C.S.O.

“Kamikiri-ryuu [Eagle Blade]”

Kuro attacks the monster in front of him using one of his signature techniques.
The monster he is facing is a lizard-like creature, 3 meters tall and 7 meters long, including its tail.
The monster also has fins used for swimming in the ocean.

Drage, an amphibious reptile monster with an average level of 420-423, is the most commonly encountered monster in Avantheim and is known to be relatively easy to defeat.
They are fast and agile but are considered small fry among the monsters in Avantheim.

However…

Drage easily deflects Kuro's attack with its long claws, then pushes Kuro's body as if kicking a ball with great force.
Kuro shoots backward into the air, hitting the trees behind him with tremendous speed, knocking down several large trees in the process.

“Ugh…”

He rises and refocuses on Drage, who is now running toward him on all fours.
Kuro has lost 37 percent of his HP from crashing into the trees, but that's not the worst part.

One of the seven gems that have not yet dimmed is the sign that he will truly die if hit by Drage's attack again.
The bracelet he wears is a rare item called [Heracle Blancelet], which can resurrect Kuro seven times within seconds.
The six dimmed gems signify that Kuro has already died six times while fighting Drage.

During the six deaths and subsequent resurrections, Kuro has always changed his attack pattern and tried various ways to confront Drage.
However, so far, the best result he has achieved is depleting 56 percent of Drage's HP.

Drage attacks Kuro with its tail, which has sharp sword-like spikes, swinging it like a whip.
Kuro sees the attack and immediately jumps to evade it.
Dozens of trees that were hit by Drage's attack are cut and fall heavily.

Taking advantage of the brief moment, Kuro attacks again.
He activates the skill [Dark Bind], creating small walls and using them as springboards.
At the same time, he activates [Acid Blade] and utilizes one of the techniques of Kamikiri-ryuu [Starbreaker].
Kuro's body spins as he shoots toward Drage at high speed from above.

The Acid Blade enveloping Kuro's sword turns his attack into a black comet moving toward Drage.

Drage receives a heavy blow to the back of its body.
The attack reduces Drage's HP by a few percentage points, but it's not enough to deliver a fatal blow.
After a successful attack, Kuro leaves the sword, still coated with Acid Blade, embedded in Drage's body and leaps backward.

In the blink of an eye, Kuro now holds two swords in his hands, thanks to the skill [Auto Use].
He doesn't waste the slightest opportunity to attack, slashing at Drage's body.
He tries to target Drage's [Vital Soul] located in its chest, but it's difficult due to Drage's agile movements.
With limited options, Kuro finally attacks wherever he can reach and uses [Acid Blade] once again to maximize the impact.

Of course, Drage doesn't stay idle and counters with scratching and biting, but the most dangerous part is its tail.
Therefore, Kuro avoids getting too close to Drage's body and stays at the closest possible distance.

Without hesitation, Kuro stabs Drage's body with the sword coated in [Acid Blade].
Then he switches to a weapon more suitable for close combat, the Nodachi, also a Flirst-made weapon.
Its quality and strength are comparable to the katana he always uses.

He slashes Drage's flesh and skin in various places while avoiding its dangerous attacks.
No, to be precise, they are extremely dangerous, as even a minor scratch would instantly kill Kuro.
Three out of his six deaths were caused by mere scratches.

Knowing that he cannot afford even the slightest mistake, Kuro has no choice but to avoid being hit by any of Drage's attacks.
Although aware of this, Kuro continues to engage in close combat, which carries a great risk of being hit.

If one were to call him reckless or foolish, that would be incorrect.
Kuro's swordsmanship abilities cannot be compared to those of a normal human because the techniques he learned from the beginning were not ordinary.

Kamikiri-Ryuu has three main techniques, and until now, Kuro has only used two out of the three techniques while fighting in CSO.
One of these techniques is specifically designed for facing monsters.
Hence, confronting monsters is not a big problem for Kuro.

Facing monsters cannot be compared to facing humans.
Monsters are beings with inherent strength surpassing that of humans and possess higher intelligence than animals.
That is why facing monsters requires proper strategy and technique, as humans will literally lose if they confront monsters without having comparable strength.

The Kamikiri-Ryuu technique specialized in facing monsters involves prediction, speed, and a combination of techniques.
Each monster has its own uniqueness, and by predicting their movements and attack patterns, one can evade and counter-attack using [speed] combined with their extraordinary sword techniques.

Slowly but surely, Drage's HP bar starts to decrease little by little with each cut that covers its body.
Kuro is not only attacking randomly but also using various skills simultaneously.

He combines [Dark Flame] with [Imagine], enveloping the Nodachi he wields.
At a glance, it appears as if he is using [Acid Blade], but it is more akin to Leo's (Yuya) [Fire Blast] skill, which is a common fire-elemental skill of Liber.

Kuro doesn't stop there.
Drage's agile movements require him to be cautious while attacking.
To overcome this, Kuro uses [Dark Bind] at various points on Drage's body, playing a crucial role in executing moves such as elbow strikes and kicks.
Although this skill won't have a prolonged effect due to the vast level difference, if it can hold for just one second, it is more than enough for Kuro.

In this battle, he can no longer use [Vital Curse] since he has already used it.
However, since dying beforehand rendered that skill useless, Kuro suffered a great disadvantage in this fight.
But that is not a major issue for Kuro because he knows he can't rely on Divine Skill forever.

