class of magic. There is a limit to how much of a good guy he can be. Or maybe, there is a special reason as to why he has to do that. I look at Shiro with half-opened eyes. What? Said Shiro, to which I reply. I was pondering about whether you are a fool or you are having special circumstances. Ah? Never mind. Well, seems like the real thing is starting. I say. I look out the window with half-opened eyes. From afar, along with a roaring noise, there are five transport helicopters flying towards here. We are going to move. To Kanagawa Prefecture where the diseased girl is. Pahn Pahn, Honjou-sensei knocks on the blackboard twice and says. Al~right, were halfway through the fifth-hour period. Well finish the remaining half while moving to the actual ground. Everyone, are you ready? On hearing that, my classmates remain quiet with nervous-looking faces. Gunjou stands up and puffs out her chest. Huh, who do you think I am? Im the genius Mizuiro Gunjou right? I was already ready since the day I was born. What a liar. Didnt you just puke from being nervous? Shiro then says. To his two pals behind. All right, lets go. Well win this time. And brings up his palm. Lets do this. Endou Yousuke meets his hand with a slap. Ill do my best. Yuuyami Himi also lightly slaps his hand in a timid way. Finally, Shiro turns his terribly gloomy looking palm towards me. You too. Even though your friendship was bought with money, were a team right now. Please look out for me. ...... dont tell me you want me to hi-five you? Yeah. You would have to excuse me due to religious reasons. Go to hell. Shiro laughs. And Gunjou is looking at the both of us. Glaring at me. I grin stupidly with half-opened eyes. Even as I smile, the situation continues to advance. There is not much time left before the time limit will be up. Honjou-sensei says. Now now, lets get going! Everyone, leave the classroom and board the choppers! And thus, we started moving towards Kanagawa Prefecture. ♦ 13:03 PM 1 hour 27 minutes left before the diseased girl turns into an 《Eternal Labyrinth》 The transport helicopters lifted off with adolescent guys and girls packed into them. Vibration. Roaring noise. The tension from my classmates. The journey from Kichijou, Tokyo, to Yokohama, Kanagawa Prefecture, by helicopters should take only about fifteen minutes but, for some reason, it seems like a long journey. Beside me, sat Shiros buddy, Yuuyami Himi. With a black ponytail. And timid-looking, down-turned eyes. Himi calls out to me. E-Erm...... I pretended to not hear her soft voice over the roar of the helicopter and did not answer. Himi then starts, Ah...... And then goes quiet. She hangs her head, looking troubled. After a few minutes of silence, Erm. She once again calls out to me, this time with a slightly louder voice. I turn my half-opened eyes to Himi and say. Im actually ignoring you. Eh...... ah, sorry. So, what is it? Erm, I mean...... I was wondering, Arisu-kun, are you already used to raiding labyrinths? Why did you think that? Well, its because you look very calm. Is that so? Yeah. Youve been grinning all this while. Haha, more like smirking...... perhaps. So, does that mean youre not afraid? Himi asks, looking at me. Fear is reflected from her eyes. Im not afraid? It is difficult to answer that. There is no way that I will not be afraid to go to a place where I might die. I too fear dying like anyone else. But, I have gotten used to that. As I have been continuing to set foot in places where I might die, my senses have become numb and I have gotten used to it. But it is not like my fear had disappeared. I am merely used to it. I am merely used to walking together with fear. I am just used to grinning like a fool, shrugging it off. I continue grinning stupidly without answering, and Himi continues. I-Im afraid. Even though this is already my third raid, I still...... Is that so? But isnt that normal? But, people like Gunjou-san, Shiro-san and Yousuke-kun seem to remain unbothered by it, and yet, Im so afraid that its unbecoming...... At the very least, I had seen Gujou vomit in the toilet so I do not think anyone would be able to remain unbothered. Well, it might just be a matter of degree. Himi is extremely afraid. I wonder whether it is because of her strong sensitivity towards fear. But that is not a bad thing. The type that has strong sensitivity, gets a boost in their capabilities in sensory and support classes of magic. And she has a full-support configuration