『――DON’T TOSS ME DOWNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN………………』
A scream from the past echoed through the extremely cold pure white area.
The group had embarked into “Schnee Snow Field” using Fernier. The parents, as well as Aiko, Remia, and Myuu who actually had just visited this place for the first time received a great shock and feeling moved seeing the superb view of the area that was filled with ice and snow in perpetuity. After that,
They equipped the necklace shaped artifact for defending against the cold, got off the ship, and then that was the first scene of the past that they witnessed.
Yes, it was the scene of Taniguchi Suzu getting thrown down from a cliff. The past Kouki, Shizuku, and Ryuutarou were shuddering in terror. The trembling that wasn’t caused solely from the cold was assaulting the three!
Their gazes that seemed to say 『I can’t believe it-』 were directed toward――
「Tio-san. How, could you-」
「A, murder case……」
「No no no-, Tomoichi-dono! And Kaoruko-dono too! Suzu-chan didst not die from that! In the first place there was a proper reason for this!」
Just like the trio in the past, Tomoichi and Kaoruko’s gazes were like people involved in suspense drama 「To think that you’re actually the culprit……I can’t believe it-」. Tio desperately tried to explain herself.
「Tio-chan……I knew it.」
「Turn yourself in okay? It’s alright, I’ll come together with you.」
「Couldst both of thee stop with the bad joke, Hahaue-dono! Chichiue-dono!」
The Nagumo couple acted just as expected. They had the disposition that wouldn’t miss the chance for that kind of joke, so they were ignored for now. More importantly.
「Tio-oneechan……are you stressed nano? Were you venting at Suzu-oneechan because papa wouldn’t give you punishment nano? The usually kind Onee-chan……where was she?」
The most painful gaze came from Myuu. This was something that she aaabsolutely couldn’t go haa haa with. Her dignity as an Onee-chan was in a crisis.
「Myuu, this art simply what they called “A tiger throwing off her cub from a cliff”!」
「Suzu-oneechan……she’s crying nano.」
「Incidentally, after this Suzu-san had to change her underwear at the bottom while crying!」
Perhaps she wanted to bring to attention about her comrade in wetting oneself. Shia was grinning widely. She exposed Suzu’s disgrace as she pleased. Kaori who was the one consoling Suzu with her all at that time made a gesture as though she was holding back a headache.
「Eeei, Yue! Don’t start the replay from such strange scene! Thou art like a malicious reporter cutting off some parts to create sensational news!」
Start from the beginning! The beginning! Show them the whole conversation! Tio insisted, but before Yue could say anything, Shizuku walked toward her with a clear smile and softly put her hand on her shoulder.
「Thank you for your good willed scolding at that time.」
「S-Shizuku, aren’t thou putting too much strength in your hand? Mine shoulder art making creaking sound……」
It was a shoulder crushing of gratitude that expressed her refusal of anymore half-forced freefall. That gesture spoke of what Shizuku was thinking louder than any words. In the past replay. Shizuku and others were jumping down the cliff looking like they were half in despair.
「Fumu. In other words, because they are going to challenge a great dungeon, getting cold feet just from a cliff like this is just pathetic. Was it that kind of scolding?」
「Ojii-chan, how about you try peering down a little. I wonder if you’ll still be able to call it “just from” after that!」
Unlike the present time, Suzu and others had just gotten supplied with “Air Force Boots” at that time.
The depth of the ravine was 600 meters. That distance was even longer than the great tree. It couldn’t be helped that they got frightened when faced with such prospect even if they had the method to land safely.
「But Shizuku, you can get continue even if you die right?」
「That’s why it’s not a problem right? Can you stop with that way of speaking?」
Shizuku spat 「Yaegashi really is screwed up!」 when Kirino pointed that out. Hajime and others retorted No, it’s your family you know to that with their gaze.
「There are also a lot of starting point and foothold. Even us can do it if it’s like this.」
「Yes yes, amazing amazing. As expected from ninja!」
Surely they would be able to get up and down the cliff with a method like the grappling hook action of a certain wolf shinobi. They were Yaegashi after all. It felt like there was that kind of instruction in the skill exchange with Hauria.
The head reaping HAURIA and murder ninja YAEGASHI……terrifying.
