kscans

Chapter 222 - Hyakka-chan and the New World Quest, Part 5

The suffocating heat and the vortex of flames were gone. I gasped for air, panting heavily. I hadn't been the one running. I'd just been clinging to the horse's back, holding Famu. But the pressure had been more exhausting than any physical exertion. I stopped the horse and looked back. The corridor stretched out peacefully, as if nothing had happened, which only made it feel more unsettling. I couldn't shake the feeling that the dragon's breath was lurking somewhere. I shook my head, dismissing the impossible fantasy. On the horse's back were the members of New World and Famu. I'd thought it was big when I first saw it, but it was clearly larger now. It seemed its size changed based on Hyakka-chan's feelings. As expected of a phantasmal beast summoned by a special skill. Its abilities were absurd.

"You're used to those kinds of chaotic situations, huh…"

Etowan was also carefully scanning our rear, checking for any sign of the enemy.

"Your team's coordination was more polished,"

I replied, surprised that I was complimenting him.

"What's with the weird look?!"

He jabbed me with his elbow. It hit my chest, squashing Hyakka-chan's small mounds. I couldn't tell if it was an accident born from his embarrassment or if he had intentionally aimed for my chest. While I was struggling with a response, Chihiro grabbed my arm.

"Let's turn back. We can use this horse to lure them out and wear them down. There's no way they can maintain a special skill like that, and they can't use it repeatedly. I'll finish it with my special skill."

The moment he saw Yuki, he seemed to have become a different person. Speaking of changing, Sierra was the same. She had been wearing a stern expression towards Hyakka-chan, but now her attention was fixed on Yuki and his group.

"Wait, are you planning to kill Yuki?"

"What are you talking about now?"

he retorted sharply, and I couldn't say anything more. We had only seen Yuki just now, but his other companions must be there too. Zeno Leafkraut. And that small transmigrator who had blocked Laciel's arrow. Did we even have a chance of winning? I might not be Hyakka-chan, but as Mash-kun, I had arranged a chance to negotiate with them through Zeno Leafkraut. If we could just get through this, there was a possibility of reconciliation.

"Master, let's turn back…"

Famu, who had been limp in my arms, sat up.

"Back then, Sam could have cut me with her dagger. But she only slapped my hand away."

She looked at me with an intense gaze. Did she really think Sameim could be alive in that situation? I reconsidered. Even Laciel puts up a barrier so her attacks don't affect areas they're not supposed to. I don't know if that dragon has such consideration, but the small transmigrator is also there. More importantly, they're occupying the entrance to this floor. If we wanted to avoid them, we'd have to defeat the Area Guardian, and in the worst-case scenario, Levante could fall into that trap.

"You're right. Let's turn back."

Just as I said that, Koone's body swayed, and he fell from the horse.

"Koone!"

Moosu's shout echoed. Sameim's dagger was lodged deep in Koone's body.

Koone was limp, his face contorted in pain. Chihiro and I were casting healing magic on his body, but it felt like the healing was slow. Past a certain point of damage, healing magic becomes ineffective, and treatment at a church is required. I couldn't tell how severe this wound was. The white horse summoned by the special skill had already been sent back. We had given up on turning back to counterattack. It seemed Yuki and his group weren't pursuing us for now.

"Damn it, what a klutz…"

Etowan was still spouting his usual foul-mouthed complaints, but he kept glancing at Koone's face, folding and unfolding his arms, utterly restless. Seeing him like that, a small smile crept onto my face. He was clearly worried sick. He noticed me watching him.

"Hey, stop staring at me! Concentrate on healing!"

He said that, but the effect of the magic was the same whether I concentrated or not. Just as Marmi had said. Faith and the effect of healing are not proportional. It's the difference in the spell formula and the amount of mana that can be poured into it. As I was thinking that, I heard the sound of footsteps on the corridor floor from the opposite direction we had fled.

"Tch, at a time like this… Trolls?"

