Vol. 4 Chapter 4 – A Struggling Man
by PinkPantherThe damp summer night wind clung to his body.
Previously, Lisara and Kyuru fought in the neighborhood park. In the center stood Galdabroeg, who was their target.
“Oh, I’m impressed you showed up instead of running away”
Galdabroeg deliberately let out a voice of surprise.
“As insurance, maybe I didn’t need to snatch and keep Rizil.”
Zaku! He stabbed Rizil into the ground at his side.
“You talk big, even though you’ve been monitoring us through Mina.”
Ryousuke walked slowly forward. Behind him, Lisara, Kyuru, Caesar, and Mina followed in a line.
“But isn’t a duel supposed to be one-on-one? Seems like you’ve brought quite a crowd.”
“There’s nothing wrong with having a few spectators, right?”
“Hmm. Well, in any case…”
Galdabroeg stomped hard on the ground. A membrane of light instantly spread over the plaza, then vanished.
“Unwanted guests can’t get in, after all.”
Ignoring that mutter, Ryousuke kept moving, but the others couldn’t follow.
“No way, I can’t go any farther from here…”
Lisara and the others stood helplessly, unable to pass through where the membrane of light had disappeared.
“I just wrapped the plaza in a barrier. It’s to keep outsiders away, and one more thing.”
Galdabroeg thrust both hands forward.
“O bringer of ruin with glory, come forth! Tyrfing!”
Gogogo! Chunks of rock rumbled as they rose up from the ground, shaking the earth. The rocks grew until they reached Galdabroeg’s chest, then split cleanly in half as if slashed apart.
Gold gleamed.
With both hands, Galdabroeg gripped the shining golden hilt and yanked it out with a flourish.
It was a single great sword.
Long before the world was restored, there existed one of the many treasures passed down in the Restall family, a relic that had continually scattered misfortune ever since the age of The Twilight of the Yellow War. It was one of the Five Ancient Relics, Tyrfing, a mad sword that, once drawn, was said not to be satisfied until someone was killed.
“Tonight is different from that test-of-courage night. I will fight with full power from the very beginning.”
He shifted his grip on Tyrfing and swung it.
Won!
The air shook from the ominous pressure, and the vibration reached all the way to Ryousuke.
“Hmm. I wonder how long it has been since I last refrained from suppressing my power like this. Perhaps not since I escaped from the Shinigami Realm. Kukuku, do not end too quickly. I intend to enjoy this for the first time in a very long while.”
At those words, Ryousuke smiled.
“You are smiling?”
Galdabroeg looked surprised.
Still smiling, Ryousuke slowly bent his body forward.
“I ask that you please be gentle.”
No, the pressure coming from Tyrfing was really insane. Seriously scary.
“Good grief, whatever your soul holds, your nature is quite small. I cannot understand why Lisara Restall and the others cling to such a small man as you. Then again, perhaps they are all small-minded together.”
Galdabroeg mocked Ryousuke, who was still bowing his head.
“What did you say…”
“Oh, you heard that. I said that Lisara Restall is small for giving Gram to the likes of you. Though I suppose it fits. She certainly looks small. After all, with that pitifully flat chest, she has no value whatsoever.”
Ryousuke slowly lifted his face. Forcing down the feeling that his resolve might crumble, he glared at Galdabroeg with hostility, even as the pressure continued to bear down on him.
“Oh?”
“…Lisara did not stab Gram into me because she wanted to. Besides, she works desperately hard in her own way, and even for someone like me who drags her down constantly, she always makes the effort to care for me.”
“And what of it? I cannot understand why one would cling to a tool that cannot be used. That such a girl is the successor of the Restall family is laughable.”
“Galdabroeg, I have made up my mind.”
“Made up? What now, are you planning to crawl and beg for mercy?”
“A man who cannot cherish a girl is the lowest of the low.”
“Oh?”
“If someone like you had power, every girl in existence would become unhappy. That is right, all girls, whether human or Shinigami, every single one of them.”
Ryousuke struck his right fist against his chest and grasped the empty air.
“That is why I have decided.”
From the depths of his soul, from the place where the power to live slumbered, heat surged upward. The more strongly he thought of girls, the more fiercely that heat boiled.
“For the happiness of all girls, Galdabroeg, I will absolutely defeat you!”
For a moment, for some reason, Lisara’s face flashed through Ryousuke’s mind, and he shouted with a slightly bitter smile.
“Gram, it’s your turn!”
Dokun!
The depths of his soul trembled powerfully, overflowing with spiritual energy.
The Broken Sword Gram absorbed that energy, rising up, strong, valiant, and robust.
The hilt appeared at his chest.
There was no decoration at all. There was nothing like gold to give it hollow glory. There was no need for it to shine with light. There was only engraving and thickness to make the grip secure.
Ryousuke grasped it.
The hilt seemed to throb hotly.
He pulled it out.
With no resistance, the blade emerged from his chest.
Nothing else. It was just a long, hard blade.
No, a dense, savage presence clung to the blade, like a starving wolf.
At the end of the hilt, a chain dangled and throbbed like a blood vessel, connecting to Ryousuke’s soul.
