Arifureta/ From Commonplace to World’s Strongest Vol. 8 Extra Chapters

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

Extra Chapter: Verbergen’s Monthly Magazine.

After conquering Haltina’s labyrinth, Hajime and the others decided to spend a few days recuperating in the beautiful city of Verbergen. As they were responsible for healing Verbergen’s wounded and helping the Haulia free all the slaves within the empire, Verbergen’s citizens spared no expense in giving Hajime’s group the best reception possible. Thanks to that, the party’s days in the beastmen capital were spent in the lap of luxury.

But of course, they couldn’t stay there forever. Tomorrow they’d head for the seventh and final labyrinth, the Frost Caverns. The group gathered in a quiet clearing on the outskirts of the city to discuss the details of their departure. They all sat down on nearby stumps, and Hajime started off the meeting.

“Alrighty, so to get to the Frost Caverns we’re going to have to go through the Schnee Snow Fields, but that shouldn’t be much of a problem since we have Fernir.”

“Normally, we’d have to journey through the frozen wastes for months to get there. Really, thank you so much for agreeing to take us with you, Nagumo-kun.”

“Just so you know, Taniguchi. Taking a shortcut means we might end up skipping some important experiences we’re supposed to go through to clear the labyrinth. You shouldn’t be too happy that you get to breeze through everything.”

“Ugh. I’ll take that to heart… I promise not to let my guard down in the labyrinth…”

Seeing as she’d failed to clear the previous labyrinth, she couldn’t really argue back when Hajime told her she was letting herself get carried away. Especially since she’d forced her way into his party again.

Hajime’s piercing gaze passed over Kouki and Ryutarou as well. Both of them grimaced and nodded. Yue, Kaori, and Tio all gave him knowing looks.

“What?” Noticing their gazes, he turned back to them.

“Mmm… It’s nothing.”

“Yep, don’t worry about it.”

“Pay us no mind.”

The three of them shook their heads, but they continued giving him the same knowing look. Hajime looked away uncomfortably, and Shizuku’s gaze flitted between him and Yue. She’d more or less guessed what was going on, though Hajime still seemed in the dark.

Is it just me, or has Nagumo-kun changed a little? He feels less aggressive than before. Like he’s settled down and matured a little, almost. Normally, Hajime’s response to Suzu would have been far harsher, but now he’d shed a lot of his needless antagonism. His heart had begun to soften now that he’d finally found a concrete way back. He was starting to become more human. As Shizuku was musing about the changes he was undergoing, the party’s final member arrived.

“Sorry I’m late, guys. My dumb family was trying to give everyone in Verbergen edgy nicknames, so I had to beat them all up.”

“You did good, Shea.” Hajime smiled and gave Shea a thumbs-up. She returned his smile and his thumbs-up.

Hajime casually scooted to the side, and Shea sat down next to him as if it were the most natural thing in the world. On his right was Yue, and on his left, Shea. Originally. Kaori had been sitting on Hajime’s left, but she hadn’t been able to get a word in edgewise as Hajime had moved away from her and Shea filled the gap.

“Mrrr,” Kaori growled to herself. Noticing her discontent, Shea turned to Kaori and silently asked “Wanna swap?” with her gaze. However, Kaori just smiled and hugged and Shea. Shea smiled back and leaned against the party’s priest.

Shea’s changed quite a bit as well. It’s like she’s gotten more generous, kind of. Or maybe calmer. Either way, the reason is obviously Nagumo-kun. Shizuku’s astute observations said much about her perceptive abilities.

Having her love finally reciprocated had done wonders for Shea’s self-confidence. It was as though she’d grown from a girl into a woman in one fell swoop. Her charm had an aura of maturity to it, too.

“Oh yeah, I got this on the way here.”

Shea laid out something that looked a lot like a magazine on the table in front of her. She then pulled out a few more of the same volume and stacked them together. “Verbergen Monthly — Volume 1 Re-edited” was written on the front cover in bold letters.

“Hm? Is this what those winged guys were handing out earlier?”

“That’s right. The harpies are the ones in charge of spreading the news to everyone in Verbergen. They stopped publishing news when the demons and the empire attacked, but normally they release these once a month. Someone probably came to interview you guys over the past few days, right?”

“Oh yeah, they did. Some girl called Mao asked me a bunch of questions. I think she was the harpy chief or something?”

“Oh yes, she asked me some questions too.”

“That was the first time in my life anyone ever interviewed me. It was quite the interesting experience.”

While Verbergen had grown more lively with the return of the beastmen’s freed comrades, it had still suffered heavy losses. Plenty of soldiers had died during the consecutive battles, and plenty of slaves had died in the empire without ever getting a chance to return home. And it was precisely because so many had come back that those who didn’t left even bigger holes in the hearts of their grieving families. It was for that reason that the harpies had decided to resume publication of their monthly magazine. They hoped that lighthearted news articles and funny editorial columns would be able to ease the pain of Verbergen’s citizens, even if only by a little.

In commemoration of their grand re-opening, Mao had wanted to interview Hajime and the others to give the first volume some punch. And so, she had gone to each member of the party and asked to interview them. Smiling, Kouki picked up one of the volumes.

“Man, that was nostalgic. Reminded me of the times I got interviewed back in Japan.”

As a good-looking kendo champion, Kouki had often appeared in kendo magazines and the like. He’d also debuted in a few fashion magazines and any other magazine that needed hot guys for its covers. Hajime and Ryutarou didn’t particularly mind his popularity, but if any of the other guys from their class had been present they probably would have clicked their tongues in irritation. Kouki absently flipped through the pages until he spotted a certain headline.

—The Hero Is Actually Gay!? And He’s After Nagumo, No Less!—

“What the hell is this!?”

Kouki threw the magazine to the floor. Everyone else picked up a magazine and flipped to the same article. This was part of what was written within:

—The hero, Kouki Amanogawa, played a major role in helping the Haulia free the slaves the empire had captured. He snuck into the city and created a diversion by acting out a role given to him by Hajime Nagumo. His efforts should certainly be lauded, as it is thanks to him that so many of our brethren were able to return safe and sound. According to this humble reporter’s investigations, a good third of the unmarried girls he freed have attempted to flirt with him in one way or another. Unfortunately, none of their feelings have been answered, but this intrepid reporter discovered that there’s a jaw-dropping reason behind that.

According to my interview with a certain girl, upon her confession, Kouki told her, “I’m sorry, but right now there’s something else on my mind. Until I make Nagumo…” As he said that, Nagumo happened to be passing by, and Kouki was distracted by the sight of his broad back. I’m sure you perceptive readers can already tell what Kouki’s next words would have been. “Until I make Nagumo mine!” of course. The reason Kouki has rejected every woman’s advance until now is because he harbors a deep, burning love for Nagumo. Kouki had gazed so passionately at Nagumo’s back for that very reason, as well. This may be rather presumptuous of me, but I will continue to support Kouki’s love from the shadows—

Yue rose to her feet and glared daggers at Kouki.

“Prepare to die,” she muttered as she readied her Divine Purgatory.

Shea, too, rose to her feet in a hurry.

“Don’t worry! I’ll protect your ass, Hajime-san!” Shea said as she pulled Drucken out and held it aloft.

“Wait! Please wait! It’s all lies! That article is nothing but lies! Surely you two can tell, right Yue-san, Shea-san!? That’s obviously slander made up by the biased views of the reporter!” Kouki desperately tried to clear his name.

“A-Amanogawa, you…”

“Stoooooop! Don’t give me that look, Nagumo!”

“B-But Kouki-kun. You really do give Hajime-kun these intense stares sometimes…”

“You too, Kaori!? I’m begging you, stop taking things the wrong way! I only look at him like that because I’m trying to show him my resolve! I won’t stop until Nagumo’s admitted I’m stronger than him that’s all!”

“Wait, you wanna be on top?”

“Ryutarou, now is not the time to be joking around. If you don’t cut it out, I’m gonna send you into next Tuesday.”

It took some time to calm down Yue and Shea, who were glaring at Kouki like a pair of yakuza debt collectors. Shizuku, who’d done most of the calming, slumped in her chair, exhausted.

“Thank you so much, Shizuku,” Kouki bowed his head and said. That was just how scared he’d been of Yue and Shea.

“I’m not sure I want to know what comes next, but should we keep reading, guys?” Hajime looked dubiously down at the magazine in his hands. Shizuku gave him a tired nod.

“I don’t really want to know either, but it’s scarier not knowing what Mao wrote about us.”

“Y-You’re right. I finally made friends with some of the beastmen children. I need to know if there’s something in there that’ll make them hate me…”

And so, the party decided to keep going. They flipped back to the beginning and started reading through more carefully.

—Special Feature! Princess Shea Of The Haulia Clan’s Heart-Throbbing Romance!—

“Princess!? I’m a princess!?” Shea’s bunny ears shot straight up. Hajime grinned ruefully and spoke up.

“The article’s not wrong, technically. The Haulia are an officially allied nation of Verbergen and have the equivalent of a seat on the council. Plus, you guys are heroes. And since you’re the daughter of those heroes’ chief, that basically makes you something like a princess, right?”

“Mmm… Lower your heads, commoners. You stand in the presence of the great Shea-sama!”

“Please stop, Yue-san! You’re going to embarrass me to death!” Shea definitely didn’t have the personality of a princess. Blushing, she hid her face in her hands and looked away.

Hajime and the others snickered as they watched her reaction. Past that point, the article continued with:

—Shea-sama is the daughter of the Haulia’s chief, Cam Haulia. Despite her position, she’s lived a life of hardship and strife. She lost her mother at a young age and later had to flee her home along with her clan in order to survive. But once they left the forest, Shea-sama and her family were chased by the empire all the way to the Reisen Gorge. After numerous scrapes with death, Shea-sama and her family returned to Verbergen, only to be exiled!—

“And you’re one of the elders who voted to exile us out of Verbergen…” Shea glared at the magazine’s pages. Her evil eye was almost as intense as Yue’s. However, right now, Mao was writing from the objective standpoint of Verbergen Monthly’s editor.

—But though the odds were stacked against her, Shea-sama never gave up! After many trials and tribulations, she finally met the love of her life, Nagumo!”

Shea stopped glaring and started blushing.

“I-It’s kind of embarrassing when she puts it like that.”

“Yeah, this kind of stuff really makes you blush.”

Hajime and Shea discovered just how awkward it was to have their story written down by someone else. Yue smiled at the flushed pair, while Kouki turned away awkwardly and Ryutarou clicked his tongue in irritation.

—I was fortunate enough to get the opportunity to interview Princess Shea directly.

Interviewer: When you met Mr. Nagumo for the first time, what was it like? Did you know from the start he was the one for you?

Princess Shea: Actually, I knew he was my fated partner even before I met him! I wasn’t surprised to see him, since it was our destiny to meet. But the first time our eyes met, I felt this huge shock, and then my head went blank, and it felt like I was flying!—

“…Were you referring to the time Hajime electrocuted you with Lightning Field, elbowed you in the face, then threw you at the flock of wyverns?”

“Yue-san, I have to keep up appearances somehow.”

Kouki turned to Hajime in disbelief. Hajime just looked away, pointedly ignoring everyone.

—Interviewer: So does that mean you loved Mr. Nagumo from the moment you met him?

Princess Shea: Nope, not one bit. My whole family was about to be executed, so I was more worried about keeping them alive than what kind of person Hajime-san was.

How cruel fate can be! Right after escaping one crisis, Princess Shea ran headlong into another! Truly the gods have it out for this girl!—

“The reason everyone was about to get executed was because you, Miss Reporter, voted for it. It wasn’t the gods who had it out for me, but you guys!”

“I can’t tell if she’s a dedicated author, or just impudent.”

—Interviewer: In that case, when was it that you first noticed you loved him?

Princess Shea: I think it was when Hajime-san faced the council of elders and said, “Shea’s the love of my life! I won’t forgive you if you try and take her away from me!” Man, that sent shivers down my spine…—

“Hey! I never said anything like that!”

Everyone’s gazes turned to Shea. Cold sweat ran down her forehead, and her bunny ears waved back and forth.

