[※ Additional Appendix: The Kaiser Corporation (PMC) has established a base in the Abydos Desert. Development of land with sold rights and large-scale activities in the desert have been observed (Correction: Kaiser PMC -> Formerly Kaiser PMC). The objective of the desert development is the excavation of weapons buried there. Entities complicit with Kaiser include the Saint Nephthys corporation, and it is believed the failure of the railway development project was the beginning. It should be noted that Izayoi Nonomi, who belongs to the Saint Nephthys family, is a student at Abydos High School.]
[The death of the former Student Council President, Kuchinashi Yume, due to distress in the desert has been confirmed. The cause of death is presumed to be disappearance during rights trading related to debt repayment, or losing her way. Takanashi Hoshino assumed the position afterward.]
[── Discoverer of the body: Takanashi Hoshino]
He reread the pages from the beginning, and upon reaching the end, read them once more.
「...」 (Subaru)
Slap!
Suddenly, he placed his hands on both sides of his face and slapped his cheeks hard enough to make a loud sound. Hina and Kanna's eyes widened in shock at Subaru's strange and abrupt action.
But when they realized it was to rouse himself and cool his overheated head, Subaru's expression changed completely.
「... ── Kanna, I think it's impossible for me right now to calmly deduce what must be done from all this.」 (Subaru)
「At the very least... I cannot accept this as mere data. I want to hear the story directly from Takanashi Hoshino, from her own mouth.」 (Subaru)
「So tell me, what should I do? How can I... 'help people'?」 (Subaru)
「How can I ── crush Kaiser?」 (Subaru)
「That is...」 (Kanna)
「... Subaru.」 (Hina)
「... Don't worry, I am furiously angry but calm; that is all.」 (Subaru)
A suppressed rage filled the space. The words Subaru spoke were outwardly calm, yet the anger latent within them struck Hina and Kanna's skin with force.
With every death piled upon Natsuki Subaru, his rage toward Kaiser increased by the same measure.
They are the enemy; that company, "Kaiser Corporation," is the enemy of Natsuki Subaru.
Although Hina worried about his expression, which mixed hostility and anger... ── she glimpsed a faint calmness mingling with it—a calmness reflecting an experience disproportionate to a high school student from the "Outside," so she stopped speaking.
「... ── I am also part of an organization complicit with Kaiser. I thought I understood the extent of their evil deeds, but lately, their wickedness has escalated terribly. They won't stop until they devour all of Kivotos.」 (Kanna)
「The Defense Office Chief... appears realistic at first glance, but she became obsessed with the 'Superhuman' title of the Federal Student Council President, transforming into a fool who is only good at talking about ideals.」 (Kanna)
Kanna looked up far into the sky, specifically toward the Federal Student Council building. As if casting those insults upwards, and simultaneously, casting them upon herself.
── She turned from a realist into a dreamer, and I, chasing a springtime of youth, sank into the mud.
── And for a long time, I remained drowning in that mud.
「What will happen to those who ally with Kaiser in the current Kivotos... ── With a little thought, it should have been obvious. But I thought I was on the side betraying, not the side being betrayed... Haaah.」 (Kanna)
She recalled those arrogant behaviors. At first, she thought them masterful schemers feigning stupidity, a great evil hiding malicious intent under a mask. But now that Kaiser has gained excessive power, they have become genuine fools who think they too have become powerful—a fatal misunderstanding.
「If Head Prefect Hina intervenes, the Schale position will drift away from you. And if you rely on the Federal Student Council, information will leak. Originally, I no longer have any moves left, and 'Problem Solver 68,' whom I was pursuing, has vanished without a trace, likely because Kaiser set their sights on them.」 (Kanna)
「In short, Mr. Natsuki, from now on, you are the only one who can move on this chessboard.」 (Kanna)
「I know.」 (Subaru)
「── But, remember... it is not a battle you will fight alone and isolated.」 (Kanna)
「... I know that too.」 (Subaru)
「Then, that is good.」 (Kanna)
Their sharp eyes (Sanpakugan) met, and their gazes intermingled. From the void of thoughts, sincere emotions flowed, causing Kanna's tongue to slip with words from an old scene in her memory.
「I... I wish I had met someone like you sooner. Before things came to this, much sooner... ── someone who would give me choices.」 (Kanna)
Kanna reached inside her jacket and pulled out a pitch-black cylinder—no... a gun barrel. With a grip and a firing mechanism, it was a "Handgun," something Subaru possessed only memories of since coming to this world.
