chapter: 3 Weird Classmates

Chapter:3

"Putting the battery problem on hold, I didn't glow so I was left behind as well, huh."

"Oh yeah, I didn't either huh."

"Well, do you see anything strange in your field of vision?"

"Like those logos and missions you mentioned earlier? Not that I can tell."

"Nope, nothing on my end either."

"Yeah, then it's really only for the ones that glowed. Apparently, they can see some kind of stamina bar constantly floating in the corner of their eyes.

"So it's like the ones from Monster Hunter?"

"Or like those anime and manga with a system."

"I guess. Mikochi isn't into games or anime so she couldn't explain it very well."

"Blasphemy! But expected."

"Is that Mikochi one of your friends? Did she just go and abandon you with everyone else?" Yogiri asked

"Fake friend if you ask me."

"Yazaki must have done something,… I think."

Tomochika's expression betrayed her distress. She didn't want to believe her friends would sacrifice her and said:

"If a Beauty Coordinator can manipulate people's attraction, then a General being able to manipulate people's morals makes sense, right? But really, this class's story and their levels and skills make this whole thing seem like some game, don't they."

"You may have a point."

"If this General Yazaki guy said the truth and there really was just one dragon then we might be good to go outside now,"

Yogiri said as he looked out through the window, at where the dragon was supposed to land and he looked over to me which I nodded.

"Hey, um… Takatou-kun, Suzuki-kun did you do that?"

"Do what exactly?" I asked obliviously

"The Dragon must have been a hoax," Yogiri said

"That sounds like such an obvious lie!"

"You don't have to believe us."

"Well,… not like I'd know how you would have gone about it in the first place, but 'randomly killed itself'?"

Ok, not the best excuse on our end I would admit.

"Anyway, given the presence of dragons the possibility of this really being a parallel universe… might be there."

"Is there the possibility it isn't one!?"

"How about a crazy rich guy abducting kids and having them perform in his snuff movies? I'd probably also believe a Jurassic Park-esque Dragon Park story before transportation to a different world."

I gave Yogiri a deadpan stare.

"What?"

"That's just because you weren't there for that 'Grandchild of the Great Sage' person, that was definitely magic! She fired a beam or something from her hand!" Tomochika shouted

"Anyway, we're not going to achieve anything by staying here so let's head outside," Yogiri said

Yogiri and I Stepped over the corpses and went towards the exit. Tomochika had said something about it being shut close, but, probably due to the dragon's rampaging, it now seemed loose enough to break open.

"Yeah, we should be able to get out here. Hm? What's wrong?" Yogiri asked

We thought Tomochika was right behind us, but there was no reply. When we turned around he saw that she was still standing in front of Kiryuu's body.

"What's the matter?" I asked.

"I know there's nothing to do about their deaths, but still, just stepping over them and leaving doesn't seem right…"

"Oh, I guess." 

"Right." 

I hadn't really paid the bodies any mind now that I thought of it.

We went back to her and lifted our late classmates into their seats. Having done that, we made our way to the door, and after giving it a good kick it flipped over with a flashy crash.

Due to the loud noise just now there didn't seem to be any point in trying to be sneaky anymore, so Yogiri and I got off the bus without paying much heed.

"Out here is actually quite nice," I said stretching.

"Looks like spring here," Yogiri said

A gentle breeze blew over the grass.

"Yeah, see? I told you it's a parallel universe. You know, because it's winter at home right now." Tomochika said

"That doesn't mean much, we might just be in the southern hemisphere. Instead of a parallel universe wouldn't you sooner believe that we were transported to some different country by ship, bus, and all?" Yogiri said

"Were you always this stubborn!?"

"Oi can you two stop bickering I'm trying to enjoy the peace here!" I shouted 

Which the two of them ignored.

"Believing someone when they tell you about transportation to a different dimension seems stranger if you ask me."

"Fine, if you want proof that badly… Aha!"

Hmm?

Tomochika looked around them and seemed to have found something. Yogiri and I followed her gaze. A disk was floating through the sky. The lack of comparable objects made it difficult to gauge the distance, but several kilometers ahead of them there was a flying disk with a sort of dome on its top. It rose higher as they were watching it and after following its ascent for a while I was taken aback. In the direction it was heading there was a huge number of floating masses of rock, their altitude high enough for parts of them to be covered by clouds.

The disk continued to float towards the rocks until it eventually disappeared from view.

"Ok, that is interesting," I said

"See! Isn't that enough to call this a different world!? That's totally one of those sky castles!

We're looking at the bottom of a floating continent!"

 I stared at the disk trying to gauge its size. Noting that it can still be seen from this distance.

Huh, it must be massive.

"She might be right."

"I get it, fine. Let's go with the parallel universe theory for now." Yogiri said but his tone indicated he still didn't buy it.

"Actually, what's the deal with using UFOs anyway!? They should come up with something more fantasylike!" Tomochika exclaimed.

