Chapter 80

Chapter 80 \n\nThe moment I’d been waiting for had come soon enough.

 

“Hello~? Shinohara, you still alive?”

“… nh, khh… haah, haah…”

 

Ain’t so chatty now is she? Shinohara was breathing roughly, her face pale as if all the color had been drained out of it. Although, hearing an ugly chick like her breathing coarsely from behind me didn’t feel sexy or shit.

 

“Don’t die on me now~, we’re almost there, just you-, ah, found it.”

 

I could see white light at the end of the dim passage. The Fairy Square. I knew for certain it was one since the two of us had left from there around half an hour ago.

 

“So. How’re those wounds now?”

“… Not, as painful, as before.”

“Huh. So those plants do work.”

 

Surprisingly well, I thought. I was half in doubt of whether those four-leaf clovers even worked as well as they were said to. But seeing was believing, and I was seeing them in action right now. I’ll try to be more serious about collecting them from now on.

 

“Man, I knew you were dumb, but you sure surprised me with that stunt back there.”

 

It was too dumb to even be on a gag show.

So after we left this Fairy Square, we arrived at another one of those dome forests, and got attacked by a pack of really obnoxious, red skinned wild dogs. With my current strength I could’ve taken care of these mutts in a matter of minutes but… let’s just say a certain dumb bitch got too scared by their numbers and made a break for it. It was as if she felt not an ounce of guilt for leaving me behind to fight alone.

I honestly couldn’t believe how retarded she was. She could’ve just stayed with me, shoot a few of her water spells, and we’d could’ve quickly dispatch those monsters. We wouldn’t have had to kill all of them either. If we just got half, they’d get cold feet and fuck off.

But Shinohara didn’t want to do her small part. She refused to accept the pressure of fighting for her own survival. She just ran.

And what did she get out of that? It’s a pretty funny story: apparently, after she ran a distance, a Goma suddenly popped out of the bushes and stabbed her.

This Goma had stabbed her deeply on the side of her stomach. She’d been brought down with that one move from a rusted knife. But the Goma wasn’t able to finish her off since I’d made it in time to kill it with a Throw Dagger.

I’d once thought that this Skill was going to be a pain to use, but now that I had knives to go around, I’d actually found the skill pretty useful. I obviously didn’t have a gun, and as a Thief, I didn’t have any other ranged attacks like magic or archery either, so I was glad I had this.

So anyway, it was a pretty bad cut, so Shinohara used up all of her portion of healing clovers and somehow managed to seal the wound. She wasn’t at the risk of bleeding out anymore, but, she’d spilled a good portion of blood already. The clovers didn’t recover any of that blood, and so she didn’t have the strength to walk back on her own.

But Shinohara still had to rest and let it heal for a while, so I reluctantly carried her back to the Fairy Square. I’ve never done this much, with even Yukiko, so you better be grateful, Shinohara.

 

“Shut up… uh, and look, it’s not… it’s not completely healed, is it…”

“Really? Sounds bad.”

“Yes, I’m still bleeding… a little.”

“Uh huh.”

 

I honestly couldn’t give a fuck. She was still bleeding right now, but so what.

That Goma really did a number on her. The gash looked so bad that it was somewhat funny to think a rubbing a few plants on could heal it.

 

“Uh, hey… you, do have that, right?”

“What do you mean?”

“The potion dammit!”

 

Shinohara barked. She was still real pale in the face, but her irritation got the better of her. Oi oi, chill Shinohara, your wounds are gonna open up again.

 

“Ah, you mean that. I do, yeah.”

 

Of course, I knew she was talking about the healing potion. It was the item I got when I opened a treasure box, using Unlock for the first time. Shinohara was right there when I did it, so obviously she knew about it too.

She was a dumb bitch, but she wasn’t stupid or greedy enough to demand I just give her something I got using my own power.

 

“Use it on me, come on, hurry up already… can’t that thing like, instantly heal anything?”

“Supposedly, yeah.”