“Gram, is it okay to leave this to you?”
『Leave it to me. I’m not going to do anything stupid like break the floor today. Let’s settle this for real.』
The spirit coming through was extremely ferocious. Yet, for some reason, Ryousuke felt he could trust Gram. He sensed that they shared something.
So Ryousuke quietly closed his eyes.
To fight, to defeat the man in front of him, he entrusted his body to the wild spirit.
He opened his eyes.
Standing before him was the man called Galdabroeg.
Even from Gram’s perspective, he was a Shinigami with great power. That power might even be approaching the feet of the gods.
But—Gram licked its lips.
“Once I get serious, it doesn’t matter if the opponent is a god or a dragon, their fate is to be cut down.”
Still holding the hilt with his right hand, Gram casually closed the distance.
“The War God’s Sword, Gram, huh…”
Galdabroeg let out a voice of admiration, gripped Tyrfing tightly with both hands, and aimed the tip straight at Ryousuke—at Gram’s eyes.
Gram spun his body, sending centrifugal force into the blade and slashed upward.
“Wide open!”
Galdabroeg brought Tyrfing down toward Gram’s front.
Gun!
At that moment, Gram’s blade tip accelerated even more.
“Tch!”
Gakin!
Tyrfing and Gram’s blades clashed together near Galdabroeg’s side.
“Not bad. I was planning to slice that belly clean in half.”
They pushed against each other, and as if perfectly timed, they both leapt back at the same moment—then, immediately, Gram gripped the hilt with both hands and raised it high.
『I’ll smash Tyrfing to pieces head-on!』
“Oh, such confidence. As expected of the War God’s Sword Gram, said to have been given to humans by Odin in the old world.”
Galdabroeg’s voice was full of composure. That annoyed Gram. Every enemy should cower and be trampled under this Gram!
“Kukuku, do you not understand? No, it’s not your fault, Gram. You truly possess a wonderful power. However, in your current state—against me, Maze Galdabroeg, and Tyrfing, you stand no chance!”
Galdabroeg raised his sword just like Gram.
“Here I come, Gram—Tyrfing, curse him!”
『I’ll cut you down!』
Zudon! They stomped into the earth and swung their blades down diagonally at the same time.
Kiiiiin!
With a clear sound, both were blown back.
Then, there was the sound of something stabbing into the ground.
“N-no way…』
Gram murmured—and Ryousuke dropped to his knees. The blade of Gram he was gripping had snapped halfway.
“Gram!”
He shouted, but there was no response. He felt nothing from the sword in his hand.
Gradually, its presence faded—along with the broken blade, it vanished.
“Hmm. But as expected of the War God’s Sword Gram. Kaga Ryousuke, I thought I’d at least take one of your arms, but just breaking the blade was enough to blow me away as well.”
About ten meters ahead, Galdabroeg stood up.
“Now then, what was it you were going to do to me to protect the girls?”
He approached, theatrically, like an actor on stage.
“…Damn it.”
There was nothing left in Ryousuke’s hands. He couldn’t even feel Gram’s presence anymore.
“Ridill, Ryousuke!”
It was Lisara’s voice. All Lisara could do was watch the outcome of the battle from outside the barrier, and she screamed in anguish.
“If it still exists, then Ridill should still have spiritual power stored inside. You should be able to use it!”
“I see!”
He ran toward Ridill, which was still stuck in the ground.
Galdabroeg just shrugged and watched, making no move to interfere.
“Onee-sama, but…”
Kyuru shook her head weakly.
“It’s true, just as Onee-sama said, Ridill still has enough spiritual power to continue existing as a sword. But being able to fight is a completely different story.”
“I know that!”
“What do you mean, you two?!”
Mina, on the verge of tears, pressed Lisara and Kyuru for answers.
“Ryousuke-san is human. Even if he has spiritual power inside, there’s no way he can pour it into a sword.”
Kyuru said sadly.
“But when it was Gram—”
“That’s because Gram was directly stabbed into Ryousuke-san’s soul. Gram was drawing spiritual power directly from his soul. That’s why, even if Ryousuke grips Ridill, Ridill can’t absorb spiritual power from him, and Ryousuke, not being a Shinigami, can’t pour spiritual power into it either. In other words, Ridill is just an ordinary sword.”
“No way… then even if Lisara-san opens that bag she gave him..”
“Yes, even if the power of life is activated and spiritual power overflows, now that Gram is broken, it’s meaningless. Ridill won’t be infused with spiritual power…”
“It’s better than nothing!”
Lisara shouted as if convincing herself.
“Better than having nothing in your hands…”
Clinging to hope, Lisara stared at Ryousuke.
Giin!
Desperately, he thrust Ridill forward, and Ridill and Tyrfing clashed, scattering sparks—and Ryousuke was blown away.
“Kuhahaha, what’s wrong, what’s wrong? Weren’t you supposed to defeat me?”
Galdabroeg laughed happily.
Covered in dirt, Ryousuke somehow tried to stand up, getting on all fours… but couldn’t rise any further. His knees were shaking, he had no strength.
In his mind, he thought he would stand. He thought he would fight Galdabroeg.
