Sakuma Shoko first met Benii Asuka when she was in her kindergarten year class. Benii had an air of maturity even as a child, and although he never spoke to the other children on his own, he was not a bad kid either.
　Even back then, Sakuma was a quiet child who liked to spend his time reading books, and I remember that both Benii and Sakuma annoyed the kindergarten teacher quite a bit. I don't remember how it happened, but after they started playing with each other, the teachers started to put them together for some reason or another. And we've been friends ever since.

　Kaoruko and I went to the same school in elementary school and junior high school, and although we hadn't made an agreement, we ended up going to the same high school. Kaoruko and I were in the same class in the first grade, and she and Benii, whose seat was close to ours, got involved in a lot of trouble, and we've been friends ever since.
　All three of us are completely different types of people, especially as we reached junior high school age, we began to hang out with different people at school, but even so, we would often hang out together on weekends and holidays. It's not like we had a childish agreement that we wouldn't hide anything, but we still thought we knew each other pretty well.

　But

So, Asuka-chan, since then, have you already been, well.......a vampire?
Yeah.

　Beni huffed and replied with a sigh.

　Naturally, it was a confession that was hard for Sakuma to accept in his sleep, or rather, hard for him to accept just by hearing it. What was spoken from Beni Asuka's mouth was so outlandish. Beni Asuka was a pure-blooded vampire from birth.
　In other words, she hadn't been human ever since that time when she and Sakuma had been playing house in kindergarten together.

　Beni re-crossed her legs on the chair as it was. Behind Sakuma, Inugami leaned his back against the wall and stared at Benii with his arms crossed.

　It wasn't an incomprehensible story.
　Rather, it's more than enough of a reason for her to have a complete grasp of her abilities. But as expected, it was too unexpected, and Sakuma took a while to accept the story.

''Inugami-san was originally a werewolf too?''
That's right.

　With his arms crossed, Inugami huffed and sniffed and looked at the ceiling.

''Well, in my case, unlike Benii, I don't have any friends left.

　Even so, only her gaze was sharp and directed towards Benii.

　The delinquent girl, Inugami Hibiki, had been averting her eyes on Benii ever since that day when they were in the same class. Sakuma knows that Beni was also Beni's, and that she was somewhat avoidant of Inugami. A vampire and a werewolf. It's not clear if the two of them knew each other's true identity even before the transition. Nevertheless, it is easy to imagine that these two races themselves would be at odds with each other.
　Then the remaining issue is the relationship between Beni and that Red Moon blood race (Red Moon).
　From the way she's spoken so far, Beni has a clear connection to the Red Moon. And the words she once unleashed on Inugami when the Red Winged Demon attacked their base. Inugami's attitude towards those who are clearly aggressive. Fragments of information are assembled in a way that is never favorable.

''Asuka-chan, Asuka and Red Moon, what kind of relationship do you have with Asuka and Inugami-san...?''

　At Sakuma's question, Beni turned his head. His blood-colored eyes wavered with mixed emotions and he stared at Sakuma.
　This is the first time I've seen Benii like this. Beni was stagnant for a while, but eventually answered, clearly, "Red Moon is a vampire.

'The Red Moon is one of the vampire blood families. And I'm one of them.

　I knew it was so, Sakuma thought. At last, the lines are connected as one.
　But even more heavily than that, Benii said a few words.

He said, "In the course of the struggle for survival, I was at odds with the Inugami clan for a long time, and in the end, I destroyed them. In the end, I think we destroyed them.''
Eh....
Yes. And I'm the sole survivor of my family?

　After saying that much, Inugami raised his body from its rest against the wall. He shoved his hands into the jersey he wore over his sailor's uniform and walked towards Benii, hunched over, with a large stride. When he came right up to the side of the dumbfounded Sakuma, Inugami's expression twisted into hostility as he zigzagged his face closer to Benai.

"Hey, Benii. I never thought of using the queen as a shield, either. You've been so quiet since you arrived here, and even when the pawn arrived, it didn't move.

　Beni's clan had destroyed the Inugami clan. It wasn't a metaphor for anything, but perhaps it was meant to be as it was. What was shocking to Sakuma was the fact that it probably would have taken place in the original world he had lived in.
　He never thought that world was peaceful. But it was hard to believe that behind the scenes, vampires and werewolves were fighting for their right to exist, and the situation had developed to the point where one of them was being destroyed.

But Washio is dead. Look, it's not like I have any camaraderie with my classmates. But still, one of my classmates was killed. By your own kind. You can't keep silent any longer.
Is that why you came all the way down here with Sachi?
That's true. You wouldn't refuse him if Sakuma were here, and you wouldn't kill him out of desperation.
Wait. Wait.

