Chapter 14

Isshiki Iroha couldn't help but feel… annoyed.

Or maybe it was irritation? How do you differentiate between them anyway? Maybe they meant the same thing? Well, whatever it was, she felt it.

Because Iroha just had the absolute pleasure of talking to Yuigahama Yui.

And it just ruined her day.

Now, why would this happen, you ask?

Well, in all honesty, it's kind of petty to feel like this. It's not like Yui-senpai was trying to annoy (and/or irritate) her for no reason. She was being friendly and pleasant to her. She's usually like that whenever Iroha passes her by the hallways.

It's just that today, Yui-senpai was all peppy, and her smiles felt very lively, strutting around the hallways with a happy skip in her step, which was really different from when she was simply polite and didn't have all that brightness, which turned up to eleven whenever she smiled.

It felt like she was like that all year. Iroha didn't mind that, honestly. Except she wasn't like that today, and Iroha really minded that. She minded it a lot.

Yui-senpai was just a biiiiit too happy.

Of course, the rumor mills were something she had paid close attention to, and Iroha already knew why.

Yui-senpai probably made up with Yukinoshita-senpai.

And that is honestly a BIG reason why she felt irritated(and/or annoyed).

It took them a whole freaking year!

Why couldn't they have made up sooner? Maybe then Iroha wouldn't have to deal with all the headaches this student council gig was giving her. She honestly thought she'd be done with it after her first term ended, but then the student body decided that she'd done a GREAT job last year and voted her back in. It could be because they didn't think other students were as qualified or perhaps because not a lot of them were interested in being a school council president.

A lot of the stuff she got done was thanks to the Service Club, and that club got dissolved! Last year, she had to freestyle it by the final quarter of the school year, and she barely made do with all the work it came with.

Seeing Yui-senpai so happy made her feel annoyed (and/or irritated) because it reminded her that both Yukino-senpai and Yui-senpai didn't have to deal with all the problems this job was giving her.

It's all so dumb; why did they get to have a happy reconciliation and be happy together again while she had to go through the seemingly endless pile of work to keep the student body happy?

Organizing all these events, being the bridge between the students and the teachers, making sure she looked competent in front of the other student council presidents from other schools whenever there was a meet-up…

Iroha was just so sick of it.

Quitting should be an option!

Except doing that would make her look bad. And that wasn't something she wanted. Her reputation was at stake!

So, she had to bear with it.

While Yui-senpai and Yukino-senpai did not.

And it's even their fault that she had to deal with this all on her own!

If they weren't so dumb with how they acted when Senpai basically made himself look like a fool asking for their help, then maybe…

Thinking about her reliable and dead fish-eyed Senpai made Iroha pause. A scowl unconsciously formed itself on her face.

Okay, scratch that. She didn't feel annoyed and/or irritated.

She felt infuriated.

How dare they get to be so happy when the one person they should be apologizing to wasn't here anymore?!

Did they think that it was going to be all fine and dandy because they forgave each other like they didn't wrong someone else together?!

The nerve of those skan—!

"President!"

"What?!" She bellowed, glaring at whoever called her.

The other council members looked downright terrified.

"Uh, well…" The boy who called out to her gulped nervously. He was Takeshirou Takeru, the dependable secretary of Sobu's student council, and he was a second-year student just like her. "We need your input about the participants for the next event."

"Oh." She said dully. She coughed, remembering how she was in the student council room discussing their next course of action for an upcoming multi-school event. It was supposed to be a battle of the brains sort of thing. So they had to be extra careful in making sure that Sobu, an elite school with elite standards, was represented by students who met those standards.

Which meant they had to send out REALLY smart students.

She waved her hand, gesturing for him to continue. The rest of the council relaxed, glad to see that their president wasn't scowling anymore.

"We've already selected a handful of students with excellent grades and those recommended by their homeroom teachers. We just need to make sure you'll approve of them." Her secretary handed her a bunch of thick folders containing the names of these students.

"I see," Iroha said evenly, smiling politely as she accepted the folders and nodded at him. The folders were separated by year, as it was agreed at the last meeting with the other schools that it's only fair for students of the same year to compete with each other.

"Excellent work. I'll look them over and make sure they're up to snuff." She eyes the very thick folders, her gut curling at the thought of having to go over each one of these files. "It might take a while. We need students that will help Sobu maintain its image as one of the premier schools in Japan, after all."

"Understood, President." The rest of the council replied, nodding their acceptance.

