Kobayashi stood there, staring out into the deep blue ocean. He wasn't wearing any clothes, and seemed like he was standing on the edge between the sand and the ocean.

"Its a beautiful sight, isn't it?" the golden haired, golden eyed boy said to him. He was also naked, and he grabbed Kobayashi's hand with his own and held it as they looked at the ocean. Kobayashi just gave him a smile.

"Yeah...just looking at the moon reflect off the ocean helps make me feel better".

"And thats why, you should avoid hurrying".

"Avoid...hurrying. Right".

Suddenly, the golden haired pulled Kobayashi in and locked lips with him.

"Riyabyl...wait, how do I..."

"There will be a good opportunity in four days to leave. That is when you should decide to leave, but make sure you hurry. The window wont be open for long".

"Wait, who are you...what is going on..."

The golden eyed boy just winked at Kobayashi as they separated.

"Sorry, but if I answered those questions now, you might explode violently. In any case, good luck, Kobayashi".

Kobayashi suddenly woke up in the sleeping bag. He touched his own lips, and then looked around him. It seemed that everyone else woke up before him today, so he quickly got dressed and went out to see everyone else.

It had been two days since meeting Knight-san, and now everyone had recovered. Junta was handling food acquisition mainly, but as he was not used to the area or the wildlife in it, and was worried about Orcs, Ayumi went with him. Mitsuki and Endo were looking at the bus, scratching their heads with frusteration.

"So we can reinforce these things with magic to a degree, but not very much. Busses are very complicated".

"Yeah. I dont think I have seen one like this, I wonder if it came from overseas or something. Its quite complex. We may end up needing to stop and make repairs, or try to rework something else into spare parts".

"Yeah, I would rather not abandon the bus either".

"Which is why, you need to cool it and relax more. I get we dont have that much leeway, but you need to rest. Everyone does. How about we get everyone together soon? We could all use another bath and laundry run, everyone has to sleep in the same room after all".

"...thats certainly true".

If they didn't do that regularly, the bus would get incredibly smelly.

Mitsuki finished looking at the computer system.

"I really dont get it at all either. Between Endo's knowledge of cars and mechanics, and my overall technical knowledge, we should be able to figure it out!"

"See what I mean? Your expectations are being pushed onto others. Mitsuki, yeah I dont recognize it either, but trust me, lots of machines are built differently. Dont rush it, we will figure it out eventually".

"...right".

Suddenly, the three of them felt something weird. They looked towards the western woods, and all of them remained quiet and alert, but nothing seemed to come out.

"...did anyone else feel something weird from there?"

"Yeah. Without a doubt, there was something abnormal that I could sense".

Endo picked up a knife, and approached it a bit.

"Cover me, and prepare magic attacks".

Kobayashi and Mitsuki took protective positions, making sure to cover the angles. Endo moved closer to a tree, and moved around to check it out. And he found...

"...nothing. There is nothing here".

"Whew. Was it a fake out? Did we imagine it?"

"All three of us? At the same time? No" Kobayashi said, shaking his head. "It just means whatever is out there is cautious, careful. And possibly a hunter".

"Could it be an Orc scout?"

"Would an Orc scout run off after seeing only three of us here with no weapons or armor?"

"...uhg, no. If it had been an Orc, we would have died fighting or died running".

"Wait, its some sort of quadroped. Look, we got tracks right here, although they are faint".

Kobayashi and Mitsuki looked into it.

"Wait, you sure? Thats really faint...isn't it just dirt and grass?"

"Nah, look. Its minor, but there are impressions here. And going by the spacing of the tracks, overall positions of them, its got four legs".

"...how do you know this stuff".

Endo looked away.

"...sorry, its a bit personal and hard to talk about".

"Ah, no worries".

Now that I think about it, he was the one who called me leader so quickly. Yet, his reptuation was one where he seemed very disconnected. I heard a lot of people say he was a delinquent, and he really doesn't communicate much with Yuika or Ayumi...and he really doesn't like Emiyo. But he gets along with me and Mitsuki just fine.

