── A few minutes earlier.
「Alright, energy full, Anpan-〇-man! Natsuki Subaru has returned with 100 times the energy!」 (Subaru)
「Nn, good. Then hurry up and present your idea, because Hoshino-senpai will be here soon.」 (Shiroko)
「Hmm, it was just business flattery (Business Nadenade)... No, well, about the idea, one actually came to me...」 (Subaru)
「Say it.」 (Shiroko)
「... Basically, we... must make Hoshino come down to the discussion arena with us.」 (Subaru)
After calming down thanks to the head pat, a way to retort against Hoshino formed in Subaru's mind.
If called a heinous plan, there's no helping it, and I'll break what Shiroko just forbade, and most importantly, it's almost pure gambling.
It is turning a battle with 100% certain loss into a battle with 99% loss and 1% chance of victory, and to extract that 1%, a heavy price of risk must be paid.
Subaru's mind isn't the type capable of fighting mental battles. If maneuvering and reading thoughts are required, he will show stunning weakness and be stripped of everything he owns. What a weakling like him can do is enforce a situation where he can display his maximum strength.
── Forcing Hoshino into a situation where she can only use the minimum of her strength, and simultaneously, if he can surpass that minimum, he wins. A simple story.
「── So, what is that simple method?」 (Shiroko)
「It doesn't seem like Subaru possesses anything capable of winning against Hoshino-senpai.」 (Shiroko)
「Harsh.」 (Subaru)
「Nn, fact.」 (Shiroko)
「Yeah, yeah, exactly as you say~, I possess nothing to challenge her and win; at best, it's a 50-50 coin toss game.」 (Subaru)
「But like this, Hoshino won't accept the challenge. We need to welcome Hoshino, treat her as a super VIP, praise her, and invite her 'Please, please' to seat her on the (challenge) chair.」 (Subaru)
「A challenge where there is benefit for Hoshino to accept, and she is 100% confident of winning.」 (Subaru)
「... Subaru?」 (Shiroko)
She shot him a look saying "Are you joking?", but he raised his index finger before his face and went "Tsk tsk tsk" (clicking tongue sound), signaling not to rush.
「A challenge Hoshino sees as a 100% certain win, but we make it a challenge with a 1% win rate for us.」 (Subaru)
「Nn... difficult.」 (Shiroko)
「Then... question. What is the thing putting Hoshino at the greatest disadvantage right now?」 (Subaru)
He posed the question as a problem, but winked at Shiroko to find the answer quickly, and pointed his index finger at himself.
Her fluffy animal ears stood up "Boing," and she uttered the correct answer.
「That she cannot point a weapon at Subaru.」 (Shiroko)
「Correct answer. Since we don't know what mistake might happen, Hoshino can no longer use a weapon in front of me.」 (Subaru)
「... But, for Hoshino-senpai, keeping me away from Subaru and fighting is extremely easy.」 (Shiroko)
「That's why we drag her into the challenge. A dream match where she can cancel the disadvantage of 'inability to use weapons,' obtain what Hoshino wants, and with an added bonus that the opponent is me, guaranteeing her victory in any challenge. As for extracting the 1% from there, leave it to me, and don't be surprised by my excessive clowning.」 (Subaru)
「── Earlier, I forbade you from doing that (self-sacrifice).」 (Shiroko)
... How should I say this, well, the residents of this world are too sharp.
「... It's fine, I don't intend to throw my life away; I'm just depositing it with you for a short while, Shiroko.」 (Subaru)
「Wordplay; I'm not convinced.」 (Shiroko)
「── We made a 'Pinky Promise' (Yubikiri Genman), didn't we? I won't break the promise.」 (Subaru)
「Nn.」 (Shiroko)
「...」 (Subaru)
「─────」 (Shiroko)
「── ... Nn.」 (Shiroko)
「Under... ──」 (Shiroko)
「...」 (Subaru)
「...」 (Subaru)
「stood.」 (Shiroko)
「Haha, how hard it was to convince you... ── Alright, thank you, for betting on my winning plan, even though we just met!」 (Subaru)
「Nn...」 (Shiroko)
Looking at her ears moving twitch-twitch in dissatisfaction, she didn't seem fully convinced, so Subaru patted Shiroko's head as a form of repayment.
He rubbed her head Washa-Washa as if doing so to a real dog, and after calming her for tens of seconds, he began preparing to win.
