The Girl Wants to Be Murdered

TL/Editor: Butter Cat

Status: 4/week mon-thurs

Illustrations: none

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〈 Chapter 1 〉 Chapter 1. Prologue(1）

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Life is precious. Humans are born with inherent dignity and value as human beings.

Because life… is only given once.

"Hey... Helena, Ispa, you're too slow! Come on, let's go!"

"Yuta. Your voice is too loud....!"

"—Everyone, this is a dungeon, right? If we're not careful, we'll get hurt."

An unchanging, immutable truth. The rich, the old farts, and the poor all get the same treatment in the end. There's a saying, isn't there? Abraham Lincoln made all the people free, but Samuel Colt, the founder of the Colt firearms company, made them equal.

Unfortunately, unlike in games, there's no such thing as a coin that you can substitute for your life in reality. There's no feature installed that allows you to respawn automatically after 30 seconds.

Did God overestimate his own abilities when he created humans?

"Ispa is really! Always saying be careful, every single day! If you only act like that, you'll never succeed! Right, Helena?"

"Ugh.. Yuta! I told you not to run ahead like that!"

"....Really, you're all so reckless."

If you could come back to life after dying, if everyone in the world could be reborn with memories of their past lives after death — what would happen?

In such a world, would teachers still exist, muttering empty words like "life is precious" and "suicide is just running away," just to earn money, without any sincerity?

No way.

There might be people who, just because they were born to unfortunate parents, would jump off a building and take their own lives at the age when they learn to walk.

Suicide, the act of taking one's own life, could become an act that should be respected in itself.

There might be people who would lightly throw away their lives because they lack talent, because they don't like their gender or race, because they don't feel attached to the country they were born in.

Like a gamer who's discovered a cheat code, wouldn't they end their lives and wish for the next one the moment they feel a little uncomfortable in their lives?

Well, to put it simply, since I've talked for too long…

"—Life is fleeting, easily lost, and thus valuable because it's unique."

I now look at the two children who have gone far ahead. Helena, with her delicate personality, following Yuta, who is a bit hot-headed and impatient.

Yuta, abandoned by his parents and sent to an orphanage, enduring a poor orphanage life while dreaming of striking it rich.

Helena, who has only ever lived being swayed by those around her, unable to properly express her own opinions.

Children who are living a real 'life', different from mine.

Even though the two children are a little rough around the edges and have shortcomings right now, thinking about how they will face hardships and become diamonds in the future makes even those flaws seem like the brilliance of an uncut gemstone, making my heart flutter a little.

Just how far can these children grow?

How far can they reach without despairing in the face of the events they will face in the future?

"~♬"

I hum a tune to myself as I follow their trail.

I've already figured out the general path of the dungeon. How many times do you think I've crawled into this kind of dungeon and how many times have I—died? I can navigate this kind of crude dungeon with my eyes closed.

Where the treasures are.

Where the traps are.

How the dungeon lures in young, novice adventurers with its traps.

I know it all.

I've got the experience, after all this time.

"...—Found it! If we just get that, we'll be rich!"

"Ah… N-No... Let's wait until Ispa comes..."

Looks like they've found it already.

It seems the two children have headed towards the trap.

Though it's a treasure to me.

Still, I had expected a bit more, but it can't be helped.

Well, in a way, it's only natural. There's a saying that 'experience' is just a name we give to 'mistakes', isn't there?

For them, who haven't experienced much yet, just getting this far is commendable.

"Uh... Ispa. Yuta said he found a treasure chest inside that door..."

Helena tells me in a timid voice.

I would have preferred to hear your opinion rather than someone else's.

"—No. It's dangerous."

"Why!! We can just go in and get it!!"

"There's no way a treasure chest would just be sitting there in a place like that. We need to be more cautious—"

Even the most precisely programmed machine can malfunction, so how could humans, who are greatly influenced by emotions, be any different? Everyone makes mistakes.

Overcoming those mistakes and living with the determination to never make them again, that's what we call growth, isn't it?

Growth.

Yes, I am the cornerstone of these children's growth.

I cultivate that precious, noble, irreplaceable 'one' life that these children possess.

Compared to my own life, which is worth less than a pencil lying on the ground, isn't it an overly generous exchange?

"—Ispa is really! Don't be so overprotective! We're proper adventurers now! Isn't that right, Helena?"

"...Th-That's... Yuta... Ispa is just thinking about us..."

Yuta is independent.

Is it the result of being abandoned by his parents? He extremely dislikes being cared for by others. He even causes trouble by saying he hates the orphanage director.

He doesn't even try to learn from advice or teachings given with good intentions. Thanks to that, I had a hard time even getting him to join the guild.

