The Mastermind Behind the Scenes, Starting from *The Fruit of Grisaia*

Yet, what met his eyes was a sharp, piercing edge.

Just as Gotou was about to take over the body of Sudo Ken, he discovered that the man was vanishing before his very eyes!

"What the hell..." Gotou cursed.

This was because a Parasite must rely on a human host to survive; staying separated from a human body for too long meant certain death!

Several Parasites were instantly overcome with despair.

Three thick tentacles lashed out wildly within the not-so-spacious area.

Without a complete form, their attack range was limited, but their speed was faster and their explosive power even greater!

Ryuen Kakeru and Kanzaki Ryuji failed to react in time and became the victims.

Katsuragi Kohei, however, had those two unfortunate brothers to act as his shield, luckily escaping the disaster by being rescued by Su Wei before he could be struck.

The only remaining one, Gotou, set his sights on those who had avoided the battle, such as Shiranami Chihiro and the others.

As the strongest Parasite, its attack range was just barely sufficient.

"Since I can't live... then let's all die together!"

A double loss is better than a single win, isn't it?

Due to their positioning, Kaneda Satoru and Machida Koji were the first to perish.

Just as its blade pierced through Shiranami Chihiro's chest and was about to strike the face of Shiina Hiyori, who was reaching for another Capture Gun in Shiranami's hand—

"...Chihiro!!!"

Witnessing everything, the string of reason within Ichinose Honami snapped completely, and her Reinforcement Suit tightened in sync, causing her muscles to bulge.

With a terrifying speed that even made Su Wei glance over in surprise, she dashed forward in an instant.

She smashed through the two parasitic tentacles, which were already at the end of their strength, and landed a direct punch onto Gotou!

Ho, that punch has some power, not bad! Su Wei sighed to himself.

Note 1 - Acceleration Watch: Once worn on the wrist, it allows the user to adjust the speed of their own movements.

Note 2 - Magic Cylinder: A Normal Trap Card. Its effect is to negate an opponent's monster's attack when it is declared and inflict damage to the opponent equal to that monster's ATK.

Chapter 43: Am I the Only One Who Thinks This is Sacred?

In the dimly lit stairwell with little light, two pairs of bright eyes watched without blinking.

From Gotou severing his tail to survive and splitting apart in a frenzy, to Ichinose's emotional outburst and crushing him with a single punch... everything had happened too fast.

Kamuro Masumi clutched her chest, still shaken with lingering fear.

It wasn't affectation; it was simply the sight of Ryuen Kakeru, Kanzaki Ryuji, and the others, who had been standing alive just a second ago, falling like harvested wheat.

The fear of life fading away made her instinctively terrified.

Beside her, Sakayanagi Arisu had a completely different reaction.

So this is... the power of the Reinforcement Suit?

Even a girl like Ichinose, who usually didn't seem to exercise much, could unleash such power when emotionally agitated.

Then...

Sakayanagi Arisu unconsciously stroked her thigh.

If it were the healthy me... if it were me who had fully mastered this power...

Even just imagining the feeling of running freely and controlling everything was enough to make her heart leap with joy.

"Huu..."

Noticing her breathing had become rapid, Sakayanagi Arisu lightly bit the tip of her tongue.

It was not yet the time.

She tilted her head, shifting her gaze to the other side of the corridor.

There, Su Wei was finishing off two dying Parasites that were begging for mercy.

The Ape-Man named Charlie huddled in the corner, head tucked and shivering, emitting twitching sounds similar to hiccups.

"Hehe..."

Sakayanagi Arisu sighed softly:

"As expected."

"No matter how arrogant or rational one appears in daily life, the moment they truly face death, they will feel fear."

"In the face of this instinct called 'survival,' no creature is spared..."

Kamuro Masumi's mouth twitched at the side.

...No kidding.

If you weren't afraid of dying, why were you dragging me into the corner to hide just a moment ago?

As they helped each other rise from the shadows.

In the center of the corridor.

As Gotou breathed his last, Ichinose Honami gasped, but before she could savor the victory, she spun around abruptly, reaching out toward the spot where Shiranami Chihiro had fallen not far away.

"Chihiro!!"

Her fingertips sliced through the air, touching nothing but the chill of the breeze.

