Please be advised, the following content involves relaxed views on life ethics and may be sensitive for some readers. Proceed with caution.
The spirit medicine is ready.
…The process was surprisingly simple.
“Now, the question is how to use it.”
…Currently, reviving the choir members is difficult.
The reason is that the spirit medicine can only address the physical body, not the life force itself.
Right now, the choir members are reduced to just their life vessels.
So, even if we add a physical body to them, the crucial life force is missing.
…Therefore, the most effective use of the spirit medicine right now would be to restore the life force (physical) to the heroes.
…Which means, we kill them once. Then, bring them back to life.
This method has apparently been used repeatedly for resurrections in the past, so we plan to use it this time too.
…Hopefully, we’ll also understand more about the handling of the life force (physical) in the process.
…So, after dinner…
We went to George’s place to carry the life force (physical), and then brought all the heroes.
They are currently sleeping in “Sleep Cocoons,” so if left as is, nothing will happen. We will unfreeze them one by one, dissolve the cocoons with “Cleaning,” then kill and resurrect them.
…Ideally, we should be able to return the life force (physical) directly to the body. We have limited spirit medicine, after all.
“Then, we shall now begin reviving the heroes.”
President’s statement carries an unsettling mad scientist vibe. Please stop, this is supposed to be a charitable act.
This is a legitimate resurrection technique, previously proven to work.
“Maito-san, please proceed.”
“OK. ‘Cleaning.'”
I first dissolved Fukuyama-kun’s “Sleep Cocoon.” It was simply because his cocoon was at the front; there was no other reason for choosing him first.
“All done with the cocoon.”
“Thank you. Now, we proceed to… kill him. Although, we still don’t actually know what will cause death.”
…Yeah, seriously.
“Suzumoto survived even with his lower half incinerated.”
“And Maito-san survived a decapitation.”
…Really, it’s hard to know what will lead to death.
“Let’s start with the carotid artery.”
Using a slender knife borrowed from Hariu, I cut Fukuyama-kun’s carotid artery.
…A pool of blood forms rapidly.
As we watch, suddenly, he dissipates into particles of light and vanishes.
…
“It’s amazing. I didn’t expect him to die so easily from just blood loss.”
“What about Suzumoto’s lower half incineration or Hagasaki-kun’s severe burns and missing parts?”
I mean, I survived decapitation and still lived.
“There might be some conditions that determine survival. We need to be cautious in the future. Perhaps the threshold for death decreases with each resurrection.”
…That’s a frightening thought.
Then, after Fukuyama-kun died, there was a change in the shelf where the life force (physical) was stored.
One of the glasses had turned into a gem.
Upon using “Appraisal,” yes, it was indeed Fukuyama-kun. The same as with the choir members.
“Now, let’s resurrect him.”
President placed the gem on the floor and opened a test tube filled with spirit medicine, pouring its contents onto the gem.
…And then, something incredible happened.
The object, which was just a gem a moment ago, began to gather glowing particles around it, and transformed back into Fukuyama-kun!
…At this point, I won’t even mention the law of conservation of mass. I can’t.
“Maito-san, can you wake him up?”
“Maybe we should call everyone else first?”
“Yes, that makes sense. I’ll go get them.”
Currently, only President and I are handling this task.
…It seems that we were chosen because we appeared to have the resilience for this kind of work.
So, we’re doing it together.
…President seems to handle these things well, but for someone not so adept, knowing that the act of killing someone would ultimately bring them back to life would still be incredibly stressful.
…Anyway, now that he’s apparently revived, we restrain him, clean up the blood with “Cleaning,” and then call everyone else.
With this setup, it doesn’t look like the scene of a recent resurrection, but just Fukuyama-kun sleeping and restrained.
“Now, Maito-san, please.”
Once everyone was ready, I was about to headbutt Fukuyama-kun to wake him up when Hagasaki-kun splashed water on him first.
“Whoa!”
Startled by the sudden dousing, Fukuyama-kun woke up.
“How do you feel?”