　Sakuma hurriedly stood up and pushed back Inugami, who was about to leap at any moment, and Benii, who was staring at him.

'Wait a minute. I said I wanted you to tell me everything you know........ There's a lot of information that's going to mess with your head. Eh, let's see, Asuka is, um, the queen of the Red Moon?
I don't like the way you say it.

　Beni answered somewhat bluntly and then nodded.

'But yes, we are. We have a king at the top, a queen, a rook, and so on, with titles named after the chess pieces. It's childish. It's funny.

　The mockery of Beni that emerged when he said that, was it really directed at himself or his blood family?

You're not going to be able to excuse yourself for destroying the Inugami clan either. That was when we were kids, though.
How did we come into this world and become what we are?
It's not easy to live in that world anymore, so our king made a plan to move to another world. But he has a lot of pride. He said he didn't want to run away to another world to live in secret, in secret, in another world.
So you're in a war?
I know. It seems that they can't take it anymore and are attacking, but I've been given the task of replenishing their forces to prepare for the attack. Akeno's Transformation Gate is designed to change the body of a human. To be precise, it includes not only the human body but also the clothes that it wears, but the reason why Inugami and I didn't change our appearance is because we weren't human.

　Sakuma felt a bit, a bit frightened by Benii's attitude as she spoke so matter-of-factly. It was hard to believe that Benii, who had been her friend for more than ten years, had been complicit in such a thing without a care in the world. The figure of Asuka Benii in front of her and Sakuma Shoko's old best friend, Asuka Benii, do not overlap and begin to look blurry.
　Did Sakuma's trepidation show in her attitude? Benii looked a little sad.

''That kind of thing is fine. What do you really mean, Benii?'

　Surprisingly, it was Inugami who gave Beni a helping hand.

'If you're part of that plan, you had a chance to get the class together and get back under their thumb. Like when Goubayashi disappeared. There's a reason you didn't do it for a reason. So why don't you tell him and put me and Sakuma at ease?

　Indeed. From the way Beni spoke, she should have been aiming to take her second year four students and join up with the Red Moon army deployed over here. But she didn't do that. On the contrary, she didn't respond to any of her fellow students' visits on two occasions, and once she killed it.
　Sakuma felt ashamed of himself for trying to doubt Benii, even for a moment. She was by no means thinking of selling out her second year four classmates. Staring straight at the front again, Benii let out a small sigh again.

'I just want to be more free.'

　Beni spits out the lines he's been spitting at Sakuma from time to time.

'I don't want to be dominated or ordered around anymore........ So, you know.........
Yes.

　Sakuma nodded, trying not to miss a single word. Beni looked away a little awkwardly and scratched his cheek.

''........Do I have to say these things out loud?''
I won't feel safe until you tell me.

　Inugami said, sitting down on the hard bed. He shakes his head as he asks with his eyes, even to Sakuma.
　Beni sighs and takes a breath and mumbles in contemplation.

You're not going to betray you guys, Sachi, and I have no intention of ever being ruled by that king again. So that's, uh...
'It doesn't boil down to that. That's what happens when you're always scowling.
Shut up. Don't worry, Sachi. We're just friends.

　Beni was the first person there to look straight into Sakuma's eyes from her. Her snow-white skin was slightly flushed. Today would be the day that she would see all sorts of previously unknown faces of her best friend. When Sakuma was unable to say anything for a while, Benii's expression became slightly cloudy.

''........Friends, right?''
Yeah, we're friends, Asuka.

　Sakuma hugged Benii tightly. She was confused for a while in his arms, but his hand gently stroked her head, as it always does.

'Thank you for talking to me,'
'Yeah...'

　The class is reeling from Washio's death. So was Sakuma.
　But it's a big deal to know exactly what happened to his enemy and his friend at this time. Considering Beni, this might not be something that should be talked about with his classmates. But all the information that had been opaque before was quickly becoming clearer.

''Ah, yes.''

　With a bang, Sakuma let go of Benii's body. Benii tilted her head curiously.

''Sachi?''
There's something else I wanted to ask you, Asuka-chan...

　It's about Kyosuke Soraki. What is the problem he is having? Did he have some special intention in giving him blood?
　Just as he was about to ask that question, a great shock hit the hull of the Heavy Duty Branch School.




What, what, what?

　After a strong impact hit the hull, the heavy duty branch stopped moving. Rin shouted on the deck. In front of her, Hanazono was jittering around with her face in the field as much as she could. The goblins were running around the deck, running around impatiently. Gokubungawara gave them instructions, and Okumura and Zekou also jumped out of the cabin.

