LIGHTNOVELWORLD Chapter 60.2
Stage 2-29. I Want You
A scream, like a cry torn from the depths of my gut, pierces my ears.
“Guh…!?”
Reina’s kick, shaking free from my grasp, slams into my side.
The force, unimaginable from her slender frame, sends me sprawling across the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust.
…I see. This confirms it. The secret of her body.
“Reina, you…”
“…Even seeing this, would you still say you want me, Ouga-kun?”
Reina casts off her robe and slowly, deliberately unfastens each button of her uniform.
Revealing embedded, grotesque machinery and countless tubes underneath.
Attached to the device on her chest were bottles—one filled with a familiar green liquid, the other with an unknown red one.
“Hideous, isn’t it? Disgusting, isn’t it? This kind of woman.”
Reina’s fingers traced along the machinery, down the tubes, then struck her own chest.
A metallic sound—one that should never come from the human body—rang out.
“My body is already ruined. Filled with iron rods to prevent breaking, with flesh carved away, neither growing nor aging. I’m not human. I’m a doll.”
Her voice trembles. She stifles a sob threatening to escape, pressing her index finger to her cheek.
“…Living a normal life was never an option… But because of our time together… I suffer like this…”
Despite her crumbling mask, Reina desperately tries to hold it together.
“If you still care about me, Ouga-kun… die here for my sake.”
“…Would you be happy if I died, Reina?”
“Yes. I’d be praised by the teacher, and I would find happiness—”
“—Then, kill me.”
“…[Thunder]!”
The magnificent bolt of [Thunder] unleashed by Reina finds its mark on me.
“Guh…!”
Electricity surges through every fiber of my being.
My vision blurs as a burning sensation courses through me, threatening to bring me to my knees.
…Grit your teeth! Now’s your moment, Ouga-kun Vellet!!
“…A fine strike.”
“…Why…?”
“I imagine you’re wondering why I didn’t use [Delete].”
The answer is obvious.
“I have no intention of dodging your attacks.”
This attack is her feelings made manifest.
If I want to accept her, I can’t run from those feelings.
And through this, I learned a bit more about her.
“Thanks. It reminds me of how kind you really are, Reina.”
“Don’t be stupid… I attacked you…”
“Yeah. With magic. So I wouldn’t suffer damage through [Delete].”
She knows about my [Delete].
If she truly intended to kill me, she’d have resorted to physical blows like before.
“That’s another reason why I want you even more, Reina.”
With those words, I take another step forward.
Closing the distance between us once more.
“…! [Thunder Arrow]!”
“Aaaaahh…!!”
The arrow of lightning pierces me, searing my muscles.
The urge to collapse and writhe in agony is strong, but I grip my own skin to hold on.
…The me who first met Reina would scoff at this sight.
He’d sneer and say I should just walk away and enjoy life.
But now, I’m determined to save her.
In this new life, I sought to be a villain who does as he pleases.
If so, then this, too, is what I want.
I will save Reina… according to my own convictions!!
“Don’t stand up! I’ll truly kill you!”
“Heh… Fine. Give it your best shot.”
“…[Thunder Dance]!”
“—!!”
I clench my jaw until my teeth threaten to break, holding back any cries.
Instead, my body screams, sending danger signals to my brain.
Even this body, bestowed by the world, is reaching its limits.
Right or left—I’ve forgotten which foot is moving.
But I won’t fall.
I press on, step by step, toward Reina.
“Why do you keep getting up…? You’ll really die, Ouga-kun…”
“…Because… I want you, Reina.”
“Still with these foolish words…? I’m a sinner… A deceiver of everyone…”
“I decide my own feelings.”
“…Surely, people won’t stay silent. Sheltering me will ruin your reputation, too.”
“I don’t care if the world disapproves. If it turns against me, I’ll… stand by you.”
“…Please… stop giving me hope… with your kindness…”
Reina’s shoulders tremble.
She clenches her fist tightly and swings it downward.
“Don’t show me hope…!!”
—A sharp slap echoes.
The sound of my outstretched palm meeting her fist.
“What…?!”
“…You finally took a step toward me, Reina.”
The girl who only retreated finally steps forward.
Our eyes, never meeting before, now align.
“However much you deny yourself, I will affirm you. All of you.”
“…Truly?”
“On my name, Ouga Vellet.”
“…Then…”
“Will you accept all of my past as well, Ouga-kun?”