It was the next day.

　What words had been exchanged in the basement four floors since then, and how had they returned to their base? Kyousuke hadn't heard anything in particular. At that point in time, the person who had the most to say in that place would be Sakuma. It's a little hard to believe that she was able to organize all of the students there, but I still think that she and Ryuzaki were able to give firm instructions. The two of them were the ones walking at the front of Washio, Spiderzaki and the others who had returned to their base.
　Naturally, Koganei's credibility was discredited. According to the information I overheard, he had been spouting off quite a bit of rhetoric against Kumozaki and Ryuzaki even before Kyousuke and the others had gone to help them. The rumor spread quickly among the girls, and after the abomination he had shown in front of the King of the Dead, no one gave Koganei a second glance.

　The same was true for Washio and Hakuba, whose credibility had been ruined. They were the Ryuzaki faction in the human era and Koganei in the monster era, and now they are completely treated as bats. But to be around Koganei any longer would indicate that they would remain in the same needle of mushiro. After all, both of them had to give up on Koganei.

''.........''

　Kyousuke thinks as he scrubs the soup in his bowl.

　The cafeteria is less crowded than usual. Koganei isn't there, and Washio and the others are sitting in the corner, eating their food, looking uncomfortable. However, it's not like there's anyone who would blatantly speak ill of them. There was a strange atmosphere prevailing in the class.

　The same is true of the weird atmosphere around Kyousuke.
　Kyousuke hasn't spoken to Ei at all since then. There have been many fights in the past, but it's been a long time since they've lasted this long. Back then, Ei must have really wanted to kill Koganei. Even Kyousuke might have done the same thing if Rin hadn't stopped him.
　The reasons why Kyousuke and Ei were angry were probably similar but slightly different. That's why Kyousuke wasn't confident that he could persuade and convince Ei with his reasoning.

'Yoo-hoo, Utsurogi-kun.'

　Rin comes crawling slyly to the side of Kyousuke, who is silent.

''Himemizu........''
You look good... no. You're right. You're right. You got the feathers off your back pretty good.
Yeah, this. I asked Gotohara to return it to him.

　Kyousuke looked at his own bare shoulder blades.

　The skeleton that was connected to Kyousuke's own and turned into wings was borrowed from a certain skeleton after he turned it down. Thanks to that, he was able to obtain enough combat power to overwhelm and defeat even the King of the Dead Spirit, but without the skeleton that would be his parts man and the puzzle genius of Goshigawara, he couldn't imitate such dexterity.
　The skeleton, the owner of that bone, must have been safely reassembled by Gokugawara, and should still be inhabiting the basement level around the second floor.

　Rin crawled up to the seat next to her and placed her plate on the table with a coterie.

'What were you thinking about?　Are you talking about Hino-kun?　You mean Koganei-kun?　You mean your other classmates?
All of them.

　Kyousuke replied with a thin smile. Rin said, 'I see,' and sipped her soup.

'Koganei-kun, you know, says he's in his room right now.'
Well....
If you're thinking of going to see him, you might not want to.

　Rin's tone of voice was somewhat dark as she said that.

''Why?''
Probably because Koganei-kun is really scared of Utsurogi-kun and Hino-kun right now...
.........

　It's unavoidable. Kyousuke thought as he looked at the swirling soup.

　Kyousuke still remembered the unpleasant feeling of being punched in the face back then. Two shots of his own volition; the third was stopped by Rin's restraint. Then four or five more shots of Ei's will.
　He didn't see Koganei's face clearly. But maybe the bone of his nose, at least the bone of his nose, was broken. It was even at a strange level that the brain contusion didn't happen.

''I wonder if everyone in the class will forgive Koganei.
Don't think I'll ever forgive you.

　Rin's words were cold in response to the question that Kyousuke suddenly brought up.

''Probably, Washio-kun, Spiderzaki-san, and the other kids who had a relationship with Koganei-kun, and so, um...I'm sorry to say it, but they included the ones who had a delicious experience. I don't think they'll ever forgive Koganei-kun. It's the flip side of how I've been feeling.

　That was an overarching opinion that could be said because Rin was once in the top group of the class.

'That's my favorite celebrity quote. A small fish, what's it called? If you put a small fish in one small tank, one of them will inevitably get bullied.
Yes.
I heard that if you take her out of the picture, another fish is going to get bullied.
People aren't fish.
Yeah. But we're not human.

