Barely managing to move my heavy body, I walk along the roadside in the early morning.
The trash collection area is just a bit further, but the bag is heavier than expected, making it tough.
After confirming that no one is around, I use telekinesis to lift the entire trash bag slightly, making it much easier.
――After surviving the death Battle with the Demon Witches on May 24th, today is May 25th.
It’s Saturday and no school, so I should be able to take it easy… but I can’t. There’s no knowing when the enemy will come.
"Hmm?"
A little further ahead, next to the trash collection area, there’s a lone figure.
The figure’s pink-colored hair is swaying in the wind mixed with the odor of the garbage, as they stare blankly at the sky.
Their body is overall supple, dressed in a black three-quarter sleeve shirt and overalls. Their chest is quite prominent.
"Haruna—?"
As soon as I called out, I remembered that Hinoshita Haruka was supposed to live outside of Arajo City.
Supposedly, no one knew why she commutes by train from a distant city to the school—
"—Ah, Harima-senpai. What a coincidence."
"It seems to be on purpose."
"Ehehe, is that so?"
Lifting the yellow net covering the trash collection area, I throw the trash bag in and clean the grime off my hands.
Then, I looked at Haruka again.
I usually only see her in the private Arakujou Academy uniform, so seeing her in casual clothes makes her look a bit younger. Her pink-colored hair is styled in twin side-up buns.
—But at the same time, there’s a strange sense of discomfort. How is Haruka, who should be living in a distant city, here so early in the morning? It’s clear she’s been lying in wait for me, and her atmosphere is dark and heavy.
It was a different atmosphere from the Battle of the Defiled Lands, I swallowed nervously.
"Hey, Senpai."
Haruka stepped forward, her chest swaying, and approached me.
"—Have you been keeping any secrets from me recently?"
"Eh…," I stood frozen, unable to move, with my mouth open.
I wondered how much of the recent abnormalities I’ve experienced would count as secrets.
However, Haruka has been controlled by Marizia Aswell while maintaining her own consciousness and attacked Aira and Rain.
She might want to ask about that incident in detail.
"...I’m sorry."
"So you can’t tell me, can you?"
"……"
If I say anything, wouldn’t it just pull her further into this situation?
Hinoshita Haruka is a normal high school girl who should be living in a peaceful world with no need to be involved in our situation.
She is someone I must protect no matter what.
"Then I’ll need to confirm it forcibly; is that… okay?"
"Huh?"
A gust of wind blew, and Haruka’s right hand caressed my chest. Her left hand stroked my chin as she stood on her tiptoes with a dreamy expression.
An alluring Haruka, unlike anything I’ve seen before.
Her lips were closing in.
Her breath collided with mine.
"!?"
However, a strange sensation that surged through me made my hands push Haruka’s shoulders away.
It wasn’t the kind of normal feeling you might have just waking up and not having brushed your teeth— or because it’s happening out on the street.
It was more… like… a kind of squishy, indescribable, abnormal feeling.
"No… what is this?"
Even the look in her questioning eyes, tilted slightly, gave me an unsettling feeling of fear.
It felt like something important might be taken away— a sense of crisis, perhaps.
"I’ll tell you more about it… for sure next time."
"—"
"It’s alright. I won’t let you get hurt any more, Haruka."
"...Alright. Then, let’s have lunch together again next Monday, okay?"
"Yeah. Make sure to get home safely."
"Yes—"
As I smoothly wrapped up the conversation, Haruka turned her back to me and ran off into the morning mist of Arakujou City, disappearing from view.
The smile she showed me at the end was the usual Hinoshita Haruka, but… I couldn’t shake the feeling of fear that had lingered somewhere in my mind throughout those five minutes.
—Thump… thump, thump… thump…!
As soon as Haruka vanished from view, my heart began to beat irregularly. I clutched my chest and crouched down, breathing heavily against the asphalt.
A sense of dread overcame me.
The Battle of the Defiled Land for the freedom of the otherworldly serious criminals.
Is this a sign of the end…?
※ ※ ※
As soon as I got home, I decided to tell Rain about the sense of impending danger I was feeling and have her look into the future.
Aira, who had just woken up and seemed slightly annoyed by the noise, joined us as well.
In the living room, we gathered around a small table as Rain began channeling magical power into the Moira's Choker around her neck.
"Hmm—"
The choker began to glow with a purple light. It then tightened slightly around Rain’s neck and started channeling the future into her mind.
Rain, with her brows knitted together, looked into the future for us.
Aira’s crimson eyes also showed a worried expression.
The process ended after five minutes. As the glow faded from the choker and Rain opened her eyes, she immediately said:
"—Yes. As Yuki-san’s premonition suggested, the next enemy will be the final enemy in the Battle of the Defiled Land."
