"You remembered me properly."

"Why... why... why..."

While Shimakawa Yuya's movements were stopped, Rea and I dragged Shimakawa kun back.

"S-sorry... The blood rushed to my head."

"You're alive, so all's well that ends well."

"Erika is right. Besides, the opponent shows hallucinations, right? It might have been doing something to you too, Shimakawa kun."

While we were following up with the depressed Shimakawa kun, Gii and Shimakawa Yuya's dialogue continued.

"Life and death don't matter here. Everyone dies equally anyway. You were the one who said that, Yuya kun, so you shouldn't worry about it."

"Nanase... I, I..."

An explanation that doesn't even make logical sense.

However, Shimakawa Yuya's mind was thrown into turmoil by the fact that Nanase Asami was alive and in front of him, and he was in no state for logic.

"It's a little depressing that Nanase san is more effective than my calling out to him."

Shimakawa kun said with a surprisingly dark expression.

"That's how big the trauma is, isn't it."

Then I wonder why she took the form of Nanase san instead of his parents.

That Gii, she kept quiet even though she had some connection to Nanase Asami.

"Yeah, yeah. Besides, Shimakawa kun is still alive."

"...Right. Guess I can't win against the gravity of the dead."

—The gravity of the dead, huh.

Maybe there is such a thing.

People are drawn more to what they've lost than what exists.

"Yuya kun, you probably think it's your fault I committed suicide, don't you?"

"Because, isn't it. That day, I had no power. I could do nothing, just be beaten, and watch you go through something terrible!"

There was clear reason in Shimakawa Yuya's words.

I thought he targeted the students who hurt him and Nanase san of his own volition, and it seems I was right.

And having finished his revenge, his will to live weakened, and he was taken over by "Kaigyo".

However, Homesick Replica's ability to draw things in stems from what Shimakawa kun calls "the gravity of the dead," or the "loneliness" that Shimakawa Yuya harbors.

Even after being taken over, his influence on the monster's physical body isn't zero.

As a result, he ended up prioritizing Meiji sensei, whom he adored.

"But you tried to protect me. Just that feeling alone saved me."

"It didn't reach..."

"In a world where everyone hated me, you, Yuya kun, were my only ally. There's no way I could resent someone like that."

"Nanase... Then, why didn't you tell me. Why did you die alone!"

If only you had taken me with you—I felt like his words included such feelings.

In response, Gii gave a simple and clear answer.

"Because I was pushed."

In the first place, it wasn't suicide at all.

Meiji sensei suspected it too... but I guess that's how it really was.

If it were a sudden suicide, there's no way they could have stolen the corpse and buried it in the school.

"I was killed to become a sacrifice to summon Giraiguu. Because my soul, having suffered violence from them, was soaked with the 'grudge' and 'hatred' that Giraiguu delights in."

"Who would do such a thing!"

Nanase Asami smiled at the enraged Shimakawa Yuya.

"Thank you, Yuya kun, for avenging me. Both when I was alive and now that I'm dead, I'm grateful to you. Always, always."

Probably—the culprits were the same group who bullied those two.

Naturally, Tatsuoka senpai is included among them.

Even with the teachers on their side, they had taken the lives of three people of their own free will.

With this, Shimakawa Yuya was saved.

All of his actions were affirmed... or so it should be.

I can't really tell his expression since he doesn't have much of a face left, but I feel like he still has a dark look.

"Nanase... I wonder if I was wrong. I accepted the proposal from the sacrifice, and became this figure—but I thought I couldn't kill them otherwise! Those guys, who hurt Nanase and killed my parents, yet survived so carefree!"

Sacrifice, huh.

Did that thing talk to Shimakawa Yuya and give him power?

It certainly is on a clearly different scale from zombies that just rot, considering even his consciousness still remains.

"You weren't wrong."

Gii answered immediately.

"Yuya kun, you controlled a power that was originally just meant to indiscriminately rot life, and killed those guys for me. I think you did a very good job."

"But... but... Meiji sensei..."

"That person was always seeking forgiveness. I'm sure she's resting peacefully by now."

"Is that so..."

"I'm the one who watched over her at the end, so there's no mistake."

"I see... Is that, so..."

Come to think of it, when Meiji sensei died, she was talking to Gii about something.

I see, she watched over Sensei as Nanase Asami back then too.

Then she would be satisfied too.

Surely her greatest regret was Nanase san's death.

"So, you can rest now, Yuya kun."

Gently, with a voice like a mother putting her child to sleep, Gii called out.

