"Are you sure this is a good idea, Suzui?" Although he didn't look up, Kamoshida's voice came out. This sentence instantly made Shiho Suzui's body tense up.
"If something happens to me, you, the volleyball team, everyone else, will lose your chance to compete in this tournament... No, the volleyball team will probably get shut down, just like the track team."
Kamoshida slowly raised his head, his face twisted in a sinister smile as he threatened Shiho Suzui. The light in Suzui's eyes disappeared, and the hand clutching Taichi's sleeve slowly fell to her side.
"Hey, hey, hey! Don't give up here!" X started shouting and stamping his feet in the virtual world, anxious.
"That's why I said saving others is the hardest job in the world," Taichi muttered helplessly.
Suzui heard Taichi's murmur, and a mix of guilt, anxiety, and other emotions flooded her. She, who hadn't shed a tear while being beaten, finally broke down.
"I'm sorry... I'm so sorry..." All Shiho Suzui could do was apologize.
"Kamoshida, I'll let you go this time," Taichi said, scratching his head. He glanced at Shiho Suzui, then walked up to the smirking Kamoshida. "But if I ever find out you're using your position as a volleyball coach to harass girls again, even if everyone ends up hating me, I will make you socially dead."
"You know I'm not kidding or threatening you. I'm just telling you what's going to happen."
The smug smirk vanished from Kamoshida's face. This was the second time this kid had done something completely unexpected. And he didn't have the courage to argue. After all, it wasn't worth risking his entire career to clash with a temporary janitor. Why would a piece of porcelain risk shattering a clay pot?
"...I'll remember that," Kamoshida said, his eyes fixed on Taichi with a chilling look. "But that only applies if I don't use force. What if a student volunteers, or even comes to me willingly...?"
"People who willingly fall and have no will to save themselves don't deserve to be saved." Taichi crossed his arms over his chest, looking at Kamoshida with a complex expression of both burning passion and icy coldness. "Just like you."
"Tch!" Kamoshida glared viciously at Taichi, then pointed toward the door. "Now, get out, both of you!"
"Suzui, let's go," Taichi said, turning to Shiho Suzui. "If you don't want to stay and be tormented by Kamoshida."
"Yes..." The disheartened girl, whose tears were now streaming down her face, nodded and followed Taichi step by step.
Shortly after they left, they heard the sounds of Kamoshida furiously smashing things inside the lounge.
"This is as much as I can do for you," Taichi said, stopping outside the gym and turning to Shiho Suzui. "From now on, if you don't have the will to save yourself, there's nothing I can do to help you... Wake up soon, or the only path ahead of you will be a dead end."
"Do... do I, a person like me, deserve to be saved by you?" the girl asked blankly, looking up at Taichi. "Even though I just betrayed you."
"Betrayal? You just made a choice most people would make. You're just a normal girl who doesn't have enough courage to fight back yet. It's not betrayal," Taichi said, tugging at his hair. "But I've been here for a few days, and you're the first person to show the will to resist Kamoshida. For that alone, you've done much better than anyone else."
"By the way, let's exchange contact info," Taichi said, pulling out his phone. "If it's you, and you call me for help, no matter where you are, I'll get to you as soon as I can."
"Shiho Suzui, that's my name," the girl said, her tears stopping as she exchanged numbers with him. She looked up at Taichi, a small spark of fire in her eyes. Taichi felt that this spark would one day burst into a raging flame.
"Naruto Taichi, just a regular temporary worker."
April 15th, clear skies.
The janitor's work schedule wasn't the same as the students'. So after Taichi slowly finished his breakfast, it was already close to 8:30 in the morning.
"You're really lazy. Is it a side effect of that new drug you tested last night?" Tae Takemi asked, holding a cup of hot coffee as she looked at Taichi.
"You know the answer, why ask?" Taichi complained listlessly to Tae Takemi. "Your drug is effective, but the after-effects are a pain. I feel like I worked all night for three days straight, only to get three hours of rest before being forced to work again."
"How about I add an extra nutrition fee?" Tae Takemi pulled out a 1,000 yen bill and waved it at Taichi.
"Thank you, Boss!" Taichi snatched the bill without hesitation, his energy instantly peaking.
"A boy with no worries, how nice," Tae Takemi murmured softly, taking a sip of her coffee and watching Taichi's figure as he left her building, all ready to go.
And at that moment, the "boy with no worries" was discussing with his digital partner how to save the girl named Shiho Suzui. After all, even though he'd saved her once yesterday, if he didn't find a solution soon, the girl's mental state, already strained to its limit, might still follow the original plot and jump from the rooftop of the school or some other high-rise building.
"The darkness in the human heart is like a black hole; not even light can illuminate it. Instead, it might be swallowed," X said with a philosopher's air.
"And yet, it's these same humans that Ultraman loves," Taichi said, rolling his eyes. "Honestly, sometimes the darkness of human society makes some people want to wipe out their own race. So why does Ultraman still have a soft spot for humanity?"
"Even when they turn into Dark Ultraman, their goals are mostly related to other Ultraman. Wiping out humanity is never on their agenda. At most, they're just a bit too powerful when they're doing the dirty work and end up affecting the planet."
"Even if you ask me, I don't know the answer," X said with a helpless sigh. "After all, I'm not from the Land of Light in Nebula M78."
They were almost at the school gates when X let out a startled cry that made Taichi jump.
"Taichi! Check your phone's messages!"
He looked up and saw a text message: 'I'm sorry for failing to live up to your expectations, Taichi-kun... I guess I really don't deserve to be saved—by Shiho Suzui.'
He looked up and saw the girl with the ponytail standing on the edge of the school building's rooftop, her back to the main gate.