You’re Right, They’ll Expel Me if I Run into the Store with a Weapon!! - Chapter 61: Take Before Being Taken. That's Me

“Abandon… me…”

“Don’t give up!”

Lending a shoulder to a bloodied comrade, he shouts angrily. On a rooftop where the rain has stopped and moisture lingers in the air, a combatant cries.

“The helicopter will be here soon! Hold on until then!”

With those words, the man gathers strength in his arms,

“It’s no use!”

Coughing up blood, he flicks off the supporting arm with a glimmer of life in his eyes.

The arm he flicked away is turning purple, starting to transform ominously.

“The erosion is fast… I’ll become a monster too…”

“I won’t abandon you! You are human!”

“Stop… please give up!”

Widening his eyes, he then immediately dismisses those words, raising his voice high while bleeding.

“Look at the reality! Look at my body!”

Saying so, the man tears off the bandage wrapped around his stomach. What he reveals is a non-human color smeared in mucus. It was something other than human cells.

“Even if you get on the helicopter, I’ll turn into a monster midway and kill you all! Don’t look away from that reality!”

Coughing and kneeling, red bodily fluid and mercury-colored liquid spill from his mouth as he speaks.

“Ugh!? Ahh!”

“Hey!”

“Don’t come any closer!”

He flicks away the approaching man with his right hand. However, that arm transforms, taking on the appearance of a scorpion’s tail.

“…The helicopter… I can see it…”

Pointing towards the sky with his left hand, still retaining its human shape.

What appears from the dark clouds is a helicopter flying through a veil of light. The sun’s rays illuminate the ground like a spotlight.

Eventually, one of the spotlights extends to the ground, illuminating the transformed man with light.

In contrast, the untransformed, wounded man looks on with a smile.

“You… when you were fighting… you used to shout a lot…”

“Shut up…”

“Those words… they… pulled us all along…”

“Shut up…”

“Hey… give me… those words…”

“I said shut up!”

Collapsing to his knees, he slams his hands on the ground. While crying, he looks at the smiling, blood-stained man.

“Why are you smiling, saying to kill you… why can you smile!”

“…Because you’re here.”

Standing up using his human left hand, he leaves a trail of mercury-colored liquid from the corner of his mouth, looking down at the crying man with his transformed right hand lowered.

“You will fulfill it. My wish, my last hope…”

He takes out a handgun from his bosom and throws it.

“Please, kill me…”

…Grasping the gun with an extended hand.

Dropping tears to the ground, the man slowly stands up.

Then, he points the gun at the forehead concealed by a smile.

“That’s right… that’s good…”

Against the background of dazzling pillars of light emerging from the dark clouds, two squad members face each other on the rooftop.

“Hey… how was it… fighting with me…”

And the smiling man seeks the words he desires from the man shedding tears.

Ah… it was the best…

◆

In a world dominated by despair, he uttered those words as he raced across the battlefield.

Fighting was “the best.”

Saving was “the best.”

Running through the battlefield with his comrades was his “best.”

“It’s not… the best… at all.”

A fallen comrade with a smile still on his lips sleeps on his knees.

Even in death, the comrade who heard those desired words never lost his smile.

Leaving those words behind, to leave his feelings with the comrade who shot him.

To not let him bear any guilt.

“Ah… aaaaaaaaah!”

He screams into the dark clouds lined with pillars of light.

Until his throat is dry.

With all his feelings and memories carried in his voice, he lets everything thunder up to the heavens.

Eventually, drowned out by the sound of the helicopter, the man, with trails of tears on his face, begins to walk, carrying his sleeping comrade.

…Final Chapter END

◆

“It’s finally over, this story was a long one.”

The day after the visit from the principal, Hiroki was facing his computer game for the first time in a while.

The end credits on the screen, listing the names of those involved in the production, served as a reminder that the story had reached its conclusion.

“I’ve finally completed this Alien Hunter game.”

“…”

“The last streaming quest had a quality like never before…”

“…”

“Hm, Suzuko?”

“It’s over.”

A faint voice came through the headphones, causing Hiroki to reflect on his feelings.