For a long time, Kuro has found the right way to face monsters with levels multiple times higher than his own, but this is not always successful because his abilities as a level 65 Liber also have limitations.
In this battle, he has almost exhausted all his MP, while Drage's HP bar still has over 40 percent remaining.
If he doesn't change his strategy soon, he will encounter problems.

“Tch…”

While slashing with the Nodachi, he calculates the remaining MP and considers the skills he can use.
He has over 60 skills, but he can only choose a few due to his limited MP.
One of them is the skill [Raising] or [Summoning].

Now Kuro must choose.
He must choose between his pride as a fighter and his victory.

If he were his old self, known as Liber the Unknown, he would choose his self-esteem as a fighter and choose to die.
But now he is different.

He is Liber, known as Flamia's husband.
If he dies and resurrects in the last city, it will impact Flamia's reputation.
Why did he marry such a weak Liber? What's worse is if someone knows that he lost to Drage, known as the weakest monster in Vanaheim, it will become a hot topic.

And even though he knows Flamia won't mind all of this, Kuro knows he has to protect his wife's reputation.

“Khh..”

Kuro grits his teeth.
He immediately moves away from Drage because he knows that if he goes overboard, he won't be able to use his skills.

After he feels the distance is enough, Kuro opens his palm upward.
A magical circle and rune letters spin around his hand as a sign that he is about to use a skill.

“Summon-..”

BOOOM!!

Along with a massive explosion, Kuro leaves that battle location with a symbol representing the money he acquired and a dropped item of meat that he can use for cooking ingredients.

He hides and waits for his HP and MP to naturally recover.
He has no choice because he has run out of MP and HP potions.

While waiting under the trees, he gazes at the bright sky of Avantheim.
He can't feel any difference from the sky of the real world, no, in this case, his original world, Earth.

Several days have passed since Flamia explained that the Celestial World (CSO) is a world called Yggdrasil, known as a world in Nordic mythology.
Now that world has turned into a game world that people from Earth can freely visit in their spare time using VR Gear.

This mechanism is quite amusing and hard to imagine, but this is the reality that is happening.

Since then, they decided to treat CSO as a game that they must play and enjoy.
They are aware that, despite knowing the reality about CSO, there is nothing they can do because this issue is beyond their capabilities as ordinary humans.

But that doesn't mean there are no problems.
There are several things that make Kuro restless and keep thinking about them.

Firstly, why did Yggdrasil turn into a game world? The answer he received was quite surprising, or perhaps it was an answer he should have already known, but no one realized it.

To kill the Demon God and seal the [Demon God] in the CSO world.
That's the reason.

But this also means that the existence of the [Demon God] is truly real.

Second, June 6th.
Flamia said that on that day, the dimensional barrier between different worlds would weaken, allowing Flamia to come to Earth, even if only temporarily.
This surely applies to other Valkyrie Maidens as well.
The problem is, could this also apply to the Demon God and Archid?

Actually, this is not too surprising because, in Kuro's family, June 6th is also an important day.
They also know about the thinning dimensional barrier.

Third, if the wedding ring he wears is some kind of connection between Kuro's world and CSO, can he go to CSO without using VR gear? The possibility of that happening is quite significant, but it is not a trivial matter because Kuro still doesn't know the consequences that will occur.

In addition to these three issues, there are various other problems that make Kuro dizzy.
But the one he thinks about the most is the fact that he has reached the limit as a unique Liber.
His low level makes it increasingly difficult for him to face the monsters he encounters, especially in Avantheim.

Not only will he be killed instantly if attacked by a monster, even the weakest monster in Avantheim, but he also struggles to kill the monsters.

He is weak.
The battle earlier was proof of that.
He won, but he won by relying on one of his monsters.
The same monster will also cause trouble if he asks for its help again.

The power of that monster is too strong, even to defeat Drage, it only took one attack, and the power displayed by that monster is terrifying.
The devastated forest within a 50-meter radius is proof of that.
If he relies on that monster, he can easily win.
But when considering the advantages and disadvantages, the disadvantages outweigh the benefits.
Besides, Kuro is not yet able to control that monster.

“…….”

He let out a small sigh, using his hands as a pillow.
He slowly closed his eyes for a moment and opened them again.
His black eyes turned completely red with two fused boxes resembling chains.

“Are you intending to ask for my help?”

Kuro asked himself, but he didn't hear an answer.

“Are you asleep?”

Kuro, or rather Shiro, sighed inwardly.
He didn't expect to switch just to take a rest.

But this is normal, they are the same, but in terms of power, they have a vast difference like night and day.

“Are you sure you want to let me control this body?”

He didn't hear an answer again.

Kuro smiled happily.
Then he stood up, fully restored with HP and MP.

“It's been a long time since I last controlled this body, I guess it won't hurt to have some fun.”

Kuro took a step and left that place.
His eyes turned black again, but it didn't mean the other Kuro had returned, he just concealed his original eyes.

It didn't take long for Kuro to arrive at the edge of the island.
He was actually on a remote island quite far from the big city.

Then, with a thin smile, Kuro jumped from the shore into the sky.
The power he used was not a skill from the CSO system, but a power that came from within himself.

In the air, he used the skill [Dark Wings], and black wings made of black dew appeared behind his back.

“Hmm…”

Kuro wasn't pleased with his appearance.
He then used the skill [Imagine] to change the appearance of his wings.

