Vol 1 Chapter 3 (2/2)
”Please forgive ic that can be used to explore the entire labyrinth given its vastness”
”Tch You're really useless”
” I'm sorry”
shi+ro then says
”Don't blame Himi In the first place, we never expected such a turn of events Besides, a thing like the diseased girl deceiving the scouting corps has hardly ever happened before ---”
It is just like what he said
Therefore, a team which is only made up of three members, shi+ro, Hiic The three of theic in total They cannot afford to load up a ic that is used for exploration of the labyrinth when it should have already been done
If there is soic, then it would be the Miss noblewoman who have plenty of free slots available
”Then, aroup ---”
But, at that moment, Himi says from the side
”I'm already on it”
”Hn?”
”Sumi-chan --- ah, I have a friend by the name of Sumioka Sumi-chan, and she should have been tasked by Gunjou-san to fully load up with ic ---”
”Horhh”
”And I've loaded a ic that allows me to detect the position of my friends into my 《Headphone Fuzz》 And have already activated it”
Hiht as she manipulates her 《Headphone Fuzz》
I look at her
Seeh she wavers ht now, in this hard-pressed situation, rather than feeling flustered and fretting, she is dealing with it precisely and rationally
Hier up at the sky of darkness and says
” Intimate switch”
I sputter involuntarily The naic that allows one to know the locations of friends is 《Intiic wasn't Hiive it a na a reaction from the brain to activate it but --- this particular developer ht click well together
Hiic
A three-dirid model appears in the air, and beside it floated two arrows that for north while the other is pointing to the sky
Furtherrid model, the words 『Himi』 can be seen
Beside that is 『shi+ro』
In front of theroup that is roup, the words, 『Su
”Found it! They are really in that castle!”
Himi says happily
But I' else Beside the words 『Himi』 and 『shi+ro』, 『shi+nnosuke』 is written
I ask in displeasure
”This ht?”
”Ah, yes”
”Then why isyour friend”
Once again, Himi's face flushes red in embarrassment
”E-E-Erm it's because that just now, you called me by my first name”
Seeic Anyone who calls the user by her first naets marked as a friend
I see, that could be seen as intimate
”Don't make that face as if I'm really your friend”
I say but, with her face still red, Himi continues
”I-I'ets activated whenever I want to add a friend but it doesn't recognize the other person as a friend unless that person accepts nized you, I was really shocked”
”Aah?”
My face couldn't have been more sullen than what it is now Indeed, just now, for an instant, I less sympathy for her When Yousuke ounded, both Hi taken advantage of andme as a friend without my permission is unbearable
With a grinning face, shi+ro puts his hand on my back,
”Somehow, I don't hate you that much anymore”
”Don't touch me, idiot”
I brush away his hand
But shi+ro continues to smile
Himi, with her face still red,
”Y-Y-You know! I'm really happy to become friends with you, shi+nnosuke-san!”
”Huuuuuuuuuh? Don't screith me”
I groan and clutch my head
”Whatever It's tiring to be around with you guys Let's ht?”
”Yeah That's right”
shi+ro nods and starts running
I too, start running and follow after him
We are heading towards the castle
The place where the diseased girl is
♦
The gates to the castle are open
There is no one inside
The gray floor and walls are made of cold stone
There is a vast amount of space and the pillars are tall
There should be stairs that lead down and stairs that lead up, and according to Himi, Gunjou's team should be on the upper levels, so we need to find the stairs that lead to the upper levels However, there are no stairs in sight
”Where are the stairs? Shall we split up and search for them?”
Said shi+ro Naturally, that option is not recommended With just a teaet assaulted by the enemy
However, even so, we don't have the time to search for the stairs at a leisure pace
”Fine”
I say
”In the first place, I don't need any friends anyway shi+ro and Hiht I will head to the left”
shi+ro looks at me
” will you be fine by yourself?”
”Of course I've assumed that people won't brazenly becouration of ic just for that”
”Ah”
Hinore her
shi+ro then continues
”I see Then, we'll search for threeGet it?”
