Arifureta/ From Commonplace to World’s Strongest Vol. 8 Ch. 4

Arifureta: From Commonplace to World’s Strongest Volume 8.

Chapter 4: A Changing Heart.

A quiet dawn illuminated the streets of Verbergen. Shortly after the sun crested the horizon though, the cries of birds shattered the silence. Leaves rustled as the other forest creatures began to stir, the sounds mingling together to form a familiar forest symphony. But while the forest’s capital was peaceful, a small clearing on its outskirts was not.

“Taaah! Hmph! Haaah!” Each cry was accompanied by the sound of something whistling through the air. A streak of black cut through the mist once, twice, and then a third time. The black streak was a katana being swung down with impeccable discipline and control. Its wielder’s movements were polished to the extreme, and her trademark black ponytail swung back and forth in a steady rhythm as she continued her practice swings. Her sharp figure looked mystical in the early dawn light. Her katana danced gracefully through the air, cutting down any leaf unlucky enough to fall in its path. Droplets of sweat glistened on her skin, making it clear that she’d been at this for hours already.

The girl, Shizuku, paid no attention to the hundreds of sliced leaves littering the ground around her. Her attention was focused entirely on maintaining her form and connecting each swing with the next.

“Ah!” Suddenly, her eternal dance faltered. Her arms wobbled, and her swing missed the leaf she’d been aiming for. As the leaf twirled to the ground, Shizuku lost her balance and twirled around herself. Fortunately, she managed to keep herself from falling, but she needed to stick her sheath in the ground to do it. Shizuku smiled bitterly at herself.

“Haaah… Haaah… Ahhh, jeez!” She shook her head in irritation, and her ponytail swung back and forth.

“Calm down. I need to calm myself down.” Shizuku fixed the image of a serene spring in her mind and took a few deep breaths. The first thing she’d learned when she’d picked up swordsmanship was how to meditate. She’d used this method to calm herself down so many times that it had turned into something she did automatically anytime she felt herself losing her cool. However right now, the image of a certain boy kept popping into her mind, ruining her meditative trance.

“Gaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!” With a primal scream, Shizuku swung her katana down in an attempt to smash the face that had appeared in her mind.

No, no, no, this is DEFINITELY not what it seems like! The serene spring vanished from her mind. Her thoughts were a swirling tempest of emotions, and she was having a hard time thinking clearly.

Actually, what does it even seem like!? I’m totally calm, aren’t I? So it shouldn’t seem like anything! She was the furthest thing from calm right now, as evidenced by the fact that she couldn’t string a coherent thought together.

Shizuku had been practicing here since before dawn, and she’d repeated this pattern of getting distracted and forcibly calming herself down only to get distracted again dozens of times now. It seemed as if she’d started practicing to get rid of the something clouding her thoughts rather than that something coincidentally getting in the way of her practice. There was, of course, a good reason for why Shizuku had gotten up in the middle of the night to practice.

After returning from Haltina’s labyrinth the day before, the party had returned to Verbergen to rest. After dinner and a bath, Shizuku had gone to bed like everyone else. But for some reason, she’d found herself unable to sleep. She’d tossed and turned for hours on end until finally, she couldn’t take it anymore. And so, even though it was only 2 o’clock, she’d grabbed her katana and ran off into the night.

The cause of her insomnia was the same boy who’s figure had appeared in her mind and interrupted her meditation earlier.

“Haaah! Taaah! Raaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!” Her yells grew wilder, and she swung her sword with abandon. The more she tried not to think about it, the more she found herself dwelling on what had happened in the labyrinth. Specifically, on what had happened when she’d been trapped in the dream world. Her supposed ideal illusion had been so embarrassing that she turned bright red simply thinking about it. She refused to believe that was something she’d actually desired, but the dream’s contents were too shameful for her to talk to anyone about it.

How come he of all people had to be the one to…

“Ryaaaaaaaaaaaah!” But the thing that nagged at her the most was the final trial. With her emotions reversed, she’d found those disgusting black cockroaches lovable, and that had certainly been traumatic, but that wasn’t what truly bothered her. The biggest problem was that she’d found the boy currently on her mind utterly detestable. She’d hated him more than anything else.

Which means that I actually…

“Noooooooooooo! He’s just a friend! That’s aaaaaaaaall!” Her strokes were so haphazard they couldn’t be called practice swings anymore. Shizuku was acting totally out of character. Her katana groaned in protest as she slashed about wildly.

Normally, this was around the point that Shizuku would attempt to calm herself down again, but she was so flustered that she continued cutting at the image of the arrogantly grinning boy her mind had conjured. The moment she’d cut his illusion down, another one appeared, this time with the same gentle smile he’d had after conquering the labyrinth.

“Dieeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!”

Incidentally, the Yaegashi-style had no such battle cry. In fact, Shizuku had never once screamed die when fighting before. Shizuku knew her father and grandfather would be ashamed of her if they saw her now, but she was too far gone to care. She ignored their imaginary glares of disapproval and swung with even more force. Her classmates would be shocked if they saw her flailing recklessly like this. She was acting nothing like her usual composed self.

She kept up her practice session for another few hours, occasionally calming herself down for a few minutes, but always getting flustered again in the end. She desperately tried to deny the feelings burgeoning within her, but no matter how hard she pretended they didn’t exist, Haltina’s trials continued to haunt her.

Eventually, exhaustion dulled her emotions, and she was able to regain a modicum of composure. And after arguing internally with herself for a few minutes, she finally convinced herself that these strange emotions were a product of the trust she’d placed in him when things had gotten dicey in the labyrinth. From now on, she wouldn’t lose her cool whenever she thought of him. Everything was back to normal.

“Phew…” With a calm breath, Shizuku returned her katana to its scabbard. She closed her eyes, letting the crisp morning air cool her sweat. Her damp hair clung to her face, making her look more alluring than usual.

Suddenly, a voice from behind interrupted her thoughts.

“You really are diligent.”

“Hwhat!?” Her heart nearly leaped out of her chest. That voice was one Shizuku recognized well. Judging by her flustered response, her attempt to act normal around him already failed. She whirled around to see Hajime, the boy who’d been on her mind this whole time, standing behind her. Whether it was because he hadn’t wanted to interrupt her training or simply because he wanted to mess with her, he’d kept his presence hidden until now.

“Nagumo-kun. Don’t surprise me like that. It’s not nice to spy on people either.” Shizuku steadied her pounding heart and glared at Hajime, but he was far too amused by her earlier reaction to care.

“Hwhat? Really? Pfft…”

“Ah!”

Hajime tried to hold back laughter as he repeated Shizuku’s words. Shizuku’s glare grew sharper, but the blush spreading up her face made her hard to take seriously. She seemed to realize that herself and yelled.

“What. Do. You. Want!?”

Hajime chuckled at the anger in her voice. However, he didn’t want to tease her too much, so as an apology he pulled a towel out of his Treasure Trove and threw it to Shizuku. It was only after she caught it that Shizuku realized she was still drenched in sweat. She looked away in embarrassment and wiped herself down. Hajime leaned against a nearby tree and answered her question.

“I didn’t really come for anything in particular. I woke up early and thought I’d get some training in. Then, I spotted you while looking for a place to train and came to see what you were doing. From the looks of it, you’ve been at this for a while. I’m impressed you’re training so hard right after that grueling labyrinth run.”

“Th-This is just my normal routine. Also… I couldn’t sleep, so…”

“Well, it was your first labyrinth and all. I don’t blame you for being too excited to sleep.”

“Y-Yeah.” She certainly had been too excited to sleep, but for a completely different reason. She averted her gaze, and Hajime gave her a puzzled look. Shizuku wasn’t acting like her usual self. His gaze flustered her even further, and she started fidgeting uncomfortably. Finally—

“Yaegashi, is something wrong? You’re acting weird. Don’t tell me the labyrinth’s spells still haven’t worn off?”

“Huh? Oh no, I’m fine. Perfectly fine. Never been better.”

“You don’t look fine. You’re acting weird and you’re clearly exhausted…”

“Wh-What do you mean weird? I’m the same as always. Just don’t sneak up behind me again. I’m usually aware of my surroundings, but if I don’t see you, I might end up accidentally cutting you!”

“What are you, some kind of hitman? Well whatever, as long as you’re sure you’re fine.”

She obviously wasn’t, but Hajime wasn’t going to press the issue if she insisted on saying that she was. Then, as if suddenly remembering something, he walked up to Shizuku. Flustered, Shizuku held her hands out in front of her in an attempt to keep Hajime away.

“H-Hey! Why’re you getting so close? Stop, wait, I stink of sweat! This is an invasion of personal space! Let’s just calm down and talk this through! Oh, do you want the towel back? Here… Wait, no. I need to wash it first! Stay right there, I’ll give it back later!”