In a matter of seconds, Kuro's black dew wings slowly transformed into beautiful, pure white feather wings.
He now resembled an angel.

Kuro then flew towards the next island.
He intended to continue the adventure that his other self couldn't do.

***

Kuro slowly opened his eyes from the darkness.
But he was more surprised by the soft and warm sensation in his hands.

He fully opened his eyes and became fully conscious.
The first thing he saw was Ruko's face still sound asleep in front of him.
He could feel her breath.
The soft and warm sensation came from Ruko's naked body.
Ruko hugged her arms tightly like a pillow.
Her soft and warm chest felt so real when it directly touched his arms.

Although it wasn't the first time, Kuro's heart still wasn't accustomed to all of this.

“………..”

What happened? Kuro wondered because as far as he remembers, he was in Avantheim, and…

“Shiro…”

He could guess what happened next.
At the same time, memories of when Shiro took over his body came to his mind, and what Shiro did make him slightly unhappy.

After passing through three cities in less than two hours, he logged out.
Flamia was too busy today, so he didn't meet any of his wives.
Meanwhile, Chiaki and Ruko were playing as usual with their guild.

Then why did he end up in a relationship with Ruko?

Before logging out, he sent a private message to Ruko.
Ruko asked because it was unusual for Kuro to take the initiative in asking for intimacy, and finally, after informing Flamia and Chiaki, they did it in the real world, not in CSO.

Flamia and Chiaki had no objections, or they didn't have the right to object because they had already made the decision.
But they also thought there was something strange about Kuro.

Kuro looked towards the still-dark window.
Then he glanced at the clock, which still showed 3 AM.

“……”

Kuro smiled softly as he looked at Ruko's sweet face sound asleep.
Unconsciously, he gently kissed Ruko's forehead.
Ruko murmured slightly and seemed to almost wake up, but she fell back into a deep sleep like a baby.

Then slowly, Kuro closed his eyes again and returned to the world of dreams.

Morning arrived once more.
Kuro opened his eyes and found Ruko no longer there.
But he could smell a pleasant fragrance, so he knew what Ruko was doing at the moment.

Kuro got up and put on his clothes, then went downstairs to the dining table.
There he saw Flamia, Chiaki, and Ruko preparing breakfast together.
It was a refreshing sight, but there was a hint of jealousy emanating from Chiaki and Flamia, which made the atmosphere slightly gloomy.

They must be jealous, but Kuro didn't want to dwell too much on it because it would be too exhausting.

Flamia now stayed at Kuro's house, but only during breakfast.
This was also a decision they had made considering Flamia's limited time.

After breakfast, Kuro changed into his school uniform and left with Chiaki.
Ruko parted ways with the two of them at the intersection.
Flamia said her goodbyes after giving an affectionate kiss.

And so, Kuro's everyday life resumed.

Kuro entered school as usual and appeared as usual.
Now he always had lunch with Chiaki alone on the school rooftop.
One thing that Kuro didn't understand was that Chiaki always seemed pouty, and when asked, she just wanted attention like Ruko.

It was understandable, but when Chiaki asked about Kuro successfully passing three towns in Avantheim in a short time, Kuro panicked.

It was impossible for him to explain that it was Shiro who did it, but Chiaki could only sigh because she knew Kuro wouldn't provide an honest explanation even though she was one of his wives.

“Be careful, Kuro-chan.
Shiro may be more dangerous than you think.”

Kuro could only look down.

Chiaki knew about Kuro's other side.
Not because Kuro told her, but Chiaki knew when Shiro replaced Kuro even if it was only for a few moments.

Of the three wives, Chiaki was probably the most attentive to Kuro.
That's why she immediately noticed when Kuro changed even a little.
It was also the reason why Kuro never wanted to make her worry.

“Yes, I know…
but he is also a part of me, so I can't blame him.”

“Why do you have to go through all of this, Kuro-chan?”

“….”

“….Every moment, I think God is never fair.
I know that because you were born into that family, you have to go through all of this, but I will never accept it.
You've already died once, and you don't know how it felt, Kuro-chan…
I don't want to experience that again…”

Chiaki looked sad as if recalling something terrible.

The terrible memory was seeing Kuro's lifeless body lying still and not breathing.
She witnessed something called death.

But what Chiaki couldn't accept the most was that no one told her the reason for Kuro's death.
She understood that Kuro's family had many secrets, but after learning a little about those secrets, Chiaki regretted it and felt it would have been better if she had never known.

Death at a young age, like Kuro's, is not something new, even in the Kuro family.
But nobody truly knows what causes it.
More accurately, nobody is allowed to know.

“Chiaki…
we've discussed this multiple times.
And I don't want to talk about it anymore, so can you accept all of this?”

“…..”

“However, this is the fate I must endure.
It's part of my journey as Kuro Kanata.
Marrying and having wives like you is also part of this journey.
I don't know where this journey will lead me, all of us, but one thing you should know, I am happily living through all of this.
I have no regrets, so-“

“Sorry, Kuro-chan.”

Before finishing her words, Chiaki stood up and prepared to leave, even though she hadn't finished her lunch.

“As someone who loves you, I will never accept him for the rest of my life.
That's how I love you.”

After saying that, Chiaki left without even looking back at Kuro.
Chiaki intended to open the rooftop door, but the door opened before her and a familiar figure appeared.

“Yo.”

The figure was Yuya.