“Feel? Uh… eh…”
…Fukuyama-kun’s gaze fixed on me and froze.
…Ah. Oops.
“Maito…?”
“You must be mistaken.”
“No, no, there’s no way I’m wrong! It’s you, Maito-san, right!?”
…I glanced at President for help, but he just mouthed, “Let’s give up.”
…Well, maybe it’s time.
“Yes, it’s me, Maito.”
“Maito-san, I thought you were dead.”
“I’m not dead.”
“But everyone said you died… and that wolf…”
…Ah, the wolf, Ketorami.
“That was a lie.”
“…What?”
I called Ketorami through our link, and his face appeared at the window.
“Whoa, what the…!?”
“Don’t yell in my ear.”
“…As you can see, that wolf is my companion.”
“What?! But he attacked us, didn’t he?!”
“We became companions right after that incident.”
I tried to explain, but it seemed like he wasn’t quite grasping it.
“Also, I don’t have a sister.”
“What?!”
“That was also me.”
“What?!”
“And I didn’t die.”
“What?!”
At this point, Fukuyama-kun might as well pursue a career as a reaction comedian. His astonishment at each revelation is rather entertaining.
…However, I wonder if he’s really understanding what I’m saying. His mind seems to be in a whirl. Is he okay?
“So, that means I didn’t kill anyone… right?”
He seems to have grasped at least that part, although it’s frustrating that’s the only part he’s comprehended.
“If you haven’t killed anyone else.”
My response seemed to bring Fukuyama-kun great relief, and he started crying.
“I’m so relieved… truly relieved…”
…But the truth, as harsh as it sounds, is a different matter.
“However, it’s true that you kidnapped me without any reason, left me behind while fleeing from the enemy, attacked my companions unprovoked, stabbed me with a knife, and caused a lot of trouble for many people by acting without thinking.”
…Just to be sure, I looked around at the others with an ‘Is this okay?’ look, and everyone responded with nods and gestures that said, ‘Go for it.’ So, I didn’t hold back.
Why hold back when dealing with someone who’s stopped thinking?!
I rolled up my sleeves, removed the original causes from the bracelet, and let them float.
Then, I stripped Fukuyama-kun of his enhancements, grabbed his collar, and delivered a full-force right hook to his face.
“This is for Suzumoto, who you attacked at the auction!”
Then, a slap from the other side.
“And this one’s for President, who you ambushed in the social circle!”
Followed by a series of slaps.
“This is for Hariu! And for Itoigawa-senpai! And for the English Research Lab members who nearly starved because of you! And finally!”
I finished with an uppercut.
“This is for everyone who suffered because of your empty-headed actions!”
…Just as I thought I had finished, a sheathed sword slammed onto Fukuyama-kun’s head.
“Hey, were you waiting for this?”
“…This one’s for Maito.”
…That hit from Suzumoto seemed to be the final blow, and Fukuyama-kun was down.
“…He’s not dead, is he?”
Concerned, Katori poked Fukuyama-kun with the tip of his shoe.
“No, he’s not dead. If he were, he would have disappeared into particles of light. Since he’s still here, he’s alive. Don’t worry. Even without the enhancements and despite being hit by Maito-san, it’s unlikely he’d die that easily.”
…That’s harsh.
With that settled, President reported the results of our… experiment, or rather, charitable activity. Especially regarding the distinction between life and death, we agreed it’s something we should continue to explore.
“Maito-san, do you feel a bit better now?”
“Yeah.”
Hariu asked me with a smile, and I returned it with a beaming one!
…I felt relieved after giving Fukuyama-kun a good punch myself.
For the time being, we put Fukuyama-kun back into a “Sleep Cocoon.”
…If punching someone could improve their brain, nobody would have any trouble. I don’t trust him one bit anymore… in fact, I’m pretty sure he’ll cause more trouble… so it’s better to keep him asleep.
“Shall we continue with the rest of them?”
Yes, there are still more people with their life force (physical) separated from their bodies.
“Are you okay with this, President?”
“I’m fine. How about you, Maito-san?”