''Gosh, Gofungawara-kun, what happened!
I don't know!

　Rin shouted as she woke Hanazono up, and Goshigawara shouted back at her.

''It looks like something hit the ship, but the fog is so thick I can't see it clearly!

　Five-minute riverbank was right. The range of visibility is only enough to barely see the surrounding terrain. For this reason, the heavy duty branch was also proceeding at a greatly reduced cruising speed. The forested slopes of the coniferous forest are now obscured, and sandwiched between them is an unpalatable rock face.
　But there's something oddly unpleasant about this fog. Hanazono muttered as she tended to her carrots at her own pace right beside me.

''Come to think of it, I once read a novel about a monster coming from the fog.
Oh, yeah. What about it?
It's probably best not to ask.

　Before you can even ask why you said that, you hear a goblin scream from behind you.
　When I looked back, I saw a long, slimy "something" extending from around the bow of the ship, trying to drag the goblin behind the fog.

"We're not going to let it!

　The quintuple jumps on the gun seat and fires the machine gun at that "something". The sound of an intermittent burst of lead balls tearing through flesh. Blood splatters on the deck and the goblin's body is thrown out.

''Geez...!

　The goblin had suffered severe lacerations to his body, but he was still breathing. Govinda instructed the other goblins to carry the wounded goblin aboard the ship.

'Himemizu, Okumura, did you see that!
Uh, yeah...!
It was like a snake, a fat one.

　As they all nodded to each other, Zekou of Oga also clenched his fists and was aware of his surroundings.
　A snake. A snake, to be sure. But it was more than ten meters long, and about two meters thick. That's how big of a snake it is, and it's now hovering behind the fog. No, if it was entangled in the hull, its body length was much longer than what was visible.

'Hua-chan, inside the cabin for now!
Uh, yeah...!

　As a non-combatant, Rin took her to a safe place. Meanwhile, Gokugawara, Okumura, Zeku and the goblins were glaring around them.

　The head of the snake extends through the fog again. Okumura and Zekou, who were the first to notice it, cooperated and grabbed its head. The snake's head squirmed depressingly as the two boasters of monstrous power held it down. It's a very good thing that you're able to get the most out of it. Its tongue sticks out of its mouth, and it is trying to open its jaws, which are being held down.
　The goblins in their respective gun emplacements pointed the tips of their guns at the snake as Goshukawara gave the signal. Rin, who had just delivered Hanazono to the cabin, stepped out on deck again and found multiple shadows that wavered in the fog.

'Gokugawara-kun, behind you!
What?

　Following Rin's words, Gokugawara managed to avoid another snake head that jumped in the nick of time.
　However, the snake head jumped in as if slammed onto the deck and shook the hull of the ship so hard that Okumura and Zeku let go of their hands from their grasp.

'What, it wasn't just one!

　Goshenbara shouted as he looked around him. The shadows that emerged in the fog all looked like the heads of snakes.

''Maybe, but they're all one individual, fatty, including all the heads.
Is that like a Yamata no Orochi?

　Okumura nodded in response to Rin's question. Yamata no Orochi, or Hydra. It's the kind of multi-headed dragon touted in lore. Of course, what Rin and the others have is knowledge from the original world, but there's nothing strange about having similar monsters in this world as well.
　However, it's the worst time to come out. Even in this situation where visibility is not good. The classmates are almost distracted.

''What happened?!''
Enemy attack. It's a big one.

　Several classmates, including Kenzaki, emerged from the cabin. Goshigawara answered.
　The students who came out on deck are all members of the combat system. They probably sensed the abnormality and rushed over, but some of the students were slightly shaky on their legs. The shock of Washio's death had not yet worn off.

Wow, wow!

　A snake's face grew out of the blind spot where they had all been, and it nipped one of the students.

''Kinogasa!

　Kenzaki slashes at the snake, the pseudonym Hydra, which tries to drag him in as it is. Two more heads of Hydra extended towards that Kenzaki. This one is Zekou and Okumura, plus Kagoi and the others who tried to catch it. This hydra is clearly a powerful enemy. With the current situation, which was floating feet, it was impossible to fight back. When Rin was feeling frustrated, a voice called from behind her.

''Hi, Himemizu........''
"Utsurogi-kun!

　I turn around and see the usual skeleton standing there. He should have been holed up in a private room just now.

''What, what's going on...?
The boat was shaking and I couldn't... I thought something had happened.
But... but... are you okay, Utsurogi-kun?