in her cursed song selection. Which means that she might provide a good amount of power in those. I say to her. You know. Ah, yes. I understand that youre afraid, but what good will it do to tell me that? Ah, ah, I-Im sorry...... because weve never talked before despite being in the same team...... So? Erm, I might not be of much help but, since youre someone whom Shiro-san relies on, you must be a really amazing person. I look hard at her with half-opened eyes. So, as a full-support member, I will provide support to you with everything I got, so please take care of me, thats what...... I wanted to say...... I stare at her with half-opened eyes. ...... I-Im sorry...... did I do something that made you angry? She says with a face that seems to be on the verge of tears, to which I reply. No. From the beginning, I have always had this face. Ah, Im sorry. Well I get it. Do help me out when I need support. Y-Yes! Then, can I make my very first request for now? Yes, whatll it be? Said Himi happily, to which I say. I feel gloomy while were on the move, so can you dont talk to me like youre a friend of mine? Ah...... This time, from behind Himi whose face is in shock, Mr. Glasses speaks up. His eyes behind those glasses are sharp. Endou Yousuke is his name right? Looking at me, he says. Hey hey, dont bully Himi. Hn? And also, youre a pretty unpleasant guy. Whats wrong with you? Is there any benefit you can get from having an attitude that makes others hate you? I look up, at Yousuke with a thin smile on my face. At the very least, I can spend my off days quietly. Haha, because you lack friends? Thats right. Then, why dont we hang out together next time? After all, were now teammates. We can go watch a movie on Sunday, and then chit-chat at a family restaurant. What kind of creepy thing is that? Dont sweat the small stuff. Anyhow, in order for us to hang out together on our rest days --- Yousuke then holds out his hand. And he then says. Lets all survive this. Im on all-defense, so Ill do everything in my power to not let any of my teammates die. Please take care of me, Shinnosuke. Yousuke further goes on to take Himis hand and put it above his. And further goes on to say to Shiro behind, Hey Shiro ~. Come over here. Lets do another huddle before it starts. Hn ~? Shiros face pokes out and after looking at Yousuke and Himi, he piles his hand onto theirs. I then wearily say to the trio who are hard-selling me with their piled up hands. Erm, I thought about this as well during the hi-five session, can you guys stop this kind of harassing act? Shiro then smiles and says. Shut up, just put your hand on top. I already paid you six million, didnt I? My hand was grabbed out of my own volition. And with the hands of four people put together, one on top of another. Yousuke says. Well, leader. Your speech please. Shiro nods and says. Well definitely win this time. The labyrinth difficulty is low. Therell be no casualties, and well get our hands on everything. Lets all survive and return, everyone! And then, the three team members of Shiros team answer. Yeah! Yes! Crap, youre noisy ~ At that moment, the helicopter starts descending. At last, labyrinth infiltration is about to begin. There is about one hour left before the time limit will be up. If we fail to kill the girl, three million people might be sacrificed. That is why we cannot fail. We will kill the diseased girl in that remaining hour --- and save the world. ♦ It started. The time started. The last hour used for killing the girl started. ............ I take a deep breath in my seat. Snap, snap, snap, I slowly snap my fingers, so slow to the point that it seems like my Headphone Fuzz《 Intra-Cerebral Magic Activator 》 will not even activate. In order to calm my heart. In order to calm my brain waves. I move my finger, following the rhythm and the beat, and match my heartbeat to them. But still, my heart cannot seem to calm down. Perhaps it is because of the tension of the other classmates in the helicopter that has spread to me, I am feeling strange and just cannot calm down, ...... haha, I wonder whether it is because Im pretty nervous myself. I laugh at myself, by myself. In the helicopter, there are some who are on the verge of tears. Some who are forcing themselves to laugh. Some who have turned their heads to the sky with their eyes closed. And some who are wearing vacant expressions, murmuring to themselves, though there should only be a few more minutes left to do