kscans

Chapter 73 - Called Off Due to Rain

"By the way, Kyo-chan-kun. I have some unfortunate news."

Three days after our trip to the Orc dungeon, while we were in the middle of a "Matsuo Sea Battle," Aira-san’s voice echoed in my mind via Telepathy.

"What is it? Are you surrounded?"

"Nope. I’m about to stylishly repel them, so that’s not a problem."

"Understood. I’m on my way to provide support."

"Wait for me, paisen! Uoooooh! Doo-doo Attaaack!"

"Don’t say ‘doo-doo.’"

"Jeez, what’s with the lack of faith! Fine, I’m activating the Urchin Tank!!"

"You probably shouldn’t use that until the next update."

""Ah.""

"Hey, why did you two just fall off on your own...?"

Two beautiful but hapless girls tumbled into a gap in the stage. Their self-destruction was so spectacular you’d think they did it on purpose.

Ugh, this is just a total mess.

"By the way, Kyo-chan-kun. I have some unfortunate news."

"If you’re just repeating the punchline, I’m not interested."

"No, no. Just listen."

"Okay."

Judging by the tone of her voice, it seemed serious.

Though, I wish she wouldn’t bring up serious topics while we’re gaming. This is an online match, so I can’t just pause it.

"Actually, regarding the coins that drop in dungeons, it’s been decided that the buyback price will be lowered starting from the next expedition."

"Ah. Well, that makes sense."

The value of the coins was dropping. It was something I had expected.

In fact, you could say the situation up until now was the strange part. Earning a million yen in a single day was never supposed to be possible.

"My grandmother told me the lab has secured a sufficient quantity, and our sponsors apparently don’t need any more. I sent you an email with the details about the price change, so please check it."

"Got it."

"From now on, in your case, it’ll probably be more profitable to sell the coins on the open market rather than to the lab. My grandmother also put together some advice on that, so please give it a read."

"Thank you. I’ll be sure to use it as a reference."

"And one more thing. While the coin price is going down, we plan to trade other dropped items as we always have. For now, at least. In any case, we’re counting on you going forward."

"Understood. Likewise, thank you for your continued support."

…I see. She probably brought it up during the game because it wasn’t exactly good news, and it would have been harder to mention at any other time. That’s very like Aira-san.

Still, a reduction in the coin buyback price.

Even though I’d anticipated it, it was still unfortunate news.

If I recall correctly, the current market rate for the coins is about ‘500 yen per coin.’ They’ve literally become nothing more than a single coin. For comparison, the lab was buying them from us for nearly double that amount until recently.

For a time, they were traded at high prices, but with the increase in adventurers, the balance of supply and demand shifted, and the price apparently dropped this far.

Still, the fact that they sell reliably makes things a lot better than back in April. Defeat twenty monsters and you get 10,000 yen; fifty gets you 25,000 yen.

Aira-san seemed a little worried, but I have absolutely no intention of cutting our contract over this.

Her [Telepathy] and [Appraisal] are useful, and more importantly, I feel a sense of gratitude and attachment to them. They still buy other drops at high prices, and I plan on continuing to go into dungeons with them.

"Oh, that’s right. It’s depressing to only hear bad news, isn’t it? So how about I add a piece of good news to the mix?"

"And what might that be?"

"It seems the Dungeon Agency and the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism have finally made their move. On the condition of providing support to local governments, they’ve decided that public offices will conduct mandatory investigations of vacant houses all over the country. In some cases, they’ll even be permitted to demolish the houses themselves with the police present."

"Well now."

It seemed the government was finally starting to address that particular issue.

The problem of abandoned houses took on a completely different meaning before and after the Day of Awakening. In the past, they were seen as a problem due to fires and crime, but now they were considered dangerous because of the possibility of undiscovered gates.

There have been numerous dungeon breaks caused by gates left unattended in abandoned houses. Voices from both the public and private sectors had been rising, demanding something be done.

I’d heard on TV that they couldn’t easily take action due to consideration for the homeowners and various legal issues, but… it seems the Dungeon Agency and the Ministry have done some good work.

"The information was just released online, but it’ll probably be featured heavily on TV tomorrow morning. Look forward to it."

"Well, I’ve had to deal with two dungeon breaks myself, so it’s welcome news, but… I don’t think I’ll be in the mood for it tomorrow morning."

"Hm? Oh, right. It’s tomorrow, isn’t it?"

Tomorrow is the sports festival.

That event where, even though I’m not participating in any of the competitions, I’m forced to attend because a teacher told me, ‘You must at least cheer.’

Seriously, give me a break. It’s not just awkward, it’s beyond that.

