This story takes place a little bit after the start of Kyotaro’s crisis.
POV: Ito Kurumi
Sacred Tree Private Academy for girls. First period became a self-study session. Of course, what with us being blossoming and healthy high school girls, there was no way we would meekly self-study while the teacher was out. Here and there, some of my classmates whispered with one another, while some fiddle with their phones, and some even did both.
“Hey, has there been any follow-up on that news?”
“Nada. Nothing yet.”
“That’s so scary…you think that’s what the teachers are talking about right now?”
“Who knows, but by the looks of things, the whole school day might get canceled.”
“I wish that’d be the case…I heard there’ll be a quiz in Math today”
The topic of most conversations was about the 4 dungeon overflow events that were happening in junior and senior high schools.
Even though the dungeon overflows were in different locations, the fact that it was happening almost simultaneously led some to speculate that these were human-caused disasters.
But while the others were like that, I could tell without even looking that the shoulder of the girl seated beside me was trembling.
“Rin-chan. Don’t go anywhere, alright?”
“B-but…”
“No, just no. If an amateur decides to get themselves involved without anyone asking, it’ll only cause more trouble, not lessen it.”
“Righhht…”
In a whisper of my own, I warned her so. Based on what I could see of her profile, she understood my reasoning but she wasn’t satisfied with it. I knew her long and well enough to tell. She…Koori Rin-chan was somebody who couldn’t ignore someone asking for help.
She have been like this since long ago. In fact, that personality was the reason why we became close: she had save me too when I was young and getting bullied.
And yet, no matter how long we have been together, I couldn’t understand her. I couldn’t understand how she could still help people after all that happened.
But I gulped down that question and pushed it deep down.
“Anyway, Misaki-chan didn’t come to school today either, you know.”
“Yeah, I’m worried about her. The teacher hasn’t said anything about it, so I’m thinking we should stop by her house on our way home later”
“Yeah…”
Kanaya Misaki-chan. This friend of ours had not come to school these past few days.
This was ultimately just a rumor but according to it, people who normally weren’t seen in the area were suddenly visiting her family home frequently. I could only hope she didn’t get caught up in a strange incident…
But for some reason, without any real evidence to base this on, the face of that man popped in my head. By that man, I meant Koyama Kosuke, the founder of the Society of the Sage. I couldn’t help but anxiously wonder if that creepy man was involved in Misaki-chan’s absence. It could all be just be my imagination running wild, but I still wondered if she was having trouble with them because of me.
But it wasn’t like we could rely on the police against those people…when we need the adults to help us the most, it was exactly when they couldn’t. Still, if our friend was being harmed, we had to do something about it.
While I was thinking that, I heard the sound of quick-paced footsteps from the hallway. In an instant, the classroom became silent, with some students hiding their phones into their bags or under their desks.
Soon enough, the classroom’s door opened and in came our homeroom teacher.
“Err, everyone, listen. I know this is sudden, but school is canceled for today.”
Those words immediately caused a commotion, but the teacher continued.
“The reason, as you might have already guessed, is the many dungeon overflow incidents happening almost simultaneously. The police has stated that while the chances are low, it is still possible that this is part of a sinister plot. As such, they have appealed for students to be sent home immediately. Alright everyone, go quickly but remain calm and composed.”
While adjusting her glasses, our middle-aged teacher narrowed her eyes.
“I say this with utmost seriousness: do not make any detours on your way home. Go straight home. Do you hear me?”
“““Yes”””
While I wondered with a wry smile how many students would actually do as what the teacher advised, I also began preparing my things.
“It’s frustrating, but I guess we’ll have to postpone going to Misaki-chan’s house for another day.”
“Yeah. The teacher’s looking our way too.”
The teacher was indeed looking our way, or more specifically, at Rin-chan. The way her subtly but definitely made-up lips were sealed tight and the way her eyeglasses glinted were almost like she was asking again “do you hear me?”.
Rin-chan’s face stiffened as she began waving her hands slowly. Seeing her like that, I almost burst into laughter.
