…I walked around the compass a bit, but it definitely pointed at me.
Even when I tried to feint with some side-to-side jumps, it unfailingly pointed at me.
…Alright.
Let’s think this through.
What does this mean?
First possibility:
I am an Origin!
This theory… I have absolutely no awareness of such a thing. And if I were the Origin, then the people around me would understandably lose their vitality, which isn’t the case. So, this doesn’t fit.
Second possibility:
My “sharing” with the Origin has caused some change. This seems somewhat plausible, but then again, there’s a question. No one else could “share” with the Origin in the first place. It feels like there’s a more fundamental difference that exists before that.
Third possibility:
I currently possess the Origin. …This would mean, without my awareness. Because right now, I don’t… or rather, I am not aware of possessing anything. Although I don’t possess anything, the compass needle stalks me as though I do.
…There’s evidence that makes me think this might be the case.
The fact that I’m the only one with no adjustments and the fact that the Origin cannot be stored in a classroom. This means the Origin cannot be stored like food or equipment inside the classroom, and be turned into a jewel. The Origin always ends up outside, so it cannot be stored.
And then… the feeling that there’s something inside me.
Sometimes in my dreams, a legless mannequin with four arms and parts of its face replaced with glass appears. That is… probably inside me. Probably.
If that’s the case, doesn’t this explain… the answer to this question?
“What happened to the things that were at the location where the classroom appeared when we came to this world?”
Were they crushed by the classroom? No, that doesn’t seem right. There was no evidence of that.
So, did they disappear?
But, what if the Origin was there? Especially if a person appeared exactly there.
…
I thought about it.
Should I tell everyone about this? Or keep it to myself?
…Yeah. Yeah, that’s right. Yeah.
Alright. The me from before would have definitely pretended not to see this, but unfortunately, the current me has already “shared” too many significant things.
“Can I have a moment?”
I knocked on the door of the chemistry lecture room and opened it a bit when I heard Toriumi’s response.
Ah, some people are already asleep. Sorry about that.
“…What?”
Although Hagasaki-kun, already in bed, gave me a displeased look, I hope he’ll forgive me because this is quite serious.
“I have something to discuss.”
I took out the compass from my pocket.
“This needle, it’s pointing at me.”
Hagasaki-kun sprung up. Katori woke up too. Hariu didn’t wake up. Impressive!
Even Hariu was woken up.
Sorry. I’m sorry for waking you up when you were sleeping so comfortably.
“I see. But there’s no way to be sure if that’s really the case.”
After explaining the situation to everyone, they all had grim expressions. Yes, it added an element of uncertainty.
“…By the way, how were you guys figuring out the remaining number of Origins?”
Even if you could tell if it was 0 or more at the temple, you wouldn’t know the difference between 1 and 2 or more.
“Each time an Origin was destroyed, you know? It would show us with its finger,” Katori said, raising a single index finger. …It seems “Origin-san” refers to that mannequin.
“And the last Origin that was eliminated?”
“Two fingers.”
…The question is whether one of those two includes the actual Origin itself.
“So what? If Maito and that Origin are counted, does that mean if Maito leaves, we lose our pipeline for sending this world’s magical power to our world?”
“There’s no way to confirm, but it seems likely.”
Ah, I have a bad feeling about this.
“…Hey, Kadomi-kun, Kadomi-kun, what are you doing? Maito is getting scared. Stop it.”
“Dissect and extract the Origin.”
Kadomi-kun came staggering over with a sword.
Oh, oh no! Stop, stop it! If it could come out through dissection, it would have come out long ago!
“No, I think there might be one left because the compass points in directions other than Maito,” said Toriumi, making me instinctively hide behind him for escape. Relieved by what Toriumi said, Kadomi-kun felt at ease.
“…I see.”
Kadomi-kun seemed reassured and sheathed his sword, allowing me to relax as well.
“Then, Maito doesn’t have to worry too much?”
Suzumoto said that, so for now, I decided not to worry.
After all, discussing it helped me understand things I didn’t know before.
…Though I’m sorry for waking everyone up.
“Still, I’m a bit happy,” said Hariu, smiling.