While thinking about that, they decided to head back to the bus when Riku came over with a soccerball.

"Guys guys, come on lets take a break and play some soccer!"

"Eh? Right now?"

"I would like to" Endo said. "We are at a good stopping point and frankly me and Mitsuki need to rest our minds".

"Besides, I wanna play with Kobayashi now that ya can move around better. Unless ya are too fraid to face me!"

Kobayashi looked back over at Riku, who had begun the trash talking.

"Ooooh, Riku. You must be feeling very confident if you are up to using such words. Alright, me and Endo against you and Mitsuki then! A power player on each team to be fair".

Obviously, the power players was the athletic Riku and the older Endo. Kobayashi and Mitsuki were both not as good at sports by comparison, but Kobayashi was still planning on achieving a victory. As such, the four boys began a match of soccer.

Emiyo looked at them, a bit flabergasted.

"...how can they act like that, like everything is fine. And Riku just suggested that without any issue".

"Well, I cant speak for Endo, I never got to know him very much. I dont think even Reika knows much about him, and they were in the same homeroom. But with Koba-chan, Mi-chan, and Ri-chan, they have gone through a lot together. Those three have been protecting and supporting each other for a long time now".

Yuika walked up behind Emiyo, and together they watched the boys.

"Watching them grow has helped me grow as a person as well. That said, the three of them still need help breaking out of their shell. They are not really good at exposing themselves to new people, revealing their weaknesses and embarassing sides, and things like that".

At those words, Emiyo looked back at Yuika.

"...hold on, do you say and do all those embarassing things to help get people to open up with them as well?"

"Well, I cant say thats the only reason...but I am not so blind or oblivious as they might believe. I dont mind playing the embarassing and oversharing big sister role, besides its fun anyways and I really do love teasing them. Besides, I heard a rumor that bathing with younger boys helps one feel younger and more beautiful themselves".

"...no, thats probably some nonsense internet rumor" Emiyo retorted. "To think you really are so close with all of them to take baths regularly".

"Yeah. There is actually a story behind it, both when we started taking baths together, and also when Kobayashi and Mitsuki became friends with Riku".

And so, Yuika began to tell a story.

----------------------------------------

It all started six years ago, when Mitsuki and Kobayashi had started first grade and were only six years old. It was still the first week, and they had already experienced the moment that brought them together. As they were neighbors, they walked to school together every day, which was a relief for Kobayashi's parents especially. They just recently had confirmed the diagnosis for Kobayashi's condition, which had them worried for his health, and between that and hearing about it himself, as well as experiencing it first hand, it had Kobayashi it a bit of a downward mood.

However Mitsuki was there to always help him, and being together had helped a lot. In fact, for the past week, Mitsuki had been staying over at Kobayashi's house to help support him. Yuika noted that he had looked especially adorable since he had this small first aid kit he put together, and carried around everywhere. He tried to avoid having Kobayashi see it, but wasn't all that great with it. Still, Kobayashi found it a bit amusing, and he was happy by the efforts of his friend.

Still, between Kobayashi's condition making him different, and Mitsuki's hair color, they stood out a bit. And that caused a few of the kids to end up seeing them and making fun of them. Mitsuki's overall intelligence didn't help either.

This eventually led to a group of three girls ganging up on the two of them, making fun of them and saying some rather rude things.

"If Kobayashi-kun is so weak, then maybe he should just stay home!"

"I hope I dont get stuck with him as a gym partner".

"What he has might be contagious. We should make sure to wash our hands if we accidentally touch".

Mitsuki of course moved inbetween them, staring down the group. But they just said mean things to him as well.

"Oh look, its the sickly boy's shadow".

"That hair color is supposed to be natural? What a freak".

"You just want to stand out, dont you? Thats why you always raise your hand and get good grades".

