Even though he was sure he had seen it with his own eyes, Kujou couldn’t understand what had happened at all.
A monstrously huge monster was annihilated by an even greater monster.
Its single blow didn’t just tear apart the monster, but the Dungeon itself, creating a fissure wide enough for sunlight to stream through.
Impossible. Ridiculous. Is this a dream…?
Trembling, yet with tears welling up and a tightening in his throat, Kujou was forced to acknowledge that this was reality.
…Could such a thing be?
Could such a thing exist in reality?
Who is this man? Is he really human—
“Now then.”
“H-Hii…!”
Such thoughts vanished the moment the man glared at him.
…Whether this man is a real monster or a creature disguised as a human, I don’t know.
Such things don’t matter right now.
What is certain is.
The fact that this man was undoubtedly someone you shouldn’t cross—
“P-Please forgive me. It was me, I was wrong… S-So please don’t kill me!”
I wanted to make the world equal.
To strike down the irrationality that befell me, aiming for a world where my talented self would be properly evaluated—that’s why I started Streaming.
But such pride doesn’t matter.
I don’t want to die.
I just don’t want to die—Kujou knelt, tears streaming down his face, and lowered his head.
“Please, I didn’t mean any harm! Um, I’m from an underprivileged background, I-I’m struggling with money and have no place to belong… So this was the only way to turn things around,”
“I don’t think excuses are what’s needed right now? If anything, it would be better to point out areas for improvement, wouldn’t you say?”
“Tch…!”
You can say that because… you’re on the privileged side, you’re one of the chosen ones.
Always, always looking down from above—!
A surge of irritation welled up, but he gritted his teeth and shut his mouth.
There’s no doubt that justice is on my side, but I mustn’t retort emotionally. The idiots consumed by emotion, like Hazaki and Miroku, are enough. I’m different.
…Don’t panic. Calm down. Be rational.
Fortunately, he’s willing to talk to Kujou. He may be powerful, but he’s just an ordinary person after all; he doesn’t have the idea to silence Kujou immediately to shut him up.
I’ll exploit that weakness…!
Kujou sweated profusely, putting on a tormented expression.
“From now on… I won’t enter Dungeons at all. How about that?”
“Hmm.”
“I’ll stop Streaming, no, I’ll stop all Dungeon-related activities altogether. On top of that, I won’t show my face in front of you guys again, and I won’t cause any trouble.”
“…………”
“It’s true! I’ll definitely keep my word! For me, that’s a very painful and agonizing punishment…”
Abandoning his Streaming career is equivalent to having his entire identity taken away.
He had been a failure since high school, couldn’t become anything in college, drifted around, ran away from job hunting, and lived a life of being nagged by his parents—Streaming was the reason for Kujou’s existence.
It didn’t generate a large income.
It wasn’t enough to sustain his life.
But when he was Streaming, he could maintain the pride that he had value, that he wasn’t useless to society.
That such a person would stop Streaming. It’s an immense pain.
“You understand, right? A Hunter stopping entering Dungeons. How painful that is. If you’re a Hunter too, you can understand, right?”
Taking responsibility for the incident and retiring from Hunter duties. Never causing trouble again.
If I receive such a severe punishment, then naturally… I should be forgiven, right?
—Of course, it’s all a lie.
Once things cool down, I’ll resume Streaming.
In Japan today, it’s not that difficult to reacquire a license using a pseudonym. The Hunter business is chronically short-staffed, so if you go to the countryside, there are surprisingly many regions with lax management.
Of course, I don’t intend to stay in an area with such a monster.
I’ll skip town to another prefecture when the time is right. I’ll cut ties with my troublesome mother while I’m at it.
I can pilfer money from my parents’ account, and if I, Kujou, am truly talented, I’ll be blessed with good fortune in the new land. The possibility is extremely high.
I might even meet true companions, not the vulgar types like Hazaki, Warunana, and Miroku.
And this time, Kujou will receive proper evaluation and soar into an equal world…!
“S-So, please. I beg you, just spare my life…!”
If I can get through this with smooth talk, I can do anything after that.
For that, I wouldn’t even mind licking his boots—
Hmm, Kageichi thought.
“Certainly, if you don’t get involved with Dungeons in the future, the possibility of you causing trouble for me is low. And you’re expressing remorse. It might be worth considering.”
“Tch…!”
It worked.
I got him, I got him. What a fool.
In the end, you’re just an ordinary man of that level—
“However, there are conditions.”
“W-Whatever it is, I’ll accept it. Just tell me.”
“First, some obvious things.”
The conditions the man presented were all easy for Kujou.
The first was to destroy the recorder.
He was told to destroy all of them, including Hazaki’s and Miroku’s recorders, and Kujou discarded them on the spot without hesitation.
The second was not to reveal the existence of Kageichi and the others.
That condition was something I wanted anyway. I never want to be involved with such a man again.