“Maito-san never used to talk about these things with us before.”
And then, chuckling, he started rolling around in his futon.
He kept rolling until he ended up on top of Kariya and stopped.
“Indeed, being consulted like this feels like a first.”
…Is that so?
“I’m glad you mentioned it. We never know what issues may arise in the future.”
“Yes.”
Anyway, the takeaway is, it was good to talk about it.
After finishing the discussion and stepping outside, I found Ketorami-san had been patiently waiting.
[Late.]
“Sorry, sorry.”
After patting him down with a duster and getting cleaned up, I ended up buried in Ketorami-san. Ah, happiness.
[You’re planning to go back for good this time, right?]
“That’s the plan.”
Looking away, Ketorami-san seemed indifferent.
[It’s annoying having you loiter around forever. Just go back already.]
Oh, okay… Uh, so, about this tail…
…Goodnight.
When I wake up, I’ll make breakfast.
Today’s breakfast is Japanese style.
Rice with fish, spinach with sesame dressing, clear soup with bamboo shoots, and pickles.
Sometimes, a simple meal is nice.
You can choose from simmered fish, grilled with salt, miso-marinated, or sweetly dried with mirin.
My recommendation is the sweetly dried fish. It’s sweet and delicious. Just be careful not to burn it while cooking.
After breakfast, I went to see senpai.
“At last, you’ve come.”
Senpai was elegantly seated at the table, sipping tea.
The maid dolls I had left with Senpai were diligently serving.
“We’re ready, so we’d like to ask you to explain to all the students,” President said, and Senpai smiled mischievously, clearly pleased.
“Understood. What should I explain? Is there a strategy or something?”
As I watched President and Senpai start their conversation, someone tapped me on the shoulder from behind.
Turning around, I felt fingers squishing my cheek.
“Senpai!”
It was Hanamura. I was completely taken by surprise.
“What’s up?”
“I came to say thank you! I heard that my revival was ultimately thanks to Maito-senpai! Thank you very much!”
Oh, how polite and conscientious.
Such a good kid.
“You should thank Utawaga; she’s the one who actually did the work.”
“I’ve already thanked her about 100 times!”
I see, so that’s why Utawaga said, “It originally started with Maito.” Namu.
“That’s right. Probably after breakfast, Itoigawa-senpai will tell you, but since it will get crowded, come get your equipment first.”
The equipment for people I knew was made with them in mind.
I intended to put a considerable effort into the equipment for George-san and the Deichemoore group.
…Don’t call this unfair.
I do the minimum for everyone, but beyond that, I can’t make it equal.
Especially since they’re planning to fight without much combat experience, it’s only right to prepare their equipment.
“Yay, thank you! I’ll come with the other Senpais after breakfast!”
Then, Hanamura bounced back.
Now, I guess I should go back in preparation for those coming to get their equipment.
When the maid dolls started cleaning up, Hanamura and the Deichemoore group arrived.
“Sorry to bother you, but you made equipment for me too?”
George-san came over, looking somewhat embarrassed. Really, my impression of this person has changed too many times!
…He’s going back to being a high school boy, huh? That’s a bit awkward!
“Here’s yours, George-san. And Sagara-kun, this one’s for you. Make sure to get your armor later.”
As I distributed the equipment, Hanamura exclaimed in admiration.
“Wow! Such detailed embroidery! Did you do this, senpai?”
“Yeah, well, I am the ‘Head Maid’ after all.”
Hanamura’s equipment had lots of flower embroidery. I worked as hard on it as I did on Suzumoto’s phoenix motif.
“The armor and shields are over here.”
Toriumi, who had come back, handed Sagara-kun his armor and hammer. It seems a significant part of this was managed through “duplication.”
Well, it’s not like the labor for each piece of non-fabric equipment is trivial.
If it only decreases performance by 1%, I think it’s fine.
“Mai-to! Mai-to!”
The drama club members also arrived while I was distributing equipment to the Deichemoore group.
“Which one’s mine? Which?”
Akashi’s eyes sparkled, so I handed her equipment.
…It’s like something out of a monster princess tale.
