“Impossible... How...” The demon grimaced. Somehow, Hajime had guessed all of their plans. Suddenly, a possibility occurred to her. Maybe Hajime had also cleared one of the labyrinths. She looked up at him for confirmation, and he nodded silently.
“I see. So you’re just like that person... That explains your strength... Are we done here? If so, get it over with already. I hope you’re not thinking of taking me prisoner. You’ll never take me alive.”
“That person, huh? So they’re the one who gave you this army of monsters.”
It was clear from her gaze that the demon would kill herself before she allowed herself to be taken captive. But if possible, she wanted to die a warrior, at the hands of her enemies. For his part, Hajime had gotten all the information he’d wanted out of the demon. He no longer had any use for her.
The demon cursed Hajime with her final words, in one last act of spite.
“Someday my lover will come to kill you.” Hajime smiled fearlessly.
“I’ll kill anyone that makes themselves my enemy, even the gods themselves. I can’t imagine someone stuck as their pawn is much of a threat.”
Done with their final exchange, the two of them fell silent. Hajime pointed Donner at the demon’s head. But before he could pull the trigger, someone called out to him.
“Wait! Wait, Nagumo! She can’t fight anymore! There’s no need to kill her!”
“......” Hajime looked over his shoulder at Kouki, a dumbfounded expression on his face. Is this guy serious? Kouki stumbled to his feet, swaying unsteadily. Hajime still had his finger on the trigger.
“Let’s... Let’s just make her our prisoner. There’s no way we can kill someone who can’t even resist. Heroes aren’t supposed to do things like that. You’re one of my comrades too, so shouldn’t you be obeying my commands?”
Hajime could scarcely believe the things coming out of Kouki’s mouth. He ignored Kouki entirely and pulled the trigger.
There was a sharp crack as the bullet robbed the demon of her life.
Silence fell. Kouki’s jaw was hanging open. He understood what had just happened, but his mind still couldn’t accept that his classmate had mercilessly killed someone without any hesitation. The person who’d been most shocked by Hajime’s actions was Kaori.
Not because he’d killed someone. She’d been prepared for that too. She understood that was what it meant to help the humans of this world with their war. This entire labyrinth excursion was simply training for when they’d actually have to kill people.
She knew one day she might have to kill someone. Sure, it would be Shizuku and Kouki and the other frontliners doing the actual killing, but she had to be prepared to help them in that endeavor. To bear the same guilt as them.
What had shocked Kaori was how easily Hajime had done it. She couldn’t believe that he had no aversion to killing whatsoever. He’d done it as naturally as breathing. The Hajime she’d known was a kind, powerless boy. Even though he had no strength of his own, he’d always done everything he could to help others. That was what had made him strong. Even though he could barely fight, no matter the situation, he was always sacrificing himself for others. Which was why she was so surprised that he hadn’t hesitated to kill someone. Someone who couldn’t fight back, even.
Shizuku could easily tell what was going through Kaori’s mind. They’d been friends for long enough that she understood Kaori’s thought process. After all she’d heard about Hajime from Kaori, Shizuku knew just how big of a shock that had to be.
When she saw Hajime’s cold expression, she too thought to herself that he’d changed far too much. Still, she also knew that she had no right to say anything about it when she didn’t even know what Hajime had experienced thus far. All she could do was hug Kaori and try to comfort her somehow.
However, Kouki had no such inhibitions. His strong sense of justice compelled him to protest. And protest he did.
“Why... Why did you kill her? There was no need to.” Hajime looked at Kouki out of the corner of his eye. He wondered for a few seconds how he should respond, and then realized there was no need to respond at all. Pretending he hadn’t heard anything, he walked over to Shea and Meld.
Yue broke off from the students and trotted up to Hajime. Suzu watched her forlornly as she left.
“Shea, how’s Meld doing?”
“It was pretty close. Any later and he’d probably be dead. I gave him some Ambrosia like you asked, but... are you sure it was okay to use some on him?”
