Episode 33
“Millie, Shizura. I found some really pretty jewels… Hey, that’s—Shizura!?”
“What!? Damn, I let my guard down!”
The two of them, seeing Shizura collapsed on the floor and me closing in on Millie, naturally took up arms and assumed a battle stance.
And in Melissa’s hand was a mysterious, palm-sized jewel glowing red. Could that be some kind of key item?
“Don’t get so worked up. I don’t intend to do anything anymore.”
“Huh!? You did something to Shizura, didn’t you!?”
“Ah, that one swung a huge axe with all her might and jumped at me, so I thought she wanted me to punch her in the stomach. You should stop her, you know.”
“Don’t be ridiculous…! Millie, get away from him! Melissa, let’s go!”
“Eh? U-um.”
Oh dear. When you play the villain, you end up saying things that provoke your opponent. It’s fun, but I’m full for today. I can’t deal with this anymore.
“What? Are you going to gang up on me again? You cowards.”
“I don’t want to hear that from you! I’m going to beat you to a pulp and hand you over to the guards!”
“The guards? Are you sure? If you do that, you’ll be the ones charged with a crime.”
“Huh!? Why!?”
“It’s obvious, isn’t it? You’ll be in prison for life for collectively lynching the Waslein Family’s heir. Maybe even the death penalty?”
“W-Waslein Family, you say…?”
It feels so good to use my family’s power. If I actually did, Father would be angry, and I probably wouldn’t be charged with such a heavy crime, but it’s more than enough as a threat.
“You’re the one who kidnapped Millie and locked her up in a place like this, right!”
“Oh, is that what happened? So, where’s the evidence? And after being kidnapped, did anything else happen to her? Hmm?”
“Evidence… Damn, but we can testify! We’re the witnesses!”
“Ho-oh, the perpetrators of a gang assault are the witnesses? That must be very convincing, huh?”
If they actually sued me for kidnapping, it might be a little troublesome. I think I can suppress it since I only kidnapped her and didn’t do anything else, but Father would probably scold me severely.
“Damn it, what do we do…? This guy is the worst…!”
“That’s why you don’t have to do anything. I told you I don’t intend to get involved with you anymore.”
“How can we believe that!”
“You have no choice but to believe it, even if you can’t.”
“Gugugu… Is that pervert really from the Waslein Family?”
It would be troublesome if they pursued that. There’s a trend at the academy not to openly mention family names, and Millie, my classmate, shouldn’t know either. I should escape now. No, before that, maybe I should say something that sounds like it.
“However, that’s right… Hart, was it? Opening that door means… the fate of the world may rest on your shoulders.”
“What…? What do you mean!?”
“Kukukuk… That will become clear in due time… Farewell.”
“What!? Light—he’s gone!?”
“H-how…?”
Activating Fighting Skill Level 6, “Advent Stance.” It’s probably a technique similar to Sword Skill Level 5, “Sword Aura Release,” which grants some kind of buff, but I don’t really know the effect. So, for me, it’s just a technique that makes my whole body glow.
After dazzling them with that, all I have to do is run away without making a sound. I listen from outside the room, but it seems they misunderstood that I disappeared.
When I leave the Old School Building, it’s still bright outside… or rather, it’s still morning. I stretch out greatly, basking in the refreshing morning sun.
There were many hard and painful things, but I feel relieved now that my role is over.
The protagonists getting that mysterious jewel should greatly advance the story. I always wondered what the protagonist was doing in the previous loops, but considering they hadn’t obtained such an important-looking item, it couldn’t be helped.
I, an alien element, had been distorting the original story, but this time I was finally able to advance the story on the normal route. If that’s the case, then the story will proceed as in the original, and surely the day will come when the loop ends. Believing that, I’ll wait patiently for good fortune to come.
Two days later, on Monday, I, who had actually spent two days sleeping soundly, was still in a refreshing mood as I went to school.
Having nothing to do is truly wonderful. I can leave the rest to the others, and they’ll manage somehow. When was the last time I felt like this?
Oh, isn’t that Millie, the girl with the light blue hair, walking ahead? She’s bravely coming to school despite what happened, how admirable.
At the corner, she glances over here… and our eyes meet. Her eyes widen, and she’s walking towards me with an expression as if she’s seen something unbelievable. I’ve been looking at Millie ever since I entered Desroah Academy, but this is the first time I’ve seen this expression.
“…Are you really Geld-kun? Eh, why?”
It seems the unbelievable thing was me. Is it that unusual for me to come early in the morning?
“What do you mean, ‘why’? I’ve never been late or absent.”
“No, not that… Why are you here?”
“That’s why I’m saying I’ve never been late or absent.”
“Not late or absent, but… After doing something like that, saying things that made me think, and then disappearing in the end…? Are you just going to come to school normally?”
I see, that’s what she means. In that sense, it would be more typical for me not to show my face for a while after that, or rather, that would be a more natural development.
“I want to observe what happens as a result of obtaining that jewel.”
If the loop doesn’t end in this run, I’ll need to fix something in the next run, but if I don’t know anything, I’ll just repeat the same thing. I have no intention of following them on their journey, but it would be more advantageous to observe them while I’m at the academy.
“…Hey, who exactly are you, Geld-kun?”
“I guess you’re curious, huh?”
“Yeah.”
Am I giving too many hints after all? Millie has already figured out most of it, and there’s no point in hiding it…
“Well, I don’t mind telling you to some extent, but not here. Or rather, wouldn’t it be bad if that Harem group saw us together?”
As it’s the morning commute route from the dorm to the school building, there are naturally many people around, and more importantly, if those guys find us, they might pick a fight again. And she doesn’t seem to have noticed that I subtly arranged a date outside of school.
“Oh, that’s right! Geld-kun, you said it on Saturday too, but what’s that Harem thing!”
“Eh? One guy and three beautiful girls… isn’t that a Harem?”
“It’s not like that! I, Melissa-chan, and Hart-kun came from the same village.”
Millie is angrily denying my Harem designation. Certainly, being counted as one of the Harem members is extremely dishonorable. Still, could it really be a childhood friend-focused game…?
“Well, whatever the inside story is, just try not to talk about it too much at the academy. Those guys resort to violence right away, so I don’t want to get involved too much. Especially that Melissa or whatever, she’s really dangerous.”
“Yeah, I understand… but, for you to say that, Geld-kun…?”
“Mine is elegant, so it’s fine. Theirs is rough and barbaric, so it’s no good. Well, with that said, see you later.”
Saying that, I leave Millie and head to the school building. I don’t know what they’ll do if they think I’m targeting Millie again. I have to minimize the risk of lawsuits and reports as much as possible.
“Hmm, Geld-kun doesn’t seem promising this time either? Well then, Millie-chan. Please do your best again~”
“…………”
“…………”
Awkward.