　Rin asks as she hides in the shadows of the ship's cabin to keep out of the hydra and the others. Rin was well aware of the mental shock Kyousuke had received. The shock of being forced to face that problem that he had held inside and never looked at until now. And the shock of having a classmate killed in front of her right afterwards.

'I don't know... but right now, I have no choice but to fight...'

　Saying that, Kyousuke shifts his gaze to the battle on the deck. If you include the goblins, we're ahead in numbers, but this Hydra is a strong enemy. If the two of them, one of the few Phase 2 combatants in the class, in a stream-cross state, join in, they can change the battle situation to some extent.
　But is it safe to let Kyousuke fight in this state? Rin was unsure. It was because she couldn't understand what kind of emotions Kyousuke was going through right now. An impulse, a sense of mission, or something else more.

''Himemizu, come on...!
Uh, yeah...

　Seeing Kyousuke shouting somewhat exasperatedly, Rin finally granted him permission to speak.

'Let's go, Utsurugi-kun,'
Yeah.

　Her whole body ingested, wrapped around and wrapped itself around Kyousuke's body as he nodded. As Rin tried to form a human form with her entire body, she noticed a strange feeling. Compared to usual, her body was awfully heavy and painful. It was as if this sensation was

Yikes!

　Rin screamed and fell to the floor with a sticky note.

''Himemizu...?''
'I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I don't know, my body just doesn't ride well...

　Rin puts her hands on Kyousuke's body to try to merge again, but she still slips off the same way.
　It's still strange. Even though she's on Kyousuke's body, she can't feel the usual sensation of supporting her body. It's as if I'm sitting on the air, an uncomfortable feeling all over my body. No matter how many times I try, it's the same thing. Rin's body doesn't overlap with Kyousuke's body.

　Merging, I can't.

"........Is it my fault...?

　Kyousuke muttered, taking just two or three steps down.

'Utsurogi-kun...'
'Because I, I found my true heart so........'

　Rin knows the process of Kyousuke's mind being shaken. She was in a combined state and received Kyousuke's mind directly.
　Kyousuke's emotions inside of him. She had to look at the emotion of just wanting to help someone, support them, and be appreciated. On top of that, he's "convinced" that that person could be anyone, and that he doesn't think anything of the people around him.

　Rin did not want to think that Kyousuke was such a cold person.

　However, Kyousuke doubts his own humanity.

''Himemizu, I'm sorry ... I ...
You two, if you can't fight, get back!

　As Kyousuke barely squeezed that out, he heard Gokugawara shout.

'It ain't just Utsurugi and the others!　Anyone who thinks they can't fight at all should back off!

　At the cry of the gobbler, several students, including Mushikasa, fled from the deck to the cabin.
　Kyousuke Soraki stood there, stunned. Rin managed to push his body into the cabin of the ship. Kyousuke muttered in a raspy voice, his apology painful. No matter how much she touched Kyousuke's body, Rin could no longer know his mind like she did before.

　With Kyousuke now, she can't merge with him.

　I can't help but feel that this fact symbolizes the distance between their hearts that have been inexplicably separated.

''Whoa!

　At the same time, Ryuzaki, who was somewhat late, leapt towards Hydra.
　Rin could only stare at her classmates fighting the hydra with a seething feeling.




　He ran across the deck and became a full dragon. Ryuzaki's body, which reaches 10 meters in length, crushes one of the snake's heads.

"Don't mess with my classmates!

　Breathless running with a roar. Kunihiro Ryuzaki, the class chairman, looked around the deck.
　Gokugawara, Okumura, Kenzaki, Kagoi, Uozumi, Zekou, and the goblins. They were all safe. But there's no time to breathe a sigh of relief. Ryuzaki puts his hands on his head and threatens the several shadows surrounding the heavy duty branch school.

''What's the situation, Gofunawara?''
I haven't done any damage so far. But it's gonna hurt like hell. Here.

　The monster in front of me is probably a hydra. In the note Serena left me, there was a description of a similar monster. The most famous one is the Marsh Hydra, which appears in the marshlands south of the Empire, but it also lives in various other places. Their populations are not so numerous, but they are highly dangerous monsters.
　They are said to be biological weapons left behind by an evil wizard who attempted to rule this world hundreds of years ago. Some of the older individuals have survived, and in those cases their fighting ability is far greater than those that have bred and multiplied.

　It's a good thing that you're able to get a good idea of what you're looking for.

''Hey Ryuzaki, can we go now?''

　Goshigawara asked, giving him a worried look. Ryuzaki nodded.

''How long can I cry? I won't let any more victims in my class.''
Oh, I knew she was crying...

　After I say it, I realize it. It seems that no matter how hard you push yourself, it's still something that will be noticed by those who see it.

