'Pull your chin back more, Mr. Utsurogi, please!　Yes, that's right!　And the way you swing your arms is straight!
I'm pulling back!　Princess Water shifts his center of gravity!　The meat is going in a weird direction again!

　As more days passed since then, Kyousuke and Rin were able to breathe together completely.

　As the ace of short-distance running, Slime Rin is extremely knowledgeable about running form. He began to dictate things to Kyousuke, the skeletal actor, but Kyousuke didn't feel bad enough to say it.
　In return, as Kyousuke, he would give orders to Rin. Kyousuke's body (Kokaku) was a man's, but Rin's body (Nukutai) was designed for her pre-reincarnation self, i.e. a slender woman, and it was very difficult to balance the details.

''You should learn more about the male body, Himemizu!
"Utsurogi-kun has a way with words.　I'm not that much of a man!

　Still, the two of them were slowly getting sappy as they ran out of the labyrinth. It was only a short distance, over a couple of reddish-brown rocks and back, but their times were gradually decreasing.
　Ei Hino (Wisp) never got tired of practicing every day. It is his role to point out whether there is any unnatural movement or fleshiness from the outside, and to be on the lookout for enemies who may or may not be there. However, Ei has no shame in being "useless". He probably considers his "role" to be a bonus. I don't know where he got it from, but he's been reading books and other things during his training.

"What are you reading, Utsurogi-kun, Hino-kun?
Now.....

　The search for the labyrinth by Ryuzaki and the others has been stalled for the past few days. He had heard that this was the result of taking a safety margin. As a result, the opportunity to unearth new items had been drastically reduced, but casually without any great danger, life had entered a period of stability.
　After securing a safe place to sleep and a more stable food supply, what is required is entertainment. Exactly like the book that Ei is reading, the classmates in the underground labyrinth must want it, and if they find that Ei is reading it with a cool face (despite being a fireball), they won't leave it alone.

　Really, I don't know where the hell he got it from. I've known him for a long time, but I don't know much about Ei. Even more so since he was reincarnated as a monster.

'Do the two of you have something on my face?

　Ei asks, snapping the book shut. Kyousuke awkwardly turns his face away, but perhaps Rin has perception all over her body, so her gaze is still directed at Ei.

''No, dude, you don't have a face...''
That too.

　I could see Rin erupt at Kyousuke's tsking. Even though he stifled his laughter, it was direct because they were now unified.

''Hey, Utsurogi-kun. Are you tired?''

　After running through a few times, Rin asks me.

''Hmm?　Yeah, kind of. Why?
You know, I... I'd like to get away from it all again.
Far away...

　Sitting on a small rock, Kyousuke turned his gaze to the other side of the reddish-brown rocky area. Indeed, what was beyond this rocky area? Kyousuke still didn't know. No, not only Kyousuke, but Rin and Ei, as well as Koganei (High Elf) and Ryuzaki (Dragonoid), wouldn't know either.
　I don't know if they were so busy exploring the labyrinth that they forgot to explore the ground, or if they plan to explore this one as well once they've calmed down a bit more.

'But it's nice. Sure, I'd like to go there.

　Just a few days ago, I would never have thought of that.

'It's fun to walk and run with Himemizu. I'd like to go further.
Right?　See you tomorrow!　Let's go tomorrow. I promise!
Yeah.

　Kyousuke nodded and turned his gaze to Wisp, who was reading a book.

'Ei, what about you?'
I'm going. Of course you are.

　Without moving his gaze from the book, he replied, too.

'You'd be reckless without me. I've been stopping you from doing that for a long time.
Have you known Utsurogi-kun and Hikino-kun for a long time?
Well....

　He stops to scratch his cheek at Rin's words when he realizes that in the end it's just Rin's fingers scratching his cheek.

'Speaking of long, it's long, isn't it?'
'When I was born, Kyousuke's mother was in the delivery room next to my mother.
Heeeeeee!
''Wait, Himemizu.........'' Don't shake your head repeatedly and nod your head. It hurts me.

　Combining with Rin has its advantages, but it also has many drawbacks. The advantage is that of course it won't fall apart at the slightest shock, and with the so-called muscle against bone, she can now exert more power than ever before, but the disadvantage is that she can literally be swept around by her words and actions.

'Sutetto!

　Rin finally slips off Kyousuke's body with a cheerful voice.

'Well, let's leave the excursion for tomorrow and go home today!
Yeah, I know.

　This combined training session is actually a secret from the rest of the class. It's because I don't really want people to know that it's two useless people teaming up and that what they're doing is training to run. It doesn't look good, and it's also depressing when guys like Hakuba (the unicorn) and Washio (the griffon) come at you again.
　So, when we leave, we separate and go home. A few students knew that Kyousuke and Rin were out of the labyrinth together, but they didn't seem to pay much attention to it. To them, they're just like them, whether they're there or not.

