Chapter 59

Chapter 59 \n\nNagae Yukiko was in despair. She was already in a dungeon where man-eating monsters strutted about. But of all things unlucky, the one she had to pair up with turned out to be Yokomichi Hajime.

The title, Gross Otaku, wouldn’t fit anyone better than him.

If it’s only a passive interest in anime, manga or games, most boys would be involved in at least one of those. Even Souma Yuuto, alongside his wholesome practice of kendo, would on occasion, play video games, enjoy manga, chat with his classmates on those topics; getting a disapproving word from his sister on as a result.

There were also boys with a greater than average interest in the domain. In Yukiko’s eyes, the mismatched pair that was Momokawa Kotarou and Saitou Masaru would be described as normal otaku, and most others in class likely thought so too. There were plenty of other otaku-ish boys around, so these two never stood out. They were basically living quiet, non-outstanding, peaceful school lives, where they wouldn’t cause any trouble unless it was something big, and in addition, never inspired any disgust from others, making them accepted as members of the same class.

But in stark contrast, there was Yokomichi Hajime. Even though Saitou Masaru was similar to him, being fat in addition to being an otaku, the former wasn’t hated. In fact, his over-excitable personality actually gathered a positive impression of him in class.

Yokomichi Hajime and Saitou Masaru. The fundamental difference between the two, in complete honesty, would be in their character. Yukiko didn’t know what was going on in Hajime’s mind, and neither did she wish to know. But considering that he would repeatedly cause problems in class, it would be fair to brand him as ill-mannered.

Every word of his came out as complaints. Always cynical, never focused, denying everything. On the spring of entering section 7 of their 2nd year in highschool, Saitou Masaru, as a fellow otaku, called out to Hajime who stayed in his lonesome. In response,

 

“— Tch!! This is why I hate filthy casuals!”

 

Snapped Hajime, and Masaru, predictably, also got mad, starting off a dispute. Yukiko should know, she was there when it happened.

It didn’t devolve to the point where the homeroom teacher would intervene, or they would be sent to the counseling room, but Hajime would often get into similar squabbles with other people in class too.

Thus, come the dawn of Golden Week, he attained the nickname of Porky. The boys hated his self-important guts, and the girls detested his simply ugly appearance. Yokomichi Hajime was thus, isolated. Like the saying goes: let the sleeping dogs lie, as such, it never turned into bullying and everyone simply ignored him. But this in fact protected the peace of Class 2-7. Since basically, Hajime never called out to anyone himself.

 

“Here, Yukiko. We only got walnuts, so eat up”

 

And at present, that Hajime was behaving as if he was her closest friend— No, as if he was her lover, he was being insistently over-familiar. For the already weak-willed Yukiko, that act itself was incredibly terrifying.

 

“Ah… Mm, thanks…”

 

With trembling finger tips, she received the fairy walnut from Hajime’s hand. Those hands that had just now finished murdering Goma were dabbed in plenty of blood. Naturally, the walnut grasped by such a hand would also be… But Yukiko couldn’t allow herself to shout, "That’s filthy!" in refusal.

 

“— Hii!?”

 

Yet, she ended up letting out a small scream because, the next moment, Hajime grabbed her hand. Even when simply touching with her fingertips gave her such an awful sense of repugnance, having her whole hand tightly grasped gave her psychological damage akin to cockroaches crawling all over her palm.

 

“Ah, my bad, it’s just”

 

‘Just’ what exactly? She had no interesting in what sort of flawed logic in his brain made Hajime suddenly grab a girl’s hand he’s not even close with. But she at least understood that such an action doesn’t ‘Just happen’ and she realized the ulterior implications behind it.

 

“Yukiko, your hand’s, so warm”

 

Her spine chilled over. The feeling struck her like lightning, the feeling that, as a girl, her body was in danger.

But the frail Yukiko could do nothing but stiffly shake her shoulders. She could, in no way, draw back her hand.