''But, Ryuzaki, you're a little...''
'Whoa!
Hey, hey...!

　Ryuzaki roared and charged at Hydra, not even hearing Goshigawara's attempts to stop him. Right now, protecting his classmates is his top priority. He had led his class into danger with his unwise decision, and the only thing he could do was to fight.
　The idea was just a way to escape the remorse that tormented his mind, but Ryuzaki was oblivious to it.

　Ryuzaki leapt at one of Hydra's necks and bit down on it. He dug his paw claws deep into the paw and worked his way down to the jaw. But that's not all the Hydra's neck is. The heads of the hydra surrounding them all reach out towards Ryuzaki at once, biting at his arms, neck, wings and tail in return.

''Ryuzaki!　Stupid?

　I heard Kenzaki shout. Goshigawara gave instructions to the goblins.

''Gunza, aim at the snakehead!
"Gee!
Giggling!

　The goblins fired their machine guns, some of them splattering blood on Hydra's head. The stray bullets hit Ryuzaki as well, but thanks to the sturdy dragon scales, they didn't cause any major damage. Hydra screams and releases Ryuzaki's body into the air. He was thrown directly onto the deck.

''Chairman, get a grip.''

　The gargoyle Kagoi spreads her wings and floats into the air as she runs up to Ryuzaki. He's about to give Ryuzaki a chase, guiding several hydra heads.

'You said it yourself, you can't step down as leader!
'If you know your worth that well, don't fight like you're doing yourself a disservice!

　It's Uozumi who swears, sending scales flying like bullets. Kenzaki nodded as well, using Kagoi's back as a stepping stone as she floated in the air and slashed at him.
　Ryuzaki clenched his fists as he stood up on the deck. It felt like his mind was laid bare. After all, he had exposed himself to another abomination. There was a slight self-mockery, and the self-mockery turned to self-mockery.

'Rough and sorrowful, the dead guy won't come back, fatty.

　Okumura said as he stood next to Ryuzaki.

'If you don't want more deaths, you've got to make sure you don't become the second one first.

　Says Five-Minute Riverbank, too. These two men's words were especially heavy. Ryuzaki nodded again.
　The Hydra has nine heads, three of which were crushed, so there are six left. The Hydra is a monster with an extremely high life force, and even crushing a few heads would cause it to regenerate after a few hours. I would have to crush all of its heads or aim for its heart before it could regenerate, but in this case, it would be enough to push it into retreat.

　I set my sights on the wounded head and give the order to drop it. Kagoi catches the snake's head as it jumps into the air, and Okumura holds it down from right beside him. Kenzaki readies his sword and leaps at it. The attack by the remaining five heads must be prevented somehow.
　At the direction of Govinda, the goblins of the gunshops tow one, and the Uozumi's scale bullets also successfully intercept one. Ryuzaki holds one down with his arm and nips another one in the jaw.

　There's one left. Ryuzaki moves his tail, but Hydra's head slips through it and comes at Kenzaki.

''.............!

　The remaining Zekou intervened to try to hold the snake's head down. But Hydra's jaws, which were opened wide, went straight to Zekou's body and bit him.

''Zekou!''

　Okumura lets out a scream. Fangs in full growth pierce the steel-like muscles of the oga, and blood spatters on the deck.
　He's a classmate, too. There's no reason to abandon him. Ryuzaki tries to help, but his body gets tangled up in Hydra's neck in reverse and his freedom is taken away.
　When the head of the snake that held Zeku in its mouth is about to disappear into the fog, there is a thumping sound and its head bursts clean off.

　It's as if the 20-centimeter main gun of a heavy duty branch school was slammed into it. But even as I looked at it, there was no sign that the main gun, grounded on the deck, had been fired. In the first place, since Kyousuke warned me earlier that firing during a melee is not legal, I'm not supposed to fire in these situations.

　Then what.

　Ryuzaki witnessed a shadow that hadn't been there before descend on the Hydra's head as it landed on the deck.

''Ah........''

　All of the people present opened their eyes in unison. The three-meter-long hulking man dragged his identical looking compatriot out of Hydra's jaws and laid his body on the deck as he repeated his breathing slightly and said, ''You have done well.

'Zeku, you have done well. I'm proud of you as one with the same demon.

　That guy was wearing a shoulder brace and cloak, which he should not have been wearing when he left his base. Two horns sprouting from its head and a muscular physique. And a sharp-eyed tri-white eye. Glaring at Hydra with golden energy emanating from his entire body, the returning man now says to everyone present---especially Ryuzaki: "I'm sorry.

''I'm sorry. I'm late.