While the wind buffeted him atop the train, Subaru recalled Arona's words from before the operation began.
"Subaru-sama... ── My deepest apologies. I failed to hijack the automated train. I have an alternative plan, but..." (Arona)
"── Sunaookami Shiroko will have to take on significant risks." (Arona)
"..." (Subaru)
Subaru rubbed his injured left arm. To give Arona a window for the hack, he had to close the distance to the Kaiser soldiers until he was barely a meter away. He hadn't intended to get shot, but the result satisfied him; he had successfully made the enemy underestimate him and sparked a conflict between Kaiser and Arius. It was a small price to pay.
"It doesn't even hurt, huh." (Subaru)
He had played his part. Nozomi and Hikari were undoubtedly causing their own brand of chaos now, and Shiroko should have finished planting the explosives by now.
This lack of pain despite the wounds felt unsettling. His forced acting had fooled the Kaiser soldiers, but once he returned and Shiroko saw his arm, she would start an interrogation that would surely end in a "scolding session." Whether he played it cool or faked the pain, he was getting a lecture either way—it was exhausting.
"Anyway, just as I thought, they have zero coordination. Arius and Kaiser clearly aren't that close... ── which means Black Suit isn't involved either." (Subaru)
Who is it, then? Subaru wondered, gazing at the sky. He felt he finally understood Melos's perspective as he condemned the tyrant Dionysius, though he still found the idea of sacrificing a loyal friend—even with mutual trust—to be questionable.
Regardless, while Arona deserved all the credit, to an outsider, it looked as though the soldiers approaching Subaru had been suddenly possessed. This would undoubtedly birth more bizarre rumors about him, which would surely haunt his future.
"It feels like everything will end here in Abydos, but the fact that Kivotos itself will never change is... ── Is this what they call youth? Is this the spirit of adolescence...?" (Subaru)
"When a special day vanishes and merges into the fabric of daily life, and you, Subaru-sama, can hold special feelings for it... then we can undoubtedly call that "youth."" (Arona)
"Wow, Arona, that was actually moving." (Subaru)
A wave of emotion washed over him. He wanted to stand there and savor the moment, but picking up Shiroko took priority. Using the cargo crates as stepping stones, he leaped toward the front. Since the train was reversing, Shiroko had to go to the dangerous "leading" edge to plant the bombs—the very reason Subaru had hesitated to task her with it.
Facing a train exceeding 300 km/h, she had to wait at the front, run at the same speed as the reversing carriages while staying undetected, and then detonate the charges exactly as the automated train passed over the spot. No one but Shiroko could pull off such a feat of precision.
No one would guess that the cornerstone of this plan was a folded-up old cell phone in his breast pocket and a wolf girl who wasn't even there right now.
"...! And... hup! A three-point landing that would stun Hollywood! I didn't think I'd get a chance to show that off... Hah, no one's watching, of course." (Subaru)
"... Subaru-sama, before you continue that ridiculous posing, please stop the bleeding." (Arona)
"I'm fine, I'm fine! If I collapse after acting this tough, I'll never be able to face Arona again... ──" (Subaru)
He had learned proper first aid through "Return by Death." He could now treat himself well enough to despise his old self, who once thought a plastic bag was a sufficient bandage. He pulled out the dressings he had borrowed from the Abydos infirmary.
── Even if "muscle memory"—those memories carved into the flesh—is lost with Return by Death, knowledge can compensate for much. Hoshino said that once, and it applied not just to him, but to others as well.
『It's right here.』
Hoshino's voice and faint shadows of memory guided his hands as he bandaged the wound. He wondered if he had gained the ability to communicate with spirits in this dire situation. He followed the steps etched in his mind... ──.
"... Alright, that looks good for now." (Subaru)
Clean white bandages covered the wound, just as Sena had done when she treated him.
"..." (Subaru)
During his school days, Subaru had shut himself out, refusing to learn or accept help. But after peeling back the layers of deception, sloth, reckless bravado, and bluntness, "Natsuki Subaru," the high school student, was finally blooming in this parallel world.
── No time for sentimentality.
Experience taught him that whenever things went too well, a larger disaster was usually lurking around the corner.
"...!" (Subaru)
The moment he finished the bandages, he grabbed onto the cargo crates as the train lurched.
"Oowah..." (Subaru)
It wasn't a vertical jolt, but a horizontal one. Shaking that indicated an attack was always accompanied by an explosion.
"Damn it." (Subaru)
He looked back, and his eyes widened at the sight.
"Nozomi! Hikari!" (Subaru)
"I'm... sorry...!" (Nozomi)
Nozomi carried an unconscious Hikari on her back. Both were covered in burns and gashes. This was the signal that the secondary plan had collapsed. Unless Shiroko returned safely, Subaru's life would end right here.
