Challenge: The Fool with the Surname Okayamine

Chapter 198 Neighborhood Arc: "The Girl's Tragic Wish"

It's only natural for a girl in love to not care about the feelings of others and only care about the person she likes.

No, maybe there are some reservations, but at least Kongwu doesn't think he's that kind of person.

After taking a shower, she walked out of the bathroom while drying herself, put on some clean clothes, and immediately rushed into Kurumi's dormitory in the hallway.

"Ah... um~ Kurumi~! I have something... I wanted to ask you..."

What greeted me were faces filled with paleness and sorrow.

The usually strong Kurumi was curled up on the bed, her head pressed against the bed, her hands tightly hugging herself, her body twisting in pain, and faint sobs could be heard.

"Ugh... Ah... Ugh..."

"Uh... are you... are you alright?"

Kong Wu asked with concern.

"Me...me? I'm just...just a little tired right now...don't worry about me..."

Kurumi groaned, using all her strength to convey this message.

The nerves are struggling to reconnect. The excruciating pain of the severed nerves has been overcome, but the extreme hardship of immobilizing the hand must be endured.

They couldn't even faint; they had no choice but to endure for several more hours.

"Then... then, what should we do..."

After saying this with a blank expression, Kurumi slowly shook her head. Helpless. She, and herself, were both helpless.

"...Didn't you have something to ask me? Go ahead and ask."

"Huh? No. I don't think now is the right time to ask that kind of question..."

Kongwu tried to change the subject, after all, it was a little embarrassing to approach her at such a sad time, and to have a topic of conversation about love and healing.

"It's okay... I'm fine now, and I really want to listen... It should help me distract myself... and forget about that feeling of fatigue."

Kurumi's smile seemed somewhat weak, as if suppressed by an invisible force. However, the occasional sharp pain still made her involuntarily furrow her brows, while simultaneously reaching her left hand into the void.

That was by no means a gesture of trust; perhaps it was just an inner unease at play. However, Kongwu took her hand without hesitation.

Even the most powerful spirits inevitably feel lonely when alone. Perhaps it was this loneliness that led Kurumi to reach out to nothingness at this moment.

An empty response might be a silent comfort, or a response to her inner vulnerability.

"Well... then... I'll ask again."

Kong Wu spoke with extreme embarrassment:

"Ah... do you know... the boy that the quasi-elf fell in love with?"

After three days of madness, his expression didn't change at all; he probably really didn't know.

"...I don't know, I don't remember it."

Despite a strange and inexplicable feeling, Kongwu still chose to continue asking questions:

"It's the legendary boy who can make all the near-spirits fall in love, Kurumi-san, you really don't know?"

"Um... I don't know. You... have you seen it before...? Oh, that makes sense... because you were trapped there before."

"Yes. Let me think, it's called [Neighborhood Arrangement], right? I saw it then, the other world... and that person..."

"Have you... fallen in love with him...?"

"Maybe. No, I'm sure... I'm in love."

After being informed of this by Kongwu, Kurumi blinked and then frowned, her expression complicated.

"Because this is the first time I've ever felt this way, huh?"

My heart was pounding like a drum, my cheeks were burning, my mood was like a fluttering deer, and I felt as if a million ants were tickling inside me, yet I also felt as light as a feather.

Why am I so certain that this is the feeling of being in love? ...Perhaps this isn't the first time.

"Hey, what's that—"

Something was off, something felt off—but I couldn't think of anything. Was my belief in love too steadfast?

Do other men feel the same way? No, wait a minute, calm down, perhaps I need to re-examine my views on love.

"I was just kidding."

"how?"

"You must have fallen for the same person again. It's just that you've fallen for them again."

I feel like the puzzle pieces that were previously put together incorrectly finally fit together.

"Although I've never been in a relationship, I understand the similar feelings you're describing. No, although I'm not sure if they're really similar, I think they're probably the same."

Her breathing quickened. Kurumi winced in pain as she murmured.

"That is……"

When it comes to feelings and emotions that resemble love, Kurumi's demeanor becomes somewhat off—

"...I once had a friend. A friend who was very important to me."

It's like Kurumi's monologue that lowers the room temperature.

Kongwu gazed at Kurumi with a calm and composed look.

"Do you find it...surprising?"

"No, I have a vague idea."

At that moment, Kurumi, who reached out her hand to herself as she fell, was not looking at herself, but at someone else.

Kurumi wasn't reaching out to nothingness, but rather to someone deep within her memories.

Thinking about it this way, although a slight loneliness lingered in her heart... she also felt that it was inevitable. No! Perhaps it was precisely because she bore that person's shadow that Kurumi had the idea of ​​helping her from the very beginning.

"Huh? Is that so..."

Kurumi looked slightly bewildered. He pondered to himself, realizing how different she was from before. He so wished she could be as she always was, laughing and giggling, displaying a smile even more alluring than a little devil, like a fearsome great demon.

"Please laugh out loud as usual," Kongwu said softly.

"No, I don't remember ever laughing like that!" Kurumi's voice carried a hint of stubbornness.

"Really? Is it 'Oh ho ho ho ho'?" Kong Wu asked jokingly.

"...Just you wait and see once I recover."

Kurumi said angrily.

But this brought a sense of peace to Kongwu's heart.

"Let's not talk about that anymore. Kurumi, continue."