But somewhere deeper inside, he was already certain: 『There’s no way I can win』.
It hurts.
He’s scared.
He wants to run away.
He’s just an ordinary person, even less than ordinary—there’s no way he could beat an opponent like this.
You did your best.
Isn’t that enough already?
No matter how hard he tried to brush them away, those thoughts kept welling up in his mind.
“What, are you trembling?”
Galdabroeg sneered.
Certainly, Ryousuke was now trembling not just in his knees but all over his body, shivering in fear. He wanted to claim it was just battle shivers, but he couldn’t even say that out loud.
“Hmm, I suppose this means it’s about over.”
Galdabroeg began to walk forward.
“Hii…”
Ryousuke, overcome by fear, fell on his butt.
A soft, fluffy sensation touched his right hand.
‘What’s this…’
Lowering his gaze to avoid Galdabroeg, he saw a drawstring pouch. It was the pouch Lisara had given him.
Lisara’s face appeared in his mind.
Then, moving his head, he looked at Lisara standing outside the barrier.
At this point, even if he saw the hair inside, there was nothing he could do.
Even if the will to live was stirred up, Gram was gone, and even if it were here, he had already lost.
Even so—
“Oh, so you’re standing up?”
Like a newborn fawn, trembling all over, Ryousuke used Ridill as a cane and stood up.
“I—I—seems even I have a little pride, you know?”
He didn’t want to end things looking pathetic in front of Lisara, Kyuru, Mina, and the girls who were watching. Above all, he had decided to defeat Galdabroeg to protect the girls. He had already decided.
“If I give up halfway, that’s a betrayal to the girls. Besides—”
Still shaking, Ryousuke opened the drawstring pouch. No matter what, he couldn’t let Galdabroeg get Lisara’s hair that should be inside. At the very least, for now, this hair was his.
If he had to give it up, it would be better to return it to the earth.
“…Huh?”
He took out the contents—it was panties. In this desperate pinch, seeing Ryousuke gripping a pair of women’s panties, Galdabroeg’s mind went blank.
Slowly, Ryousuke looked at Lisara, who was stuck outside the barrier.
He looked at the panties he held.
Lisara tilted her head in puzzlement.
“I see, so there’s nothing to worry about at all…”
He realized the only answer.
Lisara hadn’t prepared hair for Ryousuke, but freshly removed panties. Yes, even this slightly warm feeling was probably her body heat.
“Lisara, this… this is what you meant, right?!”
He gave Lisara a big guts pose. After a moment of confusion, Lisara returned the gesture.
“Do your best, Ryousuke!”
There was no mistake. These were freshly removed panties!
“O-o-o-o-ooh!”
Forgetting all about Galdabroeg, Ryousuke lifted the panties with trembling hands. Then, he gently pressed them to his cheek.
“Mmm, sweet sensation. Sweet scent. Sweet warmth…”
“Ah, uh, um… h-hey?”
Galdabroeg, who had been left dumbfounded, finally opened his mouth.
Still, he looked like he was backing away as if facing something completely incomprehensible.
“Do you understand your current situation?”
“Shut up!”
A single shout.
“You’re the one who doesn’t get it! Do you know how precious these panties are?!”
“Ah, no, well…”
“Listen up!”
Ryousuke straightened his back and, with both hands, held the panties up high in reverence.
“These are Lisara’s panties. And they’re freshly removed!”
Outside, Lisara’s eyes went wide in shock.
She tried to shout something, but Kyuru covered her mouth.
“Don’t you understand how important this is? Hair is great. But freshly removed panties are even better! Of course, if they’re freshly removed, there’s a chance hair might be stuck to them, sure. But that’s not the point. That’s not it at all. It’s fundamentally different!”
Galdabroeg, overwhelmed, nodded silently.
“Listen! Panties are a maiden’s last armor. They’re a crucial existence, almost a part of her body, sharing fate with her to the very end! That’s right!”
He held the panties even higher with a flourish.
“Panties are a maiden’s second membrane. That means—receiving freshly removed panties is the same as being offered a maiden’s first time!”
Lisara seemed to collapse, but, burning with passionate heat, Ryousuke looked up at the night sky and roared.
“Tonight, I have received Lisara’s first time, her very first! This too is my first experience!”
Oooooooon!
The atmosphere trembled. No, even the ground shook.
“W-what is this?!”
Galdabroeg, startled, braced himself so he wouldn’t lose his balance.
“Kyaa… Ah, it’s so hot!”
“On!”
Kyuru and Caesar shouted.
“What’s happening?!”
“Lisara onee-sama, w-what is this… Spiritual power is rushing into my hair ornament at an incredible rate…”
The hair ornament—Kyuru’s spirit money storage item—was being infused with spiritual power at a tremendous pace.
“Wan! (Me too. My soul has been burning up all on its own for a while now.)”
“Kyuru and Caesar… don’t tell me, it’s a backlash from Ridill?!”
Lisara quickly turned her gaze to Ryousuke.
Ridill was shining brilliantly.
The golden decorations on the hilt glowed like the sun despite it being night—the engraved dragons on both blades looked like they would roar at any moment.