Those words seeped into Shimakawa Yuya's heart, and his entire body, which had turned into a grotesque form, stopped pulsating as if it lost its strength.

"...Right, maybe that's for the best."

That physical body was under his control, having regained his reason.

"But... being alone, is lonely..."

If he falls asleep—will it completely cease to function?

"Did that guy's movements... stop?"

"Is it over?"

"Despite that, I don't feel like we can return to where we were."

Gii stared at Shimakawa Yuya for a while, then turned back towards us.

At the same time, she reshaped her face, returning to Inuzuka san's appearance.

I asked her while walking up to her.

"Gii, how do you know about Nanase san?"

"I got a shell."

"A shell?"

"I created words from the information I read from the outer shell. Since the inside of Nanase Asami has been completely sucked dry, I only know the rough outline. The human who should be called Nanase Asami no longer exists."

Is this difficult phrasing because she's dodging the question?

Or is Gii just explaining it as simply as she can?

Since she's fundamentally a creature different from humans, it might be difficult to explain in Japanese.

However, hearing that, Marin, who was looking at Gii with suspicion, seemed unconvinced, and pursued her with a slightly stronger tone while glaring lightly.

"Are you saying you took over someone else's soul?"

"If you call a human who died from having their internal organs completely sucked dry a human, then yes, I suppose so."

"Did you devour it?"

"I'm just a terminal. Besides, the current Gii is Gii, right? The Gii that Erika gave a name to. Nothing more, nothing less, Gishishi."

"...My intuition tells me I shouldn't let my guard down around you."

"That's sad. Even though I don't dislike Marin or Ruka. Gishishishishi."

Well, it's not a recent development that Gii is a bad girl.

I haven't completely trusted Marin myself either, so a little friction is fine by me.

"That doesn't matter right now, does it."

Shimakawa kun spoke exactly what I wanted to say.

"More importantly, what state is my brother in? He stopped moving, but nothing is happening."

"If you say Shimakawa Yuya has fallen asleep, then what's left is—only Kaigyo's ferocity, I suppose."

"Exactly as Ruka says!"

Gii praised Hiyami san while snapping her fingers.

"What do you mean?"

"In short, it became a monster that just attacks!"

"Since the host is gone, it's just going to come kill us on instinct."

"I-is that... a good thing?"

Rea's cheeks twitched.

True, just hearing the story, it almost sounds like we're being cornered—

"Gii! That guy can't draw out Shimakawa Yuya's trauma anymore, nor can it use the gravity caused by loneliness. It's just a big, dumb blockhead!"

The abilities originating from Shimakawa Yuya have been sealed.

That guy is now just a huge monster, an extension of a zombie.

"In other words, we just have to go wild and beat it down. That's Marin and my specialty, isn't it."

"Don't lump me in with you. And it seems the other side intends to do the same."

The monster's color rapidly turned red, and various parts of its flesh bulged out irregularly.

What poked its head out from there were massive amounts of zombie bodies.

It was shooting weirdly shaped zombies earlier too, is its base a Ghoul Mother?

It looks much more ferocious than that, though.

And then, "Homesick" fired the appearing zombies all at once like cannonballs.

"Sanctuary Wall!"

Rea stepped forward and readied her shield.

When the wall of light deployed, the zombie cannonballs that collided with it exploded spectacularly.

"Ugh... treating human bodies like disposable items...!"

I think Rea's split-second decision to choose "defense" instead of "reflection" was correct.

Because what the opponent launched was not a single volley, but a wave attack.

Reflection Shield can only reflect for a few seconds at most.

Once that ends, she would become completely defenseless temporarily.

However, the problem is—

"Rea, can you still hold on?"

The opponent's sheer volume was so overwhelming that it couldn't be fully blocked even by focusing entirely on defense.

"S-sorry, I don't think I can anymore."

Well, holding out for over ten seconds is a blessing in itself.

The opponent wasted many shots.

And finally, the wall shattered, and we were exposed to a rain of zombies.

"Everyone, deal with it somehow!"

Shouting words that could hardly be called an instruction, I also cut down the flying rotting corpses to protect myself.

But since they explode instantly upon impact, dealing with them was difficult.

"The horde we encountered in the hallway was also... quite a large amount, but—"

"This is still too few to be all the monsters that disappeared from the first floor!"

"This is bad, I can't block it all!"

"Guu... Even though Shimakawa Yuya isn't coming back, they don't know when to give up."

In the blink of an eye, we were exposed to the blast, our bodies burned and our flesh blown away.