Though it exposes a lot, the detailed “embroidery” ensures its defense isn’t compromised.
I had asked the drama club members about their “Scenarios” beforehand, so their costumes matched.
Since the drama club has many magic users, as someone who makes fabric products, it was quite rewarding to devise their outfits.
Akashi began to try on her equipment right there, so I promptly ushered her inside the classroom.
Around the time the drama club members went to get their metal equipment, Homura and his group arrived.
“Heyyy! How’s it going!?”
Not as energetic as you.
I mean, Homura was one of the people who had been dead until recently, but he’s surprisingly lively.
…Is this what they call a rebound? A reaction?
As if Homura’s soul or something was whispering to him to release the energy he couldn’t while he was dead.
“I’ve bundled yours together.”
Why? Because if he stays around too much, he drains my energy.
“Thanks! Wow, awesome! What is this, amazing!”
“Really!? Wow, it really is! Amazing!”
These guys communicate almost exclusively with “really” and “amazing!” Amazing!
As Homura and his group passed by like a typhoon, an announcement, perhaps through some “amplification” magic, was made.
*Ping, pong, pan, pong.*
“All students are requested to gather at the Maid Café. All students, please gather at the Maid Café. …Ah, Misaki-san, please continue. Yes, understood. Miura-kun. …Repeating, all students are requested to gather at the Maid Café. All students, please gather at the Maid Café.”
*Ping, pong, pan, pong.*
…The broadcast must have been from the broadcasting club’s infamous couple, Miura-kun and Misaki-san, as their conversation slipped through midway.
But what and where is this Maid Café?
…Could it be here?
It was here.
I hurried to prepare. Setting up tables and chairs, and having Hariu quickly make a podium-like stand to serve as a place for speeches.
…But who named it without permission?
Upon asking around later, it seems the name had naturally settled among everyone without a clear origin. It suggests the maid dolls were beloved, which is pleasing to me.
“Ah, test, test,”
Now, Itoigawa-senpai is checking the “amplification” staff’s condition, adorned in the “Leader’s” gear.
All gathered students sat, waiting for Senpai’s speech.
“Hello, everyone.”
Then, Senpai began to speak.
“Is there anyone still injured? Anyone still dead? Look around, and if there’s anyone like that, please raise your hand now.”
Following those words, there was a murmur among the students as they looked around, but ultimately, no hands were raised.
Well, Kariya has also checked, so it should be accurate.
“That’s good. Everyone is safe.”
Then, Senpai made the announcement.
“Tomorrow at noon, we will return to our original world.”
Those who knew braced themselves, while those who didn’t started murmuring.
Some even exclaimed, “No!”
“Silence,”
Senpai’s request for silence was not enough to calm the murmurs.
“Quiet,”
The murmurs didn’t stop. Naturally.
…Seeing Senpai take a deep breath, we hastily covered our ears.
“Silence!”
…Even with our ears covered, the volume was enough to quiet everyone.
“This time won’t be like the last. First, those who can’t fight, those who don’t want to fight, you will be guaranteed safety. Listen to the details in the following explanation.”
As the murmuring started to rise again, Senpai continued.
“We’re also looking for volunteers to fight. Those who agree will receive top-grade equipment. Not because of that, but we need your help.”
Then, Senpai looked at us and smiled mischievously.
“Let’s move on to the details. Tsuge, you’re up next.”
“…So it’s come to this.”
Looking beside me, President had a rare look of displeasure.
“Tsuge, quickly.”
With a full smile, Senpai beckoned President to switch places with her on the stage.
“…I’ll explain the strategy. It’s nothing grand.”
Those who knew President well smirked, those slightly familiar shuddered, and the rest tilted their heads in confusion.
“First, those who can’t fight will stay indoors. Since monsters may appear inside too, we’ve taken measures. …Actually, we’ve already taken them. Though it’s a post-facto announcement, a small amount of poison was mixed into everyone’s food.”
…Pandemonium ensued.
Complete chaos.
Definitely on purpose! You’re enjoying this chaos, aren’t you!
“Don’t worry. You’re not dead, are you? This was to give everyone “Poison Resistance.” The monsters appearing indoors will spray poison, apparently.”
