Chapter 16

[Reminiscence] More importantly, it's OneShota (Part Three)

The situation is urgent.

Breaking through the door by force, we entered a vast space made of utter darkness, and it was there.

"Arisu... is that you...?"

It was understandable that Kakeru-kun would be at a loss for words, even for a moment.

What stood before us was not the cute third-grade girl, but a writhing, undulating mass of black darkness.

"Did you come from the outer world? No... I suppose I’m in no position to talk about that."

It's not something a reincarnated person from another world should be talking about, but something about that presence felt like it was from a completely different worldview. Just looking at it made me feel like I was being drawn in, like my SAN value was slowly being chipped away.

Fumu, activating my ability, Search. Ah, that's a human. Which means Arisu-chan is inside that thing after all.

"I’ll leave the persuasion to you. I'll drag the princess out of there."

"Yes...! Please be careful."

"I’ll be fine. Onee-san is strong."

I wonder if I should have stolen a light-attribute ability to counter this darkness. But no, that would overlap with Mea. As the original protagonist, overlapping with other characters is a big no-no.

Besides, using a ability that only works in specific circumstances would just waste valuable page space.

"Aaaaah..."

A scream-like voice echoes from the indescribable darkness.

As I approached, it lashed out with dark tentacles from its body.

I had no intention of letting myself get caught. I used telekinesis to enhance my mobility, weaving through the onslaught of countless tentacles.

She must really hate me.

The closer I got, the faster the tentacles lashed out. One grazed my side, and I had to retreat to regain my posture.

"Eight-san!"

"Don't worry. It's just a scratch."

Sorry, actually it hurts a lot. Though the specs of this body are generally high, pain is still pain.

I applied Healing Touch to the torn skin where my clothes had been shredded, sealing the wound and finding relief from the pain.

Just a graze and it still hurt this much? Those tentacles must be like needle holders made of darkness. (tl note: I believe it is referring to this: https://algopix.com/products/B0B8H5HQ77-japanese-flower-arrangement-pin-needle-ikebana-kenzan-flower-frog-art-fixed)

Alright, what will you do now, original protagonist?

"Arisu, stop this already!"

To halt Arisu-chan's fierce attack, Kakeru-kun called out desperately, protected by my barrier. That’s right, that’s right, that’s what you need to do.

I didn’t know how much was getting through to her, but nothing starts without trying.

Just like you have to write a fanfiction to get it going.

"...No, it’s probably my fault that you’ve been pushed this far... When Mom was gone, I didn’t know what to say to you, and I... I couldn’t think straight... I’m really, really sorry!"

While disrupting the tentacles with telekinesis, I immediately blasted it with a bolt of lightning.

The enemy was amorphous darkness itself. As expected, telekinesis wasn’t very effective, but when I hit her with lightning, the tentacles seemed to slow down a bit.

As expected, it has to be light.

"...The guy who ran over Mom has been caught. He was a villain with abilities, and after running away for a while, the Savers finally caught him."

As conventional wisdom suggests, darkness is weak to light. I tried various attacks, like punching it or dousing it with water, but the one that felt the most effective was the lightning-element ability, with its dazzling flash of light.

It paid off that I had stocked up on various abilities in preparation for the battle with the angels from the isekai arc.

Just like with small fry enemies, if I centered my attacks around lightning, I should be able to weaken that thing.

"I... At the time, I thought to myself. I want to be like those people someday... I don’t have any abilities, but I want to help people like you who are suffering because of bad guys."

However, stealing it requires grace.

Using brute force would make me look more like a robber than a phantom thief, and above all, it’s not cool.

"Just like how Mom always did for us."

Being cool takes the highest priority over everything.

This is one of my guiding principles, but above all, the "perfect cheat original protagonist" that I envision is someone who can seize a brilliant happy ending, no matter how grim the story gets. Even though I’m a TS original protagonist, HAHAHA.

"Mom… doesn't hate you. She’s just happy that you're safe… that’s what she would say. I'm sure of it."

And so, I was feeling on top of the world.

It’s a strange thing. What I’m doing now isn’t even contributing to the main plot, just a side task.

Yet, I was surprised by how excited I was feeling.

