[Part 1/4]
As the commotion settles in the evening, a young youkai crawls through the mud of the deep forest, where the law of the jungle prevails.
The small lizard-like youkai, which is at the bottom of the food chain in the forest, is in a good mood today. It's natural, given that all the higher-ranked youkai that prey on it have been slaughtered by outsiders, and their flesh has become the food of the low-ranking youkai, including the lizard.
The earth where the lizard is located is scorched. It's the work of intruders. The bodies of the great youkai that were burned to a crisp emit a strong odor, attracting many visitors who are already crowding around it. It's literally a bustling place.
Because of this, the lizard is threatened and intimidated by the numerous visitors who growl, bare their teeth, and roar. Even among the low-ranking youkai, the lizard is exceptionally small.
Regretfully looking back, but understanding the insurmountable power gap, the lizard gives up and looks for other prey. Not doing anything reckless is the key to the lizard's survival in this harsh forest, but until today.
...The lizard found it. A top-quality piece of meat.
The lizard runs towards it. It arrives next to it and licks it with its tongue to evaluate its quality. It's excellent. Much better than the body it saw earlier. Moreover, no one has crowded around it yet. The lizard was the first to arrive.
Now, the lizard youkai rejoices and gets excited. It's genuinely pleased that it can monopolize this feast. The lizard instinctively understands that if it eats all of this, it can raise its rank by one or two levels.
...However, all of suddent, a shadow envelops the lizard. That was the last thing it saw.
Then, in that place, there is only a squishing sound as the meat is crushed, accompanied by chewing sounds. After a few moments, dormancy and silence prevail. However, that shadow awakens soon.
It moves slightly, as it was abandoned after satisfying its nutritional needs. It moves restlessly, as if searching for something. It moves restlessly, twisting, convulsing, and reviewing everything that happened in the last time, and understanding everything. Everything that led to this point. Understanding what it needs to do. Who it needs to take revenge on.
'...'
A brief silence descended again. And then the shadow transforms itself. It grows, stretches, creates, and rises.
It lifts itself with its own hands.
'......'
It looks around with its new vision, finds its destination, and begins to crawl towards it. To achieve its goal.
Where it's headed is...
"Take this whip of love from your senpai!"
"Huh!?"
As the backdrop of dusk loomed, she struck her senpai boss unreasonably with a tackle to the buttocks, and simultaneously, a distressed young girl's coughing screams rang out. Ignoring even that, I forcefully pushed her in. We both plunged into the riverbank, creating a grand spray of water.
"This, thi...!?"
"Hey, hey, hey!! I won't show any mercy!"
And so, a brawl ensues. It's a brutal, physical, wrestling-like fight, where we grapple to suppress each other's movements.
Or, to be precise, my opponent is a rule-breaking, villainous female wrestler.
"Kuh...!?"
"Hey, a weapon is a foul play...!?"
I stopped the hidden weapon that was being pulled out of the sleeve, pretending to be a referee. I immediately struck her arm with a hand chop and shook it off. However, since I did it with the arm where the needle had pierced, it also caused me great damage. It hurts. But...!!
"Gooohhh!?"
"Hah, I knew your body strengthening was bad!!? With such a delicate body!! That's why you should stick with the bow and arrow!!"
I shout as I hold both arms. Hisame strains her strength to the point that her face turns red, but she still cannot escape. It's simply because of the difference in physical strength between men and women, the difference in body strengthening, and being sealed with martial arts. Stupid, she should have used projectile attacks without trying to show off!!
"This will capture you!!"
"Don't underestimate me!!"
"Igii!?"
Just after declaring victory, a shock runs through my chest. Hisame's supple legs kick my torso, making me fall back. The restraint on both arms loosens. Hisame wasn't completely useless to miss that opportunity.
"It hurts!?"
She threw a reverse punch with her freed arm. A slap followed. Then, a punch. A series of attacks with minimal movement. Finally, she attempted to gouge my eye with two fingers thrust in to stop me...
"That's really dangerous!!?"
I hastily avoid the final blow. I avoid it and launch a leg sweep. Hisame, who was trying to stand up, eats it head-on and plunges her body back into the riverbed again, which made the water splashed wildly.
"Wait a minute! You're being too rough!!?"
To take her consciousness, I push Hisame's face into the riverbed. I don't intend to kill her. I intended to push her to the point of confusion, about three steps away from oxygen deprivation. After all, it was difficult to make her lose consciousness with just martial arts using my arms. I judged that this method had the least after-effects rather than injuring her carelessly.
