by Chuuni Suki
Hajime loosen his cheeks when the possibility was present. He returned his eyes back to his hand and continued his work. Yue's eyes returned to his hand too, and stared.
"...Is it that interesting?"
Yue just nodded at that question. The image of her wearing that oversized coat and having her small hands hold her knees was charming. Her unbelievably well-featured appearance combined with her cuddle-ability made her really cute.
(But she is 300 years old. As expected of another world. Loli-baba is real…)
Even if his personality had changed, he still had his Otaku knowledge. As he unintentionally thought that unpleasant thought, Yue reacted to it.
"...Hajime, you just thought of something strange."
"Nope, nothing."
Pretending ignorance was too late, he started to sweat because of her sharp woman intuition. He tried to deceive her by working quietly. Yue left that when she wanted to ask a question.
"Hajime, why are you here?"
It was a natural question. Here in this abyss. Unless you were a demon, this wasn't a place to live in. Yue wanted to ask about so much. Why can he manipulate magic directly? Why can he use magic that are like Special Magic? How can he eat demon flesh and be okay? What happened to his left arm? Is he human? What weapon is he using?
Bit by bit, Hajime answered the questions dutifully. He might have been craving for a conversation after all this time alone. The conversation went on and Hajime did not even look troubled at her questions. Yue was probably someone Hajime wanted to be sweet on. Maybe she was the last resort to prevent his complete fall into heartlessness. He felt that about her unconsciously.
Hajime started with when his class was summoned to this world. How he was called incompetent by everyone. Next was his battle with the Behemoth and the betrayal of his classmate that caused him to fall into this abyss. Eating various types and amounts of demons. The desire to fight the bear. What the potion could do. He talked about how he developed the weapons by basing them on weapons he seen at his homeworld. Sniffles could be heard from Yue gradually. What? When he looked at her, she was weeping. Startled, Hajime instinctively reached out and wiped off her tears.
"What happened suddenly?"
"....Kusu...Hajime...painful...just like me…"
Apparently, she was crying for Hajime. He started to stroke her head with a bitter smile after he got over his shock.
"Forget about it. The business with my classmate is inconsequential. Don't worry about the small stuff. After getting my revenge, then what would I do? Rather than that, I want to put all my energy in surviving and finding a way home."
While a snort sounded, Yue who looked like a pleased cat at the caressing Hajime was doing, she reacted to his words of returning home.
"...Going home?"
"Yeah? To my original world? Of course. I want to return...I changed a lot but...home...I want to return home."
"...I see."
Yue looked down with a sunken expression. Then muttered to herself.
"...I don't have a place...to return…"
"...."
Hajime started to scratch his head with his retracted hand that was brushing Yue's head. He wasn't that dense. Yue was looking for a new place to belong, is what he felt. That was the reason she wanted a new name. If Hajime left this world, Yue would be alone again.
Hajime thought to himself: "Even after I decided to only reach my goals, I guess I'm still soft," while he stroke Yue's head.
"If thats so, want to come with me?"
"Eh?"
Yue opened her eyes wide in surprise at Hajime's words. He couldn't came down after he saw the red eyes wet with tears. This caused him to speak rapidly.
"No, I mean, to my homeworld. A world with only average humans, though it would be tight without a family registration...also with my state. I'm not sure what will happen...but if Yue wishes for it."
Yue was stunned for a while, but eventually her mind caught up. She timidly asked "is that okay?" Her eyes couldn't hide the expectations dwelling in them. The eyes were sparkling and Hajime nodded. Like until now her expressionless was a lie, a smile bloomed on her face. Hajime was mesmerized. When he noticed himself he panicked and shook his head.
Unable to look at Yue, Hajime devoted himself to his work. Yue took great interest in his work. The amount of distance between them shortened. Hajime persuaded himself to not mind it.
"...What is this?"
Little by little Hajime was finishing different parts with transmutation. On the side there was a 1 m long cylindrical pipe, a red bullet about 12 cm in length, and others parts scattered around.
This was the weapon Hajime started to develop as his new trump card, since Donner was lacking in necessary power.
"This is…An Anti-matter rifle: Railgun version. You saw my gun, right? This is a more powerful version. The bullet is specially made."
When all the parts were assembled, the rifle's full length was 1 m 50 cm. Hajime was considering what he could do to increase the firepower of his guns. Electromagnetic acceleration and combustion charge was the limit for Donner. Donner couldn't be improved by much anymore because of its design. So he had to make a new gun.
Naturally the answer to increase the power was a bigger caliber, and also lengthen the barrel for acceleration. He arrived at an Anti-matter rifle. It could only load one shot but its theoretical power is enormous. Donner already has a destructive power 10 times of that a regular gun. A monster gun that would crush a normal persons body if they shot it.
The gun's name: Schlagen. In theory, it was 10 times more powerful than Donner...theoretically. Scorpion shell was the material used to make it. When he had analyzed the shell with "Mineral Appraisal" it said this…
Stall Ore
High magic affinity. A special ore where its hardness is increased by the amount of magic power used.
This ore was probably how the scorpion had such a hard shell. It probably had an enormous reserve of magic to fuel his armor.