「── Shiroko, what weapons can we use right now?」 (Subaru)
「A drone with missiles, and two hand grenades. The drone is in the annex building.」 (Shiroko)
「Enough! Can you bring them immediately?」 (Subaru)
「Understood. What about Subaru?」 (Shiroko)
「I'll go make a small trap, and fetch something I think is in the gymnasium, and then the plan is~... ── (Whisper whisper)...」 (Subaru)
「I won't understand by whispering...」 (Shiroko)
「Joking, joking! My partner will explain the plan to you. First, let's start preparations!」 (Subaru)
「Nn, then...」 (Shiroko)
「Oh, then ──」 (Subaru)
── Operation "Hoshino Capture Mission" has begun.
「「Let's win.」」 (Subaru & Shiroko)
●○●○●
「...」 (Subaru)
I can't stop my heart from pounding.
In broad daylight, with the sun high in the sky, light filtering through the gymnasium windows makes the dust motes dancing in the air sparkle.
Tap, tap, the sound of his hopping echoes in this space where only Subaru exists.
Does my right shoulder move? Is my leg numb? He rotated his neck and heard a crack, followed by a faint warmth spreading through his neck.
「Phew...」 (Subaru)
Cold sweat and shivering (warrior's tremors) won't stop, and his chest is filled with anxiety over whether his superficial trick will truly work.
However, there is one thing Subaru trusts.
It is the resemblance between Subaru and Hoshino. Just as Subaru is a prisoner of "Return by Death," Hoshino is also a prisoner of "Something."
So he understands; just as Subaru desperately struggles seeking tomorrow, the future, and hope, Hoshino is also a "person who struggles."
「'A drowning man will clutch at a straw, in the vast ocean of life,' isn't that right.」 (Subaru)
Both are drowning, but this time, the one extending the straw is... ── Subaru.
「Well, even so, if I lose the first bet, it's all over...」 (Subaru)
The first bet is making Hoshino accept the challenge.
Most likely, Subaru holds nothing in his hand that qualifies him for that. In other words... he will deceive her with bluffs and lies as usual.
That is also a possibility, but Hoshino's weak point, her "Reverse Scale" (trigger point), her Achilles' heel, and the festering pus... ── is the existence of "Kuchinashi Yume."
The discoverer of the body of Student Council President Kuchinashi Yume is Hoshino, who was a member of the Student Council at the time. No words can describe how cruel this truth is.
But this alone won't shake Hoshino; information obtainable merely by research is insufficient as a wager.
── Then what should I do?
「Arona... Are you sure the idea I came up with is good?」 (Subaru)
「Affirmative. I guarantee that Subaru-sama's proposal is the 'best move.'」 (Arona)
「... ── Arona is a wonderful partner, truly.」 (Subaru)
Encouraged by her words, he engraved the conclusion he had predicted into his heart.
And that is... ── the word 『Men in Black』 (Kurofuku).
"Men in Black," hearing this word, everyone might think of... presidential bodyguards (SP), or exhausted corporate employees' collars, or meetings and funerals.
But for Subaru, it is different. It is an ominous name, a nightmarish word.
Amidst the many deaths on the first day when he suffered hell, and in the worst, most gruesome death among them, a man wearing a "Black Suit"... was dissecting Subaru.
The devil who extracted his entrails, peeled his skin, broke his bones, and continued to rob Subaru of everything until his last breath.
Subaru predicted that man is the entity who made a contract with Hoshino.
Not because he suffered due to him and considers him an enemy, or because "Black Suit" (Kurofuku) sounds like an evil boss's name—not for these reasons.
First, he searched for conditions applicable to the man who contracted with Hoshino.
「Prerequisite: 1」
To have a close connection with Kaiser, yet not be a subordinate of Kaiser, but merely a cooperative partner.
『Kaiser and the contract holder aren't a single block, just business partners... That person would be more inclined to observe you than hand you over to Kaiser.』 (Hoshino)
『『The Black Suit』 will show interest; that person is useful, I'll be in trouble if he doesn't stay... ── Take him away.』 (Kaiser President)
Hoshino's testimony, and the Kaiser President's testimony, align here first.
「Prerequisite: 2」
The man who offered the contract to Hoshino demanded to detain Hoshino as a research subject. At least, a person fitting the first condition and talking about research and the like is...
『I am called 'The Black Suit' (Kurofuku), and I belong to 'Gematria'.』 (Black Suit)
『Oh, calm down.』 (Black Suit)
『Now, I am opening your insides.』 (Black Suit)
Those times when the pungent smell of chemicals and the sensation of coldness dominated.
