A nightmare.

A nightmare that I often have.

A nightmare in which I couldn"t save my little sister, who was afflicted by the Labyrinth Disease.

Maybe it"s impossible for me.

It"s a dream in which I have that fear.

A dream in which, my little sister Saki smiled, and in the instant I thought that I would soon be able to save her.

She disappeared.

I wailed

Lamenting my weakness.

But,

"............"

The nightmare I had that day was different. In the first place, it was a nightmare that nothing to do with the Labyrinth Disease.

It was a dream about karaoke.

A dream about what happened the other day, when I was forced to sing at the karaoke booth despite my protests.

The worst dream I could have.

And then,

"Ugh."

My face grimaces, and my body quivers from the feeling of being pulled back from the nightmare suddenly.

My face grimaces. My eyes open wide.

I awake from my nightmare.

I am in the labyrinth. In the dungeon of an alternate dimension, born out of a girl with the Labyrinth Disease.

The girl is right before me.

The diseased girl.

In the world covered with flower beds.

Red, blue, yellow, various colors.

A girl stands in the center.

The girl is being manipulated by a gigantic hand that has black skin like that of a devil.

Held in the right hand of the girl, is a chainsaw, and with a throaty whine, it is raised up with a powerful swing.

I then realize.

Just now, after getting kicked on the head by her, for a few seconds,

"Kuh, I see...... I was out cold!?"

The chainsaw grinds.

I try to dodge, but my body won"t make it. The teeth of the rotating chainsaw cut the flowers apart.

The petals dance.

And, just as my head is going to go together with them,

"Hey, what"re you doing!? Don"t s.p.a.ce out Shinnosuke!"

A girl kicks me from behind.

It"s Mizuiro Gunjou. With golden hair and strong-willed eyes. Her pet.i.te body quickly stands before me.

I can only feel myself get sent flying from her kick.

"Argh."

I cry out like a blockhead. Thanks to that, my head didn"t get decapitated. I roll around on the flower bed. Choking smell of the flowers. As the scenery swirl around me, I can see Gunjou using her magic.

The 《Headphone Fuzz》 plugged into her cute left ear is playing a cursed song that"s not really cute at all. A curse fills her brain to the brim.

And then,

"...... Sea Moon Wheel switch!"

Gunjou uses her magic.

Instantly, multiple transparent, jellyfish-like b.a.l.l.s filled with water appear around her, and they start rotating with a buzz.

The grinding chainsaw and the buzzing jellyfish collide. Collide. Then, the chainsaw gets severed.

Overwhelming. Gunjou is far stronger than the diseased girl.

Gunjou grabs the neck of the diseased girl.

"Checkmate! This time too, I"ve used my strength to save the world!"

The diseased girl makes a fearful looking face.

I look hard at that, and narrow my eyes.

But, Gunjou has no mercy for her. If she doesn"t kill her, she"d be killed. This is such a world. More importantly, if the girl isn"t killed, the hundreds, thousands, tens of thousands of humans who would get swallowed by the labyrinth brought forth by the girl would disappear.

That"s why there is no need to get meaninglessly emotional about it. If one relaxes for even an instant, not just one"s own life, but the lives of many people would be robbed away from them.

So.

"............"

So ---

"It it me...... who is the savior!"

Gunjou hollers as if she were saying that to encourage herself. And then, she breaks the neck of the girl. The girl dies. Easily.

Instantly, the scenery changes.

The flower beds disappear.

The place is the maneuvers venue.

Inside the gymnasium prepared and operated by Kichijouji High for the purpose of exterminating diseased girls.

Instantly, multiple transparent, jellyfish-like b.a.l.l.s filled with water appear around her, and they start rotating with a buzz.

The girl we just fought was a fake.

An illusion.

A simulation.

It was a virtual dungeon generated by the school"s practice machine and sent to our brains using the 《Headphone Fuzz》 attached to our ears as an intermediary.

My cla.s.s, year 1 cla.s.s 5, were having an exercise in labyrinth raiding inside that dungeon.

Our homeroom teacher, Honjou Tsukasa, says.

"Okay, Arisu Shinnosuke was a little unsightly at the end but...... for today"s exercise, our cla.s.s is again the fastest one to clear the labyrinth. You guys are pretty good."

