As he had thought, eating monsters increased his stats. Though he hadn't gotten much stronger by eating more Twin-tail Wolves, his stats had taken a huge leap when he ate a new type of monster.
Guess I'll test out what this "Air Dance" does. What first came to Hajime's mind was the way that rabbit had moved. It had rushed forward so fast that he'd only been able to make it out as a blur. He inferred that that was most likely the Supersonic Step skill at work. Come to think of it, it's a lot like the fast movement stuff you see in anime.
Hajime kept the image of explosive power gathering in his legs and dashed forward. He felt mana gather within his legs. The ground underneath his feet exploded in a shower of rubble as Hajime leaped forward... and slammed face first into the wall.
"Owww! C-Controlling my acceleration is harder than I thought." However, his experiment was still a success. He imagined that if he trained it a little, he too would be able to move like the rabbit had. Used in tandem with his revolver, those skills would be a powerful weapon indeed.
Next, he tried to use Aerodynamics. However, he found himself unable to activate it. He had a hard time figuring out just what kind of skill it was from the name alone. After testing a bunch of different things, Hajime suddenly remembered how the rabbit had sometimes looked to be standing in midair. And so, he quickly stuck his foot out and imagined there being an invisible shield supporting it from below. Then he jumped forward.
He found himself face-planting magnificently into the ground.
"Guooooh!?" He cradled his face in his hand as he rolled around in pain. After the aching subsided a little, he sullenly drank a bit of Ambrosia.
"Well... at least it works..." The reason he had faceplanted into the ground despite jumping forward was because he hadn't properly formed his footing. That was why he had effectively stumbled and fallen in midair. Aerodynamic was apparently a skill that allowed him to create footholds in midair. He had obtained multiple skills at once from the rabbit, though they were all derivative skills of the skill Air Dance.
Pleased that he had obtained multiple skills at once, Hajime began training them at once. He wanted to be strong enough to take down that Claw Bear. He figured he'd be able to defeat it at long-range with Donner easily enough, but he wanted to make completely sure, just in case. And there was always the possibility of even stronger monsters showing up. Optimism in the labyrinth got you killed. Once he was certain he could kill even Claw Bears, it would be time to start searching for an exit.
Hajime redoubled his resolve, training harder than ever before.
A figure sped down the labyrinth corridors so fast that he appeared no more than a blur.
That figure was, of course, Hajime. Having completely mastered Air Dance, he was using Supersonic Step to dash off the walls, while sometimes also using Aerodynamic to create mid-air footholds for himself. He traversed the labyrinth at high speed, seeking out his mortal foe, the Claw Bear.
In all honesty, searching for an exit should have taken priority, but Hajime was consumed by the desire to get revenge on the bear. He wouldn't be able to move on unless he was able to prove to himself that he was more than a match for the monster that had once crushed his spirit.
"Graaaaah!" He ran into a pack of Twin-tailed Wolves, and one of them leaped at him. Hajime calmly vaulted into the air, did a mid-air somersault, pulled out Donner, which was strapped to his right leg with a holster made of transmuted threads, and fired.
Bang! The sound of combusting blastrock echoed down the corridor and Hajime's Lightning Field-accelerated bullet pulverized the head of the first Twin-tailed Wolf.
He then used Aerodynamic to do a double jump in the air, before taking aim and firing a volley of shots at the other wolves. They didn't all hit their mark, but he was still able to annihilate the pack with only a single barrage.
Hajime held Donner in the crook of his left armpit and quickly began reloading. Then, without so much as a backward glance at the fallen wolves, he dashed off once more.
After a while spent killing any Kickmaster Rabbits or Twin-tailed Wolves that he came across, Hajime finally spotted his prey.
The Claw Bear was in the middle of a meal. It was chewing on the remains of what appeared to have been a Kickmaster Rabbit. Hajime grinned triumphantly and began leisurely walking closer.
The Claw Bear was the strongest monster to appear on this floor. In other words, it was the king. While there were hordes of Twin-tailed Wolves and Kickmaster Rabbits, the Claw Bear was the only one of its kind.
