Warning: Heavy emotional whiplash ahead!
I'm struggling… but this chapter was necessary to clear the haze. The heat's frying my brain, so this might feel a bit off—sorry about that!
Here we go—onto the main story!
Mash Burnedead and the Unforgiving Fox
"…Sorry for showing you such a pathetic side…"
"No worries at all. Feeling better?"
After crying her heart out, Saori seemed refreshed. She stood, pulling away from Mash. Holding the halo-destroying bombs, he checked with her about their number.
"…A bit clearer, yeah."
"Good to hear. Are these all the bombs?"
"There's… just a few more, in case of emergency."
"Alright, confiscated—and… take that!" whoosh!
"Hey!"
"And… hiyah!" smash!
Mash gathered all the halo-destroying bombs—grenade and claymore types alike—and hurled them skyward. Scooping up stones from the ground, he flung them with precision, shattering the bombs' fuses. They fizzled out like dud firecrackers, safely neutralized.
"I wouldn't use these even if I kept them. I'd never do something that could kill students."
"…You destroyed them… with rocks?"
"Let's go, Saori-san. We've got to find Misaki-chan and Hiyori-chan. Oh, wait—are they older than me?"
"You're worried about that? They should be around your age."
"Cool, then calling them '-chan' is fine. Alright—up you go!" crouch
Mash knelt, ready to carry Saori on his back. She blinked, bewildered by his sudden move.
"Sensei… what are you doing?"
"You've been running around like crazy, right? You must be exhausted. I'll carry you."
"W-Wait, in a situation like this…?"
"Because it's a situation like this. Plus, it'll be faster if I carry you to them."
"That… makes sense, but… is this okay?"
"Totally. C'mon!"
"…Excuse me, then…"
Saori hesitantly approached, leaning into him. Mash hooked his arms under her legs, hoisting her onto his back in a piggyback carry. But then—
"Whoa… you're way too light!"
"R-Really? I'm one of the heavier ones in Arius…"
"…When we get back, we're all eating cream puffs. A thousand—no, a hundred thousand!"
"That's impossible to finish!"
"Then we'll prepare so many you can't finish! That's the plan—another reason to punch that person."
(The intensity radiating from his back… What's got him so angry? Is being light… really that bad?)
It wasn't that being light was inherently bad—it was why Saori was so light. Malnourished in the Arius Autonomous District, her frail weight shocked and horrified Mash, fueling his quiet anger. Compared to his training weights, or even shorter students like Hoshino or Hina, she was alarmingly light. Mash swore that once this was over, he'd make sure she ate her fill of good food.
"For now, let's head out—Mash Express, departing!"
"Wait, hold on—!"
"Chug, chug, chug, chug!"
Carrying Saori, Mash dashed toward where Misaki and Hiyori might be. His speed was steady—not so fast as to knock her out or choke her with wind pressure.
"…This is… nice."
On his back, Saori felt an inexplicable happiness. She'd carried others before but had never been carried herself. The new sensation filled her with warmth.
(This… isn't bad. Being on the receiving end… feels like this?)
The joy and warmth she'd never known softened her expression. Mash's steady strength and the heat of his back soothed the emptiness that had plagued her heart, comforting her in a way she couldn't resist.
The scene shifted to the place where the Arius Squad had scattered. Guided by Saori, Mash arrived at the likely location of Misaki and Hiyori.
"…I sense something."
"Yeah… there's a weird vibe."
"Keep holding on. We're moving forward."
Mash jogged lightly, scanning the area. From the moment they arrived, an oppressive atmosphere pressed down on them. The presence wasn't even trying to hide—it pierced their skin like needles. Mash recognized it instantly. There was no mistaking this aura—
…!!
BANG!!
The presence turned into sharp killing intent. A bullet shot toward Saori on Mash's back. She clung to him reflexively as he spun, kicking the projectile away with ease.
"Sensei—!"
"Don't get off. Stay close to me."
"But…!"
"Care to explain, Wakamo-chan?"
"I heard your conversation halfway through, Sensei. Oh, I heard it clearly."
Emerging from the direction of the shot was none other than Schale's first permanent member, Kosaka Wakamo. Her fox mask gleamed, her gear impeccably prepared, as she faced Mash.
"If Sensei's the only one who can save them… so what? After everything you did to him?"
"Wakamo-chan, lower your gun."
"No. Even if it's your order, Sensei, I can't obey this time."
"Why not?"
"Why?! That's my question, Sensei!"
Wakamo advanced slowly, her black rifle, Crimson Calamity, gleaming with its bayonet. Her suppressed rage seeped out as she spoke through clenched teeth.
