"You can return," Haimer said simply.
"If I can bring you there, I can send you back."
"Traveling between worlds isn't difficult for me."
The moment that answer landed, the air loosened.
Warabi exhaled hard, patting her chest.
Mary's face softened with visible relief—like the existence of a "return ticket" transformed the trip into a slightly more thrilling school excursion.
But before that comfort could spread—
Haimer's next words poured cold water over it.
"However."
"If your mindset is 'I'll try it, and if it's bad I'll come back'…"
"Then I suggest you stay here."
"Life only erupts with astonishing force when there is no retreat."
"Even the most timid rat, cornered with no escape, will bare its fangs and fight for a thread of survival."
"That kind of decisive resolve is fuel you cannot skip on the road to strength."
"But the moment you have a way out."
"The moment you know there's a safe door behind you—always open—so you can turn around and crawl back into a warm bed without danger…"
"Your will to struggle in desperation collapses."
"It's like walking a tightrope."
If there's no safety net, every step is total concentration, every cell screaming to maintain balance.
But if there's a thick sponge mat underneath—
You'll think, 'Even if I fall, it's fine.'
And then your body loosens.
Your mind loosens.
The string breaks.
"'Fighting with your back to the wall' is not a tactic."
"It's a state of mind."
"When you know there's retreat…"
"Your sword swing will be one fraction weaker."
"Your dodge will be half a beat slower."
"But in that world…"
"That fraction is the border between life and death."
"I'm not taking you to an amusement park."
"And I'm not giving you a pretend stage to roleplay heroes."
"People die there."
"Monsters will tear open the throat of any adventurer who underestimates the Dungeon."
"And in that moment—"
If what you think is 'I want to go home,' instead of 'I'm going to kill this thing'…
"Then you'll die."
Haimer's voice fell.
The gym turned silent.
Even Zanzan—who'd been grinning like a lunatic—lost her smile, eyes sharpening with gravity.
She didn't fear death.
But she understood his meaning.
This wasn't simply about dying.
It was about resolve.
The insane resolve to cut off the past and shove your whole life onto the gambling table.
"So."
Haimer spread his hands, as if issuing the final ultimatum.
"Anyone who wants to come with me—kill the version of yourself that believes you can return."
"Treat this departure as a one-way ticket."
"If you don't have that resolve…"
"Then stop here."
He said no more.
He simply stood and waited for their choice.
The first to break the silence was, as expected—
Amou Zanzan.
Her fanatic fire didn't dim.
It burned hotter.
"What a boring question."
"To me, this world is already a dead, stale grave."
"If it's a grave…"
"Why cling to it?"
"As long as I can feel the pain of being alive, what does it matter if it's one-way?"
She strode behind Haimer without hesitation.
A leader moved—
And the next followed.
Inaba Tsukuyo.
She rose from the cushion, katana in hand.
"Then Tsukuyo will go too."
"My world has always been darkness."
"If everywhere is night…"
"Why care if the door behind me closes?"
"If this is the trial my god has prepared for me…"
"Then I can only run toward it."
"And if I can hear a different wind…"
"That alone will satisfy me."
She opened her sightless red eyes and walked to Haimer's side.
Then Nemuri-me Satori tilted her head.
Her "mask-smile" vanished for a heartbeat—
And returned as something brighter, more dangerous.
"If everyone's so excited…"
"Then if Little Satori doesn't go, I'll miss so many fun things."
"And besides…"
"A game with no retreat is more thrilling, isn't it?"
She hopped over and took a place on Haimer's other side.
Now—
Only Rin, Mary, and Warabi remained where they stood.
The pressure became physical.
Time seemed to congeal.
Mary clutched her dictionary so hard her knuckles whitened.
Stay?
Or go?
Here was the academy—familiar, safe, luxurious, boring.
There was the Dungeon—unknown, dangerous, full of death.
One step forward, no turning back.
"I…"
Mary opened her mouth, wanting to argue, to say it was unfair, to demand both safety and power—
But the words wouldn't come.
Because she knew Haimer was right.
She was exactly the kind of person who would never dare dance on the wire if there was a safety net beneath her.
Warabi simply sat down again and shoved her face into the bear's fur, trying to hide from the weight of choice.
But Rin—
Rin still gripped her sword hilt.
Without the mask, her expression was naked.
Fear remained.
Hesitation remained.
Yet beneath them—
A furious unwillingness began to ferment in her eyes.
Was she really going to let it end like this?
Put that broken mask back on.
Live under her mother's shadow.
Keep playing "Five Swords" in this tiny academy.
Graduate. Marry. Live out a flat, ordinary life.
If that was truly what she wanted—
Then why had she chased after them earlier?
Why had she come here at all—humiliated, stripped bare—still crawling forward like a fool?
Rin inhaled sharply.
She pushed herself up, wobbling.
Her legs were weak.
Her heart still pounded.
But her gaze locked on Haimer like a blade.
If there was no retreat—
Then she simply wouldn't retreat.
She would keep walking forward.
She would keep swinging her sword.
Even if the path led to hell, it was better than rotting here.
She gritted her teeth and stepped toward Haimer, one slow step at a time.
This wasn't just a decision.
It was a declaration of war against her old, cowardly self.
"I'm going."
-------
My : pat*eon*com/RuneA
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