--not a single one of them welcomed the heroes who appeared in the audience with open arms.
As soon as they saw Nito, they all remembered the match they had just witnessed, and then turned away.

But Masamune didn't care, he was only thinking about the three of them--





　Fear and discomfort dominate the hall.
It's all about me.
I don't know why, but I feel like I'm able to sense the "emotions" more clearly than before.
While I was walking in the audience, everyone was looking at me with their eyes downcast.
But there were some people who were not afraid of me.

I'm not going to be able to get away with it.　That ain't no hero!　You're just a bandit!

Lowest!

"Would they normally go that far?

"I didn't know he was that crazy!

Abusive language. And slander.
All I could hear were insults against me.

But I'm not going to kill them.
I don't know why, but those voices were enough for me to hear and even understand the meaning of them, yet I couldn't even move my fingers, as if they weren't my body.

I checked my arm as I walked.

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

But it works.
I know it works. I know it works.
But the body doesn't move.
My body is not moving in the direction of "killing".

It's easy to get rid of these people.
With a single wave of his arm, he could kill everyone around him.
But that's not a simple thing to do.
In any case, I'm not motivated.
It's not that I feel guilty for killing too many things earlier.
Rather, I feel fine in that sense.
My body is light, as if something caught in my teeth had been removed.
But I don't feel motivated.
It's not that I feel weak, but I don't feel motivated.

Come to think of it, I feel like it was the same when I killed Aries.

''Nito!

That's when I heard Toa's voice.
The next thing I knew, I had come to the auditorium where the three of us were waiting.

Then I saw the people around me looking at Toa calling my name.
There was nothing but malice everywhere.

There is nothing but malice here now.

'Did anything happen while I was gone, all three of you?

I ask so that everyone around me can hear me as I walk to my seat.

'What is it?'　What do you mean by that?

'No it's fine if there's nothing there. But then you have to tell me, okay?　I'll kill you in a minute.

This mysterious exchange has Toa saying, 'What?' The expression on his face was "I'm sorry," and, as before, he looked vaguely sad.
And as if he didn't want it to be realized, he raised the corners of his mouth so much that it was less clear than a bitter smile and made an unnatural smile.

But Sufilia was the only one who seemed to understand.
Because while Nem and Toa were both normal, only Sufilia was clearly radiating a killing spirit to the surroundings.
No, disgust?　Anyway, I feel angry at those around me.

'Don't worry about it, Sufilia. It happens all the time.

When I said that, Sufilia smiled and nodded gently, "Yes," after a huff and a surprised expression.

I take a seat and spend the time there until the next game.

'Hey Nito, why did you do that?'

You know how it is.　It's the elimination of corruption.

That means...

'No, it's not about them. It's simply about me.

What Toa is concerned about is the 'Heart of the Dragon'.
He had a slightly worried expression on his face, probably because I expressed something like the elimination of corruption.

Then the names of me and Kyogoku were displayed on the Demon Light bulletin board.
But the announcement was still not heard.

And.........

...hmm?

That's when I somehow shifted my gaze around.
Suddenly I saw what looked like a black shadow from one of them.
I rubbed my eyes and stared at it, wondering if it was covered in trash, and then looked again.
The next person next to him was also covered in the shadow.

Gradually the shadows spread, and a black shadow begins to appear, drifting slowly upward from the bodies of all those who can see it.
It's not just those I see in the distance.
Even those behind me are carrying the same shadow.

Then I noticed that the entire hall was covered with black shadows.

''Nito-sama, what's wrong?''

No but can you guys see this?

I ask, looking at the black shadows spreading across the entire hall.

'What's this?'

But Toa's reply was something like that.

'It's about this black haze,'

What exactly is the haze you're talking about?

Then Sufilia followed my gaze with a question mark on her face.

''Master?''

Apparently it doesn't look like Nem either.
For some reason, they are worried about me.

None of the three of them understand what I mean.
They can't see this strange scene that I can see, but they can't see it.

Then it dawned on me now that the three of them are not in a haze.
Then I looked around the other place and saw that there was another one without the haze.
Was that........a beastman?
It has a tail like a lizard.
And then there's that ... human? ...no you have doggy ears on your head.

What's that mean?

Some of them are without black shadows.
And I have a feeling that most of them are beastmen.
But even among the shadowy ones, there are still beastmen.
There are those who are human and yet have no shadow.
What does that mean?

