'O-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-ooh!

　The flames in Kyousuke's fist gained momentum and attacked the Dead Spirit King (Wight King). Just before the fist came into direct contact or not, the arm froze tightly. It was a restraining action by Ei.

''I'm telling you!　I can't fight like I did with Princess Water!
Oh, yeah.

　What Kyousuke is wearing now is Ei's body that has become a wisp. It is a ball of fire and gas, so to speak.
　It's not just a simple matter of how much time you have left, but also how much time you have left. In other words, the form merged with Rin was a form suitable for physical attacks, but the form merged with Ei was not. With the flames clothed in his entire body, he aimed at the enemy from a medium distance. It is a form suitable for such tactics.

　The King of the Dead Spirit dispels Kyousuke's body, which is burning like a flame spirit (Efreet), in a depressing manner. Kyousuke dodged it by flying away. As he moves, Ei erupts with a booster.

　It's a different kind of swiftness than Rin's time. The current Kyousuke, so to speak, his whole body is a booster and a thruster. His instantaneous power is extremely high. Furthermore, although all of the control will probably be bungled by Ei, if he makes use of this.......

Let's jump, Ei!
'Your recklessness is always the same!

　After attracting the swinging barbarian sword with enough force, he jumped. Flames were sprayed out vigorously and Kyousuke's body flew through the air.
　The flames erupting from his entire body held Kyousuke's body in the air, holding it in place. The Dead Spirit King's gaze was completely glued to Kyousuke. He avoided the six sword shots that were swung around with a three-dimensional movement. Kyousuke clasped his two palms together, creating a ball of fire between them. As he applied force, Ei supplied the magic power and the ball of fire grew larger and larger.

'Ei, on my signal, I'm going to hit him!
All right, all right. Let's give it a name.

　He said something outrageous in a cool voice.

'It's a prominence ball, Kyousuke.
Well, well, it doesn't matter.... Ei, are you enjoying yourself by any chance?
'You won't get a bee in your bonnet if you're this entertained. .........here it comes!

　Kyousuke avoids the two barbaric sword strikes delivered simultaneously with a flutter. Not yet. Attracting more.

　Kyousuke flew around his face, daring to provoke the King of the Dead Ghosts. As he passed behind him, the King of the Dead Spirit completely turned his back from Rin and the others in a position to turn away. At the front of the stairs, Sakuma is waiting for Rin and Kenzaki to reach it while preparing a protective barrier with what little magical power he has left. We're almost there. Almost.

'Ei, I'll say 'prominence' and then I'll take a beat and shoot you with the 'ball'!　That's good!
Of course. I know your timing, of course.

　Rin and Kenzaki finally reached the entrance to the stairs, and all three of their gazes turned to me. Sakuma leads the way first, followed by Rin and Kenzaki ascending the stairs.
　When the girls are out of sight, Kyousuke swoops down, moving in a way that passes through the King of the Dead Spirit's crotch, and swings at the bloated ball of fire.

''Prominence!

　With that one beat, his breathing completely overlapped. The body of the King of the Dead Spirit turned around in a circle and turned around.

''Bo--r!''

　He fired an unavoidable ball of light at a moment's notice.

　As a result, the ball of fire landed on the body of the King of the Dead Spirit from the front. The dense flames filled with it burst and with a roaring sound, the body of the King of the Dead Spirit was burned. The explosion was enough to cover his vision and even swallowed the Dead Spirit King's screams. The giant body couldn't bear the impact and fell to the back side.
　Kyousuke is not foolish enough to think of giving a follow-up attack here. Rin and the others escaped. Their purpose has been accomplished.

　Before the King of the Dead Spirit can stand up, Kyousuke and Ei fly straight for the stairs. The wings of fire that unfolded on the back were like a phoenix.




''Utsurogi-kun, Hino-kun, wow, wow!''

　Rin greeted Kyousuke as he reached the tenth basement floor, his body rippling with a poppycock. The combination with Ei has been lifted, and now Kyousuke is a mere skeleton.
　This tenth floor is also a dangerous area that is infested with monsters, and we can't feel safe. However, the predicament was out of the way for the time being. This much should be forgiven. Even the King of the Dead Spirit didn't seem to be willing to chase after his prey that had escaped through the narrow staircase to the upper levels.

