Day 11 - The Cave

PRESENTING TODAY'S BREAKFAST, fantasy world style: Stewed

pemmican with seasonal mushrooms and herbs, lightly sautéed (Seasonal

availability) Salt-roasted hare And I'm damn sick of it!

I hadn't managed a meal worthy of my level yet, but I was getting

better at Cane Mastery—if you could call what I was doing "mastery."

Anyhow, I definitely needed to gather more intel. The nerds, information

machines that they were, had made their way to a town, but I didn't want to

follow suit—I had no interest in encountering any more of my obnoxious

classmates. If they found my beautiful mid-century home, they'd claim it

for themselves without even asking permission. Based on what they had

done to the nerds, I was confident nothing good would come from finding

them. Still, I didn't know anything about fantasy worlds besides what the

nerds told me. A town was a bad idea for another reason, too—I had no

confidence that a visitor, totally ignorant of the local customs, could get by

easily, let alone a bona-fide Loner Lv3!

Survival was my primary focus. I had to get strong enough to protect

myself. My level was way below any of my classmates, and I also leveled

up far slower thanks to Master of None and Blockhead. At least those

abilities were still just level 1. I couldn't begin to imagine how terrible they

would be if they reached level 2.

The students I'd seen so far were about level 11, and the nerds were

level 16. Their best stats were around the 60-70 mark.

At the rate that I was growing, though, by level 10 my stats would all

be around 120-150, and at level 16, probably at least 200. It's possible that

later levels gave smaller stat increases, but up until now the rate of

improvement hadn't declined at all. If anything, the increases per level

seemed to be getting bigger.

Despite having reached level 16 in only a week, the nerds had trouble

managing a group of five goblins. Sure, they were out of magic and with

only one frontline fighter—their party wasn't well suited to close-range

fights. Even so, they were all level 16, with overpowered skills, and they

were experienced nerds who knew all about fantasy worlds and should've

been even better than their level. Yet they were nearly taken out by two

goblins sneak-attacking from behind.

If I knew other people from this world, I would be able to at least

compare stats with Appraisal, but first I would have had to find someone

willing to be appraised like that. Focusing only on stats wasn't enough,

anyway. Weak opponents can still find ways to trap me.

The nerds warned me about the most dangerous skills that typically

featured in light novels: Servitude, Mesmerize, Hijack, and Instant Kill. If

you weren't resistant, Poison and Sleep could also mean game over. The

real danger in fantasy worlds wasn't the monsters; it was other people.

Good thing I'm an unemployed loner shut-in, right?

Despite everything that happened, the nerds still went into town. That

had to be incredibly dangerous, but they had a higher purpose for their

quest. Yes, they were guided by an ineffable longing for something beyond

living comfortably in a cave: girls.

They made the village sound like it would have dog-eared harem

girls, beautiful and mysterious elves, pure-hearted young girls to marry, and

cute dwarf girls, too. The ordinary high school girls from our class couldn't

compare to their nerd fantasies. Whatever floats your boat.

I first encountered the wannabe delinquents when I was deep in the

forest. I'd avoided that area ever since, especially after hearing the nerds'

story. The nerds conveniently omitted the part explaining what had

happened to the delinquents after the attack.

Even though their Mesmerize and Puppetry skills were sealed, they

probably had other godlike skills. Thanks, Gramps. If they decided that

violence was an option, then the rest of the class—no longer protected by a

bunch of geeks—was in danger.

Why was I thinking about them? They were the rest of the class's

problem, not mine. With a few exceptions, I didn't care what happened to

my class.

To be honest, though, I wouldn't have minded seeing the delinquents

and mean girls run into a kobold. I couldn't imagine how they'd react to

being bitten by one. I learned the hard way just how much that hurts.

I figured I ought to check on the state of my class firsthand. Sure, I

didn't care about them, but I wanted to check in on the Class Rep. I had two

motives: the nerds were pretty worried about her, and she was absolutely

gorgeous. I might be a loner, but I still have eyes!

I scanned the forest in case I'd missed anything new to eat. There was

nothing but an endless variety of mushrooms around here. Maybe there was

other food deeper in the forest. Yeah, I'll have to go check it out. Gathering

food, training, fighting goblins, and now reconnaissance? The modern

unemployed loner shut-in has many responsibilities to contend with. Too

bad the world pays me in mushrooms. I needed to fill in the blank spots on

my map, too.

Given all that, I decided to head into the forest. From my cave, I first

followed the river upstream. Maybe the delinquents had a base near the

point where I saw them last time—they were talking about staying

somewhere near there…but I was getting ahead of myself. Upstream, huh?

Maybe I could catch some fish. I really wished I had Thunder Magic. The

best way to fish! Just one zap to catch and fry them at the same time.

The forest upstream was more dangerous than I expected, but at least

there weren't many mushrooms around. Actually, there was barely any food

at all. Had someone eaten everything?

Unsurprisingly, there were tons of goblins, but none of them posed

any threat. I could still be overwhelmed, so I had to be careful with groups

of five or six, but they were all only levels 3 and 4, slow and weak. The

goblins were so wimpy that I wasn't honing my combat skills at all. This

monotonous grinding couldn't even be considered proper Cane Mastery

practice. Maybe calling it by its very official-sounding title will make it go

better…right?

Then I ran into some kobolds with their dopey dog faces, levels 2 and

3. I used Magic Infusion on my weapon and approached. So the nerds were

right. Even though they were lower level than the goblins I'd fought today,

they were definitely a little more challenging. They may have been fast, but

they made a beeline straight for me—did you learn to fight from goblins? I

just interrupted their charge and whacked them with my stick. I guess this is

technically cane practice. I have to pay attention to timing, at least.

Battling the two kobolds, I realized that they hardly ever used their

monster skills. The kobolds didn't even bother with Pack Tactics. They just

kept trying to bite me.

It was easy to get used to fighting these guys. I was starting to

understand why the nerds might have had trouble with the goblins—even

the same monster can be a totally different fight depending on its level. This

was nothing compared to the kobolds I faced before. Without thinking, I

scowled at a kobold, and it recoiled in fear.

What a cruel face, scary eyes, and a wild stare. People had said that

kind of stuff about me before. I mean, it's not like I didn't know what I

looked like. But don't be afraid of me! Am I a terrifying monster? No! I'm a

human…aren't I? The way the kobold cowered straight up hurt my feelings.

Why was this thing hiding its tail between its legs?

I lost my cool and killed the kobolds. You should consider the way

your actions make others feel! All I wanted to do was live peacefully in my

cave, but the high-level monsters near there forced me to fight for my

survival.

Orcs were the most powerful monsters in the area. They had more

strength and endurance than goblins, and they had the Club Mastery combat

skill. But even with their strength and skills, they were only on par with the

goblins near my cave. So that's why the level 16 nerds had such a tough

time—they got complacent fighting the weak monsters in this area.

I finally sensed some kind of campsite with my Clairvoyance, but the

fence and tents were trashed. With the nerds gone, I supposed there was no

one left to repair things. Or did everyone move to a new site? I didn't see

anyone around. From how the nerds had described the situation, I doubted

that everyone stuck together after the nerds were exiled. But even if they

did split up, I would've expected some people to stay behind. Tense and not

letting my guard down, I approached the camp. I confirmed with my own

eyes that the camp was abandoned. So where did everyone go? Did

something else happen?

