High School Hack and Slash Chapter 69 Part 2

The morning of the sixth day arrived.

Some were in bed, some were plopped down on the workbenches, and some were already at work when they got to hear the message.

It was the forced return (termination) countdown that all raiders were used to hearing.

When the logout time set in the fifth『End Realm Gate』 approached, a warning message was sent to the participating members.

That was the sign that told them to start preparing to go home.

The challenge of a raid quest was to bring in various items for an extended period of logging in.

In case one failed to conquer the raid within the set time, it was important to collect the equipment and materials they brought with them.

「… As planned, huh.」

On the bed in a room which was too big for only two people, Seiichi, looking up at the ceiling, quietly muttered as such.

Mai – leaning her back against the back of Seiichi, who was sitting up – asked him a question.

「What should we do?」

「Not, a thing. Black Honey was almost wiped out, but we luckily survived. The quest is… not necessarily a failure, huh. There was a dangerous boss, that fact alone is enough for the investigation.」

Based on the prompt deliberation of the academy, either a large-scale emergency subjugation quest would be issued or the raid would be designated as a subject to be sealed, they’d have no choice but to wait and see.

He did think that the latter had higher probability, but he didn’t put it into words.

The spirit you did not approach would not curse you, so to speak.

「… You sure that’s okay?」

「There ain’t nothing good or bad about it, right? There’s nothing we can do at this point. We’ve accomplished our duty. So no one has the right to blame us.」

They held responsibility over neither the members of Black Honey, who had shown no signs of waking up even now, nor him who hadn’t even returned, that had to be the case.

If they had to put it into words, they were just victims who got caught in it.

You mustn’t be swayed by unnecessary emotions and misplace your priorities.

So someone once said.

「… Isn’t it different from what you said? Senpai.」

◇ ◇

―― ※ Countdown: 00:01:29:59――

◇ ◇

「Don’t look so gloomy, be sure to eat properly, okay!」

Kurumi-senpai, dressed in an apron, is standing in an imposing manner with a ladle in her hand.

She totally has a gutsy mother feeling to her.

The feast laid out on the table is of such a huge volume that it is hard to believe it is breakfast.

Minestrone, homemade sausage, scrambled eggs, and tomato salad.

The lycopene redness is as vivid as ever.

Incidentally, the source of the eggs is Null Mob-san, which looks like a fusion of a chicken and a lizard, I caught in the tenth stratum of the normal dungeon.

It seems that Yuki-chan has succeeded in breeding them, and they are walking around even in the field of the interception base, clucking and hissing.

「Touma-san. Say ah~n.」

Shizuka, with a spoon in her hand, is taking care of me all the time.

After all, I can’t move my hands, so I’m in the state of being incapable of even changing my clothes.

She also helps me to use the restroom as if it’s only a matter of course, but as expected even I have what so-called sense of shame.

When I take another look around the table, I see that the Craftsman Senpai sirs all have dark circles around their eyes due to the effects of staying up all night.

There is no look of satisfaction, such as they have given it their all, on their faces.

For us, it will be our first forced return (termination), but in a game term, it’s as if the reset button has been pressed.

It feels as if the game board has been turned upside down and we are being told to start over again.

There is no way they’d be satisfied with it.

Moreover, I get the feeling that Interface-san is giving me some strange message, but what is it I wonder.

*Creak* Making such a quiet sound, Doggy-senpai totters in through the door.

Although she has recovered under Kurumi-senpai’s care, even after one night, she’s still dispirited like a deflated balloon.

The downcast Doggy-senpai is small and refuses to make eye contact with anyone.

Or rather, there’s her special seat with a pile of steaks next to me, but she does neither sit down nor try to make eye contact with me.

「Err, I don’t need any food…..」

I come to hear some unbelievable words.

「What are you saying? You’re hungry, aren’t you?」

「I’m not hungry….」

Doggy-senpai shakes her head at Kurumi-senpai’s words, but her stomach is letting out a faint *Kuu* sound.

For even the worms in her stomach to be not energetic, it seems that she is so hopelessly depressed.

No, I guess that’s to be expected.

One after another, the comrades from her club collapsed and didn’t wake up, after all.

And then, the same goes for these stone hands of mine, but there’s no guarantee that they’ll be back to normal after logging out.

For argument’s sake, if I were in the same position, with Shizuka and the others collapsing, with Mikan and the others collapsing and not waking up, I’m sure I wouldn’t be able to maintain my sanity.

There’s no doubt that I would have unsightly broken down crying and blamed everything around me.

That’s why at such a time, if there is a hand that reaches out to her, even if it’s out of stone, that would be enough.

「Doggy-senpai.」

Getting down from my chair, I go down on one knee to Doggy-senpai, who remains standing and looking down.

Doggy-senpai is smaller than even Mikan.

Even so, it’s not enough to make eye contact with her, but Doggy-senpai goes and hides her face, deeply covering it with the wolf head of the kigurumi.

When I try to reach out to her, she lightly shakes with a start as if she had been hit.

「I’m sorry….」

By any chance, I wonder if she’s concerned about my hand being petrified.

