Language Cheat Reincarnation – Young Girl VTuber Saves the World

Chapter 384. [The Fruit Of Burial]

Someone was lying in the middle of the village.

I pushed through the crowd and confirmed the person's face.

It was the man who had promised to "take me outside the forest".

I had followed him on hunts many times before.

That's why I knew at a glance.

The forest was full of obstacles...

And I had always followed his footsteps to avoid falling.

'This is a lie, right? He's just sleeping...'

One of the locals clearly told me, as I tried to deny the reality. They didn't see things through a filter like I did.

They saw the world as it was, straight on.

No matter how cruel it might be.

'Ah... ah, ah...!?'

Staggering forward, I collapsed to my knees.

I grasped his hand.

Only then did I finally recognize his 'death'.

His hand was as hard and cold as wax.

'Why... why did this happen...?'

'He was bitten by a venomous snake.'

'...A venomous snake?'

That's it?

Do people die so easily?

But he was so full of life just yesterday!

And there was no sign... no hint at all that he'd be bitten by a snake and die!

'This is what it means to live in the forest.'

'......!'

Right, why had I forgotten?

I had convinced myself that as long as I was in the village, I was safe.

But this place is still part of the dangerous forest.

Yet, I had believed without reason that the peace would last forever.

'You promised... you promised to take me outside the forest together. But now...!'

One of the locals firmly grasped my shoulder as I was about to burst into tears.

His hand was trembling.

'Don't cry! If you cry, he won't be able to return to the forest in peace.'

I clenched my teeth and held back my tears.

Then, together, we built an altar-like structure around his body.

Surely, this was their way of holding a funeral.

We also dismantled the house he lived in and used it as fuel for a bonfire.

We gathered around the fire, making noise and dancing wildly.

'Drink! Eat! Sing! It's a feast, a feast——!'

They all laughed loudly.

As if to mask the overflowing sobs.

And the next day, we carried his body deep into the forest.

One of the locals explained to me.

"Life is equal. Flesh is equal."

That was their belief.

Of course, humans were no exception.

"We eat animals. Animals eat us. This is how he returns to the forest and becomes part of it."

We laid him in the forest and left the place.

Looking back at his figure... he looked so lonely, sleeping there all alone...

'It's okay. That's why we made so much noise yesterday.'

Someone roughly ruffled my head.

Probably to hide my tears from everyone... no, from him.

So as not to worry him as he returned to the forest——.

***

《Iroha-chan, are you okay?》

《...》

《Iroha-chan?》

《...Ah, ...uh》

I had come to tend to the Secret Service woman as part of my daily routine, but at some point, my hands had stopped moving. My mind was still foggy.

It didn't feel real.

Perhaps this young body was also highly sensitive. That's why.......

《Was he someone important to you?》

《...I'm not sure.》

I slowly shook my head.

We hadn't spent that much time together. So.......

《Maybe not "important," but... he was a very kind person. When I told him "I want to go outside the forest," he said, "Let's go together."》

《...I see. Come here, Iroha-chan.》

《But》

《If it's just an injury, it's fine. Here.》

《...Okay.》

I nodded and clung to her.

She gently stroked my head.

I pressed my face hard into her stomach and cried loudly.

So that "he" wouldn't hear, so that my voice wouldn't leak out——.

***

After crying for a while...

I finally calmed down and started thinking about what to do next.

To avoid losing anyone else, I had to take action.

I went around the village, asking everyone one by one.

'Please, will you come with me outside the forest?'

But the answer was always "No."

Even the local woman who acted as my mother gave the same answer.

'There's no one here who wants to leave the village.'

That's what she said.

And so, I realized that he was the only one who had been special.

"What should I do... Go alone? No way, that's impossible."

That would be suicide.

At least two people were needed to take turns keeping watch at night.

"Do I just have to wait?"

Until someone willing to help appears.

Or until a ship happens to pass by.

Or—— until the Secret Service woman miraculously recovers.

"...When will that be?"

Fortunately, there was no need to rush.

She couldn't move around, but her condition was improving.

"So, for now, I'll just..."

Even if I keep missing live streams, I can still close my eyes and buy some time.

I tried to postpone the problem...

But I was soon confronted with how naive that thought was.

'——Girl, it's terrible! Her condition has taken a sudden turn for the worse!'

'...Wha, what!?'

How much despair does God plan to heap on me before He's satisfied?

I felt as though the ground beneath my feet was crumbling away——.