「Want to try? I can create something like grappling hook easily with transmutation.」
「No, we can do this kind of thing even in Japan so let’s not do that here.」
「So you guys are already doing it in Japan……」
「It has even become one of the games in Olympic after all.」
「The athletes will cry if you group bouldering together with this.」
Koichi returned an ambiguous smile. Hajime took out something quite lumpy from his “treasure warehouse” while starting to explain about the next event of the “ice and snow cavern sightseeing”.
「Around one kilometer ahead from here, there is our next destination the “Ice and snow cavern”. There is no suitable road for picnic to there, so the plan is to teleport until the entrance.」
But do you want to enjoy the snow field’s scenery for a bit more? Hajime asked the parents with his gaze.
There was an invisible boundary line in this region where the fierce blizzard wouldn’t pass at all, making it looked like a giant wall. The group came here by flying in Fernier because Hajime wanted to show the parents the astounding scenery of a region that was in whiteout for perpetuity. Shuu and others had enjoyed the sight to their heart’s content on the way here, so as expected, the parents already had enough of it and shook their head.
Rather than that, they were more curious with the lumpy thing. The pure white object was apparently winter clothes for kid. Hajime put it on Myuu extremely nonchalantly.
「U-umm, papa? Myuu already has this artifact, so it’s not like Myuu is feeling cold nano……」
「Looks like it. Its performance has been improved greatly from the last time we were here so there shouldn’t be any problem.」
Then why do you put it on her……Remia represented everyone to ask that question.
「I understand the need to be cautious but, why are you putting Myuu into that winter clothes?」
「Because it’s cute?」
Can there be any reason than that? Hajime said with a puzzled expression like someone who got asked with the question of What is 1 + 1? Remia went 「My my……」 with a troubled face.
「Papa, Myuu will feel too hot wearing this nano.」
「Don’t worry. I didn’t overlook that. This winter clothes got cooling function so that the wearer won’t feel too hot.」
「Hajime-kun, do you understand what the word contradictory mean?」
Aiko-sensei looked like she wanted to hold a lesson. About how stupid winter clothes that cooled the wearer was.
Myuu’s expression turned into complete resignation. She threw up her hands as though to say Just do as you like papa…… while her eyes were looking to far away.
Yue and others were all showing exasperated look but, Tomoichi papa alone was showing an understanding smile while nodding agreement. He understood the feeling of wanting to make a daughter looking adorable.
Like that, the full bodied fluffy winter protection look (cooler included) that Hajime wanted Myuu to wear regardless of any practicality was finished without much trouble.
「Kuh, this is……you’ve really done it now, Hajime!」
「My son’s sinfulness is just too out of this world. Photo, I got to take the photo of this!」
First, Shuu and Sumire were giving their incessant praises. Remia too went 「Oh my oh myyy!」 with her troubled face turning 180. She placed her hands over her mouth and her eyes twinkled.
「Oh ho~, this is really an adorable look.」
「I can understand now why you want to make her wear it even if you’ve to trample the winter clothes’ meaning of existence for it!」
「You look so cute Myuu-chan! Adorable!」
Even Akiko, Kaoruko, and Kirino were giving rave reviews while blushing. Of course the fathers were also giving applauses with warm smile on their face.
「……Nn~~, I can only say, as expected from Hajime.」
「Myuu-chan is so cute-!!」
「Nice, very nice! Come on Myuu, try hopping around for us!」
Even Yue, Kaori, and Tio were grinning broadly. The like of Shizuku was turning bright red with a dazed look as though her soul had left her body.
That was just how much the meaningless winter clothes suited Myuu. Her adorableness was brutal.
The winter clothes were pure white, bulging out fluffily, covering the whole body like an overall, with a hood that snugly covered her head with only her face left visible to the world.
That hood got large droopy rabbit ears attached. The back of the waist got a fluffy rabbit tail that was like a bundle of feathers inconspicuously attached there.
Yes, that was the perfect snow rabbit style!
「Myu……」
Everyone sang the praises for her too excessively, so Myuu became bright red in embarrassment. She did her best to answer their demand by putting her hands over the droopy rabbit ears and hopped around while voicing 「Pyon pyon!」, but it caused even louder cheers to burst out and she finally crouched down from her embarrassment going over the gauge.
That made her looked even more like a fluffy soft bunny and sent the Nagumo couple’s excitement to be over the moon. Camera flashes flashed nonstop without any sign of stopping any time soon.