“Are you sure you’re okay? I just wanna see your sword for a bit.”

Shizuku backpedaled away from Hajime as if he were some kind of pervert. Even Hajime couldn’t help but feel a little hurt at that.

“M-My sword? Why?”

“So I can upgrade it. Now that I can use evolution magic, I figure I can probably make it stronger. But if you’d rather not, I’ll leave it alone.”

“O-Oh. That’s all? Fine, then. You’re more than welcome to upgrade it.” Shizuku unstrapped her katana and gingerly held it out toward Hajime. It appeared she had no intention of getting any closer than necessary. Since coming to this world, she’d often end up in situations where she was talking to members of the opposite sex while covered in sweat, so Hajime found it odd that she was suddenly keeping her distance now. While he was curious, in the end, he just shrugged it off and said, “Well, whatever.”

He took the sword, then stamped the ground with his foot. The transmutation circle inscribed onto his shoe glowed crimson, and a table and chair appeared in front of Hajime. He sat down in the chair and laid the katana on the table. He then started pulling out various ore from his Treasure Trove.

Shizuku watched intently, curious about the crafting process. Hajime felt like it’d be awkward to keep her standing, so he transmuted another chair across where he was sitting, and gestured for Shizuku to take a seat. Fidgeting restlessly, she eased herself into the chair.

“……”

“……”

Neither of them spoke. The only sounds were the chirping of birds, the rustling of leaves, and the dull clattering of metal against metal. The morning’s silence had returned to the small clearing. However, the silence didn’t feel awkward to Shizuku in the slightest. While she did feel nervous, she felt like Hajime had implicitly given her permission for her to be there by making her a chair. As time passed, her racing heartbeat started to slow.

He’s really concentrating… Hajime kept his gaze firmly focused on the blade in front of him. Even an amateur like Shizuku could tell he was focusing intently on his work. Bright crimson mana surged from him, illuminating his dead-serious expression. The chunks of ore sitting in front of Shizuku began to twist and morph.

“His mana really does look pretty…” Shizuku whispered to herself. Surrounded by swirling mana and floating transforming objects, Hajime looked the spitting image of the kinds of wizards Shizuku had read about in fairy tales. And right now, he was casting a spell right in front of her. Shizuku found herself captivated, unable to look away.

After a while, she rested her chin in her hands, and her eyes began to slowly glaze over as Hajime continued his work. The effects of pulling an all-nighter were beginning to show. At least, that seemed to be the cause of her glassy eyes. At some point, Hajime reached out to Shizuku to draw her blood, and she fell into such a panic that she toppled off her chair. Aside from that, though, Hajime’s work progressed smoothly. Just as Shizuku really was about to give in to her desires and fall asleep at her chair, Hajime called out to her.

“Look, Yaegashi. I’m finished. I was mostly fiddling with your sword to get practice using evolution magic in, but I think this turned out pretty nice.”

“……”

“Yaegashi?”

“……”

“Did you fall asleep?”

Shizuku’s head was in her arms, and her eyes were nearly closed. Hajime raised an eyebrow and took a closer look at her. He found himself almost impressed with how carelessly she was sleeping in the middle of a forest. Had Hajime been a normal gentleman, he’d have lightly shook her awake, or perhaps covered her with his jacket. But since he wasn’t, he decided to settle for poking Shizuku in the forehead with her katana’s scabbard. He then poured some mana into it.

“Ababababababababababa!?”

Electric sparks ran down its length, shocking Shizuku. She jolted awake, her body rigid as the current ran through her. The moment Hajime took the scabbard off her forehead she slumped back down on the table, white smoke rising from her clothes. He looked down at the sword and stroked his chin thoughtfully. And he nodded after a while, satisfied with his handiwork.

“What the heck was that for!?” Shizuku yelled angrily as she slammed her hands down on the table and glowered at Hajime.

“Well, it looked like you’d fallen asleep so I figured I’d wake you up by testing the sword’s new features.”

“I-I can’t believe it, you don’t even feel the slightest bit of remorse, do you?”

Before she could complain any further, Hajime threw the katana at her. Distracted, she fumbled with it for a few seconds before securing it in her arms.

“Originally, I could only enchant ore with one or two spells using creation magic, but after using evolution magic to enhance my transmutation magic and creation magic, I can synthesize a lot more spells into it.”

“And now you’re just ignoring my complaints and explaining what my katana does… Whatever, I don’t even care anymore…” With a sigh, Shizuku eased herself back into the chair and resigned herself to listening to Hajime’s explanation. But now she was certain whatever feelings she might have had for him weren’t real.

“So now your katana’s been enchanted with a few different new spells. First of all, I’ve added gravity magic to it. You can freely control its weight. On top of that, you can draw things toward the sword, or push them away. Also, you can cut gravity with it, but the effect doesn’t last long.”

“That’s… amazing.” Shizuku’s eyes went wide as she looked down at the sword in her hands. But this was just the tip of the iceberg. Hajime continued his explanation, and the more Shizuku heard, the wider her eyes got.

Supposedly, thanks to the spatial magic it had been enchanted with, she could cut through space-time itself. Supposedly, thanks to the restoration magic it had been enchanted with, it could restore itself from any amount of damage. On top of that, it granted its wielder a restorative aura that slowly healed their wounds. Supposedly, thanks to the spirit magic it had been enchanted with, it could cut right through the souls of her enemies. And supposedly, the electric spells it had been previously enchanted with had been upgraded, and a new function had been added to it that allowed her to send shockwaves out from her slashes.

“……” Shizuku was speechless. Her sword had reached legendary status, which made her hands tremble as she held it.

“Also, I used the Status Plates as a reference and made it easier to control. Before, you had to activate all the spells it was enchanted with, but now they’re in a permanently activated state so you don’t need a chant to cast any of them.”

Meaning she could activate any of these godlike abilities instantly. Until now, Shizuku had been using one-word incantations to cast her spells, but doing so had greatly reduced their efficacy. But from that point on, she’d be able to activate their abilities just by thinking about them and at full power too.

“Since you’re a swordsman who relies on speed, I figured you’d have a hard time finishing long chants in the middle of battle…” Hajime finished his explanation with that.

Cold sweat poured down Shizuku’s forehead as she examined her improved weapon. At this point, it was far more powerful than even Kouki’s Holy Sword. It wasn’t just an overpowered weapon, it was a totally unbelievable one. This was the kind of weapon nations fought wars over. At the very least, she was certain it was the strongest sword in Tortus.

“I-Is it really alright… for me to have something this amazing?”

“Yeah, hang on to it just in case.”

“Just in case what?”

Hajime looked up at the sky, then nodded to himself. There was a feral gleam in his eyes, as though he were trying to intimidate someone or something residing far above.

“As you heard, once we clear the final labyrinth, the frost caverns in the Schnee Snow Fields, we’ll be able to return back home to Japan. If we can get back just like that it’d be great, but I don’t think it’ll be that easy.”

“You think someone’s going to try to get in our way? The demons, or maybe those fake gods?”

“Yeah. The hero’s one of Ehit’s favorite pawns, and I don’t think he’ll want to let an irregular like me get away. So, in case a bunch of apostles like Noint show up to stop us, I want you guys to be our meat… Err, I want you guys to be strong enough to help us fight them off. Originally, I’d thought the best way to make you guys that strong was to have you conquer a few labyrinths and get some ancient magic.”

“Is it just me, or did you almost call us meat shields? Hey, do you really think that? Answer honestly now.” A vein pulsed in Shizuku’s forehead as she bore down on Hajime. However, Hajime ignored her and continued his explanation.

“But thanks to the evolution magic we got, I can make even stronger artifacts than before. Even if you guys can’t use ancient magic, I can make you all pretty strong. I’m planning on upgrading all your guys’ weapons so you’re ready for when the apostles attack. If they come while we’re still inside the caverns, you’ll have to handle them all by yourselves, after all. Also, if you guys want to use these weapons to conquer the other labyrinths, I don’t mind.”

“I get what you’re trying to say, but…”

Hajime stood up after saying his piece, planning to leave. However, Shizuku hesitantly called out to him, stopping him in his tracks.

“Does that mean you plan on finishing the rest of your journey with just Kaori and the others, Nagumo-kun?” “Hm? Yeah… What, you wanna come with us?”

“……” Shizuku didn’t know what to say. She knew she’d asked for the unreasonable when she’d first forced her way into Hajime’s party. And his conditions had been that he’d only help them through a single labyrinth. Plus, she’d seen for herself just how dangerous labyrinths could be. Nor could she deny that she still lacked the strength to challenge them herself. She knew if she went with them, she’d just be a burden. Moreover, once Hajime conquered the final remaining labyrinth, the Frost Caverns, they’d all be able to go home. Hajime had promised he’d take everyone back with him, so Shizuku had no reason to force herself into Hajime’s party any longer.