Thus, it stood to reason that there was nothing stronger inhabiting the floor. The other monsters all took great pains to stay out of its way, and if they ever encountered it, they ran as fast as they could in the other direction. No creature dared oppose it. The thought of anyone approaching it of their own free will was patently absurd.
However, that very absurdity was currently unfolding before the bear's eyes.
"Sup, bear. Been a while. Did you like the taste of my arm?"
The Claw Bear narrowed its angry eyes. What is this creature? Why doesn't it run? Why is it not trembling in fear? Why does despair not fill its eyes? The bear was confused, having never seen something like this before.
"I'm here for my revenge match. But first, I'm going to make you see me as your enemy, and not just prey."
Hajime pulled Donner out of its holster and pointed it at the Claw Bear. He then slowly asked himself a question as he took aim.
"Am I scared?" The answer was a definitive "No." He wasn't shivering in fear, nor was he in the grips of despair. No, the only emotions roiling within him were a fierce will to survive, and a burning desire to kill his enemies.
Hajime's lips curled upward into a ferocious grin.
"I'm going to kill you and eat you, you bastard." He pulled Donner's trigger. With a resounding bang, a hardened bullet of taur sped toward the Claw Bear at three kilometers per second.
"Gaaaooo!?" It instantly dropped to the ground with a roar, narrowly avoiding Hajime's bullet.
It had started moving even before Hajime had pulled the trigger. It was of course impossible for the bear to see the bullet Hajime had fired, but Hajime's bloodlust had made it reflexively dodge. It wasn't this floor's strongest monster for nothing. It had reacted far faster than its massive, two meter long, frame would have suggested. However, even then it hadn't been able to completely avoid the attack. The bullet had grazed its shoulder, gouging out a slice of it.
The Claw Bear angrily glared at Hajime, blood staining the white fur around its shoulder. It looked like it finally saw him as an enemy and not just food.
"Graaaooooo!!!" With a furious roar, it charged Hajime. The ground thundered as its tree trunk sized legs pounded down the corridor, making for a truly awe-inspiring spectacle.
"Hahaha! That's right! I'm your enemy! Not just some prey to be hunted!" Despite how foreboding the Claw Bear looked as it bore down on Hajime, his smile didn't waver.
This was the moment of truth. It was the moment that would decide if Hajime could overcome the monster that had eaten his left arm, crushed his soul, and been the impetus of his transformation. A necessary ritual he needed to overcome, if he was ever to move forward. Something deep inside made him feel that he would give up for good if he failed at that point. He couldn't explain how or why, he just knew.
He took aim, firing Donner once more at the charging bear. He had aimed squarely at its forehead, but the Claw Bear somehow managed to roll to the side, even while charging forward. It made no sense for something so big to be so fast.
It barreled its way into range of Hajime and swiped at him with one of its massive claws. The edge of its claws looked slightly warped as they swept down. Is that related to its special magic?
Hajime recalled that the rabbit that had supposedly dodged the bear's swipe had still been cut in half. So instead of just barely dodging to the side, he leaped back with all his might.
"Hah." An instant later the bear's claw swiped past where Hajime had just been standing, followed by a ferocious gale. He gasped in pain, then looked down and saw shallow cuts running down his chest. He hadn't been able to completely dodge it. His reaction time wasn't able to keep up with the rapid increase in his physical abilities.
The Claw Bear roared, angry that its prey still lived, and in the blink of an eye, swiped down a second time at his enemy.
"Damn, you're fast!" Hajime cursed without realizing it as he saw a second set of wind blades bear down on him. He instantly used Aerodynamic to flee into the air while firing off a third shot. However, the Claw Bear instantly changed directions the moment it saw the red flash from Donner, completely ignoring the laws of inertia. Upon closer inspection, Hajime saw deep ruts in the ground and realized it must have used its claws as a fulcrum to pivot off of. It was certainly far more intelligent and far more agile than a normal beast.
"Gaaaaaaoo!!!" It roared again, then swung its foreclaws in a cross at Hajime, who was still up in the air. Warning bells went off inside Hajime's head. Without sparing a moment to think, Hajime activated both Aerodynamic and Supersonic Step at the same time, then dashed away from that spot.