Galdabroeg also realized this was the source of the strange phenomenon.
He readied Tyrfing again, focusing a sharp glare.
“Kaga Ryousuke, are you the cause?!”
“Huh… Ah, wait, Ridill is shining?”
“Ryousuke, this is your chance! You should be able to fight with Ridill now!”
Hearing Lisara’s voice, Ryousuke blinked a few times, then nodded—he lowered his stance and pointed Ridill’s tip at Galdabroeg.
“You lost with Gram and still haven’t learned?”
“No, seeing this… it reminded me.”
“Oh?”
He pictured it. Just like Kyuru once did for Lisara—spilling out from Ridill’s tip—
“Flame!”
The dragons engraved on the blade spewed fire!
“You dare—using a treasured weapon when you’re just a human?!”
As Galdabroeg swept away all the flames and advanced, he thrust forward.
“But this is as far as you go. Tyrfing, curse him!”
Under the crushing pressure of his slashing attack, Ryousuke swung Ridill with all his might to meet it.
“Haaaaaaaah!”
With a spirited shout, he poured spiritual power into Ridill.
Gakin!—The blades clashed fiercely between them.
“You mean it didn’t break? You really are pouring spiritual power into Ridill!”
“Now I get why you said I couldn’t win with Gram. I had to be the one to swing Gram myself… Took me a while to figure that out.”
They pressed their blades together with all their strength.
Gradually, their bodies drew closer, and Ryousuke and Galdabroeg glared at each other at close range.
“Why is this?”
“Why?”
“Humans possess spiritual power in their souls. But they cannot control it freely. They must not be able to! That is the power of Shinigami. In exchange, Shinigami souls have no spiritual power. Listen, Kaga Ryousuke. You are breaking the order between Shinigami and humans!”
“Who…cares!”
Ridill shone even brighter—and Galdabroeg was blown away.
Don!
Galdabroeg’s body was slammed against the barrier.
Behind him, the barrier was sliced open.
“Such spiritual power… Impossible, this surpasses even the realm of a Singular One!”
Landing on one knee, Galdabroeg stared at Ryousuke as if looking at a monster.
Ryousuke, still fired up, raised Ridill above his head.
He was winning. Ryousuke was completely overwhelming him with pure spirit. And so, determined to finish the fight in one go, Ryousuke stepped forward and dropped it.
The panties.
“Oaaah, freshly removed!”
“Idiot! Focus on the fight!”
Lisara’s scolding voice rang out.
“But, I mean, they’re freshly removed…”
“What are you talking about, those aren’t freshly removed!”
Ryousuke froze in place.
“…Huh?”
Like a broken clock, Ryousuke slowly turned to Lisara.
“No, I mean… those panties, they’re not freshly removed… actually, they’re panties I’ve never even worn…”
Ryousuke swayed.
“Seriously?”
“Yeah. I mean, Ryousuke, you like panties and all… so I used a spell to create women’s underwear. I can’t do things like hair, but I figured I could at least make panties…”
“Seriously?”
“Y-yeah…”
Shuuuuuuun—the blazing fire inside Ryousuke died out at a speed that would amaze even the fire department.
All the life force inside Ryousuke was released until the last drop… and he was completely drained.
“Did he use up all his spiritual power…?”
Before Galdabroeg, Ridill’s brilliance faded away.
“…It’s stopped flowing into me as well.”
“Wan! (Me too.)”
Kyuru and Caesar looked at Lisara the way you’d look at a kid who just spoiled the surprise birthday party by blurting it out.
“H-hey, don’t give me that look! I couldn’t help it… R-right, Mina, you agree with me, don’t you?”
Mina’s gaze was filled with compassion.
Yes, it was a look of pity, like someone accepting a child being bullied for not reading the mood.
“That look hurts even more!”
Watching this, Galdabroeg brushed the dirt from his knees and stood up.
“Could it be that I just spent a truly worthless amount of time here…?”
He sighed, looking up at the moon.
“Well, even if the barrier’s gone… does this finally mean I’ve won?”
He pointed Tyrfing’s tip at Ryousuke.
Ryousuke could only sob, feeling the impermanence of all things.
“Good grief, lost your spirit…?”
He rested Tyrfing on his shoulder, deciding Ryousuke was no longer a threat, and approached him casually.
“Wait!”
The one who stopped him was Lisara.
“What do you want now?”
“I know it’s a selfish request, but… please settle this with the first experience…”
Crossing the torn barrier, Lisara ran to Ryousuke’s side and bowed her head.
“Like you said, this is a pretty selfish thing to ask, isn’t it?”
“Please.”
Lisara placed her hands on the ground.
“Just like this.”
And she bowed deeply.
“Li—Lisara!”
Even Ryousuke, who had been in a daze, snapped back to his senses at the sight.
“Kuh… kuhahahaha, the young lady of the Restall family bowing to me. This is wonderful, this is delightful!”
Seeing the young lady from the Restall family—who had once exiled him—bow before him, Galdabroeg laughed triumphantly.
“Damn…”
“Very well. Then first, will you accept the dissolution of the shared secret of Kaga Ryousuke’s soul?”