Unable to provide an answer she could live with, she just silently shook her head. In response, Hajime shrugged his shoulders.

“Well, if it’s just you, Yaegashi, I don’t mind taking you along with us.”

“Wha?” Shizuku looked up at Hajime in shock. She hadn’t expected a response like that. A second later, a deep blush spread up her face and she looked away in embarrassment. After calming her pounding heart, she turned back to Hajime and asked dubiously.

“Why would you…”

“The ancient magic of the Frost Caverns probably lets you create the kind of monsters Freid was using when we fought him. If you have that and evolution magic, you can probably carry Amangoawa’s party all on your own. Between those two ancient magic, you’d probably be strong enough to conquer all the other labyrinths if you wanted, even.”

“Ah, of course. I knew that from the start, obviously.” Hopes dashed, Shizuku answered in a monotone. Though internally, she was berating herself for having hope at all. The blush faded from her cheeks, and she turned to Hajime with a glare. But before she could yell at him, his next words had her blushing again.

“Don’t give me that look. I’m asking you because aside from my comrades, you’re the one I can trust most. If I’m going to leave the other students in someone else’s hands, you’re the most reliable person that comes to mind.”

“Ah!”

Hajime smiled awkwardly at Shizuku. He’d assumed she was glaring at him because she didn’t want to be saddled with more babysitting, so he’d decided to follow up on his previous statement. However, said follow up was too much stimulation for the current Shizuku. She was just happy that someone she trusted trusted her back. She blushed even brighter than before, and Hajime’s smile grew more awkward. He started laying out his tools to practice transmutation some more, but not before spitting out his next thought.

“But I guess I can’t take just you with me, Yaegashi.”

“U-Umm… what do you mean by…” “I mean, look at Amanagoawa. He can’t function without you. Do you honestly think he’ll sit quietly if I take you with me to the Frost Caverns? I doubt he’d bear being separated from you, even for a little bit. Actually, I know he wouldn’t. He’d just throw a tantrum. And I don’t want to have to deal with that. I’m the one who’ll be in trouble if you’re not around to take care of troublemakers like him.”

“You really are blunt,” Shizuku replied with a sigh.

Hajime ignored her and pulled out a few chakrams from his Treasure Trove and set them floating around him. In truth, Shizuku had known she couldn’t abandon Kouki and the others too, so she quickly got over her feelings and changed the topic.

“Those are the chakram you can teleport things through, right? What are you going to do with them?”

“They’re for practice. I came out here to get some training in, remember? You should go back though, Yaegashi. You look dead on your feet. Get some rest.”

Hajime had a point. Shizuku felt ready to collapse any second now. But she couldn’t bring herself to leave. So instead, she watched as he brought out thirty chakrams in total and made them revolve around him like satellites. Before she knew it, she’d opened her mouth.

“Can I watch for a while longer?”

“Huh? Well, I don’t mind, but don’t blame me if you pass out.”

“Don’t worry, if I start feeling that tired I’ll go back.”

Hajime shrugged his shoulders, then closed his eyes and drew Donner and Schlag.

Shizuku leaned forward, laid her elbows on the table, and rest her chin on her hands. After a brief pause, Hajime started his training routine.

Bang, bang, bang, bang, bang! A series of gunshots rang out. Each of his bullets passed through the center of one of his chakrams, which were now whirling around at incredible speeds. The bullets then shot out of the corresponding portals and headed back toward Hajime from a completely different direction and angle.

“Phew.”

He turned to the side, dodging the bullets coming from behind by a hair’s breadth. At the same time, he manipulated some of his chakrams so that the bullets he dodged passed right through them, keeping them from leaving his circle. The teleported bullets assailed him once more, again from a new direction. They continued to assault their master until they lost momentum and fell to the ground.

But as Hajime was dodging, he continued to fire more and more bullets into the portals, increasing the number of shots he needed to dodge. He flitted like a leaf through the hail of bullets, using as little movement as necessary to dodge. His dance was much more fluid and graceful than the one Shizuku had performed earlier. It lacked any of the elegance a martial dance passed down through the centuries possessed.

Still, it was practical. His exceedingly practical maneuvers bore the polish that came with thousands of hours of practice. To Shizuku, that kind of practicality had its own beauty. Surrounded by a cyclone of bullets, Hajime weaved and bobbed while using his own weapons to raise the ferocity of the storm. Entranced, Shizuku watched until Hajime suddenly leaped into the air. He hung in the air, using his Aerodynamic to create footholds. Red mana pulsed underneath his feet as he pulled yet more chakrams out of his Treasure Trove and surrounded himself with them. The storm of red streaks sunk into the sphere of chakrams he’d surrounded himself with. The bullets then shot out the other side and raced toward Hajime like a barrage of lasers. He slowly shrunk the ten-meter sphere he’d created around himself, gradually reducing the amount of area he had to work with. And after that, he continued to dodge, at times using his guns’ barrels to block. Both arms moved like separate living creatures, as Donner and Schlag defended and attacked in the same fluid motion. Inside the sphere of chakrams rimmed with crimson light was another storm of crimson streaks. Their combined luminance made the sphere above Shizuku look like a blood-red moon.

“It’s so pretty…” Every time Shizuku witnessed Hajime’s mana, she found herself spellbound. It was for that reason she always let those words unconsciously slip. Though the hail of gunshots shattered the silence that had filled the forest until now, Shizuku found that this cacophony was more soothing than the quiet. Slowly but surely, Shizuku’s eyelids began to droop. And before long, she’d drifted off to sleep.

“Mmm… Hm?” Shizuku opened her eyes, letting out that soft groan. Her consciousness was still hazy, and she looked up blankly. Above her was a wooden ceiling. Still only half-awake, it took a moment for her to realize there was something soft supporting her head and back. And as she grew more alert, she heard a familiar voice call out to her.

“Oh, are you finally awake, Shizuku-chan? You slept like a log. It’s already noon.”

“Hm…? Kaori?”

Shizuku turned toward the direction of the voice and found her best friend smiling at her. She was sitting in a chair near the window and had already changed out of her pajamas. Shizuku raised herself into a sitting position and blearily rubbed her eyes, trying to think back to what she’d been doing before she passed out.

“Wait. Why am I in my room…? I was in the forest until… Actually, this isn’t even my room. This is your room, isn’t it, Kaori?”

Everyone in Hajime’s party had been provided their own rooms in Verbergen. The fact that she didn’t recognize the room’s decorations and that Kaori was sitting next to her led her to assume this room was Kaori’s. Kaori blushed a little at how cute confused Shizuku looked and replied.

“Yep, this is my room. Hajime-kun brought you here in the morning. He said you were up all night training. You really shouldn’t do that you know. You just came back from a labyrinth, so you should rest for a little bit at least.”

“U-Umm, yeah, you’re right. Sorry. S-So he’s the one who brought me here? I don’t remember that at all.”

“That’s because you were fast asleep, Shizuku-chan. You must have been really tired.” Kaori wagged a finger at Shizuku as she lectured her, but Shizuku looked away and started fidgeting nervously. With her hair down as it was now, she looked more mature than aloof, though her fidgety posture made her seem cuter than anything.

Shizuku looked down at herself and realized she’d been stripped down to a single shirt. Had the guys in the class or the girls who looked up to her seen her as she was now, they would likely have gotten nosebleeds big enough to kill them from blood loss. Blushing slightly, Shizuku looked up at Kaori.

“Umm, how exactly did he carry me?”

Despite what Hajime had said, he’d still apparently been considerate enough to carry her back here when she fell asleep. However, that left Shizuku wondering whether he’d carried her princess-style or not. Sadly, reality was a harsh mistress. Kaori’s expression cramped up as she replied.

“W-Well, normally, I guess?”

“…Kaori, what do you mean by ‘normally’?”

“Exactly what it sounds like. I guess you could call it artistic in a way, though.”

“Hold on a second, Kaori. How on earth do you carry a sleeping person artistically?”

Seeing Kaori falter, Shizuku felt a deep sense of foreboding. After a few seconds of waffling, Kaori finally smiled awkwardly and spoke up.

“Well, to put it bluntly… he crucified you and floated you all the way over here.

“C-Crucified?”

Shizuku pressed Kaori for details, which turned out to be a mistake. Apparently, Hajime had decided to use her for his training as well and used stones imbued with gravity magic to pull her arms into a vaguely crucified position. From there, he’d attempted to float her all the way to Kaori’s room without dropping her. According to Kaori, he’d said it had made for good training because balancing a sleeping person softly enough to not wake them up had proven quite a challenge. The reason he’d taken her to Kaori’s room and not Shizuku’s own was because he didn’t know where Shizuku’s room was.

“B-But why crucify me?”

“Probably because if he’d tried to do it in another position and messed up he would have ended up breaking your limbs… I think?”