"Don't ask me how should I know."

"Good to see you in such a lively mood."

Yogiri took a look around our surroundings as he replied to Tomochika, but there wasn't much to see other than grass. In the distance, there were city walls. That must have been the first mission's point of objective, and therefore North. To our west, there was a forest, just a short walk away. We couldn't see far towards East or West because of the plains sloping into a hill in that direction.

"Looks like we can pick between a city, a forest, and hills. Although let's forget about that forest." Yogiri said

"I would agree with Yogiri on this. we need info so I say the city." I said

Tomochika chimed in.

"The city sounds good if it actually has people there, but…"

But that's where the classmates that turned them into dragon bait had gone, which Tomochika had conflicted feelings about. Yogiri changed the topic.

"Well, let's try rummaging through the luggage before going anywhere. Everyone else left in a hurry, right?"

"Ah, yeah, they weren't really carrying anything with them."

"We might even find a charger."

"What's up with your enthusiasm towards that game…"

"Are you surprised thou?" I asked

"No."

Yogiri went to the trunk room at the bottom of the bus, hoping to get to all the luggage inside it, but soon realized that it was locked.

"Doesn't look like we can break it open. Dannoura-san, do you know how to pick locks?"

"Why do I feel like you genuinely thought I had experience in crime-related skills like that?"

"Hmm…. Yuki?" 

"Nope."

"No can do then. I don't remember any larger baggage lying around in the bus itself either. Alright, let's see what's behind those hills."

Yogiri was about to head over there, but he stopped after seeing that Tomochika was pointing towards the sky in the North.

"Hey, isn't something coming flying?"

"Another dragon?"

"No, I don't think it is."

After the thing that was flying came closer Tomochika recognized what or to be more specific who it was

"That's Higashida-kun, Fukuhara-kun, and Hanakawa-kun, but how are they flying through the sky!?"

"Oh, well done noticing from this distance."

"Well, let's kill them," Yogiri said nonchalantly.

I turned to look at Yogiri with a raised eyebrow

"Really?" I asked 

"Ah, yes. Who wouldn't choose murder when finding out about their flying classmates…――What the heck are you talking about!?"

Tomochika pulled a noritsukkomi, seemingly in disagreement with Yogiri's proposal.

"Then what? Are you planning to have a nice talk with them and make up again after they left us out here to die?"

"Huh? Wait, you were serious about killing them?"

"Yeah, he is, unfortunately," I said with a sigh

"Leaving us behind out here is basically the same as killing us. The whole class shares that guilt, they can't really complain if we pay them back, can they?"

"..True."

I agreed with Yogiri's statement.

"I can't really agree with you there, even if you weren't talking about killing them…"

"Well, I don't think we could avoid a hostile confrontation even if we approached them peacefully."

"What do you mean by that?"

"Why do you think they're coming back, just the three of them?"

"In my opinion, they're here for the luggage if anything," I said.

"Most likely and since we are here we would most likely be treated as obstacles."

"That's still speculation… right?"

"There's a higher possibility of it being correct than wrong though."

"But I still value your opinion; let's see what they're up to first," Yogiri said

"If they're only after the luggage then how about running away or hiding?" Tomochika asked

"Doubtful," I said

"We've probably been spotted already, and I doubt we can run away from someone that can fly. Actually, can you tell me who's who?"

They were now close enough for Yogiri and me to be able to make out their faces as well. According to Tomochika, the good-but-superficial-looking one on the left was Ryouda Higashida. The smaller one in the middle with the brown hair, is Sadaaki Fukuhara. And on the right was the plump Daimon Hanakawa. A short wait later all three of them landed a couple of meters ahead of them.

"Tomochika-tan, thou art alive! How!? What an unexpected development this is! My humble plan to turn your corpse into a zombie and that zombie into a slave to unload all my desires on turned into nothing! Just like that!"

Hanakawa's theatrical voice was thoroughly disgusting. To think someone could make such an unpleasant impression after just a couple of words, I couldn't help but be oddly impressed and I get the odd feeling that Yogiri is too.

"See? I told you they might be alive. With Charm Up's short duration, there's a good chance the dragon simply left."

Now Higashida was talking. It appeared their enemy detection didn't tell them about a detected monster's death.

"What are you talking about anyway, ain't it better like that? Zombie puppets are gross."

The mocking voice belonged to Fukuhara. He had a small frame and a childish appearance in general, but there was something conceited about him.

"Excuse you!? Fukuhara-dono, your power is wasted! A pearl thrown before a swine! Hand it over, I shall utilize it properly and create a harem of zombies!"

The more he keeps talking the more I hate him it just keeps getting worse.

"Killing someone just so I can turn them into a zombie is dumb."

"Aha! Well as it happens I had considered a scenario like this; this is why you always carry a collar of slavery with you! If she's alive then I shan't need to rely on you, Fukuhara-dono!"

