[Part 3/4]
Kaya asked with a puzzled expression.
She denied it, looking confused.
It's funny.
It shouldn't have been there just a mont ago.
It shouldn't have... right?
"What does this an...?"
Was that presence she felt earlier really her companion's?
There was no evidence of any intruder, yet she still couldn't bring herself to admit her mistake...
* * *
"...!?"
A dull ache accompanied my return to consciousness.
I opened my eyes.
Darkness still filled my vision.
The chaotic sound of water sloshing echoed around .
I pushed my upper body upright.
Droplets fell from my soaked garnts, splattering onto the surface below.
Sothing dry peeled away from my face.
Still dark... but the shapes around gradually ca into focus.
A sign that my pupils had adapted to the darkness—and a reminder of how far my sight had strayed from human limits.
I grimaced at the stench.
Tilting my head back, I gazed at the above from which I had fallen.
But there was no light left there.
I retraced my mories.
I had fallen—deeply.
Plunged into the water.
In my fading consciousness, I had grasped for a rope.
I had clawed my way up—just barely.
And then, once again, I had awakened... to this mont.
"..."
As I take deep breaths and look back, it could be an underground waterway or a reservoir, regardless, the surface of the water spreads... My senses gradually revive.
I feel the coldness in my body and shiver.
'(o´: ∀: )o Then let's do lesson 3!'
'...!!'
'Uh! Uh! Uh!'
'(: ω: ´) No! More passionate! Think of all the fans! (ﾉ;≡ω≡)ﾉ Co on!'
'...!!'
'Uh! Uh! Uh!'
'(T▽T) That's right! That's good! (* ^ー゜)ノ I'll be the number one idol group!'
"No, what are you doing?"
I comnted on the white spider, who was doing a dance lesson with ropes and nails.
That's not the point, don't ride out the other 2 as well.
Why should I watch a seductive dance with ropes and nails?
Spider, is this good enough for your group mbers?
'(>ω
"I seriously doubt there are material categories for gender selection."
I wonder where this spider got such knowledge; it is quite a liberal spider.
Well, that aside....
"...I can't be optimistic, can I?"
I stroke my chest, looking down at what is dried and calcified, peeling away from my face and rolling on the floor.
A humanoid stink bug.
Or perhaps... Miss Chest-san.
That kin.
I knew from the original story what would happen if that stuck to my face.
The faces of my comrades who were parasitized burst and fell, but then it would break through the chest...to be precise, it probably branched off from the sa original species due to its slightly different shape.
In any case, since it jumps on my face, its purpose won't change.
"Just because you hate stallions doesn't an you should beco a mare, right?"
Thinking back on that ridiculous contract.
Those guys must have known my body's secret.
How did they find out... or did soone leak it?
I don't think anyone who knows my secret is loose-lipped.
"Or did they do it with malice...?"
A human-faced parasitic stink bug and a grass doll.
Either could be a coincidence.
But perhaps....
"...there's no ti to think leisurely."
'(＾ω＾) Onboo♩'
I invite the stupid spider (Holy Nail Excalibur marked) and quickly let it ride on my shoulder.
I command the rope to wrap around .
The long rope, entangled like a tentacle play, enhances my exoskeleton, helping rise.
I grip my sakura-colored tantō, ready to welco them.
(So, is it hands off until I get up? Such an oddball... or do they prefer hearing screams?)
In the darkness, like ink bleeding on paper.
A normal person wouldn’t see anything—but I do.
Faint outlines flicker in my vision.
From the echoing faint breaths, I calculated the general distance.
There are multiple.
They are large.
...and correspondingly strong.
'...!!'
They probably sensed that I've noticed them.
Suddenly, many eyes shone in the dark.
Disguise was futile, and it seed they aid to blind with the light reflected in their eyes.
That was both right and wrong.
One of the shadows lunged ahead, breaking formation.
I squinted at the sudden flash, but I did not rely on sight alone. I caught its movent—through scent, through sound.
'Aaaaa!!'
"Too slow!!"
I slipped past the razor-sharp claws slicing through the air.
Ducking into its reach, I pressed my blade against its exposed throat—
—a clean thrust.
Montum did the rest.
Its Body and head parted ways, crashing into the murky depths of the sewer behind .
A sharp splash.
No struggle. No resurfacing. Only silence.
The others—ready to pounce—froze mid-motion.
Their glowing eyes flickered—caution, shock.
"Heh. Surprised I took it down in a single stroke?"
'(*´∀`) Another dull kill!'
I flicked the blood from my blade and voiced the unspoken thoughts lingering in the shadows.
After all, I’d cut down plenty before.
I knew the feeling.
A lesser blade would've snagged midway, leaving its wielder dead instead.
For them, the rules had just changed.
"So, to be careful... was that too convenient?"
'Σ(´Д｀)WHAT DID I WRITE!?'
An indescribable cry cos from the depths of darkness.
The monsters facing appear to be squirming and agitated in the dark.
The sickening sound of flesh squelching fills the air, followed by a shrill, piercing scream.
Limbs thrash wildly, contorted in frantic motion.
Then, in a panicked frenzy, they scatter, retreating in fear.
Opening the path.
And then—they appear.
It was even larger and more bizarre than before.
Countless red eyes stood out in the darkness.
Its upper body bore a twisted resemblance to a human.
From its split jaw, sothing like a weapon writhed in countless numbers.
Three pairs of arms extended outward, each ending in jagged, scissor-like blades, twitching in anticipation
The legs were even more... ah, this is quite a bad one.
"Farewell!"
'(>ω
I imdiately turned on my heel and headed for the underground waterway.
I thought about jumping in, but hesitated at the water's edge.
"It's too late, but this isn't Stillwater, right...!?"
A mont of hesitation.
This is underground water.
Even though I had jumped in once, to do it again... but I looked back at the monstrosity charging at , crushing what seed to be its companions.
I regretted turning around and faced forward again.
"Ah, damn!!"
It was way too tough to deal with them using just a tantō.
I was forced to make a quick decision.
So, so...!
"I'll use this!!"
'(o´: ∀: )o Show them!'
Then, pretending to dive into the water, I threw it backward at the monster the next mont.
The few pieces of equipnt I secured with the tantō during the search.
It was a flashbang.
I closed my eyes.
The sound of an explosion echoed.
And a fierce light illuminated the darkness.
The monsters, suddenly exposed to the powerful light, closed their eyes or scread while shielding them.
I crouched down.
Sothing rushed past above, creating a huge splash on the water's surface in front of .
"And, start!!"
'(>ω
At that signal, I turned around and ran without looking back.
I confird the path that the restless monster had cleared with half-open eyes and ran straight toward it.
Before the remaining ones noticed, I used the Concealnt Technique to silence my footsteps, dull my presence, and still rushed through...!!
(I can't waste ti or stamina...!!)
That's right.
I had no ti or leeway to fight these guys.
It wasn't necessary.
The ones I should be dealing with are the ones above, and above all, what I must prioritize is....
"..."
Breathing heavily, I touched my chest.
I felt a growing sense of discomfort.
An increasing presence.
Sothing was being nurtured... thinking of the serious situation that would co soon, I grimaced.
...Well, anyway, without a place and ti to calm down, I can't deal with this.
"Damn it...!"
The curses, steeped in Hex, instinctively poured out before the hated reality, but amidst the strange cries and screams, no one could hear them....
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