However, Nothing Stays The Same. (14.4)

…

While I'd like to say that the night blurred together and I found myself in my bed ready to sleep after I spent time as a foil for various secondary characters, that wasn't the case. Even after dancing with Viridis to show off her newfound confidence, idly chatting with Hiryute about her Level Up while slowly circling the edges of the dance floor, and discussing the future plans of the Loki Familia with Alf as she practically dominated the court with me in tow, I still found myself at the Banquet bored out of my mind.

Zaimokuza, please, I'm begging you, don't waste too much time on this crappy scene. I know this sort of scene is a must for fantasy Light Novels, but there's something to be said about knowing when to quit while you're ahead. This is a goddamned shitty RPG-based Light Novel, not a ballroom-dancing Light Novel. You'd need actual writing talent to pull off the latter, so just move on with the damned scene!

With that thought firmly in mind, I decided to take a seat, frown at anyone coming near, and do my best to pretend everything was moving forward at a decent pace, rather than the glacially slow speed it truly was. I would kill for an end-cutscene prompt right about now. This is the sort of scene that gets hundreds of man-hours invested into it only to be skipped, y'know? Companies really shouldn't waste their time on set pieces that people will either skip or forget about seconds after it ends! Ah, who am I kidding, there's no way Zaimokuza would get a game made for his LN. The anime would probably never get a second season either, lol.

Anyway, just as I was nearing my natural state of disgust and passive aggressiveness, fate (i.e. a certain tubby bastard) decided to throw a curveball at me.

"My, oh my, I believe that I've stumbled on quite the unguarded treasure." While I'd like to say Apollo's voice was creepy, there was no denying that the god's voice was pleasant to listen to, his looks were beyond handsome, and there was a definite reason why he was able to seduce so many beautiful individuals into his Familia. Most would be incapable of looking at him without feeling some form of confusion or affection. Thankfully, I'm not normal in the least. Wait, didn't that sound bad? Well, whatever, I glared at him. "Oh, perhaps the treasure itself is the danger?" A coy giggle left the handsome man's mouth. "Tell me, Hachiman-kun, must I truly have my Familia fight you tomorrow? Are you not afraid that your beauty will be further marred while fighting against my lovely host?"

"…Good evening, Apollo-sama." I gave the god a small bow but I did not rise from my seat. Even if his Familia did attack Cranel, Arde, and the Hestia Familia, I couldn't exactly badmouth a god. No matter how powerful I was, no matter how much his words made my ears bleed, I couldn't mouth off to a divine being. I had to play by their rules, using the War Games and traditions they set up to defeat them fair and square, so that they couldn't strike me down. I didn't want to respect him, but I still had to give my respects. It was a disgusting dilemma. I wasn't a corporate slave, y'know!? Why did I have to act like one!? "How are you enjoying the Denatus?"

"Playing coy, Hachiman-kun? Well, I suppose your character would suggest as much. Hiding behind masks and secrets, playing your games, and only unveiling yourself when you're about to be named before all." Apollo gave a sigh that definitely didn't belong to a man's body. Peering closer upon him, I verified that he did not have any appeal whatsoever. As expected, the man before me couldn't compare to Totsuka. Ah, who am I kidding, no one can compare to Totsuka! The years without Totsuka have been harsh and terrible. Anyway, the knowledge that Totsuka exists protected me from Apollo's appeal 100%. It also protected against Freya by 50%. Wait, did that mean I liked Totsuka more than most girls!? "Don't you know that absence only makes the heart grow fonder? That being held back, having to keep oneself restrained, is the greatest part of love?" Sir, you should not make noises like that in a public setting. That is public indecency. Disgusting. "Delaying gratification merely makes the experience all the more pleasurable."

"I wouldn't know, Apollo-sama." Calmly, I addressed the god. Unfortunately for you, I have quite an immense attack bonus against handsome men. I spent my entire life in the shadows of you bastards. If you think that you can seduce me, after everything your kind has done to me, you are wrong. My body is made of spite and vehemence at your handsomeness. I'm only average in looks dammit, you people being too handsome made expectations way too high! You're the reason why Japan has such low birthrates, dammit! "I prefer to let people make their own decisions. They tend to be more appreciative when they have a choice."

