Kumo Desu ga, Nani ka? – Side Story 1

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S1 The day when the daily life ended

That day, it was just an ordinary day.
I go to school, eat with my friends, attend the classes, play games once I go back home, eat, bath and then sleep.
It should have been such an ordinary day.

On that day, I rubbed my sleepy eyes and went to school.
It’s all because I played online game till late night yesterday.
Luckily, I was able to join the same party with Bald-san ( ハゲさん ) and I played throughout the night.

The Bald-san who I mentioned just now is a famous player in the online game that I play.
Just as the name, a person who uses a bald-headed rough old man as avatar, a free player who throw away romance and controlling such an amazing character with skillful technique in the front lines..
Due to he doesn’t even chat, many player were attracted to him.
It’s inevitable that I was feeling excited because I can play with the famous Bald-san.

Upon reaching the school, I suppress my yawn and enter my classroom.

「 Morning 」
「 Good morning 」
「 Ossu….What’s wrong? You look sleepy 」

I greet my friends who are Sasajima Kyouya and Ooshima Kanata.
Both of them played the same online game as me, this is what the so-called game comrades.

「 Ou, listen and get surprised. Yesterday, I formed a party with Bald-san 」
「 Seriously!? 」
「 Ou, seriously. We almost complete the quest thanks to him. 」 (「おう、マジマジ。おかげでほぼ徹ゲーしちまった」 TL note: not really sure on this 徹ゲー)
「 Uwaa. Seriously. Is it that? The one that I leave after that. 」

I played with Kanata till around midway.
But, he logged out because it’s already late in the night.

「 Dammit. If so, I should have persevere for a little more! 」

Kanata who seems to be really frustrating.
But if Kanata didn’t leave the party, I won’t be able to play with Bald-san.

「 How was it, looking closely at Bald-san? 」

Asked by Kyouya, I recalled the gallant figure of Bald-san.

「 That is not a human. Avoiding the Besbel Witch’s magic while advancing. Can you believe it? 」

Besbel Witch is a boss in a high leveled dungeon and this fellow is rather harsh.
In the internet it was called 「Another Game」「Barrage」 due to its outrageous amount of magic attack that it can fire in rapid succession.
(ネットでは「別ゲー」「弾幕」と呼ばれるくらいで、とんでもない量の魔法攻撃を連発してくる。 TL: not sure about the title whether it’s 2 different titles or just 1 title.)
This boss’s troublesome point was there’s no end in its magic.
There’s no opportunity to attack and if you leave alone, it will keep on firing magic.
Normally, you would raise magic defense then attack with the resolution to die together, or using shields for the ones at the back and keep on firing magic on it.

But that Bald-san, he charged straight from the front, avoiding every magic fired and jumped towards its bosom and cut it down.
That was surprising.
I opened my mouth wide looking at the game screen.

「 As expected from Bald-san. Looks like his other name, Idaten (韋駄天) is not just for a show. 」
「 No, there’s no way anyone can move that fast without some skills. In the end, it requires skills to perform such movement. 」

Kanata said that while beating his own arm.
Certainly, even with the same status and equipment, I don’t think I can do the same thing as Bald-san.

「 Ah. I want to get better 」
「 Want to level after school ends? 」
「 Sure 」
「 I also agree. Let’s train at somewhere harder! 」

The chime rang after we settled our talk.
We separated and sit at our own seat.
Without knowing that the promise will not be fulfilled.

「 Huh? 」

I started prepare for the class after I sat and I noticed that my pencil case was not in the bag.
Come to think of it, I recalled that I used it to summarize the information of the game in a notebook.
I probably forgotten to put it inside the bag.

「 Uh oh 」
「 What’s wrong? 」

The person who reacted was Hasebe Yuika, the girl who sit next to me.

「 I forgot to bring my pencil case 」
「 Aryarya. It can’t be helped. I will lend mine to you 」

Hasebe says so and hands a mechanical pencil and an eraser.

「 Sorry 」
「 Umu. I will have you buy me a sweet 」
「 So it’s not free 」

I accept it while smiling wryly and waving my hand.
Likewise, not knowing that this was another promise that cannot be fulfilled.

And then, that time came.

It was during the Japanese Language class.
I’m sleepy.
I was fighting against the intense sleepiness.
In front, standing on the platform was a small-sized teacher called by a nickname, Oka-chan who was reading aloud the kanji from the textbook.
Most of the students are dropping their line of vision to the textbook on the desk.

I shake of my drowsiness desperately and I unintentionally raised my head up.
In front of my eyes was a figure of a female student sitting at the front-left seat.
It was the person called Rihoko ( リホ子 ).
It’s not her real name.
Real Horror Child ( リアルホラー子) . Rihoko for short.

She’s an eerie woman who’s very thin with a pale face and always have a gloomy expression.
I don’t want to speak ill of such a person that much, but an incompatible sense did it by all means even if I understand it.
Rihoko dozed off boldly as if she is ridiculing me, who fought against drowsiness.
While feeling unpleasant, I remove my eyesight from her.

There, It…was there.

It was a crack.
I am probably the only one who noticed it in this classroom.
Exactly on the middle of the classroom, above, a crack appeared where there should be nothing there.
There was no other words to describe it except a crack.
Moreover, the size gradually increase.
The crack looks like going to break at any moment.

Even if I saw it, nothing was done as I was dumbfounded.
The result probably would not change even if I did something….

The crack breaks grandly.
At the same time, feeling a terrible pain.

And I, we died.

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