However, there was just one exception……
「Snow rabbit……sea of blood……uu, my head-」
For some reason Shia was holding her head. It looked like there was something that she didn’t want to remember.
Not realizing that, Hajime who was taking a lot of photos together with Shuu and Sumire nodded with a very satisfied expression like an artisan who had just finished a difficult work. He exchanged a glance with Yue and opened a “gate” to the spot in front of the “ice and snow cavern”.
「There will be Big Foot in front of the entrance.」
「「「Big Foot!?」」」
It was a famous UMA even on earth. Of course, it was a Tortus’s monster and completely unrelated with earth’s legend but it still provoked their interest. The eyes of Shirasaki couple and Akiko were sparkling.
「It might be possible to prevent them from coming out using the proof of conquest but, we never tested it so we don’t know how. In the first place they were living outside the dungeon……」
「……Nn. Please don’t get too far from us.」
「This art a rare change. How about Shizuku do it if a battle break out?」
「If it’s the current Shizuku-chan, she won’t have any trouble with them even if she take them alone. Right?」
「It’s not like I really want to do it but……I guess. The last time it also felt like they were toying with us, so perhaps I’ll give it a try.」
After the warnings had been given just in case and everyone was about to depart into the gate.
「Umm, are we going to leave just like this?」
Aiko looked back across her shoulder with a conflicted expression.
Actually everyone also understood what she meant and intentionally ignored it but……
「……It can’t be helped. She’s sleeping so heavily like she’s dead for real after all.」
「……Nn. She won’t wake up at all even after getting regeneration magic and soul magic applied.」
「Her face is like a corpse right? Can you believe it? This is actually a living person.」
A wooden coffin was floating at the rearmost of the group. There was a real sleeping beauty inside it.
Princess Liliana, still sleeping even now.
She was still like this, even though she had been put into the range of Hour Crystal together with the coffin in order to lengthen her resting time.
A princess who was continuing to sleep not because of a witch’s curse, but because she was swamped with work……
Her complexion too, although it had gotten somewhat better thanks to regeneration magic, it was still pale for some reason with the dark circles around her eyes not vanishing.
Just as Kaori said, the way she was, it was hard to believe that she was actually alive.
Shuu and Sumire approached the coffin and gently caressed Liliana’s cheeks. The way she wasn’t stirring at all with both her hands joined on her chest was giving off an audible silent scream of “Don’t wake up. Currently is so tired to death”. It was a bit scary. Her soul is still staying in her body right? They wondered.
「H-hu~mm. What to do here. Lily-chan, it looked like she had really forced herself hard in order to join us and enjoy the trip.」
「You’re right……if she keep sleeping like this and wake up when we already finished the sightseeing of the ice and snow cavern……」
Simply too pitiful.
Just imagining it was already too much that everyone was spontaneously harboring such dramatized thought.
Everyone was worrying like 「What to do?」「No, there is nothing that can be done isn’t it?」, even so they were about to draw a conclusion. It was then,
「Kyu? Kyuun?」
Such adorable cry reached their ears.
Everyone gasped and looked toward the “gate”. There, an extremely cute guest was poking out its head and looking around in curiosity.
「Waa! Papa, look! It’s an actual snow rabbit nano!」
It was a small rabbit with round and cute eyes. Its silver fur looked very fluffy and shiny as though it was scattering snow crystal around. Its eyes weren’t the dark red color that was unique to monster, but also silver in color.
It seemed that it was incidentally standing right in front of the other side of the gate and it put its head inside the suddenly appearing membrane of light because it got curious.
Its nose sniffed around cutely, it looked around, and the moment it saw there was a lot of humans at the other side, it approached with small hops instead of running away.
Is this alright? Will they bully me? It’s a bit scary but……I’m curious! Its rabbit ears and tail twitched around with such feeling.
「S-so cutee」
「Oh my oh my! What a pretty rabbit!」
It seemed both Aiko and Remia got their heart instantly taken captive by the silver bunny’s charming sweetness.
Naturally Shuu and others were also the same. Their expression slackened seeing that the small animal had no monster trait at all and looked totally harmless.
However, on the other hand, Kaori, Shizuku, and Tio were……
「Shredded rabbit ears……crimson crushed splatter……uu, my head-」
「Convulsing bunny-chan spurting blood……uu, my head-」
「Unceasing slaughter……echoing cry……devil-……uu, mine head-」
They were holding their head. It was as though a sealed memory was trying to flood out inside their head.