Urged on by the emptiness, she, who was already in a bad mood, spoke again:

"In the Tenth Realm, there are indeed many pseudo-elves who fight to survive, but certainly not all pseudo-elves are like that. There are also some who simply crave a happy life and can exist in this world."

She recalled it with a mixture of nostalgia and regret.

“I was very happy with that child. She encouraged and supported me when I thought I had lost everything. Just laughing and living with her made me feel content. But—”

Kurumi's expression changed from reminiscing about the past to deep hatred.

"She was killed."

"Huh... how did I get killed...?"

"Because she was caught up in this competition...fight, fight, fight desperately—and then, she was brutally killed, no...not just killed, but also toyed with, ravaged...humiliated...her humanity trampled."

"Huh, who on earth did this to her...?"

Kurumi's face contorted with hatred as she uttered that hateful name:

"—'Puppet Master'. The ruler of this tenth realm."

The moment Kurumi uttered that name, she seemed to forget even the pain; all she felt was the lone wolf's burning hatred, a hatred that seemed to be constantly waiting for an opportunity.

"So... then the reason you participated in this competition is just to defeat the 'Puppet Master'."

That's why the reward for this war was a large amount of soul crystals. Kurumi smiled slightly after hearing Kongwu's words:

"Ha. You're really stupid—'Do you really think you'd get something like that as a prize?'"

A chill, akin to disgust, ran down my empty back.

"...So, everyone was fooled..."

“That’s right. This battle itself is a farce, an ugly farce. Although it’s a farce—if you don’t cooperate, the ruler won’t even show up.”

Cautious, cunning, and timid.

The "Puppet Master," who dominates the tenth realm, is such a quasi-spirit.

Despite possessing overwhelming power, he rarely reveals himself. What appeared was a quasi-elf, seemingly one of his subordinates.

"That Frost Prochise who attacked you before is one of them. I've confirmed it; she's just an imposter... There's a limit to how much you can look down on someone."

"ah……!"

Kongwu slammed his fist into his palm.

"It's possible that some of the quasi-elves have already discovered this. No, even if they have, it's probably not true."

It was an irresistible temptation, like a ray of light in the darkness, drawing them ever closer.

However, they never dreamed that the rulers would be the first to break the rules. The battle, a hail of bullets, a battlefield ravaged by thunder and fire, a war raging like a raging inferno, treated life as a gift, allowing the quasi-elves of this realm to truly feel the meaning of life. They firmly believed that this was the power of dreams, something worth fighting for.

Therefore, Kurumi firmly believes that the Dominators are the same. They participate in battles in secret, just to personally experience what it feels like to be alive.

But Kurumi Tokisaki knew very well that this world was full of malice. Malice was like a venomous snake lurking in the darkness, easily overturning people's common sense.

Even though the quasi-elves must have dreams or they will disappear, the evil that wants to survive by exploiting these dreams is always there.

"So, Kurumi, who are you—"

"Just as you might imagine, I'm fighting for revenge."

"That—feeling—"

Kongwu felt that it was a great motivation, but he still felt a strange unease.

However, it feels like pointing this out would bring the relationship to an end.

"...Your expression is really funny."

"That's incredibly rude of you, Kurumi!"

"I was praising you."

There was no praise at all; in fact, there was absolutely no praise.

The two then talked a lot, and Kurumi could hear a lot of resentment towards the "Puppet Master" in Kurumi's tone.

In the end, Kurumi also gave her blessing to Kuumu.

"I hope... your relationship can... be successful..."

Hearing these words that didn't sound like something Kurumi would say, Sora was a little unsure how to respond.

"...Thank...thank you...um, you weren't implying something, were you...?"

Could it be that he's actually cursing himself to fail? That feels really unlucky.

"I'll shoot you."

Kurumi pulled out a pistol from somewhere and pointed it at Kūmu, who quickly defended himself:

"I'm...I'm sorry. I don't believe you'll genuinely support me!"

"...Well, you're right."

"By the way, is everything alright here?"

What do you mean by that?

"Well, since 'Puppet Masters' can so carelessly break the rules and attack others, then the time limit is completely useless, right?"

The bell has indeed rung, but that doesn't mean "we won't be attacked."

"Yes. So I set a trap; about 40% of the houses in this town have my tracks and traps. I know her tricks. Did you notice that this house isn't the same one from yesterday?"

They didn't notice anything amiss, or even sense anything wrong. Since the exterior and interior were identical, it was impossible to know which path they had taken.

"That's strange, but weren't I being followed yesterday?"

"Of course, I did it on purpose. The 'Puppet Master' will intervene in the war starting from the second day. The first day is just for observation; there's no need to arouse the enemy's suspicion. Now that it's the second day, we have to be wary of her."

A loud bang rang out. It wasn't in this house. Something seemed to have exploded in the distance.

"...That was..."

Kurumi pressed her finger to her lips.

"Looks like I've been hit. That guy hates losing his men, so he should be fine today... I can only pray that."

"Prayer—?"

They could only leave it to fate. Even so, they felt uneasy. If the puppeteers' subordinates found their hideout, they were doomed.

"We must endure for a few more hours. Tomorrow will inevitably be filled with continuous battles."

Endure the pain... endure the fear, and you can only wait single-mindedly for tomorrow's battle.

Suddenly, Kong Wu shivered because of a thought that was almost certain, and her body almost froze.

Everyone wants to live a happy life.