I kept an eye on the perimeter of the camp while looking for some

clue or sign as to what happened. Suddenly—I staggered. I saw something,

and the information shot into my head and nearly threw me off my feet. Is

this some crazy skill? I'll figure that out later!

I looked around again: the camp, the forest, the riverbed—

I found clues in two places. Near the center of the remains of the

camp, where the nerds had been ambushed, were some old traces of magic.

And then, by the riverbank, where the river disappeared into the

forest—the traces of magic there were fresh.

Recent traces of magic could only mean one thing: there was a

serious fight after the nerds left.

I don't know how, but I can see the remnants of magic use, I thought

as I ran to the tree line. I followed the magic for nearly an hour before I

found its source. I could sense one group chasing another in my direction.

Should I hide and figure out what's going on? Or should I go help them?

I decided to sit back and watch. Someone in the fleeing group was

bleeding; I still couldn't see who it was, but I could feel their presence.

If the runners were the bad guys, I'd stop them. Or if the chasers were

the bad ones, I'd stop them.

But when I saw them, I realized that both sides were equally awful.

All right, time to go home. What should I have for dinner? Mushroom

surprise? Ooh, or I can treat myself to some mushroom-stuffed mushrooms?

Goddamn it, if only I could get my hands on some delicious…

"Hey, you! Wait!"

Damn, did someone notice me?

I glanced over at the group.

"Ah, how nice to see you, mean girls! Well then, I really must be

going!"

I ran off. When I thought I was far enough away, I stopped to pick

some fruit, but the mean girls caught up to me, all babbling at once.

"Wait up! I'm telling you to stop!"

"You're not going anywhere!"

"Did you call us mean?!"

"How dare you!"

Now they were treating me like the villain. La la la la, I'm not

noticing you! Gotta go, mean girls, no time to chat!

"Why do you keep running away?!" they screamed.

Of all the people I could've run into, it had to be the mean girls. If

they were the cute and perky type I would've stopped, but not for these

jerks. Couldn't that old dude have swapped them out for some cuter girls?

"Shouldn't you be surprised to run into us here?" one of them

shouted.

"What are you doing out here anyway? Why won't you look at us?

Why won't you say anything?! We're your friends! Stop just standing

there!"

I have to get out of here, fast! They had pretty much cornered me.

What were they talking about?

"Why should I be surprised at all?" I said. "And what are you doing

here? And since when are we friends? I'm a loner—never mind, don't make

me repeat myself!"

I had no idea who was chasing them, but there was no way in hell I

was going to help the mean girls.

"Do something!" one of them cried.

Do what? Screw this, I'm out of here.

"Wait!" they all cried as I started to run away. "Please!"

Did they just say please? They must've been so loud that they broke

my ears. I was hearing things.

"Please, please help us. Please," one of them repeated.

The shock nearly knocked me off my feet. Was this their special

attack? A skill? They actually said please!

"I don't know what you're doing here, but you're one of Oda-kun's

friends, right? We're looking for them. Like, if you know what happened to

them, you have to, like, totally tell us! Please!"

The Queen Bee appeared to be speaking to me, but was it some kind

of sorcery? The Queen Bee is mean by mean girl standards. As the queen of

meanness, she was an unstoppable factory of selfishness, whining, and

abuse. Her meddling was the reason our class had split into factions in the

first place. There was no way "please" existed in her vocabulary.

I looked at her in confusion. "Who are you? I don't recognize you!"

"W-what? We're in the same class!" she shouted. "Knock that crap

off, you know exactly who I am!"

Ah ha, I got her to snap. I could tell from the entitled anger in her

voice that this was the Queen Bee's true form.

"You're real?"

"What do you mean real?! Stop it with the nonsense!"

Okay, that confirms it.

"Sorry about that. When I heard you use the word 'please' I thought

maybe some demon of kindness had taken over your body, but you really

are the Queen Bee," I said.

"Queen Bee? I'm not a demon." She came closer. "Please just tell

me, what happened to them?"

"What the hell happened to you?" I cried.

"Nothing!" she screamed.

I couldn't believe it. "So…you really are the Queen Bee?"

"Well, yes! But no! I'm really me, but we're not mean girls!"

I shook my head in confusion. "I'm confused, which is it?"

"Fine, if you want to call me a Queen Bee, so be it!!" She took a

minute to catch her breath.

That was all the proof I needed. No one else could shout loud enough

for double exclamation points.

"Wait, who's Oda?" I asked.

"You know Oda!" she cried. "You always talked with him and his

friends!!"

An Oda that I used to talk to…an Oda the mean girls were searching

for…

"Oda? Oda. Ota…otaku…" I scratched my head. "Ohhh, you're

talking about one of the nerds. I think you mean Nerd A."

"His name is Oda!" She shook her head vigorously, still breathing

heavily.

He wasn't Nerd A? What a shocking revelation! He'll always be

Nerd A to me.

"So why are you looking for the nerds?" I asked. "Are you gonna

make them do more stuff for you, or are you just hunting them for sport?"

I finally turned around and looked them in the eyes.

Please don't look too horrified, I thought. My ego was fragile after

that fight with the kobold.

They just glared at me. So what if I glared in return, after what the

nerds had told me? If they tell me they're after the nerds, then…

"We want to apologize," the Queen Bee said.

Huh?!

I shook my head. I must have really lost my mind. "You mean capture

them and force them into indentured servitude? Or did you mean to say,

'hand them over to the delinquents?' Or—"

"No, we want to say we're sorry!"

"Wait? For real?"

"Yes! We like really, really want to properly apologize," she said.

"We don't expect them to help us anymore and they don't have to forgive us

if they don't want to. The best we can do is, like, say we're sorry. That's all

we can do."

"We're totally dead anyway," another mean girl said. "They're the

only reason we're still alive. We can't survive in this world without them.

We just want to super apologize to them one time. Please! If you know

where they are, tell us!"

"Please!" they all cried, bowing their heads.

This…this is much less believable than getting summoned to a world

of swords and sorcery, I thought. They claimed that they had changed their

ways, that they had given up their old way of life. All they could think

about anymore was how grateful they were toward the nerds and how

ashamed they were about what had happened. They just wanted to settle

matters before they died. It was like leaving an apology in your last will and

testament.

Finally, I said, "I know what direction they went, but I'm not sure

where they are now. You won't be able to catch up with them. You'll need

to make your way through the forest. Can you even fight?"

I had no idea how the nerds would react to an apology. If they had

half a brain, they'd just tell the mean girls to take a hike. But the nerds were

so good-natured that they might end up becoming the personal guards of the

mean girls, thereby assuring their mutual destruction.

Maybe I was worrying a bit prematurely.

"There's really no way you'd be able to catch them," I stressed. "Are

you sure?"

The mean girls looked at the ground and trembled. Facing death, they

seemed prepared to do whatever it took. Talk about developing a conscience

way too late.

"We don't care, just tell us," the Queen Bee said. "We have to try

even if we never reach them. Please…please!"