“I’m a bit sad too. It’s really over now.”

“It was popular.”

“They’re focusing on the new game now. They’re ending this one to redirect funds there.”

Hiroki spoke to Suzuko’s voice tinged with sadness.

“Looking forward to the next Alien Hunter. The preview looked amazing.”

“We can’t start the next one right away.”

“True, with the pre-orders swarming in, if we miss the lottery, who knows when we’ll be able to create an account…”

“I’d die before then.”

“Maybe try a challenge run with the completed quests?”

“That wouldn’t be fun.”

Suzuko muttered in a gloomy voice,

“My battlefield ends here too…”

“Battlefield… Hey, Suzuko.”

The word ‘battlefield’ triggered a thought in Hiroki. He changed his tone to ask Suzuko.

“Are you going to participate in the event?”

“Event?”

“Promotion. The welcome event for new students.”

“Tsu… Tsuyuharai…”

“Tsuyuharai?”

Hiroki let out a question at Suzuko’s uttered word.

Thinking it was another name for the event, he was about to ask, but Suzuko spoke first.

“I was asked to join, but I’m not going.”

“You were invited by a team?”

Hiroki was surprised that someone who seemed to have few friends, like Suzuko, had been approached.

But,

“You think I have friends?”

“Sorry about that.”

After a moment of silence, he apologized to the voice that had taken on a somber tone.

“But you were invited.”

“By the school.”

…I see.

Whether it’s because she’s a shut-in or the event is short on participants, Hiroki understood and accepted that it was the school, not friends, who had invited Suzuko.

“It doesn’t matter if I don’t do it, someone else will.”

“Who?”

“The person who will represent Tsuyuharai.”

“You’re missing a lot of words there.”

“Mm… Should I say it… A hint, maybe… Yeah…”

Suzuko coughed lightly, whispering in a soft voice.

“Do you ever want to be the best at something, Hiroki?”

“In something? Well, in a positive sense, yes, I’d like to be the best.”

“What do you think is necessary to become the best?”

“Skill, isn’t it?”

After a brief thought, the answer came easily. Suzuko sighed happily at his response.

“Right, skill. But, you know, some people misunderstand their own skill.”

Muttering so, Suzuko posed the next question.

“What’s the quickest way to be recognized as a skilled person?”

“To defeat a skilled person.”

“Correct.”

Suzuko confirmed Hiroki’s immediate response as correct.

“If I beat him, I’m strong. That kind of thinking is common among new students.”

“…Huh? How does that relate to Tsuyuharai?”

“That’s all.”

After a pause, she concluded,

“I probably shouldn’t say the answer.”

“Is it some kind of unspoken thing?”

“Yes, unspoken.”

As Suzuko’s voice took on a darker tone, the conversation was cut off with ‘unspoken.’

Not yet familiar with the norms of Combat College, Hiroki accepted the concept of ‘unspoken.’

“Are you not participating?”

Suzuko asked if he was going to be in the event.

Hiroki thought of a secret he was hiding.

“I am… you know.”

“Because you’re a transfer student, you’re interested?”

“Ah, I don’t want to use my power.”

“Why?”

“Don’t ask, please. It’s… kind of an unspoken reason.”

“Do you have a secret?”

“Well, yeah, a secret.”

“I have a secret too,” Suzuko seemed to compete, sharpening her tone on the other end of the headphones.

“I hold a surprising truth.”

“Oh? What is it?”

“You think I’ll tell you for free? Ever heard of equivalent exchange?”

To gain something, an equivalent price must be paid, Suzuko informed Hiroki. But Hiroki was not to be outdone.

“Just so you know, the secret I could offer is big. You’d get change back.”

“I have something big too. So that you know, the way Hiroki has treated me so far would change instantly if he knew my secret… probably.”

“If Suzuko knew my secret…”

“Hm?”

At the sudden hypothetical, Suzuko voiced her curiosity.

“If it were known to Combat College… I’d have to leave the college.”

More accurately, “be made to leave,” but Hiroki chose to say “leave.”

Suzuko lowered her sharpened gaze at that.

“This is serious, I’m not joking.”