「Eh, Shizuku-chan!? What’s wrong!?」
「Kaori!? Are you alright!?」
「Everyone, what’s the matter!? Want me to cast Soul Repose!?」
The parents starting from Sumire and Tomoichi noticed their condition. And then Aiko and Remia rushed toward them in worry. At the same time, the silver bunny seemed to judge that there was no danger and,
「Kyuuunn!」
Let out an adorable cry. Then, another bunny, and then one more showed themselves from the other side of the “gate”.
「Papa! A lot of them are coming out nano!」
The first one seemed to think that Myuu who was dressed in snow rabbit style was a comrade. It approached with small hops. It was looking at Myuu as though it was begging to be hugged.
She was curious with the condition of Yue-oneechan and others but, for now she thought that she should give the bunny a hug. So Myuu too started to take a step forward toward it,
「MYUU-CHAN DON’T LOOK DESUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU!!」
「Fuwaa!?」
Shia who had been strangely quiet until now for some reason suddenly came back to her senses. Next she snatched Myuu into her embrace and opened the distance before tightening her hold on her. Myuu’s head got buried into the valley of Shia’s breasts and her vision got completely shut out.
Right after that,
「KYUII!? KYUUUUUUU!!」
A shocked voice and an agonized cry entered her ears. It was as though, yes, as though the source of the voice got its neck seized and lifted up……
──*gokyu-*
Oh? This was another graphic sound, as though something solid had just gotten snapped. Mister bunny? Why aren’t you making anymore sound?
──*buonn*
There was even a sound of something slicing through wind. As though something had gotten tossed away.
The atmosphere fell deadly quiet. As though time had stopped.
「W-what just happened nano!? Why isn’t there anybody saying anything nano!?」
「It’s not anything that Myuu-chan need to know okay?」
Shia-oneechan’s kind voice was terrifying. Nmyuuuuuuu She did her best to twist her neck while pushing away *gyuuuu* Shia’s breasts and somehow she managed to secure her sight back even though it was only for a single eye.
What she caught sight of at that timing was Hajime papa in a posture of tossing away something, the freezing parents, Kaori and Tio who were looking up to the sky while groaning 「Aa~」 as though they had just recalled something, and also Shizuku who was covering her face with both hands.
Even the small bunnies had stopped moving. It was then a new and slightly bigger silver rabbit came out from the “gate”. But right after, it blinked its eyes with a weird atmosphere. Then it tilted its head 「Kyarun?」 with even more cuteness that was so cunning in its execution.
Its gaze caught the face of the man right in front of it.
「……………」
It froze solidly. Then immediately after sparkles gushed out from all over its body as though it was getting cold sweat──
「PIGYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!?」
It raised a scream of despair, as though the end of the world had come, or as though it was encountering an extraterrestrial life of cosmic horror type.
Even the rabbits that came from behind the screaming rabbit made despairing look the instant they saw Hajime. They were letting out a scream as though they were saying 「AIEEEEEEEEE!? DEVIL!? WHY IS THE DEVIL HERE!?」.
And then, a beat later.
「「「「GYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!?」」」」
They let out a piercing scream that sounded like human while turning around with lightning speed.
They were rushing back into the “gate”. Their panic was genuinely like they were fearing for their life. Seeing that, the bunnies that appeared first also seemed to detect that there was something wrong. They hurriedly turned around and retreated.
「W-what happened nano?」
「It looks like, that slightly bigger rabbit hasn’t forgotten desu.」
「Hasn’t forgotten what nano!?」
「A sad, incident of the past.」
「What incident nano!?」
It might be a very shocking incident. Shia only shook her head with a sorrowful expression while keeping her lips shut. The aforementioned incident that had to be kept quiet no matter what……her atmosphere seemed to be saying that.
「What, survivors from that time huh? I thought I already got them all.」
Myuu and the parents managed to guess about what must have happened in the past from Hajime’s statement. Most likely, when they came here for conquering the dungeon, they must have encountered the herd of silver bunnies too.
「It feels awkward if you’re making that reaction like someone witnessing the murder scene of your close one when going home though.」
They are fully-fledged monsters, so of course I’m gonna kill them, Hajime papa said with a shrug. Horrifying.
