Chapter 83.2

Chapter 83.2

Meanwhile, the white spider had taken refuge on my head to avoid the mud. It was rubbing its belly with an expression like "I'm so full (^ω^)," it said with an emoji. I mean, seriously, what kind of spider uses emojis!? Don't mess with meeeeeee!!

"Tch, d*mn it!! There's no way it's going to end like this, for such a stupid reason!!"

I endure the triple pain of becoming a youkai, curse, and "black" with tears in my eyes as I stand up. Standing up, I struggle with the strong black mud that is sticky and resistant, sinking my lower body and moving forward with all my strength. The more I force myself to go forward, the more the 'black' is sticking to me, blocking my movement. It even climbs up my body like a slime, enveloping me like a mist. And I could feel it sucking something out of me.

Like it was chewing, and absorbing it.

"Sh*t!! That's gross!!"

I climb up, brush off the clinging thing, spit it out, and just keep going. I don't give a sh*t. There's no time for this...!!

How much time has passed? I finally make it there, bolstered by pain and anger.

The color of the girl who wears a dirty white and red-stained shrine maiden outfit stands out from the pure black surroundings like a line drawn around her. She's just sitting there, with her head down and her face pale, muttering something while looking down at the dying Iruka.

Meanwhile, the lower half of Iruka's body, which is being hugged, is submerged in "black," and the beast fur is slowly corroding. Tamaki does not seem to notice it. Ah, she's completely falling, isn't she?

"Miss!? Miss Tamaki!? Can you hear me!?"

First, I call her name. As expected, there was no response. Then I shakes her shoulders. While shaking them, I shout into her ear. Still no response. She just mumbled to herself.

"Hey! Wake up!! Do you want Iruka to die!?"

I shake the main character violently and shout loudly into her ear. I yell at her, then cry her out, and try to mention her family and hometown, but to no avail. Even threats were useless. I know that this is not simply because she is immersed in her own world.

"D*mn it, why are these things clinging to me...!?"

Being right next to the source of the spring, the "blackness" clings to me, trying to swallow me up. I try to push it away with my arms, but more "blackness" keeps climbing up. There's no end to it.

I click my tongue in frustration, and start to think. What should I do? Is there something, anything, I can do? I dig frantically in my brain for the scenarios and settings of the original story that I remember. I pull them out.

And then, I come up with one idea. A plan that's somewhat out of place in this crisis. A plan that's completely tone-deaf. But already more than half of my body is covered with blackness, and I can feel my body rapidly becoming heavy with a sense of futility and weariness... So, there are not many options.

Then...!

"If I'm going to die anyway, it doesn't matter!"

And I decided to let go of worrying about what would happen next. The action was immediate. And the next moment, my arms are wrapped around her...

* * *

Hotoya Tamaki had been having that dream since she was young.

It was a dream of herself as a boy who was an exorcist, traveling to various places. In that dream, she would have a lively expression, adventuring with various people, sometimes getting into danger, sometimes exterminating youkai, and sometimes helping others.

Squeeze!!

"Huh!?"

With a dumb voice, Tamaki's consciousness returns to reality at once. She felt a sudden sensation in a sensitive area of her still-developing body, and the hard sensation she felt in a place she rarely touched made her itch, and the tiny bit of pleasure was almost like an unexpected surprise to her psychological state. It was far more shocking than any words.

Then she looked at the man in front of her, fully aware of her surroundings.

"Huh!? Did you just react!!? Hey, answer me!! How is your condition!? Do you understand what I'm saying...!!!??" said the man in front of her, who demanded an answer, his voice rough and impatient

At the same time, Tamaki screamed and almost reflexively slammed her fist into his face as the man roughly and violently squeezed her chest, sending him reeling backwards. "Aaaaah!?"

Thus, the 'black' has faded away.

* * *

"Aaaaaaah!!!? Aaaaaaaaah!!!? You're the worst!! You pervert! Disgusting! Enemy of women! Die! Die, die, die, dieeee!"

"Ugh!? Igg!? Buho!?"

As soon as the surrounding 'black' vanished like a phantom, the main character, with tears in her eyes, screamed and unceasingly delivered a series of thank-you face-first strikes to me. Naturally, she ignored my screams, which sounded like a chicken's at the moment of being strangled. Hey, wait a minute... Even though she's a woman, each punch feels quite heavy?! And I'm only half transformed into a youkai too, okay...?!

As the chaos ensued, Botan's cold and indifferent voice whispered in my ear. 'No, before that, what are you doing in this situation?' Her tone held a slight contempt, unusual for her. But, I was just acting in a very rational way and it worked, didn't it...?

Anyway, the means by which I had brought Tamaki, who had clearly fallen into a double-peace ahegao, back from her dark side, wasn't motivated by any ulterior motive. I had my own ideas about what to do.

To solve this situation, I recalled the memories of the original work and related media in my brain. And one of the things I remembered was a bonus four-panel manga from the manga adaptation.

Although it was an omake manga that was completely devoted to gags or humor, there was also an explanation of the setting in a related chapter, and my actions were based on that reference.

Concentration is required to activate curse and supranatural abilities. Therefore, the "surprise breast grab" technique, which is a half-joke, was used to seal the opponent's technique just before it's activated. It is said that this technique is effective not only in inciting a sense of shame, but also because the nerves are sensitive in this part of the body. In the four panels, it was used on the youngest daughter of the Akō family and Shiro as victims.

...Well, honestly, if I could get that close in actual combat, I would just pierce my opponent chest and kill them, you know?

(One in eight, it was the right move to do!!)

To be honest, I couldn't find any other way, and that's why I used this method. If it had not worked, I would have been out of my wits. However, I didn't expect it to work... just like an eroge.

Well, anyway...

"Miss! Miss Tamaki! Please stop hitting me, this is not the time!" I tried to plea for mercy.

But it was interrupted by Tamaki's outraged voice. "Shut up! Shut up!" she exclaimed, her tone angry and full of venom. "I won't forgive you this time! You pervert! You..." But soon, after she finally understands the situation around her.

"Huh? What? Where am I... Why are you here too? What's that? What's wrong with your appearance? Huh? What? Oh no!? A snake!?"

Then she notices my deformity and the curse of the snake that binds me... and the snake extends its tongue to Tamaki with an attitude like 'Yo~!' She falls on her butt, astonished and disoriented.