He felt a gust of wind brush past his thigh, and a second later the wall behind him had a crosshatched lattice of furrows gouged into it.
"Guh. Damn bastard. You can do that too?" Hajime groaned as he fell to the ground. He hit the ground off-balance, and fell. He righted himself instantly, but staggered as a sharp pain ran through his thigh. It seemed that the Claw Bear could throw its wind claws too.
Hajime's expression twisted into a pained grimace, but he took no time to dwell on it and fired Donner once more. He didn't have time to nurse his wounds, as the bear had already started closing in once more. He pulled the trigger again, firing twice in quick succession. Even with its inhuman agility the Claw Bear wasn't able to dodge both bullets, and took two hits, one to the temple, and the other to its flank. Though it had managed to avoid fatal injuries, it had still been blown off the course of its charge. The distraction proved enough to stop the next barrage of wind claws from going off.
However, though it had veered a little off course, the Claw Bear still charged forward like a cannonball. Though he wasn't directly in the bear's trajectory any longer, his wounded leg prevented him from dodging, so the bear still managed to hurtle into him. It felt like being hit by a truck. Hajime was blasted backward from the force of the bear's charge.
"Gahah!?" The impact forced the air out of his lungs, which made Hajime snarl ferociously.
Donner's chamber held six bullets. He had fired five, but he still had one left. There was no way he would be able to reload in the middle of this fight, and his own stats weren't high enough that he could beat the Claw Bear without Donner's overwhelming firepower. Each shot that missed was a shot that had brought him that much closer to death. And yet, Hajime still grinned. Because with this, his victory was now assured.
As he slammed into the ground, he flung Donner into the air. He then pulled something out of his pocket and threw it at the injured Claw Bear.
"I'm quite proud of how this one turned out. You'd best be careful if you don't want to die." Though there was no way for the bear to understand Hajime's words, it still looked down at the object that rolled to its feet when he mumbled that. What lay there was a small emerald ball, about five centimeters in diameter. And that ball suddenly burst in an explosion of light.
It was Hajime's makeshift flash grenade. The principle behind it was simple. He had taken a piece of green glowstone and filled it to the brim with mana. After that he had applied a thin coating over it to keep the light from leaking through. He had then packed a small quantity of blastrock in the rock's center, and created the blastrock fuse that led all the way to a coated surface.
Finally, he had lit the fuse by using Lightning Field. The blastrock on the outside burned slowly until it reached the packed center where it exploded violently. With the crystal shattered, the glowstone released its light all at once in a brilliant emerald flash. He had set the fuse to explode three seconds after he lit it. Though it had taken a great deal of effort to make, he was proud of the end result.
The bear, who had no knowledge of modern weaponry, naturally found its gaze drawn to the grenade, and when it exploded it blinded the Claw Bear. It roared in pain, wildly swinging its front paws. Being blinded had sent it into a panic.
And Hajime planned to take full advantage of that. He scooped Donner off the ground, took aim, and fired. The electrically accelerated bullet hit the rampaging bear squarely in its left shoulder, and ripped it clean off.
"Graaaaaaooooo!!!" Its roar was loud enough to crack eardrums. The Claw Bear had never suffered such pain before. Gouts of blood spurted from the stump that had once been its arm. The blown off left arm spun in the air a few times before losing its inertia and flopping back down to the ground with a wet thud.
"What an ironic twist of fate." Hajime had not actually aimed for the Claw Bear's left arm. He just wasn't that good a shot yet. He had enough practice from fighting Twin-tailed Wolves and the like to hit an enemy that was charging straight at him, but he certainly wasn't good enough to hit a flailing enemy with pinpoint accuracy. So the fact that Hajime had taken the bear's left arm, just as it had done to him, was a complete coincidence.
Hajime kept a close eye on the bear, which was still flailing around blindly, and pushed Donner up against his body with his stump of a left arm and reloaded.
He fired once more. Though the bear was still disoriented, its beastlike sixth sense let it perceive Hajime's bloodlust and it leaped to the side. It seemed it was Hajime's bloodlust that gave the Claw Bear enough forewarning to dodge railgun accelerated bullets. Once he realized this, Hajime narrowed his eyes, and used Supersonic Step to dash past the bear, over to where his severed left arm lay.
