As someone who had personally experienced the horrors of a Mato Disaster, Naoki understood the sheer desperation of the situation all too well.
Though his moral compass was incredibly flexible—bordering on deviant—he never played around when it came to his duties as a member of the Anti-Demon Corps.
The moment Yachiho's rescue instructions came through, Naoki activated «Promise».
His detection range expanded instantly, piercing through a radius of over 20 kilometers. In his mind's eye, he caught the image of a young man his own age running for his life, pursued by a pack of bloodthirsty Shuuki.
"Huh? Ryunosuke?"
Naoki was stunned. He recognized that figure; it was his former classmate, Akasaka Ryunosuke.
He had assumed that after high school graduation, their lifelines would never intersect again, given how starkly their social statuses now contrasted.
"Man, life really is unpredictable. Who would've thought? All three boys from Kaminoge High's Class 3-C ended up in a Mato Disaster."
"Even if Ryunosuke's timing is different from the simultaneous one Yuuki and I had, the fact that all three of us got dumped in here is some crazy probability."
Naoki wondered if this was a butterfly effect caused by his presence as a Reincarnator, or if it was simply an event the original manga plot never got around to mentioning. After all, a work of fiction can't cover every single detail of its world.
"Whatever. Don't overthink it. Priority one is saving Ryunosuke."
Naoki shook his head, brushing aside the irrelevant speculation.
Based on his calculations, driving the jeep manually to the location would take too long. By then, Ryunosuke would likely be torn to shreds.
Without hesitation, Naoki opted to use «Ame-no-Mitori» for direct spatial manipulation.
*BUZZ!*
A pitch-black portal manifested right in front of the vehicle. Without letting up, Naoki floored the accelerator, driving the jeep straight into the void.
◆━⊰✿✧✿⊱━◆
Ryunosuke kept running, his lungs feeling like they were on fire and his feet nearly tripping over the jagged Mato rocks. Gasping for air, he grumbled, cursing his wretched luck.
"Dammit! Dammit! Dammit! I should've listened to the horoscope on TV this morning and brought a lucky charm!"
"Is this karma for being secretly jealous of Naoki and Yuuki? When I heard they both got hit by a Mato Disaster, I hated admitting how envious I was that they ended up surrounded by beautiful women like some harem anime protagonists!"
His memory drifted back to an irritating moment in class when Naoki had arrogantly bragged about his intimate photos with his girlfriends. Ryunosuke and the rest of the class had nearly died of envy, wishing they could trade places with him for even a second.
Ryunosuke glanced back, his eyes widening in horror as the pack of Shuuki crawled closer, their maws dripping with foul saliva.
"Is this what Yuuki and Naoki felt back then? This total despair?"
"So... where's the beautiful girl that's supposed to show up and save me? Where's the start of my life as a protagonist?!"
Just as his hope was about to flicker out, the air in front of him vibrated violently. A black portal snapped open, and a military jeep burst out at high speed.
"The Anti-Demon Corps is here! Hooray! I'm saved!" Ryunosuke cheered, tears nearly spilling from his eyes.
As his adrenaline dipped slightly, he tumbled to the ground, his running speed dropping drastically.
However, the surprises weren't over. Behind him, the dozens of Shuuki that were ready to pounce suddenly froze. In the blink of an eye, their bodies were sliced in half by invisible, surgical slashes.
*SWOOSH!* *PUCHI!*
Watching the pile of monsters get wiped out in seconds, Ryunosuke breathed a sigh of relief. Yet, beneath the gratitude, a small seed of bitterness sprouted again. He stared at the jeep, lamenting the unfairness of it all.
(Why is it that only women get superpowers after eating a Peach? It's totally unfair... this is blatant gender discrimination!)
"Yo, Ryunosuke! Long time no see! Last time we talked was at graduation, right?" a very familiar voice called out.
"Huh? Naoki?! It's really you!"
The jeep pulled up right in front of him. When Ryunosuke looked up and saw Naoki sitting casually in the driver's seat, he was floored.
