The well-Balanced Yamamoto-san Gets Caught up in a Death Game

Chapter 58

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*Warning*

This chapter may contain distressing content. Readers sensitive to such material are advised to skip this chapter.

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[Take’s Perspective]

Looking back, perhaps I’ve always been a meddlesome person.

“What are you doing, looking so lame?”

Back in my school days—

Those were the words I blurted out when I happened upon a group surrounding someone behind the school building.

At the time, I wasn’t a delinquent or anything like that; I was just a boy who loved motorcycles.

I dreamed of owning my own shop someday, working for a manufacturer in development, or being involved with the Suzuka 8 Hours endurance race in some way.

Pursuing that dream, I’d been doing odd jobs at a local motorcycle shop since my student days, which is how I became acquainted with some rougher guys who rode bikes.

Maybe that’s why.

Before I knew it, people at school started keeping their distance, treating me like a lone wolf delinquent. Somehow, I’d become someone they regarded with a mix of fear and respect.

Skipping school occasionally to watch races far away might have contributed to my isolation at school.

In any case, I couldn’t see any value in going to school beyond mere habit.

I believed that if you have dreams and goals, and you can see the path to achieve them, you should focus on working towards them.

And it was then that I happened to witness a scene of bullying.

When I spoke up, the bullies scattered, perhaps thinking, “This is bad!” due to rumors about my supposed dangerous connections.

While thinking I wasn’t really such a scary person, I extended my hand to the bullied boy.

“Are you okay?”

“Ah, yes. Thank you…”

I had intended for that to be the end of it, but…

It didn’t turn out that way.

The boy I’d helped started following me around.

He probably thought that with me as his backing, he wouldn’t be bullied anymore.

But I was happy about it.

It felt like I’d finally found something enjoyable in my isolated school life, making it a bit more fun.

At first, our relationship might have been mutually self-serving, but since neither of us had other close friends, we ended up spending a lot of time together.

Naturally, we became good friends, talking about our hobbies and such.

He was more of an indoor type, but surprisingly, he took an interest in motorcycles.

He said there was a game he played that featured motorcycles, which sparked his interest. If he was interested, that was perfect.

I explained that riding a real motorcycle was several times more fun than riding in a game, determined to make him a motorcycle enthusiast.

That’s what I was thinking back then.

■□■

When we reached the age to get our large motorcycle licenses, we both passed on our first try and bought bikes.

I used money I’d saved from my part-time job, while he persuaded his parents to fund his. But a bike is a bike.

We went on touring trips together, enjoying our motorcycle journeys.

He might have even enjoyed it more than I did.

I got a job at the local bike shop, while he went on to university.

Our paths might have diverged, but I thought we were still connected by our shared love for motorcycles.

Or so I believed.

It was around that time that I heard he had died in a motorcycle accident.

All strength left my body, and I collapsed to my knees.

I was in shock.

It felt like something had been ripped out of me, and for days, I moved about like a stranger in my own body.

Was it because I’d extolled the virtues of motorcycles that he had died? Was the motorcycle I loved so easily capable of taking my best friend’s life?

My thoughts spun in circles, and I felt like vomiting even though I was just existing.

Perhaps due to my newfound distrust of motorcycles, the passion that had once burned within me disappeared, and I continued living out of mere habit.

It was during this time that I learned about LIA.

“Embark on a new life in a new world!”

…I thought I’d try starting over.

I felt I needed to fill the void in my soulless self with something new.

I’d hardly ever played games before, but I figured if I could move around just like in real life, I could manage somehow.

Besides, since it was in the world of games that he had excelled at, maybe I could regain something there—

That’s what I was thinking.

That day, I applied for the initial LIA lottery.

■□■

On the very day I started playing LIA, I met a young girl.

Her name was Lily.

She was clumsy, struggling even against the starter area monsters due to her poor physical coordination.

I couldn’t help but want to assist her, so I did.

Lily was delighted and started chatting freely with me, a complete stranger.

As I listened, Lily explained that she’d been paralyzed from the waist down since a traffic accident in her childhood, and had been confined to a wheelchair ever since. That’s why she wasn’t used to walking or running.

Traffic accident…

Those words weighed heavily on my heart.

It probably wasn’t about atonement or anything like that.

But I found I couldn’t leave Lily alone.

Maybe I felt it was some kind of fate.

And as I continued adventuring with Lily, I felt the emptiness inside me gradually filling.

I helped Lily, and Lily relied on me.

That feeling reminded me of those days back in school… Even in the midst of this death game, I felt a sense of fulfillment—

Yes, until that moment…

■□■

Shielding Lily from an area boss, I lost my dominant arm.