“Yeah. He deserves that much at least for all the times he helped me. Besides, if he died, the hole left behind would be too big to fill. Things would just get more troublesome in the future if someone less noble took over the job of guiding the hero party. Well, I guess he wasn’t strong enough to stop this mess from happening, but... at least he’s a man of honor. I wouldn’t want to see him die.”
Hajime didn’t want someone shady like Ishtar taking over the job of training Kouki and the others. Meanwhile, Kouki, supported by Ryutarou, made his way over to Hajime and the others. The other students followed close behind. He wasn’t going to let this issue be ignored.
“Hajime.”
“Thanks, Yue. For protecting them, I mean.”
“Mhmm.” Yue arrived just as Hajime finished explaining his reasons to Shea. He gently cupped Yue’s cheek and thanked her for her help. She looked up at him happily, saying it was no sweat with her gaze. Before long, the two of them started flirting again.
“There’s a time and place for this, you two... Come on, give it a rest already! There’s other people here!” Shea started clapping her hands loudly to get their attention. She was getting used to their chronic flirting in inappropriate places.
Hajime’s other classmates started glaring at him for a completely different reason than Kouki. One stare in particular was fierce enough to send shivers down Hajime’s spine.
“Hey, Nagumo. Why did—”
“Hajime-kun... there’s a lot I want to ask you, but first, is Meld-san alright? His wounds seem to have closed up, and his breathing is steady, but he should have been mortally wounded...” Kaori interrupted Kouki and knelt next to Meld. She checked his vitals and examined the wound as she talked to Hajime.
For a second, it had felt like Kaori had given him a glare terrifying enough to make his blood run cold, but he didn’t feel that pressure anymore, so he chalked it up to his imagination playing tricks on him. He was wondering why she was suddenly calling him “Hajime-kun” now too, but he decided to save that question for later.
“Yeah, he should be... Shea gave him a rather special medicine. It’s potent enough to heal even fatal wounds.”
“I’ve never heard of any items like that.”
“Well, it’s not exactly common... You wouldn’t be able to find it normally. Sorry Yaegashi, but you’ll have to get someone to heal you. I have mana potions at least, if you need those.”
“A-Ah... Th-Thank you.” Shizuku stammered a little as she took the mana potions from Hajime. She still wasn’t used to how different he’d become. Hajime seemed unconcerned by her reaction and threw a mana potion to Kaori as well. She deftly caught the vial, said a word of thanks, and downed it in one gulp. The lingering aftertaste of cough syrup filled her mouth, and Kaori could feel her mana returning. Once Kaori recovered, she could easily heal the other students.
She heaved a sigh of relief after making sure Meld’s life wasn’t in any danger.
Kouki attempted to grill Hajime once more.
“Hey Nagumo, I’m grateful you saved Meld-san, but why—”
“Hajime-kun. Thank you for saving Meld-san’s life. And... thank you for saving ours, too.”
However, he was interrupted again by Kaori. He glanced at her in annoyance, but she ignored him, her attention focused entirely on Hajime. Though Hajime’s transformation had shocked Kaori greatly, there was still something she needed to tell him. She stood up and brought her face inches from Hajime’s.
S
he gripped the hem of her skirt, trying to hold back the wave of emotions that threatened to overwhelm her. But she couldn’t do it, and tears started to drip from the corners of her eyes.
Changed or not, Hajime was still standing in front of her, very much alive. She couldn’t stop herself from breaking down. Hajime looked into her eyes, and saw a thousand glimmering stars of emotion.
Lips trembling, Kaori finally choked out the words she’d always wanted to say.
“Hajime-kun... Shank you... hic... for staying alive. And I’m... sho sorry I couldn’t protect you... Hic...”
The girls, who’d all guessed how much Kaori cared for Hajime, and some of the guys, who’d figured it out as well, all felt a warm fuzziness spread through them as they watched. Only Kondou and Hiyama looked like they’d swallowed a bug. Kouki and Ryutarou, who were the most clueless of the bunch, still hadn’t caught on and seemed confused. Kouki was basically a real-life dense anime protagonist, while Ryutarou had more muscles than brains. One could rightly understand why Shizuku always had so much trouble keeping those two in line.