“What do you mean, ‘you think’…?”

Shizuku’s expression cramped up. Anger filled her heart, chasing out the vague joy she’d felt earlier. Kaori’s smile grew even more awkward. Incidentally, some of the soldiers who’d been out on patrol early had spotted Shizuku’s crucified body as Hajime had brought it into the city. Though they didn’t know Hajime had been imitating the death of Jesus Christ, the beastmen had still been captivated by Shizuku’s divine form, and quite a few had converted to being her fans. However, some things were better left unsaid, so Kaori kept that information to herself.

Just as Shizuku’s anger was about to reach its boiling point, she heard a loud thumping from downstairs.

“Uryaaaaaaaaaaaah!” a familiar voice yelled out. “Iyaaaaaaaaaaaah!” A girl’s cute scream followed.

“Wh-What’s going on? It’s awfully noisy down there.”

“Oh, that’s just Shea and Altina-san. They’ve been fighting or something since morning.”

“What do you mean, or something?”

“Well, it’s not quite fighting. I’m not sure how to explain it though… You know what, it’d be faster if you see for yourself.”

Confused, Shizuku let herself be ushered out of the room and down the stairs. As they went, Kaori summarized the events of the morning for Shizuku. Apparently, Altina had tried to take care of Hajime, but had been stopped by a grinning Shea. However, Altina had refused to back down and had continued making passes at Hajime. Finally, Shea had gotten so fed up she’d hit Altina with her Cobra Twist.

A mere rabbitman had attacked an elder’s granddaughter, the princess of the elves, using one of the pro wrestling techniques Hajime had taught her for fun. Before the advent of the Haulia, it would have been unthinkable for a rabbitman to lay a hand on the elven princess. Anyone who tried would have been executed without question.

But now the rabbitmen were feared among the rest of the beastmen as bloodthirsty headhunters. Specifically, it was just the Haulia who were feared, but at this point, most other beastmen were terrified that any rabbitman they spotted was after their head. The Haulia weren’t just feared, either. They were also revered as the heroes who had freed the beastmen slaves within the empire. And Shea was the daughter of those heroes’ chief. Among the beastmen’s most fearsome race, she was the one known as their most dangerous individual.

That was why no one had stepped in when Shea had hit Altina with a Cobra Twist. Not that anyone could have. Aside from Hajime and his comrades, the only other people who’d been in the dining hall at the time had been a few servers and Altina’s maids. Kouki, Ryutarou, and Suzu had all been holed up in their room, dwelling on their failure to clear Haltina’s labyrinth and obtain evolution magic.

Afterward, Shea had thrown the elven princess onto the floor, given her the middle finger, and yelled: “Never show your face here again!” Considering that had been the first time Altina had ever received such crude treatment, it wouldn’t have been surprising if she’d broken down then and there. However, the sheltered princess’ reaction had been most unexpected.

“Take that, and that, and that! If you want me to stop, then swear to never flirt with Hajime-san again, you long-eared vixen!”

“Yaaaaaaaaaaaah! How embarrassiiiiiiiiiiiiiiing!”

Altina hadn’t backed down. Shizuku watched, dumbfounded, as Shea hit Altina with yet another esoteric pro wrestling move. Kaori’s smile grew stiff as she led Shizuku down the last few stairs. Shea had flipped Altina upside-down and was holding her by the legs. She was blushing in embarrassment as her skirt flipped over, revealing her daring panties and shapely legs. Apparently, this particular wrestling move was known as the muscle buster.

“Hmph, you look all innocent and pure, but you sure wear some provocative underwear.”

“Mmm… All princesses are secretly perverts of some kind…”

Yue asserted her biased viewpoint. Hajime, who’d looked completely unconcerned with the ruckus until now, spit out the soup he’d been drinking at her comment.

Incidentally, Yue was a former queen, while Tio was the dragonmen’s princess. If it turned out that Liliana was a closet pervert as well, then Yue’s theory would be all but proven. Hajime fervently hoped that Liliana was as pure as she seemed, for the sake of all other men out there.

After seeing all that, Shizuku finally returned to her senses and asked something with a pained expression on her face.

“A-Are you sure we’re allowed to do this? That girl’s a princess, isn’t she? Look, all of her maids and all of the wait staff are worried too. They can’t bear to watch their princess flail around upside-down while revealing her underwear any longer. At this rate, Altina will be too ashamed to ever show her face in Verbergen again…”

“I-I know. Normally, I’d agree with you, but… look at Altina-san’s expression.”

“H-Huh? Is it just me, or does she look like she’s enjoying it?”

Altina’s face was flushed, and there was an odd glint in her eyes. At a glance, it appeared like she was lamenting the humiliation she was receiving, but a closer look revealed that there the faintest hint of a smile on her face. In truth, if Altina had found flashing her panties to a crowd of people as shameful as she made it out to seem, she would have long since agreed to Shea’s conditions. Depending on how one looked at it, it certainly did seem like she was implicitly begging Shea to continue.

“Tch… Stubborn bitch. Alright, how about this!?”

“Wh-What now… S-Stoooooop! Don’t embarrass me in front of everyoooooone!”

Altina didn’t even bother attempting to swear never to get close to Hajime again. Tired of her persistence, Shea threw her to the floor in disgust. However, Shea wasn’t done yet. She instantly moved on to the next wrestling maneuver. This time she wrapped her legs around Altina’s prone figure and lifted her into the air while Shea herself rolled to the ground. This move was known as the Romero Special.

Altina’s skirt flipped upward once more, showing off her most private parts. “Stop, pleaseeee!” She begged, no longer sounding like a graceful princess. However, her voice seemed somehow devoid of expression, and the smile forming on her lips destroyed any credence her words might have held. From her position, Shea couldn’t see Altina’s expression. So while everyone else could tell Altina was enjoying it and was backing away slowly, Shea still thought she was punishing the elf.

“I see, so this is where the ‘or something’ part comes in…”

“Yep. I hope I’m wrong… but it looks like Tio’s found herself a new comrade.”

Kaori gave Altina a pitying look as she said that. Meanwhile, the famed pervert Tio gave Altina a look of boundless kindness and affection. It was the kind of joyful look a master reserved for a particularly dutiful disciple. On the other hand, Hajime and Yue who were sitting across from her grimaced. Altina’s joints began to creak as Shea upped the pressure on her hold, and Hajime turned to her with an exasperated.

“Just leave it at that, Shea.”

“I can’t do that, Hajime-san. I have enough rivals as it is, so I refuse to let an elf princess join that list! Besides, she seems to be gunning for me specifically, so the only way I’ll stand a chance is if I strike first!” Shea shifted positions and put Altina under the Boston Crab. She was intent on crushing her potential rival here and now. Overjoyed at being put in another embarrassing pose, Altina screamed in ecstasy. She didn’t seem anything like the sheltered princess she was supposed to be. Her maids and servants swooned, shocked at seeing such a scandalous side of their master. And Tio gave Altina a knowing look, which only irked Hajime and Yue more.

“Hajime…” Yue called out to Hajime, her voice oddly gentle. It seemed almost as if she was egging him on. He scratched his cheek awkwardly, then hesitantly nodded at Yue. She nodded back, her mouth a determined slash. Hajime quietly rose to his feet and walked over to Shea, who was pulling on Altina’s legs now. He pulled her up by her arms as the crowd watched on, interrupting her wrestling spree.

“Hwoh?” Surprised, Shea let out a small squeal and fell back into Hajime’s embrace.

“Ah!” Kaori and, for some reason, Shizuku exclaimed. Hajime ignored the peanut gallery and brought his face close to Shea’s bunny ears as she blinked in shock. “Hey Shea,” he whispered, “You keep saying you don’t want more rivals, but… do you think of Yue as a rival?”

“Huh? What? Yue-san? Of course not! Maybe I might have when we first met, but definitely not now! Honestly, if Yue-san wasn’t by your side, Hajime-san, I’d worry the world was ending. I don’t even want to imagine something that horrifying.”

“O-Oh… I didn’t know you liked her that much…” Hajime’s expression froze up a little at the unexpected passion in Shea’s voice. Apparently, as far as Shea was concerned, Hajime and Yue being together was a natural law of the universe.

Hajime coughed awkwardly, then looked Shea squarely in the eyes. She gasped as she took in the intensity of his gaze. Hajime picked his next words carefully, aware of the weight behind them.

“In that case, stop worrying about potential rivals. You’re so much more important to me than Altina that you two aren’t even comparable. Because to me, Shea, you’re special.”

“H-Hajime-san…” When the word special was whispered into her ear, Shea’s entire face went red.

“Awawa,” she blabbered, her ears flapping up and down. Her tail wagged back and forth with more vigor than Hajime had ever seen.