At first, I thought I could manage somehow, but as reality began to set in, I grew bitter.

I joined up with other embittered individuals, even resorting to monopolizing rare materials for easy profits.

Looking back now, I realize how foolish I was.

As if doing such things would change my painful circumstances…

“Take an objective look at how lame you are, huh—”

Those words, reminiscent of what had first brought us together.

Hearing them again, I had a sudden realization.

It felt like my friend was laughing at what I’d become, and I suddenly felt ashamed of everything I’d been doing.

How pathetic, how pitiful, how despicable…

In a word, “lame”—that summed it up perfectly.

And it meant I was no different from those guys surrounding him back then…

…………

I decided to change.

I resolved to overcome my current situation and regain my right arm.

I didn’t know how, but that armored woman had shown it was possible.

If you have a goal, you should just work hard towards it.

That’s what I’d always been good at, after all.

First, I’d start by abandoning my current fighting style.

With only one hand, and not even my dominant one at that, there was no way I could properly handle weapons. So, I decided to learn magic.

Fortunately, magic can be learned just by reading books, even without SP.

I started going to the library every day, devouring books on magic.

During this time, Lily participated in the Grand Martial Arts Festival and made it through the preliminaries.

When I sent her a congratulatory message, she replied that she’d do her best for my sake too.

Words that wouldn’t have resonated with my previous bitter self now touched me deeply.

With Lily’s words in my heart, I pored over magic books late into the night.

It wasn’t just Lily who was trying her best.

I would try my best too.

I could honestly feel that way now.

And after three days, I finally managed to acquire [Fire Magic].

I thought that first I’d create a means of attack, develop a way to fight monsters, and eventually set out on a journey to find a way to regenerate my arm.

■□■

On the first day of the final tournament, I was at the library again.

Lily was advancing steadily, with the semi-finals tomorrow.

And if she won that, the finals would be on the same day.

She’s truly amazing, I could sincerely admire that now.

I don’t quite understand that strange armor, but Lily has definitely changed.

And that serves as encouragement for me too.

“I’ve got to change too…”

Somehow feeling like my friend in heaven was cheering me on too, words escaped my lips unbidden.

Is being able to indulge in even this small bit of sentiment proof that something within me is healing? I’m not sure, but I don’t think it’s a bad thing.

Anyway, Lily’s working hard, so I need to work hard too—

As I was thinking this… was it a hallucination?

Two alleys back, I thought I saw a girl who looked like Lily being forcibly grabbed by the arm by a man, and then they vanished.

“Did I see that wrong…?”

Even if it was a mistake, it was fine.

But I couldn’t shake my concern, so I hurried to the alley where the girl and the man who’d grabbed her arm had disappeared.

There was no one there—

“——”

“——!? ——!”

…………

No, I could faintly hear voices arguing further in.

With a sense of foreboding, I pressed on deeper into the alley.

And then I saw it.

Lily collapsed at the back of the alley and—

Two masked men…

“Lily!?”

“Oh crap. Boss, what should we do? Someone’s seen us.”

“It doesn’t significantly impact the plan. We’ll proceed as intended.”

“You bastards! Get away from Lily!”

The moment I shouted in outrage, a shock pierced through my abdomen.

As I was about to lose consciousness from the intense pain, my back slammed hard against a wall, the pain jolting me back to awareness.

My vision blurred with tears from the agony.

As I looked up, I saw one of the men slowly lowering his leg.

Did he… kick me?

I didn’t even see it…

“Huh, he’s not dead? Did you hold back, Boss?”

“Of course not. Long-haired beast races have a racial trait that makes them resistant to blunt attacks. Moreover, the Yeti species is known for its toughness. He simply endured it. But he’s a wreck inside. He won’t be able to stand anymore.”

The man said this as he sheathed the sword he was holding. The hilt had a design of many isosceles triangles intertwined… What a strange sword…

“You got lucky, kid. Those cut by this sword, even if it’s just a graze, will never wake up again without the owner’s approval. If there hadn’t been a prior target, you’d be the one falling into an eternal cursed sleep right now.”

Prior… target…?

I tried to speak, but instead, a clot of blood spilled from my mouth.

Just as the man had said, my body was in tatters from that single blow. Pain shot through my entire body at the slightest attempt to move.

But I couldn’t afford to worry about that now.

Through my tear-blurred vision, I could see Lily lying there.

A small pool of blood was forming where she had fallen.

Seeing this, I struggled to move my body.

What the hell is this…

What on earth is happening…

“This woman’s an idiot too. If she’d just followed the boss’s advice and forfeited the next match, she wouldn’t have ended up like this. It’s because she tried to resist unnecessarily that this happened to her.”