On the other hand, Shea was fretting over the appearance of another potential rival, while Yue was staring at Kaori with a more deadpan expression than usual.
Hajime watched on silently. He’d heard from Endou that his supposed death had weighed heavily on Kaori’s mind, but he’d never realized it had affected her this deeply. He struggled to find the right words to say.
When he’d told Yue about what had happened to him, he’d of course mentioned Kaori, but since then he hadn’t even thought of her once until he’d reunited with Aiko in Ur. He felt a little guilty for forgetting about her when she’d spent this entire time worrying about him.
After a lot of internal debate, Hajime finally smiled awkwardly and settled on a response.
“Looks like I really made you worry. I’m sorry I didn’t contact you right away. Still, as you can see, I’m alive, so you don’t need to apologize... Please, uhh, don’t cry.” His eyes held the same kindness they’d had back when Kaori had first come to his room and he’d asked her to protect him.
Kaori recalled that night as vividly as if it had happened yesterday. It seemed not all of him had changed. Overcome by emotion, she clung to Hajime’s shirt and sobbed uncontrollably.
Unsure of how to respond, Hajime just stood there, his arms raised up in the air. Had any of his other classmates done something like this he would have flung them off without hesitation, possibly even give them a good kick for their trouble, but he couldn’t bring himself to do that to Kaori. She was the only one who’d cared so much for him this whole time, and the time they’d spent together before he’d been cast into the abyss was slowly coming back to him.
At the same time, though, he didn’t want to hug another girl in front of Yue. And so, he just stood there, his hands in the air, not exactly embracing Kaori, but not pushing her away either. Such an indecisive attitude was completely unlike him.
Shizuku glared at Hajime, her gaze seemingly saying “That’s my best friend crying in your arms right now! The least you could do is hug her, you wimp!” But at the same time, he could feel Yue’s cold stare boring into his back.
He eventually compromised and gently patted Kaori’s head a little. He was being a lot more meek than usual.
“You really are kind, Kaori. Still, Nagumo mercilessly killed someone who couldn’t resist. We can’t just ignore what he did. Please get away from him.”
Nagayama and his friends glared at Kouki. Read the mood, you moron! It was baffling to them that he still hadn’t noticed Kaori’s feelings for Hajime. Kouki glared angrily at Hajime as he attempted to pull Kaori off him.
Hajime wasn’t sure if Kouki didn’t like Kaori touching another man, or if he was worried about leaving her in close proximity of a killer. It might have been a bit of both, honestly.
“Hold on, Kouki. Nagumo-kun’s the one who saved us. You don’t have to sound so mad.”
“But Shizuku, she couldn’t resist anymore. She’d lost the will to fight. There was no reason to kill her. That’s not something I can forgive.”
“Come on, Kouki, can’t you just give it a rest?” Shizuku narrowed her eyes and glared at Kouki. Nagayama and the others glanced around uncomfortably, unsure of which side to take. However, Hiyama and his cronies had always disliked Hajime, so they instantly took Kouki’s side. They riled the others up, and soon most of the students were against him. Kaori had since left Hajime’s side and dried her tears. She was deep in thought, contemplating how different Hajime was from what she remembered.
Yue silenced all of them with a few harsh words. Her voice was as cold as ice.
“What a worthless bunch. Can we leave, Hajime?”
“Ah, yeah. May as well.”
Yue dismissed the lot of them as just a “worthless bunch.” Her voice was barely louder than a whisper, but it somehow carried clearly through the room. Its frigidity silenced the students, and they all turned to look at her.
Hajime had initially only agreed to help because he owed Kaori. Now that he’d repaid that debt, his work was done. He had no reason to stay, so he let Yue herd him out of the room. Shea ignored the students and hurried after Hajime as well.
But of course, Kouki wasn’t going to let them leave just like that.
“Wait. I’m not done here. Unless I understand your reasons, I won’t feel comfortable keeping you around as a comrade. And who are you, anyway? I’m grateful that you saved us, but don’t you think it’s rude to call someone you just met ‘worthless’? Besides, what do you even mean by that?”
