Creak
"Haruta... we’re here..."
"Haruta, how have you managed not to cause any trouble?"
"...Huh?"
The person Sensei saw was Haruta, already awake and looking around.
"...H-Haruta...?"
Realizing Haruta was awake, Hina quickly ran over, as if she was about to throw herself into his arms.
"...?! What the hell!!"
Thud!
"...Who are you?"
"...No way..."
"Haa..."
Sensei and Hoshino both pressed a hand to their foreheads for a moment, then exchanged a look. After that, they seemed to silently come to an agreement.
"Hina? Come here for a second."
"...B-but... Haruta..."
"Just for a moment. It’ll only take a little while."
"...Okay."
Bang!
"I asked who you are."
"...Ehehe~ this might be a little serious...?"
Bang!
"..."
"...Damn it... who are you?"
"Sensei... do you think we can subdue Haruta...?"
"...Haruta... please..."
"Who are you... what are you? Where is this place, and where the hell did my leg go?"
"...Uh... well... for now... I’m your teacher..."
"Teacher...? Teacher... teacher."
Thump
Haruta put a hand to his head and lowered it slightly, as if his head hurt.
Watching him, Hina’s expression kept crumbling. It was shocking enough that he didn’t remember her, but she looked close to fainting. No, the fact that she was still standing was probably the more surprising part.
"Haa... fine. So you’re the teacher...?"
"Haa... at least he doesn’t seem to be going berserk..."
"...Should I go berserk for you, then?"
Click
Haruta rested a hand on his gun and looked at Sensei.
"N-no! I mean... right, Haruta...?"
"Haa... is my name really Haruta...?"
"...Yeah... they say it’s Haruta..."
"...And where is this place...?"
"Kivotos... wait, you don’t remember that either?"
"Kivotos...? And... was I always this tall...?"
"...?"
Confusion spread across everyone’s faces. Then where in the world was this, if not Kivotos?
"...This is the Republic of Korea... and what are you kids doing, cosplaying like this!"
"...?"
"This... isn’t cosplay..."
Sensei stared at Haruta for a moment, then looked at Hina and Hoshino with the expression of someone who had just put all the pieces together.
"...You two... could you step outside for a moment?"
"Sensei...? Where is Korea...?"
"...So, just for a moment. Please step outside..."
"...Okay, Sensei... when you’re done talking, I’ll come back in..."
"...Yeah. Thanks."
With that, Hina and Hoshino left the room, and Haruta and Sensei were left alone for a moment. Haruta looked at Sensei with a puzzled expression.
"...Korea? But then... Japanese...? Did I always know Japanese...?"
"...Haa... where do I even start...? Fine. Haruta, first of all, you’re a sinner who’s been judged the worst criminal in Kivotos."
"The worst... criminal in Kivotos...?"
Zzzzt
Bzzzt
"Ugh... aaah!!!!!!!"
Crack! Bzzzt
"...Haa... haa... aaaaaah!!!!!!"
"Haruta!!! Calm down for a second!"
Bang!
Bang! Bang! Bang!
"Sensei! What’s going on...!!"
"Sensei! What..."
What Hina and Hoshino saw was Haruta firing four shots from a pistol at Sensei, with the bullets frozen in midair.
"Sensei!!"
"Haruta... why...?"
"Haa... what... what is this... why am I in Kivotos...?"
"...This is bad, isn’t it?"
Zzt
Zzzzt crackle
"Gahhh!!!! What is it! What is this!!! No... something..."
Bzzzt
"!@#@$@#%!@$!@%@#$@!%@#"
KWAAAANG!
My head hurt so badly it felt like it was splitting open. No, something was coming back. Something felt like it was flowing back into my head. No, it had come back in.
"...Where is this...?"
There wasn’t much to see now. No, there were no buildings at all. Had the buildings that used to be here disappeared, or had they been destroyed?
"...The rubble..."
Looking around, it seemed like the latter.
"...Where... am I...?"
When I looked up without thinking, the ring in the sky—the symbol of Kivotos—was shattered to pieces, and the sky was completely red.
"...Hina... Hina!!!"
The name that surfaced in my mind was Sorasaki Hina. One of the few people who had treated me kindly and looked at me without prejudice.
"...This is..."
Looking around, every place in sight was burning, and all the robots and residents who had originally lived here were dead.
"...What... is this...?"
"...Haruta... I’m sorry..."
Crack
That voice was familiar. No, I knew it. How could I not?
Sorasaki Hina.
"...Hina...?"
When Haruta turned his head to look, there she was.
Hina was standing there with a hole through her stomach, slowly dying.
"Hina!!!"
"Haruta... I... I’m sorry... really..."
Crack... zzzzt
"Hina... what happened...? Just hold on a little! I can use my power!"
"...No need... it’s already..."
Crrrk
Ziiiiing!
"Please! Please, let it work!!!"
"...Haruta... please..."