“Sorry… I got a little carried away.”

Shea was still a girl, after all. She wanted to make the story of her first love sound special. Everyone’s expressions turned kind, and Yue followed up with, “He did say ‘I won’t let you take these guys away from me,’ though.”

“I-I’m surprised you still remember that, Yue.”

Yue remembered what he’d said back then almost word for word. This time, everyone’s gazes turned to Hajime.

“O-Oh god… why didn’t I pick a better way to phrase that?” Hajime muttered while covering his reddening face.

—Well, you can see how they formed such a deep bond after that. And so, this is how our Princess Shea splendidly defeated Yue and became Nagumo’s sole girlfriend. It appears Yue has given the couple her blessings as well. I admire her for admitting her defeat in such a gentle manner. I suppose even she realized that there was no way she could win against Princess Shea’s charms. At any rate, my thanks to Princess Shea for regaling us with such a moving tale.—

Yue’s head swiveled toward Shea.

“Shea, what’s the meaning of this?”

“I-I-I-I don’t know! I never said anything like that!”

“…Okay. In that case, I’m going to go kill Mao real quick.”

“Yue, calm down!”

Kaori grabbed Yue’s arms and pinned them behind her back.

“I’ll kill that bitch,” Yue muttered while struggling to break free from Kaori’s grip.

I guess she bent the truth a little to make the story more relatable for other beastmen… Hajime thought absently to himself.

“Th-This Mao woman seems to have no regard for her life,” said Tio. Everyone nodded in agreement.

—Next, I asked princess Shea if she was worried about the other girls traveling with Nagumo. She didn’t seem to understand the intent behind my question, so I rephrased it. I asked her what she thought of her fellow female companions. Recorded below is her answer, word for word.—

“What!? Word for word!? She said she was going to edit out the embarrassing bits!” Shea exclaimed.

The other girls’ eyes glinted with a dangerous light, and they gazed at their magazines with newfound intensity.

—I love all of them. I love them so much sometimes I think the reason I was born was so that I could meet them.—

“Ugh,” Shea groaned and flopped onto the table in front of her. Her face was beet-red, and she was covering her bunny ears with both hands.

—Yue-san feels like my big sister. She’s the one who taught me how to fight and was my very first friend. I became who I am thanks to her. I won’t forgive anyone who tries to hurt her, even if that someone is Hajime-san.—

A faint blush spread across Yue’s cheeks, and she looked warmly at Shea.

—As for Kaori-san… Actually, when I first met her I thought she was really annoying!—

Kaori jumped up in shock at those words.

“Wait, Shea didn’t like me!?” she yelled.

—I mean, she kept comparing herself to us all the time, and it was a real pain. She should have just, you know, done things with more of a bang. Or like a whoosh.—

Kouki turned to Ryutarou and muttered,

“You know, Shea-san’s thought processes are a lot like yours.”

“Hey, Kouki, what the hell’s that supposed to mean, huh?”

Eyes glued to the page, Kaori ignored both of them.

—But, well, Yue-san really likes her! She’s always teasing Kaori-san every chance she gets! She’s like one of those older schoolkids who’s always bullying someone younger than her because she can’t admit she likes her! Curse you, Kaori-san, stealing my Yue-san for yourself. You already have Shizuku-san, so go flirt with her Instead!—

Kaori glanced over at Yue. Yue turned up her nose and looked away, but Kaori could tell that she was blushing. That caused Kaori to blush as well, and she looked down awkwardly.

“Wait, am I being totally ignored here? Not that I mind, but…” Shizuku muttered to herself.

This must be the loneliness Shea feels.

—Still, you know, she’s probably the person I respect the most now.—

Everyone turned to Shea in surprise. She was still covering her ears and didn’t react.

—When she’d died and been reduced to just a soul, the first thing she asked for was the strength to keep fighting together with us. She even sacrificed her body to get stronger. That was when I realized she’d actually been a really strong girl all along. Unlike me, she’d been jealous of Yue-san, and unlike me, she’d always been worried about how she was weaker than everyone. But she was able to overcome all of those feelings and become the person she is today. I think she’s definitely a way stronger person than I am.—

Kaori’s eyes went wide, and her hands started to tremble as she continued reading.

—So right now, I love her too. And she’s someone I aspire to be like. I won’t let anything ever get Kaori-san down again. I’ll protect her.—

Kaori hugged Shea tight. Shea looked up in surprise, but Kaori didn’t let go.

“You know, this is starting to make me a little jealous.”

“Mmm… Same.”

Yue nodded to Shizuku, and both girls shared a rueful smile.

“Oh, it seems Shea said something about me as well.”

Tio flipped the page, excited.

—Tio-san? Oh, she’s a huge pervert!—

“Why!? Why must you do this to me, Sheaaaaaaaaaaaa!? All I wished for was some kind words!”

Even though you’re a masochist? Everyone thought simultaneously as they glared at Tio. Tio dropped to all fours and started banging her fist against the ground.

“Umm, Tio-san. There’s more!”

“Truly? Is there hope for me yet?” Tio returned to her seat and picked up the magazine.

—Seriously, who awakens to their fetishes by having a giant stake driven through their ass!? That’s not normal!—

“I was a fool to hope! Shea hates me!” Tio once again fell to the ground and started slamming her fist against it. Suzu, who’d taken a liking to Tio after the battle with the cockroaches, consoled her until she was ready to read on.

—But well, I think Tio-san might be the one who understands us best. Whenever something happens, she’s there with the right advice to give. It’s like she’s always watching over us.—

Tio made an odd noise, and her ears went red.

—She’s actually a really nice person who’s always doing her best to help us. And even though she’s a pervert, she’s actually the most composed out of all of us. I think Hajime-san knows that too, which is why he always relies on her when things start looking bad.—

Eyes sparkling, Tio turned to Hajime.

“Don’t stare at me at like that,” he said, and awkwardly looked away.

—You always feel safe when she’s by your side. Also, please keep this off the record, but she reminds me a lot of my mom. So, well, I love her too. Ehehe. Oh, but my mom wasn’t a huge pervert like she is!—

If only she wasn’t a pervert, Tio would be perfect. Disappointed, Yue gave her a scathing glare.

“Seriously… Give me back my respect and admiration.”

“P-Please forgive me…” Tio covered her face and looked away. Not because she was hurt by Yue’s words, though. She was just embarrassed, and more than a little happy, at how much Shea praised her.

—By the way, it’s Hajime-san’s fault that Tio-san became a pervert, so I’m expecting him to take responsibility for that. If he ever throws Tio-san away because she’s a pervert, I’m going to send him flying with Drucken.—

Hajime groaned. He looked as though he’d just swallowed a bug.

“Master, you will take responsibility, will you not?” Grinning, Tio turned to him, as did the rest of the party.

After a moment’s hesitation, Hajime sighed in resignation and looked Tio in the eyes.

“At the very least, I’d never leave you because you’re a pervert. And it’s true that I rely on you more than anyone. Ever since you joined the party I’ve felt a lot safer.”

“O-Oh, I see. As long as you understand…” Tio looked down, struggling to process the waterfall of emotions that had just crashed down on her. Her bashful expression looked nothing like when Hajime was stepping on her, and for once she looked like the peerless beauty she was.

Kouki and Ryutarou gulped, spellbound. Meanwhile, Suzu and Shizuku smiled proudly at her.

Hajime awkwardly cleared his throat to lighten the mood.

“Ahem. Apparently, Shea said some stuff about Amanogawa and the others too. Let’s keep reading, guys.”

“What? We’re in here too?”

Kouki and Ryutarou back down at their magazines, interested to find out what Shea thought of them.

—Huh? The hero? Hmm. I don’t really know him that well. I haven’t talked to him or his friend that much. They’re just not that interesting to me.—

“I figured as much,” Kouki muttered, his eyes glazing over.

“I’m just ‘the friend?’ Shea-san, please don’t tell me you don’t remember my name?” Ryutarou muttered, his eyes looking at nothing.

—As for Suzu-san… Whenever she sees me and Yue-san, or Kaori-san and Shizuku-san, she gets this sad look in her eyes.—

Suzu gasped, and Kaori and Shizuku shot her worried looks.

—I mean, I know why she gets that look. That’s why I was happy when she asked Hajime-san to take her with us again. Because it means she hasn’t given up yet. She still wants to keep on trying. I really like people like her.—

Suzu fidgeted bashfully, while Kouki and Ryutarou slumped onto the table. The difference between Suzu’s treatment and theirs had been the final blow.

“And Shizuku-san… Well, it’s just a matter of time for her!”

“What!? What’s that supposed to mean!?” Shizuku shouted.

Meanwhile, Yue, Kaori, and Tio nodded in agreement.

“Seriously, what’s that supposed to mean!?”

No one answered her.

—Shizuku-san looks like she always has it together, but honestly, I feel like she’s a bit of a handful. Even though it seems like she’s always looking after Kaori-san, it’s actually Kaori-san who’s looking after her. Whenever I see the two of them together, it doesn’t feel like Shizuku-san’s babysitting her, but more like she’s clinging to her.—

Shizuku looked up, stunned. Her gaze wandered about aimlessly as she tried to process that.

“Well, everyone else already knew you’re obsessed with Kaori, Yaegashi,” Hajime chuckled. Yue and the others nodded in agreement.

“Ehehe, Don’t worry Shizuku-chan, I love you too,” Kaori said with a smile. In response, Shizuku wrapped her ponytail around her face, pulled her knees up, and buried it between them. Is that the Yaegashi-style embarrassment guarding stance? Hajime thought idly. Grinning, Suzu gleefully read the next passage aloud.

—How do I put this… She’s a really cute girl. If we’re all carnivores, then I’d say Shizuku’s the only herbivore.—

Hajime and the others repeated the word “herbivore” to themselves, then nodded in understanding, making Shizuku twitch from behind her ponytail. The party then returned their attention to the magazine. It appeared the special feature on Shea was almost over.

—And that wraps up Princess Shea’s thoughts on her comrades. As expected of Nagumo’s one and only lover, she’s both magnanimous and perceptive. Truly, she stands a level above the other girls. I’m certain our beloved Princess Shea and Nagumo’s love will last forever.—

“She’s really pushing Shea…”

“That won’t save her from my wrath…”

“Yep, I think we need to have a little talk with Mao.”

Reporter Mao’s future was starting to look bleak.

—Before ending the interview, I asked Princess Shea one final question. “What is the most important thing to you?”

Princess Shea: …The future. I think the most important thing to me is the future. There’s a valuable lesson that I, Shea Haulia the Diviner, learned, and it’s something I want to pass on to all of you. Prophecies aren’t something that come true, they’re something you make come true. As long as you keep working toward the future you desire, you’ll be able to reach it one day. I guarantee it.

There you have it, folks. Princess Shea is the person she is today because she kept working toward the wonderful future she envisioned for herself. As a reporter, I am honored to have interviewed someone as great as Princess Shea. Thank you so much. And that’s all for the Princess Shea special feature.—

For a while, no one said anything. They all just looked kindly down at Shea.

“Ugh… It’s embarrassing how cool I tried to sound at the end there. I got way too into that interview and got totally carried away.”

Shea mentally berated herself for trying to act cool and give the readers life advice at the end.

“Please say something, guys,” Shea muttered, as the silence started to stretch. However, Hajime and the others remained quiet, their gentle gazes feeling like piercing glares to Shea.

“Grrr! It’s not fair if I’m the only one who gets a public execution! Let’s take a look at your guys’ interviews too! I bet they’re just all as embarrassing as the Hero’s!”

“That reminds me, this has been published all across the city, hasn’t it? Hahaha, looks like everyone in Verbergen thinks I’m gay. Hahaha…”

Kouki laughed mirthlessly, his spirit broken. Shea flipped through the magazine while Ryutarou tried to smack his friend back to his senses.

—An Exciting Interview With Cam Haulia, Champion Of All Beastmen!

Cam: My name is Cambanties, dark hunter of the forbidden depths. And I have only one thing to say. Our mighty Boss, Hajime Nagumo, the crimson sovereign of the white night, divine destroyer of—

A single gunshot interrupted the group’s reading. They all jumped and looked up at Hajime.

