AN: Sorry, but it's short.
Even though the chapter is a bit packed, but the end is good.
There is only dialogue. The battle will be from next week.
*zudon-*, the demon king-sama fell from the sky with speed and impact like a falling teor.
The bizarreness of the Agni - Orkan his shoulder carried was excessively eye-catching.
Starting from Koone, Lilin, Spike, and also all the other escort squad mbers similarly had their mouth gaping open. Their gaze was busily moving from the explosion hypocenter where there was a mushroom shaped cloud generated, then to Kouki, and then to the incarnation of absurdity.
「Nagumo……」
Kouki murmured his na. Haji stored back Agni - Orkan into his treasure warehouse while walking up toward Kouki, and then he asked with a tone that sounded like it was only an afterthought.
「Anyway, they looked like they are going to be nuisance so I killed them but……they aren't your acquaintance right?」
That question was asked while glancing at Koone and co. It seed that Haji couldn't deny the possibility that perhaps the was rushing toward Kouki and group in a scene like 「O~i, sorry we're late for the appoint~nt 」.
For now, Kouki thought this.
That question should be asked before moving to killing, was his thought.
「Ye, yeah. That was dangerous and we might get killed, so you saved us just now. You ca, to pick up right? Thanks, Nagumo.」
「Hmph?」
Haji raised an eyebrow hearing the words "might get killed" and then he stared scrutinizingly at Kouki. Just from that it seed he perceived Kouki's unfit state. And then, perhaps he guessed sothing because for a mont he made an expression of feeling unpleasant and then looked at Koone and co.
「……Well, doesn't matter. If it's thanks say it too Shizuku and others. If they didn't ask I won't purposefully spent magic power like stupid to co here. This world is absurdly far just so you know.」
「Is that so……as expected it's Shizuku and others. Are they coming?」
「Just as you can see, it's only who ca here.」
Kouki felt sothing out of place from that strange roundabout sentence, but right now wasn't the ti to pry so he shelved it away.
「I see……」
「Co on, we're going back right away.」
Haji turned around on his heel with an atmosphere of wanting to finish the troubleso matter right away.
Koone didn't really understand about the matter of Haji, even so she guessed that the "going ho prospect" that Kouki once ntioned had finally arrived and she grasped Kouki's sleeve with an expression that was going to cry.
Kouki smiled to such Koone to reassure her, and then he conveyed his will toward the back of Haji who was taking out Crystal Key and about to point it to an empty space.
「Sorry, I cannot go back.」
「……What?」
Haji looked back across his shoulder. And then, seeing Koone holding Kouki's sleeve, he showed an exasperated face that said 「This guy's hero sickness relapse back again」.
「This is troubleso. If it's like this I'll call soone here to lecture──」
「No matter who it is and what they are going to say to , I have made my decision. Even if you for example tell that this is my last chance to go back ho, I won't go back. I believe I understand what will Shizuku and also my family feel about that but still……sorry.」
「You……」
The situation just now, and then the very young girl who while looking childish but also gave off dignity vaguely, and also the tough looking n who appeared to be the girl's guards. If all those factors were combined, it could be imagined how Kouki was poking his nose into a troubleso conflict.
If this was only like before, when Kouki got worked up saying 「I swear I'll save everything!」 in re heroic aspiration, Haji would just say 「I don't give a damn」 before punching Kouki and then dragging his unconscious body back, but……
Haji couldn't make that prompt decision.
Because Kouki's eyes were determined.
It wasn't a gaze that was carried away, hesitating, or looking at a dream far away. Those were eyes that showed determination which was created while his feet was stepping firmly on reality, with resolve to accept the caused result. The eyes of a person who was struggling without giving up.
Haji wondered just what had happened. He couldn't see the "lightness" from when they were summoned to Tortus or the "insecurity" after the decisive battle from Kouki.
「I had killed a lot. They also had their own will, it was necessary to survive, that was why I was fighting……but, I was unable to abandon the people of the city and I fought. I cut down several thousand lives.」
「……」
Haji looked at Kouki once more. Kouki's weakened state, his body that was wounded all over told Haji more eloquently than anything the carnage that Kouki had experienced to the extre.
「Many tis I thought I was going to die. While fighting, I also saw past images like revolving lantern. And then──I found my answer.」
「Answer?」
Kouki nodded while feeling surprise and happiness that Haji was listening to his talk.
「I cannot stop dreaming. I want to save everything. But if I'm forced to choose no matter what──I will choose "the many" rather than "one important person". I'll choose, but even so I'll continue to dream and struggle without giving up.」
「……Idiot. Are you planning to suffer until you die? You might be masochist huh.」
「Haha, it's certainly idiotic. But I'll deny being a masochist.」
Haji looked at Kouki with eyes as though he was looking at a genuine idiot after hearing Kouki deciding a way of living of hardship.
