant.
Its attacks had grown even more ferocious, so it was getting irritated that it couldn't
break through Suzu's Hallowed Ground or Hajime's spatial barrier. There were so
many leaves and branches flying around that Hajime could barely see in front of him.
At that, Hajime made his decision.
"Taniguchi, I'm gonna blow everything away. If you don't want to die, keep your barrier
up no matter what."
"Say what?" Cold sweat poured down Suzu's back as she digested Hajime's warning.
Kouki and the others looked curiously over at Suzu. And a second later, their jaws fell
open in shock.
Hajime had taken out his specially crafted chakram and was controlling them with the
spirit stone ring on his finger. His chakrams tore through the storm of trees and
branches, shredding everything in their path. There were more than twenty of them
whirling through the air. A few of them flew above the trees and started spraying a
black liquid down on them.
The black liquid was, of course, the same flamrock tar that burned at 3000 degrees
Celsius. He was transporting it from his Treasure Trove via the spatial gates he'd
attached to his chakrams.
Shea, who'd realized what Hajime was planning, balked.
"Whoa…." she muttered as she looked over at Hajime. After all, while Hajime's method
was the most effective way of wiping out the forest of trees that had sprouted in front
of them, it was also quite extreme.
Hajime, however, ignored her chastising gaze and threw a tiny ember through one of
the chakrams next to him.
The forest was bathed in flames for a second time. The Treant ignored the flames and
continued its assault, but it wasn't able to last very long in the hellfire Hajime had
drowned it in. Though it had no mouth, the party could have sworn they heard a
scream as the flames burnt it to a crisp. The updraft caused by the heat made the
flames condense into a whirling tornado which burned so hot it liquified everything it
touched.
Hajime really had created a hell on earth. If Suzu or the others stepped even one foot
outside her Hallowed Ground, they'd be scorched so thoroughly not even ashes would
remain.
But while the tar burned hot, it didn't burn for long. Within fifteen minutes, Hajime's
flames had exhausted themselves. Because the Treant and its trees had thrashed about
in their final moments, the fire had spread to the regular trees in the forest too, but
Kaori's timely water spells had prevented the entire forest from burning down. As
Kaori was the only mage in Hajime's party still capable of combat, she was being run
pretty ragged.
"We've already met up with Yue and the others, you could have just let the whole forest
burn, you know….?"
"Hajime-kun. It's not right to destroy everything around you just because you can."
"Wherever Hajime-san goes, destruction is sure to follow…. If my dad had seen this,
he'd probably start thinking up another new nickname for you right about now."
Unable to meet Kaori and Shea's gazes, Hajime looked away awkwardly. Honestly, he
didn't care even if he burned the labyrinth to the ground, but when even Shea gave
him that look, he felt a little guilty.
However, Yue, who was with Hajime on everything, and Tio, who preferred her master
to be a merciless monster, seemed to agree with his declaration that destroying the
labyrinth was no big deal. For the moment, opinions within Hajime's party were split
evenly.
"That just now was…. No, forget it. I've already seen rocket launchers and cluster
bombs, so I shouldn't be surprised at this point. This is normal for Nagumo-kun. I need
to get it together…."
"Don't worry, Shizushizu. I totally get what you're feeling, but you'll get used to how
crazy everything is eventually…. I hope. Anyway, it'll be alright."
Suzu and Shizuku stared at each other with dead eyes. They'd just witnessed a
crimson inferno up close and personal, and it had done a number on their mental
state. Ogre Ryutarou looked worriedly over at the two of them, but he couldn't find
any words to say. After all, even he'd broken out in a cold sweat seeing flames inches
from his face.
A short distance away, Kouki glared at Hajime and bit his lip. Even his strongest attack
hadn't been able to defeat the Treant, yet Hajime had taken care of it like it was
nothing. He'd come here to shorten the gap between him and Hajime, but he was
beginning to worry if he'd even be able to obtain the ancient magic if Hajime ended up
saving them from everything. After a while, Kouki shook his head in an attempt to
dispel such negative thoughts, then whirled around in a panic when he heard a
creaking noise behind him.