The gun pointed toward Subaru's forehead. It happened in mere seconds, yet Subaru did not avert his gaze from the barrel.
「───」 (Subaru)
「This is yours.」 (Kanna)
The gun, whose trigger she hadn't had her finger on to begin with, passed from Kanna's hand to both of Subaru's hands. She handed it over, enveloping Subaru's hands, which were unaccustomed to fighting and had never held a weapon before.
A man's hands, rough and large... ── yet hands easily defeated by force.
「Kanna, this is...」 (Subaru)
「For self-defense. Do you know how to use it?」 (Kanna)
「Not at all, zero info (Sukapontan).」 (Subaru)
「I'll teach you shortly, at least enough to hit a stationary target.」 (Kanna)
「... I'm grateful, but if I could...」 (Subaru)
「'You don't want to point a gun,' I know.」 (Kanna)
「This is a parting gift from a senior in life, Mr. Subaru ── I don't want you to be defeated by evil.」 (Kanna)
She made him grip the black steel firmly and steadily.
「── The gun is heavier than I expected.」 (Subaru)
「Yes, it is heavy.」 (Kanna)
「... Mr. Natsuki.」 (Kanna)
「Can you shoot?」 (Kanna)
The question asked, with a little thought, seems meaningless. She had just asked if he knew how to use it, and if the question was for reconfirmation, it was even more absurd.
Because Subaru knows that the tools of civilization are wonderful. He had never driven a car, but he experienced it during the Return by Death loops.
While Rin taught him, the memory of driving was etched into his body. Civilization's tools grant the same performance to anyone as long as they know the "method of use." The handgun is the same; regardless of accuracy... "pulling the trigger to fire the bullet" is a common action anyone can do...
「I can shoot.」 (Subaru)
「───...」 (Kanna)
The crucial point is not here.
It is in the stage preceding that: "Can Natsuki Subaru fire bullets at a human being?"
Previously, Subaru pretended to be a suspicious person, snatched a weapon, and aimed it. The weapon at that time was far larger than this handgun.
── But, he had no intention of firing. Possession was what mattered, and he never thought of using it.
Even if he realizes this is the "common sense" of this world, Subaru cannot use something that represents a manifestation of violence and a rejection of dialogue.
Subaru will continue to resist the "common sense" of this world. Because he realizes that a single bullet is enough to easily rob him of his life, and because he does not want the other party to become the "side that takes a life."
Instead of pointing guns, and since this world is full of beautiful girls... he believes that exchanging smiles brings the world closer to peace many times over.
── However.
The one who cannot use it ── is the "former" Natsuki Subaru.
「I will say it again, Kanna.」 (Subaru)
「I, can shoot.」 (Subaru)
「── Natsuki Subaru, I... respect you from the bottom of my heart.」 (Kanna)
That was a new declaration.
If the "common sense" of this world attacks him with "malicious intent," then Natsuki Subaru...
Will point his fist at it in return.
「Bring it on, Fate; I'm ready! I'll say it no matter how many times it repeats, even hundreds of times...!」 (Subaru)
「Let's start the Grand Battle!」 (Subaru)
「── Bring it on, Fate; I'm ready!!」 (Subaru)
●○●○●
── The night of the second day.
He accepted the desert sand pelting his skin with quiet resolve, surrendering his body to the drifting night wind. It was cold; the desert night was cold enough to leave no room for appreciating the scenery.
Although this was, in a sense, the one hundred and seventy-sixth (176th) night, and he had the leeway to scoff with a "Hmph" feigning familiarity, he lacked the luxury to relax his expression.
The weight of the black iron (the gun) hidden in his chest continued to push Subaru's back forward relentlessly. If he was destined to face those eyes again, this time he would not collapse to his knees in depression.
He wants the answer Subaru seeks from her.
「I want to be the person she saves.」 (Subaru)
Natsuki Subaru wants to borrow Takanashi Hoshino's hand. The only ones capable of fighting Kaiser are Subaru and Abydos High School. The whereabouts of "Problem Solver 68" are unknown, and the friends Subaru knows are shackled and unable to move.
「Does she want to be the person I save?」 (Subaru)
Yes, the required answer is extremely simple.
