Fuu didn't know if she should sigh in exasperation or drop her jaw in shock.
It was not that she was clueless. A swirl of emotions erupted and clashed within her that made sure she couldn't focus on anything at all. She had expected that boy to do something reckless, but never to this extent. Was he alright in the head? He was thinking of everyone, the world, and the future. But the step he chose to take lacked any thought whatsoever. Why would he decide something so important all by himself?
...Well, he's not exactly the sharpest tool in the shed.
He probably thought that everything would be alright. He probably believed that he could accomplish everything on his task list all at once. He also probably didn't mind failure if he could safeguard everyone's happiness as quickly as possible. Hell, while all of his friends were not paying attention to him, Issei must have consulted with his parents.
"That stupid… imbecile, hot-headed, perverted lizard…" Fuu pinched and rubbed the bridge of her nose. "I got careless. Should've expected that twat to do something like that."
"...Eh?"
Blinking, Fuu realized that all eyes had gathered on her. She unashamedly laughed–though it sounded like something coming out of a broken cassette–and coughed into her fist.
Get back to the topic, you idiot!
After scolding herself, Fuu straightened her back. "W-well! I can totally see that one of our club members couldn't stop running his mouth off."
"Oh?" Yasaka tilted her head. "Do you disagree with his decision?"
Eh, how did this come to that?!
"N-not at all!" Fuu raised and waved frantically. "I mean, there's… there's nothing wrong with wanting a better future! But it's just…"
"That burden is too heavy to be carried alone," Yasaka finished. She closed her eye and placed her fan in front of her lips, thus concealing her entire expression from Fuu's view. "Would that be correct? Do you believe he is incapable of shouldering the survival and future of this world?"
Fuu parted her lips, but no word could leave her mouth. Falling silent, she felt a headache forming, but there was no simple way to remedy it. What was she supposed to say anyway? Agreeing with that assumption would mean she had no faith in her junior. At the same time, if she denied it, Yasaka would definitely smile and tell her there was no problem.
No matter how much she racked her brain over it, there was just no way for her to escape this situation…!
"...It's not right."
...Ah? Hearing those three words that held no hesitation, Fuu rotated her head, catching her junior with a countenance she could not recognize. Why?
Because it was Yuuna who had expressly rejected Yasaka's words.
Responding with narrowed eyes, Yasaka folded her fan with a solid click.
"Is it? Will you elaborate why, young lady?"
As the center of attention, Yuuna could be seen visibly swallowing a lump. Her shoulders tensed, and so did both of her arms. She shifted her position and clenched her hands that were pressed strongly on her thighs, yet her eyes never once wavered as she exchanged gazes with the Youkai Princess.
And then—
"Issei-kun has already suffered more than enough," Yuuna said. "He was hurt in our stead, trained so hard to help us, cried for us, and sacrificed his humanity because he couldn't acknowledge our fate."
That is why, Yuuna whispered. As she placed a hand on her chest, on top of where her heart resided in, a bright light glowed in her red eyes. Shining like a beacon, burning with brilliance.
"...If," Yuuna paused. "...If he wants to change this world. If the future is what he wants to see… then we will help him realize that dream."
A sudden silence washed over the main seemed as if it had died down for several moments. But that silence was broken by a single voice.
"And tell me..." Yasaka–the golden-haired priestess–asked, "What drives you to go that far? What is pushing you to pick that decision, despite realizing how perilous the path laid out before your eyes are?"
What was the reason? Fuu internalized the question the Celestial Fox gave, and Yuuna acknowledged it. The girl nodded her head as she slowly inhaled.
"I am…" Yuuna steadied her gaze. "I am Yuuki Yuuna, a member of a Hero Club. Our club's purpose is to help everyone…"
Before anyone could speak, the girl added a 'but' in her sentence.
"That isn't all," Yuuna spoke aloud. "...I will help Issei-kun, because he is my friend, and because I want to stand by his side."
Fuu held her breath. As she gazed upon her junior, the red-haired girl announced her main reason to all who was present in the shrine hall. The conviction she didn't know Yuuna had. The dream she realized she had never heard coming out of her lips. An innocent dream that made her heart tremble simply because of its simplicity and nobility...
"We will fight together to reach our own dream."
Really, her junior was such a Hero.
Despite the strength and capability of the enemies of humanity, there are still times when they had to pause in their assaults. For those who took up the arms, it means a time to resupply and tend to their wounded.
Inside the spacious kagura-den of Izumo-Taisha, people went about doing their business. The majority of them were teenagers and a few of them were masked priestesses who tirelessly moved around with carts full of medical supply. Sounds of chatters filled the air, but many of them were complaints and pained groans.
"Here it comes."