Did they join the same cult the nerds tried to lure me into? Facing

certain death, all they wanted to do was thank the people who had saved

them the first time. They wanted to be able to forgive themselves for all

their bullying and cruel treatment, and they figured going on a pilgrimage to

atone for their sins was enough.

The gods that they relied on for everything were taken away. They'd

lost everything they knew and were totally cast aside in the span of one

week. The ordeals they'd faced had totally transformed them.

"The nerds told me all about what you did," I said, doing nothing to

hide the displeasure in my voice. "Before you can even consider

apologizing to the nerds, you should apologize to the Class Rep and the

others."

The Queen Bee nodded. "We did!! The Class Rep said that she

accepted our apology, but she told us to go apologize to Oda and the others

in person. Before we could, the boys ambushed us and the camp split up.

We don't know where anyone is. We just want to find Oda and his friends."

They really are at their wits' end, I thought, finally understanding the

whole situation. They were taken out of their school, the base of their

power. The nerds, who were suddenly the strongest ones around in this new

world, were gone. They couldn't fight monsters or work together to survive.

When the delinquents—full of unvarnished lust—went wild and attacked

the girls, the Class Rep was able to drive them off but not before these girls

got separated from the rest.

The mean girls were on the run, separated from the Class Rep, totally

lost, and on the verge of death. This desperate situation forced them to

confront their own actions and choices, so they wanted to apologize and

make amends. Are they really afraid that they're about to die?

"Okay, there are only three possibilities. First, you get caught by the

guys before you can find the nerds. Second, you're eaten by ravenous

monsters before you reach them. Third, you fight off those sleazy guys,

mash the monsters into pulp, and finally find the nerds and apologize. So

what do you think is most likely?"

"Well…"

"Like, we can't do that…"

"That sounds too tough…"

"Just tell us where they are! Please!!"

I felt like they were on the verge of having a breakthrough, so I

glared at them. They fell over on their backs, sobbing and trembling. This is

pathetic, I don't even have an Intimidate skill.

"Personally, I don't care if you've had an epiphany or changed your

ways or whatever," I told them. "Whether you're good, bad, or reformed

means nothing to me. Ask yourselves, do you want to go apologize to the

nerds, or are you happy just making excuses for the rest of your life?"

"But, like…"

"No buts! Answers only!"

A moment passed, and then giant exclamation marks appeared over

each of their heads. Some weird effect of Master of None?

I guess that's settled.

"Listen up," I said, "I know all about how you treated the nerds. They

were helping you, weren't they? They taught you how to survive, didn't

they? Even when you ignored them! Even when you insulted them! Until

they were literally forced to run away! They helped you even though you

straight up abused them!"

The Queen Bee had four more exclamation points over her head,

now. I counted thirteen exclamation points in total. There was no doubt

about their resolve, now.

"Do you want to just give up and die after all they've done for you?!

That would defeat the point of everything they did! Are you okay with that?

They risked their lives for you, and with all your excuses about how tough

things are, you want to throw it all away!!" I'd reached double exclamation

point volume, too. "You're just going to die without putting up a fight?

Why don't you try to survive?! Never give up!! Don't just go through life

waiting to die!! Do you think they'll feel good finding out you died trying

to apologize to them?! That's no apology!! That's just making yourself feel

better about giving up!!!!"

The Queen Bee's exclamation point ability must have somehow

evolved, since she went pale white. Huh, is something happening? Is this a

new skill?

Tears rolled down her cheeks as she spoke. "I don't want to die! I

don't!! I want to live!! You're right, they did so much to help us!! We just

want to, like, say a proper thank you!! You're right about everything!! We

didn't listen, we didn't do anything, we didn't learn anything, we acted like

none of this mattered!! We made tons of excuses and acted like we couldn't

learn!! Even when they were about to get killed, we just made fun of them

because, yes, we were, like, so stupid!! We couldn't do anything, and we

were too scared to admit it! We couldn't help them!! We never said sorry or

thanks—not even once!! Of course we don't want to die!! Dying here

would be like totally the worst thing ever!!"

My god, that's a lot of exclamation points! That had to be like twentyfive in a row! My exclamation point skills pale in comparison!

I guessed Master of None allowed me to learn the Exclamation Point

skill, but I still wasn't as good at it as them. Blockhead must be holding me

back—wait a second…

For some reason, the Queen Bee was sobbing. What happened? Did I

say something wrong?

"W-waaaaah!" she wailed. Not wearing any makeup, hair in total

disarray, she seemed like a crying child. Between the tears and the runny

nose, her face sure is losing a lot of liquid. I was starting to worry about

dehydration.

If I went step by step, I should be able to figure out what was going

on.

The Queen Bee had unlocked new levels of Exclamation Point and

forever surpassed me. But now, she was sobbing. Is she having a nervous

breakdown? Now that our Battle of the Exclamation Point had ended, I felt

tired and drained, like the spirit of a hot-blooded man in waders telling me

to "Never give up!" had left my body.

Without the spirit of that man whose enthusiasm had made him a

meme, I had no idea what was happening, so I figured I'd have to ask. I

tried a gentle approach.

"Uh, so, er…" I looked at her. "What's wrong?"

The girls looked at me with tears streaming down their faces and a

ghastly look of dread in their eyes. Okay, this is straight out of a horror

movie! If any of them start chanting creepy children's songs, I'm out of

here!

They all wailed, talking over each other: "We're so dumb! We didn't

learn anything! We can't die like this! No way! Please, help us! Teach us

how to survive and apologize to Oda! Please! Give us the power to atone

for our sins, the power of reconciliation! Please!!!!"

"Uh, sure?"

Wait, did I just say yes?

Something inexplicable happened, something so weird that I wasn't

sure if I could describe it. I felt something changing in my head…but I

wasn't being targeted by Puppetry or Mesmerize; that would have been

impossible. This feeling was like a glimpse behind the curtain of reality.

What lurked there, in the back of my mind, was something far worse.

It was my Servitude skill. Why now?!

The word Servitude floated before my eyes, and below it, I saw the

names of the Queen Bee and mean girls A, B, C, and D. What was

happening? I assumed that Servitude was a skill used to enlist monsters into

my party. I totally forgot to test it out! Up until now, I'd just slaughtered

every monster I came across.

And now the five mean girls were a part of my team? Did I just

become the lead mean girl? Could I have evolved into the final form of the

Queen Bee? No way in hell!

In fantasy worlds, there were scummy people who used skills like

Puppetry and Mesmerize to make girls do whatever they wanted.

And then there was me, who accidentally made a group of girls my

obedient servants! Me! I'm sorry officer, I didn't know that I was

committing a crime! I thought we were just talking! It shouldn't be possible

for me to make five girls my servants! I'm a loner shut-in! Please, I didn't

want to end up on the nightly news!

Desperate for a way out of this, I headed back into the forest,

groaning. Queen Bee and mean girls A, B, C, and D followed, totally silent

in lockstep behind me.

I started to get scared as I walked through the forest. When I looked

back, I couldn't help but think that the girls were like a bunch of ducklings

following a mama duck.

When goblins appeared, I took them out with fireballs and flame

bullets before continuing on.