Without hesitation, Lisara nodded to Galdabroeg’s condition.
“I don’t mind.”
“One more thing. Have your first experience here and now.”
“Wha—!”
They all gasped. It wasn’t just Lisara—Ryousuke, Kyuru, Mina, and even Caesar were shocked.
“Wan! (Humans have their own rules, you know!)”
“I’d be troubled if you tried to stall for time and then said you couldn’t do it after all. Besides, do you really think you’re in any position to make demands of me in this situation?”
“Then I’ll just—”
As Ryousuke tried to step in front of Galdabroeg, Lisara grabbed his arm.
“Lisara, you don’t have to force yourself. If I go, that’ll be the end of it.”
Lisara quietly shook her head and looked up at him.
“Ryousuke.”
Her tone was clear.
“For me, it’s impossible to let you fall into Galdabroeg’s hands.”
She gazed steadily at Ryousuke. It wasn’t a glare; it was a gentle, earnest look, pleading from the bottom of her heart.
“Lisara?”
“…I won’t say it twice.”
Lisara turned away and stood up abruptly.
“Kyuru!”
“Y-yes!”
“Hand me the lipstick.”
“The lipstick?”
“Yes. The lipstick Galdabroeg gave you.”
By using that lipstick for her first experience with Ryousuke, she would be able to search his soul’s secret.
“Hurry!”
Kyuru took out the lipstick, but hesitated, thinking about what it would mean to hand it over.
Would it really be okay for Lisara to have her first time with Ryousuke here?
Should she let her experience such embarrassment? Besides, she just felt uneasy about it…
“Kyah!?”
It was Caesar. He snatched the lipstick from Kyuru’s hand and ran over to Lisara.
“…(Shame is being unable to move forward after making up your mind.)”
“Thank you, Caesar.”
Lisara took the lipstick and patted Caesar’s head.
“Wan! (Sorry, but I had to do it for my master.)”
“…Not necessarily just for you, right?”
Lisara smiled, and Caesar wagged his tail as he returned.
“Well then…”
Lisara applied the lipstick.
“Hmm, so you’re really serious…”
Galdabroeg raised his hand.
“《Ichieeo》, conceal these two from all who might be like us.”
[Translator’s Note: “イチイエオIchieeo” is a magic incantation unique to this story, used here to invoke concealment magic.]
A reddish-brown tree enclosed Ryousuke and Lisara, hiding them from sight, and then disappeared.
And then, the two of them vanished as well.
“Ryousuke-kun, Lisara!”
Mina cried out without thinking, and Galdabroeg gave a wry smile.
“You wouldn’t understand, being human, but it’s just that their forms and sounds are hidden. Surely, you don’t expect us to watch their first experience together as a group.”
“Th-that’s right.”
Lisara looked a little relieved.
Well, of course.
Just imagining your first experience being witnessed by a crowd is enough to give you chills—honestly, it’s impossible.
“Well, now at least we can calm down… and do it”
Lisara took a step closer to Ryousuke. Instinctively, he stepped back.
“Why are you backing away?”
“W-well, you say that, but…”
While Lisara kept closing in on him, Ryousuke kept backing away to maintain the distance between them, feeling confused.
When it really comes down to it, maybe boys are more likely to chicken out at the crucial moment. At least for Ryousuke, he couldn’t just steel himself and go through with it simply because it had to be done or was necessary.
Dote!
His legs tangled and Ryousuke fell on his butt.
At that moment, Lisara seized the chance and covered him from above.
“H-hey, Lisara. Calm down!”
“So much has happened, it’s made me calm instead.”
Straddling Ryousuke, Lisara gazed down at him. There wasn’t a trace of confusion on her face. In fact, her expression was calm and composed.
Behind her, the moon shone brightly.
“……Ryousuke.”
Lisara slowly, carefully, spoke his name.
When her lips moved, her gloss sparkled.
Even though her cheeks were in the moon’s shadow, he could clearly see they were flushed red.
Gradually, Lisara pressed her body closer to Ryousuke.
“H-hey…”
“Is it really so awful if it’s with me?”
Despite saying that, she slowly brought her face closer.
Her hot breath fell on his face.
Without even waiting for Ryousuke’s answer, Lisara’s moist eyes gently closed.
It felt like there was no escape route left.
Could it be—they were really going to have their first experience here!?
Just as he thought that, Ryousuke’s body started to go into battle mode.
His instincts as a boy began issuing orders to his body, even though his mind was still in confusion.
To be specific, he got hard.
And rapidly—so quickly.
Pittan.
The tip touched something.
“Ah.”
A small sound of surprise escaped Ryousuke.
“Eh?”
Lisara froze for a moment and immediately understood what had happened. Ryousuke’s was touching her between her legs!
Letting out a scream, she instinctively lifted her hips—and toppled forward.
“Kyaaaaaaah──────!?”
Chu ♡
“…………”
“…………”
Lisara’s face was right in front of Ryousuke’s.
Their lips—were touching.
Was this a kiss?
Yes, it was a kiss.
──Dokun.
──Dokun.
──Dokun.
