The Total War Without Me EP.24
"My name is Yume."
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"I'm the one who brought you here to Kivotos."
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"...What?"
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What did this woman just say? The one who brought me here?
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The woman who identified herself as Yume.
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I couldn't wrap my head around her sudden confession.
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So.
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"Say that again."
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I grabbed her by the collar and asked again.
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The one who brought me here? What did she mean by that?
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"I-I... I called you to Kivotos."
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"...Ha, haha."
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"Cough! Cough!"
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Could it be?
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"Th-This is... inside your mind... You're not dead... yet."
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Could it be that, in a place like this,
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"The reason I... appeared like this is..."
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I'm encountering the mastermind.
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"Hey, shut up for a sec."
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Yume? I know who she is. Hoshino's senior and the missing student council president, right?
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But no matter how precious she is to Hoshino, I can't bring myself to say anything nice.
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"...Let me ask you one thing."
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"...W-What is it?"
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"I've been really, really, *really* curious about this ever since I reincarnated here."
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"Why me?"
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"...Huh?"
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"Why?"
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"Out of all the people, why did you take me, living a good life, and reincarnate me into Kivotos?"
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Fizzle
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"Cough! Cough!"
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'Wow, I actually survived that...'
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Just before Binah's laser hit me,
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Thankfully, a halo appeared above my head again, and I was able to block Binah's laser, even while coughing up blood.
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I guess this is what they call a close call.
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...But,
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Tick, tick!
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'Why are you flickering?'
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It was fortunate that the halo reappeared at the right time, but for some reason, the newly formed halo was dull and flickering erratically, as if it was unstable.
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Like it could break... right now...
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"Sora... chan?"
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"...Ah."
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'Oh, right, Hoshino's here...'
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"Uh... um... well..."
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'W-What should I say in this situation?'
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I've never died and come back to life before. I don't know what to say in a situation like this.
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"Ah... um..."
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'L-Let's just say something...'
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I racked my brain and slowly turned my head to face Hoshino, who was calling me from behind.
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"G-Good morning, Hoshino..."
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Then,
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Grab!
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"Whoa!"
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Hoshino rushed over and hugged me tightly.
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"I'm so glad... I'm so glad... I didn't lose you this time..."
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"...Ahaha, sorry for making you worry, Hoshino..."
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'I'm really sorry.'
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As we were having this dramatic reunion, the others gathered around me as well.
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"Sora-chan!"
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"Sora!"
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"Sora-senpai!"
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"Senpai, are you okay!?"
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"Ah, yeah. I'm fine. Just a little cold and my whole body hurts like hell, but other than that, I'm fine."
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Especially after blocking Binah's laser, I feel like collapsing right now, but I'm okay.
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"That doesn't sound fine at all!?"
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"Haha."
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'Man, Serika's consistent, which is nice~'
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...But still.
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Whirr!
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Shouldn't we be running away soon...?
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*
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"Alright, everyone, the enemy is one of the Prophets, named Binah. Be careful, as she mainly uses lasers and missiles."
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["""""Yes!"""""]
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"Man, I never thought I'd actually see a Binah Total Assault with this many people~
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"The Problem Solver 68, the After-School Sweets Club, and even Hina's party from Gehenna. My heart is pounding with excitement~"
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Of course,
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"Oh, Sora, you have to stay by my side, okay?"
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"Okay..."
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It would have been better if I wasn't the only one left out.
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I originally planned to participate too.
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I had a bad feeling about this.
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The reason for the Total Assault was Binah targeting me, after all.
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I felt responsible and wanted to help.
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'...Huh? Are you asking if I just want to participate because I want to die?'
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Hey~ I know my limits. Of course, with my current condition, I might end up dying in the fight against Binah, but after making Hoshino worry so much just now, I can't do that to her again, no matter what.
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If I'm going to die, I'd rather do it somewhere Hoshino can't see.
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Anyway, I really wanted to join the fight against Binah.
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But,
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"No."
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"But... my condition isn't that bad... and it's kind of my fault..."
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"Absolutely not."
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Hoshino was vehemently opposed, so I had no choice but to stay quietly by Sensei's side.
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'...How can I refuse when she's making that face?... Honestly, it was terrifying...'
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So, I really had no choice but to sit out of the fight.
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"Then, Sora-chan has to stay here quietly?"
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"Okay..."
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Maybe she came to check on me before the battle, but Hoshino approached me and gently hugged me, saying,
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"...Can't we really fight together..."
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"No."
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"...Okay."
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'I guess it's really not possible...'
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Her expression was more relaxed than before, but not completely.
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Well, it's not surprising, considering I just pretended to die right in front of her.
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I hope she'll relax later. Yeah.
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...I really hope she does.
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I'm already being confined sometimes, and I don't even want to imagine anything more than that.
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'...What? Are you saying that's actually a good thing? No, that's because you've never been confined before. Do you know how hard it is to be confined?'
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"Uhehe, don't worry, Sora-chan. We'll finish this quickly. I'm worried about your body too, so we'll finish up fast and go to the hospital."
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"...Okay."
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'Hospital... I don't really want to go...'
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I'll have to consider making a run for it later, at the right time.
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"I'll be back, Sora-chan."
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"Okay, see you later."
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Hoshino seemed satisfied with my response. She was still a bit awkward, but she smiled brightly and turned to join the others.
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"Sigh..."
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'I'm still a bit worried...'
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I watched Hoshino walk away, unable to shake off my unease.
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"...Well, I guess they'll finish this quickly."
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Even if it was just the After-School Sweets Club, it would be one thing, but Problem Solver 68 and Hina, Gehenna's Prefect Team leader, are here too.
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There are two of the strongest fighters here, right? So it's probably just unnecessary worrying.
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'Of course, I can't help but worry...'
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"...Well, it should be fine."
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'More importantly... I need to deal with this person.'
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I looked at Yume, who had been silently watching me all this time, and asked,
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"So, are you really not going to tell Hoshino anything?"
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"...."
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