I Became a Time-stopping Narrow-eyed Character

Chapter 9

A bright red full moon.

Thanks to that large presence in the night sky, this method could be attempted.

It wasn't just Kenichi and Sento whose abilities had grown stronger than usual.

A world where the time of everything stopped.

In that world, I, the only one still alive and moving, slung a sword over my shoulder and stepped forward.

"Alright, let's get going quickly."

A body and abilities enhanced by one level.

Even so, there wasn't much time given.

***

Boom!

Boom, boom!

Countless steel bolts rained down.

The iron mace scorched the ground, and the entire classroom cracked as if it would collapse at any moment.

It wasn't just the floor that creaked.

Kenichi, who rolled and rolled on the ground to avoid the Oni's strike, was a complete mess, covered in dust, with aching limbs.

But somehow, he managed it.

Boom! Boom! Boom! Even though the red Oni wielding the iron club multiplied from one to four, he evaded them.

He threw himself, rolled on the ground, stepped on desks scattered across the classroom, or supported himself with his hands to leap.

Once all the desks were destroyed, he used the Oni's body as a springboard to avoid the iron club.

'What's this?'

Even Kenichi himself was puzzled by the skills he could never have managed under normal circumstances.

For some reason, despite his whole body aching, he felt light, and everything in his view was crystal clear.

Was it because of the fear of possibly dying, or was it because he was pushing himself too hard?

His heart pounded more intensely than ever.

His blood surged through his body as if it would burst at any moment. Kenichi finally realized all the phenomena happening to his body. At this moment, he had half-surpassed humanity.

'...If it's now, I can survive!'

Kenichi, thrilled, ran even harder.

With a more relaxed gaze and calm judgment than before, he guided the trajectory of the red Oni's strikes.

As if taunting them to catch him, he dodged around, and when one of them raised its iron mace, he hid behind the body of another Oni charging at him.

'Got it.'

Crunch!

—Roarrrrr!!!

He succeeded in causing confusion.

The red Oni hit by its comrade's iron mace clutched its crushed leg.

Even the one who swung the mace seemed startled, its eyes trembling violently.

'I can do this.'

Kenichi thought that if he continued dodging like this, he could somehow defeat them all.

Their intelligence was lower than he expected, and his body was in much better condition than usual.

'I can win.'

Finding hope, he grinned widely and moved forward.

—Roarrr!!

He could see all the Oni's iron maces and movements. His body moved exactly as he wanted.

Fast, flexible, and strong, he could leap around freely.

As the tension eased and everything went as he intended, it felt like he was playing a game.

Yes, this is a game.

A game where I'm the protagonist, a hero defeating monsters.

"Come on, bring it on, you bastards!"

The protagonist, Kitagawa Kenichi, played with the Oni with a lighter heart.

He was convinced.

The foolish creatures, who struck their comrades' bodies with their maces more than his, would break down first.

Indeed, that judgment was partially correct.

Since none of the Oni's blows landed on him once he got the hang of it, if the situation continued like this, it would have been as he expected.

—Roarrr!

As Kenichi kept dodging the iron maces, the increasingly enraged Oni slammed the ground in frustration.

Boom!

Another futile strike repeated countless times.

The mace, swung into the air, only shattered the innocent ground.

Watching the foolish scene leisurely, Kenichi soon realized something unusual.

Crack! The floor broke.

"...Huh?"

The entire classroom floor collapsed. The humans and Oni, who lost their balance, fell together.

Kenichi tried to step on the floating debris and rise back up.

But for someone who had been an ordinary person until just recently, such a technique was impossible.

He could only flail his arms helplessly.

He fell.

Boom!

Crash!

"...Ugh!"

His body struck the desks in the classroom below, and small debris fell on top of him.

Though his body was strengthened and he barely survived, he could no longer move.

With a twisted expression, Kenichi urged his trembling body.

'...What the hell, move. Move!'

But it didn't listen at all. His brain and body, which had been working smoothly just moments ago, now twitched as if the nerves were cut, refusing to move.

...Freely? Like a game?

Kenichi finally realized that what he was facing now was a brutal reality.

Late at night, in a classroom where no one should have been, presences could be felt everywhere.

Amid the rising dust, thud, the sound of heavy footsteps and something dragging a blunt weapon echoed.

Eerie glowing eyes appeared.

—Huh?

Kenichi chuckled.

It seemed his punishment for not doing his math homework was the destruction of mathematical concepts.

One, two... three... four... Kenichi, who was absentmindedly counting the number of Oni, soon reached double digits.

—Huh?

The ever-growing horde of Oni looked at him like a feast laid out on a table.

Likewise, Kenichi stared back at them.

But he couldn't move.

Unable to hold back their hunger any longer, the Oni reached out to him.

He blankly foresaw his end.

'...Am I going to die like this?'

There were so many things he wanted to do.