　Kyousuke couldn't tell if Rin's words were a joke or a biting sarcasm.

'Koganei is,'
Yes.
He wasn't such a bad guy.

　Kyousuke muttered, and Rin gave another small 'yes' nod.

'I know. You're Utsurogi-kun's friend, right?'

　Koganei has always been like that. Loud and unreadable. He wasn't a guy who was very good at knowing how to keep his place in the world.
　He had moved to another world and gained the looks and power of a high elf, and as a result Koganei had gained a higher status than he once had. There was no doubt that he was desperate to protect it. He was pulled out by Ryuzaki, pampered by the girls in his class, and yet he was envied by many of the students. Koganei didn't know how to defend his position, so he had to do something about it by groping. The means he found to do so were not laudable.

　There are people who try to preserve their position by abusing others.

　Even Kyousuke couldn't be arrogant enough to say that he was immune to such feelings.

'I never knew the darkness in the heart of my friend who was always by my side.
Well, it's not just Utsurogi-kun's fault. Everyone is to blame. It's me, Ryuzaki-kun, and everyone else.

　Rin had gulped down all of the soup before Kyousuke could eat.

'So, yeah. I hope someday the heat dies down and Koganei-kun apologizes properly to everyone, and everyone apologizes to Koganei-kun, and then we can all eat dinner together again.
'Yeah, well...'

　Will that day ever come?

　At a seat a little farther away, as usual, Gokugawara said, ''Gochiso-sa-san! I said cheerfully and left the cafeteria with Okumura. Even though the air in the class gets weird, some of these guys don't change, like those two. Even the delinquent girl, Inugami Hibiki (Warwolf), walks out with a bird bone in her mouth and her hands in her jacket pockets, rattling off her accessories.
　Ei Hino comes to the diner after that. Many of the students didn't pay attention to the wisp that floated in, but Kyousuke and Rin were the first to look at him.

'Hey, Kyousuke, Himemizu,'

　Ei greets him, sounding a bit grumpy.

'Yo, Ei.'
Hey, Hino-kun.

　Kyousuke and Rin also replied in their usual light tone.

'We thought you weren't coming today.
It's not very polite to drag it out forever.

　As he said this, there was a blatant frustration in his voice.

''Since you're always so naive, I won't mention any more about this case. However, Kyousuke, no matter what you think, I will not forgive Koganei.
Yeah, that's fine.

　To be honest, I don't even really understand why I'm so angry at them.

'There are things I can't stomach about Washio and the others, but I don't expect them to be intelligent in the first place. They're just birds and horses. I guess they don't have a lot of rotten brains in them.
That kind of Ei doesn't have a brain in itself.

　Kyousuke gave his customary tsk, and brought the soup to his mouth. The floor gets wet as it chatters down his throat. His spiritual energy is well ingested, but his body is still inconvenient in terms of hygiene.

'Speaking of which, what happened to the other students ... well, Sakuma and the others?
'Sakuma is becoming a new centripetal force in the class after yesterday's incident. However, her personality wouldn't make her a good leader.
Sacchan, you were talking to Tatsuzaki-kun in the hallway earlier.
Sakuma?　With Ryuzaki?

　It's a surprising combination, to say the least.

　Kyousuke could understand that Sakuma was gaining a voice in this class. He was popular and well-rounded from the beginning. The envy from the girls is fierce, but with Queen Benii's backing there, those girls can't be too bullish.
　She had engaged the King of the Dead Spirit twice, the first time to get her classmates to escape to their base and the second time to rescue her classmates as well. Judging by her energy and courage, it's only natural that Sakuma's stock would rise.

　And Sakuma is the one with Ryuzaki?

Satchan, he wanted to help you.
Me?
Yes.

　I don't know why it leads to Ryuzaki there, though.

　No, I don't even know that I don't know.

''Kyousuke was talking about Ryuzaki being a suitable leader. Koganei is in that situation, and Benai has no intention of becoming one from the start. It's a reasonable choice, and I'm sure Sakuma is comfortable with that.
I see.