Looking around me, there are twenty students of cla.s.s 5 in the maneuvers venue.

In the virtual dungeon, only Gunjou and I had broken through into the room where the diseased girl was, and there was apparently n.o.body else around me, but that was just an illusion, and everyone had been moving helter–skelter nearby, it seems.

Lying on the ground, I look around absent-mindedly.

Gunjou, who is beside me, immediately looks down at me with cold eyes and says.

"...... you"re being laid back again, what on earth are you planning?"

"About?"

"Your true power is not at that level right? In the first place, the power that you showed me in the labyrinth born out of that 《Asahi Momoka》......"

"Is at this level right? That"s why I almost died."

"You exterminated the girl."

"Huh, that"s strange. That should have been you right?"

Gunjou glares at me. And says.

"...... if you weren"t there...... I would have died, and the world would have ended as well. You were the only who did everything, but yet, but yet why"re you letting me take the credit......"

At that moment, our homeroom teacher, Honjou Tsukasa says to us.

"What"re you guys arguing about?"

I answer.

"She"s mad at me for losing consciousness and lazing around towards the end."

"No way."

Uttered Gunjou in a surprised voice.

Honjou Tsukasa-sensei nods in agreement.

"That"s true, Shinnosuke. The simulation this time is just a rank 3 labyrinth you know? So what"s up with that predicament you were in?"

"I"m a little sleep-deprived."

"For crying out loud...... compared to him, Mizuiro Gunjou, you were wonderful today as well. As expected of an elite from the Mizuiro house."

If it were the usual Gunjou, she would be puffing out her chest, full of confidence, but now, with a face that seems to be unable to agree with that, she looks down at me one more time and leaves the place.

"And also, Hishiro Shiro, Yuuyami Himi, Endou Yousuke, and Kiryuu Kiri, the four of you had good movements as well. Just what I would expect of those, together with Gunjou and Shinnosuke, the 『Hero Team』, who had stayed until the end and cleared the labyrinth in that 《Asahi Momoka incident》.

『Hero Team』.

Right now, it"s name of the team made up of the six of us.

We probably have become famous, as the team of heroes who stayed all the way till the end and cleared the unexpectedly high level labyrinth born out of the diseased girl called Asahi Momoka, which might have caused the deaths of 3 million people in Kanagawa if things had gone bad.

I look hard at the small back of the departing Gunjou,

"...... even though we"re killing heroes, we"re being railed as heroes huh."

I murmur dully.

The rest of the students start moving as well.

The next period is a cla.s.sroom lesson, and it"s far away from the gymnasium. If we don"t get moving right away, we won"t be on time.

But still, I did not move.

Hishiro Shiro, who has been watching me, approaches me.

Bearing gray hair, and a pair of strange, piercing, red eyes.

Behind him, Shiro"s friends --- Yuuyami Himi and Endou Yousuke, are following him like his shadow as usual.

Shiro says.

"She got mad at you. You went easy again?"

He extends his hand to me.

Ignoring his hand, I reply while getting up.

"In the first place, do we need to take these lessons seriously?"

"You get money from the school if you get good grades."

"Money-monger."

"Are you really saying that?"

Shiro smiles.

I start walking with a foolish grin on my face.

The money is indeed appealing. Since one needs lots of money to use magic.

The more powerful the magic.

The better performing 《Headphone Fuzz》 it requires, and money is never sufficient no matter how much one has. That"s why I"m a money-monger. In order to save my little sister, I need a limitless amount of money.

I need power.

I need money and power.

But.

"............"

Shiro looks hard at me and says.

"You rather let go of the money than let the school know your true power. The truth is, you were the one who killed Asahi Momo right?"

"It was Gunjou."

"It"s impossible for Gunjou."

"Ohh, I wonder? You seem to know Gunjou well. Don"t tell me the two of you are acting as if you hated each other in public, but are actually lovers?"

Without getting provoked, Shiro says.

"You are much stronger than Gunjou. In those final moments, there was nothing Gunjou could have done. Thus, the one who disposed of Asahi Momoka had to be you."

I return.

"For a person who Escaped and got out quickly, don"t say it as if you had witnessed it yourself. I wasn"t of any help. Gunjou did her best. That"s the truth."