At his words, Suzuko’s voice faltered, fading away.

“Do you want to know?”

“…Never mind.”

“Right.”

It was a foolish competition, and with that thought, he decisively ended the ongoing conversation.

The credits rolled to an end, and the screen shifted to the avatar selection.

“I guess I’ll be logging off soon too.”

“Meal?”

The clock hands pointed at twelve, and Suzuko came to that conclusion, but

“A meal is just a side thing.”

“A side thing?”

“I was thinking of going to buy some summer clothes. Just one piece a little while ago…”

At those words, the girl avatar carrying a sniper rifle accepted the quest.

“The battle isn’t over yet.”

“It’s been six hours since the update.”

This broadcast started early at six in the morning, and since the update was completed, they haven’t stopped conquering the last quest.

Naturally, he had spent from morning till now in the game.

“About time…”

The girl avatar waved one hand at the entrance, signaling “Hurry up!”

“Give me a break.”

Saying so, he made his avatar kneel in submission.

“My computer is overheating too.”

“That’s because Hiroki’s computer isn’t suited for gaming.”

“Right. And that’s another reason for me to log off.”

“…What do you want?”

“Huh? What’s with the sudden change in the topic?”

He was momentarily taken aback by the abrupt shift in the conversation.

“I’ll buy it. The latest model for gaming. Even my spare one is fine.”

“Wait, calm down.”

Suzuko stopped talking at his admonishing tone.

“It’s not right for a classmate, a girl, to be preparing a computer for me.”

“It’s okay. I don’t mind.”

“I mind, you bourgeois.”

Suzuko, who had a spare latest model computer, seemed to have a shadow of wealth.

“I’ve been curious, but where does Suzuko get the money? I’ve seen it during cleanup, but your room had so many parts.”

If counted as just computers, there were about ten, but including dismantled parts, there were enough to open a small store.

“Even to an amateur, those parts are expensive.”

“I don’t know if they’re expensive.”

Suzuko recalled the parts she had purchased so far.

“It’s natural for a gamer to stick to the latest models. If you don’t buy them as soon as they’re released, you’ll always regret it later.”

Suzuko spun a weirdly correct theory.

“I buy them from the net, including overseas sites, as soon as I find them. That’s what a true gamer does.”

“Apologize to gamers nationwide. And add ‘shut-in’. Shut-in gamer.”

There was no saving this woman, and his impression of Suzuko plummeted.

What had happened in the past became a question he wanted to press on, but

“So, even after deducting utility and living expenses, I can’t see how you can afford to shop so much.”

Normally, the rent would also be partly borne by the person living there, but in Hiroki’s case, the principal had secretly arranged for it to be free of charge.

Even imagining the amount after deducting rent, he suspected Suzuko was overspending based on what the cleaner had guessed.

“Buying new ones every time will deplete it.”

“I’m a student at Combat College. Hence, there’s an easy way to raise funds.”

“A shut-in like you getting money from missions?”

It was hard to imagine a girl who seemed not to step out of her house willingly undertaking missions to earn money.

Impossible.

It can’t be.

“I haven’t taken any missions for a year now.”

“Wait, wait, wait a minute.”

He couldn’t let that statement go and quickly voiced his confusion over the microphone.

“Aren’t students at Combat College required to take missions?”

“Hm, I participate in research and get paid. In my case, research is treated as a mission.”

“Research?”

“If you have a unique ability, you can earn a lot of money just by helping with research.”

“That’s too enviable! Wait, you don’t have to take on dangerous jobs either!”

“Dangerous jobs? What are you talking about?”

“That’s what I do! Jobs that involve risking my life!”

“That’s strange.”

After a brief silence, Suzuko threw a question at Hiroki.

“What kind of missions have you been on?”

“Infiltrating bases abroad! I nearly died, you know!”

“That’s strange.”

Suzuko questioned the content hastily told to her.

“Letting a transfer student take on such a mission? Even if they’re untrained?”

Hiroki’s words made her ponder.

The conclusion,

“That’s a lie, isn’t it?”

Suzuko stared at Hiroki’s avatar with doubtful eyes.