The bear turned to look at him with its furious, hate-filled red eyes. It seemed it had finally recovered its eyesight. As it was watching, Hajime lifted up the bear's left arm, and bit down on it. His jaws had been greatly strengthened from eating demon meat for so long, so he easily tore through the tough skin and sinew. It was a repetition of the time when the Claw Bear had eaten Hajime's arm in front of him, except this time it was Hajime doing the eating.
"Hamf, mmf, no matter how many times I eat it, demon meat still tastes like shit... Though for some reason this is just a little bit better than the others." Hajime looked down at the bear, who was watching him warily by that point. It didn't move. There was fear in its eyes, but the shock of seeing its own flesh eaten in front of it, combined with its still blurry eyesight, prevented it from moving.
Glad for the reprieve, Hajime continued chewing. Suddenly, he felt something. Sharp pains pulsed through his body, just like the first time he had eaten monster meat.
"Wha—!?" He quickly pulled out a vial of Ambrosia and ingested it. The pain wasn't as bad as the first time, but it was still sharp enough that he fell to one knee, unable to keep himself upright. It appeared the Claw Bear was a different species entirely compared to the Twin-tailed Wolves or Kickmaster Rabbits, and absorbing its power brought with it the old pain.
Of course, the bear wasn't about to let that chance slip past. It roared in defiance and charged forward. Hajime was still on one knee, unable to move. At this rate he would be trampled by the bear, and it would just be a repeat of their first encounter. But when that thought crossed his mind, something suddenly occurred to Hajime and he smirked.
He put his right hand on the ground... and wrapped it in lightning. All of the lightning released by his full power Lightning Field raced down the liquid coating the ground, and zapped the bear standing on the other end.
The liquid was of course the bear's blood. The sea of blood that had poured out of its stump of a left arm. When Hajime had brandished the Claw Bear's arm right in front of it, he had spilled drops of blood everywhere, and created a small puddle of it around where he stood.
He was not so arrogant that he would eat in the middle of a fight just to show off. He hadn't predicted the pain of eating monster meat to return, but the rest of it had all been part of his trap. Even eating the arm right in front of the bear had been to goad it into charging headlong at him. The pain had thrown a bit of a wrench in his plans, but everything had still ended up working out just fine.
The moment the bear had stepped into the pool of its own blood, thousands of volts of electricity fried its entire body. The electricity burned the Claw Bear's flesh, scorching some nerves as it did. However, though he had unleashed it at full power, its might was still a far cry from the actual thing. Unlike the Twin-tailed Wolves, he was unable to shoot lightning bolts, and his Lightning Field could only output half the power of the original. But even that much was still enough to paralyze the bear for a few seconds.
"Graooooo!" The Claw Bear let out a low growl, then collapsed to its knees, shivering in a puddle of its own electrically charged blood. Even down on all fours— or rather all threes— it still glared murderously at Hajime.
He glared right back at it, and painfully got to his feet. He slowly pulled Donner out of its holster, and walked over to the Claw Bear. He pushed the muzzle against its forehead.
"You're my prey now," he said with finality, pulling the trigger one last time. The taur bullet fulfilled its duty, utterly pulverizing the Claw Bear's head.
One final gunshot echoed throughout the empty corridor.
Up until the moment of its death, the Claw Bear never took its gaze off Hajime. Similarly, Hajime never took his gaze off the Claw Bear.
The exhilarating rush of joy he had expected never came. But there was no sense of emptiness either. He had simply done what was necessary. Necessary in order to live, in order to earn the right to survive.
Hajime closed his eyes and rethought his mindset. After a moment of quiet deliberation, he resolved to continue living like this. He did not enjoy fighting. He just wanted to avoid pain. He just wanted to be able to eat his fill.
He just... wanted to live.
Overthrowing his unreasonable fate, killing everything that opposed him, they were all simply steps he took in order to survive.
He swore to himself. That he would survive... and... make it back home.
"That's right... I just want... to go home. I don't care about anything else. I'll make it home, no matter what I have to do. I'll grant this one wish of mine, by my own hands. And no matter who they may be, anyone that tries to stand in my way..." Hajime opened his eyes and smiled viciously.
