Chapter Text
“That’s gonna leave a scar,” Minori says, wrapping the bandages they are, at the very least, provided around a stab wound in his thigh.
“Not the first one,” Yuusuke says gently. “And don’t worry. I can take care of myself just fine in there.”
Minori frowns.
“Nii-Chan…” she says. “I’m worried. You could die!”
Yuusuke flinches. He knows that. Oh god, he knows that. Few things scare him, and at first most of his opponents were all just desperate people. They weren’t really threats.
But now there’s people with training, who know how to fight. People who unlocked a bloodthirst from it all. People like Yuusuke, who take to it all naturally.
Not all of them are willing to hope their opponent is the one closer to death when time is called.
But Yuusuke is very good at this. So good that he and Minori have been upgraded to a proper cell, with a bed.
And yet…
He is scared. He knows he can die. He knows his world is broken, and he holds no power here, and he is scared.
If he dies, Minori is alone, and he can’t protect her. If he dies…
If he dies, there is nothing.
Surely, there are no gods here. Or they wouldn’t have let this happen, so if there are no gods, there is nothing after death. So yes, he fears death.
“I’m not going to die,” he says anyways. “I promise. I’m not going to die. I’m going to live, and fight, and keep you safe.”
“You don’t know that!” Minori says.
“I do,” Yuusuke says. “You’re—” My precious sister. My everything. Mine. You are mine, and I will keep what’s mine safe. “…the reason I fight. So it’s going to be okay, got it? As long as I win, they let me keep you, remember?”
Minori nods. Yuusuke sighs.
“Look,” he says. “No one expects the end of the world. But I’m going to turn it around.”
“I just don’t want to lose you,” Minori says. “Even if you live… how long can you not kill?”
“As long as you need me to,” Yuusuke says, smiling. “I’ve told you this. And if I have to, I will. Does that make me a monster?”
“…maybe,” Minori says. Yuusuke’s smile doesn’t waver.
“Fine then,” he says. “Monsters have all the power here, after all.”
(And that’s why he survives.
He has power.)