But it's predictable.
In these cases, the cause is usually the 'abyss'.
Perhaps there was another change in me.
First, I can now feel the emotions.
And then the next, this black shadow.
There must be some meaning to this as well.
What if this black shadow is an emotion?　No, I don't have enough information to give you an answer.
But I definitely see "something" in them.

''........It's hard to discern~''

Then the broadcast came on.


-- 'We will now begin an additional match. Nito and Kyogoku, please take the field.'


Apparently, there was no cumbersome entrance this time.
Instead of the waiting room, they suddenly asked me to come to the field.

''This is the last time........''

To be honest, I feel like I've already done it in my fight with Saeki.
There's nothing more to show in this travesty.
It's all over again, just a random act.

Well, I'm going to go out for a while.

'Yeah...'

I'm rooting for you.

I patted Nem's head as if it were a gesture as he looked up at me.
Then, with a ticklish blush on my cheeks, I jumped over the fence and went down to the field with Nemu at my side.

Then, as well, Kyogoku appears from the audience.
Kyogoku was smiling when he saw me.
I don't know what he's thinking.
But I can't sense any malice from this guy.
And I can't see any black shadows either.
What the hell is going on here?　What's the difference between these guys and what they seem to be getting out of it?


We walk onto the field and face each other.

Then the rules of the game begin to be explained.

'Wasn't that ... an interesting speech earlier?'

In the middle of this, Kyogoku suddenly spoke to me.

''No, I was just kidding.''

I don't pause and respond appropriately.

'Do you think so?'

....

He's a pain in the ass.
What do you want to tell me?

You were obviously stumped, weren't you?　There was a lot of killing, and if the old man hadn't stopped him, you would have killed Saeki, wouldn't you?

What are you going to say?

'Nonsense, I wouldn't kill Saeki-kun, would I?　It's just a point of reference for future school operations.

Isn't that a little too much to ask?　I don't think anyone in this venue, not just me, would believe that excuse, do you?

'I denied it. The rest of you can do as you please, I don't have time for the masses to play games.

Then, what's funny, Kyogoku laughed at my response.

'By the way, you know what?　Don't you think you're being weird?　What's going on?

What?

The questions never stop coming, one after another. He's a talkative guy.
I'd seen him a few times when I was in Japan, but I had no idea he was this talkative.

I couldn't tell because he was wearing a mask, but you know what?　Obviously, it's more deadly than when I was screwing with Saeki~

Murder? .....

Yeah. I believe you killed someone.

.........

........What?

I have a feeling that just after the murder, right?　"It smells bad."

Smell that?

'Huh?　Don't you get it?　If you're an S-ranked adventurer, you know what I mean.　You've killed a lot of people before, haven't you?　People, monsters, you know?

He's an adventurer who looks like he came into this world not too long ago, right?
You're just an amateur who learned sloppy magic in a greenhouse, just like Saeki and the others.
And yet... it stinks?　What's that?

It sounds serious, doesn't it?

'Serious?　What do you mean by that?

Well, I'm just saying it in passing, aren't I?

This guy.....

But I can understand why you're angry. It's a filthy world.

...Yes.

I can't wait for the game to start.

'I'm bored with things too. There's no one in this school who's as strong as you. So I thought about attacking the old man. I thought he'd be willing to fight me in a real fight.　But that guy never showed any signs of weakness! So I went around the VIP section to look for other guys. And the conversations we were having were so mean!　It made me laugh!

As he said this, Kyogoku was laughing happily to himself.

Honestly, going around the VIP section, etc. was a load of crap.
That room is off-limits to everyone except those involved, and the security is so tight that guards are posted on both sides of the door outside the room.
And there is only one entrance.
Even if you could become invisible, you wouldn't be able to enter.

''Haha you don't believe me, do you?''

No, that's not what I'm saying...

'Is it called a boon?　I'm delivering it to the school as a 'combatant master', but that's actually not the only thing I'm doing~

...I see.

Apparently, this guy would rather chat with me than fight.

Then Kyogoku grinned and gave a small smile.

''Me, I have two professions, right?''


----.


Huh?

I told you I'm a two-job man.

...two jobs?

What do you mean?
Isn't an occupation one per person?

