12 – This world is hell.

“Then I swore an oath. I swore to avenge.”

“That.”

Kenya didn’t know.

He knew she was in the Resistance, but why was she in the Resistance?

He doesn’t know what kind of past she has and what kind of life she has lived.

Its so tragic.

I was speechless at what happened, as if it was in a story.

But I’m sure it really happened, and it was a common story in the world I used to be in not so long ago.

“Then, Kaguya is…

“Yes, I’m with the Resistance. The largest resistance group in Japan. I’m a member of Amaterasu. I undercover in the army.”

***

“Are you surprised? I’m sorry. I wasn’t going to tell you, but… I had a feeling you were something different…”

Kaguya then stands up.

“The curry was delicious. Forget about today! From tomorrow, normal… might not be possible anymore, but you have to get along with me!”

With a slightly sad voice, Kaguya gives a fake smile and tries to leave.

But Kenya holds Kaguya’s hand as she goes to the door, strongly.

Then he speaks clearly.

“I want you to let me in too. I want to join the resistance.”

“What?”

“Because I want to protect you. I want you to join the resistance. Let’s fight together.”

“What? Are you… serious…?”

“Of course.”

(That’s why I came to this world, it’s easier to protect you if you’re by my side)

Kaguya looks at me with a surprised face.

Originally, I wanted them to be my friends if possible, that’s what I thought.

But it was a path of war against an empire whose future was uncertain and whose defeat was almost certain.

Kaguya could not easily invite him to such a place.

Because what that means is like asking him to die together.

But Kenya said it of his own will.

He wanted to protect me and become a member of the resistance.

“Y-You might die, you know?”

“Better than letting (you) die.”

“Hmm, you’re weird after all. But if Kenya has his own reasons…”

Kaguya then smiled at Kenya, not with a forced smile.

“Okay, join me. Kenya.”

“Leave it to me.”

Kenya smiles back.

One of Kenya’s objectives.

Joining the resistance was achieved.

Kenya then stands up.

“Well then, let’s go.”

“Go?”

“You’re going back to Amaterasu’s stronghold, aren’t you? I’ll go with you.”

Kaguya does not live in a dormitory.

She has a fixed place to return to the home base of Amaterasu.

It was a slum that was supposed to be a two-hour drive from here.

***

“You can drive a Kaguya?”

“It’s easy, this much, compared to KOG.”

After getting into Kaguya’s car, Kenya and kaguya drove to Amaterasu’s base.

There are well-maintained roads and empty landscapes all around.

The rubble has been cleared away over the past five years, but there is nothing to stand on.

A battered light car, although not comfortable, fulfils its role well and carries two people.

“I didn’t realise they usually had cars and stuff.”

“Don’t tell me you’ve never heard of a car?”

“No, that’s not it, but.. light when compared to the KOG.”

“You don’t see many of them in the city, but outside Tokyo, they’re quite common.”

“Hmmm…”

Feeling the wind, Kenya looks outside.

The temperature is just right and it feels like spring, but there are no cherry blossoms anywhere.

An empty road stretches out, which has been cleared and landscaped.

Then Kaguya looks straight ahead and asks Kenya.

“Hey, can I ask about your past?”

“Are you interested?”

“I’d be crazy not to be curious, seeing how you can operate the KOG like that and yet not know much about the world.”

“Yeah, I guess so. ‘Yeah, I’ll tell you about it one day. But for now, can it wait?”

“.. Okay.”

Kaguya did not ask any more questions.

Kenya intends to talk about it at some point.

But he doesn’t talk about it now.

He himself doesn’t fully believe it, that he isekaied..

Kaguya, seeing Kenya’s behavior and thinking that he is acting unusual, stops talking right there.

Kaguya does not want to force him to talk about something he doesn’t want to talk about.

Since, he says he will talk about it one day.

***

“We’re here.”

A slum was spread out there.

It is a place where the population is large and the Japanese, known as the third class, live hard to survive together.

Kenya’s feelings at the sight of the place are.

–It’s a terrible place…

Kenya is from civilised country and man.

In his previous world, he had no parents, but he still lived a life without any inconvenience.

If he wanted to take a bath, he would boil a bath; if he was thirsty, he would drink water.

If he is hungry, he can find a convenience store a short walk away or a restaurant..

But Such things are not commonplace here.

As Kaguya took me into the slum, people gathered one after another.

“Ah! Kaguya-chan, you’re back!”

“I’m back!”

“Welcome back, Kaguya-chan! Let’s play later!”

“I’m home, sorry, I have something to do today.”

“Kaguya, is that your boyfriend?”

“No, not!”

Kaguya is approached by a number of people just walking around the slum.

This is the headquarters of the Resistance, and hidden in the slum is Amaterasu’s headquarters.

Everyone loves Kaguya and Kaguya loves everyone.

They all live together like a family.

“You’re very popular.”

“… Well, Everyone’s nice.”

“So where to?””

Kenya asks Kaguya, who is heading straight for his destination.