They're all looking at me with freaky, blank eyes. Are they trying to

learn how to fight the goblins? I was a level 5 NEET, so we couldn't be

expected to fight the same way. I kept my eyes forward as we traipsed

through the forest because every time I glanced back at them I felt a cold

sweat break out along my spine.

Where was I even going? I had no clue. I just kept walking. I couldn't

stop or look behind me at any cost. The look in their eyes is terrifying! They

wore the expressions of religious zealots. Their stares were so direct they

could probably have bored a hole right through me.

I picked a direction and walked like I had a goal in mind.

Periodically, I ran into kobolds. Without sparing a thought, I destroyed them

and kept going. The monsters grew stronger as I continued, but I couldn't

turn back. Five mean-girl ducklings were lurking right behind me!

I broke into a sprint. I was pretty much running away. A whole group

of kobolds were in my way. I had a choice: kobolds dead ahead, or mean

girls close behind. Easy choice: kobolds. Come straight this way, good sirs!

The five mean girls silently watched me and followed without any

concern for themselves. What do I do now?

The kobolds ahead were serious business. They radiated an aura of

strength. I couldn't turn back even if I wanted to.

As if they had learned from watching me, one of the mean girls went

to a fallen kobold's body and retrieved the spellstone from its guts. She

inexpertly gouged and tore at the kobold's body until the stone came loose,

dripping with gore. The girl wordlessly offered it to me. Her arms were

soaked in blood up to the elbows. I was scared out of my mind. I want to

cry!

Servitude must have shared any experience I gained with the mean

girls, since they began leveling up quickly. We fell into a routine: I lured a

few kobolds from the main horde, and the mean girls silently readied their

swords and spears, and executed them without mercy. Kobolds had never

looked so pitiful. This was the first time I saw real fear in their eyes. My

face likely wore the same expression. This was terrifying!

Somewhere along the way, the lecherous guys must've lost track of

the girls. Maybe they were chased off by kobolds, or even killed? I didn't

know or care what became of them because this was all their fault. They

were the reason that the kobolds and I were traumatized. They were

ultimately to blame for the horrors of murderous mean girls!

Better let them kill you quickly, poor kobolds, I thought. Even though

we were enemies, we shared the same fear. Maybe the kobolds could be my

allies against the real menace?

No one would be suicidal enough to attack the girls now. They had to

be the most fearsome of all my classmates. The most terrifying creatures

that the old man could've summoned were Japanese teenagers.

Kobolds were showing up in greater numbers at a variety of levels.

They weren't a problem alone, but large packs of kobolds were dangerous.

Whenever one had the bad luck to be in range, I volleyed flame bullets in

its direction.

Thirty bullets for ten kobolds, loaded and fired. Sixty bullets for

twenty kobolds, loaded and fired. There was but one solution to the

ceaseless onslaught of kobolds: total suppression.

The kobolds were quick but not sturdy. Those that survived my fiery

hail of bullets then fell to the merciless slaughter of the girls.

I lost count of how many we killed. It could have been thirty or even

forty. I rained down a shining storm of bullets, the mean girls tore at them

until their blood flowed like a river. The final kobold lunged for my throat,

baring its teeth as my flame bullet blazed through its charred body. The heat

of its breath reached my throat just as it collapsed.

Knee-deep in dead kobolds, the mean girl squad continued to kill

stragglers, eviscerate their corpses, and harvest spellstones. Then they

looked at me with their creepy blank stares.

They were covered in minor scratches and drenched in kobold blood.

"Here's an HP potion; you need to drink it to heal. Special mushroom

flavor," I said.

But no one moved. Maybe they were sick of mushrooms, too? High

school girls weren't exactly known to order mushroom-flavored beverages

from vending machines. Neither were boys, for that matter. Nor me! I could

even tolerate vegetable juice, but this made we want to hurl. To think that

stamina mushrooms and medicinal herbs could combine to create such a

vile concoction…

The Queen Bee finally spoke up. "Haruka…kun?"

"I take it that you hate mushrooms, too. I totally get it, they taste

awful, and your whole body will smell like mushrooms afterward."

The mean girls just kept reaping their visceral harvest of spellstones

from kobold corpses. A few days ago, they wouldn't listen to anyone, hated

fighting, and would never have even dared to approach monsters. Even just

the sight of blood would've started them screaming. Now they worked in

total silence, methodically gutting the monsters and collecting the

spellstones, not noticing that they were drenched in blood.

I was shocked. I didn't want to believe what I saw with my own eyes.

The only rational explanation was that they'd become entirely different

people. Their eyes were totally blank, almost corpse-like. Yup, I'm terrified.

The mean girls, in their abnormal state, handed me all the spellstones

they gathered and returned to their grisly work. What the hell are they

doing? Just a few days ago, they were freaking out about Mesmerize and

Puppetry. They must've been terrified thinking about what those skills

could be used for. If they saw themselves now, they would've been just as

horrified. Even I'm overcome with dread! I know I keep repeating myself,

but I'm so, so scared!

Before entering this world, they were the most selfish girls the world

had ever seen, but now their minds were seemingly unrecognizable. This

whole situation was too strange. They weren't just different; it was like

their personalities were completely flipped. You couldn't call it an

improvement, either. It was more like the effects of brainwashing or mind

control.

If a guy with some sort of mind control magic offered a suspicious

drink to a girl, would anyone in their right mind drink it? Especially if it

was made with mushrooms! It had all the hallmarks of a trap, so of course

they wouldn't. Both the drink and the guy were self-evidently terrible. Not

to mention the mushrooms—what kind of creep would offer girls

mushroom juice? I imagined what they were thinking: that guy is the worst,

he keeps glaring at me! Drop the scary expression already!

Yeah, I was an unsavory character offering them foul-smelling

mushroom juice. Maybe I could've masked the flavor with some fruit juice?

The potion even looked vile. This whole scenario was so off-putting. I tried

to recall what a light novel protagonist would do in a situation like this,

surrounded by high school girls. No, none of that would be appropriate.

"Pssst, Earth to Haruka-kun, are you there?"

Cripes! I leapt with a start and spun around.

There was the Class Rep, inches from my face! Behind her was a

whole entourage of female students. I nearly had a heart attack, my blood

was rushing so fast. I looked her over, eyes drifting downward. No, blood,

don't rush there!

"Can I at least have some of that potion?" the Class Rep asked.

"Huh? You want it?"

"Didn't you just say it was an HP potion? Why so surprised?"

"Uh, I mean, well, normally you don't just drink some sketchy potion

that a stranger offers you…right?"

"We're classmates! What do you mean, 'stranger'?"

I stared blankly at her. "Uh…huh?"

The Class Rep was right in front of me, her beautiful face only a few

inches away. She was the apex of all female Class Representatives. I forgot

how to breathe…is this how I die?

"Uh, is that you, Class Rep-sama?"

"That is not my name! What's with the -sama?"

I needed to explain what was going on with the mean girls behind me

before the Class Rep got the wrong idea, but I had no idea what to say.

Even the truth was weird and kind of creepy. I couldn't just say "I enslaved

them!" That was less of a justification and more of an admission of guilt.

"Haruka-kun, what's wrong with Shimazaki-san and her friends?

Why are you with them in the first place?"