But Chiaki left without saying a word as if ignoring Yuya's presence.
For Yuya, this was worse than when Chiaki kicked him.

Yuya approached Kuro while holding a canned coffee.
He stood near Kuro and asked, “What happened?”

“Do I look like a human in your eyes?”

“Huh? What are you talking about? If you're not human, then what?”

Yuya was confused by Kuro's strange words.
Something must have happened between Chiaki and Kuro.

“I am a demon.
Do you still consider me human after hearing that?”

“Huh?”

Yuya was genuinely puzzled by Kuro.
But Kuro's slightly different smile and gaze made Yuya slightly afraid.
Especially Kuro's intimidating gaze, which made Yuya briefly think that Kuro might not be human, but-

“Yes, you're indeed a demon who seduces women, you damn bastard.” Yuya paused for a moment and continued,

“Kuro, there's something I want to talk to you about.”

“?”

The school hours had ended, and most of the students went home, but some were still engaged in club activities.
Usually, Kuro would go home right away because he was a member of the Homecoming Club, but at the moment, he was in the Student Council room working on some reports.

Kuro had been doing this for a few days.
He wasn't a member of the Student Council, but he was serving his punishment for skipping school a few days ago.
Kuro was assigned to write reports and do other small tasks, while the main tasks were still handled by the Student Council members.

“Mea-senpai, is this enough?”

Kuro informed Mea, the Student Council President, that the task he had been working on was completed, so now he just wanted her opinion on whether there were any mistakes whatsoever.

A girl with a ponytail hairstyle approached and examined Kuro's work from behind his back.
The girl was Mea Chihaya.
She was Kuro's senior and is currently in the second year.
She had been serving as the Student Council President since her first year and was one of the idols in the school.
Intelligent, firm, athletic, charismatic, and of course, beautiful, she was chosen by 78% of the students during the election.
This was the first time in Kuro's school history.

After carefully checking, Mea smiled happily because she couldn't find even the slightest mistake in Kuro's work.

“Everything looks good, thank you.
You can copy other reports now.”

“Alright, Mea-senpai.”

Kuro then took some documents that needed to be copied and started working on them.
It was already late in the afternoon, and Kuro wanted to go home quickly, so there was no choice but to finish his tasks as soon as possible.

He glanced at the documents once and immediately started working on them, not caring about anything around him.
He didn't even realize that Mea was still behind him.

“Heee…
I didn't expect you to have such a good memory, Kanata-kun.”

“Whaa…”

Kuro was startled to the point of almost jumping.
The two Student Council members who were also in the room just smiled because they found it amusing.

They were Hiroshi and Kirie, serving as the treasurer and secretary, respectively.
There was still one more Student Council member who was still at school, but they were assigned to another task.

“Why are you so surprised? I've been here since earlier.
Could it be that you forgot about me?”

“That's just how he is, Kaichou (President),” Hiroshi said with a small laugh.
“Kanata-san gets completely focused and doesn't pay attention to his surroundings once he starts working on something.
I'm sure he forgets our presence.”

“Is that so?”

Kuro nodded silently.

“You're all exaggerating.
Maybe it's because you Senpais work hard and don't pay much attention to me.”

Kuro resumed his work while chatting.
However, he didn't lose his concentration.

“Or is it because we work together, that we unconsciously feel familiar with each other? This often happens, right?” Kuro added.

“Hmmm…
I think that does happen often…
but still, I feel satisfied with the outcome of your work.
Though it's simple, you take your work seriously, unlike someone I know here,” Mea glanced at Hiroshi with a sarcastic look.

“Ughh…”

Hiroshi, realizing he was being criticized, could only smile wryly.

“I take it seriously because I have many other things to do, Mea-senpai.
That's all.”

“Could it be that you're a busy person?” Mea asked.

“He's busy fooling around with his girlfriend in CSO, Kaichou,” Hiroshi suddenly replied.
“Kaichou probably doesn't know because you don't play CSO, but Kanata-san is a famous player who managed to marry one of the prettiest girls in CSO.”

“Hm?”

The conversation left Mea confused as she didn't understand anything about CSO.

“Kaichou, do you remember a few days ago when a beautiful girl came and caused a commotion at our school?”

Mea nodded.

“I have to admit, as a girl, I envy her.
So, what's the connection with Kanata-kun?”

“Kaichou, that girl is Kanata-san's girlfriend and wife in CSO.”

“…..”

Mea fell silent for a moment, but then she glanced at Kuro who was still working on his task.

“I didn't know you were that lucky.”

“……”

Kuro didn't answer.

“But could it be the reason why you don't join any clubs? Well…
having such a beautiful girlfriend must make you not want to be separated from her even for a day…
hmm hmm…”

“Rare to see Kaichou curious about matters like this.”

Mea walked to her chair and sat down.

“Is it wrong for me to be interested in romance? After all, I'm a girl.
I think I'm better off than you who don't have a girlfriend.”

“Unfortunately, I do have a girlfriend, Kaichou.”

“Eh? Who? This is the first time I'm hearing about it?”

Hiroshi smiled proudly.
He suddenly placed his hand on Kirie's shoulder and glanced at Mea.

Mea certainly wasn't that foolish not to understand what it meant.

“I didn't expect you to beat me to it, you bastard.”

“Why did your personality suddenly change? Just so you know, we've been dating since spring.”

“Kirie, is that true?”

Kirie nodded softly with a blushing face.

“Hiroshi…”

“What?”