At the very least, the part about being not of any help is the truth. As a person who is trying to save my little sister, I"m killing other diseased girls. With such dirtied hands, I wonder what kind of face should I make when I meet my little sister?

Shiro looks at me intently and says.

"If you really want to insist on that, it"s fine."

"Then don"t talk to me anymore."

"That wouldn"t do. At any rate, we"re......"

"We"re not friends."

"We went to karaoke together right?"

"That was you bullying me."

"But you looked like you have fun, didn"t you?"

"Really? That was just a misunderstanding on your part, wasn"t it?"

I turn around and start walking. Shiro says to my back.

"Hey Shinnosuke."

"............"

"Your enemy and my enemy might be the same one, you know?"

My feet stop. I turn around. I look at Shiro with half-opened eyes.

Hishiro Shiro.

A capable person whose ability is on par with the super elite Mizuiro Gunjou.

With strange, red, clouded eyes which I surmise must have been the result of some kind of experimentation he underwent. He has a 《Headphone Fuzz》 that is configured to use 6 specialized offensive magic, clearly an inefficient configuration.

His movements in the labyrinth were wonderful. Rational and accurate. Even though it"s of a different nature from Gunjou, he too possessed charisma. If he"s serious in persuading other cla.s.smates to come under his wing aside from Himi and Yousuke, they would probably follow.

But, he remains isolated.

Shiro, Yousuke, and Himi; the three of them are always acting together. Even though they said that they wanted to defeat Gunjou and become the heroes to clear the labyrinth, they would never increase their comrades.

But yet, to a ill-natured person who"s isolated by the rest of the cla.s.s, he"s even willing to go to the extent of paying me to invite me to his team.

What on earth is the meaning of this?

I look hard at Shiro --- no, I look hard at Shiro, Himi and Yousuke and say.

"...... what do you mean by enemy?"

Shiro looks intently at me.

"You tell me."

"I have no such thing as enemies."

"Ohh...... then who did I save you from? The ones who attacked you the other day were the special magician forces of Taikou Pharmaceuticals right?"

Taikou Pharmaceuticals is a gigantic research corporation that our school has several contracts with in order for us to be able to raid labyrinths.

When a diseased girl appears, Taikou Pharmaceuticals will send its researchers to commence the investigation of the labyrinth brought forth by the girl.

And my cousin, Sanae Yayoi, is a researcher who works there.

I c.o.c.k my head to the side, and smile.

"Then, Shiro"s enemy is really Taikou Pharmaceuticals?"

It was an enemy I deduced previously. With the skill level of Shiro, he could easily earn money as a magician anywhere. There are plenty of safe employers to work with.

So why did he choose to come to this school?

In this school, he could die instantly from just a single mistake, so why would he come here to take cla.s.ses to kill diseased girls?

In the first place, there are only three types of people who would come to this school.

But Shiro is probably different. With abilities like his, money making would be an easy thing for him. He must have some other goal he needs to accomplish. He must have a secret.

Of course, anyone would have one or two secrets.

I say.

"...... well then, those red eyes are really a product of experimentation by Taikou Pharmaceuticals? So, are you going to take revenge?"

It was a very common story.

More like, such hatred should be dispersed on a daily basis around Taikou Pharmaceuticals.

Considering that, if what my cousin Yayoi said about the unexpectedly high level labyrinth which appeared a while back --- the 《Asahi Momoka incident》 was true, then, it was all caused by the human experimentation done by Taikou Pharmaceuticals, it seemed.

The labyrinth disease onset in Asahi Momoka was forcibly caused by Taikou Pharmaceuticals.

And do the staff of this school know that?

Does the government of this country know that?

Or was it an independent action of Taikou Pharmaceuticals?

How much power does Taikou Pharmaceuticals hold in this country right now?

I don"t know all that.

At the very least, the official news about Taikou Pharmaceuticals being involved in the Asahi Momoka incident --- never did come out.

"Is your enemy Taikou Pharmaceuticals?"

I said, and Shiro smiles.

"I never said that."

"It"ll be the same if you said it anyway."

"Maybe I"m testing you?"

