Kiss

I was sprawled out on the ground in front of the cave entrance.

There’d been too many things I hadn’t anticipated.

No, that wasn’t right. The truth was I hadn’t had much of a plan to begin with.

I thought it’d be as simple as setting the cave on fire and slaying the lizardmen as they came out into the open.

My first mistake was underestimating the number of lizardmen, which was far more than I’d expected.

My next mistake was that the weapon I’d made was utterly useless.

Since not many lizardmen had escaped this morning’s battle, I had assumed incorrectly that we’d managed to kill off most of them.

On top of that, the weapon that I’d crafted from their claws was unable to penetrate the lizardmen’s hard and scaly skin.

My feeble attempts were useless as the creatures tore me apart.

“You certainly look awful.”

Charlotte looked down at me as though I were some sort of vermin.

My weapon lay by my side, destroyed.

The lizardmen’s claws had slit open my stomach, causing my insides to spill out and bleed profusely.  I was, without a doubt, beyond saving.

“You say this is for your friends, then you go off on your own and get yourself killed. Say what you want, but you’re only doing this to feel good about yourself. Did you ever stop to think how those left behind would feel?”

Although she was entirely right, I was no longer able to talk.

Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed a lizardman approaching Charlotte from behind.

Run, I tried to warn her. All that came out of my mouth was more blood instead.

Just then, I heard a buzz in my ear. Was that a fly?

I didn’t even have the strength to shoo it away.

“You may be an idiot, but I’m quite fond of people like you.”

Without warning, Charlotte kissed me on the lips.

What would I have said if I’d been able to talk, I wonder?

My mind was in disarray at having my first kiss stolen on my deathbed.

Charlotte grinned at me, her lips stained red with my blood.

“Looks like I’m not the only one who’s fond of you.”

Thud. A huge rock suddenly fell out of nowhere, crushing the lizardman who’d been approaching Charlotte.

“Oh my god, she kissed him! Did you see that, Shoko?! That bitch kissed Ryo!”

“Quit yapping, Itsuko! We have other things to worry about now.”

“We need to close off the entrance first.”

I heard Itsuko, Shoko, and Mirai’s voices coming from somewhere above me.

The members of the besties trio “Uzattoki.”

Were they the ones who dropped that rock?

“How many more lizardmen out here?”

“Three more. Saburo’s immobilized one of them.”

“The other two ran away. We can ignore them.”

Saburo’s here too?

I turned to look around me without lifting my head.

He wasn’t the only one who was here.

I saw Chika and Shizuka running toward me.

Saburo held a spear and was locked in combat with one of the lizardmen.

His spear looked much sturdier than the weapon I’d made.

I wondered if he’d made it himself. If so, he was much more talented at making weapons than I was.

“Ryo...Ryo!”

 Shizuka screamed as she rushed to my side. Tears streamed down her cheeks.

“Your skill, Chika! Hurry!”

“Yikes, this is pretty bad. I might actually die before I manage to transfer the damage to the lizardman.”

“You can transfer it to me if you can’t make it in time!!”

Shizuka, who typically never raised her voice, shouted in reply.

“Okay, you owe me one!”

Chika yelled and touched my forehead.

My wounds, which I’d thought were fatal, disappeared instantly.

The next moment, Chika coughed up blood and fell on top of me.

“Ooooow! Hurry up, please!!”

“Here, Chika! Touch this!!”

Shizuka dragged the lizardman by the neck, which had slowed down due to Saburo’s skill.

Chika stretched out her arm and touched the lizardman’s face. This time, it was the lizardman who spat blood and collapsed on top of me.

“It worked! That was so scary, plus it hurt like hell! I don’t wanna use this skill ever again!!”

Chika got up and started sobbing uncontrollably.

I tried to get up as well, but I couldn’t move yet.

My head was spinning, probably from losing too much blood.

“You idiot! Why did you go after them by yourself!”

Shizuka shouted at me as she cried.

The others also gathered around me.

I hid my face to avoid letting them see that I was on the verge of crying myself.

“I’m sorry, everyone.”

That was all I could manage to utter at that moment.