“Go to hell please!!”

“WHAT DO YOU MEAN? I think having a girlfriend is normal.
Isn't that right, Kanata-san?”

Kuro simply nodded.

“I didn't expect that I'm the only one here without a girlfriend.”

Mea rested her face on the table.
Her eyes showed a vacant gaze as if she was shocked by the surprising truth.

Hiroshi, who had won the argument, smiled proudly and arrogantly.

The Student Council room then returned to silence as the sun gradually set in the west.
The tranquility was broken when a cell phone rang.
Everyone immediately looked at Kuro because the sound came from him.
Kuro then answered the call without caring even though someone could hear his conversation.
But he was slightly surprised by who was contacting him.

“Hayama-san, what's up?”

Hayama.
He was one of the few people who knew that Kuro was Akame.
And Hayama was the only person who could contact Kuro if there was a job offer for Akame.

Kuro could guess that Hayama calling him had something to do with Akame.

“(………)”

“Isn't that our agreement? You know my nature, s-“

“(…..)”

Suddenly, Kuro sighed.

“Fine, we'll meet.
See you later.”

Then Kuro ended the call and put his phone back in his pocket.

Hiroshi and Kirie didn't seem to care because they knew it wasn't their business, but Mea was different.
Mea kept glancing at Kuro with a curious and inquisitive look.

It was almost evening, Kuro and the members of the Student Council went home.
Although there was still a lot of work, they would continue it tomorrow or at home.

Today, Kuro didn't go straight home and went somewhere instead.
He had informed Ruko that he would be coming home late, so he didn't need to worry about making them concerned.

Around 9 PM, Kuro finished his business with Hayama.
He walked towards the station not too far from where they met.

The nightlife of the city began to emerge along the way.
But Kuro ignored it all and kept walking.
He stopped and bought a cup of black coffee from a vending machine on the street.

While enjoying the bitter black coffee, something caught his attention from one of the alleys.
A girl wearing the same uniform as him running out of the alley with a frightened expression.

“……”

That wasn't his concern.
Kuro continued to walk, but after a few steps, he heard a familiar voice from the alley. 

“………….
I'll regret doing this.”

Slowly, Kuro approached the alley.

Inside the alley, Mea was surrounded by six muscular men who were bigger than her.
From their faces, it was clear that they were not good people and were known as thugs in that area. 

Several scattered shopping bags were not far from Mea.
She was sweating profusely, knowing that she was in big trouble.

One bald thug approached her with an angry look. 

“…
You're going to pay for your actions, kid.
Do you know how much loss we have suffered because of you?”

“Tchh…”

Mea glanced at the white powder-like substance scattered on the floor, dirtying the place.
It wasn't flour but one of the illegal drugs.

“I don't care about your losses.
What I care about is that you're exploiting one of the students from my school for your illicit activities!”

The man couldn't contain his anger and struck Mea with all his might, but Mea managed to dodge.
Not only that, she also retaliated with a well-aimed kick to the man's chest.

“Don't underestimate me.
I have martial arts skills, after all.”

“Tch…
That's how it is, huh?”

“?!”

Mea was surprised when the man didn't seem hurt at all.

“Just because you can fight doesn't mean you can be a hero of justice.”

“….”

Mea realized that her situation was getting worse.
The other five men who had been watching all this time started to move closer to her.

“Boss, what should we do with her?”

“Of course, we'll make her pay for our losses.
Why are you even asking?”

“No, we just wanted to know if we can enjoy her body before making her do it.”

“?!”

Realizing that she was in great danger and trouble, Mea panicked immediately.

“We will indeed do that.
Even though I know she won't be able to compensate us for all our losses.”

All the men's subordinates smiled and stared at Mea with disgusting looks.
Mea wanted to fight them all, but she knew she wouldn't win.

She tried to stay calm and analyze the situation.
She knew she wouldn't win, so first, she had to think about escaping.
But the narrow alley and the exit were blocked by three people.
The chances of escape were slim.

(Should I scream for help?)

In that situation, it might be the best option.

(No, that's a bad idea.
If I do that, they will panic immediately and do anything to prevent me from screaming.)

There was a high possibility that they would immediately start to harm her or do something even more dangerous.
But if she did nothing, she would face the same problem.
This was a hopeless situation for Mea. 

“Kh…”

Two people tried to grab her.
She managed to evade, but in the end, she failed and was immediately grabbed by two people and pushed against the wall.

“I told you I would make you pay for our losses.
Although I don't really like doing this to a little girl like you, I doubt you have enough money to compensate us.”

“By the way, how much is your loss?”

“100 million yen.
Why are you asking?” 

The man was surprised when he realized that the one asking wasn't one of his subordinates.
He turned to the source of the voice and found a bespectacled young man casually sipping on a canned coffee as he approached them.

“Kanata-kun? What are you doing here?”

“Hoo…
Do you know this girl?”

Kuro stopped a few meters away and calmly took a sip of his coffee.
He showed no fear despite facing more thugs than himself.

“Yes.
She is my senior.
That's why I'm asking you to let Mea-senpai go, can you?”

The man smiled slightly and looked at Kuro.

“If you want us to let her go, you'll have to compensate for our loss.
If not, we won't do it.
So, do you have the money?”

“Are you talking about 100 million yen? I don't have that much money.”

“In that case, I won't release this girl.
Now, go away, and I'll pretend I didn't see you.”

