Chapter 414: Dream Story

It's been a while since I had a dream.

A dream of him—something I'd nearly forgotten lately.

Hibiya Kōsuke.

The person I used to date.

The world within the dream was wonderfully peaceful.

No zombies, no monsters, no players.

We were just regular students at Sakagakou High.

Kōsuke often got teased by his friends.

The reason was simple—because he had an incredibly cute girlfriend.

His girlfriend was the kind of girl talked about among classmates—the "someone worth protecting" type, a petite girl like a tiny mouse.

In their dreams, they looked perfectly suited to each other.

They were the kind of couple that made passersby sigh, "I wish I could have had a youth like that."

"Rika."

"—Hm?"

"You're happy, aren't you?"

Blushing faintly, she gave a small nod.

"My life belongs to you. Forever. Until my very last moment."

These were not words from a dream world.

They were actually said to me by him.

The words he spoke when he asked me to marry him.

It was a sweet exchange.

Yet somewhere deep inside, I felt unease.

I remember very clearly what happened after those words.

Even now, a terrible image flashes through my mind without warning.

On the floor of a poorly cleaned toilet.

Crawling like a cockroach toward a woman he barely knows, older than him—his sweaty, soaked buttocks.

Kousuke suddenly noticed my gaze and said.

Um, well... how about we mix in together?

It was traumatic.

Boys are truly unfathomable.

...right?...So in the end,...it's impossible for men and women to truly understand each other....They're completely different creatures,...after all.

Exactly what you need—YuriX.

Before I knew it, my best friend Ritsuko was on one side, and Asuka was on the other.

Kosuke was squeezed tightly between the two of them,

"W-wait! Just a moment! We were having a good atmosphere a second ago! At least say a proper goodbye...!"

"...idiot." "A man without principles will have a bad reputation for a hundred years to come."

"No way..."

Kosuke-kun was always flustered around those two girls.

"But listen to me.

You see, men naturally want to spread their seed into as many wombs as possible, if they can.

That's why I'm challenging the traditional marriage system right here, right now.

Humans are creatures that gradually lose excitement with each repeated encounter with the same partner.

That's why, in the future, we should build a social system allowing both men and women to freely engage in sex with anyone they choose."

This is a bit of a misinterpretation.

He's not someone who speaks much in situations like this.

"Yeah, yeah," "Let's do it in the next life."

"Damn it."

After muttering, "It's simply not enough time to convey my feelings to everyone,"

"Wait, but really! I... I mean it... I truly... about Rika...!"

He suddenly grabs my shoulders.

"I was such a fool... I wanted to at least make up before I left."

Stop.

Don't say that.

I'll never be able to forget you.

I really, truly... I wanted to get married too.

If you had wanted it, I would have given up everything—.

▼

"Rika-chan?"

A gentle voice came from above my head.

"...Rika-chan, are you asleep?"

"Wha—?"

I suddenly looked up.

The time was probably just after 7 p.m.

I glanced around. I was in front of the worktable near the storage room.

I must have dozed off while checking inventory.

A moment later, I locked eyes with the concerned "her."

"Ah... ah. You're back?"

"Yes. Just now."

She glanced at my expression with a touch of worry,

"...Did you have a sad dream?"

She wore a face just as sorrowful as mine, yet her lips curled into a faint smile.

"Yes... no, actually, the ending was kind of a joke-like dream."

"Is that so."

"Anyway, anyway! Have you fully remembered everything?"

We had made a promise before.

The next time we met, I’d call her not "Mr. Asada," but "Rika-chan."

"Yes. I’ve remembered. 'Rika-chan.'"

"That’s great!"

"It’s not really... good."

She lowered her gaze slightly toward the floor.

Rika felt an unfamiliar sense of unease spreading within her.

"Was the journey... a failure?"

"Perhaps. The situation has become somewhat more complicated than before. We didn't achieve nothing, but we've lost our direction for the future."

"It's okay! If we have our senior in top form, she's worth a hundred strong workers!"

"...Just because someone is strong doesn't mean they won't make the wrong choices."

The way she spoke—there was a shade of pallor on her face that Rika had never seen before.

No wonder, really.

She had lost——Kosuke-kun, during this journey.

He must have been an important companion to her, too.

Of course, she’d heard, through the whispers of others, tales about reviving the dead, about restoring souls—fantasies, really.

But she didn’t believe a single word of it.

The dead don’t come back.

That’s simply how the world works.

"Um..."

She seemed to be trying to convey something difficult to say.

For example, something like this.

Resurrecting the dead is a complete lie.

Kosuke didn't come back to life.

Sorry for making you wait.

I didn't need to be asked—I had already made up my mind long ago.

That's why Rika smiled as widely as she could, stopping him from continuing.

Even more than that!...Could you please grant me that request I made before?

"Uh"

"You said to your amnesiac senior, didn't you? That you've brought in a whole bunch of new board games. So let's... play together?"

Then she,...just slightly, set down her belongings with a nod.

"Of course. I'd be delighted."

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Today's title: 'JK Musou 3: How to Save a World That's Ending'

The manga version of 'JK Musou: How to Save a World That's Ending' is releasing tomorrow, April 9th!

I've added a few extra touches, so please enjoy it!