Chapter 40: The Protagonist Worries

After staying just one night, we left the sea behind.

Even though we were only there for a short time, it turned into an intense day.

We watched everyone playing at the beach, I walked with Shishiba-san, and we even fought a hybrid-type Deep Calamity.

But more than anything… Akegami Sora-san’s words—"Then why don’t we just go out?"—have been stuck in the back of my mind.

She said it so naturally that it didn’t sound like a joke. She did say afterward that it was a joke, but then added it was half-serious… so in the end, I still don’t know what to make of it.

That’s why I ended up pushing back a little myself. Honestly, if she keeps saying things like that, I don’t know what’ll happen.

She blushed a bit, so… I think she’ll be more careful next time.

For someone who teases others so much, she’s not used to having the same done to her—that really feels like Akegami Sora-san.

…Man, I’ve been thinking about Akegami Sora-san way too much. That’s not good. Seriously.

"…Shinozaki Nagisa, what are you spacing out for?"

"Sorry, Kototsuka-san. I was just thinking about something."

"I don’t think it’s very polite to leave someone hanging like that."

"So you feel that way too, Kototsuka-san."

"…You’ve gotten quite a bit less reserved, haven’t you?"

In the team room, I sat across from Kototsuka-san.

In the end, the Fourth Deep Calamity Disaster that had begun moving needed to be dealt with quickly, but deciding how to defeat it would take some time, so it seemed we had a few days with nothing to do.

The others hadn’t arrived yet.

"To be honest… I’m a little uneasy."

Unusually, Kototsuka-san wore a pensive expression.

"What’s wrong?"

"I think I told you before that the beast-type Deep Calamity was what led me to become a Curse Seeker. It’s not exactly trauma, but… it still leaves me with an unpleasant feeling."

She let out a deep sigh.

…An unpleasant feeling, huh. The first time I became a Connector was also when there was a Deep Calamity nearby.

I don’t ever want to experience that kind of fear again.

Maybe… back then, someone important to her got hurt or something like that?

"What?"

Her gaze snapped toward me. I’d gotten lost in thought and ended up staring at her.

"No, I was just wondering if maybe you also had some kind of bad experience with a Deep Calamity Disaster, Kototsuka-san."

"That was a roundabout way of asking. I understand, though. But I told you—it’s not trauma."

"…Yeah, I know. I just thought maybe."

"Honestly, this is probably because of Akegami Sora."

…Since Sora-san, who seemed perfectly fine at first, ended up being the most worn down, maybe I’ve become a bit wary of topics like that.

"Sorry, I guess I was being a bit oversensitive."

"It’s fine. Besides, if I were the kind of woman who was mentally worn down like that…"

The corners of Kototsuka-san’s lips curled slightly.

"—Would you come save me?"

For a moment, I was at a loss for words.

Her natural smile—something she rarely showed—was breathtaking. It almost stole my breath.

"Yeah… if that happens, I’ll save you."

After a short pause, I answered.

If it’s a girl who’s hurting, there’s no way I could just leave her alone.

"I see. That does sound like you."

Her smile disappeared just as quickly, returning to normal as if it had been an illusion.

"By the way, are you going to go out with Akegami Sora after all?"

"…Why?"

"She confessed to you, didn’t she?"

"She said it was a joke."

"And also that it was half-serious."

…Even though she was just talking like that a moment ago, jumping straight into this topic feels a bit much.

"I think it’s probably more like dependency, so I don’t think it’ll turn into that."

"That’s not what I asked. I wanted to know what you think."

"Me?"

"Yes. I can’t quite tell whether you’re even interested in that sort of thing. Are you interested in girls?"

"That’s a pretty bold question!?"

"But judging from how you reacted back when you were Akegami Yuri, perhaps you’re interested in their bodies?"

"Wait a second. Doesn’t that make me sound like a terrible person?"

Just as the conversation started veering into borderline slander, the door slid open with a rattle.

"Yo."

Raising one hand lazily, Akegami Sora-san walked in. …She seemed a bit low-energy.

"What’s wrong, Akegami Sora? You don’t look very lively."

"Yeah, well. I’m sleepy."

She let out a big yawn.

"Couldn’t sleep?"

"Nah, I got contacted about the Fourth Deep Calamity operation. Kind of a hassle."

Contact? I tried to recall, but I didn’t think I’d received anything.

"U-um… can I come in now?"

Peeking out from behind Akegami Sora-san, Nishizono-san showed her face. Why is she here?

"Mahiro got involved too, you know? Apparently the plan is to make Team Blue Sky the main force for the operation."

"…Why?"

Sure, our team is strong. But I don’t see why it has to be us.

"U-um… well… there’s someone named Iijima Kanon on my team. Her skill can lure beast-type Deep Calamities, and if used well, even put them to sleep…"

That’s a seriously powerful ability. In that case, wouldn’t it make more sense to have her team as the main force instead?

…Unless they lack firepower?

"…During the Fifth Deep Calamity Disaster the other day, she protected me and ended up badly injured."

…I see. So normally, with her there, things would’ve gone much more smoothly.

After saying that, for some reason, Mahiro-san hid behind Akegami Sora-san. …Why?

"So since we can’t rely on luring them, the plan is to wipe them out instead. And apparently, I’m the one for that role."

"…Does that mean you’re going to brute-force it using your Abaddon form?"

"Yeah, pretty much. Nagisa-kun, make sure you keep me in check, okay? If you mess up, it’s boom—you’re going down with me."

…She says some seriously scary things.

Still, Akegami Sora-san is going out too. Normally, when she uses her Abaddon form, she’s often ordered to stay on standby.

She can’t use her power freely, and it’s excessive. The beach trip the other day was apparently because they felt bad leaving her alone.

But this is a Deep Calamity Disaster. Maybe they can’t afford to hold back.

Next time, no matter what, I’ll make sure Akegami Sora-san gets back safely without being put in danger. That’s what I’ve decided.

"…By the way, how exactly are you connected to all this, Nishizono-san?"

"Oh—Kanon asked me to look after things for her."

"I-I'm sorry someone like me is here… B-but, for a little while, I can use Iijima-san’s skill!"

That’s true—I saw her stopping the movement of beast-type Deep Calamities before. If she’s here, she’ll definitely be reassuring.

…Still, for a ‘main force,’ our role feels more like clearing the path. We carve a route and pass it on to the other teams.

Reina-san and Shishiba-san are both suited for fighting large numbers, so maybe that’s why it works.

But… how are we supposed to defeat the hybrid-type Deep Calamity at the center?

With that lingering unease in mind, we finally began checking the operation details that had just come in.