To put it nicely, he's a confident child who shines brightly like the sun. To put it badly, he's a lone wolf. If he could learn to tone down his prickly attitude when dealing with others, he could become a good adventurer.

That's why, even though I knew he hated it, I purposely played the role of the advisor by his side.

"But there could be a trap, Yuta. What if you get hurt—"

"You can't get treasure without taking risks, Ispa! Helena thinks so too, right?"

"U-Uh, yes? Um.. Y-Yeah."

Helena always listens to others' opinions. She embraces even the most absurd ideas without rejecting them. In my opinion, she possesses the qualities that make her a suitable leader.

The reality is, she's just afraid of being disliked and can't bring herself to say anything harsh.

It all depends on how you look at it, so I can only hope she develops that tolerant personality well.

Who likes being disliked? But you have to overcome that, Helena.

Even the greatest figures and saints in history have their critics. You need to know that some people are criticized just for existing.

Sometimes, you need to be firm, it's important.

That's why I always left the decision-making to Helena. The answer I got back was always 'anything', but lately, she's started to express her opinions, like saying she prefers coffee over black tea.

It's good progress, but I can't shake off the feeling that something is missing.

"Alright! Cowards just stand here! I'll be back in a flash—"

"Ah... Yuta!!"

"—Yuta! Come back!"

Shaking off the arm I was holding onto, Yuta starts running with his bright red hair fluttering in the wind. His speed is quite high, even from my perspective, having seen many adventurers.

He has talent. A real talent, unlike a fake like me.

This child will surely become a famous adventurer later on.

Becoming a stepping stone for such a great adventurer, what a wonderful thing it is.

And as a bonus, it satisfies my hobby as well.

—Rumble rumble....

"Got it..!! Wh-What is this!"

"Yuta—! The, the ceiling!!"

As expected, the trap activated as the treasure chest opened. Hmm, I thought the structure of the ceiling and pillars felt strangely off, so it was this type.

Yuta, who rushed in alone, seems flustered and starts to panic. The contents of the treasure chest are clearly burdensome to carry at a glance. They're large and heavy. How cruel.

"—Yuta! Get out of there quickly! Tch!"

"Ispa?!"

Leaving Helena at the entrance, I head towards where Yuta is.

Is it because of greed, or is he simply shocked by the unexpected situation?

I run towards Yuta, who's standing there bewildered, holding obstacles disguised as treasures in his hands. The ceiling has already descended so low that it's right in front of his eyes if he looks up.

If he doesn't get out quickly, he'll be crushed flat like a pancake.

"—Let's go!"

"But, the treasure!"

"There's no time to carry it! You're more important! We can come back for it later!"

If you die, that's the end for you. Better a living pawn, than a dead king. As long as you're alive, there will always be a next time.

I grab Yuta's hand tightly and head towards the door. If I put in all my effort, we could easily escape through the door, but I purposely adjust my speed so that we barely make it.

Because I plan to die here.

"Whoa?!"

"—Yuta!?"

Flick.

Stumbling on the small pebble I had secretly taken out of my pocket and thrown in a suitable spot while running towards Yuta, I see him stumble forward.

A face filled with fear.

Yes, remember that feeling of death.

Remember that hastiness, the arrogance of not taking others' advice to heart, will soon return as death.

And the fact that the companion you cherish like family will experience that death in your place.

"Hurry!! Quickly!!"

The ceiling has now descended almost to waist level. I carry the fallen Yuta, crawling towards the door with my waist and knees bent. Helena, who is outside the door, is watching us and stomping her feet anxiously.

But our speed isn't enough. At this rate, both of us will be crushed by the ceiling, our bodies beyond recognition.

Well, that's what I planned.

Don't worry. I wouldn't let a child with a bright future die, even if it meant sacrificing myself.

"Uwaaaaaaaaah—!!"

"Ispa?!"

Whoosh.

With a shout, I throw Yuta with all my might towards Helena. It's more like I'm curling him than throwing him.

But it's a bit disrespectful to say I'm curling a person, so let's just say I threw him.

Yes, I threw Yuta far away.

I see Yuta sliding out of the door, following the trajectory of my hand. His eyes are wide with surprise. What, are you surprised? Cute.

Left alone, I continue crawling at full speed. Slower than the speed needed to escape completely, but faster than the speed at which my whole body would be crushed.

The impact of death and a corpse is stronger when you see it directly with your own eyes—so let's just get crushed halfway.

Let's just get caught halfway.

Yes, that would be good.

Rumble rumble, I feel the vibrations coming from the ceiling. The press that's going to crush me is already slowly preparing to crush my body. I feel the hard texture of stone on my shoulders.

My head slips through the narrow gap first.

Followed by my neck, shoulders,

My arms, then my chest lacking in volume, my waist, and—

And—

"—GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!!!!!!!"

The last thing that escapes is a scream.

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