Shea had, of course, noticed the slight changes in the way Hajime had been treating her as of late. It was clear that he treasured her more than he used to. In fact, Shea had begun to hold a faint hope her feelings, which she’d expressed since the day they’d first left Haltina, had begun to reach Hajime. That while she might never be special like only Yue was, that she was still more important to Hajime than anyone else. But at the same time, she’d been worried she was wrong. It was for that reason she’d hesitated to burden Hajime and ask him to help her save her family when Cam and the others had been captured by the empire. And it was for that reason she was so afraid of Altina becoming another rival.

But one word from Hajime had blown all those worries away. Her dreams had finally come true. That being said, she hadn’t expected to receive a confession like that in a completely average situation, like the middle of lunch.

Her thoughts ground to a halt, and her expression froze in place. However, her ears and tail continued to wag to and fro, a reflection of her true feelings. The others seemed just as shocked as Shea. Kaori and Shizuku’s jaws were hanging wide open. Oddly enough though, Yue and Tio had apparently predicted this. They were both smiling gently at Shea.

Hajime looked down at Shea, troubled. He didn’t expect this to be such a shock. In an attempt to lighten the mood, he let out a rather shocking statement.

“Anyway, Shea. I think Altina’s more interested in you than she is in me.”

“Hweh? Wh-What do you mean? She wants me?”

Hajime patted Shea’s back a few times, which finally snapped her out of her stupor. Her mind was still a whirlwind of emotions, but she was curious enough about Hajime’s statement to look over at Altina. The elf princess was blushing and covering her face while still watching Hajime and Shea through the gaps between her fingers. The moment Shea’s gaze met hers, she jumped. A second later, she started fidgeting bashfully.

“Umm, the reason you keep messing with me is… because you don’t like how close I am with Hajime-san, right?”

“N-Not at all! I have no grudge against you, Shea-san! I just want to spend more time doing these kinds of things with you!”

“Uhhh…”

Shea backed away warily. Don’t tell me she’s one of them!? Shea thought, her hair standing on end.

“These kinds of things” almost certainly referred to Shea’s pro wrestling torture course. The fact that she wanted to be put into joint locks that showed off her panties could only mean one thing. Shea rounded on the party’s resident pervert.

Tio smiled and gave her a thumbs-up, and the sincerity behind that gesture was overwhelmingly creepy. That alone was enough to prove to Shea that Altina was a pervert. Afraid that she might have awoken a monster, Shea fearfully turned back to Altina and muttered a single word.

“P-Pervert…”

“Y-You have it all wrong! This is a misunderstanding, Shea-san! I simply wish to get along with you!”

“W-With me?” Shea asked timidly. She hadn’t expected to hear that. Fidgeting, Altina went into more detail. Apparently, the reason for her interest in Shea was as follows: Altina was effectively Verbergen’s princess. Elves were one of the most influential beastmen races, and Altina was the granddaughter of their elder. Since her childhood, she’d been given special treatment. On top of that, she’d excelled at her studies, and as a result, had turned into a wise and compassionate girl. Due to all this, she’d become respected by all the other elves, which meant that even when she played with children her own age, they always deferred to her. There was no one around her who’d treat her as an equal.

Though everyone around her was kind, the preferential treatment she received made her lonely. Soon enough, she began yearning for the kind of friend who’d speak their mind to her without regard for her status. The reason she’d been so infatuated with Hajime was that, from the start, he had neither looked down on her for being a beastman nor revered her because she was the elven princess. He’d just treated her like everyone else, which had made her jealous of Shea, who always seemed to be by his side.

However, after falling for Cam’s provocations and competing with Shea, she’d been hit with quite the shock. Naturally, almost having her joints dislocated had been a shock, but she’d received a mental one as well. A rabbitman the same age as her was messing around with her without regard for her status. Shea hadn’t hesitated to use harsh words or even physical violence on Altina. And that had made Altina indescribably happy.

It was then that she’d realized how wonderful it would be if she could become friends, no best friends with Shea, who was roughly the same age as her.

“It’s embarrassing to admit, but I haven’t the slightest idea of how to become friends with someone… I just knew that if I tried to get close to Hajime-san, you would pay attention to me, so…”

“What are you, some kind of dog? You should have just asked normally. I would’ve hung out with…”

“A-A dog… You’ll treat me like a dog?”

“Uh… is that really important?”

Shea watched as a happy blush spread across Altina’s face.

“Oh no…” she muttered. Realizing she’d let her true intentions show, Altina hurriedly corrected her posture and wiped the smile off her face. She then got to her feet and hesitantly held a hand out toward Shea.

“Th-Then, if I asked you to be my friend, would you?”

“I don’t know why you’re wording it like a love confession, but… sure, I don’t see why not. Sheesh, you really are a handful.” Shea shook her head in mock exasperation and gripped Altina’s outstretched hand.

Altina beamed. Though things had developed in an unexpected direction, everyone present was glad to see things end well. Especially Altina’s maids.

“Huh?” Shea made to pull her hand back, but then tilted her head when she realized Altina was still gripping it tightly.

“Umm, Altina-san? I kind of want my hand back…”

“Please, just call me Altina. I’ll call you Shea as well. Th-That’s normal between best friends, correct?”

Five seconds after becoming friends, Altina had already upgraded Shea to best friend. Maybe I made a mistake by agreeing to be her friend. She’s got a dangerous aura around her. Shea thought to herself, cold sweat pouring down her forehead. Her initial misgivings proved to be correct. Blushing, Altina asked Shea a rather odd question.

“S-So, Shea. What technique will you use on me next?”

“Come again?”

“I want to be humiliated and degraded by you. It’s only by feeling such pain that I can experience your warmth… Since we’re best friends, surely you don’t mind me requesting more, do you? I want you to toy with me more and more.”

Shea forcibly pulled her hand away and backed up all the way to the room’s corner. Her entire face was drenched in sweat.

“S-Since when did we become best friends!? And I knew it, you really are just a pervert!”

“I am not! I simply wish to enjoy the few days I have with you before you leave on your journey!”

“Then why did you ask me to toy with you!? Normally, you’d ask me to play with you, right!?”

Seeing Altina’s confused expression, Shea’s bunny ears stood on end. Crap, she’s one hell of a masochist. She turned to Hajime, her eyes pleading for salvation. “You said I was special to you, right? That means you’ll save me, right?” Her expression seemed to say.

Hajime gave her an unbelievably gentle smile and spoke calmly.

“That’s the Shea I know and love. In sickness and in health, you’ll suffer through the same experiences with me.”

“That’s the wrong way to use that line! What happened to that heartfelt confession earlier!?” Tears welled up in Shea’s eyes. She’d wanted to get closer to Hajime, but that hadn’t meant she’d wanted to share these kinds of experiences too. She could do without knowing how it felt to have a perverted masochist following her around. However, it seemed Hajime wasn’t going to help her out of this one. So much for being special.

Altina slowly advanced toward Shea, who was cowering against the wall. It was clear from her expectant smile that she wanted Shea to continue what she’d been doing. Even if Shea tried to force her way past, that would just make Altina happy. Strength wouldn’t get her out of this situation. And so, Shea decided to make a tactical retreat.

“I-I can’t stay in the same room as this pervert!”

Shea flung open a nearby window and dashed off with the speed of a fleeing hare. It seemed she intended to hide until things calmed down. However, considering the flags she’d raised there was no guarantee she’d be able to safely escape.

“Aaah! Where are you going, Shea!? Wait for meee!”

Altina climbed out of the same window and chased after Shea. For some reason, her speed got quite a boost when she was running after her new best friend. Shea freaked out when she turned around and saw Altina gaining on her. She activated all of her body strengthening skills and fled at top speed, leaving a huge dust cloud in Verbergen’s main streets as she ran. However, Altina was still somehow able to keep up, and before long Shea’s screams echoed throughout every corner of the beastmen capital. With the exception of Hajime and a few others, those remaining in the dining hall were too dumbfounded to even comment.

“Hmph… This was such a good chance for Shea, too,” Yue muttered to herself. Hajime smiled ruefully and shrugged in response. Their little exchange finally brought one of the other girls back to her senses, and she staggered over to Hajime.

“Hajime-kun… Did you mean what you said? Truly?” The temperature in the room plummeted, and Kaori’s usual demon illusion appeared behind her. She swayed back and forth, like a ghost from a horror movie. Furthermore, she cast shadows in all directions, though the room’s only light source was above her. The light vanished from her pupils, giving her an extremely intimidating aura. As expected, Kaori had something to say about Hajime’s confession to Shea.

“I noticed you were being nicer to Shea than usual, but… she’s become special to you? Really? Since when? How did it happen?” Though Kaori’s voice was calm, the darkness in her eyes made it clear she was anything but. Hajime scratched his cheek awkwardly, searching for the right words. Finally, he met Kaori, and Tio’s, gazes and gave them both a serious look. They, in turn, waited patiently for his reply.

