Ore no Osananajimi wa Joshikousei de Yuusha Chapter 18

Nikka’s breathing was rough as she escaped through the dark underground pa.s.sage.

What was that, what happened, what is it!

It began when the automata sensed something and she raised her spear.
“IT’S HER — NOOOO! IT’S ARINA!“
As the maid screamed, the automata fell to pieces.
A young girl stepped down on the wreckage.
Her figure was that of a braided young girl in an ap.r.o.n dress, but from the killing intent she emanates, her madness, her brutality, and her indescribable negative vibes, she looked like a monster to Nikka.

Then she looked towards her and grinned.
“Sister-sama, I am in need of your guidance. — not”

So she was aiming for me!

I’ll be killed if I don’t do something quick.
Having understood that by instinct, she fought back with another automata nearby.

From the state the first one is in, the second one probably won’t be worth much more than a diversion.
She hid herself in the labyrinthine underground pa.s.sage.

Even if that monster called Arina got hold of a map, she won’t be able to move faster than herself who knew these pa.s.sages by heart.
If all goes well, she would rot away in this maze.
Nikka pressed several b.u.t.tons along the pa.s.sageways as she fled.
BRRRRR, the sound of grinding rocks echoed. These pa.s.sages were originally made to shake off pursuers, so it was laid out with the capability to changing the layout of the walls.

How’s that, you can’t come for me now.
She gloated, but then…

Boom.
“….?”
There was a sound from far away.
Boom, Wham.
Nikka stopped and strained her ears.
BAM, BAM, BAM!
Those weren’t the sounds of the pa.s.sages changing.
What’s more, they — CRa.s.sH — were definitely coming closer —.

“! No way!”

KABLAAAAAM!!

The stone wall next to Nikka collapsed.

“Sister-samaa, isn’t it too cruel of you to leave a lost lamb alone?”

Her voice came from behind the cloud of dust.
Maps and wall layouts are useless and meaningless to her.
“How absurd!”
She protested towards the voice and continued to run, for now.

“It’s because sister-sama ran awaaay. Please listen to Arina’s troubles”
BOOOM!
The wall in front of her collapsed.
Nikka turned around towards the next route
“There’s this person Arina likes. Like like Arina loves him so much it hurts just thinking about him. But even though he knows how Arina feels he doesn’t respond at all!”
BOOOOOM!!
The wall beside her collapsed, and she ran faster.
“Eeeeeh! What should I do!?”
“The heavens say thus! [To love one another so that others shall love thee in return]!”
“But but but! That person is the only one I like!!”
BOOOOM!
Another wall collapsed behind her.
“It is also written thus! [What thou wanteth thou shalt give. Want the joy of giving]!”
“Does G.o.d love puzzles!? Arina doesn’t understand!”
BOOOM!!
Another wall collapsed right in front of her eyes.
“Please stop! The residence is going to sink!”
“Eeeeh! But but..!!”

“Kidding. I don’t care!”
Arina swiftly switched to a cold tone.

Then

………….——.

“……?”

The sound of destruction was no more.
Silence suddenly fell and she became more uneasy.
She can’t sense her.
Where… where is she?

……——.

Where is she…?

” ‘Lamp‘ !”
Nikka chanted and the pa.s.sages became bright.
There was rubble here and there, only the clear evidence of that girl’s rampage.
However…. there’s no sign of her.

Nikka slowly walked forward.
She can’t afford to be rash.
However… she was really not there.
Did she disappear?

Did she… return?

The moment she felt relieved…
FWIP
“Hauu!?”
Nikka’s hair was pulled towards a wall.
Something strong gripped her hair and forcibly pulled her.

It was an arm.
The wall grew an arm!

“No, no, — NOOOOOOO!!”
Even the stout-hearted Nikka would scream in such an unknown situation.
The wall grew another arm and mercilessly grabbed Nikka’s arm.
What are they pulling me for.
Are they dragging me to h.e.l.l.
Her heart was caught in a vortex of fear.
“STOP! LET GO!! He, hel, HEEEEEELP!!”

“Arina actually doesn’t care whether Yuu-kun looks at Arina or not”

Arina came along from the pa.s.sage.
More and more arms appeared, wrapping Nikka’s legs and body, but Arina keeps talking about an entirely unrelated topic.
“Arina feels a bit lonely, to be honest, but it’s really a trivial thing”
“NOOO, what is this! Let go, LET GOOO!!!”
The arms superbly adjusted their strength, loosening when she resisted, but quickly capturing her again when she was about to escape.
Letting her escape. Catching her.
Now she can escape. Now she can’t.
It was many times more distressing than just being caught.
“NOOOOO! Let go!!”
“After all, Arina was born to serve Yuu-kun. Arina will give Yuu-kun what he wants, Arina wants to give Yuu-kun more than he wants. Arina never talked to G.o.d about this. That’s because Arina’s G.o.d is Yuu-kun. Fufufufu. Yuu-kun, I love you!”

