「── So, I wonder what terrible things you intend to do to this old lady~?」 (Hoshino)
Hoshino began her talk with this opening a few minutes after the "Crucifix Hold" ended, while Subaru lay curled up beside her, groaning.
「Are you going to make me carry out a solo suicide attack? Or... do you want me to provide support while you head to the front lines?」 (Hoshino)
「D-Do I look like someone capable of fighting on the front lines...? In a world where physical durability is the stuff of fantasy, I'm softer than tofu. Ah, but I can hold a gun.」 (Subaru)
「Hmm, even if you shoot, Subaru, you'll only hurt yourself with the recoil. It's pointless.」 (Shiroko)
「Honestly, I can't deny that.」 (Subaru)
The black steel never felt right in his hand, no matter how much time passed; it was far from worthy of being called Subaru's partner.
The handgun felt heavier than he expected. Kanna had chosen it as the easiest model for him to handle, and he had practiced target shooting, yet Kanna had covered her eyes in despair at his utter lack of talent.
To earn the title of partner, it lacked kindness—and kindness was essential. What Subaru sought in this inherently cruel world was not military might, but a presence that would spoil him.
「As I thought, Arona-tan is number one... No, wait, isn't she actually harsh most of the time?」 (Subaru)
A vibration signaling protest reached him from the mobile phone hidden in his pocket.
Wondering where is she even picking up the audio from? while examining the phone that had been magically modified without his knowledge, Subaru issued his order to Hoshino as promised.
「For now, put down the weapon and let's talk. Honestly, I'm completely exhausted. Is the stamina of Kivotos residents fantasy-tier too?」 (Subaru)
「I don't know if all humans from the 'Outside' are at your level, or if you're the one who lacks physical fitness~」 (Hoshino)
「Hey, it's not just because I'm a shut-in (Hikikomori), you know!? On the first day, I took a bullet to the gut, and right after that, I went through a full-power car chase rivaling a Hollywood movie. Anyone would be exhausted!」 (Subaru)
「... ── Too reckless.」 (Shiroko)
「Oof ──, Shiroko-sama, when you glare at me like that, my liver freezes over.」 (Subaru)
While organizing his racing thoughts and trying to articulate the words stuck in his throat, he recalled the "results of the broadcast."
Thanks to the detonation of the forward base, the "Helmet Gang" besieging Abydos High School had withdrawn, and Hoshino had repelled the Kaiser personnel monitoring Subaru.
In this situation, with Hoshino finally sitting at the discussion table, the one thing he needed to confirm was: "Have I been appointed as the President of SCHALE or not?"
「About that, what's the status?」 (Subaru)
He flipped open his phone and asked, but the response was silence... followed by a frowning emoticon (Kaomoji). It seemed he had angered her with his earlier remark. After he sent his love, saying, "Arona is my one and only partner," she informed him of the current status of the General Student Council:
「The Council is currently in session. 4 votes in favor, 2 against, and 1 abstention. The final vote will take place in one hour.」 (Arona)
「Victory is all but guaranteed. In one hour... ── I can rest a little. Hoshino, since we're here, why don't you tell me about Abydos High School? I'm hungry, too; let's eat something while we talk.」 (Subaru)
「Is that... an order?」 (Hoshino)
「No, I'll reply with the classic line: It's a request.」 (Subaru)
「── Very well. And here are some classic words from me, too: Welcome to Abydos High School. We have neither food nor ammo, but please, get some rest.」 (Hoshino)
●○●○●
── He was guided to a meticulously clean classroom without a speck of dust, in stark contrast to the dilapidated building.
Most of Abydos High School's buildings were closed off, and few rooms were in use, likely because there were only five enrolled students.
From the window, he could see the first floor of the main building, which had suffered significant damage from the Kaiser attack.
Despite the bright weather, the air was surprisingly cool and comfortable. perhaps thanks to the desert they considered an enemy, the room remained cool even in this scorching heat.
「It's not bad if you stay out of direct sunlight. Japan has high humidity, so I'm not used to this.」 (Subaru)
School buildings, and schools in general, are places filled with memories. Every seat, every desk, every blackboard evokes some memory.
Even in Subaru's school life, which held no fond memories, he had an attachment to the seat he sat in.
Let alone the day someone announced "We will destroy it"—even the shut-in Subaru went out and tried to use his Kendo skills (Level 2) to strike down the person who said that. He had that kind of passion ──
「Why resort to striking? Use the weapon's reach advantage and fight.」 (Subaru)
He mocked himself in his imagination, stuffing his mouth with emergency rations that tasted like sugar-free Chinsuko.
── Surprisingly delicious.
He realized then that his mouth was completely dry. He drank gratefully from the plastic bottle to quench his thirst.
「...」 (Subaru)
「What's wrong? You're spacing out.」 (Hoshino)
「── Just touched by Hoshino's kind behavior, recalling the memory of our first meeting.」 (Subaru)
「That's because you were driving a car full of explosives like a maniac.」 (Hoshino)
「I apologize for that.」 (Subaru)
About thirty minutes remained. If the decision came through, his available options would increase. It might sound bad, but the number of official "pawns" would grow; he would gather collaborators and crush the Private Military Companies (PMCs) from their roots.
