Why Is Everyone in This Dating Sim Trying to Kill Me?!

-----------------------------------------------------------------

Translator: Vine

Chapter Title: Counterattack (5)

-----------------------------------------------------------------

The sunset hung low on the horizon, stretching in long, undulating waves.

The sky was stained crimson, as if blood had been spilled across it.

'…I arrived too late.'

Rebecca, the boss who had entered Phase 2, extended her writhing tentacles, destroying and melting everything in her path.

A horrifying appearance, truly a nightmare made real.

However, I had fought her hundreds of times in the game.

Her attack patterns were so ingrained in my mind that I could recite them without even thinking.

She was even designed as a perfect counter, released to make Sophia's debut more impactful.

If I just acted as Sophia's guide, helping her dodge attacks and fire arrows from a distance, we could defeat her easily, even if it took some time.

The boss had been defeated. There was no problem there.

So what was the problem?

Why did Yi Yuri have to end up like this?

I shifted my gaze, assessing the situation.

'…Kang Dohui isn't here.'

I had simply assumed, even convinced myself, that Kang Dohui would be here.

But it seemed the weasel-like demon wasn't present either. It must have somehow managed to escape Yi Yuri's provocation, and Kang Dohui had gone after it.

And one more miscalculation.

It was my arrogance.

Despite setting an impossible goal in the original story – not letting a single student die – I had unconsciously fixated on Sophia's debut scene being replicated exactly as it was in the original.

Because of this, even while facing the boss with just the two of us, I had ordered her to save more than half her magic and conserve her once-a-day area-of-effect healing skill.

If I had used it, I could have dealt with Rebecca much sooner and arrived here faster.

'Fuck.'

Saving students on the verge of death by showering them with healing arrows like rain, making them revere Sophia as a saint?

'What the hell was that for, what the hell was *any* of that for…!'

Yi Yuri's utterly pathetic state came into view.

Her face was deathly pale. Her body was riddled with wounds, not a single spot untouched, and bones were exposed through several gashes.

Red blood dripped steadily, forming a puddle at her feet.

Every single one of those scenes was branded into my mind like a hot iron.

My head reeled at the thought of what might have happened if I had arrived even a moment later.

It meant nothing if all the students here survived but Yi Yuri died. I'd rather save just Yi Yuri, even if it meant all the other students perished.

'It's my fault.'

My tightly clenched fists trembled, and blood seeped from between my fingers.

"Sophia, focus healing on Yi Yuri."

I spoke to Sophia, who stood behind me, in a voice that had turned cold and flat.

"B-but, you told me to save magic for all the students…"

"Forget it. It's not needed anymore. Just heal Yi Yuri."

"Ah, yes, yes!"

At that, Sophia began drawing forth the magic she had conserved.

Thwack—

At the same time, I pushed off the ground.

Thud.

My foot landed with a heavy thud, pressing firmly into the ground.

Thump.

Thump.

Thump.

My steps were neither slow nor fast.

Yet, simply by walking, the entire surroundings fell silent.

Everyone held their breath in the heavy atmosphere, unable to tear their eyes away.

I approached Yi Yuri, my gaze fixed on her.

"Dummy."

"…You're late. Idiot."

Yi Yuri said in a raspy, choked voice, thick with a metallic edge.

"I'm sorry… I'm so sorry."

I bowed my head and apologized to Yi Yuri. But she shook her head slightly, as if to say it didn't matter.

"…I, still, p-protected them?"

Her voice came in broken, fragmented words.

"…Jin… Yuha."

Yi Yuri called my name and met my gaze with calm eyes.

"Did I… do well?"

Why was this child such an idiot? What was my request, anyway? If her life was in danger, I wouldn't have said a word even if she had ignored it a little.

Words welled up inside me.

Grit.

But I bit my lip hard, forcibly swallowing those words.

I simply repeated the words I had once told her.

"More than anyone could ask for."

At that, Yi Yuri closed her eyes, a relieved smile on her face, as if all tension had suddenly drained from her.

Thump.

Her head rested against my chest.

I gazed down at the back of her head for a moment, then.

I lifted her into my arms.

Soon after, Sophia's skill reached Yi Yuri.

Like a hero chosen by the gods, a golden downpour of light poured from the sky.

