"Shinnosuke."
"What is it, Shiro?"
"It's about time."
"That's right."
"Even though that arrogant girl said that, we're going to win this time. So please do your job."
I smirk as I look at Shiro. Shiro is also nervous.
"Well, I plan to do six million yen's worth of work though."
"Do more."
"Then pay me ten million."
"Aah?"
Shiro glares at me, then smiles.
"Well whatever. I'm expecting good things from you. And also...... hey Himi. Yousuke."
"Yes."
"Uhn."
The two of them reply.
Shiro says.
"Let's go over the strategy for the last time. The point of intrusion for our class 5 is the corridor of the first floor. However, it has been determined that the corridor has been rigged with a trap of endless corridors, so moving along the corridor will lead us to nowhere. So we'll enter the infirmary, break through the window and get out into the schoolyard. Then, from the school gate, we'll re-enter the building via the stairs that lead to the basement ---"
I interrupt and say.
"If the members here need to have things explained to them again at this point in time, then it's better for them to just escape right away right? They can't win anyway. Anyone who can't remember the map by now should just die."
Shiro looks at me. And after looking back at the other two, he smiles.
"Like what he said. Well, if it's you guys, it should be fine I guess."
Himi says fearfully.
"I-I'll do my best."
Yousuke pushes his glasses up with his finger and says.
"Of course we'll be fine. The map this time isn't complicated and in the first place the difficulty level isn't high. The only problem is whether we'll lose to Gunjou or not, isn't it?"
Shiro nods.
"That's right."
"Then the only thing that's left to be decided is our formation. Shiro will take the lead, and protect Himi who's in charge of support, and I'll take the rear like always, but what position will this shitty, wisecracking transfer student take?"
Yousuke points at me, to which I ask.
"Who are you calling wisecracking transfer student?"
"Who else but you?"
"Eeh ~"
I smirk.
While smiling wryly, Shiro says.
"Shinnosuke'll be at the front as well. Beside me, and will protect Himi with me."
"It's troublesome but fine."
"All right. Then, once we infiltrate the labyrinth, we'll start running at full speed. Faster than anyone else, until we reach the diseased girl in the toilet at the eighth basement level within twenty minutes. We'll then use twenty minutes to kill the girl. The rest of the twenty minutes will be our buffer time. All right?"
"Fine. It's a pretty straightforward strategy though."
Yousuke was the one who answered to that.
"We can't afford the time for a convoluted plan for clearing an easy labyrinth, can we? Otherwise, we won't be able to compete with Gunjou."
I then turn my sight towards Gunjou who is giving orders to the other classmates in a high and mighty manner as usual, and asks Shiro.
"Will Gunjou do anything to hinder us?"
"I doubt that even she will do something like that. The number of victims will be tremendous if we fail. She won't be able to afford to do something like......"
"Hindering our progress?"
"Yeah."
"How tranquil. As expected of Japan."
"Hn?"
Shiro looks at me. I shrug my shoulders and reply.
"Nothing."
However, the world is actually filled with people who would even kill their allies, not caring about sacrificing the lives of others, just for their own selfish gains.
Gunjou will not hinder us.
Gunjou will not hinder us.
In other words, she is just,
"A rich lady living in a peaceful country."
I murmur with a foolish smile, which should not be audible to her over the loud roar of the helicopter, yet she turns to look at me. Pointing her finger at me, she says.
"I'll let the transfer student know my true power!"
"...... haha, you should just go play some sports, m'lady."
"Eh?"
"Ah-hahaha."
"Hey! I can't hear you over the loud noise of the propeller. If you have something to say, say it loudly!"
I smile and gently wave my hand. Maybe it is because my feelings have reached her with that, her almond-shaped eyes curl up even further.
"I'll kill you!"
She hollers.
With that, it is time.
Honjou-sensei says in a loud voice.
"It's time! Right now, we're flying above the labyrinth! Prepare your intrusion magic."
Intrusion magic is a magic used for invading any labyrinth and it is a magic that has been loaded into a 《Headphone Fuzz》 right from the beginning. It is a magic that does not require much space in the brain to use and can even be used by idiots.
When one uses this magic close to the labyrinth one wants to invade, he or she will be transported inside the labyrinth to the intrusion coordinates designated by a laser beforehand. This time, with the laser from the helicopter beaming on the destination coordinates, our class 5 is supposed to be transported to the corridor on the first floor of this school-like labyrinth.
By the way, people like Kiryuu Kiri in other classes should be transported to different locations and are supposed to head towards the diseased girl via different routes.
I snap my fingers once. A cursed song starts playing lightly in my 《Headphone Fuzz》.
《Intrude, Infiltrate, Illegal Intrusion ♪
Intrude, Infiltrate ———》
The intrusion magic in my brain has been activated. The coordinates appear at the back of my retina. All that is left to do is just to chant the incantation that will trigger the infiltration, and in the next instant, I should appear inside the labyrinth.
Honjou-sensei says.
"Not yet. You can't go yet. Put on your armbands."
"Armbands?"
