Chapter 37 – So That's How It Is
Seeing the young queen on the verge of tears, Hikigaya felt somewhat puzzled. He thought back to how in the original work, the scumbag protagonist seemed to handle the "central air conditioning" act pretty easily, so he gave it a try himself, and the result… Why was it that when he tried it, the air he emitted turned out to be cold instead?
"I think you should calm down," Hikigaya said helplessly, withdrawing his hand and standing up.
He was indeed quite curious about what had happened to Nefertari, but not to the extent that he would dwell on it.
What intrigued him more was the vision that had just suddenly appeared.
He had seen Horus' wings block out the sun, seen the faces of the gods burning in the sky, a vast cloud of smoke swallowing human cities.
He had also seen pyramids trembling in the quaking earth, tens of thousands of people surging past them like a tidal wave.
Rivers on the land had dried up, no grass grew. Fragmented images pieced together a scene straight out of an apocalypse.
What on earth had happened?
Compared to these terrifying images, Nefertari's sobs weren't even worth mentioning.
Hikigaya was a god-slayer, but that didn't mean he was immune to the horrors embedded in those visions.
Who said the spirit vision powers he had seized from the gods couldn't cross the river of time?
What if what he saw was destined to happen in his own time?
Horus! It must have been Him!
A transmigrated god-slayer and a transmigrated god—what kind of effect would that combination have? Far beyond what he could imagine.
He should have realized this earlier.
This wasn't the modern world; its ability to withstand supernatural forces was far weaker than that of the modern era.
"Where... where are you going?" came a timid voice from behind him.
Hikigaya turned around and saw the fear and anxiety in Nefertari's eyes.
Should he give her a "good girl go to sleep" karate chop for her troubles? Probably not a good idea—she looked fragile, and she wasn't that dumb, like thestubborn Yukino he lived with day
and night. Hard to gauge the strength. What if he accidentally gave her a crooked neck? That wouldn't be good.
Maybe he should go with the "Uncle Psyche's Become-a-Dummy-in-One-Night Starter Pack"? People underestimate dummies, but they eat well, are full of energy, and even if life hands them stress, they just gobble it up.
Act first, think later—that had always been Lord Hachiman's excellent quality. It's also what made him a god-slayer.
Come to think of it, he had abandoned this fine quality somewhere along the way.
That was sad. Especially recently, he hadn't been living carefree at all.
He used to think when watching time-travel dramas that the characters who kept harping about "history is immutable" were idiots.
Now he seemed no better than them.
Hikigaya waved his hand.
A gray mist spread out from his gesture, and Nefertari's gaze immediately turned dazed.
"Sleep," Hikigaya said.
Nefertari stood up in a trance and walked toward her chambers.
See? The problematic girl just became a quiet beauty. Problem solved—rejoice!
Hikigaya turned around, and in the next moment, he became intangible—like wind—sweeping through palace corridors and gardens, reappearing in his own room.
On his bed, Yukinoshita Haruno was sleeping like a koala, completely naked, clamping a pillow tightly between her legs with a blissful look on her face, as if she were dreaming of something delightful.
Damn it, her sleeping posture was as perverted as ever!
So Hikigaya raised his palm like the Buddha himself and gave her a solid slap on her bare butt, sending out a shocking wave of indecency.
Haruno's eyes opened in a daze, staying blank for a moment before clearing up.
"I don't want it anymore," she murmured. "I'm tired today."
That's supposed to be my line!
Hikigaya threw her his dead fish eyes at full power, then said, "Get up. Plans have changed. We're not waiting for the Minoans anymore. We're going to find your sister. Now."
Originally, he hadn't been in a hurry, since he could sense Yukino was safe.
But after witnessing that spirit vision, he no longer thought that way.
The burning faces in the sky were so hideous, and they clearly weren't human.
Everything had become uncontrollable.
In fact, Hikigaya had long suspected that the relationships between gods might be even more hostile than their relationships with god-slayers.
Divine essence probably did more than just grant immortality. If gods really fought like humans, their brutality would far surpass anything imaginable.
After all, human conflicts—even fatal ones—can't fundamentally alter a person's existence. But with gods, it might be different. Athena was the perfect example.
This vision had made his theory even more convincing.
"What happened, Hachiman?" Haruno asked. Her usual nonchalant expression was gone.
"I'm not sure, but..." Hikigaya suddenly stopped mid-sentence.
But what? Obviously—how exciting!
So that's how it is.
Hikigaya took a deep breath.
Everything before his eyes looked different now—more alive. His mood was completely changed. He felt good.
Ever since arriving in Ancient Egypt, he hadn't felt quite right—lethargic.
At first, he thought it was because he just wanted to be a spectator. But now he knew—
He didn't want to be a bystander. He just wanted to get wild.
Whether things were controllable or not didn't matter anymore. He would find Yukino and Hazazi, and then stir up a storm.
That was the god-slayer's way. He was a god-slayer, wasn't he?
Hell yeah. He liked sex. He saw a cute girl—he wanted to do it. Saw a hot milf—same deal. So what?
He liked fighting. Again—so what?
He must've been drugged before, thinking too much about all that pointless crap.
Hikigaya grinned wickedly and gave Haruno a pat on the shoulder.
"Young lady, the plan's changed. Let's go have some fun."
"…Did you take something?" Haruno asked, eyes wide.
"I don't need drugs to make you moan. If I did take something, you think you'd survive it?" Hikigaya burst out laughing, grabbed a piece of linen cloth, wrapped her up in it, then slung her over his shoulder and bolted.
Haruno's head spun, but once her feet touched something cold, the discomfort faded fast.
She realized Hikigaya had brought her to the banks of the Nile.
Looking back, the city of Ramses was already behind them, its grand silhouette under the moon and stars looking like a crouched beast.
Only a few distant firelights flickered within.
The linen wrap she had been clothed in had, at some point, turned into a proper ancient Egyptian outfit, now neatly worn on her.
Next to her, Hikigaya was looking at her with a satisfaction and peace in his gaze she had never seen before.
"Hachiman, you…" Haruno felt like she must've skipped a chapter.
"Shhh!" He pressed a finger to her soft lips. For some reason, her whole body shivered, and her eyes quickly welled up.
Damn! Why am I turned on again!?
You bastard Hachiman, what did you do to me!?
"Young lady," Hikigaya said righteously, chest puffed up. "Having your mind filled with nothing but inappropriate thoughts is not okay. I know I'm handsome, but I still have to scold you."
"Or are you saying you've already given up on your sister?"
"You're the one giving up on your sister!" Haruno glared at him, shoved him away, and strode ahead. "Let's go, let's go! Can't believe you actually waited this long—I've been dying to leave!"