“Why are you letting me go? Don't you think I'll report you to the police?”

“…are you going to do that?” the man said, staring sharply and clenching his fist tightly.

The man intended to intimidate Kuro, but it seemed to have no effect.

Kuro didn't immediately respond, only giving a slight smile.
It was a thin smile that would send chills down anyone's spine.

“No, if I do that, I won't be able to take care of all of you with my own hands.”

The man realized that Kuro was challenging them.
He signaled his subordinates to attack Kuro.

Two people moved forward to attack Kuro.
Kuro casually placed the can on the ground and confronted them.

In a matter of seconds, he easily defeated the two.
Not only that, but he defeated them quite ruthlessly and brutally.

He broke one attacker's arm and twisted it.
The arm was no longer in its original form.
As for the other attacker, he forcefully smashed his head against the wall, causing blood to flow like a river.
The two fell to the ground, groaning in pain.

“……”

The man remained silent, witnessing the events that unfolded in the blink of an eye.
Even his other subordinates couldn't say a word.

“Ah…
I can't believe you've stained my uniform.
Ruko will definitely be mad at me.”

Kuro, who had committed such gruesome acts, was worried about his school uniform being stained with blood.

Kuro proceeded forward slowly.
From the man's perspective, Kuro looked like a psychopath who carried out all of this without any sense of guilt or fear.

“Can I ask you to release Mea-senpai? I really don't want to accidentally decapitate all of you,” Kuro said coldly.
His gaze didn't show bloodlust, but he emitted a chilling aura that intensified every time he approached.

The subordinates of the man became frightened, unintentionally loosening their grip.

Mea didn't waste the opportunity.
She kicked one of the men holding her and managed to escape.
The man, who was their boss, had a chance to stop Mea from escaping, but he didn't have time to think about Mea right now.

Mea ran towards Kuro and took refuge behind him.

“Kanata-kun, thank you.
Now, let's go.”

Mea pulled Kuro's hand without hesitation, but Kuro didn't move an inch.

“Go? Where should we go? We're not done here yet.”

Kuro advanced slowly, ignoring Mea's attempts to prevent him from taking further action.

Mea could only watch as Kuro mercilessly beat up all of the thugs with his bare hands.
He easily snapped their arms and legs like dry twigs.
He also shattered several bones within their bodies.
Blood splattered, turning the place into a hellish scene.

After finishing off all of them, Kuro went back to pick up the remaining canned coffee and resumed drinking it.
Blood dripped from his hands, staining most of his uniform, but Kuro paid no attention and calmly left the scene.

“…..”

Mea, who witnessed the horrifying events, remained silent in place.
She couldn't say anything or think clearly.
The Kuro who beat all the thugs was a Kuro she didn't know.
No, it was a side of Kuro she was unaware of.

A figure without hesitation and mercy.
A figure more resembling a demon than a human.

Was he really human?

“…I don't understand, but…”

Mea glanced at the path Kuro took.
The path led to the train station.
She was worried about the thugs, but she also thought they deserved it, so she tried not to dwell on them.
Now she had something more important to worry about.

(If he goes to a crowded place like that…)

Mea then chased after Kuro.
The deserted streets relieved Mea, as Kuro's bloodstained appearance would surely cause a commotion.
Moreover, Kuro's uniform would reveal which school he belonged to.
If that happened, their school's reputation could be tarnished.

(As the student council president, I can't let that happen.)

Despite feeling scared in her heart, she couldn't abandon Kuro.
After all, Kuro was the one who saved her.

Mea searched various places, but she still couldn't find him.
If he wanted to go to the station, he would surely pass through that street, but Mea also thought that Kuro might do something reckless.
And she was right.

She found Kuro washing his face in a small park.
Kuro slowly took off his blazer and washed it at the nearby tap.
Unfortunately, there were still many bloodstains on the rest of his uniform.
His bag and the bamboo sword, which Mea hadn't seen before, were on a bench not far from Kuro.

Mea approached slowly.

“Kanata-kun?”

“What's up, Mea-senpai? Are you hurt because of those thugs?”

Kuro answered without turning to look at Mea, and he continued to clean his blazer.

“…I'm fine…
Besides that, are you okay?”

“As you can see, I'm fine.
I just don't like them dirtying my uniform.
I guess I can't go home early today,” Kuro replied with a heavy sigh.

Kuro squeezed the blazer firmly, removing all the water.
He then walked to one of the bushes and casually hung his clothes to dry.
He returned and intended to take off his other clothes, but…

“CAN'T YOU FEEL ANY SHAME?!”

Mea prevented him with a loud yell, her face turning red.

Kuro sighed and finally decided not to take it off.
Besides, the bloodstains weren't that extensive.
He then took a step towards a drink vendor and bought two warm canned coffees.

Kuro sat down, but before that, he threw one of the coffees at Mea.
Mea was slightly surprised, but she managed to catch it.
Although she was a little unhappy with Kuro's rudeness, she respected him as her senior.

Mea sighed and sat down, keeping her distance from Kuro.
“..Kanata-san, thank you for helping me, but…”

Kuro casually sipped his coffee, but he understood what Mea wanted to talk about. 

“They're lucky I didn't break their necks.”

“?!” Mea widened her eyes.
“Why can you say something like that without feeling guilty? Have you lost all sense of mercy?”

“What do you mean, Senpai? It's precisely because I still have mercy that I didn't kill them,” Kuro sighed softly.
“Well…
even if they're not helped immediately, they'll still die in less than 2 hours.”

