Rebirth From Ordinary Person To The Strongest

"Theater Troupe Actor?"

I froze as I stood before the ragged stuffed rabbit.

"… Is this really true?"

I couldn't help but ask. If ever there was a situation where the phrase "half-believing" applied, it was this one. After all, it had only been a few times since I first heard about the Theater Troupe Actor monster.

They were supposedly creating monsters all over Japan, had given that pink rabbit monster its small world, and now here stood this tattered stuffed toy? It was hard to believe.

That's why I quietly asked again.

"It's really true! I'm the Theater Troupe Actor! Well, think of this body as more like a telephone!" the stuffed rabbit exclaimed.

"… What?"

"In other words, even if you destroy this stuffed toy, I won't die! Just like how I can't kill you either! Hahaha!"

For some reason, the Theater Troupe Actor burst into a high-pitched, shrill laughter, as if something was amusing.

The word "telephone" caught my attention, so I examined the stuffed toy more closely, but there were no traces of "Silveit" threads attached to it. If someone wanted to communicate from a distance, typically they would use Silveit to connect the doll.

In other words, from what I could see, the Theater Troupe Actor wasn't using any visible magic.

However, magic without Silveit does exist. There could be types of magic I don't know about that allow communication over long distances, and it was entirely possible the Theater Troupe Actor was using such magic.

"… Why are you here?"

"Why am I here in front of you two? The answer's obvious! To have a chat, of course!"

The stuffed rabbit began spinning around on one foot, its tone and movements full of mockery.

But then the Theater Troupe Actor stopped its clumsy twirl and pointed its soft arm at me.

"You're Kisaragi Itsuki, right? Well, you see, I have one request: Please don't get in our way!"

"I'm not getting in your way."

I involuntarily stiffened when it called me by name, but I still kept my gaze fixed on the stuffed rabbit as I replied.

"Oh no, you're definitely in the way! You ruined our perfectly delightful, smile-filled plan! You killed the one who was here! All I want is to make the kids smile!"

"… How does kidnapping children from the amusement park bring smiles?"

"You're just a kid, so you wouldn't understand, but growing up is tough! That's why we need a place where kids can stay young forever. If that happens, everyone will smile! Big smiles, ear to ear!"

The stuffed rabbit stood on its hind legs and used its front paws to pull its mouth into an exaggerated smile. The bizarre sight made me hesitate for a moment.

"Sure, I get mad when someone interferes with my plans, but hey, hey! You helped us out by taking care of that factory making the rejuvenation drugs, didn't you? You killed them for us! So, here I am to negotiate. Can't miss this opportunity! Hahaha!"

"…"

"Oh, I forgot to explain the favor, didn't I? Well, you see, I hate adults but love kids so much I could eat them up! So, you can imagine how much I hate turning adults into kids! Makes me sick! I wanted to kill them, but you did it for me! Thanks so much—salt of the earth, like sprinkled salt!"

The Theater Troupe Actor swayed back and forth, as if in a dream-like state, singing out its words. Watching it made me feel like I was trapped in some bizarre nightmare, making me light-headed.

But Nina-chan, who had been holding my hand this whole time, grounded me. I took a deep breath and asked the question that had been weighing on my mind.

"So, by 'getting in the way,' do you mean that I shouldn't exorcise the monsters you've created?"

"Half right. The other half is about not interfering with our smile-filled plan."

… What is this nonsense?

I didn't let myself get caught up in every little thing it said. First, I needed to get to the heart of the matter.

"… And if I don't interfere, what do I get out of it? Are you offering me something in return?"

"Of course! Of course! Negotiation has to come with benefits and drawbacks! What I'm offering you is... smiles!"

"…"

Once again, it spewed some incomprehensible nonsense, so I waited for it to continue.

"No matter what happens, no matter where you are, I'll make sure you can always smile! Always smiling, always happy! Isn't that just the best? A perfect life, with a smile on your face!"

"… That doesn't sound great at all."

"Whaaat!? Why not?! You don't like smiling???"

It seemed genuinely shocked by my straightforward reaction, flipping itself upside down in exaggerated surprise.

Seriously, why does it think that always being able to smile and not exorcising monsters are somehow equal? There's no way that's a fair deal.

I swallowed down my frustration and gave my own terms to the Theater Troupe Actor.

"I don't need smiles. But if you stop creating more monsters, I might consider not interfering."

"Hmm. Hmmmm. At the current numbers, it's not enough for our plan. Yeah, sorry. Can't agree to that. Hahaha!"

"… I see. Then there's no deal."

"What a shame, what a pity."

The stuffed rabbit continued spinning and laughing.

The setting sun was sinking below the horizon, casting long shadows that stretched endlessly. The rabbit's shadow also stretched far and wide as it slumped its shoulders in disappointment. It spun once, then twice, and finally, halfway through the third turn, it stopped and spoke again.

"Well, guess I'll have to kill you here."

"!"

The moment those words reached my ears, I released Silveit threads.

To maximize power, I wove thin strands of Silveit and combined Water Attribute Change with Wind Attribute Change to compress the water pressure.

The name of the spell: "Amaugachi."

It was an impromptu, non-incantation spell, but its power was undeniable.

Boom!

A sharp crack echoed as the air split, and the stuffed rabbit's body exploded, scattering cotton in all directions. The rabbit's head was flung into the air.

"Hahaha! Useless! Just like how I can't kill you, you can't kill me either!"

The rabbit's head bounced off the ground with a thud.

"I'm not the one who'll kill you. My friend, who was here from the beginning, will take care of that. Well then, see you around! Don't forget to smile! Big grins!"

As the head bounced again, it became nothing more than an ordinary stuffed toy.

"I-Itsuki! It said it's going to kill us! More monsters are coming!"

"It's okay, Nina-chan. Stay calm."

At that moment, the sun fully set. The glow of the twilight vanished, and night took over.

Nina-chan's grip on my hand tightened.

Taking advantage of the darkness, two monsters emerged from the shadows.

How did I know?

Because I could see their Silveit threads stretching toward us.

Magic threads are easy to spot in the dark.

"They're already exorcised."

As I spoke, the monsters disintegrated into black mist before they could even get close. They were caught in my magic the moment they revealed themselves.

This is what's known as "countering" in martial arts terms.

My quickshot Silveit technique is faster than normal magic spells.

As long as I can see them, my magic will always be faster.