"Dammit, don't joke around me...!"

That was the first thing out of Tanii Kenji's mouth after losing his 'Pistol'.

The moment he saw us, he bolted. "Eh? Why is he running!?"

"Hmm...

Maybe he doesn't have good memories with Spirit Beasts," Shion replied to the surprised Matsuko.

"...Out of range for Silence. I need to get closer."

Chiyu murmured.

"Can't we just leave him alone, though..."

"N-no! If we talk calmly, he'll surely understand!"

Reacting to Yumekai's lethargic words, Professor Luminas spoke up.

"Sōsuke-san."

Fukamasa looked at me, seeking my order.

"Let's chase him. Use Microon to get right above him. Then Chiyu can use Silence." "Mm. Understood."

On a straight path, we would've caught up in no time, but since Tanii was sprinting through the dense forest, even with Microon, closing the distance instantly wasn't possible.

Even so, catching him was only a matter of time.

"In range—Silence."

Tsuboi's body glowed faintly as he gradually slowed to a stop.

"…Why the hell was I so scared?"

Apparently, his fear of Mashihiro and Mikron had been enough to make him flee.

With his terror subsiding, he had come to a halt.

"Tsuboi-kun, can you hear me out?"

Still astride the Black Dragon Mikron, Luminas-sensei addressed Tsuboi.

"Huh? It's Luminas-chan. Why are you on that black dragon…?"

"P-Please go to Professor Tanbi first. There is something more important I need to tell you."

"Sensei, wait. Before we talk, we should get out of here."

I cut in on her words.

Several comrades who had realized the situation were already assuming combat stances.

"Takano-kun? What's wrong?"

Sensei had been too focused on Tsuboi to notice.

"Sensei, we are here at a body of water."

Currently, the misshapen monsters deployed on this desert island number two types.

The Arvank and the Trent.

Both of them dwell in areas with water sources.

And right before my eyes spread a body of water large enough to be called a lake.

Into that area had come eleven humans, including Tsutsui.

There was no way the monsters wouldn't be provoked.

Though there was no wind, the surrounding trees began to rustle.

Splashes rose on the surface of the water.

The trees yanked their own roots out of the ground and moved by shifting them like legs.

Their branches writhed like tentacles, and faces resembling human ones floated on their trunks.

The Avank also slithered up onto the land, but their numbers were beyond normal.

They threatened to completely fill my field of vision.

"Ah... ah... ahhh..."

"Tsutsui, climb up here!"

I reached out a hand toward Tsutsui.

But his legs had seemingly gone out from under him; he sat down on his rump and just stayed there, motionless. "Chiyu! Buff me!"

With that, I jumped off the Micron.

"Sō-kun...! Gah, 'Might Enhancement'!"

Her voice was unusually frantic, but my childhood friend cast the enhancement spell without a moment's hesitation.

My entire body glowed with a faint light as power surged through me.

I lifted Tsutsui up and flung him onto the Micron's back.

"Teacher, please keep him from falling off."

"Y-Yes! Hurry up too, Kudo-kun!"

The Micron and the Black Ryugu could fly into the air to break contact, but Fenrir's Mashiro was in danger.

The countless treants had already moved to block our retreat.

I hesitated for a split second.

For now, have the Dream World barrier enclose just us.

Then, from a safe distance, we can keep attacking with deep-tier spells until the monsters are gone.

Yes. With this lineup, there's no need to panic.

But reality rarely follows the script of ideals.

Kuroryu Miyao had not maintained a safe altitude, likely worried about the riders on Mashiro.

Then, one of its tails was caught by a treant that reached out and wrapped a branch around it.

Surprised by the realization, Kuroryu Kyogo twisted his body, trying to wrench free from the bindings.

As a result, the branches snapped.

But—

“Ah.”

Soji and Shion, who were riding on Kuroryu Miyao's back, clung on with all their might in a split second of panic, but the Dream Realm's response lagged behind.

She nearly dropped the tablet she was carrying, reaching out to catch it instead of holding on.

Because of that distraction, she could no longer keep her grip on Kuroryu Miyao—and fell.

That alone might have been manageable.

The misfortune lay in the fact that a treant's branch struck her again, bouncing her away.

Her body tumbled through the air.

To make matters worse, where she bounced toward was— the swarm of Arvanks.

Screams of shock rose from her companions.

"I'll go! Everyone else, keep taking down the monsters from within the barrier!"

