06 Story Hayato and Yui

"If I could remove the virus before zombification, would adult Yui pay the price?"

Hayato pulled a spear from his spatial storage and showed it to Yui again, asking her once more.

He emphasized "adult" because she had insisted, "Eighteen, adult!" when he said "Yui-chan."

Now, Yui, who had previously not believed at all, was now half-believing, leaning more toward belief, and asked Hayato.

"I was summoned to another world three years ago."

Yui closed her mouth and looked at him, waiting for the rest.

"Crossing dimensions grants special abilities."

The human nation of the other world, with a medieval-level civilization, had summoned Hayato.

Their purpose was to obtain power to defeat the Demon King.

Hayato himself did not fully understand how the summoning had occurred.

One possibility he speculated about was the existence of a hypercivilization far surpassing Earth.

— Perhaps, in the past, such a hypercivilization had installed a transfer device.

— Physical enhancement was automatically applied by the device to make users capable of enduring the transfer.

— Sacred magic was activated through genetic modification and nanomachine implantation during device usage.

— Spatial storage functioned via an embedded terminal that digitized objects. Capacity limits were due to terminal data volume. Living beings could not be stored due to safety protocols.

— Communication with beings from the other world was achieved through automatic translation by the embedded terminal.

— Those from the other world did not use the device themselves because the technology did not exist on Earth and because of insufficient understanding of the device.

— The intervals between transfers occurred because the hypercivilization did not manage the process, but rather to accumulate energy.

・The reason the transfer device became unusable after a transfer target was killed was simply because the device broke.

・The similarity between Earth's planetary environment and that of the other world was due to the hypercivilization's terraforming.

・The similarity between Earth's culture and that of the other world was due to the transfer targets bringing materials and knowledge.

If these were the reasons, Hayato could understand.

Whether they were true was uncertain.

Regardless, Hayato had gained power through summoning to the other world.

"Summoned, told to fight because of the demon race, treated as a tool."

"……Yeah."

"Then, when the battle ended, told I was dangerous because wild beasts remained, and driven away."

Yui's eyes showed understanding, along with a flicker of pity and sympathy.

"That's why I believe the virus can be removed. Because zombies exist in the other world, and they were healed with sacred magic."

"Could it be that the virus entered when Hayato was summoned?"

"...Possibility exists."

Not just possibility. Timing was entirely black.

"My power can't be shared with others. I'd be confined if treated as a vaccine. I'd be blamed for the virus influx. That isn't my fault."

"If you have that power, couldn't you escape?"

Hayato paused, then shook his head.

"Impossible. Even with the bear's strength, I can't overcome a self-defense force's machine gun."

Crossing the black nation is out of the question.

"I can't join large communities. I thought Yui might be able to. If she helps someone near death, she becomes a life-saver."

Hayato's explanation made Yui's expression stiffen for an instant.

But Yui immediately seized the opening for counterattack and launched her own assault.

“...The cause of the virus!”

“So it’s not my fault.”

Hayato exhaled, considering the state of the planet and his own position.

To people of medieval-level technology, the concept of a virus likely did not exist.

The supercivilization that installed the transfer device—wherever it was—remained unknown.

Spreading Hayato’s theory across Earth would reach no one, and only serve to blame him.

“So, since I’m living with the transfer benefit, I’d like someone to help me—someone to be a partner. What do you think?”

Yui fell silent, her expression thoughtful.

Her eyes held a mixture of emotions.

After a pause, she spoke softly.

“...You don’t think I’d sell you to someone?”

Hayato showed a flicker of surprise, then regained composure immediately.

“If it becomes known you’ve recovered from the zombie virus, Yui might be confined for life to study your immunity.”

“Ugh.”

Yui groaned at Hayato’s remark.

Without Hayato’s sacred magic, she would become a zombie.

But if saved, she would be bound to him.

“It’d be easier if we teamed up. What do you say, junior?”

Recalling that Yui had called herself a junior, Hayato pointed out the advantage of a senior-junior partnership.

Yui looked unsettled, but after a moment, nodded—there was no other way.

“By the way, I’m a graduate of Kirioka North High School, so I’m always your senior, regardless.”

Hayato emphasized the point. Yui’s lips twitched.

“Yui is a proper high school student, you know?”

Yui might have been a middle school student who would have entered high school if civilization had not collapsed.

Thus, claiming to be a high school student is a rejection of the senseless world overrun by Zombies.

Hayato nodded in reply, imagining how Yui would react if she found out.

But I don’t feel like the compensation I’m getting matches what I’m giving.

When the general terms of negotiation were settled, Yui showed a slight sign of concern.

In those eyes, a hue of unease hovered.

Hayato looked at the scene and reconsidered his position in relation to Yui.

Hayato was expelled from the shelter where he had been staying with his family, after becoming infected.

Hours from death, a girl appearing around sixth-grade age, estimated middle school level, arrived and scattered the zombies knocking at the front door.

And treat Hayato, and from now on provide water, rations, safety, and so on.

What Hayato could offer was information from the three years the girl had been absent.

Anyone could do it. The collaborator did not need to be Hayato.

If Hayato were the one, he might worry that his contribution was too small, and that he would be discarded if a better collaborator appeared.

Perhaps Hayato’s only value was labor—menial tasks within the safe zone.

"...Body."

If physical labor, Hayato might be able to offer it.

In fact, that was all he could do.

As Hayato thought this, he looked at Yui, who wore a complicated expression.

When their eyes met, she asked, her gaze scornful.

"Hayato, a lolicon?"

"What... what...?"

Hayato tried to understand why this had come to pass.

He realized the situation: her response to "The compensation doesn’t seem to match" had been "Body."

Perhaps that’s what it was, but ah, a lolicon, huh.

No, you weren’t eighteen, were you.

Yui sighed, exasperated, at Hayato’s immediate rebuttal.

That’s right. But try to be more active, raise your approval rating a bit. Then, healing you.

Gurk.

Hayato wanted to protest the misunderstanding.

But he was troubled by the situation: being told, while still misunderstood, that “just be more active, raise your approval rating, and it’ll be fine.”

In Hayato’s high school days, there had been no girl.

He had only laughed with friends, had fun.

And for the past three years in the other world, he had worked as a draft animal. No women around. If a carrot were hung from his waist, how would that even turn out?

Alright, healing you.

Hayato did not resolve the misunderstanding. He cast a healing spell on Yui instead.