"...But you’re not like that, are you? You can’t forgive yourself, can you? For letting Mom die... Even though no one is blaming you, you couldn’t forgive yourself, right...? I get it... I feel the same way."

Yes, this is surely—

"Even if they say it was only the guy who hit her that’s at fault, there’s no way words like that could make us feel better. That’s right... The darkness in your isn’t something that can be soothed by a simple consolation..."

—because right now, I was reveling in how cool it I was to whimsically save a family on the verge of a bad end.

"But you know, Arisu... even if that darkness never goes away, we can still share the sadness! I may be an unreliable older brother, but... your wounds, Dad and I will bear them together with you!"

That’s why—

"That's why... let's suffer together, Arisu. I'm here with you."

From now on, I'll keep being the original protagonist. It doesn't matter what the goddess-like person's will is—this is my will.

"Oh princess trapped in the despair of solitude... I'll be taking your supernatural ability."

With the practiced expression I perfected in front of the mirror, I handed the target my calling card.

In the end, the battle took about 30 minutes to finish.

Of course, it was far more intense than I initially anticipated. It was a fierce struggle—though I was holding back to avoid injuring Arisu-chan, her darkness was so resilient that it was hard to land a decisive blow, leaving us at a stalemate.

But this is where T.P. Eight Olishua, the cheat original protagonist, truly shines. By skillfully weaving abilities like Compounding, Telekinesis, and Teleportation, with a focus on lightning based abilities, I managed to neutralize all of the tentacles.

There were a few close calls when her tentacles almost ensnared my legs and arms, but each time, I cut them off with the harp I had Compounded with my lightning-based abilities, avoiding any more suggestive situations. Sorry to disappoint you, gentlemen—tentacle play is not my thing! Even though it was a spur-of-the-moment idea, it turns out a harp can pack a punch. Man, using a musical instrument as a weapon isn't ideal.

After neutralizing the tentacles, I used a telekinetic jump to quickly close the distance to approach the point where I could touch Arisu, who was enveloped in darkness.

However, at that moment, Arisu-chan—or rather, the entire castle—began to change.

"The darkness is, being absorbed...? Arisu!"

The black darkness that had formed the castle began swirling toward the source of the indescribable shadow, getting sucked in. I braced myself, thinking it might be transforming into a second form, but something seemed off.

The indescribable shadow itself started to shrink, growing smaller and smaller.

Arisu wasn't becoming stronger as the darkness intensified. On the contrary…

She was willingly suppressing all of the darkness that filled this place.

"I see... you've managed to accept it... the darkness in your own heart."

As the indescribable shadow thinned to the point where I could almost see through it, my eyes met Arisu-chan's. Her gaze was filled with pain, sorrow, and anger, emotions all jumbled together.

Kakeru-kun, too, saw the expression on Arisu-chan's face and rushed over. But as a human without a supernatural ability, simply touching Arisu-chan's body, cloaked in darkness, caused him immense pain.

"Guh...! Aaaahhhh!!"

The moment he touched the darkness enveloping her, he screamed in agony. Yet, he refused to let go. No matter how much it hurt or how difficult it was, he held Arisu-chan tightly, determined to share her pain.

What the heck, you're pretty cool, aren't you?

His actions made me think that true heroes don't need special powers. Though it contrasted with me, the cheat original protagonist, I could still appreciate him as a hero in his own right.

"Ugh...! Aaaaahhhhh!!"

"Hang in there, Arisu! Don’t give up!! I... I’m with you!!"

As Arisu-chan struggled to absorb the massive darkness into her small body, her cries of pain echoed. Her brother, despite his body being torn up, continued to embrace her and encourage her, again and again.

His efforts were visibly affecting her ability.

The darkness was fading.

The castle was disappearing.

The darkness being absorbed was about to reunite with Arisu-chan.

This was the perfect chance to steal her ability.

If I succeeded, I could wipe out the darkness right away.

But I couldn’t do it.

Why, I wonder... I never thought I was this sentimental...

It felt like this "story" needed to reach its conclusion through the hands of their family, not mine.

However, at that rate, Kakeru-kun might collapse from exhaustion before Arisu-chan...

"I’m here, too."

"!!"

Though it was a bit impolite, I decided to lend a hand.