“So use it already, what are you even waiting for? Why didn’t you just use that in the first place, idiot.”

 

You’re the idiot here, Shinohara. Do you really not get why I wasn’t bringing up the potion? And here I was trying to have some delicacy.

 

“Nah, the clovers are working fine, aren’t they? Get some sleep and you’ll be good as new tomorrow.”

 

I stood up with a swing of my body.

 

“HUH!? W-what do you mean, don’t try to be funny, alright!?”

“Oi oi, not so loud. It’ll open up your cut even more.”

“This’d all be fine if you just handed over your―― arkh!?”

“See what I mean? Now calm your tits. I only got one potion, can’t really afford to waste it if I don’t have to.”

“Ikh!! Khhh…”

 

She made a face like she wanted to say something nasty, but because of the pain, she could only let out a voiceless groan. Her expression scrunched up in a way that a girl should avoid doing. You’re already ugly, so at least try not to look any uglier.

 

“I’ll be saving it for next time. Your seem to be healing so just bear with it for a while. Next time, something even worse could happen to you, and we won’t have a potion anymore if I used it now.”

 

I said, being intentionally irresponsible, turned my back to her, and started walking away.

 

“A’ight, I’mma go take a walk around. You stay put here, get some sleep.”

“Ah, hey, w-wait, don’t, heey…”

 

Sheesh, talk about a pain in the ass. Notice already dammit. No way am I just gonna give you MY potion.

I ignored her as she called me all sorts of names as I left the Fairy Square.

Right around 2 hours later. I came back to the Square, not having done much other than walk around the surrounding area.

I wasn’t really looking for anything, just killing time. No, I’ll admit, I was getting the jitters.

I couldn’t calm down, but these 2 hours gave me some time to resolve myself. This was my path, this was the only path available to me. Shinohara could be healed up by the time I got back, and that’d be fine in and of itself. And if she was dead, that’d be fine too.

But if it was the type of wound that just kept nagging at you, if it was something that just won’t heal without a potion――

 

“Yo, Shinohara. Still alive?”

“… Fuck you.”

 

Shinohara was alive. Her semi-closed wound didn’t look any better. At this rate, she’d eventually just die from blood loss anyway.

She’d been healed by the clovers to a certain extent, but they weren’t enough to fully finish the job. They might’ve actually saved her from a much faster death, now that I thought about it.

I should take this as a lesson. Clovers were useful but not all powerful.

 

“Listen, I’m thinking I can let you have it, the potion I mean.”

“You will!?”

 

Woah there, where’d all that energy come from?

 \n“Yeah, not lying, I swear… there is a condition though.”

“What is it!? I’ll do anything, just say it!”

“Let me fuck you once.”

 

Oi, what’s wrong, cat got your tongue? You’re the one who just said you’ll do anything, remember?

 

“What? Didn’t hear me? I asked if you’ll let me fuck you. As in, my dick in your pussy, s-e-x, sex. Do you still not get i――”

“A-are you insane!?”

 

Seriously, how come you’re constantly this loud? That wound really will open up if you keep this up.

That being said, she’ll soon be screaming for a different reason, if you know what I mean. She’ll also have to move so much that it’ll definitely cause more bleeding. Speaking of which, her wound might just not be the only place where that happens.

 

“Calm down and listen alright. We’ve been in this shithole 3 days already, and I haven’t done it even once. It really backs up, y’know what I mean?”

“That, that’s your reason… y-you shameless creep! You’re actually trying to rape me!?”

“You say it like I’m forcing you. I’m making a deal with you here. Now, if you were a guy, I would’ve never even brought it up. A guy would have nothing to offer.”

 

But you’re a woman.

While I’m a man. Which means that you do in fact have something to offer.

 

“If you don’t want to, that’s still fine by me. I’ll just have to hold back my libido for a while. Think about it, if I was the type of guy who couldn’t hold back, I should’ve already raped you by now.”

