Burial

"Oh my god, what happened?! Are you sure they aren't dead?!"

Chika screamed upon seeing Kyoya and Hironobu's condition.

While we'd gone to rescue the members of Section Four, Saburo and the others had managed to catch the two lizardmen that'd escaped the other day. They were bound and tied to a tree, and even gagged for good measure.

"It's okay; they’re alive. Just unconscious."

Although their wounds were pretty deep, none of them were fatal.

If anything, Tsuyoshi's condition was far worse, considering his left eye was missing, and his intestines were hanging out of his stomach.

"Go patch up those two. I'll be fine on my own."

Tsuyoshi rejected Chika's help, forcing his wound to close by hardening his stomach.

"Ugh, this is gonna hurt SO bad. I'm done for real after this, okay?! There won't be a third time!"

"Thank you, Chika. It means a lot."

After a blood-curdling shriek followed by loud, convulsive sobs from Chika, the injury swap process was complete.

Saburo carried the two unconscious guys on his back inside the cave.

After laying them on a makeshift mattress made from grass, Shoko came over.

"I brought these."

She said, showing me Kotaro and Jiro's phones.

Both phones had odd-looking charms attached. They resembled shogi pieces; one had "determination" and the other "hard work" written on them.

They'd probably bought them during our school trip.

I couldn't help cracking a smile at their choice of souvenirs.

"Whatcha laughing at?! Doncha think it's dope?!"

"You got a problem with them, dingus?!"

I could almost hear them object angrily, as though they were right beside me.

"Do you mind if I keep these?"

"Go ahead. Tsuyoshi said he didn't want them."

I removed the charms from their phones and stored them away in Futoshi's backpack.

I'll make sure they'll be able to go home, too.

"Oh, and take a look at their phones, will you? I want you to check what their skills were."

"Huh? Why?"

"Something to do with Mirai's prophecy. She said that it might come in handy later if you memorize everyone's skills."

I remembered I'd been writing down my classmates' skills in the class roster during the goblin fight when I wanted to be of some use to everyone.

"Got it, thanks. I'll have a look at them."

I went to the riverside where Futoshi was buried and checked Kotaro and Jiro's phones.

There were a few large stones stacked on top of one another to mark Futoshi's final resting place.

"Student number 4 (male), Kotaro Kato."

"Skill: Long spear."

"Can use your bones to create a spear that lengthens at will."

"Student number 7 (male), Jiro Sato."

"Skill: Support."

"Can enhance a person's skill by touching them."

I wrote down their skills in the class roster, wondering if my notes would come in handy one day.

"You gonna bury those?"

I turned around to find Tsuyoshi standing behind me.

"Bury them together, will ya? Those dudes were always hangin' out together. Beats me how they didn't get sick of each other."

I nodded and placed the two phones together in the hole I'd dug. Tsuyoshi then covered it with a giant rock.

"By the way. I told you I'd make ya pay, remember."

Tsuyoshi said to me while looking at their grave.

I'd totally forgotten that I'd punched him in the stomach.

I braced myself, preparing to take a few blows.

However, Tsuyoshi simply turned his back on me and began walking away.

"I'll kill ya if you try to stop me next time. I'm gonna avenge their deaths, ya hear me?"

I called after Tsuyoshi, who looked like he was about to go off on his own any minute.

"I will stop you again. And the next time after that. It's what they wanted me to do."

Tsuyoshi swore under his breath and walked off without another glance.

I sensed him tremble as though he were holding back tears, and I found myself unable to say anything else.