"Uh, well," I sputtered, "I can totally explain! It's kind of a long story

and it sounds bad if I don't explain everything fully but I, ahem, enslaved

them?"

"You did what?" she screamed. "That story was way too short!"

The scream of the Class Rep—that's not what I wanted this story to

be about! Although that does sound like a pretty decent novel. Maybe I

could order it online?

The only explanation was that I misclicked. Yes, we were all minors,

but it wasn't my fault, right?

"Why on earth did you enslave them?! Isn't the Servitude skill meant

for monsters? How could you possibly use it on your own female

classmates?"

I wanted to know myself. Though, ideally, I would have liked to

know how to rewind time to undo this whole mess. Maybe there was a spell

"Back to the forest!" or something I could use? The Class Rep was clearly

on the verge of erupting. I needed to take responsibility and find the right

words to explain myself, but first I needed to get a few answers.

"Who's Shimazaki-san?" I asked. "Are you talking about that

Romantic era novelist who wrote about samurai?"

"You enslaved her, and you don't even know her name?!" she

screamed. "And her name is totally normal; why is the first thing you think

of a historical novel?!"

The Scream of the Class Rep 2: The Revenge! Prepare for the third

installment! I would totally buy that book, but maybe I'll wait for the deluxe

edition trilogy boxset. Also, I better start preparing for my trial. Does

anyone know a good attorney?

"You came to rescue them, right? So why did you use Servitude on

them? And why don't you know their names? They're your classmates!!"

And there it is—the third volume. I knew I would get a trilogy out of The

Scream of the Class Rep.

"Uh, I don't know! They just show up in my status as Mean Girl A,

Mean Girl B, Mean Girl C, and Mean Girl D!"

"How dare you call your own classmates by those names! How could

you treat women like monsters?!"

The series continues! Limited edition!

Sheesh! The mean girls were standing behind the Class Rep. They

had expressions so cold and unfeeling that you'd think they were made out

of Ice Magic. Maybe I should use Heat Magic to thaw their faces? Warm up

their, uh, eyeballs?

"Anyway, thank you for saving them," the Class Rep said. "I was

really worried." She bowed her head to the Queen Bee.

"We just followed him," the Queen Bee droned.

"Still, thanks. I really appreciate it."

"Yes," the Queen Bee agreed.

"Oh!" I said. "Shimazaki is the Queen Bee! I didn't realize it because

you gave her such a literary name. Of course I was confused."

"Shimazaki is her last name!" Class Rep exclaimed. "I didn't give it

to her! Why do you keep saying Queen Bee?!"

Why was she getting mad at me? I wasn't the one who put Queen

Bee on my status.

"When you use Servitude, you get to name the monsters you

enthrall," Class Rep said. "The wrong name is showing up in the status

view because you couldn't remember her name and picked a cruel one to

use instead!"

Class Rep was mad at me. But why? The Queen Bee was the leader

of the mean girls! It made perfect sense. Why was I the bad guy here?

There were fifteen girls in front of me and five mean girls behind me.

I was surrounded, and I couldn't avoid their judgmental eyes.

Now I understand people who are afraid of making eye contact. I just

wanted to curl up and disappear. They all glared like they expected me to

say something. Do I have to? Maybe some eloquent words of surrender will

satisfy.

"Uh great, thanks for everything. It's been a real pleasure. See you all

around!"

Flawless execution, now I have to get out of here. I'm totally

exhausted. I just want to go home.

"You're not going anywhere!"

A chorus of shouts came after me. No, please just let me go back. I'm

not even supposed to be here! I'm a literal loner!

"At least let me thank you for the potion," the Class Rep said. "I'm

glad that they're all safe. I want to thank you properly for rescuing them."

Now she was thanking me. Wait a second, does that mean she

actually drank that potion? Class Rep—she's so brave!

"But how did you find us?" the Class Rep asked. "You couldn't have

had any idea where we were."

"I was, uh, just passing by?"

"Just passing by? Why?!"

"Well, passing by might not be quite right. It's more like I was

running away and ended up here by chance?"

"What were you running from?!"

"Well, from the mean girls?"

"You're the one who made us your servants!" said the Queen Bee,

apparently snapping out of her fugue. "Why would you run away from your

own servants?"

"Uh, because you're terrifying?"

They all glared at me. The Scream of the Class Rep series must have

ended. Instead, she was just staring at me. Scornfully. That's the signature

glare of Her Highness the Class Rep, a super-legit evil eye if I've ever seen

one! Getting glared at by a gorgeous, scornful girl just inches away from

my face is the pinnacle…of delight. I never thought anything this amazing

would happen to me here!

She shook her head. "Talking with you isn't getting us anywhere, so

I'm going to have Shimazaki-san tell me everything. You stay right here.

Don't even think about going anywhere."

So began the grand meeting of the girls. I stood as still as a tree. For

some reason a few of the normal girls were giving the mean girls hugs. I

just waited and watched. Occasionally, the Class Rep said something, and

they all laughed. I watched them. Were they bullying me?! I guess with the

nerds gone they had to find a new target. That's what happens to loners,

they get excluded. And just sitting here with nothing to do. I'm so bored!

I began writing randomly in the dirt. The ground was hard, so I

wasn't able to leave a mark. Curious what would happen, I used Magic

Infusion on my finger and doodled circles and spirals in the earth. It's

working!

I willed more magic into my fingertip and busied myself with

drawing spirals in the ground. I decided to power my finger up even further

with some Earth Magic and drew a larger circular shape around me. As I

carved that shape, the magic I was using seemed to grow into the form of a

spinning helix. The earth sank under me as I drew. I could dig tunnels like

this! I could expand my house underground! I focused my magic and

imagined a sharp screw. By repeatedly drawing a simple spiral shape, I

could bore deeper into the ground. Soon my home will have a furnished

basement.

"Haruka-kun, why are you in a pit? I told you to watch and wait, how

did you end up like this?"

I looked up at the Class Rep. She was staring down at me from

above. She blessed me again with her eyes full of scorn.

"Uh, I was bored?"

Without even realizing what I'd done, I found myself sitting in a hole

about fifteen feet deep.

"Don't just dig a pit because you have nothing to do. When I saw

your magic go off, I thought something crazy was happening!"

"Look, I was just bored and got caught up in drawing. I wasn't trying

to dig!"

"How…? Anyway, sorry for keeping you waiting."

Making a pit was easy. Climbing out was the real pain.

"Okay, I heard about what happened from Shimazaki-san and the

others," the Class Rep continued. "You saved Shimazaki-san, Oda-kun, and

the rest of us, too—thank you so much, really. Even though we should've

been trying to save you, since you were totally alone." The Class Rep shook

her head. "I'm sorry for that."

My face shone bright red. "Uh…remind me who Oda is?"

"What? You know Oda-kun!" Class Rep shouted. "He was with the

guys from class who you helped out! You definitely met when they were

running away! Why don't you know anyone's name?!"

The Scream of The Class Rep has a new volume! Coming soon to

bookstores near you! When could I preorder a copy? Would I get any extras

with my order?

"I think you mean Nerd A," I said. "Yeah, I met him. The mean girls

kept talking about this Oda guy too, but don't worry, all the nerds are fine.