"Is it regenerating?" Just as Kouki said that the scorched ground began to shake, and a
tree sprouted from the earth. It grew at a prodigious rate, and in seconds it was the
size of the Treant Hajime had just burned. It really had regenerated.
Kouki and the others instantly drew their weapons, but the restored Treant didn't
attack. Instead, its bark started to split open, similar to how the Grand Tree had when
it had first let them inside.
"I figured this was the mid-boss, but I didn't think it'd also be the door to the next
stage." Hajime nodded to himself and strode confidently into the opening made by
Treant. Yue and the others followed suit. Then, Kouki and his group sheathed their
weapons and hurried after them.
The inside of this tree looked as unassuming as the last. However, the moment they all
entered, the bark closed in around them and the area around their feet began to glow.
"Guess we're getting teleported again…."
Hajime hugged Yue and Tio close, noting that this magic circle looked almost identical
to the previous one. Chances were, if the magic circle wanted to separate the party,
hugging the two goblins wouldn't do much. But still, he figured it was better than doing
nothing.
Since neither of them was capable of fighting in their current state, even a weak
monster could kill them easily. Even if there was a slim chance of this doing anything,
Hajime still felt compelled to do something at the very least. He couldn't afford to let
either of them die.
"Hajime…."
"M-Master…. if you're this kind to me, I won't know how to respond."
The two of them had picked up on Hajime's worry, and they smiled happily. Though
they were still goblins, anyone would have been able to tell those smiles were ones of
joy. And for once, Tio seemed embarrassed. Shea and Kaori tried to throw themselves
at Hajime too, but they were a moment too late. Just before their arms reached him,
the light swallowed the party.
Chirp, chirp, chirp. The soft chirping of birds, along with the sunlight filtering through
the curtains, heralded the arrival of dawn. Annoyed, the resident of the room grabbed
his pillow and covered his head with it. However, there was a demon in this room that
wouldn't let him sleep.
Beep…. Beep…. Beep…. Beep…. Beep!. A loud ringing noise assailed the ears of the boy
attempting to sleep.
"Ugh…." The boy tried to dive further into his fortress of bedsheets and pillows, but
ignoring the demon's wail proved to be impossible. He reluctantly stretched an arm
out and started indiscriminately slapping the desk next to his bed. He'd had a little
over a decade's worth of experience quelling this demon, so on the third try he was
able to bash it on the head, silencing it. But while he was well-versed in demon busting,
it didn't change the fact it took a lot out of him. The boy's arm flopped, drained of all
strength. He then sluggishly returned to his fortress, and stopped moving. A second
later, he was woken once more.
"Hajime! Wake uuuuuup! No sleeping in, get up!"
He heard a familiar voice, his mother's, calling him from downstairs. Half-awake,
Hajime processed his mother's words and decided to resist to the last. He pulled his
covers over him and tightened the defenses of his fortress.
"Guess he's not listening. Can you go get him for me? Sorry I have to ask you every
day."
"Ah…."
Hajime's mom spoke loudly, to make sure he could hear her. Considering who she was
probably talking to, regardless of how badly she wanted Hajime up, he had no
intention of leaving his bed. After all, being woken by the person Hajime's mom had
enlisted was one of the few joys of his daily life. There was a sharp rap on his door.
Hajime didn't respond, but the person on the other side seemed to have been
expecting that and opened the door. They tiptoed over to where Hajime was sleeping
and poked his curled-up body.
"Wake up, Hajime…."
"...…"
Still no response. Though he was only partially conscious, Hajime wanted to hear this
beautiful girl's voice for a while longer.
"If you don't wake up…."
"...…"
The girl caressed his back. The soft sensation caused Hajime to involuntarily smile.
"I'll have to rape you."
"Okay I'm getting up, so please don't say such dangerous things this early in the
morning."