 

No really. This dumb bitch sleeps without a care in the world. We were basically a man and woman sleeping in the same room, just a fountain between us, and the idiot never even realized how defenceless she was making herself. It was honestly so stupid looking at her, that I honestly didn’t feel like taking advantage of the situation.

 

“Are you, are you actually fucking kidding me… what kind of BS is this ‘holding back’, just admit that you think about sex all day long…”

“Alright, have it your way. Deals off then. Sorry about that, Shinohara. I’m kinda backed up here, just wanted to help you help me take care of it, that’s all. But if you’re not up for it, I guess I can’t give you this potion here.”

 

I said as I took out the potion, flaunting it in front of her.

 

“C-can’t you pl――”

“No can do. This belongs to me, and it’s very, very precious.”

 

Shinohara was stretching out her hand to take it, but I kept it just out of her reach.

 

“In the info we got in our notebooks, it clearly says that just by pouring this blue liquid on a wound, it’s enough to fix it right up. And it’s instant effect too, no pain or scars. Like magic, literally.”

“――do it.”

“You say something?”

“I said, I’ll let you do it, alright… Now hand over the potion, asshole.”

“Oi oi, watch the language, that sorta stuff really turns me off. I told you already, I’m fine with not doing it at all. Listen closely Shinohara, you’re the one asking here. Not me.”

 

I could almost hear her teeth grinding in frustration. She was getting really desperate now. She was already crying.

 

“I, I know that, okay… please, um, have se――nnh!?”

 

I didn’t really want her giving me that sort of dirty talk. I’d reserve my right to make a girl say and do nasty stuff only if they’re pretty, like Yukiko for instance. A sub-par bitch like Shinohara just needed to shut up and offer her cunt.

Well, I can’t say I’m that bad of a guy. Otherwise I wouldn’t have started off kindly with a kiss.

Having had her lips stolen while she was in the middle of saying her humiliating line with painful resolve, Shinohara reflexively stiffened up and almost tried to push me away… but maybe remembering that she’d accepting that this was going to happen, her hands fell limp as she gave in. She didn’t even try to bite my tongue.

 

“――Nh, you reek of sweat.”

“… Asshole.”

 

Unlike her, Yukiko always smelled amazing. Though I guess I should’ve expected this considering where we’ve been the past few days. I probably stank too, and besides, it wasn’t so bad that it’d turn me off.

 

“Oh, look at that, you got some good tits on ya.”

“Not really… it’s normal.”

 

True. But with her looks, I wasn’t really expecting much.

But I was pretty glad about it. It wasn’t often that I got to handle tits with a good squeeze to them. Yukiko’s pretty small after all. I’ll admit, you win in the breast department, Shinohara.

Speaking of tits, I always wanted to have a go with a girl with extra large knockers. Someone like Randou Kyouko, the size on those, damn.

 

“Meant to ask. Shinohara, you still a virgin?”

“Does that really matter right now?”

“No, not really. I’m just trying to be considerate here. If it’s your first time, I figured I won’t go too rough.”

 

I could never not go rough with Yukiko by the way. It wasn’t even me, she became a monster in bed.

I mean, she’s always so quiet, I wanted to at least let her go wild when she wanted to. I really liked Yukiko, loved her in fact, so I tried to do good by her. But Shinohara, she was more like a prostitute than anything. I didn’t really have to be gentle with her.

 

“So, you gonna tell me or what?”

“… I’m a virgin. Got a problem with that?”

“Not really, it’s pretty normal.”

 

Now, let’s just get it over with. I was ready on my end since a while ago. And after we’re done… sorry Shinohara, I’m gonna have to go back on my word.

 

 

“―― Woah, damn, it is instant.”

 

The wound was closing up right before my eyes as I poured the potion over it.

 

“… Ah, it, doesn’t hurt anymore.”

 

And it worked so well that she wasn’t even feeling the pain anymore. The clovers should’ve helped but this was healing on another level.

No, the most shocking thing here wasn’t the power of the potion.

 

“Um, thanks… I was kind of scared you weren’t gonna use it.”