『Does Takanashi Hoshino seek salvation?』
「I don't have the luxury to stand nonchalantly before her talking about things I learned from mere ink on paper.」 (Subaru)
Subaru remembered the conversation about the "path to victory" Hina had told him... so he stopped exposing himself to the night wind and climbed into the driver's seat of the car.
『As a fundamental principle, the one who defeats the former mercenary group (PMC)... must be you, Subaru.』 (Hina)
It seems information regarding humans coming from the "Outside" has been completely concealed until this moment by the Federal Student Council President. These are monstrous actions, to the extent that students, automatons, beast-men, and even Kaiser know nothing. This unnatural information suppression seems like an attempt to completely erase the existence of humans from the "Outside."
In other words, the residents of Kivotos believe that humans from the "Outside" are "monsters possessing something equivalent to what the Federal Student Council President holds."
Therefore, showing the results is enough; the process doesn't matter. Once Subaru demonstrates to the former mercenary group "what he can do"...
「The number of people extending a helping hand to me will increase dramatically!」 (Subaru)
He would like to say this will make Takanashi Hoshino lend him her strength, but what she requires is surely not something like this.
『Takanashi Hoshino, I guarantee this... ── she is stronger than me. Her current state, unless there are special circumstances, might enable her to exterminate Kaiser single-handedly.』 (Hina)
『... I am not as strong as her. I cannot be like Takanashi Hoshino, who tries to stand again despite losing her cherished senior (Senpai)...』 (Hina)
『── However, that does not mean the wounds of her heart have healed.』 (Hina)
── Raising the problem.
「Does that girl want me to save her?」 (Subaru)
He asked again, not knowing the answer. Does she want help or not? This isn't something for him to decide; the "former" Natsuki Subaru would have decided that on his own.
In a crisis like this, he assumed on his own that those in Abydos wanted help.
He doesn't know what kind of person "Kuchinashi Yume" was, nor what she represented to Takanashi Hoshino. He doesn't even know how important Okusora Ayane, Kuromi Serika, Sunaookami Shiroko, and Izayoi Nonomi are to Takanashi Hoshino.
「... In the end, I was just making pathetic noise all by myself, knowing nothing, in a place where I understood nothing.」 (Subaru)
He gripped the steering wheel tightly. His next destination is Kaiser's forward base, the place where they shot him down again and again when he tried to approach by air—a place with which he has an old score to settle.
── This car he received from Kanna is loaded with massive amounts of explosives. Well, in other words, what he is about to do is...
「Even 'Bomberman' would turn pale. Should I patent this and release it as a new game? Title... 'Self-Detonation Man'? ... The name is so lame it makes me nauseous.」 (Subaru)
A suicide attack. He will destroy one of Kaiser's bases. Fortunately, the base layout was included in Kanna's documents... although Hina, who proposed the idea, did not agree to Subaru taking this role himself.
『Leave it to me, Hina.』 (Subaru)
For the weak and helpless Subaru to perform a great feat like destroying a base, he must overcome at least this level of hardship.
But the hardships facing Subaru are too many. And if they are many, he must solve many of them at once.
First: Suppressing the terrorist organization.
Second: Preventing the Defense Office Chief's coup d'état against Kivotos.
Third: Solving the Abydos High School problem.
To resolve all these matters with a single blow, solutions must be forced recklessly; that is the price.
「Easy, easy! All I have to do is charge, crash the car into the gunpowder magazine! And go meet Hoshino!!」 (Subaru)
「── Synchronization complete. Leave driving support to me.」 (Arona)
「Yeah, I'm counting on you, Arona.」 (Subaru)
The core of this operation is Subaru... and Arona. Even if he learned to drive, gracefully traversing Abydos city, crossing the desert, and reaching the base while monitoring the Mapping is extremely difficult.
But Subaru possesses "Arona-chan," the strongest and most efficient navigation system. It's an easy job limited to moving the steering wheel according to instructions.
「Kaiser isn't pursuing me either; sneaking silently out of the hospital was worth the effort.」 (Subaru)
He sneaked out from the hospital window using bed sheets as a rope. Of course, he left a letter in the room, and this time he wrote it perfectly according to the rules of an apology letter... a letter that a letter-writing teacher, if one existed, would give Subaru a score of 100 for.
── Scolding is inevitable, but I've had absolutely enough of writing apology letters.
「... Phew...」 (Subaru)
Bring it on, Fate. Up until this moment, advancing or stopping meant a "BAD END."
