Volume 1 Chapter 44
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
As soon as I stepped outside the Ruins, I spotted Mayuki right away.
She was sitting alone against the wall near the door. Even when she saw me, her expression didn’t change much. Maybe she was expecting me.
”I feel like something like this happened before.”
I slowly sat down next to Mayuki. The ground was hard, my pants were getting dirty, and it was super uncomfortable. Still, for some reason, my mind felt calm.
”I have a lot on my mind, but I don’t know which one to think about.”
Mayuki said in a quiet voice. We used to fight a lot back in the day. There were times when the atmosphere felt similar to now.
”I remember it was raining. We had a fight, and I was wandering around without an umbrella, freezing my butt off.”
”…That day, the roles were reversed. I went to pick up Koushi.”
That’s right. Even though I was just wandering around aimlessly, Mayuki managed to find me. Maybe that’s why it stuck in my mind.
As I reminisced, I sat in silence for a while, taking in the view from Mountain Summit. The Dragon’s remains were gone, and there were no signs of the Demonkind.
”I’m not going to Another World.”
Mayuki said that out of the blue. I wasn’t surprised anymore. I felt bad for Kashiro and the others, but I didn’t even want to try to convince her.
”I see. Well, if that’s how it is, then I won’t go either.”
Saying it out loud felt like a weight lifted off my shoulders. I never wanted to be a Hero anyway, and I didn’t think I was cut out for it. Throwing everything away and giving up didn’t sound too bad. I was originally a loser who just ran away from everything and played games all the time.
”Are you going to abandon everyone?”
”With so many people around, they’ll manage without me.”
”I think your big sister will be mad at you.”
”Yeah, I should probably apologize to her.”
Once I decided not to go, I felt all my energy drain away. Getting up felt like a chore now.
”Why?”
It was a random question.
Still, somehow, I understood what she wanted to ask.
”Mayuki would’ve stayed if the roles were reversed. I could drag you along if I wanted, but… it feels wrong to force someone who’s not into it.”
Your own life should be decided by yourself. If I cry and beg here, Mayuki would probably follow me. But is it really necessary to go that far to clear the Trial? Just because I go to Another World doesn’t mean I’ll be happy there. Maybe it’d be more fun just chilling at Base.
”I see. Koushi, you’re kind.”
I feel like this isn’t kindness, though. It’s just about having priorities.
When I was struggling with family stuff, Mayuki was the only one who really listened. She never made a face, always there for me. If it weren’t for Mayuki, I’d probably be a worse person.
”I have a lot I haven’t talked about.”
”Me too. I don’t tell you everything.”
”You’ll probably be disappointed.”
”I’m already shocked every day. I’ve pushed you away many times before. But I’m not going to Another World without you.”
As we keep talking, it’s getting a bit chilly. By the way, this Island doesn’t get rain. I wonder what the seasons are like. When I transported, it was autumn, but the temperature is just right, so I can’t really tell. It’s a strange Island with no bugs, so it’s not something to worry about now.
”Koushi likes me, huh?”
”Yeah, I really do. I love you tons.”
”Well, it makes sense to fall for a genius beauty like me.”
”You’re starting to get back to your usual self.”
It’s a bit annoying, but it’s way better than being down.
”I’ve decided. I’ll tell you everything when we go to Another World. Just wait without expectations.”
”…What? So you’re really going? Living on an Uninhabited Island doesn’t sound too bad, though.”
When Mayuki stands up, I try to get up too, and she reaches out her hand.
”I’m heavy.”
”It’s fine. I’m stronger than you, Koushi.”
Mayuki firmly grabbed my hand and stood up.
”How was the last Trial?”
Mayuki casually asked.
”It was a piece of cake. But… if the Mayuki from earlier was my mental Trial, I would’ve quit right here. If you had chosen to live here, I would’ve seriously planned to stay too.”
Thinking about it, it’s a scary thought. If the last Trial had been more brutal, I might never have gotten out of the Ruins. Well, if it meant I could keep dreaming sweet dreams forever, that wouldn’t be so bad.
”I told Koushi my secret, and he rejected me. I was shown that kind of future.”
”I can’t say I’d never reject you… but what kind of secret would make me do that? I can’t even think of one myself.”
”I think Koushi would still love me even if I was actually a hundred-year-old grandpa.”
”That would be pretty awkward, but I’d at least help take care of you.”
”Yeah. There’s no way Koushi would abandon me, so I cleared the Trial pretty quickly.”
”You were really confident about that. It’s weird how you have this mysterious confidence in strange places, yet you’re also so sensitive.”
Holding my hand, Mayuki pulled me along as we moved through the Ruins. The Trial seemed to have read the room and didn’t make a reappearance.
”Koushi. No matter what happens, I want you to believe in the me from before.”
”Yeah. I told big sister too… no matter what secret you have, the Mayuki I know isn’t going to disappear. Even if it’s all a lie, I’ve been saved by that lie. So no matter what, I’m grateful to you, Mayuki.”
Mayuki smiled.
It was a pretty natural smile, even among the ones I knew.
”Koushi, you’re heavy.”
”That’s why I said it earlier. I’m heavy.”
Big sister once called me “feminine.” Honestly, that hurt a lot.
* * *
As I passed through the Door of Light, I faced the Goddess again for the first time in a while.
”Congratulations on clearing the Trial~.”