If it was ore, then Hajime could process it. When he tested his transmutation on it was simple. With his transmutation it was possible to breakthrough it. He remembered how hard it was to deal with when he fought the beast.
Hajime had his hands on a lot of good materials to work with, so he guess it worked out. Using these materials he started his development of Schlagen's barrel. Since he had become a lot more skilled than when he made Donner, the work progressed smoothly.
He obsessed over the bullet. The bullet that was made out of Tauru ore was coated with Stall ore. It could be called a full metal jacket-like. In each cartridge a suitable amount of ratio and compression of combustion powder was installed. In one stretch, with [Replica Transmutation], he was able to mass-produce the bullets with ease.
Hajime talked with Yue while he carefully worked, then Schlagen was finished. The gun had a very powerful and brutal form. He was satisfied with himself and the gun. After he finished the gun, he noticed that he was hungry now. They decided to have grilled scorpion and cyclops meat for a meal.
"Yue, meals ready...is it bad? Would eating this meat cause any pain...are vampires fine with it?"
Demon meat had become the daily meal. Hajime invited Yue to eat with him, but was wondering if it was alright for her to eat it.
Yue shook her head to say: "I don't need the meal" to Hajime.
"Well you have been sealed for 300 years without eating and lived...Don't you feel hungry?"
"I feel it...but I'm okay."
"Fine? Did you eat something?"
Hajime looked at her belly with a questioning gaze. Yue pointed to Hajime.
"Hajime's blood."
"Ah, my blood. That would mean that a vampire's whole meal is blood?"
"...We can also eat...but drinking blood is more effective."
Seems that as long as they drank some blood, vampires were okay with it. She had sucked Hajime blood earlier and was satisfied. When he was convinced with the answer he looked at Yue.
For some reason Yue was licking her lips.
"...Why are you licking your lips?"
"...Hajime...delicious…"
"D-Delicious you say. I thought that I would taste bad considering I've eaten so much demon flesh."
"...Mature taste…"
"..."
From Yue description, his blood had a heavy, deep taste similar to a soup. His soup was a dense one filled with many kinds of vegetables and meat. The first time he had his blood sucked, she fell into a trance. This wasn't his imagination. Any dish would be the finest after starving for so long.
Hajime wanted to stop her bewitching lip licking. He realized Yue was older. However, that did not calm him when he saw that childish figure displaying such an immoral act, such a supreme combination.
"...Delicacy."
"...Please pardon me."
His partner might be a little dangerous in many ways. Hajime broke out a cold sweat.
* * *
Name
Nagumo Hajime
Age
17 Years Old
Gender
Male
Level
51
Class
Transmutation Artist (Synergist)
Strength
980
Vitality
1090
Resistance
970
Agility
1260
Magic
980
Magic Resistance
980
Skills
Transmutation
Mineral Appraisal
Precision Transmutation
Mineral Enquiry
Mineral Separation
Mineral Fusion
Replica Transmutation
Magic Manipulation
Magic Emission
Magic Compression
Iron Stomach
Lightning Clad
Divine Step
Air Walk
Flicker
Grand Legs
Air Claws
Night Vision
Far Vision
Perception
Magic Perception
Hide Presence
Poison Resist
Paralysis Resist
Petrification Resistance
Varja
Magic Penetration
Language Comprehension
* * *
Omake (No relations to the main story)
"...Tsk."
"K-Kaori? You clicked your tongue…"
"Eh? What's the matter Shizuku-chan?"
"N-No. Nothing…"
"...Thieving Cat."
"Kaori!?"
"Fufu, its all right, Shizuku-chan. I felt like someone was threatening my position."
"I don't think its all right then…."
Chapter 18: Second Nightmare - Part 1 (Classmate Side 2)
The day when Hajime met Yue and had their desperate struggle with the scorpion.
Kouki's group, the Hero party has once again came to "Orcus Dungeon". The party was just Kouki's group, and a small rogue group. The group of 5 boys and girls were lead by Nagayama Jugo, a big judo guy.
The reason was simple. Even if they did not talk about it, Hajime's death had cast a shadow over their hearts. They strongly felt his "Death in Battle", and this made them unable to directly fight. Trauma had struck them.
Of course, they did not concern the Church with this. If they could experience actual combat again, then it is likely they would be able to fight again. Everyday they urged themselves to return their past selves. However, Aiko-sensei protested what they were doing.
Aiko did not participate in the expedition. Her class was the rare and special "Farmer", during training, the church wanted her to get involved with the agricultural development. If it was Aiko-sensei, she would be able to solve their food issues.
She had fallen asleep in her bed after she got the news of Hajime's death. While she stayed in the safety of the city, her student had died. They would not be able to return to Japan with everyone. For Aiko-sensei who had such a strong sense of responsibility, it was shocking.
Therefore, she wasn't going to allow her students into the battlefield anymore. With her class, she would be able to change this world's whole food issue. That Aiko-sensei was protesting the training the students were getting with indomitable resolve. Not wanting to worsen their relationship, the church gave into her protests.
As a result, there were rogues who trained themselves. The only one to continue their training was Jugo's party. Because they wanted to challenge "Orcus Dungeon" again. This time Meld and several member of the knights attended.
