254 Oni-kun, Spider

Transferred to the alternate space where Oni-kun resided.

Oni-kun remained unconscious.

Well, after being beaten so thoroughly, it's unsurprising he hasn't awakened yet.

No choice but to administer a minor recovery.

Too much recovery might trigger Rage again, so keep it moderate.

After recovery, observing for a time, Oni-kun groaned and slowly opened his eyes.

"U… Wakaba-hime?"

Oni-kun murmured in a quiet voice.

Yes, yes.

Everyone's idol—Wakaba-hime color, right?

Ah, troublesome.

Why do I have to fill in for D?

"Here, I'm called Shiro."

"Right. I'm Lars. You could call me that, if you'd like?"

Lars. Rage. Yes.

Don't know the circumstances behind it, but Oni-kun clearly dislikes being called by his original name.

Then it suits me just fine.

No further inquiries. As for names, let it be settled here.

"Then, Shiro. Where is this?"

Well, it's natural to wonder.

The alternate space we currently occupy is nearly default settings.

That is, an endless, empty expanse.

Nothing exists, so no light.

Pure black space.

Yet, essentials such as air and other necessities for Life are present.

Otherwise, suffocation would occur, or even death from vacuum pressure.

Beyond that, settings have been adjusted so objects remain visible even in darkness.

Currently, Oni-kun's field of view shows only my form isolated in utter blackness.

Naturally, one would ask where this place is.

"I created this alternate space."

"Alternate space. Indeed."

Unexpectedly, Oni-kun murmured, "Indeed."

Did he already understand this was not ordinary space?

I also possess spatial magic. I realized this place isn’t ordinary space.

Oni-kun, though his expression gave nothing away, added an explanation, having read my unspoken question.

Ah, right—there was that G.O.B.-like incident earlier.

Spatial magic, indeed.

I’d once interfered and peeked inside, then forgotten.

Honestly, I didn’t consider it a threat at the time, so I didn’t prioritize it.

Spatial magic, if advanced enough, could eventually breach my defenses.

Partly because I specialize in spatial magic, but also because dimensional magic—the evolution of spatial magic—has a documented history of inflicting damage on that D.

That’s a significant loophole, but the existence of prior instances means it’s not irreproducible.

Therefore, spatial magic users are worth monitoring, but at present, Oni-kun’s level is judged insufficient to reach me.

"I have many questions, but could it be that in this world, everyone else from our class has also been reincarnated?"

Hm?

You're asking about that?

Ah, well, I suppose that makes sense.

If someone from your past appeared before you, you'd think of that possibility.

Especially since Oni-kun was in a rage-induced rampage and incapable of communication.

There’s no way to know the circumstances of reincarnated individuals.

"All of them."

"All of them. That’s honestly not what I expected."

Despite saying it wasn’t expected, Oni-kun doesn’t seem particularly surprised.

He must have already considered several possibilities given my presence here.

Oni-kun’s past life, Sasajima, was always pictured as quite quick-witted.

As if choosing words based on the atmosphere of the moment.

Not so much skilled at navigating social currents, as desperately trying not to disrupt the harmony.

Being able to read the air and speak accordingly also indicates a certain level of mental agility.

When we speak of mental agility here, it does not necessarily refer to the ability to study or not study.

Some people are intelligent despite poor academic performance. Others perform well in studies yet lack practical ability.

In Sasa-jima's case, academic performance was moderate, but he possessed a certain kind of intelligence in that regard.

"Then, do you know if Yamada Shunsuke and Oshima Hodaka are doing well?"

Oni-kun appeared confident that a response would come to the question posed.

Well, mentioning casually that I was present with the entire class—anticipating that they would deduce I had information on the reincarnated.

There's no need to hide it. I can tell you something like that.

Oni-kun can only understand so far as my holding the information.

Both are well.

It's a one-sided transformation, though!

Energy is present. No deception.

So that’s good.

Oni-kun relaxes his expression there, as if genuine.

Hmm.

What has been established so far.

Oni-kun is watching me very closely.

Well, that’s to be expected, isn’t it?

Awake to find a stranger in black having beaten him senseless, only to discover a familiar face from a previous life.

Moreover, in another realm.

You'd be unreasonable to expect me to stop being on guard now.

Ah, or perhaps it would’ve been better if Oni-kun were a bit simpler—just blanking out completely and bombarding me with questions.

Instead, my mind’s spinning too much. Overthinking everything. Getting stuck in the worst kind of loop.

Well, for me, that’s actually convenient.

Fewer words mean less burden.

After all, I can’t just speak all at once like that!

The reason I managed to talk decently earlier against the Demon King and the Black Figure was half because it was the Demon King, and half because I’d rehearsed the lines in advance.

Thinking I’d be able to answer off the top of my head in this kind of unstructured Q&A? Big mistake.

So, Oni-kun.

Prepare yourself—this will take quite some time.

Don’t worry. As long as we’re within this space, time outside passes slowly.

Take all the time you need.