Kiraboshi’s stomach clenched, and her heart grew heavier.
Her body trembled, a reflexive rejection. Even knowing this, the trembling intensified naturally.
Why?
Why, those girls?
Her thoughts were in chaos, and that was precisely why Kiraboshi dwelled on unnecessary things.
…Could it be, they came looking for me out of concern?
Because we’re friends? Did they change their minds and decide to come help?
Maybe so.
Together with Shirogasaki-san, who went to buy Dungeon Goods, they worried about Kiraboshi and ventured deep into the Dungeon.
…Even though they tried to push me down?
No, but they’re my friends from school…
It’s true that I often inwardly rebelled against their bossy tone and unreasonable demands, but they were the only ones who talked to me normally, a person with no friends, so Kiraboshi is their friend—
“—Kiraboshi-san. Are you alright? And, where are they?”
“Ah…y-yes. They’re my friends…”
“You look awfully pale for someone meeting their friends. Are they really your friends?”
A sharp pain stabbed at her chest, and Kiraboshi replied quickly, trying to gloss over it.
She faintly realized that she was trying to deceive herself—
“T-they really are my friends… At school, they’re the only ones who talk to boring me.”
“I see. The friendships I know don’t involve pushing friends into pitfalls, though.”
Her body trembled.
Why does he know that?
I haven’t told him what happened between me and them yet…?
“My apologies. That was just speculation. Putting a bullied child at the front and using them as bait for traps is a common tactic. Well, cases as severe as pushing someone into a pitfall are rare.”
“B-but it might be a mistake…”
“A mistake. I see? So it’s okay to be almost killed by a friend once in a while. Certainly, there were foolish politicians in the past who said that one missile might just be a misfire—”
“By the way,” Kageichi said, changing the subject and summoning his Inventory.
The item he took out from the black vortex was…no. He didn’t take anything out?
But Kageichi was waving something in front of Kiraboshi, something transparently shimmering as if something was there.
“Can you see it? This is called a ‘Hide Cloak,’ or in simpler terms, an Invisibility Cloak. It’s ineffective against those who can detect Magical Power, but if the opponent is an amateur, it should work well enough… Do you need it?”
“That is…”
Of course, I don’t need it.
Kiraboshi and the Kamase Sisters are friends and classmates. And this time, they’re also companions invited to the Dungeon.
…That must have been a mistake.
If we meet normally, they might laugh and say, “Sorry about earlier~ Class Representative, the timing was just bad.”
Timing? What’s that?
Her head became a jumbled mess, and Kiraboshi, trembling her lips while thinking, but they’re my friends, because they’re my friends—
Grabbed Kageichi’s cloak, pulling it close and putting it on.
“…”
Just a little. Really, just a little.
I’m not hiding. Just until I know their true intentions.
If nothing happened, I can just apologize to them honestly…
Kageichi, confirming that Kiraboshi had turned invisible, put on the same cloak himself.
The voices of the Kamase Sisters slowly approached.
Holding her breath, Kiraboshi’s pain intensified with every throb.
If they really thought that was a misunderstanding from the bottom of their hearts, it should show in their attitude.
Because she and I are “friends.”
Such a fragile wish—
“Nee-san. I think that thing’s already dead. Too much effort to go to the second floor.”
“Maybe~. Well, honestly, either way is fine, right~? If she comes back, we can just say, ‘Sorry, are you okay?’ Accidents in Dungeons happen all the time, right…?”
“I want ice cream. A big one with a cone.”
“Imoutoya is feeling clingy today. But since Onee-chan is in a good mood today, I might just treat you~”
The sisters, chatting about ice cream for snacks while laughing cheerfully.
Didn’t think about Kiraboshi at all.
“…”
Clenching the hem of the Invisibility Coat, Kiraboshi glared at the two who had come to the stairs and were starting to turn back, her eyes turning bright red.
No… Actually, I should have known it in my head.
That they call themselves friends, but they don’t have even a shred of such feelings towards me.
Actually… from much earlier.
Ever since they called out to me and I got caught up in the same group as Shirogasaki, Kiraboshi had always been made fun of by the sisters who pretended to be friends.
It was just that Kiraboshi had been presuming they were friends—
“Kiraboshi-san. Are you alright?”
“—Ah…hk…!”
“Calm down. Let’s take a deep breath.”
Being shaken by Kageichi, she realized that she had been digging her nails into her skin hard enough to cause injury.
Sweat trickled down her face, and Kiraboshi took a slow breath.
A disturbing discomfort, like disgusting insects crawling around in her heart, ran rampant, and Kiraboshi clenched her lips, feeling like she wanted to claw at her throat.
“…I’m sorry. I…I don’t know what to do.”
“I understand how you feel. Fortunately, I’ve never been bullied at school, but I do have memories of arguing with incompetent bosses who picked on me during my corporate slave days in my previous life. —Besides, I, as a third party, understand that the behavior of those sisters is socially unacceptable.”
Utterly unforgivable.
Kiraboshi was slightly surprised that Kageichi, who spat out those words, also had feelings of irritation, and was happy to have his sympathy.
…Really, those sisters are unforgivable.
If possible, I want to reveal the truth right now and make those sisters kneel down and apologize, Kiraboshi’s head bubbling up like a volcano.
…But that’s just a fantasy after all.
In the end, I can’t do anything and have no choice but to hide and get through it—
“Kiraboshi-san. If you don’t mind, may I offer you some advice to relieve your irritation?”
“Eh?”
“When people experience strong stress, there are several ways to relieve it… Exercise. Complain to a friend. Take it out on objects. But there is another, very easy-to-understand method.”
Before Kiraboshi could blink her cute eyes, Kageichi, whose figure was invisible, chuckled—or so it seemed.
“My principle is safety, security, and no stress. From that point of view, I estimate that Kiraboshi-san is currently under excessive mental stress. After all, your very life was threatened, so I can only imagine the mental strain.”
And then, the man who revealed himself took out from his Inventory… the giant Insecticide Spray that I had seen earlier.
With the shape of a fire extinguisher, are there still Monsters here…? Kiraboshi tilted her head,
“What is that?”
“It’s Insecticide Spray.”
“I know that, but there aren’t any Monsters here…”
“There are. Right there. Pests. Two of them.”
Kiraboshi’s eyes widened as she looked at Kageichi.
He calmly, as if talking about the weather tomorrow, handed Kiraboshi the Poison Gas and told her to go ahead.
“The method is as you learned earlier. We’re invisible, and it’s a situation where you can do whatever you want to the other party… There’s nothing more to say. The other party is just a Monster pretending to be human, so there’s no harm in exterminating them.”
Right? The man whispered like a devil.
For some reason, Kiraboshi recalled the figures of the bugs she had happily shot down just a moment ago, and her serious and righteous heart seemed to waver.