But I smile
”What kind of plan is that? Are we girls who need to go pee in a group? There's no need to roup that finds it will continue upwards There's no tiroup that got it right A in that?”
shi+ro immediately nods
” you're not wrong We'll go with that Hey shi+nnosuke”
”Uhn?”
shi+ro looks straight at me --- with his red eyes and says
” don't you die okay? I hate to have my friends die on me”
Are you referring to Yousuke? I wonder whether Yousuke's already dead? With that kind of a wound It's possible Or, are those words that ca someone else's death?
Anyway, shi+ro see his friends die on him
I look at shi+ro with half-opened eyes, and smirk
”Ohhh For someone like me who doesn't have any friends, I don't know s”
”You're lying, aren't you? Your words h you're acting like a solitary guy, you really want friends A?”
”Huh? You can go to hell”
But shi+ro grins and says
”I don't want to I won't go to hell That goes the same for you It's a promise”
Upon saying that, shi+ro lightly hits my chest tith his fist, and smiles
”Anyway, let's stay alive and clear this labyrinth!”
With that, shi+ro starts running towards the right Himi too, looks at me with a worried face,
”Please be careful, shi+nnosuke-san”
She says
I'er, and yet youthose feelings of friendshi+p down my throat
I look at her with half-opened eyes, and then, while running off to the left, murmur
” even if you tell me to be careful”
In this crappy, rotten world, what should I be careful of, and how careful should I be?
While running, I twirl the tip of er
Twirling, twirling, tracing a trail of light in the air
I'er fluid so that I will always be ready to activate my 《Headphone Fuzz》
”Hn, Hnhn~ hn, hn ~”
Whilemy utterances to the rhythm, I adjust the reaction speed of my brain
In order to fight alone
In order to live without any friends
In order to be able to laughcalled friends
””
Following that, I survey the inside of the castle with half-opened eyes
This castle is indeed huge On top of that, I have no idea where the diseased girl is at in this castle
”Perhaps, it's iawa Prefecture”
Of course, since I'a or a special effects fil 3than looking at a fire burning on another island
Thus, I've planned to escape ier Even if my allies were to die before me, I would escape with a smile
More like, such a strength is needed and called for in such a place
Since if you die, everything will be over
And if I die, it will be over for my little sister
Because I don't think that anyone in this world would save my little sister
” but yet, coh”
I grin foolishly
As I', I see the stairs from the corner of my eye
A short distance away, I can see a staircase winding around a huge pillar
” found it”
I mutter, and just as I'roup about the stairs,
””
I stop
Reason being, I can see a person flying out fro out is merely the upper half body of a person His upper body is wearing the sah》 uniform as me He has an armband that said 『Class 3』 He's not my classmate
Furthermore, from the shadows of the pillar, the one that had sent the upper body of that guy of the sa appears
It's a huge monster that stands about three s like those of a bat With a muscular bulk and black skin
In other words, it is the standard model for what is known as the devil in this world today
That devil is holding an ax The ax has blood on it Clearly, fro the number of students left from 『Class 5』, I have no idea how many students of 『Class 3』 had been killed by it
But, for now
””
I just look at that 'devil', and give up on telling shi+ro about my location
More like, the 'devil' has not noticed nore it and head upwards There ht be other students froed to help them, nor do I have the time
Well, if they don't want to die, they can just escape immediately If they were to develop superhero syless sense of heroism, then they shouldn't complain about it ---
However, at that s out
”Ah, dah aah jeez!”
It's a voice that I know
It's the voice of a certain girl whom I met at the interview, as well as in the corridor today
Kiryuu Kiri
Kiri appears froe pupils A slender body, and breasts that seem ready to burst open her sailor uniform
In her hand, she is gripping a sword that looks like a japanese sword, born out of antic ax of the devil
”Kuhh, this is heavy jeez!”
While griht smile surfaces on Kiri's face
Gahn, gahn, gahn, with her sword, Kiri blocks the blows fro with a force that no human can receive
”Guh ah, jeez”
The perforh A second-rate ician would definitely have died by now But, even so, it see
The devil raises its ax high up Kiri readies her sith both hands And receives the blow Endlessly
”Uwah, this is not good”
Kiri says but still a smile surfaces on her
”Kidding This opening is a feint ~ Aihara-san, Satou-san, please use your reinforceic now ---”
But, her words stop there
The reason is because, for some reason, on the other side of the pillar, the rest of the 『Class 3』 students have all started activating their ic simultaneously
And theis ---
”Escape switch”
”Escape switch”
”Escape switch”
Kiri's class one after another
”Wha, ait, this can't be happening right! We, we're definitely friends right! Hey, didn't we promise one another!”
