—This is really, really not good.
Feeling the hard texture of the ground against his face, he realized
that he had fallen facedown on the ground.
He couldn't move, even
when he tried, and he already couldn't feel his fingers. What he did
feel was a certain heat, and it overwhelmed his entire body.
—it's hot, it's hot, it's hot, it's hot, it's hot, it's hot, it's hot.
He coughed and vomited the blood He felt rising in his throat—the
source of his waning life.
So much came out that it frothed at the
edges of his mouth.With his hazy vision, he could see the ground in
front of him stained red.
—you've...got to be kidding me...All of this is mine?
Feeling as though all the blood in his body had spilled out of
him, he reached a shaking hand to try and find the source of the heat
that was burning through his body.As his fingertips reached the
large cut in his stomach, he understood.
No wonder it felt so hot.His brain must have been mistaking
pain for heat.The clean gash that ran through his torso was so deep
it had almost sliced him in half.Only bits of skin were holding
him together.
In other words, he had run right into checkmate in the chess
game of life.As soon as he realized that, his consciousness
immediately began to fall away from him.
Before his eyes, he saw a black boot descend, making ripples in the
red pool of his fresh blood.
Someone was there, and that someone...was probably the one
who killed him.
But he didn't even think to look that person in the face.It didn't
matter anymore.
—The one thing he did wish was that she, at least, would be safe.
"—baru?"
He felt as if he heard a voice that rang like a bells.That he heard that
voice, that he could hear that voice, felt like salvation to him more
then anything else, so—
"!"
With a short scream, someone else crumpled upon the carpet of
blood.
She landed right beside him.He lay there, weakly attempting to
reach her.
Her white hand fell, powerless.He lightly grasped it in his own
bloodstained grip.
He felt the fingers of her hand move slightly to accept his own.
"Just you wait..."
He seized his fading consciousness, pulling it desperately back to
buy a bit more time.
"I'm going to..."
—find a way to save you.
In that moment, he—Subaru Natsuki—lost his life.