Inner Voice: All Heroines Hear My Inner Voice

Chapter 1016: The Next Dandadan Plot

With All Fiction—

*Click*

He erased the distance between his current location and Ayase’s coordinates at her school.

In a single millisecond, Eiji was standing upright in front of the school storage shed, which looked deserted but was shrouded in a dense supernatural aura.

That aura emanated from a female youkai dressed in red with long, silky black hair. She opened her mouth wide and swallowed the two people one by one.

The two people were Aira, one of the heroines from Dandadan, and the protagonist of Okarun.

"Okarun! You idiot, why did you get eaten too!?"

Ayase shouted, her voice filled with exasperation.

"You’ve caused us trouble by eating the banana we wanted."

"We have no choice but to defeat you and take that amazing banana from your stomach."

"We’ll show you our awesome combo!"

There were also three people—or rather, three aliens—saying silly things. They were aliens of the same race who had once tried to steal Okarun’s bananas.

The three aliens surrounded a female Youkai named Acrobatic Silky. If Eiji’s memory serves him correctly, the target was Aira; he wanted to become her mother and merge with her just like now.

"Looks like I’m a little late."

The voice made Ayase jump; she turned toward the school warehouse entrance and widened her eyes. "E-Eiji?! You’re already here? That was fast!"

"Ayase, how are you? It looks like you weren’t hurt before I got here—that’s good."

Hearing the concern in his words, Ayase blushed and, for a moment, forgot about her surroundings.

At that very moment.

All three aliens raised their hands simultaneously. A strange wave of dark purple energy radiated from their palms, generating a luminous gravitational force that immediately pinned Acrobatic Silky’s body in place. This was their signature combo move, designed to immobilize supernatural beings by manipulating local gravity.

"Ngh...!" Acrobatic Silky groaned with a terrifying sound.

Her body, nearly three meters tall, was held in place for a few seconds. The gravitational pressure from the three aliens’ combo move caused the ground beneath her feet to crack, and her red dress billowed fiercely as it withstood the crushing weight.

"Give up and let us extract that extraordinary banana from you."

"What about that female?"

"Hand over that female too! She’ll be used to produce our species."

The female the aliens were referring to was Aira. Acrobatic Silky, who considered herself Aira’s mother, grew even angrier upon hearing that.

"Don’t... you dare... touch my Aira!! You bastards, I’ll kill you all!"

A terrifying, shrill scream erupted from Acrobatic Silky’s mouth.

*SWOOSH!*

Her long black hair—as soft as silk yet as hard as steel—suddenly shot out, moving of its own accord to pierce through the aliens’ gravitational field, shattering it into pieces. The combo move they were so proud of vanished in the blink of an eye.

"Our combo was destroyed!?"

"Impossible!"

Before the three aliens could dodge, strands of Acrobatic Silky’s hair had already shot forward at supersonic speed. The strands wrapped tightly around their necks, arms, and bodies, leaving them completely immobilized.

"L-Let us go!"

One of the aliens shouted.

However, Acrobatic Silky ignored him.

It didn’t stop there; her black hair twisted and pulled the aliens’ bodies in the opposite direction with deadly precision. CRASH! CRASH! CRASH! In a matter of seconds, the bodies of the three aliens were torn into pieces, shattered into shards of organic fluid scattered across the ground.

Acrobatic Silky pulled her long hair back, standing tall in the midst of a cloud of dust, her breath coming in gasps.

In the distance, Ayase could only swallow hard, her face etched with horror.

Amid the silence following the destruction of the three aliens’ bodies, a rhythmic clapping suddenly echoed through the school warehouse.

*Clap! Clap! Clap!*

Eiji clapped as if he were admiring what he had just seen.

Acrobatic Silky immediately spun around, on high alert. Her eerie red eyes were fixed straight on Eiji, who was walking casually toward her with his hands in his pants pockets.

Behind Eiji, Ayase followed him without a hint of fear.

Why?

It was because Eiji’s presence gave her a sense of security! She was counting on him to defeat the Youkai in front of them.

"Who are you?!" Acrobatic Silky screamed in a shrill, ear-piercing voice. "Are you also one of those bastards trying to take Aira away from me?!"

Eiji didn’t deny the accusation. He glanced briefly at Acrobatic Silky’s stomach; his vision pierced through her body, he could see Aira and Okarun huddled in the darkness.

"Let’s just put it that way. Letting that woman named Aira die here would be a huge hassle for me."

Besides, she’s his future wife.

As for Okarun? Well, he has to save him too in order to further boost Ayase’s positive level.

"I’ve been waiting ten years to be with Aira. I won’t let a bastard like you tear us apart! You and that woman who bullied Aira are going to die!"

"W-Who’s bullying who!? Hey, that bitch is the one who’s been bullying me, okay? She even had her two friends tie me up earlier!" Ayase refuted what Acrobatic Silky had said.

Just like in the original work, even though she wasn’t close to Okarun, Aira considered her a demon she had to purify.

That pink-haired woman has a screw loose.

She thinks she’s the chosen one to save the world just because she has one of Okarun’s balls.

That woman didn’t even know the golden orb she possessed was a man’s seed!