Then, a girl answers
”S-Sorry Kiri-chan B-But, such a scary place, it's no longer possible for us”
”Huh?”
”If we don't get out of here, we et out of here anymore so, sorry!”
With that, all the students disappeared On the armband of Kiri's slender left arm, the ☆ marks disappeared at once, and in an instant, only one re that Kiri is the only one in her class re in this labyrinth
Kiri readies her sith both hands
”Wait youme Uwaah, crap”
The ht away Gahn, a loud sound rings out,
”Hnah, fuhwah I can't absorb much of the power anymore”
Gahkun, Kiri's knees buckle under the weight
”crap, the power absorption ic ic, I won't be able to make it ah”
But I grin at that
I grin foolishly
I grin in delight
They would never think of saving others
All of theains
All of them live only for themselves
In that case, if one can't bear the weight of words like 'co around others
And right now, Kiri has been abandoned by such friends and is on the verge of getting killed
”Ha, haha, hahahaha, this is how it should be This is what humans are like”
Laughing, I activate ic flows from my 《Headphone Fuzz》 and fills my brain
【In an instant ♪In a flash ♪In the time of a flash ♪
The flash of time, the flash of an instant ♪In an instant ♪In a flash ———】
” Acceleration switch”
I accelerate ic activated and accelerated my flesh I can accelerate for just one second Within that second, I proceed to use another ic
Dancingflows into my head The cursed chant flows
【Sliced, shredded light ♪
Shredded, ripped-up light ♪
Abnorht ———】
”Demon Sword switch ---”
I take a knife out from my pocket From the center of the knife, a sith the color of darkness starts extending This ic to any object touched, and transform it into a demon sword
The power that would be conferred is dependent on the nature of the object that is touched One would not knohat kind of power it is unless one tries it That is why this is a ic that is extremely difficult to use but, because it is possible to invoke all its different powers by changing the target object each tiic, it could possibly ic
However, there is no time now
Thus, I chose this knife, which I had already tested the conferred ic beforehand
Two special properties are conferred to this knife
One is giving it the blade of a normal sword
And the other is to allow the user to find the point where one can deal a fatal blow to the opponent with the strength of this sword,
” assassination property”
I order the knife to see through the weak point of the devil Upon doing that, a red target point appears before my eyes The point is at the center of the back of the neck of the devil It seems like there is a soft spot at the back of its neck I jump towards there
The devil noticesin mid-air, and its eyes widen in surprise but,
”Ha, you're too slow”
I arip I step onto the left shoulder of the devil with ht foot, and stab my sword into the back of its neck in one stroke
”Gaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!?”
The devil screa the sword, I say,
”You're annoying Shut up for a bit”
I push the sword across and slice half of the devil's neck, then pull the sword to slice the other half of its neck
Its head falls off The devil collapses
Just before the place where it's collapsing, Kiri, while re crouched, looks at me in surprise
” y-you”
For so up at , I say to her
”Oh ~ my, isn't this the popular Kiri-san? Don't you have a ton of friends you e breasts ~?”
Kiri's eyes widen inthat, she h she has been entirely covered in blood and stained with dirt, she is still beautiful She had supposedly proclaimed that she would ht now, she has no friends
Kiri stands up, pats herself and brushes the dirt off her skirt, then gazes at me and says
”Jeez What's with that? And to think that I have fallen in love in an instant with that prince-on-a-white-horse entrance I wonder whether we can do so of yours”
”Ha, if you believe in such fairy tales, you should just go back to reading picture books”
”Ah-haha But, Mr Aloof bastard”
”What is it, Miss Breast-Only Girl”
But Kiri smiles
She says happily
”Thanks for saving ht I would be done in for sure so I'm really happy”
A few teardrops gather in her eyes Shehurt after getting betrayed by her friends
I look intently at her with half-opened eyes and turnfor such a development I didn't save her to please her, but to make fun of her
I say
”Of course it's not free After we get out of the labyrinth, I'll have you payfee”
”Ah-haha A prince who's corrupted by money huh How unpleasant”
”And also, handyour classmates ---”
But, that alone was enough to convey everything to Kiri, it seems
She is a left-brain type
A rational, composed type
A sharp-minded type
”There was one One who had labyrinth exploration ic loaded”
I smirk and say
”That person too, must be your friend of course?”