●○●○●
"Are you okay!? What about Hikari...!?" (Subaru)
"She's just unconscious! More importantly, we have to get out of here, fast...!" (Nozomi)
"Get out── Run where?" (Subaru)
"Someone dangerous has appeared! She took us out with a single Stinger missile... ── even Kaiser doesn't have firepower like that...!" (Nozomi)
As if to confirm the pursuit, a piece of cargo whistled just over Subaru's head. An explosion followed, and the train lurched violently once more──.
"Ah!" (Nozomi)
"── Like hell I'm letting you fall!!!" (Subaru)
Nozomi lost her footing and slipped from the train. At the very last second, Subaru lunged forward, his hands locking onto the backs of both girls as they went into a freefall toward the tracks.
He had never felt more grateful for his bandaged wound than he did now. The dressings acted like a makeshift brace, supporting his weakened left arm and providing just enough stability to maintain his grip.
"Ngh-huuuuuuu...!" (Subaru)
"Damn it, Big Bro! Pull Hikari up first!!" (Nozomi)
"I... I'm sorry... ─ I can't put any more strength into that side!" (Subaru)
The burden on Subaru—holding Nozomi with his right hand and Hikari with his left—was maintained by a miraculous, fragile balance. If he tried to pull one up now, the other would plummet. The impact of the fall wasn't the issue; it was the ruthless fate awaiting them at the hands of the Arius students. He didn't know which of them carried the explosives, but either way, he couldn't let go.
"This... ── this vibration..." (Subaru)
It was close.
The person responsible for the total collapse of their secondary plan was now within striking distance. Subaru, Nozomi, Hikari, and even Shiroko—none of them could strike back. Subaru, currently dangling the girls over the edge, was a perfect, exposed target. The enemy could pick him off at will.
"...!" (Subaru)
Ignoring the physical strain tearing at his soul, Subaru focused his gaze on a specific figure. Four carriages back, a student wearing a uniform he had never seen before advanced, leading a squad behind her.
"── Target locked." (???)
"Not... a gas mask?" (Subaru)
She was the first student he had seen like this. Every Arius girl he had encountered before wore white clothes and a standard gas mask. But this girl, staring at Subaru with emotionless eyes, wore a black mask that left only her eye area exposed. She wore a black hoodie under her gear, but what stood out most was the massive object she carried so effortlessly: a giant rocket launcher the size of a grown man, its muzzle glowing with a heat that suggested it fired much more than mere bullets.
The diameter of the barrel was so large it made a grenade launcher look like a toy. Subaru realized this was the weapon that had fired the missiles Nozomi mentioned. This black-masked girl exuded an aura completely different from the Arius soldiers—a level of threat far beyond even the unit leaders. As she aimed the Stinger directly at Subaru──.
"This is bad." (Subaru)
Without a shred of hesitation, she pulled the trigger. It was a cold, clinical execution, devoid of the inner conflict regarding the taking of life that even the Kaiser soldiers had shown. It forced Subaru to play his final card.
"── Arona!!" (Subaru)
"Huh?" (???)
Just as a chime vibrated from Subaru's chest, a red light erupted from the front of the train and bloomed over the heads of Subaru and the girls. A wall of fire and explosions separated the black-masked girl and her squad from Subaru. The girl realized the red light was actually "Thermal Flares." After finishing her calm analysis of this final act of resistance, she ordered her subordinates to lay down heavy suppressive fire to sweep the area.
"..." (???)
"... H-haah." (Subaru)
●○●○●
"Cease fire." (???)
She realized something was wrong mid-shot. Despite being atop a moving train, the smoke obscuring her vision refused to dissipate; a wall of soot seemed to replenish itself the moment it thinned. The girl in the black mask pressed forward through the haze, dismissing the smoke as a mere stalling tactic.
Despite her heavy gear, she moved swiftly across the carriage roofs. She found a cluster of spent smoke grenades exactly where Subaru and the girls had been standing.
"Search for them." (???)
"Roger." (Arius Student)
We have to hurry, or the collision will sweep us away. The girl in the black mask thought as she traced a trail of blood on the roof with her finger ──.
"... He is definitely wounded." (???)
"He's still close. In fact, he never left." (???)
The heavy bloodstains on the roof ended abruptly, as if he had leaped from the train, but a moment's thought revealed it as a clumsy feint. Where could the boy have gone? The smoke bought him time, but the target was still struggling to pull up two fallen students.
── Should I just blow up the entire carriage?
"No need." (???)
"Come out. Don't make me waste ammunition." (???)
"... ──"
"My orders are to bring back your corpse. Hurry up." (???)