“Yeah. I’ve gotten used to seeing blood and guts since coming to this world.”
I mean, meat comes from living beings, so I’ve seen quite a bit of that.
“Good to hear. Then, let’s proceed with the rest.”
“Roger that.”
So, we probably succeeded in restoring the life force to the physical bodies of the remaining 26 heroes by killing and reviving them.
…And I made sure to speak with each of the heroes. Thankfully, none of them were as uncommunicative as Fukuyama-kun, and they understood the situation regarding the underwater city quite well once they had the proper information. They were just lacking context.
We decided to move these individuals to the gymnasium group.
…But we mustn’t forget about Stockholm Syndrome.
…Their perceptions were still stuck in the time they were being tortured.
Meaning, just after that incident.
…It was intense. In many ways!
Especially the girls! The girls were… intense! I’ll refrain from elaborating, but their faces showed deep confusion and distress.
After prying them away and with President’s help in deprogramming, we finally transferred them to the gymnasium group late at night.
Among them, there were close friends reuniting, and the sound of joyful reunions echoed here and there.
[Maito! Maito!]
While I was lost in thought watching them, Hunter came crawling over.
…
“What’s up, Hunter? You’ve grown again.”
[I’ve shed another skin!]
…He had grown even bigger.
He’s no longer Hunter but more like ‘Meter,’ or even beyond that.
[Hey, Maito, were you in the abyss?]
Glida joined in too.
“Yes, you’re right.”
[The smell, you know. The abyss… it’s wonderful. I want to go too.]
[Me too!]
Well, the abyss isn’t exactly a tourist spot.
…Maybe for Hunter and Glida, it’s like a homeland? Or perhaps, for monsters, the abyss is akin to paradise.
After discussing with the gymnasium group, it was agreed that I could take Glida and Hunter with me.
Especially Hunter, who was showered with affectionate farewells from the girls. He seemed to have established himself as a sort of idol.
…Well, time to head back and sleep. It’s past midnight…
I’m tired, and it’s been a while since I slept in Ketorami’s fluffy comfort.
Please be advised, the following content involves relaxed views on life ethics and may be sensitive for some readers. Proceed with caution.
The spirit medicine is ready.
…The process was surprisingly simple.
“Now, the question is how to use it.”
…Currently, reviving the choir members is difficult.
The reason is that the spirit medicine can only address the physical body, not the life force itself.
Right now, the choir members are reduced to just their life vessels.
So, even if we add a physical body to them, the crucial life force is missing.
…Therefore, the most effective use of the spirit medicine right now would be to restore the life force (physical) to the heroes.
…Which means, we kill them once. Then, bring them back to life.
This method has apparently been used repeatedly for resurrections in the past, so we plan to use it this time too.
…Hopefully, we’ll also understand more about the handling of the life force (physical) in the process.
…So, after dinner…
We went to George’s place to carry the life force (physical), and then brought all the heroes.
They are currently sleeping in “Sleep Cocoons,” so if left as is, nothing will happen. We will unfreeze them one by one, dissolve the cocoons with “Cleaning,” then kill and resurrect them.
…Ideally, we should be able to return the life force (physical) directly to the body. We have limited spirit medicine, after all.
“Then, we shall now begin reviving the heroes.”
President’s statement carries an unsettling mad scientist vibe. Please stop, this is supposed to be a charitable act.
This is a legitimate resurrection technique, previously proven to work.
“Maito-san, please proceed.”
“OK. ‘Cleaning.'”
I first dissolved Fukuyama-kun’s “Sleep Cocoon.” It was simply because his cocoon was at the front; there was no other reason for choosing him first.
“All done with the cocoon.”
“Thank you. Now, we proceed to… kill him. Although, we still don’t actually know what will cause death.”
…Yeah, seriously.
“Suzumoto survived even with his lower half incinerated.”
“And Maito-san survived a decapitation.”
…Really, it’s hard to know what will lead to death.
“Let’s start with the carotid artery.”
Using a slender knife borrowed from Hariu, I cut Fukuyama-kun’s carotid artery.
