“Yeah, hmm. If I can complete a holy barrier that even the demon lord can’t break, I’m fine breaking the church’s precepts. Of course I am! The stuff those close-minded people say can go to—”
Kiyori pointed her thumb toward the ground and went blam.
I’m pretty sure that just the other day she was still an elite Sister, serious and meek, but under the influence of who knows who, she’s turned wild. Now she’s teamed up with some trap specialist friend of Widge’s and is dabbling in some shady stuff that would definitely get her in trouble with the church if they found out.
It did make me worry a bit, but she can be bizarrely stubborn, so she’s finally realizing this grand collaboration between the power of faith and some kind of wild dark arts the demons use? Or something? I don’t really get it, but apparently she’s figured out some barrier that is totally amazing in all sorts of ways.
I’ve had enough experiences in life that I can tell people a thing or two—though I may not look it—but Kiyori might pass me up pretty soon.
Anyhow, thanks to her, it’s harder to say no now. Widge, who scouted me for his demon lord subjugation party, is saying he wants to go into the forest. With Kiyori, too.
Why are these people so worked up about the demon lord? He’s the only villain they have,and everybody thinks that if he’d just disappear, the world would be at peace.
But I don’t buy it. Oh, I’m sure everyone will celebrate with a bunch of parties and whoo-hoo around town, but that’ll simmer down quick enough—and the world isn’t so simple.
Even if the demon lord disappears, there are men all over the place who want to be him—even in this city on the front lines fighting against the demons. There’ll be loads of ’em popping up.
But when I mentioned that to Widge as he was treating me to dinner one night, he scolded me. “That’s exactly the sort of thing someone with just enough life experience to be jaded would say. That’s why I keep tellin’ you to quit being a prostitute.” He dismissed my complaint with a weary look. “There is trash in the world. But are you saying that means you can’t believe in the kids? That can’t be true.”
No, it wasn’t. I remembered the boys I’d kicked the can up into the blue sky with. Sorry, Happy Friends Squad. You guys are still my hope.
“Don’t sweat the small stuff—pay attention to more youthful pursuits. I wanna show you the wider world.”
It was the same line he’d been feeding me ever since we first met. He says he wants to know how the world looks to me. And that he wants me to learn about this world.
I think I can trust this guy. At least...he’s trying to help me become an adult. He feels sort of like an uncle I can rely on. Except for that he’s always trying to seduce me, of course.
But I want him to understand that I’m scared to be an adult here. I can’t imagine it, and that’s why it frightens me.
And besides—there’s someone I like. And I can’t tell anyone in this world who it is.
If I can’t see my future, then someone saying, Onward! or Decide! only stresses me out. It’s like the summer of your last year of high school with no classmates or homeroom teacher to confide in.
“Plus weren’t you summoned here to fill that role? Do you even realize that?”
I do, but there’s another person in the running—that is, a classmate of mine. But he turned into a panty thief in this other world. Even if he becomes the hero, he’s the type who’ll cause a huge scandal.
I had no choice but to nod.
“I dunno what you’re being all wishy-washy about. You’re already stronger than anyone here. And ‘I don’t feel like it’ isn’t going to fly as an excuse.”
People who want to settle this with strength won’t accept that I just want to live my life. Pacifism is important to me.
I get their point, though. I probably do have a responsibility. One person shouldn’t have so many cheat skills. Public something-or-other. I have to use my abilities for the good of all. The pressure not to stick my head in the sand is really pressing down on me.
Someone will appear to end the story.
The night I saw the silver-haired man last, he said that to me.
I’m going to be the one to finish this world’s big story. I can’t leave it to someone else. Even if I’m scared, I have to go.
“You’re the one who got a Sister involved, right? Better steel that resolve,” Widge said.
As if resolve is so easy to steel. But I nodded.
We found the route that leads to the deepest part of the forest on a previous trip. I had come with Widge and his crew, and we got to the point where we could see the demon lord’s castle, but I froze.