After Kaiser kidnaps students, will they turn them into soldiers? No, they won't do something so inefficient; they are that kind of type.
First money, second money, so the reason for kidnapping is... ── 『Because kidnapping makes money』.
Let's re-analyze the opinions. Hoshino was constantly told by that man that he wanted her body, not to use her monstrous combat abilities, but as a research subject.
「... Prerequisite: 3」
── The President named him specifically (Close relationship with Kaiser).
The goal is solely research (Demanding Hoshino as a research subject).
Yet, in a position allowing him to bid against Kaiser Corporation head-on (Gematria).
Who is this?
「Gematria or whatever, I don't know what they do, but...」 (Subaru)
「You (Black Suit), will pay dearly.」 (Subaru)
In the hand of Subaru, who possesses no cards and nothing to bet with, there are now... fictitious chips with no value and cannot be cashed.
Chips of 『Black Suit』 and 『Kuchinashi Yume』.
── For Hoshino, it is the straw floating in the ocean.
「── Subaru!」 (Shiroko)
「Ah, welcome back, Shiroko... ── Did something happen?」 (Subaru)
「The situation might be bad; Hoshino-senpai is coming here through the main building.」 (Shiroko)
「Really, good thing we prepared early. I'll leave my phone with you... will you move according to the scripts?」 (Subaru)
「Nn, I'll borrow the power of... your partner.」 (Shiroko)
Shiroko used the vaulting box placed in the corner of the gymnasium as a platform and jumped to the second floor.
Seeing that, he feels again that she is an existence radically different from humans.
If Subaru tried to imitate her, he would end up just sitting on top of the vaulting box.
「Alright then.」 (Subaru)
He moved his waist, swallowed his saliva, and shut his eyes tightly for a few seconds.
「Bring it on, Fate; I'm ready.」 (Subaru)
The battle to snatch the 1%.
── Began with the gymnasium door being kicked and smashed open.
●○●○●
「── I.」 (Subaru)
「Heard information about Kuchinashi Yume from 'The Black Suit'.」 (Subaru)
「Aaaaaah...?」 (Hoshino)
── The first bet succeeded.
「Y... You, Natsuki... Subaru...!!」 (Hoshino)
「What... do you... know!!!」 (Hoshino)
「Calm down, Hoshino.」 (Subaru)
「Since Hoshino calls me a monster and an aberration, I decided to act accordingly.」 (Subaru)
「Tsk ──」 (Hoshino)
She glared at him with a look that made him feel he could hear the sound of her teeth grinding.
Had he not resolved himself from the start, that aura alone would have shattered his heart.
「Well, I'll say this first... that's a lie.」 (Subaru)
「Huh? ... ── Impossible. Even if it's a lie, those words shouldn't come out.」 (Hoshino)
「So, believing whether it's a lie or the truth is up to you, Hoshino. Based on that, won't you compete with me, Hoshino?」 (Subaru)
「... Compete.」 (Hoshino)
Hoshino is strong; even if someone said you were the strongest in the world, I wouldn't call it a lie. But even if you knock me unconscious and torture me now, you won't get what you want. I'm 『Natsuki Subaru』, you know?」 (Subaru)
「──」 (Hoshino)
「So let's do this: the winner of the challenge I propose gives any command they want to the loser. That's simpler than complications, isn't it?」 (Subaru)
「Is this Shiroko-chan's idea...」 (Hoshino)
「...」 (Subaru)
「── Fine, I accept.」 (Hoshino)
The second hurdle was cleared.
From here on, all he has to do is speak as in his mental simulation, without stammering, with absolute confidence, and constant composure, to arrange the conditions for Subaru's loss.
Make her doubt, make her hallucinate. Make her think he is not a significant opponent, yet at the same time, an opponent not to be underestimated.
── Make Hoshino's focus solely on Subaru.
「So, what will we compete in?」 (Hoshino)
「── Tag (Onigokko).」 (Subaru)
「... Tag?」 (Hoshino)
Hoshino was confused by the simplicity of the word.
A challenge proposed by a terrifying opponent, and it's "a game of tag"... she cannot be blamed for looking bewildered, and Subaru clearly sees this confusion.
「A game of tag exactly as it is, but with my own added rules. I am very weak in this world, so I want a handicap (advantage).」 (Subaru)
「Fine.」 (Hoshino)
「Okay, then the first rule... the allowed area of movement for both of us is this gymnasium. The second rule, I am the 'Oni' (Tagger) and Hoshino is the runner; if I touch you even once, you lose, and the time limit is one minute. The third rule is ──」 (Subaru)
(One minute...!?) (Hoshino)
Hoshino is stunned. In such cases, it is natural for one to set rules in their favor.
