Chapter 11: Seriously, I’m sorry. The truth is, I am sexually harassing him.
Momoko, who had exited the Virtual Space, was hugging her knees inside the VR machine.
“(Haaah~. I’ve really done it now. No matter how much of a grudge I held, that was truly a blunder. No, it’s more than just a blunder. It’s a massive screw-up…)”
Moping Momoko, thinking this wouldn’t do, slapped her cheeks to pull herself together and moved to the monitor room where the exited participants gathered. Kazuma, who had also exited, and the Combat Course students were there.
Momoko looked at their faces, felt a little—no, quite a bit—awkward, averted her gaze, and sat down on a chair. The events inside the simulator were displayed in this monitor room, so Momoko’s earlier scene had been perfectly seen.
Knowing that, Momoko, feeling she couldn’t face them, looked down and remained silent.
“(My Mind-Reading Ability is useful at times like this… but well, naturally, they probably don’t think well of me.)”
She had done something that would make even Hibiki, whom she’d just met, recoil. It was likely the same for those who had watched from the monitor room.
After all, when her classmate was defeated right before her eyes, she hadn’t shown emotions like shock or fear, but elation. At the very least, she wouldn’t escape being treated as an abnormal person.
“(Shinonome-san. Why does she look so grief-stricken?)”
“(…Huh?)”
Kazuma, the person involved, had absolutely no understanding of why Momoko was dejected.
That was because he had been in the restroom before coming to the monitor room. Yes, Kazuma hadn’t seen the part where Momoko committed her huge blunder.
“(Could it be that you’re saying that on purpose?)”
“(Did she have a really terrible time?)”
“(Eh? You really don’t know anything?)”
“(I was in the restroom, so I don’t know what happened~. Maybe I’ll ask Miyazono-san, Shinya, or Shunsuke~)”
“Ah…”
Momoko, who wished he wouldn’t find out if possible, stood up from her chair. Her hand instinctively reached out to stop Kazuma, but she gave a self-deprecating smile, thinking she probably didn’t have such a right, and sat back down on the chair.
“(I’m such a shallow woman. Because of this incident, I’ll probably be removed from this mission. If things go badly, it might even be disciplinary dismissal.)”
This incident had the potential to hinder the mission. Moreover, if things had gone worse, the fact that the National Defense Force was secretly monitoring Kazuma might have been exposed.
Considering that, Momoko’s actions were shallow, and she likely lacked awareness as a member of the National Defense Force.
As she said, being removed from the mission or facing disciplinary action for failing to protect classified information were both possible.
“Shinonome-san. Did something happen?”
“Eh…?”
Just as she was predicting the future that would likely befall her, Kazuma spoke to her. Caught off guard by the suddenness, her mind couldn’t process it properly, and she let out a dazed voice.
“No, you just looked so gloomy, I wondered if something happened.”
“(What are you thinking?)”
“(This is my chance to be nice and boost my affection points! Operation Affection Boost, go!)”
“(…Hmph. Ah, how ridiculous.)”
Who could imagine that Kazuma was the Crimson Knight? There was no way a man with such simple thoughts could be the Crimson Knight.
She had gotten angry at his repeated mental sexual harassment, but he was just a pervert with a stronger sex drive than an ordinary high school boy.
Other than that, he was quite ordinary. His academic ability was below average, due to being three months behind before enrollment. His athletic abilities were probably high for a high school student, but not to the level of a professional athlete.
“It was resolved just now.”
“Eh? Is that so? Well, if that’s the case, then it’s fine.”
“(I’ll have to go apologize to the Combat Course people later. This incident really left a bad impression, and I acted like the worst kind of person.)”
“(Damn it! Operation Affection Boost has failed, Captain!)”
“(Who is this ‘Captain’…?)”
The Captain was a mysterious man with whom Kazuma held conferences in his mind. Of course, he was a fictional man Kazuma had created, but Momoko had no way of knowing such a thing.
After that, a short while later, the combat training ended, and everyone was dismissed.
Afterwards, while Momoko was changing in the locker room, several Combat Course students approached her. Alice, Kaori, and also Hibiki were calling her.
She looked at the three of them and understood. It was because of what she had blurted out during the earlier training.
Momoko followed them as she was told. She wasn’t taken to an empty classroom, but to a break area with vending machines, where, for some reason, Alice treated her to a juice.
“Um, ah, what’s this for?”