“I’m not sure how exactly to say it, but… well, I could tell even a while back that while Shea wasn’t as important to me as Yue, I definitely had feelings for her. And since Yue seems to want this too, I’ve decided to be more honest with myself about those feelings. It’s not like anything special happened or anything.”

“D-Does that mean you love Shea too?”

“To be honest… I’m not sure. I feel like love isn’t quite the right word. Still, I do know she’s important to me.”

Hajime wasn’t lying, he really wasn’t sure how to quantify his feelings for Shea. With Yue, whenever she attempted to seduce him he could feel his heart start to race and a fierce lust well up within him. But he didn’t feel any of that with Shea. And so, while his feelings for Yue burned with a red-hot passion, his feelings for Shea were something far more gentle. If he had to encapsulate it somehow, it was that he treasured her.

Ironically enough, it was Yue, the quiet, unassuming girl, he felt a fiery passion for, while Shea, the bright cheery mood maker of the party he felt a soft, gentle affection for. Strange as it was, he felt contrasting things for these two contrasting girls. And whatever those feelings were, he knew they ran deeper than simple love. He just didn’t know what words to express them in, which was why he was having so much trouble answering Kaori’s question. He knew he was being selfish, wanting to monopolize Shea without even a clear answer of what exactly his feelings were. But at the same time, he couldn’t bear the thought of her being with another man.

After hearing Hajime’s honest feelings, the room fell silent. Most of the peanut gallery had their mouths full of sweets, while Yue and Tio watched Hajime gently. Shizuku’s expression was hard to describe, while Kaori, the one who’d precipitated this, simply spoke words of acknowledgment.

“…I see. Alright, I understand…” Kaori nodded to herself, then, inexplicably, smiled at Hajime. Naturally, she was still jealous. And of course, she hadn’t sorted out all of her feelings just yet. But Shea was Kaori’s precious friend, a comrade she could entrust her life to. Knowing that her friend’s greatest wish had finally come true made her genuinely happy. At her core, Kaori was just that kind of person.

It’s not like agonizing over it will do me any good… Kaori thought. She herself was surprised at how easily she’d accepted Hajime’s answer. Hajime, too, was amazed by the fact that Kaori formed such a genuine smile in this situation. However, Kaori had learned back in the Sunken Ruins of Melusine that getting jealous and wallowing in depression would get her nowhere. She already knew that Hajime’s feelings for Yue would never change. Her greatest worry had been that Hajime would never think of her as someone more than an important comrade. However, Shea’s success had just proven that wasn’t the case. Meaning that she still had a chance too.

“Hajime-kun.”

“Yeah?”

Kaori grinned, her fearless smile a spitting image of Hajime’s own.

“You better prepare yourself.”

“…..”

Hajime knew perfectly well what she meant, which was precisely why he was so troubled.

“Seriously, you all are too good for me. I don’t deserve any of you…”

“Ah…! Fufu.” Kaori chuckled, her smile returning to a normal one. At the same time, she felt a wave of nostalgia wash over her. Hajime’s troubled expression was similar to the one he’d had right after they’d cleared Haltina’s labyrinth. Thank goodness, the old Hajime-kun really is coming back.

Kaori’s smile grew wider. A second later, though, something smacked right into her forehead with a meaty thwack. The object, a soup-stained piece of bread, slowly slid down Kaori’s cheek. Still smiling, Kaori turned toward the direction of the throw. Sitting there was Yue, dipping another piece of bread into her soup to prepare her next projectile.

As usual, she was the culprit. Yue looked up at Kaori and harrumphed. It was obvious from her expression that she didn’t think Kaori stood a chance at winning Hajime’s heart.

“E-Excuse me, Yue? But what was that for? Mind telling me?” The room’s temperature plummeted once more, and Kaori’s demon reappeared.

Unconcerned, Yue replied.

“I can allow Shea. But not you, Kaori. Give up and go home.”

She flicked a second piece of bread at Kaori. This one landed right on her eyebrow. Yue had a pretty good throwing arm. Kaori let out a bestial hiss, and leaped onto Yue, knocking her off her chair. The two of them rolled across the ground as they wrestled with each other. “Hmph! Bring it on, bitch.” “Screw you, Yue. I’ll make you eat dust!”

Soon enough, the pair were grappling with each other in earnest. However, a dining hall such as this wasn’t a suitable place for their struggle. The pair rolled toward the wall, floated up into the air, and rolled right out the window Shea had left through earlier. Altina’s maids watched on, dumbfounded.

As always, Yue and Kaori were on the same wavelength. It was hard to tell if they were best friends or worst enemies. At the very least, Yue was the only one who could rile Kaori up, while Yue was the only one who enjoyed tussling with Kaori. Fights like these were an everyday occurrence.

“Now then, Master. Seeing as you’ve finally made Shea your own, why not add another member into your harem and accept my boundless love, which is deeper than the ocean floor and higher than Divine Mountains’ peaks.” Tio pressed her breasts against Hajime and winked at him. She certainly had more than enough sex appeal. All the other men present had popped boners from her provocative display.

However, Hajime remained unaffected.

“Kaori might still have a chance, but you definitely don’t.”

“Ah!? Haaah… Haaah, such a harsh rejection… Truly only you can be this cruel, Master! You know just what I like! Haaah… Haaah, unbelievable!” Tio shivered, then hugged herself and started fidgeting restlessly. Compared to her earlier seduction, the way she looked now should have been far sexier. However, the guys’ boners all withered as they looked at her. Her expression ruined any arousing effects her actions may have had. The servants all backed away, disgusted.

Shizuku, who’d been standing awkwardly by the staircase this whole time, couldn’t help but think about how Hajime had casually let slip that Kaori might eventually be special to him.

In that case, Hajime wouldn’t mind adding yet another person to his harem too, right…? Wait, no, what am I thinking!? Who exactly was I hoping that one extra person would be!? It definitely wasn’t me, that’s for sure! I’m just glad Kaori’s finally getting what she wants, that’s all!

No one noticed Shizuku’s agonizing, as they were too busy being creeped out by Tio. Hajime simply sighed and shook his head, while Shea’s screams and the sounds of Kaori and Yue fighting echoed through the city.

Verbergen’s morning had started out quiet and peaceful, but now that peace and quiet was nowhere to be seen.

A few hours later, at dusk. The setting sun cast its dying rays through Haltina’s trees, giving everything an orange tinge.

“Ugh, that was horrible…”

A tired wail could be heard from a plaza a short distance from the city center. The plaza had a fountain in the center, ringed by chairs carved from tree stumps. Normally, it was full of beastmen looking to relax. Right now though, there were only two people there. Hajime and Shea. Despite all the assistance Hajime, Shea, and Kaori had given Verbergen, the city was still far from fully restored. Most beastmen were busy helping reorganize Verbergen’s army, or rebuilding the city’s infrastructure, or spending time with their freed friends and family. No one had time to lounge around a plaza. Yue, Tio, Kaori, Kouki, and all the rest were busy either helping the beastmen with their restoration efforts, training or preparing for the upcoming journey.

Exhausted, Shea slumped onto the table in front of her. The reason for her exhaustion was, of course, Altina. “Playing” with her new elven friend had been quite the ordeal. Altina had chased Shea around all day until Ulfric had finally come to collect her. The day had been mentally taxing to the extreme. Ulfric, too, had taken quite a bit of mental damage when he’d seen what his granddaughter had become.

Hajime looked up from his transmutation work and chuckled at Shea. She raised one of her drooping ears and slapped it down on the table in protest.

“Quit laughing! I was really scared, you know!?”

“Don’t be like that. Shouldn’t you be glad you made a new friend? You should just toy… I mean, play with her.”

“You’re not fooling anyone. Can she really be called my friend if all I do is toy with her? Haaah, now I know how you must feel every time Tio comes begging to you. Like, I don’t mind being this adored, but… it’s just so tiring.”

Her bunny ears drooped again, and Shea deflated as if losing strength. She’d gone from being a worthless rabbit to a noodle rabbit. “You said it,” Hajime said. He knew Tio wasn’t only interested in him because she was a pervert. In her own way, Tio loved Hajime just as much as Shea and Kaori. It was for that reason that the way she chose to display her affection tired Hajime out so much.

Hajime’s smile grew kind, and he reached out to stroke Shea’s bunny ears. Shea twitched a little as his hand brushed against her fur, and she lifted her open ear and rubbed it against the back of Hajime’s hand. Hajime relaxed as his hand was sandwiched between twin tufts of fur. He stroked her ears in silence for a while.

As time passed, the shadows lengthened, plunging the plaza into twilight. Hajime found he liked this quiet, gentle time between evening and night.

Face hidden by her blue hair, which was shimmering in the twilight, Shea quietly whispered a question.