While I cock my head to the side, the other students start putting on their armbands.
From beside me, Shiro hands me a white armband.
"I forgot to pass it to you. Here, Shinnosuke. Put this on."
"What's this?"
"This is the proof that you are a comrade of this class."
I take the armband. 『Class 5』 is written on the armband. It is indeed something that will identify me as a member of this class. On top of that, below the words 『Class 5』 are twenty red ☆ marks.
Honjou-sensei says.
"Those stars represent the number of classmates in the labyrinth. Whenever someone dies or Escapes, a star will disappear."
In other words, it is for me to verify how many of my classmates are left in the labyrinth.
By the way, Escape is also a magic that has been loaded in a 《Headphone Fuzz》 right from the beginning, together with 'Intrusion' as a pair.
It is a magic used to forcibly bail out of the labyrinth. It can be used to eject yourself and one other person in your nearby vicinity out of the labyrinth at the same time.
To put it in another way, if your 《Headphone Fuzz》 gets broken in the labyrinth, then you will not be able to escape without the help of an ally.
That is why having friends is important.
And this armband displays the number of those friends.
Honjou-sensei continues.
"I've always said this, but if four stars were to disappear, it would be impossible to kill the girl so give up on the raid if that happens. Understand?"
Yes, answered the students.
However, it is not something that can be said lightly. This time, the labyrinth raid is of a different nature from that of an 《Eternal Labyrinth》, which will be raided purely for s
elfish gains.
This is a diseased girl's labyrinth whereby the lives of a few million people living in Kanagawa Prefecture are at stake.
If we fail and escape, it will mean that we have abandoned the lives of those few million people.
Sensei smiles and says.
"Well, since the labyrinth this time has a difficulty level of 0.4, I don't expect anyone to......"
Gunjou cuts her off and says.
"Please immediately expel any trash who escapes from such a labyrinth."
The students laugh.
They laugh nervously.
Sensei smiles at that and then says.
"Well then, fifteen more seconds to go ~. Our class is going to win again this time. Don't let the other classes get the credit."
Ten more seconds.
Gunjou yells.
"Everyone! Once we are in the labyrinth, let's head straight to the end goal! If anyone gets left behind, we're going to beat him up later! Go with this in mind!"
Five more seconds.
Shiro pats me on my back.
And also on Himi's back.
And also on Yousuke's back.
And then says.
"All right, let's do it guys. Do your best."
"Yes."
"Orh!"
"............"
I didn't answer.
One more second.
Sensei says.
"Now go!!"
All at once, the students murmur.
"Dive switch."
"Dive switch."
"Dive switch."
That was the trigger code for activating that cursed song used for intrusion and which is now overflowing in our brains. One by one, the students disappeared, and were transported into the labyrinth.
I look on with half-opened eyes, then finally put on that armband. The armband has 『Class 5』 written on it.
"Ha, I'm a comrade of class 5 huh."
I sneer softly, then widen my eyes slightly, and murmur the trigger code for activating the curse that is overflowing in my brain.
"...... Dive switch."
Instantly.
My body is disassembled, and I am transported into the labyrinth.
* * *
Chapter 3 - Labyrinth Dive
My disassembled cells were reassembled inside the labyrinth.
Zuhkihn, Zuhkihn, a pain assaults my head numerous times. This always happens whenever I get teleported into a labyrinth. On top of the cursed song overflowing in my brain, the forceful disassembling and reassembling of my brain is terribly painful.
Colors start flooding into the darkness of my vision.
White light. Red colors. Blue, yellow, green, black.
The pain in my head stops.
My consciousness clears up.
I can see my surroundings.
Right now, I am inside the labyrinth brought forth by the girl.
"You're late Shinnosuke! What's with your sluggish movements!?"
After entering the labyrinth, I got yelled at.
It's Shiro.
I look at him and smirk.
"Well, I'm scared."
"Don't screw around with me!"
Beyond his yell, I can hear the shouts of Gunjou. Pointing her slender finger to her front,
"Goooooooo!"
Leading her classmates, she starts running with everything she has. Towards the goal of killing the diseased girl.
I look in their direction.
The place we are in is as expected, the corridor of a pretty normal school. The scenery matches the scans done by the scouting corps beforehand. The labyrinth brought forth by the girl does indeed have the architecture, decors, and atmosphere of a school.
There are a few soft-toy teddy bears in the wide corridor.
Soft toys that are pink, green and orange. The guards for protecting the diseased girl.
The soft toys saw us materialize; they raise both their paws and extend their claws.
"Teddy!"
They howl as if to mock us, then, just as they are about to come attack us, Gunjou has already activated her magic and proceeds to mow them down.
"Shut up! Beasts like you should know your place and not interfere with me!"
Gunjou raises her hands, swings and crosses them over. Upon doing that, the cutters of her 『Sea Moon Wheel Switch』 that have already been activated slice the teddies apart accurately and precisely.
Furthermore, the rest of the students are also good in their own way. Four people who are probably on full-defense roles are standing on both flanks of Gunjou and protecting the sides, and another four behind them are probably on support roles.
