Beyond-Abyss 101

Chapter 101 Shadows of the Heart

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Edited by: Kanaa-senpai

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 ”Himecchi, are you really going alone?”

 ”Yes. I have something I need to try, and this floor isn’t that dangerous, so don’t worry.”

 Asagiri Himeno replied with a smile to Hano Chikako’s question.

 This was a safe area on the third floor, where the teleportation magic array was located.

 Himeno had announced before the dive that she would be taking separate action.

 ”Are you sure you won’t do anything too reckless?”

 Maekawa Hiromi gazed intensely at Himeno’s eyes.

 Normally, wandering this floor alone would be suicidal, but no one doubted Himeno’s words, which claimed there was no danger.

 ”Yes! I’m practicing a new technique in secret! When it’s done, I’ll show you something amazing!”

 ”Eh~~. Himecchi, you’re still so strong… Honestly, I think you could clear this floor alone even now.”

 ”Hiromi…”

 Satou Akari looked at Hiromi with concern and sought her judgment.

 ”Okay, but promise me you won’t overdo it. Make sure to come back by evening, okay?”

 ”Yes! Sorry for being selfish!”

 Himeno bowed her head and apologized.

 ”Himeno-san…”

 ”Be careful…”

 Watarase Kanon and Nishina Tomoko, who were holding hands, saw Himeno off with concern.

 Himeno smiled and turned her back, starting to walk away.

 ”Do you really think it’s okay, Hiromi? I get the feeling something’s off. Are you mad that Tsuchimiya-kun went on a date with Amahara-san or something?”

 Akari approached Hiromi and whispered, looking at Himeno’s back.

 ”I don’t know… but it doesn’t feel like she’s angry. What she said about practicing a new technique and not doing anything reckless doesn’t feel like a lie. But I got the sense that she’s scared of something.”

 ”Scared?”

 ”Her determination seems solid, so it’s probably no use stopping it. I thought it would be better to send it out comfortably rather than to keep it in a turd.”

 ”I see…”

 Akari watched nervously as Himeno, exuding a chilling aura, walked away.

* * *

 After parting ways with everyone at the teleportation facility, I was training on the roof of my room.

 I turned off the Brave Warrior title to put strain on my natural body.

 Compared to the beginning, it’s a bit better, but I can still barely manage ten push-ups.

 If I push myself, maybe fifteen.

 Muscles don’t grow overnight, and getting impatient wouldn’t help, but being confronted with Himeno’s prowess still frustrated me.

 I stood on a bamboo stepping trainer I “borrowed” from the B-block boys’ dormitory bathhouse, barefoot and balancing on my toes.

 This was a core and balance training exercise.

 Initially, I couldn’t even last three seconds.

 Now I can push it to five seconds at best.

 Even though the Brave Warrior title dramatically boosts physical abilities, it doesn’t seem to strengthen my core proportionally, which has been a concern.

 Among the Evold Swordsmen, there’s a noticeable variation—those with a stable core often have martial arts experience.

 It might not just be about raising raw power.

 I lost balance, lowered one foot to the ground, and sighed.

 ”Guess I’ll try *that*…”

 I’d actually thought of a specific training method before.

 There’s no room for hesitation now.

 I need to get serious—it’s a matter of maintaining my dignity as a senpai.

 While planning my next steps, my smartphone buzzed with a direct message notification.

 ”Already that time, huh?”

 The message was from Higurashi, summoning me to a meeting of Student Freedom Alliance representatives.

 After taking a quick shower, I left the boys’ dormitory.

 Apparently, new residents had moved in, as I could hear the chatter of guys from a first-floor room.

 The meeting place was the assembly room in the girls’ C-block dormitory.

 It was a straight two-minute walk from the boys’ dormitory entrance.

 While passing the T-junction in the middle, a few students stood scattered awkwardly.

 Their faces looked vaguely familiar, and I realized partway through that they were my classmates.

 They are probably keeping watch so that no suspicious person approaches the representatives’ meeting.

 ”Ah! It’s Tsuchimiya-kun!”

 Four girls standing in front of the wire fence behind the club building on the right waved and smiled as they ran over.

 The two of them are a duo from Akiyama Yuuki’s party.

 The tall, familiar girl was probably Sonoka-san, right?

