Chapter 8: A World That Won’t Let Me Die
Something’s off.
Way too off.
It’s been months since I came to this place, and I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve tried to kill myself.
But I still haven’t died.
“Why can’t I die?”
Cutting my wrist to bleed out has become routine.
Drowning, strangling, burning, falling, electrocution—I’ve tried them all, but every single one failed.
Sure, some failed because my body is just too tough to die.
But the rest? Hoshino, Nonomi, or Shiroko always showed up just in time to stop me, so I couldn’t die.
Even though I was careful to make sure no one would notice.
And every time I ask how they knew, they all say they don’t know.
They just had a feeling they needed to check, and there I was.
“Damn it, does that even make sense…?”
It’s almost like—
This world is stopping me from dying.
“Man, that was a good meal, Teacher!”
“Thanks for the food.”
“Mm. I ate well, thanks.”
“…I ate well…”
‘Even though my stomach’s churning.’
Was ramen just too much for me? I feel sick after eating.
Sure, the Teacher probably didn’t help, forcing food on me saying I need to eat more to grow taller.
But anyway, I’m steering clear of ramen for a while.
“Get out already! Don’t come back!! You’re bad for business!”
“Haha… See you tomorrow, Serika-chan.”
“I mean it, I hate you all!! Just drop dead!!”
“Haha, good to see you’re full of energy.”
“Alright, let’s head back, everyone.”
After our meal at Shibaseki Ramen, we headed back to Abidos.
“…Mm.”
“Hm? What’s wrong, Sora-chan? Still feeling sick?”
“…No, just thinking for a sec.”
Okay, my stomach is upset, but hearing Serika’s outburst just reminded me of something.
‘Come to think of it, today’s the day Serika gets kidnapped, isn’t it?’
In the original story, they all went to eat ramen together like today, and that same night, Serika was kidnapped by the Helmet Gang.
So, going by the original plot, Serika’s getting kidnapped tonight…
‘…Should I stop it?’
I could stop it if I wanted to.
No matter how many Helmet Gang members show up, they’re just Helmet Gang.
I could take them all down.
But if I do, the Teacher might not earn Serika’s trust.
This storyline is a big one in the original story—it’s where the Teacher rescues Serika and gains her trust.
If I save her instead, he might never get that chance again…
It’d basically be a game over.
Normally, I’d just let it play out.
‘But as her senpai, I don’t want to let my junior get into danger… It feels a bit guilty, you know.’
I’m her senpai, after all.
“…God, I really don’t know what to do…”
It was a stupid question.
Save Serika? Thinking about it was pointless.
“Ughhh…”
“Sora-chan, you okay…?”
I wouldn’t have been able to save her anyway.
After getting back to Abidos, my stomach kept getting worse as time went on.
I’d had this happen a few times in my past life, and usually, I’d just tough it out and be fine, so I ignored it…
“Uweeeeek!!!”
The moment I got home, it hit.
I couldn’t hold it in and ended up projectile vomiting rainbows, then bolted straight to the bathroom.
And here I am.
“Ughhh…”
“Hmm… What do we do? The hospital’s closed right now…”
I’ve thrown up everything, but my stomach’s still tight and aching, my head’s pounding, and I’ve got no energy.
How am I supposed to go save Serika like this…?
‘…I’m so sick, I feel like I’m gonna die… But even if I want to die, I don’t want to die this way…’
My goal is to die in one clean shot, not some gross, drawn-out method like this.
No, scratch that—at least when I die, I want it to be clean, not like this mess.
“…Sora-chan, hold on a bit. I’ll run to the convenience store and grab some medicine.”
“…Thanks…”
Ding!
Right then, a notification chimed on both my and Hoshino’s smartphones, and a message came through.
It said Serika had gone missing.
‘It’s happening…’
“…Sora-chan.”
“…Let’s go. Serika might be in danger, right?”
And since I could’ve stopped it but didn’t, I’ve got to take responsibility.
“But…”
“It’s fine… I’ll take some medicine from the convenience store, and I’ll be okay.”
Honestly, I can’t be sure about that.
“…Alright.”
Clutching my churning stomach, I headed out to Abidos with Hoshino.
“Sora, you okay?”
“…Yeah.”
That’s a lie. I took the medicine, but I’m not feeling any better.
If anything, it’s worse—probably because of the medicine.
Honestly, I just want to lie down right now.
But—
“Even so, Sora-chan, you look really bad…”
“I’m fine. Serika comes first right now.”
I can’t just stop.
We need to save Serika as soon as possible.
Even if I didn’t stop it on purpose, I knew it was coming and didn’t act, so I’ve got to atone for it by rescuing her quickly.
Otherwise, she’ll end up crying, thinking she betrayed Abidos, just like in the original story.
“Any luck with Serika-chan’s phone?”
“…No good. It’s been disconnected for hours.”
“The ramen shop said she left on time, but she didn’t make it home after that.”
“…Probably.”
“She’s never stayed out this late before…”
“Could it be… The Helmet Gang?”
“What?! The Helmet Gang took Serika-chan…?”
“Let’s wait for now. Hoshino-senpai and the Teacher went to check things out.”
A little while later, the Teacher and Hoshino came back.
“Alright, kept you waiting, huh?”
“Hoshino-senpai! Teacher!”
“We’re back.”
“What’s the situation, senpai?”
“Using the Teacher’s authority, we accessed the central communication network managed by the General Student Council.”
“The central communication network… The Teacher’s authority can do that?”
“Uhe~ We did it on the sly, of course. If we get caught, it’s a write-up for sure.”
“What?! Is that okay, Teacher?”
“It’s fine. For Serika’s safety, it’s worth it.”
“Teacher…”
‘Ooh, that was a pretty good line.’
That comment just shifted their looks from “suspicious adult” to “somewhat trustworthy teacher.”
I feel bad for Serika, but that’s a huge win.
“Serika-chan’s phone location before it cut off is showing up here.”
“That’s… the outskirts of the city, where desertification’s happening, right?”
“An abandoned area where no one lives… A lawless zone crawling with all sorts of outlaws.”
“That area was identified as the main base for the Kata-Kata Helmet Gang during our last risk assessment. Which means… It’s definitely the Kata-Kata Helmet Gang’s doing…!!”
“So they kidnapped Serika on her way home and took her to their hideout.”
“They weren’t satisfied with just attacking the school, so they took a hostage to use as leverage.”
“Who cares about their plans?! We need to go save Serika-chan right now!!”
“Yeah, we’ve got to rescue her fast.”
Or she’ll end up crying.
“Absolutely.”
“Alright, let’s do this.”
“Move out!”