The final enemy in the Battle of the Defiled Land.
The fact that she specified 'enemy' means that it’s probably not someone like Yurizia or Laral, who were turned into criminals.
"When and where are they scheduled to appear?"
Aira asked with a calm demeanor. Her eyes already carrying fighting spirit.
"This evening. …The location is the school grounds that Yuki-san attends."
"My school?"
"Yes, and this enemy has a.... extremely formidable and frightening power."
"Do we have a chance against this enemy?"
"…It’s hard to say, but it’s mostly up to luck."
"Can you tell us the enemy’s name?"
Rain shook her head. It seems she was able to predict the location and time of appearance but couldn’t see the details of the enemy.
"Ugh, ugh—"
"Rain!?"
With a sudden jolt, Rain collapsed onto the desk.
Her dark long hair scattered across the desk and sweat trickled down her cheeks. Her breathing was labored.
I hurried to Rain’s side, rubbing her back and asking, "Are you okay?"
"Ugh, yes… I’m fine…"
"Is it… a lack of magical power?"
While speaking, I quickly checked Rain Margarett’s information.
There were no issues with her vital signs. Her magical power was at the A+ level, her maximum limit. Since she had conducted a replenishment last night, it was impossible for her to be out of magical power.
I touched Rain’s forehead to check… It wasn’t a high fever, but I did feel some warmth.
"Do people from other worlds catch colds as well?"
I asked Aira.
"Well, sometimes… But if it’s a mild cold, most people use magic to heal themselves."
"—If even Aira can do it, then obviously Rain can as well."
"Ugh. The way you put it is a bit annoying, but that’s correct."
Rain Margarett, though of a diluted witch lineage, can still use magic.
Since Rain manipulates magic circles capable of various attacks, defenses, and healing, she should be able to cure a mild cold by herself.
Then— it’s not just a cold?
Could it be some serious illness…?
"D-Don’t worry… Yuki-san, Aira-san… Sometimes this happens when I sneak a peek into the future…"
Rain managed to lift her head, but her breathing was still labored, and her face remained flushed.
From one angle, it might look somewhat seductive, but— that’s not what I should be thinking about right now.
"Wouldn’t it be better for you to stay in bed and rest?"
"But with the final battle approaching… I can’t just not fight…"
"...I suppose that’s true… but…"
At this point, I bit my lip, wishing I had the power to say, 'Leave it all to me.'
I had a small awakening last night.
But I’m still not confident. I’m not confident enough to fight while keeping Rain and… Aira safe behind me.
Even after all this time, I’m still unable to become the main character of a manga.
I have no right to tell Rain not to push herself when I can’t even protect a girl.
"—Of course, I will fight."
Aira stood up gracefully, puffing out her large chest
Her crimson hair and eyes, combined with her dignified and courageous posture, were truly dazzling.
"No matter what happens, the next one is the final one… We must give it our all."
"...Yeah."
"Rain, you should rest and get your condition ready until the scheduled time in the evening. We will definitely win with the three of us."
"Yes—…"
It was frustrating how dependable she was.
Aira, who has lived courageously despite her bloody past as the goddess of absolute victory and being treated as a weapon.
In comparison, what about me?
I’ve led a mediocre, easygoing life, savoring only the pleasures, avoiding challenging tasks, becoming complacent with the special powers given to me, and looking down on others along the way.
In the end, have I not changed at all—?
No, that’s not right.
—And so, I rose to my feet.
A person can change at any moment.
Even if it’s the final battle, it’s not too late.
"We will definitely win."
I whispered this and tightly clenched my right fist.
※ ※ ※
After a leisurely breakfast and lunch—
Everyone began to mentally prepare for the final battle, which was scheduled for the evening.
Meanwhile, I approached Aira, who was practicing with the Dragon Slayer Sword: Ashkelon in the apartment parking lot.
"Is everything going well?"
"—Yes, somewhat. Since the enemy’s fighting abilities are unknown, this sword is all I have available to me."
Maybe because she was being considerate of me, Aira paused her sword training and came over to sit next to me. We naturally ended up sitting together on the ground.
May 25th. Even though summer should still be far off, the sunlight from the cloudless blue sky was intense.
"If we win this battle… you’ll obtain freedom, correct?"
"Hmm? Oh… now that you mention it, yes."
"Don’t you care about it?"
"—At first, I was concerned about it. But after meeting Yuki and Rain, I haven’t really thought about it much."
To win the war without causing harm to this world and to obtain the future we envision together.
It’s an incredibly vague and abstract goal when I think about it again now.
