CH 158

Hungry River

Translated by LyraDhani

Edited by LyraDhani

Just as the dragon was being surrounded by many guns, Tsugumi was watching the scene from a little distance away–from the top of a tall building shaped like a pyramid extended upward.

–The guns floating in the air had a clear intention to kill. The holy bullets, filled with purifying fire, would pierce through any evil. There was no Demonic Beast that wouldn’t be wounded by this.

As a skill against Demonic Beasts born from the embodiment of malice, there was no better performance.

Above all, there was something thrilling about firing a volley of bullets. It was every boy’s dream. To be honest, Tsugumi, who had few decisive moves, envied that. After all, a battle was only possible with flashy blows.

–But unlike the previous A-class promotion match, he felt comfortable because he could watch her fight without anxiety, 

He didn’t mind a crazy fight, but he was more comfortable watching a fight that his side could win.

But thinking about it, it might have been inevitable that Toono would monopolize the top rank among the Jukka.

Her overwhelming talent and skill as a fighter.

Her unparalleled beauty.

Her position as Amaterasu’s Miko.

And her charisma as a Magical Girl.

She was first-class in every way. There was no way she wouldn’t be popular.

While thinking about Toono like that, he looked at the Dragon in the sky above to his left, who was about to be shot at any minute now.

If it were to be shot by that many guns, it would die and fall to the ground without any means of escape. That was almost certain. The only concern was what would happen after the fall.

They had led the Dragon up the river at the British side’s request, but if a huge body over 100 meters high were to fall from that height, it would have some effect on the river flowing below. At the very least, it would definitely cause waves big enough to swallow bridges and buildings on the shore.

…The inside of the buildings in the vicinity would be soaked, but they wouldn’t get destroyed, so it might not be that big of a problem.

With this thought in mind, he looked at the Dragon being set on fire with the roar of gunshots. The Demonic Beast which was unbeatable against the British army was shapeless against the pinnacle of Magical Girls.

…It looked like a big roasted chicken, and he was hungry just looking at it. He felt like eating something like fried chicken for lunch. 

Thinking that far, Tsugumi turned his head down in embarrassment. Even though the Demonic Beast was already defeated, it was embarrassing to immediately think of food.

Tsugumi cleared his throat and turned his attention to the scenery around him to distract himself. Behind him, to his right, a flat arched bridge caught his eye. It’s a simple bridge, but it looks like it has a long history, he thought to himself.

As he observed the bridge, wondering if it would soon be flooded, he saw something stirring in the alley near the bridge.

“…Hmm? Maybe the wind blew.”

He muttered to himself and stared at the spot where he felt a sense of discomfort.

–Then he saw two figures wearing brown robes.

The moment he saw the long robes, he remembered the rumors of a “witch” that the British diplomat had talked about. But staring at the figures, Tsugumi gasped.

“Children who failed to flee?”

Judging from the height of the buildings around them, the figure was less than a hundred centimeters tall. –In other words, they were young children.

With despair in their eyes, the children were looking up at the burning dragon mass with trembling hands clasped in prayer. They seemed to be frightened by the scene before them.

–The order to evacuate should have been given long ago. Children of that age should normally evacuate with their parents. And even Tsugumi had checked early in the morning to see if there were any people left. But why?

The children’s appearance from a distance was not pretty, and their limbs looked thin and unhealthy.

He didn’t want to think too much about it, but maybe the guardians had left the children behind during the evacuation.

Why they were not protected by the police or military until now was a question, but it was dangerous for them to stay in a place like that.

With that thought in mind, Tsugumi strengthened the threads restraining the Dragon. He couldn’t let the Dragon fall into the river, at least until the evacuation of those children was complete.

If the Dragon’s huge body fell from that height, it would cause a tidal wave. Then what would happen to those children? 

–There is no need to think about such a thing.

“Emergency call. There are children who have failed to escape in the alley on the north side of the bridge behind the Dragon. Please rescue them quickly.”

When Tsugumi told the terminal, a bewildered voice jumped into his ears.

[I’m sorry, Hagakure-san. I checked and I don’t see any bio-signs in the alley north of the bridge, are you sure there are people there?]

“Huh? Even now I can see them over there–”

Saying this, he unintentionally pointed his finger at the children, but there was no way they could see the view from here.

While they were exchanging words, time was still passing. The strength of the threads had been increased to hold the Dragon in the air, but at this rate, the building it was based on would collapse before the Dragon fell.

“I understand. We’re running out of time, so I will go there myself.”

