C100
"Shirone...."
Amy held Shirone's hand with her eyes swollen from crying. The teachers were also in a state of confusion, so no one came to see them. No, perhaps they had already accepted the fact that Shirone was dead.
But Amy shook her head in denial. She couldn't think of Shirone as dead. There were too many uncertainties to call it an obsession.
Nade offered words of comfort.
"Don't worry, senior. Shirone will come back."
"That's right. It doesn't make sense logically. Why would he die? If he was going to die because he cast Mass Teleport, it shouldn't have activated in the first place. Something strange definitely happened to Shirone."
Iruki frowned in disapproval. He had been watching over Shirone all night, but there was nothing more foolish than mistaking a dead person for a living one.
"If we go by that logic, Arcane should have survived too. Just casting magic can be enough to kill someone."
"The situation is different with Arcane! Shirone completely opened the Immortal Function. That's a completely different issue from the decline of brain function!"
"Either way, exceeding capacity is the same. Humans can die from any variable. What's important is whether he's dead or alive, not arguing about why he died."
Nade frowned. Even if it were true, there were things you could say and things you shouldn't say in front of a girlfriend. Just as he was about to retort, Amy approached Iruki with cold eyes..
"You haven't changed; you're still as unpleasant as ever."
Iruki looked at Amy with his chin resting on the table. Her eyes were burning red.
'It's the Karmis family. Well, if she has red eyes, she would be immune to mental magic.'
Red eyes were a famous trait on the continent. The only thing that could invade their minds would be Anti-Magic, so it was understandable that she escaped the Abyss Nova. However, his thoughts went no further, and he turned his gaze away with a lack of interest..
"It's not a good habit to blame others for your bad mood."
"No. You're the one ruining the atmosphere. What are you? Are you really Shirone's friend? How can you think that Shirone might be dead?"
"I didn't think he might be dead. I said he's dead."
"That's even worse! And you, as a Class Five, how dare you use informal speech?"
"If it bothers you, report it to the student council. I don't care about disciplinary action."
Unable to hold back, Amy approached him, grabbed Iruki's collar, and lifted him up using Schema's power. Iruki's legs were lifted off the ground.
"Say it again. But this time, you better say it right."
"Oh, scary."
There was no emotion in Iruki's eyes. He just stared down at Amy with his empty eyes. However, Amy was the kind of person who would not hesitate to do anything if she turned inside out as well.
"Repeat after me. Shirone isn't dead. If you don't, you'll end up lying next to him."
"Shirone is dead."
"Shirone isn't dead! Hurry up and repeat after me!"
"I said Shirone is dead."
Amy's crimson eyes flickered. Aiming for Iruki's third or fourth tooth with the accuracy designed from her self-image memory, she threw a punch. However, Iruki's expression didn't change. Seeing the speed decrease, it was clear that she intended to stop right in front of his lips.
As expected, Amy stopped her movement just before the strike. As her fist, filled with resentment, trembled, Iruki spoke indifferently.
"Ah, that's a relief."
"Don't laugh! You're such an annoying Savant. Someone like you wouldn't even understand why I stopped my fist."
Amy couldn't hit Iruki. No matter how much she hated him, he was still Shirone's friend.
"Stopped your fist, you mean. Just wasted your energy?"
Sparks flew in Amy's eyes.
"So, with that busted mouth, you're saying Shirone is dead too? Do you know? Someone like you doesn't even deserve to have friends."
"Maybe so. But do you deserve it?"
"What's your problem? You’re really...!"
Amy pulled his collar again and raised her fist. Then, Iruki frowned at her for the first time and shook her hand that was holding his collar.
"Ouch, hey!"
As Amy looked at him while shaking her hands, Iruki walked over to the bed and pointed at Shirone.
"You guys are the pathetic ones. Does this really look alive to you? He doesn't breathe and his heart has stopped! And yet, you guys are still babbling nonsense like he's actually alive, or something strange happened. What kind of friends are you!"
"So what do you want me to do! Shirone is in this situation, what do you want me to do!"
"That's why I'm telling you to think!"
Iruki shouted with an excited expression that was not usually seen.
"Do you think a dead person will come back to life if you just believe they're alive? Instead of wasting your energy on such nonsense, try thinking of a way to bring a dead person back to life!"
Unable to find a response, Amy finally realized the truth and hung her head. Iruki was right. Shirone was mathematically dead.
Nade said with a sad expression.
"I understand what you're saying. But, Iruki, how can we save him? There's no way to bring back the dead... right?"
“Hmph, that’s your limit.”
Tags:
Infinite Mage (Novel)
