Love You Seventh Night: 05 [Scar] ◇ (71) (Patreon)

*Seventh Night: 05 [Scar] ◇*

Dammit.

Dammit all.

Damn it all to hell!

Sayoko kept running, scattering fresh blood.

Her right hand had lost its thumb, index finger, the base of the middle finger, and about a third of her palm, exposing the bone. She couldn't tell if the pink parts were flesh or tendon. Her middle finger, connected to her hand by only a sliver of skin, dangled and swung with every step she took.

Unbearable pain continued to assault Sayoko, causing tears to stream endlessly from her eyes.

(I was careless, I let my guard down!)

Kyoka's words crossed her mind again.

『What you need to be careful of isn't just the powerful ability they drew illegally. They might have made alterations beyond just the ability, in ways that wouldn't be noticed by the viewers.』

It was exactly as she had said.

Sayoko had deduced that [Heartbreak] was using a cheat to detect her opponent's direction, and her prediction, including its performance, had been correct.

But she hadn't been able to see through the other illegal act that Militza had prepared for Violet, the alteration to create the strongest ability user...

(That woman, her ability, it automatically, on its own! It can intercept!)

"[Check Ability Details]"

As she muttered hoarsely, a string of characters floated up in front of her, running alongside her.

Ability Name: [Heartbreak]

・Arbitrarily generates a barrier that disintegrates solid matter.

・Steals the kinetic energy of the disintegrated object.

The notation was the same as before. The words "reacts automatically" had not been added anywhere.

(It's a trap, this is.)

Yes, it was a trap. And this illegally added function was the very reason that made [Heartbreak] the strongest ability user.

In the previous engagement... [Heartbreak] herself hadn't even noticed she was being attacked until Sayoko dropped the crowbar. After that, she was so flustered she couldn't grasp the situation. And yet, her ability had perfectly defended against the attack.

It was likely that [Heartbreak] was designed to activate and defend against attacks regardless of the user's will or intent.

It was the same when she threw the small spanner. Just like with the crowbar attack, the spanner turned to dust without touching [Heartbreak]. But below it, the concrete at her feet, which had rippled in a circle...

(That was [Heartbreak]'s automatic defense!)

It was probably a range of less than a meter in radius from the user. In a space of that size, it had generated a barrier that completely enveloped her. Unlike when she generated a barrier at an arbitrary point, it was a hidden function that instantly defended her entire circumference.

The reason her feet had seemed to ripple at that time was probably because the barrier was thinly disintegrating the surface of the concrete and asphalt, turning it into powder. That process must have appeared to her eyes as a "shuddering" ripple.

Sayoko analyzed this while writhing in pain.

(...An invincible fortress.)

Such a phrase suddenly came to mind. But it symbolized [Heartbreak]'s combat power in a single word.

"Hah, hah."

She was out of breath. She had been forced to repeat the cycle of running for a while, taking a short break, and then running again. On top of that, she was seriously injured. It was likely a development that was far too harsh for a powerless girl.

As if a thread had snapped, Sayoko leaned her back against a utility pole on the side of the road. Against [Heartbreak], the act of hiding somewhere was now completely meaningless.

(If...)

The girl looked at the part of her that had once been her right hand, while drool, tears, and snot ran down her face.

She took off her scarf with her left hand, and using her mouth and hand, she tied up her right hand, pulling it as tight as she could to make a simple tourniquet. She considered whether it would be better to take off her tights and tie them, but she didn't have time for that, so she compromised.

In the first place, Sayoko had no medical knowledge. This act, which couldn't even be called a treatment, was little more than a comfort, but right now, what she needed was exactly that, a comfort.

(No, Sayoko. If I lose here, and [Heartbreak] and Eri-chan's [Gunstar Heroines] end up fighting, what will happen?)

Until a moment ago, she had thought that Erika would win. No, she had been under the illusion that she would. But now, it was different.

(Eri-chan... [Gunstar Heroines]... they can't, they absolutely can't win.)

That invincible fortress's automatic defense. It could never be broken by live ammunition.

And the sentence written in the additional clause, "Steals the kinetic energy of the disintegrated object." It must have a decisive meaning against long-range attack abilities like [Gunstar Heroines].

No matter how many bullets she showered her with, no matter how fast the bullets she fired, the moment the disintegration began, the kinetic energy would be stolen, and they would fall. Sayoko didn't know what would happen if the human body were showered with high-speed metal powder... but she couldn't even hope for that.

(I can't defeat her. I can't even stop her.)

It was beyond a bad matchup. It was a threat that couldn't even be compared to the time with [Mobile Armor].

"No."

Absolutely not.

I can't let that thing live.

I can't let her meet Eri-chan!

I have to kill it, I have to!!

...Just as strength returned to Sayoko's eyes, which had been growing hazy with pain...

"Gah."

Sayoko bit down on her right middle finger, which was hanging by a sliver of skin, and with a shake of her jaw, she bit it off. Then, she savored the taste of her own bone, flesh, and blood in her mouth, and chewed.

"Disgusting."

She spat it out. By the time she spat a second time, her face had completely regained its fighting spirit.

Sayoko.

Mido Sayoko.

By daring to take half a step into madness, she had held her sanity together.

"I'll do it, I'll do it."

That's right. I'll kill her.

I'll finish that woman off.

If I can't defeat her here, what's the point of me?

If I can't save Eri-chan, what value is there in my life?

It's okay. I can do it. No, I will do it.

...Something red, black, and viscous was painting over Sayoko's heart. It secreted a large amount of endorphins, reducing her sense of pain and masking her fatigue.

"Resolve surpasses all."

Mido Sayoko, in this short time, in just this much time... had returned to a state where she could fight again.

(How do I get past that defense?)

The most realistic option was fuel and fire. But she didn't have the luxury of preparing them.

Her location was already being tracked, and obstacles were meaningless. She wouldn't be given time to search houses for fire-starting tools. Above all, if she took too much time, she would bleed out.

Then, how would she bring down that fortress?

(Think, think.)

Her eyes fell on a company van parked on the side of the road. Could she get gasoline from that car? Sayoko considered it for a moment, but...

(No, that's no good. I heard somewhere that recent cars are designed to make it difficult to siphon gasoline from the fuel filler neck to prevent theft. I don't have any tools, so that would be difficult.)

She remembered information she had learned while looking up how to make Molotov cocktails and shook her head.

"A car... couldn't I at least crash it into her... no, that's no good... a car... a car... huh?"

A feeling like a spark. A momentary flash of inspiration connecting fragments of memory.

"That's right."

There was. There was a way.

It wasn't just the heat of fire that could penetrate the defense of that invincible fortress.

(If it's that thing.)

There was a powerful blow that could only be used against that invincible fortress, or rather, could only be activated because it was that invincible fortress. And what's more, it was a move that Sayoko, in her current state, battered and bruised, could use right away on this battlefield.

A shiver ran down her spine, the hairs on her body standing on end. With bloody saliva dripping from the corner of her mouth due to the finger she had just held in it... the girl's lips curled up, and her eyes narrowed.

"It's okay, Eri-chan. I'll make sure to kill that thing for you."

***

2025.01.04

Rinri Kiyo-sensei, the artist of the manga version of Anayuru, drew a 2025 New Year's SayoEri for us!

Since it's the year of the snake, they're in white snake-themed white military uniforms & makeup (´∀｀) They're cute.

Please take a look~!