The girl simply stood there, but for the hidden Subaru, her presence was "Checkmate." The bullet lodged in his abdomen and the blood he tried to staunch with his bare hands had pushed him to his limit. More importantly, Subaru's final insurance—his trump card—was about to fail.
"──"
"──... Cough... oh... gh-h..." (Subaru)
── Finally, the "miracle" vanished as he spat out a mouthful of blood.
"... I see." (???)
"Damn it...!" (Subaru)
The girl watched as the blood-soaked boy suddenly materialized from thin air.
── Optical Camouflage.
It was a level of sorcery that transcended terms like "advanced technology." An optical cloak that adapted to a blurring background without a single flicker shouldn't exist in Kivotos... ──.
Yet, through the power of the "Shittim Chest"—which tracked enemy movements in real-time and projected 3D maps—that miracle had become a reality. However, the effect lasted only dozens of seconds. In other words, the girl's decision to stay put and observe was the most effective counter; it exposed Subaru's hiding spot completely.
"Are you... going to kill me?" (Subaru)
"Yes." (???)
Subaru kept one twin behind his back and shielded the unconscious one in his arms.
"Why?" (Subaru)
"Orders." (???)
"Shit... you kill people just because of orders!?" (Subaru)
"We do." (???)
"H-h..." (Subaru)
As Subaru spat blood and his knees gave out, he maintained a sharp, piercing glare from below. He knew. He knew the Arius students had been stripped of the emotions that might hinder an execution. He knew.
Yet, Subaru clung to an impossible hope, wishing for any other answer to leave her lips—anything at all. But the girl in the black mask confirmed the grim reality, shattering his dream.
As Subaru's face turned deathly pale, his eyes met the girl's. There, he saw the "color" within them.
"Vanity of vanities... all is vanity. Everything is meaningless." (???)
Her eyes held no color—only a void devoid of both despair and joy. He saw the eyes of a girl who had lost even her reason for being born, someone abandoned even by despair itself.
"Big Bro! Don't! Wake up!" (Nozomi)
"No, please don't die!!" (Nozomi)
Nozomi stood before the black-masked girl, drenched in Subaru's blood and her own tears. She desperately tried to staunch his flowing wound, struggling to keep her mind from fracturing. Though she tried to shield him, her efforts were tragically futile.
"Subaru-ni!!" (Nozomi)
"... He'll die even if I do nothing. But I must finish this myself." (???)
As the black-masked girl drew her handgun and aimed it at Subaru, she felt a sudden tug at her leg. She looked down to find Subaru reaching for her. Before she could pull the trigger to end his "resistance," his ragged voice reached her ears.
"What... is... your... name... ──?" (Subaru)
"..." (???)
── What is this person saying? In this situation, on the verge of death, facing total annihilation—what was he saying? Because she was so accustomed to death rattles and words of spite, a strange color flickered in her gray vision. This anomaly turned into a sense of unease, eventually driving her to perform a meaningless act.
"Misaki. Kyono Misaki." (Misaki)
Whether the weight of that name reached the boy on the ground remained unknown.
"..."
Even if her current action was futile, and even if it held no meaning, it didn't matter; everything was vanity to begin with. No matter how high we climb, everything remains empty, and nothing changes.
── I've wasted too much time. Though his "grace period" is just a short breath before death, I've given him more time than necessary.
── It's fine now.
"... Hah. Goodbye." (Misaki)
She pulled the trigger, finding no meaning in the act itself.
"────"
"See you later, Misaki... ── we'll meet again." (Subaru)
"── Why?" (Misaki)
The black-masked girl—Misaki—widened her eyes in shock.
She had pulled the trigger, yet did she still hear his voice? Or was it because her gaze shifted toward the sky without her realizing? Or perhaps because the train wreckage falling from above was about to crush her?
Everything was "unexpected," and it all rained down upon Misaki at once.
"Who knows." (Subaru)
●○●○●
"Arona!!" (Subaru)
In response to Subaru's cry, the train's integrated thermal flare system activated just as the Stinger missile detonated.
"── It's all about sheer will!" (Subaru)
"Wha—!?" (Nozomi)
Subaru chose to throw both girls back onto the roof by using the momentum of his own body leaping outward. Exploiting the counterforce to heave Nozomi and Hikari to safety, he plunged his left arm into a cargo hook at the very last second before falling off the train ──.
"── Gh-k...!" (Subaru)
It was a reckless move. Amidst the sickening sound of tearing flesh, he clung to the hook, his body swaying as it succumbed to gravity.
"Whoa!? What are you doing, Big Bro!? I'll pull you up right now!" (Nozomi)
"Ple... ── k-k...!" (Subaru)
Despite her appearance, Nozomi was still a resident of Kivotos. She hauled Subaru onto the roof in a heartbeat, displaying strength that dwarfed his own many times over. Shaken by Subaru's extreme recklessness, her usual upbeat tone vanished. "You went way too far!" (Nozomi) she barked.