Such comments were made, and certainly while childish, they were quite rude and hurtful all the same. At the time, Kobayashi was not as great as expressing himself, due to being so down, and as Yuika remembered it he has always been a sensitive child.

The teachers had also stepped out for a moment, and none of the other kids wanted to get involved, so they had gone into their own groups. Well, all but one.

A soccer ball flew right inbetween the trio of girls and the two boys, slamming a wall behind them with about as much effort as a first grader could muster. At that point, a red haired boy stood on top of a desk near where this was happening. He had tied a blanket round his neck in the form of a cape, having gotten it from a nearby supply closet.

"Only small minded people would dare say such things! Ya are just doin this to feel superior cause ya are normally inferior!"

"Shut up, Riku-kun! And what is with that stupid looking blanket?"

"Its a cape! Capes make people strong, so I put it on!"

"You are a weirdo too! You even have weird colored hair, you are a freak just like these two!"

At that moment, Riku jumped off the desk and headbutted the leader on her forehead, causing her to stumble backwards and cry out in pain.

"Ya are just upset because both Koyabashi and Mistuki are smarter then ya all! Ya got a major inferiority complex!"

Riku boldly declared such a thing, as he stood with Kobayashi and Mitsuki...and also got their names wrong.

Mitsuki and Kobayashi meanwhile, were a bit surprised by what was going on. However, before anything else could happen, the teachers shouted the four of their names. The three girls seemed to sheepishly skid away, as the teacher and assistant teacher came over to Riku first and chided him about the headbutt.

"Riku-kun, you cant just do things like that! If you see something wrong, get a teacher!"

"My father taught me that letting a teacher know isn't enough! That if you see someone being bullied, you should help them out immediately so that they know their fellow classmates support them as well, and they are not alone!"

He then grabbed both Mitsuki's and Kobayashi's hands with his own.

"That you cant let meanness continue for even a second, and be a kind and strong guardian!"

The teachers were a bit taken aback by what he said. They knew he was probably getting some parts of that wrong, or at least interpreted it wrong when he acted, but the core of the idea was solid and just, they were not sure how to react at first. What he did was definently against the school rules, so they still would have to punish him.

But before they said anything, Riku suddenly went behind Kobayashi and suddenly put his head between Kobayashi's legs before standing up, while making sure to hold onto Kobayashi's legs to give him a biggy pack ride all of a sudden.

"Fusion! Riku-Kobayashi Yusha!"

However, Riku was only six years old. And while the smallest in the class, and had a girlish figure, Kobayashi was a six year old boy too. As such, Riku was unable to support Kobayashi's weight, and quickly fell backwards and collapsed, making the teachers concerned.

"Ah! Whoops! Are you okay, Koyabashi?" Riku asked, worried. And yet...

"...pfft....aha.....hahahahahahahahahaha!"

What stunned everyone was that Kobayashi started to laugh. It was the first time any of them had seen Kobayashi with such a happy, cheerful expression since he started class. And certainly, it was the first time they heard him laugh.

As such, Riku started laughing as well, and Mitsuki ended up joining in. Even the teachers giggled a little.

For that time only, they forgave Riku's rough behavior. Riku didn't get punished by the school that day, although they would still contact his guardians about that whole thing he was told.

Still, perhaps enraged by that, the girls got annoyed. Later that day, their shoes had gone missing from their shoe lockers, and when they looked back, their indoor shoes had been stolen amidst the crowd of children leaving. Not only that, but it was pouring and their umbrellas had been stolen too. Because of that, the three had to go home shoeless and umbrellaless in heavy rain. Riku's house was twice as far as Mitsuki's, which was closest. Kobayashi's house was right next to it, but they wanted to get inside as soon as possible, so they decided to all go to Mitsuki's which was closer to the school.

That was where the eight year old Yuika had been as well, having gotten home a bit faster then them. The moment she saw them so muddy, and their state, Yuika remembered being overcome with concern and worry. Apparently, after leaving, they had a car pass by which got muddy water splashed on them via a puddle, so with everything else they were quite dirty. Yuika herself had been preparing to get in the bath, and she hadn't expected for Mitsuki to come home with friends, since the original plan had been for him to go over to Kobayashi's.

