Chapter 412, Senior

A naked woman and a thug with dark eyes.

An intense scene of confrontation was about to unfold before their eyes.

Neither spoke much.

While Yuuki clearly resolved to eliminate his opponent, Ryuizari wore an expression as if he had come to terms with his fate.

"---Fh, nnn...!"

The standoff ended in an instant.

That was only natural. After all, Ryuzari had no intention of fighting to begin with.

That said, being fair, Yuuki's sword technique was quite impressive for a normal person.

A powerful, precise strike delivered with full force.

He drove it straight into the forehead of the "Hunger Man."

Ryuzari accepted it almost without resistance.

Yuuki, without the slightest hesitation or mercy, used the principle of leverage to twist the blade's tip. That single motion shattered the "Hunger Man's" brain, rendering it completely nonfunctional.

"…Thank you…."

Those were the final words spoken by Ryuzari.

Among all the encounters today, it was the gentlest smile.

"…Alright, then."

After finishing her task, Yuuki dropped her blade onto the floor…

"Are you hurt, miss?"

He extends his hand, as if playing the hero who's come to rescue a princess.

"Eh... y-yes..."

Caught off guard by the atmosphere, the girl suddenly wobbled and lost her balance.

"Wa—wait, w—"

She collapsed right there, flat on her face.

"Wha...? Can't seem to... summon any strength..."

"Yuu... Yūki-san!?"

Now that I think about it, wasn't it normal to lose consciousness for a while right after revival?

The fact that she's been moving around so energetically up until now—was it sheer willpower? Or was she forcibly jolted back to life by the bomb?

Now, suddenly, I realize just how terrifying a gamble I've been taking.

If she were to die now—truly and completely—then the very reason I came to this "kingdom" would vanish.

Just to be safe, I pulled out blankets from various places to hastily make a makeshift mattress, then put a pair of men's trunks on the shirt with Nakkī's picture printed on it, and carefully cast a healing spell on him.

Even so, it took about thirty minutes for Yūki to wake up.

To me, it felt like a long, long rest—like a hundred years had passed.

▼

It feels like I've been alone for quite a while now.

The announcement about the so-called "Demon King's death" seemed to be affecting things as well—no reinforcements were coming from downstairs.

Looking out from the large gap left by Yogen-chan and the others, I could see the confused residents of the "Unreal Kingdom," men, women, and children alike, gathering around the vicinity of this "Avienia Castle."

—So, I’m going to explain the situation to everyone there?

Or, as Mizutani Rui-chan suggested, I’ll just run away from this place.

One person was muttering thoughtfully,

"Unh…………"

and Kamin园 Yuki murmured.

I quickly rushed toward her,

"Yuki-san, —Kamin园-san!"

"Oh, you're the one from earlier…"

"Yes."

"Um, what's your name?"

"My name is——"

I began to say,

"No, never mind that—how are you feeling? Is there anywhere hurting?"

"No. Nothing's wrong."

Saying that, she bravely pushed herself up.

"……You dressed me in clothes. Thank you."

Wearing men's underwear, and with her slender frame, she looked almost like a man.

"……But my head's still foggy. I don't remember clearly—where exactly is this? Could it be some heavenly place?"

"No. This is the real world."

"Ah, so that's right. …I think I remember dying once."

That's right—exactly so.

I heard she was taken hostage at Ichihon Art University, and after her incident with Mr. Akira, she took her own life.

I don't sense any tragic image from her at least right now.

I'll go ahead and speak the information I'm aware of.

Ah, well... close enough, I suppose.

And so, I said it as if to cover up, it shouldn't be a mistake stemming from the root.

After that, I decided to grant her a rough overview of the current situation, just as she requested.

・The state of affairs in Tokyo after the "End."

・The existence of individuals known as "Players," who are superhumans.

・Shizukawa Reika and the "Kingdom" she created.

・Various events that occurred before Shinson Yuuki was revived.

"——hahah. I see. So it was quite a lot, huh? Really tough..."

"It's complicated... Well, I suppose you could say that in one word."

I'm astonished throughout the conversation that Yuuki seems to accept the situation as if it were completely normal.

It's as if she's silently saying she's used to this kind of thing.

"Anyway, you'd better get out of here as soon as possible."

"Yes..."

Still, I need to at least explain the situation to my companions.

And we'll discuss what to do next.

"Hmm…………"

As I stood there, listless and downcast, Yuki gently patted my shoulder.

"Cheer up. You don't need to worry. There's someone you can count on when things get tough."

"When things get tough...? Who?"

I'm currently in one of the worst situations of my life, after all.

"It's the senior you call 'senpai'."

"...Senpai?"

Strangely, I'm accustomed to being called that.

Wasn't it Asuka-chan and everyone from Nagakura High who called me that?

"A guy named Senko."

"Senko... Senko Ryōhei, right?"

"You know Ryōhei?"

Nodding, I hear

"He's no good. Perverted and spineless."

A cutting remark from Yuki.

"I'm talking about his older brother."

"Older brother?"

"Yeah. His name is Sakimitsu Kairi... You know, 'Saki' plus 'Kai'—you can read it as 'Senpai,' right?"

"Oh... right..."

"So 'Senpai' is just a nickname, then."

"Senpai's currently working as a detective in Sōtō. You should rely on him. He'll definitely solve any problem you throw at him."

"Huh..."

"He's a true, genuine armchair detective—literally the real deal."

"Aaah, michea...?"

"You don't know what that is? A detective who solves all sorts of cases without even leaving home."

"Aaah... I see."

I glance up at Yuki, half-joking.

She seems to have complete faith in this "senpai" of hers, giving me a firm thumbs-up.

"Like, right now, whenever I'm in trouble, he—well, just look..."

"……?"

Yuki-san, looking genuinely delighted, pointed at the massive hole opened by the robot.

I turned toward that direction and couldn't help but gasp, "Whoa!"

What we were looking at there was—