[Natural Flow]

“Well then, I’m going to be angry from now on. That’s okay, right?”

“Y-yeah.”

“…Yes.”

Right now, Higaki and I are sitting in front of the additional heroine ‘Iris Niflheim’ from the downloadable content in the reflection room we were thrown into on the first day.

Iris, who is standing with her arms crossed, appeals with her whole body that ‘she is angry’, and she deliberately snorts loudly like *humph, humph* to show the degree of her anger.

Honestly, even though I think she’s cute inwardly, I’m strongly filled with trepidation that she may have a difference in personality from the original work just like Higaki.

Actually, it’s not strange that she might have turned into a sadistic bitch that love to look down on people, right? Or she might have come to love using her status as a guard to pass down an excessive judgement, right? Because there is the precedent (Higaki), I can’t help but be anxious.

“First look at me and don’t think about anything unnecessary!”

I get scolded. And her appearance is really erotic.

“I have heard about the circumstances of the two of you earlier. You want to challenge the ‘Tower’ for the purpose of revival… there is nothing wrong with this. Charging in recklessly without making any preliminary arrangement could also be said to be in the category of your own self-responsibility. That part isn’t wrong either… But! To start killing each other for pretty selfish reasons is inexcusable!! How many people do you think get inconvenienced because of it!!”

“I deeply apologize…”

“Haah, my ba——OW!?”

Iris hit me with her rod when I thought – let’s apologize for the time being – and tried to apologize.

When I look at her even while feeling a little shock and a numbing dull pain on my head, she continues slapping the rod in her right hand against the palm of her left hand as if to threaten me while looking at me with frosty eyes.

“Sakurai-san. I should just apologize for the time being… you were thinking along that line, weren’t you?”

“Yes.”

“It is good that you are honest, but now is not the time nor place to display that honesty. You are totally too selfish. You do not respect others. You have defect in interpersonal skills. Have your school friends or the likes ever pointed that out?”

“I don’t have any school friends.”

“That is… umm… no, are you perhaps giving priority to your own training and abandoning your relationship with others?”

“Yeah, how do you know?”

“You stupidd!!”

*Pokon!* Along with such a sound, another impact is transmitted to my head.

The pain that had subsided return and I inadvertently hold my head and groan.

“It is wonderful that you have something you like and enthusiastic about, but it is extremely pointless if you neglect everything else and unnecessarily make enemies while doing it! Those who seeks their way in the world approve of each other with respect and come to terms with society instead of excluding them so that they are not hindered.”

“Ehh… that’s troublesome…”

“‘I’m doing what I like, so don’t come and get involved with me, if something happens, it’s your fault because you get involved with me’ – such childish reasoning doesn’t work, you know!! Everyone, including your teacher, ‘Sword Master-dono’, is taking that ‘troublesome thing’ for granted! The reason you are not excluded from society is that the people around you tolerate your errors, and you just continue to behave like a spoiled brat!”

“I see…”

It’s a fair argument that made me lost for words.

Thinking back upon it, I certainly have the awareness that I have spent my time until now selfishly.

I intended to be careful so as not to be a bother to others as much as possible, but I feel that will has gradually diminished since I was able to get into the academy dungeon.

However, it is a different matter whether I can accept it obediently; even though I know it in my head, something murky is boiling in my heart, so I can’t consent to it.

“It seems that you are in no way convinced. In that case, I will change my wording and point out your shortcomings so that it can be in line with your values. I cannot say that I fully understand the concept of ‘level’ that you are talking about, but I am sure that my way of using it is not wrong.”

Looking at my state, Iris says so and clear her throat with a small cough.

*Snap* She points the tip of her rod in her hand to my face, pulling my attention, and says,

“Your le-vel of interpersonal ability is so low. Even a baby’s is higher than yours.”

“――――, ――――.”

At that choice of words that are pretty critical to me, a feeling of wanting to deny that, and a feeling of having to accept the truth come to my mind and clash.

I’m stunned and continue to freeze for a while.