By the time the attacks paused to reload the next round, not only were our uniforms torn, but parts of our bodies were missing.

I lost one arm too, and I feel like half my face is burned.

But well, unlike Rea, it's not like my appearance has enough value to care about, right?

"Ku, hyu... ah, ha... hah... hah... Rea, are you okay?"

"You didn't have to protect me, I can also use healing!"

"Sorry, I moved reflexively."

I got scolded.

But, my effort paid off, and Rea's injuries are relatively minor, right?

Even considering the value of our bodies, I think it's good cost-performance for someone of low value like me to protect her.

Also, I'm just simply happy.

By the way, the others also somehow survived.

Gii had about half her body blown off, but looking at her HP, it's only decreased by half.

As I thought, that body feels much more convenient than a human's.

"Guu... it hurts."

"Sorry to ask when you're in pain, but Gii, could you heal us?"

Probably, Gii must have heavily allocated her stats to Magic Power to provide rear support.

I think the reason she took the most damage is because she couldn't allocate enough stats to Stamina, resulting in low durability.

If we're going to use MP anyway, asking her is optimal.

"I can. I learned the skill for that. Healing Orb!"

Answering my expectations, Gii uses a higher-tier recovery skill.

A sphere of light shone above our heads, making a sparkling, twinkling rain fall.

Bathing in that warm rain, the wounds on our bodies rapidly healed.

"Good grief, at this rate, an arm or leg or two is disposable."

"How reckless... That's because you protected me. Still, the attacks suddenly stopped."

"It's probably reloading."

"Gishishishi, in other words, now is our chance."

"We'll defeat it while its attacks have stopped!"

"Yeah, let's go!"

Having finished our recovery, it's our turn to go on the offensive.

We all broke into a run at once, closing in on the monster integrated with the wall.

Of course, it counterattacks by shooting zombies—but it's nowhere near the overwhelming volume from earlier.

Shimakawa kun leaps forward, shooting down the cannonballs using his charging power and long reach.

"Hah, if it's piecemeal, it's no big deal!"

Perhaps angered by that provocation, Homesick pushed itself a little and fired a larger number of cannonballs.

Then Gii suddenly turned her back and stuck her buttocks out.

From there, a tail—no, nine whips clad in electricity smoothly extended.

"Nine-Tails Whip (Kyuubiben)!"

The whips wrapped around the zombies and caused explosions by sending electric currents through them.

I mean, those aren't even whips anymore, are they?

"Thanks to defeating so many, we've surpassed level 40 too. This much is a piece of cake!"

Gii winked at me triumphantly.

It's amazing how just a change in expression can make even Inuzuka san's face look so cute.

Now, it's Hiyami san's turn.

I know she excels at attacks that affect a wide area.

And perfectly suited for that, the opponent prepared even more cannonballs.

Judging by the fact that parts of its body are caving in, it must be forcing itself to create them even at the cost of its own flesh.

And then, an all-out barrage that fills our vision is unleashed.

But without flinching, leaving the cleanup to Hiyami san, the three of us—me, Rea, and Marin—continue to press forward.

"It seems to have prepared some numbers, but it won't reach my passion."

Gyges transformed, forming a gun barrel.

Intense flames were fired from it—

"Incinerate them, flames of love, Flash of Lava Blaze!"

The massive explosion raging in mid-air illuminated the entire gymnasium with fiery orange.

"So you'll expose your weak point."

"Do you know where it is?"

"By observing the opponent's movements, you can distinguish which part they are protecting."

With the explosive flames as a backdrop, Marin jumps high.

"Water Moon."

The sword's appearance blurs for an instant, imbued with the power of an illusion.

"Countless Full Moon."

Countless swords float around Marin.

"And—Full Moon!"

A "mass" of slashes was unleashed towards Homesick.

The targeted spot was slightly below where Shimakawa Yuya had been.

Upon impact, scattering a massive amount of blood and flesh, the slashes drove deeper and deeper into its body.

And exposed deep within its body was a giant, heart-like organ pulsating thump, thump.

"I see it, the part that looks like a heart!"

But tentacles extended from all over its body, covering and hiding the weak point.

Furthermore, it squirted blood from its entire body with a splurt, giving birth to new zombie cannonballs while shaving away its own flesh.

The targets were me and Rea.

"Uwaaah, that's a lot!"

"Looks like the opponent is desperate now. Rea, can you do it?"

"Yeah, leave it to me! I'm going to get revenge for earlier!"

The moment the zombie cannons poking their heads out of the wall fired all at once, Rea activated her skill.