“There’s no reason for me to lie.”

“As a topic of conversation?”

“Why would I unnecessarily extend the conversation when I’m about to go out?”

“That is… yeah, indeed.”

“Heh.”

He sighed and declined the quest invitation from Suzuko, bringing up the save screen.

“That’s all in the past now.”

The dangerous mission was now a thing of the past. He was confident he would refuse the next one, even if it meant expulsion, and stopped his wandering thoughts.

“Then, I’ll log off. I’m hungry.”

“Wait!”

Logging out, he followed the usual procedure to close the game and shut down the computer.

“Well then, let’s go—‘ beep beep! beep beep!’ What’s going on?”

“Don’t abandon your comrades.”

“It’s okay, you can survive on your own. With your ranker title, annihilate the aliens with your unmatched strength.”

He responded to Suzuko’s gloomy voice with random words over his smartphone.

But Suzuko’s discontent didn’t cease.

“Then I have an idea.”

“Hm?”

“You still don’t know. The joy of the game.”

In a place unseen by Hiroki, Suzuko set her determined eyes.

“So, I’ll let you know.”

“What will you let me know?”

“The best environment…”

Suzuko was determined not to let him escape.

“Hiroki… can you tell me your address?”

“What are you planning to do?”

“I’ll order a computer for you online—”

Before she could finish, Hiroki cut off the call.

He also considered blocking her number.

“It’s hopeless. Even if I cleaned the room, I couldn’t clean Suzuko’s heart. She tried to dump her trash into someone else’s heart.”

Gaming addiction. The disease seemed to lurk behind Suzuko.

“In many ways, it’s such a waste—”

Before he could block the number, his phone started ringing again.

Hesitantly, he pressed the screen,

“Don’t even think about buying a computer—I’m coming with you. What did you say?”

“I’ll come with you to buy summer clothes.”

What? He was puzzled by the sudden change of heart, which briefly scrambled his thoughts.

“What’s gotten into you?”

“Nothing much, I just also want to buy some.”

“What are you thinking? You could just order online.”

“That won’t let me know if it suits me. I believe in making purchases without regrets.”

He couldn’t understand what she was thinking.

Sure, her reasoning made sense. But the sudden proposition was highly questionable.

“Why with me?”

“I want to go with someone if I’m going.”

…

“Alright.”

He couldn’t think of a reason to refuse.

And considering Suzuko didn’t seem to have any friends around her, letting her go alone felt wrong.

Regardless of the reason, it would achieve his goal of going shopping.

Hiroki reached for a pamphlet he got from Amakusa-sensei after returning to Japan.

“I’m thinking of going to a certain shopping mall. How should we meet up?”

“Tell me where you’re going. I’ll head there too, and I’ll contact you once I arrive.”

“Got it.”

He gave her the exact location and ended the call.

“What’s going on all of a sudden?”

◆

She didn’t want to let go.

After all the effort to find a friend.

She was sure they would understand.

“Hiroki…”

When was the last time she talked to someone close to her age…

No one but Hiroki…

Teachers tell her to come to school. They say it firmly.

But Hiroki doesn’t push her much.

He even joins her in games.

“Why do you even take on missions?”

Knowing the reason for his silence was missions hurt her deeply.

Was that why he couldn’t play games with her?

He should refuse.

After all, Hiroki is her only friend.

“I’ll buy it for you. I’ll prepare everything for you.”

Suzuko opened her device and started searching for shops near the shopping mall on a specialized website Hiroki didn’t know about.

Something was beginning to change within the girl.

“Maybe being alone together is…”

He remembered Suzuko’s personality.

A shut-in. Shy. Socially awkward. Prone to anxiety. And so on.

Just the two of them.

The conversation would surely stall.

But, maybe helping her overcome that is also a form of kindness?

If she could make more friends who she could talk to, wouldn’t that have a positive effect on Suzuko?

“Is there someone?”

Suzuko is a girl. So, a female friend would be better.

Picking up his smartphone, he scrolled through his contacts,

“Shiori Himeji”

“Hazuki Shirahime”

“Haruna Midorikawa”

“Who should I…”