Instead of stealing her ability, I quite literally “lent him a hand.”

I supported Kakeru-kun from behind as he embraced Arisu-chan, and by activating Healing Touch, I restored their stamina enough for them to push through. A few minutes later, the castle of darkness vanished, and all the darkness was once again contained within Arisu-chan's body.

When everything was over, the three of us found ourselves on the roof of a regular house. The dark castle Arisu-chan had created must have reverted to its original form as the Yamikumo residence.

However, Kakeru-kun had no time to care about that. Without regard for the precarious footing, he rushed over to Arisu-chan, who I was holding in my arms.

"Arisu!"

"She’s fine. She’s just exhausted."

Don’t worry. Thanks to the Healing Touch, Arisu-chan didn’t have a single scratch on her perfect skin. However, after releasing such a tremendous power, she was now utterly drained. Her once promising face now looked completely worn out.

I hadn’t noticed it when she was in Burst state, but Arisu-chan wasn’t wearing anything. It seemed that the clothes she had been wearing were destroyed in the backlash of her ability. Even though she was still young, I felt bad for her, so I hurriedly took off my cloak and wrapped her in it like a towel. After all, the perfect cheat original protagonist is a gentleman, even with young girls.

Arisu-chan slowly opened her eyes in my arms and as she saw Kakeru-kun, tears welled up in her big eyes.

"Onii...chan... I..."

"Arisu... I’m so glad..."

Although her voice trembled, she was conscious.

Kakeru-kun was relieved to see this, but Arisu-chan, looking terribly apologetic, began to speak in a hesitant voice.

"I... I hated it... Even though it’s my fault that Mom died... I hated myself for trying to believe it wasn’t true..."

"Yeah... yeah..."

"I didn’t want to be alone... I… I couldn’t forgive myself..."

"It’s okay... it’s okay! You can forgive yourself! You can keep living!"

"I wanted to keep sleeping... I thought that if I did, I might see Mom again... but I couldn’t... I couldn’t meet her, Onii-chan..."

"Of course not... Of course not, you idiot Arisu! Mom would be mad and wouldn’t come to see you if you did something like that!"

"That’s right... isn’t it..."

I didn’t interrupt the serious conversation between the siblings. In fact, I was a little teary-eyed myself from their emotional exchange.

I had no intention on being a mother figure, but I gently rocked the little girl in my arms as if to lull her to sleep. Arisu-chan looked at me with a face full of relief, then slowly closed her eyes.

"No matter how painful or sad it gets... let's live together, as a family."

"I’m sorry... Onii-chan..."

──Mission complete.

However, I’m a wanted phantom thief.

Of course, things weren’t over just yet.

After everything had settled down, a member of the Savers finally arrived, shouting, "Sorry I’m late!"—and it turned out to be none other than Rikidou Chouta. Why was he here? This wasn’t even his jurisdiction.

After taking in the sight of me holding Arisu-chan, an exhausted Kakeru-kun , and Yamikumo Papa recounting the whole ordeal as a witness, he quickly assessed the situation and said, "Uhh, the reported incident has been safely resolved thanks to the courageous cooperation of some civilians! We are eternally grateful! We’ll come by for questioning another day... for now, please rest! Later!" Despite realizing I was T.P. Eight Olishua, the phantom thief, he turned a blind eye and let me go.

Well, I hadn’t stolen anything from Arisu-chan yet, anyway. When Kakeru-kun defended me, Chouta muttered, "I really wanted to say it! I wanted to say that line!" I have no idea what that was about.

As a member of the law enforcement organization, I couldn’t help but wonder how that was acceptable. But since he acted this way in the original work, it made sense. Thanks to him, I didn’t have to use teleportation.

I was tired that day too. If I had teleported away and gotten ambushed by the police or bad guys, that would’ve been a real problem.

Because of Chouta’s thoughtful gesture, I was invited to stay at the Yamikumo household by both Papa-san and Kakeru-kun. That night, we shared dinner together. I even borrowed the bath, and at one point, I ended up washing each other’s backs with Arisu-chan when she woke up. It was quite the perk, but since I currently identify as a TS original protagonist, there was nothing sexual about it. Considering her age, feeling anything would make me a pedophile, regardless of gender identity. I’m a wholesome protagonist.