　Ryuzaki's stock was picking up as well, though not as much as Sakuma's. The fact that Washio, Kumozaki and the others had begun to express their gratitude to him as if he were a flip-flopper was working. Besides, the story of how he took a stand and defended Sakuma, and how he was willing to risk digging Okumura out of the rubble, was also told by Kenzaki and Harui.
　Despite the happenings related to the King of the Dead, Kyousuke and the others may have been needlessly meddling in the old woman's mind. Ryuzaki was able to recover on his own eventually, even without Goubayashi. Now, although he hasn't been seen in the cafeteria, he is regaining his vitality.

　Goubayashi left, probably because he believed that Ryuzaki could return to leadership even without him. When he still couldn't help himself, he would ask Kyousuke for support. That must have been the meaning of the question at that time.

''Ahhhh!　Aya!　Aya-chan!

　As I was thinking about this, I heard a slamming sound and Hanazono (Alraune) jumped into the cafeteria. As it is, she jumps into the kitchen where Aya Sugiura (Scylla) is.

''Hey, Hanazono. What's wrong?
Mine!　My children!　Tomatoes!　Tomatoes!
Oh, sorry. I used it....
'Hi, hi~!　Gordon!　Roger!　Alex!

　Kyousuke and Rin looked down at the plate of soup. The soup of the day was minestrone. It was crushed, melded, and mixed together to the point where they couldn't tell which one was Gordon, which one was Roger, and which one was Alex, but it was all very tasty. They silently gazed at the children that Hanazono had painstakingly raised for them.

　Ei didn't mind and continued to let the soup evaporate.





　When the cafeteria was empty, Kyousuke and the others dismissed their food as usual and went out into the hallway to be dismissed by Sugiura. After some discussion, they decided to take a break from the special training today. Of course, staying in the base all the time is stifling, so we should go out and spend time relaxing. It's not a bad deal.
　Just as Kyousuke and the others were about to head to the doorway, they were stopped from behind.

'Utsurogi!'
Hmm, Ryuzaki?

　When I turned around, the class president, Kunihiro Ryuzaki, was standing there.

''I'm sorry. Rin, Hino, can I borrow Utsurogi for a moment?

　Kyousuke was confused by those words, but Rin and Ei also looked at each other (no).

''I don't mind, but.... I need to make a correction. Kyousuke is not a rented property.
"Wow...... Hino-kun, it's so annoying........

　Ryuzaki smiled bitterly and reiterated, 'I need to talk to Utsurogi for a bit. The two of them also said, 'In that case,' and told him that they were going out first and headed outside.
　What's the use of this Ryuzaki to stop him now? For now, Kyousuke scratched his head to hide his awkwardness and broke off the words without incident.

'Ah, anyway, you were tired yesterday. Ryuzaki.
You've been very helpful. Thank you, Utsurogi.
Oh, no...

　Kyousuke looks up as he is about to say, "Don't worry about that.

''........Did Sakuma tell you that by any chance?''

　At least Ryuzaki wouldn't know that the Black Knight Trinity Full Cross (long), as Ei would have it, was the combined mode of Kyousuke, Rin and Ei. They had planned to talk back to each other and tell him when they did, but it didn't seem like such an unnecessary and troublesome thing to do.
　If not Sakuma, then Goshukawara or Kenzaki. Did he hear it from someone else? When Kyosuke asked, Ryuzaki shook his head.

'I knew Sakuma knew, after all. I didn't hear it from anyone. It's just that his movement habits seemed to be Utsurugi-like.
Habit?

　Kyousuke couldn't help but pout. Ryuzaki scratched the head of his nose in embarrassment.

''It might be a bit creepy, but........ I'm the class president, you know..... I've been paying a lot of attention to the habits and preferences of our class, and I have to know as much as possible about them. You know how Utsurogi often jokes around and strikes Jackie Chan-like poses?
Oh, no, that's Bruce Lee...
Oh, right. I'm sorry, I don't know much about Kung Fu movies. I don't know much about Kung Fu movies, but...

　Ryuzaki looks away, perhaps awkwardly, but Kyousuke is also amazed.
　Sure, he had a habit of posing in the useless Jeet Kune Do pose. It's the same when he was flirting with Ei and Koganei in the corner of the classroom, and when he takes on a powerful foe, he strikes a Bruce Lee-like action pose to rouse himself. But that's it. That's all Ryuzaki saw in the middle of the battle as he dug through the rubble.

'And then there's the voice,'
'Oh, yeah, yeah...'

　They're going to find out after all, Kyousuke thought. Washio and the others must have intuited it too. They just can't say it because there's no proof.
　A little bit of awkwardness in the air.