　Of course, Rin wasn't the only one who was impressed.

　Sakuma and Kenzaki both greeted them with their own excited attitudes.

''A big deal. Utsurogi, you look a lot different than when we first went exploring. You must have trained in your own way.

　This is Kenzaki. It might be more accurate to say that he has found a way to fight that is suitable for his new body rather than training.

''Amazing!　Well done, Mr. Utsurogi!　Utsurogi-kun and Hikino-kun are merging together...!

　This is Sakuma. This joyfulness feels a bit peculiarly s*xual.
　But as expected, she noticed the hazy coldness of the gaze directed at her, or perhaps she suddenly turned red and fell down on her face. While squirming as it is, she sends a somewhat downcast gaze to Kyousuke.

''Well, um........yeah........ Thank you for coming to save me, well, thank you........
Oh no, don't worry about it. I'm just glad you're okay.
Uh, yeah...

　When Kyousuke was able to continue his honest words, Sakuma still squirmed with a blush on his face.

''Wow, I, well I didn't expect Utsurogi-kun to come to my rescue...''
Yeah, he's kind of slow on the uptake. Did I disappoint you?
No, it made me very happy. You were always so kind to me, Utsurogi-kun.

　Sakuma finally looked up and scowled. Kyousuke suddenly became embarrassed and averted his gaze.

''It's not like I'm being nice or anything...................wow!

　When I looked away, Himemizu Rin had swelled up twice, or even nearly three times. It was like a rice cake on a shichirin.

''Hi, Himemizu!　What's the matter, are you mad about something?!
Wha...?

　While saying that, it was not a wide passage. Kenzaki's body, which was squeezed, was struggling.

　Now, it was that time.

"Sakuma, Kenzaki, are you okay!

　A familiar voice sounded from the end of the aisle, and several students could be seen running towards them.

''Goubayashi, Koganei.......and Beni.......!

　That high-flying and lazy Queen Benii, I didn't know that she would even show up in a place like this. Kyousuke was surprised.

　Without a doubt, they were practically the strongest team in the class. He could imagine that she must have come to help Sakuma and Kenzaki. Their expressions were different. Goubayashi looks surprised, Koganei looks grim, and Benii looks bored.
　They realized, of course, that Sakuma and Kenzaki weren't the only ones here. As soon as they recognized Kyousuke, Rin, and Ei, Goubayashi sounded somewhat confused.

''Utsurogi.... And Himemizu and Hino.........
Hey. Mr. Goubayash.

　Rin, who had been in the same popular group as Goubayashi when he was human, greeted him, returning to his usual tone.
　Kyousuke, too, raised one hand to his long-time friend.

'Yo, Koganei.'
'Oh, yeah ... yeah ...'

　Koganei did not release his grim expression and gave a vague reply. As it is, he turns his gaze to Sakuma.

''Sacchan, were you rescued by Utsurogi and the others?''
Yeah, yeah. So....
No.

　Ei says, as if to cover Sakuma's words. It was a remarkably thorny statement.

'We just happened to wander the labyrinth and met them. It's not possible for people like us to defeat opponents who were unable to do so with Sakuma and Kenzaki.

　To Kyousuke and Rin, as well as to Sakuma and Kenzaki, one can sense that Ei is revealing a blatant sense of caution towards Koganei. An attitude that never wants to tell the truth. This is not an attitude towards someone who once belonged to the same group. Kyousuke felt uncomfortable, but he avoided mentioning that here.

''Oh, I see.... Well, that's true, isn't it?''

　Koganei finally gave a smile of relief. It wasn't so much a question being answered as it was the kind of mending smile one would show when they got the answer they wanted.
　Koganei believed Ei's words, but what about Goubayashi and Benii?
　Goubayashi looked at Kyousuke, Rin and Ei in turn, making a difficult face.

　Benii, on the other hand.

Sachi, thank God you're okay.
Uh-huh. Thanks. Asuka-chan........
Kaoru was worried about you.

　They all stared at the intimate exchange in unison.