"While I'm on that," she gave them a closed-eyed smile. "I'd like for you guys to coordinate with the other student councils from the participating schools about where we'll hold this event if we've finally agreed on what date this will happen, and if they've decided on the budget each school will have to pitch in." Iroha tilts her head, hoping to motivate them with her cuteness. "I trust that you can handle that?"

"Y-yes, President." Strangely, their replies sounded more like they were scared for some reason. Iroha felt her eye twitch at the stab of irritation (and DEFINITELY irritation) from their offensive response, but let it go.

Watching as the rest of the council scrambled to do what she asked, she sighed and opened the first folder containing the names of the first years.

Honestly, all this work was because Senpai saddled her with this job and then left her when she needed him. Sure, he basically got humiliated by those ska—…girls, but she was hoping that he'd at least still help her out somehow.

Then again, she couldn't really blame him. After all, she knew the circumstances for why he left and why he had to get work at such a young age. Iroha really just wanted to vent her frustrations somewhere, and he just wasn't available because he probably had bigger things to deal with.

And the only two people that could help her probably don't even think about her. Even when it was their fault that she was shouldering all this by herself.

Mou! If I honestly just had Senpai here…

But he wasn't, and so, here she was, reading through a bunch of names she didn't want to so that she could look good for a job that she didn't want.

She can at least be thorough; that way, the teachers and the student body can't complain about her.

After going through about ten names, discreetly segregating them to her right and left, depending on whether she felt they were good or not, she paused.

Iroha squinted at the picture of a girl with dark short hair styled in a cute and stylish bob, politely smiling at the camera. Her grades were brilliant, and the teachers commented about her outstanding work ethic on her profile—a perfect candidate for this upcoming event.

That was not what piqued her interest.

"Hikigaya…Komachi?" She read the name out loud. She blinked, putting a hand on her chin and thinking deeply.

Slowly, a sly smile formed on her face.

x x x

[Notification: You have (4) unread messages!]

Darkness greeted me as I opened my eyes. Instead of awakening to the feeling of blinding pain, I found that my body felt perfectly normal, but oddly enough, I was in a crouched-over position with my knees and forearms on the ground. I tried to move but quickly found that a heavyweight was holding down my limbs.

"What the?"

"M-Master!"

I felt a small squishy object press into my chest. I then felt the tale, tale signs of hug envelop me as the familiar high-pitched voice of my slime companion cried out to me in relief.

"Master! I'm so, so happy you're awake! I was so worried!"

"Riko? Where are we?"

Riko sniffled but answered. "We're currently under some rubble. Your battle with the large spider destroyed the hall and brought the roof down onto us."

I nodded and tentatively pushed the rocks and rubble on my back. They rumbled with my movements. I should be able to get this off me. "How long was I out?"

"Oh. You were knocked out for ten minutes." Riko squeezed my chest one last time and released me. I focused my eyes and made out her small form in the darkness. She was standing in the small space between my chest and the floor. It seemed my body was capable of holding an unconscious plank effortlessly.

Heh, looks like my six-pack isn't just for show.

"Alright. I'm going to get us out of here."

Riko nodded excitedly and stuck closer to me. I took a deep breath of stale air and pushed.

"Ragh!" I jumped to my feet with my arms pushing out. Rocks and large chunks of stone exploded away from me and into the sky. Some of the debris rolled off onto the hall floor while the rest tore through the walls with a loud crack. I looked around with wide eyes at the sheer ease of what I did.

"Riko. Are you okay?"

"Ah, yes. I'm alright."

I inspected her body and nodded when I saw that she was uninjured. Once I was satisfied with her condition, I turned to my body and inspected myself. I was covered in dirt and dried blood; my clothes were ripped and torn, and my armor was scratched and dinged. I then looked down at my gauntlet and frowned.

"My shield…"

My collapsable shield was ruined and in pieces. Large chunks of it sat on the ground, cracked and bent. It must have absorbed the majority of the impact from the falling ceiling. I'm sure Riko and I owed our overall safety thanks to it.

"Rest well, my friend."

"What was that, Master?"

"Uh, nothing."

I shook my body to remove any heavy dust from the wreckage. Patting my traveler's cloak, I saw large piles of dirt fall towards the ground. I huffed out of my nose and began to climb out of the hole Riko and I were in.

Once above the pile of wreckage, I inspected my surroundings and saw Gloomloo's dead body under several large boulders. Despite the large pieces of debris on the spider, it was largely undamaged, which wasn't surprising. It had pretty strong armor.