The person who had just saved him from the brink of death was his own classmate. Seeing how easily the horde of Shuuki—which had nearly claimed his life—was dispatched by Naoki in an instant, a sense of inferiority began to creep into Ryunosuke's heart.
"Don't just space out there. Get in." Naoki leaning over to open the door.
"Y-Yeah!"
Snapping back to his senses, Ryunosuke scrambled in and sat beside Naoki.
VROM!
Moments later, the jeep roared to life, speeding away from the carnage.
Ryunosuke tried to break the awkward silence.
"Naoki... you look really cool in that Anti-Demon Corps uniform."
"Do you have any idea how shocked I was when I saw the news? The whole world went nuts knowing a man successfully awakened a Peach Blessing, and it turned out to be my own friend! Dammit, you're really good at hiding your cards."
"As the Chinese say, you were 'playing the pig to eat the tiger.' Totally sneaky."
Ryunosuke didn't even realize the sharp, bitter edge to his words. The envy that had briefly subsided was now burning hotter than ever. He kept rambling as if to mask his resentment.
"Your name is everywhere now, Naoki. Social media, national news, TV debates... everyone's talking about you. Your popularity has surpassed any A-list celebrity. You're literally the center of the world right now."
After saying that, Ryunosuke stared out the window, mourning his fate as a mere extra in the life story of a friend who had become a living legend.
Naoki wasn't dense. On the contrary, he was highly sensitive to the emotional shifts around him. Sensing Ryunosuke's foul mood, he restrained himself from bragging about his achievements as he usually would.
"Well, that's how it goes. Life is full of surprises." Naoki trying to change the subject. "So, how've you been since graduation? Did you head to college or dive straight into work?"
Ryunosuke let out a long sigh, staring at the monotonous Mato landscape. "I went straight to work helping out at my family's small workshop. Besides, there's no point in forcing a higher education. All the important sectors and strategic positions are dominated by women anyway. These days, men just end up doing the grunt work that women won't touch."
"..."
The atmosphere in the jeep turned awkward again. However, the silence was suddenly shattered by a soft yawn from the back seat.
Sahara sat up from her curled position, rubbing her eyes. Still in a daze from her nap and not yet fully aware of the situation, she blurted out sleepily, "Nnngh... Naoki-san, do you want to suck my breasts again? It felt a bit unfinished earlier..."
Hearing that, Ryunosuke flinched so hard he nearly jumped out of his seat. His eyes bugged out in shock, unable to believe what he had just heard.
Naoki cleared his throat loudly, trying to maintain his dignity in front of his old friend. "Ahem! Sahara... let's talk about that later when we're alone. We have a guest."
At the reprimand, Sahara blinked a few times until she was fully awake. She finally noticed the stranger in the front passenger seat. Her face instantly turned beet red with embarrassment, and she whispered frantically, "Eh? Who... who is that?"
"This is Ryunosuke, an unlucky friend of mine who just got caught in a Mato Disaster." Naoki answered briefly.
Realizing the person was Naoki's friend, Sahara quickly fixed her posture and tried to be polite.
"Ah, I see. Nice to meet you, Ryunosuke-san. I'm Wakasa Sahara, a member of the Sixth Unit. My hobbies are... well, as you can see, I really love sleeping."
Ryunosuke swallowed hard, feeling deathly nervous at being introduced to an Anti-Demon Corps member as beautiful as Sahara.
Frozen, he stammered out a very shaky response to her greeting.
Up until now, the girls at his high school usually looked down on boys, viewing them as second-class citizens who couldn't obtain a Peach Blessing. It was rare for a girl as stunning as Sahara to speak with such a soft, warm tone to an ordinary guy like him.
However, Ryunosuke quickly snapped out of his admiration. Logic whispered that Sahara's kindness likely wasn't because of him, but simply because of his status as a friend of Kamikawa Naoki—the man she had just casually offered a sensual "reward" to. Gratitude and envy warred within him once more as the jeep sped on.
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