''Alright, Himemizu. Let's race to that entrance!
Why are you throwing a boneheaded challenge on me that I'm at such a great disadvantage?




Feast!

　Today, Gokugawara (Goblin) shouted cheerfully and left the common dining room. Okumura (Orc) follows him. These two, known as the demon duo by their classmates, are as diligent in their search as ever. Both of them must be of a nature that can't sit still.
　Lately, more and more students have been lingering in the cafeteria after their meals because there is no longer a pressing need to explore. The dishes are not put away, so Sugiura (Scylla) is still plentiful today.

'Sugiura, feast!'
Aya, go ahead!

　As Kyousuke and Rin brought the plates to the front of the kitchen, a couple of octopus legs grew out of the inside of them, and they cleaned them up with a flourish.

'Thanks. It's only Utsurogi-kun and Marrin who will clean up for me.

　I can hear that voice from inside.

'Surrounding you?'
It's Slime Rin-chan, so it's called Suri-Rin. When I was a human, I called her Himemirin because she was Himemizu Rin-chan.

　Sugiura, who is apparently washing up inside, said in his usual cheerful voice, ''Come on, come on, you're out of the way, he's gone! And then he dismisses Kyousuke and Rin. It's probably not that they're really being evil, but as expected, it's bad to interfere with their work.

　Kyousuke muttered to himself while looking at Rin crawling right beside him.

''Hime-Rin........even Rin-nee.......''
What?
No, it's not...

　Rin stretches out a part of her body and pats me.

　Walking down the aisle, they pass other classmates on the way. They uniformly look at Rin, look at Kyousuke, and talk in whispers that they have no intention of hiding.

　There is a clear difference in the way Rin is treated in class between the human and slime eras. Sugiura was the rare one to deal with the situation in a straightforward manner, especially among the girls, many of whom ridiculed the decline of Himemizu Rin, who was once the idol of the class.
　Queen Benii's cronies, such as Harui (Harpy) and Snake Hill (Lamia), talk behind Rin's back in a position where she can hear them, which makes me feel bad to listen to them. For example, even in the middle of the meal we just had.

"The three most beautiful girls in our class aren't doing so well in that situation.
"I wouldn't survive if I were you.

　Such words were an everyday occurrence, but it was a relief to say that Rin didn't mind at all.
　Rin must really, really like to just run. Now that she is able to run with Kyousuke's help, the other problems are just that, trivial. That's fine, Kyousuke thinks. In Kyousuke's experience, if we don't care about it, the bully's hand will soon be far away.

　Kyousuke and Rin are heading towards the exit of the labyrinth as a matter of course. This is because they decided to go out a little farther as they promised yesterday. Ei is not here. He must have already gone out.
　At that moment, I saw another student walking towards the stairs leading to the lower level of the dungeon.

　Oh, I thought, and Kyousuke waved his hand.

''Yo, Koganei.
It's Koganei-kun. Hey.

　Following that, the Rin next to me also greeted her with a purplish shiver. The High Elf turned Koganei Yoshiki turned his neat face towards me and only let out a short, ''Ah''. He was about to pass by in silence as it was, but after showing a slight hesitation, he stopped in his tracks.
　Thinking that he's acting a little strange, Kyousuke speaks to him as usual.

''Koganei, are you going to explore the underground again now?''
Yeah. We have to find food, and we can't keep going....... What about Utsurogi?
'Yeah, I'm telling you this because it's Koganei...'

　He'll be fine, Kyousuke thought, and glanced at Rin at his feet.

'I'm going to go explore outside for a bit with Himemizu.
You and Himemizu-san... out...?

　Koganei also looked at Rin and Kyousuke's faces alternately at his feet. Rin undulated, stretching out a part of her body like a hand to greet him, 'Yo.

''We can't just sit around in this labyrinth forever either, can we?
That's ... well ... yeah.
Well, if there's any danger out there, they'll run back, and when they do, it's your job to be strong.

　Koganei was staring at Kyousuke's face. As I thought, there was something wrong with him.

''Koganei, what's wrong?''
No, it's nothing. It's all right. When it comes down to it, it's our job to be strong, right?
Hmm?　Oh.

　If an external enemy appears that is too strong, Kyousuke and Rin will not be able to compete with them. They'll have no choice but to ask their strong classmates like Koganei and Goubayashi to do something about it.
　Right now Koganei is doing admirably. As a friend, you should be proud of him.

