Epilogue - In the first place, what does it mean to save the world?Another half a month went by.
November.
A cla.s.sroom.
From the balcony, the view of a common schoolyard can be seen.
The boys and girls from the normal curriculum, clad in their winter uniforms, are smiling at one another happily.
"As usual...... the trash are living with a trashy face huh."
With half-opened eyes, I murmur sneeringly with the corner of my lip raised in a slightly sardonic manner.
As I did that, a voice from the side speaks to me.
"That again ~"
It is a female voice.
I turn my eyes in the direction of the voice.
There, stood a girl who"s a cla.s.smate of mine.
She is in a sailor uniform. With madder red hair and fair skin. Big eyes. A slender body with huge b.r.e.a.s.t.s.
It"s Kiri.
Kiryuu Kiri.
Because of Asahi Momoka"s labyrinth, the students of our school year had been reduced by half. Some died, some went mad from the fear, some dropped out of school.
And thus, Kiri transferred to my cla.s.s. Thanks to Gunjou"s barf-level efforts perhaps, 『Cla.s.s 5』 had fewer casualties than other cla.s.ses, and in order to make up for the reduced strength, Kiri was transferred to our cla.s.s.
However, the lack of students lasted just momentarily. The empty seats were soon filled up with new talents. Since this school has been constantly conducting interviews, and there are many students who want to enroll in this school.
Five cla.s.ses of twenty students each.
There are always replacements.
And ever since we did that little gloomy thing in clearing that labyrinth, we"ve become a little famous among them.
The team of heroes who cleared that unexpectedly high level labyrinth, which is also known as the Asahi Momoka incident that could have caused the deaths of 3 million people if things had gone wrong, is in 《Metropolitan Kichijouji High》 --- a rumor like this has been spreading around, getting embellished as it circulates.
Well, it was probably the doing of the school, perhaps. After all, if famous stars were born in this school, then they could gather capable people here, garner more sponsorship, and with that, rake in an even more abundant supply of funds and technology.
"............"
Several girls from the Normal Curriculum. who are in the midst of doing their P.E in an ordinary, peaceful world that has nothing to do with magic, labyrinths, or maladies, look up at the balcony of 『Cla.s.s 5』 where we are at. They are saying something while pointing at us. Kyaa Kyaa, a chorus of incomprehensible laughter rings out from the side of that peaceful world.
From the side, Kiri looks at me with half-opened eyes,
"Now now, how does it feel when girls go kyaa kyaa at you?"
"Not interested."
"Liar, your nose"s going to grow long, you know?"
"Hn ~? Aah, then let me say this. In truth, even though I look like this, I"ve been hiding my huge b.r.e.a.s.t.s, and in the past, guys had ogled at my b.r.e.a.s.t.s and went kyaa kyaa, so I"ve been used to it and can"t be bothered by this by now."
After patting on my own chest a couple of times, I look at Kiri"s b.r.e.a.s.t.s.
She looks at me in disgust.
As I did that, a voice from the side speaks to me. "That again ~" There, stood a girl who"s a cla.s.smate of mine.
"You really have a horrible personality."
"Eh, I"ve been trying to hide it, did you see through it?"
"Jeez, I really wish that you would put some serious effort in hiding that."
"Haha, if you don"t like it, go away, would you?"
I say with a smirk and half-opened eyes.
But yet, she gazes at me happily and says.
"No way. I"m staying with you."
She comes to my side. Snuggles up to me.
With a step, I evade to the side.
"Eeh."
Kiri smiles.
I sigh.
"............"
It is a time of calm, and astounding peace, as if we were students from the Normal Curriculum. Even the temperature, is much more comfortable compared to the time when I first came here.
Gunjou"s voice rings out from the cla.s.sroom. She says to the newly enrolled students,
"There"s one rule here. And that"s to obey me. As long as you enslave yourselves to me, there won"t be a problem."
Enslave?
Smiling, I turn around. Upon doing that, Gunjou and my eyes meet, she scowls a little, then averts her gaze from mine.
Shiro"s prowled onto his desk, sleeping.
Yousuke and Himi are talking happily around him.
If I remember correctly, when I first met Kiri on this balcony, she said that she doesn"t like to form "cozy relationships".
But I can feel that right now. Kiri, Shiro, Himi, Yousuke, and Gunjou --- "cozy relationships". That"s right. This is how "cozy relationships" feel like.
Thus, I ask the big-breasted woman who"s standing beside me.
"Hey, Kiri."
"Hn?"
"There"s something I"ve been meaning to ask."
"What"s that, Shinnosuke-kun?"
About this "cozy relationship" thing...... something which you should have hated, is there any special meaning to it in future?
Just as I"m about to ask that, the siren rings.
Biih Biih Biih.
The signal that indicates the appearance of a diseased girl.
"Paging for the students of the Girl Killing Curriculum. Return to your cla.s.srooms ASAP. A labyrinth disease afflicted victim has appeared in Hachioji, Tokyo. We"re going to begin the lessons in killing the girl."
Kiri looks up, then looks in my direction.
The window gla.s.s of the cla.s.sroom opens. Our teacher in-charge, Honjou Tsukasa-sensei pokes her head out and says.
"What"re you guys doing, Shinnosuke, Kiri! Hurry up and return to the cla.s.sroom!"
She"s holding a thick stack of papers in her hands.
They are probably doc.u.ments about the diseased girl in Hachioji.
The girl"s profile.
Hobbies and interests.
About the labyrinth brought forth by the girl.
The details investigated by the researchers and scouting corps are fully written there.
I ask.
"Sensei...... how old is the girl and what"s her name?"
As before, I"m thinking about the same thing. If the diseased girl is the same age as my little sister during her disease onset, it"d be an unpleasant thing.
Sensei then answers.
"That doesn"t matter! Anyway, the girl must be killed! There"s not much time, so hurry up!"
She slaps her hand against the window loudly.
"Now, let"s quickly kill the girl, and save the world!"
She goes back into the cla.s.sroom.
Kill the world and save the world.
Kill the girl, and save the world.
I look at the cla.s.sroom. Gunjou looks at me. Himi, Yousuke as well. Shiro too gets up, and looks at me.
And lastly, Kiri says.
"So, she says. Ah, hey, Shinnosuke-kun."
"Hn?"
"Weren"t you about to ask me something?"
On hearing that, I reply.
"Let"s see. I forgot."
"What"s with that ~"
"It must be something unimportant."
That"s right. That isn"t important. In a dark and rotten world like this, a world devoid of light, things like friendship, romance, and love are meaningless.
Because we are killing girls.
Because we are killing innocent girls who just have the misfortune of contracting a disease, in order to save the world.
How arrogant is that, I wonder. How hypocritical is that, I wonder.
But, even so, I saw a light inside of me. Though, that might just be called worthless friendships, dreams, and fantasies.
But someday.
Someday for sure.
I will no longer kill girls.
Not giving up on my little sister.
Someday, I will,
"...... save the girls, and save the world ---"
I murmur softly, those childish, silly words, and enter the cla.s.sroom, with a smirk on my face.