“......”
As always, Kouki was utterly misguided. Taken out of context, everything he said was perfectly rational. But considering the circumstances, it was obvious he was in the wrong. It was as if he was obsessed with that demon’s death.
Yue had already decided Kouki wasn’t even worth wasting her breath on, so she didn’t bother meeting his gaze. Kouki frowned, but a minute later his irritation vanished and he gave Yue the same killer smile he flashed all of the girls in school.
However, all he succeeded in doing was making Yue more annoyed. Realizing that at this rate they’d get nowhere, Hajime sighed and decided to answer Kouki.
“Amanogawa. You’re basically a walking joke, and I have no obligation to answer any of your mundane questions. Still, because I know you won’t quit no matter what, I’ll at least give you a bit of advice.”
“Advice? Are you saying I’m the one who’s wrong? I’d like to think what I’m saying is common sense.”
And this is why you’re such a pain to deal with!
“Quit deluding yourself.”
“What do you...”
“You’re not mad because I killed that demon. You just didn’t want to see anyone die in front of you. Even you know you can’t say it’s wrong to kill someone who tried to kill all of you, and nearly killed the knight commander. That’s why you’re focusing on the fact that she was defenseless when I killed her. You saw something you couldn’t stomach, and you’re mad that I did what you couldn’t. And now, you’re trying to take it out on me. All while pretending you’re in the right. Of course, you’re not doing it maliciously. You probably don’t even realize it. You never change. You always interpret things however you want without ever considering the opinions of others.”
“Th-That’s not true! Don’t talk like you know me! Besides, that doesn’t change the fact that you killed a defenseless opponent!”
“What’s wrong with killing your enemies?”
“Wha—!? What do you mean, what’s wrong!? It’s murder! Of course it’s bad!”
“I really don’t feel like arguing with you. Let’s just end it here. It’s my policy to kill anyone who becomes my enemy. Unless I have a good reason not to, I’ll make sure to kill them. It doesn’t matter whether they’re good or evil, or whether they can resist or not. The moment you show mercy is the moment you die. I learned that the hard way at the bottom of the a
byss. Those are just my values though, and I have no intention of pushing them on anyone else. Still, if you plan on standing against me just because you don’t like that, then...” Hajime closed the gap between them in an instant and pressed Donner against Kouki’s forehead. Then, he activated his Intimidation and hit his classmates with the full brunt of it.
They all gulped uneasily. Kouki could at least follow Shizuku, who was the fastest of their group, with his eyes still, but he hadn’t even sensed Hajime moving.
“Even if you are my former classmates, I won’t show you any mercy.”
“Y-You...”
“Don’t get the wrong idea. I didn’t come here to rejoin your little group. You guys aren’t my comrades. I only came back because I owed Shirasaki a debt. Once we get out of here, we’ll be parting ways. I have my own goals in mind.”
Hajime stared at Kouki for a few seconds longer before holstering Donner and turning away. He canceled his Intimidation as well, and everyone breathed a massive sigh of relief. However, Kouki still wasn’t willing to accept this. He opened his mouth to argue further, but this time Yue shut him down. She was tired of his prattling.
“Hajime’s the one who fought. All you did was cower in fear and run away. The loser has no right to say anything.”
“Wha— I didn’t run...”
It wasn’t a coincidence that Hajime and the others had fallen into the exact room Kouki and the others had been fighting in. When they were on the floor above, Hajime had sensed a massive explosion of mana. Guessing that was where they must be fighting, Hajime had used his perception skills to track down their location. He’d then used a combination of transmutation and his pile bunker to dig through the floor.
What Hajime had sensed was Kouki’s activation of Overload. Hajime had figured with Kouki’s current strength, he would easily be able to overpower the demon. From the situation that followed, he’d correctly surmised that Kouki hadn’t been able to kill her, which was why they’d fallen into such dire straits.
Arifureta: From Commonplace to World's Strongest Vol. 4 Page 20