They're doing great."

"His name is Oda! What is wrong with you? And how can you

already have forgotten Shimazaki-san's name? You're such a jerk—" Class

Rep ran out of breath and had to gasp for air. She must have been so

exhausted and stressed from this past week.

"Don't overdo it, Class Rep. I know you've been working hard to

keep everyone safe together ever since we were thrown into this world. You

must be exhausted."

"Talking to you is exhausting!" she cried. "It's the most exhausting

thing I've done since being summoned here!"

So, it was my fault now? Outrageous!

"You said you were going somewhere," said Vice Class Rep A,

glaring at me.

"What were you going to do about Shimazaki-san?"

I didn't know their names, so I mentally referred to the Class Rep's

friends as Vice Class Rep A, B, C, and so on. I wasn't sure which one was

the real Vice Class Rep.

"What was I going to do? Uh, I guess I was probably going to put

them back where I found them."

"Put them back—what does that even mean?" Vice Rep A snapped.

"You can't just dump them on a street corner! You're the one who

enthralled them!"

"Well, if they're really enthralled, they'll listen if I tell them to go

back to the forest, right?"

"What do you think Shimazaki-san and her friends are? Where'd you

get the idea that their natural habitat is in the forest?!"

For some inexplicable reason, Vice Rep A had started screaming at

me. A new spin-off series for The Scream of the Class Rep?

Vice Rep A didn't have the natural endowments of the Class Rep, but

she was still an elegant, tall, cool beauty. If this were a light novel, her type

was always—despite her beauty and popularity—plagued by an inferiority

complex toward girls with bigger chests. Oh, and that makes her the perfect

contrast to lead a spin-off novel.

"You're telling me that you had no ideas for what to do with them,

and you just wanted to put them 'back'?"

"Yep, no clue."

The Queen Bee, silent until this moment, interjected, "Then get a

goddamn clue! You need to bring us with you!" Now the Queen Bee was

screaming at me. "Help us get stronger! What's wrong with you? One of the

only times you've said anything with certainty, and that's what you decided

on? You—"

She sounded like she was back to her mean old self. She was

probably emboldened by the other girls to join in shouting at me. My ears

were ringing preemptively.

"Ahem…whatever, are we on, like, the same page now?" the Queen

Bee asked.

"I have helped you get stronger! Check your status! You can fight

perfectly fine. In fact, you're even stronger than the nerds were when they

left, right?"

Thanks to Servitude's experience sharing, they were all the way up to

level 19. They had three more levels than the highest-level nerd. Besides,

no enemy could stand up to them when they were in that spine-chilling,

kobold-massacring demon god state. I don't ever want to witness that

again; priority number one remains running away!

"You're high level and have plenty of SP. By using your cheat skills,

you should be able to handle any monsters or lechers that cross your paths,"

I said. "You can probably even hunt down the nerds with ease!"

"Why are you like this?!" she yelled. "We keep telling you that we

want to go and apologize! We're not trying to hunt them—"

"What if you just do what feels normal to you? Isn't hunting nerds

for sport one of your natural instincts?" I asked.

No one spoke. They all just stared at me. Jeez, they're all starting to

make me feel bad. The Class Rep looked both exhausted and disappointed,

seemingly out of sympathy for the Queen Bee.

"Okay, let's all relax. Haruka-kun is just like that," Vice Rep B said.

"We know that he might be weird, but he's not a creep. His intentions are

good. Right, Haruka-kun?"

Thank you, Vice Rep B! She was at the very top of our class in terms

of grades and kindness. But don't be misled by the B in her name! No part

of her is second rate. For yes, somehow, her glorious bust was in a class of

its own, surpassing even the natural endowments of the Class Rep. She was

worshipped as a goddess among all the true believers in the cult of the

chest. She nodded as she talked, and her breasts nodded along with her.

What fearsome power!

"His intentions don't matter, he enthralled Shimazaki-chan!"

protested Vice Rep A. "She's been in magazines!" She was just finding

excuses to criticize me. Look, I didn't do anything to take advantage of this

situation, so why would that change in the future? She'll find fault with

anything! Huh, maybe talking down to people is just what excites her, I've

seen that type in light novels…

"From what it sounds like, he keeps treating his own classmates like

they're wandering monsters," said Vice Rep C. I couldn't believe that even

she had a bone to pick with me! At her height, not even I would treat her

like a monster…though maybe like a pet rabbit or something. The word

"small" was a perfect descriptor, even with regards to her, well… Ahh! Why

is she glaring at me? Could she tell what I was thinking about? Do tiny

animal sidekicks get mindreading powers?!

Even Class Rep was visibly exasperated. "Now that you mention it,

we've been in the same class for eleven years, but he's only ever referred to

me as the Class Rep!"

I was bored witless this entire time. The girls' meeting still seemed

like it was far from over. They're such a chatty bunch! With twenty girls in

attendance, I imagined it would take a week just to decide what to eat for

lunch. They'd starve to death before coming to a consensus!

"It's getting dark soon, so I'll leave the rest to you youngsters."

"You're the same age as us!"

"Uh…am I?"

I still wasn't allowed to leave, so I started taking potshots at some

kobolds and goblins to pass the time. Since it leveled up, my presence

detection range had extended to nearly one hundred feet, but I didn't know

any attacks with a range that long. Since the girls would just get mad at me

if I ran into the woods without a word, I tried to discreetly use some Wind

Magic. Unfortunately, I couldn't make air bullets, and my air cutter attack

only had an effective range of twenty feet.

Hmm. I had my doubts about long-distance Earth Magic, but I tried

putting both hands on the ground and channeling my power toward the

monsters. When it was right under their feet, I unleashed a spell, muttering

"Earth Lance!!" in a stage whisper. It was highly effective. Goblin skewers,

anyone?

There were a few major flaws with this attack. I couldn't use this

magic and Movement at the same time. I needed to concentrate on my

presence detection just to be able to attack, so it took a long time to kill

each monster. It was an inefficient use of magic, overall. That did nothing to

pass the time!

I raised my hand.

"Class Rep, it's actually getting dark, so can you please permit the

good students to leave early?"

"Leave for where? None of us have a home to go to, and we have

been trying to figure out what to do," Class Rep said. "Where have you

been staying?"

Oh, that's right. The camp was in shambles. A few of the tents were

still usable, but the lecher delinquents would definitely be keeping an eye

on that area. And the girls were definitely beyond peacefully negotiating

with the delinquents.

"Uh, I'm going to my house?"

"What do you mean, 'my house'? Did you grow up in this fantasy

world?!"

"Err, I had some free time, so I built it."

The girls huddled together for another group discussion.

"And how many people does it fit?" the Class Rep asked.

"No clue. I mean, I've been living by myself, and the only company

I've had were the nerds."

Was this some apartment hunting survey? Was she going to try to buy

my place off me?

"Let's put it this way: We could squeeze multiple people into the area

of one tatami mat, right?" the Class Rep said, scratching her head. "Even if

your home is small, we could make it work. About how many tatami fit in

your home?"

I honestly didn't know. Living alone meant that I had no need to

figure out how many people can be stuffed in there. One tatami mat was

about six feet by three feet, which meant my cave could probably fit around

forty tatami mats.