“What? You really think I’m that bad of a guy? I can tell you know, I’m no psychopath.”

“Really?”

“Yeah alright, I don’t need to hear it. I bought your virginity with that potion. That’s all there is to it.”

 

No it isn’t, dammit. The fuck are you doing, you absolute idiot!? Why’d you have to waste that precious potion on this dumb cunt? Are you actually retarded? I was mentally chastising myself to no end.

The surprising thing out of this whole ordeal, was the fact that I ended up using the potion at all. I’d meant to leave her here, let her die. That was clearly the optimal option for me, the path that’d give me the most merit. I’d been only thinking of making her useful for once and fucking her before I left her to die.

And my mind hadn’t changed even while I was in the middle of screwing her.

I wasn’t charmed by her, mind you. The act of taking her virginity wasn’t somehow more pleasurable than if I did it knowing she wasn’t one. Why would it? Makes no sense. In fact, it felt much better doing it with Yukiko since I was so accustomed to doing it with her.

But, yeah, after I was done… I kinda felt that it was fine. I was somehow okay with using the potion on her.\nI felt so stupid. I couldn’t believe I got attached to this ugly bitch just after fucking her once.

 

“Higuchi, no way, are you blushing?”

“Do I look like I’m blushing? I’m not the virgin here, dumbass.”

 

Don’t get cocky with me, Shinohara. You start getting uppity, and there won’t be a second time.

 

“Heh, you sound like a tsundere.”

“Oi, don’t laugh.”

“Ahaha, it’s so strange. I just got raped, but it doesn’t actually feel that bad.”

“It wasn’t rape. I went through the trouble of getting your full consent, didn’t I?”

“Haah, guess it’s true that you stop caring about the small stuff when your life’s actually on the line.”

“Bitch ain’t even listening.”

 

Shinohara was getting increasingly irritating with that wised up attitude of hers. Bitch only lost her virginity today and now she thinks she’ll all grown up.

This was why Yukiko was the better woman. She always got her quiet and proper act down in spite of the fact that she was a massive pervert inside. And guys fell for it left and right.

 

“Strange, I think I can get along with you a lot better from now on.”

“What a coincidence, I feel the exact opposite… what do you say we go our separate ways from here?”

“Oh, quit kidding yourself. I’ll be here to occasionally take care of your ‘needs’, so you better work hard to protect me.”

“You got a real knack for bossing bossing around, don’t you?”

 

This bitch was really starting to get on my nerves.

Ah well… guess I could keep her around for a little while. I gave up.

 

“――nh, take care of me, Higuchi.”

 

She probably thought I was into her now. Shinohara and I exchanged a kiss. Talk about forced affection. And though half reluctant, I assented,

 

“Sure, guess it’s fine.”

 

Man, this is gonna become a pain when I meet up with Yukiko again… I stood up with my body heavy, thinking about all the problems down the road when―― Ah, this is bad.

 

“Haah, I need to clean myself, don’t you peek alr―― Kyah!?”

 

Shinohara had stood up with me, but I instantly pushed her out in front of me, on reflex really.

 

“… The fuck?”

 

I came to my senses when I saw the spray of blood that followed.

I felt the wetness of blood on my skin. It didn’t hurt. It wasn’t my blood after all. It was Shinohara’s.

Right, Shinohara, what just happened to her?

 

“W-what, what just…”

 

Shinohara droped to the ground. I did throw her just now. But simply falling over was hardly a reason for her to bleed like a fountain.

Wait oi, how the hell do you get a large gaping wound on your back like that!?

We’d just had sex, so Shinohara was still naked. The white skin on her back was now gouged open. The size of the wound made it clear that it was completely fatal. She was still gushing blood.

‘Sinking in a pool of her own blood’ seemed like the perfect description for the scene.

I didn’t get this. Why was this happening?

 

“Aaaaaaah!? Hey, you hit Emi, you idiot!”

“I, I was aiming perfectly! But then Higuchi, he just suddenly threw her in front of the――”

 

I saw some familiar faces at the entrance to the Fairy Square.