I conveyed only the original plan before sprinting straight toward the horde of Arvanks.

Identifying the figures that might get in my way before reaching the Dream Realm, I pulled an item from my Inventory.

Boiling water.

Specifically, it was heated to a rolling boil using deep-level fire magic.

Usually, you dilute this with water when taking a bath, but there wasn't much time for such courtesies here.

The Arvanks drenched in scalding heat let out agonized screams, thrashing around in pain.

Using my enhanced physique to knock them aside, I seized the moment and leaped.

Soaring high like some superhero, I launched myself toward the Dream Realm as she fell.

"Catch—!"

I grabbed her body out of mid-air, falling together.

The surrounding Arvanks scattered to avoid us, creating a small patch of open ground.

I landed there.

The impact sank my boots halfway into the earth, but my reinforced flesh meant I sustained no injuries.

"Hah… hah… E-eh? Kuno……?"

She didn't seem to expect rescue; her face was etched with disbelief.

"Are you okay?"

For a split second, as if regretting her own carelessness, her face drained of all color.

"Ah, I'm sorry…!"

She was shaken, unlike her usual self.

But there was no time for comforting her.

"Dreamworld, two barriers.

One surrounding just the group—and—" Just then.

The Arvanks encircling us pounced all at once.

And as they lunged to bite us—right before impact, they were knocked back by an invisible force.

"...Yeah, I get it. Surrounding just us who are isolated, right?"

Typical Dreamworld.

She had quickly recovered from the confusion and grasped the situation.

With this, we wouldn't have any problems even if surrounded by a massive swarm.

The rest of the group could attack until the monsters outside the barrier were gone.

And Dreamworld and I could hold out in this small barrier.

"Looks like we're safe now. Dreamworld, are you hurt?"

"Y-Yeah. My arm still moves. But maybe it's just the adrenaline."

I wasn't aware I'd been injured at the moment it happened; the pain only started to set in afterward.

"I hope we can link up with Chi-ru before the adrenaline wears off."

At least it seemed like there were no serious injuries, which was a relief.

For a second, I thought things were over, but now I could breathe again.

My comrades should realize that I and Yumekai are safe once they confirm the barrier of the Dream Realm is functioning.

The barrier allows visibility from the inside out, but not from the outside in.

We cannot verify the presence of our companions within different barriers, just as they cannot verify ours.

Since we know for certain that everyone is safe, there's no need to worry.

"…Hey, Kudo."

The cries of the Arvank that had been audible at first suddenly ceased.

Had the Dream Realm rejected the intrusion of 'sound'?

"What's wrong?"

"Why did you do something so reckless? What would have happened if I had passed out, or even died?"

The thought of a comrade dying was one I wanted to avoid, but had she lost consciousness, I would have simply carried her back to the group.

I shaped the stones in my Inventory into massive boulders, raining them down to crush the Arvanck. Using my enhanced body, I moved across the rubble to rejoin my companions.

We used Fubou and Professor Luminus's magic to take down the Trolls blocking our retreat, clearing a path for Mashiro to make her run.

It was dangerous, and she likely got hurt in the chaos, but fortunately, we have Senri with us, who wields healing magic.

I only came up with that idea now; in the heat of the moment, I was far too frantic to think that clearly.

Besides, the Yume-kyō isn’t going to care about hearing such plans right now.

"My body just moved on reflex."

So he conveyed only the facts.

"Hmpf"

Yume-kyō’s body flinched.

It was only then that I realized I was still holding her in a princess carry.

"Sorry, let me set you down now."

She remained standing there as I released her, refusing to step away from me.

More than that, she actually leaned into me.

Moments ago, I'd had no time for such things, but now that I focused on it, I could keenly feel the warmth of her body and the rhythm of her breathing.

"...Yume-kyo?"

She looked up at me.

Her face was dyed a deep red, and her eyes were brimming with tears.

"So... how are you going to deal with this?"

Or perhaps it was just my imagination that made her voice sound so feverish.

"I can't rest until I settle my debts. But how am I supposed to pay back a life-saving favor like that?"

Come to think of it, Yume-gai was that type.

"……Don't worry about it."

"No way. I've been in debt to you all this time. Now that saving my life is added on top of that... there's no choice but to spend the rest of my life repaying you, right?"

If her voice had form, it would be soaking wet and heavy with absorbed water by now.

Her words were so moist and saturated with resolve that it was almost a delusion to think otherwise.

Yume-gai slowly moved her face closer.