Chills ran down Hajime's spine, and he quickly jumped out of bed. A tuft of his black
hair stood on end, and his brown-black eyes struggled to focus. Standing in front of
him was a blonde-haired crimson-eyed beauty. She smiled seductively and licked her
lips. At the sight, Hajime grimaced and spoke up.
"Morning, Yue."
"Mmm…. Morning, Hajime."
Hajime stretched, glad that he was able to see his girlfriend first thing in the morning.
His parents both teased him as he went down for breakfast, after which he left for
school together with Yue.
Hajime stifled a yawn as he walked down the familiar path to school, and Yue looked
up at him curiously.
Every one of her gestures is just so cute! Yue's looks captivated everyone they passed
by as well, and plenty of people accidentally walked into poles or fell into ditches
because they were staring at her. Yue remained oblivious to the carnage she was
causing, though. She dashed ahead of Hajime and whirled around to face him. Since
she was wearing a standard school uniform, her skirt flew up a little as she did so. Her
golden-blonde hair shone in the sunlight and gave off a faint smell of shampoo. She
continued walking backward in step with Hajime and scrutinized his expression.
"Did you stay up late again?"
"Yeah, I got a little too engrossed in the work dad gave me. By the time I realized it, the
sun was starting to rise."
"It's good that you're passionate about your hobbies, but don't overdo it. You need to
take care of your body."
"Yeah, I will."
The two were just having a normal conversation, but it looked like they were flirting.
Hajime and Yue had been dating for a while, but the flames of their passion hadn't
dimmed in the slightest. At the beginning, Yue had been so enamored with Hajime that
she'd forcefully convinced his parents to let her homestay with them.
That had caused quite the uproar among the people who knew him. Especially since
Hajime was a hardcore otaku who spent most of his time playing games or helping his
dad make games. He was the last person anyone had expected to land a beautiful
girlfriend. Hajime's mother had worried he had somehow mastered the art of
hypnosis and tricked Yue into being his girlfriend, while his father assumed he'd
somehow manifested the power to make his waifu real. And when Yue had transferred
into Hajime's school and announced that she was Hajime's girlfriend, the whole school
had started talking about it.
Afterward, Hajime had been forced to deal with the hordes of jealous guys who'd
hounded him day and night. Yue'd had her own share of problems, and was called out
by the school's girls day after day. Finally, after a few months, things had reached the
point where they were calming down. The reason Hajime could walk to school so
leisurely now was because he'd braved such a storm of trials. Hajime stared at Yue's
glistening golden hair and thought back to how he'd first met her.
He'd chanced upon her getting assaulted by a mugger, and after a vicious struggle had
successfully managed to fight him off and save Yue. As thanks, she'd kissed him on the
neck. Even now, he could clearly remember the sensation of that kiss. After that, they'd
started dating.
Honestly, I'm kind of surprised an otaku like me managed to beat up a mugger in the
first place. I guess humans really do display amazing feats of strength when they're
desperate. He smiled to himself. That really had been reckless. But as he sifted through
his memories, he realized something was off.
Wait, come to think of it, where was that place I first met Yue anyway? And why was I
there? Yue was obviously a foreigner, and the fact that she was homestaying at
Hajime's house meant she must have come from a different country. Hajime also
vaguely remembered first meeting Yue in a foreign country. But he couldn't for the life
of him remember which country that was. Once he realized that, a bunch of other
contradictory elements started popping up in his memories. The more he questioned
his present situation, the more he felt as though something wasn't right.
"Hajime!"
"Whoa. What's up? Why'd you suddenly yell like that?"
He was shocked out of his musings by Yue's uncharacteristically loud voice. Upon
returning to reality, Hajime noticed Yue was staring intently at him.
"I kept calling your name, but you ignored me….
"Wait, really!? I'm so sorry! I was just lost in thought…."
Yue huffed and looked away. It seemed his indifference had really hurt her. He tried to
comfort her as best he could, his earlier doubts completely forgotten.
—Fall into bliss. Look only at me—
Yue's whisper was so quiet it didn't reach Hajime's ears. He smiled gently at her, glad
she was at his side.