A guy and a girl, both from my class. The guy was Satou, and the girl, Iijima.

Satou was a typical four-eyed otaku. The type of guy who didn’t dare get near someone like me. He wasn’t as disgusting as Yokomichi, wasn’t as loud and obnoxious as Saitou, and neither did he have a girly face like Momokawa. One of the real nobody types.

I get it now, so you’re the bitch who shot that magic.

Meanwhile, Iijima was, I think she was one of the girls in Shinohara’s otaku group. She should technically be her friend. But I can’t say I knew the details. She wasn’t friends with Yukiko or anything, and Shinohara never mentioned her either.

Anyway, I already had a basic grasp of the situation.

 

“Oi, you bitches――”

 

The one they were trying to kill was me. I didn’t know if they were trying to save Shinohara, or if they didn’t care what happened to her, but that didn’t matter.

They probably saw me naked and relaxed after having just had sex and thought that it was their chance to get me. But they didn’t account for my Search · Hi Sense reacting.

It had instantly put my head into danger mode.

As a result, even if I didn’t mean to, my body moved almost subconsciously, thrusting Shinohara in front of me―― making her take the blow in my stead.

Shinohara died, and it was my fault. I killed Shinohara. I―― wasn’t even thinking that. It was his fault, he chose to shoot.

Fuck this. Satou, I’m killing you.

 

“―― You’re fucking dead!!”

 

It’s been a while since I’d gotten this pissed. Once I started going out with Yukiko, I pretty much stopped constantly picking fights like I used to in middle school. I’d mellowed out so to speak. So this felt almost nostalgic, to completely let loose and forget about the consequences.

But in contrast to this burning rage fuelling me, my body moved smartly and dexterously. I quickly got down on the grown and reached for my gakuran. I slipped my hand into the pocket that held my weapon.

I flipped up the edge of my butterfly knife as soon as I slid it out, and now ready, I took aim.

I can do this. Attack spells couldn’t be shot one after another like a machine gun. Some needed chanting, and others, while they could work without chants, they still left a gap in between consecutive shots.

Satou was the only one holding a staff. Iijima had a sword, so she could be a Swordsman or Warrior, but I’ll deal with her later.

Having used Throw Dagger to the point of it becoming practically second nature, I could now tell a lot about the speed or accuracy of a knife throw before I even did it. And this sense told me that the mage, who was still hesitating between running away and attacking again, was easy pickings. I won’t miss.

 

“Yaaaghh!?”

 

My knife struck Satou right where I wanted. I’d aimed for his right shoulder. It was a far cry form being fatal, but now, he won’t be chanting so easily. Pain hurt after all.

 

“Yeaaaaaaaaaaaart!!”

 

And I only pushed on from there. Without reaching for my belt that held my other knives, I judged that I should take full advantage of the situation, with the two still dazed from my earlier counter attack, and I ran at them with an intimidating roar. Even without any shoes on, (or any other clothes for that matter,) my Skill, Hi Walk, activated smoothly, getting me across the Fairy Square in the blink of an eye.

 

“Oraa!!”

 

Once I was close enough, I jumped, still maintaining the speed. I struck my heel dead on Satou’s face as the bitch was still groaning in pain from the knife in his shoulder. I made him eat my full speed flying kick.

 

“Obgh, nhaa!?”

 

\n 

I fucked her for a while, until I was completely satisfied. After which, I stabbed the bitch in the chest. I figured I ought to do it quick, else I risked getting attached to her too.

 

“Ah, gh… a…”

 

Iijima looked at me, her expression shocked like she couldn’t believe I’d just done this. In response, I…

 

“Hah, I got it in me after all.”

 

I laughed. I was able to laugh just like I wanted.

Guilt. Morals. Regret. Stuff like that could just fuck off. We were in a damn dungeon and they’d just become a source of stress.

At least I was kind enough to give her a quick death.

 

“So how long are you planning on hiding over there?”

 

I was done with her, so let’s not waste time dealing with the next problem.