　What about this intimate relationship between Benii, the class queen, and Sakuma, who used to be a sober, bespectacled child? Furthermore, it seems that Kaoruko, who has a strong say in the girls in the class, is also among them. Rin was the only one who knew this, or perhaps she was just tapping and shaking.

'Did you and Kenzaki make it through alone?
Uh, yeah...
Yeah, that's great.

　While saying that, Benii's gaze was turned towards Kyousuke for a moment. The red eyes, which seemed to drip blood, drew a mysterious arc. That minute change was only a momentary change, and I wonder how many people who were really there noticed it.
　But this deception, at least to Beni, was obvious. Kyousuke is convinced. Kyousuke has no idea how the fact that she was found out by the aloof and elusive but absolute pinnacle of the class will affect him in the future.

　No, in the first place, is it really such a big deal to hide it?

　Kyousuke looks at Ei. He seemed to want to keep the exposure of Kyousuke's power, and the power that would be amplified by combining with Rin and Ei, a secret.
　Rather than the power itself, perhaps, the fact that he had acquired a "powerful power" itself.

　The class was about to enter a period of stability. However, just at that moment, a clash between Ryuzaki and Koganei occurred.
　As a result, Sakuma and Kenzaki were spared, but it's hard to imagine that Ryuzaki will be able to continue to take the leadership role after exposing that abomination in front of so many classmates. There will probably be a major change in power within the class in the future.
　And when that happens, Ei hates being caught up in the middle of that change. It was typical of him to dislike trouble.

　The three people here are all three who have a strong voice in the class.
　Will Goubayashi retain Ryuzaki, and will Ryuzaki once again be a force to be reckoned with as the leader of the class?
　Will Koganei, who has shown remarkable success after the trip, replace Ryuzaki and unify the class?
　Or will Queen Benii, who had been silent for some time, emerge as the true queen?

　Kyousuke doesn't know who will come out on top. If possible, I do hope that it will be done peacefully.

''Hey, Utsurogi.''

　Koganei spoke to Kyousuke with the same friendly smile as before.

''What, Koganei?''
Don't take too long. You're 10 stories underground. There are some pretty good monsters down here.
Hmm, yeah...
"Utsurugi is weak, okay?　I mean, I don't know. It's like a place that suits your level. That's the kind of place you need to explore.

　Were those really words of concern for his long-time friend?

　Feeling a slight tug at Koganei's statement and smile, Kyousuke had a feeling of a storm not far off.





　Over the next few days, surprisingly, no major changes of any kind had come to the class.

　At best, the only thing that had changed was the treatment of the committee chairman, Ryuzaki Kunihiro. Ever since the clash with Koganei, there had been an obvious mixture of contempt and ridicule in the eyes of his classmates as they looked at him. A question that everyone felt thinly, but kept in their hearts because no one had ever said it out loud. The reason for this was that the doubts about Ryuzaki's qualities as a leader were shared by the entire class after that one incident.
　Nevertheless, Ryuzaki has barely been able to maintain his position as a leader. It's because of Goubayashi's influence.

　The class formally follows Ryuzaki because Goubayashi, Ryuzaki's friend, sets him up. Of course, both Ryuzaki and Goubayashi know that respect for the leader has been completely eroded.
　Nevertheless, the class follows Ryuzaki. This wasn't so much because they were afraid of Goubayashi, but rather because they had no leader to stand in his place. Not everyone was clearly aware of this, but since the trip to the other world, the second year and four classes have been living a life of survival. The responsibility of a leader there is not comparable to that of the class president. Everyone unconsciously avoided that burden.
　In short, as long as you follow Ryuzaki, you can place all the blame on him. It was on the basis of this unconscious common understanding that Ryuzaki was a leader.

　It is not that there was no one who wanted to be a leader himself.

　It was Koganei.

　Ever since he'd gotten the better of Ryuzaki in the cafeteria, Koganei's stock in the class had risen even higher. The former cronies of Ryuzaki, such as Washio (Gryphon) and Hakuba (Unicorn), have now joined Koganei's side, and a large group is now forming around him.
　The reason why Koganei couldn't be the leader of the class was because of the stare that Gowbayashi gave him.