If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

However, seeing their lack of shoes, she decided to let it go. She had already taken off her own clothes, but seeing the three of them like that made it feel not as problematic.

Plus she was only eight at the time. She told them to get undressed there so they didn't track mud into the house. She used her towel to help wipe off the mud from their faces, and then once they got everything up, she took them all up to the bath. Kobayashi and Riku was a bit shy and embarassed, so she ended up having to pull them along.

They clearly have been bullied! I gotta be a reliable big sister here!

With that said, she quickly pulled them into the bathroom and proceeded to rinse off their bodies and use soap. Riku got used to it faster, but Kobayashi was far more shy. They were all embarassed, but after such a walk, they put up very little resistance. After that, they all got into the bath together to relax.

Of course, then it hit Yuika she was naked in a bath with three boys, even if one was her brother and they were all younger then her.

No, they are cute and small so its fine. Besides, I gotta be a good big sister here and smother them with love and kindness...and also, their blushing faces were cute. Especially when I started washing their boy stuff.

She ended up hugging all three of them at once in a bath.

"Eh?! Neechan?!"

"What the..."

"Erm..."

"Dont worry, Shota Brigade! This neechan will protect you!"

Yuika had no idea what Shota was fully used for in some contexts, she just thought it refered to cute young boys, she she had absentmindedly decided to nickname them all that.

Needless to say, while in the bath their parents came home. Yuika and Mitsuki's mom peeked in to see the situation and saw it, and Yuika proceeded to see what she observed and thought. There was a noticable expression of aggrivation and annoyance when Yuika mentioned the signs of bullying.

"Ah okay. Can you stay in here for awhile and take a nice long relaxing bath then? Ill get some clean clothes to change into and start the laundry on the dirty ones, and ill give their families some calls...among other calls. So dont come out for awhile".

They more or less got ordered to stay there, which lowkey gave the approval for the joint bath and made Yuika believe it was not only right, but she should do this with them regularly. She had yet to realize it was because her mom had...not used language meant for young children when she made some of those calls, fairly upset with what happened to her beloved son and his friends.

The voice was sometimes elevated enough that they occasionally made out some parts while relaxing in the bath. Incidentally, due to the heavy rain that day, it ended up as a big sleepover at Mitsuki's house this time for all of them.

----------------------------------------

"...and yeah, thats what happened".

"So they had a sleepover on the first day Riku mett them?"

"Riku was a fairly simple child, and he got close to them easily. In truth, he gets along with a lot of people easily, and he could make friends quickly. But yeah".

Emiyo furrowed his brows.

"...well now I see how you all became so close. And it explains your mentality a bit more as well".

"Certainly. After all, its not like the bullying stopped after that. Actually, just this last summer at summer camp, the three had their clothes and towels stolen while in the hot springs, and had to walk back naked as well".

"...did it just keep escalating?"

Yuika looked away sheepishly.

"...Yuika?"

"That time, it was masterminded by someone who had bragged about being oh so much better then me at Kendo, and then I defeated quickly and devastatingly instead. He did that to embarass them like I apparently embarassed him, but was too afraid to come after me himself".

"...how petty".

"Yeah, it was his own fault, but he lashed out because he couldn't handle it".

Yuika's voice was noticably colder in that moment, but Emiyo didn't want to press any further. He got the feeling there was more to the story, but he was better off not knowing.

"...still, I dont mean to say anything bad about him, but I feel like even if Kobayashi tends to take charge, we dont really have a good and proper leader, and I dont think he can really fill that role".

"I know what you really mean Prez, but keep in mind. Evne if you are getting better, can you really handle this? Or are you just saying that out of fear and wanting to control whatever you can to accomodate?"

Emiyo didn't answer right away, and Yuika didn't wait for an answer she already knew.