Their souls trembled violently.
At this first experience, instinct shouted with joy, shaking their souls.
Yes, it was their first experience.
Their first kiss.
Their first time.
“…We really… did it.”
Lisara quietly pulled her face away, tracing her lips with her fingertips as she murmured something.
That voice broke the spell binding Ryousuke.
“Uoooooooooooooooh!”
Strength filled his entire body, and Ryousuke stood up while holding Lisara in his arms.
Overflowing joy.
He could not help but shout out the happiness and excitement of touching, for the first time, the mystery and treasure of a girl—her lips.
He took a deep breath and looked up at the moon.
“Congrats to me! I’ve graduated from my first kiss!”
It was truly a roar.
This was something deeper than lust—it was his very soul.
It shook violently, rampaged, blazed—and, swept up by pure joy, the soul of Kaga Ryousuke roared.
It was at that moment.
Zowari—.
A tasteless hand barged into Ryousuke’s moment of joy.
There was someone here, someone interfering with this once-in-a-lifetime happiness!
Joy turned into anger.
And that anger transformed every part of his soul into the instinct to fight.
Oooooooooooooooooooooooooh!
Something trembled and roared.
Not from lust, not from the joy of a first time, but from the fighting instinct ignited by anger, he roared.
Ooooooooooooooooooooooooh!
The broken, shattered sword began to be reforged.
Even if it had been broken, the sword that now revived transformed Ryousuke’s fighting instinct into strength and rose up, bold and proud.
“Ryousuke!”
A rugged hilt stretched out from his chest.
Just like before, there was no decoration at all—only the engraved grip, designed solely for holding firm.
Ryousuke gripped it as if it was the most natural thing in the world.
It was instinct.
The instinct inside Ryousuke screamed:
Anyone who interferes with my first time—I’ll defeat them.
He pulled it out all at once.
A rugged, undecorated sword existing solely for battle.
—The War God’s Sword, Gram.
The broken sword was reforged once more, and Ryousuke gripped it in his hand.
He raised Gram and brought it down in a single, casual swing.
──────
Without a sound, the yew barrier that had concealed Ryousuke and Lisara was sliced apart.
A few seconds before—
“So, they’ve finished their first time?”
Outside the yew barrier, Galdabroeg muttered.
“That was faster than expected.”
He closed his eyes, concentrating to probe inside through the gap left in their souls by the first experience.
“This… is… as I thought… two sources of spiritual power… no, this is something more… human…”
The moment Galdabroeg was about to grasp something, the yew barrier was slashed apart.
“Impossible! You cut through the barrier?!”
Galdabroeg leapt back.
And right before his eyes, as if the mist cleared, Ryousuke and the Lisara he was holding emerged into view.
Then, Galdabroeg was struck speechless.
In Ryousuke’s hand was Gram—the very sword Galdabroeg had smashed.
He knew that one of the Five Ancients wouldn’t die so easily. After all, it was meant to be claimed as his own. He had never intended to completely destroy it.
Even so—even so.
There’s no way it could have been revived in such a short period of time.
If it were broken to that extent, even Galdabroeg would need a great amount of spirit money and effort to restore Tyrfing.
Yet, despite that, Gram was now in Ryousuke’s hand.
‘It should require at least ten or twenty million spirit money. Even a Singular One with over thirty million spiritual power would be unable to move for a while if that much were sucked out at once… But that guy is moving—no way, was it stored up?!’
Galdabroeg’s eyes widened.
“What’s with him… Why isn’t he attacking?”
Galdabroeg’s gaze was uncomfortable and Ryousuke spat back.
“…More importantly, Ryousuke, could you let me down now?”
With her face red, Lisara turned away from Kyuru and Mina’s stares and whispered to Ryousuke. He nodded slightly and let her go.
He was a little reluctant to.
“Let me ask you one thing.”
Galdabroeg addressed them.
“Your clothes aren’t disheveled. And it only took a few minutes. But clearly, the reaction was that of a first experience. What did you two do in there?”
“First kiss!”
Ryousuke immediately declared. Beside him, Lisara looked down, embarrassed.
“Wha… You, you mean you were moved as if you’d had your first time just from a kiss?!”
Galdabroeg was shocked by the answer. At the same time, he realized nothing too unusual had happened inside.
“You fools! Even a kiss is a proper, first physical union!”
“D-don’t say『physical union』like that!!”
Lisara’s eyes filled with tears from embarrassment.
“…Lisara onee-sama, you really had your first kiss with Ryousuke-san, didn’t you?”
Kyuru pouted, glaring at both of them—no, mostly at Lisara.
Next to her, Mina also stared at Lisara intently.
“T-that’s not it, it was an accident! Ryousuke’s idiocy suddenly, well, did that, and I was so surprised that… when I came to my senses—”
“You say that, but you’re the one who pushed me down. No guy wouldn’t get excited from that!”
“Hmph, so you did push him down after all.”
“Lisara’s such a perv…”
Kyuru and Mina’s reproachful stares.
“I—I couldn’t help it, okay?!”
Lisara cried, and Ryousuke gave her a gentle push on the back.
“Kya!”
