of the sea and changed clothes. I tossed my

soaked garments into Shadow Storage and staggered through the streets. Something dark

had settled deep within my heart. No matter

how much I swam, it didn’t clear up—only weighed me down further. ...No, maybe it’s better this

way. At least my body’s tired, which means I’m not worse off. “Maybe

I’ll just have a drink…”

I’d reached a point where I could step back and observe myself, recognizing that today was

beyond repair. Some days are just bad. Accepting that

is important. If I’m going to live in this world forever, I’ll undoubtedly face this mood again and again. If I

kept wanting to die every time, I’d never survive—and I certainly don’t want to be seen by viewers, turned into content, and consumed in such a miserable, laughable state.

Then, there's nothing else I can do but learn how to suppress my emotions properly (...).

I entered the shop for the first time that I was taken to by Reflair.

I sat at a two-person table and ordered something at random.

(I'm glad it was me who was chosen...?)

Maybe so.

If it had been me who was chosen, it wouldn't have been surprising if Serika or Karen had been chosen instead.

After all, why I was chosen remains a mystery.

I'm a guy, and I can probably survive in this world somehow.

Serika... no, I'm not sure if she'd survive. Karen definitely wouldn't.

As I finished the sweet cocktail brought to me, I thought about these things.

Mom might not have meant anything deep by it...

But even so, I didn't want her to say things like that.At the very least, I wished they'd curse the heavens' fate just a little, even if it was only for family.

Sweet wine swirled through my mind, making the world waver and blur at the edges.

It felt wonderful—so much so that I could almost forget everything.

　

The bell above the shop door chimed sharply, and glancing over, I saw a single customer entering.

A young woman, with an odd, mysterious air about her.

Her pale, unhealthy skin contrasted with her messy strawberry-blonde hair, which stuck out in uneven tufts.

She wore what looked like full-body armor with no exposed skin, a wide-bladed sword at her waist, and a massive shield strapped to her back. A full set of gear like that in the middle of town made her stand out as quite the eccentric.

(An adventurer...? I feel like I've seen someone like her before... Who was it... Where did I—)

"A boy with black hair... You must be Hikaru, right?"

The woman walked straight toward me and said that.

In an instant, I remembered her voice.

The face I'd seen countless times before Nanami was transferred.

The top pick in the pre-vote, Jeanne Collet.

An interdimensional transfer survivor.

I hastily stood up, knocking over my chair, and stepped back from Jeanne.

Still, we were in a cramped space—overwhelmingly disadvantageous.

And to make matters worse, I'd been drinking.

Jeanne didn't react at all to my unease, just staring at me straight on.

I recalled the message I'd received when I left the forest.

<The message function is great. I'll send another transfer survivor to your place. I'll punish you for sure. Shiver and sleep.>

It had definitely said that.

That's why I've been cautious around the other transmigrants.

In the end, Alex wasn't an assassin, but perhaps this is the moment we've been waiting for.

"Are you going to... kill me?"

"If so... what then? Shall we fight? Just the two of us?"

Jeanne radiates an ominous presence.

I'm nearly overwhelmed by the murderous intent that could never come from someone from a peaceful world. But I, too, have survived the brink of death in this world. I'm not going to die like this.

"Hey, you two! Stop fighting here! If you want to brawl, go outside!"

The shopkeeper woman comes out and scolds us.

I leave a little extra money on the table and step outside.

I could run away, but this woman has the viewers on her side.

No matter how many of them I scatter, it's pointless to send someone all the way here just to kill me. The situation is different from when we faced Refrea.

(Can I really win...?)

I don't know what kind of skills they have, but judging by their equipment, they must have invested heavily in stamina and vitality. I'm not sure if they'll use spirit magic, but even if they do, they won't be able to use it much. They probably can't wield powerful spells either.

Then, would dark spirit magic give me an advantage?

"You're the one who killed my childhood friend, aren't you?"

Jeanne stopped in a slightly wider area and said.

So she really came here after hearing that story.

To kill me.

"I didn't kill them."

I answered as calmly as I could.

Even in this situation, I still didn't want to disappoint the viewers.

They probably wanted to see me shouting back in protest, but I'm not going to give them that satisfaction.

"Is that so? Then what about your story—forgetting your lover from the dead Earth and finding a new one here?"

"I haven't."

"Yet you kissed someone, I hear."

"...You know even that much?"

Damn, the viewers are really something.

I never thought I'd be told this by a third party, even though I thought I was only looking at the moon. It's definitely unsettling.

After all... why am I being grilled like this by someone who doesn't even matter?

"Honestly, what I do with whom is none of your business, isn't it?"

"Ah. It's none of my business. But I was asked to look into you. I need to see you clearly."

"I didn't do anything."

