Book 2: Chapter 40

After I finish giving Grimhilde a dose of her drug, I mosey on over to the table where the hero has a haggard look from filling out paperwork for three different girls. Kida is now taking down information about the women.

“Already, let’s do this in order. First, you, the one with the short hair!”

“Ahh! You see… me… my name is Nala. I’m Florian’s childhood friend.”

“What? He was summoned here six months ago. How does that work?” I couldn’t help but interject.

“Ah, well, actually, Nala had lived on Earth as a child. That’s, uh, the name of my world. Then she had been brought over here. I would never have believed when I got summoned to another world I’d encounter my very important friend.” As the hero speaks, Nala blushes and twists her feet.

“Pass…” I mutter.

“Huh?” Hero asks.

“Nothing, anyway, who’s the rest of your party?”

“I met Lamilia here two months ago. She needs some help with her tribe. She promised to follow me until we can help them. Sorry if I don’t get more specific, it’s sort of a discrete problem. I don’t even know the details yet.”

“Hey, Lamilia,” I hold out my hand and Lamilia looks at it like it’s a strange entity.

“Nn…” she merely responds and gives me a nod.

“Ah, and this girl here is…”

“My name is Meg!” the girl herself gives a toothy grin and immediately poses with V signs over her eyes. “I’m the cutest girl in the woooorlld! So, remember judges, Vote for Meg!”

She immediately switches to another pose with her arm in the air. Sebastion only rolls his eyes at it while Kida tilts her head in confusion.

“On that note, would the hero from another world like to be a judge?” I ask, ignoring the attention seeker.

‘Eh?” Kida nearly tears a hole in the parchment she’s writing on.

“Kida wants to be a participant but then we’d be short one judge, but with you here it solves everything!”

“Ah, sorry, but n- “He suddenly looks at three women all staring at him feverishly. “Ah, I guess… it’d be okay, then.”

The three girls relax, finally entering the last bit of information to sign up. Sebastion, me, and Florian would make up the judges. Kida kisses me on the cheek before turning around and practically skipping off to the area behind the stage. I vaguely wonder if she’ll be alright once she realizes she’ll be on stage. The rest of the girls make their way to the back area too in order to get ready. Florian is giving me tight-lipped smile.

“What, what is it?” I ask.

“You sure are popular, aren’t you?” he responds.

“Huh? Why do you say that?”

“Ah, well, you have a beauty calling you my love. You have an amazon goddess kissing you on the cheek… I just thought…”

“What about you?”

“EH, me?”

“Three beautiful girls. One of them is even a childhood friend… you bastard.”

“Ah, well, they’re just friends. My quest is something I need to do alone. I am a hero. I can’t be dragged down by worldly relationships. I have to be the hero this world needs!”

“Really, must be tough…” I answer nonchalantly.

“Yes, but it was why I was sent here. It may break their hearts, but I must be a mountain.”

“So, I guess you wouldn’t mind if I took them, right?”

“Huh?”

“Shh! No time, the pageant is starting!”

“And now! Starting the first annual Waifu competition of Riun! We’re your hosts, May!”

“Daisy!”

“Sy-sylvia!”

“And Denise!”

The four girls in maid outfits pose as there is a wave of shouting. Of course, they were reading lines written by Sebastian, who would provide them punishment if they make a single mistake.

“Identical!”

“And Maids!” Another guy shouts.

“Didn’t those girls cut my purse a few weeks back?”

“Naw, they have different hair color.”

“Oh, right, completely different, those girls weren’t this cute.”

Daisy’s smile is faltering as it looks for a second like she might leap off the stage and pummel whoever is shouting, but a second later she recovers her smile after one look at Sebastian.

“Harem Harem! Waifu. GET!” The girls recover by performing another pose while saying something completely nonsensical, but it works as the crowd breaks into cheering once again.

And the curtain rises. Round 1 begins.