“Go over to Kyuru and the others. It’s dangerous here.”
Galdabroeg gripped Tyrfing tighter. His eyes gleamed with a fighting spirit.
“Is that decision truly wise?”
Timing it just as Lisara went over to Kyuru and the others, Galdabroeg stomped through the ground. Just like before the duel, a film of light covered the plaza for an instant and then vanished.
With this, the place became an arena for only Ryousuke and Galdabroeg.
“Kaga Ryousuke.”
Galdabroeg called out to him.
“In other words, you produced enough spiritual energy to revive 《Gram》 during your first experience. Lisara Restall did not use any special item, and there was nothing inside 《Gram》 that I did not know about.”
“Not exactly.”
“Not exactly, you say?”
“Yeah. It was anger. I had my first kiss, something I thought I would never have in my whole life. And while I was enjoying that happiness, you shoved your hand inside someone’s body. It was like… like a guy suddenly grabbing my ass. It was disgusting as hell!”
“That is quite a foolish anger. Getting so worked up over something as trivial as a first experience.”
Those words made something snap inside Ryousuke, and an even stronger anger surged up.
《Gram》 responded to Ryousuke’s anger and trembled violently.
“That is why you are the enemy of girls. Just a first experience? Don’t mess with me!”
He slammed his anger forward.
“A first experience happens only once. I will carve into your body exactly how important a girl’s first time is!”
In the spectator area…
“So something that important was what Lisara onee-sama gave to Ryousuke-san.”
At Kyuru’s comment, Lisara could no longer lift her face.
Ryousuke pointed the tip of 《Gram》 at Galdabroeg.
“So you want to have it shattered again!”
“I just learned from 《Rigil》 earlier that you cannot rely entirely on a sword. You have to use it yourself.”
As if testing it, Ryousuke swung 《Gram》 once.
“And also. I am no longer the me you know.”
“You mean you have realized what you are?”
“Yeah, I have.”
“What!”
Galdabroeg growled.
Facing him, Ryousuke snapped 《Gram》 forward again and declared sharply.
“That’s right. It means I have become an adult who has taken one step forward by having my first kiss!”
“…fu, fu, fu, do not make a fool of me!”
Exploding in rage, Galdabroeg charged forward like a raging beast.
Ryousuke immediately dropped his hips and pointed the blade toward the moon, taking a stance to counter.
Galdabroeg released his left hand from the hilt and reached toward Ryousuke, then roared.
“《Biting Dragon Nidhogg》!”
Black flames flapped like a dragon and flew straight toward their target, Ryousuke.
“Damn it!”
He struck it down with 《Gram》。
(Fly to the side!)
“──!”
Without even taking a breath, he rolled to the right.
In the very next instant, Galdabroeg leapt over the black flames and brought his sword down.
Zann.
《Tyrfing》 stabbed deeply into the ground.
“You dodged it. Good reaction.”
“R… right?”
Trying desperately to hide his fear, Ryousuke attempted a grin and then…
Giin.
He barely deflected the blade that slashed upward the moment it was pulled from the ground.
“T… terrifying.”
It had been an attack with absolutely no preliminary motion. Knocked back several steps, Ryousuke steadied his footing, raised 《Gram》 again, and put strength into his legs.
“《Gram》, let’s go!”
Deep in his soul, 《Gram》 answered with a loud『Yeah!』
The blades of 《Gram》 and 《Tyrfing》 crossed. Sparks burst fiercely as Ryousuke and Galdabroeg pushed against each other.
“To think you can take my sword. Are you being physically enhanced by 《Gram》?”
“I… I don’t know anything about that!”
“I see. But you still do not have the strength to overpower me… not at all!”
“Tsuu────!”
The blade of 《Tyrfing》 began to dig into Ryousuke’s right shoulder.
“Ryousuke-kun. Lisara-san. You cannot get inside!”
“I have been analyzing it since a moment ago… what is this, this ridiculously complex barrier!”
“Kyuru does not understand it at all…”
He could hear Lisara and the others shouting from the outside.
Ryousuke gave a bitter smile. It hurt a lot, and blood was already coming out. He wanted to run away right now.
Even so, as long as Lisara was watching, he had to show himself as a man.
“Hang in there, boy!”
Clenching his teeth, he forced 《Tyrfing》’s blade back.
“Impressive.”
Galdabroeg leapt backward. He stabbed 《Tyrfing》 into the ground and clapped his hands with sharp snapping sounds.
“What are you trying to pull…”
“Nothing. Among Shinigami, very few can fight me at full strength like you just did. I always pay respect to a worthy enemy before I defeat them.”
He picked up 《Tyrfing》 again and took a proper stance with it.
“Do not worry. I do not toy with someone I have shown respect to. I will end it with this strike.”
Even Ryousuke could clearly see it. A massive amount of spiritual energy was pouring into 《Tyrfing》.
“For the past few years, I have stored up all this spiritual energy at Momozono Academy, and now I will use all of it to defeat you!”
The moment he finished the words, Galdabroeg surged forward through the rising cloud of dust as if he had exploded.