"Reflection Shield!"

The generated wall brilliantly reflected all the enemy's attacks—and the heart core protected by tentacles was revealed once again.

And I finally reached the enemy's chest.

The heart is larger than a human's, and likely sturdier than a half-baked monster's.

But it's okay, because I shrewdly learned some skills during the time Gii bought for me.

[Spread Dagger Lv. 3]

[Spiral Dagger Lv. 3]

[Throws a high-speed rotating short sword. The rotating blade can even penetrate thick armor.]

[Ricochet Dagger Lv. 3]

[Throws five short swords. If these short swords hit walls or obstacles, they reflect and accelerate.]

[Full Burst Lv. 1]

[Activates all available throwing-type skills simultaneously.]

[Remaining Skill P: 1]

I jump up to the height of the heart and strike with the maximum firepower I possess.

"Take it all, Full Burst!"

Countless knives floated around me, and then all flew towards the heart at once.

Piercing, diffusing, penetrating, and shredding while reflecting.

Experiencing every possible violence feasible with Dreamer in an instant, the monster's core was thoroughly and utterly destroyed.

"Uaaaaaaaah—"

The embedded zombies echoed agonizing screams.

The ones who had bullied Shimakawa Yuya and the others were the same.

Screaming in agony while twisting their bodies, writhing, and then melting into a mushy, putrid rot.

Furthermore, the rotting, liquefied flesh soaked into the floor and vanished without a trace.

After everything was over, what remained was a human brain, eyeballs, mouth, and spine for just one person.

Needless to say, it was Shimakawa Yuya, who was absorbed not as a zombie, but as a "human".

Shimakawa kun walked over to him and crouched down.

"...Brother."

The eyeballs rolled to change direction and stared at Shimakawa Daichi.

Then that mouth spoke.

"Daichi, huh."

I don't know how he can be alive in that state.

Is it the remaining dregs of Kaigyo left in his body that's doing it?

"Why did things turn out like this."

"I don't know... Before I knew it, I had become a part of that monster... No, that's not right, I talked to someone before that. It was a girl..."

A girl—that "sacrifice of Kaigyo" thing you mentioned earlier?

I want to ask, but I really don't feel like interrupting now.

At that moment, the ground suddenly started shaking violently.

"A-an earthquake!?"

I pull the frightened Rea's body close.

Marin calmly observed the surroundings and said,

"No, that's not it. Having lost its master, it seems this place is beginning to collapse."

"It seems they kindly opened the exit for us."

Just as Hiyami san said, the gymnasium doors were open, and I could see them leading to the red hallway beyond.

If that's the same hallway as before, we should be able to reach the infirmary if we run to the very end.

"Let's escape! Shimakawa kun too!"

Rea calls out.

However, he didn't move, his eyes still fixed on his cousin's face.

"Shimakawa kun!?"

"Kuragane senpai, I'm sorry, but could you remove me from the party?"

"If you want to mourn him, you can bring the body."

"My brother isn't dead yet, so I can't mourn him. I don't want to leave my brother, who is already feeling lonely, all alone."

Shimakawa Yuya admonished Shimakawa kun, who spoke like that, with a strong tone.

"Daichi, don't say foolish things. You're still alive."

"That's right. Your brother doesn't wish for that either!"

Rea also joined in persuading him, but Shimakawa kun slowly shook his head side to side.

"Even if we escape from here, the battle will still continue, right."

"Probably."

"I was able to survive because I had the motivation to save my brother. If I leave my brother here and survive alone, there's nothing I can do from there."

He only talks about Shimakawa Yuya, but Meiji sensei is probably included in that too.

"If I clumsily die later after surviving using my brother as a stepping stone, I'll regret it endlessly."

So he'd rather meet a "meaningful death" here.

That's what Shimakawa kun is saying.

I can understand that.

"Should we forcefully grab him by the scruff of the neck and take him with us?"

"I agree. He's just being dragged by the dead."

It's probably a set of values that people who have lived a fulfilling life would never understand.

Besides, in the end, this is something he decides for himself.

If Shimakawa kun desires it, I have no right to deny it.

"I want to choose a happy death over a painful life. Some people feel that way."

"Erika..."

"If that's Shimakawa kun's choice, I won't stop him. Actually, it's obvious that nothing but awful things are waiting for us ahead anyway."

Turning towards us, Shimakawa kun smiled, showing his teeth.

"Thanks, Kuragane senpai."

"It feels weird being thanked for abandoning someone."

Even though it was short, we did interact.

