Chapter 88

Chapter 88 \n\nWe were finally done for the day after scouting out the general vicinity of the fairy square for traces of Momokawa. We encountered no other living armors during the search and had returned to the square tired, and in need of some good rest.

It was nighttime. I was lying on the grass, heading off to sleep, when I heard a whisper.

 

“S-Souma…”

Being the only guy in the party, I usually slept alone at a corner of the fairy square out of common decency. No solid wall separated the arbitrary area for boys and girls, but as a general rule, no boys are to be allowed in the girls’ area past bedtime. This applied vice-versa.

But hearing that hesitating voice, the girl who called out to me despite not wanting to have to, woke me up instantly.

 

“Nh,” I let out a yawn, “Oh, Asuna.”

Once I opened my eyes, I saw Asuna leaning over, gazing down at me. She was wearing her tracksuit in place of sleepwear, and had her hair down as opposed to the usual ponytail. Very casual compared to her everyday appearance.

I didn’t have to ask if something had happened, not anymore.

 

“C-can we…” Asuna asked in a small voice, “um, do it now…”

“Sure, come here.” I answered right away.

She looked visibly relieved hearing my consent, and even as her face dyed red in embarrassment, she lied down beside me in practiced movements. Here’s where you’d expect us to spend a passionate night together… but that would be a grave misconception, as she’d only be sleeping beside me.

 

“Sniff… Souma…” Asuna voiced, bringing her body closer to mine, snuggling up like a lonely child. Nope. Just sleeping beside each other, her and I.

Shit, this is crazy, how’s a teenage guy supposed to handle something like this? I mean, I do have confidence in my self-restraint but there’s always the slight possibility.

The sensation of Asuna’s body brushing up against mine was giving me all sorts of dangerous thoughts. And, dammit, did I mention she was wearing her tracksuit? No, she wasn’t wearing the jacket, only the t-shirt that goes underneath. That thin t-shirt. What the hell, what is with this unbearable softness being squished almost directly against me…

 

“Uh, huu… uuu…”

Asuna was crying. As those soft sobs reached my ears, the overwhelming sensations I’d been feeling from her body had been shut out all at once.

“It’ll be alright, Asuna.” I consoled her like a parent would their weeping child. I hugged her in reassurance. “I’m here for you. Don’t worry. Just relax and try to sleep. I’m always here for you. Promise.”

“Mm… thanks, Souma…” She mumbled, slowly drifting off to sleep.

 

This wasn’t the first night I played the role of emotional support for her. It’s been like this ever since the incident where she pushed Momokawa out of the transfer circle. Her heart had been crushed by first, the loss in her duel with Futaba-san, and then, by having made a mistake she could never apologize for. It put her over the edge, and every night since then, she’s been like this.

Normally, she looks fine. She can talk normally, and she has no problem dispatching monsters. The problem surfaces at night time, right around when everyone goes to sleep… she just breaks down. Asuna is considerate towards everyone else, and does her best to hide it, but at the end of the day, her leash on her emotions softens and she simply can’t bear with the scars she’s suffered in her heart, the stress of living with that pain, day after day, becomes too much. And this is what happens. She comes to sleep beside me because it gives her a sense of relief. It’s the only way she can sleep at night.

These symptoms are especially strong after we have a tough fight during the day. When she sees Futaba-san fiercely thrashing about with powerful monsters like the berserker she is, those memories of her loss, her pain and humiliation at those same hands begin to resurface within Asuna’s mind.

 

Today, when I witnessed Futaba-san absolutely rampaging on that living armor with the tower shield, I had a feeling it would turn into this come night. And not just me, the others were aware of this too. Sakura and Class Rep sympathized of course, and Natsukawa-san who, as someone who did a lot of sports, is aware of how hard it is to deal with loss. Even if it’s second hand, she and the others understand that the human heart can be a fragile thing in the face of trauma. So while Asuna developed a reliance of coming beside me to sleep, they all accepted it as something they couldn’t deny their suffering friend.

Every day, fighting, surviving, overcoming perilous odds, even someone as driven as Asuna can end up like this. I personally know her strength first hand, but even I have to admit that despite everything, she’s still a 16 year old girl. So of course she would cry, who wouldn’t, after having their heart beaten, battered, and scarred.