Eiji also learned that detail from Rasiel, and thought the plot in the original work was still unfolding with only minor changes.

That’s a good thing for him.

"What did you call Aira? You’re going to die, you bitch!"

Acrobatic Silky didn’t care about Ayase’s explanation; she wanted to kill him just because he’d spoken ill of Aira.

Mercilessly, thousands of strands of her black hair shot forward like a storm of giant needles, ready to tear Eiji and Ayase’s bodies to shreds in the blink of an eye.

Ayase panicked slightly; she prepared to use her supernatural ability, and a pair of large, translucent green hands made of Ki spread out from her back.

However, Eiji didn’t even blink. He simply opened his mouth and uttered a single word in a completely flat tone.

"Stop."

In that very instant, the atmosphere around them seemed to freeze. The storm of black hair, which was just a few dozen centimeters away from touching Eiji and Ayase, suddenly came to a complete halt in midair, stiff as iron embedded in concrete.

Acrobatic Silky’s terrifying eyes widened. She tried to move her body, her arms—but not even a single strand of her hair responded to her command. Her body was completely immobilized by an invisible magical force.

"W-What... What’s going on?! Why can’t I move?!" Acrobatic Silky screamed in confusion.

This terrifying ability is Kotodama Magic, originating from the world of Black Clover. A magical power that manipulates reality through speech alone, forcing everything around it to obey absolutely the words spoken by its user.

Eiji walked casually through the rows of frozen hair until he stood right in front of Acrobatic Silky’s trembling, giant face.

A faint smile played on his handsome face.

"Now, listen to my command." Eiji said, his gaze piercing straight into Acrobatic Silky’s soul. "Spit out everyone you’ve eaten."

Kotodama Magic took effect once more with absolute force. Acrobatic Silky’s soul and body were completely unable to offer even the slightest resistance to Eiji’s command. Her stomach suddenly churned violently against her will.

"Ugh... Ghuwek!!"

Acrobatic Silky coughed violently. From her gaping mouth, she vomited a clump of black spiritual energy that immediately materialized back into two people—Aira, and Okarun, who had been separated from her youkai form.

They were all sprawled on the ground, but only Okarun was still breathing. As for Aira? Just like an ordinary human devoured by a youkai, she lost her aura—her life energy—and died.

In the original work, the same thing happened.

However, Eiji wasn’t worried.

Death was no problem for him.

"Amazing!"

Seeing the scene before him, Ayase, who was standing behind Eiji, was completely transfixed. Her eyes sparkled intensely, her mouth slightly agape with profound awe.

With just two words, Eiji was able to subdue the youkai that had nearly overwhelmed him and Okarun, even forcing the creature into absolute obedience. The crush and admiration in Ayase’s heart were now burning even more intensely; Eiji was even more extraordinary than her idol, Takakura Ken.

"Ugh... Ayase-san? Huh, Eiji? You’re here!?"

Ignore Okarun, who’s still alive because she possesses Granny Turbo’s supernatural powers.

As he slowly stood up, Aira was still lying next to him and showed no signs of waking up.

"Hey, wake up already." Ayase ran over and checked the pink-haired woman’s wrist. Her eyes immediately widened in panic. "Eiji, it’s bad! She... she’s already dead! Her aura has completely vanished too!"

As a medium, she could see the aura possessed by every living creature and even inanimate objects.

Okarun, who had just been freed, also looked shocked and was trembling at the sight of Aira’s condition. The atmosphere behind the gym was suddenly enveloped in a tense silence.

"Shiratori-san is dead!? This is bad—what should we do!?"

The protagonist clutched his head in frustration, feeling a bit resentful of how weak he was. He hadn’t been able to stop Aira from being devoured by the Acrobatic Silky earlier.

Just like Ayase, he looked at Eiji as if wondering if there was anything he could do.

Eiji casually said, "You two, calm down."

He didn’t use Kotodama Magic, but his words miraculously calmed Ayase and Okarun.

"It’s no use—Aira is dead now! She’ll be with me forever! Hahahaha! My Aira! My Aira!"

Acrobatic Silky still couldn’t move, but she laughed wickedly. She was the very picture of a mad mother.

Eiji ignored her and stepped closer to Aira’s body. He placed his right hand right on the woman’s chest, then prepared to use his signature ability, All Fiction.

[Do you have to touch her chest, host?]

"Miss System, just pretend you didn’t see that."

[.....]

The next second, Eiji spoke to himself in his inner voice.

[The fact that Aira is dead... the fact that her life aura has been completely eroded by the Youkai... as well as all the biological damage to her body... I made all of that disappear.]

Ayase, who had felt a twinge of jealousy seeing Eiji hold Aira’s chest, was stunned.

What is Eiji doing!?

Could he really do something like that?

In a split second, reality around Aira’s body seemed to magically rewind. The pallor in her skin vanished instantly, replaced by a healthy pink glow. The warmth returned to her body in an instant, and the aura of life that had previously vanished now radiated once again with great intensity—even purer than before.

"Ahem! Haaah...!"

