Chapter 59: The Value of a Holiday Decreases the More You Rest

Going back to school was one thing, but since that day happened to be a Friday, the weekend started almost immediately. To make matters worse, it was a three-day weekend, which meant my streak of avoiding the classroom was set to continue.

"...I mean, as a student, studying is a drag, so getting some rest should be a good thing, but..."

I felt a twinge of guilt for resting this much. Or maybe it wasn't guilt so much as a sense of waste. I was checking off my tasks, sure, but I wasn't actually spending any time being a student. It was a missed opportunity.

Technically, I had returned to being a high school freshman, but after spending three years in another world during middle school, I’d assumed a normal high school life was off the table. Even if I was just borrowing Reima’s body, I wanted to experience at least a little bit of this one-time-only thing called youth.

"...But here I am, on holiday again. I’m bored, and there’s nothing to do."

I’d considered studying, but thanks to the strategy notes the original Reima had left behind, I’d finished the mountain of homework assigned for the long weekend in a flash. I seriously had nothing left to occupy my time.

Kaiser went to a different high school, and Tsubaki-san and Laura were busy university students. As for Shiki and Ayane, they were currently blowing up our group chat with complaints about how their homework would never end, so hanging out with them was out of the question.

Under normal circumstances, they would have had until Monday to finish, but Tsubaki-san had invited us all to a barbecue for the final two days of the break. Now, those two were forced into a desperate sprint to finish their assignments.

I could have helped Shiki if I really wanted to, but Ayane’s homework was all general education stuff unrelated to Dungeons. There was no way we could help her with that. She was likely clutching her head over a pile of textbooks right about now.

"A traitor, huh...? Honestly, if you have time to text that, just do your work... Man, it’s been since middle school since I've dealt with this."

Shiki was efficient enough, and I’d always been serious about my studies, but Ayane had always been a bit flighty when it came to academics. I had plenty of memories of her begging to see my notes.

"...Nostalgic."

Muttering to myself, I decided to kill time with video games. I thought about calling someone over for co-op, but before that, I went to tell my mother that I’d be holed up in my room for a while.

"Mom, I’m going to be in my room playing games."

"All right. Oh, that’s right—I made some sweets for your Summoned Beast friend. Would you mind giving them to her? Since she’s been taking such good care of you, I felt like I should say thank you."

"......Lycoris likes your cooking. Should I just call her out here?"

"Oh, that would be lovely. She’s such a polite girl, and she even helped me with the dishes last time. I’ve been wanting to do something for her."

It felt like I was deceiving them, but I’d explained the situation to my parents by telling them I was an Awakened One. I couldn’t bring myself to say, I’m borrowing your son’s body, even though I’m technically the same person from a parallel world. More than anything, I didn't want to cause them any more unnecessary worry.

Since Jobs like Summoner still had plenty of unknown variables, I’d simply told them that I’d formed a contract while I was sleeping. They had been surprisingly accepting of the whole thing.

"Lycoris-chan likes flowers, right? I made these flower-shaped cookies specifically for her."

"Thanks, Mom. Well then... [Summon] Lycoris Hydros."

"...Nngh... Reima? Ah, Mother-in-law, too."

"Did I wake you? Good morning, Lycoris-chan."

"Yes, morning... Something smells good. Is there an occasion?"

"I just baked some cookies. Would you like some?"

"Ah, yes. They’re flowers... Thank you for going to the trouble."

The sight of Lycoris being so warmly accepted by my family made me genuinely happy. Was this what they called paternal instinct? Something like that flickered in my chest. This was a girl who had once chosen to be alone because she hated the idea of hurting others. Just seeing her smile like this was enough for me.

"...Alright, Lycoris. Let's go play some games."

"Games? Like chess?"

"Ah—right, you wouldn't know. I’ll teach you, so let’s head to my room. Now, what kind should we start with...?"

