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I Don’t Want to Be a Heroic Spirit [730]

VIP room.

Everyone sat in a circle. Those without seats—Selesia and a few others—leaned against the wall. Silence weighed on the air, all eyes fixed on the two “guests.”

One was male. Black short hair, eyes sharp as blades. His outfit was distinct: armored shoulders, breastplate, a coat long enough that walking the streets he’d easily be mistaken for cosplaying.

The other was female. A dark green school uniform, long slim legs wrapped in black stockings. Pink hair ...

I Don’t Want to Be a Heroic Spirit [729]

Unnoticed, January was nearly at its end.

Though snow had already melted from the streets, the temperature was still bitterly low. The wind cut sharp, and without several layers of coats, no one wanted to leave home.

Even during the New Year—a holiday of such weight—Matsubara Takashi and the others remained under government watch. They knew well that for them, “supervision” leaned heavily toward protection, not surveillance. Yatouji Ryou especially dared not compl...

I Don’t Want to Be a Heroic Spirit [728]

Everyone knew—Shimazaki Yuna and Van Gogh seemed bound by an invisible thread. Not exactly inseparable, but if it wasn’t absolutely necessary, Yuna never let Van Gogh leave her side.

Kanoya Rui and the others also knew Van Gogh’s fragile psyche. They understood Yuna’s behavior. In fact, sometimes they worried too—what if Van Gogh, left alone, did something rash? They’d even hinted to Yuna about taking her to see a therapist.

So Rui was stunned, confused—why did he se...

I Don’t Want to Be a Heroic Spirit [727]

When Selesia and the others returned to base, the first thing they saw was Kanoya Rui sprawled on the sofa, reading manga. Rui, too, noticed their arrival.

“Ah! You’re back? How’d the experiment go? Did it work?”

“Yes, we succeeded.”

Meteora gave a faint smile. “The next step is making that state last longer. At least until it can be controlled as freely as Alicetaria-dono’s.”

Though Selesia’s transformation had only lasted briefly, it proved their ...

I Don’t Want to Be a Heroic Spirit [726]

November ended. December began.

As the final month of the year, December was special. In Japan, schools gave a two-month winter break. Christmas and New Year were on the horizon. Horse racing fans might even be eyeing the “Arima Kinen.”

The night sky was blanketed in heavy clouds. The campus lay silent—holiday meant no students, not even ghosts. Only snow everywhere, thick from the storm earlier that day.

Especially the playground, where a single step sank deep into wh...

I Don’t Want to Be a Heroic Spirit [725]

Taking the elevator, Van Gogh and the others arrived at the upper floors of the building—the living quarters arranged by the government. Except for Mizushino Sōta, who still had to go home every day, both the Created like Selesia and the Creators like Matsubara Takashi stayed here.

Living rooms, bedrooms, bathrooms, balconies. Usually, one room per person. Only Van Gogh and Shimazaki Yuna were special—sharing a room together.

“Want something to drink? No tea, but t...

I Don’t Want to Be a Heroic Spirit [724]

“Want some ice cream?”

In front of the freezer full of cones, Kanoya Rui suddenly turned and asked Shimazaki Yuna this.

She gave him a strange look.

“…It’s November.”

Winter. No snow yet, but the chill outside was enough to freeze someone stiff—and he wanted ice cream?

But Rui brushed off her look without a care.

“You can eat sukiyaki in summer, right? Then you can eat ice cream in winter. Anyway, the whole building has central heating. No r...

I Don’t Want to Be a Heroic Spirit [723]

The government facility arranged for them had a cafeteria.

Three meals a day, snacks, desserts—everything was here.

From the agency’s perspective, if just offering food was enough to keep these Created with extraordinary powers quiet, then it was a bargain. They could fly, they had monstrous physical abilities, some could use legendary magic, summon guardian spirits… in a sense, their existence was more terrifying than guns or missiles.

Because firearms could ...

I Don’t Want to Be a Heroic Spirit [722]

Red-and-blue flashing lights.
Piercing sirens.
They ripped apart the night’s quiet like curtains torn to shreds.

The police had mobilized. Orderly, they moved to evacuate and cordon off the area. But tension and suspicion spread through the crowd like sparks leaping across dry hay.

This was Kikuchihara Aki and the government agencies at work. To keep the existence of Selesia and the other Created from being exposed to the public, the information here had to be sea...

I Don’t Want to Be a Heroic Spirit [721]

When Mirokuji Yūya appeared, a crushing pressure instantly spread over everything around.

“After seeing Selesia and her kami-sama bicker, I got curious about what my own kami-sama would be like. So I’ve been hanging around your group. Didn’t expect I’d bump into you here, old man. From the way you talk… sounds like you’ve joined up with that little brat in the military uniform, huh?”

Mirokuji Yūya had arrived in this world around the same time as ...

Mushoku Tensei: Sword, Magic Hats, and the Romance System [160]

“This is my family crest?”

Evening had fallen, and etiquette class was in its final stretch.

Inside the classroom, Eris’s loud exclamation rang out.

Her emotions were so intense, it felt like her astonishment was spilling through her voice to press against everyone present.

By the desk, the ceiling lamp’s candle flames burned bright. Edna was still full of vigor, a fixed smile welded to her face.

In this world, people’s average lifespan was short. For a...

Mushoku Tensei: Sword, Magic Hats, and the Romance System [159]

The moment those words fell, Sylphy’s whole body went rigid.

Every bit of exposed skin was tinged with crimson.

At the first instant of hearing the words “ball”, her mind had indeed conjured up certain “scenes” she had longed for—full of a young girl’s romantic sentiment.

And then that picture had been captured with pinpoint precision by Hilda.

Or perhaps—it had been part of her inducement from the start.

Sylphy’s pupils trembl...

Honkai: Star Rail — New Rider Powers Every Week [140]

In the pitch-black galaxy, a blazing planet burned, lighting its surroundings.

Above it, white fire spread outward, shining across the stars.

It was the end of a god. It was the final cry of a lonely being, reaching out for companions.

Even if that cry could endanger the entire universe, still—it rang out.

In the scale of the galaxy, it lasted only an instant.

A few fleeting days, then silence again.

But for Hoshigaki Sora, that cry would be remembered. T...

Honkai: Star Rail — New Rider Powers Every Week [139]

The place between Paths—it was said to be where AEONS and their Paths connected.

Anyone who sought to become a Pathstrider would pass through here.

Here, they would be given the most important chance of their lifetime.

Perhaps even the only chance to ever receive the gaze of an AEON.

It was said that even dead AEONS would still cast their gaze here, still grant power.

And now, Hoshigaki Sora found himself here.

But the one who stood before him wa...

Honkai: Star Rail — New Rider Powers Every Week [138]

With fire surging forth, the blade stretched for an immeasurable distance.

So fine, in the void it was nearly invisible to the naked eye.

But the brilliance it traced—bright enough to be seen across light-years.

Those who witnessed it did not know what it was. They thought it just another anomaly, one of countless celestial illusions scattered across the galaxy.

Such flares, such dazzling bursts, were not rare.

But this light—this light meant that once again,...

Honkai: Star Rail — New Rider Powers Every Week [137]

The dark-red tide was endless.

And so, the flames flickering within it appeared all the more radiant.

Though small before the sea, they stood their ground, holding fast with their own strength.

Wreckage rained from the sky, piling into thick layers across the ground.

There was no rebirth. No proliferation.

The power within them that once allowed infinite replication had been cut away—severed by those figures burning with white flame.

Thus, they fell easil...