that. I wave my finger. I order my Headphone Fuzz《 Intra-Cerebral Magic Activator 》 to display the time limit before the diseased girl becomes a 《Complete Labyrinth》, which I had input beforehand. Upon doing that, a blinking light appears in my mind, showing that there is one hour and five minutes left. In other words, in another five minutes, we will infiltrate the labyrinth. Five minutes. I mutter. The time limit disappears. From inside the helicopter, came Gunjous voice. ...... here it comes! I look at her with half-opened eyes. Gunjous nervous but yet determined face comes into my view. Beyond her, the rear of the helicopter starts opening slowly. Instantly, as a gust of wind and a roaring noise enter, the sight of a blue sky comes into view. Even though a sound insulating function derived from a magic technology brought back from a labyrinth should be running inside the helicopter, it is still pretty noisy. The sound of the wind. The sound of the propellers. How high are we in altitude right now, I wonder. We should not have flown to too low a place. Since the labyrinth diseases contagious area extends even upwards into the air, the helicopter should be flying at an altitude where it would not come into contact with that area. Honjou-sensei stands up and raises her voice to pierce through the sound of wind that is blowing in. Now ~, its finally time to kill the girl! Itll be fine! If you deal with it calmly, it should an easy win for you! Mizuiro Gunjou turns around and adds after her. Of course! If you all follow me, there wont be a problem, so everyone, just trust me and itll be smooth sailing! Different from the nervous face she showed for an instant just now and the weak girl who puked in the toilet, her current expression is one of haughtiness, resoluteness, and full of confidence and composure. But that is probably just an act. Or she is performing self-suggestion on herself. I look at her face with a grin. Gunjou glares back at me and as expected, a smile surfaces on her as she says. Listen up everyone! Well win this time too! We wont let Shiro and the rest who dont listen to me do a thing. We will! It is us who will! Clear this labyrinth and become saviors! At the same time she says that, the angle of the helicopter changes and the land below comes into sight. The scenery of Yokohama, Kanagawa Prefecture, which has been transformed into a labyrinth. Twelve levels above ground. Fifteen levels below ground. I know that much but, from the looks of it, it seems to be as large as fifty kilometers in radius. A gigantic school looking more like a mountain range has appeared. Everything within that area has become the labyrinth. And with that kind of scale, if we fail, three million people or more will probably die. The students clearly waver on seeing the labyrinth. Naturally. It is not often that one can get to see a labyrinth that gigantic. And also, it is said that the difficulty of a labyrinth is correlated to its scale many a times. I-Its impossible for us...... A guy just diagonal of me, trembles as he says that. The vibes of fear immediately spread. The girl beside me is on the verge of tears and says. I-I...... didnt hear anything about it being this big...... However, that budding fear is immediately dealt with. Dont waver, idiots! It is the angry cry of Gunjou. Didnt you hear what Sensei told us? The difficulty of the labyrinth is 0.4! Thats like taking a walk in the park! If you listen to what I say, we can clear it even while humming a song! So now, everyone, look at me! Pahn, Pahn, Gunjou slaps her hands together. The students look at Gunjou. As before, she says with a great amount of composure. Now, lets ascertain this again before we go! Who is your leader? Who is the one who can protect you? One of the students then answers. ...... i-its Mizuiro Gunjou-sama. Eh? I cant hear you? Who is it? Its the genius, Mizuiro Gunjou-sama! Gunjou nods with a look of satisfaction, grins and says. Then, theres nothing to fear. Dont shiver. Dont be afraid. As long as you follow me, all of you will be fine! Our team will once again kill the girl and clear the labyrinth! She proclaims, clenching her fist. The atmosphere in the helicopter then changes. Gunjou has dispelled the anxiety of everybody and captured the hearts of the students in an instant. I look intently at Gunjou, and smirk. ...... taking on the responsibility of the lives of others, its no wonder you puked in the toilet. Shiro then speaks from beside