Then, at that timing, Koone who had been silently watching the conversation between Kouki and Haji all this ti raised her words by throwing away her usual audaciousness, and spoke as a re young little girl.
「E, excuse , Nagumo-sama? I beg you, please I ask you to save my one-chan! Please.」
「Aa? Onee-chan?」
Koone letting out a sigh of relieve seeing that she wasn't ignored, and then she explained to Haji about the situation in general and about Kouki's choice.
「Kouki-sama is still not giving up. He is going to save the people at the rear, and after that he is planning to save onee-chan.」
She didn't notice it before. She only felt despair thinking that Kouki abandoned her big sister.
Indeed, speaking pragmatically Kouki wouldn't make it in ti. Therefore, Koone's conclusion that he was abandoning Moana wasn't mistaken. However, when she recalled back how Kouki repeatedly said 「Sorry」 looking as though he was going to vomit blood while clenching his fist so hard, she understood that Kouki's heart was demanding him to go to where Moana was quickly for even a second faster.
However, right now light could be seen in that pragmatic problem. Kouki's connection brought about hope.
The curbstomp just now. A power that annihilated a thousand in the blink of eye. If there was such power in their side, then perhaps her big sister could still be saved.
Koone pleaded. In order to save her big sister, and Kouki who injured his own heart by swinging down blade of penance and resolve toward himself who was unable to choose Moana.
「Please lend your strength in order to grant the dream of Kouki-sama. Nagumo-sama is Kouki-sama's friend correct? Please──」
「Don't say such corny thing. There is no way I'm his friend.」
「Eh?」
Koone was astonished. She didn't know about the how, but this person ca here by crossing world like this in order to pick Kouki and the first thing he did when he arrived was to remove the danger that was approaching Kouki. It seed that they knew each other, and Kouki was expressing out his feeling toward him without hiding anything, Koone completely thought that the two of them had close relationship but……
Ignoring the shaken up Koone, Haji moved his gaze toward Kouki. His eyes were cold without emotion in it. Kouki reflexively held his breath.
「You are close with this so called "big sister"?」
「……She is my benefactor. Since I ca to this world, she was kind to who only kept hesitating. Because of reasons I couldn't control myself and vented angrily at her several tis, and yet she accepted the hesitating . ……I made a promise with her, that I'll talk more to her soday.」
「And you abandoned her?」
「……Yeah, that's right-. Right now, even in this mont, she is trying to end the war by offering her own life. But at the sa ti, a lot of people is in the verge of dying right in this mont. That's why, I──」
「And so rather than "one important person", you chose "the many that you don't even know their face".」
From Kouki's fist that was clenched once more, and then from the lip that he was biting, blood was trickling down. From his eyes that looked like they would break down crying anyti, perhaps there would even be blood flowing from there.
Seeing such Kouki, Haji calmly asked.
「You aren't going to beg ?」
「Will you move if I beg you? Even though I don't have anything to compensate you!? I'll do anything if you save Moana! I'll even be your slave! But, you aren't going to move by sothing like that right!?」
「……」
Haji stared still at Kouki. And then, his expression turned complicated, no, a bit of displeased feeling seeped out from his face, before he suddenly started talking to empty air.
『Can you hear ? The situation is sowhat unpleasant though……yeah, right, well, I already know you all are going to say that. In that case inevitably──what? You want to decide? Why……don't say disgusting thing. Even if you ask how about the current Amanogawa……』
Koone and co were dumbfounded seeing Haji suddenly started talking to empty air, but Kouki guessed that Haji was talking with Shizuku and others and his eyes blinked.
If he rembered correctly, he had heard about the developnt of smartphone that could connect to even another world, but he didn't hear that such thing could be done just by using telepathy.
In that case, right, the strange roundabout way of talking before.
Most likely, Shizuku and others ca to this world. And then, just in case that there was an existence like Ehito in this world, they must be hiding sowhere so as to not attract attention as much as possible. That was Kouki's guess about the situation.
As a matter of fact, that guess was right on the spot. For caution's sake, there were only Shizuku, Kaori, Yue, Shia, Tio, Ryutaro, and Suzu, the Holy Precincts mbers here, they already arrived in this world. Right now, while Haji was going out to observe the situation, the others were hiding in concealed state in the middle of a mountain at the south.
Furthermore, about a certain abyss-san whose forte was in reconnaissance, it should rather be left unsaid that Haji only recalled him after arriving in this world where he then whispered 「Ah…the scout role……」.
With a displeased expression where this ti Haji didn't even bother to hide it, he faced Kouki and then asked after a bit of indecision.
