Chương 72: Chapter 19 The Little Sister and the Eve of the Akihabara Gate(Part 4)

"Excuse me, please let me through."

"Eh? Ah..." I put a little image into my voice. The image of a path opening. The people who heard it slowly moved aside, creating a way through the crowd. Now I could see them clearly. They looked like high school students. For some reason, the swordsman reminded me of my son. I thought their emotions were running high, but they had already gone beyond just arguing. The mage had several fireballs floating around his body, ready to launch at any moment.

The swordsman had lowered his stance, holding his weapon in a side position. He was probably planning to rush forward and cut upward from below. Both of them had already completed the image of defeating the other. Then I would start by breaking those images.

"That's enough. Both of you." I spoke calmly.

"If this continues, someone is going to die."

"Shut up, outsider!" The swordsman glared at me.

"My sword is invincible! I won't lose to some magic!" I removed the annoying sunglasses while exhaling smoke and walked toward them. Invincible... That image was weak. Because deep down, humans understood that they could never truly become something like that.

"You should be the one to stop." I looked at the mage.

"If you don't want to die, don't come any closer." I pointed at the flames.

"My fire doesn't disappear once it starts burning." The mage's image wasn't bad. But it was still flawed. Fire did not burn forever. Everything eventually ended. Even the flame of a candle.

"Classes have no superiority." I looked between them.

"The class you chose is your own. You chose it because you wanted to become something." I paused.

"Other people have nothing to do with that." I exhaled smoke.

"Can you two truly maintain the image behind the words you just said?"

"... What?"

"...!" The mage's flames weakened. The smoke from my kiseru wrapped around them, and the fire gradually disappeared. A flame shaken by doubt was easily extinguished. After all, when white smoke rises at a fire site... That is proof the fire has been put out. The swordsman seemed enraged. He rushed at me. I surrounded him with smoke and disrupted his sense of direction. This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

A sword he couldn't see with his own eyes could never reach me.

"Damn it!" He shouted.

"Secret Sword: Divine Wind Slash!" Hmm. Wind to cut through smoke. That wasn't a bad image. The raging wind rushed toward me. But calling itself divine didn't make it a vacuum. It was still just wind. Even if he imagined something he had never seen... Eventually, that image would fade.

"Wind is something that blows." I watched the smoke move.

"Unfortunately, your wind will only rise into the sky and eventually become calm." The smoke entered the wind and spread out like clouds before dispersing. Ah. That was my mistake. The violent wind had indeed disappeared. But wind itself... Wind truly did exist. The force blew my hat away. My white hair spilled out and fluttered in the air.

"First?"

"Huh? No, wait. The clothes are different."

"But that voice... that's definitely First, right?"

"Her normal clothes are cute too!" Oh no. This was bad. If this continued, I would be surrounded. Mochida's car... There. It was coming this way. The Self-Defense Force personnel were also running alongside it. I raised my voice.

"Listen!" The crowd quieted.

"You have gained power." I looked at the two students.

"That power belongs to you. It is not something to compare with others."

"Just like people, every class has strengths and weaknesses."

"There is no superiority." I smiled slightly.

"Think about your own image. Think about what you truly want to become." I pointed at them.

"And you two."

"Your foundations are actually good."

"Keep working hard." I floated upward, then landed near Mochida's car. I quickly got inside and opened the window.

"You can just give them a lecture later, okay?"

"Please close the window. We're leaving." Mochida drove away roughly. The shaking of the car followed us until we arrived at the hotel. Finally, outside the Gate area, I could relax. It was the same room as before. A male SP was standing outside, so I gave him a brief greeting before entering. I immediately filled the bathtub with water. Since I wasn't wearing gothic lolita clothes this time, I didn't have to take everything off right away. Then—"Are you injured? Does anything hurt!? There was a powerful wind!"

Mochida grabbed my clothes.

"Take them off!"

"Wait, I'm not injured!" I tried to stop her.

"Why are you trying to undress me when the bath isn't even ready?" It wasn't cold. But I wasn't a member of some nudist club.

"Are you really okay?" Mochida looked at me seriously.

"Please tell me if something happens."

"I understand." I smiled.

"If something goes wrong, I'll tell big sister Mochida." She sighed. After joking around, I sat down and smoked. The area layout was understood. And from what I had seen, ordinary people who had acquired classes were not as bad as I feared. I never expected them to actually shout techniques out loud. But maybe that was fine. If shouting a technique helped solidify their image, then it had value. Hyodo had mentioned chants as well.

For swordsmen and martial artists, creating a strong image through names and techniques might work the same way.

"Can I ask you something?"

"What is it? You're being unusually formal." Mochida was acting strangely nervous. Maybe she was about to ask something difficult. Well, I couldn't answer everything. But if it was something I could answer... I would. I offered her the seat across from me. She sat down and opened her mouth.

"After this is over... are you really going back home?"

"Tokyo is fun."

"There are delicious foods, entertainment... many things to enjoy."

"Yes." I nodded.

"I'm serious."

"I haven't explored Tokyo much, but I enjoyed Akihabara." I looked down.

"But my wife and my family aren't here."

"A business trip is fine."

"But staying here permanently... no." Mochida looked sad. We had only known each other for a few days. But during those days, we had spent almost every day together. Perhaps she was simply sad about losing a new friend she had made.

"I'm not dying." I smiled.

"We can meet whenever we want."

"... I see." She was quiet for a moment.

"Are you not afraid?"

"Of the monsters?" I thought about it.

"Of course I'm afraid."

"They are unknown creatures. Things we don't understand."

"But even if I run away, it's not like I can escape forever." I looked ahead.

"When I think about the future..." The world overflowing with monsters. Would it become something like another world from a fantasy story? Or would humanity be pushed back until only wastelands remained? I didn't know. But one thing was certain. I would continue living. I didn't have some noble determination to save the world. But if my family or my wife were threatened... I would crush whatever stood in my way. That decision had already been made. There was no reason to hesitate.

"... Chloe." Mochida looked at me.

"Can you protect me too?"

"Hm?" I blinked.

"Of course."

"You've taken care of me, after all." She let out a small breath.

"... I see." She looked like she had finally made up her mind.

"Then, on the day of the operation, I'll serve as your backup."

"I can't stand on the same battlefield as you."

"But I'll do my best." Her support would be valuable. Now all that remained was seeing what kind of plan Chiyoda and the Self-Defense Force would create. And whether it would succeed. No. Not whether it would succeed. I would make it succeed. There were only a few things one person could protect. And even those few things slipped away through the gaps between their fingers. During this Overflow incident, there would probably be casualties. People I knew. People I didn't.

But worrying about that would be meaningless. Unfortunately, I already had things behind me that I needed to carry. And things I needed to protect.

"Don't die, okay?" Mochida said quietly.

"I can guarantee that." I answered.

"I will return alive." She smiled faintly.

"If you added 'back to your side,' that would have been perfect." She looked at my cigarette.

"Can I have one?" I didn't know she smoked. I took one out and handed it to her. Before she could use magic to light it, she pressed the end of her cigarette against the burning tip of mine. She held it there for a moment longer than necessary. Then she took a drag. The smoke she exhaled mixed with mine. I could no longer tell which smoke belonged to whom. Together, they drifted upward and disappeared.

"The bath is ready." Mochida stood.

"Get some proper rest tonight."

"Good night."

"... Yes."

"Good night." After she left, I felt as if the room still carried the faint scent of figs.