 

“Asuna…”

It pained me to see her hurt like this every day. It filled me with regret and bitterness that this was the only thing I could do for her, provide an empty sense of relief. But I understood that a wound of the heart isn’t something that can be healed fast. Nevertheless, I had to shamelessly console her so that she could keep standing. After all, the dungeon doesn’t give us the leisure to slowly heal our wounds.

So I hold Asuna tightly to me as we rest. Those unrelated may see this as highly inappropriate, but if they became aware of her state, I’m sure that no one would object. Even Sakura, who’s well known to be uptight about this sort of thing, not once complained and left Asuna’s care to me.

I suppose this means she trusts me to not take advantage of the situation. Even I’m aware how attractive a girl Asuna is, but this really isn’t the sort of situation where I can openly have sexual thoughts toward her. Embracing each other in light clothing, I can’t deny that my mind trends in a bad direction―― but feeling her pain through her sobbing moans, that train of thought drifts away without incident.

 

“Nh, hic…” Asuna let out a quiet sob in her sleep.

I wonder how long has passed with us like this? It didn’t feel very long. We had a bunch of hard fights today, so it isn’t strange for her to fall fast asleep.

“Good night, Asuna.” I breathed. Seeing her breathing calm, now, I finally went to sleep.

 

“… Nh?” My eyes shot open with a start. The fairy square had its lights on like always, so there wasn’t any sense of it being morning already, but my internal clock told me that it was still night. I could tell without needing to check my watch. I figured that I woke up for no reason in particular, and was about to head back to sleep, when I noticed a shadow pass from the corner of my eyes.\n 

“Isn’t that… Futaba-san?”

No, I wasn’t seeing things half awake. That was definitely her. And she was quietly walking out of the square alone.

“Don’t tell me she’s planning to go search on her own?”

I mean, I understand that he saved her life and all, but she was being obsessive about this, and taking risks like this is never a good idea. Whether I can stop her or not depends on her state of mind… but at the very least, I can accompany her.

There’s the thought of waking everyone up, but I don’t think I have the time to explain and convince them to follow along. Plus, Asuna is in something of a precarious state, while Sakura, she’s not exactly big on accepting Futaba-san as one of us.

So it’s up to me to somehow handle this. I delicately remove myself from the fairy square ground so as not to disturb Asuna who’s sound asleep, and then follow after Futaba-san.

 

“Strange.”

Futaba-san hadn’t gone far. She was in the small room located very close to the square. It was a plain, empty room that had no doors leading elsewhere. Natsukawa-san had even searched it for hidden passages but had found nothing. Futaba-san, who was with us at that time, should know this. But then, why is she here? It’s that small doubt that compelled me to sneakily check on her.

 

“…hic.” I heard her voice utter almost silently. She hasn’t realized that I’m here.

“uh, huu…” I heard again, and I quickly realized: She’s crying. Just like Asuna had, clinging to me, Futaba-san too, was crying.

“Kotaro-kun…” She spoke Momokawa’s name over and over as she quietly wept in the empty, white room.

 

“…” I returned to the square. I couldn’t think of any words to say to her. No, not just to console her, the problem was much deeper than that. “I’m… such an idiot…”

I felt stupid being blindly amazed at how strong Futaba-san was. She’s no different from us. Even she worries, gets hurt, even she suffers.

Asuna had Sakura, Class Rep, everyone worried for her. She had me to hold her when she couldn’t sleep. But what about Futaba-san? She wasn’t even in our friends circle, she was just a classmate. And I’m sure the feeling is mutual for her. Could she really confide her worries to us? In fact, it was likely that she couldn’t even trust us after all is said and done.

Which is what led her to do this: seclude herself and cry alone. Here in this cold dungeon with nobody to comfort her, nobody to hug her and tell her it’s going to be okay.

 

“Futaba-san, I…”

Really, I can’t believe myself. Just because she’s a Berserker, just because I admired how bravely, fiercely she battled monsters… maybe I was subconsciously relying on that strength of hers. I thought, that because she’s strong, she’ll be fine. I wouldn’t have to worry about her. She was a companion who I could trust my back to.

But now, I know better. I saw her there, crying alone. I can’t ignore it anymore. The fact that she’s just like us. That Futaba Meiko, the powerful Berserker, is still a girl.

So, with resolve: “… I, will protect you.”

 

A week passed in the castle zone.

