Chapter 88
The faint light leaking through a broken window illuminated Rikka-chan.
I would have had no trouble even without the light, thanks to 'Night Vision,' but Ichinose-san was another matter.
The instant she saw Rikka-chan lying there covered in blood, her expression changed.
"No... Rikka-chan... Rikka―――mff!"
"Don't shout. Even with Skills, it's better to be safe than sorry."
"Tch... (nod)"
Ichinose-san's mouth was covered by 'Shadow,' leaving her to mumble helplessly, but she soon quieted down.
Even with the effects of 'Recognition Interference' and 'Presence Concealment,' they weren't absolute.
I knew from 'Search' that there were no signs of monsters or people nearby, but it was still better to be cautious.
I hurried toward the fallen Rikka-chan with Ichinose-san—or rather, carrying her on my back.
"Woof!"
Momo barked beside Rikka-chan, as if urging us to hurry, hurry.
They had met once before, so perhaps Momo remembered her scent.
Even so, Momo's judgment in situations like this was incredible. Was it some kind of wild instinct?
"Ugh..."
When I touched her, Rikka-chan let out a faint groan.
Thank goodness. It seemed she was still alive.
But barely.
She was in terrible condition.
Every part of her body had been cut open, and her side had been gouged out badly.
Under normal circumstances, injuries this severe would have killed her long ago.
The reason she was still alive was probably that she possessed some Skill that allowed her to cling to life—perhaps one that enhanced her body's healing ability. Self-Regeneration? Or Body Regeneration? Her wounds had healed unnaturally quickly when I treated her before, too.
But we needed to do something immediately.
Come to think of it, where was Nishino-kun? Wasn't he with her?
Had they gotten separated, or―――no, this wasn't the time to worry about that.
"Ichinose-san, how many healing potions do you have left?"
"...None. I'll have to get one from Gacha again..."
"How much SP do you have left?"
"............One."
So this was our last chance.
If only SP could be transferred, I would have been happy to use my own points.
"―――'Gacha.'"
Ichinose-san activated the Skill without hesitation.
This was my first time seeing 'Gacha' in person. So this was what it looked like.
A retro lever box appeared in front of us, the sort of thing you might see in an old-fashioned candy store.
What was the black, belt-like part above the lever? It looked like a slot machine, but...?
"...Please. Come out...!"
Ichinose-san slowly turned the lever.
And the prize that came out was―――
―――How did this happen?
As her consciousness faded, that was the question Rikka found herself asking.
A mysterious cry had suddenly echoed through the cafeteria while she was fighting the monsters.
Upon hearing it, the monsters―――especially the Lesser Wolves Rikka and the others had been fighting―――all stopped moving at once and began to cower.
No, the Lesser Wolves seemed to feel something closer to awe than fear, but it didn't matter. It was convenient for her either way.
Breaking free of Nishino's attempts to stop her, Rikka slipped through the monsters and left the cafeteria.
Her feet naturally carried her toward the source of the cry.
She had no particular reason. If anything, it was just intuition.
But somehow, she felt that the person she was looking for was over there.
She.
Ichinose Natsu.
The girl who had once been Rikka's best friend.
Was. Yes, that was in the past tense.
More than a year ago, her best friend had dropped out of school.
The reason was bullying.
After suffering insidious harassment from her classmates, she stopped attending school and eventually left.
The one who had led it was Rikka, the de facto leader of the group.
―――Or so the school and her classmates believed.
But the truth was different.
Rikka hadn't known.
She hadn't known that her best friend was being bullied, that the group she belonged to was responsible, or even that it had all been caused by her.
When Rikka entered high school, she completely changed her appearance.
It was what people called a high school debut.
She had been naturally attractive to begin with, and combined with her sociable personality, she quickly became the center of her class. Her circle of friends even spread beyond her own class.
Yet even though her appearance changed and they ended up in different classes, Rikka continued to stay in touch with her best friend.
But some people weren't happy about that.
Rikka, at the top of the school hierarchy, and an inconspicuous girl who seemed to be at the bottom.
They thought the two didn't belong together, and they didn't like it.