You’re getting that look because you’re always late from helping other people, you know.
As my classmates exited the classroom, my gaze suddenly shifted downward, toward my feet.
“Kurumi? What’s wrong?”
“Ohh. It’s nothing, don’t worry about it.”
It lasted for only a moment, maybe even less, but I felt some strange sensation. It was a discomfort, one that was like the very air was swapped out for something else. It was like I had entered a completely different world. While I tilted my head in confusion, Rin-chan held my hand and tried to guide me back to the classroom. However, at that moment.
“Kyaaaa!”
There was a piercing scream.
Rin-chan let go of my hand and immediately rushed toward the source. I reached out my hand toward her back, and before I knew it, my legs were moving as well.
“No way…!”
I honestly had no clue who said that with a voice filled with frustration.
But whoever it was, the cause was obvious: the head of a giant dog was visible through the windows in the hallway. Far from the cute image a dog might typically conjure, this stray was a starving beast, ready to sink each of its bared, spear-like teeth into its prey.
The head of that giant dog then approached us. Terrified and confused by that, some students fell down. While some others were knocked down by those desperate to flee. The giant dog, not giving a damn about the plight of the students, opened its dreadful mouth more.
The students all screamed in despair, until a gust of wind broke through the noise.
Thanks to my improved vision as an Awakened One, I was able to catch sight of what happened. After Rin-chan’s foot made contact with the floor, she began to transform. Her hallway slipper became a boot that conjured the image of a dark night.
And then, belts crawled up her gazelle-like legs. The belts wrapped around her legs until a double-helix pattern was visible there.
Her skirt vanished and some glossy compression shorts appeared. Her uniform was replaced by a white sort of tunic that extended halfway through her thighs. A black belt also looped around her waist many times, as if to permanently bound the tunic in place.
On her shoulders and forearms, black-dyed leather armor pieces materialized. And attached on her right wrist was a golden bangle.
Her black, bobbed hair became bundled at the back of her head. But her white neck wasn’t left bare as a choker wound tight around it.
I saw her swing her slender arm. Everything in my vision then slowed as if it was a video on slow-motion. Before long, I saw everything be engulfed by some golden brilliance.
“GYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!??”
A thunderous sound and a scream erupted.
The scream came from the monster. It was a scream that came with a shockwave strong enough to break the glass on the windows and even made concrete crumble. Before I knew it, shards of glass and the dust from the concrete were dancing in the air. And as the stench of large amount of blood reached my nose, the giant dog monster distanced itself from the school building.
Meanwhile, the students behind the valkyrie who suddenly appeared were left staring dumbfounded as the monster, the very embodiment of death to them, made its retreat.
“Is everyone alright!?”
The one to ask so and then turn around was none other than Koori Rin. Whether the students knew it was her or not, they nonetheless listened to her words calmly.
“We will take care of these monsters, so just focus on composing yourselves and calmly make your escape!”
The students nodded and gave a short reply upon hearing her message. At the same time, they began moving. They were composed, as though this was all just another drill.
…this much of an effect wasn’t because of Rin-chan’s natural charisma though. No, this was because of my sin.
“Teacher, take care of everyone please!”
“Y-yes, of course”
But then, the school building suddenly shook. It didn’t feel like a shaking where a monster rammed itself against the school building, no. It was more like an earthquake happened. Rather than the school building, it felt like the very ground was shaking.
“Kurumi!”
“—yeah”
I was already running at the time my answer to her call came out of my mouth. Without hesitation, I jumped through a large hole in the wall and went outside. In an instant, I was also in Magical Attire. My uniform has transformed into green clothing that a fairy in a children’s tale might wear, with an ultramarine-colored tights underneath that reached all the way to my ankles. My shoes became sandals woven from tree bark. And atop my now-golden hair was a hair ornament with a gem affixed to it.
Rin-chan jumped out too. But I only had that suspended feeling for moment, for I felt my behind land on something stable right away.
“[Fort Hester]!!”
