Chapter 945: with translation of chapter title

NO．68：threat

「Cycle? 」

「Ah… Is this kind of thing happening again?! Spare me, did I originally already advance to sophomore year, and before that I was just repeating freshman year? 」

「That really isn't an illusion, is it? 」

「It's indeed reasonable in theory, but why must it be a cycle? 」

Four responses, corresponding to the four feedbacks of Ultraman/Ultraman Knight Alliance, Kaiju eugenics thought, and the entire Shima team.

This feedback naturally stems from Aomo's information sharing.

The reason he initially hid his investigation from Naito and the second generation was because he discovered that Naito and the second generation's viewpoints differed from his own.

This made him realize his own specialness.

Considering that incomplete information is not suitable for dissemination and sharing, he did not directly inform the two of them.

But now it's no longer necessary.

Even in the countless earlier intangible games, he had figured out the limits of what Black Sai could do, and therefore he could boldly infer that this situation had nothing to do with her.

And this operation, which resembles 'retracing the old path,' is also completely unlike something that little girl would do.

This is a phenomenon brought about by an existence whose power is greater, or whose influence is vaster, and which completely disregards how Black Sai thinks.

Although it's not impossible that there's a foolish possibility of a new strong enemy suddenly popping out from some obscure corner, once we set aside that far-fetched assumption, what can logically stand firm is obviously the 'Chaos Envoy.'

Of course, now it has a more concrete name.

「If it's that source of madness, when will He take action? 」

Bora, only 1.3 meters tall, stood before the rooftop railing and forcibly created a fence-like effect, gazing down at the campus scenery from the gaps between the vertical bars.

Perhaps it was because she couldn't bear to see the campus scenery destroyed.

Mad Origin/Source of Madness

A nominal title that's hardly different from 'Chaos Envoy,' making it hard to say whether it's simply to avoid the ire of the Cosmic Emperor.

But this name, hammered out through lively discussion by the new century's middle schoolers, was quickly accepted by everyone, swiftly superseding the title 'Chaos Envoy,' and rapidly becoming the formidable foe that everyone seriously discussed how to confront.

Regarding how easily this group believed the information he gave them…… Aomo felt moved, yet still hoped they would be a bit more cautious.

At the very least, raising a few more questions would satisfy his desire to explain the truth.

As it turned out, nobody asked further, so he could only skip that topic directly.

But after skipping this topic, what else could there be to talk about?

Could it be that we need to confirm the status, location, and combat level of the source of madness?

「Who knows, there's absolutely no related information. 」 Sai Luo said listlessly, leaning against the other side of the railing.

The game machines on Azalea Terrace aren't as fun as those in the Boundary Gate area, and whenever no monsters appear, Sai Luo is always listless like that.

Only when visiting the inner sea to inquire does he become enthusiastic and recount his great achievements.

But now it's class time, and days when his number-one fan isn't around are just that hard to endure.

「Sigh, why didn't I take Chen's place and go to the market with Shima? 」

Going grocery shopping for the next meal with Rokka's mom, and even getting to see fresh Earth ingredients, might actually be somewhat interesting.

「Because we don't really need that many people to buy, do we? 」 The similarly stationed Juuga felt somewhat helpless.

He had wanted not to miss a single second of the chance to accompany Shima-san, but Shima's rejection of his fervent admiration was always obvious.

However, this is also a good thing for everyone.

Compared to Juuga, who loses composure in both temperament and facial expression the moment he sees Shima, appearing somewhat creepy, he, who usually maintains an elegant, good-guy demeanor, is more readily accepted by everyone.

On this point, everyone would support Shima running away.

Except for Chen.

He has always been indifferent.

He could calmly handle any atmosphere, whether it was creepy or not, gay or not, but this time he voluntarily applied to join the 'Supply Team,' which was somewhat unexpected to those around him.

Aomo thought he might have foreseen something.

Kaiju controllers with sufficiently high synchronization rates occasionally exhibit abilities beyond the norm due to their sync with the kaiju.