 

“N-not really… They’re, normal”

 

Her only form of resistance was a curt response. She must not let this man see her fear. Much less her disgust, that, she absolutely cannot hint at.

 

“I’ll never let go of this hand. Yukiko, I’ll always protect you…”

 

Spouting incomprehensible and unreasonable bogus, Hajime reluctantly lets go of Yukiko’s hand.

 

“Uuu… Uu…”

 

Finished with their unsavory meal of walnuts and water, Hajime had fallen asleep, and Yukiko finally got a chance to wash her hands. She kept her hands sunk in the chilled fountain water, unconcerned with her fingers numbing from the tips, simply needing with wash, cleanse, and purify herself.

 

“I hate this… I can’t, stand it anymore…”

 

Yokomichi Hajime was strong. He was wholly relying on the power of his Warrior Job, but he, nonetheless, brought out its potential and wielded it as his own.

He had the gall to tell her, ‘I’ll protect you’, with his stinking breath, so at the very least he seemed to have concern for her safety. In fact, whenever they encountered any monsters, Hajime would keep Yukiko behind him and hunt down those beasts with determination. Despite the fact that he looked like a psychotic killer intoxicated in blood and violence, it was also fact that he actually protected Yukiko from those fearsome monsters.

As long as she was with Hajime, she would be much safer than if she was alone. She could live without a constant fear for her life.

In spite of that, this situation, where Yukiko was alone together with Hajime was, as a young woman, presenting an unprecedented danger to the thing most important after her life.

Hajime had yet to come on to her forcefully. But, having her head stroked, and just before, with her hand… His actions were clearly escalating.

She wasn’t one to boast an abundance of experience with men, but Yukiko could at least tell when one’s gaze was muddied in desire. She was not interested in whether Yokomichi Hajime was truly in love with her, but she couldn’t help but realize how he was lusting after the her like a dog in heat.

If Yokomichi Hajime had a forceful personality like Higuchi Kyouya, he would have no doubt had his way with her upon arrival at their first fairy square. Against the practiced Warrior, Yukiko, who didn’t even have the courage to shoot a monster with her ice magic, had no hope of resisting. Once Hajime felt like it, Yukiko would most definitely be violated.

Perhaps, she should just give up, accepting him could become a guarantee in it’s own right, she thought. It was as if Hajime was thinking he had become the protagonist in a shonen manga, and as a result, he was trying very hard to act cool in front of her. That was the scary part. There was no way of telling when he would attack, when his lust would overcome his reason. No, that time may not be far, that fate would surely befall her soon enough.

Her small hope would be if they could meet up with other classmates before then… But Yukiko couldn’t honestly rely on that either. Looking at how Hajime was behaving, he might as well consider others as obstacles and remove them. Remove, or otherwise said, he could straight out murder them. Yukiko could quite easily imagine those classmates who ignored him having their heads lopped off by Hajime’s blood-smeared greatsword.

She wanted to escape. She wanted release from the curse that was Yokomichi Hajime. But she couldn’t help but be terrified of the hell that would surely come after.

 

“Please, someone… Anyone, save me…”

 

But this time, God didn’t answer Yukiko’s pleas.

And then, That time finally arrived.

 \n“— Yukiko I’m, in lo-LaLuh-love with you, so”

 

After beating a particularly large red dog, one so called boss monster, they had teleported from the transfer circle in that room and arrived at a new fairy square. And upon arrival, suddenly, and without any rhyme or reason, a blood-soaked Hajime spoke those words.

 

“Eh…”

 

She had expected this. Yet, there was no way she could be prepared for it… Yukiko ending up desperately limiting her expression to only surprise.

 

“I Love you so… I’m d-doing it, Alright?”

 

Hajime takes hold of Yukiko’s small shoulders with his dirty, bloody hands.

 

“Hii!! NN-O…”

 

She couldn’t think. Hajime’s words of confession, these were in essence, a telling sign that he had reached the limits of his reason.

 

“I can do it right? RIGHT?”

 

Little by little, his grip on her shoulders tightened. It was painful.