On saying that, Kiri's eyes roll around, puff out her cheeks, and puuh, she then gushes out and says
”Again that obnoxious talk You won'tthat, you know?”
”A lot say that”
”But yeah She did say she was my friend But she was one of those who readily abandoned me and escaped just now”
”It must be because you have a bad personality so she ran away from you”
Kiri smiles
”Fufuh, maybe Well, even forto risk her life for me in just one day”
”Because of your bad personality”
”Ah-ha, I' to kill you, you know?”
”Eh? You want to kill your savior me? You really have a bad personality huh”
I say but, for soazes at me and smiles happily
”Fufuh, hey shi+nnosuke-kun”
”What?”
”I think I just found a cute side to you”
”Ah?”
I say with a scowl but, Kiri quickly goes on to ascend the stairs
”But right now, it's not the tis, so let's save it for later ~ Let's go on ahead Our destination is the third floor The lefted branch It seeirl is at the deep end of that path”
It see after her, I say
” didn't you see what's on your armband? The only person left in your class is you, you know?”
Kiri gives a small tap to the armband around her slender arm and nods
”Ah, yeah You're right”
”Then, you should be escaping right? Didn't you get the instructions? Once four stars disappear, the chances of success will be low, so escape”
Kiri turns around, and smiles
”Of course, I heard those instructions”
”Then, disappear Someone who doesn't have any friends here is a hindrance”
”Ah-ha, you too don't have any right?”
”I have a lot of them Since, I have already made a hundred friends in this school”
”Fuh, fufufuh”
Once again, for solooives a small tap on my chest and says
”I don't really need a hundred friends I' close to others But shi+nnosuke-kun If I'm with you I feel that we can save the world”
I smile with half-opened eyes I think I see her ulterior motive and make a poke at it
”What's up with you? So, that's what it's about? Making an advance on me to use me?”
However, on hearing that, Kiri's eyes widen a little in surprise
” eh?”
Following that, she folds her arms in a troubled manner, ponders to herself, and in a soft voice,
” ah, ah, so that's it ~ You're seeing it in that way huh I see Well, after all, I' I have to be more careful”
She startedto herself but I couldn't hear her
”What're youabout?”
She shakes her head hastily on hearing my question
”Er, nothing Just forget about what just happened Let's redo this Let's go with this Let's work hard together and clear the labyrinth without escaping, so as to leave behind good results in our school records; we'll go with this direction”
”Huh?”
”All right, let's just go with this And so ~, let's head to the third floor I know the way”
On hearing that, I turn around, troubled as to whether I should call shi+ro This should be obvious but, cellphones don't work here There is also no trans tower in the labyrinth, and any kind of scientific-based radio waves are cut off Thus, unless one has a contacting ic loaded in one's slots, one would have to use the pri out to another directly And, if shi+ro is still on the first floor, then he should be able to hearvoice from the staircase here
But of course, if I raise ht notice ether, Kiri and I should be able to take care of just one or two of thee in pointless battles Besides, Himi possesses the 《Intimate switch》 If she knows that I'm already on the upper levels, they should come after me, I suppose At any rate, we are friends
” hah”
I laugh ets displayed in my mind
Thirty-two minutes have passed
According to the plan, we are supposed to be killing the diseased girl by now But, there are still two more floors We have way exceeded the appointed time
”Hey shi+nnosuke-kun, what's wrong?”
Turning around, Kiri asks me
”Nothing”
”Ah, don't tell me that you have friends below?”
”I don't have any friends”
”Fuuhn Hey”
”Hn?”
”Is it a girl?”
”Like I said before, what's up with you?”
