Despair.
What is it, exactly? It is the vanishing of all possibilities.
Right now, Subaru was drowning in it.
"... ──" (Subaru)
Once they allowed him inside through the train roof, a heavy silence and sharp tension filled the carriage.
Sensing the strain, Subaru swallowed hard to moisten his parched throat. It didn't help much, but he still pressed a fist to his chest, taking pride in the maneuvers that had paved the way for the third phase of the plan.
The preconditions were set: Serika and Ayane had to return safely to the high school; Hoshino must avoid a random encounter with Suou—or at the very least, prioritize her Kohai's safety if she did; and finally, he had to board the train.
If power was lacking, he bolstered it. If wisdom, skill, or connections fell short, he provided them. He had returned by death to supply every missing piece until the puzzle was complete.
"For now, let me thank you again. The water helped, too... my throat was completely dry." (Subaru)
He sank into the plush train seats. In response to his gratitude, Tachibana Nozomi and Tachibana Hikari began to play around, waving their hands over his head or pressing their fingers to their lips and uttering a playful "Eeeeh" after he drank.
He wanted to pat the heads of these clinging, adorable creatures right then and there, but he couldn't. For Subaru was... yes, drowning in despair.
"──S-stop that... (Hey, quit it!) Haaa, I thanked you, but now it's time to complain." (Subaru)
He grabbed both girls by the neck and lifted them, pushing them toward the object he had discovered in the space they had brought him to.
"What on earth is this?" (Subaru)
""Our favorite!"" (Nozomi & Hikari)
"It's not my favorite at all." (Subaru)
Before him stood a towering, massive weapon of destruction—a two-seater rig merged with a giant anti-aircraft cannon. It was mounted on a base, clearly fixed in place, yet it was hard to believe two little girls drove this thing around the city to cause thunderous explosions.
Subaru was desperate. Was there any excuse that could justify firing such a monstrous weapon? Of course not. The moment the question of accountability arose, it would be game over. The chance of escaping the consequences was zero. Despair was truly his only option.
"If we fire this thing in a residential area, what happens?" (Subaru)
"Lots of buildings will collapse." (Nozomi)
"And many roads will be blocked." (Hikari)
""And it will be so much fun!"" (Nozomi & Hikari)
"──" (Subaru)
His heart nearly broke at their thoughtless words. His feelings no longer seemed to reach Nozomi and Hikari as they began climbing over his exhausted body once more. He could only pray that everything would pass quietly and that they would find nothing upon reaching the target site.
●○●○●
"... ──" (Subaru)
Subaru was drowning in despair.
"So that's them..." (Subaru)
Subaru was drowning in a truly immense despair.
"So they are in league..." (Subaru)
He felt this way because the world no longer offered a single scenario where those shells remained unfired.
The Arius Branch students weren't the only ones appearing on the expected infiltration route; vehicles bearing the Nephthys logo now traveled under their protection. The reason wasn't hard to discern. On the surface, Arius stood as the premier mercenaries supported by one of the Big Three schools—the ideal choice for navigating treacherous territory.
However, those being escorted surely never dreamed, even in their sleep, that these "reliable allies" were nothing more than soul-reapers waiting to stab them in the back. They were the ones facing a grim fate. Subaru wasn't sure if "collusion" was the precise word, but in either case...
"Haaa... ──Nozomi, Hikari." (Subaru)
"Pahahaha! What's wrong, Big Bro?" (Nozomi)
"Is there something you'd like to say?~" (Hikari)
They smirked mischievously, striking ridiculous poses and clinging to him from both sides. Despite knowing exactly what he would say now that they had arrived, they were being intentionally wicked.
It was impossible to block the path at that location, guarded not only by Arius students but also considering the heavy weaponry and explosives he carried. He no longer had any choice but to rely on the twins' destructive power.
"Please... help me..." (Subaru)
●○●○●
One last time—and for the very last time.
Subaru was drowning in despair.
"Agreed! But──" (Nozomi & Hikari)
Yes, the twins had to maintain their appearance as Subaru's adversaries. Furthermore, turning their cannons toward their school's parent company was an act that might result in consequences far worse than mere expulsion. In other words, they needed a pretext—a reason that made them "forced" to open fire.
"Haaaa..." (Subaru)
Natsuki Subaru would charge the Nephthys vehicles alone and unarmed.
"Whoa! My god, the parent company is in grave danger!! Fire! Fire quickly!" (Subaru)
That was it. That was their reason.
"If you are concerned, I can interfere with the turret control mechanism... and shift the impact point to a safe yet effective location, under the pretext that the cannon malfunctioned due to Subaru-sama's hacking──" (Arona)
"Hmm, that would lead to a loss of trust. I don't want to betray those cooperating with me, so request denied. Besides, Arona, you've been working non-stop. You should take a break." (Subaru)
"No, the concept of fatigue doesn't apply to me..." (Arona)
"Even so, your emotions have become so rich, Arona... I feel, somehow, that a part of your 'heart' is beginning to wear thin." (Subaru)
What he needed wasn't a void, but a "buffer"—a margin that allowed him to handle sudden changes. Currently, for Subaru, the larger that margin, the better.
The areas Arona could manage were vast. Ayane and Serika's safe exit was thanks to her, and as long as Kaiser's forces were "robotic soldiers," the duo of Subaru and Arona stood undefeated. The terrifying part was that Arona hadn't even reached her full potential yet. Even with her main processor left back at Schale, she had secured victory for Subaru in every localized skirmish.