　At the end of the day, Koganei couldn't go against Gowbayashi. It was partly because he was one of the few people who could compete with Koganei, and partly because there was simply no way Koganei could win in a standoff, with his three-meter tall frame, the awesome looks of an oga, and the calmness and charisma he possessed from his human days.

　When Koganei, in a fit of pique, tries to say something bad about Ryuzaki or mess with another classmate, he has no choice but to shut up when Goubayash gives him a glare.
　The fact that Koganei's behavior over the past few days is somewhat more than meets the eye, and not all of the students like him. But he wouldn't have stopped if Goubayashi hadn't been holding Koganei down from above.

　The current class was like being held by Goubayashi alone.




''Govayashi!

　Today, Goblin Gotohara (Goblin) gets up from his seat in good spirits and leaves the dining room with Okumura (Oak). The dishes are left on the table, of course.

　Kyosuke, Rin, and Ei were still watching such a scene in a corner of the cafeteria.
　In the center of the cafeteria, Ryuzaki is in the middle of the cafeteria. He looked around the noisy cafeteria, where many of his classmates still remained, and said in a cheerful voice

''Ah, I think we're going to dive into the labyrinth today to look for food, I don't know!

　For a moment, the cafeteria went silent. The eyes of the remaining classmates turned to Ryuzaki.
　None of them said a word. But it wasn't an auspicious attitude of quiet listening. The leader of the class, Ryuzaki, is looking for party members. There was an air of, "Somebody go with him, though I'm not going," that dominated the entire cafeteria. Kyousuke and Rin almost stood up involuntarily, but Ei pushed them away.

'Don't do anything too obvious in your class right now,'

　Ei said with a hint of surprise in his voice.

'But at this rate, Ryuzaki, you'll be a needle in a haystack.
And when there's no one to run for section or committee, and the class is all abuzz, don't you feel compelled to raise your hand?
Ah, so that's why you're a garbage man and a scrounger, huh?

　Even in the midst of such conversations, the class atmosphere remains rigid.
　Ryuzaki must have a firm understanding of his position. No one wants to follow him anymore. But it's precisely because the position of "leader" is required of me that I have no choice but to speak and act accordingly. He knows he's not good enough, but he's playing the clown.

But that's just the rust that came out of Tatsuzaki's body.

　Ei's voice was cold.

''If that guy had more judgement or enough boldness to screw over a trivial opinion, this wouldn't have happened. It's not a matter of whether he's strong or weak in his post-reincarnation form.

　That, on the other hand, is a correct opinion. After all, the current situation is the result of Ryuzaki's own lack of boiling water.
　As long as it's Ei's words, it's only a legitimate argument to attack from a safe zone, but still, it's a correct opinion.

　With a bang, one of the girls stood up in the corner of the class.
　She walked with a bird bone in her mouth, her white hair fluttering in the air. Her modified sailor suit, with its jangling accessories, was from Kamishiro High School. She was a special student who, like Queen Benii, had barely changed her appearance after the transition.

''I, Inugami........''

　Ryuzaki sounded like he was saved.

'Do you want to go, together?'

　At those words, Inugami Hibiki (War Wolf) twitched his canine ears and then sniffed with a hum.

I'm not going. I'm going to hunt by myself. You'll just get in my way.

　Well, I guess so, Kyousuke thinks. She's been a consistent loner since the transition. As long as she hunts for food and gives it to Sugiura (Scylla), she may have at least a sense of solidarity, but I've never seen her hang out with other students. Well, that's been the case since his human days.
　An outlaw delinquent girl. That's Inugami. She and Benii are similar in mood, but the two seem to be doggie monkeys, and they seem to be avoiding each other.

　Inugami walks out of the cafeteria while jerking off her modified sailor suit accessory.

　A giggle escaped from some of the female students. With that, chatter begins again in the cafeteria. The place became crowded again, and none of them saw Ryuzaki anymore. Tatsuzaki's shoulders slumped disappointedly and he returned to his seat in the corner of the cafeteria.

''Hey Ryuzaki........''

　Kyousuke, who couldn't see it, ended up calling out to him.