”Aah, nothing, sorry I ain This is difficult Puhh-puuh”
For so with herself, she went puhh-puuh I don't get this girl
””
I look at her with half-opened eyes, and sighing, ascend to the second level
♦
We are running desperately in the castle
We have probably covered a distance of more than a kilometer
Killed three devils It was easy doing it together with Kiri But, the stairs to the third floor has yet to appear According to Kiri, we still have about five hundred meters or so
””
I take a quick glance at the ar The armband that has 『Class 5』 written on it I notice that the ☆rapidly
They either died or escaped One, two --- disappeared, and then three people at one go With this, the students in 『Class 5』, including me, are left with only nine people
Now, does this disappeared group include shi+ro or Himi --- or even Gunjou? If Gunjou's co helplessly?
Grinning stupidly was so I did not do this ti
”I really suck at running”
”Haha, what did you get for your 50-meter dash?”
”I don't have, the practice of keeping track of such useless stuff”
”Ohh Me too”
” where were you from?”
”What about you, shi+nnosuke-kun?”
”A normal middle school”
”Then, me too”
”Die”
”Ah-haha”
It see to her would be h
While running, Kiri points straight in front
”After the bend around the corner ahead, ill coe hall, and in the center of that hall will be a spiral staircase At the top of it, should be the floor where the diseased girl is”
”Fuuhn I see”
I look to the front
And at the saht appears from around the corner
The sound of explosion follows
”Noooooooooooo!”
Soirl screams
”Ayumi! damn, what should we do about this!?”
It's the yelling voice of a young man
And finally, Gunjou's voice sounds
”Everyone fall back! I'll deal with it! And also, don't waver! It'll be fine! If you guys just leave it to et rid of them in no”
However, cutting her off, the young s out
”Don't fk with us Gunjou! How o of wanting to clear this labyrinth, how many people have already died!?”
”T-That is”
”We are at our li to Escape!”
”Me too!”
”Me as well!”
”W-Wait! Just a little bit more!? Just a little bit awa Pre”
Gaaaaaaaaaaaahh, that howl of the 'devil' which we have already heard several times drowns out Gunjou's voice
Several other howls follow There seem to be a few of those devils on the other side
”Uwaaaaahh”
”Sa-Saitou-kun's dead!? It's over, let's bail!”
”Escape switch”
”Escape switch”
Then, Gunjou says in an anguished voice
”damn! damn! What the hell don't screith h we are just a few steps away just a few steps away froirl!?”
The stars on ain
Two people escaped
One by the naood
Kiri, who is running beside me, says
”My, what do you think? Do we pass them and leave them? Honestly, we don't really have time to save anyone”
I narrow my eyes, and reply
” incidentally, those who are fighting there are my classmates, you know?”
”Ah, is that so?”
”Yeah”
” so? Are you the type ould save your classmates?”
I stare at Kiri with half-opened eyes, and once again look to the front A thin smile then surfaces on my face
”Noonder what kind of face that always high andnow?”
”Eh?”
I reach the end of the corridor I kick the ith e my direction
To the right
Before e hall
The number of devils --- the black-skinned devils number three There is one red-skinned devil that I have not yet seen before
The surviving students are a guy and a girl
”Ah, aaah, it's over”
”W-We're also going to die”
The two of theirl is sitting down on the floor Of course, I couldn't blah-level labyrinth There are those weak-hearted ones who, after seeing their comrades, their classer move from the fear
But, there is one
Protecting the guy and the girl, a girl who is short like a child, with a slender body, fair skin and blond hair, is the sole person standing between the two class
” don't screith me! Who do you think I am! I'm that Mizuiro Gunjou, you knoill definitely not lose! There's no way there's no way I'll allow myself to lose here! Come forth, Sea Moon Wheel switch!”
She shouts And raises her left hand Jellyfish appear around her and start spinning The devils swing their axes down on them And slice the jellyfish apart As an ax bears down on Gunjou,
”Kuh!”
Onethat as a foothold, she jues the blow
And she then shouts
To the guy and girl who are no longer able todown on the floor,
”You guys are no longer useful so just escape! I'll buy you time”
At that ly much faster than the black ones And just as its ax falls towards her ---
”D-Defensive Tyrant switch!”
Gunjou shouts with her hands crossed over one another Before her hands, a current of water comes forth as if to surround Gunjou It's probably a defensive ic That water current strikes the ax of the red devil Depending on the type of defensive ic, it's possible to cancel out the force of an instant killing blow but --- this is a type of wide-area defensive ic With this, it wouldn't be able to completely neutralize the force fr