Chapter 168

Episode 165: Don’t Lose! This is the Time to Show the Pride of S Rank!

Deafening applause echoes through the theater.

(Wh-what is this?!)

Ryuko alone remained sane in that space.

Was it because she was S Rank, or was it thanks to Solciera, the girl sitting next to her?

The people around seemed to be enjoying the performance.

Their plastered-on smiles and the unnaturally rhythmic clapping felt like a poorly made movie scene.

Clearly, this was an abnormal space.

(Baltius can’t inherit the dragon position for some reason… and there are too many people here to cause a commotion.)

Until just now, there were still ways to act.

She had some freedom, and Ryuko had room to intervene.

But now, things were different.

Despite being S Rank, she was nothing more than an audience member here.

“–Stay back, I say!”

A shout rang out.

Looking over, a scholar was yelling and frantically waving their arms.

It was a pitiful sight, as if trying to swat something away or fleeing from an unseen foe.

Even Ryuko, who had been an adversary, winced at how ugly their attitude was.

“What are you?! Stay away from me! From this scholar!”

The scholar continued moving about desperately on the stage alone.

That’s right, alone.

“I-I won’t let you defy me! I am superior to all of you! Definitely!”

Pointing at nothingness, the scholar cried out.

They kept snapping their fingers repeatedly.

This was the signal they used to activate their ability.

Presumably, the scholar possessed a similar power to Reiko Hyououdou.

But nothing happened. All that could be heard was the scholar’s heavy breathing and strained voice.

“I-I… I…”

Facing empty air, the scholar widened their eyes.

There should have been nothing there.

However, the scholar collapsed where they stood and began retreating backward while flailing their arms wildly.

“Stay back, p-please stop!”

Their face was already a mess of tears and snot, all traces of their previous intellectual arrogance gone.

(Right… even by S Rank standards…)

Ryuko glanced sideways at the girl next to her.

This situation was caused by Solciera.

Naturally, the current state of the scholar must also be related to Solciera.

Then Ryuko remembered.

“–Enemy or good neighbor?”

With that question, the scholar had been teleported onto the stage.

So, what would have happened if she had chosen enemy back then?

(…C-cool it…)

Ryuko shook her head to dispel such thoughts.

(Still, other than me, everyone at S Rank must be crazy. Yep. I thought maybe we could get along as girls, but no way. Solciera is terrifying.)

Praising herself for not choosing enemy, Ryuko firmly resolved never to get involved with Solciera, no matter how much reward was offered.

Watching the scholar pathetically fleeing on stage only reinforced this resolve.

“Our power shouldn’t be trampled by such vulgar beings, don’t you think?”

“Eh!? Ah, Yes Ma’am!”

Suddenly addressed by the monster, Ryuko responded with a strained voice, her spine stiff and her face drenched in sweat.

“Abilities represent one’s life journey and will. Such unique brilliance should not be violated by anyone. Don’t you think trying to steal a star’s light is tasteless?”

“…Absolutely Correct.”

(Damn. Can’t tell if Solciera is in a good mood or bad. For now, just keep saying yes.)

While listening to Solciera’s words, Ryuko watched the scholar writhing on stage instead of making eye contact.

This was far better than meeting Solciera’s gaze.

“Transgressing taboos without asking for forgiveness or showing arrogance… it was so ugly, I just wanted to take care of them.”

“…Yes.”

“Fufu, truly foolish and cute… ”

(H-hieee! Solciera is scary! She’s definitely terrifying in private too. Probably has several slaves taking care of her, and if they displease her, she takes them to a punishment room!)

In Ryuko’s mind, Solciera had become a terrifying presence.

For some reason, she had been instilled with the same level of trauma as the scholar.

“…Ah, by the way, about that clone?”

As if remembering something, Solciera spoke.

Ryuko couldn’t bring herself to look at her.

“Is it scheduled to be handed over to the Board of Directors?”

“Yes, it is.”

“See.”