Walking over to it, I pulled out my carving knife and jabbed it into the spider's body. A loud clang met my ears, causing me to frown in annoyance. I opened my crafting menu and began to craft a new carving knife using a few of the elemental direwolf fangs and some leftover troll horns for a handle.

[You have crafted: Wolf's Bane Carving Knife!]

[Wolf's Bane Carving Knife | Rank: B | A knife crafted from the fangs of an Elemental Wolf. Used to carve the corpses of defeated magical beasts. 25% chance of granting a rare item from target.]

The carving knife was impressive and incredibly sharp. I grinned and jammed it into the spider. This time, I successfully dragged my knife along the spider's corpse. I hummed as I began to carve away at the spider's body. Due to the wolf's bane carving knife's unique feature, I was able to extract a rare resource every now and then. Once I was done, I turned to Riko and nodded.

Riko walked over to the spider and glared at it. Without waiting any longer, she began to break down its body with a growl. I shook my head at her behavior and moved around the hall to pick up any items that stood out.

After lifting a large chunk of rock off the dead king's skeletal body, I noticed that the armor he wore was still in pretty good shape. I kneeled, ready to take the armor for myself, but stopped. My eyes drifted over to the skull of the dead king.

I knew that the armor he had would be better used for myself. It would only bolster my ability to better fight my enemies and defend my person. The sight of the long-dead king didn't evoke any emotions of empathy or sadness within me. But I knew that wasn't right. While I didn't know the king, I was sure he had his own story. The battle between him and his forces against the attacking dragon must have been grand. But seeing the results of the battle around me only showed tragedy. I couldn't allow myself to desecrate his remains.

This was the right thing to do… right?

I sighed in frustration and picked up the king's remains. I then walked through the hall's broken south wall and headed back to the artificial lake at the back of the castle. Kneeling, I placed the king next to the wall. Facing out to the setting sun on the horizon.

"Sorry about your throne."

Before I could walk back and check on my companion, a soft metal clink brought my attention to the king's now open armored palm. It had remained closed until now; the king appeared to have been holding on to something despite his death.

The item the king held was a golden key. After picking it up, I inspected it carefully. It was beautifully crafted with silver markings.

[Item: Key | Item Class: A | Type: Key | A key belonging to the King of Highwolf Castle.]

"What are you for?"

I turned to the king, half expecting the long-dead ruler to answer. Receiving nothing but silence, I placed the key into my inventory and went to check on Riko. As I walked, I saw a small window notification in the corner of my HUD.

[Notification: You have (4) unread messages!]

"Open messages."

[Notification: You have leveled up! (x3)]

[Notification: You have completed: Main Quest: Defeat Gloomloo, The Cursed Spider | Rewards have been delivered]

[Notification: You have acquired: Arachnid Armored Boots, +3000 XP]

[Arachnid Armored Boots | Rank: B | +20 AGI | Boots created from the armored exoskeleton of Gloomloo, The Cursed Spider. Grants the user the ability to scale any surface.]

"Three levels? Let's see, status."

[STATUS]

[NAME: HIKIGAYA HACHIMAN]

[JOB: None][TITLE: Golem Crusher]

[Lv: 31][HP: 3692]

[MP: 702][FATIGUE: 0]

[STR: 85][AGI: 78]

[PER: 65][VIT: 65]

[INT: 77]

[AVAILABLE ABILITY POINTS: 20]

[Physical DMG reduced by: 30%]

"Level thirty-one. Twenty ability points to spend, too, alright then. Let's put four in each stat." Once I was done distributing my points, I equipped the arachnid armored boots.

I took a tentative step on the hall's battered wall and found that the boots indeed stuck to it. I walked up the side of the wall and saw that I was now standing vertically on its surface. I grinned, suddenly feeling the need to move to America and fight crime in New York. Now then, how to get unstuck?

As if to obey my inner thoughts, the boot's adhesiveness disappeared. It was thanks to my quick reflexes that I landed on my feet and not my face. I repeated this process a few times and gained a good understanding of the boot's mechanics.

"I think I can do it now!" Riko said beyond the wall with heavy excitement in her voice.

I walked back into the hall and saw the spider nowhere to be seen. Not even the legs I sliced off earlier during the battle were in sight anymore. Turning to Riko, I saw her covered in an aura of mana. Slowly, the aura around her began to shrink and sink into her, bolstering her level of mana. She had grown stronger.

"What was that?" I asked as I stepped closer to her. Riko jumped in surprise; evidently, she didn't hear my approach, too lost in her excitement.

"Oh! It's nothing…"

"…if you say so." I pulled out the key I found and showed it to Riko with a grin. "Let's find where this goes."