“Hihiiiii!!”
A white mare with a golden mane and a robust body appeared. This was Rin-chan’s Guardian Spirit. When it stamped its golden hooves against the air, it began galloping midair, leaving behind a mist-like trail of magic power.
While we were riding like that, we laid our eyes on the cityscape below.
“No…!”
Rin-chan who was seated in front of me let out a voice filled with shock. The city below was being engulfed by water at a stupendous rate. As though the water was coming all the way from the ground, it was surging upward violently.
And in the midst of this otherworldly scene was that monster, the one with the head of a dog and the body of a whale. Still bleeding from its nose, it glared at us obstinately.
Seeing its whole form, I thought it was much too large. We were in fourth story in the school building before, but that height was still just at its eye level. Worse yet, it was likely lying on its belly before. It was currently propping itself up with its limb-like fins and it easily reached a height of over 20 meters. Its total length was even more than that.
There was something else out of the ordinary other than that monster in the surface of the ‘sea’ that reached up to the second story of the school building. I saw these creatures that had the upper body of a horse and the lower body of a fish. One of them I saw biting off the head of a civilian who likely escaped to the rooftops, after which it dragged the corpse to the sea. There were so many of these horse monsters. Too many to count them all, at least. And they were attacking the civilians trapped and drowning in the sea that appeared out of nowhere.
And before I knew it, the sky was covered by a black canopy. In other words, the dungeon which the public knew nothing about was overflowing.
“—Kurumi. Let’s help everyone. And to save as many people as possible, we should exterminate these monsters.”
With her left hand firmly on the rein, Rin-chan’s eyes were burning with righteous indignation as she glared at the monsters. Especially that dog-headed one.
Her right hand meanwhile held a sword. It was single-edged longsword of simple make. Its blade was thick, wide, curved gently backward, and had a barb at the tip. However, its most distinctive feature was the runes carved on the back of the blade. Those runes were emitting a golden glow, almost like they were responding to her emotions at the moment.
Rin-chan was serious. Serious about defeating those monsters and helping the people. She must have known that that would be an uphill battle, to say the least. And yet, I was sure she would fight it nonetheless, dying on that hill if she had to. Realizing that, I naturally tightened my grip on the belt wrapped around her waist.
* * *
For me, Rin-chan was a hero. Before and even now.
If she noticed anyone was suffering, she would rush to their aid without any hesitation, cooperating with others if necessary, until the matter was resolved. That was the kind of girl she was.
With a smile always on her face, she was like the sun. Just being beside her was enough to fill me with warmth and protect me from whatever absurdity the world threw at me. That was what I used to think anyway. The turning point came around our fifth grade in elementary.
Her father was in a hit-and-run incident.
Her father had helped a junior at work with their overtime work, so he was rather late in returning home that night. On his drive home, he failed to take notice of an old woman before said woman suddenly jumped in the middle of the straight road they were in.
It was only later that he found out that the old woman was in her nineties and living by herself. Worse yet, she had multiple illnesses. The point here was that the woman’s health had deteriorated so much.
With her father driving at a speed of 60 kilometers per hour in a road with a 40 kilometer per hour limit, the old lady died easily. At this point, had he stopped his car, made efforts to help the lady, and called the police, the story might have turned out to be different, kinder. Continuing to drive a little bit, until the nearest safe location, was even acceptable. But after stopping for a few seconds to make sense of what happened, Rin-chan’s father resumed driving and escaped.
He continued driving until he reached a convenience store about 30 kilometers away from the site of the incident. He parked in the parking lot there and didn’t move for quite a while. Apparently, he sat there in a daze, his hands never leaving the driving wheel. Meanwhile, the convenience store employee had suspicions on the blood and the dent on his car and decided to call the authorities. Based on the car’s dashcam and the footage from nearby security cameras, it became clear that it was a hit-and-run.
The family of the deceased didn’t have many comments on the matter, but those around him and his family had plenty of criticisms. It wasn’t just for her father, who committed the crime and got arrested for it, that those people hurled their criticisms at. They directed those at her mother and Rin-chan herself. They did so as though it was the just and righteous thing to do.
