CH 99

[Higaki is the Standard Value]

It’s your last chance.

2 pm. Academy dungeon. 30th floor.

Take the secret path. Don’t tell anyone. Come alone.

“Now that I think about it, it was really troublesome to write it that way…” (Sakurai)

I mutter so in the 30th floor of the academy dungeon. It’s supposed to be underground, and yet trees filled the space.

Although it’s a good idea to write it that way so that only Amanai can decipher it, repeatedly enumerating the numbers was a pain.

At first, I was planning to include some provocation, but it was too much work, so I omitted them and the sentences turned out concise—I beg you for your understanding.

And after I finished writing, “Eh, does that guy come from a generation that can understand the character input of feature phones?” I came to that realization and couldn’t help thinking how haphazard my plan was.

While thinking about such things, I continue practice-swinging with some movement technique added into the mix as I’m waiting for the promised time to come.

Although I came up with this training with the efficiency of experience points gain in mind, when viewed from outsider’s perspective, I look like rotating my body clockwise while sliding and waving my sword about, and since I’m rotating, I can’t control the direction I’m going, so Higaki and Iris prohibited me to do it unless I’m in a spacious area.

So, I usually can only practice it in the garden at Iris’s place… or rather, behind the student dormitory.

Still, with how I repeatedly crash into one tree after another, you should be able to imagine how dangerous of a training this is. That said, I do it whenever I can.

“Hogo!?” (Sakurai)

Speaking of which, I immediately crash into a large rock protruding from the ground. With how vigorously my whole body crashed into it, it would become troublesome if I don’t immediately drink a potion. Fortunately, I already have some prepared.

The pain is like when you hit the corner of a table with your pinky toe, but coming from your whole body. Fufu, if it doesn’t give me experience points in swordsmanship and movement technique at the same time, I would have stopped right there on the spot.

“…………”

Reika Akano, restrained in a chair, is staring at such me.

She has an expression like she’s looking at something incomprehensible, or maybe at a suspicious person; anyway, it’s an unfavorable expression. It gives me a guilty conscience for some reason.

“Did I, do something wrong?” (Sakurai)

“Are you seriously asking that? After kidnapping me and bringing me into a dangerous place like the dungeon?” (Reika)

“As I explained earlier, monsters don’t spawn in the 30thfloor, so it’s safe, ‘kay?” (Sakurai)

The 30th floor of the academy dungeon is a woodland spread over a vast space.

Though I said it’s a woodland, the trees are orderly arranged at regular intervals, and each one is tall, so the view is mostly unobstructed. After entering, you can immediately see the stairs to the next floor in the distance.

This point makes this place can no longer be called a dungeon, and yet the 30th floor having the characteristic ‘monsters don’t spawn’ just makes it even more so.

Well then, if you’re asking the reason why such a place exist inside a dungeon, it is because this floor is set as a resting point.

The academy dungeon, among the other dungeons in the nation, has some parts of it artificially modified by the ancestors to improve the safety and survival rate of adventurers in order to nurture them.

This 30th floor is one of such artificially created safe zones; it is a place used as the last resting point before challenging the 31st floor and beyond where the strength of enemies begins to change drastically.

Usually, the academy students who have reached this point exchange information with each other, and decide whether to proceed or pull back, while some upper-class students use it as a picnic destination.

However, now that the entrance to the dungeon is blocked by the Disciplinary Committee for the duration of the academy festival, there’s no one here as far as the eye can see.

That being said, because the 30th floor is a safe place and no monster spawn here, it’s sooooo fucking boring here.

If it wasn’t because I needed to keep Akano hostage and wait for Sakurai to come save her, I’d have never stop at such a shitty place.

By the way, I was thinking of piggybacking Akano and exploring another floor until the scheduled time for Amanai to come arrive, so I tried bringing up the idea to her, but she rejected it, so now I can only quietly practice-swinging in this safe zone.

“Which is why there is no danger here. You need not worry. Just sit back and relax.” (Sakurai)

“You’re the reason why I can’t relax! Have some self-consciousness, why don’t you!” (Reika)

Well, yeah.

I did kidnap her; can’t argue with that. Still, I’d like her to stop making fair argument.

Nevertheless, although my motive in doing so is 90% out of selfishness, the remaining 10% is for Amanai’s sake.

And it’s exactly because this is for his sake, I’d like Akano who keeps yelling to let me explain to her what I’m planning to do from now on.

And so, I say that to her while bowing my head. Perhaps my sincerity is conveyed to her, as she gives me the opportunity to explain.

Then, I explain to her my thought about Amanai from what I’ve seen of him so far—his problem, and how it leads to me kidnapping her.