「……By the way, in the past it was like this」
「Wait Yue! You don’t need to actually show──」
Yue ignored Kaori’s yell and casted space window and past replay. What was projected there was,
──Sly aren’t you, this filth
*Squelch* Something was stomped into splatter. Yue was applying rainbow colored mosaic over it but, well, it was clear what it was, the thing that was stomped flat. Because, something with the shape of rabbit ears could be seen convulsing through the mosaic.
──GYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH, NAGUMO-KUN YOU DEVILLLLLLLLLLLLLLL
Suzu’s scream also resounded. Shizuku abruptly fainted and collapsed, while Kaori was crouching with both her hands covering her face.
Even after that, even with Shia in front of him asking him to stop, Hajime-san tore off the rabbit ears with a face that looked like he was unable to comprehend Shia’s action instead. Then he threw the thing in his hand to the wall and created a red stain. Next he used a shotgun that fired needles in buckshot and create a bloodbath from the bunny herd.
The surface area of the rainbow mosaic over the past replay was rapidly increasing. It seemed the needles also got poison in the,. The lumps of rainbow mosaic were unnaturally convulsing, raising agonized voices, and rolling around. Such scenes could be seen somewhat even through the censorship.
It was truly a picture of hell in pandemonium right there.
「P-papa?」
「Don’t look at me like that Myuu. Listen carefully. Those are monsters. They use their cuteness to approach the opponent unguarded before taking away their heat in the blink of eye, quite vicious of them──」
「Why did papa dress up Myuu like a rabbit then nano!?」
「That’s completely unrelated with that you know!? This style simply look good on you!」
「Papa still killed them no matter how cute they are nano!! Gruesomely at that nano!」
「Calm downnn!!!」
An unexpected misunderstanding was going to form like this. Myuu was trembling, wondering if perhaps she was being indirectly told 「That’s going to be your fate yeah?」 by being dressed up like this.
Of course such idea was simply absurd but, the scene of such adorable animals being slaughtered one after another so brutally was apparently sending even Myuu’s mind into chaos.
「I understand. I understand you Myuu-chan. That feeling, it’s also a feeling that I harbored at that time desu!」
「Shia-oneechan!」
「Myuu-chan!」
Inside the past replay, 『Tsk, filthy rabbit ears』 Hajime tossed away the rabbit ears that he had just torn off. Shia was screaming 『I can’t understand Hajime-san anymoreee』 and clung on Yue tearfully.
At that time she had just gotten her dearest wish to be in romantic relationship with Hajime coming true. And yet, seeing this act that perfectly carried out “rabbit must die no mercy”, certainly, she couldn’t be blamed for suspecting Hajime to actually be a rabbit hater.
「It can’t be helped for everyone to seal their memory after this.」
「Hajime, can’t you change your act somewhat a bit more?」
Sumire and Shuu spoke with a troubled expression. Inside the past replay, Suzu was sobbing 「hics hics hics」 uncontrollably in front of the splattered small bunnies. She had been crying all the time since the beginning of this area so she truly looked pitiful. Just how much mental damage she was accumulating even before arriving at the great dungeon?
Kaoruko and Akiko were also covering their mouth while looking at the distance far away. Because other spots than that were all filled with hellish scene. It looked like this side was also mentally damaged from seeing the massacred little bunnies.
「Now now, Sumire-san and also Shuu-san. Those bunnies are all monster.」
Koichi intervened with a wry smile to smooth thing over. Kirino also continued after him.
「We’re impressed instead with how merciless he was he without getting led astray by appearance. He is a boy we can entrust our daughter to with a peace of mind.」
Shuuzou was also nodding deeply. It seemed this act was one that served to increase the positivity level with Yaegashi family.
Their argument was logical, but it was a bit hard to follow……such atmosphere was spreading.
「Anyway! Those things are dangerous monster so you mustn’t get close to them! Myuu also understand right?」
「Yes nano……」
「Aa~, alright. Next time I’ll just knock them out and send them away so, cheer up okay?」
「Hajime-san……even though you wouldn’t compromise at all when it was with me……」
Hajime pretended to not hear anything and raised his voice.
「It will get dark if we don’t hurry. As for Lily, well, health first, so let her sleep for now. After this ice and snow cavern we’re planning to go to take a bit of look at the demon king country’s abandoned capital and castle, but we won’t have any time left for that at this rate you know?」
After being told that, they couldn’t just keep acting leisurely.