And you, P.E. teacher, you bastard. You indirectly told me to get ‘sick’ for the sports festival, yet you act all high and mighty like some teacher lecturing a student trying to skip.

Well, I’m going anyway. My general stance is to go with the flow.

"By the way, my parents are planning to come, but are you and the Professor not coming to cheer for Erina-san? You’re basically her guardians."

"My grandmother is a very busy woman. Lectures at the university, work at the lab, meetings with other staff, fieldwork in dungeons. On top of that, she helps out around the house from time to time, and she’s the one who manages the contracts for the housekeepers and such. Unfortunately, she can’t come just to watch when Erina-kun isn’t even competing."

"I see. What about you, Aira-san?"

"I don’t want to be near a crowd of high school students. In fact, I don’t really want to go outside at all."

"Of course."

I had a feeling that would be the case.

"Kyo-chan, Kyo-chan!"

"Yes, yes."

"I have good news and bad news for you, too!!"

Erina-san, who until now had only been letting out strange cries like ‘Uoooooh!’ and ‘Kieeeeeh!’, began to speak in human language.

"First, the good news is, Shī-chan finished the armor!"

"What, already?"

"Yup! Tomorrow morning, I’ll pick it up along with Byak-chan and store it away with my space ninjutsu! You’ll have to wait until after the sports festival to see it in person!"

"Thanks. I’ll get it from you when the festival is over."

"Actually, I figure it’ll be a pain to carry, so how about I bring it to your house, Kyo-chan? Let’s go together right after the festival ends!"

"Eh?"

A girl, Erina-san, at my place?

As I froze, she asked me, sounding a little anxious.

"Is that a no? Is it a bad time?"

"Ah, no. Not at all."

"Great! I can’t wait to see what Byak-chan’s armor looks like!"

"Y-Yeah."

…Seriously?

Breaking out in a cold sweat from nervousness, I glanced around my room.

…I have to clean this up tonight…!

It’s still undecided if I’ll let her into my room, but it would be far too rude to just say goodbye at the door after she carried it all the way here. That would mean inviting her in for tea or something.

If that happens, there’s a pretty good chance I’ll end up showing her my room, since we’re friends, right? Wait? Why is my heart pounding like crazy?

"Also, Kyo-chan. The bad news."

"Y-Yes?"

"We lost. It was a crushing defeat, I do declare."

"I know."

The screen was covered in the enemy team’s ink; it was an overwhelming loss.

Was it because you guys were too busy talking? Wrong. It was a simple matter of skill.

After finishing the game, I looked around my room while chatting idly via telepathy.

A cluttered desk. Manga left on the bed. A floor with a bit of dust collecting along the walls.

…For now, I should probably hide the manga and games that a girl shouldn’t see.

＊　　　　＊　　　　　＊

The next day. The sports festival.

The sky was unfortunately overcast, and the forecast had said it might rain. Depending on the intensity, the event might be called off entirely.

Each class’s area had a tent with only a roof supported by poles, and the same went for the parents’ and teachers’ sections. With this, we wouldn’t end up like drowned rats if it suddenly started pouring.

And so, under my class’s tent.

I was currently… ‘c r o s s - d r e s s i n g.’

No, I don’t think I’m being bullied or anything. It’s just that, for some reason, a rule had been added to the obstacle course: ‘Boys must cross-dress, girls must dress as boys.’

"Yagawa-kun! I know you’re on the sidelines due to being unwell, but your name is on the list for the obstacle course. To show solidarity, please cross-dress with us!!"

That’s how I found myself surrounded by several boys who were already in drag.

I caved to the pressure, and now here I was, enduring this living shame.

I’m not saying cross-dressing is a bad thing. It’s just that I hate how a guy like me looks like some kind of weird creature in this getup.

Perhaps due to my Awakening, I’ve grown quite a bit since middle school and am now one of the taller students in my class. My shoulders are fairly broad, too.

And yet, I’m wearing a frilly maid outfit. To make matters worse, the skirt only goes down to my knees.

I have on a long black wig and rugged leather gloves on my hands. Around my neck is a flashy choker. I look like some kind of cosplay maid out of a manga.

The padding in the chest is annoying, and the skirt feels so breezy it’s unsettling. I somehow managed to keep my own underwear on, but my legs are covered in white knee-high socks. The feeling is incredibly weird.

I’m sitting in the very back row of pipe chairs, pressing my knees tightly together and gripping the hem of my skirt to keep it down. I wanted to hide as much of my legs as possible.

I didn’t have time to check in a mirror, but I’m sure it doesn’t suit me at all. What a humiliation.