"Hina!!! No!!"
"...I love you."
Crack!
Thud
"...Hina...?"
....
No answer came back. Only Haruta’s voice echoed through the ruins, and only the sound of buildings burning could be heard.
"..."
Drip
"...Get up... open your eyes... Hina... please..."
Splash
"..."
Drip, drip
"...I’m sorry... I... I...!!!!!"
Looking around, familiar faces came into view.
"...Hoshino... Mika... Nagisa... Seia...!!!!"
And when I looked again, I saw the full panorama of Kivotos. Everywhere was burning, and students were dead all over the place.
"..."
The smell of corpses burning, and then—
Ziiiiing
Clap clap clap clap clap clap
"...Nameless Priests...!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
Haruta lost his reason for an instant, drew a spear, and aimed it at the Nameless Priests.
"You... you killed everyone!!!!"
Click
Clap clap clap clap clap
"...Die."
There was only one thought in his head now.
"I’ll rip off one of your arms each and kill you in the most painful way possible..."
Clack!
Boom!
"..."
The applause stopped, and the Nameless Priests began descending one by one from the Ark.
And it wasn’t just one or two.
"...Damn it, there’s more than one...?"
Clap clap clap clap clap
Everything that came down from inside the Ark—
the Nameless Guardians, the Nameless Priests, all those damned things—kept pouring out.
Click, click
"...Aris...?"
Last to come down from behind them was Aris.
"...Aris...?"
Zing
Bang!
Bang! Bang! Bang!
"...What the hell is that...?"
Ziiiiing! KWAANG!!! Ziiiiing KWAANG!
When Aris made a single gesture, the entire area around them was blown away completely, and as the beam from the Ark slowly faded, Haruta’s expression changed.
"...Aris... I..."
Ziiing
"Damn it."
Boom!
He barely managed to dodge the attack, but he had no choice but to accept even a glancing hit to his arm.
"...That kind of... impossible..."
"...Princess of the nameless gods... AL-1S, commencing enemy annihilation as of this moment."
"...Sensei... I’m sorry... I... can never... hit Aris... I’m sorry."
Ziiiiiiiiing
Everything seemed strangely slow... or was this just a flash of memories? A flash of memories I hadn’t even seen in my previous life.
"...Haa... yeah. So this is the end."
KWAANG!
There was no change. A laser struck him directly in the head.
"Ah... so I’m dead now...?"
When he opened his eyes again, he was back in a familiar scene.
"Hahaha, how do you like that?"
"...What did you just do to me?"
"Hmm... I showed you what would happen if you didn’t exist... if you died right now."
"...That means..."
"Yeah. The future of the world where you died that day."
"...Then..."
"At the very least, it means you shouldn’t die right now."
"...You... if you ever try that kind of prank again, I’ll kill you in the most painful way I know."
"Got it, I understand, of course I understand."
"Then never do something like that again."
"Yeah... then I’ll wake you up now. Well, I’ll regenerate your arms and legs while I’m at it."
"...You can do that...?"
"I am a god, after all... well, I have to be omnipotent, don’t I? Anyway... right now I’m only something like a parasite in your body... no, a coexisting presence. Nothing more, nothing less."
"...Wait. Then why help me like this...?"
"Hahaha. Why do you think gods made humans?"
"...Because... well..."
"The answer is... pure entertainment."
"...Then..."
"Yeah. You’re the most entertaining thing I’ve found to satisfy my amusement, born before time itself."
"..."
There was no way I could not be shocked right now. No, it would have been stranger not to be shocked.
"So... then why are you helping me like this, and why are you regenerating my arms and legs...?"
"Hmm... to be honest... this is the last one."
"...???"
Hadn’t he just said he was a god? Wouldn’t someone calling themselves a god be able to casually restore a limb or two?
"Hmm... you’re wondering if a god should just be able to attach a limb or two, right?"
"...Yeah, I know you’re a god and an omnipotent being, bu—"
"Hey, do you think a god stops being a god just because he’s imprisoned?"
The god cut Haruta off. And honestly, that question was full of holes to begin with. Could a god even be imprisoned? No, that made no sense.
"...Haa... there’s no way a god could be imprisoned, right...?"
"Yeah... no matter how I think about it, imprisonment doesn’t make sense."
"...Hmm... more precisely, it’s a journey."
"...A journey...?"
"Yeah... something closer to a trip. But it’s been bound to you."
"...Haa... I have a lot more I want to ask, but for now, just send me back to everyone."
"...Yeah, got it."
Snap
When the god snapped his fingers once, the surroundings darkened again for an instant, and then my eyes slowly opened.
"...Where is this...?"
When I opened my eyes again, I wasn’t in a hospital. Both my legs were intact, and I had both arms too.
"...Ah... wait a second."
But I couldn’t see. No, at a time like this, I should be grateful he’d fixed my limbs; losing one eye wasn’t that big a deal.