Just today, he had promised Hotaru to watch the supermoon, the Lunar Eclipse.

He didn't know what he would do in the future, but he wanted to live longer.

Not only that, but he also wanted to read more comics, play sports with his friends, and experience these unusually intense moments.

Kitagawa Kenichi realized.

He didn't want to die after all.

'...I want to live.'

Strength returned to his once-lost pupils. He gritted his teeth. He wanted to struggle until the very end.

At the very least, he didn't want to be eaten like a side dish; he wanted to die fighting. So hurry.

'Damn it, body, move.'

The closer the Oni's hand got, the more violently his heart pounded.

The desire for life, or the fear of death.

All those desperate emotions spread from his heart, through his blood, and throughout his entire body.

'Please.'

Move.

‧

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‧

‧

‧

Thump, thump. In rhythm with his pounding heartbeat and his desperate wish, the Cross Necklace around his neck shook violently.

The full moon, imbued with magic, and the lineage passed down through the ages invigorated him.

The necklace, which had listened to its owner's wish, glowed and emitted light.

'Move.'

Kenichi internally screamed as he watched the Oni's hand drawing closer.

He desperately tried to move somehow.

He earnestly wished for the strength to defeat the monsters before him, for a chance.

He hoped.

'Move!'

His sword soon answered the call.

"───Moveee!!!"

It granted power in response to its owner's wish.

It gave him a slight burst of energy, a sharp blade form, and the ability to nullify any ability.

Following an instinctive pull, Kenichi grabbed the Demon Sword─the necklace, and awakened the sword.

At the same time, he awakened himself.

At this moment, having completely transcended human limits, he was ready to fight the Oni.

Kenichi, with a blazing expression, intended to punish the Oni that had just tried to devour him.

With the sword in his hand, he slashed...

"Huh?"

Where his gaze landed, the Oni stood.

The Oni, frozen in the posture of reaching out its hand, was surrounded by countless others in the same state.

Just moments ago, they had been alive and breathing, but now they were completely still.

Dozens of Oni in the classroom were all frozen as if turned into statues.

─As if time itself had stopped.

"......."

Feeling a sense of unease, Kenichi looked out the window.

The vivid red moon was still there. But the clouds beside it didn't move an inch.

Tick, tick. Even the second hand of the wall clock, which should have been ticking, was frozen like a rock.

It seemed as if time for everything in the world had stopped.

'Is this my ability?'

That's what he thought.

"Wow, a red Oni party on the first day, huh."

Startled, Kenichi turned his head toward the voice.

There stood a man with white hair, somehow familiar, and an impression like a mastermind.

Despite the monsters sprawled nearby, he walked in with a very relaxed expression and demeanor.

"This is something only a seasoned veteran like me could clear, so should I say you're unlucky? No, actually, seeing how long you lasted even without awakening your sword, it means this Kenichi is exceptional, so I guess I'm the lucky one?"

"......Shiki?"

Kenichi muttered blankly toward the friend spouting incomprehensible words.

But the man with narrow eyes merely stood in front of him, stroking his chin and mumbling.

"Hmm, I thought the ability might counter mine, but to think the unbelievable actually happened, and you're moving just fine. My swordsmanship isn't something to scoff at, but if by any chance the sword gets taken, that would be troublesome. Today is just one troublesome event after another. Or should I call it a series of choices."

"......What are you talking about?"

As Kenichi wondered if this wasn't Shiki after all, a sudden jolt of electricity surged through his entire body.

"Kitagawa Kenichi."

Ichimaru Shiki, as always, called his name with a sly smile and asked.

"Are you confident you won't die to anyone? Because if you surrender the sword, it'll really be a problem. No, it's already a bit of a problem."

"......You."

"I'm starting to think I might be placing too much hope on someone as weak as you. Honestly, it seems like me using it would be the right choice for that friend too."

Glancing at the sleekly-shaped black sword, the man with narrow eyes shrugged.

"I have a rule not to mess with the belongings of the deceased. Well, I have no choice but to give you a chance! I never thought I'd be saying something like this, though. You'd better answer very well."

Ichimaru Shiki extended his hand and spoke.

"Kenichi, don't you want to become stronger than you are now?"

Half-closed eyes met his trembling gaze.

***

"Two."

Sawamura Sento continued to murmur.

At the same time, she relaxed her furrowed brow, focusing her senses to ensure her target wouldn't escape.

She let her guard down just a little.

Because her promised counterpart was still there.

"Three."

As she uttered the final number, she immediately lifted her eyelids.

And she was shocked.

As expected, Ichimaru Shiki was still in that spot.

But in just a brief moment, something had happened, as blood trickled from the corner of his mouth.

Though subtle, his face had also grown haggard.

Something had definitely occurred.

Yet, true to his nature, Ichimaru Shiki simply tilted his head and body casually, speaking as if nothing had happened.

He said.

"I'm back."

That, too, was an incomprehensible statement.