Rescue

“Why do you have to go rescue them?!”

Shizuka yelled at me when I told the others in the cave that I would be going with Shoko’s group to rescue Section Four.

“You got yourself into trouble only yesterday! Do you mean to repeat the same mistake again?!”

It was pretty scary to see the usually quiet Shizuka fuming. She must be genuinely concerned about me.

“No. It’s not like I’m going alone, and I’ll merely be there to support the others. We need a guy to do some heavy lifting just in case.”

“Then why not take Saburo instead?!”

 “Actually, there’s something else I want the rest of you to do. It’s potentially more dangerous than rescuing Section Four.”

Hearing that, Shizuka finally calmed down a bit.

“What is it? I don’t wanna do anything that requires a ton of effort.”

Saburo scratched his head lazily. However, this plan wouldn’t work without his cooperation.

“I want you to catch the two lizardmen that escaped yesterday—unscathed, if possible. So we can heal the guys that got wounded with Chika’s injury swap skill.”

“Seriously?! I have to use that skill AGAIN?! I don’t wanna; it scares me to death!!”

“Go look for the lizardmen? What a drag.”

Chika and Saburo began complaining as if on cue.

“Not to worry. My bugs know where they are, so we can set up some traps and catch them. Easy-peasy. You too, Shizuka. C’mon!”

Itsuko chirped, forcing everyone out of the cave.

“Hey, stop pushing us, Itsuko! Ryo! Don’t you dare be so reckless this time!”

After the others left, only me, Mirai, Shoko, and Charlotte remained in the cave.

Charlotte simply smiled at me, not saying a word.

“I don’t think we’ll be able to save everyone. It’s cruel, but we might have to choose who gets to live and who doesn’t. Be prepared for the worst.”

I nodded gravely at Mirai’s words.

According to her, some future outcomes could be altered while some were set in stone.

None of her predictions showed a future where everyone survived.

“Don’t die.”

Charlotte spoke before I left.

“It won’t be fun anymore if you end up dead.”

“I won’t. I’ve learned my lesson.”

Charlotte and I held each other’s gaze for a while.

“Hiyah!”

Itsuko returned to the cave and uttered a weird cry, stepping between the two of us.

“No looking into each other’s eyes, you two. I’m gonna be super mad if you share another kiss.”

Itsuko chided, and I got shoved outside as well.

“See you later.”

Charlotte was waving at me as I left the cave.

“We’re almost there. Be on your guard.”

Shoko hugged me from behind as we flew.

Since her skill allowed her to manipulate gravity, I was apparently almost weightless.

It’d been decided that just the two of us would head to Section Four’s rescue so as not to put too much strain on Shoko.

“What the...?!”

We rushed through the fields in a blur and arrived at a sheer cliff.

“Remember, our mission is to save them. Don’t try anything too rash.”

“I know, Shoko.”

I nodded and fixed my gaze on the cliff before me.

Dozens of bird-like creatures swarmed in the sky above.

My hair stood on end as I made out their appearance.

The monsters were repulsive, resembling a cross between a bird and a human.

“Ryo! Look!”

“Oh shit.”

My breath caught in my throat.

I scrunched up my nose as a foul smell hit my nostrils. The members of Section Four were being devoured by the bird-like creatures.

Only one person was moving: Tsuyoshi.

He was putting up a fight, even as he bled all over, battered and bruised.

“This way! We’re gonna make a run for it. Follow me, guys!”

Just then, someone rushed into the flock of monsters.

It was Hironobu.

As he jumped, he split off into more than ten identical selves. That must be a shadow cloning skill!

“Let’s go, Ryo!”

“Got it!”

Mirai said that we wouldn’t be able to save everyone.

Even so, this near-total annihilation was more devastating than I’d anticipated.

I rushed to their aid, trembling.

This was merely the gateway to more despair to come.