Repaying the Favor EP.19

"Are you done saying your goodbyes?"

 

 

 

"...Yeah, I've submitted my withdrawal letter, everything."

 

 

 

'Of course, I only said goodbye through a letter... But anything more would be a luxury, so I should be satisfied with this.'

 

 

 

"Oh, and this."

 

 

 

I handed the document with Hoshino's signature to the man in the black suit.

 

 

 

"I brought it as promised, so keep your end of the deal, black suit."

 

 

 

"Hehehe, of course. I'll keep my promise. So don't worry and let's go."

 

 

 

The man in the black suit led me outside to a car.

 

 

 

"I just get in this car?"

 

 

 

"Yes, this vehicle will take you to the lab in the middle of the PMC base."

 

 

 

"...Alright."

 

 

 

As I got into the car, I looked at Abydos one last time.

 

 

 

 

 

 

"Hehehe, this is exciting."

 

 

 

"I only offered a small bit of help, but in other words, you're my creation."

 

 

 

"We'll study and analyze such a creation, understand it. In other words, use it for experiments."

 

 

 

"This is the interesting experiment we've been wanting to observe."

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"Ta-da!"

 

 

 

"Look, Hoshino-chan! I finally found an old Abydos desert festival poster!"

 

 

 

"Back then, the oasis was as wide as a lake. Here, it's a souvenir!"

 

 

 

"Hehehe... Isn't it awesome? If a miracle happens, people will come back here again and..."

 

 

 

"There are no such things as miracles, senpai."

 

 

 

"Such convenient things don't exist in this world!"

 

 

 

"H-Howoo..."

 

 

 

"Why would people come to the middle of the desert?! Stop with the dreamy talk!!"

 

 

 

"Uung... But Hoshino, I'm s-sorry... I'm such an idiot..."

 

 

 

"...Miracles, luck, blessings..."

 

 

 

"You are the student council president of Abydos! You need to be more aware of the weight of responsibility on your shoulders!!"

 

 

 

Zzzip, zzzip- zzziip!

 

 

 

 

 

 

"I'm sorry Hoshino-chan..."

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"Huff...! Huff... Huff... Wh-Where am I...?"

 

 

 

It was early morning, just after sunrise, and Hoshino, who had been knocked out by Sora, opened her eyes and looked around.

 

 

 

"...This is my house?"

 

 

 

As she looked around and realized she was in her own room, she couldn't understand why she had woken up at home.

 

 

 

"W-Why? Just a moment ago, I was in the classroom with Sora-chan..."

 

 

 

She had been talking with Sora just moments ago.

 

 

 

But thankfully, her confusion didn't last long.

 

 

 

 

"Yes, you go to sleep first."

 

 

 

 

Fzzzt

 

 

 

"Ugh!?"

 

 

 

 

 

"Ah..."

 

 

 

She remembered Sora, slightly, no, she remembered Sora knocking her out with a stun gun last night.

 

 

 

"...Sora... Why would you do that...?"

 

 

 

But this time, she couldn't help but question Sora's actions.

 

 

 

She couldn't understand what Sora would gain by knocking her out.

 

 

 

"Why on earth..."

 

 

 

Ring ring!

 

 

 

"Huh...? Ayane-chan...?"

 

 

 

Just as she was pondering Sora's actions in her room, Ayane suddenly called her on her smartphone.

 

 

 

"Hello? Ayane-chan?"

 

 

 

Hoshino answered the phone without any suspicion.

 

 

 

"H-Hoshino-senpai!"

 

 

 

"Wh-What's wrong, Ayane-chan? What happened..."

 

 

 

"Sora... Sora-senpai...!!"

 

 

 

She felt her heart drop.

 

 

 

"...What?"

 

 

 

"Sora-senpai is gone!!"

 

 

 

*

 

 

 

 

 

[To the Abydos Countermeasures Committee.]

 

 

 

[I'm sorry for saying goodbye with a letter, but this kind of goodbye feels right for a letter.]