I'll be fine, Utsurogi. If something goes wrong, we'll take care of it. You just get along with Himemizu-san, that's all.
'No, it's not like that...'
Yeah, yeah. It's just, he's gonna... ouch!

　Kyousuke stomped with all his might on Rin, who was about to say a bypass word like "combined," and so on. A gouging sensation was felt in his bones.
　Koganei has a look on his face as if a possession has fallen on him. If it was the end of his troubles, so be it. Kyousuke and Rin said goodbye to him and headed out.

''That's right, Utsurogi.... You're about as good as Himemizu-san (slime) for you...''

　No one saw Koganei's face as he looked off his back and smiled quietly to himself.




''Himemizu, combine!
Oh!

　Rin's bouncing body clung to Kyousuke's, and the skeleton of the skeleton gained the flesh of the slime. It was a process that had been repeated many times over the past few days, and the feeling of discomfort that he had initially felt was completely gone these days.
　What can I say, it feels very comfortable. As we continued to merge many times, Rin became like a half-body. As I suspected, being human, it would be easier to move around with both bone and flesh. Apparently, the same is true for Rin, and she enjoys this state of being firmly separated from her limbs and body.

Well, shall we go out for a little while today as planned?
We should try not to get lost.

　It's a land with similar reddish-brown rocks lying around, after all. Once you leave the underground labyrinth in which you are based, there is a chance that you will get lost. However, Kyousuke looked at the wisp floating in a wobbly voice with a carefree voice.

''If it comes down to it, Ei will check it out from the sky. 'Right?'
'I'll have to do it. I'll give you that.

　In human form, Ei probably would have shrugged his shoulders. Now that he was a fireball, though, it was as if he didn't understand.

''Then, schmooze!''

　Encouraged by Rin's energetic voice, the three of them proceeded through the rocky terrain.

　Walking in this way reminds me of the time right after I transitioned to this world. Not even two weeks have passed since then, but it feels like time has passed terribly. In the end, I couldn't find the bus guide, the driver, or the teacher who had been on the bus with me.
　If they could not be transferred, they would probably be dead in the fallen bus. Even if they had been able to move, there was little hope, since they hadn't been found in the past few days.

''Hey, hey. Do you think Utsurogi-kun and Hino-kun will be able to return to the world they came from?

　Rin was thinking the same thing, and suddenly said something like that.

''It's impossible, isn't it?''

　It was Ei who answered first.

'And since this transfer was accidental, it's hard to do the same thing intentionally. Well, I don't mind either way.''

　It's a realistic solution that is very typical of him. The fact that he can say such a thing without hesitation means that he doesn't have much regrets about his former world. Well, that's true, isn't it? Ei Hino's way of life is always ephemeral.

''What about Utsurogi-kun?''
'Hmm, I don't think I could either...'

　I don't know what Rin thinks, but Kyousuke honestly gives his opinion.

''I just think that whether we can go home or not, I don't think the situation in our class right now is very good. It's a stagnation and stagnation. I know that because I used to feel like I was doing the best I could to survive.

　The life of the entire class was now stable, thanks in part to the results of the vigorous search by Ryuzaki, Koganei and the others. Many of their classmates were relieved to have entered a situation where their lives were not threatened, and now they were beginning to look for entertainment.
　That's not a very good thing, Kyousuke thinks.
　There are too many things in this world that we don't understand. Now, for my classmates from Year 2 Class 4, "this world" is nothing more than a safe hunting ground from the labyrinth stronghold to the tenth floor underground and, at best, this reddish-brown crag. It's too small to live a lifetime in.

If we learn more about this world, we might be able to return home, and even if we don't, I think we'll find a lot more ways to live. In fact, we don't even know if there are humans in this world.

　On the contrary, we haven't even encountered any intelligent life other than our own.

　It's still too early to retreat into that cramped labyrinth.

''That's Kyousuke's own opinion, isn't it?''

　It was Ei who interrupted me.

'I'm fine with the status quo as it is. It's fine to go out and look for something new, but that involves danger. It's fine if you're the only one who has to bear that risk, but I don't think you should let anyone else bear it.
I'm hoping you'll say that.

　As I mentioned earlier, Ei is ephemeral. Even if he had to spend the rest of his life in that narrow labyrinth, he would surely be able to live happily in his own way. But as far as Kyousuke is concerned, most of his classmates are not as brazen as Ei. Someday there will be a limit.

'Well, Kyousuke. I like that part of you that's silly.
Hey, Hikano-kun, are you a homos*xual?
'Himemizu... how straightforward you are...'

　Kyousuke lunged in while being grabbed. Ei slowed the flames down a bit. He might be smiling.