Slapping the band-aid on her junior's back, Karin watched the girl yelp and squirm in place. Her torso was covered with nothing but bandages and ointment, and a few exposed areas were decorated with blue of bruises.
These girls are way too reckless…
"Whoever thought you lots are ready for battle needs a beating," Karin snipped while promptly ignoring the flinching figures of the Taisha priestesses nearby. "Don't move without thinking. There's more than one way to achieve victory, make sure to cram battle tactics in your head."
"Auuh… y-yes ma'am…"
"Same goes for your squadmates," the brunette added. "If you can't make up your mind, you might as well return your terminals. No one wants to see you die."
Karin wondered if they understood that, but she sensed someone shifting in place and looked over her shoulders. She saw a girl with a crutch, dressed in a robe that helped hide her bandaged abdomen. She looked intently at Karin.
"...But," the girl said. "This is war. We have to be prepared for any scenario…*
"That doesn't mean you should throw away your life for victory."
Karin sighed. Was she being too harsh? She couldn't help but chide herself for replying so quickly and bluntly, but she knew that she must say it aloud. If it wasn't now, when would be the right time for it?
"It's true that we are at war," Karin paused. "It's also true that if we lose, then our world will be no more. But if you ignored your own life, your own happiness… then there's no point."
"...Why? How can you say that?"
Karin gauged the girl. She had a fine expression. There was a burning light in her eyes, and regardless of her irritation or hostility…
Yes, I can see Kusunoki's teaching instilled in her.
That applied to the rest of the Sentinels. Karin felt a shred of envy welling up, but it was easily overpowered by her acceptance. For a final score, they all passed with flying colors, thus—
"Sacrificing one thing to gain something is not heroic at all."
With a confident grin, Miyoshi Karin gave her juniors their first assignment.
The moon was finally out.
After everything was said and done, the seaside town continued on being filled with the noise of machine and construction tools. The artificial symphony filled the night, but it would soon die down. The townspeople knew better than to risk themselves, and it wasn't like they didn't need a long rest after the grueling battle.
[Unfortunately,] Ddraig noted. [That was just a skirmish. There's a new strain, but it's not like they went all-out with it.]
Issei nodded. As he walked through a corridor in Izumo-Taisha, he couldn't help but think about today's confrontation. If he was allowed to speak his thoughts out loud…
"This isn't looking good at all."
An image of a dragon nodding his head crossed his mind. [No doubt. It's one thing that the Constellations are back at full strength, those bastards watching from above are definitely producing new strains to intercept us.]
And here he thought everything would go smoothly… Issei wanted to tear his hair out, but he chose to keep his dignity and preserve his image. He couldn't let his guard down, now that his identity was known to the Sentinels. As a temporary manager of the Hero System, he had to be strict or else order would collapse.
If only Mebuki is here, Issei lamented. She would put off any commotion as long as it's around her peers.
[She would be bringing in her own problems, though,] the giant western dragon inside his mind retorted. [You've never told her your reasons, and you ignore her completely when she tried to bait an answer out of you.]
Oh, shut up. Did Ddraig even know how it felt for Issei who got himself labeled as a firing target for no reason at all? It wasn't fair. Why the hell would he favor his friends and choose them as Heroes?
"I don't even want the club involved again…" Issei groaned. A headache was about to form, but he decided to throw aside thinking in favor of looking outside. "...The moon doesn't look much different here."
He craned his head up. The sky was colored with a faint red. The shadows cast by the trees, the color of the shrine pillars, even the broken clouds had a deep shade of red, and the planet's satellite hanging in the starless sky was painted crimson.
An eternal blood moon.
It was like a picture taken straight from a horror film. And yet it didn't give any frightening impression, just eerie discomfort that felt as if the moon was looking down on earth. If the abyss had eyes, having it gaze back at you would be similar to this sensation.
"...Well, that's totally not ominous at all." Issei rubbed his left arm, feeling the goosebumps crawling on his skin. "If the gods are on the moon, would we need to build a rocket to get there?"
[Magic can easily do that, though I doubt the barking dogs up there didn't take account of that.]
True enough. If they could easily be attacked, the world wouldn't have become a scorching wasteland.
"...Haah, I should rest." Issei leaned on the railings and rubbed his temples.
While it didn't do him any good, the position helped him take some things off his mind. As a dragon, and as a Dragon God, he was burdened with numerous responsibilities. He had been prepared for that. He would rest for tonight, wake up early, negotiate with the local Taisha branch and offer compensation for the damages done in the area. Then he also needed to contact headquarter and the other Factions in the alliance, handing out written reports that could hopefully help them build a strategy to counter the Vertexes.
Not to mention I have to negotiate with that damned tree again…!