“Don’t move. Don’t read another word. Move anything, especially your eyes, and I kill you.”

He sounded like a terrorist as he gathered everyone’s magazines, ripped out the offending pages, threw them onto the ground, and incinerated them in 3000-degree flames.

“Now then, let’s keep reading while I kill Cam. What’s wrong, guys? Turn the page while I go find Mao and kill her too.”

It appeared Hajime had some embarrassing moments recorded in this magazine as well. Sadly, he knew it was too late, and that his “legendary” feats and new nickname had already spread throughout Verbergen. However, Hajime’s public execution had caused Shea collateral damage as well, and she flopped onto the table again. She likely wouldn’t rise again. Everyone aside from Shea silently turned the page and read.

—The Relationship Between The Chosen–

This article’s headline was simple. “Chosen” was the term used by beastmen to refer to people who’d conquered at least one labyrinth, meaning this article was likely about the party as a whole. The fact that this wasn’t a special feature showed the difference in treatment Shea received compared to the rest of the party.

—We asked the Chosen, Nagumo, Yue, Kaori-sama, Tio, and Shizuku about their relationship. It’s clear from a glance that all of these girls have feelings for Nagumo. But what are their thoughts regarding each other, their rivals?—

Unlike Shea, Hajime and the other girls didn’t panic. They were confident that they’d picked their words carefully enough during the interview to not embarrass themselves. However, Kaori did exclaim “How come I’m the only one with a -sama after my name!?” while Shizuku undid her ponytail and shouted, “Hey, doesn’t that make it sound like I’m in love with Nagumo-kun, too!?”

Kouki turned to her and spoke in a strained voice.

“They just lumped all the Chosen together. What’re you getting so worked up over, Shizuku?”

“Huh? Oh, yeah. Good point.” Shizuku straightened her back while avoiding Kouki’s gaze. Kaori found her friend’s reaction odd, but she swallowed her words and turned back to the article.

—As we’re running out of pages, I’ll just summarize how the interviews with them went.—

“What?” Yue and the other girls exclaimed.

—There’s not enough space to go into detail about Yue’s feelings for Princess Shea. Needless to say, the two care very much for each other. In fact, during the interview, Yue gushed for so long about Shea that I nearly threw up. I must confess, readers, I’m a failure of a writer. I mentioned Yue in the article’s headline, yet I’m not even including her interview. I wish I could hang myself. Unfortunately, I’m a harpy, so it wouldn’t even hurt.—

It was hard to tell if Mao was actually regretting her actions or not.

—Moving on, Kaori-sama and Yue’s relationship is quite an odd one. When I asked the girls about each other, they gave me a neverending litany of insults. It made the interview drag on longer than it needed to, honestly.—

Yue and Kaori glared at each other, their spirit stands fizzling into existence. Before they could start fighting though, the next few sentences distracted them.

—Despite the harsh insults, both girls’ faces lit up when they talked about each other. It’s obvious they don’t dislike each other. This is just my impression as a reporter, but I believe that Yue enjoys the time she spends with Kaori-sama, while Kaori-sama treasures the relationship she has with Yue. At the very least, when she was talking about Kaori-sama, Yue’s expression had the same warmth as when she was talking about Shea. Similarly, Kaori-sama’s smile was as gentle as when she talked about Shizuku. While their feelings toward each other may not be the same as their feelings toward Shea or Shizuku, they are at least just as strong.—

“Don’t misunderstand… It’s not like I like you or anything, Kaori.”

“You’re the one misunderstanding here, Yue. It’s not like I like you or anything, either.”

The two tsunderes were in perfect sync. Though they both harrumphed and turned away from each other, their cheeks were red.

—Furthermore, I’ve heard quite a few stories about Kaori-sama from ardent believers of Kaorism. According to one adherent, after watching Yue prank Kaori-sama, he approached Kaori-sama and asked, “Should we sneak into her room at night and get back at her for you?” Supposedly, Kaori-sama flew into a rage upon hearing that and said, “Yue’s one of my best friends! If you harm even a hair on her head, I’ll disintegrate the lot of you!”—

Kaori slumped onto the table.

“W-We’re not really friends or anything. Just rivals,” she muttered.

Yue glanced over at Kaori, her blush growing deeper.

—What was perhaps more surprising though, was when Yue told me that she holds a great amount of respect for Tio, of all people.—

“F-For me?” Tio exclaimed, her eyes wide. It was especially surprising considering Yue had just told off Tio minutes before. Panicking, Yue tried to explain herself, but before she could Hajime read the next few lines aloud.

“When she was talking about Tio, Yue’s expression appeared quite exasperated, but this perceptive reporter spotted hints of respect and admiration as well. Moreover, Yue’s own words confirmed her feelings. Though I doubt she hadn’t intended to let it slip, near the end of our interview Yue muttered “The fact that she never changes is… reassuring.” Unbelievable as it may sound, Yue holds just as much respect for Tio as Princess Shea.—

“D-Don’t misunderstand. It’s not like I respect you or anything, Tio.”

“Fufu, is that so? I see… So you do not respect me at all. But even if you do not, you still find my presence reassuring. Fear not, I will always be by your side.” Tio’s tone was teasing, but there was a hint of happiness in it as well. Fourth to fall, Yue also slumped onto the table, together with Shea and Kaori.

“I don’t see that side of you often, Yue,” Hajime said as he grinned and turned the page.

—Shizuku’s comments were far too serious and boring, so I’ve omitted them from the article.—

“Sorry, I’m too serious and boring to be reported on.”

Shizuku once again wrapped her ponytail around her face. It appeared this was a touchy subject for her.

—Tio was, as everyone else describes her, a huge pervert, But also a reliable, knowledgeable dragonman. Below is one of the exchanges that left the greatest impression on me.

Tio: Hm? If I were to describe Yue and the others in a single word, what would it be? Fufu, were you expecting a cliched response such as ‘my rivals,’ perhaps? My apologies for disappointing you. If I were to pick a single word… it would be miracles. Every one of my comrades is a miracle. That we were all able to meet each other is a miracle as well. We have a normal boy who crawled his way out of the abyss. A 300-year-old vampire who escaped from an eternal seal. The only rabbitman in generations to be born with mana. A strong-willed priest who made the body of an apostle her own. Who could possibly have imagined such absurd people could exist? Surely not even god predicted this. Everyone’s existence, and our chance meetings, are all miracles. Right now, my life is filled with miracles. And nothing could make me happier.—

Tio slumped onto the table.

“I certainly did say that. But in my defense, I let myself get carried away in the heat of the moment,” Tio croaked.

Even she was embarrassed at how those words sounded when read aloud by someone else. With this, Yue, Shea, Kaori, and Tio were all slumped on the table, while Shizuku was hiding behind her ponytail. The only party members still standing were Hajime, Kouki, Ryutarou, and Suzu. And Kouki had been nearly destroyed by the article calling him gay, so in reality, only three people had any HP left.

“What a terrifying magazine. It’s managed to my kill off my entire party.”

“It looks like… there’s not much to your section, just like with Shizushizu.”

“But unlike Shizuku, Mao asked you some pretty interesting questions, didn’t she, Nagumo? And look, it’s not like your questions got skipped over.”

“Hey, Nagumo… is it just me… or are you used to giving interviews? These answers all sound like a pro’s.”

“My mom’s a really famous shoujo manga author, so she often gets called for interviews and stuff. On top of that, she likes messing with people, so she always gives crazy replies to all the questions. And I’m the one she always ropes into helping her rehearse her answers.”

You never know what kind of skills will come in handy.

Suzu turned to the last page of the Chosen article.

“Oh, it looks like she ended the article with Yue-san’s interview.”

Yue twitched. She desperately thought back to her interview, trying to remember if she’d said anything embarrassing or not. She’s really cute when she’s like that, Hajime thought as he read through the interview.

—Seeing as Princess Shea has officially become one of Nagumo’s girlfriends, I asked Yue what she thought about all the girls vying for his affection. Even I, a humble reporter, could tell that her bond with Nagumo has grown since her last visit to Verbergen. And as a fellow beastman, I wanted to make sure she won’t be harassing Princess Shea now that she has to share Nagumo’s affection.—

“So she knew Yue hadn’t backed off, but she wrote all that crap anyway. She really doesn’t value her life, huh?”

As Mao was treating Yue like she was the head wife in this article it was clear she had a solid understanding of their relationship. The fact that she pushed Shea anyway for the sake of encouraging fellow beastmen meant she valued her magazine more than her life.

—As an apology to Yue, and as a nice way to round off this article, I have, in the end, decided to include her interview as is.—

“Ah, she totally backpedaled on her earlier decision.”

“I can see why. Yue-san’s scary when she’s mad.”

Suzu and Ryutarou could practically hear “Sorry for saying all that stuff, please forgive me,” dripping from the words on the page. As most of the party had been downed, Suzu decided to read aloud the words of Hajime’s beloved Yue.

—Everything I hold dear was given to me by Hajime. If he hadn’t freed me that day, I would likely still be trapped in the dark depths of the abyss.—

Everyone listened silently, hanging on to Suzu’s every word.

—He gave me a reason to live. Thanks to him, I met my best friend, a member of the race I admire so much, and a friend I can be myself around. I’m sure that from here on out, I’ll keep receiving things from Hajime, which is why I want Hajime to find things important to him as well. Whether they be people, objects, or something else entirely. Once this journey is over, I want to see Hajime smiling in the sunlight, surrounded by tons of people he treasures.—

It was for that reason that Yue had first accepted Shea. She wanted the boy she’d met in the abyss to one day be able to smile in the light.

Absolute silence filled the clearing. Even the insects had stopped chirping. Finally, the silence was broken by the sound of Hajime flopping onto the table. He was red to the tips of his ears. Hearing the vampire princess’ heartfelt confession had been too embarrassing to bear. This was the first time anyone saw the monster of the abyss trembling in embarrassment.

“In the end, looks like Nagumo’s entire party got KO’d.”

“God, that was so sweet it gave me diabetes. I need coffee or something to clear my mouth out. Come on, Kouki, let’s get outta here.”

“O-Okay… Yeah, that seems like a good idea. Oh, but let’s go somewhere quiet, Ryutarou. I don’t want anyone in Verbergen to see me with another man.”

“Ah, wait! I’ll go with you guys! It’s too awkward to stay here!”

Kouki, Ryutarou, and Suzu left the clearing in a hurry. Hajime and the others laid on the table like that for a long time after they left. Hearing their comrades true feelings had left everyone embarrassed beyond belief.

The sun’s dappled rays warmed the group’s backs as they laid there in a harmonious circle.

The scene was both a miracle and a sign of a bright future to come.

The first issue of the revived Verbergen Monthly turned out to be such a huge hit that Mao had to do multiple prints. Shea’s story, in particular, was an inspiration to beastmen everywhere and was eventually republished in Verbergen as a fairy tale. Centuries later, Shea’s cinderella-esque love story became a legend.

Diamond. diamond. diamond.

Bonus Short Stories.

Arifureta Fairy Tales—Snow White.

Once upon a time, there lived an extremely beautiful queen. She had come from the land of dragons to marry King Lundel and was nearly 500 years older than him. The young king had been overjoyed to have such a beautiful older wife, so much so that he’d wept in happiness during the wedding.

Or at least, that was how it had seemed to spectators. In truth, the queen terrified Lundel. When they’d first met, she’d revealed to him all of her fetishes, then gifted him a whip and bondage set as her dowry. Of course, Lundel had been expecting something of that sort when he’d received a letter from the king of dragonmen that had said: “She’s too much for us to handle, please just take her.”

When she’d arrived in the human kingdom, Lundel and his retainers had seen firsthand just how impossible she was to handle. And so, Lundel had given her a gift of his own. A magic mirror. The main reason he’d chosen that mirror was because he was trying to subtly tell her she needed to take a good hard look at herself and reevaluate her life. However, the queen missed the hint and was delighted to receive the gift. She’d been feeling alienated from the other people in the castle, and she saw this gift as a sign that they were growing closer.