Aira suddenly jolted awake, taking a deep breath as if she had just woken up from a very long nightmare. Her chest rose and fell rapidly as her brown eyes flew open; she stared at the ceiling of the school warehouse and Eiji’s handsome face in confusion.

"I-I... am I still alive?" Aira said softly as she touched her own chest; she could still feel the sensation from when Eiji had touched her for a moment.

To avoid any clichéd misunderstandings, Eiji had, of course, removed his hand from Aira’s chest before she woke up.

Still, since he was the first person she saw, Aira thought he was the one who saved her—he was her prince!

A blush immediately spread across her cheeks.

Who is this incredibly handsome man?

Is he the one destined for me!?

"Tsk! What are you staring at? Get up already!" Ayase was annoyed to see Aira acting that way.

"How rude! Ayase Momo, are you jealous?"

Aira stood up and immediately glared at Ayase.

"Huh!? W-Who’s jealous!? I’m not jealous at all!"

"Heh? Really?"

Aira smiled smugly.

Ayase gritted her teeth; she wanted to fight that pink-haired woman in front of her all over again. She regretted having worried about her earlier and snorted.

"Shiratori-san! Thank God, you’re alive again! Eiji, I managed to save you."

Eiji pinned the protagonist, Okarun, in his heart.

Aira flinched and turned to Eiji with a shy expression. "T-Thank you for saving me—I’m Aira Shiratori! Are you... an angel who descended from Heaven to save me? Or... the prince of destiny foretold in my life’s prophecy?"

"...." Ayase and Okarun.

Eiji just gave a faint smile. "I’m neither an angel nor a prince, Aira. My name is Eiji Seiya."

Hearing his name—and the way he’d immediately called her by her first name—Aira instantly clasped her hands in front of her chest, her heart pounding wildly. She gazed at Eiji with an intensely loving look. "Eiji-sama... Starting today, my life... and my whole heart, are yours!"

She exclaimed without hesitation, completely ignoring the presence of Ayase, Okarun, and Acrobatic Silky around her.

Seeing that scene, Ayase, who was standing beside Eiji, instantly felt a vein throb on her forehead. The deep admiration and emotion she’d felt upon witnessing Eiji’s greatness instantly evaporated, replaced by a wave of jealousy that burned in her chest. She stepped forward with a loud stomp, immediately positioning herself between Eiji and Aira to block the latter’s view.

"Hey!! What the heck are you doing, Aira?!" Ayase exclaimed in a sharp tone, her face scowling as much as it could. "Eiji came here because I asked him to! Don’t even think about trying to charm him with your dramatic lines, okay!"

Veins were also bulging on Aira’s forehead; she wasn’t about to back down even though her body had only just recovered. She put her hands on her hips and glared at Ayase defiantly. "So what? Eiji-sama saved my life with his own hands! It’s only natural for a woman to fall in love with her savior! You’re just jealous because you can’t get his full attention, aren’t you, Ayase Momo?!"

"You bitch...!"

Ayase’s face flushed crimson with anger and embarrassment at Aira’s taunt.

Okarun, watching the two women argue, could only awkwardly scratch his head—which wasn’t even itchy—while Acrobatic Silky, still under the influence of Kotodama’s magic, could only watch in silence, feeling annoyed.

Aira actually gave herself to a man!?

How could she let that happen!?

Aira belongs only to her!

But right now, she couldn’t even find the words. An invisible force had even silenced her.

She glanced at Eiji with a mix of anger and fear. Is this man really human!?

"Well..." Eiji turned his gaze to Acrobatic Silky. "You can talk and move now."

"Ghhh... you bastard..." Acrobatic Silky growled, her body finally able to move. "You... you took Aira away from me! I won’t let you take her away!"

With a shrill scream that shattered the windows around the school warehouse, Acrobatic Silky sent all her black hair shooting upward, forming a giant black whirlwind that covered the ceiling.

"Die, youuu!!"

The storm of hair plunged sharply toward Eiji like thousands of steel spears ready to tear anything to shreds.

"Eiji!/Eiji-sama!"

Okarun screamed in panic, while Ayase and Aira immediately stopped their argument, their faces pale as they both realized the grave danger threatening the man they loved.

However, Eiji simply stood tall without changing his expression in the slightest.

"You were given a chance, but you chose to destroy yourself." Eiji said indifferently.

He wasn’t using word magic anymore. This time, he immediately activated All Fiction. He raised his right hand, pointing his palm straight at the charging Acrobatic Silky.

*Snap!*

The sound of Eiji snapping his fingers echoed amid the roar of the hairstorm. And in that very moment, the entire reality in that area was rewritten.

In that very instant, the giant black hair storm, which was just a few inches from Eiji’s body, suddenly slowed down, then began to fade into transparent particles of light. There was no explosion, no scream of pain, and no blood spilled. Acrobatic Silky’s slender, tall body began to vanish from the tips of her toes to the top of her head, like a sketch being neatly erased from a blank sheet of paper.

Her red eyes widened in horror before her entire form finally vanished completely from the world, without leaving even a speck of dust behind.

"...." Everyone.

Silence once again enveloped the area behind the school building.

Okarun and Ayase stood gaping.

Aira had stars in her eyes.