That's when a chilling thin smile appeared on Kuro's lips.
Mea immediately knew that Kuro wasn't joking about what he said.

“Kanata-san…”

“I was just kidding.
They'll still die, but I've already called an ambulance and, of course, the police to punish them.
With the evidence there, I think it will be considered a gang fight or something similar.”

“…is that true? You're not lying?”

Without hesitation, Kuro showed his phone call history.
Mea saw the numbers for the police and the ambulance.
The call times were also from some time ago.

Mea felt relieved immediately.
Initially, she thought the thugs would die.
But what surprised her, even more, was that despite appearing merciless, Kuro still had good intentions to help them.
…maybe.

“Thank goodness.
I don't know what I would do if you had killed them.
I don't want any of our schoolmates to be involved in crime and become a murderer.”

Kuro fell silent.
He didn't show any interest in the reasons why Mea got involved in such a situation.

“…that's why when I see one of our classmates involved in something like that, I can't just let it slide.”

“Only a fool would help someone without considering the consequences.”

Mea smiled faintly.
She understood Kuro's point.

“Ahaha…
you're right.
Maybe I did it without much thought because I'm accustomed to my duties as the student council president.”

“But if you do it because you feel it's your duty as the student council president, I think you shouldn't do it again.”

“…”

“Senpai just wants to help, and I think that reason is enough.”

Suddenly, Kuro stood up.

“I'm sorry, Senpai, I think I should go now.”

Kuro took his bag and bamboo sword wrapped in cloth.

“But your clothes aren't dry yet.
And you're still like that.”

Mea still noticed the bloodstains on Kuro's uniform.

“It's okay.
They'll probably just think it's red paint.”

Kuro walked towards the bushes where he had hung his clothes and took the still-wet blazer.

“But-“

“Yes, if I don't wash it soon, the bloodstains will be hard to remove.
I might not go to school tomorrow, but that's not a problem at all.
Besides, the good thing is I can spend the whole day being affectionate with my girlfriend, haha…”

Kuro chuckled slightly with a half-joking tone.
Then he finished his coffee and threw it into the trash.

“Until we meet again, Mea-senpai.”

Kuro turned around to leave, but he stopped because Mea held onto his bag from behind.

“Senpai? Is there something else?”

“…no, but anyway, I should repay you.
Fortunately, my house is not far from here.
You can wash your school uniform at my place.
It's better than not going to school.”

“But I think it would be impolite to visit you at this hour.”

But Mea just smiled.

“Don't worry.
Don't worry.
Or would you prefer me to drag you?”

Mea briefly reminded Kuro of Flamia, and that's what made him unable to refuse.

After walking for about 10 minutes, they arrived at a quite luxurious apartment.
However, before entering, Mea bought some items from a store near the apartment.
Of course, Kuro didn't accompany her considering his current condition.

They climbed to the fourth floor using the stairs.
There was an elevator, but if they used it and encountered other residents, they would have problems.

And there they were in front of door number 113.
Mea inserted the key and opened it.
That's when Kuro had a bad feeling.

“Mea-senpai, do you live alone?”

“Yes, is there a problem?”

“Of course, there's a problem, Senpai.
If it's like this, I'd better go home!!”

Kuro immediately turned around and intended to leave, but Mea held onto his bag again.

“I was just kidding, kidding.
I live with my younger sister and my father.”

“…….don't joke like that again, Senpai.
You should remember your position at school.
What if there's a rumor about the student council president bringing a guy into her apartment? Think about the consequences before acting.
Hm? What's with that expression? Did I say something wrong?”

Mea's face turned red.

“I'm just surprised that you actually care about me.”

“What do you mean? I'm more worried about myself because if this becomes a problem, I'll get into more trouble than Senpai.”

The problem Kuro meant came from his three wives, the school, and the CSO.
Of course, he wouldn't mention this.

Hearing that, Mea pouted immediately.

“I can't believe you're so selfish as a guy.
Why don't you care about the fate of a beautiful girl like me? Honestly, I misjudged you.”

Both of them then chuckled softly.
If it was called a coincidence, it was indeed fitting.

Kuro was then invited to enter Mea's room on the second floor.
Kuro was a little hesitant because it was the first time he entered another girl's room beside his three wives' rooms.
But he couldn't refuse when Mea invited him.

Kuro thought Mea's room would be filled with feminine items, but his assumption was wrong.
Mea's room was more normal than he thought.
A computer and some scattered books were lying around.
It showed that Mea was diligent in studying.
The computer was still on, indicating that she left in the middle of her work.

Mea tidied up some items and then asked Kuro to put his belongings down.
Kuro complied and placed his bag and bamboo sword on the carpet.

“Kanata-kun, the bathroom is at the end of the hallway, then turn left.
Consider it your own house, oh…
don't forget to take off your uniform outside; I'll wash it.”

“Thank you, Mea-senpai.”

“Aren't you embarrassed or feeling awkward?”

“It's pointless for me to feel awkward or embarrassed.
I think it's too late for that.”

“Aha ha..
you're right.”

Kuro then left Mea's room.
The sound of footsteps could be heard getting further away, and the sound of a door opening was heard.

The sound of footsteps could be heard again, but this time from a different direction.
Shortly after, Chiyo came carrying tea and some snacks.
After placing them on the carpet, she immediately patted Mea's shoulder with a menacing look.

