“That’s why I’m telling you it’s not my fault, Mom!”
“Don’t be ridiculous, Aneki! How many lies are you going to tell Mom? There’s even a video out there, Mom can’t even walk outside anymore, what are you going to do about it!”
Screaming voices, the sound of a table being slammed.
Kamase Imoutoya pretended not to hear the noisy roars of the apes echoing from downstairs, as she fiddled with her smartphone.
Idiots. Idiots. Everyone’s just a bunch of apes acting without thinking. Totally useless.
–My sister was taken into custody by the police.
The day before yesterday, she apparently ambushed the Class Representative in the shoe locker and assaulted her.
The video is already circulating on shadow accounts, and even Imoutoya, who wasn’t involved, is being treated like a boil by her classmates.
…My sister’s mind has been strange since she was attacked by the Armored Monstrosity.
She’s been talking to herself more, and making noise in the middle of the night… her mind probably couldn’t take it.
If you think about it calmly — the Armored Monstrosity is the Class Representative’s disguise, I think.
There are rarely humanoid monsters in Dungeons. Even if there were, I’ve never heard of a monster using a chainsaw as a weapon.
In all likelihood, it’s the Class Representative’s rampage… but.
There’s no proof.
Why didn’t I have my smartphone or a recorder running at that time?
Imoutoya chewed on her nails, trying to ignore the noisy family conference and blocking her ears.
“I heard about it, Aneki. You’ve been bullying Kiraboshi-san for a while now, haven’t you!? Using her like a lackey, pretending to be friends and making her go shopping and shoplifting!”
“No! I didn’t do that, I swear!”
“I can’t believe anything you say anymore! Say something, Dad!”
“…Aneki probably has her own reasons. Besides, Dad’s busy with work…”
The sound of something being slammed down. The sound of her father getting up from his seat.
A hysterical mother and an indifferent father. Why is my family full of idiots?
But what my sister is saying is true.
We looked down on the Class Representative, but we didn’t do anything that would be considered bullying, and the shoplifting is completely unfounded. It’s the Class Representative’s fabrication.
…But the Class Representative’s words… were just too convincing.
The Class Representative, with her pitiful beaten face covered in bandages, wearing broken glasses, came back to class and told the story as if she was overwhelmed with emotion…
Regrettably, she was radiant.
She was the perfect victim, worthy of being in a textbook.
With that incident, the Class Representative quickly transformed from a “slut who sold her body to middle-aged men” to a “serious Class Representative who couldn’t talk about being bullied.”
The impact of the assault video added fuel to the fire, and the shadow account problem that the Class Representative exposed was also brought up… this is a dead end.
“…Damn it…!”
Imoutoya chewed on her nails as she fiddled with her smartphone.
She doesn’t care about her stupid sister.
Originally, she was just a female ape who boasted about her not-so-good brains and looks. She was useful as a shield, so I indulged her, but once she’s broken, she’s useless.
…But, I don’t want to be labeled as a perpetrator because of my stupid sister for the rest of my high school life.
I want to navigate my life more skillfully. I don’t want to be haunted by such a scandal forever. So…
The clamor downstairs stopped.
The sound of someone climbing the stairs roughly could be heard, and Imoutoya’s door was banged on.
“Imoutoya! Don’t be silent, explain yourself! What do you think of your sister who took care of you!?”
Shut up, you idiot. A foolish sister who I’m ashamed to be related to.
Imoutoya sucked on her nails in silence, swiping her smartphone screen.
–What she’s looking for is an account specializing in Dungeon Adventurers.
However, it’s not something obvious like a Streamer, Cleaner, or the Labyrinth Agency’s official website.
…A shadow account that undertakes illegal activities in the Dungeon.
Now that things have come to this, no one will believe the Kamase Sisters even if they tell the truth.
Classmates and teachers are just ignorant people after all.
Once you’re thought of as a “bad person,” it’s hard to recover — Aneki deserves it, but I don’t want to be dragged into it.
Then, maybe — it would be better to just erase the Class Representative directly.
The number of missing persons in Japan is approximately 15,000 per year.
Of these, about 4,000 cases involve the discovery of a body.
In other words, more than 10,000 people a year are swallowed up by the Dungeon without anyone knowing.
…It’s not uncommon for a classmate to be accidentally caught up in such an incident.
Fortunately, that Class Representative seems to be holed up in the Dungeon lately.
“I don’t care about my sister. But I won’t forgive you for making a fool of me.”
There are plenty of criminal groups calling themselves Adventurers.
If you use those scum, it’s easy to hunt her down.
If I had her played with by a bunch of guys, and then made her monster food after her heart and body were ruined, it would be the best feeling.
…Ah.
I am so smart after all. My brain is different from those incompetent apes.
There’s no need to go to such a barbaric place like the Dungeon myself.
If you pile up money, use others, and manipulate lies, you can usually manage in this world.
Even in criminal organizations, it’s always the mules and perpetrators who get caught. The person giving the instructions is lying in bed, watching from a high place.
That’s right. The true strong are those who control the story with just a smartphone, without moving from the safe zone.
Safety, security, and no stress. It’s the ideal way of life.
Yes, I’m always perfect —
As she grinned and fiddled with her smartphone.
…Suddenly.
The smartphone left Imoutoya’s hand… and floated in the air.
“…Huh?”
She blinked twice, not understanding what was happening.
Did the smartphone move on its own? A magic trick?
…No.
If you look closely, the smartphone is being grabbed from behind by something. –A human finger… no.
A man’s hand —
“I don’t think it’s admirable to access shady dealers in the Dungeon at your age.”
“—-! Wh, at?”
She hurriedly jumped out of bed, but Imoutoya was confused.
Why, how?
…Huh? Eh?
Where did he come from?
Appearing silently in Imoutoya’s private room was — an ordinary Suit Man.
…A Salaryman with glasses who you’d pass by every three minutes at the station on a weekday, lowered his gaze as if looking down on Imoutoya…
Smiling, as if looking down on Imoutoya.
“Excuse me for the late hour. I heard that my disciple was in your care, so I stopped by to say hello on the way to the convenience store. …As a member of society, greeting people is a basic courtesy. Right?”
She was given an excessively polite bow.
Imoutoya took a step back, her cheeks twitching.