 

 

 

[Actually, just like Hoshino, there's something I haven't told you all.]

 

 

 

[Sensei probably knows, but Hoshino was being scouted by someone.]

 

 

 

[To work as a Kaiser PMC mercenary and pay off Abydos' debt.]

 

 

 

[...And I've known about it for a long time.]

 

 

 

[Ah, don't ask how I knew, it's not a story you'd believe anyway.]

 

 

 

[Anyway, getting back to the point, after knowing this, I went to meet the person who scouted Hoshino.]

 

 

 

[To tell them to take me instead.]

 

 

 

[And surprisingly, they readily agreed.]

 

 

 

[Though they added a condition that I take over as Abydos' president.]

 

 

 

[But it still pays off the debt. Not all of it, but it should lighten the burden.]

 

 

 

[So, the Countermeasures Committee should be fine now.]

 

 

 

[My presence itself was a nuisance anyway. Without me, no, because I'm gone, you'll surely be fine.]

 

 

 

[Of course, you can resent me. Curse me, hate me, I don't care.]

 

 

 

[So, please be well. Forget about me.]

 

 

 

*****

 

 

 

 

 

"...Hey."

 

 

 

"What is it?"

 

 

 

"Isn't this too much?"

 

 

 

'Tying my hands behind my back and making me kneel.'

 

 

 

"This is really fucking hard, you know? My legs are about to cramp up right now."

 

 

 

"Hehehehe."

 

 

 

"Don't just fucking grin, change my position, you bastard!"

 

 

 

*****

 

 

 

 

 

[To Sensei.]

 

 

 

[There's something I haven't told you, but soon after you read this letter, Kaiser will attack.]

 

 

 

[Since I took over the student council and left, they'll think Abydos, with no official club, student council, or autonomous district, is an easy target.]

 

 

 

[Plus, the Countermeasures Committee isn't an official club, so you probably won't be able to stop them.]

 

 

 

[So, Sensei, even though I left without a word and broke my promise, I have one last request.]

 

 

 

[Please protect everyone from Kaiser, somehow.]

 

 

 

[I'll handle things after that.]

 

 

 

[So, please. Please protect everyone.]

 

 

 

 

*****

 

 

 

"...Hey, what's that?"

 

 

 

"Simply put, a fear inducer?"

 

 

 

"...Really? Starting sooner than I thought?"

 

 

 

Honestly, I thought they'd drag it out like the original and get stopped by Sensei in the end.

 

 

 

'...Could it be I can finally die this time...?'

 

 

 

*****

 

 

 

 

[To Hoshino.]

 

 

 

[I'm sorry, Hoshino, for disappearing without a word.]

 

 

 

[But I couldn't think of any other way.]

 

 

 

[Hoshino-san is pretty stubborn.]

 

 

 

[Ah, don't feel guilty.]

 

 

 

[As Hoshino-san probably knows this, but this is what I wanted, in a way.]

 

 

 

[So, just think of it as me repaying a favor.]

 

 

 

[...The food you gave me that day was delicious.]

 

 

 

*****

 

 

"...Hmm, you're tougher than I thought."

 

 

 

"Yeah, being annoyingly tough is my only redeeming quality."

 

 

 

"...Hmm, this is a bit unexpected. Well, we have no choice but to use another method."

 

 

 

'Another method?'

 

 

 

"...Hey, what are you doing? D-Don't tell me you're going to make me eat that?"

 

 

 

"S-Stop! No, you bastard, ugh!!!"

 

 

 

*****

 

 

 

[To everyone.]

 

 

 

[Take care of Hoshino... Take care of my sister.]

 

 

 

[If anyone's shocked by this, it'll be her.]

 

 

 

[So, please.]

 

 

[So that my first and last family, the only one I have here, can live well without me.]

 

[...And this is just a hypothetical, but if we ever meet as enemies,]

 

[Destroy my halo.]

 

[Please.]