Before Riko could respond, a set of growls caught our attention. We turned toward the hall's entrance and saw two large elemental dire wolves walk in our direction. Their eyes burned with rage as they stopped in front of us. Their furs were red and green, respectively.

"Ah, I did need to defeat two more of you to complete the quest, didn't I?" I said and summoned my halberd.

The wolves growled at me and radiated their respective elements. Their legs pawed at the ground aggressively as their teeth bared at Riko and me.

"Well then, let's make this quick."

x x x

The side quest reward for defeating five elemental direwolves was a random crafting item.

Defeating the last two wolves was much easier this time around. My recently acquired levels and boosts to my stats saw to that. So when I quickly ended their lives, I received my reward.

[Item: Valyrian Steel | Item Class: A | Type: Crafting Material | A rare steel that can be crafted into any weapon with the ability to cause the status effect: Bleed.]

In video games, the bleed effect is a great status ailment that depletes your opponent's health much quicker than normal. The way it works is that when you attack your target with a normal attack, a bonus amount of damage will be applied by the status ailment. It can even be stacked in repeated attacks to the point your target suffers heavy blood loss, resulting in a large chunk of their health being lost.

In other words, this reward was amazing.

But the question I now found myself contemplating as Riko, and I walked through the lower levels of the castle was just what kind of weapon I wanted to craft with the Valyrian steel. A new sword? An axe? Perhaps even a spear? I always thought great swords were cool. If I had one of those, I'd obviously have to get a black armor set to match.

Hah, decisions, decisions.

"This door looks impressive. Could that be it?"

I was brought out of my thoughts by Riko's hopeful words. I looked over down the stone hallway and saw a set of large red and black doors. A large keyhole sat smack dab in the center as scratch marks peppered the steel surface. We made our way down the hall and came to a stop in front of the door. I held my hand out, and a golden key sparked into my palm.

"Let's find out."

Swiftly, I inserted the key and twisted it. What followed was several loud mechanical clicks and the metallic grinding of gears. The sounds continued for a few more seconds before a loud clunk resounded. Hearing no more noise, I pushed the right door inwards and found it to be surprisingly heavy. Using a bit more strength, the door swung into the room.

I cast a ball of light and had it fly towards the ceiling of the room. Once there, I pumped it with more mana, causing the once-dark room to be illuminated brightly.

"Wow."

"Ah! It's the king's treasure room!"

Indeed. The large room was full of chests lined with gold and gemstones. Off to the left was a wooden shelf full of hand-crafted books and piles of parchment papers. On the right side was a world map that seemed to have been hand-drawn. It appeared old and weathered, as if the map took several lifetimes to complete. On the map were markings and drawings depicting all the known towns, castles, and kingdoms in the world. At least according to this map.

But what stole my attention was the stone platform In the center of the room. On the platform was an impressive red and silver chest plate on full display. The piece of armor radiated a powerful wave of aura.

Riko walked around the room with curiosity while I approached the armor. I felt a growing sense of nervousness the closer I got. I lifted a hand and placed it on the center of the armor.

[King of Dragons Chestplate | Rank: ? | Physical Damage Reduction +?%, Strength +99, Stamina +99 | A chest plate crafted from the scales of the King of Dragons. | If strength stat is below 200, overall speed will be reduced by 95%]

"You gotta be kidding me…" I stood in shock at the ridiculous buffs and benefits this piece of armor offered. At the same time, it requires an insane amount of strength to even equip. I sighed in frustration and placed the armor into my inventory for later. "How frustrating."

[Notification: [1/5] Treasures of the King of Dragons found!]

Map. The map for the Realm of Chaos appeared in front of me. I looked over to where I was located and saw the mark from the treasure map over me gray out. The next treasure location was northwest of my current location. Unfortunately, it wasn't located in the area I recently unlocked, that area being the Red Passing just further north of my current location.

"Master, Master! What are we going to do with all this treasure?!" Riko said while jumping from chest to chest.

"I don't have much use for all this gold right now, but let's take it. No point in leaving it here." I said with a childish smile. I picked up a handful of gold and gems in my hand.

Slowly, I let the riches fall back into the chest. I looked at the remaining piece of treasure on my palm that hadn't yet fallen. It was a large diamond ring. I held it between my fingers and spun it around to get a better look at the marksmanship. While it wasn't as refined as the diamonds back home, its size more than made up for it.