She exited the bus, and watched as tthe boys proceeded to play soccer through the day.

Eventually Junta and Ayumi returned, and Junta asked for everyone to get called together.

"It was far off in the distance, but from a higher point, I think I spotted a village close by. Its a few days away, but its in the direction of the city we were told about. If we can get at least that far, perhaps they can help protect us from the Orcs".

"When you say a few days..."

"I mean on foot. If we were able to successfully navigate and use the bus, we would probably get there in a day".

"Are you sure you spotted it if its that far away?"

"The issue is the terrain. There is a large chasm in the way, we would need to go around it. And we cant drive the bus too fast in these woods and put too much strain on the axles".

"More importantly, can we go to the grove now?" Tamayo asked. "We want to be able to get back before nightfall after all".

"Yeah. We need to do laundry as well, and have time to make dinner and eat it before nightfall, so lets head to the grove".

The group headed over to the grove, bringing over plenty of blankets and food. They would be eating dinner there since the food would be cooking while they bathed. Naturally, Emiyo made a fuss about the mixed bathing, and of course Junta and Endo did have some reservations, but as they had already done it once, and were now all sleeping and living together in the same room, everyone was getting more comfortable with the lack of boundaries between them all. They were still embarassed, but it wouldn't outright stop them.

"There is sort of a different feeling about batthing in a stream compared to a bathtub. It feels kind of nice" Yuika said as she was washing Kobayashi's body.

"I agree. Its kind of nice, although having the water rush around me is a bit weird as well".

"...its pleasant to be with everyone".

"Spending time with everyone is the best!"

Ayumi, Reika, and Riku all offered their own words on it. However, after that was said...Riku's stomach growled.

"...ah, I guess we did play a lot. And we didn't have lunch".

"It cant be helped. We have to save the rest for an emergency, in case we end up not being able to hunt anything that day".

They had been there for four days already. They were through most of their supplies that they had on the bus, so now they could only rely on what they hunted and gathered in the wilds regularly. As such, since they had no stockpiles, they had all agreed to skip lunches until their food supply was sufficient.

In fact, most of the younger kids were pretty starving. They were the ones who were still growing the most after all.

In truth, they had also been rationing from the start, so Kobayashi wouldn't be surprised if their growth was affected by this.

"Well the food is cooking right now, so we can eat it while we dry off".

As that was said, Ayumi suddenly started splashing everyone with water to get them distracted from their stomachs. And yet, she suddenly went quiet as she looked towards the entrance. Yuika did the same, and Junta eyed his bow and arrows.

"...there is someone coming" Riku mentioned. At those words, a familiar face finally appeared.

"Ah there you kids are! When you were not at the bus, I was deeply concerned!"

It was the bus driver. When he saw them all, he sighed with relief.

"Perverted old man spies on naked kids! Front page news!" Tamayo said.

"Eh...oh sorry, I was so relieved to see you. Sorry about running off, I was just so shocked that I couldn't help it. But dont worry, I managed to get help!"

He continued to walk forward, despite apologizing, as a few others came out from the entrance too. They looked kind of rough, and Kobayashi got a bad impression from them.

Suddenly, the image of that golden boy in his dreams came into his head, as he heard that voice whisper something.

"...bandits".

"Is that so! Its such a relief, we all had some crazy ideas since you were gone for so long!"

"Would you mind waiting outside?" Ayumi asked. "We wont be able to dry off or get ready to go, and we are cooking dinner. So please give us some privacy".

"Sorry, its just after being gone for so long, I dont want to leave and let you think I am abandoning you again..."

"Heh. You should give it up. They clearly have you figured out".

The leader of the bandits said that as he stepped forward. Or at least, Kobayashi figured he was the leader. The way the others looked at him, it reminded him of the bullies that would group up on them and pick on him and his friends. They watched what he did, and followed him.

"Still, its a lot easier to just grab em all if they are naked and unarmed".

"What...what are you saying, of course..."