They reached school without incident and as Hajime was putting on his school
slippers, he felt something soft touch his back. Someone was hugging him from
behind. No, not just someone. Hajime knew instantly who it was just from the
sensation. It could only be her.
"Hajime-saaan! Yue-saaan! Good morning!"
"Mmm…. Morning, Shea."
"Sh-Shea-san! How many times do I have to tell you not to hug him!? Get off already!"
"Don't be like that! How cruel do you have to be to steal my only happiness away from
me!? You better make up for it by marrying me!"
"How on earth are those two related!? Anyway, get off him! Look, Yue's eyes have
already glazed over! She's glaring at me too now!"
Hajime didn't let the joy he felt at being smothered by Shea's breasts show on his face,
and he silently pushed her away. Shea was an exchange student who'd transferred into
Hajime's class some time back. The reason she was so attached to him was because a
while back he'd also saved her and her family from a gang of muggers. Though she
looked like a mature beauty, her trademark hairband and innocent smile made her
appear childlike. Still, she had enough admirers to have her own dedicated fan club. If
Hajime was honest with himself, he didn't hate all the attention Shea gave him. He was
a guy, after all. If he'd met Shea first, she might have been his girlfriend right now
instead of Yue. However, there was no point in thinking about such what-if scenarios.
As it was, Shea's assertiveness was a problem for Hajime, since he already had Yue.
Hajime racked his brains, trying to figure out why his memories weren't matching up
with Shea's current appearance. But before he could arrive at an answer, Shea and Yue
wrapped themselves around his arms. Seriously though, what kind of cliched set-up is
this? I just coincidentally happen to save two different girls from muggers, and they just
happen to both fall in love with me? Wait a second. Did Shea always wear a headband
like that? I thought she was supposed to have…. Hajime racked his brains, trying to
figure out why his memories weren't matching up with Shea's current appearance. But
before he could arrive at an answer, Shea and Yue wrapped themselves around his
arms.
"Why do you look so confused? We need to hurry, or we'll be late for class."
"Mmm…. I don't want to be lectured by the teacher again."
They pressed their breasts against him, and Hajime's thoughts were overwritten.
Unable to resist, Hajime was dragged off to class by the two of them.
Class? Teacher? Why does this all sound so strange? Everything they're saying makes
sense…. right? I guess the weird thing is they're the ones saying it? Their conversation
was a perfectly standard one, but Hajime couldn't help but feel uneasy.
The moment Hajime entered the classroom he was met by the jealous glares of all the
guys in the class. Thanks to Yue's intervention, they were no longer bullying him
directly, but those gazes still hurt.
Is it just me or does this all feel a little…. nostalgic? But why on earth should it feel
nostalgic? Hajime couldn't fathom why his normal, everyday life felt so off. Confused,
he took his seat. The moment he sat down, another girl, one of his classmates, came
bounding over to him.
"Good morning, Hajime-kun! You barely made it on time today too. I think you should
at least make an effort to come earlier."
"...…"
Kaori Shirasaki, a girl who's looks rivaled Yue and Shea's, looked down at Hajime.
Before Yue and Shea's arrival, she'd been the undisputed most popular girl in school.
And for some reason, she too had a crush on Hajime. She'd actually been infatuated
with him for quite some time, but Hajime hadn't realized it until just recently. Back
then he'd always brushed her off with a troubled smile, but now things were different.
Why does it feel like…. I've heard that line before…. Dammit, what's going on? Why does
all this feel so freaking nostalgic? I've been doing this every day for a while now, there
shouldn't be anything nostalgic about it.
"Hajime-kun…. why are you ignoring me? Did I do something to make you mad?" Her
voice trembled a little, and Hajime looked up to see her almost in tears.
Realizing he'd been ignoring her for almost a minute, he hurriedly replied.
"Oh no, that's not it. I'm really sorry, I just got lost in thought. Morning, Shirasaki-san."
"Oh, thank goodness that was all. Anyway, Hajime-kun, how many times do I have to
tell you to just call me Kaori?"