I then moved from chest to chest and transferred their contents into my inventory. When I was done, all four chests were empty. Walking over to the wooden shelves, I rummaged through the parchment papers and books. I read the translations provided by the system and saw that most of the books contained this world history. Some even held some blackmail material as well. After placing them away to read later in my inventory, I came upon a book that piqued my interest.

[The Book of the Common Tongue.]

"The common tongue?"

I flipped through the book and saw that it was an educational book to teach children how to speak this world's language. It was full of symbols and characters that made up this world's alphabet. If I wanted to be able to better interact with this world, I'd have to take some time off from grinding away to learn this new language.

[Notification: ?#!?]

Huh? What's this? A glitch?

[Notification: Would you like to Learn the Common Tongue?]

[Yes][No]

"What the hell?"

I stared at the floating screen in confusion and dread. It seemed as if the system immediately understood my thoughts and acted accordingly. Making it easier for me to acquire the knowledge that would have normally taken me a few months to learn in seconds.

This is just like when I needed to read the letter, but why? Wasn't this too frighteningly convenient?

Was it because I said that I needed to take time off from getting stronger to read this book?

"I see now… this system wants me to grow stronger no matter what. It doesn't want me to waste time doing anything else but that."

I glared down at the book in my hands. It was starting to feel like the system was trying to manipulate me to get stronger without distractions. It seemed that any conscious decisions that would go against that goal would be met with quicker alternatives.

Can I take advantage of this somehow? To use the system for my own benefit?

"Yes." I finally said. Immediately, a rush of knowledge and information flooded my mind. It was the same feeling from the time I first learned how to carve a magical beast. When the feeling ended, I flipped through the book and found that I now had a complete understanding of it. My understanding was so good; It was as if I had grown up with the common tongue as my primary language.

"Hikigaya Hachiman."

I had said my name in the common tongue. It felt and sounded differently than it would in Japanese. This cemented the fact that I had learned an entirely new language in just a few seconds.

"Did you just speak the language of Terrans, Master?" Riko said to me. I looked down at her and nodded.

"Yeah, I just learned it from this book." I waved the hand-crafted book in the air as Riko looked up at me in amazement.

"That's amazing! As expected of my Master!"

"Ah, sure…"

I felt a bead of sweat roll down my cheek in embarrassment. Despite having learned everything the book had to offer, I still placed it into my inventory for later use. I then did the same for all the remaining papers and books. From there I then moved toward the large hand-drawn map.

[Notification: Would you like to update the World Map?]

[Yes][No]

"Yes."

Summoning the system's world map, I saw all the detailed information from the hand-made map be updated on my own. I zoomed in and saw that the closest human settlement would be a few dozen miles off from the Red Passing.

Further from there towards the north, in the center of the map, was the world's largest city and region.

The Kingdom of Ultrolux.

And from what the map was showing, somewhere inside that city lay another one of the Treasure of the King of Dragons. The second out of five.

The kingdom was several hundred miles from my current location. It would take at least several weeks of on-foot travel to get there. Despite my curiosity to see a real-life kingdom in person and to acquire another of the King of Dragon's treasures, I wasn't particularly interested in traveling there by foot. I'd wait until I unlocked a location closer to the kingdom so I could simply fast-travel there.

After I was done looking at my newly updated map, Riko and I looked around the rest of the treasure room and looted everything and anything with any value, leaving the once full room barren and empty.

With our business finally over in the Trion Plateau, Riko and I headed back to my home world to rest.

x x x

"Goodnight, Onii-chan!"

"Yeah, goodnight Komachi."

Komachi smiled at me cutely and closed the door to her bedroom. I stretched my arms over my head and felt a few satisfying cracks echo in my bones. I leaned back and settled myself onto the couch with my arms behind my head. Despite the intense battle from earlier today, I somehow wasn't able to fall asleep instantly.

Sighing in annoyance, I stood up and walked out back onto the apartment balcony. I closed my eyes and felt the cool fall air brush past my hair. I leaned over the railing and looked out to the surrounding buildings, which were far off the city.

When was the last time I had a moment of silence like this?

Ever since my encounter with the double dungeon and becoming a Player. My life has been busier than ever, whether it was grinding away in the other world or dealing with the dungeons beyond the gates.

I looked back towards the small closet that was now Riko's little bedroom. I had gone out of my way to try and make it a nicer experience for my little companion by taking out all my hunting gear in favor of filling it with small make-shift furniture for her. I even gave her my old laptop to use for learning or streaming her favorite shows. Even now, I could pick up the sounds from one of her shows using my enhanced hearing.

