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CHAPTER 5 – CONNECTING THE DIFFERENT THREADS
PART 05
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“!?”
Had the ground split open? Were we going to be swallowed up by the earth?
I wanted to call out to the girls, but my voice wouldn’t work. My body had also stopped responding, and my head started to spin as a strange, indescribable feeling overwhelmed me.
Just as I was about to puke, it all suddenly stopped.
“……?”
I hadn’t realized that I’d screwed my eyes shut during the ordeal. I slowly opened them to see—
“Rekka?”
—Tsumiki and Iris staring down at me.
“……Huh?”
A glance around confirmed that I was in the backyard of the “Nozomiya”. Satsuki, Harissa and Tetra were here too, looking around with confused expressions on their faces.
Iris was the first to move.
“Rekka—!”
“Gyueh!!”
She had thrown herself towards me, embracing me with her entire body and causing me to fall backwards.
“I was so worried! I looked everywhere, but I couldn’t find you! So I asked around and someone said that you were at this girl’s house, and hadn’t gone to school for 3 days! I thought that Satsuki was right, that the strange curse had affected your head and made you weird!”
“No no no! Wait a minute, ouch!”
Iris was hugging me so hard that I felt like I was going to burst open. Her usually hidden tail was out in the open now, wagging furiously in response to her joy.
“I’m fine! I’ve been really healthy here! So relax, Iris! And hide your tail! Tsumiki’s gonna see it!”
“Huh? Oh, you’re right. Oops!”
In a flash, Iris had curled her tail around itself and tucked in back under her skirt.
“Huh? I thought I saw… Ehh?”
Luckily, it all happened so fast, and Tsumiki was too caught up in the commotion to really take note.
“Anyway, are you really alright, Rekka?”
Iris asked again, concerned.
“Yes, I’m really alright… But how did I end up here?”
I clearly remembered being in the fake world a moment ago, but here I was, sitting in “Nozomiya”‘s backyard. And how about Lea? And Bahamut? Just what had happened?
“Don’t you know, it’s because Rekka and I are connected by destiny~”
“No, I don’t think that’s the case.”
Just as I was puzzling over how to explain the situation to Iris, Tsumiki, who had been quiet all this while, suddenly rushed over and aimed a kick at my head.
“What are you doing, playing lovebirds here in my house!?”
“We’re not! Anyway, that’s not the point! How did I end up here, and when!? I don’t understand!”
“Huh? …We’re the ones who don’t understand. We came out here because we heard a huge commotion, then we saw all of you fly out of that hole. So what happened with you guys?”
Tsumiki asked, an eyebrow raised in query.
“The hole…?”
Tsumiki pointed—at the hole which existed in “Nozomiya”‘s backyard, which had now grown larger. Now, it was just the right size for a human to crawl through.
“…I see.”
The hole must have opened up from all the shaking caused by Lea and Bahamut’s battle, and we had been close enough to fall through it. That was what brought us back to the real world.
That means we had no time to lose. I needed to get back there as soon as I could!
I stood up and made my way back to the hole, fully intending to jump back in— But Tsumiki blocked my way.
“Wait a second! Where do you think you’re going?”
“Please, let me go! I need to get back there immediately!”
“——!!”
*slap!*
“Hu-h…?”
I dumbly raised a hand to where Tsumiki had slapped me, feeling the sting of the hit. My mind, which had been jumbled up with thoughts, suddenly calmed down a little.
Tsumiki continued to glare at me,
“…Well, go then! It doesn’t matter that I have no idea where you went, or what you did these past 3 days!”
As if letting out her anger, Tsumiki stamped a foot on the ground.
“I’ve been practising my cooking all this time…and I’ve gotten better! So I don’t need you anymore. Having a taste tester is optional, anyway. I can do this by myself. As for you… As for you, just go away and never come back!”
Tsumiki shouted with tears in her eyes.
“……”
I had been in such a panic due to everything that had happened, but now, my head slowly cleared.
Everything which I’d anticipated hadn’t happened as planned.
I had no way of hurting Bahamut.
Tetra had shielded me from his attack, and gotten hurt.
I hadn’t stopped Lea when she uttered her death wish, then I’d let her go to die alone.
My heart had been so overwhelmed with rage at my powerless self, but finally, I managed to regain a sense of composure.
Time passed more slowly in the fake world, but I’d still left Tsumiki all alone for 3 days. Now, looking into her tear-filled eyes, I apologized.
“…I’m sorry. I told you I’d be back soon, yet I took so long and made you wait.”
“Shut up! …Who said I was lonely!?”
Tsumiki was a headstrong girl, so she probably didn’t like to hear the implication that she had been lonely.
She probably didn’t want to show me any tears as well, so I dragged her into my arms, a silent offer for her to dry her tears on my shirt.
If I returned to the fake world like this, I might be killed, and Tsumiki’s “story” would come to a bad end, making her cry again. The more I thought about it, the more I shuddered. It wasn’t only Tsumiki; without me, Tetra’s “story” might also crumble into pieces.