''Ah, Utsurugi.......''
Do you want to come with us, if we can...?
No, it's fine...

　Ryuujin Ryuzaki huffed, letting his gaze wander through the air like a dead lizard.

''I'll go with Goubayashi later.... Thanks, Utsurogi.

　He's a good guy, though, Kyousuke thinks. Rin doesn't seem to know what to say to him either.

　Immediately after that, a group of people come into the cafeteria with bright laughter. It's Koganei and the others.
　Koganei exchanged friendly words with boys like Tentahara (Roper), Washio, and Hakuba, and at once attracted the eyes of the entire cafeteria.

''Ah, you know what?!''

　With a good smile on his face, Koganei moved to where Ryuzaki was standing earlier and said in a well spoken voice.

''We're going to go hunting now, to the fifth basement level or so, who wants to go with us?　Preferably a girl!

　There was a murmur in the class. But it wasn't like they were ignoring Koganei's comments. The boys were smiling bitterly, and the girls could see that they were dodging words such as, 'What shall we do? It's a big difference from Ryuzaki just now.

It's not a good idea. Then I'll go for it.........

　One of the girls raised her hand, followed by two or three others.

'Alright, that's it!　Is this the first time you've gone to the fifth basement floor, Kiino-san?
'Oh, yeah.... Does it bother you?
It's okay. It's okay. We can afford it. We'll protect you!　I wondered if it would be much more useful than some lizard.

　With those words, Washio and the others giggled. Ryuuzaki, in contrast, became more and more depressed.

''Koganei-kun, it feels bad...''

　Rin muttered, revealing a rare sense of disgust.

''Something has changed, Koganei...''

　Kyousuke also nodded. In response to his words, which were filled with a hint of loneliness, Ei's words were like spitting.

''Kyousuke, Koganei (that guy) was that kind of guy from the beginning.




　As usual, by the time the cafeteria was empty, Kyousuke and Rin had cleaned up the remaining dishes on the table and, as usual, told Sugiura, ''He's gone because he's in the way! I was kicked out of the dining room. This time, Ryuzaki also helped me with a little bit of food preparation. Ei, who doesn't do anything in that regard, is really a man with a lot of balls. It's just like him, so I don't mind.
　When Ryuzaki finishes taking care of the dishes, he goes off in a daze. He must be preparing to go hunting with Goubayashi. It's not a good idea to go to the beach, but it's not a good idea for both of us to go on like this, Kyousuke thought vaguely as he looked away, although he was happy to have a friend named Goubayashi left behind.

"What are we going to do now?
I guess I'll be training outside the labyrinth like usual. And I'm able to merge with Ei.
That's true. And I want a special move too.

　Rin said that while her whole body glittered strangely. It was a slime whose expression was easy to understand.

　A special move, well, it would be a thing like the prominence ball that he and Ei released together. The name of the technique is embarrassing, but it's not a bad thing to name a specific attack pattern and match the timing. With Rin's flexible body, she could do all sorts of interesting things.
　Ei also showed an unusually enthusiastic attitude and said.

''I'd like to come up with some new attack patterns as well. Kyousuke, can you bring that skeleton sword to me?
Yeah. Okay, yeah. I'll go get it.
Okay, we'll see you on the way out.

　Rin and Ei headed for the exit of the labyrinth, while Kyousuke went back to his room to retrieve his sword. The communal bedroom, where many of the boys sleep in small groups, is rather littered with items. Many of them are unearthly junk that was picked up by Gokugawara, who was eager to explore the labyrinth. Kyousuke's sword is also seen as the same kind of thing, and there was no indication that someone had touched it.

''Mu, Utsurogi.......''

　He grabbed his sword and was about to leave the room when his eyes met with Goubayashi, who had just returned.
　Kyousuke greeted him with his sword in his hand.

''Yo, Goubayashi. Are you going to look for food with Ryuzaki now?''
Hmm, yeah. Yeah.

　Goubayashi crossed his arms and continued to tell Kyousuke

'Utsurugi, do you have a moment of time right now?'
Well, I told Himes and the others to wait.
Then we'll make it quicker.

　It was rare to hear from that Goubayashi to talk to Kyousuke. Kyousuke naturally straightened his beat.