"...Hina."
One person came to mind.
Sorasaki Hina.
"Hina!!!"
Grip
"...? Hina...?"
When I looked down at the warm sensation, Hina was clinging to me.
"...Hina...?"
"Haruta... you’re awake...?"
"...What is this...? What happened...?"
"...Cough... khh..."
Whatever had happened, Hina was hugging Haruta while nearly covered in dust.
"Hina! What is this..."
"Ehehe~ Hina-chan... by the time you were happy Haruta had woken up, it was already too late, you know?"
"Haruta... I’m really glad you’re alive..."
"...Yeah... I don’t know what happened, but I can tell this isn’t the time for that."
"Haa... Haruta... I thought Sensei was going to die..."
"No... what did I even do...?"
"Hmm... it’s a long story if I explain it, but for now... I can put it simply..."
"Haa... Hoshino? Why are you here... no... right, thank you. I’m glad you were here too."
"Ehehe... if you say things like that, I might get flustered, you know?"
"What are you talking about... the pink midget who was making a racket about killing me and all that?"
"Ehehe~ Haruta? What did I say I’d do if you brought that up again?"
"...Ah."
"...Still, this old man was really worried, too. If... if even one tiny chance... Haruta had... died, then what would I do... I had thoughts like that, too."
"...Well... you’d be free?"
"...That’s not what I meant."
"...Got it, just kidding."
"...Ha.ru.ta...?"
"Ah... sorry, Hina."
"You’re at it again... telling stories from before I knew you..."
"That’s part of the memories, right? And I met you much earlier than that."
"...Anyway... I’m just so, so glad you’re alive..."
"Hmm... but where’s the phone I was carrying...?"
"Ah... that?"
"Yeah..."
"I took it back to Schale... it’s in good condition, and there doesn’t seem to be any problem."
"...Got it. And where are we...?"
"Hmm... first I think I need to tell you what happened."
"Yes, Sensei... I’m curious too."
What I heard after that was terrible enough to become a source of black history. Well... it was mixed with a little bit of Hoshino and Hina’s lies, but to sum it up, it went like this.
After I lost my mind, I apparently jumped out the window, and everyone was so shocked that I flew on my wings all the way to the outskirts of D.U. I have no idea how my limbs were restored in the process, or how I was able to fly.
But one thing was certain: Haruta had lost consciousness and apparently done something pretty huge.
"...So, in other words, right now I..."
"Ehehe~ even I can’t hit a patient, you know~"
"Even so, isn’t this a bit much...?"
Apparently I had torn through buildings like they were paper and Styrofoam, turning half the city into a sea of fire. The fortunate part was that the buildings were scheduled for demolition anyway, so it wasn’t really a problem. But still...
The citizens who had watched the fight no longer saw Haruta as a normal student.
"So... my image got even worse?"
"...Yeah... well, for now it’s only a rumor..."
"Haa... then... how am I supposed to enter Gehenna...?"
"Ehehe... then come to Abydos."
"...Haa... Hoshino, which academy do you think suits me best?"
"...Gehenna... no, you’re just stamped into people’s minds as a Gehenna type from the bones up... ehehe!?"
"...See? And in Gehenna, there’s Hina..."
"...I... I like that..."
"So that was the reason, huh...? Haruta? You’re a romantic, huh. Hehe... this teacher is very happy..."
"No, what are you talking about!!!"
"...If Haruta likes it, then... I like it too..."
"...Haa... anyway, Sensei."
"Hmm?"
"For now... the academy I want to go to is Gehenna."
"Well... the one who supports a child’s back and pushes them forward is an adult, after all."
"...Thank you."
"Well... sure. You should get along with Hina too... but Trinity won’t just sit still, you know?"
"...I’m factoring that in too. I think it’s about time I go to Gehenna, anyway."
"Alright... if that’s Haruta’s wish."
"Sensei..."
"Hmm? What is it, Hina?"
"Thank you... truly, from the bottom of my heart..."
"You don’t need to thank me... thank Haruta. He came back to us as the Haruta we knew."
"...Yeah... Sensei... I’ll buy you a meal sometime."
"Yeah, whatever you learned that from, don’t use it too often. It doesn’t really suit this place."
"...Okay."
And so, together with Sensei, I returned to Schale. I tried to make a portal to get there faster, but Hina and Hoshino absolutely refused, so in the end we had no choice but to take the subway back to Schale.
"...Kivotos’s stations are pretty similar to Korea’s, huh...?"
"Yeah, I was surprised when I first saw them too."
"...Well... things should go back to normal now."
"Now... only Chapter 4 of the Eden Treaty is left."
"Yes... that one won’t blow up nearly as badly as this time, so we’ll have to handle it ourselves somehow."
"Right... then wake me when we get there."
"Yes."
‘Earnestly hoping for a peaceful day, and a happy one where everyone can sleep with both feet stretched out.’
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