"I survived! I'd give you a pat on the head as a reward, but I'm sure you don't want a hand like this touching you. Let's hide before those bastards get here! We have smoke grenades, so we can buy some time!" (Subaru)
"Y-yeah... B-but doesn't that hurt? And you've been shot! How can you stay so calm──" (Nozomi)
"Everything else later! I don't know if it'll work, but I'm going to put on a little performance now to buy us some time. If we win that time... ── everything will be settled!!" (Subaru)
"I think the fact that you're being this mysterious is pretty suspicious too, you know?" (Nozomi)
── After completing the various preparations, Subaru turned to the "leading lady" of this particular show with a question.
"By the way, how much confidence do you have in your acting skills?" (Subaru)
"── Just watch me, Big Bro. Try not to fall over from the shock." (Nozomi)
●○●○●
Optical camouflage: Subaru's last card and his ultimate safety net.
── Yet, it wasn't true invisibility. In essence, it was a "projected image display" ── a tool that allowed him to perform a magic trick without any real sorcery, if only for a fleeting moment.
Arona's tracking system, which recorded his "Return by Death" cycles and mapped the ever-shifting battlefield, was a technology far ahead of its time. Without her, conquering the Abydos region through mapping would have taken countless more attempts. Regardless, Arona excelled at displaying recorded data.
For Arona, optical camouflage was child's play... ── and though it was a grim truth, the image she could project with the highest fidelity was Subaru's own wretched, broken state.
"── Why?" (Misaki)
"Who knows?" (Subaru)
"Ah, but... I'll make sure to remember your name." (Subaru)
The Subaru lying on the ground was undoubtedly the real one, but he hadn't actually taken such a fatal wound, nor was he truly on the verge of death, spitting blood.
The smoke from the grenades had paid off. No one noticed that the "critically injured Subaru" layered over the real one was merely a projection. Coupled with Nozomi's flawless acting, he had successfully bought enough time.
And when they bought time, everything was settled.
"You can still move this much... ──!" (Misaki)
"I'm still full of life, you bastards!!" (Subaru)
The reason things always worked out came down to Subaru's own personality. He was a show-off—an attention-hound so desperate for the spotlight that back in kindergarten, he would pull strange stunts just to be noticed, even when he had no major role... ── It was, in all honesty, embarrassing.
The audience would often misunderstand, wondering, "Is that kid the hero?" even when he wasn't. The current situation was no different. Because he stood out and did things to grab attention, people often misread his role. In this plan, Subaru was nothing more than bait—a trivial decoy, a side character far removed from being a hero.
"Everyone, regroup. The target..." (Misaki)
She didn't fully grasp the situation, but she knew she was stumbling. She looked around to find her subordinates in the same predicament. Caught between fleeing the falling train wreckage or aiming at the target amidst the chaos, the lesson etched into their bodies was clear: follow orders, even at the cost of your life.
"──"
But the question was: could the order even be executed, even if they sacrificed their lives?
"... ── Subaru, I'm back." (Shiroko)
"Welcome back, Shiroko." (Subaru)
Subaru remained capable of speaking even after she pulled the trigger because Misaki's aim had been thrown off in an unexpected direction. The reason Misaki stumbled and stared at the sky was that the reversing train had suddenly jolted to a halt once its retreat was no longer necessary.
The retreat ended, and the train wreckage falling from the sky was about to crush Misaki, because Shiroko had successfully executed the plan.
From the very beginning, Subaru had no intention of just destroying the rails. He never intended to let the Arius soldiers fighting here escape. Since some of them carried the explosives, he would be in trouble if he didn't neutralize them right here.
To an enemy who didn't know the inner workings of the plan, these inevitable outcomes looked like a magic trick—a miracle. Subaru was no longer a person whose only goal was mere survival.
" ──!" (Misaki)
"Nn. Subaru... hold on tight." (Shiroko)
"Right. And Nozomi, you grab my hand tight, too!" (Subaru)
"Yeah, yeah. Hold Hikari steady on your back... ── Man, I wonder how many apology reports I'll have to write because of this..." (Nozomi)
Even the Stinger missile, once a concentrated mass of lethal intent, was now nothing more than a cumbersome weight. That massive weapon, larger than a human, was exactly why a trained soldier like Misaki lost her balance.
Shiroko and the others leaped as one toward the lead carriage, while the Arius students—Misaki included—could not ──.
"────"
Without leaving a single word behind, they vanished under the pile of rubble. Even if the injuries weren't fatal, they were pinned down, unable to carry out their orders, sinking along with the carriage roof that collapsed under the weight.
"Fuuuu... ──" (Subaru)
"We... ── won..." (Subaru)
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