The mirror was said to tell any who used it the absolute truth. The queen was royalty, yes, but she was also a woman. In fact, being royalty only made her more aware of that fact. Thanks to her stunning looks, she was known to the citizens as the most beautiful woman in the land. However, she couldn’t help but worry there were other, prettier women out there. And so, she asked the mirror in secret, “M-Mirror, mirror on the wall, who is the fairest of them all?”

“……”

Crimson light enveloped the mirror, indicating that it was working. However, the mirror remained silent.

“Hmm? That’s strange. Mirror, I am the fairest in the land, am I not?” The queen asked again, rephrasing her question. From the way it had become more a statement of confirmation, one could tell the queen had a lot of confidence in herself. There was a soft clunk, and the light surrounding the mirror began to fade. After a few moments of silence, the queen attempted to activate the mirror once more.

“Mirror mirror on the wall, I’m the fairest of them all, right?”

The mirror’s light faded again. They say third time is the charm, do they not? Stubborn to a fault, the queen tried again.

“Mirror mirror on the wall! Say I am the fairest of them all or—”

“Know your place, pervert.” The mirror gave that curt reply before going dark. Rebuked, the queen curled up in a corner of her room, seemingly depressed. Though her heavy breathing indicated otherwise. After some time, the queen glanced at the mirror, gathered her resolve, and crawled back over to it.

“Mirror mirror, on the wall. In that case, who is the fairest of them all?”

“Tch…” The magic mirror clicked its tongue, and the queen’s face reddened.

“I am the queen! The people praise my beauty far and wide! Who could possibly be fairer than I!?”

“Huh? A queen? Yeah right. Screw you.” The mirror’s disparaging voice echoed through the queen’s chambers. For a magical fantasy tool, it sure sounded a lot like a yakuza. The queen once again began panting in excitement.

After a few seconds of silence, the mirror sighed and said, “The only person fit to be called fairest in all the land is Snow White.”

Snow White? I believe I have heard that name somewhere before. Was she not the famous beauty born in the vampire kingdom some years back?

“Mirror, is snow white truly that beautiful? Do her features truly surpass mine? Look closely. See my luxurious black hair, golden eyes filled with wisdom, and slender limbs which—”

With another clunk, the light faded from the mirror. This time, it didn’t start back up when the queen spoke to it. Curious, the queen started investigating this mysterious Snow White. She learned that the famed princess had been betrayed by her uncle and fled deep into the forest. Since then, no one had seen her. No one even knew if she was alive or dead. However, after her uncle had chased Snow White out, the vampire empire had crumbled due to a series of disasters.

“Hmm, now this is truly curious. Your Highness, I wish to investigate this forest.”

“Feel free! In fact, take as long as you’d like! Even if your investigation lasts a century, you don’t need to come back!” The young king saw his wife off with a smile, giving his subjects the impression that he was a truly kind and loving soul.

After leaving the capital, the queen realized she needed a disguise. It wouldn’t do for the people to see their ruler wandering about the countryside like a vagabond. That was why she transformed into a dragon and soared through the skies. After all, no one would even think that an imposing black dragon was their queen.

“Look, the queen’s flying somewhere!”

“So she is. What do you want to do for dinner, dear?”

A mother and her child looked up at the sky as the queen flew off. They were acting as if this was a normal occurrence.

After a few days of flying, the queen arrived at the forest Snow White was said to have vanished in.

“I made it this far, but where should I begin my search?” The queen looked around, searching for clues. To an outsider, she looked like a ferocious dragon hunting for prey.

“Mmm? I sense the presence of people.” The queen angled downward and shot toward the center of the forest. As she approached, she spotted a single house. It was surprisingly large, and the land had been cleared for a field next to it. Considering how well-maintained it was, there were likely people living there.

“To think anyone would live here… Hm?”

A figure exited the house’s front door. They spotted the queen hovering above them and trotted over the patio to get a better look.

“What a… beautiful girl…” The blonde-haired, crimson-eyed girl who’d stepped out of the house was so pretty the queen gasped. For the first time in her life, the queen was looking at someone more beautiful than her. And the girl’s stern glare sent shivers of excitement down the queen’s spine.

There’s no mistaking it, this must be the fabled Snow White! The queen suddenly felt compelled to tease this beautiful girl a little. The mirror’s declaration had spurred her jealousy, and she wanted to knock this girl down a peg.

“Graaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!” The queen’s roar shook the forest. At the same time, she unleashed a blinding flash of light to make herself seem even more intimidating. The light had no force behind it and was meant more to scare Snow White than anything. The queen figured something like that would be enough for a sheltered little girl who’d never suffered a day in her life. However, it appeared snow white didn’t appreciate the queen’s “harmless” prank.

“Who do you think you’re growling at, mutt?”

“Wha?”

Snow White’s voice had come from above the queen. Stunned, the queen looked up. Unbelievable as it was, Snow White was flying without wings! Not only that, but she was wearing black lace panties!

That underwear certainly isn’t as pure as white snow! She should change her name to Snow Black! It turned out Snow White was even more of an adult than the queen. While the queen was still recovering from her shock, Snow White stretched her hand out toward her.

“Go back to the ground where you belong.”

“Nuwah!? How is this happeniiiiiiiiiiiing!?” Unable to withstand the sudden pressure assailing her, the queen plummeted to the ground. She slammed down with an earth-shattering thud and a massive cloud of dust rose up around her.

“Owww… What in heaven’s name happened…” Even if she wasn’t the fairest in the land, the queen was definitely the toughest. Despite the force with which she’d hit the ground, she was unharmed.

“Wait, why the hell’s that perverted dragon here?”

The queen turned to the direction of this new voice and saw seven dwa— er, people standing in a nearby clearing. They’d hurried over when they’d heard the commotion. The one who’d spoken was a boy as handsome as a prince. He had unsheathed his shimmering white blade. Next to him was a bunny girl holding a giant warhammer. Her bunny ears were flopping back and forth in excitement.

“You’re another one of those assassins the vampire kingdom sent to kill Snow White, aren’t you!?”

Wait, this is all some kind of misunderstanding! However, the bunny girl charged the queen before she could say that.

“I’ll send you flying all the way to the moon!”

“Bweh!?”

With strength far greater than that any normal bunny girl should possess, she swung her hammer down at the queen. At the same time, the remaining dwarves unleashed their blades of light, feathers of disintegration, high-speed katana-slashes, and fists of fury at her. The queen tried to force them back with her breath, but a shimmering barrier sprung up to protect the seven not-dwarves.

“Unbelievable! Who are you people!?” The queen began to panic. This was no time to relish the pain she feeling. If she didn’t retreat soon, she’d be killed. As she turned to flee, she heard a familiar voice.

“Who are we? I guess you could say we’re Snow White and her seven overpowered friends.”

The final not-dwarf grinned wickedly and rammed a stake deep into the queen’s anus.

“Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!” The queen’s moans of pleasure echoed throughout the entire forest. Her transformation was canceled, and she returned to human form. The not-dwarves then tied her up bondage style and explained what was going on. Apparently, after fleeing into this forest, Snow White had encountered seven friendly overpowered not-dwarves. Their names were “The Monster of the Abyss,” “The Headhunter Rabbit,” “God’s Apostle,” “Hero,” “Swordswoman,” “Barrier

Master,” and “Monk.” Thanks to their help, she had been able to survive in the forest, and they were now all living peacefully together.

Furthermore, the magic mirror the queen possessed was actually a magical communication device created by The Monster of the Abyss. He’d lost it some time back, so he’d been surprised when someone had finally activated it months later. However, the person hadn’t even introduced themselves and simply asked who the fairest of them all was, so he’d figured it was some kind of prank and turned it off.

After solving the misunderstanding and reconciling their differences, the queen and Snow White were able to become friends. Unwilling to part from her new comrades, the queen returned to the kingdom and asked the young king a favor.

“Your Highness, my deepest apologies, but I wish to live in the forest with The Monster of the Abyss. Could you find it in your heart to—”

“By all means, go ahead! Don’t worry about me! In fact, you can have your bondage set back too!” The magnanimous boy king granted the queen’s request without a moment’s hesitation. However, kindness was not what the queen wished for. When she returned to the forest, the first thing she asked The Monster of the Abyss was rather startling.

“Mirror, mirror on the wall, who is the fairest of them all?”

“It sure as hell isn’t you, you damn pervert.”

His sharp words left the queen panting in ecstasy, and the group lived happily ever after.

Diamond. diamond. diamond.

The Compass That Points to One’s Desires.

Three girls stood in front of the imposing gate that served as the entrance to Verbergen. Yue, Tio, and Kaori. They gazed out into the mist that surrounded the city, waiting for someone. Finally, the people they were waiting for appeared from beyond the fog.

“Oh, looks like we made it.”

“You did it! That artifact is amazing, Hajime-san!”

Hajime was holding something shaped like a pocket watch in his hands, while Shea was looking down at it in admiration. Yue and the others crowded around him, and Hajime started explaining the results of his experiment. A few seconds later Shizuku, who happened to be passing by, spotted the group huddled together.

“Oh? Kaori? And Nagumo-kun as well. What are you all doing out here?”

“Ah, Shizuku-chan…” Kaori beckoned to Shizuku with a smile, inviting her to come closer.

“We were experimenting with the Compass of Eternal Paths.”

“That artifact we got from Haltina’s labyrinth? Oh, were you trying to see if it can guide you where you want even through the fog?”

“Sharp as always, I see. That’s exactly right, Yaegashi. And it turns out it can. I tried going to the Haulia village and back using just the compass, and I didn’t get lost even once.”

Meaning that not even the fog, which confused all but beastmen senses, affected the compass. In a way, Hajime had made history by being the first human to navigate the sea of trees on his own.

“Huh. Looks like concept magic is even more amazing than I thought. I guess it makes sense though, considering it’s even more difficult to use than ancient magic…”

“Yeah. Anyway, I’m gonna experiment with it some more. I want to see what else you can do with this compass.”

Shizuku nodded in understanding. Since she was already here, she figured she may as well observe Hajime’s experiments.

“Now then, according to Haltina, this can help you find things too…” Hajime gave his comrades a look that seemed to say “Any volunteers?” and Yue raised her hand. It appeared she’d lost something. Everyone watched curiously as she took the compass from Hajime and poured some mana into it.

“Where are my panties?”

“You can’t just ask that, Yue!” Kaori’s instant response showed just how much more in sync the two of them were now. The compass’ needle spun a few times, then came to a stop pointing directly at Hajime.

“Huh? Me? Oh yeah…” Hajime fished through his pocket and pulled out a risque pair of panties. Those were undoubtedly Yue’s.

“Why? Why do you have her panties!? Why!?” Kaori repeated herself like a broken record. Her eyes glazed over and her demonic stand flared up behind her. On the other hand, Shizuku looked at Hajime like he was some kind of pervert.

“N-Nagumo-kun. Even if she is your girlfriend, that’s a little… creepy.”

“Hey, Yaegashi. Don’t make it sound like I stole her panties or something. She took these off and gave them to me herself.”

“That’s even worse! Honestly, the misunderstanding would have been better!”

“Why!? Why do you have her freshly worn panties!? Why!?”

Shizuku backed away while Kaori broke down completely. She reached down for her own panties and started taking them off.

“Kaori, I understand your feelings, but believe me, you will come to regret that decision later. Calm down.” Fortunately, Tio was there for the assist. Kaori gave up on gifting Hajime her own panties and put them back on.

“Sorry Yue, I totally forgot to give these back to you. They’d get dirty if I just left them on the floor, so I put them in my pocket… Actually, if you thought you’d lost them, why didn’t you just ask me?”

“Mmm… I was feeling so good I totally forgot. But now it feels a little breezy so put them on for me.”

Hajime knelt down like it was the most natural thing in the world, and in response, Yue raised one leg like it was the most natural thing in the world.

“Alright Yue-san, that’s enough. You can put them on yourself.”

“Hm? But…”

“But?”

“Sh-Shea?”

“Yes?”

“…I’ll put them on myself.”