Seeing the Goddess with a thin smile, throwing out compliments she doesn’t mean, kinda took the wind out of my sails. I had a ton of things I wanted to say when I met her, but now I’m just thinking, “Yeah, it’s probably pointless to say anything to her.”
”Oh~. You’re thinking some pretty rude things, huh? But I’ll let it slide, ’cause I’m a nice Goddess~.”
Where’s the niceness in that? She tossed me into the Island of Trials without even giving me a choice. Being a Hero is basically forced labor, right?
”Oh, are you maybe a little mad?”
I’m half angry, half resigned. It’s not all your fault, so I don’t plan to hold a grudge, but let me at least vent a little.
”Being Godborn is pretty tough too, you know? There are a lot of restrictions, so I have to go through all this roundabout stuff~. If I could use my powers freely on the surface, I wouldn’t need Heroes at all~.”
Restrictions, huh? There are a lot of things that don’t sit right with me, but will you answer those questions?
”Mr. Hyakudou has been getting good results, so feel free to ask anything. Just don’t expect me to answer honestly, okay?”
Alright, first off, what’s going to happen to us now? Are we being sent to Another World as Heroes?
”Yes, that’s how it’ll be~. That’s why we selected you. And of course, there’s no option to refuse.”
Why even give us a Trial in the first place? Couldn’t everyone just be treated as Heroes?
”Well, explaining that is a bit of a hassle… to put it simply, creating Heroes and sending them to Another World costs a lot. We can’t just churn out Heroes endlessly, so we need to make sure only those with potential get to try hard~.”
But even someone powerful like the president almost got killed by Shiragi. Tōmi, who seems to have strong Light Magic, could’ve easily died if luck wasn’t on her side. Isn’t the Trial a bit too sloppy?
”Well, they say luck is part of skill, right? I mean, in such a tiny island with only a few dozen people and just a handful of Demonkind… if someone can’t even survive in a place like that, sending them to Another World is just asking for them to die, right~?”
But you should at least be able to reduce the number of Demonkind in Another World, right?
”That wouldn’t really mean much, though. There are humans in Another World too, and some of them are strong enough to fight against Demonkind. What we really want is a Hero who can wipe out the Demonkind.”
So, just reducing their numbers doesn’t cut it, huh?
”Exactly. In the end, we want someone to take down the Demon Lords. If you can destroy the Demonkind’s nation, they should show up.”
It feels like the goal is so far away that it’s like being told to just die.
”Actually, no Hero has succeeded so far. That’s why you guys are chosen as Heroes.”
The Goddess was giggling. She didn’t seem serious at all, but I guess that’s why she keeps relying on Heroes since she can’t do much herself. The Godborn might be struggling too because of their restrictions.
”I appreciate your understanding! Mr. Hyakudou, you’re an excellent Hero Candidate who has defeated all the area bosses, so before you go to Another World, I’ll grant you one wish. What do you want?”
She’s surprisingly generous, but there are probably wishes that can’t be granted, right? How about asking to send all of us back to Earth right now? Worst case, I’d settle for everyone but me.
”Oh, that’s impossible. That would defeat the purpose of giving you a Trial, wouldn’t it? We can’t let excellent candidates slip away!”
So, how about bringing back the dead to the Academy? Not just the ones who died on the Island of Trials, but also those who die when they go to Another World from now on. Bring them back to Earth.
”Hmm. I can bring back those who died on the Island of Trials, but the ones who died in Another World are out of my jurisdiction~. Besides, bringing back the dead… I really wouldn’t recommend it, you know? It’s a waste of wishes~.”
Maybe. But they died unfairly just because they were chosen as Hero Candidates. There were bad people, but that doesn’t mean I want to abandon them.
”Ugh. Usually, people want new magic or immense power… but Mr. Hyakudou, you’re different~. You should be a bit more selfish, you know? You should make wishes that would help you in Another World~. Come on, think rationally. That’s your favorite saying, right?”
No matter what you say, I won’t change my mind. Bring back the Hero Candidates who died on the Island of Trials to their original world. If possible, I want their memories of the Island of Trials erased.
”…Humans are really foolish, aren’t they~? In this case, is it just Mr. Hyakudou being stupid? Spending wishes on something like that, which could lead to struggles in Another World──eventually causing your friends to die too. Don’t you think you’ll regret it?”
I probably will regret it. But I’d regret just as much if I abandoned those who died. So, I want to deal with the irreparable misfortune that would come from ignoring it rather than the misfortune that hasn’t happened yet.
”If your beloved childhood friend dies because of that, I think you’ll look like a total fool~. I mean, you’re making all these excuses, but in the end, you’re just worried about your friends who became murderers, right? You just want to ease the mental burden of Ms. Tōmi and the others who ended up killing without wanting to, don’t you?”
That’s definitely part of it. Taking care of my friends’ mental health is important too.
”Ugh~. Alright, I’ll give in to your wishes. I’m really not happy about it, but I’ll listen to what you want.”
The Goddess let out a sigh and then, trying to shake it off, smiled brightly.
”I don’t really like your choice, but the fact is, you’re getting results~. So, to make sure you don’t die when you go to Another World, I’ll give you a little gift.”
I never thought I’d get any favoritism. Are the restrictions really okay?
”Of course, it’s a gift that won’t break any rules. ──You can mess with my stuff, okay?”
Huh? Seriously?
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
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