Yuika immediately ran for her kendo sword, and several bandit archers suddenly fired at her. Shiki went for his camera, while Riku went and attacked directly, sending out a flame fist from his knuckle, flying out towards the bandit leader.

Both the bandit leader and the bus driver were surprised, although the bus driver was significantly more surprised.

"He can use magic?!"

At that moment, Mitsuki realized something and put his hands on the ground. Water surged forward, soaking the ground under them, and then he turned it into ice, causing them to be unsteady and somewhat frozen.

Ayumi meanwhile rushed towards the bandit leader as well, and punched him in the face as he dodged Riku's flame fist.

"Two magic users?!" the bandits shouted in shock, as Shiki reached his camera. One of the bandits however got close to him, stomping his foot onto Shiki's naked back, and then kicking him right in the rear. Tamayo appeared from behind and attacked him, but the bandit struck back.

"You think you can sneak up on me?!"

He knocked her back into a tree, hurting quite a bit.

Kobayashi quickly created a wall of wind to try and block the arrows, but perhaps due to his inexperience, he didn't place it well and several of them got through. Ayumi and Yuika were able to dodge most of them, but one grazed Ayumi and another ended up grazing Shiki. Riku got to the soccerball, which the bus driver snorted at...until Riku kicked it.

Suddenly the soccer ball flew forward at insane speeds, and smashed into a bandit before bouncing off and hitting another at full speed, followed by a third one in succession, before finally losing momentum as it hit into a tree when the bandit leader dodged it. However, it left quite the dent in that tree.

And one of the bandits quickly tackled Riku to the ground, kneeling on his back as he used one hand to hold both of Riku's fists. Two more bandits grabbed Mitsuki and Kobayashi and restrained them the same way, and Junta suddenly got kicked in the rear and fell down when he tried to grab his bow. Ayumi fought well against the leader, and Yuika managed to grab her sword, but then they both got attacked and suppressed by numbers, five against one.

"Whew. That was close. You didn't tell me some of them could use magic! And what the hell was that weird ball weapon?!"

"I wasn't aware they could use magic. They should just be helpless little kids!"

"Well, they certainly are little. I got some men that enjoy those types though. You did say we could enjoy them as we took them to the client as part of our deal, after all".

"Yeah, she wont care about that".

"What the hell! Why are you doing this?! Why did you kidnap us from our world?! What the hell are you up to?"

"Sorry, but the client wouldn't want me to spout her business. Well, chances are, you all are just collateral anyways for that person's goal. Still, she will make good use of you. Still, this wasn't part of the plan. I have no idea how we ended up in the middle of the woods, or why I got caught up in it...that wasn't the deal, I will have to complain about this. And I will need to get that bus moving somehow as well, it can be such a pain".

He said that as he held out the bus key. Kobayashi suddenly fired a small bit of wind at him when he got his hand free for a moment, and knocked it out of his hand, but he got restrained heavily after that and they twisted his wrist to hurt him.

Client? Wait, so that person must have hired the bus driver to take us here! In which case, she is the most likely to know about how to get back home...we might have an actual lead now.

Of course, that provided surviving their current predicament. And honestly, Kobayashi was starting to panic when he realized what they meant by enjoy.

Oh no. Oh no no no.

A few of them seemed to grab and hold them with lingering hands, and everyone started to understand what they meant. And what was about to happen.

Please, please god. Please gods. Dont let them do this!

They tried to struggle, but they were outnumbered and they were all more skilled then them, at least on average. No matter how hard they struggled, they couldn't escape.

Please! I beg of you!

"Someone! Please help us! Please god please!"

"Well alright, I guess since you said please".

A golden haired boy said that as he stood next to Kobayashi, the bandit that used to be holding him having disappeared. No, when one looked around, they saw there was a fist mark on his face, and he was inside a big crater in the rock.

