Chapter 26: Epilogue (2)

While looking at my stiff junior out of the corner of my eye, I started searching on my phone for "octopus Latin pronunciation."

"Oh, here it is, here it is. It’s ’polypus.’ It has a name like a polyp... So? And? What was that about unifying it in Latin again? Hey, say it one more time, junior!"

"...U-uwaaan, Senpai Shusawa is bullying me! Senpai! Leas-senpaaai! Please deliver divine punishment on this scum with your special chop——!"

"Keh keh keh, there’s no reliable senpai here! Prepare yourself and remember your own words and writhe in agony peeeh!?"

Ton.

A chop was struck on the crown of my head from behind. It seemed to be considerably held back so there was no pain, but the surprise made my voice crack.

"’Writhe in agony peeeh’!? What the heck is that, Senpai!? From now on I’m calling you ’Pe-senpai,’ so prepare yourself~!"

"Stop that or I won’t know what country I’m from... Wait."

I turned around with a bitter smile.

There was Leas, smiling softly. Even though it was a day off, she was properly wearing her uniform and let out a small chuckle.

"Good morning, Senjumaru. Sorry — you two looked like you were having so much fun talking that it was hard to interrupt, so I ended up listening to Reiko’s request."

"——No, wouldn’t it have been fine to just join in normally? You were meeting up with Reiko, right?"

Even though there were many people in front of the station, there was no way three acquaintances would coincidentally meet at the same time.

Thinking about it that way, I was the one getting in the way. She could have just called out and pulled Reiko away.

"There was no particular hurry. Besides... when I approach, my classmates often stop their casual conversations."

It’s hard to join in at times like that — she smiled in a troubled way.

Indeed, there were probably few people who could continue talking about trivial things in front of the slender, beautiful young lady Leas.

She was a girl who looked like seriousness and a sense of justice walking around in human form, so people probably wondered if she would be exasperated if they continued such trivial talk. In reality, she was the type who felt happy thinking "I was able to properly protect them" when she saw people having such trivial conversations.

"...More importantly, Leas, why are you in uniform?"

Around the time I was thinking "seriousness and a sense of justice walking around in human form," I noticed the sense of discomfort, but Leas was in uniform even though it was a day off.

Her neatly worn blazer without any casualness looked both dignified and cute, but I still wondered why she was like that on a day off. Did she have some business at school?

"That’s right, Senpai — this person only has room-wear when it comes to clothes that can be called casual wear. Other than that, just the uniform and the school-designated gym clothes. I’ve been thinking it was weird for a while and inviting her on dates, and this time I finally got the okay."

"Honestly, I didn’t feel the necessity. I wasn’t the type to go out and play much either."

I thought that for a student, having a uniform was enough, Leas said.

Well, it wasn’t wrong.

It wasn’t wrong, but we young people tended to think that alone was bland. If she was troubled by lack of money that would be one thing, but she should at least buy one set of clothes. Especially as a girl.

And yet the reason she hadn’t done so was — perhaps because she felt guilt about enjoying herself like that?

I didn’t know. My previous life had dismissed that part of her inner thoughts as "unnecessary."

But I also thought this was fine.

Someone who knew every single secret and past of the other person would be creepy in its own way.

"But—— someone said various things to me, so I’m thinking of improving. Besides... honestly, I’ve always longed to play around like this."

She lightly reddened her cheeks and stroked her glossy silver hair.

As if embarrassed, yet also as if expectant.

——The equipment after a Sacred transforms changes according to the person’s image.

The reason Reiko’s — Sacred Knuckle’s — was cheongsam-flavored was probably because of the image of being cute while also looking like a martial artist.

Then — Sacred Saber’s form.

The form of wearing armor over a white dress reflected her inner heart.

It was the manifestation of her own resolve to armor her girlish heart and specialize the girl named Leas Lot only for fighting.

But it was also proof that she was desperately suppressing her own heart.

Because, right? If she was truly specializing for combat, she could just wear full armor. There was no need at all to take a cute form like a long-skirted dress.

"...Though I can’t help thinking whether it’s all right to do something like this, whether there isn’t something else I should be doing."

Therefore she hesitated.

She probably thought dressing up was fun, and going out to play with a close junior was also fun.

But—— was it all right for her to enjoy herself like that?

While she was doing something like this, shouldn’t she be moving to save some unknown person? she thought.

"I don’t know the details very well, but——"

As the Vigilante Atel Octo, and as someone who had played the game in a previous life, I knew her fragility.

Therefore I couldn’t say something like "Change right away and show me."

I myself had greatly hesitated and worried after becoming a Monster Villain. There was no way I could tell only other people to hurry up and change.

But even so, one word.

There was one thing I could say.

"——If you can smile like that, then I think it’s definitely the right thing."