'Huh?　You got a bite?　I didn't expect it~. I thought a mage of your class would understand, but maybe you didn't know that?

Kyogoku smiled, as if he was getting more and more comfortable.

''Hey, let me ask you something.　How much of my magic are you feeling right now?

Then the explanation of the rules was over.
It's about time.

It's about time.

Just answer the question.

The game is about to start.

I don't care. You don't really mean it anyway, do you?

It depends.

What about me?

A man of your stature could kill you by accident, couldn't he?

Well, you know...

At that moment, Kyogoku's expression changed completely.
There was something cunning there that was different from the previous amused expression.
And - at the same time, Kyogoku's magic power suddenly increased significantly.
Not by a small amount.
It swelled to almost twice as much.

''I see........''

Then Kyogoku read something from my expression?

You're a natural at hiding your skills, aren't you?

Skills to cover up?

You don't know?　That's what I said.　I have two professions.　Combatant and Assassin. That's my profession. And the assassin's skill, "Cloaking". This allows you to hide your magic and level from others, right?　Well I don't know....

Kyogoku speaks in a deliberately sincere manner.

I don't care about this guy's provocation.
More importantly, you think it's a cover-up?　Can you hide your magic?
It's a skill that seems to be quite useful.
It's even bigger than Ichijo.

What will happen if I use it?
Since it lowers the magic power to the point where it can't be felt, can it prompt the people around it to sense the magic power, for example?

'S-ranked, so you've been an adventurer for a long time, right?　And you don't know anything about the skills of an assassin?

....

What has this guy been trying to tell me for a while now?
Is he trying to provoke me to take him seriously?
Somehow, I don't think that's the case.
That's why I've been trying to find out what he's feeling and read his intentions from earlier, but I can't read it.

'I've been with Saeki since junior high school. That doesn't mean we weren't that close, but it's not like we didn't talk to each other at all, right?　It's kind of like we're mated, you know?　Maybe it's because our circumstances are so similar, or maybe it's just that I kind of know what he's thinking.

Kyogoku abruptly changes the subject and starts talking again at the same pace as before.

"For example, the type of person he doesn't like. Or more specifically, the kind of person he's likely to dislike.

....

At the time, I felt, somehow, a danger in this conversation itself that I couldn't explain well.
Unable to realize the true nature of this, Kyogoku's talk continued.

''I see.......I see.....

At that moment, the MC gave the signal to start the match.

'You know what?　Honestly, it's too much of a word, isn't it? How could anyone be angry about something like that?　Isn't that what we're supposed to think?　Especially since you're an S-ranked adventurer who conquered dungeons and are a so-called hero, right?　Then it's even more uncomfortable now, isn't it?

"You.........Kyogoku suddenly changed the nuance of his words.
He speaks in a tone of voice as if the distance between us has decreased.

At that time, the audience begins to yell at us for not starting the match.
But Kyogoku's expression didn't change at all, and he didn't stop talking while looking me straight in the eye.

It's not like I didn't suspect it for the first time when I first heard the rumors about you, right?　Because I don't know if it wasn't well known or not, but apparently no one had ever heard of adventurer Nito before that, right?　That's also why you registered as an adventurer with the guild just a few months ago, right?　It was written in the magic newsletter. Then you defeated the Empire and were hailed as the hero of Radshausen. It wasn't long after we arrived in this world that your name started to spread.　They say heroes are healers, too, don't they?　To say the least, it's just uncomfortable, or maybe it's just too much of a story.

'Shall we get the game started?　And let's get this stupid convention over with.

'I've never heard of a healer being able to make it as an adventurer. Even Grayberg's teacher made a laughing stock of healers, and no adventurer or traveling mage I've ever met has ever said anything other than that healers are unfortunate enough to not even be able to use attack magic. But facts are facts. Healers defeated S-ranked monsters and even conquered dungeons. This fact doesn't change. I don't know much about dungeons, but I do know how many challengers died, and that's all I need to know. I'll know that you're an anomaly, of course.

Then, as soon as I said the last word, Kyogoku's figure disappeared.

But I can see this guy's movements.

''Quicksilver!''

Kyogoku is pleased to have been seen off.
With his voice, a kick flew from behind me.
I don't hurry to turn around and deal with the kick.

'I'm not like Saeki, okay?　"Hidaka-kun........"

....

.........