"You wound me, Hachiman-kun. I'm no such god. I'll have you know that I'm well beyond using force or magic to make others love me." Yet, Apollo-sama, you won't let people leave your Familia. Neither do you stop the rest of your Familia acting out in your name and denying knowledge if they get caught. You may know my name, how I act, and how I fight from Laulos, but she's told me plenty about you and your "lovely host." Sure, you have a dozen or so members of your Familia who love you, who'd do anything for you, but not all of them. Laulos certainly doesn't. "It is only natural for beautiful people to come to love me. Not only am I handsome, but I am also willing to give as much as I take." He opened his arms towards me, as though beckoning me towards him. Disgusting isn't harsh enough a word for this, dammit! This was outright nauseating! "Would you not agree that a relationship as equals with a god is not a beautiful thing to have?"

There was a number of things wrong with Apollo's statement. One of them being, of course, that how could he consider a relationship equal when he had to clarify the matter in the first place. Sir, I am afraid you are using that "equals" wrong. Secondly, love isn't give and take. It's taking everything and giving everything at once every moment and every second. See, even if you had the definition correct, there's no way in hell you could've convinced me to love you. Besides, I really doubt that you have anything that I want you town bicycle! No, wait, that's an insult to bicycles! At the very least, they contribute to their community by providing exercise and alternative modes of transportation! Given the number of your "passengers," I doubt that anyone but you is getting exercise from the services you offer!

"…I'm not interested." I could've said a whole lot more, but I was very aware that I was talking to a god. There was no way in hell that Apollo wasn't a god. There was no other way to explain how the man before me could laugh off my declaration like I was just saying something silly. Again, the only way to convince the being before me to fuck right off would be to beat him in his own game. I settled back into my chair and took my gaze off the god. The conversation was over. No. There really was no conversation in the first place. The man was living in a fantasy due to his own Familia's success and might. "Well then, Apollo-sama, I suppose we'll simply have to wait and see what occurs tomorrow in the War Game."

"There is nothing to wait for, Hachiman-kun. Your loss and that of Hestia's is assured." Again, Apollo gave a sigh that was inexcusably feminine. He covered his smile with the back of his hand. Oi, only ojou-sama types are allowed to smile like that. You're missing the folded up lace fan and the drill tails which are required to pull that move off. Zaimokuza, your stupid fill-in villain character is wasting illustrated pages! You and I both know this man will only be around for one story arc, don't waste illustrated pages on him, dammit! "You may be more than capable of taking my Familia on with your gathered allies… but I doubt that you can call upon enough comrades to take on my beloved Familia and our newfound friends."

With that ill-timed declaration, two others flanked Apollo's sides.

Both were Captains, the highest ranked Adventurers of Familias, and neither of them were one of Apollo's.

"Huhuhu~. What a handsome face you have. I could just eat you up right now." Phryne Jamil towered over most the banquet-goers and her width triumphed over that of many of the banquet tables. The dress she wore would've been enough to drown a girl in silk and linen, but it was stretched across her massive, muscled form. Her eyes were bulbous and face incredibly rounded. Her teeth were massive and pearly white. Her smile reminded me of a shark. Androctonus of the Ishtar Familia, Level 5, and one of the strongest Adventurers in Orario stood at Apollo's side. "Huhuhu! But, I suppose I can wait until after Apollo-sama is done with you~."

"You made a mistake having that damned Pallum leave my Familia, Hikigaya!" Zanis Lustra, Arde's replacement as Soma Familia's Captain upon her departure, barely managed to hold himself back as he snarled at me. The Level 3 features were contorted in anger. Though being confronted by someone who got outdone by my student hardly frightened me, his alliance with Apollo was problematic. Lustra had sway over a dozen or so members of the Familia, more if Soma didn't raise a finger to stop them, and those individuals would increase the number of opponents for the War Games immensely. "You're going to pay for all the beatings you've given me and my subordinates tomorrow!" Oh, yeah, he tried to steal from me once. Oops. "Your hide is mine!"

And so, the villains of the arc were revealed to be perverts, whores, and thieves in large numbers.

Three Familias, Ishtar, Soma, and Apollo, were all arrayed against the Hestia Familia, my students, and myself. A Level 5 was amongst them, along with a myriad of Level 3s, and my own former student.

There was only one response I could give to the horribly assembled, out-of-nowhere scene which had just suddenly occurred before me with little to no foreshadowing whatsoever:

"Ok."