The aloof classmate who had always stood apart from everyone else was now... seeking me out?

"Y-Yume-gai..."

Even though the situation was safe, my throat still clicked with a nervous gulp.

"We don't have anything to do until the others exterminate all the monsters. Let me repay you."

And then, her face twisted into an anxious expression.

"Or... is it that I'm not good enough?"

The pace of development may vary, but the girls who joined us all end up getting close to Sousuke in the end.

Next time will be a chapter focusing on Ei-chi, our first in a while.

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「Damn it, stop messing around...!」

This was the first thing the boy, Kunihito Kengo, said after losing his "pistol."

He ran away as soon as he saw us. "Huh, why is he running away!?"

"Umm... Maybe because he doesn't have good memories with the phantoms." Shion answered to Shouko's surprise.

"...Outside the range of tranquility. We need to get closer." Senyuu muttered.

"Can't we just leave him alone...?"

"N-no! If we calm down and talk to him, he'll understand!"

Luminas-sensei reacted to the sluggish voice of the Dream World. "Kousuke-san"

Deep Ho looked at me as if asking for instructions.

"Let's chase him. We'll go to the top of him with a micron. Then Senyuu will calm him down." "Okay. Understood."

If it were a straight line, we could catch up to him immediately, but since Kunihito was running through a dense forest, even with a micron, we couldn't close the distance instantly.

Still, it was just a matter of time before we caught up. "Within range--tranquility"

Tsunai's body faintly glowed, and he gradually slowed down.

"...Why was I so scared?"

Indeed, it seemed that he had been frightened by Mashiro and Mikuron and had run away.

It appeared that he had stopped because his fear had subsided.

"Tsuna-kun, can you listen to me?"

Rumina-sensei called out to Tsunai while still riding on the black dragon, Mikuron.

"Huh? Isn't that Rumina-chan? Why are you on that black dragon...?"

"Y-Yes, please, Mr. Tanka. But more importantly, there's something important I need to tell you."

"Wait, Sensei. Before you talk, let's leave this place first." I interrupted Sensei's words.

Several of our comrades had already entered a combat-ready stance upon realizing the situation.

"Koji-kun? What's wrong?"

Sensei was focused on Tsunai and hadn't noticed. "Sensei, this place is--a water area."

Currently, there are two types of monstrous creatures—monsters—on this desert island: Arvanc and Trent.

Both of them live in water.

And before their eyes was a large body of water that could be called a lake.

Eleven people, including Tsutsui, had come there.

There was no way they wouldn't provoke the monsters.

Even though there was no wind, the trees around them rustled, and splashes rose on the water's surface.

The trees pulled their roots from the ground and moved them like legs.

The branches wriggled like tentacles, and human-like faces appeared on the trunks.

The Arvanc also crawled out onto the ground, but there were far too many of them.

They filled the entire field of vision. "A, a, a..."

"Tsutsui, come up here!" I reached out to Tsutsui.

But his legs gave out, and he fell on his butt and didn't move. "Chiyu! Give me a boost!"

That said, I jumped off Mikuron.

"Sou-kun...!? 'Strength Enhancement'!"

Even as she sounded unusually anxious, my childhood friend cast the enhancement spell on me without a moment's hesitation.

My entire body glowed faintly, and I felt my strength surge.

I picked up Tsukui and threw him onto Mikuron's back.

"Teacher, please hold him down so he doesn't fall off."

"H-hai...! K-Kouno-kun, hurry up too!"

Mikuron and Kuroryuu Miyoko could fly away, but Fenrir's Mashiro was in danger.

The countless Trents had already moved to block our escape route. Hesitation.

For now, let's have the dream world's barrier encircle us.

Then, from a safe distance, we can continue attacking the monsters with deep magic until they're all gone.

That's right. With this team, there's no need to panic.

But reality doesn't always go according to plan.

The black dragon, Kuro Ryuu, who was worried about the girls on Mashiro, hadn't gained altitude.

A Trent extended a branch and wrapped it around its tail.

Kuro Ryuu, surprised by this, tried to free himself by twisting his body, but the branch snapped. But— "Ah!"

Shoubu and Shion, riding on Kuro Ryuu, tried to cling to him tightly, but their reaction was too slow.

She almost dropped her tablet and reached for it.

Because of this, she couldn't hold onto Kuro Ryuu anymore—and fell.

If that was all, it would have been fine.

Unfortunately, she was further pushed away by another branch from the Trent. Her body flew through the air.

