Shirogasaki met Ayakoji Nise when they were in the second grade of elementary school.
“You’re such a cute person, like a princess.”
Shirogasaki, who had trouble maintaining distance with others and had no friends at the time, was spoken to for the first time by her.
With slightly reddish hair and a cheerful voice that seemed to get along with anyone.
Shirogasaki, who was as quiet as a doll, remembered being excited and breathing heavily as if an angel had descended the moment she was called out by the sun-like, dazzling girl, “Let’s be friends.”
But, that initial relationship quickly fell apart.
“Aya-chan. You should stop talking to that girl, she’s boring.”
“All she ever says is ‘my mom this’ and ‘my mom that,’ it’s so boring.”
She overheard other children gossiping about her, and before she knew it, she distanced herself.
She really wanted friends, but it didn’t work out again… One day, as she stared blankly into the distance, her mother told her:
“You’re not showing enough sincerity.”
People can become friends by talking to each other.
Have you properly talked to her face-to-face?
Did you tell her that you want to be friends, that you want to get along?
“Kawai. I will personally ‘talk’ to her mother about this matter. …But, children must face each other properly.”
The next day, after being advised by her mother and gathering her courage to go to school…
Before she knew it, Shirogasaki was surrounded by them.
“We’re sorry, Hime-chan. We were wrong. You’re a precious friend, so let’s continue to get along,” they said with smiles, and Shirogasaki was deeply shaken, realizing that the world could change so easily.
If there are words. If there are feelings, people can get along.
Money doesn’t matter. Whether you can speak well or not doesn’t matter.
As long as you look at the other person properly and convey your message sincerely, you can get along with everyone in the world—that was Shirogasaki’s creed and belief.
Or at least, it should have been.
“Hey, Hime-chan, let’s go? What’s wrong?”
“…”
She couldn’t trust the former best friend who was smiling in front of her.
It wasn’t about money, it was about sincerity, she had always been told…
“What’s wrong? Hey, it’s a friend’s request, you know? Could it be you don’t have any money?”
“…Well…”
“It’s okay, you have cards and smartphone payments, right? You can just quickly enter your PIN, please! A friend in need is a friend indeed, I’ve been really struggling lately, you know? Right, Hime-chan?”
The red-haired friend was smiling at her.
Something was wrong. It was a friend’s invitation.
It was an invitation from a precious friend.
The blonde behind her was also urging, “Hey, hey,” and Shirogasaki’s world creaked and swayed.
“Well… uh…?”
Her vision blurred.
No. Something was wrong. …The world she should be in wasn’t such a distorted place. It was wrong. It was mistaken.
The world shouldn’t be this dirty. The world she knew was more like a beautiful flower garden, without money, fear, or desire…
But in reality.
What she was seeking wasn’t friendship. …It was money.
Even a fool like Shirogasaki could understand that much. She didn’t want to understand.
Her vision darkened slightly.
Her heart was drowning. She was breaking.
No. No. Someone. Someone—please. Me. Help me…
Her swaying back was gently supported by someone.
When she looked back—
“…Eh?”
The “friend” of the monster wearing glasses was gently supporting Shirogasaki’s back.
And glaring at the trio of “what should have been friends” standing in front of her.
“Excuse me. This girl is my friend… Is there something you need?”
“Huh? Who are you?”
“I’m a classmate at school, and a friend.”
“Hmm… Hime-chan, I don’t think it’s good to be friends with such a plain and poor-looking girl. It’s more fun to play with us, you know?”
She was pressed for an answer, but Shirogasaki—oddly enough.
Reflexively—drew back towards Kiraboshi, whom she had feared so much.
She didn’t know why.
The one behind her wasn’t just a JK, but a demon.
But.
At least…
She could see the demon behind her, but the demon in front of her, wearing human skin, was hiding its true nature… That’s what she felt.
“Excuse me. My friend seems scared, so could you please refrain?”
“Hmm. Sorry? I’m also in a lot of trouble, so I can’t do that. Right, Hime-chan?”
“…”
Instead of the trembling Shirogasaki, Kiraboshi stepped forward like a knight protecting her.
Aya-chan raised her lips in a “Hmm?”
“A knight protecting a princess, huh? That’s cool, but is it okay? By the way, do you like Dungeons? You must like them, since you came all the way to the shop.”
“…Well, a little.”
“Great. Then, it’s too conspicuous to talk here, so shall we go? To the Dungeon.”
Let’s have a good talk, just us high school girls. …Okay?
As Aya-chan grinned and the duo behind her smiled crookedly—Shirogasaki suddenly remembered.
Come to think of it, Aya-chan had been practicing Dungeon-style martial arts since she was in the sixth grade of elementary school…
“Kiraboshi-san, wait. She… Aya-chan has been training in Dungeons since elementary school, and I think she’s in martial arts…”
“Is that so? Hmm.”
Kiraboshi stared intently at Aya-chan, sizing up the trio,
“Weak… After doing it since elementary school, that’s all you’ve got, hmm…”
“Huh? What did you just say? Did I mishear? Poor little girl.”
“Ah, I’m sorry, my true feelings just slipped out. I’ve been having trouble holding back lately, and I’m even regretting it myself, but it just happened.”
I’m sorry, I’m so sorry for hurting you by telling the truth.
I’m terribly sorry for displaying the truth, she lowered her head obsequiously and pretended to apologize like a salaryman—
Aya-chan snapped.
“You… you’re looking down on me, aren’t you?”
“Not at all. Looking down is a word used for inferiors, and you’re not even worth looking down on.”
“…It’s nearby, so why don’t we stop by?”
There was no need to ask where.
Kiraboshi also calmly nodded, “I don’t mind,” and naturally left the store with Shirogasaki in tow.
Ah. Ah. What should I do?
I don’t know.
Shirogasaki no longer understood anything. The world of “friends” she knew shouldn’t be this brutal.
Thinking that, Shirogasaki, along with Kiraboshi and Aya-chan, stepped into the S-class Dungeon “Nagi Plains”—
“N-no way, s-sorry, p-please, p-please forgive meee—p-plea, please… I-it was my faulttt.”
“Eh, is that it? You can’t give up so easily. The real fun is just beginning. Okay? Come on, do your best♪ Do your best♪”
The dull thud of blows echoed through the deserted mid-level of the Dungeon.
The face of what used to be a friend was distorted, and before Shirogasaki’s eyes, it was changing into an increasingly ugly form.
“H-hii… W-what is this, is she crazy—”
“Come on, you have to resist a little more. If you stay like this, you’ll be laughed at as the girl who falls instantly in a two-panel comic, you know? Or do you actually like being bullied? Is that it? You even spread bait and come at me yourself, so you should have told me from the beginning.”
“A-ah…”
“Well, for now, let’s take off your clothes.”
“Hii…”
“Don’t want to? Then do you want to die here? Which is better?”
“………………”
“Okay, good job. If your clothes get torn, that would be suspicious evidence, you know? But you can damage your body as much as you want and it will only turn into magical power damage, and if there’s no recorder, there won’t be any evidence left. You’ve become a little smarter again, good job, good job. —Now, let’s learn with your body about the people you shouldn’t go against.”
“Hii… P-please, bubeh.”
And the sound of blows echoed again.
Kiraboshi Yoshiko was too heinous, too grotesque, and—overwhelmingly—despicable.