Chapter 60: Hey, Let’s Talk in Detail
Kazuma was gripping Issei’s hand with enough force to nearly crush it.
“S-Sorry, but I don’t understand why Satsuki is so angry…!”
“You and I are enemies…!”
Kazuma glared at Issei as if he were his parents’ murderer.
Even as Issei recalled the series of events, he couldn’t remember any reason for Kazuma to harbor such anger.
“A-Anyway, I’d like you to tell me why you’re angry…!”
“Fine! I’ll tell you exactly why I’m this angry.”
With that, Kazuma temporarily let go of Issei’s hand.
Finally freed, Issei cradled his aching hand and waited for Kazuma’s words.
Then, Kazuma took a deep breath and sharply pointed his finger at Issei.
“It’s because you’re surrounded by cute girls!!!”
“Eh…?”
Issei stared at Kazuma with a dumbfounded expression.
What on earth was he talking about? When had he ever been surrounded by girls?
“Um, I don’t understand what you mean…”
“You bastard! How many sins do you intend to pile up! Don’t tell me you’re trying to act like some dense protagonist!?”
“Dense protagonist? I don’t mean to be… But more importantly, I still don’t get what Satsuki is saying? When was I surrounded by girls?”
“You were just surrounded by three girls right in front of me a moment ago!”
“Ah! It’s not really like that. They’re just my childhood friend, my stepsister, and my master.”
“Whaaat!? What’s with that classic, textbook harem!?”
“It’s not a harem! I told you, right? Childhood friend, stepsister, and master.”
Behind Issei, who was strongly asserting this, Kazuma could see the figures of women with slightly sad, downturned eyebrows.
Issei couldn’t see them, but Kazuma had a clear view of their expressions.
And Kazuma, with his excellent observational skills, discerned at a glance that they harbored feelings for Issei.
Or rather, they were showing their affection for Issei so openly it was obvious to anyone who looked.
“U-Unforgivable! I can no longer let this stand! I’ll bury you right here!”
“E-Ehhh!? Why is it coming to this!?”
“Silence! You are my sworn enemy!”
Just as Kazuma was about to pounce on Issei, he was suddenly tapped on the shoulder.
Wondering who on earth would dare interrupt him, Kazuma spun around vigorously, only to find Alicia and the others standing there.
“…Why are you here?”
Alicia and Charlotte, being VIPs, were supposed to be enjoying a dinner party at a different hotel. Kazuma asked in a voice trembling with shock and fear why they were here.
“The other party was boring, so we slipped out. More importantly, Kazuma. Things have gotten quite interesting, haven’t they?”
“N-No, um, this is, well, it’s not like that~”
“A harem, huh~. That’s certainly unforgivable, isn’t it?”
“That’s right! It’s unforgivable!”
“Hmmph, for someone who’s aware of our feelings yet still fools around, you’ve got some nerve saying that~”
“Hawawawa…! N-No, you’re wrong, Alicia-san. There are various deep reasons for this.”
“And what kind of reasons might those be~?”
“Ah, um, well, you see! I’m still a student, so I haven’t really thought about that kind of thing~. Or rather, it’s a bit too early to decide my future~”
Kazuma offered a pathetic excuse, but Alicia and the others, who couldn’t forgive him for blaming Issei while ignoring his own faults, had united and decided to deliver a hammer blow of anger.
“But we always hear you saying you want a girlfriend…?”
“That’s just a figure of speech, or how should I put it, a common thing for adolescent high school boys to say…”
“Heeh~, is that so.”
“Yes! That’s right, Alicia-san!”
“Kazuma.”
“Yes!”
“Time for punishment.”
Alicia delivered the death sentence in a voice so sweet it sounded like it could have a heart mark at the end of her words.
“P-Pwease fowgive me…”
“No~pe.”
“Ah, ah, ah, ah.”
Kazuma’s face contorted, and tears of regret welled up in his eyes.
Realizing clearly that no amount of begging would earn him forgiveness, Kazuma heard the auditory hallucination of the ground crumbling beneath his feet.
“Everyone! Let’s do it!!!”
“Roger that!”
Charlotte responded to Alicia and readied her fists.
As the vanguard, Charlotte stepped into Kazuma’s guard and delivered an angry uppercut.
“Gwaaaaaah!”
His jaw struck, Kazuma flew into the air.
