Chapter 4:
Each of Us Is--
Kuon was still fighting, all alone.
He remembered eliminating three of the Queens and two of the lights in the disc Jave. He had long since given up counting mantas.
The fight was miraculous, like a work of art. He overcame numerous situations where he seemed certain to die. In this one long battle, Kuon had repeatedly obtained the kind of experience and inspiration one normally gained over a very long life. He realized that the ultimate art could affect the light of life without Division 5 power when he killed the second Queen. Shichisei Kenbu was a Fencing school for those without power, so it made sense, really. That realization allowed him to minimize the use of magic across all his arts. He had finally reduced his magic expenditure by 1 kei, and Kuon was sure he’d gone up a rank or two within his school.
He was even enjoying himself despite the rage and hatred fueling his swings, despite the number of monsters he’d killed, despite the fact that his death was looming ever closer.
It was like threading the eye of a needle. His body was always on the brink of death. One false move and his life would be forfeit. No matter how much he reduced his magic expenditure, his focus couldn’t last forever.
He’d long since lost track of time, but then it hit him: a multiple-choice problem. How could he dodge the disc Jave’s light bullet cluster?
A) Use Shitotsu to eliminate them.
B) Use shukuchi to gain distance.
C) Leap over them with his thrusters.
He chose A. As he eliminated them, dozens of mantas came rushing in. The Queen Jave’s bullets blocked his retreat. He realized he’d fallen for their trap. He decided to cut through all the manta and lunge towards the disc Jave. He used all the arts he could and avoided the Queen Jave’s bullets before realizing that, too, had been a trap.
A swarm of mantas rushed him from above. There was not enough room for a single hair to escape unscathed. Hundreds of mantas all swooped towards him like fish trying to swallow up a single plankton.
Dodge! his instincts screamed, but he knew that was impossible. There was no way he’d make it. He stopped time with Tensetsu and looked in every direction, but all of them were filled with open manta mouths and terrifying quantities of teeth. One second from now, each part of his body would be torn away by a different manta. In that light, the manta on his right was unlucky. He’d already lost that arm.
As this thought crossed his mind, Tensetsu was running out. No good plans had come to him. It seemed Okegawa Kuon’s end had come. In which case, he might as well go out with a bang. He picked a very dumb plan—his final self-destruct art.
His master had said she’d be sad if she let a second Shichisei Kenbu student die. Would she forgive him? She’d probably kick him out again, but…he wished he could see her again.
Had Tooka finally woken up? He was going to die first, so if she activated a black hole Gate at the cost of her life, she wouldn’t need to mourn him. Next time he’d be a better brother to her.
Hanabi-senpai.
He’d been trying not to think about her. Remembering her made him not want to die. What he’d done to her was awful. He hurt her by not telling her his secret, breaking his promise to be with her, and going off alone again. If they met again in his next life, he would have to find a way to make it up to her. No matter how many years passed, no matter the age difference, he would find a way to say “I love you” to her once more. She would likely call him a liar and refuse to believe him, but he’d do it anyway.
Hanabi-senpai…!
Damn. It was too late. He really didn’t want to die now. He didn’t care if she rejected him, he didn’t care if she ignored him. She could punch him, kick him, stab him, kill him if she liked, but he wanted to see her again. He wanted to see her smile once more, see that bashful look on her face. See her mad at him. Hear her gallant voice. Hear her gentle, cooing voice. Have her cuddle up to him. Wrap herself around him. Kiss him. Rub his hair, stroke his cheek, feel her warmth on him.
Hanabi, Hanabi, Hanabi, Hanabi, Hanabi, Hanabi, Hanabi, Hanabi, Hanabi, Hanabi…!
A wish rose up from the bottom of his heart—I don’t wanna die!—and Kuon hated it. How pathetic. The soul of his last life, the hatred of a Hero long since gone, had tainted him. It had driven him through the Gate alone like an idiot, and now he was stuck here screaming that he didn’t want to die.
Don’t be pathetic. Head up! Dignity till the bitter end! At least take these enemies with you! Give Tooka the best chance you can!
Kuon took a breath. He was staring death in the face, clinging to a desire to live, but nevertheless he chose the optimal path. In that sense, perhaps Kuon was the hero people said he was.
Which meant he was doomed to meet this fate. A Division 1 powerless hero rushing in for no good reason would inevitably die like a dog. In this world, that was the way of things.
Yeah, he thought. In this world.
Kuon’s Tensetsu would run out, the enemy attack lines would pierce his body, and there way no way for him to avoid death. His future sight had shown him that. He had to accept it.
But Kuon had failed to realize one thing: he was not in his world.
Shichisei Kenbu: Soryu Ranbu.
He could not predict attack lines that came from the other side of the Gate.
Tensetsu released. Time resumed. The magic compressed within Kuon’s frame was ready to run wild, just waiting for him to pull the trigger. The mantas’ maws were almost on him, and he tried to pull the trigger, but then…
He heard something. He was sure he did. A voice from deep in his past, a young voice asking him a question. The voice he loved more than anything.
“Hero, are you gonna die?”
An instant later, two light bullets shot out of the pseudo-Gate that had appeared right behind Kuon, brushing aside all the Jave around him. In the blink of an eye, all the enemies were gone. What? he thought in shock. How? How am I still—
“I finally caught up.”
The voice came from behind Kuon. Still unable to comprehend what had happened, he slowly turned towards it. There, he found his goddess, Suzuka Hanabi, smiling awkwardly.
“How could you leave me like that?” She pulled away from the Kiryu and put her arms around Kuon. “Thank you, Hero. I’m only alive because of you.”
She’d finally said it, after so many years, after thirteen years. That’s what it felt like.
Then she saw his right arm and her face crumpled like his pain was hers. “Sorry it took me so long, Kuon-kun.”
He didn’t ask why she was here. He was just glad to see her again.
The tears came gushing out.