── That was the secondary objective. What he wanted was not violence, but salvation. To bring Okusora Ayane and Kuromi Serika back to Abydos High School, to hear the circumstances in order to use SCHALE's authority to revoke Izayoi Nonomi's expulsion, and finally, to manage the debt.
These were daydreams, but what he needed now were those dreams. Therefore, this was the "goal" he would turn into reality from here on.
「Rin-chan really asks for the impossible. 'That person'... huh.」 (Subaru)
He still didn't care for the title, but if being "that person" meant he could save Hina and Abydos, then fine.
Because ──
「The standard cliché for isekai transfer is a 'harem.'」 (Subaru)
「Hmm, a completely impure motive.」 (Shiroko)
「Men are often like that.」 (Hoshino)
「What does 'isekai transfer' mean anyway?」 (Hoshino)
「Ah~, roughly speaking, coming from the 'Outside'? Well, even though I say 'Outside,' I didn't come by choice, and I have a place I must return to ──」 (Subaru)
── There is a place I must return to.
They are the two who made a place for me, I who had no place.
「────」 (Subaru)
「Subaru?」 (Shiroko)
「── Well, enough about me. It's time I heard what happened in Abydos.」 (Subaru)
「You've researched almost everything; is there a need to ask?」 (Hoshino)
「A very big need. Conversely, if I told you, 'Ah yes, yes, I know almost everything, so leave it to me and stay back,' you would shoot me, wouldn't you?」 (Subaru)
「There's no such thing, you know~」 (Hoshino)
Her eyes were not smiling; eyes thinking only of shooting.
How many times had Hoshino killed him with those eyes?
It seemed she wouldn't forgive him even if he sat in seiza all night and performed dogeza repeatedly.
「No, you would shoot. Definitely, 100%. Even if heaven and earth overturned, you would inevitably blow my head off.」 (Subaru)
「Your words carry a lot of weight. Did you experience that with someone in the past?」 (Hoshino)
「Yeah, a similar experience.」 (Subaru)
「Hmm~, your character suggests you really commit a lot of foolish acts.」 (Hoshino)
「Hahaha! I get told that often... ── Wait! You're harsh as usual!?」 (Subaru)
After receiving an insult that proved her lack of trust, they got to the heart of the matter.
The main topic, as he had said repeatedly, was simply "what happened." And although it was too heavy for mere idle chatter, it fit perfectly with emergency rations as dry as desert sand.
── Because without a doubt, it was a conversation that would make them gulp.
Subaru felt the atmosphere shift as he cleared his throat. Hoshino narrowed her eyes, lowering her face slightly before she began to speak.
「...Fuu.」 (Hoshino)
「The root of the problem, in the end, lies within Abydos itself.」 (Hoshino)
The tragedy began with mysterious sandstorms that ended the golden age of Abydos.
Reconstruction projects ended in failure after failure, and the railway plan, for which they pushed forward even by selling the rights to the autonomous district, ended in dismal failure.
What awaited Abydos, unable to recoup any of its losses, was a path of decline and ruin. However,
── There were those who resisted to restore it to what it was.
── And there were those who spat on it, calling it a daydream.
「Whatever we say about Kaiser's illegal and greedy business, the debt of Abydos is the embodiment of the arrogance Abydos itself produced.」 (Hoshino)
The junior students (Kouhai) who enrolled worked hard with us to repay the debt... but the amount wasn't something that could be repaid. In fact, the interest exceeded the income, and the debt never decreased.
One day, tired of that life, they considered resorting to illicit work for repayment. Of course, we stopped them and encouraged them to do our best as usual ── but the reality waiting for us didn't change a bit; it only continued to deteriorate.
The "Helmet Gang" attacked the school regularly, and supplies ran out daily. Ammo, food, and weapons were dwindling. After months passed, there were no longer places nearby hiring workers to earn money, and we had to go far away for work.
The predatory interest continued to increase, and Kuromi Serika began working long hours late into the night seeking a higher wage.
「Our top earner, Serika-chan.」 (Hoshino)
「I was happy just that she enrolled in the already dilapidated Abydos.」 (Hoshino)
── And one day, she was attacked by the "Helmet Gang," kidnapped, and held captive for a week.
At that time, while the search continued, thanks to us punishing "Problem Solver 68" who coincidentally caused a commotion near the detention site, we managed to find her, but...
「Serika-chan was left with psychological and physical scars from that incident. The darkness and the time she was kidnapped cause her flashbacks, and she is no longer able to work late.」 (Hoshino)
Even now, she blames herself for not being there at the moment of the kidnapping, and for not finding her immediately.
「... ──」 (Hoshino)
I won't allow the same tragedy to repeat. Having sworn that, what awaited her was—
── A tragedy against which strength could do nothing.