 

“Phewy∼, I’m fiiinally done∼”

“Great work, Kotori.”

“Yeah, you really put in a ton of effort for us.”

Takanashi-san lay sprawled on the flood with sweat sliding down her forehead while Class Rep and Asuna gave her props for a job well done. In other words, she’d finally finished upgrading all our weapons.

While she’d been busy doing that, the rest of us had been collecting more high grade arms from living armors, and looking for treasure boxes which there seemed to be a lot of in this zone. All in all, a week had passed before we knew it.

But the wait was definitely worth it, and so without further ado, let’s start from my weapons and equipment:

 

 

Paladin’s Sword: Once wielded by a certain paladin, this sword not only has a highly sharpened, shimmering silver edge, but is also protected by a variety of magical enchantments, restoring it to its original glory. The emblem on its guard shines in the semblance of Engard the Lion of Flame.

Blue Fire Blade: A single edged swords endowed in blazing fire. The constant embers on its edge have a mysterious ice blue glow.

Blue Lightning Blade: A single edged swords endowed in crackling lightning. The constant sparks on its edge have a mysterious ice blue glow.

White Dagger: A dagger endowed with lux magic. A white luminescence always surrounds its blade.

Guard Ring: A ring that manifests the battle art: Guard.\nDrop of Life: Crystalized from the Waters of Life, this tiny jewel worn as a necklace can be used to heal from any injury.

 

 

While my main is still the sword I collected from the long dead knight we once found at a fairy square, now, I have an additional two swords that are enchanted with different elemental magics which I can use to shoot ranged magic attacks. Them being different elements also allows me to choose my weapon based on the enemy and have an elemental advantage.

I’m no mage, but I now had the ability to shoot elemental spell alternatives. While before, I used to deal ranged damage by throwing knives, or, in case I wanted a longer throw, a halberd, there was still the problem of limited resources, and there’s only so much I can carry before it becomes a burden to the fight.

And along with the now, powered-up weapons, I also received a couple of magic accessories. The Guard Ring for extra defense, and the one-time full recovery necklace, the Drop of Life. Both of these are equip items that make it easier to go all out in battles.

Though, I already have a similar skill as the ring, Iron Guard, and the Drop of Life, while being akin to a 1+ on my number of lives, it doesn’t really help me fight any better. I mean, it’s great to have some insurance, but personally…

 

“My bow still looks the same, was there something wrong?”

“Oh right, Sakura-chan, your bow’s the type that gets stronger the more you use it, so me trying to upgrade it doesn’t do anything.”

Sakura’s bow, on the other hand, didn’t receive any form of power-up. Though, I suppose Takanashi-san’s the expert on this stuff, so if she says it’s fine, it probably is. The Saintess’ Bow does in fact look different from back when we started. It’s shape and appearance has been changing gradually, and it looks a lot whiter in color.

 

“Well, as a consolation, you get these!” Takanashi-san beamed while handing over a collection of elementally enchanted arrows, for all elements other than lux.

“Oh, arrows. Thank you.” Sakura said.

“There’s only a limited supply of these, so use them wisely!”

Sakura can use lux magic for a very versatile degree already, so with the addition of these arrows, she’ll have more tricks in her repertoire.

 

“Come on, don’t you wanna upgrade your staff too?” Takanashi-san asked Class Rep.

“I told you I’m fine. Plus, I don’t want to risk you failing since I’ll end up staffless again.”

“Trust mee, I can totally do it!”

“I said I’m not taking chances. If we get another staff, you can try with that one first.”

 

 

Snow Bloom: A staff specialized in ice magic. The orb on top transforms when mana is poured within. It’s final form is that of a blooming flower of ice, and only in that form can its true potential be unleashed.

 

 

Class Rep had opted to keep her staff, the one dropped by a mage type living armor, as it was. According to her, it’s already plenty powerful and she doesn’t want to upgrade it if that entails a risk of damaging this item she’d wanted for so long.

Takanashi-san wanted to try her hand at it since it’s rare for her to upgrade a mage’s staff, but she’ll have to hold off on it this time.

As for accessories, Sakura and Class Rep also received a few unique ones:

 

 

Amulet of Protection from Arrows: In addition to arrows, this magic charm allows the wearer better evasion toward any type of ranged attack or spell.

Cuffs of Concentration: Increases the wearer’s focus when forming spells.

