Chapter 15: The Gamer and the Samurai

“Cheers!!”

Late that night, the mission had been a success, and the soldiers were ecstatic.

“Did you see that?! This is our power!”

“At this rate, we’ll take back Japan!”

“Invaders, get ready to meet your end!”

Fueled by alcohol, they were getting increasingly rowdy.

For soldiers who had never tasted true victory before, tonight was an overwhelming triumph.

“Come on, Isshin-san, join in!”

“Ah… sure…”

“Kaguya-chan! Where’s your husband?”

“He’s NOT my husband!! Ugh… but now that you mention it, where did he go?”

“He’s the star of the night! Go find him so we can drink together!”

“We’re technically still underage, you know… but I guess that doesn’t matter anymore. Not like there’s any law left to enforce it.”

At that moment, Isshin stood up and left the room.
Noticing something off about his demeanor, Kaguya silently followed him.
Normally, he would be the most excited one in times like this.

“So this is where you were.”

It was a warehouse where the KOG was stored.
A lone boy sat there, gazing at the massive machine.
The warehouse doors were open, revealing the moonlit sky.

“Isshin-san…”

“Come sit with me.”

Isshin lifted a bottle of sake and two small cups, grinning.
Kaguya watched from the shadows of the KOG.

“I’ve never had alcohol before.”

“Doesn’t matter. Just one sip. Even if you fake it, the ritual itself is what’s important.”

Isshin poured the sake into their cups, and after filling his own, they clinked them together in a quiet toast.

“…It tastes awful.”

“Kaguya said the same thing. Guess you kids are still just that—kids.”

A slow silence followed.
Yet, it wasn’t uncomfortable.
If anything, it felt… reassuring.
Isshin had a presence like that of a father.

“Thank you for today.”

“I’m just glad I could help.”

“Yeah. But what about you? Are you happy?”

“If everyone else is happy, then…”

Kenya couldn’t finish the sentence.
If he were honest with himself, he didn’t feel happy about this victory.
If anything…

“You’re bothered by it, aren’t you? That was your first time killing someone.”

“…Yes.”

Isshin had seen right through him.
From that moment on the comms, he had known that Kenya was troubled by it.

“That feeling is normal. I’ve killed more times than I can count. If it’s an enemy, I don’t feel a thing anymore… or maybe it’s more accurate to say I forced myself not to.”

“Today, for the first time, I took down an enemy—no, I killed them. I don’t think it was wrong. But… I don’t know if it was right either.”

Kenya looked up at the KOG.
Bathed in the moonlight, its dark frame glowed faintly.

“There’s no way to prove what’s right. Every person has their own story, their own justice.”

“…No wonder war never ends. I used to ask why people fought in the first place.”

Since coming to this world, Kenya’s mindset had been shifting.

Back in peaceful modern Japan, he had believed that war should never happen.
That even if life was a little unfair, it was better to endure than to resort to violence.

But now?

Could he really say the same thing to these people?
To those who had already lost everything?

Endure it?
He couldn’t say that to them.
But then… what was the right answer?

He still didn’t know.

“Isshin-san… what do you think?”

“When you’re lost, remember your purpose.
That one, unwavering belief in your heart.
The thing you will never, ever compromise on.”

Isshin lightly tapped Kenya’s chest.

“Do you have something like that? Something inside here?
That one, unshakable conviction that holds up your sense of justice?”

A warmth spread through Kenya’s chest.
Isshin’s words carried weight.

“I won’t claim that killing is right. But I will kill. If it means freeing the people suffering under this regime and restoring their lives—I’ll kill as many as it takes.”

Isshin’s eyes burned with conviction.

He had already passed the point of doubt.
Long before Kenya had even started wrestling with these thoughts, Isshin had decided.
That he would take lives without hesitation.

Kenya searched his own heart.

“What’s the one thing I won’t give up on…?”

An image flashed through his mind.

Kaguya. And Reina.