 It feels friendly, but I shouldn’t have interacted with them much, right?

 ”Hey!”

 ”Huh!?”

 While I was confused, the 4 girls hugged me, and before I knew it, I was surrounded from all sides.

 ”Hey, Tsuchimiya-kun!”

 ”We want a communication function too~!”

 ”Hey, give it to us♪”

 So that’s their goal!

 The 4 pressed their bodies against mine and started to touch me.

 The sexually driven girls from Evold love to play with boys’ bodies, so they seem unhesitant about using seduction.

 ”I-I can’t help you! Ask Higurashi for that!”

 The pleasant scent and soft touch made my head spin.

 ”Ew? Then, please put in a good word for us with Higurashi-san!”

 ”Yuu-kun is desperate to flirt with girls in chat, so I think it would be safer for us to communicate with him.”

 ”Hmm…”

 In the first place, I blocked Akiyama, but maybe it’s a good idea to keep in touch with these girls instead.

 After all, he is one of the core members of the Student Freedom Alliance.

 ”Huh, wait, wait!?”

 While I was thinking, someone started to grope my groin.

 ”P-Please, Tsuchimiya-kun♪”

 When I came to, many hands were fondling my crotch.

 Sonoka-san was licking her lips, trying to kiss me.

 I thought it was bad and turned away, but she stuck to my neck instead.

 Another girl from behind was licking my ear.

 What the heck is this!?

 Is a public r*pe about to start!?

 ”A, alright! I’ll tell her to raise the priority of the distribution! That’s all I can do!”

 ”Eh? Isn’t it Tsuchimiya-kun’s gift?”

 ”No, it’s not! I don’t have the authority to decide! So, please, just give up already!”

 ”Really?”

 ”The priority boost is a promise, okay?”

 The girls finally backed off, half in tears, as I pleaded with them.

 ”Sonoka and the others are so unfair!”

 The other girls who were watching were grumbling in dissatisfaction.

 This is bad.

 When going to class, I need to have Maekawa-san and the others guard me, or things might get really bad.

 I could hear the voices of the male students who were talking, looking at me with discontent.

 ”Women are great, huh. They get prioritized so easily”

 ”If I did that, my comms would be cut off for life”

 ”Wait, don’t you know about ‘Abura-kake Jizou’? If you go to the shrine every day and make a wish while pouring oil, the gods will get annoyed and grant your wish so you don’t come back”

 ”I see, that’s a change of perspective”

 ”Should we try it like the girls do?”

 Stop it!!

 Are you guys stupid!?

 Don’t look at me with those sharp eyes!

 I was taken to the girls’ dorm, surrounded by the girls, with Sonoka-san leading the way.

* * *

 Asagiri Himeno was in shock over the new ability she had acquired.

 She had a feeling.

 Yesterday, in the dungeon, she felt something ominous and angry.

 Satou Akari, who was with her, didn’t seem to feel anything, but her heart responded to that anger.

 That small, throbbing pain that could change her fundamentally still lingered within Himeno, pulsing and growing stronger.

 This morning’s dive leveled her up, and she gained a new Title and skill.

 It’s clearly a powerful thing that doesn’t match her current level, but she wasn’t surprised.

 She feel a cold thought that it’s only natural for her, along with a slight fear that she’s changing into something else.

 Still, she couldn’t help but want to try it out.

 She combine the newly gained power with the power of the Shadowstride Cloak.

 At the same time she got the Title, the Shadowstride Cloak fit her body, and she could freely draw out its power.

 As she thought, it dramatically boosted her power.

 She feel satisfaction with that result, but also loneliness and fear that no one stands beside her at the Academy anymore.

 ──What am I trying to become?

 ──What do I want to do?

 While moving her body with such thoughts, a woman’s voice suddenly rose nearby.

 ”I found you♪ I thought it was a long shot, but it worked out so well!”

 She stopped her hands and turned around to see a girl in a sailor uniform with a purple robe standing there.

 She’s wearing another school’s uniform, but her mature appearance doesn’t seem like that of a high school student.

 ”Who are you?”

 Himeno calmly called out to her.

 She felt no presence at all.

 Even now, she wonders if she’s really there, as her presence is so faint.

 She’s a woman she can’t let her guard down around, but her confidence that she can handle it gives her a sense of ease.

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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
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