A gentle, floating sensation—as if being laid down. The cold touch of the landing pad presses against her back.
At the same time—
A warm droplet falls onto her cheek.
Hesitantly, she opens her eyes—and stares.
A face of breathtaking beauty hovers above her.
“Hahh—uugh…!”
Lips bitten bloody, contorted in agony.
◇◇◇◇◇
Lux can’t be used during Umbra’s compensation.
There’s no rule stating that
The instant-deferred cost only dulls cognition upon activation.
True—if caught off-guard, the user is easily swallowed by the torrent of impulse.
But if you know it’s coming and fight with everything you have, maintaining clarity is possible.
That said—the stronger the torrent, the more unbearable the suffering.
(Toughen up, Ibusuki Ibuki!!)*
Ignoring the blood dripping from his lips, he resists Umbra’s [contact] impulse with everything he has.
This reckless move is only possible because he initiated the grab.
Beneath him, Rui stares up in shock.
Seizing the moment, he pins her slender wrists to the ground.
“Ah…!?”
She glares, startled.
With no weapons in sight and both hands restrained—she’s powerless.
Now that she’s lost all defenses—now, at last, his words can reach her.
First—make her listen.
“Everything I said earlier—was a lie!”
The moment he speaks, Rui’s struggling stops.
“………………Huh?”
Not skepticism. Not even disbelief.
She’s certain his words are nonsense—
and her probing gaze asks: What’s your angle?
——Of course.
What he’s attempting now is like recapturing a bird that escaped its cage—only to plead, “Stay by my side—I won’t hurt you.”
He knows it’s reckless.
But the chance isn’t zero.
Then he has to try.
Even if she doesn’t believe him—if she’s listening, that’s enough.
Now, he just has to dismantle her distrust.
“Think about it. What good would provoking you do? Pissing you off just gets me killed.”
Rui smirks.
“Hindsight’s convenient. You expect me to fall for that? You were just trying to rattle me.”
As she speaks, she tries to knee him.
He barely manages to pin her down, straddling her.
“H-hey, dangerous! Just listen!”
“Shut up!”
Rui thrashes, desperate to break free.
As if yelling “Calm down!” would work.
He has to convince her—fast.
“Then why—why would I hold you like this!? If I wanted you dead, I’d have finished it!”
“That’s…”
He doesn’t miss her brief hesitation.
Before she can retort, he presses on.
“Risking my life to beat you—then trying to talk? That’s pointless!”
“…………”
Rui goes still.
Slowly, she speaks—voice eerily calm.
“…Not entirely.”
Her expression twists with disdain.
“You did say it yourself. You’re just trying to make a convenient pawn.”
“——”
Now he’s the one speechless.
Strangled by his own words, he rasps:
“I told you—that’s a lie! Who the hell reveals their scheme to their would-be pawn!?”
“Who knows? Maybe to earn deeper trust?”
Still smirking, Rui coolly adds:
“——Like you did with Hina.”
Baring her teeth in fury.
“………”
No amount of denial will work.
(Hinata’s presence in Rui’s mind is… too big.)*
Rui rejects his persuasion because she believes Ibuki used Hinata.
Unless that assumption breaks—convincing her is impossible.
(Something that proves I’d never use Hinata… ——Ah.)
In this situation, the idea is absurd.
No sane person would even consider it—not if the heavens flipped upside-down.
But for a man barely resisting Umbra’s madness—sanity is irrelevant.
So he screams the first thing that comes to mind.
READ THE ORIGINAL TRANSLATION AT LOCALIZERMEERKAT.GITHUB.IO
“I——I love Hinata with all my heart!!”
His shout echoes across the empty rooftop.
“……………………………………What?”
This time, Rui stops resisting completely.
She’s utterly dumbstruck.
Then—slowly—her face twists with revulsion…
“That’s the stupidest—”
“It’s not!”
Cutting her off, he barrels on.