At first, Akano, who had been giving me a close to hostile gaze, has a thoughtful look as she listens to my explanation, but after I finish, she looks down and begin to ponder about something.

“Is that something that really need to be done?” (Reika)

“It’s not, but doing so will benefit Amanai. Unconsciously pulling your punches is dangerous; it might cost him his life someday.” (Sakurai)

“But that doesn’t mean it has to be done in such a hard way, does it? There should be more moderate ways to…” (Reika)

“If we had the time, I would’ve done so, too.” (Sakurai)

Not only Amanai’s level is low and the difference in pure stats between him and Julia is big, and he even has the problem of unconsciously pulling his punches. With that triple handicap, Amanai winning in a one-on-one battle against Julia is merely a pipe dream.

And if Amanai loses to Julia, one of my routes to get the Fool’s Necklace will be destroyed; on top of that, if Nanashino Katsumi, the third reincarnated person, appear at such timing… assuming that he’ll be picking a fight with him—Amanai would definitely lose horribly with the way he is now.

That’s why improving Amanai’s consciousness is absolutely necessary, but improving your consciousness is not something that can be done unless a big event happens to you.

After all, just as I myself started from the encounter with Higaki and finally got some improvement through the sermons of Iris in the Netherworld, I doubt his rigid consciousness will change in the future without some sort of shock.

Additionally, Luisina judged that ‘he is the type that need to be kicked on the bottom’, so combined with the lack of time, I had no reason not to take hard measures.

“Well, the battle with Julia being imminent is part of the reason, but if that guy stays as he is, he’ll definitely run into this sort of situation again, and at that time, things will end up horribly, I bet. So before that happens, we have to change his consciousness, even if we have to use high-handed means. ‘If I don’t kill, I’ll be killed’, ‘if I hold back, I can’t protect what I want to protect’… I figured if we at least “instill” such thoughts in him, he’ll change to some extent.” (Sakurai)

By the way, ‘this sort of situation’ mainly refers to the troublesome things that I plan to push to Amanai.

Even excluding that, this is a life-threatening world where you fight monsters both inside the dungeon or outside the wall; it is only a matter of time before Amanai’s current consciousness will cost him dearly.

In that case, me cooperating with the people around him to get rid of the landmine before things become irreparable is actually a kind act.

To get the Fool’s Necklace.

To continue to cooperate with Amanai, a fellow reincarnator.

And also, to vent my still, deep-rooted jealousy for him having initial level upper limit of 100, I’ll kindly and patiently teach him some reality. Because I’m his fellow reincarnator and cooperator.

After careful deliberation, I came up with the plan, “Let’s corner the already cornered guy to the limit until he blows up and hope for a positive result.” It is a hit or miss, no-consideration-of-failure mental treatment.

And that’s what led me to kidnap Akano Reika.

If his childhood friend got kidnapped, even Amanai would be impatient, after all.

From there, we strike him—so is the plan.

“……Hey, what’s your relationship with Hayato, Sakurai-kun?” (Reika)

“Even if you ask me that… as you know, we are nothing more than school friends.” (Sakurai)

Perhaps something is on her mind, Akano asks so after a brief silence.

I answer the question obediently, but as if not satisfied with it, she looks down and shakes her head.

“That’s a lie. There’s definitely a connection that I don’t know of between you.” (Reika)

“On what basis are you saying that?” (Sakurai)

Certainly, there is a connection between me and Amanai—we’re fellow reincarnators. But would knowing that do her any good?

Akano begins to speak quietly to me, tilting my head in incomprehension.

“When Hayato heard that Higaki-san was hospitalized after the entrance ceremony, he was surprised. He asked Ethel-chan to find out what happened. But he attached importance not only on Higaki-san, but ‘Higaki-san and the opponent she fought’… and that’s you, Sakurai-kun.” (Reika)

Amanai and Higaki were strangers who had never spoken face-to-face to begin with, and yet Amanai, who had just enrolled, were so concerned about the matter. It was puzzling.

Moreover, he was particularly concerned about me, not Higaki. That’s the starting point of her suspicion.

“At that time, Hayato said that Sakurai-kun might have been his old-acquaintance. But if Hayato had met you before, I should be able to remember you too, especially given your strong personality—there’s no way I would’ve forgotten you. We’ve always been together, after all.” (Reika)

When Akano first asked Amanai about our relationship, Amanai dodged her question, saying “Men also has men-only relationship.” She was convinced with that back then.

However, the more she thought back, the more she couldn’t help but feel like the words of Amanai, who got information about me from Ethel, were more like confirming if I was unfamiliar person rather than whether or not I was his acquaintance.