 

“NO—”

 

Rather than physical pain, it was her mental agony that was being tested. Her life may be at risk, but she realized that she simply couldn’t let Hajime have his way with her.

It was possible that her pride as a woman had, just then, overcome her fear.

 

“—NOO!!”

 

Mustering strength in her slender arms, Yukiko pushed away at Hajime. Naturally, his already 100 kilogram mass, along with his newfound strength as a Warrior meant that Hajime’s body wouldn’t budge. Insdead, Yukiko herself staggered, but succeeded in escaping from his hands.

 

“Eh, huh?… w-Why…”

 

Hajime stared dumbfounded at his hands that had been made to let go, somehow utterly bewildered. Perhaps he never even dreamed that he would be rejected.

 

“I-I have… someone I, like…”

 

The phrase coming out of her mouth was of the most orthodox in rejecting a confession of love.

 

“huh, HAh!? You’re… kidding me”

“It’s true”

 

It was no lie. Nagae Yukiko being in love, was the unfiltered truth.

 

“N-no way, Souma—”

“It’s not Souma-kun”

“Then, it’s Tendou!?”

“No, not him either… I like, no well… I’m already, dating him”

“Wuh… What the hell… The Fuck are you on about, no Way, Who is it then!?”

“— Higuchi-kun”

 

That too, was no lie. In complete and utter truth, Nagae Yukiko loved Higuchi Kyouya, a boy of the same class, and furthermore, they were in a relationship.

 

“Ha, HahA… No, damn, way… That’s gotta be a lie, almost got me”

 

Hajime’s reaction would probably be the same as anyone in their class.

Nagae Yukiko, an unremarkable, plain, quiet girl. Higuchi Kyouya, if one doesn’t count exceptions like Souma Yuuto and Tendou Ryuichi, he would rank towards the top in class, and for better or worse, possessed a powerful character. If put in a school caste system, the boy and girl would no doubt be in completely separate levels.

In fact, the two had no point of intersection in their school lives. And there was no one claiming they saw them talking to each other in class either.

 

“I’m not lying, I really am in a relationship with Higuchi-kun”

“Lies! Lies, lies, there’s no damn way… You got no fucking Proof!”

“I have it”

 

Yukiko withdrew from her pocket, her smartphone that she had turned off upon her arrival at the dungeon. Her ghastly pale fingers softly opened a digital picture album.

 

“Here, this is a picture from our first date”

 

What was projected there was a scene that would be impossible to find in the 2-7 classroom. An image showing a joyful couple, Nagae Yukiko and Higuchi Kyouya, their bodies in close proximity.\nIt was likely a holiday, as they were both in their everyday clothes. Yukiko looked as plain as ever, while Kyouya stood out with his flashy silver accessories. Looking at them together, no one would think that they suited each other but, Yukiko’s shy, bashful expression, alongside Higuchi’s strangely giddy face made the two of them appear as though they were truly happy together.

 

“No way… Yukiko, with fucking Higuchi… With that fucking DQN…”

“Please don’t say that about Higuchi-kun (my boyfriend)”

“B-boyfriend… N-noh-NO fuckkin’ WAY! SHUT UP, that’s a Lie and you Know it. Me, you’re Messing with me, you just wanna Trick me, don’t You!?”

 

Suddenly shouting, Hajime snatched away Yukiko’s article of proof that was her phone.

 

“Ah, don’t—”

 

Hajime’s stubby, blackened fingers thus mercilessly disclosed the maiden’s hidden away memories. Indeed, Yukiko’s phone not only had that one picture of those two together, but had many other wonderful scenes together with her boyfriend preserved inside.

Things like the time when they first started going out, they were at a nearby shopping mall where they almost ran into the Souma siblings, and had to quickly hide away. Things like at the beach, at the pool, at the festival, all those summer vacation events that could be called cliche yet were utterly thrilling to do together with him.

And finally, like the time they first did the deed, her first, at some point in the summer.