And so, the group suppressed the shocking scene into the back of their mind and followed behind Hajime into the “gate”.
「Oo, how mystical……」
Tomoichi let out a voice of admiration.
They came out at the entrance of the “ice and snow cavern”. It was a huge space with the shape of isosceles triangle. The whole space was made from aqua marine colored ice. The sublimity somewhat reminded them of a temple somewhere. This time the group managed to completely move away from the mood of the little bunnies massacre.
They completely managed to move away, honest.
Even if there was a little bunny lying around with its tongue lolling out due to its snapped neck, or that they could still hear the terror filled screams from the back of the ice tunnel behind them.
「The Bigfoots……aren’t coming out huh?」
Perhaps it was because Hajime was holding the proof of conquest in his hand just in case. He didn’t really feel any sensation from the proof that might be interfering with the “ice and snow cavern” but, there wasn’t any sign of the Bigfoots coming out.
「……Nn~, as expected, they might not be monsters of the great dungeon?」
「There art also the possibility that they are living only near the entrance and wouldst not enter inside.」
「In the end, even Shizuku-chan and others were able to defeat them without injury. They might be normal monsters living in the snow field.」
Yue, Tio, and Kaori’s thoughts caused Shuu and Sumire to look a bit disappointed.
「I wanted, to see an actual Bigfoot……」
「It’s the standard UMA even since our childhood after all.」
They must be interested with it in a different sense from the standard monster of fantasy setting. Tomoichi and others also looked disappointed.
「Well, please be satisfied with just watching the replay here.」
「……Nn.」
Yue started the past replay.
Bigfoots showed themselves from the entrance of the “ice and snow cavern” that was like a crack at the wall further ahead. Shuu and others went 「Oo, those are Bigfoots!」 in high tension.
They were white gorillas walking on two feet with height that was more than three meters. Certainly, they looked like something that would come out in a witness story from snowy mountain.
Kouki, Shizuku, Suzu, and Ryuutarou started fighting them. Shuu looked at Hajime.
「Hajime and others didn’t fight?」
「Their fight is also doubling as a test for the new artifacts. We basically left the fighting to Shizuku and others here.」
「I’m amazed the dungeon acknowledged you guys after that.」
「Hahaue-dono. The concept of this great dungeon art “overcoming one’s weakness”. It emphasized one’s mental growth more than direct combat capability.」
「I see……that was why Suzu-chan got so damaged」
「That was just irregular damage……」
The fight of Shizuku and others was progressing well for them while such conversation was ongoing.
When the Bigfoots shot countless ice pillars like gatling gun, Shizuku activated her sublimation magic “Forbidden Break” for the first time in real battle. The recording of her intercepting the ice pillars with consecutive godspeed sword drawing as though time was fast forwarded invited cheers from everyone.
「That’s shocking. To think that you are that strong when getting serious……」
「How many times you slashed? Based on the number of the ice pillars……it looked like you cut dozens of times per second there.」
「We can’t see it at all……」
「Err, I think I swung around ten times. But the black katana’s ability also generated wind blade so I think I cut thirty.」
It wasn’t just the people of Yaegashi family, but also Tomoichi and others who were letting out voice of admiration.
Something like a slash that eyesight couldn’t follow was as much fantasy as magic. Even though from the side it only looked like she was standing still with her hand on her sword’s handle, everything in front of her got cut into pieces without exception. There wasn’t any flashiness, but it was still a sight to see.
Shizuku was replying to the praises while shyly twining around her hair with her finger, however, Shuuzou was looking at a different spot with an expression that was radiating loneliness.
「What’s the matter Shuuzou-san?」
Hajime noticed and asked. Shuuzou came back to his senses and corrected his expression.
「No, it’s nothing.」
「Is that so……」
Hajime had guessed where Shuuzou was looking at, but he didn’t pursue it any deeper. Shuuzou realized that instead and let out a sigh. He opened his lips heavily as though making a confession.
「Hajime-kun.」
「Yes.」
「This place is a “place to overcome one’s own weakness” isn’t it?」
「Yes, that’s right.」
「Surely, I’m also having my own pathetic side getting thrust in front of me.」
「We come here today to sightsee. You can choose what you want to see freely.」
Hajime immediately understood that Shuuzou didn’t mean that he wanted to go through the great dungeon’s trial. He was saying that watching how Shizuku and others going through the great dungeon’s trial would be like getting their own responsibility as adult being questioned right at their face.