"That's gross, man. Don't carry something like that around."

"Now he has a point though, if she's against it at first and obedient later then that's double the fun."

"Ah, no, I'm not the rape kind of guy, Fukuhara-dono."

"Then go away or something?"

How does it keep getting worse?

"Hmm, but I do love Netorare. My crush, right before my eyes… there's just something about that, isn't there? Oh, you wouldn't mind leaving the 'gentle shoulder to cry on' role to me afterward, would you?"

"You're so gross,"

"Can you leave it at that, you two? Look at poor Dannoura-san's shocked face."

"That reminds me, Takatou and Suzuki are here as well. Look how Takatou is standing in front of her being all protective, ain't that brave?"

"C-could it be that Takatou-shi already has the role of the netorare'd boyfriend!? I won't allow that! Tomochika has to be mine!"

"Oh, I like that. I was planning on killing him right away but let's go with that instead. He's the guy always spacing out, ain't he? I wanna see what kind of face he'll make while losing his girl."

"Aren't you lucky, Takatou-kun? You get to live a while longer."

It just keeps getting worse.

The way they acted like everything would go their way was part disturbing and part agitating. I was really agreeing with Yogiri's standpoint to just killing them.

"Um, I have no idea what's going on, but what I did figure out is that getting along with them doesn't seem doable."

Tomochika got closer to Yogiri and told him so in a whisper.

Hearing the statement I whispered.

"You think."

Yogiri looked like he was going to say something but was cut off when Higashida raised his right hand. His conduct didn't pose any immediate danger. Higashida had no killing intent and his fist wasn't facing me, Yogiri, or Tomochika.

"Fireball!"

His right hand started sparkling and in the next moment, something had passed right by Yogiri. That was all. Usually one would expect a flying globe of fire from a 'fireball,' but we didn't see anything like that. There should have been the sound of impact from hitting the bus behind us, but we heard nothing at all.

Thump 

After a short moment's wait the noise of something heavy falling to the ground echoed through the plains. Yogiri and I turned around and witnessed a bizarre scene. The bus had lost its back half and the noise he heard just now was made by the remaining bus frame tilting over and crashing into the earth. A perfectly straight line of the grass-covered plain had been hollowed out, continuing all the way to the forest like a concave road. But it didn't stop there; where the road of nothingness entered the forest a gaping hole had opened.

Whatever Higashida brought forth, it soundlessly erased everything in its path of trajectory.

"Your Fireball's ridiculous as ever, Higashida-dono! Be honest, how often do you go 'ah, but it is no Hellflame, it is a Fireball!"

Higashida smugly accepted Hanakawa's praise. It was the kind of carefree attitude that made it clear they weren't worried about the possibility of a counter-attack in the least. Then again, with that kind of power one's surroundings might just appear like no more than trash.

"Can only use basic tier magic, after all. All I trained while leveling was this so now it's strong enough to take down demon lords. Oh yeah, guess who blew off the top of Mount Karuone?"

"No! Was that you, Higashida-dono!? Now that's what I call a hero summon. 'As expected of hero-sama,' as they say!"

"Higashida's lucky he got here as a hero, I started out as a soulmancer at the bottom of the demon lord's army."

I had no idea what they were talking about.

From what I could tell they seemed quite used to this 'System' they had received from the sage, but according to Tomochika, it wasn't that long since they left for their first mission. Fukuhara carried on.

"Anyway, did that establish the difference in powers between us? Resistance is futile. Dannoura is coming over here, Takatou will stay and watch from where he is."

They must have thought that giving a demonstration of their power would settle things; the idea of us resisting them at this point didn't even cross their minds.

"That's some major firepower." 

Yogiri talked with admiration as he inspected the crumbling remains of the bus.

I will admit that was some major firepower.

The Fireball must've been a sphere of 10 meters in diameter. Everything it passed through burned down to less than ash, evaporated even, and what was even more impressive was that everything outside its diameter was hardly affected by a clean cut. He tried touching the bus' frame--only a faint heat remained.

"Higashida-kun! Why are you doing this!?"

"Well, we decided we'd live to our heart's content if we ever got another chance, and now that time has come. Gotta do what you gotta do, you know?"

"And my body falls into that category!?"

Tomochika talked with her arms wrapped around her body.

"I'm impressed you can talk like that in this situation, Dannoura-san. You look like you're able to survive on your own even in a different universe."

"I'm impressed you can talk like that in this situation, Dannoura-san. You look like you're able to survive on your own even in a different universe."

"How nice, when did you two become such good friends?"

Fukuhara talked in a joking manner, but his speech was tinged with jealousy. Warped as it may be, he clearly held affection towards Tomochika.

"For now I'll try making them more cooperative."

Yogiri said in a gentle tone to Tomochika.

She may have been giving off a confident impression, but she was probably full of anxiety.

Finally, we are dealing with them.

Chapter 3: End