"Will die by these hands."
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Hajime Nagumo Age: 17 Male Level: 17
Job: Synergist
Strength: 300
Vitality: 400
Defense: 300
Agility: 450
Magic: 400
Magic Defense: 400
Skills: Transmute [+Ore Appraisal] [+Precision Transmutation] [+Ore Perception] [+Ore Desynthesis] [+Ore Synthesis] — Mana Manipulation — Iron Stomach — Lightning Field — Air Dance [+Aerodynamic] [+Supersonic Step] — Gale Claw — Language Comprehension
_____________________________________________
Let us turn back the clock a few weeks.
Shizuku Yaegashi gazed sorrowfully at her still-sleeping friend. The summoned heroes had all been granted private rooms in the Heiligh Palace, and Shizuku was currently resting in one of them.
It had been five days since their desperate life and death struggle in the labyrinth. They had rested one night in Horaud's inn before taking an express carriage back to the palace. After having tasted death and despair, the students were in no condition to continue their practical training course. Furthermore, even if he had been treated as a useless hanger-on, a member of the hero's party had died and that fact needed to be reported to the king and the Holy Church.
And though they knew they were being cruel, the knights couldn't allow the heroes' fighting spirits to break. They had to restore the mental stability of the students before their psyches shattered completely.
As Shizuku recalled the events that had transpired since Hajime's death, part of her wished that Kaori would wake up quickly, while another part of her hoped that she might just sleep forever.
Every single person who heard the report of Hajime's death was first shocked that a member of the hero's group could have died, and then relieved when they heard it was just the "worthless" Hajime.
Even the king and Ishtar reacted similarly. One of the powerful heroes who would save this nation couldn't be allowed to die in a dungeon. Someone who couldn't survive a dungeon excursion would stand no chance against the demons, and would only serve to spread further unease among the people. The messengers of Ehit, the heroes brought forth from another world, had to be invincible.
At least the king and Ishtar had been somewhat respectful. There were some nobles within the palace that had insulted and belittled Hajime behind his back instead.
Of course they said nothing incriminating publicly, but when they were talking privately among fellow nobles, many of them had whispered their scorn for him. They all abased him with statements like "Thank god it was the worthless one that died," and "I'm so glad the incompetent got weeded out from God's messengers." Shizuku had trembled with rage when she had heard such snide comments, and had nearly come to blows with those nobles multiple times.
And had Kouki not flown off the handle before her, she probably would have beaten them to a pulp. Because of Kouki's heated protests, the king and the Holy Church seemingly decided that it would be dangerous to let a negative opinion of Hajime spread. Therefore, they quietly dealt with anyone who badmouthed him... However, all that served to accomplish was increase Kouki's popularity. Most people saw Kouki's anger as proof that he was kindhearted enough to care for even the weakest of his party, and the general opinion that Hajime had been nothing more than a burden to such a noble hero remained cemented in the minds of the people.
Despite the fact that the only reason the rest of them were still alive was because Hajime had held back a monster not even the great hero Kouki had been able to touch. Despite the fact that he was only dead because some idiotic classmate had fired a stray fireball that had hit him.
However, as if by some unwritten agreement, the students all agreed not to talk about that stray fireball. Everyone was sure they had kept perfect control over their magic, but it had been a veritable storm of spells, and no one wanted to consider the possibility that it could have been their misaimed fireball that had led to Hajime's demise. Because if it had been them, they would become a murderer.
As a result, they all closed their eyes to reality, choosing instead to pretend that it was some mistake on Hajime's part that had led to his death. After all, dead men tell no tales. Rather than worry about who had killed Hajime, it was far easier to pretend he had died due to his own mistakes. That way none of them would have to worry. Without any collusion on their part, the students all came to that conclusion, and thus the topic was not discussed.
In order to uncover the truth behind Hajime's death, Captain Meld decided it would be necessary to interrogate the students. He did not think the truth was something as innocent as a stray fireball. And even if it were, that was all the more reason to uncover the truth, so he could give the student who had accidentally killed Hajime the counseling they needed.
