NOVEL SIMPLE Arc 4: Experience the Story – Chapter 7
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Cross-over from various games, books, anime, manga, and movies.
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"Speech"
Arc 4: Experience the Story - Chapter 7
"What are we supposed to do?" Weiss whispers to Ruby, her voice barely heard over the loud conversation beyond the door. "They've got unimportant characters with them. We can't make a move."
She casts a sidelong glance through the narrow glass panel beside the door, her gaze sweeping over the room. Inside, a group of people—students, contractors, and others who seem no more significant than background extras—sit around cafeteria tables, casually eating lunch in what looks like an ordinary corporate break room. Weiss keeps herself angled just right, her body hidden by the doorframe, careful to ensure that no one inside notices her watching.
Ruby's grin spreads across her face, "We can have Jin take care of them."
"Not anymore, not after you said that." Octavia chimes in, her tone flat but pointed. She crosses her arms, her brow furrowing slightly in thought. "I don't know if we're getting tangled in wordplay here, but technically, you're already disturbing them by even suggesting we use Jin. In a way, you're implicating him. Although..." She pauses, a hint of uncertainty creeping into her voice, "Maybe I'm overthinking it, and Jin could still help us out."
"We can find out by reading this new letter from Featherine." I reach over to snatch the letter resting on top of Weiss' head. She lets out a quiet huff of annoyance, casting a sidelong glare as I take it, clearly irritated but saying nothing.
I open the letter, and despite the overwhelming urge to snort, I manage to keep a straight face. Without a word, I flip it over for the others to see, revealing a single word scrawled in bold letters across almost the entire page: "NO."
"No, as in no, we can't have Jin help us?'" Weiss asks. She glances at the letter again, hoping it might offer more than just that blunt rejection.
The word "NO" on the letter suddenly glows, pulsing faintly for a brief moment as if it were responding directly to Weiss' question.
Weiss blinks, clearly taken aback by the glowing response. "Okay. I guess Jin can help us after all." She glances at the letter one last time as if seeking confirmation before turning her attention back to the group.
"Do we get extra credit if we don't rely on Jin?" Ruby asks softly, her eyes fixed on the letter in my hand. As if in answer, the letter glows once more before vanishing completely. Ruby lets out a frustrated sigh. "Darn."
"By the way, what should we do with Yuri over here?" Octavia asks, gesturing behind her. Yuri stands there, clutching a metal bat tightly, clearly using it for emotional support.
"I can stay next to her and make sure no one tries to harm her while I'm around." I replied, and then I started to spread out my En to monitor for any unexpected arrivals. "So, you three don't have to worry about Yuri for the time being." My focus shifts, scanning the area with heightened vigilance to ensure we're prepared for any potential threats.
"Right, it's time to brainstorm a plan to deal with those guys inside without disturbing the unimportant characters." Ruby says with a determined expression, turning her gaze to Weiss and Octavia. "Any ideas?"
It's time to put their heads together and come up with a strategy.
While the three are deep in their planning, I glance over at Yuri. Something clicks for a moment—something I hadn't noticed until now.
I suddenly remember that Yuri is, in fact, the main protagonist of this world. How could I have overlooked such a crucial detail? Yet, despite that, she's still just a normal human teenage girl, especially at this early stage in the plot. It makes sense for her to break down when thrust into a situation far beyond her comfort zone. Still, she's the protagonist—destined to grow, adapt, and overcome her weaknesses as the story progresses. It's only a matter of time before she rises to meet her true potential.
"Is... something wrong?" Yuri asks nervously, her voice wavering slightly, snapping me out of my thoughts.
Whoops. I must have been staring at her for too long.
"Yeah, are you sure you only want to stick with that metal bat?" I ask, raising an eyebrow. "I mean, I could give you a gun… though, in hindsight, that's not exactly something I ever thought I'd be saying to a high school girl." I rub my chin thoughtfully, glancing over at the others who are still deep in discussion about how to handle the situation, completely unaware of how much time has slipped by.
Of course, it's only thanks to the Delayed Effect I'm using that those inside the room haven't noticed out of the ordinary. Everyone inside the room is moving at a crawl, giving the girls more than enough time to plan things out without the pressure of time running out.
"I don't think I can handle shooting a gun." Yuri says slowly, her eyes downcast as she stares at her foot. "It would probably jump right out of my hands after just one shot."
"I can teach you how to fire a gun later after this." I offer, then blink as I realize how unnecessary that sounds coming from me. "Actually." I correct myself. "Ruby, Weiss, or even Octavia would probably be better at teaching you how to handle a gun without hurting yourself."
It makes more sense for one of them to take on that task—this is considered as part of their class assignments by influencing Yuri through gun training.