"Arius tried to kill you, to make you suffer. Their actions could've triggered Kivotos' destruction. Why should we save people like that?!"
"I've said it before—I don't hold it against them. I've forgiven them."
"Even if you forgive them, Sensei… I can't!"
"…"
Wakamo's shoulders shook, her face hidden behind her mask as she screamed—a cry of anguish from someone who nearly lost the one she loved. Saori could only listen in silence.
"When I saw your body ravaged by poison, my heart tore apart. I hated my powerlessness, only able to pray for your recovery."
"That's…"
"What I regretted most was failing to support your heart, being unable to help when you were cornered. Even on the brink of death, you thought of Arius above all else—caring nothing for yourself!"
"Sensei… what does she mean?"
"Sensei thought that if he could save Arius, if we students could smile, he'd be fine dying—sacrificing himself!"
"Wakamo-chan, stop."
"I couldn't cry, couldn't rely on anyone, carrying everything alone, enduring unbearable loneliness—and it was you, Arius Branch, who drove him to that, Saori Joumae!"
"Wakamo-chan."
Mash cut her off with a firm tone, one he rarely used with students. But Wakamo's words were true. Back then, Mash had been too hard on himself, too kind to others.
That kindness led to tragedy. Wakamo couldn't forgive Arius for pushing him to such extremes—not when she'd failed to help him, knowing his sacrifices for Kivotos, his battles in isolation after being torn from his family.
"Sensei… I… caused all that…?"
"You said it's over, that you've changed," Wakamo continued. "But can you guarantee it won't happen again? If another traitor appears, will Sensei have to suffer alone, lamenting in silence?!"
"I want to help people in trouble. So, please, lend me your strength."
"No! How can you forget what they said, what they did to you?!"
"…"
They hurled insults, attacked him, rejected his outstretched hand, denied him, and tried to take his life for their selfish goals. Yet Mash still reached out. He was too kind—far too much of a softie.
"Even if they turn to your side, can they prove they won't betray you again? After rejecting your hand time and again, how can you trust them?"
"I talked to them, heard their true feelings, and understood. They're not bad kids. Arius students aren't liars or deceivers—they're so pure they were manipulated by a bad adult. That's why I believe in them."
"Who says those you trust won't betray you? You're too kind, Sensei—too kind! You could die at any moment, and yet… why?!"
"That's just who I am. And proof they won't betray me? You're showing it right now, Wakamo-chan."
"!!"
Wakamo would never betray Mash, never turn against him or try to kill him—because she loved him from the bottom of her heart.
"You're only sixteen, Sensei. A kid, younger than me… I can't stand seeing you—a child—suffer anymore!"
"…"
"Don't go… please… don't get hurt… I can't lose the one I love!"
Wakamo was done. Mash, a child with a future, was bound by the role of Sensei, fighting daily under burdens meant for adults. She couldn't bear seeing him hurt for other kids, especially when the world was so cruel to someone as kind as him.
"Wakamo-chan, I'm not a hero of justice. I just can't stand people who'd destroy a world where everyone can live normally. That's all."
"Sensei…!"
"I get how you feel, but I'm sorry. If I back down now, things will get bad."
"Is this… personal for you?"
"This time, it's very personal. I'm saving Arius, no matter what."
"…I won't help Arius."
"That's your choice, and I won't force you or judge you. But… thank you for caring so much about me. I love you too—you and everyone else. So please… don't stop me."
"…"
"Let's go, Saori-san."
"…Right."
Mash walked past Wakamo, who still aimed her gun at him. She froze, unable to move. He'd said he loved her, face-to-face. In any other moment, that would've been joyous. But now, it felt like a cruel curse.
"…Don't go… don't leave me…"
"We'll talk properly later. For now, I'm sorry."
Mash prioritized Arius over Wakamo. With Kivotos' fate and the students' lives at stake, he had no choice.
"Sensei… I…"
"Don't say anything. We're in a race against time, right?"
"…Yeah."
Leaving Wakamo behind, Mash moved on. Rain poured down as she sank to her knees, staring at her hands.
"Sensei… I… I…!"
She could only crouch there, alone.
The whiplash is real, right? Yup, next chapter might hit just as hard.
On a lighter note—sorry for bringing this up after such a heavy chapter—I'm thinking about writing a side story or spin-off for another work. It'll be a short "what-if" story, exploding with ideas about what it'd be like if that person from the Mashle world was Sensei in Kivotos.
If I get it done, please check it out!
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Hey everyone, thanks a ton for following my story till now. If you wanna read ahead, I've already uploaded about 30–40 extra chapters on Patreon. Your support really keeps me going and helps me bring you more cool stories!
[patreon.com/Greyhounds]