Episode 37
The day after letting the Succubus escape from Monkey Mountain, I found myself surrounded by seven monkeys behind the school building during lunch break.
“Hmph, so this is the guy, huh? Are you sure there isn’t some kind of mistake?”
“Nah, I saw it with my own eyes. He was walking around all lovey-dovey with that girl.”
“Hmph, disgusting.”
“He’s getting a little too cocky. I think we need to teach him a lesson.”
I never thought there’d be such a cliché event. Or maybe it’s not that cliché. We just walked through the Boys’ Dormitory together. I wonder if they even have okyū (moxibustion) in this world.
But I don’t think this is an overreaction. If I were in their shoes, I’d definitely be annoyed, even if I didn’t surround him. It’s the same reason I hate Harem Bastards. There’s just something about Millie that makes men want her. I wouldn’t be surprised if someone decided to kill to take her.
“Aah… hey, don’t you have anything to say?”
“Uki?”
“…Huh? What was that?”
“Ukiki.”
But even if I understand how they feel, I’m not about to talk to monkeys whose heads are ruled by lust. I’m on a different stage than them, desperately holding on while my head is invaded by lust. I’m determined to get through this by only saying “Ukiuki.”
If I were level one, I’d already be crying and prostrating myself, but I’m around level fifty now. This is the余裕 (yoyuu – composure) that comes from knowing I can handle this many guys.
After repeating this completely incomprehensible exchange for a while, their anger seemed to reach its limit.
“Should we just do him in?”
“Yeah. He’s taking this way too lightly.”
“Hmph, disgusting.”
“We were just going to scare him a little… but he’s underestimating us.”
I have no words. I should have talked properly.
But just as things were about to explode, a man stepped between me and the monkeys.
“Surrounding one person with so many… I can’t just stand by and watch!”
“What’s it to you? Get out of here.”
“I don’t know who you are, but you better back off for your own good.”
“Disappear. We’ll let you off the hook if you do.”
Ooh. I don’t know who he is, but he’s going to help me. There’s justice in this academy after all. Now it’s two against seven.
“I don’t know what he did, but this is too much… You’re…!”
“Huh? You know him?”
“Trying to help your friend? Coming to get beat up together is a beautiful display of friendship.”
“Me and this guy are friends!? Don’t joke around! Hey, what did this guy do!?”
The one who came to help me was the Harem Bastard. This isn’t looking good.
“He’s… you know, the one with that light blue-haired girl.”
“Millie!? Did he do something to Millie again!?”
“Yeah. He’s unforgivable.”
“We need to teach him a lesson.”
“I see… I’ll join in.”
It became one against eight. There was no justice.
“Uki… I mean, don’t be fooled, you guys. That guy is an evil Harem Bastard who spends his weekends with that light blue-haired girl and two other beautiful girls.”
“What!? That’s not a Harem! They’re just childhood friends…!”
“Did you hear that, you guys? Childhood friends! He’s way more sinful than me!”
“That’s true… unforgivable.”
“How dare you try to join us with that face.”
“Hmph, disgusting.”
“We’ll beat you both up.”
Yes, it’s one against one against seven. I am justice.
“Ah, Geld-kun, you’re here!”
“Huh?”
I turned around to the super cute voice calling my name and saw Millie sticking her head out of a second-floor window of the school building.
“Geld-kun, have you seen my student handbook?”
“I haven’t, what’s wrong?”
“I thought I put it in my pocket yesterday, but it’s gone. I thought maybe I left it in Geld-kun’s room.”
“Ah, I’ll look for it then.”
“Sorry. If it’s there, it’s probably around the bed.”
“Got it.”
Millie pulled her head back in, having finished her business.
“…………”
“…………”
“…………”
“…………”
I ran.
“Well, well.”
I ran to the roof. Surely no one would climb up here.
Besides, Millie is oblivious to how she’s perceived, or something like that.
I should probably tell her how people will think if she goes around telling everyone she went to a guy’s room. She probably doesn’t understand.
“But if I do that, she won’t come to my room anymore, and I won’t go to hers either…?”
Okay, I’ll let Millie stay as she is. The real Millie is the best.
Having reaffirmed Millie’s goodness, I was about to stare at the sky until lunch break was over when I saw black dots gradually increasing in the sky.
“…Birds?”
The black dots continued to increase, eventually becoming countless. Maybe they’re migratory birds moving in a flock. Since they’re heading this way, I might be able to witness the flock flying up close.
“Have we ever had birds like that?”
It’s hard to tell because there’s nothing to compare them to, but they seem too big to be birds.
Or, if my eyes aren’t deceiving me, it looks like birds with human-like bodies are flying.
I’m pretty sure these aren’t birds, so I kept watching, and then…
“…Monsters?”
I realized that a countless horde of Monsters was flying straight towards this academy.
Leading the way was a Monster that could only be described as a bird with a human-like body. Other various winged Monsters were flying alone or carrying other Monsters on their backs, continuing to fly towards us.
Looking at such a hopeless sight, I could only think of one thing.
…Was there an event like that?
Of course, I have no memory of the original game. But the events since coming to this world, especially the three years I spent at Royal Ukyak Academy in the previous loop, are still fresh in my memory. And since Royal Ukyak Academy is in the Royal Capital like Desroah Academy, I should have heard if Monsters of that scale attacked the Royal Capital, or even just passed over it, and I should have been able to sense them even when I was weaker.
In other words, this is an event that didn’t happen in the previous loop.
It didn’t happen in the previous loop, but it’s happening in this loop. If I think about the factors, the cause, there’s only one event that comes to mind.
“Are they after that jewel…?”
Or maybe I triggered something with an event that happened before or after getting that jewel.
Anyway, since the biggest difference from the previous loop is the discovery of that hidden room, it’s safe to assume that this attack was triggered by something related to it.
If that’s the case, this is an original event. An event that the protagonist should deal with and lead to a resolution.
“…………”
So, there’s only one thing I should do.
That’s right—spectate.