She puffed out her cheeks in mock anger. The gesture was so cute that quite a few of
the spectating boys got nosebleeds. Naturally, the fact that Kaori's gestures were
directed toward Hajime also fanned the flames of their jealousy.
"But Shirasaki-san, I…."
"Kaori. Call me Kaori."
"But…."
"Ka-o-ri."
"U-Umm, K-Kao…." Overwhelmed, Hajime finally started to give in. But before he could
finish saying Kaori's name, Yue came to his rescue.
"….Stop bothering Hajime." She stepped protectively in front of Hajime and put her
hands on her hips. In return, Kaori got into a fighting stance. Yue did the same and
crouched low.
"Of course you'd get in the way, Yue. Good morning, I guess."
"Mmm…. Good morning, Kaori. I guess."
They spat out their morning greetings as though it physically pained them to do so.
The surrounding temperature dropped to absolute zero as the two officially
recognized love rivals stared each other down. Despite how it seemed, the two didn't
hate each other. If anything, they were more like best friends who fought a lot. Hajime
found it strange how they seemed enjoy each other's company despite how often they
quarreled.
Before they could start fighting in earnest though, the bell rang and the teacher walked
into the classroom. Yue and Kaori gave each other one final glare before reluctantly
returning to their seats. First period was English, taught by Tio. She was a beautiful
teacher, who, like seemingly every other pretty woman, was enamored with Hajime.
She'd often tease him or sexually harass him during class. Today too, she shot Hajime
a flirtatious glance as she walked into the room.
"Tch…. Someone fire her already."
"Huh!? Haaah…. Haaah…."
At this point, the whole class knew about her deviant sexual tendencies. Even Hajime,
who was normally a mild-mannered individual, couldn't help but be compelled to
insult Tio.
Huh? How come everything else feels weird, but this feels normal? The strange
disconnect Hajime had been feeling until now vanished. This particular scene just
seemed to fit so perfectly. Throughout the rest of the day, Hajime was struck by a few
other things that seemed out of place, but also experienced moments where
everything seemed to fit together. It felt like someone inside his mind was yelling
something at him, but the words were a little too faint to make out.
After school, Hajime, Yue, and Shea went to visit a nearby kindergarten. They were
there to pick up Myu, their neighbor Remia's daughter. Remia was a single mom, and
work often kept her busy, so Hajime occasionally went to pick up Myu in her stead.
Because Remia had known Hajime for a while, she trusted him to not only pick up
Myu, but also to look after her until she got home from work. Myu saw them the
moment they arrived and tottered over.
"Ah, it's Da— Onii-chan! And Shea-oneechan and Yue-oneechan!"
A beaming smile split her face. Hajime smiled back and caught Myu in his arms.
"Myu, how many times do I have to tell you jumping like that is dangerous? Also, you
were about to call me Daddy again weren't you? I told you not to call me that."
Cold sweat poured down Hajime's back as he scolded Myu. Since Myu's father had died
before she was born, she'd taken to calling Hajime--the only older boy to spend this
much time with her--Daddy. However, that nickname was likely to cause
misunderstandings. Remia was still a young widow and considered quite the beauty
by most of their neighbors. If her daughter started calling another man Daddy, well it
wasn't hard to see how that would be interpreted. Unsavory rumors would start to
spread.
In fact, Myu had already slipped up once in front of the kindergarten teachers. That
alone had caused a huge uproar. Fortunately, it appeared Remia had resolved the
misunderstanding before things got out of hand. But if Myu called Hajime Daddy in
the middle of the street, well, his social life was finished. So his concern was
understandable.
Though for some reason, the looks Myu's teachers had been giving Hajime recently
made him worry Remia might actually be up to something. He tried not to think too
much about it, grabbed Myu's hand, and started walking home. He watched with an
awkward smile as Yue and Shea tried to convince Myu to call them Mommy. As he
gazed at the setting sun, he felt a sense of contentment wash over him. The disconnect
he'd felt earlier this morning had all but vanished.