"Uh..." Yuri glances nervously at Ruby, then at Weiss, and finally, her gaze settles on Octavia. Her expression grows more uncertain with each glance, and by the time she looks back at me, her eyes are filled with a kind of quiet resignation. "Couldn't I just stick with this metal bat instead?" She is pleading at this point. It's clear she's not too keen on the idea of wielding a gun if she were to be taught by those three.
"I don't think you need that much physical strength to make use of it effectively," I reply, frowning slightly as I consider the situation.
The thought of Ruby, Weiss, or Octavia training Yuri to wield either the metal bat or a gun runs through my mind. Eventually, I'll need to get her a proper weapon, but for now, I'm left wondering how she'll fare in this chaotic environment. Regardless of the choice, it's clear she'll need guidance, and I'm not entirely sure how she'll handle what's ahead now that her world isn't like the original, especially when there are deadly and powerful students and contractors out there.
"Hey, Jin." Ruby calls out to me in a whisper, her voice low but urgent. "Could you take those contractors away with you? We've got a plan to handle the unimportant characters and the students inside, but it's the contractors we haven't figured out a way to deal with yet. No good ideas are coming to mind for them."
"Sure. It shouldn't take me more than a few seconds to deal with them." I reply, nodding confidently at Ruby. Her face lights up with a bright smile, and before I can react, she leans in and plants a quick kiss on my lips—a gesture of gratitude.
Or at least, that is what my brain comes up with. Because I'm pretty sure if it wasn't for the wrong time and place, she would have sex with me right there and then.
I create multiple gaps in reality, each one swirling with a faint distortion as they appear around the contractors. Without hesitation, I drag them through, vanishing from their spot. A moment later, I step into my own gap, the space beneath my feet warping as I descend into an inverted version of the world we were in—the parallel, distorted reality of High-Rise Invasion. The familiar yet unsettling skyline appears around me, but this time, everything is reversed, giving the entire place an eerie and disorienting feel. Here, I'll deal with the contractors without interference.
I summon Solomon's Gate from my back, watching as it expands to its full, formidable size. Its intricate symbols and ancient runes shimmer with a faint, otherworldly light, casting shadows that seem to flicker with their own life. As I begin chanting in the Dead Language from the Language Grave, the very air around me hums with the weight of forbidden power. Each word I utter amplifies the magic I'm weaving, pushing the limits of reality itself.
The combination of Solomon's Gate and the ancient incantations sends my spells surging far beyond their already broken potential, twisting the fabric of this inverted world to my will. With Solomon's Gate's overwhelming power at my command, these contractors don't stand a chance.
Reality itself fractures under the weight of the immense spells I've unleashed. Cracks spiderwebs across the sky, the ground, and everything in between as the void begins to consume this inverted world, devouring it piece by piece. The very essence of this dimension crumbles away into nothingness, its end inevitable and complete.
But for me, it's just another task completed. Without so much as a glance at the collapsing reality, I step through the gap I left behind, smoothly returning to the girls. As I re-enter their world, the remnants of that broken dimension fade away, leaving nothing but silence in its wake.
As I step back into the world, Solomon's Gate swiftly shrinks, its massive form condensing down until it becomes no more than a faint, intricate symbol imprinted on my back. It settles there, dormant but ever-watchful, waiting patiently for my next command, ready to be summoned whenever the need arises. The weight of its power lingers, but for now, everything is calm once more.
I take a moment to scan my surroundings, glancing to my right, left, up, down, and finally backward, ensuring everything is as it should be. Once satisfied, my gaze lands on the girls.
"Should I be concerned that there are dead bodies everywhere." I pointed at the grim scene unfolding before me. "And that Yuri's uniform is stained with blood?" My gaze narrows as I take in the details. "Also, she's missing her metal bat."
The sight of Yuri standing there, her blood-stained uniform and empty hands. She was shaken beyond disbelief as tears went down her cheeks.
"Ruby decided to sacrifice Yuri's metal bat for something else and managed to acquire a pill that granted Yuri superhuman abilities." Weiss explains, pausing to choose her words carefully. "This included physical strength far beyond what a normal human body can handle."
She took a breath; clearly, what had happened shocked her. "After promising Yuri that we'd come to her rescue if things went awry, we didn't expect the consequences of her newfound strength. Yuri's lack of control over her superhuman abilities led to a series of unfortunate accidents. As you can see, she accidentally killed nearly everyone here simply by touching them—what started as a simple push escalated into her slamming a sledgehammer into their stomachs."
"So... you got her to kill others with barely any input from your end..." I snap my fingers. Using Boundary Manipulation, I erase all the bloodstains from Yuri's uniform, restoring it to a cleaner state. "I think I might have to do some counseling to help Yuri deal with this new trauma."
"Hahaha...!" Yuri let out a broken laughter.
Yup. Look like I got to be that person.