CH 80

Nostalgic Voice

Translated by LyraDhani

Edited by LyraDhani

While avoiding the attack that had gained momentum with a paper-thin edge, Tsugumi steadily approached Hitsugi. Since there was no time to reconnect the thread, he must refrain from using transportation to escape as much as possible.

Sharpening his nerves, he avoided the box with minimal movement. The irregularly spinning boxes cut a thin slice through his skin, but not enough to hurt. …He understood that he was in a hurry, but still, Hitsugi wouldn’t wait.

The thin thread was tucked under Hitsugi’s feet and pulled from the opposite direction via a tree in the distance. He stretched out the thread to strike Hitsugi, who had lost her position, and somehow succeeded in twisting the thread around Hitsugi’s arms and legs.

“–Yosh, with this…!!”

Just as he was about to tie up Hitsugi, Tsugumi was suddenly struck by a strong sense of dizziness. White spots flashed in front of his eyes, and he stepped on the ground. –It seemed that his divine power was depleting faster than he had expected.

Tsugumi managed to knock his head out of his reverie and looked impatiently ahead. -He felt like Hitsugi was laughing in front of him.

“…!”

His skin was awestruck by the feeling of boxes being deployed all around him. –If he transported quickly, he would definitely be able to escape. But if he did so, the restraints would be released. …The momentary hesitation turned out to be fatal.

–Ah, I can’t make it.

At the moment when the box appeared all around and another tornado was about to be recreated, a small shadow ran past Tsugumi.

“Don’t let your guard down at a time like this!”

While raising her voice, the girl holding a red piece of paper in her right hand – Hyuga – leaped in front of Hitsugi. Then, she stuck the paper to Hitsugi with great vigor and shouted.

“Please [stop]! Come on, enough already!”

Hitsugi, with the red paper stuck to her chest, stopped on the spot and remained motionless. On the paper on her chest was the word that Hyuga had just shouted – the word “stop” was written.

–Hyuga’s skills were [Tag] and [Sound]. Perhaps she used one of that skills. Looking at Hyuga running toward him with a scowl on her face, he fell to his knees. His body was heavy as if he were carrying a huge stone on his back. He had not expected that a loss of divine power outside of the barrier would affect his body so much.

“Excuse me. Are you all right?”

“I can’t say I’m okay…”

To be honest, he had a bad headache and every part of his body ached.  Tsugumi exhaled a small breath as he thought about this. The divine power would gradually recover over time, but at this rate, he might not be able to move properly for a few more minutes.

When Tsugumi replied with such words while holding his chest painfully, Hyuga looked worried and held out her right hand.

“Well, if we’re dealing with that Hitsugi-senpai, maybe this ugliness isn’t so bad. …We’ll move quickly. Even my Tag won’t be effective forever.”

“Thank you, Hyuga-san. –You saved me.”

–If Hyuga hadn’t jumped in at that very moment, Tsugumi would surely have been seriously injured. He wasn’t overconfident in his own strength, but he certainly misjudged the time to move. It could be said that he was truly fortunate that Hyuga was able to rush to the scene.

“I’m not doing this for you. …Let’s hear from that Yukino chick, too. There may be something I can do to help.”

Hyuga turned to Hitsugi with a difficult look. Contrary to her positive words, her eyes seemed to contain a resignation that could not be wiped away.

◆ ◆ ◆

“That’s not good enough. That alone won’t solve anything.”

Yukino, who had joined up with Tsugumi, made that decision after hearing about how the tag in Hyuga’s hand worked.

Outside of the barrier, Hyuga’s [Tag] could only be stocked five times, and she could only add one each day. Moreover, the words written on them must be set in advance and couldn’t be changed later. The other four skills were [Heal x2] [Defense] and [Evasion] and were not expected to be effective in restraining Hitsugi for a long period of time.

Even if she made a tag equivalent to “stop” with today’s production frame, it would only be a temporary solution and wouldn’t lead to a fundamental solution.

Additionally, her other ability, [Sound], was more of a powerful offensive skill and was too dangerous to use against people. Either way, they were still at a loss.

“So you’re saying there’s nothing we can do now.”

“Yes, that’s what I’m saying. The effect of the tag is not eternal either. Perhaps the time of effect is only ten minutes?”

Yukino told her so matter-of-factly, and Hyuga said in an exasperated voice.

“…It certainly only lasts that long. But then what are you going to do. You are no longer able to move. It’s obvious that even if other weak Magical Girls come, they will be killed immediately. I can’t even use my skills easily. Are you saying we should abandon Hitsugi-senpai?”

“We have to consider that as well. …No matter how proud we are to be Jukka, there is only so much we can do. It’s only natural that we pick the best choice”

“This cold-blooded woman!”