One of the girls on support says.
"Mizuiro-san! Eight meters ahead of you, diagonally across your left above is a trap."
"What type?"
"Flame-type......"
"Tanaka! Make a defensive wall! I'll charge through! Yamamoto will destroy the trap in the meantime. Kagiyama'll fill Tanaka's gap and protect me."
"Yes!"
"Yes!"
Two of the girls who were ordered replied.
"Then, charge!"
Shouted Gunjou.
While calming her allies, Gunjou advances forward with a tremendous amount of vigor.
Shiro grabs my arm and yells angrily.
"Don't just stand there. We need to get moving too!"
He drags me into a run. Well, there's a need to run, I supposed. After all, there is a time limit on us.
"But, we can't really advance through that crowded corridor right?"
I said as I pointed at the sixteen classmates that excluded us, all crammed into the corridor.
Shiro says.
"We're slow because you were late. And I originally wanted us to just charge ahead before Gunjou got her group together."
"Really? I thought since Gunjou has the numbers on her side, it would be wise to just let her go ahead, and we can then just reap the rewards of their effort at the end."
"That's something we can do if the labyrinth has a high difficulty level but --- the labyrinth this time has a difficulty level of 0.4. After seeing how weak those teddies were earlier, there's no doubt that it's really a rank 0.4 labyrinth. In other words, we can just forcefully push through and clear it like that."
"Aah, I see. Then, you can just go ahead without waiting for me right?"
Shiro looks at me in exasperation and says.
"Huuh? Don't screw with me. I paid you six million, didn't I?"
"Ah-haha. You rather lose and get your money's worth? No no, you aren't such a fool, are you?"
"Nah, it's all your fault. I'm going to cut three million from you and have you take responsibility."
"Ah-ha, don't screw with me. Besides, since I arrived till now, you aren't the least bit anxious. You already have some other strategy right?"
With a few faltering steps, I turn around to look in the direction of Himi at the side. Casting her eyes down, Himi seems uninterested in what's going on around her, and is moving her right finger urgently, using some kind of magic.
Fuh-fuh-fuh, she lets out in shallow breaths.
And then ---
"...... PicnicDetour switch."
She murmurs the trigger code needed to activate the magic. A magic circle appears in front of Himi's eyes and she looks at the world through that. And then, completely different from her earlier timidness, her face has a delighted look on it.
"Aahh, aahh, now now, which place is more fun, I wonder?"
She says.
I gaze at her with half-opened eyes, and ask,
"What's with her? What kind of magic is this?"
Shiro then answers.
"It's the type of magic that the scouting corps use."
Following that, Yousuke says from the side.
"Picnic switch is loaded with a path-finding magic that is akin to --- Himi takes a detour with a playful mood while heading to her destination and it turns out to be the better route."
"Wha
t's with that roundabout kind of magic? Probably a defective product, I suppose."
"Haha, it's indeed roundabout but, its power is inversely proportional to the constraints it has."
Said Shiro.
"Himi. How is it?"
"Ah, yes, I found an interesting looking place."
"Where?"
"It's just beside here. Beyond this wall is a classroom. If we break down the wall, we can reach the schoolyard from that classroom in the shortest route even without heading to the infirmary."
I look at where Himi's pointing. There is a wall. Just a wall. If we don't have the power to break down the wall, then in the end, this would just be a futile detour however.
Shiro says.
"Alll~right, well done. Switch to trap detection magic. Check out what's beyond the wall. I'll take it from here."
"Yes!"
Himi dispels her current magic. And starts activating her next one.
Shiro taps the wall with his palm and cocks his head to the side.
"I wonder how thick this is. Should I slice it apart, or open up a hole?"
Yousuke replies.
"Hmmm. I think it's fine to just open a hole that's big enough for people to pass through."
"Well then, a hole it shall be. All right."
Shiro's finger dances. But, Himi then says to him.
"Please slice it apart. There are three obstacles on the other side of the wall."
"Are they the teddies from earlier?"
"I don't know about that but --- if we go through a narrow hole, then it will become a choke point for them to attack......"
But Yousuke cuts her off and says.
"If it's at the level of the obstacles earlier, I'll take care of the defense. Shiro. Just go with that magic. Make a hole."
Yousuke snaps his finger and starts tracing it in the air.
"Ok ~ then, let's do it."
To etch the rhythm into his mind, Shiro dugs in his heel soundly. Dancing his finger in the air, he activates his magic.
"--- Thousand Deities Flash Of Light switch."
A spear appears in his right hand. The tip of the spear is rotating like a drill. Shiro puts his left foot forward,
"Piieerce it throouuugghh!"
In a hurling motion like that of a baseball pitcher who's giving everything he has, the tip of the drill strikes the wall. Together with a burst of light, a spiral appears in the center of the wall, and the tip of the drill explodes. But a new tip appears. And explodes. Appears. Explodes. Repeating at a blinding speed, a hole that's large enough for a person to pass through starts appearing in the wall.