The chaos was instant.
Ah, President shines in the midst of turmoil and chaos. Yes, please hold back, we can’t proceed with the discussion.
“For those not fighting, we’ll use skills to make you invincible. Once indoor monsters are eliminated, that state will end, and you’ll hold out in the classrooms.”
The straightforward term “invincible” seemed to be easily accepted.
“If we’d called it “Sleep Cocoon,” there probably would have been more resistance.”
“Regarding those who will fight, our failure last time was not just because we were overwhelmed in supporting those who couldn’t fight, but also because we didn’t fully utilize the battlefield.”
Last time, the battle started with everyone gathered in the courtyard, which resulted in those who couldn’t contribute dragging down those who could, and those who could fight not having enough space to effectively combat.
“So, this time we’re taking the offensive from the start. We’ll use every outdoor area: the ground, the courtyard, the entrance. And indoors as well. It’s a waste not to use the building for long-range attacks. Don’t worry, the school building is incredibly sturdy, as concluded from the last battle. It’s a waste not to use it.”
Even if monsters hit the school or missed attacks hit it, not even a window cracked.
Considering it survived even in lava, this classroom might be quite amazing.
“Also, those who can’t use “Teleport” should share it with someone who can. Don’t die under any circumstances. The primary goal of this battle is not to die. If it gets dangerous, “Teleport” to the infirmary. Therefore, those good at healing start from the infirmary.”
The infirmary is in a corner on the 1F.
It’s immediately visible to the courtyard and ground, making it easy to return to battle.
“Got it? Don’t die under any circumstances. …There are those who didn’t die even when turned into mincemeat or lost their lower half. It’s surprisingly hard to die, so ensure not to die by a hair’s breadth and return to the infirmary instead.”
Those who had been mincemeat or lost their lower half grimaced.
“More detailed instructions will follow. Those who will engage in close combat, gather at the small gym; snipers, at the large gym; healers, at the infirmary; those not participating, stay here.”
As President said that, the hall buzzed, and people slowly started moving.
“Did I miss anything in the explanation?”
President returned with a wry smile.
“Probably not. The rest can be explained individually, right?”
Hagasaki-kun said, and President, with his trademark president smile, responded.
“Then, close combat will be explained by Suzumoto, sniping by Katori, healing by Kariya, and those waiting will be explained by Maito.”
…
So it was planned like this…
Then, I relayed exactly what President had told me.
The non-combatants varied greatly in their reactions—some felt guilty, some were self-deprecating, and others were outright defiant—making the explanation quite challenging, with frequent interruptions.
Eventually, I had to resort to a stern “Silence!” similar to Senpai’s approach, but somehow, I managed to finish the explanation.
Understanding that I would be responsible for eliminating the monsters inside the classroom, they probably realized it wouldn’t be wise to upset me.
Well, that’s fine by me. I’m fully committed to fulfilling my duties.
After the briefings for each group were completed, lunch (where everyone cooked their own okonomiyaki) was finished, and the distribution of equipment was done.
Then, as Katori returned from making miniature dog tags for Minehara’s dolls, the magician types, led by Hagasaki-kun and President, went shopping for staves in Kukurtz.
This shopping trip was made possible thanks to George-san’s contributions.
“That was quick,”
Suzumoto remarked as I began preparing dinner, having observed the preparations.
“Yeah,”
Hariu appeared to be maintaining his throwing weapons, uncharacteristically quiet.
“We’re all stronger this time, so I feel like we might manage, but then again, it feels like we might not,”
Katori expressed his concerns.
Facing an opponent that defeated us once does come with psychological pressure.
“Well, if it comes to it, I’ll watch the battle from the window and facilitate a retreat,”
By “retreat,” I mean, essentially, “disassemble.”
That tactic would allow for a temporary retreat.
Just thinking about it makes things seem a bit easier.
“Yeah, just knowing we have that option makes me feel better,”
“Anyway, it’s tomorrow… This time for sure,”
There’s a mix of tension and fear.
…For now, let’s focus on preparing a meal to bolster our spirits for tomorrow.
Tonight, we feast.