I didn't have to worry about Komachi opening the closet to find Riko's small bedroom because she respected the small amount of privacy I had. It didn't help that the one time she did peek inside the closet several months ago, she was horrified to find some bloodied bandages and a chunk of goblin ear I had missed cleaning off. I chuckled at the memory of Komachi's disgusted screams and shouts.

"I told you not to open that closet."

"No, no, no, no! That's disgusting! Get it out of here, Onii-chan!"

"So much has changed..."

I continued standing out on the balcony, enjoying the peaceful silence of the night. Unfortunately, my peace was ruined when my phone began to ring. Not wanting to wake up Komachi, I quickly answered my phone.

"Yes?"

["Yahallo, Hikki!"]

I pulled back and looked at the caller ID. It was Yuigahama. Bringing the phone back to my ear, I answered.

"Ah, Yuigahama. Uh, what's up?"

["...what kind of greeting is that?"]

"Geh! Never mind that. Why are you calling? You usually text me if you have something to say."

["O-oh. Well, I, uh, I just wanted to talk to you... I actually have something I want to ask you."]

I raised a brow at Yuigahama's sudden nervous tone. I turned around and leaned against the railing while I looked up at the night sky.

"What is it?"

["Are you, um, are you... free t-this weekend?"]

Yuigahama's voice was small and shy. I could practically see her looking down at her feet while shifting around as she asked her question. The edge of my lips twitched, and I closed my eyes.

"Yeah... I'm free."

x x x

"Master? Master, are you awake?"

I groaned and brought my hands up to my face to rub the remaining sleep from my eyes. I sat up and stretched my stiff limbs with a yawn. I opened my eyes and looked down to the floor where Riko usually stood when she pestered, er, woke me up. Only to freeze at the unfamiliar sight of a lavender-haired girl kneeling in front of the couch. I blinked at her for several seconds in confusion.

"...who are you?"

"Ah. It's me, Master. It's Riko."

"The hell you are."

The girl had shoulder-length lavender hair and eyes. Her skin was a pale white and unnaturally perfect. She was dressed in a black and white maid outfit while a white frilly headdress sat on her head. Thigh-high black socks led down to a pair of shiny black loafer shoes.

The girl stood up and waved her hands around as if to balance herself, and then she pointed at herself with a cute smile. [1]

"No, it really is me! You see, after I consumed the spider in that castle. I gained enough power to be able to change my physical form!" The charlatan said.

I squinted my eyes at the wannabe maid and focused on her mana. Quickly enough, I picked up the familiar mana signature that belonged to my once small slime companion.

"Riko? It really is you." I gaped in disbelief.

"Yes!"

I stood up and saw that Riko's new human-like body had only reached my chest in height. I walked around her and inspected her surprisingly well-detailed clothing. I grabbed her sleeve and felt the familiar texture of cotton, but on a closer look, I picked up a faint feeling of heat. I knew she was good at disguising herself as a backpack, but this new disguise of hers was on another level. I moved on to her lavender hair and ran my fingers through it.

"Wow. It's very convincing."

"I'm happy to hear that! I did my best to replicate everything in the smallest detail!"

I nodded, impressed at her disguise. Suddenly, the sound of a creaking door caught both Riko's and mine's attention. There, standing in her pajamas, was Komachi. Her wide eyes were looking at Riko and me in shock, and a bright, embarrassed blush rose over her face. I gasped and spun to the clock on the wall and saw that it was half past seven. I then noticed that I was standing behind Riko while my hands were running through her hair.

"K-Komachi, this isn't-"

"Ah, s-sorry to disturb you. But please wait until after I leave for school." Komachi whispered and promptly closed the door.

"Komachi! This isn't what it looks like! Komachi!"

x x x

The Yukinoshita family home was built with extravagance and traditionalism in mind. Located in the Minato ward of Japan, a large traditional Japanese mansion stood surrounded by beautiful and well-kept gardens and courtyards.

Every finish and feature in the home has been selected to the highest standards – from the Becagli travertine floors up to the Canadian slate roof, the state-of-the-art kitchen, or the vents set into the floor for heating and cooling. Basalt stone and rammed earth emphasize the connection to the outdoors on the few walls that don't open directly to the grounds.

While the pavilions of the main home are linked by corridors, a separate guest house boasts another two bedrooms, a luxury kitchen, and a living area. Also, separate but only moments away, you'll find a spectacular pool house, its twenty-meter heated lap pool crowned by a truly stunning, twinkling galaxy-inspired fiber optic ceiling feature.