To everyone’s surprise, Yue caved to Shea’s pressure. Despite her smile, Shea’s gaze was clearly saying “You’re an adult, so you should at least know this isn’t the time or place for this thing.” After officially becoming Hajime’s lover, Shea had grown far more intimidating. Yue shot Shea a nervous glance as she took her panties from Hajime and put them on. She looked like a naughty child who’d just been scolded by her mom.

“Th-This is the first time I’ve ever seen Yue like this…”

“I-Indeed. Shea truly has become invincible.”

Shea’s terrifying gaze swung over to Hajime. The monster of the abyss awkwardly averted his gaze, then cleared his throat and changed the topic.

“Alright, now that we know it can find things as well…”

“You just ran away right there, didn’t you?”

“Yaegashi, shut up. Anyway, we know it can find physical locations and things no problem, but I’m curious how far the compass’ interpretation of a ‘place’ goes.”

Tio gave Hajime a thoughtful look and said, “You wish to know if it can point to an abstract location or concept, do you not?”

“Mmm…” Yue raised her hand again. Kaori gave her a suspicious look, but in the end, the group decided to let her try again. Yue glanced at Kaori and activated the compass.

“Where’s the stalker?”

“What’s with that question!? I’m not Hajime-kun’s stalker!”

“Umm, Kaori-san? Yue didn’t say anything about whose stalker she was looking for.”

Kaori, who’d immediately assumed Yue was referring to her, looked up in shock. Like before, the compass spun a few times before coming to a halt.

“Huh? It’s not pointing to me?”

“Impossible… who other than Kaori could possibly…”

Yue looked in the direction the compass was pointing and spotted Altina poking her head out from behind the gate’s pillar. She was staring intently at Shea.

“Hiii!? Altina!? What are you doing here!?”

Happy she’d finally been noticed, Altina sprinted over to Shea and grabbed her arm. Shea’s ears flattened around her as the elven princess gave her a beaming smile.

“I was looking for you, Shea. I want you to toy with me some more.”

The fur on Shea’s tail and ears stood on end at Altina’s suggestive phrasing.

“I see. If multiple things fulfill the conditions set out by the user, the compass will pick the one that fits best.”

“Hajime-kun!? I swear I’m not a stalker, so please don’t treat me like one!” Hajime ignored Shea’s plight and Kaori’s insistence that she wasn’t a stalker, and handed the compass to Altina.

“Perfect timing. Let’s see if someone who doesn’t have any mana can use the compass if it’s already active. Altina, tell the compass something you want it to find for you.”

Altina tilted her head quizzically, but did as she was told. After thinking for a few seconds she spoke up.

“My future, I guess?”

The needle spun a few times and stopped in the direction of Tio.

“This compass… is so accurate that it’s scary.”

“Mmm…The Liberators must have been monsters too if they could make something like this.”

Tio was certainly a pioneer of perversion and in that sense Altina’s senior. According to the compass, Altina would one day walk down the path of masochism and eventually fall as far as the woman before her. While Altina herself didn’t fully understand the details, she did seem to vaguely realize that Tio was the role model she needed to aspire to. Altina glanced bashfully at the legendary black dragon and uttered a single bashful word.

“Tio…onee-sama?”

“I’m uncertain how I should feel about this…”

Hajime left Altina and Tio to their own devices and turned to the rest of his comrades.

“Anyone else got any interesting questions?”

The others lapsed into thought.

“How about…” Shizuku muttered quietly, and Hajime snuck the compass into the palm of her hand.

“How about asking who the most important person to us is? We might end up with some surprising answers.” Shizuku’s eyes went wide in surprise as the needle started to spin.

“Hey, how come it’s—” The needle came to a stop on Shizuku’s black katana.

“I see. So you’re a high school girl who loves swords, huh? Nice.”

“You’re purposely phrasing it in a way to cause misunderstandings, aren’t you!? This just happens to be a partner I can entrust my life to!”

The girls gave Shizuku pitying looks. She claimed it was important because it was her fighting partner, but it was entirely possible she treasured it so much because it was a gift from a certain someone.

“Oooh, I got one! What about our innocence? Can we ask the compass where it went?”

Considering how omnipotent this compass was, it was possible it might even be able to answer that. The moment Hajime thought that, the needle began to spin. It appeared Shea had activated it. When it finally came to a stop, the entire party looked curiously in the direction the needle was pointing.

“Hiii!? What do you want with me!?”

The compass was pointing toward a young bunny girl about the same age as Shea. Judging by the basket in her hands, she was on her way back from picking fruits and flowers. Her ears flattened behind her; she was clearly terrified of Hajime and the others.

“Umm, are you—”

“Hiii!? I recognize that hair color! You’re the headhunter Haulia princess, aren’t you! I’m sorry, please don’t kill me! I’ll do anything, just let me go!”

“Wha?” Shea stared blankly at the bunny girl cowering before her. She was exuding this “don’t bully me aura,” which honestly made Hajime and the others want to bully her more.

“A gentle and peaceful bunny girl who avoids conflict… I see.” Hajime nodded to himself and glanced over at Shea. She didn’t seem all that happy at being treated like a monster by a girl her own age. Though she was annoyed more at herself than anything, she took it out on the other girl.

“Y-You weakling! And you have the gall to call yourself a rabbitman!? Don’t cower before your own people, you maggot!”

“Hiii!? Please don’t get angry! Forgive meeeeee!”

The bunny girl scampered away like a hare.

“Get back here, you pansy! I’ll teach you what it means to be a rabbitman of Haltina!” Shea chased after the other bunny girl, acting much like Sergeant Hajime had months ago.

Hajime looked down at the compass in his hands and muttered, “Looks like this really can find everything.” He couldn’t help but be impressed by the Liberators’ godlike creation.

Diamond. diamond. diamond.

Forbidden Evolution Magic.

“Oh yeah, how are you guys making use of evolution magic?” Hajime casually asked Yue and the others as he tinkered with a mysterious chunk of ore. He was sitting in the restaurant underneath their inn and sipping some Verbergen-style coffee as he worked. There was still a lot he needed to test when it came to evolution magic. Yue, Shea, Kaori, Tio, and Shizuku were all together with him for once, so he figured it was a good opportunity to ask. The girls all pondered his question. However, Yue was the first to answer.

“Mmm, I’m still getting used to it, so all I can do is double the power of my spells. Still, I have some ideas I want to test. I can use it to make more complex compound spells so maybe… give my dragons restoration magic so they revive infinitely?”

“That’d be scary to fight against.”

Yue’s dragons were terrifying enough as they were, but if she managed to give them the ability to regenerate automatically, then they’d become the stuff of nightmares. Shea and the others were still practicing with it too, so none of them had come up with any innovative ideas just yet. Hajime’s expression turned pensive and he questioned them.

“Remember what Haltina said? Evolution magic can enhance all forms of power. The knowledge we got from the magic circle just showed us how to enhance the more obvious forms of power like physical abilities or magic.”

“I see. You mean to say the definition of power is broader than that? Do you believe there are other things evolution magic has the power to enhance?”

“Yeah, basically. Though I guess we have to get good at enhancing the more obvious forms of power before we start thinking about more complex ideas.” However, Hajime’s inventor’s spirit wasn’t willing to let the matter rest. It was in his nature to try and find exploits for everything he got his hands on. Shea and the others were just as curious, and they too started thinking about how else they could apply evolution magic. After a few minutes, Yue nodded to herself and shot to her feet.

“My love for Hajime is as strong as it gets.”

“Where the heck did that come from, Yue? Did you hit your head somewhere?”

Yue replied to Kaori’s taunt by shooting a sphere of wind at her, but Kaori easily dodged it.

“But what if I could evolve it further? They say it’s the power of love that forges bonds, so isn’t that a power that can be enhanced with evolution magic?”

“Wow. You’re just going to continue the conversation like nothing happened, huh, Yue-san?”

“Kaori’s listening like nothing happened too. Even though she moved so fast I could see afterimages… You’ve really grown strong Kaori…”

The two girls had fought so often they’d polished their skills against each other. Shea and Shizuku gazed at their respective best friends with awe. In a way, Shea and Shizuku were in sync as well.

“I-I must say, that does sound like an intriguing experiment. If evolution magic can be used on emotions as well, there’s an endless amount of possibilities.”

“Yue, you sure you want to try it? I feel like you should get some more practice with evolution magic in first.”

“Mmm, I’ll be fine… If it goes wrong, Kaori can always heal me with restoration magic.”

Kaori gave Yue a confident nod, and Yue nodded back.

“Let’s try it… Make me love Hajime even more, moe moe kyun!”

A vampire from parallel world acting like a maid cafe waitress was about as surreal a sight as it got. Yue made a heart with her hands and moved it around in a circle. Finally, as the spell came to an end, she winked. She really had the choreography down perfectly. Kaori and Shizuku both gave Hajime accusing glares, and he looked away awkwardly. In an attempt to change the topic, he turned toward Yue and asked her about her condition.

“Yue, how do you feel? Is anything different?”

As Yue looked over at Hajime, her eyes glazed over.

“Divine Shackles!” She used one of Kaori’s favorite spells to bind to Hajime in place.

“Huh!? Hey, Yue, what are you—”

Everyone blinked in surprise. They watched as Yue then pulled a necklace out of her Treasure Trove. Timidly, Shea piped in to question her.

“Y-Yue-san? I don’t know why you have a Necklace of Vows on you, but what are you planning on doing with it?”

Yue’s head swiveled around like a doll. Her unnatural movements combined with her empty eyes made her appear terrifying.

“I was wondering how I could make sure I would be with Hajime forever.”

Cold sweat poured down Hajime’s forehead. He had a bad feeling about where this was going.

“Then, I realized it was simple. I just have to bind him so he can never leave.”

“Someone stop Yue! Kaori, use your restoration magic, please!”

“Uwaaaaaah, Yue, come back to your senses!” Kaori cast restoration magic faster than she ever had in her life. Silver light rained down on Yue.

“Are you… trying to get in my way?”

However, it had no effect.

“Why isn’t it working!?” Kaori screamed.

Yue turned to Kaori and cast Divine Shackles on her as well. They tied her up in perfect bondage art fashion, and Shizuku and Kaori were left wondering where she’d learned that technique.

“Y-Yue! What are you doing!? Let me go!”

“Don’t worry, Kaori… I won’t leave you alone.”

“Huh?”

“We’ll be together forever too. Foreveeeeeer. I won’t ever let you run away.”

“Hiiiiiiiii! Someone, save meeeeee!”

Yue then turned to the rest of her comrades. Her eyes were still glazed over, but her lips had curled up into an ecstatic smile.

“Shea, Tio… even you Shizuku, if you want. We’ll all be together forever. Fufufu…”

Shea, Tio, and Shizuku, who incidentally did not want this, shivered. Yue had completely transformed into a yandere.

“What are you all standing around for, Shea, Tio, Yaegashi! Hurry up and stop Yue!”

The remaining three girls snapped back to their senses and jumped Yue. However, Yue was even stronger than before now that her emotions had been unleashed. She repelled the three girls with ease. Still, they had managed to buy enough time for Hajime and Kaori to escape their bonds. The two of them joined the fight, and together they were able to restrain Yue. After a while, the evolution magic wore off, and the light returned to Yue’s eyes. She looked down and saw Kaori’s chains wrapped around her.

“I-It’s not what you think. I just enhanced my passion a little too much.”

For the first time in living memory, the party saw Yue trying to explain herself.

“Tio, explain what happened, please.”

“Understood. I believe that since Yue’s love for Master was already so high that when she enhanced it, it caused her feelings to spiral out of control. In other words, these are desires she harbors, but normally manages to hold back.”

“Mmm!? Objection!”

Everyone ignored Yue’s objection.

“Hajime-san, what do you think of this revelation?” Shea held an imaginary mic up to Hajime.

“Her love might be a little too deep, but I’m okay with it.”

It appeared Hajime was willing to accept even a yandere Yue. The vampire princess blushed. Kaori was used to these little scenes of flirting at this point, so she didn’t even comment. There was something that was bugging her, however.

“How come she wanted to tie all of us up too, though?”

“Well, to put It simply… This is rather embarrassing to say, but… it appears Yue loves us all so much she wants to be with us forever.”