Etowan and the others readied their weapons, but it wasn't trolls. It had only been half a day since we parted, but they were a nostalgic and reassuring sight: our companions.

"Mizuki, Myra, Mo, Shizuka… and, Mash-kun…"

I said all their names. They, too, spotted us and ran over. Mash-kun followed a step behind them.

"There you are! It's fine to meet up with Hyakka-chan and the others, but you made us worry!"

Mash-kun rushed up to Famu.

"Hmph, it's because Shizuka gave us such terrible directions that we got lost!"

Famu replied in her usual tone, but there was a hint of shadow in her voice. Mash-kun seemed to notice it too. Then he saw the limp Koone and rushed over.

"W-What happened…?"

As she took my place, I stood up and walked over to Levante. Looking at everyone's faces, it seemed they were all frowning, their cheeks puffed out. They all looked angry. Were they angry that Famu had left to join us?

"M-Myra, please treat Koone. It seems a Paladin's healing power is too weak."

"Understood."

I thought she might argue, but she simply nodded and walked over to Moosu. Her ample chest swayed. An element that New World was lacking. Myra's presence was indeed something to be cherished up close rather than from afar. I almost reached for her chest out of habit, but I restrained myself since I was Hyakka-chan for now. She knelt down and placed her hand on Moosu's wound. As I watched her, I pulled Mizuki's hand.

"Hey, what happened?"

"Huh? You guys are the ones something happened to, right?"

"No, you're all angry about something, aren't you?"

"W-Well…"

Mizuki scratched her cheek, looking awkward.

"Are you all angry at Famu? She has a good nose, so it's easy to think she has a great sense of direction, but in reality, she's no different from the rest of us. She just got really lost and couldn't find her way back. We tried to find you guys too. But with the information she had, it was impossible."

I rattled off excuses, not giving her a chance to interrupt. I felt it was better to make excuses and apologize before she asked for a reason.

"We were worried, but we're not angry about that. It's…"

She glanced over at Marmi, Shizuka, and even Famu, as if to call them over. Myra was treating Koone, so she was probably excluded. The fact that her gaze didn't go to Mash-kun probably meant he was the cause. Come to think of it, when Famu joined us, she was complaining about Mash-kun too.

"...Mizuki, didn't you say something like 'I think I like him' about Mash-kun, just to spite me?"

"Because he just keeps ordering me around, and he won't listen to a thing I say!"

Mizuki looked just like a normal girl. It was a strange thought.

"Well, I ordered you around plenty, didn't I?"

"Mash-kun doesn't trust me. Hyakka-chan trusted me. In the end, she left things to me."

I poked her heating cheek with my finger as I thought. I had the foundation we'd built over two months, even if it was just two months. Mash-kun didn't have that, so it couldn't be helped. And to him, a party with one person with no combat experience at all, one who had studied but had little combat experience, and two with only two months of experience must have seemed incredibly unreliable. If anything, I felt sorry for him.

"...That's why I said it would be better to take Hyakka with Mash's personality, even if Mash and Hyakka swapped bodies."

Marmi muttered, cutting in.

"No, you didn't say a single word! Mo went along with Mash-kun without saying anything either! I'm a delicate person, you know. I was really hurt!"

"...I thought Mash-kun was cooler at first, too."

She puffed out her cheeks even more, hurting Hyakka-chan even further.

"...Anyway, Hyakka won't listen to me."

Mizuki and Shizuka both nodded vigorously at those words.

"Right! I was trying to be considerate and talking to him so he could get used to the party quickly, but Mash-kun just said I was annoying and pushed the mapper role on me!"

"You're the new one in Levante too, Shizuka!"

Hyakka-chan's body, even with a different master, didn't miss a beat with its comeback. Just then, Mash-kun, who had overheard our conversation, came over. His cheeks were puffed out just like Mizuki's and the others. For an old guy, it was pretty creepy.

"All of these guys are too damn noisy! Especially Shizuka. She keeps talking about pervy stuff, it's driving me crazy!"

"..."