This was the 6th day of their journey into the dungeon. They were currently at the 60th level. Just 5 levels behind the highest recorded achievement. However, Kouki's group was stuck. No, rather than not being able to advance, they kept getting nightmares of what happened on that day.
Although it was a different cliff than the one that day, it still had a similar feel to it. They had to pass a suspension bridge that hung on the cliff to advance into the next level. There was no problem per se, but they still remembered. In particular, Kaori, did not move while she started into the darkness of the abyss.
"Kaori…"
The worried call came from Shizuku. Kaori shook her head slowly as had her strong gaze at the view, and gave Shizuku a smile.
"I'm all right, Shizuku-chan."
"I see...Please don't overdo it. No need to be reserved with me."
"Ehehe, thanks. Shizuku-chan."
Shizuku gave a best friend a smile. Kaori's eyes gave off a strong glow. There were no despair or escapism in those eyes. The insightful Shizuku that were sensitive to the subtleties of human, knew Kaori was telling the truth.
(For sure, Kaori is strong.)
Hajime's death was almost a certainty. It was lukewarm to saw he survived. However, it wasn't denial or escapism. Kaori was convincing herself to press forward, and Shizuku felt proud of her best friend.
However, the person with the hero-like quality couldn't read the mood. Kouki thought that Kaori was lamenting over Hajime's death as she stared into the bottom of the abyss. He concluded that the gentle Kaori was suffering from the death of a classmate. His beliefs were filtering his thoughts, and he believed the smiling Kaori was forcing herself.
Kaori thought Hajime was special. Kouki had not even for a bit believed that there was a chance for survival. He tried to offer comforting words to Kaori.
"Kaori...I like your kindness. But you can't always be caught up in your classmate's death. You have to move forward. For sure, that is what Nagumo-kun would want."
"Wait, Kouki…"
"Be silent Shizuku! Even if I'm severe, don't try to stop me just because you're a childhood friend….Kaori, its alright. I'm by your side. I won't die. I won't let anyone else die. I promise not to make Kaori sad anymore."
"Haaa...as usual so reckless...Kaori…"
"Haha, it's all right, Shizuku-chan….I understand what Kouki-kun is trying to say. Its fine."
"I see, you understand!"
Kaori couldn't help but smile wryly at Kouki's misunderstanding. Even if she told him what she truly felt, it wouldn't get through to him. Hajime had already died in Kouki's mind. He wouldn't be able to understand that the reason she was training so hard and taking this expedition into the dungeon, was because she believed Hajime survived. Kouki's nature was to not doubt what he believed in. The boy would just take Kaori's feelings as denial of reality. They had known each other for a long time, so Kaori was familiar with how Kouki operated. That is why both of them remained quiet.
He thought those words were the only way to completely persuade her, he had no ulterior motive in those words. Kaori and Shizuku was used to his behavior, but other girls would have fallen for him with his sweet mask and atmosphere.
Normally, an Ikemen with such a good personality and skills would have his girl childhood friend admire him. Shizuku had been in the adult d
ojo since she was small, because of her strict father, and with her insight she knew that Kouki's sense of justice could be a shortcoming. So, any more feelings than a childhood friend was not born in her. The other party was the same.
Shizuku had often told Kaori that was dense when it came to love, so Kouki's behavior had no effect on hier. He was a good person and an important childhood friend, but there were no romantic feelings.
"Kaori-chan, I'll cheer you on. If you need anything just ask me."
"That's right, Suzu is always Kaori's ally."
On the side they had heard Kouki's conversation. Taniguchi Suzu and Nakamura Eri had joined the conversation. After they entered high school, these two had become close friends with Kaori. They had joined the party lead by Kouki.
Nakamura Eri is a beautiful women with black hair that is styled into a natural bob, and wore glasses. She had a gentle character and usually she was the person that was in the back that watched everything quietly. Eri loved books. The girl gave off a feeling like she was in the typical book committee, and truthfully she was in the committee.
Taniguchi Suzu was a small girl at 142 cm tall. She was a bundle of energy, that got people wondering where all that energy came from her small body. Suzu always was joyful and hopping around. With her heartwarming figure, she was the class mascot.
They understood what Kaori felt on that day Hajime disappeared, so they supported her decision.
"Yeah, Eri-chan, Suzu-chan, Thank you."
Kaori smiled at the two close friends she made in high school.
"Oh~...Kaorin is brave~, Nagumo-kun! To make Suzu and Kaori-chan this sad! If you aren't alive, Suzu will kill you!"
"S-Suzu? I don't think you can kill him if he isn't alive."
"Don't worry about the details. If he is dead, we can just use Eririn's necromancy for Kaorin."
"S-Suzu, you have no delicacy. Kaori-chan believes Nagumo-kun is alive. Also, my necromancy…"
Suzu runs wild and Eri admonishes. That's their normal behavior. Kaori and Shizuku showed a joyful expression at the two's spectacle. Even though Kouki wasn't that far, he didn't hear the conversation. Naturally, Kouki was equipped with a hearing loss skill that always activates when there were important conversation or words.