'Well, well, anyway. That's why I thought that wasn't the enemy, I guess. It's Black Knight Trinity Full Cross, right? That's cool. It's long, though.
That's the name I gave him, but...

　I knew it was long, I thought, and Kyousuke scratched his head too. However, he immediately gave a small laugh and said.

''Are Utsurogi and Hino the only ones inside that black knight?
And then there's Himemizu. But if possible, I'd prefer to keep my identity a secret. Ei, I don't like showing off.
I see. You're a hero in the shadows.
Well, at this rate, it's only a matter of time before they find out.

　The black knight who defeated the king of the dead spirits is a topic of conversation in the class in its own right. A human-sized black knight had defeated the King of the Dead Spirit, who was not supposed to appear in the upper echelons because he was huge. Moreover, he raised his hand to Koganei. What the hell was that, the rumor said.
　The majority of people are of the opinion that it is a monster even higher than the King of the Dead Ghosts. It's fortunate that it doesn't have any active hostile intentions, but if it encounters it, it will be lifeless, and maybe it will even climb up to this base. Many students fidgeted at that thought.

''It's good to know about Rin, too.''

　Ryuzaki looked up at the ceiling and muttered.

'I think I was full of it. The class was changing and I couldn't look out for everyone. If you think about Koganei, you should have been able to understand what happened to him and Rin. If it wasn't for Utsurogi, we would have ended up in the same situation.

　Sure, give Rin a hand (or a leg?) that was rotten because she couldn't run and was rotting. It was Kyousuke who reached out to him.

　Was that Rin, for example, like Koganei?　That's a bit, I can't imagine. But if she had lost her dream of running, distanced herself from her closest friends, and not even the other classmates could talk to her, she might have fallen apart, no matter how cheerful and kind her roots were.
　As a result of her sickness, she could hang on to her past glory or defend her heart by looking down on those around her. Kyousuke didn't want to think about it, but it was never an impossible thing to do. Rin was also aware of this, which was probably why she couldn't say anything bad about Koganei.

''Now that the King of the Dead Spirit is gone, we can explore even lower levels, but it's going to be hard to convince a student who's scared of the Black Knight to do so.

　Ryuzaki muttered with a difficult face as he crossed his arms.

'Do you think Ryuzaki should go to the lower levels too?'
'I honestly don't know. I don't even know how deep this dungeon is. I think we should give up and go to the surface once we've gone below a certain level.

　To get to know this world better, Ryuzaki said. Apparently, what Kyousuke and I are thinking about is not much different.
　We don't know anything about this world ourselves, yet. The reddish-brown wilderness, so to speak, and the dungeon, which is only a dozen or so floors underground at most. It's the only thing that Kyousuke and his friends know about this world.
　Whatever we do from here on out, I want to know about this world. We need to know.

　For that, we still need someone to hold the class together.

''As I thought, it was just as I told Goubayasi.

　Kyousuke said.

'The leader of the class is Ryuzaki. It's true that he's a bit indecisive and has a bit of an eight-sided beauty about him, but. No, I can't speak for others on this one either...''
Oh..... Sakuma said the same thing to me earlier.

　Ryuzaki scratched the tip of his nose, looking a little embarrassed. It seems that Sakuma had talked to him about it too, after all.

　It was a direct request for him to take command of the class as the chairman of the committee again. Indeed, Goubayashi is gone now. There are students who say that they still can't trust Ryuzaki. Nevertheless, there is no one other than Ryuzaki who can think about the whole class equally and bring them together.
　Sakuma says he told them that if he stood up for Ryuzaki, the boys would agree, and if Benii did the same thing, he would get the girls' consent. There is no Goubayashi, but the whole class can support Ryuzaki.

　Leading with overwhelming charisma isn't the only way to be a leader.

'Well, it seems it was Utsurogi who first conceived it.
'Oh, yeah...'
So I'm going to ask you again for a favor from me.

　Ryuzaki said, and once again corrected his appearance.

''As a leader, I want to bring this class together again. It may be sweet, but I want every single one of them to be happy---and if I can, I want to return them to their original world as well.

　We're going back, back to where we came from. Not "return", but "return". That's a very typical of Ryuzaki, isn't it? I wonder how many students in my class want to return to their own world.
　How many students in this class want to go back to their former world? Kyousuke doesn't know. But those words of Ryuzaki, who is reinventing himself as a leader, will show this class new guidance. He must know more about this world. And can we return to the world we came from, or do we really want to? We must examine it.

