Interlude: No More Self-Sacrifice
“Hi there! I’m Sumire Hiratsuka, your new classmate starting today! Nice to meet you all! Ow, ow, ow… Toudou, be a little more gentle, will you?”
Sumire Hiratsuka and I staggered into the classroom, both of us battered and bruised.
Technically, Sumire was supposed to be transferring in today.
She leaned heavily on my shoulder, too weakened to walk on her own. Despite her condition, she insisted on coming to this classroom.
“Hey, Toudou-kun, and Hiratsuka-san, you new transfer student! Why are you both so beat up? Go to the infirmary right now! Togou-kun, help them!”
Before the teacher could finish, Tanaka clung to me.
“Toudou, we were so worried about you! I heard everything from Hana-chan… Yeah, this is where the real battle begins! We’re fired up! But first, let’s get to the infirmary!”
“Ta-Tanaka, that’s… embarrassing.”
Tanaka and Togou helped support me as we moved.
“Wow, how are you even alive… Who did you fight?”
“Two platoons.”
“…Yeah, let’s pretend I didn’t hear that.”
“Whatever, let’s just get to the infirmary!”
“Ha ha, I’m… so sleepy…”
**
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I, Sumire Hiratsuka, was riding the Odakyu Line.
An hour or so from Tokyo, I arrived in Enoshima, the most famous seaside town in Kanagawa Prefecture.
Here, a woman known as “Eri” ran a shelter.
I was going to spend the next few months there.
Stepping off the train, I was greeted by the smell of the sea.
I didn’t feel any sense of excitement. I had no idea what awaited me.
But it was okay. I had repaid Toudou’s kindness.
Even if it was just for a little while, Toudou would surely create some wonderful memories and find a way to change the situation.
…But, would it be tough against Eri?
Eri
She had said that Toudou would never defy her. It wasn’t arrogance; she accepted it as fact. She claimed to have installed some kind of device in his mind…
“Ah… I wish I could reset everything. Then I could forget all the bad stuff.”
I couldn’t reset, but I would stay strong.
…I sensed a strange presence. It was coming from outside the ticket gate.
I had been told that someone would be waiting to pick me up at the gate–
And there, standing beyond the gate, was Toudou.
Illuminated by the station lights, Toudou looked almost like a different person.
My heart nearly leaped out of my chest.
“Wh-why are you here?”
An unconscious bald man lay on the ground… Wasn’t he Shimafuji’s colleague?
It wasn’t just the bald man. Even the flashy squad member was down. A quick assessment revealed that an entire squad was knocked out.
Toudou smiled at me.
“Let’s go home. This isn’t the place for you, Hiratsuka. This contract is void.”
He tore up the contract I’d made with Eri and stuffed it into his pocket.
I thought I had buried my emotions.
I thought I could endure anything.
But then, but then–
I cried like a child, holding Toudou’s hand as we walked away.
I heard Shimafuji’s voice from behind us.
“…Toudou, what have you done, taking down my men? They’ll need retraining.”
“Oh, Shimafuji. How about a little playtime with your big brother?”
“…Hmph! Playtime, you say? This is my specialty. Eri’s orders. Hand her over quietly.”
Why did Shimafuji’s voice sound so pleased?
More and more figures emerged behind Shimafuji. Two platoons’ worth!?
“Hmm, he’s a brute, but when it comes to combat strategy and sense, he’s unmatched.”
“W-What should we do?”
“No problem.”
Toudou declared firmly.
“–I can’t ignore a crying girl. Sumire Hiratsuka, leave everything to me.”
And thus, our night began again–
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