For fuck's sake, why couldn't all organization-to-organization relationships be made simpler? All of this wasn't a job fit for a brat who was still sitting in the first year of high-school, god damn it…!
"Han-kun, what are you doing there?"
Nwah!? Issei abruptly lost his balance and almost fell over the railings. He swung his upper body forward and recovered, but the sudden action caused him to lean ahead too much. When he realized it, he had come face-to-face with a certain cloudcuckoolander.
"...Oh."
Issei blinked. His nose picked up the fragrance of a flower, and he felt a warm breath brushing past his cheek. Soon he realized his nose nearly touched Sonoko's, and he quickly became fully aware of their proximity.
Luckily or not, the blonde revealed a dopey smile. Her cheeks reddened a little as she raised her gloved hands and placed them together on his cheeks.
"Bam!" Sonoko cried out before she broke out a short giggle. "Heh he, you're letting your guards down too much! I caught you now!"
...Bwah, I feel like I've just lost my chance…
[Don't be stupid.]
Ah? The heck did that mean, Ddraig? Issei tried probing for an answer, but the dragon tuned him out once again. That shut-in lizard…!
"…Han-kun?"
Issei blinked. He strutted but soon he realized he was confronted with a worried Sonoko. He felt ashamed of his lack of self-control now. If I can't even deal with something that's happening in front of me, how am I supposed to change anything?
The boy exasperated. He retreated and straightened his back. The warmth and scent on his cheeks lingered for a bit, but it was more than enough to calm him down. However, since he knew that wouldn't be enough, he raised his right hand and held his friend's hand.
This hand is so small and fragile, yet it has been burdened with so much pain.
"…I'm fine," Issei finally said. Even as he stared long at the familiar hand that comforted him throughout the past years. "Sorry. I just thought of taking a breath of fresh air."
"…I see."
Those two words rang hollow in the night air. Issei wondered if that was a good thing or not. Sonoko was sharp. She might not look like it, but she was said to be the leader back when she fought together with Gin and younger Tougou. As the heiress of the Nogi family, the old Taisha had labeled her the leader, but Issei couldn't imagine her being bossy and strict about things. Her ancestor is a completely different case, though…
"…Muh. Why do I feel like you're looking down on me?" Sonoko creased her eyebrows in slight irritation.
Ahahahahaa, what kind of person would come up with that sort of rude thing?! Issei was about to make up an excuse when he felt his hand pulled forward. Indeed, Sonoko had turned her back on him and started pulling, dragging him into the shrine with unexpected force.
"Eh? Huh? S-Sonoko-chan—"
"Shush. Let me reward you for your hard work today."
What? Reward? Issei was unable to comprehend the meaning of his friend's words until they reached the sleeping quarters reserved for Sonoko. Beyond a pair of sliding doors separating it from the inner sanctum corridor, a large and lavish room entered his sight. It was 8-tatami wide with a wardrobe, a clothing stand, a small partition and a shin-height desk situated next to the wall.
The rectangular window gave ways for the moonlight to flood in, but Issei could recognize an ofuda sticking on the frame, filtering the red light so as to alter it into the normal pale blue color he always knew. Forgetting his own situation, Issei was pulled down and before he knew it, his back had been laying in the comfort of the futon with his head resting on a warm, soft cushion…
"W-wait a moment…" The youth at the peak of puberty felt his mind screeching to a halt. "Isn't this the legendary lap pill—ow!?"
His forehead received a light karate-chop. Why?!
"Han-kun, it's already nearing midnight. You can't overwork yourself~"
"B-but I am not doing that…?"
Sonoko looked down. While the view from below was outstanding, the girl gave a smile that didn't reach her eyes. Feeling his hairs standing on ends, Issei immediately complied out of self-preservation instinct. The action appeased the blonde heiress as she snorted smugly. Damn it, does this mean I'm at the bottom of the food-chain…!
[…Technically, females of the species are more aggressive than the male during mating season.]
Well, humans were not created with mating season installed in their physiology, you stupid dragon…! Issei was about to beat Ddraig up with a psychological assault when another karate-chop landed. He yelped and decided that he was done with everything. And so…
"Ah, you finally relaxed~"
"Well, I don't want to be hit on the head for the third time…" Issei grumbled.
"Third time's the charm, after all," Sonoko sang aloud.
Was that really how it was? Issei breathed out. He closed his eyes and felt something brushing his hair like a comb. From the sensation alone, he could tell what the truth was, but—
"…Umm, Sonoko-chan?"
"What is it?" Sonoko hummed.
"…No, it's nothing."
He felt awkward now. He was happy with the treatment he was given, but he couldn't help feeling like he was being pampered like a child. His internal happiness soon won out and he melted under his friend's care. He felt drowsy; or rather, his exhaustion was catching up very quickly. Even though his wounds were healed, the fatigue, stamina drain and everything else had probably worn down his physical and mental health. To think he had been so worked up all these times…
"Heh he…."