“Hajime-san… About what you said during lunch… Does that mean…”

She trailed off, embarrassed but hopeful. It was obvious what she was trying to ask. Even Hajime wasn’t that dense, after all. And so, he rose from his seat, went over to Shea’s side, and sat down next to her.

Shea twitched, her expression still hidden by her hair. However, Hajime looped his arm around Shea’s back and hugged her tight. At that, she went red as a tomato. Her eyes lit up with desire, and she turned toward Hajime, seeing that his expression was the gentlest he’d ever given her.

“Shea, you said it yourself. The future’s not set in stone. Well, you were right.”

“Ah…”

Those were the words she’d said when she’d first begged Hajime to take her with them on their journey. It was what she’d said when Hajime had told her there was no chance he’d ever return her feelings. It had been both her prediction as a Diviner and a declaration of her resolve.

“Shea. I won’t insult you by asking if your feelings have changed.”

Asking things like “Are you really okay with someone like me?” or “Are you fine with me even though I have Yue?” would just be an affront to Shea’s feelings.

“You’re irreplaceable to me, Shea. I don’t want to hand you over to anyone else.” Those words were selfish to the extreme, but they were also the words Shea had wanted to hear the most.

“Now that you’ve become special to me, I won’t ever let you go. I hope you’re ready.”

“…Yes! Oh yes! After all, I’ve finally become someone special to you, Hajime-san!”

Near the end of their journey, Shea had finally gotten what she’d strived for. An elated smile spread across her face. It was far more dazzling than any of her other smiles. Anyone who’d seen Shea’s smile just then would have been completely smitten, regardless of race or class. And Hajime was no exception. Before he knew it, he’d drawn his face close to hers… and was kissing her on the lips.

“Mmm… Fwaaah…”

Trembling with joy, Shea opened her lips to accept him.

Her breath came in hot gasps, and her body felt light, like a giant ball of cotton candy. Everything seemed so hot for a moment that she worried she might melt.

“Hajime-san…”

The two of them broke apart. Shea looked down bashfully, her normal cheery demeanor subdued. Hajime found that reaction of hers unbelievably adorable. Her charm was the complete opposite of Yue’s, but it was just as potent. Shea’s pink lips parted, and she stuck her tongue out a little. It was clear from her expression what she wanted. Hajime closed his eyes, rest a hand on Shea’s cheek, and kissed her again.

“Whoa, they’re actually gonna keep going! O-Out here, in public…”

“H-Hey, Suzu! They’ll hear us if you’re that loud!”

“You’re yelling just as loudly, Shizuku-chan! If you don’t quiet down, Hajime-kun’ll know we’re here!”

“Shut up, all of you. Don’t ruin Shea’s moment.”

A bunch of familiar voices distracted the pair. Shea’s bunny ears shot up and she hurriedly pushed Hajime off her, before turning to the direction of the voices. The group of eavesdroppers seemed shocked that Shea had noticed them, as one of them lost their balance and screamed: “Hey, idiot, don’t push me!” In a perfectly cliched manner, a figure fell out of one of the flower beds that rimmed the plaza.

Kouki was the first to fall, followed by Ryutarou, Suzu, Shizuku, and finally Kaori. Then, with a sigh, Yue walked out as well. Tio followed behind her, a massive grin on her face. It appeared the rest of the party had wanted to see how things developed between Hajime and Shea. The group clambered to their feet and looked away awkwardly their faces all bright red.

“G-G-G-G-G-G-Guys!? How long have you been there!?” But Shea was the most flustered of them all.

Shizuku and the others firmly refused to meet Shea’s gaze, so Hajime answered for them.

“Probably around the time I started playing with your ears.”

“So from the very start! Th-That means they saw… How come you didn’t tell me!?” Shea beat her fists against Hajime’s torso. There were tears in her eyes for a completely different reason now.

“It’s not like we were doing anything we needed to hide. Besides, the mood was too good to ruin.”

“I-I guess you’re right, but…” Shea trailed off, her bunny ears flapping around in a mixture of happiness and embarrassment.

Tio walked up to Shea, the same shit-eating grin still on her face, and started teasing her.

“So, what are your thoughts? How did Master’s passionate kiss taste? Come now, don’t be shy and tell me all about it. Seeing as you’ve made it this far sooner than us, I believe you owe it to us to give us your impressions at least. Now then— Bwaaah!?” Tio wrapped her arm around Shea’s shoulders and started poking her cheek playfully. A second later, a smack to the back of her head sent her sprawling into the ground. She looked like Frogger after he’d been run over by a car.

“Calm down, you pervert.”

“Yue is the culprit.” Tio scrawled her dying message into the dirt. Apparently, Yue had hit her with an ice bullet from behind. Yue blew an imaginary plume of smoke off her finger, and Shea turned to her.

“Yue-san…”

“Shea…”

Yue stopped making a finger gun and turned to Shea. She spread her arms wide and smiled gently at the bunny girl.

“Come here…”

“Yue-saaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaan!” Shea leaped into Yue’s arms and clung to her clothes like a little girl. Yue hugged her best friend back and gently patted her head as if she were comforting her little sister.

“Yue-san, I finally…”

“Mmm… You worked hard.”

“Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah… Yue-san, I love you so much! Don’t ever leave me!” Shea’s heartfelt sobs echoed through the plaza. She knew that, no matter how much Hajime might have liked someone, if Yue had wanted to monopolize him all for herself he would never even look at another girl. And that was precisely why Shea was so grateful to Yue for watching over her attempts to win Hajime over and even offering advice. In some ways, Yue cared more for Shea than even Hajime did, something Shea was eternally thankful for.

“Is it just me, or are you having a more touching moment with Yue than you did with me?” Hajime grumbled to himself. But no one heard him, and Shea, overcome with emotion, buried her head in Yue’s chest.

The two girls had been trapped in different worlds. One in the abyss, the other in the vast sea of trees. The first friends they’d made after escaping from their respective prisons had been each other. Yue was the older sister and Shea the younger. Yue was the mentor, and Shea the disciple. The bond these two had forged was unbreakable. Those watching all smiled as the two girls snuggled together.

“Tio. We need to be next. Let’s both do our best, okay?”

“Indeed. I eagerly await the day Master comes to punish me of his own accord.”

“You never change, Tio.” Kaori poked Tio’s prone figure, and she looked up, eyes gleaming with hope.

Meanwhile, Kouki and Ryutarou exchanged awkward glances and Shizuku’s gaze flitted between Hajime and Yue, her expression inscrutable. Hajime smiled awkwardly upon hearing Kaori’s declaration and muttered some words softly.

“Just don’t go too far, please.”

Upon hearing that, the two girls’ gazes snapped up to him.

“Ah!”

Kaori’s eyes began to sparkle, while a confident smirk appeared on Tio’s face. The way Hajime had phrased that told them he wasn’t confident he’d be able to resist if they pushed hard enough. And in fact, their assumption wasn’t wrong.

Hajime had no intention of letting anyone Yue didn’t approve of into his harem. But both Kaori and Tio were people Yue had accepted and cared for, though she and Kaori often fought. Hajime, too, cared quite deeply for these two. Since Yue had already approved of both of them, he could no longer say with confidence that he’d be able to deflect their advances. Especially since now that he’d accepted Shea’s confession, he could no longer use the excuse that Yue was the only girlfriend he’d ever have to get them to give up.

Not that any of them gave up before, either… Their unshakable resolve was something Hajime was acquainted with better than anyone. That being said, Hajime’s polyamorous mindset was something that would be considered abnormal by normal Japanese standards, so he couldn’t help but be a little disappointed at himself.

Seeing that things had calmed down somewhat, Suzu, who’d awkwardly been standing at a distance from everyone else, looked nervously at Hajime. She seemed to be waiting for an opportunity to say something. Noticing her odd behavior, Hajime started speaking.

“So, what’d you peeping toms all come here for? It’s too early for dinner still, so there must be something you guys wanted.”

“Err, well we met up with Yue and the others mostly by accident, but we actually…” Shizuku trailed off awkwardly and turned to Suzu.

It appeared she had some business with him after all. Now that’s unusual. Hajime mused. So she’d been looking for me and just ran into Yue by coincidence? Her expression a mixture of nervousness and resolve, Suzu walked up to Hajime and screamed.

“Nagumo-kun! Please take me with you to the next labyrinth too. Please!” Suzu bowed her head deeply, conveying the sincerity of her request. Kouki and the others looked at her in shock. Apparently, she hadn’t told them what she’d wanted to ask Hajime. Hajime, too, was surprised. He’d expected a request like this to come from Kouki maybe, but not Suzu.

“Suzu, you can’t just…”

“Kouki-kun, I’m sorry. But this is my request, so please don’t butt in.”