「Do you know about Nonomi-chan... to some extent?」 (Hoshino)
「...To some extent, yes.」 (Subaru)
「── Nonomi-chan, originally, was supposed to enroll in Highlander Railway Academy, which collaborated on the Abydos railway project, as the incoming Student Council President.」 (Hoshino)
She kicked that position away and came to Abydos. But it seems she forced her way through recklessly, for the servant who occasionally came to ask about her always wore a frowning face, saying "Please return" ──
「Finally, they came to take Nonomi-chan back by force, allied with Kaiser.」 (Hoshino)
「Kaiser again...」 (Subaru)
「Again, yes. Kaiser's greed is endless, and Nonomi's status as a daughter of Nepthys Company was perfect for Kaiser to knock down competitors in the bidding war.」 (Hoshino)
「The matter is currently pending, but in two days, I must approve Nonomi-chan's expulsion.」 (Hoshino)
And finally, the finishing blow was,
「Raising the interest to 1000%.」 (Hoshino)
「...Ah... Huh!?」 (Subaru)
「A debt exceeding two billion; if we were repaying it normally, we wouldn't have reached this state.」 (Hoshino)
At one point, we handed the money to the collection company as usual to repay the debt... and after that, Ayane-chan discovered a certain truth.
── The weapons of the "Helmet Gang" that attacked Serika-chan were of a type only circulated in the black market.
「When I went to investigate the black market where illegal deals are rampant, a car parked near an illegal bank caught my eye.」 (Hoshino)
If it were a normal car, it wouldn't have caught my attention. ── But it was the exact same van that always came to us to collect money.
I used violent means, but I obtained the collection record documents, and what was recorded there... was the truth that 『The attack on Serika-chan was requested by Kaiser Loans』.
The entity collecting the debt seeks to destroy the debtor entity... this is logically impossible with a debt exceeding a billion.
「Lurking in the background was an entity close to the headquarters, Kaiser PMC.」 (Hoshino)
「We prepared many things and stormed their base... but Abydos itself was taken hostage, and in the end, we reached this state.」 (Hoshino)
Kaiser wanted a "weapon" buried in the Abydos desert and did this for it, but it seems circumstances changed, so they abandoned development.
With a mercy that cannot be called mercy, or perhaps due to Kaiser's arrogance, forced eviction or confiscation didn't happen, but...
「Finally, while I was discussing the execution of the contract with the other party ── 'Black Suit,' the two were kidnapped...」 (Hoshino)
「Was it to block my path to refusing the contract, or just a fleeting amusement?」 (Hoshino)
「Amusement, w-with that word...!」 (Subaru)
「For them, it is nothing more than that.」 (Hoshino)
「...Hmm, well, ...Fuu... This, is roughly the situation.」 (Hoshino)
「Tss... ── T...」 (Subaru)
He tried to express indescribable emotions, and because they were "indescribable emotions," he couldn't say anything.
Like a koi fish asking for food, he opened and closed his mouth searching for an answer for his self that had bragged about doing something.
What he managed to squeeze out with difficulty was ──
「This... isn't the fault of Hoshino... and the others, is it...」 (Subaru)
「Why, why must you go through all this...!!」 (Subaru)
A lament toward the absurdity of Fate.
「── True, it isn't our fault.」 (Hoshino)
「But, we cannot yield.」 (Hoshino)
「Ah... ── That, ...Sorry.」 (Subaru)
「It's fine; rather, thank you for getting angry for our sake.」 (Hoshino)
「If we accept absurdity as normal, and continue to accept it, the heart goes numb and dies (suffers gangrene).」 (Hoshino)
「So, yes, that's right...」 (Hoshino)
「── Thank you.」 (Hoshino)
「...」 (Subaru)
Through repeating Return by Death, he should have known that Hoshino and the others had "lines" they wouldn't cross, yet he uttered feelings of pity.
He knows; he knows that pity and sympathy can be considered an insult to those who move forward bravely.
He knows that, but ── this is too much.
「...Shiroko too, feels the same, right?」 (Subaru)
「Nn.」 (Shiroko)
「Hoshino-senpai picked me up, and gave me 'myself' when I had nothing.」 (Shiroko)
「Abydos is my place, and everyone in Abydos is my family. I have no intention of abandoning anything, no matter what I do... ── Even if Hoshino-senpai hates it, she did the same when she hid the matter of the contract.」 (Shiroko)
「That is the reason I took Subaru's hand.」 (Shiroko)
「The promise, will you keep it?」 (Shiroko)
「───」 (Subaru)
He exhaled a long breath slowly and stood up from his seat.
If it were the usual Subaru, he would have sighed complaining about being thrown into such a situation again.
He approached the classroom blackboard, stepped onto the platform, and while regulating his heartbeat to the faint creaking of the wood, Subaru thought about his condition—ragged clothes, practically a homeless look without stitching, and with burn marks making him look truly broke—and presented this "current Subaru" before them.
「In a game from my homeland, there is a saying: Tomorrow, tomorrow's wind will blow.」 (Subaru)
「Tomorrow, I will make you say that the wind of this sand feels comfortable.」 (Subaru)
「── I am currently in my prime (Godlike).」 (Subaru)
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