Given her personality, maybe a simulation? Or perhaps something peaceful, like building a village or growing flowers...

Wrestling with the options, I returned to my room and lined up the games Reima had collected, along with the ones I’d bought myself, and asked Lycoris to pick whatever caught her eye.

"Um, I’m curious about this one."

The one she pointed to... wasn't a simulation or a cozy village builder. It was a bio-organic disaster horror game. Wait, you want to play this? I thought, but her eyes were sparkling with genuine interest. I didn't have the heart to stop her.

"...These are zombies, right? We have to kill them?"

"Well, yeah, but... don't you want to try something a bit more peaceful?"

"Why? This looks like fun."

"Well, it’s just... it’s pretty gory. I’m not great with that stuff."

I’d bought this on a whim with Shiki the other day, but I hadn’t touched it yet. According to the reviews, it was the scariest entry in the history of the franchise. I seriously didn't want to do this. But if she wanted to play... I guess I’d just have to brace myself.

"Fine, let’s do it... wait, what? You can choose weapons in this one? This feels like a different genre entirely."

I’d expected a standard shooter, but there were scythes and all sorts of things. It even had a needlessly detailed character creator. I left that part to Lycoris, and as I watched her create a character that looked suspiciously like me, the clock ticked away. Finally, the game began.

While we played this thing called a "game," I stole glances at his expression.

I observed my beloved... my precious Reima. I watched him from the corner of my eye. He clearly hated the sights on the screen, as he kept averting his gaze, yet he still worked so hard to explain the rules to me. He was as kind as ever. I found it incredibly endearing.

I hated taking things away. I hated killing.

I had lost count of how many times I had seen everything I touched melt into nothingness.

...But he, Reima, was different. He didn't fear me. He looked me straight in the eye and did the most impossible, reckless things just to stay by my side. He was the Hero who had rescued me from my solitude.

"Hey, Reima. You’re shaking."

"I can't help it, the atmosphere is way too much. And what’s with that? I thought they were coming from the floor, but then they jump out from every direction. It’s heartless, seriously."

"It’s rare to see you scared... It’s cute."

"Calling a high school freshman 'cute' is a total taboo, you know?"

This was a rare moment where I had him all to myself.

Perhaps because of the unfamiliar terror of the game, he wouldn't leave my side. I wanted this time to last forever. I wanted to see more of his expressions. I wanted to see everything—his trembling, his fear, his joy, and his sorrow. I would protect him from everything. I would kill everything for him. I just wanted him to show those expressions only to me, forever.

...From the moment we first met, he had never looked away from me.

Even when I rejected him, even when I tried to push him away because I didn't want to kill him, he told me he couldn't stand the thought of me being lonely. Because he wanted to make me—a girl crying in the dark—smile, he had forcibly healed himself and adapted to my poison. He was a monster of such utterly broken goodness.

Right now, Merli’s magic could suppress my poison to some extent, but he was still the only one who could truly touch me forever.

...I wouldn't give that privilege to anyone else. I had no intention of sharing. Because that was what made us special.

And—this was a wish I should never harbor.

I would kill his enemies. I would protect him. But if there was ever a "next time," I wanted to dye him in my poison.

Dependence, monopolization—I didn't care what it was called. To ensure no one ever took away his "special," I wanted to be the one to bring about his end. I wanted to be the last thing he saw.

—Ah, I thought it constantly, but I really was scum.

I was a hopelessly, desperately crazed killer for him. I was a fool whose essence and instincts could never truly change. I wanted him to hold me. I wanted him to love me. And then, I wanted to stain every part of him with my own color.

I spent the rest of the day with him until he eventually fell asleep, exhausted by the stress of the horror game. I stroked his head. At a distance where I could kill him if I made even a tiny mistake, I traced the lines of his face.

"We’ll be together forever and ever, okay? Until death do us part—no, even if death tears us asunder. Ahaha... forever and ever. So, fufu... please, love me."