As expected, the original's comeback was sharp. Even as Mash-kun, that skill was as keen as ever. To master Hyakka-chan's body, I'd have to master this sharp comeback.

"What are you grinning and looking impressed for! It's because you didn't discipline them properly, Hyakka-chan, that they're all getting cocky!"

"Her being noisy is a reward! It's way cuter that way! Besides, you're noisy too! ...But I completely agree about Shizuka."

"Why just me?!"

Shizuka shouted.

"Hyakka-chan…"

Mash-kun muttered in an exasperated tone, ignoring her feelings. Then, he let out a big sigh.

"From now on, the leader of Levante is Hyakka-chan. I'm going back to New World…"

he said, his voice laced with a loss of confidence. Etowan, who had been watching us from a distance, made a blatantly disgusted face.

"We've got enough old-guy characters over here. Famu would be fine, but send over the one with the big boobs!"

Etowan shouted.

"What the hell?!"

Mash-kun retorted, running over to protest. As they swapped places, Koone approached, supported by Myra and Moosu.

"Are you okay?"

Myra and Moosu stepped away from Koone's side. He raised his arm and flexed his bicep.

"My bad. I won't let my guard down again. How about a rematch?"

A corner of his mouth lifted into a grin.

Before the battle, I had to tell Levante about Yuki. Especially Mizuki, she had to hear it. The thought weighed heavily on me. They didn't know what had happened after Famu saw a figure that looked like Sameim and chased after it. Next to me, the members of New World were explaining the situation to Mash-kun. The name Yuki popped up here and there in their conversation, and every time, Mizuki would cast a worried glance in their direction.

"Master, it's about time…"

Famu prompted me as I was trying to listen in on New World's conversation, just like Mizuki.

"Ah, yeah…"

I nodded to her. "Actually, we were attacked by Mizuki's senior… Yuki."

At those words, Mizuki gasped, her hands clasped in front of her tightening their grip.

"So… tell me the rest."

I nodded at Mizuki's words. Then, I told her the series of events that had occurred since we saw Sameim. She listened silently, without interrupting.

"I don't know what their objective is. Whether it's something on this floor, or to fight Levante, or to fight New World. All I know is they're positioned at the entrance to this floor. The members of New World are planning to break through there. So we have to go with them."

"Why?"

"There's also the option of taking a different route, defeating the Area Guardian, avoiding their ambush, and leaving the dungeon. But with Shizuka here, I can't use Goddess Summon. If something were to happen, we could be wiped out."

Mizuki's expression remained unchanged, silent, waiting for my next words.

"Also, I can't leave the fight with Yuki and the others to them alone. The outcome is unpredictable. As long as they show the will to fight, we'll cooperate with New World and fight with all twelve of us. If we can put New World in our debt, we can protect Yuki and Sameim from being killed by them."

Famu had also used her special skill. The core of the fight would be Mizuki, Hyakka, Chihiro, and the high-firepower Marmi. I glanced at Marmi, and she nodded with a look of understanding.

"Do you really think… that's how it will turn out?"

I remembered Yuki's special skill from before. He probably couldn't summon that dragon again. But if he had a similar special skill, we would need to respond with a corresponding level of power. But for now, I had no choice but to nod.

"I see…"

Mizuki murmured. I turned my gaze to Shizuka.

"Hey, you've been listening to this like it has nothing to do with you, but you're going to have to work too, Shizuka."

"Huh? Shizuka-chan gets to have a turn too?"

Suddenly being addressed, she raised her hand in surprise.

"Use your special skill, Bamboo Scale. Measure the size of all their dicks. We'll post it at the guild and make it so they can't stay in this city."

The special skills she possessed were all pretty useless, but Bamboo Scale was in a league of its own in terms of pointlessness. An ability to measure the size of an erect penis—what was it even for?

"What if they're impressive? If that's the case, I'll ditch Mash and join them!"

She was spouting nonsense again.

"Those guys put all their stats into being handsome pretty-boys! There's no way any nutrients went to their crotches! The heavens wouldn't grant two gifts. They've gotta have small dicks!"