Yet, Subaru is the 'Oni,' the time is one minute, and the place isn't very cramped. If she can use the entire gymnasium, there is no obstacle to escaping.
As soon as she accepts, she wins. Rules like these are proposed one after another.
「── Shiroko won't help me directly. Shiroko won't pin Hoshino for me to tag her; that is forbidden. The challenge is exclusively between me and Hoshino.」 (Subaru)
「...」 (Hoshino)
「Fourth, even if you step outside the area, if you return to the gym within 3 seconds, you are safe—the 3-second rule. Also, I won't use dangerous tools... like handguns or grenades, and I won't point the gun at my head as I did before! Well, that's just insurance, so don't mind it. ── Done!」 (Subaru)
「... Are you really sure about this?」 (Hoshino)
「Of course.」 (Subaru)
── Natsuki Subaru's goal cannot be understood.
He gave up all his advantages and added rules as if conceding the victory. With the first rule, she thought he might use something to force her out and win, but he gave that up himself.
Incomprehensible. What is Natsuki Subaru aiming for? And why propose a challenge that amounts to suicide?
She didn't intend to lose, no matter the circumstances against him, but this level of "suspicion" is actually weakening Hoshino's resolve.
── But.
「... If.」 (Hoshino)
「Nn?」 (Subaru)
「If I win, you will tell me everything you know about Yume-senpai.」 (Hoshino)
「── Yes.」 (Subaru)
The obsession won't leave Hoshino's hand with just this much doubt.
And that is why.
── Natsuki Subaru's scheme would explode.
「When the second hand on that clock aligns perfectly with zero, we start.」 (Subaru)
「Understood.」 (Hoshino)
Hoshino regulates her breathing before the challenge, which will start in tens of seconds.
In contrast, Subaru calmly and confidently climbed onto the stage platform in the gymnasium.
She doesn't have the luxury of searching the room; Hoshino is now imposing maximum caution toward the entity called Natsuki Subaru.
If she overlooks a single move, this man is the one who will flip this seemingly desperate challenge in his favor.
No room for complacency in anything, and no action can be permitted.
Tick-tock, tick-tock, the second hand advances step by step.
「...」 (Hoshino)
Choking on tension is the work of amateurs. She is in a superior position, and if she plays normally, she will win.
She won't display the shame of losing due to psychological pressure.
「...」 (Hoshino)
「─── ...」 (Hoshino)
3 seconds remain until the start.
「Hoshino ──!」 (Subaru)
I trust you, Hoshino. (Subaru)
「Huh?」 (Hoshino)
The clock hand aligned with zero.
── In that instant.
「─── !?!?」 (Hoshino)
For Hoshino, it is a familiar weapon. It suddenly appeared from the darkness of the second floor... ──.
Shiroko's drone launched a missile toward Subaru.
「Moving... before the opponent finishes judging the situation, is that it?」 (Hoshino)
She finished her judgment in an instant and launched forward, but she wouldn't outrun the missile. 4 missiles were launched, and even if she tried to shoot them down... 2 is the maximum from this distance.
「Haa!!」 (Hoshino)
She detonated two missiles in mid-air while running, but as expected, that was the maximum.
Natsuki Subaru's life, which Hoshino should prioritize above all else, was about to scatter tragically.
Subaru also didn't move from his spot, nor did he look away from the approaching death.
With astonishing speed and explosive power, Hoshino reached in front of the platform, but her instinct told her she wouldn't make it, so she reversed her thinking to one option.
[This is a bluff by Natsuki Subaru]
That is what she thought.
With superhuman abilities, she stretched one second, plunging her consciousness into the "Zone" that ordinary humans cannot reach, to freeze perceived time.
「...!」 (Hoshino)
── The missiles' trajectory is strange. Slightly deflected upwards so they won't hit Subaru...
And so, after 0.1 seconds, what was hit wasn't Subaru, but... the ceiling of the stage above the platform.
The falling debris tried to crush Subaru, but Hoshino, who had completed her judgment, struck the debris with her shield to ward it off, handling the entire situation at a height Subaru's hand could never reach.
「I was naive.」 (Hoshino)
「No ──」 (Subaru)
"Not yet," that's what Subaru's look seemed to say as Hoshino spun in the air.