Still, she was his sole partner, and he felt ashamed to keep piling burdens on her.
"I understand. However, I will keep all functions on full standby. Even if the 'Gematria' member intervenes, I will always reserve enough resources to at least guide your path... ──After all, I am siphoning power from the General Student Council's grid." (Arona)
"What?" (Subaru)
Thoughts of the costs for air conditioning in summer and heating in winter immediately flashed through his mind. This was the limit of Subaru's imagination as a representative of the common folk, but the reality was clearly on a much grander scale. Imagining Rin-chan's face turning demonic upon his return, he rolled up his sleeves and began a light jog.
"Sorry, Rin-chan. This, too, is a necessary sacrifice." (Subaru)
"I will do my best to ensure something remains of Schale's budget for next month." (Arona)
"Is it really that bad?!" (Subaru)
Subaru felt as helpless as a father unable to provide for Arona, who, as it turned out, consumed massive amounts of resources in unexpected places. He slumped his shoulders and leaped toward the road.
Subaru appeared suddenly, his steps almost cheerful or light. Weapons were immediately trained on him. Yet, the tension remained low; from a distance, he looked like a clear civilian, wearing a tracksuit that lacked any presence. His clown-like movements further dampened any immediate urge to kill him.
──Had they drawn closer, narrowed the gap, and recognized his face clearly, the ending might have been different.
"...──! Target has drawn a firearm. Requesting permission to engage... ──" (Arius Soldier)
Through the scope, the National Railway looked faint amidst the sandstorm. As she waited for the signal and requested permission from the Nephthys officials to open fire──.
A thick shadow suddenly blanketed everything before her. Simultaneously, a thunderous explosion roared.
"What!" (Arius Soldier)
She sensed the anomaly instantly. With trained reflexes, she searched for the source of the sudden darkness, but by then, it was too late.
"Fall back! Fall back!! Get into the buildings!" (Arius Soldier)
Several people leaped from bikes and cars, shielding the Nephthys officials as they fled from the approaching shadow. The "shadow" was actually a collapsing building. No one knew why it happened, and they lacked the mental capacity to process whether this was the man's doing. They simply fled in panic.
With a massive tremor, debris fell from the sky like an avalanche. In this chaos, that man couldn't possibly survive either. They planned to reassess the situation once they had secured themselves from the collapsing structure... ──.
"──" (Arius Soldier)
Her mind remained calm until the abandoned building she tried to slide under fell directly on top of her.
"What? What... what is happening?" (Arius Soldier)
"What is going on?!" (Arius Soldier)
For an Arius soldier whose very core was training, this emotional outburst was her first in ten years. As tears filled her eyes, she had no way to resist the doom that had appeared out of nowhere.
●○●○●
"...── Are you absolutely sure no one died?" (Subaru)
"Yes." (Arona)
"W-well, if Arona says so, then I'll take her word for it." (Subaru)
And so, Subaru continued his path, demolishing every designated location... ──.
『This is getting fun!』 (Nozomi)
『Yeah! Why don't we knock down even more?』 (Hikari)
『Huh?』 (Subaru)
Directly above Subaru's head, explosions and falling debris dominated the landscape. Beside him stood weary automatons and exhausted hounds. Subaru himself was covered in ash, while Arona's anxious voice crackled through his phone.
"── This is bad, bad, bad!!! I'm sorry for dragging you all into this!! Wait!!! I'm going to die! You idiots! Hikari! Nozomi!! HEYYYYYYY!!!!!" (Subaru)
No one heard him. Nozomi and Hikari had become a runaway train.
── Fortunately, after they destroyed all the planned sites, the ground lay barren—a pitiful wasteland of ash and wreckage. Subaru no longer had the luxury to care. Despite his desperate calls, the twins either ignored him or the deafening roar drowned out his voice. They never answered.
Subaru was now drowning in the deepest despair.
"── I wish I'd never asked for their help!" (Subaru)
This was far from the greatest failure of his life, yet he felt certain he had failed this time.
"Y-you... who are you?! Natsuki Subaru! Is this your doing too?!" (Arius Soldier)
"Half-right, half-wrong! If this were my doing, I wouldn't be this terrified! Hurry up and run!" (Subaru)
"Even if you tell us to run, this is... ── damn it!" (Arius Soldier)
Enemies were everywhere, but buildings were even more pervasive. These empty structures, remnants of a bygone economic boom, seemed to be waiting their turn. Once built, they had to be used somehow; yet no one expected them to fall like dominoes to crush people.
With a runny nose and tears in his eyes, Subaru had experienced much, but he thought with a strange coldness that dying under a collapsing building would be a first. His brain shut down. Unlike his previous meticulous plans, coordinating with the twins was pure improvisation. There was a limit to what he could handle—especially stopping those who had lost control. Only someone like Suou could stop them, or perhaps a direct punch... ──.
"What are you doing, Subaru?" (Shiroko)
"── I'm not doing anything." (Subaru)
"Should we help those two over there?" (Shiroko)
"Help me first. Please, help me." (Subaru)
The unexpected intruder appeared suddenly, with her usual perfect timing. Subaru never anticipated this—the timing was impossible. But.
"Save me, Shirokoooooo!!" (Subaru)
"Nn." (Shiroko)
──Shiroko, thank you as always for the miracles. Setting that aside, how did you even get here?
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