 

 

Sakura got a Guard Ring, a Drop of Life and the Amulet of Protection from Arrows, while Class Rep had a Guard Ring and the Cuffs of Concentration. We’d collected a bunch of these Guard Rings so there were enough to go around for everyone. The Drop of Life however, was rarer and we only found 2.

Since I had the highest offensive ability in the party, and therefore carried the highest risk of injury, and since Sakura was our only healer and lifeline for the party, it was decided that the two of us would wear the Drop of Life necklaces. In return, Class Rep got the Cuffs of Concentration so she can increase her damage output even more.

 

Making the rounds, Takanashi-san now went up to Asuna: “Asuna-chan, you look like you’ve gotten used to your magic swords.”

“I have.” Replied Asuna. “And I have to admit, I didn’t think they’d be this useful.”

Like me, Asuna also got a number of magic endowed swords:

 

\n 

 

“What. The. Hell…” Natsukawa-san looked at them in utter shock.

“Hokay, I know what you’re thinking,” Takanashi-san said nervously, “but let me remind you that I’m not the one making this stuff up. This is all――”

“I’ll kill you!! Kitoriii!!”

“Hyikes!?”

 

An aqua element whip and lightning element dagger would surely make our Thief, Natsukawa-san, much stronger. But let me speak for her when I say, she is only a thief in name not action.

“Give me nicer weapons dammit!!” Even though she may scream hysterically and chase around Takanashi-san, I stand by my statement. Only in name. I wish you luck, Natsukawa-san.

 

“So, we’re finally leaving this square.”

“As for the boss of this zone, I have a feeling it’ll be the strongest one yet.”

“We’ll be fine. We’re stronger and better equipped than ever.”

Said Class Rep, Sakura and finally Asuna, each expressing their readiness to challenge and clear the trial ahead of us―― but before we leave, I have a little something I have to do.

 

“Futaba-san, a minute?” I said.

“What is it, Souma-kun?”

“Here.” I said as I handed her my Drop of Life.

“Huh? But this is your’s.”

“I want you to have it.”

 

I’m loath to admit it, but this is the best I can do right now in terms of protecting her. Futaba-san is undoubtedly strong. I can tell that she’s easily stronger than Asuna.

Which means that, if we’re in a fight where even she’s in trouble, I can’t say with confidence if I can jump in to protect her from a devastating blow since I might also be stuck with enemies. Which is why she needs the Drop of Life. If, by chance, I can’t cover for her, at least this will save her from an otherwise deadly wound.

 

“What’s the meaning of this, nii-san! We’ve all agreed that you need that necklace the most. You’re the most at risk since you’re――”

“Stop it, Sakura. I won’t change my mind.”

I expected Sakura to object. From their interactions so far, it isn’t hard to figure out that my sister doesn’t like Futaba-san much. But I won’t let her sway me on this. I’m a man, and if I say I’ll protect her, then that’s that.

If it’s Sakura, I’m sure she’ll quickly notice that I’m very serious about this. But for now, Class Rep mediated and settled her down for me. Though she still had a look on her like she had more to say.

“… Yuuto-kun, you’re sure about this?” Class Rep asked after a pause.

“I am. This is what I want. And I don’t think I’m the most at risk, Futaba-san fights just as hard as I do.”

 

“Ah, you don’t need to worry.” Futaba-san said, lifting her shield. “I have a good shield.”

I guess from her point of view, she’d rather not take it if it starts raising sparks between us.

“Please. Just think of it as doing me a favor…” I pleaded. “Honestly, I’m not confident I can save you in a critical situation.”

I know, it’s really pathetic for a Hero. But that’s just another reason for me to get even stronger.

 

“Oh, well, alright.” Futaba-san said finally. “I still think I’ll be fine without you worrying, but if it makes you less nervous, I’ll take it, sure.”

Gently smiling as if to express that she completely understands the depth of my worries, Futaba-san happily accepted the Drop of Life from my hand.

“Thanks, Souma-kun. I appreciate it.”

 

Futaba-san immediately wore the life-saving necklace around her neck and, oof, it, it just disappeared inside her cleav… fuck, calm thoughts, breathe man breathe. Let’s not think about where that drop went.

“All right, let’s head out.” I gave the signal to depart.

Our preparations were set, I was able to express my intent to protect everyone, and now, I just need to show that through action.