“Can you…
explain what happened here, Onee-chan?!”

For Chiyo, this was certainly a big problem.
Her sister, who didn't have a boyfriend, suddenly brought a guy home late at night.
But what's worse, that guy already has a girlfriend.

“There were a few things that happened.
Aha ha..”

There was no way Mea could say that she was almost assaulted but was saved by Kuro.
And Kuro brutally beat up the terrifying thugs.
Then, because there were bloodstains on his clothes, Mea asked him to come in.

“Hmm..
tell me! If you don't, I'll tell Mom what happened tonight.
Onee-chan knows what that means, right?”

Mea panicked immediately.

“Alright, alright.
Kanata-kun saved me when I was attacked by a bad person.
And you saw his clothes, right? I asked him to come in so I could wash his clothes.
So I'll go now.
Kanata-kun probably already changed out of his uniform.”

“…
I see.
He does use martial arts when playing CSO, so, understandably, he could help Onee-chan without getting hurt.”

“Martial arts…?”

That explained why Kuro could easily do all that, but Kuro's strength in easily breaking bones was still something abnormal.

“Onee-chan, what's wrong?”

“Ah..
nothing.
I'll borrow Dad's clothes for Kanata-kun to wear.
Wait here.”

“Ha..
okay.
I hope you won't try to seduce Kuro-san while you're at it.”

“WHO WOULD DO THAT??”

Chiyo smiled a little at her sister's funny behavior as she headed toward her father's room.

Chiyo then sat down and waited.
She was curious about Kuro's belongings on the floor, but she was more curious about the long object wrapped in cloth.

“A bamboo sword? ..but..”

Strange, why would a bamboo sword be wrapped in cloth?

Because of her growing curiosity, Chiyo picked up the sword.
It was heavy, and it didn't feel like a wooden sword, but rather a metal sword.

“…….”

Chiyo fell silent.
She was indeed curious, but she also felt impolite for taking it without permission.

“That's not a toy.”

“?!”

Suddenly, Chiyo was startled by Kuro's voice.
She didn't expect Kuro to be at the door, wearing shorts and her father's t-shirt.
What was even more surprising, Kuro wasn't wearing his glasses.

Kuro then approached and asked for the sword.

Chiyo handed it over with a flushed face.

After receiving it, Kuro sat down and unwrapped the cloth covering the sword.
Then Chiyo's eyes widened as she realized her guess was correct.
The object wrapped in cloth was a genuine sword.
A black-sheathed katana with a beautiful white handle.

“Has your curiosity been satisfied?” Kuro asked in a gentle tone.

Chiyo nodded.

“So, it's true that Kuro-san also uses sword techniques in the real world?”

“Yes,” Kuro replied as he wrapped the sword again.

 “We can't always rely on the game system, right?”

“I was more surprised that Kuro-san always carries it but never gets caught by the police.”

Kuro just smiled bitterly and put his sword back in place.

“But is it okay not to wear your glasses, Kuro-san? Can you see well?”

“Don't worry, there was nothing wrong with my eyes from the beginning.
I wore glasses just for appearances.” Kuro took out the glasses and put them in his pocket.
“Look, these are just ordinary glasses.”

Chiyo accepted and tried on the glasses.
They were indeed ordinary glasses.
After being satisfied, Chiyo returned them.

Suddenly, Chiyo blushed.

“Is there a problem?”

Chiyo shook her head.

“Kuro-san, I haven't thanked you for helping Onee-chan from the thug.
I know Onee-chan's sense of justice can be excessive sometimes, and it gets her into trouble.”

“I know that.
Mea-senpai is like that, which is why many people like her.”

“That's the downside of Onee-chan.
I don't think it's something to be proud of at all.
Hmmph..”

Chiyo showed an annoyed look.

“And most annoyingly, she always involves other people in her problems like she's doing with you right now, Kuro-san.
Honestly, I don't understand why so many people chose her as the student council president.
Are they all out of their minds?”

Kuro laughed wryly at Chiyo's venting, and he couldn't deny that what Chiyo said had some truth to it.

“Enough already, though.
Despite all that, you still care about Mea-senpai, right? I think that's what matters most, even though she does need to tone down her bad habits.”

“I'm sorry for having so many bad habits, Ka..na..ta-kun..”

Chiyo and Kuro turned pale when they realized Mea was already in front of the door.
Not only that, she emitted a dangerous aura.

Mea then walked closer, but suddenly she showed a complicated expression.

“Onee-chan, is there something wrong?”

“Yeah, that's right,” Mea said, holding her head.
Then she turned to Kuro.
“Kanata-san, I have bad news for you.
Our dryer suddenly broke down, so I don't think your clothes will dry tonight.”

“…………….huh?”

Is this luck or misfortune?

(I knew I would regret helping her.)

 

Note

=>Kuro has reached his limit.
With a low level, he can no longer fight using the same methods.
Unfortunately, he can't level up quickly due to the Vital Curse skill.

=>CSO is Yggdrasil that has transformed into a game world.
That's why the world feels so real.

=>When Shiro controls Kuro's body, Shiro will be able to use all of his original powers.
Even though they use Avatar bodies in CSO, it doesn't affect Shiro's power because, from the beginning, Shiro and Kuro are not separate personalities but different existences with the same body.

=>Shiro and Kuro are indeed one, but they don't share consciousness when one of them is in control.
However, their memories will be exchanged.