Chapter 9: Even If We Were the Only Two Left in the World
Momoko, who had snapped after arbitrarily peeking into someone’s mind, somehow managed to suppress her emotions and spoke to Kazuma.
“Aren’t you going to help?”
“Why should I?”
“I’ve heard rumors. That Satsuki-san isn’t like a typical Support Course student.”
That wasn’t entirely true. Momoko knew Kazuma’s personality and tendencies, which had been revealed through a prior investigation.
Unlike a typical Support Course student, Kazuma didn’t solely focus on escaping; while not exactly proactive, he challenged Combat Course students a fair amount of the time.
Though “challenged” might be a bit misleading. He only acted as a decoy or created diversions to make it easier for his allies to fight. He never fought himself.
“(Perhaps she wants to see my cool side?)”
“(There’s no way! I’m merely considering the possibility that you might be the Crimson Knight!)”
Unable to say it out loud, Momoko was fuming internally.
“Hmm, I do want to help, though~”
“Is there some reason you can’t?”
Momoko suspected he might have noticed he was being watched, but that doubt quickly vanished.
“(If I move now, I think I might fart~)”
“(I want to kill myself for even for a moment thinking this man could be the Crimson Knight.)”
Indeed, Momoko concluded that this man was just a pervert on the verge of being a sex offender, completely unrelated.
For a while, the two watched the fierce battle unfolding before them. Shinya, cornering his opponent with tactics using Magnetism, and Minazuki, toying with his enemy using water-based tactics.
Shinya extended the scattered Iron Sand towards Minazuki, but Minazuki solidified water to block the Iron Sand and, as if returning the favor, launched a ball of water.
The water ball Minazuki fired flew towards Shinya’s face. If it hit, it would be more than just painful. Minazuki was a Water User. A direct hit meant certain death by drowning.
“Damn it!”
Naturally, while Shinya was a Magnetism user, his physical abilities were those of an ordinary person. Therefore, his evasion capabilities weren’t high. Even now, he was dodging by leaping exaggeratedly to the side.
This wasn’t unique to Shinya. Unless one was a Gifted with Body Enhancement, superhuman movements were generally impossible.
“Kuh!”
Minazuki, on the other hand, also wore a pained expression. His physical abilities were also at the level of an average high school student. If he took a counterattack, he wouldn’t be able to respond so easily.
“(Man, I wish I had a strong Gift like fire, lightning, or ice instead of Transposition~)”
“(If possible, I also wish I had a Gift other than Mind Reading… If that were the case, I wouldn’t have been assigned to a mission like surveilling this man…)”
“(Why would you say something like that!?)”
“(Huh!? Eh? Were we just having a conversation?)”
“(Wh~y, why! Why, oh why, yeah!)”
“(…A commercial jingle.)”
Kazuma began to sing a commercial jingle internally, the kind that strangely sticks in your head once you hear it. Moreover, he chose one that seemed to be conversing with Momoko’s monologue.
Of course, he wasn’t doing it intentionally. However, Kazuma didn’t miss the slight change in Momoko’s expression and had simply started singing, predicting her state of mind. In other words, it was a malicious prank.
“(What’s wrong, Shinonome-san? She’s kind of trembling… Ha!)”
“(What is it this time!)”
“(Could it be, she’s holding in a poop!?)”
“(Does he have any decency… No, on second thought, since he’s not saying it out loud, he is being considerate… right?)”
That’s right, Kazuma hadn’t voiced any of this. Momoko was the one arbitrarily reading his mind, so if anything, she was the one at fault.
“(What should I do? Shinonome-san looks like she wants to poop, so maybe I should suggest a temporary truce?)”
“(Stop it! Please, I beg you, stop with your weird considerations!)”
“(But, it’d be pitiful for a girl to have to say she wants to poop, right?)”
“(Yes! That’s right! Don’t get any strange ideas!)”
“(However, if this goes on, Shinonome-san will be in a terrible situation~)”
“(In the first place, poo—…!)”
Momoko almost blurted out “excrement” (poop) but managed to hold back at the last second.