…A pool of blood forms rapidly.
As we watch, suddenly, he dissipates into particles of light and vanishes.
…
“It’s amazing. I didn’t expect him to die so easily from just blood loss.”
“What about Suzumoto’s lower half incineration or Hagasaki-kun’s severe burns and missing parts?”
I mean, I survived decapitation and still lived.
“There might be some conditions that determine survival. We need to be cautious in the future. Perhaps the threshold for death decreases with each resurrection.”
…That’s a frightening thought.
Then, after Fukuyama-kun died, there was a change in the shelf where the life force (physical) was stored.
One of the glasses had turned into a gem.
Upon using “Appraisal,” yes, it was indeed Fukuyama-kun. The same as with the choir members.
“Now, let’s resurrect him.”
President placed the gem on the floor and opened a test tube filled with spirit medicine, pouring its contents onto the gem.
…And then, something incredible happened.
The object, which was just a gem a moment ago, began to gather glowing particles around it, and transformed back into Fukuyama-kun!
…At this point, I won’t even mention the law of conservation of mass. I can’t.
“Maito-san, can you wake him up?”
“Maybe we should call everyone else first?”
“Yes, that makes sense. I’ll go get them.”
Currently, only President and I are handling this task.
…It seems that we were chosen because we appeared to have the resilience for this kind of work.
So, we’re doing it together.
…President seems to handle these things well, but for someone not so adept, knowing that the act of killing someone would ultimately bring them back to life would still be incredibly stressful.
…Anyway, now that he’s apparently revived, we restrain him, clean up the blood with “Cleaning,” and then call everyone else.
With this setup, it doesn’t look like the scene of a recent resurrection, but just Fukuyama-kun sleeping and restrained.
“Now, Maito-san, please.”
Once everyone was ready, I was about to headbutt Fukuyama-kun to wake him up when Hagasaki-kun splashed water on him first.
“Whoa!”
Startled by the sudden dousing, Fukuyama-kun woke up.
“How do you feel?”
“Feel? Uh… eh…”
…Fukuyama-kun’s gaze fixed on me and froze.
…Ah. Oops.
“Maito…?”
“You must be mistaken.”
“No, no, there’s no way I’m wrong! It’s you, Maito-san, right!?”
…I glanced at President for help, but he just mouthed, “Let’s give up.”
…Well, maybe it’s time.
“Yes, it’s me, Maito.”
“Maito-san, I thought you were dead.”
“I’m not dead.”
“But everyone said you died… and that wolf…”
…Ah, the wolf, Ketorami.
“That was a lie.”
“…What?”
I called Ketorami through our link, and his face appeared at the window.
“Whoa, what the…!?”
“Don’t yell in my ear.”
“…As you can see, that wolf is my companion.”
“What?! But he attacked us, didn’t he?!”
“We became companions right after that incident.”
I tried to explain, but it seemed like he wasn’t quite grasping it.
“Also, I don’t have a sister.”
“What?!”
“That was also me.”
“What?!”
“And I didn’t die.”
“What?!”
At this point, Fukuyama-kun might as well pursue a career as a reaction comedian. His astonishment at each revelation is rather entertaining.
…However, I wonder if he’s really understanding what I’m saying. His mind seems to be in a whirl. Is he okay?
“So, that means I didn’t kill anyone… right?”
He seems to have grasped at least that part, although it’s frustrating that’s the only part he’s comprehended.
“If you haven’t killed anyone else.”
My response seemed to bring Fukuyama-kun great relief, and he started crying.
“I’m so relieved… truly relieved…”
…But the truth, as harsh as it sounds, is a different matter.
“However, it’s true that you kidnapped me without any reason, left me behind while fleeing from the enemy, attacked my companions unprovoked, stabbed me with a knife, and caused a lot of trouble for many people by acting without thinking.”
…Just to be sure, I looked around at the others with an ‘Is this okay?’ look, and everyone responded with nods and gestures that said, ‘Go for it.’ So, I didn’t hold back.
Why hold back when dealing with someone who’s stopped thinking?!
