kscans

Chapter 212 - Cheat Bastard VS Villainess ⑧

"Ahem! So, for those reasons, allow me to apologize once again."

I cleared my throat as if to reset the strange atmosphere and apologized for having deceived them until now. The first person to react was Rika-san.

"It’s fine, really. Because, well, Sarna-chan, you love us, don’t you?"

"…That… yes, I am very fond of you all."

"Whatever your initial reason was, it’s fine. As long as you care about us now, Sarna-chan, I don’t have anything to complain about."

She turned to the boys, asking, "What about you two?"

"I think Rika-chan said everything I wanted to say," Akatsuki-kun replied, flashing a gentle smile. "If I were to add anything, it would be, let’s continue to get along from now on, I guess?"

"I mostly feel the same as them, but… Hero Uncle really did something terrible this time."

Ayase-san prostrated himself on the spot. I frantically told him to raise his head.

"No, but… this is bad, isn’t it… It’s on a whole other level from sexual harassment or something…"

"Thanatos and the others had it coming."

"Yeah, but Sarna-chan, you’re five, right? Showing something like that to a five year old is the absolute limit of what’s not okay…"

Even though he didn’t know I was behind him, he was still guilty, Ayase-san insisted.

"That, you see, is also my responsibility for not having complete control over Thanatos and the others."

I pleaded with him to lift his head because it was getting seriously awkward, and he finally did.

"So, um… what? What should we do? Should we put in a good word with Uncle? Tell him to do something about the Death Gods?"

Rika-san brought it up, as if to change the subject, but she was mistaken.

"No, that won’t be necessary."

"My lady!? What, isn’t that why you summoned us!?"

"Of course not."

Know your shame, using your friends’ goodwill like that. Your appearance is already the height of shame, so at least try to be virtuous on the inside.

"N, no, but Sarna-chan… Isn’t that, you know, a bit harsh? If there’s anything we can do."

Akatsuki-kun is truly a considerate man. Saying "isn’t that harsh" without specifying the subject was his way of being kind. In not saying bluntly, "Having a pervert in your living space must be hell," I saw his "gentleness."

"Wait, Hikaru. What you’re saying is reasonable, but it might not be a good idea coming from us."

"Sakuya-san?"

"Hero Uncle is certainly lenient with us, but he won’t budge on things he’s decided on."

Ayase-san looked uncomfortably at Thanatos.

"What you all are doing is no different from wicked retainers installing a puppet king and ruling through tyranny."

"What did you say…!!"

"It’s not about what you think. It’s about what a third party would think."

Ayase-san’s words were cold as he addressed the furious Thanatos. He must have felt the difference in our power firsthand. Even now, the pressure of a god who governs death was leaking out with his anger, yet Ayase-san’s expression didn’t change. That level of composure… I suppose he is a blood relative of Hero-san, after all.

"Once he learns about Sarna-chan’s background, Hero Uncle will almost certainly show his displeasure. On top of that, making a child apologize to beg for forgiveness… you might end up in a worse situation than you are in now."

"…Now that you mention it, I think Satou-san said something back then about turning the entire Underworld into a brothel."

Akatsuki-kun’s face twitched dramatically. He probably thought that when it came to whether he would do it or not, he most certainly would.

"Um, I don’t really care about Thanatos and the others, so could we get to the main topic now?"

"Oh, right. If it’s not something you want us to fix, then why…"

Why did I confess. I understood what Rika-san was trying to say.

"It is the premise. For the story I am about to tell you. I revealed my identity so that you would understand why I know these things."

…Well, there was also the personal reason that I didn’t want to keep any more secrets from them.

"That premise was way too rich… It’s like being served a bowl of Iekei ramen as a snack with tea."

"My apologies for that."

"Um, so Sarna-chan… what is the main topic?"

At the question, I took a small, deep breath before I began.

"If I told you the world has already been destroyed once, would you believe me?"

"""Huh?"""

"And if I told you it might be destroyed again in about three weeks, would you believe me?"