Kaori had more or less guessed that was the case, but hearing it said outright was definitely embarrassing.

“I-Is that so…” Kaori muttered and turned away, her cheeks red.

“Oh, Yue-san…” Shea said with a smile, her bunny ears flopping back and forth.

“W-Wait, does that include me, then?” Shizuku pointed to herself in shock and said.

“Well, she did ask whether you wanted to, so I suppose she’s not quite as infatuated with you just yet, but… I suppose she likes you enough to want you as well if you’re willing.”

“I-I see…” Shizuku wasn’t sure if she should be happy Yue liked her or terrified. Either way, everyone now knew Yue loved them so much she wished she could lock them up and make them hers forever using spirit binding artifacts.

Hajime and the others exchanged glances. They then undid Yue’s restraints and gave her an almost pitying look.

“Just kill me now…”

Her freedom restored, Yue squatted down and hid her face between her legs. It was both an unbelievably cute and unbelievably rare sight.

Afterward, Kaori got curious enough to try enhancing her own emotions. She, too, became a rather extreme person, but in the opposite direction.

“I don’t mind at all. Hajime-kun, you can love everyone. Yue, Shea, in fact, even the whole world should be loved by you. After all, we’re all just one big, happy family. The world is a beautiful place, so why should any of us be fighting?”

Under the influence of evolution magic, Kaori had evolved into a saint that forgave all. Her divine radiance was so dazzling, Hajime started to become convinced the body of an apostle suited her more than her own. At any rate, both Kaori and Yue were girls who had extreme personalities even without evolution magic, so it was no surprise evolution magic tipped them over the edge. After those particular incidents, Hajime and the others all agreed that evolution magic should never be used on emotions.

Diamond. diamond. diamond.

April Fools’.

“And that’s how it became a custom to tell lies and play jokes on the first of April. They call the holiday April Fools’.”

“I see…”

Hajime and the others were still recuperating after their ordeal in Haltina’s labyrinth. Thanks to the Compass of Eternal Paths’ ability to guide anyone through Haltina’s disorienting fog, Hajime had been able to go on a date in the forest with Yue. As the pair had been exploring, they’d discovered a tree with vivid pink flowers. The flowers had reminded Hajime of the spring cherry blossoms back in Japan, and he’d started telling Yue about all the spring customs that existed on earth. Yue had listened with rapt attention, interested in knowing anything and everything about Hajime’s homeland.

“…But for Verbergen, this is the start of the new year.”

“Oh yeah, you’re right. Ulfric said something about how this new year was the best in living memory because it was the one where everyone was reunited with their freed friends and family.”

In Japan, too, spring marked the start of new beginnings. In that sense, one could consider that Verbergen was currently celebrating the start of April.

“Hmm…” Yue put a hand on her chin, striking a pose reminiscent of the thinking emoji. Hajime gave her a quizzical look, but her only reply was a playful smile. After returning from their date, the two split up. Hajime went back to practice transmuting some more, while Yue went to go find Kaori.

“Mmm… Oh, there you are.” Yue found Kaori talking to a group of elderly beastmen. She was curing their aches and pains with a combination of healing and restoration magic. Every time she did little charity events like this, the number of people worshiping her grew. Yue grinned wickedly and then worked her facial muscles to transform that wicked grin into a smile of pure joy. By the time she was done, she looked over the moon. In fact, she wouldn’t have looked out of place skipping merrily through a meadow. Making sure to keep her smile perfect, Yue passed in front of Kaori.

“Huh? Yue? D-Did something happen? You look way happier than usual.”

I’ve got you now, Kaori! Yue purposely took a moment to react, then blushed as if she was embarrassed at being seen so happy. Considering how skilled her acting was, she could probably join a filming company back on earth. Kaori walked over to Yue, a little wary. The old beastmen also gave Yue somewhat suspicious looks. Yue’s normal lack of expression was famous throughout Verbergen.

“Mmm? Oh, it’s nothing. Fufufu.” The way Yue phrased it made it clear there was something. Her smile grew wider.

I wonder what kind of reaction Kaori will have. I can’t wait to find out! In a way, Yue was more obsessed with Kaori than she was with Hajime.

“Oh come on, it’s obvious something’s made you happy! Tell me!”

Don’t keep teasing us like this! Kaori’s smile seemed to say. At that moment, Yue was certain. This was the best acting she’d ever pull off in her life. Yue’s motivation and focus rose, and she said,

“I’m pregnant!”

“……Huh?” Kaori left an even longer pause between her words than Yue usually did. Her smile froze in place and she tilted her head in confusion.

“I’m pregnant with Hajime’s baby!”

“Oh, I see. You’re pregnant. It all makes sense now.” Kaori nodded up and down like a broken doll. After a few seconds, she finally processed Yue’s words.

“Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat!?” Her scream resounded throughout all Verbergen. Yue pumped her fist behind her, making sure Kaori couldn’t see her celebrating her victory. She never tired of seeing Kaori’s overblown reactions.

“Baby? What’s a baby!? Wait, I know what a baby is! It’s a baby! What should we do, Yue!? Oh, I guess congratulations! Hahahahaha!”

Seeing Kaori fall into a panic spurred Yue even further. This was the perfect moment for the final blow. Later, Yue would come to regret not quitting while she was ahead.

“Thank you, Kaori. And goodbye.”

“Huh?”

“Now that I’m pregnant, I can’t allow you near Hajime anymore. He already accepted Shea, so she can stay, but you’ll have to go. Thank you for all your help until now.”

“……”

“Don’t worry, I’ll become happy enough for the both of us!”

“……”

“Oh, also, Hajime will come back with your original body later. Isn’t that great, Kaori? You can go back to being you!”

Naturally, the implication here was that Kaori could never become Hajime’s lover now. I wonder how she’ll react to that.

“CoNgrAtulAtionS YuE. I hOpE YouR bAbY iS HeaLThy. I’lL Do mY bEsT toO.”

“…Mmm?”

Kaori gave Yue an unbelievably gentle smile and hugged her.

Wait, this isn’t what I was expecting. But before Yue could voice her doubts, Kaori once again said in her robotic voice,

“TaRgEt HaJiMe-KuN. ObJeCtiVe, cOmPlEtE tHe MisSioN. KaoRi ShiRasaKi, HeAdiNg OuT.”

“Huh? W-Wait, this is just A-April—” Yue tried to explain she was just doing an April Fools’ joke, but Kaori had already dashed off. She ran faster than the wind, intent on completing her objective. A second later, there was a thunderous roar in the distance. It appeared Yue had pushed Kaori a little too far.

“Th-This might be a problem.” Stuttering for the first time in what might have been ever, Yue hurried over to where the explosion had happened. Panicked as she was, she didn’t notice the person trailing after her.

“This is a huge scoop! My pride as an editor demands I find out more!” Editor Mao followed Yue to Verbergen’s central plaza.

“Uwaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahn! Hajime-kun, you idiot! Congratulations!”

“What the heck are you on about!? Whoa, stop, that’s dangerous! Quit disintegrating things! Are you trying to kill me!?”

Hundreds of Divine Shackles floated around Kaori like the snakes in Medusa’s hair. On top of that, she was swinging wildly with both her greatswords and firing disintegration feathers everywhere. Though she was crying, her dead eyes, merciless attacks, and demonic stand floating behind her told Hajime she’d lost it. She was going berserk.

Honestly, I’m the one who wants to cry here! Hajime thought to himself. He still had no idea what was going on. Despite the fact that Kaori was attacking him, she kept congratulating him as well. Though every congratulation was punctuated with a “Just stay right there, Hajime-kun! It’ll all be over soon! Just let me knock you out and it’ll all be over!”

“What the hell’s gotten into you!?” However, no matter what Hajime said, Kaori refused to explain.

“Please try and understand, Hajime-kun! This is my only hope now!”

“Your only hope for what!? You’ve gotta explain or I won’t know what’s going on, Kaori! Wait, did you just use evolution magic too!? You’re moving as well as Noint was when she got serious!”

Berserk mode Kaori was moving so fast she left afterimages behind her. It was entirely possible Verbergen would be the site of The Monster of the Abyss vs. God’s Apostle round 2. Naturally, Haltina’s capital was suffering the shockwaves of their battle. Shea, Tio, Kouki’s group, and even Ulfric and the other elders all rushed out to see what the commotion was.

“Hey Kaori, what are you doing!?”

“Kaori-saaaaaan. I don’t know what you’re fighting about, but you need to calm down!”

Shizuku and Shea called out to her. She did appear to have heard them, but her response was a desperate,

“I can’t calm down! This is my only hope! Unless I force Hajime-kun’s hand, it’s all over for me! I need to get pregnant, just like Yue did!”

“WHAT!?”

Everyone, including Hajime, exclaimed in surprise. In fact, Hajime was more surprised than anyone by this bombshell revelation. Just then, Yue burst onto the scene. She’d finally caught up. Hajime turned to her and gave her a questioning look. Sweating profusely, Yue smiled awkwardly back at him. That was all Hajime needed to know what must have happened.

Just do something about Kaori! Hajime mouthed silently, and Yue nodded in affirmation.

“Extra, extra, read all about it! One of the Chosen, Hajime Nagumo, has become a father! It appears he has gotten Yue pregnant! Does this mean he plans to abandon Kaori-sama!? And how will Kaori-sama’s relationship with him develop from here!?” Mao flew high overhead, dropping freshly printed newspapers left and right. Like any true reporter, she’d gotten her article finished while the news was still fresh. The citizens of Verbergen were in an uproar. Some were even screaming “Nagumo-dono, please bless Kaori-sama with a child too!” Those were likely her most fervent followers. Hajime turned desperately to Yue and pleaded for help.

“Hurry up and do something about this!”

Yue nodded and responded in turn.

“U-Umm, Kaori? I-It’s a misunderstanding. The truth is—”

“Huh? The truth is… what? Don’t tell me everything was a lie? That you told such a tasteless joke to me of all people?” Kaori turned toward Yue with a smile as she said that.

Surely you wouldn’t say something like that to me despite knowing how I feel. I know we fight a lot, but I know you’re someone I can trust. And someone I can trust would never do that, right? her accusatory glare seemed to say.

Sweat was cascading down Yue’s forehead in a waterfall now. She looked around helplessly.

“Th-The truth is… Hajime will g-give you a child soon too, Kaori…” Yue passed the buck onto Hajime. Kaori turned back to him, both swords still at the ready. It was obvious she’d really kill him if he was lying. Meanwhile, Shea and the others all yelled at her.

“What’s the meaning of this!?”

“Yueeeeee, I can’t believe you of all people would betray me like this!” Yue couldn’t bring herself to meet Hajime’s gaze as he snapped at her.

Afterward, Hajime was forced to use Overload to restrain Kaori long enough to finally solve the whole misunderstanding. For a few days following

the incident, Yue was forced to sit outside Verbergen’s main gate holding up a sign saying “I’m a naughty vampire.” She swore to never pull a prank like that again.

Diamond. diamond. diamond.

Arifureta Academy –Entrance Ceremony–.

The magic academy held its entrance ceremony one fine spring morning. The cherry blossoms were in full bloom, coloring the campus a vivid shade of pink. As the academy covered grades from kindergarten to college, it held the entrance ceremonies for all the new elementary, middle school, high school, and college students all at once. It was a huge event, attended not only by the parents of the new students, but by currently enrolled students, and even other guests like friends and distant relatives.

None of the school’s buildings were large enough to house such a huge event, so the entrance ceremony was held in the academy’s massive courtyard. The new students, especially the newly admitted elementary school students, looked around nervously. Their innocence was cute enough to make any onlooker smile.

Meanwhile, the currently enrolled students, especially those who were sitting next to Chairman Tio, Professor Yue, or the problem children Shea and Kaori, were trembling in fear. It looked as though they were sitting next to bombs that might go off at any moment.