 

“Ah, a…uaAAAA…”

 

Making a face of anguish as if he’d just seen something otherworldly levels of disgusting, Hajime groaned, and released the phone from sheer shock. The still lit screen showed the couple, in bed, naked, and holding each other close.

 

“wh-h-Hoh-WHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOORRRRE!!”

 

It was no different from a beast’s roar. Hajime’s sudden howl was easily overshadowing the recently defeated boss red dog’s cry.

 

“youUUU, stiNKIN’ WHOOORREE! T-thought you could Trick me, did yooOUUUUUUUUUU!”

“— Eis Shield!?”

 

As if he had transformed into an animal, he kept saying incomprehensible things while furiously charging at her… Which she just barely stopped with a shield of ice.

 

“Bugeh!?”

 

Having slammed face first into the bulky wall of ice, Hajime staggered and yelped like a frog being stomped on.

However, a Warrior’s charge was no small force. Despite him bashing against the ice wall like an idiot, the thick ice had suffered a crack.

 

“ Eis Mist!”

 

She invoked her specialty without a moment’s delay. From the beginning, Yukiko only had this to escape from monsters.

 

“Fuck! Oi, where’d you Go, where Are you, Yukikooo! I’ll never forgive you, fucking bitch, acting all proper to Decieve ME, you putrid stinking Whore, try’na Honeytrap MEE!”

 

Along with the foul and hateful language, because she had become a mage, Yukiko could feel it. She could feel beyond the pure white mist, the presence of raging mana. Mana wasn’t only the energy used to invoke spells, but also served as the source of the superhuman strength dwelling in a Warrior. This effect applied for humans and monsters alike.

This magical presence acted as a form of bloodlust, warning Yukiko of her greatest crisis yet. She had no choice but to escape, even if it meant leaving the safety of the fairy square.

 

“Hah… Hahh!”

 

She simply ran through the stone passages. Run, run as she may, the ever-encroaching voice never got far away. It was fortunate that Hajime never attained any speed enhancing, or as he called it, Mobility Boosting Skill, but since he had nigh inexhaustible stamina from his Toughness, loosing him proved difficult. Hajime was slow on his legs, but Yukiko wasn’t fast either. If she was a runner like Natsukawa Minami, she could have zipped away without trouble, but Yukiko was a genuine bookworm, and in addition, had a mage class. Running fast was asking too much of her.

 

“Hah… Hahh, Ah!?”

 

And ultimately, Yukiko’s luck had run out. At the end of a narrow alley-like stone path, she ended up… At a dead end. 

 

 

“Bufuh… BuFuh… Yukikoo… Wait dammiit, yukikoOOOO”

 

Revenge. This is my revenge after having everything betray me, my rightful vengeance.

Nagae Yukiko. She made a big mistake betraying my pure love. I won’t forgive her, never, I won’t forgive you… Fuck, you fucking closet slut bitch. NTR is seriously shit, fucking terrible.

 

“— Fuuh, Fuh, Bueeeh, oh, Oh HEY, It’s a Dead End”

 

At the end of a long passage, there was a dark, dreary, stone-built room. This dungeon has a ton of these things, rooms that don’t go anywhere. There’s no hidden doors or passages, and as long as no place is collapsed, it’d serve as a dead end.

In other words, me standing in front of this one entrance to the room means, Yukiko’s been perfectly cornered.

 

“Eheh, Yukikoo…”

 

This is for revenge, so Yukiko can’t complain no matter what I do. I can do anything to her and it won’t be my fault. Yukiko, my precious Yukiko, right now I have the right to do anything to you… That’s right, anything.

 

“Y-Yukiko…”\n 

Predated Skill(s)

Nagae Yukiko’s Ice Magic: Reproduce a part of lower grade ice magic.

 

There’s this bizarre feeling of stuff vigorously entering my head. It’s not a very good feeling, but, never mind that, I just wanna sleep.

I forgot about that vague image of a beast, and this time, peacefully, fell asleep.