It's Not the Strongest Who Survive, But the One Who Survives is Strong. EP.4

Shhhhhhh Creak! Creak! "...Okay, this should do it." The method I was attempting was incredibly simple. A method anyone contemplating suicide would think of. "Ughhh... It's warm..." Cutting my wrist, getting into the bathtub, and bleeding to death. "Warm water is the best..." Even in a desert, a warm bath is still a warm bath. "Come to think of it, is this the first time? Seeing me naked." Honestly, since I'd turned into a girl, I thought I'd feel repulsed by someone seeing me naked. "...." But maybe because the body was so young, I didn't feel that way at all. "...Let's just kill myself." 1 I averted my gaze and picked up the cutter knife I'd found in Hoshino's room, but that's where the problem started. At the time, I was just trying something I'd seen in movies and comics, not knowing the exact mechanics. And because my body—not Kivotos' body, but mine—was tougher than I imagined... Slice "Ugh! That hurts... Damn... But why isn't it bleeding?" It took a considerable amount of time to even make a scratch, and even then, it was more like a scar than a wound. Eventually... Slice "Ugh!... G-good... It's bleeding..." Never one to give up, I changed my plan from making one deep cut to making multiple cuts to induce excessive bleeding. "T-this should be enough." As a result, my arm looked like someone who had been self-harming for years, and the bathtub was completely dyed red. Ding-dong! "Ehehe~ I'm back, Sora-chan~" Completely forgetting it was about time for Hoshino to return. * "...But Serika, didn't you say you were going to your part-time job?" According to the original story, she should be working at the Shibaseki Ramen shop right now, so she shouldn't be back this quickly. As I looked at Serika suspiciously, she avoided my gaze and said, "Ah... T-that's, isn't dealing with the Helmet Gang outside more important right now?!" "...Sigh... Fine." Honestly, her actions were incredibly annoying, but dealing with the Helmet Gang was the priority. So, following Serika's lead, I followed her into the classroom where everyone was gathered. And I finally got to meet him. The protagonist of this story, the saint who could save everyone. Sensei. "...Fuck." 'He's so damn handsome.' As expected of plot convenience, he was ridiculously good-looking. To the point where I understood why the students in the original story were head over heels for him. "Damn..." Seeing his face made me feel miserable all over again. If I had at least come here with that face, I wouldn't have felt so pathetic. "I brought Hoshino-senpai and Sora-senpai! Senpai, wake up! Snap out of it!" "Mnya... It's not time to wake up yet..." "Hoshino-senpai! Sora-senpai! The Helmet Gang attacked again! And this is Sensei from Schale." "Well, that's a problem... Mnya. Nice to meet you, Sensei." "...Hi." "Yeah, nice to meet you." 'Damn, even his smile is handsome.' "Wake up, senpai! It's time to mobilize! Grab your gear! We need to protect the school!" ...Right, now's not the time to wallow in self-pity. We need to deal with the Helmet Gang as soon as possible. ...And if possible, I should avoid looking at Sensei's face. The more I see it, the more miserable I feel. "...I'll go out first." I couldn't bear to look at his face and talk anymore, so I averted my gaze from Sensei and headed out of the school first. * "Don't these guys ever get tired..." They keep coming back in droves, no matter how many times we defeat them. It's maddening. I held my personal weapon, the USAS-12, and looked at the Helmet Gang. By the way, I originally got this weapon to kill myself, but it failed, and since it was surprisingly powerful and I liked it, I've been using it regularly. "Well, shall we get started..." "Everyone, wait a moment, if it's okay, could you follow my lead?" 'Here it comes. Sensei's leadership.' One of Sensei's abilities is his leadership. They say he can lead even inferior forces to certain victory. But... Click "Not necessary." I loaded my gun and refused his command. I'm curious about Sensei's leadership skills, but in my fighting style, something like leadership would just get in the way. "...But." "Sensei, do you know the saying? [It's not the strong who survive, but the survivors who are strong.]" "What does that mean...?" "I'll show you the proof right now." With those final words, I ignored Sensei and the Abydos students and charged into the midst of the enemies. '...Around 50 of them?' "This won't take more than 5 minutes." After a year of doing all sorts of things here, I've realized one thing about my body. "An Abydos student is approaching alone!" "Ha! Charging in alone, how foolish. Everyone, fire! It's only one person! They're a sitting duck!" -Ratatatatatata-!! My Mystic, or rather my body, is tough. "Sorry, but that's not going to kill me." "N-no way! Not even a scratch!?" Unreasonably so. If I were to convert my defense into stats, it would be on par with or even exceed Hoshino with her shield. Bang! "Gah!" "One." Maybe that's why I spent some time working as a mercenary, partly to find a way to die and partly to earn money. Bang "Ugh!" "Two." But no weapon or enemy could inflict serious injuries on me, so it was a bit of a struggle. "K-keep firing! They can't last much longer...!" "I told you, it's useless." Instead, I've developed a high tolerance for pain from getting hit so much. Bang! Bang! "Three. Four." Thanks to the continuous battles, my combat skills improved day by day, and eventually, I became strong enough to fight Hoshino to a draw. Recently, even... "Ehehe~ Sora-chan is strong~" Just once, but I managed to beat Hoshino. And beating Hoshino means... "Ugh..." "Ow, ow..." "Tsk, another dud?" I'm already among the ranks of the strongest in Kivotos. * Swoosh "Ah, crap..." After the battle, back in the Abydos classroom, I moved to the adjacent classroom to do some maintenance and check my gun, but... "I need to change the bandages." Looks like a bullet must have grazed my wrist, because the bandages were cut and completely undone. "...." And the marks of self-harm on the bandages... After doing it for about half a year, even with my tough body, these marks wouldn't disappear. Sometimes, if it's bad, they even bleed, so at some point, I had to start wearing bandages on my wrists all the time. Of course, I told my underclassmen, who didn't know the truth, that I wore bandages because they looked cool. "...But I ended up being treated like a 'chuunibyou' for a while, haha..." Just thinking about that time makes me want to cry. So, even though it might cause misunderstandings, I should change the bandages since it's a secret I've protected... "...Should I try it one more time after so long?" Unable to resist my curiosity, I didn't change the bandages immediately and instead picked up a pair of scissors nearby. In the past, I failed, but with the current state of my arm, I thought maybe the blade would go deep this time. Oh, for reference, normally sharp objects like this were put away by Hoshino just in case, so they shouldn't be here. But, after my dramatic persuasion, I was able to keep this one pair of scissors, the safest of all the scissors we bought. "...Phew... Alright. Let's give it a try." Honestly, I don't have high expectations, but you never know, right? If it works... Just as I was about to test it out by stabbing the scissors into my arm, thinking I might try to kill myself tonight if it works... Creak "Um, Sora senpai? Hoshino senpai just suggested we raid the Helmet Gang's base..." The door opened, and Ayane came into the classroom to tell me the results of the meeting. "...Senpai?" And she came in right before I was about to stab the scissors into my wounded arm. "...Shit." I'm screwed.