Worst of all, she was pushed toward the group of Arvanks. The others cried out in alarm.

"I'll go! You guys take care of the monsters from inside the barrier!"

I only relayed the initial plan and then sprinted toward the group of Arvanks.

I look at the ones who might get in my way until I reach the dream world and place something from my Inventory. ――It's hot water.

Hot water boiled vigorously with the fire attribute magic of the deep arts.

When I take a bath, I usually dilute it with water, but I didn't bother this time.

The Arvanks who are hit with the hot water scream in agony and thrash about.

I use my enhanced body to bounce them off and time it just right to jump.

I soar high in the air like a superhero and leap down to the dream world.
"Deliver it...!"

I catch the dream body in mid-air and fall.

The Arvanks around us scatter to avoid us, creating a small empty space. That's where I land.

The impact was so strong that my shoes sank halfway into the ground, but my enhanced body kept me from getting hurt.

"Hah... hah... eh, K, Kouya...?"

The dream world looks like it can't believe I actually made it. "Are you okay?"

For a moment, her face turns pale with regret for her mistake. "Ah, I'm sorry...!"

She doesn't seem like herself, probably because she's shaken up.

But I didn't have time to comfort her.

"Two dream worlds, two barriers. One to enclose our friends and—" At that moment.

The Arvancs surrounding us all pounced at once.

And just as they were about to bite us, they were repelled by something invisible.

"...Yeah, I get it. We're surrounded, but it's just us." As expected of the dream world.

She quickly recovered from the confusion and seemed to understand the situation.

This way, no matter how large the swarm, it wouldn't be a problem.

Our friends could attack the monsters from outside the barrier, and

Dream World and I could hold out inside this small barrier.

"Are you okay? Dream World, did you get hurt?"

"N-no. My arms and everything still move. Maybe it's just adrenaline."

You might not notice an injury right away, and it could start to hurt later.

I hope I can meet up with Senyuu before the adrenaline wears off.

It seems like there are no serious injuries, which is a relief.

I was worried for a moment, but now I'm relieved.

My friends will know that the barrier around the dream world is working, so they'll know that I and the dream world are safe.

The barrier lets you see from the inside out, but not the other way around.

We can't see our friends who are inside different barriers, and they can't see us either.

We're definitely safe, so there's no need to worry. "...Hey, Kouno."

At first, I could hear the Arvank's cry, but then it suddenly stopped.

Maybe the dream world rejected the sound. "What's wrong?"

"Why did you do something so reckless? What if I passed out or died?"

I don't want to think about my friends dying, but if she had fainted, I would have had to carry her back to the others.

I formed the stones in my Inventory into large rocks and dropped them around us, crushing Arvanc while I moved across them with my enhanced body to meet up with my comrades.

The Trent blocking our escape was taken down by Deep Magic and Mr. Lumina's magic, securing a path for Mashiro to run through.

It was dangerous and I'm sure she got hurt, but fortunately, we have Chiyou who can use healing magic.

I would have thought of such an idea now, but back then, I was desperate.

Besides, the Dream World doesn't want to hear about such plans right now. "I just acted on instinct." So, I only tell the facts. "Ah!" The body in the Dream World shudders.

Then, I realized I was still carrying her princess-style. "Sorry, I'll put you down now."

She stands there but doesn't move away from me.

In fact, she leans closer.

I hadn't paid attention to it before, but now that I do, I can feel her warmth and breathing strongly. "...Dream World?" She looks at me.

Her face is flushed red, and her eyes are moist. "Well, what should I do?"

Her voice sounds feverish, is that just my imagination?

"I can't rest until I've paid back my debts. But how do I repay a debt like saving my life?"

By the way, Yuuga was that kind of person. "…Don't worry about it."

"I can't. Up until now, I've been in debt, and now that you've saved my life… I can only repay it with the rest of my life, right?"

If that voice had a shape, it would be heavy, like it had absorbed water.

Her words were so soft that it felt like they were dripping with determination.

Yuuga slowly moved her face closer.

Was she, the aloof classmate, seeking me out now? "Yu… Yuuga…"

Even though this was a safe situation, my throat still made a gulping sound.

"I don't have anything to do until everyone else finishes off the monsters. Let me repay my debt."

And then, she looked worried.

"Or is it… not okay if it's me?"

Though at different speeds, all the kids who joined them become close to Souta.

Next time will be a long-awaited Wisdom chapter.

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