"Of course, if it's really cramped, we could fit five or six people per

tatami if they slept sitting upright," the Class Rep added.

Six people per tatami would have been ridiculously packed! Were

they students or sardines?

"If you're doing six people per tatami, I could probably fit two

hundred and forty people," I said. "At five per tatami, about two hundred

people. If I moved the furniture out of the way, maybe a few more. The only

difficult things to move would be the built-in appliances in the kitchen, the

bathtub, and the toilet, so…"

"T-two hundred and forty people?! What kind of luxury life are you

living?!" exclaimed Class Rep. "You've been living by yourself in a fortytatami mansion?! You even have the bath and the toilet in separate rooms?

What have you been doing in this world?!"

"Living my life? I ended up constructing a bunch of extensions."

"Why are you living so luxuriously in a fantasy world? We're all

desperately struggling to survive while you build yourself a literal palace?!"

For some reason, all the Class Reps were upset about the specs of my

listing. If they were that picky about where they lived in a fantasy world,

they would have no hope of finding a good apartment in the real world.

"Haruka-kun, please!"

"Please!" they all cried.

Oh no…what's happening? The Class Rep and her friends bowed

their heads in earnest plea. Were they trying to get some insider information

about local rental properties? There's only one apartment in the area!

"I know after what happened to Oda and his friends, it's selfish of us

to ask…" the Class Rep trailed off. "But just for today, could we please stay

at your place?"

Stay at my place?! A giant group of high school girls staying at one

loner guys' place?! Girls nowadays will do the most shameless things! I

knew we were in a depraved fantasy world, but that kind of scenario broke

all the boundaries of propriety!

"I promise we'll take care of everything: taking watch, getting food,

cooking, cleaning, tending the fire. I won't let the situation with Oda repeat

itself. I know that you might not fully trust us. But still, please!"

I didn't know what she was getting at. Obviously without enough

tents, and with the base camp ruined, they didn't have a place to stay. That

was the only issue here as far as I was aware. After what happened with

Oda, she must have felt obliged to offer to do more.

Granted, the nerds made the camp, raised the defenses, set up tents,

made campfires, acquired and prepared food, cleaned, protected the camp,

sat up for watch, fought away monsters…basically everything. The girls

made them do everything. They were only alive today because they all lived

there under the nerds' protection. Yet, they still exiled the nerds from their

own camp.

Technically, the nerds ran away voluntarily, but that made no

difference. In the end, the nerds were exiles.

Naturally, they had no right to demand that I share my home with

them. From their perspective, I had no reason to trust them, so they couldn't

just ask without first promising to do things differently.

"I'm sure that you were upset when you heard what happened to

Oda," the Class Rep said. "Of course you would be. And…and I wouldn't

blame you if you got upset with us now for asking you. But still…"

"Class Rep," I said.

"Yes?"

Obviously, a group of high school girls wouldn't last long on their

own if you just threw them into the middle of the woods. On top of that,

they had to deal with strange food and terrible monsters. No one would

expect them to flourish in that scenario. Even I knew that.

Still, I couldn't just bring them in. They had to learn how to survive

on their own. They'd only survived thanks to the nerds so far, and that made

things worse in the long run. This time, they had to learn how to be

independent.

"You can't possibly do what you promised all by yourself, right?"

Class Rep suddenly trembled. She looked down and forced herself to

smile, a smile so sad I could hardly bear to look at it.

"Y-yeah, yes. Of course. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have asked. It's…it's

your property after all. I was being inconsiderate. I'm sorry."

"No, I'm saying of course you can't do it all yourself!" I shouted.

"We're just a bunch of high school students dumped out in the middle of the

forest and told to survive! There's no way you can do everything yourself!

So why do you insist on doing everything?! It's impossible!"

"But we have to!" Class Rep replied. "We need to do more! After

everything Oda and you have done for us, we need to learn to handle it

ourselves. Otherwise, we won't survive!"

"But I'm telling you it's impossible!"

"I know it's not impossible…" Class Rep trailed off. "We can do it,

because we have to! This time we'll prove to you—"

"Im-poss-i-ble! That's just the truth. What kind of high school

students could survive being stranded in the untamed wilderness? Super

weird, atypical ones, and that's it! So I'm telling you to do what you can,

but nothing more than that! Am I mad about what happened to the nerds?

Yeah, I'm hopping mad. I'm mad at them for trying to do everything

themselves! And I'm mad at you too, Class Rep, for running yourself

ragged trying to help everyone! I'm mad at everyone! I'm hardly surprised

by your choices, but I'm still pissed! I'm mad at you for trying to do too

much!"

The Class Rep couldn't hold back her tears any longer. She had been

trying to take responsibility for everyone and everything, even the things

that were far out of her control. Yet she couldn't bear to give up or let

anyone down. She broke down sobbing.

Should I do something?

She had managed to lead everyone until now. If she hadn't, none of

them would have survived.

We started walking through the forest toward my cave.

"Haruka-kun, why are all the monsters around here impaled like

that?" the Class Rep asked, looking around.

"Uh, I had nothing to do while you all talked, so…"

"Huh? In what world does someone just impale all the monsters in a

forest out of boredom?"

"Hey, it could've been a vampire prince or something, right? It's a

fantasy world, after all," I suggested helpfully.

"There was not a vampire! So far, the only people we've met came

from our class, and I know that none of them are vampires!"

"Impressive. Do you really remember the names of everyone in our

class?"

"If someone were Count Dracula, I think I would've noticed!" she

cried.

"Well, it'd be tough to tell, because his name would show up as

Dracula A or something, and you wouldn't notice anything suspicious," I

countered.

"No one is named like that! There aren't multiple Count Draculas!

What, are they all dressed the same, too?!"

Wow, I still know how to talk to people, I thought. After being alone

for so long, it wasn't easy, but I was managing. For some reason, the Class

Rep looked tired, though. Maybe all that crying wore her out?

"Turn left at the corner," I said.

"There are no corners in a forest!" Class Rep exclaimed. "Did you

build an intersection with a traffic light? Did you make a convenience store,

too?"

Oof. It was just a joke, but she returned it flawlessly. OHKO.

We arrived at the cave.

"Welcome to my home," I said, "visitors from faraway lands—"

"Haruka-kun, you realize you were walking with us the whole time?"

"I'm just trying to show some hospitality!"

I beckoned all twenty of them inside. My loner self could hardly

believe it. I should've done some more construction to expand the place.

Everyone cried out as they entered.

"What on earth is this place?!"

"It's just my house?" I said. "Uh, thanks for coming?"

Maybe a cave was no good after all? Or were all the club decorations

turning them off?

The Class Rep came up to me. "Uh, Haruka-kun? This place…it's

like a semi-underground Mediterranean resort. It looks like it was designed

by Frank Lloyd Wright. What—what is this place?"

"Uh, it's my house. Was my greeting wrong? How about bonjour?"

"This is another world! How the hell did you build this place?!" she

cried. "Besides, Frank Lloyd Wright spoke English, not French!"

I guess the Scream of the Class Rep series would continue even in

my own home. She was undeniably passionate.