Like sensing something, like foreseeing something……

His very act of speaking up on his own initiative was seen by Aomo as a sign that something unexpected might happen.

Thus, the 'leader' of the Kaiju Eugenics Thought naturally supported his decision, allowing him to smoothly join the team and take Juuga's place.

Thus, there was one more sad person on the rooftop.

However, seriously speaking, these few people all bear the mission of caretakers, responsible for monitoring and protecting the campus.

Excluding them, Naito and the second generation, who are tasked with surveying various locations for 'world stability,' constitute the most serious working group.

Besides that……

Helping Rokka's mom buy groceries and carry bags.

Taking advantage of the school festival's opening to the public, they visited the campus of Yuta and others, mingling with other students' lives.

Under the pretense of awaiting orders, they were street people looking for snacks in various shops……

These people simply couldn't be called serious.

It was entirely an attitude of 'Although we heard that a big showdown might be starting, since the fight hasn't begun we might as well go on with daily life~'.

Severely lacking a sense of urgency.

Of course, Aomo in their eyes was much the same.

After all, Aomo initially thought of seeking out Ultraman first because he couldn't confirm the aforementioned three points regarding the source of madness.

Furthermore, he once suggested that Yuta try to ACCESSFLASH the entire world, or rather the entire universe.

Not to mention whether this operation, which sounds like sleep talk, could actually be effective.

If it really works, where would the spirit of a fifteen- or sixteen-year-old boy who has just started his second year of high school be placed?

What would merging with the whole universe entail…… As for this question, innumerable Lovecraftian works have already imagined it.

Aomo was also once surrounded by a group of people in suits pointing and whispering, and even after he made his intentions clear and showed sincerity, he still only got a reply of "let's discuss it again".

And in the blink of an eye, half a year passed.

Again discussion?

As discussed!

In everyone's memory, it had been discussed several times, each time being a perfunctory proposal that was brushed past, almost becoming a settled decision to reject.

In the past half year, nothing has happened at all, and even monsters have appeared far less frequently.

Everyone is basically worrying needlessly, and Aomo's reaction is even more like a startled bird.

But now, everyone who has shared information must doubt their own memories, each feeling urgent, as if it's time to do something——

——That guy actually ran out on his own.

Without insisting on persuading Yu Tai, he instead became the "mall-goer" among the aforementioned teams.

"What state is that guy in? Has he given up on himself?"

"What?"

"Aomo, that guy who always puts on the airs of a leader."

"He... couldn't possibly have given up on himself."

Although they had known each other for only a short time, which is even shorter in Ultraman's age, Sai Luo still made that judgment.

Time can make people's relationships closer, but it's not the only thing that can achieve that.

Continuous shared hardship is also a test, a shortcut to seeing each other clearly.

Bo La doesn't understand this, but since Sai Luo said so, he stops doubting, after all, compared to their group that inherited the title "new century middle schoolers," Sai Luo Ultraman is the truly widely known hero.

"Then do you know what he's doing?"

"Look for clues, probably." Based on Sai Luo's view of Aomo's workaholic, efficiency-first cognition.

It's hard to imagine that guy really leisurely strolling the streets.

"What clues to look for on the street……" Bo La pondered.

"I just feel it's not very reliable."

——

At the same moment, on a street several li away from the school, Aomo, who did not go into that snack shop together with the nearby badger, merely held his tablet and walked to sit in front of a coffee shop.

"Can we chat? I'll buy you a drink……"

He said to the youth opposite him, lowering his gaze to the acrylic menu standing on the tabletop, and immediately spotted the obvious choice.

"Black coffee."

But when the black-haired youth opposite rose to leave, he heard a strange giggling sound from around, and promptly turned his gaze to the tabletop.

There, Aomo's two fingers pressed against a card.

Its bright yellow, bizarre posture seemed to mock him.

Geliza, a card that Aomo had always kept pressed in storage, only showing its value at times like this.

The value of threat.