I rolled up my sleeves, removed the original causes from the bracelet, and let them float.
Then, I stripped Fukuyama-kun of his enhancements, grabbed his collar, and delivered a full-force right hook to his face.
“This is for Suzumoto, who you attacked at the auction!”
Then, a slap from the other side.
“And this one’s for President, who you ambushed in the social circle!”
Followed by a series of slaps.
“This is for Hariu! And for Itoigawa-senpai! And for the English Research Lab members who nearly starved because of you! And finally!”
I finished with an uppercut.
“This is for everyone who suffered because of your empty-headed actions!”
…Just as I thought I had finished, a sheathed sword slammed onto Fukuyama-kun’s head.
“Hey, were you waiting for this?”
“…This one’s for Maito.”
…That hit from Suzumoto seemed to be the final blow, and Fukuyama-kun was down.
“…He’s not dead, is he?”
Concerned, Katori poked Fukuyama-kun with the tip of his shoe.
“No, he’s not dead. If he were, he would have disappeared into particles of light. Since he’s still here, he’s alive. Don’t worry. Even without the enhancements and despite being hit by Maito-san, it’s unlikely he’d die that easily.”
…That’s harsh.
With that settled, President reported the results of our… experiment, or rather, charitable activity. Especially regarding the distinction between life and death, we agreed it’s something we should continue to explore.
“Maito-san, do you feel a bit better now?”
“Yeah.”
Hariu asked me with a smile, and I returned it with a beaming one!
…I felt relieved after giving Fukuyama-kun a good punch myself.
For the time being, we put Fukuyama-kun back into a “Sleep Cocoon.”
…If punching someone could improve their brain, nobody would have any trouble. I don’t trust him one bit anymore… in fact, I’m pretty sure he’ll cause more trouble… so it’s better to keep him asleep.
“Shall we continue with the rest of them?”
Yes, there are still more people with their life force (physical) separated from their bodies.
“Are you okay with this, President?”
“I’m fine. How about you, Maito-san?”
“Yeah. I’ve gotten used to seeing blood and guts since coming to this world.”
I mean, meat comes from living beings, so I’ve seen quite a bit of that.
“Good to hear. Then, let’s proceed with the rest.”
“Roger that.”
So, we probably succeeded in restoring the life force to the physical bodies of the remaining 26 heroes by killing and reviving them.
…And I made sure to speak with each of the heroes. Thankfully, none of them were as uncommunicative as Fukuyama-kun, and they understood the situation regarding the underwater city quite well once they had the proper information. They were just lacking context.
We decided to move these individuals to the gymnasium group.
…But we mustn’t forget about Stockholm Syndrome.
…Their perceptions were still stuck in the time they were being tortured.
Meaning, just after that incident.
…It was intense. In many ways!
Especially the girls! The girls were… intense! I’ll refrain from elaborating, but their faces showed deep confusion and distress.
After prying them away and with President’s help in deprogramming, we finally transferred them to the gymnasium group late at night.
Among them, there were close friends reuniting, and the sound of joyful reunions echoed here and there.
[Maito! Maito!]
While I was lost in thought watching them, Hunter came crawling over.
…
“What’s up, Hunter? You’ve grown again.”
[I’ve shed another skin!]
…He had grown even bigger.
He’s no longer Hunter but more like ‘Meter,’ or even beyond that.
[Hey, Maito, were you in the abyss?]
Glida joined in too.
“Yes, you’re right.”
[The smell, you know. The abyss… it’s wonderful. I want to go too.]
[Me too!]
Well, the abyss isn’t exactly a tourist spot.
…Maybe for Hunter and Glida, it’s like a homeland? Or perhaps, for monsters, the abyss is akin to paradise.
After discussing with the gymnasium group, it was agreed that I could take Glida and Hunter with me.
Especially Hunter, who was showered with affectionate farewells from the girls. He seemed to have established himself as a sort of idol.
…Well, time to head back and sleep. It’s past midnight…
I’m tired, and it’s been a while since I slept in Ketorami’s fluffy comfort.