Hajime acted considerately saying that it would be fine to simply have fun and skipped the past replay that they didn’t want to see but, Shuuzou lowered his eyebrows and shook his head.
「No, it’s the opposite. I want you to show me everything without skipping anything. The battle of my granddaughter……and our family’s disciple against themselves. Of their victory and defeat. I have to know them no matter what.」
Hajime looked back straight into Shuuzou’s eyes. Dwelling inside those eyes were the same thing like what he had seen many times in the eyes of Shuu and Sumire. They wanted to properly know about what their son had done until now, without averting their gaze from the act that made them wanted to avert their eyes. It was that kind of eyes, the eyes of adult.
「I understand. I won’t hold back then. We’ll show what happened without avoiding anything.」
「My thanks.」
Shizuku and others noticed that secret talk between two men and called out 「What’s wrong?」.
Hajime and Shuuzou both shook their head saying 「It’s nothing」. Then they urged the group to continue further ahead.
But, they witnessed an unexpected scene and stopped walking.
Yue was still activating the past replay, so the scene after Hajime and others entered into the dungeon was still continuing, but there the small bunnies from before were hesitatingly showing themselves.
「……Yue, continue it for a bit more.」
「……Nn」
Even though those bunnies were running away with so much fear like that just now, it seemed that they were following behind Hajime and others even after the massacre. It caused curiosity to abruptly well up inside them.
The herd of small bunnies were sniffing their nose around, and their rabbit ears were flapping *myon myon* inquisitively while they were carefully advancing toward the dungeon’s entrance. Everyone thought that they were really cute just as expected while paying careful attention, then……
Kaoruko tilted her head seeing the action that the bunnies took next and she said her question.
「Are they investigating the Bigfoots’ corpses?」
「My, they started crying. Hah!? Don’t tell me they’re actually friend with the Bigfoots?」
「Friendship between snow rabbit and Bigfoot……it feels like a heartwarming story but……it’s just too sad if that’s true.」
Aiko’s expression turned warm for an instant from Akiko’s hypothesis, but she immediately recalled the situation and casted her eyes down sadly.
Certainly, inside the past replay, the little bunnies gathered around the Bigfoots and let out cries as though they were singing a requiem for the fallen.
The scene was enough to form an imagination that perhaps the two races had coexistences between them.
「W-wait! The feeling of guilt if you show me this kind of scene is-」
「It’s fine! It’s not Shizuku-chan’s fault at all!」
「Shizuku, you……have really done it now.」
Kirino-okaasan said those mean words teasingly. Shizuku-chan covered her face with both her hands from feeling of guilt.
Everyone’s face was turning solemn seeing the past scene that was filled with grief.
It was at the next moment.
「「「「「……Eh?」」」」」
*Gubaaa-* They split open. What split open you asked?
The faces of the little bunnies.
Like a flower blooming, their head split open horizontally and vertically like their face was divided into four! Tentacles that looked like blood vessels also slithered out wrigglingly together with some mucus from inside.
It was a transformation that was just too profane. Everyone was stunned with nobody able to immediately perceive the reality.
Like that, while they were unable to take off their eyes from the scene,
──*Gusha, Bari-, Guchu-, Bicha-, ZuzoZOzZO*
The bunnies were making horrifying sound that violated their hearing and risked their brain to crash. A meal that brought about an urge to vomit began.
Mister Bigfoots were swarmed by the “things” that looked like adorable small bunnies and got wolfed down in the blink of eye……
Nobody was able to say anything. Nobody could move.
It was astounding how they could scream like someone who encountered a cosmic horror type extraterrestrial creature when seeing Hajime.
No matter how anybody looked, it was those things that were blasphemous creatures wearing the skin of small bunny.
Yue quietly closed the past replay.
Without intending it, everyone simultaneously took a deeeeeeeeeeeeep breath.
A beat later, Hajime said.
「Remember this Myuu! No matter who is it, you mustn’t judge them just from appearance!!」
「Yes nano! The lesson has been engraved right into Myuu’s bone! Nanoo!!」
The reply from the tearful Myuu was very powerful.
Also, the agreements from the girls and also the parents next must be, surely sounded the most powerful they had ever made in their life until now.