The longer the matter remained unsettled, the more problems it would cause down the line. And most importantly, Captain Meld simply wanted to know. Even though he had promised to save Hajime after they had fled to safety, his words had turned out to be as hollow as he now felt.
However, Captain Meld was not allowed to go through with his plan. Because Ishtar had forbidden him from questioning the students. He had protested the ban hotly, but even the king forbade him from meeting with them, so he had no choice but to comply.
"If you knew... you'd be furious, wouldn't you?" Shizuku whispered quietly, then took Kaori's hand. She had not woken since that day in the labyrinth.
According to the doctor there was nothing wrong with her physically. She had apparently just fallen into a self-imposed slumber to protect herself from the mental shock. The doctor had said she would awaken on her own eventually.
Shizuku tightly gripped Kaori's hand and prayed to no one in particular, "Please, please don't let any further harm come to my kind and gentle friend." And at those words, Kaori's hand twitched slightly.
"Huh!? Kaori!? Can you hear me!? Kaori!" Shizuku yelled out her name over and over. Eventually, Kaori's eyelids began to flutter. Shizuku kept calling out her best friend's name. As if responding to her words, Kaori's fingers curled around Shizuku's hand. And slowly, she opened her eyes.
"Kaori!" Shizuku leaned over the bed and looked down at Kaori, tears in her eyes. Kaori looked around dazedly, before her mind finally started working again, and her eyes fell on Shizuku.
"Shizuku-chan?"
"Yes, it's me. Shizuku. How do you feel, Kaori? Does it hurt anywhere?"
"N-No I'm fine. My body does feel a bit heavy... but that's probably because I slept for so long..."
"That's right, you slept for five whole days... so it's normal to feel a little numb." Shizuku hurried to help Kaori, who was trying to rise, and smiled sadly as she told her how long she'd slept for. Kaori started acting odd when she heard that.
"Five days? How did I sleep... for that long... I thought I was in the labyrinth... and then I..." As she saw Kaori's eyes grow more and more distant, Shizuku panicked and quickly tried to change the subject. However, Kaori's memories returned before Shizuku could get even a word out.
"And then... Ah... What happened to Nagumo-kun?"
"...Well..."
Shizuku grimaced, unsure of how to explain. From Shizuku's pained expression, Kaori was able to surmise that the nightmare she saw in her memories was indeed true. However, Kaori was still unable to accept that harsh reality.
"...It can't be true. Please, tell me it's a lie, Shizuku-chan. You guys saved Nagumo-kun after I fainted, right? Right? Tell me you did. I'm in the castle right now, right? We all made it back safely to the castle, right? Nagumo-kun's just... out training, right? He's down at the parade grounds, right? Right, that has to be it... I'm going to go check right now. I have to thank him... so can you please let me go, Shizuku-chan?"
Incoherent ramblings spilled from Kaori's mouth as she tried to get up and go look for Hajime, but Shizuku firmly grabbed on to Kaori's arm and refused to let go.
Despite Shizuku's anguished expression, she kept a strong grip on Kaori's arm.
"Kaori... You understand, don't you...? He's not here anymore."
"Stop it..."
"It's just like you remembered, Kaori."
"Stop it."
"He's... Nagumo-kun's..."
"Stop, I said stop it!"
"Kaori! He's dead!"
"No! He's not dead! I know it! Stop saying such cruel things! I won't forgive anyone for saying that, not even you, Shizuku-chan!"
Kaori kept shaking her head, struggling to break free from Shizuku's grasp all the while. But Shizuku refused to loosen her grip even a smidge. Instead, she hugged Kaori, trying to warm her frozen heart.
"Let me go! Let me go right now! I have to go look for Nagumo-kun! Please, I'm begging you... I know he's still alive somewhere... so please!" She yelled at Shizuku to let her go, but was still sobbing into her chest as she did.
Kaori clung to Shizuku like a drowning man to a rock, wailing so loudly her voice went hoarse. All Shizuku could do for her best friend was hug her as tightly as possible. Praying that she might somehow ease the pain in Kaori's heart.
The two of them stayed like that for hours, until the clear blue sky had been stained blood red by the setting sun. Kaori sniffled slightly in Shizuku's arms, and stirred slightly. Shizuku worriedly looked down at Kaori.
