CK 70

Chapter 70…

To Run or Not to Run
What I Want to Do

When we go back a little in time—this was around when Masato Insei and the others were sharing information in front of the rooftop door.

☆☆☆

The classroom was filled with the chatter of students eating lunch, getting ready for their afternoon club activities.
What I could hear were conversations about where to hang out and what to do during summer break.

Even though I had no reason to be there, I was still in the classroom.
I didn’t want to stay there, but I didn’t feel like going home either.

Summer break.

Things I want to do.

Ever since I talked with Hirahara yesterday, I’d been thinking about what I really want to do.

But in the end, I just came back to javelin throwing.

Still, there was this question in me—“Do I really want to do it again?”

Is it because I don’t want to see Rina or Souma again?

Because I’m afraid of getting injured again?

Or because I truly don’t want to do it anymore?

I didn’t know the reason, but I just couldn’t bring myself to act.

Still, there was no point in staying at school.
I definitely didn’t want to get caught by Rina or Souma and get into another fight.

I grabbed my almost-empty bag and left the classroom.

For now, I’ll just leave school.
I’ll walk around town like I always do.

Thinking that, I started walking down the corridor toward the shoe lockers.

And just as I reached the staircase—

A scream echoed out.

My feet stopped without thinking.

…Another monster.

Great. I really didn’t want to get involved again.

But this being the second time, I was already getting a little used to it.

Well, I had heard rumors for a while anyway.

For now, I just needed to avoid it and get home safely.

That’s what I thought—until I heard voices this time.

“Another monster appeared on campus!”
“Two days in a row! What’s going on, Tamura-sensei!?”
“Insei is already fighting it!”
“Isn’t it wrong to make a student fight in the first place!?”
“That’s not Tamura-sensei’s decision—it’s the chairman’s…”

Then I heard a sigh.

That was probably a conversation between teachers.

…but it has nothing to do with me.
I should just go home.

I was about to start walking again toward the shoe lockers when I heard a girl shout:

“Sensei! The person who was attacked yesterday is injured and can’t run away!”
“Where!?”
“This way!”

After that, their voices and footsteps faded away.

The person attacked yesterday…

Injured…

…It must be Rina.
So she really was hurt yesterday when she protected me.

The next moment, I was already running.

Not toward the shoe lockers—
but toward the direction of those fading voices.

Halfway down, I looked out the stairwell window—

And as I expected, Rina was cornered by the same giant scorpion from yesterday.

…At this rate, Rina’s in danger.

I knew that.

But I didn’t want to deal with monsters anymore.

Besides, Hirahara and Insei were here. There was no need for me to go.

But… really?

My friend is being attacked by a monster—
and I’m just going to stand here and watch?

Rina got hurt yesterday just to protect me.

And I’m going to do nothing?

What is it that I want to do?

“…Ugh, damn it!!!”

I bolted down the stairs and started running again.

For some reason, I grabbed a broom that was leaning against the wall, throwing my bag aside.
Then I shoved past the cluster of teachers near the school entrance and dashed outside.

Rina was pinned against the wall by the giant scorpion.

Its tail was already aimed at her.

There were three people in armor nearby, but they were each fighting different monsters—none of them would make it in time.

I kicked the ground harder.

Please—make it in time.

Make it.

Make it!!!

I swung the broom down hard at the scorpion’s tail just as it came down toward Rina.

The monster flinched and retreated a step, seemingly startled.

I stepped in front of Rina, between her and the monster.
Behind me, I heard her shocked voice—

“Suzuho…!? Why…?”

“…Just like Souma said, I kept running away. When I got injured at such an important time, I thought the three years I’d worked for were wasted. And after that, I started to hate everything.
Then I lost all motivation to come to school. Even when I did, you and Souma hardly talked to me, so I thought I really had nothing left—that we weren’t friends anymore.
But yesterday, you still protected me. Even got hurt doing it. So now, it’s my turn to protect you.
I want to talk with you properly again. That’s what I want to do right now!”

Without taking my eyes off the giant scorpion, I poured out everything I felt.

Thinking about it, regretting it, sulking about it—none of that changes anything.

If I want to move forward, I have to act.

And if people really can’t die until they fulfill their purpose—

Then if I still have one, I won’t die here.

And if I do die here, then maybe saving Rina was my purpose all along.

…That wouldn’t be so bad either.
Because either way, moving forward means doing something.

The giant scorpion advanced again.
Its tail swung down once more.

I raised the broom to block it.

But this time, it dodged—

And in a swift motion, it snatched the broom away with its tail.

The broom spun uselessly through the air.

Then the tail came down again.

This time, I knew—I couldn’t block it.
But if I dodged, Rina would be hit.

So I instinctively raised both arms to cover my head.

A sharp pain shot through my left hand.

Then agony spread through my entire body.

A strangled scream escaped my mouth.

The world spun.

Everything hurt.

It hurt so much that my body felt strange.

Rina was shouting something—

But I couldn’t understand her words.

And just as the blue sky filled my vision, my world went dark.