me. Shinnosuke. What is it, Shiro? Its about time. Thats right. Even though that arrogant girl said that, were going to win this time. So please do your job. I smirk as I look at Shiro. Shiro is also nervous. Well, I plan to do six million yens worth of work though. Do more. Then pay me ten million. Aah? Shiro glares at me, then smiles. Well whatever. Im expecting good things from you. And also...... hey Himi. Yousuke. Yes. Uhn. The two of them reply. Shiro says. Lets go over the strategy for the last time. The point of intrusion for our class 5 is the corridor of the first floor. However, it has been determined that the corridor has been rigged with a trap of endless corridors, so moving along the corridor will lead us to nowhere. So well enter the infirmary, break through the window and get out into the schoolyard. Then, from the school gate, well re-enter the building via the stairs that lead to the basement --- I interrupt and say. If the members here need to have things explained to them again at this point in time, then its better for them to just escape right away right? They cant win anyway. Anyone who cant remember the map by now should just die. Shiro looks at me. And after looking back at the other two, he smiles. Like what he said. Well, if its you guys, it should be fine I guess. Himi says fearfully. I-Ill do my best. Yousuke pushes his glasses up with his finger and says. Of course well be fine. The map this time isnt complicated and in the first place the difficulty level isnt high. The only problem is whether well lose to Gunjou or not, isnt it? Shiro nods. Thats right. Then the only thing thats left to be decided is our formation. Shiro will take the lead, and protect Himi whos in charge of support, and Ill take the rear like always, but what position will this shitty, wisecracking transfer student take? Yousuke points at me, to which I ask. Who are you calling wisecracking transfer student? Who else but you? Eeh ~ I smirk. While smiling wryly, Shiro says. Shinnosukell be at the front as well. Beside me, and will protect Himi with me. Its troublesome but fine. All right. Then, once we infiltrate the labyrinth, well start running at full speed. Faster than anyone else, until we reach the diseased girl in the toilet at the eighth basement level within twenty minutes. Well then use twenty minutes to kill the girl. The rest of the twenty minutes will be our buffer time. All right? Fine. Its a pretty straightforward strategy though. Yousuke was the one who answered to that. We cant afford the time for a convoluted plan for clearing an easy labyrinth, can we? Otherwise, we wont be able to compete with Gunjou. I then turn my sight towards Gunjou who is giving orders to the other classmates in a high and mighty manner as usual, and asks Shiro. Will Gunjou do anything to hinder us? I doubt that even she will do something like that. The number of victims will be tremendous if we fail. She wont be able to afford to do something like...... Hindering our progress? Yeah. How tranquil. As expected of Japan. Hn? Shiro looks at me. I shrug my shoulders and reply. Nothing. However, the world is actually filled with people who would even kill their allies, not caring about sacrificing the lives of others, just for their own selfish gains. Gunjou will not hinder us. Gunjou will not hinder us. In other words, she is just, A rich lady living in a peaceful country. I murmur with a foolish smile, which should not be audible to her over the loud roar of the helicopter but yet, she turns to look at me. Pointing her finger at me, she says. Ill let the transfer student know my true power! ...... haha, you should just go play some sports, mlady. Eh? Ah-hahaha. Hey! I cant hear you over the loud noise of the propeller. If you have something to say, say it loudly! I smile and gently wave my hand. Maybe it is because my feelings have reached her with that, her almond-shaped eyes curl up even further. Ill kill you! She hollers. With that, it is time. Honjou-sensei says in a loud voice. Its time! Right now, were flying above the labyrinth! Prepare your intrusion magic. Intrusion magic is a magic used for invading any labyrinth and it is a magic that has been loaded into a Headphone Fuzz《 Intra-Cerebral Magic Activator 》 right from the beginning. It is a magic that does not require much space in the brain to use and can even be used by idiots. When one uses this magic close to the labyrinth one wants to invade, he or she will be transported inside the labyrinth to the intrusion coordinates designated by a laser beforehand. This time, with the laser from the helicopter beaming on the destination coordinates, our class 5 is supposed to be transported to the corridor on the first floor of this school-like labyrinth. By the way, people like Kiryuu Kiri in other classes should be transported to different locations and are supposed to head towards the diseased girl via different routes. I snap my fingers once. A cursed song starts playing lightly in my Headphone Fuzz《 Intra-Cerebral Magic Activator 》. 