Chapter 43: Apologies and Gratitude
"Satoru!"
"Satoru!"
"Little Satoru!"
"Big Brother!"
"Satoru!"
Almost simultaneously with the end of the battle, the surrounding girls all called out anxiously.
Though the terms of address varied, they were all undoubtedly referring to Satoru.
No one had expected him to achieve victory in such a manner...
Of course, it was by no means easy.
"Are you alright? You look terrible."
His face was deathly pale, his lips lacked color, and he was breathing heavily, appearing utterly exhausted.
"I'm fine, just used up a bit too much energy... Didn't expect losing an arm to hurt more than I imagined. I thought after becoming a Spirit, it wouldn't feel this painful~"
However, Satoru himself wasn't in as much danger as they had imagined. Instead, he managed a smile.
Though somewhat bitter and strained, it was genuinely a more relaxed expression.
At any rate, the matter had been resolved~
"...That's only natural, young man. You intentionally let your arm get cut off this time, didn't you? That was far too reckless."
But in response to his apparent self-satisfaction, Nia, his actual girlfriend, couldn't help but chide him with exasperation.
She picked up the severed arm that had fallen nearby and brought it next to Satoru's shoulder.
However, it was clearly not a compatible mechanical limb, so naturally, it couldn't simply be reattached.
"Eh? You did it on purpose?!"
"Well, in such a dangerous situation, only this method could achieve a surprising effect~"
Mei, who was standing nearby, couldn't hold back an exclamation upon hearing this, and the others wore similarly strange expressions.
To go to such lengths just for victory...
Looking at the arm still dripping blood, the gruesome wound, and Satoru's usual carefree smile.
The girls present couldn't help but feel their hearts beating faster than before, an indescribable heaviness settling in their chests...
"The effect was achieved, but did you plan to discard your arm? I don't have the ability to restore your arm, and you don't possess that capability either, do you?"
"Hmm, I probably don't have that ability. Michael can partially decompose things but cannot reassemble them, so I likely can't do it~"
"...Big Brother, it's all Muku's fault for making you end up like this."
Hearing Satoru's words, everyone fell silent. Mukuro hung her head even lower and spoke these words filled with regret.
"Hehe, it's alright. Whether you all came or not, the outcome would probably have been the same. I intended to go all out like this from the very beginning. After all, regardless of winning or losing, there's no need to worry about the consequences~"
"You don't need to worry if you lose, but you still need to if you win! What about your arm?"
"Isn't there still one more Spirit here? Kurumi, it's about time you helped me, right? You heard everything just now, didn't you?"
Satoru smiled slightly, then turned around to look at the girl not far ahead...
"Ara~ I was thinking I'd let Satoru play the hero a bit longer, to enjoy more admiring gazes, which is why I kept quiet~"
"Enough about that, hurry up and restore my arm first. It hurts like hell."
"Understood. Could you let me rest for a moment? And before that... could you please turn around? Even for me, standing naked in front of you is a bit embarrassing~ I hope you won't look over here~"
"...Oh."
Hearing the teasing voice of the black-haired twin-tailed girl across from him, Satoru also felt somewhat awkward and turned his head away, no longer looking at her. Even though her hands were covering her squishy breasts and between her legs, much of her fair and smooth skin was still visible.
The group of girls finally snapped back to reality at this moment, hurriedly shielding her while glaring at Satoru with a mix of annoyance and embarrassment.
"Astral Dress, Third Bullet—Zafkiel~!"
Fortunately, Kurumi quickly regained her composure and summoned her Spirit Dress once again.
That signature frilly gothic lolita outfit reappeared on her body, along with one long and one short gun, and the massive golden clock behind her.
She aimed one gun horizontally to the right at the four o'clock direction, and the other directly at Satoru's body, as if she were about to attack him!
"Eh?! Kurumi-chan, are we still fighting?!"
"Please don't fight anymore!"
"You're not going to continue too, are you?!"
Seeing her like this, the girls who didn't understand the situation quickly rushed to stand in front of Satoru, spreading their arms wide like mothers protecting a child. This made Satoru's mouth twitch slightly...
Well, although their intentions were good, he really didn't need to be protected to this extent.
"Don't worry, she's not planning to attack me. You can step aside."
"Yes, I never expected to be seen as someone who repays kindness with enmity~ How cruel~ Well, considering what Sawa did to you all earlier, which I witnessed, I really don't have much credibility, do I? I'm truly very sorry... and... truly, truly thank you very much, Satoru~"
"It was nothing. Just don't try to kill me again."
"I won't~ Really~"