Filled with rage and panic, I didn’t mind charging onwards and falling and getting hurt, but to drag all these girls into it with me— I would never allow it.
“Rekka, are you feeling better?”
“Satsuki… Sorry.”
“It’s alright.”
My childhood friend smiled graciously as she accepted my apology.
“You’ve said it yourself, Rekka. Let’s all put our heads together and think of a way to solve this.”
“She’s right, Rekka-san.”
Tetra nodded in agreement with Satsuki’s words.
“Tetra will help too. Lea-san is doing her best to battle for everyone, so that we can have the time to think.”
“I’ll do my best to help Rekka-sama too!” Harissa offered.
“I don’t really know what’s going on, but I’ll do anything for Rekka!” Iris added.
“Wait a minute. I’m serious when I said I have absolutely no clue. What’s going on here?”
Sniffling, Tsumiki looked thoroughly lost.
Iris looked slightly confused as well, since she didn’t know anything about the “stories”… Just then, she suddenly let out a loud scream.
“Rekka, your hand is heavily injured! We need to get it fixed!”
“Oh. Erm… Thanks.”
“Leave it to me!”
With that, Iris plunged her hand into her wormhole pouch.
“I brought lots of stuff from Phenerita which can heal you up, Rekka. Of course, there are some of the usual medicines which will do for now… Huh? There’s so much stuffed inside that they’re all stuck together now. There!”
With a heave, Iris gave a tug inside her pouch, and a heap of…what looked like medical supplies tumbled out with a crash. Wait, was that studded hammer really used to heal someone?
“Anyway, what’s up with that giant injection needle?”
I pointed to the huge needle resting amidst the pile of scattered medical supplies. Its entire length was almost my height.
“Hmm? That’s a medical gun used to heal the space monsters, that’s why it’s so big. Because it’s for monsters.”
Iris explained matter-of-factly as she placed a bandage over my fist.
For monsters, she said. Its diameter was as thick as my arm… The whole thing was large enough to spear me through.
“The syringe part of the medical gun which holds the medicine works just like my pouch, so it’s a wormhole. It can hold as much liquid as all the oceans on your planet.”
“Wow…”
“There are many others too. For open wounds, internal injuries, head injuries, blood transfusions…”
“Whoa…”
I broke out in cold sweat as I pretended to be fascinated by Iris’ grim descriptions.
The needle alone would be enough to cause a fatal wound, but to be injected with that much medicine would cause me to explode like a balloon…
“——Oh!”
A spark suddenly ran across my brain as I stared at the huge needle of the medical gun.
Various small pieces were starting to come together, as if pulled by invisible strings.
And a method to defeat the “perfect creature” slowly formed in my mind.
The different threads didn’t make sense on their own, but connected together, even the weakest threads could form a strong steel rope.
I was powerless alone— but with everyone’s help!
Tsumiki, “Nozomiya”, Tetra, Ziz Village, the method to rescue Lea, the way to defeat Bahamut, all weaved together.
“Tsumiki! Do you have any Dark Matter, I mean, failed cooking experiments right now?”
“Why must you mention ‘failed’!? ……Yes, I do have some.”
“Then give it to me. We need it right now.”
“Huh? I don’t get it. Anyway, are you going to leave again?”
“Sorry! I’ll explain everything later. There’s no time now!”
“You said that 3 days ago too. You promised you’ll explain it all to me…”
I guessed she was angry at being left behind again. No, I was sure of it, but we didn’t have any time to waste now.
“I’m really sorry! But I’ll definitely not abandon you, Tsumiki.”
“Wha—!? Waah, hey!”
Grasping both her hands in mine, I made a solemn promise.
“I’ll definitely be back before Food Champion, so please let me go now. I’m begging you, please trust me.”
“H-How can you say such embarrassing things with such a straight face!?”
“??”
Why was Tsumiki avoiding my gaze? Was I not sincere enough? Damn it…
Just as I was thinking of what to say to convince Tsumiki, Tetra came over and laid her own hands on top of ours.
“Tsumiki-san. Rekka-san is not a person who would abandon anyone by choice. Even if the other person isn’t even a human, even if the enemy is impossibly powerful, he will do everything he can to help. So please, won’t you believe us?”
“Erm… So you trust this guy?”
“Yes. Tetra trusts Rekka-san.”
“……Alright, I get it!! …I know you’re not a bad guy. I’ll believe you one last time. But you have to explain everything to me once you get back!”
“Thanks, Tsumiki and Tetra.”
I nodded to both of them in gratitude, then immediately set about getting things ready.
After all, we’d need some time to make sure everything was in place.
Thus, I needed to rely on Lea to hold on for as long as she could in battle.
I felt like a fraud, using a “heroine” to buy time for myself, but, Lea…
I would never fulfill your death wish.
Sealing both you and Bahamut up, then destroying the fake world with you in it… I would never do that.
You were left alone for so long, I’d never leave you alone again.
I’ll fight, to ensure that nobody needed to sacrifice their lives, until all of us could smile together and welcome a happy end.
I’ll definitely rescue everyone.