Chapter 284: Rin Becomes a Public Enemy (Patreon)

"So, you don't need me anymore?"

On the highway racing toward Ebisugaoka, Swordmaster Tomie's eyebrow arched, and she slammed her foot down on the brake.

Tires screeched against the asphalt in a short, sharp squeal as the stolen silver sports car came to a stop on the highway's emergency shoulder.

Swordmaster Tomie released the steering wheel, letting her full weight sink into the seat, the corner of her mouth curling with obvious displeasure.

"What do you think I am? Someone you can summon and dismiss at will?"

(Sorry, sorry, I really didn't expect Hinako to actually win.)

"Hmph." Swordmaster Tomie let out a cold laugh, tapping her fingers twice against the wheel. "Didn't expect it? Well, congratulations anyway — you've gained yet another powerful swordswoman as a capable helper."

A breeze swept past outside the window, lifting a few dry leaves along the roadside that flashed briefly across the glass.

(Oh my, are you jealous? What a strong whiff of sour grapes.)

Evil Cultivator Tomie's voice rang out in Swordmaster Tomie's mind, carrying an inappropriately flippant lilt. She was always like this — never sparing any mockery for a target she disliked.

"Idiot!"

Swordmaster Tomie's expression darkened, her hand tightening around the hilt of the Soul Reviver's Sword.

The other Tomies who were watching Amamiya Rin's actions fell momentarily speechless. Didn't this one know what mattered here? Who was the actual enemy right now? Wasn't it that plain country girl who had fused with Rin?

Even Kawakami Tomie, who prided herself on her composure and aloof dignity as a swordswoman, couldn't hold onto her cool. What are you even doing, causing trouble here!

(A swordswoman? Someone who just uses a sword as a weapon isn't the same as someone who actually practices swordsmanship, is she?)

A voice as if joking rang out across the [Tomie Network]. Clearly, in a situation like this, the only person who could still speak so leisurely was Amamiya Rin.

(Don't play dumb! Suddenly fusing with another woman! That's cheating! Cheating!)

Flesh-Mod Tomie snapped furiously.

(Right! That's way too much! Rin, you're cheating right in front of us!)

(Pah! Scumbag!)

(A cad juggling multiple women!)

(Heartless bastard!)

(Slut!)

(Philanderer!)

(Chaos-loving man!)

(Flirt with a wandering heart!)

...

Curses rose one after another across the [Tomie Network], each uglier and more absurd than the last, like tens of thousands of ducks holding a concert inside his head all at once.

For so long, Amamiya Rin's moral standards had been so high they made the Tomies feel like rats in a gutter by comparison. Now that they'd finally caught him in a slip, none of them bothered holding back — they dumped every ounce of pent-up anger and grievance straight onto him without mercy.

It was exactly like a pack of thugs swarming the moment they saw someone lose their footing.

Amamiya Rin felt as though, in the span of a few seconds, he'd been pierced through the heart by ten thousand arrows. Once the Tomies seized their chance, they truly showed no mercy at all.

What a bunch of absolutely terrible people.

Amamiya Rin sighed silently.

(Don't make Ultraman sound so filthy, you lot!)

(You're the one doing that! Don't make fusion sound so casual!)

(It's Oneness of Mind and Body...)

(Same thing!)

(It is NOT the same thing...)

"Abandoning me to get intimate with some plain country girl outside — after doing something so shameless, you still want to argue your way out of it? You piece of work, Rin!"

On a Shibuya street far from Tsunekiyoshi Jingu,

Flesh-Mod Tomie pressed her palm against a nearby lamppost, applying just a little pressure.

Igarashi Sakuko watched clearly as the metal pole cracked bit by bit beneath her palm, fine fractures spreading outward like a spider's web.

The light inside the lamp's cover flickered, giving off a faint crackle of electricity.

Igarashi Sakuko shivered and instinctively edged back behind Mara Tomie.

(Ugh! If it were possible, I'd want to fuse with all of you, rather than some outsider I just met. If Hinako Shimizu hadn't been in danger, needing an innocent life saved, I wouldn't have chosen to achieve Oneness of Mind and Body with her.)

Amamiya Rin's sigh carried through the entire [Tomie Network], and every Tomie could feel his disappointment, sincerity, and helplessness in it.

(Hmph! A scumbag always has a pile of excuses. No matter how you argue, you still did something you shouldn't have.)

Armaments Tomie kept her expression cold as she toyed with a modified handgun. If Amamiya Rin had been standing in front of her, she'd have shoved the barrel straight into his mouth.

(Exactly! What's with that "if it were possible"? As if we were the ones forcing you!)

(If you really felt that way, why didn't you say so sooner?)

(Saying it now is just hindsight talk!)

...

The scolding started up again, though noticeably weaker than before.

(Darling~~)

Mara Tomie didn't join in the barrage of curses. She simply leaned against the lamppost, tapping her fingertip lightly against the metal surface, once, then again, producing a crisp little sound.

(Sweet talk won't cut it, you know~~)

The corner of Mara Tomie's lips curved up slightly, light shimmering faintly in her eyes under the streetlamp, like ripples spreading across water at sunset.

(But, if it's a sincere apology... I might just accept it~~)

(I'm sorry!)

Amamiya Rin apologized without hesitation, his voice filled with genuine sincerity.

(Fusing with Hinako Shimizu really was something I had no choice about. In my heart, if I could choose, my ideal fusion partner would always be Kawakami Tomie. We spent over a hundred years together in the Dream World — the bond and understanding between us runs deeper than with anyone else. Only when we fuse together can our strength reach its true peak.)

Amamiya Rin's words came straight from the heart, without a trace of falsehood in them.

Through the [Tomie Network], hearts connected, and all the Tomies could feel the sincerity in his words.

Quite a few of them wore triumphant expressions.

But many more of them still weren't satisfied.

(Hmph! What good are words? Anyone can say pretty things.)

(If that's really how you feel, then why didn't you fuse with me instead of running off to fuse with some wild woman?)

A few of the less perceptive Tomies grumbled their accusations at Amamiya Rin.

(As for why...)

Amamiya Rin hesitated, the words caught in his throat. Did this question really need an answer?

(Idiot!)

Another Tomie snapped, her voice full of impatience, yet hiding something hard to put into words.

(It's because, obviously, there isn't a shred of light in our hearts. Without light, how could we achieve Oneness of Mind and Body with Ultraman?)

A wave of discontent spread through the [Tomie Network]. The Tomies who had been trying to attack Amamiya Rin, having completely overlooked this basic condition, suddenly fell silent. The mockery and cursing across the [Tomie Network] cut off abruptly, leaving only a suppressed quiet.

That's right — the urban legend named [Ultraseven] was a legend rooted in light, encompassing truth, goodness, beauty, and every fine quality within it. Without such qualities, how could anyone achieve Oneness of Mind and Body with Amamiya Rin and become an Ultraman?