To be Auto-Saved in a situation where an imminent "BAD END" is unavoidable, without his permission... what an irrational and unfair setting.
If this were a game, he would rush to the "Consumer Protection Agency," flood the developer with angry calls, write all sorts of insults on forums, and leave a scathing review in the buyer comments. Of course, one star (☆1). No, zero (☆0).
This time is the true and only attempt. Experience from "Save Data" won't help in destroying the base, yet he isn't even thinking about Return by Death.
『Subaru.』 (Hina)
『Don't die.』 (Hina)
「... If she can say that while looking me in the face... then I really can't refuse a request from Hina anymore.」 (Subaru)
That girl truly can see everything inside him.
「In short, the match is: A villain making a schoolgirl in the springtime of her youth cry VS a 'Chuunibyou' patient whose youth is leaking a bit excessively.」 (Subaru)
「There is no reason for me to lose. In all ages, villains lose to sweet youth in 'Boy Meets Girl' stories.」 (Subaru)
「Don't steal people's happiness when you don't carry 'Youth' on your shoulders.」 (Subaru)
「Let's go! Arona ── !!」 (Subaru)
「Commencing operation. Wishing you good fortune in battle.」 (Arona)
●○●○●
Stones were piled inside a steel drum, pieces of wood placed atop them, and thin, flammable twigs arranged at the very top along with some straw. Lacking a fire starter, gunpowder was emptied from several bullets and used as an additional layer.
To make it catch fire easily, they exposed it to the night wind, then ignited it with a blank round. Crackle, crackle, crackle—tongues of flame rose from the drum before them, attempting to stave off the desert chill.
「It... It finally lit... C... Cold... Cold...」
「Oh, that saves us... Haaah~... How boring... Is there any point in moving actively on a night when no prey appears?」
「It can't be helped; the mission content wasn't designed for our profit in the first place.」
「Kaiser is truly annoying... Sigh, for what purpose have we continued as a Helmet Gang until now?」
「But if we oppose them, who knows what they'll do to us...」
「You really hate the cold, don't you?」
Traps were set in the surrounding area. Although calling them "traps" might be an overstatement—they weren't mines to blow up Kaiser vehicles, but merely thin wires stretched across the path. If a car or helicopter passed, the wires would snap and send an alert signal.
「「「「...!!」」」」
── Someone triggered a trap.
「S-Seriously!? At this time!?」
「Let's go, guys! Tomorrow's meal will be decided here!」
「Eeeeh... Should we put out the fire...?」
「Get ready quickly! Come on, put some effort into it and stand up!」
They sent a signal to the rest of the group via radio, but we are the closest. The rule says: whoever attacks the prey caught in the trap first claims the spoils. The early bird gets the worm.
Everyone moved briskly and boarded the vehicle. The target completely ignored the traps a moment ago and continued speeding at full throttle.
「We'll ram them head-on! We're in an armored vehicle! They're in a regular car at best; an armored vehicle can't possibly reach that speed.」
「Head-on? The people inside will turn into paste...」
「In that case, we'll strip them of everything valuable, strip them until they're naked.」
「Turn on the heater...」
The vehicle launched. If we continue on this straight road, we'll collide head-on.
「I see them ──!」
「That... Isn't that a Valkyrie police car...?」
「Turn on the high beams; I can't see who's inside.」
── The light illuminated the distant vehicle. She leaned her body out of the window, adjusting the zoom on her rifle scope... to peek at the person inside the car.
「...」
「──!?!?」
「Hey, who's there? Is it a cop?」
Eyes met through the scope, and she felt something familiar about his appearance, something resembling the descriptions Kaiser had repeated until they were sick of hearing them.
No, before that, above all else... That person, that man is...!
「Natsuki Subaru...!?」
「「「... Seriously?」」」
●○●○●
「Vehicle approaching from the front. Please increase speed.」 (Arona)
「Increase it!? If I speed up more than this, I think I won't just become a stain, I'll vaporize!?」 (Subaru)
「If you swerve around them here, you will be surrounded.」 (Arona)
「Arona-sama is truly adept at making me make bold decisions (steel my resolve)!! If only there were a little kindness and comfort, she would be the perfect AI!」 (Subaru)
「I will take that into consideration.」 (Arona)
His hands gripping the steering wheel trembled rattle-rattle. He knows—he knows that if he moves as Arona says, he won't die.