In response to Hyuga, who was so enraged that she grabbed her by the chest, Yukino told her in a voice that seemed to suppress her emotions.

“I’ll tell you the truth, I’m also considering killing Hitsugi. As long as there is no one who can stop her, it would be better to end her while no one else is harmed.”

“What? What are you talking about? Killing Hitsugi-senpai? Of course, I can’t allow you to do that!”

Kill Hitsugi. Yukino told her so, and Hyuga showed her obvious upset feeling. And it wasn’t just Hyuga who was upset. Tsugumi, who was crouched on the ground, listened to their conversation in a daze.

–Determination. Responsibility. Yukino had mentioned these words several times. He wondered if the resolve she was talking about was not a resolve to ‘see Hitsugi die’ but a resolve to ‘kill Hitsugi’. …That resolution was too sad.

“I don’t like this either. –Think about it! If we can’t stop her here, Hitsugi will end up killing a lot of people! Do you think Hitsugi wants that!? If that happens, Hitsugi will take her own life even if she survives. That’s the kind of girl she is. …If so, we let her die now, she’d be happier. I don’t want her, who worked so hard for others, to end up as a murderer.”

“But killing Hitsugi-senpai like that…”

“And I just got the results of the diagnosis from the contract God. –Hitsugi’s current condition is extremely bad. Fragments of the Irregular magic nucleus have entered her body and are rooted all over her body. If only I knew the location of that nucleus, I could have done something about it, but I can’t figure out where it is because of interference. …Moreover, her contract God has been completely taken over and has become a machine that only supplies divine power. As long as she doesn’t run out of divine power, Hitsugi can’t stop until her body is completely destroyed. …There is no other way, Hyuga.”

Almost in tears at Yukino’s admonishing words, Hyuga gently removed her hand from Yukino’s chest. She stared at the ground with a pained expression on her face, biting her lip so hard that it bled.

Then Tsugumi gently cast his eyes down, repeating Yukino’s words in his mind.

–Yukino is right. Even Tsugumi couldn’t believe that Hitsugi would be willing to hurt people. As long as there was no solution, perhaps it would be better for Hitsugi’s sake to end the situation before it got too big.

…But reason and emotion were different things.

No matter how many theories and righteous arguments were given, Tsugumi wanted Hitsugi to live. He didn’t want to admit that such a kind, serious, and talented person could die.

–And I haven’t even handed over the letter from Yumeji yet. Even her little dream is only half fulfilled. And most of all, many people are still hoping for her survival. She is definitely a person who should be alive. She is not a person who should be used up by Demonic Beasts!

“–Think, don’t give up. There has to be something, something we can do.”

He looked and said this in a quiet voice that no one could hear.

Think. Don’t stop thinking. There must be something more. Sort out the cards in your hand. There must still be something you can do. While organizing his thoughts in this way, he explored the slightest possibility.

The effect of the remaining cards in Hyuga’s hand. What Yukino could do now with her lack of divine power. And – what would be possible for the current Tsugumi. Holding down his head, which was aching, he desperately tried to think through the possibilities.

–At that moment, he thought he heard a click in his head, like the sound of a lock opening. In the corner of his blurry vision, he could see a white girl.

“It can’t be helped. –I’ll help you a little.”

Her voice, like the soft spring sunlight, echoed in his head.

–He didn’t know how to describe the emotion he felt at that moment. A nostalgia that made him want to scream, and a sadness that seemed to tear his heart to pieces. The emotions overflowing like wild waves turned into tears and wet his cheeks.

Holding his burning left eye, Tsugumi smiled softly. The correct use of that eye was somehow in his head. Before he could wonder more about it, his heart was filled with joy.

“Thank you. –Oneechan.”

Why those words escaped from his mouth, Tsugumi didn’t know. It just felt right.

Tsugumi slowly stood up, wiping his tears with his cuffs. Covering his right eye with his hand, he looked at Hitsugi only with his left eye.

“A pitch-black seed fire in the right lung. A black flame is spreading throughout her body as if flowing out from there. If we can eliminate that fire – the nucleus – there should be a possibility.”

Enduring the intense headache, he said so. This headache was probably a side effect of the increased precision on the magic eye. But it wasn’t unbearable.

Tsugumi stood between Yukino and Hyuga in unsteady footsteps and took their hands. He looked at their dubious faces, smiled a little, and bowed deeply.

“Hagakure? What’s wrong?”

“I have a favor to ask of you two.”

He spat out the words as if praying.

–It would be a one-time bet. If he failed, it would be a disaster. But Tsugumi couldn’t help but put his trust in that possibility.

Tsugumi alone couldn’t do it. But with the three of them, they had a bigger chance.

“Will you give me just one chance? –Please lend me your strength.”