Now, I count numbers in my head. She struggles desperately until I count fifty, but gradually weakens by the time I count over two hundred...
"Kuh. I don't want to do this too much..."
Seeing Hisame's resistance gradually fade away, I spit it out. I really hate it, as if I'm committing a murder.
"Haa, haa... Is it time?"
When I see Hisame, who hardly moves anymore by the time I count to two hundred and fifty, I think it's not good to continue and loosen my grip. I don't intend to kill her. Hisame's expression is hazy when she raises her head above the water. I hurry to make her breathe by trying to pry open her mouth with my fingers and make her spit out water.
...But it was a disguise.
"...!!"
"Whoa!? You have good lung capacity, hey!!?"
Her eyes, which opened wide all of a sudden, were clearly awake. Then, a headbutt came at me. She struck me on the forehead with an iron headband and I ended up with a slight concussion. Damn it!!?
"Haa!!"
After escaping from the restraint, Hisame challenges me to unarmed combat. Her agile movements, which make full use of her natural lightness, are impressive. I sway in consciousness and vision. But, she's too naive!!
"Your blow too light, you know!!"
"Huhh!!?"
I grabbed her arm to prevent her from crushing my throat and threw her over my shoulder. She was so light that I was worried about her usual meals.
"Kahii!?"
"Is that all!?"
I slam her again from behind into the riverbed, and the water splashes dramatically. She lets out a scream, but I won't show her mercy. I straddle her without caring about my reputation, and I exert the weight of a man on her delicate body, almost forcefully subduing her, resembling r*pe.
At this point, I can't choose the means. She wasn't someone I could choose. Hisame, who was violently restrained, breathes roughly in a way that is unimaginable from her usual impression, and glares straight at me.
"Haa, haa... Kill me!!"
"I'm not going to kill you!! Or rather, are you trying to kill me!?"
I'm going to kill you. It's the first time I've heard that line since I was reincarnated into the world of eroge. I was even moved. Am I playing the role of a rod? In other words, am I a well-endowed orc...?
"What? What are you saying... Don't lie to me! I won't be deceived by your tricks!!"
"Tricks? Are you kidding me...!! Calm down!! You're the one being deceived!! Calm down and listen to me!!"
I call out to Hisame. Whether it's memory manipulation or thought manipulation, I had to calm her down. I had to make her aware that her perception had been manipulated.
"I won't listen to anyone...!! That's how you've been framing me all this time, right!?"
"Framing you!? What are you talking about!!? Calm down!!"
I am puzzled by Hisame's words. I am frustrated with the perpetrator who subjected her to some kind of brainwashing.
"Annoying!! Every time! You always survive and then complain! Even when it was Sister's turn! Why are you the only one who's still alive!!?"
"Sister!? Hey, what are you really saying!!?"
The meaning of Hisame's words, her intention, I couldn't understand them, at least not in her extreme state.
"If you've forgotten, I'll tell you...!! About Shikae-neesan, she was your surveillance!!"
Hisame's rough and even murderous scream didn't frighten, shock, or anger me. I could only be dumbfounded.
"Shikae...? Surveillance?"
After a brief silence, the words that finally came out were not even sentences, just a list of words. I had forgotten about conjunctions. Because, you see, I had never told Hisame about her even once.
The name of the senior who died because of me...
Belonging to the Yashiro squad of servants, her name is Shikae. She has been a servant for about two years and a member of the Yashiro squad for one year. She is an archer and therefore assigned the roles of detection, scouting, and rear support within the squad. She is my senior as a squad member, but ironically, she is one year younger than me.
Her hair has a bluish tint and reaches her shoulders. She is the youngest in the squad and her height is considerably shorter even among the servants, to the point where her head barely reaches my chest. She seemed to be very conscious of it. On the other hand, she made me feel like a senior based on her longer experience, and I was truly annoyed by her attitude.
Cool, strong-willed, a bit absent-minded, but caring and a bit of a spoiled girl, with a charming smile that everyone loved. A positive girl who could make people smile and feel energized just by being around her... that was Shikae.
...One of my former comrades who I foolishly let die.
Is she her sister?
Is she surveillance?
"What are you talking about...?"
The words I spoke were trembling, more confused than anything else. I couldn't understand or process the words. I couldn't swallow anything.
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