At the same time, everyone there proceeded to feel like throwing up except for the golden haired boy. The golden haired boy proceeded to rush over on his bare feet, and punched one that was holding Shiki into another that was holding Endo, causing what appeared to be a lethal blow to both. As he did, everyone felt even more nasous, and a few of the bandits had eyes that were starting to bleed. Emiyo developed a splitting headache, and Tamayo felt like her entire skeleton was starting to twist around.

Seeing that, the golden haired boy took a deep breath, and it was like some aura that had washed over them all retracted a bit. When he did, he ran up to the next bandit, but was noticably slower. He hit him, and he got badly injured and flew back, but the force was greatly reduced. Still, now Junta was free. Those who were freed tried to stand, but found it difficult. They still felt sick.

The boy then looked at the bus driver.

"Tell your client this. 'Did you really think we would just sit back and let this happen'. Deliver it. Now.".

The moment he heard that voice, the bus driver started to bleed from the nose, and his right arm went limp. He immediately ran off, while looking at the bandit leader. Compared to the others, he was probably the best off.

"You sure you want to continue, little god? These children are more fragile then me. You attack me, you might end up killing one of them".

The boy snapped his fingers, and suddenly a massive wind blast hit the bandit leader, knocking him away from Ayumi and Yuika and giving him a number of bruises across his body. At that point, Shiki, Kobayashi, Mitsuki, and Emiyo all peed right then and there, and others felt a great deal of discomfort. Several of the bandits did the same, and they all had some bladder pains suddenly.

"...sorry, looks like that is all I can do. Still, this should even up the playing field a little" the boy said, before disappearing suddenly. The moment he did, all the symptoms everyone had been feeling stopped. The moment that happened, Ayumi attacked the nearest bandit and Yuika grabbed her sword and did the same. Junta grabbed his bow and fired an arrow, but another archer hit him with an arrow in the shoulder. it was painful, but this was a fight for survival. He quickly shot an arrow back at the archer, notching an arrow faster then the bandit archer. He used magic on the arrow too, so even after it was dodged, the arrow came back around and got the bandit archer in the heart.

Shiki meanwhile used his camera and attacked two people nearby. They didn't expect the power within it, but one of them managed to throw a dagger into Shiki's leg, making him collapse again and drop the camera. Another bandit came to attack him, but he managed to grab the camera at the same time as the bandit. They fought over it, but Tamayo emerged from the shadows behind him and stabbed the bandit with a purple dagger. It didn't do much to the large adult man, but Shiki managed to wrestle control of the camera and hit him with a full on focused blast, sending him backwards smoking a bit.

Yuika engaged one of the bandits in a sword battle. The bandit was experienced, and likely had far more experience with a sword with her. However, Yuika realized it immediately.

This guy...has experience, but he isn't very good at utilizing it. He isn't very talented.

This put them on more equal footing, because while Yuika didn't have as much experience, she had more natural talent. This let her equal his own ability, and then with physical enhancements, she was just ever so slightly stronger then him at least. Kobayashi unleashed sparks of lightning, and Emiyo even managed to get some attacks in.

The leader meanwhile came forward to attack Yuika, but Ayumi suddenly cut in front and attacked using hand to hand combat. He drew his sword, but she dodged it a bit and managed to strike him where one of the bruises from the attacks were. That hurt him a lot, but he managed to sweep her legs suddenly and then thrust his sword down. She rolled to the side to dodge, and then jumped back and got to her feet as Mitsuki fired an ice spike at him. The bandit leader cut them down, but Ayumi attacked in that opening and managed to hit him again.

However he expected that, twisting his body around and catching her arm under his own, pinning it against his torso as he raised his sword. His sword hand suddenly got an arrow in it, as Junta then dodged several other arrows. One got him in the thigh, causing him to scream out in pain, but at the same time, Tamayo appeared behind them. She suddenly slit one of their throats, and then stabbed the other in the back through the heart.

"One of you shot Shiki, didn't you. Dont think you can shoot Shiki!"

Junta sighed with relief. Those were the last archers, so only close combat was left. If he kept his distance, he could just keep supporting the others. That said, he was losing blood, and was in a lot of pain.