"Mash doesn't have either of the two gifts, but well, if that's the case…"

she replied, slightly taken aback. "Leave it to me. I'll make a ranking chart including Mash and the members of New World and announce it!"

"We don't need Mash-kun's!"

Mizuki was the one who decided his size. She bears full responsibility. I thought Mizuki might laugh a little, but her troubled expression didn't change.

"Mizuki…"

"Shizuka says a lot of things, but she loves Ko-kun the most…"

Mizuki murmured. I suppose so. Though I had a feeling Shizuka liked her teacher more, the one she was worried about, the name she constantly mentioned, was Ko-kun.

"Hyakka and Chihiro are close, and Rinko and Airi love each other. Everyone has a strong bond from before they came to this world."

I feel like Hyakka and Chihiro's closeness goes a bit too far, but she's right. Ema had a deep love for Ito, too. And Joe and Becky, and Takamura and Komachi as well. They all had connections before coming to this world.

"Mash and I don't have that. I was always thinking about weird things, so maybe I was called here by mistake…"

"What do you mean, weird things? Even if that's true, it's a bit late for that now!"

She gave a weak laugh at my words.

"Mash, you know…"

she started to say something, then shook her head as if to deny it. "The truth is, maybe both Mash and I were supposed to be summoned to this world with different people."

What was she denying, and what was she trying to say? Her eyes were shimmering with tears.

"I want Mizuki. I can't do this without Mizuki."

"You'd say that to anyone in this situation! And you wouldn't even come with me if I said I wanted to go back to our original world!"

"...Mizuki."

I tried to wipe away her tears, but she pushed my hand away.

"Were you really okay with a girl like me? If a girl like Famu had been chosen from the start, you wouldn't have made moves on so many other girls, would you?"

"Well, seeing your reactions did give me a taste for it…"

Mizuki looked away.

"This isn't love. No matter how much I fall for Mash, Mash will only ever see me in that way. And I've come to think that's okay."

Any guy would go crazy if a beautiful girl like Mizuki showed interest in him. I'd never even had a girl show that kind of feeling for me, let alone have a friendly conversation. It's only natural that I wouldn't know how to handle it. I have pure feelings too. But my interest tends to drift towards the physical, towards sex. And Mizuki has allowed it all so far, hasn't she? Isn't that natural too? It's not a simple 'yes' or 'no.' A whole mess of different emotions are all mixed up. That's why I'm so strongly drawn to her. I want to tell her that. But would she accept it? I know things can't stay as they are. But what can I do to make her accept it?

"What is love? I do what I want in front of Mizuki. Mizuki should do what she wants too. Is that not good enough?"

"Hyakka-chan… no, Mash."

"What?"

"I want to go back to our original world. With both of us together, of course. And also my senior, Hii-chan, Shizuka, all the transmigrators."

She's trying to make me lie. And then use that as a reason to berate me further. I had a feeling that's what it was. So, I had to answer honestly.

"I don't want to go back to our original world. The truth is, I want Mizuki to stay in this world too. Of course, I want to live together with everyone, including Famu, Myra, and Mo. I definitely want to help you with your desire to go back. But until that time comes, we have time. I plan to persuade you somehow."

"If you have other girls, then you don't need me, do you?!"

"I love Mizuki. That's why I can't be without you!"

"Both Mash and I are the worst…"

I thought she was going to blame me, but she included herself in it. I was overcome with the urge to ask her why, but before I could, my body moved on its own, and I was hugging her. But in Hyakka-chan's body, I wasn't tall enough, so it was more like I was diving into her chest.

"I want to do something about your senior, and Sameim too. I want to bring closure to the feelings of Hyakka and Chihiro and the others. Right now, I can't see any path to do that. I don't want a conclusion that makes someone sad. I really mean it."

Her arms wrapped around my back. I was enveloped in a soft sensation.

"I wish you'd do this when you're back to normal. We can't even kiss like this,"

Mizuki murmured.