“Even back then when you two were talking at the entrance of the opera house, there was a delicate atmosphere between you two—you didn’t seem to be talking with an acquaintance. And the letter you sent him after the incident, even though its contents made it sounded like you guys were cooperating, Hayato made a troubled expression after reading it.” (Reika)

“I see. But, why do you want to know about our relationship?” (Sakurai)

Even if she has a basis of suspicion, the question of why she wants to know it still remains.

As long as it’s something I can answer, I’d answer anything she asks to get her on board with the plan of entrapping Amanai, but this topic leads to touching the fact that Amanai is a ‘reincarnated person’.

I don’t know why, but for some reason Amanai keeps hiding that fact from Akano and Ethel.

If so, telling it to Akano without his permission may affect our relationship from now on.

Given that possibility, I’m thinking of stopping the talk depending on the reason she tells me.

“…I, like Hayato.” (Reika)

“Wut?” (Sakurai)

Akano suddenly says such a thing to my question.

Her cheeks redden a bit, yet she suppresses her shyness and looks straight at me.

“I like Hayato, so I can’t stay silent seeing someone’s trying to corner him right in front of my eyes.” (Reika)

“O-ou.” (Sakurai)

“But I’m sure that a part of it is came from my selfish feeling of not wanting him to leave me. I’m so weak—just chasing after his back took me all I’ve got, and yet rather than Hayato’s heart changing, I’m more afraid of him going further away from me.” (Reika)

Akano keeps looking at me resolutely, despite tears glistening her eyes.

I ask her why she wants to know about our relationship, and yet, she tells me a revealing story that I have no interest in, I wonder why? But the pressure of her eyes is so intense as if saying ‘just shut up and listen’, so I listen quietly and carefully.

The feel is different, but the strength of her pressure is similar to that of Higaki, so I don’t what she’d do if I ignore her outright.

“If you, or the others won’t allow Hayato to stay the same. I choose ‘to change as well’ among the few options available to me. I will turn into a girl who can accept and support the changing Hayato.” (Reika)

“……” (Sakurai)

“That’s why I want to know, about ‘Amanai Hayato’ who I don’t know. About the other Amanai Hayato that he doesn’t show me.” (Reika)

She wants to know so she can change, that’s the reason why she wants to know about the relationship between me and Amanai—so Akano concludes her story.

Having heard that, I scratch my head, feeling like giving up.

(Well… I give up.)

My believe is in leveling, my purpose is leveling, and my reason for living is all for leveling.

In a way, it’s similar to ‘continuing to change’, that’s exactly why I feel like I can’t reject her who has chosen to change herself.

That’s why, honestly speaking, my favorable impression of Akano, who declared ‘I want to change too’ before me, has become higher than Amanai, and if I’m forced to choose between the two, I’d probably end up supporting her.

(If I give her back some more push, won’t she become the same kind as me?)

No, if that happens, we’d inevitably kill each other to compete for experience points in hunting grounds, so I can’t let that come to pass.

I can’t coexist with someone like me in an offline game. All experience points and level upper limit-releasing items are mine, I won’t share them with anyone else…!

Anyway.

“How do I say this, you’re a good a girl (Heroine), ain’t you? To the point it feels like you’re more than what Amanai deserves.” (Sakurai)

“Thanks. So?” (Reika)

“Alright, I’ll tell you. In exchange, I’d like you to help me with my plan.” (Sakurai)

“How far it is up to discussion, though… well, okay, I’ll cooperate.” (Reika)

I answer the request of her, whom my favorable impression of ranked only next to Iris even among the other girls I know.

Amanai hides that he’s a reincarnated person? In that case, the fact that I expose it will corner him further, and will contribute to him stripping off the mask of the protagonist he wears.

Amanai will possibly get angry? Who cares, after all, I’ve decided to blow his top since he’s so dull. If he doesn’t get livid to Higaki’s level back then at the entrance ceremony, then that means I miscalculate.

While thinking that it feels somehow wrong to use Higaki as a standard, I start talking about who Amanai and I are.

In addition to us being reincarnated people, I also tell her about how this world existed as a creative work in our previous lives, and that Amanai and I liked it.

I tell her everything, as I did Higaki and Iris.

Akano keep listening to my story without interjecting in the middle. And after she asked a few questions at the end, I make sure to remind her about her promise to ‘cooperate’.

Akano Reika is trying to change.

No matter what kind of person Amanai Hayato is, no matter how he changes.

Despite knowing everything about him, the good and the bad, she wants to accept and stand next to him, to support him.

I can do nothing but admire her, saying, “That’s the main Heroine for you, totally different from Higaki.”