LGHTNOVELBOOK 18
Black is running away.
She’s running away so fast that I can’t chase her.
You too, huh.
Like the Thunder Emperor you admire.
You too want to deliver me to the 0.1% hell.
That’s right.
These so-called heroes of justice.
Why do they all make my life so miserable?
Am I classified as evil even to you?
“Ugh. Argh.”
Her running is so fast.
Even at my full speed, there was a clear limit to how well I could chase her.
“Kyah.”
But I couldn’t stop.
“Ack…!”
I kept falling and scraping my knees.
Even as the bandages I’d applied became tattered.
Even as my elbows tore and my wrists were skinned.
I had to chase her.
To get Minerva’s Owl.
To clear the sudden event.
To survive.
To see the happy ending.
— Stop right there!
— Damn it, how far are you going to follow us!
I can hear them.
The voices of three people making noise in an alley a few blocks away.
That’s it.
That’s where the sudden event is happening.
Just a little, just a little more and I’ll be there.
“Urgh.”
Again.
I fell again.
The ground keeps grabbing my ankles.
Are you on the Thunder Emperor’s side too?
Do you want me to die?
If Shana Midgard dies.
This world couldn’t even exist.
So why is everyone so desperate to kill me?
Why. Why. Why.
Why is everyone treating me like this? Why?
“Heh… heheh. Ahah… ahahah…!”
My insides are boiling with rage, yet I’m laughing.
Now even my body doesn’t listen to me and acts on its own.
It doesn’t matter.
It really doesn’t.
Anyway, this body will be gone once I see the happy ending.
If it gets a little damaged.
No, even if it gets completely wrecked, it doesn’t matter.
As long as I don’t die, I can recover through the Beberu doctor anytime.
I just need to make sure the future vision doesn’t go wrong.
“Haha… hee. Hah… hu… ahah….”
Minerva’s Owl that I absolutely need.
The Athenas’ awakening skills that I absolutely need.
With just those, it’s a happy ending.
The professor doesn’t have to die, and I… I.
So…
I.
Why am I doing this?
Whether the professor dies or not.
What does it matter to me…?
The happy ending. How can I believe it will save me?
Even if the professor dies, I can survive.
All I need to do is become stronger, right?
Why must I save the professor?
Someone like the professor doesn’t matter if they die.
Right?
Can’t I just kill all the bad guys?
Because everyone who interferes with my survival is a bad guy.
That’s right!
I should just kill them all.
Like I did before enrolling, take what I need when necessary.
And when they become useless, throw them away or kill them.
Yes, of course.
This isn’t doing anything wrong, is it?
It’s just a game anyway, right?
Ah.
Then I should kill the Thunder Emperor who keeps interfering with me too?
And Black who suddenly appeared today and made things troublesome.
I should kill them both.
Clearing members?
That’s not important.
— Li~.
Pudding, you think so too, right?
— Beri…
No?
— Bae. Bae.
Why not? What’s wrong with that?
Variables should be eliminated.
Annoying things should all be gotten rid of.
Why should I sacrifice—
— Berit!
————————————————
<< Shana Midgard >>
Regin Academy / Aesir Dormitory / 2nd Year
— Enhancement effect ‘Vermilion Heart’ active
(Time remaining: 39 days 1 hour 28 minutes)
— Enhancement effect ‘Disguise’ active
— Weakening effect ‘Impulse Lv7’ active
[ Status ]
Vitality 10/12
————————————————
With the dolphin-like scream from the pudding.
For a very brief moment.
I felt like I had emerged from deep underwater.
Only then did I notice a message I had been missing.
[ Continuous consumption of imperfectly refined Vermilion Heart has increased your understanding of ‘Status Ailment – I Love Strawberries’. ]
[ One hidden effect is now revealed. ]
————————————————
[ Status Ailment – ‘I Love Strawberries’ ]
“Even a child would know that unrefined drugs aren’t good for the body!”
— When consuming Vermilion Heart, the duration of the enhancement effect ‘Vermilion Heart’ accumulates rather than resetting.
— While the enhancement effect is active, you will not die even if your vitality parameter reaches 0.
— (Hidden) When consuming Vermilion Heart, there is a 1%(▲) chance of developing a random mental weakening effect.
— (Not yet activated)
— (Not yet activated)
— (Not yet activated)
————————————————
Except for Vermilion Heart, enhancement and weakening effects are categorized from level 1 to 9.
But Impulse Lv7?
That’s significantly high.
Whatever I think, I’m naturally dominated by impulses.
Normal thought control doesn’t happen.
Moreover, the ‘▲’ mark after the weakening effect probability is warning me.
That if I continue using it, the probability will endlessly increase.
But squeezing a sponge submerged in water is meaningless.
It just gets wet again immediately.
“Huhu…. Hahah.”
What was I just thinking about?
Why did I pull up the status window?
This isn’t the time for this.
“Boss, I think we should knock her down and run!”
“You seem to have gotten arrogant because you’ve made a bit of a name for yourself. If you don’t move aside, we won’t stand still either!”
Looking around, I realized it was a dead-end alley.
Two bulky men trapped deep inside were rushing toward Black, trying to break through.
“C-come on! I’m not afraid of people like you!”
Black raised her right foot high in the air.
You idiot.
You’re terrible at kicking.
“Eek?!”
As expected.
She raised it with good momentum, but she couldn’t even maintain her balance properly.
Running and kicking use the same leg, but
that doesn’t mean the movements are completely identical, of course.
The two bulky men seemed even more enraged seeing Black’s sloppy stance.