Petty jealousy. Petty inferiority complexes.
Even within the group Rikka belonged to, there were quite a few people harboring such feelings.
And without Rikka knowing, they turned those fangs on her best friend.
By the time Rikka realized what was happening, everything was already too late.
Her best friend had left the school, and through the group's meticulous groundwork, Rikka had been branded the ringleader of the bullying.
She could neither visit her nor contact her.
Her friend's parents and the school wouldn't allow it.
Thus, Rikka lost the friend closest to her.
With a hole gaping in her chest, she somehow patched up only her outward facade, forcing a goofy smile and pretending nothing was wrong as she lived on until today.
But then they reunited.
In this world overflowing with monsters.
The instant she saw her friend's face, all the emotions she had been holding inside threatened to explode.
She wanted to play together again. She wanted to talk.
She wanted to do all those ordinary things together—pick out clothes while shopping, play games together at home, and so much more.
(But... maybe... that's impossible now...)
Even after leaving the cafeteria, she had been caught in one fierce battle after another.
There had been far more monsters inside the school than she had expected.
She fought, searched, fought, and searched, but in the end, she never found her.
And now, Rikka was about to run out of strength.
She could barely feel her hands and feet anymore.
She could just barely tell that she was leaning against a wall.
Even inhaling and exhaling made her body cry out in pain.
She would die soon.
Even after recognizing that fact clearly, the face that came to mind was still her best friend's.
(...I wanted to apologize...)
Just one word before she died.
She wanted to apologize.
And if she could, she wanted to protect her this time.
(I don't want to die...)
If she died, she couldn't apologize.
If she died, she couldn't protect her.
That's why she didn't want to die.
Then, she heard footsteps.
What was it?
"Woof!"
She heard a dog's bark.
Then she heard someone running toward her.
Who could it be?
Two people... perhaps?
She couldn't see well. She couldn't hear well.
It even seemed as though someone was shouting something.
The voice sounded familiar, as though she had heard it somewhere before.
It sounded so much like the voice of the girl who was so, so precious to her—the girl she had wanted desperately to see again―――...ah, no, she was getting sleepy.
Her consciousness was beginning to fade.
Suddenly, something entered her mouth.
Liquid? No, it felt more like jelly.
She swallowed it with a small gulp.
At that moment, a sensation raced through her entire body, as though she were being hauled up from the bottom of dark, cold water.
It felt as though her body were being burned from within.
The blood that had been stagnant until then rushed through her body, and her heart began pounding over and over as though it might burst.
At the same time, she felt a violent pain.
That was proof that the pain sensation had returned to her hands and feet.
"Gah... hhk...!?"
Her consciousness was hazy.
Her body had no strength in it.
She felt terribly sluggish.
Even so, she could still hear that 'voice.'
The person calling her name was―――
"...Ah."
She slowly opened her eyes.
Even opening her eyes was exhausting for her in her current state.
Through the dust and her own blood clouding her vision, she saw someone.
"...Na...tsun?"
She couldn't get her voice to come out properly.
She couldn't believe it.
The girl she had yearned to see was standing right before her.
"Thank goodness... Rikka-chan, thank goodness."
Ichinose embraced her, and a warm sensation spread through her body.
The best friend she was seeing again for the first time in a year looked awful.
Her face was drenched in tears, and she wasn't wearing any makeup.
Even though her natural features were stunning, what a waste, Rikka thought.
"Gah... hhk... I... I'm sorry... Nattsun... for not... realizing... I'm sor...ry... Because of me... I couldn't... stay at school... with you..."
"―――!?"
"I'm sorry... Even if you... can't forgive me... I just... wanted to... apologize to you, Nattsun..."
She wanted to apologize.
She had wanted to apologize for so, so long.
Perhaps it was already far too late.
Perhaps apologizing now was uselessly late.
Even so―――Ichinose Natsu smiled at her.
"It's okay... It doesn't matter. You were still alive, so we could meet again like this. That's enough..."
"Na...tsun..."
"It's been a long time. I wanted to see you."
"...Yeah, me too."
That day, the two girls finally reunited.