The third was, from now on—
Not to cause trouble to society.
“I won’t go as far as to say live with a sense of guilt. However, as a sound adult, act in accordance with social norms based on my values. …Can you promise that?”
“I-I understand. I’ll definitely keep it. I promise!”
Heh. How lenient. What lenient conditions, I can’t help but laugh inwardly.
The recorder footage is a shame, but not revealing Kageichi’s existence and not causing trouble to society are conditions that are too far from being valid.
…Later, I’ll secretly report this creature to the Labyrinth Agency.
And although it will take time, Kujou will definitely make a comeback in the Dungeon world—!
“Understood. Then… to show that you agree to what we’ve discussed, could you please sign this contract?”
With that, Kageichi summoned his Inventory and took out a black pen and a piece of paper that looked like parchment.
…?
Is it my imagination?
When the Suit Man took out the paper, something—a distorted Magical Power wavered with a rustling sound…?
The man handed Kujou the contract with a binder, who frowned.
Kujou received it, and… for some reason.
Strangely, a chill ran down his spine, and he gasped.
…There’s nothing unnatural about the contents of the contract itself.
And yet, the reason why oily sweat is forming on Kujou’s forehead is… because he feels black Magical Power from the ordinary A4-sized contract.
…It’s just a piece of paper, but why?
It’s as if plant roots or prison chains are waiting to entwine his heart.
It’s as if a giant fish from the depths of the Abyss is opening its mouth and looking at him…
His instincts scream. —It’s dangerous.
There’s no basis for it. There’s no logic to it.
Nevertheless, Kujou’s heart is sounding the alarm, urging him to run away now, not to inscribe his name on this, with an intense warning.
…When he faced the Behemoth.
Or even more than that, an intuition based on survival instincts—
“Is something wrong? The contents should be the same as what I told you earlier, but…”
“Tch… N-No, um, I-I’m just trying to make sure I check the contents properly…”
“Certainly, confirmation is important. But if you don’t sign it, unfortunately, I’ll have no choice but to make you disappear…”
“Tch…!”
He had a terrible sense of discomfort and nausea—but Kujou hurriedly signed.
There’s no time to think.
In the first place, his life would be in danger if he upset the man. There’s no way he could refuse for such a vague reason as not feeling like it.
Kujou hurriedly signed his full name and thrust it back at Kageichi.
“Alright. Then, I’ll confirm one last time.”
One, that you will discard the recorder you possess.
One, that you will not reveal the existence of Kageichi Futsuu and Kiraboshi Yoshiko.
One, that you will not cause trouble to society based on my values.
Kujou nodded, of course, to the repeated confirmations.
I understand. I understand already, so please disappear somewhere quickly.
In front of the praying Kujou, the Suit Man sighed softly.
And as if he had lost all interest, he went up the spiral staircase with the high school girl in tow.
…………
The figures of the men disappeared, and the remaining Kujou—shed tears of joy.
I’m saved. I’m saved. I’m saved!
Ah. I really thought I was going to die, but I was saved by that man being a capricious idiot.
This is fate. No, this is true equality.
In the first place, there’s no way a man like Kujou would die in a place like this.
And now that I’ve overcome the greatest hardship, true happiness is sure to come next.
He even felt refreshed and stood up.
Just you wait and see. I’ll definitely achieve it.
Kujou’s life, the real thing, starts now—
*
“Sensei. Was that okay? That with him.”
“Yes. If he is truly remorseful, he will never meet me again.”
“……He didn’t seem very remorseful, though……”
“Now, now, Kiraboshi-san. You mustn’t be so quick to doubt people. …Certainly, even if they are currently hopeless dregs of society, if they sincerely express remorse, a mature adult should give them a chance.”
Kageichi’s words were perfectly reasonable as a member of society.
…But Kiraboshi thought it was strange.
The teacher Kiraboshi knew would never show such Mercy—
“However. If he breaks his promise, he’ll suffer a fate worse than death, though.”
“Eh?”
“Please remember, Kiraboshi-san. In the Dungeon world, there are rare, extraordinary items like the ‘Sword of Divine Might.’ For example… cursed items that forcibly restrict the actions of others.”
Kageichi smiled faintly, muttering in a dark voice that Kiraboshi could barely hear.
“If you carelessly sign something like that, you’ll suffer a fate worse than death.”
“T-That’s……”
“If he keeps his promise, he can live peacefully without incident. But if he breaks his promise, his life will surely be worse than death.”
And I certainly want him to atone for the sin of angering me.
A life completely opposite to the one I’m pursuing.
I want him to live a stressful life, tormented by danger and anxiety.
“I’m only human. Imagining the downfall of someone who irritated me is also a good Stress reliever.”
Kageichi smiled and asked, “Would you like to try it?”
Kiraboshi shuddered and reaffirmed her understanding that he was indeed her teacher—
After that.
Kageichi and Kiraboshi never saw Kujou Shin again.