You probably can’t believe it. But it is an unshakable fact. I told them, without holding anything back, about the situation this world was in. The three of them looked pale. Of course they did. It was a truth too heavy for children to bear. Hero-san must have kept quiet because he didn’t want them to feel this way… but I’m sorry. I will do what I believe is right.

"I revealed this fact because I could not accept it."

Ending without knowing anything, or continuing on without knowing anything. Whichever way it goes, they should be given the choice of whether or not to fight back.

"Because that’s how it should be, right? Even if you don’t fight… it’s irresponsible, isn’t it?"

Leaving everything to someone else without knowing a thing. If you choose not to fight, you should have to live with that decision and all the anxiety that comes with it until the end.

"…Can I ask one thing?"

"What is it, Ayase-san?"

"Do we even have the option to fight? Even if we join the battle…"

"It would be meaningless? That is not true. It will have meaning. You can be a proper part of the fighting force."

Explaining the detailed logic would take too long… ah, that’s right, I have a good example.

"In battle, the role of participants other than Hero-san is to deal with the armies the other side brings. Their numbers could be tens, or hundreds of times ours… or perhaps even more. We will surely be at a numerical disadvantage. That is why Hero-san plans to raise our overall combat strength to compensate. To put it in game terms, it would be something like an extreme buff and infinite extra lives."

And that will continue as long as Hero-san is not defeated. That is why even a common soldier is not a problem. When I explained it like that, he said,

"Then I’ll participate."

"…Um, Akatsuki-kun? I’m not saying you have to decide right now."

The time we have isn’t long, but it exists. I am not so cruel as to demand such a momentous decision be made immediately.

"The reason I’m still fighting is for money, yes, but more than that, it’s because I want to protect my family."

He now knew that the peace on the Surface World was a fragile one. When his beloved family is faced with a threat creeping from the darkness, he doesn’t want to be someone who can’t do anything. That, Akatsuki-kun said, is why he continues to walk through the gloom.

"So, I will fight."

His words were brief, but the passion within them made not only us, but even Thanatos, hold his breath. A curtain of silence fell.

"…I don’t really have a noble motive like that, but," Rika-san was the first to break it.

"If I hadn’t known anything, I would have had to say goodbye to Mama and Uncle forever without ever knowing why."

I wouldn’t like that, Rika-san said with a wry smile.

"If everything is going to end… I want us to at least be in the same place, feeling the same way."

So, she will fight. She didn’t say the words, but her intention was clear to everyone.

"I’ll fight too."

"…Why is that?"

"Let’s see. It’s partly because I feel the same as Hikaru and Rika-chan, but…"

Ayase-san chuckled, as if to say that alone would make it seem like he was just following their lead. I had thought this for a while, but this person has a certain allure. And it wasn’t a man’s allure, but a woman’s. I wonder if his impression would change if he cut his hair short?

"A dream I thought could never come true might just be possible."

That is why he will fight. If he leaves it to someone else, he will surely regret it at the final moment. He wants to do everything in his power until the very end, Ayase-san declared.

"Sacchan’s dream… oh, college?"

"No, that’s well within reach, so it’s more of a goal than a dream?"

"Then what is it? I’m a little curious."

I was curious too.

"Ah, well, actually, I’m what you’d call transgender."

"""———Huh?"""

"A woman’s heart in a man’s body. A gender mismatch."

No, I know that. I know that part.

"There are things like gender confirmation surgery, but even that can’t give you a completely female body, right? But with Takahashi-san and Suzuki-san… and now today, I’ve found new living examples in Thanatos and the others. With the mysterious and shady technique Hero Uncle uses called the TS Divine Fist, I might be able to become a real woman."

Ayase-san smiled brightly, saying he didn’t want to let that dream die, so he would fight.

"…Um, I don’t have any prejudice against that. Though I understand it’s a delicate issue."

"Ah, me neither."

"Me too."

"That’s good. I was a little nervous."

"""But could you please consider how it feels for us to have you come out at a time like this?"""

I don’t… I don’t know how to react!!

"Hahaha."

This is no time for hahaha, you know?