The [Price] of the Deal EP.23 799 41 3
"I have one proposal."
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"Use me as the test subject instead of Hoshino."
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"In return, I'll grant you one wish."
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"One wish, you say?"
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"Yeah, you invited me in the past because you wanted something from me, didn't you? Besides Hoshino, I mean."
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"...."
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"Oh, of course, you know I can't grant a wish that harms others, right? Even though I'm the one making the request."
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"...So, are you going to do it or not?"
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"Hehehe, I'm surprised you survived in that state."
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"Then, as promised, the price of our deal. I shall claim it."
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"As the third prophet and one of the celestial triangles at the apex of the Sephira."
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Anyone witnessing this situation would be thinking the same thing.
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'Why the hell is this bastard still alive?'
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It's a valid question. She was clearly suffering immensely from fear and was bleeding profusely. Anyone would think she'd be dead.
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But for some reason, I'm alive and well. My mind is clear.
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Of course, I've lost a lot of blood, so my body isn't in perfect condition, but I'm alive nonetheless.
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If you're wondering how I survived, we need to rewind time a bit... Well, not really in real-time, but from my perspective, it was a while ago.
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..
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...
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"Where the hell am I now..."
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After losing consciousness from fear, I woke up in a place painted entirely black.
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"...Am I... dead?"
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It wasn't an unreasonable thought. I was in a life-threatening situation before I blacked out.
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Of course, if I really did die,
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"Then that message was a lie..."
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The message I saw when I came here would have been a lie.
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"...Ha, haha... Damn..."
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'What did I do to deserve this?'
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I was just trying to go home after being dragged here against my will.
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"Ha, haha... So, what? Is this hell?"
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Suicide is usually considered a grave sin. It wouldn't be strange if this was hell.
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It didn't feel like heaven either.
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"...Damn, all I wanted was to go home. Is that so much to... Huh? What's that?"
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As I was despairing in this grim reality, a doll-like figure appeared before me.
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She had long, sky-blue hair and looked somewhat like Nonomi.
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"...Is she dead too? Should I try talking to her? Excuse me..."
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Relieved to see another person, I tried to speak to her.
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"...Huh? Wh-what are you doing?"
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"I'm sorry."
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Suddenly, the woman prostrated herself before me, begging for forgiveness.
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"I'm sorry."
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"Uh... Uh? Who are you? Why are you apologizing to me..."
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I asked her why she was apologizing.
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"I'm sorry."
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"No... I mean, who are..."
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"I'm sorry."
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For some reason, she kept apologizing.
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"....Sigh..."
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'Should I just ignore her?'
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Realizing that conversation was futile, I turned to leave and explore elsewhere.
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"My name is Yume."
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"....Yes?"
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"I'm the one who brought you here to Kivotos."
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And so, I received the information I wanted to know... or rather, didn't want to know, and unwillingly, I survived.
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But maybe it's because I survived again. Or perhaps it's because I learned the truth. When I woke up, I was a little grumpy.
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Specifically, at Hoshino.
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Of course, I know it's not Hoshino's fault.
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It was the man in black and Yume who brought me here. Hoshino didn't lend a hand, nor did she know about this.
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...But still, human emotions are hard to control.
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And so, driven by a slightly mischievous feeling, I ended up taking a certain action.
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A prank where I pretended to be dead right in front of them.
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I had heard that halos briefly disappear, so I decided to pretend to be dead when mine vanished. I immediately put my plan into action.
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"Ugh... No... Sora-chan... Wake up..."
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And that's how we got here.
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'Was I too harsh?'
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I did it out of a bit of spite, but even without opening my eyes, I knew I had messed up big time.
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'B-but this much is okay, right?'
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Honestly, I was in the wrong, but I figured this level of mischief was acceptable. I'm a victim too...
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"Sob... Ugh..."
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Victim... Damn it, I was wrong.
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Why else would she be crying like that? It's my fault.
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'...Now I have to let them know I'm alive...'
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Should I get up now...?
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Everyone is crying because they think I'm dead. Is this the right time to get up?
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'...Should I observe the situation a little longer?'
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If I got up now, the outcome was obvious. So, feeling guilty, I decided to peek through my eyelids and monitor the situation.
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'I'm screwed.'
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Of course, all I could feel was that I was utterly screwed.
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Seeing everyone crying, not just Hoshino, filled me with guilt.
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Especially when Sensei pulled out the "adult's card"....
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'No, no, no, why is he taking that out!?'
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Is he planning to revive me with the adult's card?
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Of course, it might be possible with the adult's card...
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'The problem is, I'm very much alive.'
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This is really bad. I have to stop him, and fast.
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If he uses the adult's card to save me, even though I'm alive, he'll be wasting his time.
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Even if the card doesn't work because I'm alive, if it does activate, I'm screwed.
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The cost of saving someone wouldn't be cheap.
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"Sen...!"
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Just as I gave up on pretending to be dead and was about to call out to Sensei,
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Rumble!
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"Wh-what was that?!"
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"W-what's happening?!"
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"...."
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The ground beneath us shook, and suddenly,
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'Damn it.'
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Appearing from the ground right before us was a being that shouldn't be here.
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One of the infamous prophets,
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'Why are you showing up now...'
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Binah revealed herself before us.
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*
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'Why are you showing up now...'
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Binah, who shouldn't appear in the story at this point, manifested before us.
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This meant only one thing.
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'Is this the price, man in black?'
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The man in black had a hand in this.
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He knew a lot about the prophets. Whether he lured Binah here or something else, he was the only one who could have summoned her.
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'...Seriously, give me a break...'
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Making a deal with the man in black was a bad idea after all.
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Ziiing!!
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Before I could lament my situation, Binah spotted us, and a beam of light began to condense in her mouth.
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The target of the laser, of course, was
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'What a damn nuisance...'
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Me.
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The man in black probably wanted me to fight Binah, so he made her target only me.
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But right now, I'm pretending to be dead.
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"....."
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The others were at a distance, so they would be fine, but Hoshino, who was closest to me, wasn't moving, thinking I was dead.
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Even if the others tried to pull Hoshino away, there wasn't enough time.
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In other words, Hoshino was in danger.
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'...I have no choice.'
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I'll deal with the consequences later, but I can't just stand here.
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I'm nervous about not having my halo... but if I die like this, it might be for the best.
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Besides, even if I survive,
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'My future self will handle it.'
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"Hoshino, I'm borrowing your shield."
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"....Huh?"
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And so, thinking that my future self would take care of things, I grabbed Hoshino's shield and stood up.
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"Go ahead and shoot, you worm."
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KABOOOOM!!!
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I took Binah's massive laser head-on.
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