For the moment, all four problematic girls were sitting quietly, but there was no telling how long that would last. If anything, their demure expressions seemed to be the calm before the storm. In truth, however, Student Council President Shizuku had entrusted her most trusted public morals committee members to keep a careful eye on the four problem children. She was prepared to use force to make sure this lovely spring day didn’t turn into a bloodbath. Honestly, Shizuku would have preferred all four of them to be expelled from school, but as they were the strongest fighters in the world, the school couldn’t afford to do that. And so, as much as it pained her, she had to deal with them.

Aiko, the teacher who’d been chosen to head the entrance ceremony, walked up to the podium. Her face was pale, she was sweating profusely, and she appeared to be nursing a stomachache. Incidentally, a certain professor and chairman had tried to re-enroll as students this year, which was why the usual head of the entrance ceremony had resigned and Aiko was chosen to take his place.

“Uh, let’s begin with some words from the elementary division representative. Myu-san, if you’d please.”

Although she was about to faint, Aiko put on a strong front for the incoming elementary school representative, Myu. Her bravery moved the student body to tears. Thanks to Aiko’s stellar introduction, Myu’s nervousness receded somewhat as she tottered up to the podium. Her cute way of walking helped ease the tension among the students.

There were a few flashes from the enrolled students’ section and parents section. They were coming from an artifact that allowed people to record moments in time, which was called a camera. They were a new invention from a company called Southcloud, which had expanded its inventory and scope greatly in the past few months. However, as they were a newly developed artifact, they were quite expensive. Just who on earth had the money to use on those?

With the mystery of the camera flashes left unsolved, Myu began her opening speech. She stumbled over her words here and there, but it was an admirable performance from such a small girl. As her speech went on, the students began to relax more and more. Myu had been the perfect choice for the elementary class representative. Her cute mannerisms were enough to calm even the ticking time bombs that were this academy’s four problem children. The gathered parents and children all listened with admiration to Myu’s speech. Once she finished, the audience gave her a huge round of applause. At the same time, a few more flashes captured her big moment. The student body breathed a collective sigh of relief, unaware of who was taking those pictures, or why. Myu, too, heaved a sigh of relief, then looked over at the student who’d been taking pictures of her. Her face lit up and her eyes began to sparkle.

“Ah, Daddy! Myu did it!” She waved to Hajime, the cutest little smile on her face. However, everyone was too concerned with the sudden aura of dread surrounding the four time bombs to pay attention to her smile.

“O-Oh my! Myu, you’re supposed to call him Hajime-oniichan, not Daddy!” Myu’s mother, Remia, exclaimed from the parents’ section. Everyone’s gazes turned to her.

“Mmmrgh. But Daddy’s Daddy…” Everyone then turned to Myu.

“Mommy, do you not want Daddy to be my Daddy?” Gazes returned to Remia.

“Huh? I-I wouldn’t say that. But that’s not the point here.”

“So you’re okay with it? Then he’s Daddy.”

“O-Oh my… Th-This is quite troubling.”

The spectator’s gazes kept on swinging back and forth from Remia to Myu like they were watching a tennis match. The frigid aura of dread being emitted by the four problem children grew stronger.

“Ai-chan-sensei!” Shizuku hurriedly called out to Aiko.

“Understood!” Aiko happened to be the adviser for the student council, so she picked up on Shizuku’s intent right away.

“Myu-chan, that was a wonderful speech! Now, why don’t you go back to your friends and—”

“Daddy! Mommy says it’s okay if you’re my Daddy!”

Unfortunately, Myu had been raised by one of the most headstrong people alive. And his fearless, bold nature had rubbed off on her. The students all turned to Daddy Hajime.

“Wh-What the heck’s with this development?”

Cold sweat poured down Hajime’s forehead; a rare occurrence. Normally, the only time he was ever flustered or at a loss for words was when Yue was seducing him. But while he couldn’t ever shoot down Remia in front of Myu, the fact that he didn’t made a certain group of four think that maybe he wasn’t so averse to the idea of marrying her. It also, unfortunately, caused Remia to think the same, and she flushed with embarrassment.

The new students all cheered. They hadn’t expected to see such a heartwarming development on their first day. To think that one of their fellow students would hook up with a widow at such a public event. Many of the new transfer students were thinking they’d made the right choice in coming here.

On the other hand, the current students, who knew what this portended, screamed in terror. They hadn’t expected a development this terrifying. And because they knew the situation, they also knew that the final countdown for the four time bombs had begun. Most of them were wishing they’d just skipped the entrance ceremony.

“You’ve got guts, Remia. Do you have any last words?”

Dark clouds formed above the school. Lightning forked and crackled, threatening to destroy the campus.

“Remia… I always feared I would need to deal with you, but I never expected that day to come so soon.”

A black dragon suddenly appeared in the wide courtyard. The ferocious wind she whipped up sent the entrance ceremony decorations flying.

“You’ve done it now, Remia-saaaaaaaaan. I can’t believe you’d try and make a move on Hajime-san here of all places!”

The shockwaves coming from Shea’s kendama forced the students out of their chairs and onto the ground.

“Remia-san, are you prepared to face the consequences of your actions? I promise it only hurts at first.”

A demonic stand appeared behind Kaori, and a wind colder than a Siberian blizzard blew around her. Countless chains snaked up from the ground, coiling themselves around her.

“Public morals committee, you’re up! Eliminate those problem children! You have my permission as student council president to use lethal force!”

“Sh-Shiizushizu, isn’t that going a little too far?”

“Go, go, go! Now’s your only chance to assassinate them!”

“Sh-Shizuku, calm down!”

Shizuku barked out orders like a special forces commander.

“Tch, I can’t believe we really got the order… I guess we’ve got no choice. Men, fight like your lives depend on it! The peace of our academy rests on our shoulders! Follow me!”

“Captain Yuka… You heard the captain, maggots! Don’t you dare turn your backs on the enemy!”

“Show the new students the pride of the public morals committee!”

The brave members of the public morals committee charged Yue and the others. However, they never stood a chance.

“Aaaaaah! Captain Yuka and Vice-Captain Kousuke have already been sent flying!”

“Dammit, the public morals committee can’t hold those girls down! Oh no, Prince Lundel’s been swallowed up by a lightning dragon!”

“Hey, isn’t that Ulfric-sama being squeezed to death by Kaori’s chains!?”

“And Altina-sama’s being beaten down!”

“Dammit… Are we powerless after all!?”

It was written down in student council history that the public morals committee fought to the last man.

“Ngh, now that it’s come to this there’s only one option! Nagumo-kun, take Remia-san and run! Flee to the ends of the earth if you have to!”

“Ah, looks like that is the best option.”

Seeing the chaos enveloping the courtyard, Hajime nodded in agreement. He grabbed Myu off the altar and hurried to Remia’s side.

“Oh my, Hajime-san!?” Remia blushed as Hajime carried her princess-style out of the academy. Myu, on the other hand, cheered happily. Both mother and daughter seemed wholly unconcerned with the carnage occurring around them.

“Aaah, Hajime-kun’s running away with Remia-san!”

“Mmm? I won’t let you escape, Hajime.”

“I’m so jealous! I can’t believe Remia-san gets the bridal carry! Get back here youuuuuu!”

“Kuku, did you truly think you could escape from my clutches, Master!?”

The academy’s frightening four ran through the main gate and chased after Hajime. They left behind a scene of utter devastation. The public morals committee and many of the guests had been left nearly dead, while the current students had sacrificed themselves to protect their new classmates. Shizuku sighed as she heard the roars of thunder and shockwaves of power grow distant. She then clapped her hands and made a declaration.

“Now then, let’s continue the entrance

ceremony!”

However, everyone present retorted simultaneously.

“There’s no way we can keep going!”

Shizuku had feared all the new students would cancel their enrollment after that incident, but they didn’t. In fact, after seeing how desperately the student council and student body had worked to protect them, they’d been even more motivated to study there. Overall, the entrance ceremony turned out to be a huge success.

Diamond. diamond. diamond.

I Can’t Keep Working as an Elder in This Exploitative Nation.

A strange silence filled Ulfric’s room. Hajime and Shea, who’d been called there by him, exchanged confused glances. What in the world had created such a heavy atmosphere?

“Hey, Ulfric, what’s going on here? Kind of looks like you finally got fed up with all the overtime one of those terrible tech companies was forcing onto you.”

“Are you okay? You look like you’ve lost sight of your future or something.”

Ulfric was Verbergen’s oldest elder and the one in charge of heading the council. The fact that he’d called for just Hajime and Shea meant whatever business he had, it was likely serious. Seeing his exhaustion, both Hajime and Shea gave him uncharacteristically worried looks. However, he responded to their worry with a Yue-level glare.

“Are you two trying to make fun of me?”

Shea and Hajime tilted their heads in confusion. Judging from their reaction, Ulfric realized they really weren’t aware of what they were doing. He heaved a long sigh, then eventually continued.

“Shea-dono. Would you like to take my place as elder?”

“Come again?” Shea gave him a puzzled look. But then she guessed his intentions and her bunny ears shot up.

“You’re thinking something crafty again, aren’t you!? Since my dad refused your offer, you’re trying to get me to join the elder’s council instead to make the Haulia part of Verbergen, aren’t you!? I’m won’t fall for your tricks, old man!” Shea’s ears waved back and forth angrily as she chewed him out.

“Ah well, I suspected as much,” Ulfric muttered.

Seeing his despondent gaze, Hajime chimed in.

“Ulfric, surely you know Shea would never accept that offer. Really, what happened to make you so depressed?” Hajime’s words calmed Shea down, and she once more gave Ulfric a worried look. The old elf heaved another long, weary sigh and replied.

“I wish I could retire…”

Hajime and Shea exchanged glances. Why doesn’t he then? they wondered.

“Why don’t you just retire, then?”

“Yeah, why not?”

They said what they were thinking outright. The emotion vanished from Ulfric’s face and he got to his feet. He walked over to his windows, opened them, and beckoned for Hajime and Shea to come take a look. Confused, the two of them joined him at the windowsill and looked outside. Ulfric silently pointed to a corner of the city.

“Those people right there are our elders.”

Hajime and Shea looked down to see a truly bizarre sight.

“All hail Kaori-sama, our great goddess!”

“Oooh, she looks stunning today too! Ah, she glanced at me! She smiled at me!”

“Huh!? Are you daft!? She smiled at me! How can you not tell, Guze!?”

“Pah, tigermen never learn, do they!? Ah, Kaori-sama’s flying off somewhere! We must give chase!”

“Oh, you’re right! Everyone, follow after me! We can’t allow even the slightest possibility of harm come to Kaori-sama! On our pride as the Kaori-sama defense squad, we’ll defend her from the shadows!”

The group of dwarves and tigermen raced off into the forest. Both squads were led by their race’s respective elders. Hajime could hear Kaori scream “Get away from meeeeeeeeeeeeeee” in the distance, but her words only served to spur her “defense squad” on further.

“……”

“……”

Hajime and Shea fell silent.

“There’s another one of our elders…” Ulfric pointed in a different direction.

“Fufufu. On my pride as a reporter, I will discover at least one scandal you’re involved in, Yue! For the sake of all beastmen morale, I need Princess Shea to be Nagumo’s one and only lover. And for that, you must disappear!”

The harpy elder Mao had fashioned a camouflage suit made of leaves and branches for herself. On top of that, she’d painted her face green to help her blend in. The chief editor of Verbergen Monthly crawled across the ground, following Yue from a safe distance.

Why doesn’t she just fly? Hajime thought idly to himself. Just then, Yue turned around with an irritated frown on her face. She raised one of her arms and reversed Mao’s gravity.

“Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!” Chief Editor Mao screamed as she was sent hurtling into the air.

“And that over there is my successor.”

Hajime and Shea hesitantly turned toward the new direction Ulfric pointed at.

“P-Princess? What exactly is that?”

“Oh, this? It’s a choker. After seeing the one Shea’s always wearing, I felt like getting one of my own. Since we’re best friends, we need to have matching accessories. I’m trying to find Shea so she can put it on for me!”

“There’s a lot wrong with what you just said, but let me tell you, Princess, that’s not a choker. That’s a slave collar.”

“We’re best friends!”

“Princess, please at least try to make conversation! It sounds like you’re implying it’s okay because you’re best friends, but honestly that’s even more terrifying! I’m starting to fear you’re going crazy!”