"Hey D…. Onii-chan! Are you listening to me?"
"Huh? Oh, sorry. I spaced out there for a second."
By way of apology, Hajime scooped Myu up into his arms. That was enough to assuage
her anger, but Myu pretended to still be mad in order to make Hajime hold her for
longer. Her cute antics stamped out the last of the discomfort Hajime had been feeling.
Yue and Shea smiled at him, but then Shea suddenly closed her eyes and questioned
him.
"Hmm? Hajime-san, did you hear that?"
"Wha? Did something happen?" Shea's hearing was better than most people, so Hajime
didn't doubt that she might have picked up on something. Hajime strained his ears,
and he was able to faintly make out the sound of one girl and a group of guys arguing
with each other. The group exchanged glances, then ran off toward the alley the sound
was coming from.
"Wow, this is cliched…."
"….No enemy of women shall go unpunished."
As expected, a group of guys were heckling a lone girl. Hajime looked down at Myu
and considered his options. The enemy wasn't terribly strong. Judging by their
posture, they were garden-variety thugs. Even if they'd been armed, they wouldn't be
much of a match for Hajime, Yue, or Shea.
While Hajime was still analyzing the situation, Shea walked up to the group of guys.
Noticing that someone was approaching, the guys turned around. Upon spotting
Shea's gorgeous figure, their surprised expressions transformed into vulgar grins.
They obviously thought Shea would be an easy mark.
Huh? Driven on by a dark impulse to kill, Hajime reached towards his right thigh.
Before he could do anything though, Shea wedged herself in between the group of
guys. From there, it was a slaughter. She struck down the thugs with a superb display
of martial skill.
Oh yeah, how could I forget. Shea can handle guys like these no problem. Now that he
thought about it, it made sense for Shea to be that strong. There was nothing strange
about it. That was just how she was. It was exactly as Hajime remembered.
Shea exchanged a few words with the terrified girl she'd just saved, then returned to
Hajime's side. As she passed by Yue, she gave her a high-five.
"You're so cool, Shea-oneechan!"
"Fufufu. Praise me more. Don't worry Myu, when you get bigger I'll teach you how to
fight just like me."
"Mmm…. I have a lot to teach you too, Myu."
Just don't teach her anything weird. Hajime thought to himself as he watched Myu jump
up and down. With that incident settled, the group once again headed towards home.
The disconnect that had vanished before returned as Hajime realized there was
something strange about his earlier actions.
What was I trying to do with my right hand back there? It felt like I was searching for
something…. Just then, he realized something else. He'd analyzed the situation like a
hardened warrior. Shaken, he looked down at his hands.
"….ake…. up…."
In the distance, he heard a faint voice that sounded similar to yet different from his
own.
That night. Hajime had already finished eating dinner and taking his bath and was
now lying in his bed. He'd been so lost in thought the whole time that he hadn't even
remembered to dry his hair properly. The sense that something was wrong kept
growing stronger. Though it was extremely faint, he was almost certain he could hear
a voice calling out to him. It struck something deep down inside him, something
primal. The voice was one of denial. It was screaming at him to reject this seemingly
happy life.
"Just what am I unsatisfied with, anyway?"
As he scratched his head in annoyance, he heard a knock on his door.
"….Hajime?"
"Is that you, Yue? Come in."
After a brief pause, Yue opened the door and walked inside. All she had on was a
negligee. Her silky, pale skin was on full display. As she crawled onto Hajime's bed, she
noticed his hair was still wet and she poked him in mild rebuke. He reluctantly got into
a sitting position, and she started drying his hair.
"Mmm…. All dry. If you sleep with your hair wet, you'll catch a cold."
"Yeah, you've got a point. Thanks, Yue."
"Mmm…."
Yue hugged Hajime from behind and started rubbing her face against the back of his
neck, like a spoiled cat. She then pushed her hands inside Hajime's shirt and started
caressing his chest. Hajime let himself sink into bliss. Or at least, he tried to. For some
reason, Yue's actions only made his sense of unease grow. He couldn't understand why
he was feeling like this, and it made him frustrated.