“(This is Virtual Space, so the flow of time is different, and it’s okay not to go to the toilet!)”
“(Should I just take the plunge and ask her if she wants to go to the toilet?)”
“(I don’t need your unnecessary concern!)”
“(It’s alright. I’ll sort somethin’ out for ya!)”
“(He doesn’t understand! And how is this conversation even happening!?)”
“(Why’s that, I wonder?)”
“(Th-this man!? Could it be, he’s realized my Gift!?)”
Even if she wanted to question him, doing so would reveal that she was faking her Gift and expose her as a member of the National Defense Force.
Since she was secretly surveilling Kazuma, her identity couldn’t be revealed. Even if it was a mission, what she was doing was a crime. If it were to become public knowledge, the National Defense Force’s standing would plummet.
Momoko, wanting to avoid that at all costs, fell into a dilemma.
“(Reveal my identity and restrain him? But if I do that, the National Defense Force’s reputation will undoubtedly be ruined. If the world finds out we used Mind Reading for a mission to surveil a civilian…! Ah! What on earth should I do!)”
Momoko felt like tearing her hair out but desperately endured and reassessed the situation. Kazuma, watching her with amusement, was a demon.
“(Shinonome-san. Your face has been turning red, then pale, you look busy. Are you still holding in a poop, I wonder?)”
“(It’s your fault!)”
“(Could it be… my fault? I don’t remember letting out a silent fart though…)”
“(Gugagagagaga!)”
Momoko thrashed about internally like a broken toy. Her mind was probably just moments away from its breaking point.
While Kazuma and Momoko were engaged in a psychological battle reminiscent of a comedy sketch, Shinya and Minazuki’s fight was reaching its final stage.
Both were out of breath, their shoulders heaving violently.
Their stamina was at its limit; further combat was impossible. Their only options were to retreat or to defeat the enemy.
Shinya glanced at Kazuma and Momoko hiding behind him, then returned his gaze to Minazuki. He was forced to decide whether to escape with the two of them or defeat Minazuki here.
“(What to do… Honestly, any more of this is tough. I want to retreat for now, but protecting both of them while doing so might be impossible…)”
Indeed, escaping from Minazuki while protecting two people in his current state was difficult. Shinya took a deep breath and steeled his resolve.
“(Protecting those I’m assigned to guard is my duty. In that case, I have no choice but to do it here!)”
Having made his decision, Shinya put strength into his legs and turned to face Minazuki. Minazuki, like Shinya, seemed to have made his resolve, his expression different from before.
It seemed they were both thinking the same thing, and smiles almost escaped their lips.
“”Uooooooooooohhh!!!””
A suicide charge, prepared for mutual destruction. Shinya clad his fists in scrap iron, while Minazuki covered his entire body with water and charged. The two clashed. Shinya’s iron-clad fist pierced Minazuki’s water, but Minazuki’s water invaded Shinya’s body.
“Go… gah…!”
“That’s what you get for carelessly approaching, idiot…!”
Minazuki’s water enveloped Shinya’s respiratory organs, drowning him.
However, the match wasn’t completely decided yet. On the verge of death, Shinya made a final resistance, thrusting Iron Sand into Minazuki’s nostrils and piercing through to his brain.
“Kah…!?”
Minazuki was judged dead first and exited. Then Shinya exited due to drowning. With this, the Terrorist team had two members left. The National Defense Force team had three remaining.
And then there were the two pitiful individuals who had lost their escort: Kazuma and Momoko. Kazuma, who hadn’t expected them to take each other out, was shocked.
“(Seriously!? Seriously!! What are we supposed to do with just two Support Course students!?)”
“(This is the worst. Being alone with this man… Ah, I should have just died without calling for help…)”
“(But don’t worry, Shinonome-san! No, Momoko! I’ll protect you! You can even fall for me, ya know?)”
“(A゛a゛a゛a゛a゛a゛a゛a゛a゛!!!)”
Momoko’s sanity finally hit zero.
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Supplementary Note
The commercial jingle Kazuma sang does not actually exist.
It’s a phrase the author randomly came up with.