“First—her heart is too pure!”
Rui blinks at his volume.
“She’s always bright, cheerful, smiling at everyone—her ever-changing expressions radiate innocence, like warm spring sunlight! And above all—she’s so damn kind, she’s practically an angel!!”
“………! ~~~!”
Beneath him, Rui trembles—desperate to interject.
“But in battle? Overflowing with responsibility, never discarding respect for her opponent! No matter how tough it gets, she never gives up—always facing forward with that unshakable determination! It’s admirable! Cool!!”
“Th-that’s…!”
She squirms, nearly bursting.
“And then! That occasional airheaded side? Perfect!”
“Y-you get it…!”
The moment she says it—she shakes her head violently, as if scolding herself.
“Th-that doesn’t prove—”
“Last week, I saw her go ‘nyaa-nyaa’ at a stray cat.”
“So cute…!!”
The words slip out—and she freezes.
“N-no…! Y-you’re… lying…?”
Ibuki grins triumphantly at her stunned face.
“You think I could list Hinata’s charms this perfectly if I were faking?”
The peerless beauty—whose devotion rivals Rui’s own—pauses, dead serious. Then:
“…Impossible.”
Perhaps only a fellow devotee would understand.
“No poser could match my level of Hinata-love on a whim…”
The resistance had completely ceased.
With a feeling I could barely believe myself, I looked down at Rui pinned beneath me.
Then, for a while, a suffocating silence lingered between us.
Eventually, her sharp, narrow eyes locked straight onto mine.
“So, why did you say all those awful things about Hina that you clearly didn’t even mean?”
Meeting her gaze head-on, I answered:
“Because you… had lost the ability to harbor murderous intent.”
“Murderous intent…?”
Rui tilted her head at the unexpected reply.
I nodded.
“If that kept up, your judgment would’ve dulled when it mattered most, right?”
“………Wh-what does that have to do with YOU…?!”
Her face twisted as if I’d struck a nerve, her voice strained.
Well, it’s partly my fault this happened… and because you’re my oshi.
But telling her outright “It’s for your sake” would sound too blunt. Saying “It’s for Hinata” would be more believable—
and it wasn’t a lie, so it didn’t matter.
“You’re Hinata’s partner, aren’t you? I need you to protect my oshi properly.”
I flashed her the most confident grin I could muster.
“…………”
This time, Rui fell completely silent.
Over and over, her face contorted as if she wanted to say something, only to shake her head.
Then—she let out a long, heavy sigh.
“You’re incorrigible.”
She closed her eyes, as if giving up.
“You must be a once-in-a-millennium idiot.”
“Then there’s probably at least one more like me.”
“………I’m not it.”
“Are you sure?”
“Ugh—”
Rui glared at Ibuki.
♢♢♢♢♢
—I don’t get it.
The anger she’d felt earlier, the sheer exasperation and confusion—none of it had fully processed.
Amidst it all, a thought crossed Rui’ mind:
—He didn’t say anything about Hina’s looks.
Even without her own bias as Hina’s best friend,
Hinata was undeniably cute—petite, with delicate feminine curves that stirred a protective instinct.
She’d even overheard boys in their class whispering praises (though she’d shut that down with a glare). From an outsider’s perspective, Hina was objectively attractive.
Maybe it was a coincidence.
But the fact that Separation hadn’t mentioned it…
might’ve been why she’d so easily accepted his reasoning.
“Sorry……”
His voice cut through her thoughts.
When she glanced down, she realized he’d let go of her wrists.
Then—
“—Huh!? W-wait—!”
—Squeeze.
She was suddenly pulled into his chest, enveloped in a tight hug.
“Wh-what’s your PROBLEM!? You keep—doing whatever you want with people…!!”
“N-no, it’s not like that!”
“Then WHAT is it!?”
After a brief hesitation, a resigned sigh came from above her.
“……It’s my *Compensation Umbra.”
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