I have a fulfilling life and a girlfriend who's completely devoted to me. There's nothing
more I could hope to ask for. So who is it inside of me…. that keeps yelling at me to reject
reality!?
He tried to focus on Yue and banish the unease welling up within him. As if sensing his
discomfort, Yue leaned close and whispered into his ear.
"….It's alright. You don't have to worry about anything. I'll make sure you're happy,
Hajime."
"Yue…."
"So focus only on me. It's okay, I'll always be here by your side. I'll always be everything
you want."
"...…" Hajime slowly started to nod off. If only I could fall asleep just like this. Then I
wouldn't have to think about anything. I mean, I have Yue right here with me. There can't
be anything more important than that…. can there? As long as I have her, I don't need
anything else. Even if I lost everything else…. I'd still have my ideal girlfriend with me.
That's all I need to….
Hajime let his thoughts trail off, and relaxed his body. He entrusted himself to the
warmth of Yue's body and let the sweet fog of sleep blanket his mind. But just before
he fell fully asleep—
"As long as we watch each other's backs, we'll be stronger than anyone. We'll beat
down anyone who stands against us and bust our way out of this shitty world."
Someone screamed those words inside his head. Hajime drove off the fog of sleep, and
his eyes snapped open.
"Well, how about coming with me then?"
He heard his own voice again. It sounded different from his current voice, but it was
undoubtedly his. Memories rose one after another to the surface of his mind.
I remember now. That was what I told Yue way back when in the bottom of the abyss.
When I asked her if she wanted to come back to my world with me. Scenes of a world
that wasn't earth flashed through his head.
It was then that Hajime remembered Yue's smile. The smile she'd shown him when
he'd offered to take her with him. That was the first time he'd seen Yue, who was
normally expressionless, smile so genuinely. It had been like watching a sunflower
bloom. Thinking back on it now, Hajime realized it was then that he'd fallen for her.
After that, they'd fought through numerous life-and-death situations and stepped foot
on Tortus' surface once more. There they'd sworn to protect each other, find a way
home, and beat down anything that stood in their path.
It had been almost instinctual. Just as Hajime had been about to surrender himself to
this dream, he'd remembered the oath he'd made. Hajime shook off the illusion that
looked like Yue and rose to his feet.
A perfect girlfriend? A perfect world? Just how stupid can I get!? Hajime rubbed his eyes
and ground his teeth together. He couldn't forgive himself for being so weak, for nearly
succumbing to this false happiness.
Pathetic. I feel like throwing up. How could I forget the promise I made? He slapped his
cheeks as hard as he could, both to punish himself and to clear his head.
The sound reverberated throughout the room, startling Yue. She hurriedly got to her
feet and grabbed Hajime's hand. However, he coldly shook her off. Yue brought her
hand back to her chest, looking forlorn.
"Don't fuck with me…." Hajime muttered angrily as he glared at the illusory Yue
Haltina's labyrinth had no doubt created.
"Hajime, what's wrong?"
Hajime looked nothing like the docile boy he had a few moments ago. He ignored Yue's
question and let out some rather heartfelt words.
"Hey, Yue. You're the most important thing in the world to me. As long as I have you, I
don't need anything else."
"….Hearing that makes me so happy, Hajime." Yue was initially taken aback, but then
she smiled happily. But despite his words, Hajime's gaze was as cold as ice.
"So if I told you to throw away everything else for me, would you?"
After a moment's hesitation, Yue nodded.
"….If that's what you wanted."
"Even if that everything else included Shea, Kaori, Tio, and Myu?"
"….If that's what you wanted."
Yue agreed to anything Hajime asked as if she were trying to become his ideal partner.
However, her responses only served to anger Hajime.
"I can't believe something like this managed to trick me…." he muttered to himself. He
then looked up at Yue and spat out words dripping with venom.