Unlike that time, though, we had Kiyori with us now. She really helped us fight our way through, too.
We were the first adventurers to reach the demon lord’s castle. It hadn’t been easy. Widge and the others were all beat up. Kiyori was white as a sheet as she put up a barrier all on her own—to protect us from the demons outside.
So I couldn’t run away anymore. I walked alone down the dark corridor. No, not a corridor—it was more like a cave. The walls and floor were soft and slimy. Maybe I was inside some huge animal.
The demon lord’s castle...
The dungeon said to appear only at night was wet with bright-red blood.
The rain outside grew redder as we approached. Inside, it continued to fall; its color deepened, and it started to smell like rust. The heavy, cold drops even turned me red. I really don’t want to say this, but it made me think of Endless Crimson Rain.
Blood flowed from wounds in the cave walls, and when it congealed, demons were born.
This wasn’t the demon lord’s castle, but his scar. It was a place to confess horribly sad things. And the one who made this wound wasn’t a demon.
I’m dying. This is totally awful. As I cut down the demons that appeared one after another, I felt my own heart being worn down. I wanted to see Lupe so bad. I wanted to eat something sweet.
But if I didn’t go, I wouldn’t get to see him, so I went. I knew I would hurt him, but if I didn’t hurry, everyone else would be in danger, and the one who wanted to end it most of all had to be him.
I could hear an animal breathing. Big, heavy footsteps and something rubbing against the wet floor. The short breaths sounded pained, yet the growling was deep enough to make the air quiver. Even though the person I most wanted to meet was right there, I felt like I was going to cry—because that familiar piercing gaze was stabbing me from across the darkness.
Even though you know I’m stronger.
But I couldn’t give up here. I had to meet him properly.
“Long time no see. It’s Haru.”
The air trembled with the darkness’s scream. It seemed I wouldn’t be allowed to chat; he spat blood rain and got me soaking wet.
But this other world is a sadistic fuck, so that much I was pretty used to. I smiled from across the darkness. When I remembered the profile of the silver-haired man who used to ignore the hell out of me at Blue Cat Nocturne, I actually felt like any attention at all was a good sign.
“You live so far away. It was pretty hard to get here.”
Of course, he wasn’t interested in hearing what I had to say today, either. He screamed again and doused me. He’s really a hard-ass. Very demon lord.
Oh yeah, he said he was coming to the shop to people-watch. I wonder how he saw me. Maybe he thought I was an obnoxious chick. Maybe he thought (just a little) that I had a nice ass.
Just him coming in was enough to make a day lucky for me. Even rain was enough for me to shout, Yesss! and Madam would glare at me, wondering what I was so giddy about when it meant we would have fewer customers.
It was so fun, getting to fall in love in another world.
“Mister...”
I took a deep breath and cast away my sword. The darkness wavered and stung. But I don’t want to hold that thing in front of you. That’s what I concluded.
“I’ve been thinking about what you said, and I feel like there must be all sorts of other ways to end the story.”
He told me that if I was going to come, I had to be serious, but unfortunately for him, I was serious in a different way than he expected.
I want you to listen without getting freaked. And please don’t back away. This is me being serious.
“On the contrary, don’t you think it could all start from here?”
I slipped the shoulder of my wet dress down and showed some skin.
When I’m facing the man I love, I don’t want to wield some dangerous object—I want to get naked asap. That’s how I really feel, and even though I’ve seen your true form, it doesn’t change.
I didn’t think he would allow it. He didn’t care about my feelings. I’m sure he just thought I was a nympho.
But I do this for a living. And I’ve risked my life getting this far.
He growled in his throat. But I refused to take a single step back. I was going to make something of this love.
Sorry, Kiyori. This will cause trouble for you. I’m really sorry I’m not going to defeat the demon lord.
When I get back, let’s eat sweets—you, me, and Lupe...