“Well, there are various things I want to talk about. For now, let’s talk while you drink that.”
“Understood.”
Being told that by Alice, Momoko began to talk with the three of them while drinking her juice.
“I couldn’t ask in the monitor room, but why did you say those things about Kazuma?”
“…I’m sorry. That was my paranoia. His gaze seemed lewd to me.”
“Well, it’s true he’s a guy, so he might look at girls that way sometimes. But even so, that was going too far, don’t you think?”
“I agree with Miyazono-san. Satsuki-kun, like other boys, does look at girls with perverted eyes, but he tries to act like he’s not so it won’t be noticed. Well, it’s completely obvious, though.”
“I don’t know him that well, but this Satsuki guy isn’t that much of a pervert, right?”
Hibiki, who didn’t know Kazuma well, questioned Alice and Kaori. In response to her question, the two of them nodded, saying, “That’s right.”
Seeing that, Hibiki turned her gaze back to Momoko and questioned her about the lines she had blurted out during training.
“So, those two are saying that, but what’s your take on it?”
“It’s as the two of them say. Satsuki-san is not much different from other males.”
“What you’re saying now is completely different, though?”
“Ah, at that time…”
“Well, it’s true that if a guy looks at you with lewd eyes, you might feel that way sometimes, but even so, I think what you did was questionable, you know?”
“Yes…”
“Well, as for me, I just want to know if you’re a liar or not. There are girls like that sometimes, you know~. Girls who lie to get us Combat Course students to attack guys they dislike.”
It was a clever, or rather, cunning trick used by girls without power. There were also cases where they would deceive Combat Course boys into attacking girls they disliked. This was something the academy side found difficult to deal with and couldn’t intervene in.
“That’s not it…”
“Hmm… Well, I’m fine with this, but what about you two?”
“Well, I’d like to ask why you thought that, but she herself says her paranoia is severe~”
“But I still think that was questionable. Honestly, it was unpleasant to watch. Especially since I know Satsuki-kun.”
“I am truly sorry. I deeply apologize for making statements that offended you.”
Seeing Momoko bowing deeply, the three of them exchanged glances, wondering what to do about her.
“Well, I’m not that angry, and I just wanted to know if it was true or not, so it’s fine now.”
“I’m on the fence too, but since Kazuma hasn’t heard anything and doesn’t know, I’ll overlook it this time. However, if Kazuma finds out about this and gets even a little upset, I’ll crush you, got it?”
“I feel the same as Miyazono-san. Since Satsuki-kun doesn’t know this time, I think it’s wrong for us outsiders to say anything. But I won’t forgive someone for making a fool of my friend.”
Stating their respective opinions, they returned to the classroom. Momoko continued to bow her head until they left the spot.
◇◇◇◇
After school. While most students, excluding those engaged in club activities or committee activities, had gone home, Momoko was meeting with Manami and Masafumi, who, like her, had infiltrated from the National Defense Force to monitor Kazuma, in a prepared classroom.
The atmosphere was even heavier than usual. The cause was clear. It was because of what Momoko had messed up this time.
“Shinonome. We’ve received word from higher-ups regarding this matter.”
“What did the higher-ups say?”
Momoko predicted she would probably be removed from the mission, suspended, or, in the worst case, face disciplinary dismissal.
“Regarding this incident, it’s a stern warning and a three-month pay cut.”
“Eh? Is that all?”
The punishment being lighter than she had imagined, Momoko asked Masafumi again.
“Yeah. There was nothing more than that.”
“That’s good, isn’t it, Shinonome.”
“Eh, ah, yes…”
“Ah, perhaps you thought you’d be fired?”
“Yes. This incident carried the risk of my Gift being exposed, and also the possibility that the National Defense Force secretly monitoring a civilian could be discovered…”
“Well, that’s true. I also got a fright when I checked the footage later.”
“Exactly. I was thinking, ‘What is that idiot doing!'”
“Ugh… I’m sorry.”
“I’d like to say don’t worry about it, but this incident probably cooled your head a bit, right?”
“That’s right. I don’t think there’ll be a next time, so be careful with your actions.”
“Understood. I will be careful from now on.”
And so, Momoko’s punishment did not go beyond that.
In the first place, the National Defense Force had no intention of letting Momoko go. Her ability to read others’ minds was a precious one. Their true desire was likely to keep her on hand and manage her. After all, in areas like negotiations and interrogating criminals, she boasted unparalleled strength.