"...If we win, will you and the others go back?"
"Who knows? But, probably yes. And then, we’ll be able to be innocently free in Ivral."
"I see. I'll probably be lonely."
"L-lonely?"
"Yeah."
"...I-I see."
I wondered what was up with her, and when I looked at Aira, she turned her gaze away from me.
Her cheeks, hidden behind her crimson hair, were faintly blushing.
—Still, she has an impressive body that doesn’t seem like it belongs to a skilled swordsman.
The parts that should be slender were slender, and the parts that should be plump were plump.
I couldn’t help but smirk as I stole glances at Aira’s thighs while she sat cross-legged.
Regardless of whether she was aware of my lasciviousness or not, Aira said――.
"Yu-Yuki. Would you like to, um, kiss me?"
"Huh?"
What did she just say?
—Kiss?
While I was trying to verify the meaning of those words in my mind, Aira turned her bright red face towards me, looking thoroughly embarrassed.
"Why now?"
"…W-Well, there’s no particular reason."
"Oh, really?"
"—!"
The super-criminal from another world… When did this crimson-haired beauty become a pervert who wants kisses in the middle of Saturday afternoon?
Just after meeting me, Aira was a girl who tried to kill me and was rather dangerous—
"A-Are you thinking of something inappropriate, Yuki…?"
"I’m not thinking of anything inappropriate."
"Ugh…"
With a whoosh, Aira’s body was completely engulfed in embarrassment, as if it were about to burst.
Although we had sex a few times to replenish magical power, it was always under the pretext of replenishing magical power.
What Aira in front of me wants right now is not that—but simply a kiss.
I have no way of knowing the exact meaning, but I can make a rough guess.
Coincidentally, I wanted to kiss Aira as well.
—I embraced Aira’s heated shoulders, and her slightly parted lips turned upward with an 'Ah…'
Her mouth revealed a slender tongue wrapped in gooey saliva.
…A gentle wind blows.
…Receiving the sunlight with my whole body.
Before the final battle began, Aira and I shared a simple kiss.
"Mmm, mmm… mm, Smooch—… mmm, mmm… mmm."
I got scolded for getting carried away and groping her F-cup breasts, but oh well.
Aira’s lips felt the warmest they had ever been.
◆ ◆ ◆
"Mmm—. As expected, it’s delicious."
Crunch, crunch, crunch—.
They set two items of food on the cold ground and tasted the entrails alternately to compare their taste.
In the gap between buildings in the heart of Arajo City, where a busty high school girl might be dragged and raped, the air was thick with the smell of blood.
Around the two pieces of food with their chests opened was a sea of blood, as they occasionally sucked on their blood-coated fingers to wet their throat.
"Ahh—... so this is the genuine, rich blood of a witch. Hah, El-sama is extremely pleased."
Unable to resist, they crawled on the ground and licked the blood greedily.
When their throat was properly lubricated, it chomped down on the pale golden head and swallowed it whole.
Swallowing it easily.
Once the head was entirely swallowed, they bit through the neck, chewed it thoroughly, swallowed it down, then let out a burp.
"Mmm, ahh... I know. I'll eat you soon, too."
Speaking to the motionless food, they swallowed the depraved purple head in one gulp and tore off the neck.
Splaaat――!
The two pieces of food with their heads removed.
Dark blood spurted out from the thick blood vessels cut halfway, staining the ground.
They drank the blood gushing from the severed neck like water from a faucet.
"Mmm, gulp, gulp――... Ahh... Very satisfied. But it’s a shame not to eat the body too."
While wiping the witch’s blood from their mouth, they stood up.
They had a sleek and tall figure.
Short hair that looked transparent but was actually colored a milky white.
Their entire body was dyed brown, and their eyes, with strange patterns, gleamed brightly white.
Wearing only tattered cloth around their ample chest and waist, would cause any man from the defiled land to have a nosebleed.
Then, they laughed.
"Alright then, let’s eat."
Holding the two pieces of food—two dismembered corpses—in their hands, they looked up at the sky and opened their mouth wide.
They opened their mouth to an unbelievable extent, getting larger and larger.
They then threw the purple-colored corpse they held in one hand into their mouth and chewed it.
Crunch, crunch, squish――.
In no time, they swallowed it and then tossed in the pale golden corpse.
They quickly ate it in the same manner.
"Ah~~, so this is the younger sister. Mmm, hehe... She's even tastier than her older sister――"
By the time the bodies of the witch sisters had been completely devoured, the sky over the contaminated city was dyed a crimson hue.
Yawn.
Having finished eating, they walked barefoot through the sea of blood and made their way to the battlefield.
Chapter length 6742 characters.
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