'I'm not a faggot. The proof of that, Himemizu, is that I like you as well, if not as much as Kyousuke.'
Yes.......... I'd rather you didn't say as much or I wouldn't feel safe....

　Kyousuke clears his throat with a cough.

Anyway. That's one of the reasons I agreed with Himemizu's proposal for an outing.
'What?　What does that have to do with Hino-kun being a faggot!
'No!　I don't care and Ei is not a faggot!　You're not a faggot, are you?　Hey Ei, why are you floating around smiling? Deny it like you did earlier!

　I'll ramble on for a moment and then explain again.

　In other words, Kyousuke is beginning to think that it's better to learn more about this world. He says that exploring the outside of the labyrinth is important as a first step. It is unlikely that we will get a hint of this world if we continue to go underground in the labyrinth.

'I see. Utsurogi, you've been thinking about it a lot, haven't you?
What's that?
'I don't have a plan!　I just thought it was awesome!
'Himemizu, that's not something to say with any confidence.

　We proceeded with great enthusiasm, but there were fewer and fewer words exchanged. The lack of consistency in the scenery was one of the reasons, if you can call it that. Still, I can't say that it's time to go home. It would be irksome to leave without a harvest.

　And from there, we went further and finally got out of the rocky area. What jumped into the view of the three of us was the reddish-brown land as far as the eye could see. It was a wilderness.

''Ugh........''

　The first to speak was Rin.

'Brilliantly nothing...'
No, not for nothing.

　Kyousuke's gaze was focused on a point in the wilderness. There was a rather large silhouette lying not far from here. Ei nodded.

''It looks like it's within walking distance.
But isn't that just a big rock?
'I doubt it. It looks like an artifact to me.

　Of course, I can't be sure. But the shape seemed a bit odd for a mere rock.
　Whether man-made or natural, it was a long, long thing that looked about a hundred meters deep. Besides, if you go that far, you might be able to see something else on the horizon as far as the eye can see. It's good enough to go as a landmark.

Well, I'm not going home without finding anything, anyway.

　Rin said so too, and the three of them agreed.
　As they get closer, the identity of the silhouette becomes clearer. The three of them fell silent again. This time, it was due to a completely different reason than before.

　It was indeed an artifact, as Kyousuke had expected. But it wasn't supposed to be here.

''A ship........?''

　Kyousuke muttered, and Rin and Ei silently agreed with him.

　It's not just a ship. It was a metal ship that seemed to have come from Kyousuke's world, though it was decayed and rusted and weathered over the years. And Kyousuke had seen a ship very similar to this one just recently.

'This is the same type of ship Koganei showed me... the same type of cruiser in the picture.
The heavy cruiser you claim to have been building at the dockyard.

　Ei nodded. Rin was the only one who didn't understand, ''What?　What? Kyousuke explained to him.

　Originally, he was supposed to visit the shipyard in World War II, which was supposed to be a school trip. He said it was a type of battleship that had been developed there. This rough explanation must surely make Koganei angry, but there was no time to explain to Rin here the difference between a battleship and a cruiser, or even between a light and heavy cruiser.
　There was one more important thing to talk about. It's a story that Ei, who was bus-sick, told me. It was the story of how one of the ships built in that shipyard had disappeared without a trace during a battle. Koganei jokingly asked, 'Didn't it trip to another world? I was talking to Sakuma, who was seated in front of me, and we were discussing web novels.

　And it wasn't a joke.

　It wasn't a joke.

　The dilapidated heavy cruiser sitting in front of me was proof of just that.

'Eh, eh, wait a minute!'

　Rin interrupts me.

''So this ship is from our world, too?　Who's in there?　What's wrong with the crew?
I don't know. I don't know. It's our world, and it was 70 years ago. And from the state of decay on this ship, I think it's been an inordinate amount of time since we came to this world to begin with.

　Gulp, and spit. There shouldn't be any spit to swallow since it's a skeleton, but she swallowed Rin (part of her) instead. She lets out a 'ew'.

'Did the people on this ship's crew go back to the world they came from or not? Did they become monsters like us, or did they remain human? Did they stay on this ship or did they move to another place? Did they live or die...

　I don't understand any of it. Ei asks him from beside him as he stares at the dilapidated ship.

'What do we do?　Kyousuke.
...we'll explore inside.

　Kyousuke said. Rin makes a worried sound.

'It could be dangerous?'
If you're in danger, you might as well run.

　The ship's wreckage doesn't tell us anything. That's why we can only ask it from here. Kyousuke takes a step forward, but there was no particular resistance to the movement of his feet. Rin seems to agree with him. Ei, too, follows without saying a word.

　Kyousuke and the others didn't notice that there were countless red eyes staring at the intruder from the wreckage of the ship.