Shimmering—

As if time itself was rewinding, her mangled body slowly began to heal.

I raised my head.

The students flinched, averting their eyes as if pricked by something.

Without giving them a separate glance, I opened my mouth.

"Shin Sehee."

"…Yes."

At my call, Shin Sehee stepped forward from among the students.

I carefully transferred Yi Yuri, still cradled in my arms, to her.

"Take her and help her rest."

"…Yes, I understand."

Shin Sehee nodded briefly, then immediately turned and departed with Yi Yuri.

And I, slowly, turned my back.

My gaze landed on the demons, who had been silently observing the entire scene from beginning to end.

* * *

Gulp.

'Wh-what kind of gaze is that…?'

The demon holding the severed whip swallowed hard.

In truth, when that black-haired male student was approaching the shield girl, they could have intervened and interfered at any point.

But none of the demons dared to do such a thing.

Because they had a sinister premonition that if they dared to do such a thing, their necks would be instantly severed.

No, it was a certainty.

Indeed, several demons had twitched their bodies, aiming for Jin Yuha's back, only to halt, breathing shallowly, after seeing a vision of their own heads flying off.

They were only allowed to stand there, staring blankly at him.

'Am I… am I feeling fear right now…?'

Cold sweat trickled down the whip demon's back.

'From just one male student…?'

Of course, the shield girl they had been fighting until now had shown undeniable abilities.

She forcibly drew others' gazes, restricted attacks, and even took others' injuries onto her own body.

If she had been part of a team, she would have been an excellent tank, enough to be called a nightmare.

But she was alone, without a damage dealer to fight alongside her. And the guys behind her were nothing more than nuisances, nothing more and nothing less.

That's why they had regarded her as merely a slightly tougher punching bag and easily toyed with her.

However.

The black-haired male student now standing before them was different.

Dangerous.

Though it wasn't their first encounter, the heavy atmosphere now was on an entirely different level from the lightness they had felt when confronting him in the forest.

Their survival instincts were blaring constant warnings to flee this place immediately.

However.

Like prey before a predator.

The chilling killing intent emanating from a single boy froze their blood.

The demons were rooted to the spot, unable to move a single step.

Then.

Perhaps to hide the fact that he was terrified, one demon suddenly roared.

"Has the p-prince perhaps a-arrived to rescue the p-princess in d-distress…?"

It was a remark meant to belittle, but the horribly trembling voice and the way the words trailed off made it sound like an utterly pathetic statement.

But perhaps that voice acted as a fuse. The demons, one after another, shrieked and added their own comments.

"S-so what if he's j-just a male student! He's n-no different from those w-worthless guys over there!!!"

"Th-that's right! He's just some guy who was hiding until now, d-don't be scared!!!"

"He's just o-one guy anyway! We can all a-attack him together!!!"

Jin Yuha advanced with the unhurried gait of a predator, grasping the hilt of the sword plunged into the ground.

Shhhk—

Then, with a slow movement, he drew the sword and pointed it at the demons.

"None of you will get an easy death."

At that.

"Hey, now!! Hit that bastard now!!!!!"

The demon holding the severed whip clutched its handle so tightly it seemed it might break, and shrieked spasmodically.

And simultaneously, a flurry of attacks, brimming with the demons' full power, surged towards Jin Yuha.

Kwoooosh—

A barrage of attacks, laden with their true intent.

The students watching from behind turned deathly pale.

"Wh-what do we do…!"

"Crazy, wh-what is that!"

"Hey, th-this doesn't seem like a test…?"

"Then, s-so everything up until now was a r-real situation…!?"

The suspicion that had slowly deepened regarding Yi Yuri's inexplicable self-sacrifice began to sprout.

As the demons' desperate attacks flew towards Jin Yuha, that suspicion turned into certainty.

This was a level that could never appear in an academy examination.

Slice──────

The students' panicked confusion was silenced by a sudden, chilling slicing sound.

Whoosh—

Just then, a gust of wind blew, sweeping away the dust.

What the students saw was a demon's hand gushing red blood.

"Aaaaargh!!!!!!!!"

With thick veins bulging on its forehead, it clutched its severed wrist and let out a horrific scream.

And in front of it, Jin Yuha stared at it with an expressionless face.

"You were the bastard who just swung that whip, weren't you?"