[04 — Passive?]

Suddenly, everything around me slowed down.

I couldn't see it, but I had the feeling that arrow was going to land right in the center of my neck.

So this is what they mean when they say your life flashes before your eyes when you're about to die...

… Indeed, a weird sensation.

My whole body feels lighter.

I can feel every pore on my skin expanding.

If I focus enough, I think I can even hear the horses' teeth snapping through the grass.

"Wa...t...ch..."

...Oh? So you can make an expression like that?

Your face is actually kinda cute when you're not yelling...

"... out!"

I just don't get why… everything feels so… slow?—

[PASSIVE: MUSCLE MEMORY
— You don't know it, but your body remembers —
At 'some' point, you'll feel your body energized for a 'certain' amount of time]

"… Passive?"

My body moved on its own, like every cell knew exactly what to do.

I spun my torso toward the arrow.

The twist made me lift one leg, but that was all part of the motion. Every movement had a purpose. Not a single inch was wasted.

I felt the arrowhead slide across my palm, and the splinters of rough wood slicing into my skin as I caught it mid-air.

The same leg I'd lifted was now the perfect support. All I had to do was angle it right and return the arrow with the same force it came with.

THUD!

The ground trembled beneath my feet. Small rocks floated, and wind spiraled tightly around my fist. I could see a blue line connecting the arrow and its target.

Instinctively, I knew exactly what I was supposed to say...

"Omae wa mou…"

...Shin—

Wait...

… What did the system just say?

'At some point' and 'a certain amount of time'? What the hell does that even mean? How can it be that vague?!

No… I can't rely on that crappy info he gave me. That ability sounds amazing, but I have no control over it. Passive means there are conditions to activate it, and I seriously doubt the system's going to tell me what they are.

The arrow was about to leave my hand.

"No!!!"

In a desperate attempt to change its path, I smacked it. It was too late to stop the throw, but I managed to flick it with my fingertips.

FWOSH—

It swerved mid-air, leaving a bloodied trail from my hand.

At the end of its clumsy, chaotic flight, it was headed straight for Dan, who looked just as shocked as I was at the power behind that throw.

"Please... don't hit... don't hit..."

Control over my body came back, but all I could do was cross my fingers.

… Seriously, if it hits, I'm screwed.

The arrow zipped past Dan's neck, leaving a shallow scratch on his skin. Then, it slammed into a tree trunk, punching a hole the size of a hand.

"…!"

Dan's eyes rolled back, and foam bubbled from his mouth before he collapsed.

"Holy shit…"

Thank the heavens…

"Y-you…"

The grumpy little girl couldn't believe her eyes, and I doubted there could be anyone more confused than me in the middle of all that madness.

"…That was close…"

Every muscle in my body trembled.

"...Y-y…"

She dropped to her knees.

"…W-who the hell are you?!"

"Ha...ha..."

Yeah... that's what I'm trying to figure out.

*

The cold wind picked up, and dark clouds began to roll in. No doubt it was going to rain soon.

"Urgh! Damn it!"

"S-seriously… what was that? You just…"

"Argh!"

"…You went 'Fwoosh!' Then 'Bang!' and then the whole ground shook!"

"W-what the hell did that bastard eat?!"

"The arrow caught fire, and the tree kinda..."

…This brat…

A few moments ago, she was all grumbles, and now she won't shut up.

"That was amazing! Are you a knight? By the way… why are you pushing that body?"

Dan was still out cold, and I doubted he'd be waking up anytime soon.

"Ugh! D-did you not see the mess I just made here?"

"Hm?" She tilted her head, confused.

"Sigh, look… you see that tree over there?" I pointed.

She hesitated, but followed my finger.

"Y-yeah, that's where you threw the arrow."

"Exactly! I can see you're a very clever kid. Now think with me… what do you think will happen if they find out I threw an arrow at him?"

"B-but he attacked you first!"

…Hm. Can't really blame her for being naive.

"Well, technically you're right, but I seriously doubt they'll follow the same logic."

"…Logic?" she raised a brow.

Thud—

I dropped the body to the ground.

Dan was so damn heavy, I felt like I'd been pushing a bear through the woods.

"This spot should be fine."

…Almost popped my shoulder out.

"Why'd you bring him here instead of going straight to the others? You planning to ambush them?"

…She's really starting to get on my nerves.

Up ahead, I could see the smoke from the fire pit fading. Maria and Markus weren't around, which only made me more anxious. From this point on, any little slip could get me killed.

"What are y—"

"Shh," I covered the grumpy little girl's mouth. "Listen, from now on this is unknown territory. I need you to stay quiet, or we'll both end up dead, got it?"

"Mmm! Mmm!"

Her eyes were full of doubt, but they carried a completely different feeling than before. They looked subtly more alive.

"Got it?"

"…Mmm." She nodded.

"Great," I muttered, pulling my hand away.

"Pwuah! Y-you could've just asked, you know…"

Now that Dan was in position, I had to lower the risk of failure. I pulled out some plants and fruits I'd picked earlier and started placing them over his body, careful not to wake him.

"W-what are you doing?" she whispered.

I could pretend I picked them for their medicinal properties or effects, but that'd be a lie. Truth is, I just grabbed the ones that looked the most like food and would leave stains around his face.

I rubbed them into his hands and clothes. With some effort, I slid a few deep into his mouth, far enough that his breathing might do the rest.

Yeah… I probably should've checked if he actually swallowed, but I couldn't risk forcing it and messing everything up.

"…Does this count as desecration?" I mumbled.

"Dese-what?"

"Listen..." I turned to her.

"Hm? W-why'd you get all serious all of a sudden?"

"…This is just a possibility, but… if something goes wrong and I don't come back, I want you to run. Okay?"

"Eh? But— Hey! Wait!"

…Man, I must've looked really cool just now.