"Fine. I get it already, goddammit." The moment Hajime was convinced beyond a
shadow of a doubt that the Yue in front of him was a fake, his appearance changed. His
black hair turned white, an eye patch covered one eye, and his left arm was replaced
by a mechanical one.
"Tch…. I totally fell for that one. This is why you can't ever let your guard down in a
labyrinth. Looks like Haltina was just as much of an asshole as the rest of the
Liberators."
The fake Yue once again stretched out a hand to Hajime as he cursed to himself.
"….Please stay here. You'll be happy if you do."
"Shut up, you damn fake. Don't you dare say my name again."
"Why? I'm Yue, your girlfriend. Your ideal girlfriend, Hajime. What's there to be
unhappy about?"
"Everything, you moron. If I wanted an obedient girlfriend who did everything I asked,
I'd get a doll. But unfortunately for you, I'm not really into those," Hajime spat. He then
tuned Yue out as he searched for a way out of this illusory space.
"You're wrong. I'm not just a doll. I have the same personality as the real Yue. I'm just
also the ideal Yue that you desire. So stay here. Anything and everything you could
wish for is here. And I'll always be by your side."
So this world's not just your normal fake, huh? Both the people and the world were
based on Hajime's memories, which had been read by the first magic circle that had
teleported them. On top of that, everything here was simulated to be the ideal what-if
scenario that the labyrinth believed the challenger desired. Considering all the
suffering Hajime had been through in the abyss, and the challenges that he still needed
to overcome to make it back home, it wasn't wrong to say a world like this where he
could spend his days with Yue and the others in peace was in many ways ideal.
However, it wasn't the world Hajime wanted.
"You're hopeless. It's kind of pathetic how off the mark you are."
Red sparks flew off of Hajime's body as he said that. His mana spread to every corner
of this fake world, painting everything crimson. Since this was a trial, he reasoned that
once he cleared it he'd be thrown out of the illusion automatically. And while he'd
more or less guessed what the clear conditions were, this particular trial had pissed
him off enough that he'd rather smash through it by force.
"Why don't you want to stay?" Yue asked, confused. Seconds later though, the emotion
vanished from her expression. Now she truly did resemble a doll. Hajime continued
pouring mana into his surroundings as he glared angrily at Yue.
"That's simple. Compared to the real Yue, you're worthless. There's nothing in the
world I want more than the real Yue!" Hajime growled through gritted teeth. The vast
amount of mana he was expending was taking its toll on his body. However, it was
taking an even greater toll on the world around him. Cracks had already started to
form inside the illusion. Hajime then activated Limit Break and squeezed out all of his
remaining mana at once.
"That goes for everyone else, too. They're all a bunch of troublemakers who never
listen to what I say. Sure, maybe they're not 'ideal' comrades, but I am who I am
because of them. I only made it this far because they were by my side. Your 'ideal' fakes
could never hold a candle to them!"
The illusion groaned under the weight of Hajime's mana, which had covered it so
thoroughly the entire world seemed red. And finally…. it shattered. Shards of the
illusion rained down all around Hajime, pieces of broken glass falling from the
heavens. They glinted in the light like diamonds.
As the constructed world began to fade, the fake Yue smiled quietly at Hajime. It was
the illusion's final flare of light before the darkness swallowed it forever. That smile
wasn't the kind of smile Yue would ever make. It belonged to someone else entirely.
Hajime had a guess as to whose smile that was, but his consciousness was fading
rapidly and he lacked the energy to think any further.
"You pass. There's no value in a world that's always as you want it. And there's no
meaning in happiness you didn't earn. Even if it's painful, even if you feel like you can't
bear it at times, it's only through overcoming harsh realities one after another that you
will achieve true happiness. Never forget that."
The voice that spoke to him sounded nothing like Yue's. Hajime couldn't even tell if it
belonged to a guy or a girl. However, he could feel an unbelievable amount of warmth
from it. Just before he lost consciousness, Hajime retorted.
"Hah, I don't need you to tell me that….But I'll keep it in mind, I guess."
Though Hajime's sight had already clouded over, it seemed to him that the person he
was talking to smiled at that.