The gardens themselves contained well-trimmed trees, flowering shrubs, groups of special grasses, areas of moss, artificial hills, water features, and a magnificent rock garden with a large koi pond located in the center of the garden. An artificial stream was built around the length of the mansion and garden. The garden was designed to be viewed from various points in the house by moving back sliding windows and walls. Allowing all those who lived and worked in the mansion a clear view.

While many would give anything to live in such a beautiful home, I couldn't help but come to hate it. Despite the home's open concept, I was unable to stop the feeling of being caged within it, as if I were a bird that was stripped of its ability to fly freely.

I grew to miss the apartment I used to live in greatly. Even though it was much smaller in size and lacked the several luxuries of my family home, I still felt a greater sense of freedom and space.

I sighed and adjusted my black and blue yukata as I walked along the garden. Wearing a yukata was the norm in the Yukinoshita household. A family tradition that was enforced onto my sister and I since I could remember. Not even my father was able to escape wearing one himself.

"Ojou-sama."

I stopped walking and turned to one of my family's housemaids, Mura Natsuko; she had been in my family's service for as long as I could remember. She always had a gentle, kind smile.

"Yes?"

"Ichiro-sama is calling for you, Ojou-sama. He's currently in his study."

"I see… very well. Thank you, Mura-san."

Mura smiled and bowed her head before returning to her previous duty. I took a deep breath and began making my way towards my father's study. A sense of unease and irritation rose within me. As I walked, the other housemaids and butlers smiled and bowed their heads to me as I passed by them. I smiled at them in greeting and soon reached the study.

I took a calming breath and knocked softly.

"Otou-san?"

"Come in."

I slid the door open and stepped inside my father's office. While the rest of the family home was decorated and styled heavily in traditional Japanese styles, my father's office was structured and set up heavily in Western styles.

The office was large, with several bookshelves lining the walls. Books filled the shelves, ranging from law, world history, politics, and many more, rested tightly next to one another. Several desks stood in front of the bookshelves with dozens of folders and documents sitting on top.

Campaign posters and cardboard boxes full of fliers rested neatly stacked on the far side wall. The state of the office was a testament to how focused my father was on his work and responsibilities. Towards the back of the study sat a large wooden desk made from the trees from Izu Island. A turned-off monitor sat in front of the desk, with a keyboard in front of it.

Behind the desk sat my father, dressed in a black and white yukata. He was reading through a folder full of documents and reports. I walked up to his desk and stopped beside a separate desk full of papers. I noticed a yellow folder teetering close to the edge. Before I could push it back, my father looked up from what he was reading and turned to me. His expression was focused and weary.

"Yukino, please take a seat. How is school going? I believe your finals are coming up." My father said as he motioned to one of the chairs before his table. I nodded and took a seat with my hands on my lap. Father waits for my answer, a small smile forming on his face.

"School has been quite hectic because of the finals coming soon, Otou-san. Sobu's curriculum expects no less than the best results." I make sure my voice is clear, speaking my words with poise. "However, my preparations for the finals make me confident that I will have no problem attaining the top position in my school."

"Excellent. I expect no less from my daughter." My father's smile widened a fracture of an inch, his tone proud and satisfied. "How are the wedding preparations?"

Of course. That's what you wanted to speak about.

"They're… going along with no issue. We've managed to lock in the Imperial Hotel in Tokyo as our venue." I said, forcing myself to speak evenly. "The decorators and Okaa-san are currently designing the decor for the location."

In truth, I couldn't help but feel like vomiting every day I spent preparing for this wretched event.

Especially now that I've finally reestablished my relationship with Yuigahama-san.

"I think it's time we forgive ourselves for how we messed up, so we can start making things better again. Then maybe we can forgive each other."

Her words lifted something in my heart that I carried for too long. It also cleared a fog in my mind that I had allowed to cloud my thoughts.

Because I am disgusted at how I've accepted this horrid state of affairs.

That is why I couldn't meet Hikigaya-kun quite yet. I felt that he wouldn't recognize me as he did before. That I would apologize for what I've done, and he'd see how helpless I looked and accept my apology out of pity.

That was unacceptable. I would earn his forgiveness through my sincerity and not from a position of weakness.

That is also why, no matter how difficult, inevitable, or disappointing I would become to my parents:

I'm going to find a way to stop this wedding.

"Very good." Father nodded once at my report, hopefully, unaware of my true intentions. He leaned back on his leather chair, his small yet pristine smile remaining perfectly on his face. He then spoke his next words while his striking blue eyes looked directly into mine. "I'm very proud of you, Yukino. The future of our family rests with you. I'm happy you're taking up your responsibilities seriously."