My cheeks grew hot with shame. The gazes of my classmates kept turning this way, and I think someone even took a picture of me.

As for the few male students who forced me into this outfit,

"Go for it! Give it all you’ve got!"

"Don’t lose! Show some guts!"

"Don’t give up until the end!"

They were in the front row, manfully cheering on our classmates. They were dressed in a sailor uniform, a gothic lolita outfit, and a miniskirt military uniform, respectively.

They were so dignified despite being in drag; they must have been completely focused on cheering for everyone.

For a moment.

Don’t those guys just want to show off their cross-dressing to everyone?

I was ashamed of myself for even suspecting such a thing. They were purely cheering on their schoolmates; it was proof of my own tainted heart.

In any case, I can’t relax in this outfit.

"Haaa…"

As I brushed back my annoyingly long hair, I felt the breathing from the person next to me intensify.

For some reason, Ito-kun, sitting in the pipe chair next to me, was staring intently at me. His face was red, and his eyes were bloodshot. Frankly, it was scary.

Was that it? Was he angry that I looked like I was having fun cross-dressing despite not participating in any of the practices or events? Or maybe he was trying his best not to burst out laughing.

Whatever the case, his stare was painful. When I turned my head the other way, I saw the tent for the neighboring class.

I was being stared at intently. By Erina-san.

She was in a normal gym uniform and shorts, with a jersey draped over her shoulders. She even had a headband on, showing her high spirits.

I froze as the self-proclaimed ninja stared at me with sparkling eyes. What’s with that look, like a child who just got a toy for Christmas?

Surely she wasn’t planning on playing with me like a toy later, was she…? …Ah, she totally is. I have a feeling Aira-san will join in, too.

Busujima-san stared at my entire body with a look of utter shock, froze for a few seconds, and then clutched her head. What happened to her?

The only person whose reaction I could understand was Ooyama-san, who was giving me a pitying look. If you’re going to pity me, please help me.

Also, their class is incredibly energetic. They’re all clustered in the front rows, as if to put distance between themselves and Erina-san’s group in the back, cheering on their classmates running on the field.

…Yeah. They just want to get away from Erina-san, don’t they?

And what’s more, looking at the other classes, no one else is cross-dressing at this stage. It’s just our class that jumped the gun.

"Haaa…"

I sighed again and turned my gaze forward.

It looked like the relay race had just finished, and people were starting to move for the next event. Ito-kun next to me was also starting to trudge along.

…He was walking strangely, as if he were injured.

In any case, there was nothing for me to do. Even if I was told to cheer, I didn’t have the guts to expose myself to the public eye like the guys in the front row.

I was tempted to just tell a teacher I felt sick and go home. If I added that I might participate in an event if I felt better, they’d believe my fake illness without a second thought.

As I was entertaining such thoughts, so unbefitting of a sports festival.

—Plip.

A single raindrop fell onto the field.

It seemed the weather had finally started to turn. Following that first drop, the rain began to fall in a light patter. I quietly breathed a sigh of relief. Now I could go home.

The teachers’ tent was in a flurry amidst the murmuring of the students. It was just a light drizzle, so maybe they were debating whether to continue?

But even so, their faces looked awfully panicked….

"Hm?"

In the misty rain, something red fell to the ground.

It was just a few drops. A detail that would normally go unnoticed, yet my eyes were inexplicably drawn to it.

More of it fell, staining the dirt of the field a deep red.

The moment I correctly identified that red liquid, I shot up from my chair, knocking it over.

Almost simultaneously, a voice boomed from the speakers.

"A dungeon break has occurred near the school! All students and guardians, please evacuate to the school building immediately!"

"Wha…?"

"What’s going on? A dungeon break?"

Slipping through the confused students, I went outside the tent.

I looked up at the sky, hoping that my imagination—no, my intuition—was wrong.

"GYAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!"

A chorus of cackling laughter echoed. The sources of it flew brazenly through the heavens, each one dangling a silent ‘victim’ from one hand.

They had the lower bodies and heads of goats. Their upper bodies were rippling with muscle, just like a human’s. Bat-like wings sprouted from their backs, and in their right hands, they gripped greatscythes.

These inhuman beings, their horizontal pupils gleaming, looked down upon the school grounds as if sizing up their prey.

A student—it must have been someone else besides me who noticed the enemy’s presence—let out a scream. The monsters only twisted their lips into a jeer, savoring the sound.

‘Lesser Demon.’

Possessing high intelligence and cruelty. And a C-Rank monster that wields magic.

They were flying all over the sky above the school.

Dozens of them. Scores of them.

Their cackles, likely numbering over a hundred, echoed from the distance.