The intensity in Suzu’s voice made Kouki falter. The negative feelings that had been swirling inside him since the labyrinth trip grew stronger, but he couldn’t match the fire in Suzu’s gaze. When Shizuku realized Suzu wanted Hajime to take just her and not the whole party, she blinked in amazement.

“Why do you want to come so badly? Even if you don’t do anything, I’ll still take you all back to Japan. And if you just want to get stronger, the upgraded artifacts I’ll be giving you guys should be able to help with that.”

“Yeah, I know. But Nagumo-kun…” Suzu faltered, unsure if she should keep going. But then she found her resolve again and continued, “You won’t help Eri, will you?”

“Nakamura, huh? Yeah, not a chance. In fact, if she shows her face in front of me, I might end up killing her instead. She’s the main reason Kaori died.”

Suzu smiled awkwardly when she heard the venom in Hajime’s voice.

“I thought so. But you know, I want to try talking to her one more time. That’s why I need more power. And that’s why I want to try challenging a labyrinth again. Whether I get the ancient magic from it or not… once we’re done there, I’m going to go to the demons’ country.”

“Suzu, you can’t—” Shizuku grabbed Suzu’s shoulder. As Suzu’s friend, Shizuku couldn’t allow her to charge into Garland alone. However, Suzu refused to back down. Overwhelmed by the intensity in Suzu’s gaze, Shizuku reflexively let go of her shoulder.

“I see,” Hajime mused. Regardless of whether Suzu found a way to convince Eri or ended up parting ways with her for good, it’d be easier for her to reach the demon lord’s castle from the Frost Caverns than if she went back to Heiligh and tried to sneak into Garland from there. After all, the location of the Frost Caverns, the Schnee Snow Field, was in the eastern part of the demon continent. Garland was only a stone’s throw away from there.

Suzu knew Hajime would show Eri no mercy, so she had no intention of turning back even if Hajime refused her. She’d make it to Garland with or without his help. Once Hajime conquered the Frost Caverns, he’d start making preparations to go back home. Suzu had no idea how long that would take, but she knew she didn’t have much time. No matter how weak she was, no matter how reckless this plan was, even if she had to do it alone, Suzu was going to get to Eri by the fastest means possible. She turned her gaze back to Hajime and asked desperately, “Also, if… If I can convince Eri to come back with me…I want you to take her to Japan along with everyone else. Please! I’m begging you!”

“…..” Silence followed Suzu’s heartfelt entreaty. Honestly speaking, Hajime was certain if he ever saw Eri’s face again he’d undoubtedly pull the trigger on her. Even now the sight of Kaori’s lifeless body hanging limply in Shizuku’s arms was burned into his memory. Knowing that Eri had been the cause of her death brought forth such raw hatred that he could barely contain it. He couldn’t care less what Suzu did or didn’t do with Eri, but he had no intention of helping her help his enemy. As far as Hajime was concerned, Eri Nakamura was an enemy. And the only things enemies got from him was death.

The only reason he didn’t refuse Suzu’s request outright was because of a certain girl’s piercing stare. The same girl Eri had tried to kill… Kaori. Though she hadn’t said anything, Hajime knew what she was thinking. And seeing Hajime’s hesitation, Kouki also spoke up.

“Nagumo, I’m begging you too. Eri’s after me. I need to talk to her too… No, perhaps I’m the one who needs to talk to her the most. And I can’t let Suzu go into Garland all on her own. Besides…” Kouki balled his hands into fists, knuckles white. He bit his lip and spat out the source of the negative emotions that had been whirling inside of him.

“I won’t let it end like this. If Shizuku was able to obtain ancient magic, then I should be able to too. This time I’ll show you I can be useful! As long as we don’t have to deal with another set of cowardly traps that mess with your mind, I can do it too! That demon guy was able to conquer this labyrinth, wasn’t he? Then there’s no way I can’t!”

“Kouki…” Shizuku shot him a worried glance. She had successfully received the magic Kouki had failed to obtain. That had been one of the biggest contributing factors to the complex maelstrom of negative emotions he was struggling with, and she knew it. She’d been worried about that ever since they’d returned from Haltina, but in the end, she hadn’t known what to say to him. However, seeing her childhood friend’s current frenzied state, Shizuku couldn’t help but worry.

“Well, you’re right about how we can’t let Suzu go alone. And I won’t be satisfied until I get to sock Eri good. Sorry Nagumo, but I’m gonna have to ask you to take me too!” Always one to look out for his friends, Ryutarou cheerfully asked Hajime to take him along as well.

Shizuku didn’t know if he’d timed his entrance on purpose, or if that was just how he was, but she smiled gratefully at him. He’d been able to do what she couldn’t. And so, she turned to Hajime and bowed her head apologetically.

“Nagumo-kun… can you find it in yourself to take us one more time?”

Hajime swept his gaze over each of them. Suzu, who was staring determinedly at him despite the tears streaking down her cheeks, Kouki who looked like he was trying his best to keep his emotions in check, Ryutarou, who was trying to sound more cheerful than he felt, and Shizuku who was trying her best to support her friends. He then turned toward Kaori, who seemed genuinely worried for Suzu. Finally, he heaved a weary sigh and turned to Yue, Shea, and Tio. He gave them a questioning look, and the three of them simply shrugged their shoulders. At the very least, they didn’t seem against the idea. And Kaori seemed to look forward to the prospect of traveling with Shizuku and Suzu again. That was why Hajime scratched the back of his head and spoke reluctantly.

“If you bring Nakamura back and she shows even the slightest hint of animosity, I’m killing her on the spot.”

“Nagumo-kun! Thank you so much!” Suzu’s face lit up, and Shizuku and Kaori breathed sighs of relief.

“I can’t tell if I should be glad I’ve become more merciful, or mad at myself for going soft. It’s hard to decide,” Hajime muttered to himself.

After they conquered the Frost Caverns, Hajime didn’t know how much time it would take to create a concept spell that would take him back home. Considering he was planning on also creating concept magic that would prevent him from ever being forcibly summoned again as well, probably a decently long time. Furthermore, now that he’d obtained evolution magic, he’d grown exponentially stronger. He doubted that Kouki could become an even greater burden than he had been, so he should be able to handle anything the Frost Caverns threw his way. I guess if I’m trying to come up with excuses for bringing them along, I really have gone soft.

Seeing Hajime’s self-deprecating smile, Yue wrapped her fingers around his.

“It doesn’t matter if you’ve gone soft or not, it doesn’t change the fact that you’ve become stronger.”

“Yue.”

“I’ll protect you, and you’ll protect me. As long as we have each other’s backs, we’re stronger than anyone. Isn’t that right?”

Hajime’s eyes went wide. Those were the same words he’d told Yue when they’d left the abyss. Shea and the others chimed in as well, reassuring Hajime.

“That means if we include me, we’re not just the strongest, we’re invincible! At least now that Hajime’s admitted he loves me too, I definitely feel invincible!”

The world’s strongest rabbitman was overflowing with confidence. Her words alone were enough to make people think she was invincible.

“I-I’ll protect you too! Don’t worry, I’ll disintegrate anything that comes close!” Kaori declared her intention to obliterate any problems that might arise. Out of everyone in Hajime’s party, her growth had been the most explosive. She might have even been the most reliable of their group at that point.

“Fear not, for my black scales are here to protect you and everyone else, Master. Fufu, for once I believe Shea isn’t exaggerating. Together, we might just be invincible.”

There wasn’t even a hint of the usual, perverted Tio as she reassured Hajime. Her words carried with them the weight of her unbreakable resolve and centuries of wisdom. A fitting closing line for the party’s guardian. Deep down, she was still a responsible, reliable older sister, so Hajime knew he could trust her to save them when they needed it.

The end of their journey was in sight. There would likely be a few more obstacles getting in their way, and they’d most likely be pitted against the unreasonable unfairness of the world. But after being encouraged by these girls, Hajime truly believed that they could overcome anything. They were invincible, after all. Just then, Hajime remembered something.

“Once we’ve conquered the last labyrinth, I’m going to need to go get Myu too.” He’d promised to take her with him once his journey was over. Besides, he wanted to show his beloved Myu the wonders of his world. The more he thought about it, the more he realized there were a lot of people he needed to also at least meet before heading home. Cam and the Haulia for one, and probably Tio’s family as well.

I wonder how my parents are doing back home? And I wonder what they’ll say when I bring home four girlfriends?

“Oh man, our journey’s almost over, but now I’ve got even more things I need to worry about.” Hajime smiled. It wasn’t his usual fearless smile, but a gentler, more peaceful one. However, he wasn’t worried about losing his edge. Because Yue and the others had seen the changes in Hajime, and it made them happier. Their warm, caring gazes were all he needed to keep going. So long as they were by his side, his fangs would never dull.

He looked up at the sky, wondering what the future had in store for him. Though he didn’t realize it, he was actually looking forward to it.

Diamond. diamond. diamond.