I need to hurry, before I pass out from these injuries.

Endo meanwhile had been stabbed in the arm with a dagger as he got close to one, but he was able to push through the pain better then the others. Where others dulled and slowed, Endo kept going and attacked one of them, pulling out the dagger stabbed in him and stabbing it through the bandit's heart. He then saw the one Shiki attacked start to try and get up. Shiki raised his camera, but Endo acted first and stabbed him through the heart as well.

"Shiki, please support the others. Dont focus on the final blow, your weapon is best at disorienting opponents, so use it on the strongest ones that are the healthiest".

"R-right, understood!"

I know we have already killed monsters, but...lets at least try to spare Shiki and the other kids from killing a person. If necessary, I will kill the rest of them myself. After all, I am not like the rest of them.

Endo thought that as he proceeded to move around, finishing off the targets the others were struggling with and keeping busy. Yuika meanwhile got knocked down by the bandit, and was nearly stabbed, when Riku came from behind and did a point blank fireball on his head, setting him on fire and causing him incredibly pain. With this, Yuika and Riku attacked the bandit leader from behind as he fought Ayumi, but Yuika pushed Riku aside and picked up a blade, stabbing him in the back herself. He turned around and looked like he had bloodshot eyes, but then Endo came from behind and jumped onto his back, wrapping around him and then using his knife to slit the throat, jumping off as the leader stagged and crumbled to the ground.

Seeing their leader fall, the other bandits who were injured but alive decided to pull back at this point, thus ending the battle.

Once it was done, Riku collapsed onto the ground with a red face.

"How embarassing...to think we had to fight in the nude, its super embarassing for the heroes to get caught in such a position!"

As Riku said that, everyone else was busy recovering. After all, despite Riku's attempts, no one could be distracted by what happened today.

They had killed people. Human beings. Not all of them did, but they had soemthing to do with it even if they did not do it themselves.

In the end, they ended up eating in silence and laying on the blankets even after the sun set, looking at the starry night sky.

"...we did what we had to".

Kobayashi said those words.

"I dont feel good about it, but I thought it would feel worse".

Mitsuki honestly said that.

"Ahg! I cant handle dwellin on dat stuff! Lets be happy we are all alive!"

Riku said such a thing, and then pointed at the night sky.

"After all, I discovered some stuff that is important".

"What is it Riku?" Ayumi said, clearly annoyed and not feeling great herself.

"One, we have a friend! That golden haired boy that made us all sick was clearly trying to help us! Two, we should be happy that we are alive, and focus on that!"

Everyone did agree with those words. However, Riku then put out three fingers.

"And three, laying down on blankets and observing the night sky with everyone is nice and relaxing! Its peaceful and calming, and after today, it makes me feel better".

At such words, the one who had sulked and been the most sullen, Kobayashi, burst out into laughter.

"Ahahahahahaha....you are right Riku, of course you are right. Those are wonderful facts. Also, if the bandit leader is to be believed, that golden haired boy was apparently a god".

"A god...a god came to help us. You think he is the one that brought us to this world?"

Mitsuki shook his head, as he shivered a bit from laying naked outside at night.

"Nah, the bus driver made it clear whoever his client is was responsible. It seemed the god was annoyed at him through, and showed disaproval".

"Yeah, but why do you think we all got sicker and sicker?"

"It wasn't just random" Ayumi said. "Every word he spoke, every action he took, is what triggered it. He made as little movement and talk as possible, but whenever he did, our symptoms got worse. Furthermore, when he pulled that aura back in, he got weaker. So I think simply being exposed to his power when he took any action or spoke any word caused that".

"It might be like, their divine power or something. Its so strong they cant normally be around people".

"In that case, even if the gods are on our side, we probably cant expect much help from them".

"...so we are still alone, and we still have to struggle".

In the end, they learned very little, got injured a lot, made almost no gains, and had to kill people.

It was not a good day for this group, as they finally got dressed and headed back to the bus.