It would be a lie to say I don't have mixed feelings.

We have no time left anyway.

Even if the gymnasium is safe, we don't know how long that exit will hold without collapsing.

We turn our backs to him and start running.

"Well then, goodbye."

◆◆◆

The gymnasium entrance was blocked by rubble falling from the ceiling.

With this, Daichi can no longer escape, and Erika and the others will not return.

"Why did you do this."

Yuya said, sounding pained.

It hurt that the number of victims increased because of his foolishness.

"Brother, do you remember? When I was in elementary school, I lived here for about two years. Back then, I was bullied too. Apparently, my way of speaking wasn't acceptable."

"...I remember."

"It was really tough. Even though I was a kid, I thought about dying many times. At that time, the one who saved me was you, Brother."

"I just did what was natural."

"There's no way it's okay for someone who can do that naturally to die alone and lonely."

There was no conclusion that both Yuya and Daichi could agree upon.

As long as Daichi holds those thoughts, one of them has no choice but to give up.

"Besides, we don't even know if there's an exit in this world."

Daichi said, looking at the collapsing ceiling.

There is no sky beyond the broken walls.

Only endless pitch blackness.

"An exit... there might be some hope."

"Do you know something?"

"Kaigyo is originally a being so immense it could easily devour the entire world."

"What is this Kaigyo."

"I don't know. Only that it's a being so gigantic that human eyes can only perceive about a single tooth."

"So our school was attacked by a monster like that."

"However, it wasn't the entire world that was actually devoured. Originally, not just the Earth, but the entire world including the universe should have rotted away. I have to say the predation failed."

Daichi, still not understanding that topic, gave a half-hearted nod, "Hmm."

"Ah, I should have at least told Kuragane san."

"You know Kuragane senpai?"

"I haven't met her directly, but I heard. Before I became like this, from someone. About the significance of this world's existence. No, rather I should say that the sacrifice gave meaning of its own free will to Kaigyo's actions, which were just rotting and preying. In short, just like me, it's not mere corruption."

"...I don't understand anything."

"Sorry, I can't even sort it out in my own head."

"You couldn't tell her anyway, so there's no point regretting it."

"That's true. By the way... I wonder if that Nanase was the real one."

"Wasn't she the real one? Otherwise, she couldn't have spoken in such detail."

Of course, Daichi also understood that was Gii.

But at the same time, her words had a strong persuasiveness that made it impossible to declare she "wasn't Nanase."

"...She really didn't resent me, did she."

"There's no way she'd resent you. You protected that girl, didn't you."

"Yeah, I wanted to protect her."

But he couldn't.

If the opponents had only been students, there might have been a future where he could have protected her.

However, the enemy was the entire school.

It wasn't something he could manage alone.

"I always... always... felt like I was resented by the whole world. Because of me, my parents died, and because of me, Daichi ended up coming to this school. If I didn't try not to cause trouble for anyone even a little bit, I felt like I would be crushed by guilt."

"No one resents you, Brother. Me neither, of course. Even your parents, they might have worried, but they wouldn't resent you. Uncle and Aunt were incredibly kind."

"I know... but unless I heard it directly from Nanase or you, Daichi, I couldn't convince myself alone. I had become someone who couldn't even trust his parents."

"If only you had talked to me sooner, I could have been a little bit of help."

"Yeah, thinking about it now, keeping it all to myself was bad. But... if you ask whether the me back then could have done that..."

It's my fault.

I don't want to involve others.

I don't want to cause trouble.

Emotions stemming from such kindness held him back, and simultaneously caused his soul to stagnate.

"Ah... looks like it's almost over."

The gymnasium floor also began to collapse, leaving only the area around the two of them.

Daichi peered downwards.

It was the same as the sky, endless black—but straining his eyes, he felt like he could see a faint light far in the distance.

He didn't know what it was.

Even if he knew, it would be useless.

Because before reaching it, he would shatter to pieces and die like the falling rubble anyway.

Lying down on his back with a plop, Daichi spoke with a smile on his lips.

"You're right, we're so tired, let's just rest slowly."

"Yeah... that's good."

The two closed their eyes.

Yuya had no eyelids to close, but when he consciously thought it, his vision was closed in darkness.

In that comfortable darkness, Yuya suddenly remembered.

The figure of the girl who had given him power.

"Ah, right. Her name was Ikuna—"

Consciousness fades.

The curtain closes.

'I'm sorry, this is all I could do.'

In the center of the infinitely continuing nothingness, the girl murmured sadly.