The sound of gunfire heard immediately after was likely from Shiroko.
She looked at Subaru with disgust, as if saying, "Will you repeat the same trick?", but... all she has to do is repel the bullet and move away to avoid Subaru's "tag," which is not a difficult task.
Gakin!, after hearing the sound of the bullet ricocheting off her shield, she was about to leave the area.
No matter how determined the opponent is, there is a reality that cannot be changed by a mere lack of power, even if Subaru wants to prove otherwise ──
「Hoop.」 (Subaru)
Paff, the sound of something heavy falling was heard, which she hadn't noticed before.
In Subaru's left hand, there was something resembling a thin thread.
── And black and white powder enveloped both Subaru's and Hoshino's bodies.
Finally, in Subaru's right hand, there was a handgun raised high toward the sky.
「Do you know... a dust explosion?」 (Subaru)
A deception, yes, a deception. No need to hesitate, don't hesitate. A winnable battle, he wouldn't do anything meaningless. It's impossible for him to do that. Besides, dangerous materials that cause a dust explosion don't exist. No, they can be prepared by dismantling bullets, but that is meaningless. Suicide or something similar... Ah, but this man, this man is ──.
... And upon hearing those words, Hoshino.
Hoshino... ──.
「I tagged you, then.」 (Subaru)
「...」 (Hoshino)
── To prevent Subaru from pulling the trigger of the handgun he was holding, she inserted her finger (between the trigger and the gun/or grabbed his hand).
Subaru's hand, and Hoshino's hand are touching.
「... The rules...」 (Hoshino)
「Shiroko didn't move for me; she launched the missiles and bullets just to change the mood, maybe, and I was just 'accidentally' in their path.」 (Subaru)
「... The fourth rule.」 (Hoshino)
「This handgun is empty of bullets, and also this...」 (Subaru)
Subaru pulled the thread with his left hand, and a wooden board covered with thick white powder fell from behind the platform.
When the curtain was drawn on the truth of what fell ──
「It's chalk (Kalk
「'Moving before the opponent finishes judging the situation' ── my childhood delusions were useful! If you hadn't checked, you wouldn't have known it was chalk; you couldn't have known.」 (Subaru)
「... And the black stuff... ── Haaah, what is this?」 (Hoshino)
「'Natsuki Subaru's Special Mix: Dust and Trash,' the mixing ratio changes every time, so its price goes up daily.」 (Subaru)
「── ... From start to finish, it was all a bluff, then.」 (Hoshino)
「Also, because Hoshino is kind, I was confident you wouldn't abandon me and let me die.」 (Subaru)
Subaru knows he isn't infinitely kind; rather, he doubts if he is kind at all. He lies casually, and to the general public, he is far from being described as a good person.
Nevertheless, nevertheless ──
He is merely a human who trusts the kindness he received.
Because being saved that night was an undeniable truth.
「Haa... ah...」 (Hoshino)
── In the end, the reason for the loss... is that I believed until the very end that Subaru was a heartless monster... Is it my fault?
「... My loss, then.」 (Hoshino)
「── Yes.」 (Subaru)
「It is our victory.」 (Subaru)
From the winner to the loser.
From the weaker to the stronger.
The one extending the hand was 『The person who realizes he is drowning』 ──
「...」 (Hoshino)
And in that moment, as Subaru held Hoshino's hand to help her up, the image of Shiroko approaching was reflected in his field of vision.
「Oh, Shiroko! Great play, really!! Good grief I thought I'd die when the missile arrived right in front of my eyes... Tahaa~!」 (Subaru)
「...」 (Shiroko)
「And Arona was amazing too! Everything went exactly according to plan, perfectly! As expected of my most precious and wonderful partner, Arona-sama!」 (Subaru)
「Thank you, but ──」 (Arona)
「Yay!! With this!! With this, the case is sol──」 (Subaru)
「Nn.」 (Shiroko)
── Gashiri, she grabbed his shoulder with unusual force.
「... Umm, uh~?」 (Subaru)
「Nn.」 (Shiroko)
「Meaning...」 (Subaru)
「... You won't understand unless I say it in words?」 (Shiroko)
「Ah~, haha.」 (Subaru)
「... ── I'm sorry! Teeheepero ──」 (Subaru)
「Nn, Octopus Hold (Manji Gatame).」 (Shiroko)
「Chogeraaa ──!?!?」 (Subaru)
On that day, after the winner turned into the loser in a few seconds.
Subaru engraved a vow in his heart never to oppose Shiroko ever again.
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