The wood grain of the ceiling was reflected in my vision as it blurred.
“……”
Why was I still alive?
I had been reincarnated as Hiiro Sanjo, fulfilled my wish during an orientation camp, and died with Alsuhariya in an explosion. At least…that’s what I thought had happened.
The moment I put strength into my limbs, intense pain ran through my entire body.
I gritted my teeth to keep from screaming, looked down at my body, and saw that I was bandaged all over. I was still alive and receiving medical attention.
The burning sensation and blinding pain caused me to slip in and out of consciousness.
Gathering my strength, I tried to take in my surroundings.
A low table next to me held pure-white flowers as an offering. The clock on the wall had twelve-hour marks and a swinging pendulum, slowly ticking away the agonizing hours.
I saw a large mirror with an oxidized copper frame—and there I was, Hiiro Sanjo, staring at myself as I was dying.
Suddenly, I felt a presence.
Something lurking in a dark corner of the room was staring my way.
Who are you? Where am I…?
I couldn’t voice the words, lost consciousness again, and then came to.
Three girls were standing around the bed. They were carefully wiping the dirt from my body.
It was while they were touching me all over that I noticed something.
I was completely naked.
They were wiping my body with familiar hands, proceeding to wipe down my crotch as if they owned it, including the parts I wouldn’t ever show a stranger.
“You beasts… St-stop it…!”
Teary-eyed and full of shame, I covered my chest with my hands and shook my head.
“Dear leader,” the one with the reddish-black hair said.
She wore earrings that reminded me of falling teardrops. Very gently, she put her lips to my ear and whispered, “Just sleep for now. Don’t think about anything.”
She touched a fingertip to my cheek, and I was immediately overcome with a mellow sense of drowsiness.
Leaving them to have their way with me, I repeatedly awoke and fell back asleep again like the ebb and flow of the tide.
They wiped me all over, tended to my personal hygiene, fed and cuddled me, played music, and even told me bedtime stories… The trio was incredibly attentive and provided me with top-quality care.
Perhaps thanks to their devotion, I was finally able to rise with assistance.
Still, there were more things that I couldn’t do on my own.
“…Um, would you mind not peeking at me like that? Your gaze is offside.”
“Excuse me. It’s hard to determine the offside line between your legs.”
“If I gave that away, you’d get a red card.”
They watched over me when I went to the bathroom, perhaps concerned that I might collapse.
“Dear leader? Are you itchy anywhere? Do you feel okay? Huh? Are you self-conscious? Aww, that’s so cute!”
Naturally, they washed my body when I bathed.
“Spread your legs.”
“P-please… Anything but that…!!”
“Come on, why not?”
“There’s no need for me to spread them that far! Absolutely not! All you’re doing is wiping me down between my legs! I shouldn’t have to spread my legs until they’re in a V shape! Look, I’m practically flashing a peace sign with my legs! I won’t be able to go back to my friends anymore!”
I had recovered enough to take baths, and here they were, making me open my legs in a V shape so they could wipe between them.
My days were filled with embarrassment, but I gradually got better enough to walk on my own.
The moment I stepped out of the room, a light pierced my eyes—and shades of blue blinded me.
Like the night sky where every cloud had drifted away, the bright blue-purple surface of the water shone every time it caught the sun.
And in the center was a single floating house.
A wooden rowboat was tethered to the house, supported by four pillars extending from the water and designated as a home on the water.
Secured by a single rope, the boat was bobbing on the waves.
After glancing out at the lake’s surface, which seemed to go on forever, and feeling like a needle in a haystack, I went back inside.
“First of all, I want to thank you girls for taking care of me. It was an experience between life and death that I’ll never forget.”
Rewrapping the bandage on my arm, I asked the girl with the reddish-black hair, “And? May I ask you, the kind girl who refused to let me die, what your name is?”
“I’m Sylphiel Diabloto.”
She smiled as her pitch-black tail wagged next to her handsome face.
“I’m Greater Demon, the demon of the great abyss. I’ve been serving you, my leader, for the past three hundred and eighty-two years. I brought you here from that human ship and assisted in the healing process. It has been a great honor and pleasure, sir.”
Greater Demon…?
I thought about what I’d done to date and dripped with cold sweat.
Maybe I wasn’t as bad as a demon, but this situation made me out to be a boss character who could die instantly at any time.
Unlike elves and spirits, these characters didn’t get along with humans, and I was sure that we’d lose if we fought them without being prepared.
“What about that girl over there?”
The one in the girly outfit winked at me.
“That’s Vampire Lord, princess of the silent night.”
“…How about the other one who isn’t here now?”
“Lich King, lord of departed souls.”
Oh no… I was like an RTA speedrunner who kept doing runs without improving at all…! I was feeling like Ophelia von Margeline, a foil character added to make the protagonist look good…!
Surrounded by these boss characters, I asked nervously, “H-hey, by the way, who is this leader you’re talking about…?”
“Why, you, of course. This is the base of the demonic religion of Alsuhariya. As such, you are going to have to lead the Alsuhariya faction from now on.”
What the hell were they talking about?! I knew one thing for sure. If these girls found out that I’d killed Alsuhariya, I was as good as dead! I was in the heart of enemy territory!!
“Where’s my magic device?”
Sylphiel snapped her fingers.
With a thump, my Masamune Kuki appeared on the table.
Oh man. They had a console for instantly making things appear. If I tried to run, the only place I’d make it to was the winner’s podium for the zero-meter race on the other side of the River Styx.
“Is there anything else you need, sir?”
“I want to attend the wedding of a yuri couple and live out the end of my life quietly clapping for them in the corner.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Don’t yes, sir me,” I said in horror, terrified when she agreed to that with a straight face.
“This is the Otherworld, right? I want to go back to the Houjou Magic Academy in the present world… Okay…?”
“Sir, it’s up to you whether we live or die, and no one here has the right to question your actions. So, please, do as you wish.”
I exhaled in relief.