Touching the Grass with You

I give up.

“My fiance!” Arabella shouted. She walked around the tower and looked for Kousuke. It was almost dawn. She found a hole in the ground. Someone must have dug it, and the culprit was probably Kousuke because she saw Kousuke make a “C” with his body inside that hole.

Kousuke looked sad.

Arabella curled up her lips, “My fiance. What are you doing there? You looked down at dinner and never came back. Everyone worries about you.”

“I think I don’t deserve to live, my lady,” Kousuke replied. “I brought misfortune to everyone. I’m trash. I’m not worth your time. I’m annoying, horny, and whatever insult people can say about me.”

Arabella brushed her hair and ducked. “I would kill you if you peek at whatever under my skirt.”

“See? I’m a piece of shit.”

“I’m just kidding.” She sat on the ground and gazed at the sky, hugging her legs. “I know you are dumb. And I understand I don’t have to scold you because you are already aware you made a mistake,” she paused, “How many times did you repeat your trial?”

“I don’t remember,” Kousuke looked at his fingers. His fingers moved a little. “I was already sick at the fourth iteration or so. I failed, failed, and failed again. There was no point in it. I have to be punished. I’m trash, I’m trash.”

Arabella didn’t respond for a moment. Then she took out a small black box from her blazer pocket. It looked like an airtight container with glass on one side. She gazed at it. Inside the box, there was a ring... of dried grass.

“It may sound like empty words, but sometimes we need to burn our hearts, so at the very least, we make an effort, although let’s say we fail in the end,” Arabella blabbered.

“You see. I was very happy the moment you proposed to me, although you only used grass. I asked Mother to preserve that ring with an item, magic, or whatever. Sure, I did not love you that much, but aren’t people happy when they find their match?”

She extended her arm to show the grass at Kousuke, “Here, the ring. Don’t you want to hold our wedding? Didn’t we get closer? But we can’t hold our wedding if we are stuck here.

So don’t give up, and change this grass into a real ring. Let’s get out of here, my fiance. I know you can do it.”

As if there was a motivating BGM playing in the background, the Sun shone on the box of grass, helping Kousuke to realize its presence. His pupils became dilated. When the ring of grass became brighter, Kousuke’s dried heart started to look alive like grass that was sprouting and creating new leaves.

That’s right... Just do it...

I don’t want to lose you, Arabella Dekever. I love you. I truly love you. And I want to make you happy.

I actually had one more idea. But I was just afraid to execute that.

However, why am I afraid, if I can make you happy?

Kousuke gained hope. He gained a vision. He stood up, touched the grass, and rose from the hole. And Arabella put the box back in her blazer pocket. She smiled at him.

“You are right,” Kousuke smirked. His eyes looked determined. “It’s time to beat his ass!” His heart echoed the motivating BGM and made its tempo faster!

He swung his arms. He gazed forward at the bright future and ran in slow motion!

Then his motion became faster. He jumped to the main deck. He dashed to his cabin. Excitement, hope, and a grand scheme filled his mind! He read the book by the Weeb Sect Master, flipping its pages and making a mental note.

He did push-ups, sit-ups, and punching bag workouts with a quintain, a wooden practice target, from Zaracas. He also sharpened his combat knife with a whetstone from Adelina’s bag. Adelina also gave him small bottles of MP and recovery potions.

Yes, Kousuke was training on the ship and being cool like a chad until the afternoon! With a motivating BGM in his mind!

He then muttered, “System. Assign 5 skill points to [Anti Gravity], [Blood Aggro], and [Conversion].”

“System. Set a combo: [Defense Debuff], [Physical Pierce], [Perfect Aim], [Conversion], [Epic Buff], [Meteor Shot], and [Time Dilation]. Combo's name...” Kousuke pondered for a while before he set the combo's name to cast the skills in turn.

Everyone gazed at him while waiting for lunch. Then Kousuke approached Arabella, who sat on the poop deck, and whispered something to her. She became surprised.

Now, it was the time. For the grand finale!!!

After lunch.

***

It was that damn crimson door again. Kousuke stood up in front of it with Arabella, Hal, and Adelina behind him. He remembered what Antony said before he went there, “You don’t need the trial anymore. Gather your party. And go. Bring back my friend’s sanity.”