Hearing a small laughter, Issei had the urge to be roused from his half-sleeping state. He looked up with one eye, staring at a smiling Sonoko. She had yet to stop brushing his hair with her right hand, and her left hand touched the floor next to her legs which were bent back to either side.
"…What's wrong, Sonoko-chan?" Issei asked.
"Hmm?" His friend tilted her head. "Karin-chan will be spending the night with the Sentinels, so now I can have Han-kun all for myself."
…Huh.
"Are," Issei paused in thoughts. "Are you jealous, Sonoko-chan?"
"Why would you think that?"
Eh? But she wanted to hog him all for herself, right? Wasn't that a sign of possessiveness? Issei wasn't the brightest bulb in the shelves, but even he could tell jealous women were not to be taken lightly. He had learned after clearing all of those mentally-scarring galge which starred yandere and psychotic heroines in them.
Since his silence seemed to have handed her his entire thoughts, Sonoko raised her left hand and placed a finger under her chin. The girl hummed thoughtfully and tilted her head to either side, letting the flocks of her golden blonde hair wave while reflecting the moonlight.
"…Well," Sonoko began. "It's true that sometimes, I wanted to be with you. Not with everyone, but alone—just you and me."
"Sonoko-chan…"
Sonoko giggled. She patted his head and sighed, "I know Han-kun loves us equally. Wasshi, Yuuyuu, Nibosshi, Fuumin-senpai, even Ittsun… You treasure us and our happiness more than anything."
The girl brushed the boy's hair. She rested her thumb on his forehead, letting him feel the warmth and suppleness of her fingers. The hand touching his scalp and forehead wasn't entirely soft. There were blisters and rigidness found only on the hands of spear-wielding martial artists. No matter what, Nogi Sonoko was undeniably a warrior—a Hero who had given her all to protect everyone's happiness.
"…Han-kun, are you going to leave?"
At that question, Issei's eyes widened. He fully caught the face of the girl he loved within both of his eyes, and he could feel her gaze peering into his. For an instance, the girl's smile twisted in resigned sadness. And for a single moment, the always carefree, always smiling Sonoko had dropped all pretenses.
"You're going to change the world," Sonoko said. "But staying here will not help you accomplish that. If there's a way to save the world, then surely, seeing the world is the only way to find that method."
The girl's voice began to fade. The sleepiness the boy felt had intensified, and he could do nothing but feel the tightening sensation around his heart. Why couldn't he respond?
…Because she's right.
One day, he would leave this nest. He would abandon everything to begin his journey. He didn't know how long it would take, or how many difficulties he had to surmount, but he knew that he would have to bid farewell to his loved ones. It wasn't a choice; it was the price he had to pay, a consequence of his action, an inevitability.
Can I even do it?
He can. He is a dragon now. In fact, he became a Dragon God with the potential to stand head-and-shoulder with the enemies. He is still weak right now, but time will assist him, and his efforts will one day be rewarded in full. That future was a certainty, because…
"I'm no longer a human, Sonoko-chan."
The girl stayed silent. But she reacted and bobbed her head down.
"…I'm," Issei paused. "I don't have a lifespan anymore, so even if you're all gone, I will keep on living."
Unchanging. Eternal. Detached from the flow of time. That was his fate as a dragon, a being that sided with no one but themselves. It didn't matter who would stand in front of him. It didn't matter what sort of opponent he had to face. It didn't matter what kind of physical or conceptual laws desire to restrict him.
In the end, dragons only cared about what they loved the most.
"…Do you regret it?"
He looked up. At the question given by the girl he loved, Issei parted his lips. He couldn't answer right away, yet he didn't become flustered. There was no way he would allow himself to blunder like that.
"...I've already decided," Issei eventually replied. "I've already picked my path."
But was there any other choice? There was no room for compromise. There was no ground to negotiate, and there was no need for any more words. The world had been stolen by selfish gods. So many lives were sacrificed, so many happiness crushed, so many hopes trampled remorselessly, all in the name of survival, greater good, and vainglory.
Hyoudou Issei scorned this world, but he loved this very world all the same. It granted him a place he truly belonged. This wretched, hopeless world that had long already ended…
"I want to change it," the boy declared. "I want to change this world. For my own sake. For everyone's sake. For those who have passed on with regrets and unfulfilled wishes. For the people who shed their tears and cried in sorrow…"
That was his promise.
That was the reason why he could accept his reality.
That was why he signed the contract offered by the King of the Land Gods.
"…For the sake of the result I can truly be happy with…" Hyoudou Issei softly smiled. "There's just no way I will ever regret my choice, right?"