Again, only the scholar’s screams echoed around them.

In the midst of it, Ryuko hesitantly asked Solciera.

“Um, are you planning to target it too?”

“Hardly. It has no value. I’ve said it before, it’s taboo. A forbidden realm that shouldn’t be trespassed. How should we handle the life created within that? Interesting question.”

Solciera said this with a twisted smile.

From her past actions, Ryuko quickly arrived at one answer.

Or perhaps her thinking was being guided that way.

“…Are you going to kill it?”

“If I said yes?”

“I’ll stop you.”

Without hesitation, Ryuko replied.

Her eyes still held a strong trace of fear.

Completely disadvantaged in enemy territory.

Undoubtedly inferior to the absolute monster before her.

But none of that mattered.

“Think you can win?”

“If I’m doing it, I’ll do it with everything I’ve got. …But frankly, even if I lose, it’s fine. Watatori Ryuko stayed a good person till the end. Never abandoned anyone, and remained a proper human being. If I can say that proudly, that’s enough for me.”

At her core, Ryuko valued “liking herself”.

If it could be resolved by herself, she’d surrender immediately.

She’d lick boots and drink muddy water while crying.

But if someone else became a victim, Ryuko would resist with all her might.

Because receiving the label of abandonment was worse than death for her.

(Dying for someone else… yep, that’s pretty cool.)

Though somewhat warped, this self-centered mentality surprisingly resembled Rokuhara’s.

Which was why she often made similar choices in critical moments.

Like choosing to fight Solciera.

(I’ll lose if I fight. …But at least I’ll end up as a cool person who fought for others till the end. So no problem.)

From an outsider’s perspective, it was an incomprehensible emotional process, but Ryuko had made her resolution.

Looking at her, Solciera softened her expression slightly.

Unlike her usual frightening smile, this one was somewhat gentle.

(Ah, beautiful…)

“It’s a joke. I have no intention of fighting you. At least not now… But I’ll give you a warning.”

Solciera continued speaking.

“If you hand over that clone, it’ll likely be euthanized. To the Board of Directors, it’s an unnecessary existence.”

“…Huh?”

“Isn’t that reasonable? An S Rank weapon. There’s no point keeping it around. The risks outweigh the benefits.”

Ryuko tried to argue but closed her mouth.

She understood the risks of an S Rank clone.

Dissecting it might provide clues for mass-producing S Ranks.

If that happened, many organizations would target Rei regardless of the consequences.

“…So what should I do?”

“That’s your problem. Figure it out yourself.”

With that, Solciera stood up.

Everyone else followed suit, smiling and applauding the scholar with synchronized claps.

The theater shook from the thunderous applause.

Receiving all that applause, the scholar looked around wildly and screamed.

“Aaaaaah! Stop it! Don’t look at me! Stop it, stop it, stop it, stop it, stop it–”

The scholar clawed at their head, fell multiple times, and finally ran off the stage bumping into walls.

Their bruised face and messy hair bore no resemblance to the scholar seen earlier.

They were no longer the same person.

“Well, I should go. Need to reward her for her splendid performance on stage.”

(Certainly the worst kind of reward… probably something like “Had fun, now I’ll kill you”.)

Ryuko nodded with a pale face.

“Anyway, leave the rest to you. The real Reiko Hyououdou is beyond that door.”

“Eh?”

Their eyes met.

In Solciera’s blue eyes, geometric patterns floated.

“N-no way, M-magic Eyes–”

“Another time.”

A flash of light forced Ryuko to close her eyes momentarily.

When she opened them again, Solciera was gone.

The audience who had been clapping was nowhere to be seen.

What had been a vast theater had transformed into something much smaller.

“Eh… wha–”

Confused, Ryuko looked around.

Then she spotted familiar blue hair in the seat in front.

Relieved, Ryuko hurried over and smiled.

“She’s still asleep.”

The girl called a taboo slept soundly.

Her face looked like she was having a happy dream.

[End]