Finally cornered and facing a crisis, Arisugawa
The blade slowly approached, as if to toy with defenseless prey. But he didn’t look away. He would stare until the very last moment before his heart stopped, as if burning the image into his face, ensuring he would never forget.
“What’s this? Are you crying? Hahaha, beg for your life, and I’ll spare you.”
His throat tightened, and words wouldn’t come out. But he no longer cared what they thought of him. He dug his nails into the man’s hand.
“Ow ow, you! What are you— Uwaa!!”
For some reason, the man’s hand was pulled away from his throat and disappeared from his sight. Confused by the situation, he couldn’t breathe while remaining in the same posture. Nearby, an explosion and an enemy’s scream could be heard.
“Hey, hey, get a grip. Are you okay, boy? Can you stand?”
His collar was grabbed, and he was pulled up, finally jolted back to reality. The voice belonged to the Unicorn Man.
“Ah, ah, um, why are––”
He had so many questions, but his lungs were still devoid of air and his tongue was numb, making it impossible to speak properly.
“We’ll talk later. You need to escape now. Get away from here and take refuge in the forest.”
Right, what about Piyo and Pauline? He had to save them!
“Wait a moment, you shouldn’t go that way!”
Ignoring the advice of the man who had saved him, he pressed forward. Suddenly, the forest opened up, and in the moonlight-lit path, he saw a single figure. Who could it be? Piyo? Pauline? He didn’t think it was either of them. Yet, as if drawn in by the figure, he moved his feet. It was strange, a feeling of both fear and familiarity.
The next moment, a shock like being hit on the head ran through him, followed by an overwhelming urge to sleep…
…My body aches. It feels like I’ve been lying on a hard board without moving for a long time. I forcibly rubbed my eyes open. Pushing my aching body, I sat up. Was I saved? Right, the Unicorn Man saved me.
As relief washed over him, a terrible memory flashed through his mind. Right, what about everyone else? This was the inn where they were staying. But he was the only one sleeping in this room. He scrambled out of bed, tumbling to the floor.
He roughly opened the door and ran straight for the entrance. His vision swam, but he put his hand on the wall, forcing himself to stand.
“Where is everyone? Are they okay? Where…”
“Ahhh, it’s Hiro!”
Relief made him want to cry again. But these weren’t tears of bitter regret; his eyes grew warm, and his heart felt full.
He scooped up Piyo, who was running towards him. As he hugged her tightly, she burst into laughter. Piyo, Pauline, Sharin, Cecilia, Elana, Philiana, and Nina – they were all there. Philiana was lying on a rug, likely due to her leg injury. Yet, she smiled, seemingly well.
“I’m glad you’re all okay.”
“That’s what we should be saying. You slept for so long, we thought you’d died.”
Nina scoffed, but she looked happy.
“I told you to trust me.”
“Of course, but I was worried…”
As he sheepishly scratched his head, Sharin laughed heartily.