「Amanogawa. There are a lots of things that I should confirm but, in this occasion, I'll put them aside. That's why, just answer this──that choice of yours, is it "the right choice" for you?」
'Aa', Kouki thought. If it was called unexpected, then it was unexpected. If it was called not so unexpected, it was also not really unexpected. He had been conscious toward this person to that degree, and he had also obstinately picked a quarrel with him to that degree. It wasn't strange even if this person accurately grasped about his bottleneck.
However, if he was asked that here──he keenly felt that to the end, he really couldn't help but be conscious of this unreasonable man.
Kouki answered along with feeling so amount of happiness.
「Sothing like that, doesn't matter.」
「Hah」
Perhaps Kouki's feeling was transmitted. Even Haji let out a laugh that sounded happy from hearing that answer. It felt like he could hear a voice that sounded like「Fine」.
Haji shook his head once, and then his hand took out a compass. And then, he ascertained sothing while turning his back on Kouki once more.
「Nagumo?」
「This is the first and the last. I'll eradicate the worry about the future.」
「tsu, you……」
Kouki's face warped when he guessed the aning of that sentence.
The direction Haji was facing was toward the rear territory. That was to say, that he was taking responsibility for the many territories that were being attacked. What he ant by the first and the last, was surely about Kouki being able to go saving his "one important person".
Kouki silently turned his back toward Haji. He faced toward the direction of the capital.
「A farewell gift. I'll kill you if you make a blunder even after I set up the table to this degree.」
「What unreasonableness.」
Around Kouki who was making a small smile, possessing upper body and wings of eagle, and torso of lion──Gryphon(Grim Reaper), ten of them appeared. Haji must ant for them to be the ride until the capital.
For Haji to expressly prepare even the share for Koone and others, Kouki thought that it seed Haji had really llowed up. It appeared that while himself was spending days of brutality in Tortus, Nagumo was also doing his best to acclimate himself to peace. Laughter welled up inside Kouki even more.
Thinking that if it was now he could say it, Kouki called at Haji with a bright expression.
「Hey, Nagumo. Actually while I was about to die, I was thinking that there is sothing that I'm absolutely going to say to you if I could survive.」
「Aa?」
Haji who seed to be confirming the battlefield using the compass raised his face and looked back across his shoulder.
Kouki slightly looked up to the sky with his back still facing Haji,
「As I thought, I really hate you.」
This man was able to do what he was unable to do like it was nothing. He was able to push his way through his own path without hesitation.
Truly enviable. He helplessly admired that. The way of living that he couldn't possibly imitate was so dazzling it burned his eyes.
Such emotion was included inside Kouki's words.
Haji who heard those words clicked his tongue. He returned his gaze forward and while staring at at the far rear direction,
「What a coincidence. Actually I also thought the sa just a little while ago.」
Kouki's eyes instantly opened wide.
And then,
「I, I see-. So you hate ! Ahahahahah」
The coldest reaction in relationship with people was "apathy".
Kouki couldn't hold it, he couldn't endure it. He raised a laughter that was bright and clear like a cloudless sky.
Normally it was an exchange of words that would cause the atmosphere to turn stormy. And yet, for so reason he even felt his feeling was cool and clear.
Koone and others couldn't do anything except looking alternately at Haji and Kouki with totally no idea of what was going on.
Kouki climbed up on a chanized gryphon while prompting Koone and others to follow. Koone and co were timidly climbing on the back of the bizarre mythical beasts that they had never seen before.
With Koone at his front and Lilin who for so reason was getting on gleefully behind him, Kouki corrected his sitting posture without looking back. At that ti, Koone who was looking up at Kouki's expression gulped seeing his solemn expression and atmosphere.
Kouki took a deep breath, and then with a heavy emotion in his voice,
「Take care of the rear──demon king.」
In response Haji opened a gate while also without looking back,
「Just face to the front──hero.」
He said that with a voice that sounded a bit different with how he said that word until now──
The hero went to the sky, while the demon king vanished into a gate.
Hero and demon king.
The thinking of the two couldn't complent each other, their path ran parallel from the other. Their back facing each other was only natural.
However, two paths running parallel to each other arriving at the sa place, and also two backs kept facing each other while pushing aside innurable obstacles without worrying about their back, might be sothing that could possibly happen.
AN: Thank you very much for reading every ti.
Thank you very much too for the thoughts, opinions, and reports about misspelling and omitted words.
It seems there are a lot of voices asking about Haji offing the dark king (sweat)
My apologize for not fulfilling that expectation, but this is Kouki's tale so it's the plan for Kouki to do the boss fight.
Also Shirako is a fellow that will make it long when he start writing battle description, so I'm thinking to do the musou battle of Haji and co in the shortened style like in Myuu's chapters.
The plan is like that, but it will make happy if you readers will be able to enjoy that.
Reviews
All reviews (0)