Instantly, Karin joined the fray and froze Kazuma mid-air.
“So cooold!”
Kazuma, now immobilized, still seemed to have enough composure to shout.
Then, Yukihime and Yayoi unleashed a combination fire and wind attack, engulfing Kazuma in a pillar of fire.
The people in the venue panicked at first, but upon realizing the person at the center was Kazuma, they calmed down and began to enjoy it as a form of entertainment.
“It’s hoooot!”
To the comically soot-blackened Kazuma, came the finishing blow: Telekinesis.
The duo of Alicia and Kaede began to tear Kazuma’s right and left halves apart.
“Uwaaaaaaaaaah!!!”
It was almost a catastrophe, but since the victim was Kazuma, no tragedy occurred.
Normally, his right and left halves would have had to part ways, but Kazuma, with his inherent power, broke free from the Telekinesis and landed gracefully.
“Hmph…!”
He struck a cool pose, but the punishment was ongoing, and Charlotte, who was waiting, unleashed a furious rush of blows.
“Kazuma-san, you idiot, idiot, idiot, idiot, idiot, idiot!!! You big idiooot!”
“Oof! Guh! Agh! Fugii! Ugyaa!”
A rush of blows that would make a pro boxer turn pale rained down on Kazuma.
The women surrounded Kazuma, who was already like a worn-out rag.
Then, as a final touch, they gave Kazuma a thorough beating and left, looking satisfied.
Left behind was Kazuma, battered and bent out of shape.
“U-Um, Satsuki. Are you okay?”
“…Do I look okay to you?”
“Good. At least you’re alive…”
“I want to ask one thing: do those girls ever resort to violence like that?”
“No, I get complaints and bad-mouthing sometimes, but I don’t get punched or kicked.”
“As I thought, I really hate you.”
“But, if we’re talking numbers, I think Satsuki has the bigger harem, you know?”
That was certainly true, but the problem was that the women were too strong.
It wasn’t that he liked weak girls, but Kazuma wished they would be a little more docile.
However, so far, every woman Kazuma had met possessed a hidden violent streak, and there wasn’t a single gentle one among them.
Although, there was the precedent of him turning Charlotte, who, while not exactly demure, had been unassociated with violence, into a Modified Fiend.
In the future, a gentle woman might appear before Kazuma, but if Charlotte were to snitch, he would undoubtedly be disliked.
“It’s not about the numbers…!”
“I think the quality is plenty good too, so what’s your complaint?”
“I want a more demure and quiet girl!”
“Then, wouldn’t it be fine to just look for a girl like that?”
“If I could do that, I wouldn’t be struggling! Also, if you know any girls like that, introduce me.”
“Man, how should I put it? You’re pretty free-spirited, Satsuki.”
Issei, in a way, respected Kazuma for not learning his lesson even after going through all that.
“Could it be, you know someone like that!?”
“No, well… I don’t.”
“Why not!?”
“I… don’t have many friends…”
“Ah. I get it. Because I hate you too.”
“Eh!? Why is that!?”
“Well, from a guy’s perspective, someone with a cute childhood friend, a stepsister, and a beautiful master is enviable and hateful, right? And if it turns out he’s not even really aware of it, that just makes him even more detestable.”
“I-Is that how it was? B-But, if that’s the case, why is Satsuki talking to me like this?”
“It’s true that if I dislike someone, I might not talk to them or get involved, but if there’s even a slight merit, I’ll talk.”
“Does that merit mean you want me to introduce you to a girl I know?”
“Correct! Introduce me to a demure, quiet, and cute girl.”
Kazuma, not having reflected on his actions one bit, stared at Issei imploringly.
Then, Issei, who was looking at Kazuma, suddenly shifted his gaze behind him.
Noticing this, Kazuma, with a bad feeling, turned around to see Alicia and the others standing there, arms crossed and looking displeased.
“Y-You hadn’t left?”
“Of course we wouldn’t leave. More importantly, it seems you still haven’t reflected on your actions, Kazuma.”
“I am reflecting deeper than the sea and higher than the mountains~!”
“Shall we talk a little more? Ka~zu~ma.”
“Nooooooooooooooo~”
Grabbed by the scruff of his neck, Kazuma was dragged away, disappearing into the darkness.
The students in the venue laughed as if they had been shown something amusing and continued with their banquet.