“I wonder where Shea went. I absolutely must get Shea to put this collar… I mean, choker on me. Considering her strength, she might accidentally end up choking me while she does it… Haaah… Haaah…”

“Someone, anyone, call Kaori-sama over! The princess is suffering from a horrible disease! We need Kaori-sama to restore her mind!”

Hajime and Shea averted their gazes. They couldn’t bear to face reality. Verbergen was on the verge of internal collapse, and most of it was Hajime and the others’ fault, whether directly or indirectly.

“So you think I should just retire?” Ulfric stared at Hajime and Shea with dead eyes. Cold sweat poured down Hajime’s forehead.

“Wait, it’s not over yet. There’s still the foxman elder! The elder’s council isn’t done for yet!”

“Lua attempted to run an espionage campaign against the Haulia and was caught spying on their missions. As retribution, Cam shaved all of Lua’s hair, turning him into a shut-in who hasn’t left his house since.”

Shea covered her face with both hands and squatted down in shame. Even if it hadn’t been intentional, the Haulia had turned Ulfric’s granddaughter into a pervert, and the foxman elder into a NEET. Shea couldn’t bring herself to meet Ulfric’s eyes. Even Hajime was starting to feel a little guilty. He looked around awkwardly, trying to find some way of encouraging Ulfric. Before he could though, Ulfric quietly continued.

“I am the eldest after all…”

Yep. Hajime and Shea nodded.

“And I certainly am getting on in years…”

Yep. Hajime and Shea nodded.

“Perhaps I really should retire…”

You probably won’t be able to. Hajime and Shea shook their heads. If Ulfric stepped down, Verbergen would almost certainly collapse. The old elf turned once more to Shea.

“Shea-dono. You’re both a respected beastman and the princess of the Haulia clan. No one would object you to taking my place as elder. Besides, even if they did you could use that hammer of yours to quell any dissent. In fact, I’m beginning to think the elder’s council would be better off if you were the only elder in it. A dictatorship seems more appealing than a council right now.”

“U-Umm, Ulfric-san?” Shea didn’t like the direction Ulfric’s thoughts were going. Ulfric turned to Shea with the ground-down expression of an underpaid, overworked employee stuck working for a terrible company. Then, he spread his arms wide and declared something.

“Shea-dono, I grant all of Verbergen to you!”

“Who do you think you are, the demon lord?”

Ulfric ignored Hajime’s retort. And before Shea could even reply, they were interrupted.

“Ulfric! Are you here!? I was thinking we need to erect a statue of Kaori-sama in the city’s central plaza! Can you pull up a budget for it!?”

“We’ll need a cathedral too! That way we can hold weekly prayer sessions! Please give us some money for this project! Also, we’d like to make this an official city-wide announcement! Things are going to get busy pretty soon here!”

“Grandfather, I’ve been giving it some thought, and I wish to join Shea in her travels! Please give me permission to leave the city!”

“Ulfric-sama! My harpies alone can’t cover all of Verbergen’s scoops! Do you know where Lua and the other foxmen are? I’m thinking of enlisting their help!”

“Hey, Ulfric. One of your elders tried to spy on us. How exactly are you planning on making this up to us, huh? You looking down on the Haulia or something?”

All of the elders, Altina, and even Cam piled into Ulfric’s room. They had only come to petition for something, or to ask for something, or to threaten him, too… Ulfric gave Shea a pleading look. However, both her and Hajime already had one foot out the window. They gave him one last pitying glance, like herders selling their favorite lamb to the slaughter, then leaped out of the window.

“Perhaps this is as far as I go. I certainly can’t see a tomorrow anymore…” Ulfric sighed yet again as he looked over at the swarm of people begging him for money or favors.

The next morning, Ulfric received a large shipment of energy drinks. The cans had illustrations of a certain white-haired individual and a certain bunny girl on them.

Diamond. diamond. diamond.

Daughter Deficiency Syndrome.

Hajime had gotten so into his transmutation practice that he didn’t realize how much time had passed. And he hadn’t just stayed up late, either. No, he’d worked all the way through to the next day’s noon. Since he’d been practicing evolution magic in a quiet corner near the edge of Verbergen, no one else had come by. Tired as he was, for a moment he thought he’d time warped. Realizing he was too exhausted to even think properly, Hajime packed up his ore and started trudging back to his inn.

“Still, Yue or someone could have come to get me… Well, I guess they were trying to be considerate…” Hajime vaguely recalled his party members coming to check up on him some time ago. He’d been so focused on his work that their presence had barely registered, and they’d probably thought it best not to disturb him. It had been a bad habit of his back on earth to get so absorbed into something that he stayed up all night engrossed in it.

And it looks like even after coming here, I haven’t been able to kick that habit. Hajime scratched his cheek and shook his head. The thought of getting to sleep on a soft bed spurred him forward, and he hastened his steps. As he passed by a side street, the sound of children playing reached his ears.

“Sounds like they’re playing tag?”

He took a slight detour to get a better look, and indeed, a group of beastmen children was running around playing tag. They were playing in a small park that had been made by joining the branches of a few trees of similar height. They were all of different races, but that didn’t seem to bother any of them. Hajime stood where he was and watched the children play for a while.

“I wonder how Myu’s doing…” Hajime thought back to the young dagon girl who he’d become the temporary guardian of. The children playing the park were roughly the same age as Myu, maybe a little older. Seeing their smiling faces brought back memories of the fun times he’d had with Myu. Suddenly, he was gripped with the irrational fear that Myu might have forgotten all about him. Or that she wouldn’t want to go visit earth with him when he returned to pick her up.

What if she hates me because I abandoned her for so long!? Hajime was suffering from the disease all fathers contracted at some point in their lives, daughter deficiency syndrome.

Hajime was so engrossed in worrying about Myu that it took him a while to notice there was someone nearby. He turned around and saw a pair of cute rabbit ears poking out from behind a nearby tree. Their owner was hidden by the tree trunk. He stared at the tree for a few minutes, and finally, the owner of the bunny ears poked her head out from behind the tree. Her eyes met Hajime’s, and she stiffened immediately. From the looks of it, she was the same age as Myu, too; 4, maybe 5 years old at most. Her navy blue hair was woven into braids that ended a little above her shoulder. Hajime and the girl stared at each other for a few seconds. She looked nervous, as if moving or speaking would get her killed. However, they couldn’t just stand there forever, so Hajime decided to break the silence.

“What is it?”

“Ah!” The girl jumped and glanced to either side, looking for salvation. Finding none, she sniffled, tears welling up in her eyes. Hajime smiled wryly, leaned against a nearby tree, and sat down. He relaxed his body and went back to watching the children playing tag. Seeing him lounging around like that, the girl gradually grew less nervous. She inched a few steps closer, her eyes full of curiosity. And after that, she fidgeted, clearly wanting to ask something but still too nervous too. Hajime didn’t blame her. She was a member of the timidest race, and a girl to boot. Had it been an adult approaching him, Hajime would likely have shot them with a few rubber bullets. However, he had a soft spot for children. And so, he smiled at the girl and spoke to her.

“Have you ever met a dagon?”

The girl twitched and glanced around again. After making sure Hajime wasn’t talking to anyone else, she shook her head.

“They live far out to the west. If you tried to walk there, it would take you a year just to reach the area. But you know, the city they live on is built on this island floating out in the sea.”

“The sea?” The girl took a few steps closer and tilted her head.

“Let’ see… I guess you could say the sea is one realllllly big puddle. It’s so big you can’t see the other side, and the water goes even deeper than these trees are tall.”

The young girl’s ears and tails perked up. Her eyes glittered with curiosity, and her nervousness all but vanished. She sat down next to Hajime and tilted her ears toward him.

“I have a dagon daughter who’s about the same age as you.”

“Huh” She looked up at him in confusion. She’d never heard of a human father having a beastman daughter before. Still, it was because she’d never heard of such a thing that she was curious about it.

“You’re a human, but you have a beastman daughter? Is it because you’re a prince?”

“What do you mean by prince?”

Apparently, the young girl’s parents had told her about the relationship between him and Shea. Her parents had, of course, read all about the blossoming romance between a rabbitman and a human in Mao’s Verbergen Monthly. And since the magazine had described Shea as a princess, the boy who’d rescued her and then become her must have been a prince. Or at least, that was the little girl’s reasoning.

“Man, I get why Shea felt so embarrassed when the magazine called her a princess. This is pretty awkward…”

“You’re not a prince?” The girl tilted her head quizzically.

“Yeah, I’m not a prince.”

“Does that mean you’re not Princess Shea’s boyfriend?”

“Nah, I am.”

Seeing her growing confusion, Hajime reached out and ruffled her bunny ears. The girl stiffened up for a second, but when she realized how gentle Hajime’s touch was she relaxed.

“Whether she’s got bunny ears, or whether I’m human or not doesn’t matter at all.”

“It doesn’t? But Princess Shea has bunny ears?”

“She’s got the tail too. But I like them.”

The young girl looked away and tried to process what Hajime had just said. After a while, she turned back to him with a smile. Then, she clambered into his lap and leaned against him. Hajime was surprised at first, but then he smiled back.

Come to think of it, Myu really liked sitting on my lap too. He patted the girl’s head just like he used to with Myu, and the young girl’s ears flopped back and forth.

“Tell me more about your daughter. I wanna know.”

“Let’s see here. Well her name’s Myu—” Hajime told the curious girl all about how he’d first met Myu, and all the adventures he’d had since. As he talked, the other kids also came over, more interested in hearing his stories, and about himself, than playing tag. Before long, his lap was filled with a strong-willed tigerman girl and a young wolfboy, while a young harpy girl perched on his head. He played with them all, never once losing the gentle smile he’d first shown the girl earlier.

“Come on, guys, don’t scramble around so much. Hey, don’t pull her ears, you brat! You gotta treat bunny ears more gently than that! If you’re naughty, I won’t give you any candy!”

Hajime consoled the girl who was crying after having her bunny ears pulled by the wolfboy. In an attempt to attract everyone’s attention, he pulled some sweets out of his Treasure Trove. It worked like a charm, and the children all focused their attention on the candy.

“Don’t fight, guys. You each get one.” Hajime passed out the candy, and the children quieted down instantly.

Looks like kids everywhere calm down once you give them food, huh? As he’d expected, the bunny girl got her candy stolen and came crying back to him. Sighing, Hajime took another candy out and held it out to her. The girl grinned and bit down on it without hesitation. Hajime then poked the wolfboy who’d stolen her original candy on the forehead, grabbed him, and started tickling him as punishment.

“Ahahahaha stoop!” he squealed. But Hajime kept going, and soon enough the girl joined in. The other kids all followed after her, and for a few minutes, the wolfboy was thrown into tickling hell. Before long, the children were clambering all over him again.

Hajime transmuted a few old-school toys like yo-yos and tops for them, which the kids played around with while he told them more stories of his adventures. Eventually, the children tired themselves out, and they fell asleep on his lap or his shoulders or his head. The girl he’d initially talked to was nestled snugly inside his arms as she slept.

“I really need to hurry back to Myu’s side…” The girl’s sleeping face reminded Hajime of Myu’s. He agonized for a while over whether or not Myu hated him now, and before he knew it, he too had fallen asleep with the kids.

Around ten minutes later—

“S-So precious…”

“Yue-san, you’ve got a nosebleed!”

Yue had been walking by when she’d spotted Hajime surrounded by a group of sleeping children. The sight had been so endearing that she’d gotten a nosebleed.

“Shea, look at that little girl in Hajime’s arms. Isn’t that the future waiting for you?”

“Wha!? You mean that one day, Hajime-san will be hugging our child like— Bwah!”

Shea got a nosebleed to match Yue’s, and the pair continued to silently watch him nap. When Kaori and Tio found him… Well, their reactions were similar.

“Hajime-kun surrounded by children? Priceless!”

“So this is what utopia looks like, Master…”

When the children’s parents finally came to pick them up, they found their kids sleeping together with Hajime, while a group of four girls was in a puddle of their own blood a short distance away.

Diamond. diamond. diamond.