“You’re talking too much during work. Hurry up and find the [Storage Bag].”

“Heheh, Boss, I’ve already found it. She had it tied ostentatiously to her waist.”

“How careless of her.”

The man who retrieved Lily’s [Storage Bag] took out a different sword from his own [Storage] and slashed at Lily’s bag.

With just that, as if emptying a cardboard box, all of Lily’s possessions scattered around the area at once.

At first, I couldn’t understand what these guys were doing, but when they stopped in front of one of the scattered items, I realized why they had done this.

It was a jet-black armor.

The driving force that had propelled Lily to the semi-finals, earning her the title of Demon King…

“With her under a curse and unable to wake up, and now stripped of her equipment, she won’t be able to fight anymore.”

Stop it…

That’s Lily’s precious possession…

It’s what showed her resolve to change, what became the strength for me to change…

Stop it… Please stop…

But the man mercilessly swung his sword down at the armor.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

The armor resisted for a while, but eventually it seemed to succumb to the man’s attacks, its silhouette beginning to distort.

Ah, aah…

If she can’t wake up due to the curse, there’s no need to destroy her equipment too…

What grudge do you have against Lily…

Don’t destroy what Lily has worked so hard to build up…

Please…

Stop it…

“It’s tough. Is it made of magic iron?”

“Boss, wouldn’t it be better if we used this instead of destroying it?”

“This kind of armor is usually custom-made. It’s too ill-fitting for us to use. Even if we tried to sell it, the size issue would drive the price down.”

Lily’s armor…

Lily’s resolve… Lily’s feelings…

Being destroyed…

As if everything we’ve built up over the past month was just a dream or an illusion…

Disappearing…

“Ah… gah… guh…”

When Lily wakes up and finds she’s lost everything, what am I supposed to say to her…?

What kind of face should I show Lily…?

I… I…

For Lily’s sake…

What can I do…?

“Geh, gobo… gebo… goh…”

“Damn, he’s standing up in that state…”

“Don’t move any further. You’ll really die. We’re not trying to kill you. We just need to win this tournament to show the authority of the human race.”

Hearing the man’s words, I finally understood.

Though they wear masks, their builds are identical.

Nabal & Hasan…

Lily’s next opponents…

“This girl will have her curse lifted by the time of the finals. Then there won’t be any problem, right? The wound itself isn’t that serious either.”

“It’s just that she’ll have to forfeit the match, that’s all. We’re not trying to threaten her life or anything. We just want to make sure we win.”

“So don’t push yourself. Nothing will change even if you do.”

That’s not true…

“Goh, geh… goh…”

Clots of blood stain my white fur red.

It seems hopeless, unchangeable, a dead end—

Even in such a seemingly impossible situation, that’s not really the case…

We can change, we can make a difference…

Lily…

Lily taught me that…

So all I can do is…

Respond to Lily’s feelings and change the situation…!

“[Fireball]… geh, goh…”

“Whoa! This guy just used [Fire Magic] in the middle of town!”

A pitiful ball of fire, due to my low skill level.

It hits the wall of a building, raising a pillar of flame.

Surprised by the sudden attack, Hasan jumps back, but my aim wasn’t to attack…

Someone… anyone… please notice…

As I watch the raging flames, I wish for this with all my might.

“Tch, and here I was thinking we’d let you live. What should we do, Boss? Should we kill him?”

“Well—… Hm? My [Danger Sense] is reacting. Is someone coming this way?”

“Someone that even you sense as dangerous? Isn’t that bad news?”

“Tch, can’t be helped. Let’s withdraw.”

“What about the dying one?”

“Leave him.”

“But he’s seen what we’ve done?”

“It doesn’t matter. All that’s here is a dying woman and thoroughly destroyed scrap metal. There’s hardly anyone who would connect these two to the rumored Demon King. Even if this guy claims it, no one will listen to him.”

“Ah, I see. Because the Demon King’s identity wasn’t revealed, it ironically means we can’t prove this woman is the Demon King.”

“Exactly. By not declaring herself as the Demon King, she dug her own grave.”

What…

If I tell them you’re the culprits, won’t you be disqualified from the Grand Martial Arts Festival…?

Because Lily hid her identity, we can’t prove Lily is Lily? How can that be…?

Ah…

It’s no use…

My vision is swaying.

The billowing black smoke is gradually enveloping the surroundings.

Damn…

I wonder if there’s a status effect like carbon monoxide poisoning even in a game…

As I think about such absurd things, the world spins around me, and I collapse on the spot.

Lily…

I pray that someone finds her and at least saves her…

She is…

She—