Beyond-Abyss 101-2

Chapter 101-2 Shadows of the Heart

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Edited by: Kanaa-senpai

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 ”Nice to meet you. I’m Kujinami Sekira. And you are?”

 ”…Asagiri Himeno from Seito Academy. What do you want?”

 Himeno’s cold eyes glared at Sekira.

 ”Don’t look so scary. I’m on your side, Asagiri-san.”

 ”On my side? The monster from this morning—you were the one who unleashed it, weren’t you?”

 ”What makes you think that?”

 Sekira asked with a curious expression.

 ”That monster should have vanished upon death, but there’s still a faint smell of blood lingering. That’s a form of marking, isn’t it? I stayed alone earlier because I was concerned someone might mess with me.”

 Himeno brought the sleeve of her blazer close to her nose, grimacing.

 ”Impressive… But I made sure that only monsters would act as barriers, preventing most threats. Thanks to that, there wasn’t much damage, right? I wanted to meet someone capable of breaking through the horde—someone like you, Asagiri-san.”

 More accurately, someone who could break through the horde and still survive against those two monsters.

 Given the current equipment of Seito Academy’s students, even a standout like Vice President Sogahara would have had difficulty defeating those two.

 Himeno furrowed her brows.

 Sekira was undeniably beautiful, but her sly, sticky smile was deeply unpleasant.

 ”Did you know there are many other schools summoned to this world besides yours? You seem remarkably strong for a newcomer. You might already hold your own at the expert level, but you still can’t compete with master-level elites.”

 ”…”

 ”Soon, you’ll be thrown into battlefields where monsters like that dominate. New schools are just hunting grounds for veterans. If you want to survive, you need to unite your students. How much control do you have over your academy?”

 ”I’m just a student.”

 ”Hard to believe, given your strength. What exactly are you clinging to?”

 Sekira started walking leisurely around Himeno, keeping a certain distance.

 ”Clinging to?”

 ”Yes. You must know what to do with that power. You mentioned comrades—are they as strong as you? Have you ever thought of them as dead weight?”

 ”I never…”

 Himeno hesitated.

 She had never thought that way before, but since sensing that ominous presence yesterday, irritation toward the weak had taken root in her heart.

 Sekira’s red lips curled as though she had read that hesitation.

 ”That’s not true! Tsuchimiya-senpai is really strong, and everyone else is steadily getting stronger!”

 ”If you say so. But in dungeons and battles against other schools, the strong are the first to die. The ones who linger safely at the bottom are those who never rise. Your strong comrades have a disappointingly low survival rate.”

 ”……!”

 Himeno couldn’t dismiss Sekira’s words. Just days ago, Tsuchimiya had nearly died from severe injuries.

 Strength drove Tsuchimiya to dive into danger first and to protect comrades at his own risk.

 But recklessness didn’t always yield success.

 Tsuchimiya had come close to death, and Himeno had witnessed other perilous situations.

 ”If that person is so important to you, then you need to become stronger and protect them.”

 ”Protect?”

 Himeno’s gaze followed Sekira as she leisurely circled around her, the sound of her footsteps echoing.

 ”Yes. Take control of the academy, protect that person, and keep them from having to fight. You have the strength to do it. That way, you won’t lose them.”

 ”I… protect Tsuchimiya-senpai? Then I won’t lose him…”

 Though she had no intention of trusting Sekira, her words struck a deep chord in Himeno’s heart.

 Cards flew out from inside Sekira’s robe, swirling around her.

 Himeno raised her guard, gripping Izayoi tightly.

 Sekira reached for a single card hovering in front of her.

 ”Ah… it really is you, Asagiri-san. Wonderful…”

 With a rapturous expression, Sekira touched the card, which suddenly shot toward Himeno like an arrow.

 ”!”

 Himeno instinctively leaped back, zigzagging to evade, but the card tracked her perfectly and sank into her chest.

 At the same time, she reflexively threw a knife.

 The blade struck Sekira’s forehead and clattered to the ground after hitting the wall.

 Sekira’s hair didn’t even move.

 Realizing this wasn’t Sekira’s true body, Himeno glared.

 ”What did you do?”

 The card had definitely entered her chest, but there was no pain or impact.

 ”Hehe, don’t be scared. I told you, I’m on your side. This is just a little charm to help you be honest with yourself and unlock your true power when you need it.”

 Sekira’s form began to fade.

 ”Only you can protect the people you care about. Don’t forget that. See you again, Asagiri-san.”

 ”Ah… wait!”

 But Sekira’s figure and presence vanished completely.

 Standing alone in the eerily silent labyrinth, Himeno felt a restless stirring in her chest.

 ”I… protect Tsuchimiya-senpai…”

 The words escaped her lips hesitantly, but they felt like a duty and mission.

 No one at the academy, except for her, could protect Tsuchimiya.

 Tsuchimiya, in Himeno’s eyes, was no longer as strong as she once thought.

 If Sekira was right, the enemies they would face might be too overwhelming for even Himeno to protect him.

 This couldn’t continue.

 Anxiety filled her heart.

 She has to get stronger and protect Tsuchimiya-senpai.

 But first, she needs to ensure Tsuchimiya-senpai’s safety.

 Even while thinking of the harsh path to achieve that, Himeno’s resolve grew stronger.

* * *

 By the time the representatives’ meeting ended, it was completely dark.

 Higurashi said she still had business, so I headed to Maekawa-san’s room, where she was preparing dinner for me.

 ”Welcome back, Tsuchimiya-kun.”

 When I rang the bell, the door opened, and Maekawa-san greeted me.

 Lately, we’ve been eating and chatting in this room together, so “welcome back” feels more natural now.

 In the living room, there were 4 Maekawa-san and Kanon.

 Kanon sat there, looking lost in thought.

 I sat down on the sofa and casually asked about someone who was missing.

 ”What happened to Himeno?”

 ”……”

 For some reason, silence fell.

 …

 ”Secret practice for a new technique?”

 ”Yeah. She said that during the day and went off on her own. After coming back, she said she wouldn’t need dinner because she was going to continue practicing…”

 ”It felt kind of scary, like it wasn’t the right time to pry…”

 Now that I think about it, Himeno seemed different since the morning.

 As I pondered what to do, my smartphone vibrated.

 ”Hmm… a call?”

 It was a call from Himeno.

 Usually, we communicate through chat or email, but this was the first time she called.

 I felt an uneasy premonition as I answered the call.

 ”Hello, it’s me.”

 ’Tsuchimiya-senpai, I wish to spar with you now. I will be waiting on the rooftop of your room. Please come alone.’

 Her voice was cold, devoid of emotion.

 I felt a strong will that left me no choice but to comply.

 ”……Understood.”

 When I answered briefly, the call abruptly ended.

 Everyone was watching me, holding their breath.

 It seemed they had heard the conversation.

 ”I’ll be right back.”

 I tried to say it as usual as possible to break the tense air.

 ”Tsucchi, take care…”

 Hano-san stammeres as she says it.

 It’s certainly odd to ‘take care’ when I go see Himeno.

 When I was about to leave the room, Kanon chased after me and held my hand.

 ”Tsuchimiya-senpai……Himeno-san, I’ll give you a wish!”

 ”…Ah, leave it to me”

 When I responded, Kanon laughed with relief.

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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
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