I Became the Final Subjugation Target of That Era’s Light Novel

There are a few fortunate points.

First of all, I still remember a bit about the original story. I recall how Sota, the original character, played his part.

He was definitely not a full-fledged fighter, and while he fought in a way that was probably incredibly painful, he still managed to protect Yuka from receiving a major wound at the most critical moment.

I swung my blood-splattered hand vigorously. The kappas seemed to become even more flustered at the sight of my blood splattering everywhere. They spat curses and screamed in terror.

…….

Geez, this is a bit hurtful.

You guys are the real monsters here. Well, considering that in the eyes of a yōkai, humans often just look like food, it only makes sense that they see themselves as the norm.

By the way, speaking of kappas…

I’ve seen them in old tales. They are such famous yōkai, and perhaps because of their traits, they are somewhat notorious in that realm. They may not be as renowned as a Japanese goblin, but they are known for stealing “jewels.”

It’s an eerie story. I wonder if those who fell victim suffered in such a way.

“You…”

Yuka looked at me with a somewhat bewildered expression.

“Yuka, up front.”

“……”

When I said that, her expression grew even more bewildered. No, rather than ‘bewildered,’ it would be more accurate to say ‘dumbfounded.’

Could Yuka have stood alone without me? Well, she probably would have won. After all, Yuka didn’t die in middle school in the original story.

However, still, I really didn’t want to see her get hurt.

We had only met for the second time now, and frankly, Yuka seemed to have some anxiety about me, but isn’t she still a bit too young?

There’s no reason for her to live with a huge scar.

I decided not to say more. After all, Yuka was the expert here, and I was just a rookie who had barely jumped in.

Instead, I merely played my part by watching her back.

*

After that, the fight ended without too much struggle.

It might not have been such a big deal to get my blood dirtied. No matter how gross the opponent was, there are times when you just have to endure and fight for your life.

However, that ‘instinctively feeling disgust’ didn’t seem to be something I could simply overcome in that moment.

There were no attacks against Yuka from behind. So, she calmly swept away the monsters in front of her and took down the others who were hindered by avoiding my blood, concluding the fight neatly.

The constant feeling of chills gradually faded away. I also felt the sense of discomfort in this space around us lessen slowly.

The owners of the nest had disappeared, and the nest itself was crumbling.

“……”

After the fight, Yuka bowed her head briefly for the deceased. It was something often described in the original story. I bowed my head alongside her.

Praying for the dead was sincere. After all, they had simply died due to unfortunate circumstances.

Once the brief prayer ended, Yuka turned around and started striding toward the stairs, but eventually, unable to hold back, she spun around to face me.

She had a look that seemed like she wanted to blame something, but at the same time, she found it hard to speak those words.

“I’m sorry.”

Since it was indeed my fault, I decided to apologize cleanly.

My injury was my fault. It couldn’t be Yuka’s fault. It was me who attacked without listening to her.

“…Where are you hurt?”

With my apology, Yuka seemed at a loss for words, her eyes darting around before she finally grabbed my arm.

It was a bit rough, or should I say, unskilled.

Maybe she didn’t know how to express her concern.

“It doesn’t hurt that much.”

“No, it’s not that it hurts…”

Saying that, when Yuka looked at my arm, she was suddenly at a loss for words.

The wounds were disappearing at quite a rapid speed. They weren’t completely gone right away, but at least it was fast enough for it to be visible.

When you get such a huge gash, you’d usually need to go to the hospital for stitches. Even then, you’d definitely end up with a huge scar.

But my arm was healing quickly without any of that.

“Isn’t that right? It’s okay.”

Well, that doesn’t mean the blood on my school uniform got erased.

……What should I say to Kagami?

No, more than that, I think it would be better to change clothes from now on. Would gym clothes be okay?

While I was lost in such thoughts, it seemed my expression reflected it, and Yuka let out a big sigh again.

Then she glared at me and said, “From now on, follow my orders.”

“…If necessary, I will.”

“If necessary?”

“Yeah, but usually, I’ll need your orders. I know nothing about fighting.”

“…Are you saying there are situations where it’s not necessary?”

“If there’s an attack coming from a place you don’t know about, I can block it. You saw, right? I’m a bit special like that.”

I’m the type to attract something unknown to me.

In fact, I don’t really know my own nature either. Right now, the only person who properly knows my identity is Kagami.

However, if I were to ask Kagami, just asking would hurt her feelings, so I never planned to bring it up.

“…According to my orders.”

Finally, Yuka chose the expression she needed to show.

While glaring at me, she gripped my arm tightly.

“You could’ve died, you know? The human body has important blood vessels all over. Even if it seems far from the neck and detached from the heart, one wrong cut could mean death in just a few seconds. No, alternatively, what if your neck had been cut?”

I know.

I know all too well. Accidents like that happen in this world.

“……”

I quietly looked at Yuka.

The feelings in her eyes were genuine. Yuka was sincerely angry at me.

“…I understand.”

In the end, I had no choice but to respond that way.

For a while, Yuka stared at me, as if trying to determine whether that was truly sincere or not, before finally letting go of my arm. I wasn’t sure if she figured it out or not.

“Alright then.”

Yuka spat that out and turned away, striding toward the stairs. Up there, the police were still peacefully managing the descent.

Despite a bloody battle just happening, the world still seemed peaceful.

…Even with the corpse of a dismembered person over there.

Though it isn’t visible at the moment, dealing with the corpse wasn’t my job.

How far is the boundary between everyday life and the extraordinary? Is a murder an extraordinary event? What about accidents that cause death?

I’m not sure.

But one thing is certain: my childhood was able to be preserved, thanks to Yuka.

It’s probably also thanks to the sacrifices of other exorcists apart from Yuka.

People who tirelessly run around without even thinking of being thanked.

“Are you not coming?”

Yuka called out to me.

“I’m coming.”

For some reason, I replied, feeling a bit glum.

*

Seeing my tattered school uniform splattered with blood, Kagami paused for a moment in thought.

While her expression seemed like she would cry—Kagami didn’t choose to do so.

Kagami had accepted my fate. She wouldn’t want to cause me to worry with something like that.

However, as she checked my arm and reassured herself that there were no wounds, she felt relief.

Kagami gently hugged me.

And as she softly stroked my head, she quietly said, “You did well, Koto Ne.”

Without blaming anyone.

Perhaps, she would be blaming only herself internally.

She would think that what happened was not my fault.

“I’m glad you came back safely.”

Her words nearly made my legs give out.

Yeah.

Even though I was pretending to accept it calmly, I was scared.

I was scared when I fled, and I was scared when I threatened the opponent with a broken toy against my neck. I was just forcing myself to endure because I wanted to live.

Being cut by a knife hurts. Even if the wound heals later, pain is unavoidable.

Honestly, I thought it was not my place to deal with something that is clearly not human—

I reached out and hugged Kagami.

That warmth gave me the reason I should fight. The reason I must endure.

It wasn’t just Kagami who stood by me. The reason I could endure in this world was also because of Kagami.

“…Are you hungry? Want to eat something?”

“…Yeah.”

In reality, she had offered to buy me a meal, but—I didn’t particularly want to accept that offer.

What I really wanted was Kagami’s cooking. The meals I had eaten my whole life in this world.

Now completely accustomed to my palate.

“Well, let’s wash up first. I have a spare school uniform, but still, I’ll prepare another one by tomorrow.”

Kagami was always like this.

Even while she was suffering. Even while she was scared. She must have been that way throughout our time together.

“…Yeah.”

But, the only answer I could give was that.

Now I understood a little of the attitude Yuka showed towards me earlier.

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