"All right, let’s get started, Akashi."
"...Are you really going to do this?"
"Haa... I don’t want to do it either."
There was less than a month left.
"So... what’s the plan?"
"...Just... run away..."
"Akashi... sorry... I was this kind of person in my past life too..."
"Haruta! I serve you! But..."
"Sorry... I can’t think of anything else to say."
"Calm down... It has to be this way..."
"Akashi... you know everything... you know this is the only way."
"Haruta... just... please..."
"I don’t want to do it either... I want to flirt with Hina and act all lovey-dovey, okay? Haha..."
"Now... you’re joking?"
"Well... it can’t be helped. Sorry."
Haruta had to go get the weapon soon.
"...Fine... I’m okay with you going to get it... but why there, of all the countless dimensions!"
"..."
"You know exactly where that is, Haruta! And there are plenty of other good weapons! Why that one?!"
"Romance."
"No! Even you might not survive that place, Haruta!"
"Still... if I do it right, maybe I can bring that person back."
"No... still!"
"I’ll go and at least try to talk them into it..."
Haruta took a deep breath and split open space.
Crash!
A window appeared. Beyond it was space, and standing in front of that window was a man in green armor.
"..."
Click!
"No... wait."
Bang!
Click!
Bang!
Ratatatat!
In an instant, he fired while cycling through three weapons—minigun, shotgun, and pistol.
"...No, wait, let’s talk first—"
Zzzzz!
Boom!
"If that hits me, I’m done for!"
"I’ll tear you apart and kill you!!"
"No, wait!!"
"...Who are you?"
"Haa... you’re finally listening to me..."
The tall man in green armor pointed a shotgun at Haruta and asked.
"First of all... I may look like a demon, but I can’t help that..."
The man glanced at him, then lowered the shotgun.
"...Your name?"
"Haa... you’re finally listening to me..."
Bang!
Haruta ducked to avoid the pellets flying toward his face.
"..."
"Hey, what are you doing?!"
Click!
"I’m sorry..."
The rugged man lowered the shotgun.
"What do you need?"
"A weapon... Please lend me a weapon..."
Even though the man’s face was hidden by his armor, Haruta could feel him barely holding back his anger.
"...A demon bastard... crawls in here on his own two feet... and asks for a weapon too...?"
"I’ll just... copy it and leave... I’m asking for this to protect someone precious to me."
"..."
The man turned without a word and operated a huge panel.
"All right, pick one."
Then weapons began to emerge one by one, lit from above as if begging him to look at them.
"By any chance... do you have a sword?"
Click.
The man wordlessly showed him a small blade.
"...Can I copy this too?"
Nod.
Haruta placed the blade in his hand and used his ability to put it into space, then copied the weapon one by one through the combination of fear, mystery, and his own power.
"Aaaahhh!!!!!!!!"
Every time he copied another weapon, it felt like he was going to die, but by now he was used to it enough that he could barely endure it.
"Haa... haa... Th-thank you..."
The man looked at Haruta for a moment, then put a gun into his hand and took out a large coin.
Ding!
The coin hit the floor and crumbled.
A blue portal took shape, and a hellscape of everything dead and burning spread out before them.
Thud!
"Eh...?"
The man kicked Haruta into the portal.
Then he stepped through after him.
The weapon he had placed in Haruta’s hand was...
"This is..."
"The BFG 9000. It’s my favorite gun."
"...Th-thank you...?"
Kyaaaak!!!
Monsters burst out in front of them.
The man drew his gun and shot Haruta a look.
"..."
Haruta didn’t know how to use the gun, but instinctively he looked at the weapon and put his hand on the trigger—or rather, the button.
Zzzzzing!
The gun charged, and then...
KWAaaang!
"...Was it always this powerful?"
Nod.
The man silently nodded at Haruta.
"...Are you... giving this to me?"
Nod.
Then the man showed him the blade, opened another portal, and returned through it.
After that, he led Haruta to the back of a palace floating in space.
"...What is this place..."
In front of him was a huge basin filled with something red.
The man dipped the blade in, then pulled it back out a moment later.
"...This is..."
The man wordlessly handed him the blade and looked at Haruta.
Then he turned away and went back to the large plaza with the window.
"Thank you..."
And Haruta tore open space again and returned.
His hands were full of all kinds of weapons and ammunition.
"...Was he always that kind of person...?"
Haruta thought for a moment, then soon returned to Kivotos to get the next weapon.
"Haruta!!! How did it go?!"
"He just... gave them to me?"
"Huh...? That guy... if you’re a demon, he’s the kind of person who just tears you apart and kills you..."
"I don’t really get it either..."
"So what’s the next weapon you’re going to get?"
"For now... there’s something I need to pick up."
"This time... where are you going?"
"To the City."
"...? Haruta! You’ll really die there!"
"Still, there’s something I need to pick up first..."
"No! You should be grateful you already got ranged and melee weapons! What are you doing now?!"
"I can’t awaken E.G.O. on my own..."
"No! Even so, that’s not okay!"
"All right... I was joking... And... I’m getting kind of... tired..."
Thud!
Haruta collapsed from the side effects of his ability.
--------------------
"...That guy... even though he looked young... his eyes..."
The man thought about Haruta for a moment.
"...I should go see him later..."
The man stared at his shotgun and thought for a while.
------------------------------------------------
"Haruta? Haruta!"
"Mm... Sensei?"
"What are you doing here?"
"Ah... I was just a little tired..."
"Still! You shouldn’t push yourself, Haruta."
"Haa... thank you."
"And don’t leave on your own."
"Huh...?"
"Did you think I wouldn’t know where you went? Akashi told me everything."
"..."
"Still, it’s too dangerous... Don’t go next time, okay?"
"Yes..."
"Good. Then let’s get back to work today too!"
"Sensei."
"Hmm? What is it, Haruta?"
"No... it’s just... thank you."
"...? Uh... sure...?"
"Let’s go work."
"Yeah, and don’t dump everything on Akashi again."
"Yes... how much time is left until the Eden Treaty?"
"...It’s already started..."
"Then at least, to preserve the story..."
"Yeah. The Tea Party girls were all a little strange, one by one..."
"Huh? What do you mean?"
"Where do I even start..."
"Sensei! Wait... the girls were strange?"
"Mika... her hands were covered in scars, like she’d been scratching at them with something over and over... Her eyes were bright, but they were far too empty..."
"..."
"Nagisa... her expression never changed at all... I guess the best way to put it is that she had a poker face on."
"Wait... what about Seia?"
"It seems like things followed the original story."
"Haa... then that’s enough."
"...I don’t know about Nagisa, but... Mika was really on the verge of breaking..."
"I’ll go see her in exactly one month, one month from now... So just hold on a little longer."
"Yeah. You hang in there too, Haruta."
"Thank you."
And so Haruta learned about the Tea Party’s situation from Sensei.
"...Just one month. Just wait one month for me."
He still couldn’t date anyone or give anyone his love.
There was something he had to finish first.
"...I really need to apologize to Hina... sincerely..."
Haruta collected his thoughts for a moment, then went back to work.
-------------------------------------------------
"Black Suit, that man has started moving again."
"...Then this time, we’ll have to follow the Madam’s opinion..."
"Hoho... good thinking. That man is always dangerous if left alive."
"Indeed!!!"
"Hmm... I don’t particularly care, but... it is true that he’s dangerous."
"What are our current forces?"
"Let’s mobilize Decagrammaton and all the successful products infused with the sublime of fear and mystery, and run tests."
"And if he survives even after we pour in all that power?"
"Then we’ll have to use something even worse."
"...Understood."
The story was destroyed.
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