"Kaori..."
"Shizuku-chan... Nagumo-kun... he fell, didn't he...? He's not here anymore, is he?"
Kaori whispered in a trembling voice. Shizuku didn't want to give her any false hope. If she told Kaori he was still alive, that might alleviate her pain in the short run. But it would scar Kaori forever when she finally discovered the truth. And Shizuku couldn't bear to see her best friend hurt any more than she already was.
"That's right."
"Back then, it looked like Nagumo-kun got hit by one of our fireballs... Who cast it?"
"I don't know. Everyone's trying to forget it ever happened. It's too scary to think about for them. Because if they were the one that did it..."
"I see."
"Do you hate them for it?"
"...I'm not sure. If I found out for sure who it was... I'd definitely hate them. But... if no one knows... then maybe it's better that way. Because if I did find out, I wouldn't be able to hold back..."
"I see..." Kaori spoke haltingly, her face still buried in Shizuku's arms. Suddenly, she wiped the tears from her puffy, red eyes, and looked up at Shizuku with renewed determination.
"Shizuku-chan, I don't believe it. Nagumo-kun has to be alive somewhere. I won't believe that he's dead."
"Kaori, you..." Shizuku looked down sadly at Kaori. However, Kaori cupped Shizuku's cheeks with her hands, then continued speaking.
"I know. I know that it's foolish to think he survived that fall... But you know, there's no proof that he died. So what if the chance of him surviving is less than 1% of 1%? It's still not zero... So I choose to believe."
"Kaori..."
"I'm going to get stronger. Strong enough to protect him even from what's down there, and then I'll go look for him. I won't rest until I've confirmed with my own two eyes... what's happened to Nagumo-kun... Shizuku-chan."
"What is it?"
"Will you help me?"
"..." Shizuku met Kaori's unwavering gaze. There was no sign of madness or desperation in her eyes. Just an unbreakable will, one that would not rest until she had confirmed the truth for herself. Nothing could change her mind when Kaori got like this. She was far too stubborn for even her own family to deal with, let alone Shizuku.
In all honesty, it was probably safe to say the possibility Kaori was referring to might as well be zero. It would be natural to assume anyone who thought differently was simply trying to escape from reality.
Even her childhood friends, Kouki and Ryutarou, would probably try and tell Kaori she wasn't acting sane. But that was precisely why only a single answer came to Shizuku's mind.
"Of course I will. Until you've found an answer you can accept, at least."
"Shizuku-chan!" Kaori hugged Shizuku and thanked her over and over.
"I don't need any thanks. We're best friends, remember?" Shizuku replied, ever the manly samurai. The title that magazines had given her was rather apt.
Just then, the door to the room suddenly burst open.
"Shizuku! Has Kaori woken... up...?"
"Yeah, how's Kaori... doing...?"
Kouki and Ryutarou came hurtling into the room. They had come to check up on Kaori. It seemed apparent that they had rushed straight over after training, as dirt still caked their uniforms.
Ever since the labyrinth excursion, the two had trained harder than ever before. They had both been hit pretty hard by Hajime's death as well. After all, they were the ones who had refused to retreat, which had caused the nearly fatal crisis that Hajime had to save them from. They were both training hard so that they would never do something so unsightly ever again.
Aside from those two, however, there was a third figure hanging back in the doorway. Shizuku directed a question toward him, her voice full of suspicion.
"Why are you—"
"S-Sorry!"
"I-I'll leave now!"
The figure hurriedly apologized, overruling Shizuku's words. Looking as if they'd seen something they shouldn't have, they hurriedly left the room. Kaori looked at them in confusion. However, the clever Shizuku realized what the cause must have been.
Kaori was currently sitting on Shizuku's lap, and holding Shizuku's face in her hands. To an outsider it must have seemed like they were about to kiss each other. Shizuku, too, was holding Kaori by the small of her back and her shoulder, like a lover.
It must have looked like a very romantic scene. Had this been a manga, there would have no doubt been flower petals everywhere in the background. Shizuku sighed deeply, moving away from Kaori, who was still staring blankly in confusion.
"Hurry up and get back here, you moron!"