Such a thing, it’s by no means anything special.

「Doggy-senpai. Is there anything I can do for you?」

「It’s, enough. You’ve helped us enough, so all we have to do now is just to go home as is…. I’m sure once we get back, everyone will wake up, and Kaoru-chan too, I’m sure he’ll be like you’re really hopeless, Asura-chan, again, I’m sure.」

Drop by drop, waterways spill out from Doggy-senpai, who shuts her eyes tightly with her shoulders trembling.

Yeah, that’s why I want her to let me know.

By all means, I want her to tell me.

To me, I want her to wish.

That, prayer.

「That’s why…., That’s why, I want you to save me.」

◇ ◇ ◇

 Somewhere, it echoed with a clank.

Somewhere, it clicked with a clink.

It was the sound of determination.

It was the oracle of what ought to be in answer to prayer.

That this was how things ought to be.

◇ ◇ ◇

「Touma-san!?」

*Drip, drip* A red drop spilled down.

With a clunk and a grind, the stone fingers, which should’ve been immobile, were bent.

It was a strongly clenched stone fist, cracked and scattering splinters.

Red drops flowed like a gush running through the cracked joints.

「It’s enough.」

The upturned corners of his mouth were crooked like an evil spirit.

「There’s no problem at all. A man’s hand is all good as long as it can still clench a fist.」

Asura’s face, which was on the verge of bursting into tears, was looking up at Touma blankly.

「—Well, I suppose I expected you’d say that. We’ve done a lot of preparations, you see. Thank goodness it doesn’t go to waste, I suppose.」

「Ahaha. Yeah, you’re right.」

Next to Rinko, who was bringing her teacup to her mouth, Mikan was nodding vigorously.

「Haa… Geez. If we just stay put as is, we’ll be able to return without problem, you know? Do you seriously understand?」

「So he says while making such a relieved face, Seiichi really is a tsundere.」

Touma, who entrusted his hands on Miharu and Natsumi who rushed over to him, tilted his head at the dumbfounded Asura.

「Doggy-senpai. You can’t fight a war on an empty stomach.」

「… Ah.」

「Another one please! Also, I want an omelet!」

Heartily gobbling up the sausage, Saki demanded another helping.

Like a beast accumulating food, it was a way to replenish energy for a battle.

「Yes. At least, be sure to savor it for a bit, okay. So, how about you? Is that much alone enough?」

「Ah, err…」

At Kurumi’s provocative words, Asura wiped her eyes and shook her head.

「… It’s nowhere near enough.」

「It can’t be helped~. You guys too, if you want another helping, just say it loudly okay.」

As if inspired by Saki, the Craftsmen group also began to eat, as if forcing their food into their mouths.

They may have been up all night, but they couldn’t afford to take a rest yet.

The battle was not over yet, after all.

No longer bothered with manners or shame, the feast on the table was being gobbled up.

「Another helping of steak!」

「Yes, yes. Be sure to chew your food properly okay.」

「… I’ve boosted the sugar content of these babies, but….」

「Yeah. So how come they end up exploding, I wonder?」

「At once, the emulation of driving force-type reinforcement….」

「At the same time, the reinforcement of the skeleton….」

*Bang!* From the door that was opened violently and vigorously, Tetsuro, who had been in the Black Honey lodging house in place of Asura, jumped in.

His face was pale.

「Haa, haa, there’s some crazy pressure, rising from the dungeon! At this rate….」

As if to prove the warning, a faint rumbling of the earth along with monsters’ cries echoed.

Shoving the bread he was holding into his mouth, Seiichi swallowed it down.

「Hmph. That means the other side’s not intending to let us go, either, huh.」

「We sure are being looked down, aren’t we~?」

「Suits me well! I’ll slaughter them all!」

「Very Nice. My blood is boiling hot.」

Seeing the wake-like atmosphere being turned around with everyone becoming in high spirits, Tetsuro was dumbfounded.

Holed up in the base to buy time until the forced return (termination) time.

There was no such defeatist amongst them.

「Prez….」

「You’re going with us too, Tetsu-kun! To get back everyone!」

「Oh… O, o…. Oooh! But of course!」

Tetsuro, who shuddered, nodded.

「Rinko-senpai. I’m entrusting the defense of the base to you Craftsman team.」

「Yes. Leave it to us, I suppose. We won’t let even a single one of them gets inside the ramparts, okay.」

「Mikan-senpai.」

「It’s done! And it’s very cool, okay.」

Nodding to Mikan, who gave him a thumbs-up with one eye closed, he looked around at his comrades who were already on their feet.

「Seiichi, Mai.」

「Well, I’ll go along with you.」

「Leave the small fry to me.」

「Saki, Miharu, Natsumi, and Otoha-senpai.」

「Ready to set out anytime!」

「Yes.」

「Yes.」

「Do leave it to me!」

With every member being in high spirits, Touma turned to Shizuka.

「… Yes. As you wish.」

Without needing to ask, Touma, nodding his head, raised his fist.

「Henceforth, we’re launching a counterattack!」

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