Fixing my expression into one of neutrality, I nod at his words. A brief moment of silence hung over us, and I took this time to study my father more closely.

Yukinoshita Ichiro was the very picture of a composed Japanese politician. His smile, down to its last centimeter, was measured and executed without flaw. He spoke with calculating calm, never allowing his passion to leak into his words, yet made sure they were heard with a facsimile of emotion. He was a guarded man and did not allow his opposition to see through his heart, but even so, he could garner people to his cause with his perfectly crafted charm.

That was what allowed him to rise to the current heights of his career, for his enemies could never discern his true intentions while also not being able to deny his unassailable qualifications.

Even now, in the privacy of his office, face to face with me, his daughter, my father spoke to me as if I were another civilian whose vote of confidence he was campaigning for.

I knew it was simply his nature to be this way. He was a businessman and a veteran politician, professions that required him to be unreadable.

Even so, I can't help but see his smiles and gestures for what they were: a simulation of familial warmth meant to assuage me. I could not truly see through his words, but I could discern that he was taking stock of my current situation and calculating how it would affect the state of his newest endeavors to gather more power.

I tried not to let my irritation at being treated this way show on my face as he watched me in this small staring match. Eventually, my father hummed, looking at me with a raised brow.

"Hm. I've noticed you seem much more refreshed. Or more charming, perhaps? Has something good happened at school?"

His words caused me to move back and forth, suddenly finding the chair underneath me to be uncomfortable. I looked away from my father's stare and traced the lines on the hardwood floor, feeling a flush of warmth spread through my face.

"I-It's nothing. I've simply had the chance to reconnect with a friend."

"Ah, how wonderful." This time, his voice held a hint of what was perhaps appreciation. "Friendships are integral to one's youth, after all. Treasure them while you can, Yukino. Because eventually, our responsibilities often tear us away from them."

"…of course. Thank you for your kind words, Otou-san." I answered while forcing my eyes to meet his once more. I will find a way to get out of this sham of a wedding you call my 'responsibility', I swear.

My father nodded once again, leaning over to his desk and once again studying his folder, the smile on his face slowly fading away.

"Very good. You're free to go, Yukino."

A sharp pain erupted on my palms as I dug my nails deeply into my skin at his quick dismissal. I was his daughter. Yet I was being treated like one of his employees.

"Yes, Otou-san." I masked my outrage, cooly accepting his words.

I knew better than to show my displeasure. Still, my feelings got the better of me: in my haste to leave his office and his offending presence, I stood up too quickly.

This agitation caused me to miscalculate my position, causing the teetering folder on the desk beside me to tumble onto the ground, spilling its contents onto the floor.

I quickly fell to the ground and scrambled to pick up the dropped papers. While I may be unhappy with everything my father had forced onto me, I had no intention of making him angry or upset.

However, as I collected the papers and put them into a stack, my eyes quickly scanned their contents. What I found was perplexing. All the forms were detailed profiles of all the S-rank hunters in Korea. Names, descriptions, abilities, affiliations, and much more confidential information were there to see.

Baek Yoonho, Choi Jong-In, Lim Tae-Gyu, Ma Dongwook, Min Byung-Guy, Cha Hae-In, and Go Gunhee.

What is this?

"Yukino? Are you alright?"

"Ah! Yes, I'm alright."

With all the papers back into an orderly stack within the folder, I stood up with the folder in hand and bowed to my father.

"I'm sorry, Otou-san!"

"It's quite alright. I'm just glad you're unhurt."

My father said while standing and looking me over. I was unsure if it was a trick of the light, but I could have sworn I saw a gleam of genuine concern in his eyes. I placed the folder down back where it was and excused myself.

As I left my father's study, I couldn't help but wonder why he had such extensive dossiers on Korea's S-rank hunters. What did he have to do with them? I shook my head and dismissed the hypothetical answers my brain conjured up. I rubbed my head and sighed tiredly.

I jumped in surprise when the phone in my pocket vibrated, causing me to stop in the middle of the hall. I pulled out my device and smiled at the new message I received.

[Yuigahama: look at this cute pic of pan-san I found!(＾ω＾)]

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[1] Image Link: imgur dot com/gallery/rotm-c14-riko-first-appearance-mXHFMyg

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A/N:

Thank you for reading today's chapter,

Please leave a review or comment. It helps me gauge your interest in the story and because I enjoy reading what you all have to say.

Until next time!