Chapter 487: The Senior

“Whew… done!”

The Lady of the Wicked Lord’s Eye wiped her sweat lightly and clapped happily.

“Th-This… that’s all?”

Standing nearby, Yukinoshita couldn’t help but stare in disbelief.

When the Lady of the Wicked Lord’s Eye suddenly spoke up, clenched her fist, and looked serious, she thought she was about to witness something awkward yet necessary happen right before her eyes…

But all the Lady did was glare at Himekoji’s thing a couple of times?

What baffled Yukinoshita most was that those two glares really worked!

Himekoji’s manhood visibly shrunk in an instant.

“Ouch ouch ouch… Huh?! Not hurting anymore?!”

Himekoji, who had been rolling around dutifully while howling in pain, paused suddenly a second later.

“Guh—”

Then, Yukinoshita threw up. That sick feeling still came and went!

Nothing came out—just a dry heave.

“Sorry, felt suddenly nauseous.”

Yukinoshita quickly turned her face away, apologizing with some embarrassment.

“Haa— No, no. I’m the one who should be sorry.”

Finally catching his breath from the earlier pain, Himekoji looked up at her tiredly.

“Making you feel sick like that… really sorry.”

“Eh? N-No… I didn’t mean that was sick.”

Seeing someone covered in wounds, fighting fiercely and nearly destroying his manhood, even Yukinoshita felt pity.

“N-Not disgusting? Heh, he… feeling kinda shy. It’s the first time I’ve heard anyone say something nice about that area…”

Unable to move much after lying wounded, Himekoji just scratched his head shyly.

The explosion threat gone, the joy of near survival made him genuinely smile.

Sadly, paired with those awful words, his sincere smile only seemed lewd and creepy to Yukinoshita.

So, Yukinoshita’s expression turned stern as she corrected herself—

“Actually, pretty sickening after all.”

“Huh?”

Himekoji’s joyful mood crashed instantly.

“…That’s good.”

Making sure Himekoji was safe, the Lady of the Wicked Lord’s Eye swayed weakly and smiled.

Her golden eyes slowly dulled, losing their light.

Thud!

She fell straight onto Himekoji’s chest.

Himekoji hadn’t seen that coming!

“Lady?! Lady of the Wicked Lord’s Eye?! What’s wrong?! Are you okay?!”

No answer.

Himekoji frantically sat up, holding the limp girl to help her up.

The Lady of the Wicked Lord’s Eye… no. It was Rikka!

Though the face was the same, Himekoji recognized her. They’d swapped control in a heartbeat.

Seeing Himekoji’s anxious face, Rikka cracked a fragile smile.

“The Lady said she won… finally won once.”

“Hmm?”

Himekoji didn’t understand.

“It’s my first time too—watching everything like a bystander after giving my body to the Lady.”

“The Lady was so cool!”

“The Wicked Lord’s Eye is the strongest!”

“She beat the Brave!”

Beat the Brave?

Himekoji followed Rikka’s gaze toward the sky.

The Brave stood far away, frozen in his stance mid-swing.

No—not frozen!

Unable to move!

A faint smear of blood showed around his lips. Easy to miss if you didn’t look closely.

Maybe noticing Himekoji’s stare, the Brave smiled weakly—the self-satisfied smirk Himekoji knew too well.

Then, the Brave fell straight down, plunging headfirst toward the boundless, deep blue sea.

Splash!

A splash as tall as a man burst across the waves.

That smile finally made sense to Himekoji—he would die, so the Lady could live.

“Asshole!”

Himekoji slammed his fist down angrily, jerking himself upright.

“Akito, what are you doing?”

Seeing him move, Rikka quickly grabbed his arm.

“Doing? Going to save him, of course!”

Himekoji answered without thinking.

“But… why?! The Lady just beat him!”

Rikka stared blankly, shaking her head in confusion.

“Didn’t you tell the Lady, told me… told us you’d kill the Brave? Then why save him now?!”

“The Brave is dead! Right now, the one in the sea… he’s just someone needing rescue. A fool!”

Like how Himekoji himself had been a fool.

Himekoji finally understood! Why seeing the Brave always felt familiar—the face in the mirror all over again.

They were the same—puppets being controlled by someone!

However, unlike Brave, Himekoji was luckier.

Because, in the most hopeless times, he at least had Akiko as a belief to live on, at least had Kasumigaoka as a harbor to escape to, and at least had Nanami as a role model to work hard and keep going.

Eriri made him remember his first heart, Yukinoshita made him look forward and move ahead, and Hiratsuka-sensei taught him the meaning of kindness.

Yuigahama was the first to take him in, quietly and on her own, acting as the glue for his school social life.

Mashiro stormed into his life with shock, letting him, after becoming a Pervert, once again get a wish for love and happiness.

And Rikka and the Lady of the Wicked Lord’s Eye made him pick up the duties of a man and start life anew!

They saved him!

He was the one saved by them!

This is a world of saving and being saved!

So now, Himekoji wanted to save the next person who deserved saving, just like how they saved him.

“Brave-san was a good person.”

The Lady of the Wicked Lord’s Eye said this again and again.

“Promise me, you must not become a killer.”

Yukinoshita had also said this with care.

So—

Himekoji took the umbrella from Rikka’s hands; he could control it just like the Lady of the Wicked Lord’s Eye.

Zweite Schwarzes Rex could shift into the Eternal Spear or change into a clinging rope.

Himekoji tightly wrapped Zweite Schwarzes Rex around his waist, and he handed the umbrella handle to Rikka.

Besides Himekoji, only Rikka here could use it.

“Listen, after I find Brave underwater, I will give a signal, and then you pull both of us up!”

Rikka looked at the umbrella handle Himekoji pushed into her hands and shook her head with confusion—

“No, no… I still don’t get it! The Lady of the Wicked Lord’s Eye barely won against him, so wouldn’t that ruin everything? If it weren’t for him, if it weren’t for him… if it weren’t for him! The Lady of the Wicked Lord’s Eye would not have died!”

“The Lady of the Wicked Lord’s Eye is not dead!”

There was no time; every second wasted meant more danger of Brave losing his life, Himekoji cut in sharply to Rikka,

“Alright, I’m leaving it all to you! Pull Brave up! Pull me up! I trust you!”

Before the words could end, Himekoji was already rushing to the Ceremonial Stage fast, against the clock.

Right at the Ceremonial Stage’s window, was the sea.

“Why? Why?! Brave is surely the bad guy! The Lady of the Wicked Lord’s Eye is a victim, I am a victim, Akito you are a victim too!”

It was because of Brave that we got such bad injuries, life-threatening injuries over and over!

Rikka’s stubborn questioning voice echoed loudly behind Himekoji.

“Maybe that’s true, but I am not saving him as a victim…”

Himekoji turned around, his eyes strong,

“Right now, I am just saving him as a senior.”

If we talk of victims, weren’t there many people harmed because of Himekoji?

But in the end, it was those same sweet victims who saved him.

“My life, I put it in your hands!”

Without any pause, Himekoji charged, charged, and took the leap!

Beneath his feet was the sea; he plunged headfirst into it!

Completely naked, he skipped even taking off clothes.

Ha—

Let this old senior teach this young junior a lesson.

About how to live a rough life with hope!

…