Once, they had only been characters in a game.
He had convinced himself it was just a silly crush.

But after being transported to this world—
Meeting them, talking to them, touching them, fighting alongside them—

Now, he knew his feelings were real.

And so—

“Yes. I will protect Kaguya. That is the one thing I will never compromise on.”

He answered without hesitation.
Because this was the one thing he could declare with absolute certainty.

Isshin smiled warmly.

“Heh. You’ve got it bad, don’t you? She’s quite the woman, isn’t she?”

“Yes. I love her.”

“I won’t let you have her easily. You’ll need to be the kind of man who can save this entire country first.”

“Then… I accept that challenge! I’ll become that man!”

With a bold declaration, Kenya downed the rest of his sake.
But it was his first time drinking, and his tolerance was non-existent.

“Hey, wait! That’s pretty strong stuff—are you okay?”

“…Huh? My head feels… weird… Ah…”

Suddenly, his vision swam.
So this was what being drunk felt like.

With a dizzy sway, Kenya collapsed onto the ground.

Unfortunately, it seems alcohol wasn’t his strong suit.

The weight of his worries had finally lifted.

Though he couldn’t take joy in having killed, if he were to face the same situation again, Kenya knew—he would draw his sword once more, and he would kill again.

Something inside him settled, a realization clicking into place.

As a result, the tension drained from his body, and he fell into a peaceful sleep.

“Haha, this doesn’t bode well for the future… Kaguya, you’re there, aren’t you?”

“W-Why?!”

At his words, Kaguya, who had been hiding, peeked out.

Her face was redder than Isshin had ever seen before.

Seeing this, Isshin chuckled.

“T-This is just the alcohol! It’s the alcohol’s fault!”

Kaguya desperately tried to hide her face, waving her hands in front of it as if trying to cool the burning heat.

“Relax, Kenya’s already asleep. Come over here and take over.”

He shifted Kenya, who was leaning against him, over to Kaguya.

“I’m counting on you. I’ll head back—I need to keep the party going. It’s a well-earned victory, after all.”

Kenya, now resting on Kaguya’s lap, breathed softly in his sleep.

His face remained flushed from the alcohol, unconscious and peaceful.

(At least for tonight, accept this as your reward, samurai of Japan’s hope.)

With that thought, Isshin turned and left.

The word “samurai” traced back to its original meaning—to protect. And that was the message he left for the young boy.

Now, only Kaguya and Kenya remained.

“Honestly… I don’t get you. Why are you always…”

Kaguya recalled the words she’d overheard earlier, words so embarrassingly sweet they made her want to disappear.

No one had ever told her they loved her before.

Her youth had been anything but normal—she had never even fallen in love.

And yet, she couldn’t take her eyes off this boy.

The boy who had so openly and sincerely told her he liked her.

She didn’t fully understand this feeling—what it meant, where it would lead.

But one thing was clear.

“Really… what a weird guy. But…”

She gently ran her fingers through his hair as he slept.

“Thank you… for fighting alongside everyone today.”

Gratitude filled her heart.

And as she gazed at the sleeping boy on her lap, her heart pounded so loudly it felt like he might hear it.

The full moon above shone down on the two of them, as if Kaguya-hime herself might descend from the sky.

Behind them, the KOG stood in quiet illumination.

Today, the mere gamer had truly become a samurai—one who had something worth protecting.

By fully realizing this, his heart had begun to change.

From here on, the world that had been enjoying a fleeting peace would soon be thrust into turbulent times.

What role would this irregular existence, this boy, play in the fate of this world? No one yet knew.

But there was one thing he understood, one conviction he would never waver on.

“I will protect the heroine.”

That singular resolve became the core that would support his every action—
The pillar that would uphold the justice he believed in.

“Good night… Kenya.”

The sleeping samurai, for now, remained unaware—
Unaware that the success of this operation would soon bring catastrophe.

Unaware of what it truly meant to make an enemy of the rulers of this world.

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