Hoshimiya Yuu understood Ran's feelings. He gave her a reassuring look and rushed into the fire without hesitation.
He felt deep pity for Asai Narumi, but he wouldn't risk his life if he wasn't confident.
Hoshimiya Yuu had never been a self-sacrificing altruist.
On the contrary, he was a very selfish person.
He did everything for his own benefit. For example, changing Hitomi Kuujo's fate and risking his life to save Asai Narumi were purely for his own ambitions.
In this life, he had been navigating the complexities of the orphanage, and even with the wisdom and experience of two lifetimes, he had never suffered a loss, but he always walked on thin ice.
After reaching adulthood, living and working independently had made him clearly see the cold realities of the world!
Judging by the Community Hall's construction and location, unless someone intended to self-immolate, people inside could easily escape even if a fire occurred.
The Community Hall was only one story high. Regardless of the main door and the main hall, the smaller rooms on both sides had windows that were quite low and large.
Outside the window, less than twenty meters away, was the shallow beach by the sea.
In a fire, the killer is often not the flames but the thick smoke.
But the Community Hall was extremely well-ventilated. Although there was smoke, it quickly drifted into the sky, preventing the people inside from suffocating.
It was this unique structure of the Community Hall that provided Hoshimiya Yuu with the possibility of a rescue, even with the building almost completely surrounded by fire.
Arriving at the window, which had already begun to burn at the edges, Hoshimiya Yuu unhesitatingly activated [Bullet Time].
In the next moment, the world seemed to pause.
In Hoshimiya Yuu's eyes, the building, the air, the flames, and Asai Narumi's position all turned into detailed streams of data.
How to safely and quickly break in, and how to carry Asai Narumi out of the fire, became completely clear to him.
He only had three seconds; there was no room for waste.
Hoshimiya Yuu concentrated, mobilizing every muscle in his body.
Since acquiring numerous talents and continuously improving his physique, this was the first time he had used his full strength.
His beautiful, smooth muscle lines instantly became engorged, and the veins on his neck and the backs of his hands bulged like pythons.
Tightening his calves and pushing hard off the ground with his feet, he crossed his arms to block the front. He surged forward like an arrow released from a bow, shattering the window glass.
He landed, rolled to dissipate momentum, and immediately stood up.
One second.
Asai Narumi, seated at the piano, heard the sound of shattering glass. She instinctively turned her head.
Through the thick smoke and fierce flames, she could only make out a blurry figure.
Before she could assess the situation, Hoshimiya Yuu had rushed in front of her and hoisted her onto his shoulder.
Asai Narumi subconsciously tried to resist. Hoshimiya Yuu didn't hesitate, delivering a firm slap to her shapely posterior.
"Be still."
Two seconds.
Stunned by the slap on her butt, Asai Narumi froze.
In the [Bullet Time] perspective, Hoshimiya Yuu clearly saw the complex emotional changes on Asai Narumi's pretty face.
From initial curiosity, to the shock of suddenly being hoisted up, to the embarrassed anger from being spanked, and finally, turning into a mixture of confusion and astonishment.
Even the slight hint of joy in her eyes did not escape Hoshimiya Yuu's observation.
That hint of joy was fleeting, not even noticed by Asai Narumi herself.
Hoshimiya Yuu knew Asai Narumi had many things she wanted to say, and he also had much he wanted to say to her.
But everything had to wait until they were out of danger.
In [Bullet Time], Hoshimiya Yuu's thoughts accelerated countless times. Complex ideas flashed through his mind in an instant, taking up less than 0.1 seconds.
Carrying Asai Narumi, he rushed back toward the window with lightning speed.
The window was too small for both of them to pass through simultaneously, and there wasn't enough time for him to stop and have them go through sequentially.
Hoshimiya Yuu had no intention of stopping his run. As he approached the window, he abruptly used all the force in his arms, throwing Asai Narumi out like a javelin.
[Bullet Time] was about to end. The flames had almost surrounded the piano room, and the entire structure could collapse at any moment.
In this situation, there was no time or inclination for unnecessary tenderness; getting injured was better than dying.
As he threw Asai Narumi out, Hoshimiya Yuu didn't stop running. Releasing his hold, he immediately followed, leaping out.
Three seconds.
While still in mid-air, Hoshimiya Yuu suddenly felt a wave of dizziness in his head and his body went slack.
Thud.
Thud.
With two muffled sounds, Asai Narumi and Hoshimiya Yuu landed one after the other.
Fortunately, the window faced the sea, and the ground outside was a soft sandy beach.
Although they were injured, it wasn't serious.
After a few seconds to recover, Hoshimiya Yuu barely managed to sit up.
He was gulping ragged breaths, feeling like every cell in his body had been squeezed dry.
The all-out effort under [Bullet Time] was far more exhausting than he had imagined.
The energy and stamina he had just recovered were now not only depleted again but he also felt slightly overdrawn.
On the other side, Asai Narumi had also stood up.
Apart from a few scrapes and bruises, she was mostly fine.
Anyone who could play the piano inside the burning building would obviously not be in too bad a state.
Due to the structure of the Community Hall, being inside the piano room meant…
"Ran… Mr. Hoshimiya…"
Asai Narumi looked at Hoshimiya Yuu and Ran with complex emotions. Her bright red lips moved, seemingly wanting to say something.
But before she could speak, the sound of the building collapsing came from behind them.
Boom!
Crackling!
The entire Community Hall was completely reduced to ruins, and the piano room, which had the least fire, was entirely buried.
It was a true close call, happening less than a minute after the two had gotten out.
If they had been any later, they would have been completely trapped inside.
When a building collapses, the people inside don't die instantly, but it would be almost impossible to get out.
Unless one was strong enough to push away all the surrounding debris, or lucky enough to find a viable passage beneath the wreckage.
But both scenarios were highly improbable.
Asai Narumi turned around, gazing at the flames that stained the night sky, a look of sadness in her beautiful eyes.
"Narumi-nee…"
Ran grabbed Asai Narumi's hand, terrified she might try to rush back in.
Due to her extreme nervousness, she accidentally used too much force, causing Asai Narumi to wince slightly in pain.
"Ran, you're hurting me."
"Ah, sorry."
Ran relaxed her grip slightly but did not let go entirely.
She absolutely wouldn't release her hand until she was sure Asai Narumi had abandoned the idea of suicide.
Asai Narumi understood and gave a helpless smile.
She looked up at the fiercely burning Community Hall. In the sea of red fire, the piano, the only item her father left behind, was also burning.
The dark night sky, the orange-red flames—her family had been completely consumed this way twelve years ago…
Suddenly, Asai Narumi looked up at the sky above the flames.
In the heat-distorted, turbulent air, she seemed to see the silhouettes of her family who had passed away over ten years ago.
Her stern father, her loving mother, and her lively, adorable sister.
The three of them smiled at her with relief, then held hands and walked toward the depths of the starry sky.
"Father, Mother, Sister…"
Tears silently streamed down her cheeks. Asai Narumi took a deep breath, then slowly exhaled.
"I have avenged you. Please rest in peace…"