“I want to introduce you to someone.”

“Who….”

***

“I am Kaguya’s father. Kurokami Isshin, leader of Amaterasu, are you the man Kaguya cares about?”

“You care about me Kaguya? …… maybe you like me…”

“No, no! Don’t get me wrong!”

Isshin and Kenya face each other across a desk in a tatami-mat hall.

This is Amaterasu’s headquarters.

“Mm? Kaguya! Why are you sitting next to that guy! This is like an introduction to your future husband!”

“Kaguya-san asked me to introduce myself to her father to you today.”

“What this? Kaguya!”

“No, no! He wants to join Amaterasu!”

“But I have sworn to protect your daughter for the rest of her life.”

“Hey, what are you talking about?”

“Are you ready?”

“Even if it means sacrificing my life.”

“Wahh, Stop it, stop it!”

The exchange between the father and Kenya is serious.

However, Kaguya beside him is so embarrassed that her face looks like it’s about to catch fire.

“You have good eyes. Do you want to join Amaterasu?”

“Yes.”

“So Kaguya can you trust this man?”

“Yes, I …think I can trust him. At least this guy can’t spy on us.”

Isshin looks straight at Kenya.

His eyes are the eyes of a warrior who has been through many battlefields.

Isshin, who has confidence in his ability to look at people, tries to assess Kenya.

“Alright, we’ll test your aptitude in tomorrow’s mission.”

“Ah, tomorrow’s operation! Suddenly! And you’ve never done an aptitude test before!”

“It’s not Amaterasu’s. It’s a test to see if he’s fit to be myr son-in-law.”

“I will give it my all. Father.”

“I don’t remember saying you could call me father!”

“Wait, just w-why do decide on your own now …”

Kaguya holds his head.

However, Kenya’s joining Amaterasu was accepted.

His identity was unknown, but he was introduced by Kaguya, and above all, to Isshin, his eyes looked like those of a man who was prepared to do anything.

“Alright, I’ll go to the strategy meeting then. It’s late today, stay the night, Kaguya, show him around.”

“Okay.”

Then Kenya and Kaguya went to a sleepover.

I thought it was going to be a mufufu development, but that never happened at all.

“Here?”

Yes, you’re staying here today.

I was shown to the place where i’d sleep today.

“Who’s there, brother?”

“Play, play, play!”

“I’m sleepy.”

“Kaguya’s boyfriend?”

There were lots of kids there.

“Surely you didn’t imagine yourself in a luxury hotel,did you? we can’t afford that. We’re all sleeping together here.”

“Haha, here comes the big kid. I’m the auntie of this orphanage. called Yoshie-san.”

Then, a woman from the dining room, who looks like she could fit in with a giant rice scoop, walks into the room.

She is wearing a kappo-gi and looks like a mother.

That day, he decides to sleep with the children squirming around.

“Sorry, hard to sleep?”

“Oh, someone’s arse is in my hand… ugggh!”

“It’s mine!”

“Hey, does Kaguya sleep here every day?”

“Not every day, but because all the kids here lost their families in the war. As much as possible… you know.”

Her face even looked like the Virgin Mary in the dark room.

She plays with everyone until they go to bed, and when they sleep, she sleeps with them gently.

She even looks like a mother.

Beside her, she was tucking in a young child, patting him to sleep.

“I see,… good night.”

“Good night.”

The next day.

(My back hurts…)

Kenya woke up with many others in a room where it was not very easy to sleep.

(It’s just like a school trip…).

The children were sleeping around Kenya when he woke up, with their futons lined up in a row.

“This little girl.. I think her name was Azusa?”

He then stroked the hair of a little girl sleeping beside him.

She is probably only about six years old, and it’s hard to believe that she has no parents at such a young age.

Kenya understands how it feels painfully.

Kenya, who has lost his own parents, understands how these children feel when they are at an age when they want to be pampered and have no parents.

“Papa…”

The girl held Kenya’s hand and hugged him.

“Haha, Hey, I’m still in high schooler.”

She calls me Papa.

He laughs a little, wondering if she has mistaken Kenya, who sleeps beside him, for a father.

But with the following words, he understands what it means.

“Papa…don’t go… leave me Azusa..”

His hand, which she holds tightly, is small and trembling.

Tears flow down her face and she grips Kenya’s hand more strongly.

The smile disappears from Kenya when he saw this.

Kenya remembers.

This is an orphanage, this child’s father is already dead.

He blames himself for laughing so shallowly as soon as he realises this.

“Nn-ohayo… Kenya oni-chan, what’s wrong? Aren’t you getting up?”

“Sorry, I just want to do this for a little while longer now.”

Kenya held the girl’s hand and gently patted her head.

Little by little, Kenya was realising.

This world.

It still felt like a game and fluffy, but each person had their own story, and that made it feel real.

“This world is awful… really.”

When I first came here, I thought i came to the best world.

Now Kenya feels only one thing about this world.

This world.

This world where so many people are dying in war.

Hell.

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