Chapter 361. Internal Strife, Ram Who Kills Hachiman (Part 1)
「As Hikigaya Hachiman's consciousness gradually returned and he struggled to open his eyes, he noticed a water flask being held to his lips.」
「"Awake yet? Don't move just yet; if you choke, the water will spill, and that would be a terrible waste."」
「In the dim light of the subterranean sand cavern, Anastasia had one hand on Hachiman's shoulder to support him as he sat up. Her other hand held the water flask, carefully controlling the tilt so he could drink at a steady, manageable pace.」
「Once he finished drinking, Anastasia twisted the cap shut.」
「"Thank you... where are the others?"」
「"Miss Crusch took a lantern and the ground dragon to scout the vicinity. As for Miss Ram, she's right over here."」
「Anastasia pointed to the side. In the pitch-black cavern, it was only natural to overlook someone sitting still. Ram let out a cold "Hmph," asserting her presence.」
「Hikigaya Hachiman gave a wry smile. As the only male present, he was the last to wake up—truly unreliable.」
「"Is anything out of place?" Anastasia's slender hands patted him down, feeling from his thighs and chest to his back and cheeks. "Does it hurt here? Or here? How about here?"」
「"No... it's probably because the sand here is soft, and hitting other sand drifts mid-fall provided a cushion. Um, thank you for the concern, but I don't think I'm injured, Miss Anastasia."」
「Anastasia nodded, and as she withdrew her hands, Hachiman breathed a sigh of relief. Although it was a "business-like" check for safety's sake, he truly wasn't used to such intimate contact.」
「Just as the inspection concluded, a light approached from the distance, illuminating the dark space. The drinking water, lantern, and food had all been strapped to Patrasche earlier.」
「Crusch, with her sword at her waist, rode the ground dragon toward them slowly. She looked quite dashing—an image that was replaced a second later by pure joy.」
「"Sir Hachiman? You're awake!?"」
「"I'm fine, Crusch. Did you find a path leading back to the surface?" To prevent another round of physical inspections, Hachiman decisively cut off Crusch's impending fussing and dove straight into the most important business.」
「Crusch felt like she was dying inside; the words were already at her throat, but she had to swallow them back and switch to reporting the situation.」
「...According to Crusch's explanation, there was only one path near this sand cavern that was walkable. With no other choice, the four of them set off immediately.」
「Along the way, Ram's expression was quite foul. She seemed to be fuming about something, but because she knew she shouldn't be angry, she said nothing.」
「Hikigaya Hachiman assumed she was just worried about her sister and analyzed: "Miss Rem has Beatrice protecting her; nothing should happen to them."」
「Ram merely gave a lukewarm "Mhm" and remained silent.」
「Although Ram's attitude was subtle, she restrained herself. She didn't let it affect the others or go out of her way to give them a hard time; she was simply wrestling with her own internal agitation and resentment.」
「After walking along the passage for a while, the road split in two. The four of them looked at each other, finding it hard to decide... With no clues to go on, Hachiman—under the gaze of the three girls—had to resort to a gamble of luck and chose the right path.」
「At the end of the right path stood a massive iron gate. Crusch went up and felt it, concluding it was impossible to push open. Just as she was about to try her " One Blow, One Hundred Felled " technique, Hachiman also stepped up and tapped on it, trying to judge the gate's thickness by the sound.」
「However, the moment he touched it, the iron gate flashed with light. It then vanished along with the light, revealing an ordinary sandy path behind it.」
「"—This is?"」
「The four of them were astonished... but since it didn't look dangerous, they decided to continue after a brief discussion. After trekking for a while, they encountered a second iron gate.」
「This time, not just Crusch, but Anastasia and Ram also tried tapping on it. In the end, it was still Hikigaya Hachiman who made the gate disappear.」
「"Perhaps it's a mechanism set to respond only to males?"」
「The three girls could only guess as much. No one suspected Hachiman because of this strange development. This implicit trust placed even more pressure on Hachiman... He could only hope this was a path to safety and that Crusch and the others wouldn't be wasting their effort because of his wrong choice.」
「But that hope was quickly shattered.」
「"It's no use."」
「After passing through three consecutive gates, they stopped before a fourth. Hachiman's touch failed to make this iron gate disappear.」
「Crusch condensed her Mana and unleashed a blade of wind, but the material of the door was exceptionally sturdy. Her attack only managed a tiny nick, which was essentially useless.」
「The miasma content in the cavern's air was extremely high. Having inhaled it for so long, Crusch already felt her body becoming incredibly heavy. Not just her legs, but her head felt as though it were filled with lead—both miserable and infuriating.」
「"Awoo! Awoo!"」
「The first to lose emotional control due to the miasma was Patrasche. Her eyes turned violent as she roared at the iron gate blocking their way.」
「Ram furrowed her brows. Her gaze also began to turn hostile, and she snapped irritably at Patrasche: "So noisy! Shut up!"」
「Patrasche shifted her weight, staring at Ram with bloodshot eyes and taking a combat stance.」
「"Do I need to cut out your tongue? Or do you have to die before you'll behave? Fine then, in that case, just die, you stupid beast!"」
「Ram now viewed the ground dragon as an enemy. It was as if she had found a floodgate for her emotions, letting all her negativity pour out onto the dragon.」
「"—That's enough, Miss Ram, Patrasche. Both of you calm down and exercise some restraint. We can still turn back and take the other path. We haven't reached a point of despair that justifies infighting with our companions."」
「Hikigaya Hachiman shook his head, suppressing the irritability caused by Ram and Patrasche's arguing. He stepped between the two.」
「"Choosing the wrong path was my mistake. You can say whatever you want about me once we get out, but the ground dragon is innocent. Please control your temper, Miss Ram."」
「"Tch! Of course you're at fault. Your mistake, your sins are so great you don't even have the right to call Rem's name, you bastard who doesn't deserve to be loved by Rem!"」
「Ram glared at him with icy eyes. "Holding Ram, holding Lady Crusch... Wasn't it enough to have Lady Emilia as your official lover while cheating? What else do you want? Time and again, time and again... you even dared to forget Rem."」
「"The Rem who liked you, the Rem only you still remembered... that Rem... who gave you the right to selfishly forget her..."」
「With bloodshot eyes, Ram cursed with pure venom:」
「"Go to hell, Hikigaya Hachiman!"」
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