“Is this kid mocking us?!”
“Die, damn it!”
Their powerful punches flew simultaneously toward Black.
‘Can Black… handle them?’
If Black’s legend crumbles here, everything built up until now collapses.
All the planned future vision collapses.
I’ll die.
Bad ending, despair.
Wait.
…Die? I’m going to die?
No. Why die?
I absolutely won’t die.
If you interfere, I won’t let you off.
You two attacking Black, I’ll grind you into fragments of life—
[ Characteristic – ‘Greenhouse Flower’ ] [ Active ]
“Kyaaaah…!”
My body, which had stepped powerfully toward Black, rotated in a semicircle like a gymnast.
Soon my knees, spinning like windmill blades, met the two bulky men’s fists head-on.
[ Enhancement effect ‘Disguise’ has disappeared. ]
Crack.
With a sound of something breaking, the bandages on my bruised knees came off.
[ Weakening effect ‘Knee Fracture Lv5’ has occurred. ]
————————————————
<< Shana Midgard >>
Regin Academy / Aesir Dormitory / 2nd Year
— Enhancement effect ‘Vermilion Heart’ active
(Time remaining: 39 days 1 hour 28 minutes)
— Weakening effect ‘Impulse Lv7’ active
— Weakening effect ‘Knee Fracture Lv5’ active
[ Status ]
Vitality 7/12
————————————————
Crash.
My two legs, having taken the punches, lost their will and did the hip-hop dance.
“Eek! What do we do?! Are you okay?”
Black, does this look okay to you?
Now I can’t even walk properly because of you.
What are you going to do now?
“Boss, isn’t that the girl? The one the boss mentioned…”
“…Ah.”
Annoying.
Annoying… everything’s annoying.
Damn it. Why is everything so fucked up?
— Lit! Liit!
“…Ah.”
Oops.
Lost my mind again.
…No, did I lose my mind? This is normal.
What nonsense. Are you crazy?
Are you going to ruin everything you’ve worked for until now?
No?
Then what is this shitty situation?
Are you going to keep suppressing it and live like this?
I’ve never suppressed anything.
You’re being ridiculous.
— Berii…
Let’s touch the pudding first.
Yes, I agree. It’s a good idea, let’s do it right now.
— Beriririririt.
I frantically fiddled with the pudding as if about to burst it.
My thoughts barely return.
My mind, which had been running wild, finally starts to get organized.
“L-let’s go back for now!”
“That sounds good, boss!”
While the bulky men were startled and stepping back, Black finally noticed my face with shock.
“Uh… Midgard… senior?”
That’s right, damn it.
The disguise skill is canceled when I take damage.
Black never forgets the face of someone who left an impressive memory until she dies.
A person spinning like a windmill blade and flying in—
If this isn’t an impressive memory, what is?
‘I’m screwed.’
Out of the five clearing members, already two have started to pay close attention to me.
The Thunder Emperor alone was overwhelming, and now Black too?
Life is really hard.
Is this why I was given “I Love Strawberries”?
Reducing even one variable increases my survival probability.
So God was being generous for once, is that it?
‘I’m screwed. I’m screwed. I’m screwed. I’m screwed. I’m totally screwed…!’
I quickly simulated the dimension of possibilities while my mind was relatively sane.
The answer came immediately.
It’s time to make some use of Black’s character, who is respectful to seniors.
“Please pretend you didn’t see me.”
“What?”
“I snuck out today without submitting an outing plan.”
“What? R-really?”
The time my concentration could be maintained was only brief.
I needed to keep simulating the dimension of possibilities.
But in a very short moment, everything became bothersome.
Even if I’m like a toad blocking a bottomless jar, everything keeps going wrong.
What’s the point?
Right, pudding?
Should I just not bother?
Life is so fucked up.
— Lit!
…Oops. Without realizing it, again.
“Hey! We’re going through! If you don’t move, you’ll get hurt!”
The two bulky men tried to charge at us again as we blocked the alley.
Should I let them go?
The legend of Flash Black must continue.
Only then will the future vision not deviate.
“I’ll somehow cling to them so they can’t escape. Please subdue them and call either a hero or the Security Management Bureau.”
“M-me?”
Without nightfall, my physical combat ability is close to garbage.
All I can do is act as a meat shield.
So go and work, event shuttle.
Whatever you do, the sudden event will start.
Why do you think I followed you even after my identity was revealed?
“You’re Flash Black, aren’t you?”
“Ah. Th-that’s true, but.”
The enemies are fully prepared to escape.
If you keep hesitating, I’ll have no choice but to use my trump card.
It’s a blade that shouldn’t be drawn carelessly, but I’d rather use it than miss the event.
“If we stand still, they’ll escape.”
“U-uwaah…”
Should I just use it after all?
No, hold back.
Touch the pudding.
It’s a blade you can only use three times.
Are you sane?
“I’ll take Black!”
“Yes! I’ll take the silver-haired one!”
One of the bulky men rushes toward Black.
The other one rushes toward me.
Do you think I’ll let you go?
If I let you escape, the sudden event will disappear—
[ Characteristic – ‘Greenhouse Flower’ ] [ Active ]
My body, having lost its center, tilted once more in an undesired direction.
“Wh-what?!”
The shoulder of the charging bulky man.
Precisely dug into my small solar plexus.
“Kehak!”
My vision went white, and my chest felt tight as if my lungs had disappeared.
[ Weakening effect ‘Difficulty Breathing Lv8’ has occurred. ]
“Kuk. Kugh…”
Damn it, really.
The bad luck today is insane.