No tricks or finesse. With the pride of both Galdabroeg and 《Tyrfing》 on the line, he intended to cut Ryousuke down head on.
“Curse, 《Tyrfing》!”
“《Gram》!”
Pouring in all his spiritual energy, Ryousuke braced his legs and brought his blade down.
Gagiiiiiinn.
The blades clashed, scattering sparks, and Ryousuke was blown away.
His toes scraped against the ground, digging in as he was pushed back several meters.
He panted heavily, gasping for breath. His wounded right shoulder area was already drenched in blood.
But his knees did not bend. No, they could no longer bend.
If his knees gave out now, he would not have the strength to stand again.
He looked at 《Gram》.
The blade was not broken. It seemed it had managed to endure the full-power strike from Galdabroeg and 《Tyrfing》.
However, the excitement deep within his soul had already faded.
He had poured too much into 《Gram》, and now no strength to live was welling up inside him.
“To be honest, I never imagined I would end up losing the accumulated energy of the past few years…”
Galdabroeg pulled out a bottle filled with spiritual power from inside his mantle and drank it.
“But if my deduction is correct, Kaga Ryousuke. Your Life Jewel should grant you a blessing greater than what was lost.”
He poured spiritual energy into 《Tyrfing》 and took his stance again.
“This is the end, Kaga Ryousuke!”
Galdabroeg kicked off the ground.
Ryousuke instinctively raised 《Gram》 as well. But even when he focused, spiritual energy would not flow into it.
──What am I supposed to do.
That was when it happened.
“Wooooooon!”
Caesar howled.
Chains floated into view. The chain connecting 《Rigil》 and Caesar reappeared, crossing through the barrier.
And then, with Caesar’s spiritual energy, it flared brightly.
Caesar bit down on the chain and twisted his whole body as he leapt.
《Rigil》 was pulled by the chain and flew, dropping down toward Ryousuke.
He grabbed it with his left hand without hesitation and crossed it together with 《Gram》.
《Tyrfing》 came crashing down.
“Kuuuuh!”
The overwhelming weight nearly made his knees collapse.
“Do not cling so stubbornly, Kaga Ryousuke. I will cut through you along with 《Gram》 and 《Rigil》!”
The force grew even heavier.
The two blades creaked with a harsh mishimishi sound.
“Ryousuke!”
Lisara let out a scream that was almost a cry.
“You stole my first time, and if you go and get yourself killed without permission, I will not forgive you!”
Her selfish complaint made Ryousuke give a strained laugh despite the situation.
Besides, saying he『stole her first time』would only cause misunderstandings. They had simply ended up having their first kiss in a nearly accidental way──
Suddenly he remembered.
The words Lisara had spoken.
Blushing, tracing his lips with his fingers, he murmured.
“…It really tastes like strawberries.”
He remembered.
That taste.
The sweetness of Lisara’s lips.
“…Strawberry flavor.”
“What?”
Galdabroeg let out a bewildered voice.
“That is right, it tasted like strawberries.”
Sweet, sweet, the first kiss.
A kiss with the taste of strawberries.
That was his first kiss.
“My first kiss, no, Lisara’s lips tasted like strawberries!”
It was not lust. A deeper part of his soul began to tremble again.
As if a dam had burst open, moisture returned to his dried-up soul.
Strength surged back into him.
《Gram》 began overflowing with power.
“You fool… wh… what… again… I blundered!”
He pushed back all at once, knocking 《Tyrfing》 away.
“Tch!”
Galdabroeg, his upper body thrown off balance by the deflection, tried to leap backward.
“Too slow!”
Ryousuke stepped in and brought his blade down.
He felt the sensation of cutting something.
A piece of the golden rope-woven mask fell to the ground.
“Gu… guaaaaaaah!”
Galdabroeg staggered back several steps while holding his face with his left hand. Blood dripped down between his fingers.
“You… you bastard!”
He dropped to one knee with a heavy thud.
“Haah… haah… haah… you do not mind if I call this my win, right?”
Ryousuke slowly stepped toward Galdabroeg and pointed the tip of his blade at his face.
“Kh… it cannot be helped…”
Just as Galdabroeg groaned that out—
Vwon.
Countless circles appeared beneath Galdabroeg’s feet.
“Kyaa!?”
It was Mina’s scream.
Circles appeared beneath her feet as well, and behind her stood a Shinigami wearing a ceremonial outfit Ryousuke had never seen before.
“What are you doing! You!”
“What do you intend to do with Mina-san!”
The Shinigami did not answer. It only covered Mina’s mouth and dragged her down into the circles.
Lisara and Kyuru, with Mina being held, could do nothing but watch helplessly.
“Galdabroeg, you!”
Already sunk down to his waist in the circle, Galdabroeg looked up at Ryousuke.
“This is not my intention… kh, I failed to notice that a teleportation formula had been woven into it. But listen well. Ookura Mina will be taken to the Shinigami World. To lure you in.”
“Me?”
“Your soul possesses power equal to the Five of the Old Ones… kh, I swear on my pride that Ookura Mina’s life will be protected!”
With that final shout, Galdabroeg sank completely.
A deep, still silence settled over the surroundings…