That possibility exists of course. The truth is, even after saying that, there"s also the possibility that he himself is from Taikou Pharmaceuticals ---

"I don"t want to play such deception games with you. Since I have no interest in you."

Once again, I start walking.

Shiro then says to me.

"Hey Shinnosuke, wait."

"Don"t wanna."

"What"s your purpose? With skills like yours, what"re you doing here in this school?"

It seems like he has been thinking about the same thing as me. Indeed, it"s a strange thing for me to be in this school. A magician like me has plenty of ways to make money or acquire power.

There is only one reason why I am here.

That is to raid the labyrinth possessed by Kichijouji High, the world"s most difficult labyrinth --- also known as 《Apocalypse Alice》, to save my little sister Saki.

However, I have no obligation to explain it to them. Nor any need to. I don"t need any comrades to fight alongside me. I hate cozy relationships. What do cozy relationships become? I"m already tired of having my trust betrayed.

I answer the words of Shiro.

As to why I am in this school.

"Well, I have a rather good personality since I was born, and I can"t help but want to save the world."

I intended that to be a joke. I intended that to be a foolish joke.

But Shiro says,

"I believe you."

"Ah?"

I scowl as I turn around.

Shiro continues.

"I already knew that you are a good guy from your actions in the labyrinth. You were the one who saved my life."

"...... what"re you talking about?"

"Yousuke too, Himi as well. No, you saved the lives of 3 million people in Kanagawa."

"So what? This is getting gross."

Shiro points at me and says.

"But still, even so, at that last moment when we were attacked by Asahi Momoka --- Escape should be the only option to take. If you have any goal or mission to accomplish by coming to this school, then you shouldn"t have been able to remain in that labyrinth. If you had lost your life, that would be the end to your dreams and goals."

It was an annoying but just argument.

I shouldn"t have remained there.

If I really want to save my little sister, I should have bailed out of there.

Thus, that was my naivety. My foolhardiness. My hero-syndrome. My weakness.

Shiro continues.

"But you stayed. You stayed and saved the Gunjou"s life and the world. Like a hero. A hero with a horrible personality."

"............"

"So, who on earth is our Lord Hero?"

I reply in exasperation to those perfect words that were coated with a just argument.

"A fool."

This time for real, I turn my back towards Shiro. Conversations are meaningless. Since neither of us is willing to tell the truth.

But Shiro continues.

"Well, in truth, I did do a small check and got to know just one thing."

"............"

I didn"t turn around. But, in other words, that"s what it means. In the end, this guy belongs to that world. Investigating me and getting close to me with a motive. All those noisy proclamations about liking me, being my friends and comrades were all an act.

His actions were all for the sake of using me for his own goals. Moving rationally, in a calm and collected way. Escaping when it"s time to escape. It"s a story of the world that I"m well familiar with, and having him show that kind of att.i.tude without calling me a comrade makes me very much relieved.

I didn"t turn around.

Shiro says.

"According to my investigation......"

Not interested.

"That fool is good at Enka. Average at J-Pop. And also, despite his protests, he enjoys karaoke, which is really cute."

"............"

A provocation. In order to make me turn around. I won"t turn around anymore.

"When I told you that I like you, it"s the truth, Shinnosuke. Besides, you"re my life savior. So, let"s become real comrades. If you"re willing to believe me, I"ll tell you my secrets honestly."

Not interested.

"Hey Shinnosuke. Face me. Become our comrade."

Not interested.

"Shinnosuke. I already showed you my sincerity. I have the power to do a background check on you, but I"m not doing it. I want to make you my comrade purely because I"ve really taken a liking to you."

How much of those words should I believe? And even if I believe in them, how does it matter to me?

What Shiro just said has revealed a little about himself. He has the power to do background checks --- in other words, he belongs to a certain organization from someplace. Since one will require a large amount of power to investigate my past. In that case, he probably is someone who belongs to another organization different from Kichijouji High or Taikou Pharmaceuticals.

It adds up. Both Yousuke and Himi are also people from that organization. That"s why they will never increase their comrades. Staying here without attracting too much attention, while at the time, they play an active role to a certain degree in order to boost their right to speak up in school.

I narrow my eyes.

I consider the possibility of Shiro being stronger than me. I consider the possibility of Shiro being more capable than me. I tap my right index finger twice, and start moving my thigh to a rhythm. Twirling my finger.