In the bath, I gave her advice about various things. As a result, Arisu-chan grew attached to me and asked me to stay overnight, but… I’m a phantom thief. That wasn’t an option.

I woke up in the middle of the night, and quietly slipped out of the bedroom, smiling as I saw the siblings peacefully sleeping together.

Just as I finished changing and was about to leave through the second-floor balcony, I heard a voice behind me—Kakeru-kun, who I thought was still asleep.

"Eight-san..."

"Oh?"

This kid has sharp instincts.

Though I thought he was fast asleep, it turns out Kakeru-kun had been pretending. He had been keeping watch, lying there between Arisu-chan and me, waiting for me to slip away.

In his hand, he was holding the silk hat and cloak I had left behind in their bedroom.

"...You forgot something."

Reluctantly, Kakeru-kun said this and politely returned my belongings... but of course, I had left them behind on purpose.

"You can have them."

"Eh?"

"I said I'm giving them to you. I have a few more of the same hat and cape anyway."

That was true, but it was also a bit of a lie.

The truth is, Arisu-chan really liked the cape, and Kakeru-kun was clearly attached to the silk hat, so I wanted to give them a parting gift. Seeing the two of them happily taking care of the items together before bed, washing them and all, made me feel a sense of warmth. It was like my presence, as the original protagonist, had somehow brought them closer together.

Honestly, I felt a little bad for leaving most of the persuasion to Kakeru-kun when dealing with Arisu-chan earlier. It weighed on me a bit as the original protagonist.

"...It feels like we've just been receiving things from you all day... Truly, thank you very much."

"Now then, who’s really the one receiving?"

After all, I got something too. I gained an ability from Arisu-chan after putting her to sleep, and Kakeru-kun allowed me to be part of this entire event.

Yeah, if I think of helping them as part of the reward I received, it’s a win-win for both sides.

With that, I turned on my heels, opened the window, and let the night breeze wash over me, my short black hair fluttering lightly.

Ah, what a refreshing feeling. Instead of using teleportation today, it might be nice to leap through the night sky using Telekinesis.

Just as I was about to step out, Kakeru-kun’s strong voice rang out.

"Um...! I want to be like you!"

His words, filled with resolve, stopped me in my tracks.

"I want to be someone like you, who can save the people important to them... I have no abilities, and I couldn’t save my sister on my own... But even someone like me, can I ever become like you!?"

"You can't."

"...!"

"No matter how hard you try, you will never be me."

...Yeah, that was a surprise, but when you ask me that question, that's the only answer I can give.

I’m a cheat original protagonist, and Kakeru-kun has no supernatural ability. For him to become like me, he’d have to die in another world and meet with a goddess-like person first... and I’m not cruel enough to recommend that with a smile.

Besides, there can only be one cheat original protagonist in this world. Sure, there’s Mea-chan, but she’s a senior, so she’s an exception.

"And besides, you shouldn’t want to be. I’m a phantom thief, after all."

"Oh..."

That’s an important point, okay? Sure, today I was eager to help you guys, but being idolized like a hero makes me feel uneasy inside.

So I turned around again, placed my hand on his cheek, and looked him straight in the eyes as I explained.

"Anyone can be a hero. It can be as simple as… putting a coat on the shoulders of a wounded boy and telling him that the world hasn’t ended yet."

"...!"

I said it! I said it!

Speaking of original protagonists, this is it! Quoting a famous hero’s line at just the right moment!

Honestly, I never thought I’d get the chance to say that line. In that sense, Kakeru-kun was truly a savior for me.

"Even without any supernatural abilities, someone like you, who understands human weakness better than anyone else... can absolutely become that kind of person."

"...Eight, san..."

After delivering the hero’s famous quote, I made sure to add my own words. It’s important to personalize it—makes me seem like a sincere original protagonist.

With that, I snatched the cape from his hands and tied it around his collar. Then, I placed the hat on his head, completing the look of a little hero.

"Good luck, boy. Your fight is just beginning."

And with those words, I finally leaped off the balcony. In my mind, I played an epic ending theme to go with it. Gotta love those dramatic exits, right?

Yes, Kakeru-kun’s battle is just beginning.

And so, my own battle (original protagonist life) continues!

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