Only I know that this world will end – 079 | Sousaku – 創作

Special Powers

　Karube turned his emotionally unreadable gaze to the battle axe on the floor and immediately turned his eyes to Akira, who gave him a small bow of his head.

"My name is Minoru Karube and I am a senior self-defense officer in the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force. I heard you were awake, so I came to greet you, Ichijou-san."

　Akira gave a small nod in response.
　From then on, Akira listened to the words he spoke. The content was no different from what he had heard before; there was nothing new.
　While half-listening to these words, Akira suddenly heard something that caught his attention.


"The person named Ichijou Akira surely must possess a special power that we do not have. I became convinced of this shortly before you woke up."
"……What do you mean? "


　Akira, who had been responding with whatever suitable response was appropriate up to that point, involuntarily turned to listen to the unfamiliar words.
　Then Karube moved his gaze and muttered.


"Is 'that' not part of your power? "


　Karube's gaze fell on a battle axe resting on the floor.
　While staring at the axe, Karube continued his words.

"By the time we realized it, this axe had already been brought to this hospital room. No, I would rather say that it was placed. It is something that could barely be lifted by a group of four adults who had acquired physical strengthening. Its size is also about the size of an adult male. It would be next to impossible to carry this axe this far without anyone knowing about it."

　With that, Karube paused in his speech and turned his attention back to Akira.
　Then, staring into Akira's eyes, he let out the words he had been holding back.


"……This is the axe of the minotaur you defeated. Is it not? "


　At these words, Akira let out a small sigh.


(…I knew this would happen.)


　The Self-Defense Forces, which had been conducting the analysis of the Minotaur's corpse before it disappeared, would have confirmed that the axe had fallen by its side.
　Despite this, the axe that they saw in that residential neighborhood was present in the hospital room somehow.
　There was no way that they, the SDF, would not question this fact.
　As a result, it could be a factor that would lead one to conclude that this was an effect of the power that the man, Ichijou Akira, possessed.

(I don't blame them.)

　As originally planned, Akira decided to tell them that he was repeatedly returning from death.
　Akira's serious expression must have made Karube realize that he, too, was about to say something important.
　Watching him naturally straighten his back, Akira slowly mouthed the words.

"My power…… Yes, you could put it that way. Certainly 'that' has a lot to do with my power. …………Karube-san, are you familiar with the term "time leap"? "
"Time leap, huh? I don't know much about the Sci-Fi topics related to that area, but I know as much as anyone else."

　Akira nodded his head in agreement and continued to talk to Karube.
　About his own power. That he has repeated this world over and over again. As a result, he also defeated that minotaur and got here.
　When he told him that the Minotaur's axe was now by his side because of that power, Karube said, "I knew it," and let out a big sigh. His expression was cheerful as if all the doubts that had been building up over the past years had been resolved.

"Then, does it relate to the fact that you're level 1 right now? "
"Well, that power has a lot of impact."

　Akira nodded at Karube's words.
　Karube nodded his head in agreement. He then pondered for a moment and asked Akira another question.

"What will happen to the world from now on……? Do you know? "
"…………That's something I don't know yet. But if things continue as they are, there is little doubt that the world will eventually come to an end."

　At these words, Karube let out a deep sigh.

"Yes, so first of all…… We have to beat the bosses to reduce the progression of the world reversal rate or whatever that is. And it can only do so at this point in time…… by you, Ichijou-san."

　Akira gave a small nod in response.
　The words Karube then spoke were what he had heard before.
　After hearing all of this, Akira now decided to do the opposite and ask Karube what had been bothering him.


"……Excuse me. There's one thing I'd like to know."
"Yes, what is it?"
"There must have been a woman named Nanase Nao in this hospital. Where is she now? "

　Karube's eyes widened at these words.
　Then, once he opened his mouth, he quickly closed it and looked at Akira with a thoughtful expression on his face, as if he had realized something.

"I wondered how you knew about her, Ichijou-san, having just woken up…… You were repeating this world, right? So it's only natural that you know that Nanase-san is here."

　Muttering, Karube stopped speaking.


　Then, after a long pause, he slowly let these words out.


"…………Nanase-san is sleeping now."
"Sleeping? "
"Yes. This was just before you woke up, Ichijou-san. We were fighting against Killer Bees when suddenly, in the middle of the fight, Nanase-san……became delirious screaming out loud. She was in a state of crying and screaming at the sight of the monsters, so right now she…… has taken some pills to help her sleep."
"…………"


　Akira was speechless at these words.
　This was because he was the only one in the world who knew the cause of the incident that had happened to Nanase Nao.
　Suddenly, he was struck with an intense dizziness.
　A cramping sensation in the stomach followed by a sharp pain.
　He felt his vision rapidly losing color and even sound fading into the distance.

『Ichijou-san? 』

　It seemed to him that Karube, staring anxiously at Akira in a soundless world, had said so.


　The lost color and hearing eventually slowly return to Akira.
　The dizziness that had been overtaking his body and the pain in his stomach eventually faded away, and all that was left of Ichijou Akira was his anger toward himself and his intense self-loathing.