　Goubayashi. Because of the impact of his last name, one might call him by a katakana-like nuance, but his real name is Goubayashi Genshu. He is the son of a temple. He is also a fist fighter, and his skills have been further honed with Oga's superior physical abilities. He has a stoic personality and is very strict with himself. He was a student who was well received by his teachers.
　Goubayashi said he would be brief and thought for a moment before he said this.

'Utsurogi, why did we transition into this form?
Hmm?

　The question was more philosophical than he had expected, and Kyousuke was momentarily at a loss for an answer.

'Is that a Zen question and answer?'
"I don't mean to be so formal. Well, I'll give you my opinion first.

　Goubayashi untied his crossed arms and looked up at the high ceiling of the labyrinth.

'Sometimes I wonder if this is a reflection of our minds.
I can't be sure, but there are times when I wonder if it's true.

　Oddly enough, it was the same as what Kyousuke had once thought. So he nodded honestly.

'Ei looks like a hot guy, and Himemizu has a very flexible way of thinking. Kenzaki has a knightly quality to him, and Benii and Inugami are just as I imagined. I'm sure you'll be able to find a great deal more to say. Sakuma is, well, yeah.
So who am I, then?

　Goubayashi murmured as he looked at his hands.

'I've been thinking about that for the last few days. I am the son of the temple. I have worked hard to drive out demons from my heart to become a great monk like my fathers. But I have a demon in my hand.
No, yeah..... Or maybe you're thinking too much.... It must have been a random decision to fit the name.

　Ei Hino is a wisp and Rin Himemizu is a waterslime. Sakuma Shoko is a succubus, Okumura is an orc, and Gokumigawara is a goblin. Even within the class, there are students who have such conversations with jokes.

''I doubt it. Come to think of it, the current situation in the class is probably due to my inexperience.

　That's what I'm thinking about too much. Kyousuke wanted to say it, but when he saw the serious expression on Goubayashi's face, he couldn't say it.

　Goulin Motomune. He is stoic and extremely hard on himself.
　If he seriously believes that his current form is a reflection of the "demon" in his heart and that he brought about the current class situation because of that demon, then no matter how much Kyousuke says, it will be useless. Goubayashi has done well. Such words are of no comfort.
　He is doing well. He was doing too well. I don't even think there is any need for Goubayashi to make any more selfish efforts to maintain class harmony.

'If you really believe that, what do you think Goubayasi should do?
I need to get a grip on my demons.

　It was selfishness, Kyousuke guessed, because he was too stoic.

'Utsurogi, I have two more questions for you.
Yeah, yeah.
You're the one who saved Sakuma and Kenzaki the other day, right?

　Lying here is not something Kyousuke can do. He quietly shows his approval.

'To be precise, it's me, Ei and Himemizu. It's not just me alone.
'One more thing. Who do you think is best suited to lead this class?

　When he was asked that question, Kyousuke understood Goubayashi's true intentions.

'Don't worry about the relationship between me and Ryuzaki, just answer me honestly, just as you thought you would.

　There are three candidates.

　Kunihiro Ryuzaki.
　Kunihiro Ryuzaki.
　Asuka Benii.

　If I were to give you an answer to Goubayash's question now, it would be one of these three.
　There is a hesitation in Kyousuke's mind. What kind of result will Kyousuke call the result of answering honestly to his thoughts here? Because it's predictable. Perhaps it will cause further disruption to a class that is currently barely holding its shape in a perilous state, that's for sure.

　But.

　Kyousuke looked at Goubayashi squarely in the eye.
　He trusted Kyousuke to bring this consultation to him. If that was the case, then Kyousuke was sincere and obligated to provide an answer.

　Kyousuke answered.

　Goubayashi laughed quietly.

''Thank you. Soraki Kyousuke, I appreciate it.''

　After saying that much, Goubayashi turns his back to Kyousuke and walks away. Probably, he's going out to search for food with Ryuzaki. Kyousuke, too, stares off at his back and then heads to Rin and the others with his sword.



　The next day, Gourin Motomune, who was the only one supporting the class, left the labyrinth, leaving an orphaned letter behind.