── Even knowing that, it is truly terrifying.
It is natural to be afraid while rushing toward death at top speed. If he collides with that massive vehicle displayed on the Mapping, it seems unlikely he'll just end up as a flattened "squid cracker" this time.
「── Haha! No matter how many times I died, I never once thought I wanted to die!」 (Subaru)
「I am scared, but I am still... alive.」 (Subaru)
「As long as I am alive, I can still resist ──!」 (Subaru)
He slammed down on the pedal, full throttle. The displayed speed was 127 km/h; in Japan, he'd be arrested instantly. Driving at this speed on a narrow road resembling a residential street is sheer madness.
The vehicle, massive as an elephant, approached until it was right before his eyes.
However, madness is only madness if it lacks a plan. Subaru, on the other hand, has ──
「Tsu...」 (Subaru)
「── Step on it!」 (Subaru)
I'm gonna die, I'm gonna die, I'm gonna die, I'm gonna die, I'm gonna die!
「Plus Ultra! Go beyond the limits! Beyond speed ──!!」 (Subaru)
「Required speed reached. Maintain as is.」 (Arona)
「Roger!」 (Subaru)
He rushed through the fleeting instant—an expression accurate due to the acceleration—and just a moment before the direct collision with the armored vehicle.
── Arona forcibly engaged the rear brakes of the car.
In that instant, the front of the car, which wasn't braked, lifted up, lunging at the armored vehicle like a beast baring its fangs.
To the armored vehicle, the small car that could have been crushed suddenly transformed into a wall charging with thunderous speed.
Both parties slammed on the brakes quickly—one as a reaction to surprise, the other as part of a plan. The result was ──
「「「「Whaaaaa ──!!?」」」」 (Helmet Gang)
「Ouga... N-Not yet! Step on it ──!!」 (Subaru)
Impact.
A heavy shock he had never experienced before coursed through Subaru's body. The airbags deployed... and the sound of the car frame crunching and grinding echoed.
The collision, its speed appropriately reduced thanks to both sides braking, did not reach the point of claiming Natsuki Subaru's life.
Despite the nausea and dizziness caused by the shock shaking his entrails, he did not lift his foot from the pedal.
The front of the car was elevated.
── In other words, as a result of the collision, Subaru was now mounting the armored vehicle.
「Goodbye!」 (Subaru)
「What!? Damn it, this is insane!!」 (Helmet Gang)
"Driving over the armored vehicle." Subaru used the armored vehicle as a launch ramp, driving his car... to cross over and surpass it.
The windshield shattered, and shards nearly pierced his eyes had he not closed them at the last moment, but his shoulder suffered a deep cut. The side windows also shattered from the impact, embedding glass into his right arm.
Perhaps the dulling of his pain sensation was beneficial here; he wanted to praise himself for keeping the pedal pressed.
「This isn't something a person carrying explosives does!! Ah, damn it!」 (Subaru)
「In 20 seconds, we will enter the Abydos Desert, and one minute after that, we will reach the forward base.」 (Arona)
「No response from Kaiser products in the vicinity; it seems they failed to handle the situation.」 (Arona)
「Whenever good news piles up, it's often followed by bad news!」 (Subaru)
「Affirmative. Collision with the two guards on duty and the automated defense system is unavoidable.」 (Arona)
「What should I do!?」 (Subaru)
「── Let us continue straight ahead. Subaru-sama mentioned last night that he adores romance (adventure).」 (Arona)
「... I wish I hadn't held that fetish exhibition!!」 (Subaru)
Driving became semi-automated; steering was controlled without the need to hold the wheel.
In the meantime, he pulled glass shards from his arm and pressed firmly with a cloth from the emergency kit on the gash in his shoulder... attempting to stop the bleeding with humble skill. Although Kanna had taught him a lot, but,
「One cannot master it overnight, can they?」 (Subaru)
It looked ugly and clumsy, but it was enough.
「...」 (Subaru)
「Arona, are... they pursuing us already?」 (Subaru)
「Affirmative. Traps breached (broken); a response believed to be Takanashi Hoshino is approaching.」 (Arona)
「We're moving at 148 km/h; is she a monster or what?」 (Subaru)
If she catches him, she will destroy him without asking for details. Subaru knows from his previous experiences that Takanashi Hoshino becomes merciless if she judges an opponent to be a "threat."
── A death chase game lasting one minute and twenty seconds is about to begin.
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