Looking at her face that was not the usual dignified and tense one — but the face of a student her age going out to play on a holiday — I sincerely thought so.

I did not deny the wish itself of wanting to save someone.

In fact, it was precisely because she was that kind of person, precisely because I didn’t want that face to cloud over — that I had become the Vigilante.

Therefore——

"Frankly, if you don’t relax a little, you’ll burn out, right? Ever since you saved me, I’ve been a bit worried about that part of you... so I should thank that ’benefactor’ or whatever."

——I had wanted her to become happy as well.

"Is that so—— No, I don’t know, but it is surely so."

While still leaving some hesitation, Leas smiled.

The feeling of thinking it was fun, and the feeling of feeling guilt about thinking that.

Holding both of those, Leas disappeared into the crowd together with Reiko.

"...Now then, I should probably..."

The moment I was about to say I should head home — a roar rang out from the distance.

At the sound like asphalt being smashed with force, I almost thought "Did a truck or something cause a traffic accident?", but when a photo of a Monster Villain flowed onto SNS, I twisted my face.

"——Geez, what an airheaded guy."

Even though that stiff person was finally trying to enjoy her daily life.

After sighing, I hid in the shadows and transformed.

Ominous black tentacles covered my entire body, and over that I put on the tentacle clothing.

The back of the tentacle clothing parka opened wide, and tentacles stretched out from the gap.

I wrapped a tentacle around a utility pole and leaped into the sky with the momentum of contracting it.

The figure of ominous tentacles racing through the sky was truly a pervert — or so I recognized myself, but the reactions of the people below were generally favorable.

Voices saying that was the Vigilante, that was Atel Octo, that they were seeing him in real life for the first time. Honestly, I wondered who they were talking about. The ones looking at me suspiciously and with disgust felt more fitting.

That’s right, I myself understood best that I was not such a wonderful human. Honestly, the voices of expectation felt heavy and unpleasant.

But since I had started, I could no longer stop.

Even if it was clumsy, I had no choice but to keep dancing on the stage until the end.

"Ah, Atel-san!"

A familiar voice rang out from below.

It was the voice of Sacred Knuckle. Looking at the figure of her holding back the onlookers who were trying to approach with their phones raised at the appearance of the Monster Villain, I thought ...Maybe these people would have an easier time later if they just died in groups of a dozen first, but I tried not to let it show as I shouted.

"...Knuckle, sorry, but I’ll leave that side to you! I’m going to Saber’s side!"

"Ah, that would really help—— Aah! That’s why it’s really dangerous! Debris is falling pon pon, you know!? If it hits your head, a human can die normally, you know~!?"

Being a champion of justice is tough, I thought with a bitter smile while listening to the voice growing smaller behind me.

I remembered hearing somewhere something like "Champions of justice are always angry at something, while villains are always laughing as if enjoying themselves" — and that seemed to be the case. Especially in a world like this violation game.

Frankly, I thought being a villain would be far easier and more rewarding.

"Well, even so, abandoning the people who are desperately working hard and just going with the easy flow is also..."

It wasn’t that I had any particular attachment to justice — but I also wasn’t thinking anything chuuni like "Evil is supreme."

Then I would simply stand on the side I wanted to — the side I wanted to help.

"Hahahahaha! What’s wrong, Sacred!? You don’t seem able to fight well!"

"Kuh...!"

Together with a roar, a frustrated voice rang out.

In the direction of my gaze were a multi-armed Monster Villain, Sacred Saber, and several women who had collapsed.

The Monster Villain was smashing the ground and using the fragments to keep Saber in check while closing the distance.

But attacks of that level should not work on Saber. Originally she could nullify everything with her physical-pass-through ability — yes, originally.

Yes, around the Monster Villain were women who could not move. If she carelessly tried to let the shattered asphalt and the fists pass through — the attacks she avoided would hit the women directly. That Monster Villain was maneuvering so that it would turn out that way.

The ability compatibility was good, but she was losing in tactics. And Saber had no means to overturn that tactic.

No matter how much she persevered, she would take damage as if being ground down and be defeated.

"Looks like you’re having trouble, Saber."

——Yes, if the irregular that was me did not exist.

"You are..."

"Leave recovering the hostages to me——"

While wetting the tips of the tentacles with lotion, I twisted the corners of my mouth into a smile.

The opponent was overwhelmingly stronger than me. Honestly I was scared, and if possible I wanted to run away.

But even so—— I would put on as strong a front as I could and smile so that it would look fearless.

"——You handle the rest from there. You’re a champion of justice, right?"

And then—— I stretched these tentacles.

Toward the Monster Villain, toward the hostages, and toward a future I had not yet seen.

I was by no means a person who could proudly say I was walking a straight path, but even so, in order to open the path of the Sacred.