"I guess I had a lot of free time since I was always by myself…" I

trailed off. "I kind of just ended up building all this."

All twenty of them narrowed their eyes at me. That's…kinda hot.

Uhh, forget I said that.

I guess I better make more room for them, I thought. I used Earth

Magic to carve out some more space and ran into a vein of quartz crystal.

Using Earth and Packing Magic in combination, I made some glass for a

skylight and some more tables. There was also some rock that kind of

looked like limestone, and when I tried messing around with it using Earth

Magic, I figured out how to turn it into whitewash and painted all the walls

white. I figured that was good enough.

Everyone looking at me was beginning to creep me out, so I used

Wood Magic to make a few big beds for everyone. Surely, this was more

than enough space for twenty people. I needed a break from the staring

girls, so I retreated to the kitchen and used all the mushrooms available to

make a feast. I set it out on the dining table. As a final measure, I got some

hot water going for the bath.

"I'm sure you gals will feel more comfortable without a guy around,

so enjoy," I said. "See ya."

I headed toward the mouth of the cave.

"Where are you going?" the Class Rep asked. "If we end up chasing

you out of your own home, that's no better than what happened with Odakun and his friends. Besides, I wanted to thank you for preparing everything

—the food, the bath, even the beds."

I shrugged. "Well, it's my house, right? Isn't a host supposed to show

hospitality?"

"Still…"

"Like I said before, just do what you can. After all, you were attacked

by a bunch of guys before finding me, right? By the way, you don't need to

worry about monsters in here, they don't come near the cave." I nodded.

"Anyway, you must be exhausted, so…good night?"

Before anyone could respond, I ran out. A flawless exit strategy!

Alone at last! A loner like me could definitely not handle being surrounded

by so many girls.

I felt stifled in that cave, surrounded by the distraction of twenty girls

all giving me their most withering stares. This is better. I'm just a teenage

boy, after all, and no teenage boy could survive that situation.

I happily set up my tent outside and tumbled into it. The joy of

solitude and release that I felt—only a loner could understand! As a shut-in,

it hurt to have to abandon my home, but at least I still had this tent thanks to

the mysterious Villager A. Something about Villager A always felt

strangely familiar, even though I'd never met him. The tent could change

size when it was deployed, kind of like his bottomless bag. Its size range

was anywhere from a normal tent to one of those yurts that could

comfortably fit several adults inside. I set it up but soon regretted not

making it bigger.

After a minute, the Class Rep followed me into my cramped tent. She

had to stand extremely close to me.

"Haruka-kun, thank you for everything," she said. "Everyone seems

to have calmed down now. The nice place, the good food, and the bath

really cheered us up."

"Er…you're welcome," I said vaguely.

"And we're terribly sorry for taking over your place. You must want

to at least take a bath, right? I don't think you can tonight because everyone

already undressed and fell asleep. So…look, I'm sorry for the

inconvenience."

My humble house has turned into paradise. A paradise of high school

girls sounded very suspicious. I couldn't even guess how expensive it

would be to enter such a fabled realm. Even though it was my own house,

I'd still be willing to pay! Please, let me back in!

"It's fine, I washed up earlier," I said. "I can't be the only guy in there

anyway, it's just too much for me."

"That makes sense. I'm genuinely sorry. Thanks again."

"Class Rep, you're starting to sound like a broken record. You keep

repeating 'sorry' and 'thank you.'"

"I don't know what else to say. We were helpless yet again, and you

saved us, and I still can't do anything. We're treating you no better than

Oda-kun and his friends…"

I don't think she quite gets it, I thought. It's not the same situation at

all.

"You are," I told her. "You've been doing amazing things this whole

time, haven't you? You've been protecting fourteen other girls. You've kept

everyone organized and on track this whole time. You ask everyone how

they're feeling, find your way through any situation, and make tough

choices. You've kept everyone alive and together, haven't you? This should

be way too much responsibility for one person, but the others followed you,

and you've protected them until now. Don't say that you can't do anything.

You've done so much."

"But what about Oda-kun?"

"I'm telling you, the nerds are fine. They're all wired weird from

being nerds, you know. Did you know that they've been practicing survival

training in case they were ever summoned to a world like this? They were

walking around with pocket knives just in case something like this ever

happened! They brought LED flashlights, too! They had whole meetings to

prepare for all kinds of fantasy scenarios! Obviously, the rest of us wouldn't

do something like that. Back in the real world, that kind of thinking was

nuts. Only now, in this world, could their behavior seem rational. I'm glad

you weren't prepared. You'd have to be as nuts as them to prepare for this!"

"Don't be so mean to them," the Class Rep said. "They worked so

hard."

"But they're still absurd for having prepared so much for this," I said.

"You think they were trying hard in school? No, they were waiting—hoping

—for a world like this to show up. Can you imagine if schools taught

students how to survive being summoned to a fantasy world? That's

ridiculous, right? They're just weirdos who got lucky."

It was like preparing your whole life for winning the lottery. It wasn't

normal. If you actually won, you looked like a farsighted genius, but the

ones who didn't win just ended up looking ridiculous.

"Still, thank you, Haruka-kun," Class Rep said. "I feel a lot better. I

don't know if I'll ever be able to thank you properly. You're pretty

incredible."

"No, no…I was just doing what I could, y'know?" I blushed. "I

mean, loners usually have a lot of time on their hands."

Groups came with a lot of benefits, but they came with drawbacks,

too. They needed rules to function smoothly. Alone, you might be limited in

what you could do, but you weren't tied down. My classmates' camp fell

apart because they couldn't handle following the rules—honestly, they

didn't set many rules in the first place. The nerds just did things however

they wanted and set things up the way they liked without consulting anyone

else.

Can't figure out the group dynamics? Might as well just do whatever

you want. That's what the nerds believed. Of course, taking the initiative

like that leads to complications and you're just as likely to end up doing

nothing. The nerds' plan was the opposite of teamwork—they didn't try to

cooperate at all, just assumed they knew best and did stuff without thinking

about the whole group.

On the other hand, the Class Rep was so concerned with the group's

overall health that she struggled to push anyone out of their comfort zone.

With the nerds already doing most of the necessary work, there was no

urgency about learning to survive. It was the nerds who made it impossible

for them all to pull together.

"You collected so much food, made an incredible home, defeated so

many monsters—you can do anything!" the Class Rep said, beaming. "You

might actually be weirder than Oda-kun and his friends."

She playfully flicked my cheek. Ouch! That's not fair! She's

destroying all my defenses with concentrated cuteness! And how am I

weirder than the nerds?!

"Lots of food, but it's all mushrooms. The house just came from all

the free time I had, and all the monsters around here are weak," I said. "I'm

not like the nerds! I'm totally normal!"

She was clean and clear-skinned, and her hair was still wet from the

bath. The Class Rep stood achingly close to me. Only because the tent is

tiny, but still!

"Normal, hm? Then don't you think everyone will be able to live

happily here together?"

"I mean, if you just need the bare minimum to be happy, then sure?"

She eventually left the tent, but not before thanking me profusely

again. It was so late at night. I'd set up my tent in front of the cave opening,

so I decided I'd better keep watch just in case. I should've built my cave

further underground and saved myself the trouble of keeping watch.