"Is that right? Then prove it—right here, with that sword."

Spouting lines like a knight, Jeanne drew her sword.

A thick, broad blade, simple and unadorned.

Not as oversized as Reflare's sword, but vastly larger than my dagger.

This isn't some flamboyant or whimsical outfit she's wearing just for show.

My foggy mind, dulled by drink, begins to awaken.

This one came here to kill me, blindly believing some message. A madman.

If I lose, I'll die.

But... that's no different from fighting a monster.

Suddenly, I recall an interview article from before the transfer.

She once said, "I want to fight, fight, fight—then grow stronger."

From the sword showing even the slightest chip, one could see the experience accumulated over what seemed like an entire month, despite the mere one month since its transfer.

Jeanne skillfully removed her enormous shield from her back and positioned it in front of her.

Her stance evoked an impregnable fortress.

But I was never the type to fight head-on.

"Hehehe... I'm delighted, Cross Hikaru. Among all the people I've met, you're the strongest so far."

"I hope so."

"Let's go!"

As if that were the signal, Jeanne began advancing.

Naturally, I had no intention of following along.

"Phantom Warrior."

I quietly summoned the phantom warrior, so softly that Jeanne couldn't hear me.

Approaching Jeanne with a relentless pounding of her shield, the figure seemed nothing short of a true warrior.

The onlookers gathering nearby erupted into cheers at the sudden appearance of the warrior.

At the very moment Jeanne collided with the phantom warrior,

I activated the Darkness Fog the instant her attention was fully diverted from me.

A complete darkness enveloped Jeanne—

(…What’s this? The spirits are resisting…?)

Though she was fully enclosed in shadow, I could sense the fog’s effect wasn’t reaching her. Perhaps a radius of fifty centimeters? It felt as though the spirits were actively avoiding approaching her, centered around her.

Perhaps he has some item blocking spirit magic. Even if Darkness Fog doesn't affect him, the fog itself blocks light, achieving the same result. But with other techniques, he would have been completely nullified.

(He's dangerous. But our styles clash.)

If the outcome is the same, then the course of action remains unchanged. I quietly moved behind him.

The onlookers were shouting loudly, drowning out my footsteps.

And at that instant— I pressed the dagger precisely against the vulnerable side of his neck.

"Too easy,"

came a whisper, as Jeanne abruptly spun around, discarding her sword and shield.

Her forceful movement sliced open the neck she hadn't even intended to cut.

Yet she paid it no mind at all.

She shouldn’t have been able to see anything. That meant she had sensed my position only by the cold touch of the blade against her neck.

With astonishing strength, she grabbed the front of my shirt and yanked me forward—no need to even think about pushing her away, I was instantly pinned to the ground.

Lying on my back, I was straddled on my abdomen, my arms pinned down.

A mount position.

"Kill in one swift move. That split second of hesitation will cost you your life."

The cut on her neck must have been at least one centimeter deep. Blood dripped steadily, but Jeanne seemed completely unfazed.

"Gah… damn it…"

I had hesitated, indeed.

I hadn’t intended to kill her at all. I thought merely placing the blade at her neck would make her surrender in fear.

If someone says it's sweet, then it probably is.

I now recall I should've used Shadow Bind. Maybe I didn't think of it because I was overconfident, believing I could take him down without going that far.

As Jeanne said, it really is sweet.

This person came to kill me.

Jeanne looks down at me with a blank expression.

I can't move a single muscle, not even a millimeter.

— Am I going to die?

— Killed by another transmigrator?

"Damn it, Dark Coffin!"

I activate the only spell among those I currently have that seems effective.

The Coffin is a powerful spell that generates a strong barrier. Even if she has an item that nullifies spirit magic, I can still enclose her within a range that surpasses its effect.

But Jeanne remained calm.

"Spirit magic has a flaw—its name reveals what kind of spell it is. 'Coffin' means it traps the target inside, right?"

Before I could finish speaking, Jeanne suddenly lifted me up, pinning me from behind in a tight hold.

She dragged me backward, sliding me along the ground, gradually moving out of the spell's effective range.

In front of me, the Dark Coffin formed uselessly, with no one trapped inside. The strongest spell capable of sealing even the Demon King, yet defeated on first encounter.

It's true—spirit magic only activates when you speak its name to the spirit.

And yet, it was beaten so easily...

"Is it over already?"

Hearing those calm words, I finally accepted defeat.

I could always try summoning the Summon Knight Bug, if I wanted.

A direct attack on the actual head would probably be effective enough.

But it wouldn't be a turning point.

Just getting hit full force in the face wouldn't kill me.

I'd die the same way if my neck were choked like this.

Or maybe even the Nightbug would be rendered useless.

…I have to admit it.

By the time I reached this situation, I had already lost.