I ready myself to use magic.

I ready myself to use the 《Headphone Fuzz》 worn over my right ear.

The 《Headphone Fuzz》 I"m wearing is German-made.

《Willer Corp. Manufactured Prototype 42》.

It"s a 《Headphone Fuzz》 that places an abnormally large burden on one"s brain and body and is not something a normal person can wear.

Just as I"m about to activate it ---

Shiro then says.

"You"re strong. But you can"t beat me."

Another provocation.

But,

"...... irritating, so maybe I should just take up that provocation."

Except for Shiro and his gang. the rest of my cla.s.smates have already vacated the gymnasium.

I snap my finger twice, and as my 《Headphone Fuzz》 is activating, I turn around.

Shiro did not activate his magic.

However, behind him, Yousuke and Himi enter into combat mode. They snap their fingers and activate their headphones.

Shiro smile, his face full of confidence, and look intently at me.

"I"ve already seen the magic you loaded into your 《Headphone Fuzz》. If Himi lays her traps and with Yousuke protecting me, you won"t be able to defend against my attacks."

"............"

"You"re strong but you don"t have any comrades. You won"t be able to achieve your objective alone right? That"s why I shall become your comrade. Now, take my hand. Let"s become comrades."

And he extends his hand to me.

"I"ll protect you."

"Ha, don"t make me laugh."

"I won"t betray my comrades. While I don"t know what has twisted you so much......"

"And you"re pretty pushy in your persuasion. It"s stifling."

"Let me inside that dark world you live in. Let me carry that baggage that"s burdening you. I"ll pull you along with me."

"Shut up. I"m tired of that friend-facade of yours......"

"Trust me, Shinnosuke."

"............"

I activated my magic. My finger dance in the air. A trail of solid-looking light swims.

My 《Headphone Fuzz》 resounds.

My 《Headphone Fuzz》 resounds.

Both Yousuke and Himi react to that. They seem like they are about to activate their magic, but it"s too late.

The song magic is already overflowing my brain matter.

The cursed song keeps replaying inside my brain.

Repet.i.tively, repet.i.tively, repet.i.tively, the curse carefully sings.

【In an instant ♪   In a flash ♪   In the time of a flash ♪

The flash of time, the flash of an instant ♪   In an instant ♪   In a flash ———】

I murmur.

"...... Acceleration switch."

Clink, a switch flips in my body.

My magic activates.

My body accelerates.

My body can only accelerate for just a second.

But in that one second, I can kill even G.o.d.

I take a step forward.

And kick the floor.

Shiro reacts to that. He twists his body and lowers it,

"Yousuke, Himi, don"t use your magic! I"ll take him on!"

He orders.

Both the faces of Yousuke and Himi turn to surprise.

But it doesn"t matter. I rush forward. I aim for Shiro"s cheek with the bottom of my palm.

Shiro couldn"t react. He readily took my attack. His head jerks upward so flashily that it seems like his head might just get ripped off. He probably won"t be able to stand anymore. His head is swinging. Looking at him, I wonder what on earth he was thinking. How can he protect me if he"s weaker than me?

However, for some reason, Shiro did not fall. He did not leave me. Even though his body was limp from the damage, before I knew it, he has grabbed my collar.

"Let me go......"

As I said coldly, Shiro smiled.

"...... don"t wanna. I won"t let you go. And also, I"ve proven to you one more thing."

"Huh? What are you talking about?"

"I"ve showed you that I believed that you wouldn"t kill me......"

"............"

"And I also showed you that I won"t attack a person whom I think of as a comrade."

"............"

"Hey Shinnosuke. Don"t get so worked up and let"s go to the karaoke together again. I need a comrade like you......"

But, I grab the arm of Shiro, and while pulling him away from me, I say,

"...... jeez, what"s with you? It"s annoying. I don"t have time to indulge in your nonsense......"

At that moment, Shiro"s face suddenly becomes serious, and he says in a low voice.

"My enemy is Kichijouji High. I"ve come here to crush this school. It"s not for something personal. It"s a mission. Is that aligned with your goal? Can we become comrades?"

I look hard at Shiro"s face.