[“But it could be a trap. We don’t want Hagakure-san to overdo it…”]

The operator said anxiously. From their point of view, they must be worried that a Magical Girl had insisted on going down to a dangerous place for the sake of the existence they couldn’t confirm.

Tsugumi didn’t know why they couldn’t see the children, but he didn’t think it was some kind of hallucination.

–At the very least, it would surely be traumatizing for him if he didn’t check and pretend he hadn’t seen anything.

So, Tsugumi made up his mind and said quietly.

“It’s alright. If there is no one there, I will immediately transport to a safe area.”

The operator quietly gave permission in a voice full of suppressed anxiety.

[“…Please return as soon as you confirm them. Please be careful.”]

“Yes, I understand. Oh, and–“

Tsugumi paused and opened his mouth, troubled.

“–Let’s run away together. How do I say that in English?”

◆ ◆ ◆

After finishing his conversation with the operator, he quickly moved to the other side of the bridge.

–Why are you still here?

Thinking of this, he softly landed behind the children and called out to them softly so as to not frighten them.

“Um, Let’s run away. It’s not safe here.”

He said the sentence that the operator had given him roughly. He wasn’t confident in his pronunciation, but it was enough to get the message across.

“–!”

But perhaps startled by the sudden call from behind, the children of the foreign country let out an inaudible scream and looked up at Tsugumi, trembling. Maybe they were a little intimidated because he was currently dressed in military uniforms.

–But he couldn’t afford to consider their feelings anymore. If he had more time, he would have asked the operator to persuade them directly from the terminal, but right now, every second mattered.

With that in mind, he approached the children with a smile on his face, trying to appear as calm as possible.

“—!”

…They probably said something like, “Don’t come,” but he wasn’t sure.

Looking closely at the children, Tsugumi thought that the dirty brown robes were actually white. What were they doing until their white coats became like this?

He noticed something round and embroidered on the ends of the children’s robes and wondered if they had names written on them, but he didn’t have time to worry about that now. Their identities would have to be checked by the British government after they were taken into custody.

‘I’m sorry, I know it’s scary. But it’s really not safe for you to be here.”

Saying this, he reached out to the two children. He couldn’t transport with them, but he could get them out of the danger zone in less than ten seconds with the help of a thread.

The moment he picked up the two children with both hands and held them as they tried to escape, he heard a crackling sound in his ears. At the same time, he felt a chill running down his spine.

–The threads have disappeared…?

He couldn’t feel the threads that should have been wrapped around his hands and feet. Even the signs of the threads that used to stretch all over the city had disappeared. On the contrary, he was unable to use his strength properly to produce a new thread.

“How could this… No, if the threads are gone–!”

While holding the two children, Tsugumi looked up impatiently.

–The huge, burning body was crashing down.

The time it took for an object to fall from a height of 500 meters was about ten seconds. It would be impossible to escape with two children in that short period of time without his skills.

The image of being swallowed by a wave and having his whole body hit by it flashed through Tsugumi’s mind. Forcibly suppressing his agitation, Tsugumi held the children firmly in his arms and tried to run away from the river.

–At that moment, a voice echoed in his head.

≪ C a n   I   e a t   i t ?　≫

With his power drained from the depths of his heart. Tsugumi couldn’t bear the sudden feeling of weakness and involuntarily fell to his knees.

–It’s not the time to crouch down like this. Tsugumi thought so, but the discomfort stirring in his gut made it impossible for him to move his body.

At least I have to help these kids. While thinking that, the moment Tsugumi desperately tried to stand up, a gaping black hole opened in the river.

“–No, that’s not it.”

–It wasn’t a hole.

Only Tsugumi knew what it was. It was something that had been by his side ever since he became a Magical Girl.

A dry laugh escaped his throat.

What the hell. How much of a predator are you to jump over the rules and even show up here?

It wasn’t a black hole. That thing–it was just a predator’s big beastly mouth.

“Okay, eat it. It’s not my prey but I’m sure Sumire-san will forgive me.”

The Dragon fell into the river and was swallowed straight into the beast’s mouth. 

The beast’s mouth closed with a snap and disappeared without a single wave.

…To the viewer, this one might look more like a monster.

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[Gluttony] could only be used within the boundaries. It was the rule. He didn’t know why it could be used outside now, but it really saved him this time. Gluttony could be useful sometimes.

–I have to ask the children about a lot of things.

Tsugumi stared at the profiles of the children, who were staring at the river in amazement, and let out a small sigh.

Perhaps, they were the cause of the thread being cut. …It was not yet the time to go back to Japan.