At school, a girl who I presumed to dislike Rin-chan was the center of a bullying campaign against her. And if I was remembering things properly, the girl did so because the boy she liked was apparently interested in Rin-chan. None of the teachers helped Rin-chan back then. No one other than me did. That bizarre persecution continued for about a year. All they ever did to her was that, just bully her.
Even when I reported it to the police, all they said was that they would increase patrol rounds. And when I reported the bullying to the teachers, they would just say that they didn’t see anything. My parents were in good terms with her parents before, but after that incident, even they started saying I shouldn’t get myself involved in her family’s affairs anymore.
But then, one day, those atrocities stopped all of a sudden. That day was when Rin-chan’s father took his own life. Before that day, people kept on loudly reproaching her family, kept on throwing stuff at their windows, kept writing all sorts of obscene things about them in walls. But on that day, it was like everybody else just didn’t want to have anything to do with Rin-chan’s family.
It went from active harassment to passive ostracizing. It was like her family had become this tabooed thing, like they were something disgusting nobody wanted to touch.
Back in school, aside from the bare minimum the lessons required, nobody talked to Rin-chan.
Not long after Rin-chan’s father passed away, Rin-chan’s family moved away from that town using whatever her mother saved up from work. Soon enough, I also attended the school she transferred to. I had no desire to remain in that place either.
For all that she experienced, I wouldn’t be surprised if she acted otherwise, but even now, she was still doing what a hero would. To save the weak, to admonish the strong gone astray. To do whatever she could for people in trouble.
In fact, ‘back then’, when she was truly on the verge of dying, she was busy being a hero too.
“Kurumi?”
“…!”
Did I grab on too tightly?
For whatever reason, Rin-chan called out to me with a bewildered voice.
“…I’m gonna drop you off at the school’s rooftop. Sorry for dragging you al—”
“Stop. If you say one word more, I’ll really get angry.”
In my desire to object, I tightened my grip around her waist even more and pressed my forehead against her back.
“I…I won’t distance myself from you. We’ll be together, always.”
“…Mm. Thank you.”
Was I able to get through to her the meaning, the real meaning behind my words? Or does she think I view her as only a friend? Actually, I think I would rather have that. I don’t deserve her love. After all, I’m the one who took away her dream.
“Enchant Magic—[Saint Fortress], [Haste Maxima], [Draconic Heart]”
I applied 3 strengthening spells on her. Additionally, I used [Magic Power Barrier], which released my magic power around me to make a protective wall. This semi-transparent wall looked like a collection of light-green scales.
“I’m going to help, alright?”
“Sure. Let’s do this together! Kurumi!”
Rin-chan gave the reins a flick and we began our charge toward the dog-headed monster. As though to intercept us, the monster roared once more and bared its fangs.
Fear…there was none of it in my heart. No matter how much of a disadvantage we had, no matter how strong the enemies were, none. Not even if the whole world were to become her enemy. Everyone could die for all I cared, but not her. I wouldn’t let anything happen to her. After all, I had decided that I would be the perch she and only she could safely land on.
Taroppe-sensei(author)’s Q&A corner
Thank you for reading!
Also, please consider leaving some of your thoughts, a review, and bookmark the title over at the narou site (https://ncode.syosetu.com/n7336ie/)
Your support is appreciated and I hope you continue doing so.
Q: Why does Koori Rin’s Guardian Spirit in the form of a horse?
A: A Guardian Spirit takes on the form of whatever the master considers to be [the ideal individual they want by their side for the rest of their lives].
For Kyotaro, that meant a beautiful woman who loved him. For Low-tier Knight, it meant a fellow woman who fully accepts her. Thus, a Guardian Spirit wasn’t necessarily an ideal spouse or lover given form.
In Koori Rin’s case, the horse form of her Guardian Spirit must have some sort of wish associated with it, don’t you think?
RPGNovels 
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