It seems like he"s telling the truth. More like, if it weren"t the truth, he wouldn"t be able to say such a thing. Kichijouji High is a place that is capable of disposing students nonchalantly. It"s a place where there wouldn"t be a problem even if someone dies during an interview.

In that case, if this were to leak out, it would be possible that Shiro would be terminated.

But, why would he tell me that?

Does he need my trust that badly?

I have no idea.

"If that"s the truth...... and after hearing such a secret, I still tell you I won"t become your comrade, what will you do?"

Shiro then says right away.

"I"ll kill you."

I can tell that Yousuke and Himi behind him have already prepared their magic. Magic for the purpose of killing me. Right now, I"m defenseless, and probably won"t be able to defend against them at this distance.

But there isn"t any need to defend against them. Since I can just pretend to become their comrade.

So I say.

"Got it. I"ll become your comrade."

Shiro smiles, and says readily.

"That"s great. I believe in you."

On hearing that, I say without thinking.

"...... huh? That"s really weird, don"t you think? What kind of reason is there to believe in me?"

Shiro then smiles.

"Haha, well, you saved my life, and I know that you"re a good guy...... isn"t it, Yousuke?"

Yousuke behind him undoes his magic, and steps forward.

"Yeah. He also got worried about my wounds. Besides......"

He then turns to look in the direction of Himi. Himi then looks a little embarra.s.sed and steps forward happily.

"I...... I managed to register on my friend list with my Intimate switch as well......"

"So what? You guys are weird."

Those reasons don"t cut it enough for them to believe in me. They aren"t reasons enough for them to want me and put themselves in a dangerous position consequently.

But Shiro continues.

"The one who"s weird is you. Why did you save me? Why did you save the world? Is there a reason behind all that?"

"............"

"More importantly, the reason why I decided to trust you, is because, when I said the words 『terminate the diseased girl』, for an instant, for just an instant, you had a displeased look on your face. Did you realize that?"

My eyes widen on hearing that. At my own foolishness. At my own naivety. At Shiro seeing through all that.

I push Shiro"s chest away from me.

But Shiro goes on.

"While I don"t know why you are here in this school......"

"For money."

"Haha, doesn"t matter. But I think that you"re a good guy. Thus, I shall become a friend who trusts you......"

"Shut up, son of a gun."

Shiro smiles kindly. That face really p.i.s.ses me off.

Shiro continues.

"There are few people I can become comrades with in this school. Everyone is desperate to stay alive, and there are few who would risk their lives for others. So...... join hands with us."

But, I face my back towards Shiro and his gang. I don"t feel like talking anymore to them.

Then, Yousuke says from behind,

"...... hey Shiro, aren"t we rushing things a little too soon? Since that guy definitely never had any friends till now, he"s probably embarra.s.sed and would mope around for a while......"

"I can hear you!"

I holler and Shiro smiles.

"We want you to hear it."

Beside them, Himi lowers her head towards me as if she"s feeling apologetic. At the very least, seems like they"re aware that they"re doing something unpleasant, but her lowered head makes even more p.i.s.sed.

Don"t tell me those three have been having conversations like, "That fella seems like he doesn"t like killing diseased girls, isn"t he a good guy?", among themselves? When I thought about that, my annoyance went over and,

"Haah......"

I could only let out of sigh out of weariness.

It doesn"t matter whether or not I became their friends or comrades. In the end, I still didn"t tell them a thing. Thus, they were disclosing way too much about themselves.

But why would they do such a thing? In the world I knew about, there wasn"t a single soul who say such naive things.

Rather, those who did died.

The moment they believed in someone, they died.

The moment they let their guard down towards someone, they died.

The moment they attempted to protect someone, they died.

The world isn"t so cheery. The people around the labyrinths with spoils that could be converted to military technologies are all rotten.

But then,

"............"

Will these guys also die?

I look at Shiro and gang. Unbelievably, the thought of them dying felt a little unpleasant...... and when I realized those feelings of mine...... I felt like dying.

It"s like I was that 『good guy』 that Shiro talked about. And I know very well that such a 『good guy』 won"t accomplish anything.

Thus, once again, I sigh deeply,

"...... d.a.m.n, whenever I"m with these fellows, I"m not myself."

I groan as I exit the gymnasium.