'Utsurugi, it's okay to be this inexperienced leader from the shadows. Will you support me?

　Ryuzaki gently held out his right hand.
　Supporting him from the shadows. It's not just a matter of time before you're ready to go. But I didn't expect it to come from Ryuzaki. In the end, Ryuzaki didn't need that black knight's power, and if you think about it, it's not much of a stretch to be able to do. There are some things that need to be discussed with Rin and Ei as well.

　Still, Kyousuke gripped back firmly.

''I understand. Ryuzaki, I'll do everything I can.
Yeah, thanks.

　When he released his handshake, Kyousuke looked at his own right hand. The feeling of punching Koganei in the face last night came back vividly.
　If possible, I don't want that feeling to happen again.

　If Ryuzaki had maintained his authority as a leader, that might not have happened. If Kyousuke had understood Koganei more deeply, maybe it wouldn't have happened. If both of them have that regret, maybe they should be aiming for the same place.

'Come to think of it, Koganei was talking about this yesterday.

　Ryuzaki suddenly said something like that.

''I heard that in internet novels and the like, there are often stories where the entire class of students are transferred to another world.
Ah, a group trip.
'I heard that in most cases, students are supposed to be brave in another world........ We're not brave in any way, shape or form, right?

　You're right. Dragonmen and skeletons. Slimes and wisps. Succubus, Dullahan, and vampire.
　These are the monsters that threaten the existence of humanity, to put it mildly. It's more of a demon king army.

Then, Ryuzaki. You're the Demon King, aren't you?
Demon King?

　Ryuzaki's eyes widened into a perfect circle and he shouted.

''Demon King, Demon King........ I'm the chairman of the committee, though.
It's good. Demon Lord Chairman. You're bluffing.

　How many intelligent life forms exist in this world? We don't know that yet either. But if we have the opportunity to contact them, we should give this group a neat name. 'Kamiyo High School Second Year Class 4' alone is too weak. Since we're trying to protect our classmates, we need to have the guts to get them to change their jobs from committee chairman to Demon King.

I know, the Demon King. I'm fine with being the Demon King. I'll be the Demon King that brings everyone together.

　Eventually, Ryuzaki came to the same thought, he says with a bitter smile.

But the Witch King has some very good people working on him. Right, Utsurogi?
Hmm?
"I don't want you to get out in front of the public, but if you ever need anything, just let me know. Skeletal Staff.
That sounds like an evil leader from Kamen Rider...

　Kyousuke also tried to smile and noticed that he had no facial muscles.




　Later on in the day, Kunihiro Ryuzaki would give a small speech of sorts in the cafeteria. The majority of his classmates were not exactly listening intently, but they still listened to his words. I can't spend all my time in this labyrinth. Everyone feels this in a hazy way, but as much as possible, they were unaware of it.
　Ryuzaki confronted that fact again and then asked for everyone's help. He lowered his head.

　There was a small murmur in the class, but first Sakuma clapped and then Benii clapped his hands languidly, and the atmosphere flowed quickly.
　The air was created, that is. Nevertheless, Ryuzaki was still recognized as a leader. The only way to behave in a typical manner was to continue to do so. At the very least, everyone already knows the camaraderie of Ryuzaki, who takes a stand for his classmates.

　At last, we're at the starting line.

　There is a lot of work to be done. However, it has been more than ten days since she was caught in a transfer to another world. The students of Kamishiro High School's second year class 4 were beginning to have a new sense of unity.

''And then?　What would you do as a skeleton chief of staff?

　Beside Kyousuke, who was clapping, Ei says in a nasty voice.

'Don't be like that. Do you like it?'
I was just thinking, if Kyousuke is the chief of staff, what am I supposed to do?
Isn't it your regular wife?

　Rin also said something unwanted while clapping her hands in a petticoat.

And you know what I think? It's a good idea. Heehee.........
Triangle, right?
What...?

　Anyway, this is how the "Demon King" was born in the second year of Godai High School, the fourth class of the second year, who used the labyrinth as their base of operations for the first time.

　It will be a little later when the "Demon King's Army", which was born in this way, will be involved in the new turmoil that will involve the whole world.



The rebirth of an entire class - I, the weakest skeleton
Chapter 1 - The End