《Intrude, Infiltrate, Illegal Intrusion ♪ Intrude, Infiltrate ———》 The intrusion magic in my brain has been activated. The coordinates appear at the back of my retina. All that is left to do is just to chant the incantation that will trigger the infiltration, and in the next instant, I should appear inside the labyrinth. Honjou-sensei says. Not yet. You cant go yet. Put on your armbands. Armbands? While I cock my head to the side, the other students start putting on their armbands. From beside me, Shiro hands me a white armband. I forgot to pass it to you. Here, Shinnosuke. Put this on. Whats this? This is the proof that you are a comrade of this class. I take the armband. 『Class 5』 is written on the armband. It is indeed something that will identify me as a member of this class. On top of that, below the words 『Class 5』 are twenty red ☆ marks. Honjou-sensei says. Those stars represent the number of classmates in the labyrinth. Whenever someone dies or Escapes, a star will disappear. In other words, it is for me to verify how many of my classmates are left in the labyrinth. By the way, Escape is also a magic that has been loaded in a Headphone Fuzz《 Intra-Cerebral Magic Activator 》 right from the beginning, together with Intrusion as a pair. It is a magic used to forcibly bail out of the labyrinth. It can be used to eject yourself and one other person in your nearby vicinity out of the labyrinth at the same time. To put it in another way, if your Headphone Fuzz《 Intra-Cerebral Magic Activator 》 gets broken in the labyrinth, then you will not be able to escape without the help of an ally. That is why having friends is important. And this armband displays the number of those friends. Honjou-sensei continues. Ive always said this but, if four stars were to disappear, it would be impossible to kill the girl so give up on the raid if that happens. Understand? Yes, answered the students. However, it is not something that can be said lightly. This time, the labyrinth raid is of a different nature from that of an 《Eternal Labyrinth》, which will be raided purely for selfish gains. This is a diseased girls labyrinth whereby the lives of a few million people living in Kanagawa Prefecture are at stake. If we fail and escape, it will mean that we have abandoned the lives of those few million people. Sensei smiles and says. Well, since the labyrinth this time has a difficulty level of 0.4, I dont expect anyone to...... Gunjou cuts her off and says. Please immediately expel any trash who escapes from such a labyrinth. The students laugh. They laugh nervously. Sensei smiles at that and then says. Well then, fifteen more seconds to go ~. Our class is going to win again this time. Dont let the other classes get the credit. Ten more seconds. Gunjou yells. Everyone! Once we are in the labyrinth, lets head straight to the end goal! If anyone gets left behind, were going to beat him up later! Go with this in mind! Five more seconds. Shiro pats me on my back. And also on Himis back. And also on Yousukes back. And then says. All right, lets do it guys. Do your best. Yes. Orh! ............ I didnt answer. One more second. Sensei says. Now go!! All at once, the students murmur. Dive switch. Dive switch. Dive switch. That was the trigger code for activating that cursed song used for intrusion and which is now overflowing in our brains. One by one, the students disappeared, and were transported into the labyrinth. I look on with half-opened eyes, then finally put on that armband. The armband has 『Class 5』 written on it. Ha, Im a comrade of class 5 huh. I sneer softly, then widen my eyes slightly, and murmur the trigger code for activating the curse that is overflowing in my brain. ...... Dive switch. Instantly. My body is disassembled, and I am transported into the labyrinth
Posted on: Wed, 19 Mar 2014 04:52:49 +0000
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