It was just like before the last exam, when she had tried to grab Amikura Mako's hand.

Even though the Reinforcement Suit granted her speed far beyond that of an ordinary person, she still could not outrun the unreasonable rules of the Black Sphere.

Only that time, she knew there was still hope.

This time...

Watching that warm teardrop fall from the air and finally land in her palm.

Ichinose Honami could not help but recall the expression on Shiranami Chihiro's face in the final instant before she vanished.

Her mouth had opened as if to say something, but in the end, no sound emerged, leaving behind only this tear filled with reluctance and regret.

"How could this..."

Grief clogged her throat, aching with bitterness.

She had promised to protect everyone... she had even obtained the Reinforcement Suit...

Why was this still the outcome?

"...Cough, cough."

At this moment, Katsuragi Kohei leaned against the wall, barely managing to steady himself.

In the shadows not far away, Ayanokoji Kiyotaka, who had prudently slipped away earlier when he saw the situation turn dire, returned once he confirmed it was safe.

Su Wei, who followed closely behind, glanced at the devastated Ichinose and sighed:

"My apologies."

"I didn't expect the Parasite to still possess such combat power after detaching from its host... This was my oversight."

He paused deliberately, his tone becoming more earnest:

"However, there is no need to be so desperate."

"According to what the Black Sphere said before, as long as we collect 100 points, we can resurrect a fallen comrade."

"A single Parasite is worth 20 points now. Although this fight was difficult, it was largely because we lacked experience and were caught off guard, which cost us our weapons."

"I believe that once we become proficient and coordinate with the Reinforcement Suits... 100 points is not that far off."

Hearing this, Ichinose Honami's body trembled slightly.

She did not turn around, only shook her head dully:

"This isn't your fault, Su Wei-kun."

"If you hadn't stepped in at the critical moment, I fear we would have ended up completely wiped out... and I wouldn't even have the time to grieve here now."

As she spoke, Ichinose blinked hard, forcing back the tears that were about to well up.

When she turned around again, a smile appeared on her face—bitter, perhaps, but not unsightly.

She walked over to Shiina Hiyori, who had fallen to the ground, and reached out a hand:

"Shiina-san, can you still stand?"

"You... you should still owe points from last time, right? I'm afraid we won't get any extra rewards this time."

Ichinose looked toward the Ape-Man in the corner: "You're reaching your limit... go kill it first."

Shiina Hiyori was stunned for a moment.

Looking at Ichinose's slightly red and swollen eyes, her heart was touched.

She did not refuse this kindness.

After all, if she fell further into debt during this exam, she truly had no way to guarantee she would survive the next one.

"Thank you, Ichinose-san."

Shiina Hiyori gripped her hand to pull herself up, choosing not to touch upon the vulnerability in her heart, but instead suggesting:

"But before that, let's ask it for information. We might be able to get some intel regarding Gantz."

Ichinose nodded.

The two supported each other as they approached Charlie.

Looking at the Ape-Man, who couldn't stop hiccuping from sheer terror.

Ichinose looked down at him, her gaze icy:

"Mr. Charlie."

"Could you tell us... the story of your world?"

"Hic... hic..." Charlie curled into a ball, still hiccuping.

"Bang!"

Before Ichinose could even frown, Su Wei kicked Charlie directly in the back, sending it spinning like a top.

"We asked you a question."

"Everyone's time is limited; we don't have time to wait for you to compose yourself."

Feeling the sharp pain of dislocated bones and the icy gazes surrounding it, Charlie finally realized.

This world was not as tolerant as the one it came from, nor would it allow it to act recklessly based on its special status.

It curled its body up and spoke intermittently:

"I... I don't really know what happened..."

"I just woke up one day and found that the world didn't match the one in my memories... After a brief exchange with some brothers I met who were also half-human, half-chimpanzee experiments, I became certain that we had transmigrated."

"While we were lost, a group of people approached us..."

Charlie swallowed hard:

"They said they wanted to protect us and fight for our rights... Although I didn't fully agree with their radical ideology, I didn't oppose it either."

"So, I went on television. And then... I just inexplicably appeared in this shopping mall."

"It seems it has absolutely no idea about the Black Sphere."

Katsuragi Kohei rubbed his bald head, his brow furrowed.