Does beating him bring back his sanity??

Ah, whatever.

“Is everything clear?” Kousuke looked at the party and asked. Arabella and Hal nodded, while Adelina gave him a thumbs-up. “[Charge]!” everyone said, except Adelina.

“Let’s go,” Kousuke pushed the door. Thus, Maxentius came into his vision.

Maxentius jolted. Then he held his cheek again with his hand on the throne for a moment, before he stood up and walked to the party with his dark sword.

“[Speed Booster], [Air Freeze]! [Air Freeze]! [Charge]!” Arabella spammed lances of ice at Maxentius. Maxentius then raised his sword and activated Magic Debuff with a glint on the point of his sword. Therefore, Arabella’s lances were just shattered by his plate armor, and he started to run toward Arabella.

Hal just stepped aside, while Kousuke ran aside so he could aim at Maxentius from behind, waiting to make a surprise attack.

“[Wind Blast]!” Arabella blasted Maxentius and pushed him backward a bit. In response, Maxentius raised his sword and moved it up and down.

Here we go. That damn attack!

Kousuke, Arabella, and Hal jumped and shouted, “[Anti Gravity], [Wind Blast]!” The water from the ground got blasted, but Maxentius already swung his sword at Arabella in midair.

However, before his sword reached Arabella, she shouted, “[Time Dilation]!” Hal also sent his cubes toward Maxentius to push Maxentius down.

I whispered to her about the existence of Skill Board, so she could learn [Time Dilation] to avoid Maxentius. Now, with Hal’s cubes and combo that I set, I can blast him with buffed [Meteor Shot]!

Thus, Kousuke took out and drank an MP potion to raise his maximum MP. Then he directed his hand at Maxentius and shouted his combo's name, excitedly, “[B*DEN BLAST]!”

Slowly, the air in front of Kousuke formed a huge, spherical fiery vapor. That meteor burned the carpet and moved fast toward Maxentius.

BOOM!

Maxentius was flung away and smashed onto the wall. His armor cracked. The wall also cracked. When Maxentius landed, his helmet also cracked in half, so Kousuke could see Maxentius’ black eyes and hair.

[Conversion] converts a magic attack into a physical attack, so of course, it was super effective!

When Maxentius was about to dash at Arabella again, Kousuke took out his combat knife and shouted, “[Blood Aggro]!” He stabbed his own belly and struck it sideways to pour out much blood, activate [Blood Aggro], and forcefully draw Maxentius’ attention to him.

“AAAAAAAAARGH!” Kousuke dropped his knife, took out a recovery potion, and drank it. Fuck, fuck, fuck! It DAMN hurts! This is why I was afraid of using this skill!

Thus, Maxentius dashed at Kousuke, but Kousuke had pointed his index and middle finger at Maxentius. He said, “The Weeb Sect Fingering Technique.”

Maxentius slowed down and eventually stopped his steps for apparently no reason, baffling everyone, except Kousuke.

Kousuke took some steps forward and faced his left side. He closed his eyes, raised his chin, and chanted, solemnly, “Ah... anata wa saiyaku, nanoni...” He took a deep breath and resumed, “Otoko nante... kirai nanoni...”

Then he opened his eyes and said in a high-pitched voice, “Nande, kimochii no?”

Splash!! Splash!!

Blood spurted from Maxentius’ body everywhere! Maxentius made a forward curve with his body and opened his mouth as if he was screaming!

Kousuke shouted, “Fifth Form: BLACKMAIL!”

Now, there is no fucking way you can stand again, Maxentius! That blood indicates your end phase.

However, Maxentius made a hole in the floor with his sword and halted his body from falling. It looked like in the real world, his defeat wouldn’t crumble his spirit!

Shit!

“ADELINA, do your part!” Kousuke shouted.

Swiftly, Adelina rushed toward Maxentius. She swung her silver knife, Sudden Death, and stabbed his waist.

Tears flowed on Adelina’s cheeks. She embraced Maxentius, closed her eyes, and said, “Maxentius... you don’t have to suffer anymore. Take a rest, my dearest husband.”

HUUUUUUUH? What did she say?!