Is that something you’d say in a situation like this!
“Y… you’re crazy!”
Nikka roared at her while she was trying to escape.

“This Yuu-kun person is a sinner! A demon calling himself G.o.d!”

“…​…​…​…​…​…​…​…​…​…​…​…​…​…​…​…​…​…​…​…​…​…​…​…​…​…​…​…​…​…​…​…​…​…​…​…​…​…​…​…​…​…​…​…​…​…​…​…​…​…​…​…​…​…​…​…​…​…​…​…​…​…​…​…​…​…​…​…​…​…​…​…​…​…​…​…​…​…​…​…​…​…​…​…​…​…​…​…​…​…​…​…​…​…​…​…​…​…​…​…​…​…​…​…​…​…​ huh?”

Arina’s eyes transformed from those of a girl in love to the eyes of a murdering maniac.

“———”
Nikka’s heart froze just by looking at those eyes, her body stopped resisting the arms.

I said something I shouldn’t have said.
Nikka’s survival instincts realized.

Arina calmly, with burning rage, swayed as she said…
“What did you say about Yuu-kun just now?” she asked as she slowly came close.
“——……”
No voice came out.
“Hey”
“——……, ah, ah”
“Huh?”
“――, S, s……, sin”

“I SAID WHAT DID YOU SAY YOU WORTHLESS BIIIIIIIIIIITCH¹!!”
¹ «TN: ‘ama’ can mean ether nun/bhikkuni (尼) or b.i.t.c.h (阿魔)»

KABLAAAAAAM!!

The wall restraining Nikka was destroyed with Arina’s punch.
Despite the blow missing her, Nikka’s body was pushed away and she fell on the floor behind the wall.

I’m dead.
I’m done for.
She was unable to move her body, not even to run away.

“How dare you insult Yuu-kun. How dare you. HOW DARE A d.a.m.nED PIECE OF ※※※ LIKE YOU SAY THAT ABOUT YUU-KUN…”
Arina, Terror, came to her.
It was the same anger of when a pagan slanders her own G.o.d.
“So, how do you want to die? Roasting dogeza? Iron maiden? …. Ah, that’s right”
Arina gripped the s.h.i.+vering Nikka’s collar and lifted her high overhead with her superhuman strength.
“Uu…” Nikka became nauseous, but Arina paid her no mind.
“I think I’ll pay sister-sama back for Yuu-kun being slapped. It was your fault Demy slapped him, right”
Nikka suddenly realized.
This ‘Yuu-kun’ she was talking about refers to that servant.
Why does this woman wors.h.i.+p an ordinary person like him… it was too late to think about.
“Hey c’mon, clench your teeth, just so you know it doesn’t mean anything”
A slap from a monster that could destroy walls.
It’s meaningless no matter how much she braced for it.
I’m dead. I’ll have my head smashed and killed.
Nikkaps tears spilled and she sobbed.

“Hic… G… Glenn-sama…”
With death right before her eyes, she unintentionally let leak the name of the one she loved, then suddenly…

“…, Glenn?”
Arina reacted to that.

“No, you’re wrong!”
“I don’t think I’m wrong. Heeh, so it’s Glenn”
Nikka was released from Arina’s hands.
THUD, Nikka fell to the floor.
“I finally figured out what you’re doing here. You shut yourself in this underground pa.s.sage and develop a drug for him to manipulate the Princess, right?”

―― How much does she know!?

“You’re dirtying your hands to raise that disgusting man into a hero. Just how far do you plan on sacrificing human lives? How dumb”
“I owe Glenn-sama my life! He’s way more fitting for a hero than your ‘Yuu-kun’!”
Nikka yelled loudly.
Arina looked down at her with piercing eyesight.
But Nikka didn’t stop.
“Kill me if you want! The last thing I want is to cause trouble for him!”

She hadn’t told her everything to the end. If she died, at least the secret of the ‘bugs’ would be protected.

Don’t ever think my feelings will lose to yours!

Arina looked down at Nikka with cold eyes, then she said a single word.

“Pitiful”
“…”
Say whatever you like.
“But I like you. Fine, I’ll give you a chance before I kill you. I’ll let you help that ‘Hero’-sama of yours”

“What are you… Kyaah!!”
She was grabbed by a mystery arm.
Without any room to resist, Nikka was dragged down into a deep abyss.