I’d noticed this fag just after I was done giving my first load to Iijima. He was so obviously scared shitless that I left him be until I was done with my business with the bitch. My instincts were telling me he wasn’t going to be a problem. This fag didn’t even have the guts to attack me like how Satou did.

So I’d left dealing with him for later.

And my instincts were right on the money. This retard didn’t move from his spot at all while I was getting my fill with Iijima.

 

“Get out here, now.”

“… Hi-Higuchi.”

“Oh, it’s just you, Saitou. Ya looked so scared in that corner, I thought you’ere Momokawa.”

 

Saitou Masaru entered the Fairy Square, completely pale in the face.

Fag was dual wielding a sword like the one Iijima had and a Goma knife like the ones I used, right and left hands respectively. He wasn’t as big as Yokomichi, but he still had a big enough body that, if he used it correctly, could apply a lot of power.

But this guy was a loser to the very core. He lacked the courage to even try to save a girl getting raped, and didn’t have the smarts to pull off a surprise attack on me. I didn’t know what his Job was, and I didn’t have to. There wasn’t a single chance I’d lose to him.

My Thief senses were tingling: This guy in front of me was a chump.

 

“Uh, uhh, uhmm… why, did you do all this…”

“I’m the one asking question, Saitou.”

 

I could easily gut him right here and now. But would it get me anything? The answer was No.

 

“I’ll give you a choice, either die here, or be my slave and come with me.”

 

The dungeon wasn’t so easy to solo. I wanted to have people watch my back, people I could trust. Friends.

But that wasn’t possible in my case. Friends to watch my back? I fucking wish I had someone straight out of shonen manga like that.

So my best bet was to force them. Find someone who looked useful and make good use out of them like a slave.

 

“A s-slave… wait, what’s that supposed to mean?”

“Just what it sounds like. You’ll get to carry my stuff, act as bait, and be my meat-shield when I tell you to. Anything, I say, you do. You should thank me for finding work for a loser like you.”

“I, no, that I…”

“Don’t like it, then die here, simple. This here is me giving you the right to live.”

 

Tsk, damn fagget Saito. He was sweating bullets trying to come to a decision, but he was just wasting my time.

Fucking make a choice. If you think I’m gonna wait around until you wrap your head around this, you got another thing coming.

 

“I’m not a patient guy, so here, let me give you some motivation.”

“Huh!? W-wait, just give me some time to――”

 

This fag was so pathetically slow. Saitou didn’t even see me Hi Walk my way right up to his face. What are those weapons even for, bitch.

 

“――Buhaaaaaa!?”

 

I socked him in the face. Oi oi, you’re a big guy, what are you doing getting planted with one shot like that.

 

“Look at me, Saito! You know I’m stronger than you! You follow me and you can go deeper into the dungeon. Work well for me, and I might just release you in the end, promise. So how about―― it!”

 

He was like a living sandbag that’d fallen to the floor because the chain broke. I gave him a decent serving of punches and kicks.

 

“U,urgh! Stop, stahp… I get it, I’ll do it alright! I’ll be your slave!”

“Looks like we got a deal.”

 

I gave his beer barrel belly one last kick before leaving him there.

I had work to do. I was filthy with blood and sweat, so I needed to wash up at the fountain. I also needed to see if Iijima and Satou had any good stuff on hand and――

 

“A’ight, time to head out.”

 

Now done preparing, it was time I finally left this Fairy Square.

 

“Walk in front of me, dumbass. I’ll tell you if there’s any traps up ahead, if I feel like it. Now walk.”

“Ugh, okay, alright, I’m walking…”

 

I kicked Saitou on the ass to get him moving, pushing him up to the doorway out.

Finally, I walked into the Square, to the biggest Fairy Walnut tree.

Under it, lay the still body of Shinohara.

I didn’t bother doing anything with Iijima’s or Satou’s. But her, I felt bad about leaving her body in that state.

It was a real pain, but I cleaned her blood off, put her uniform back on and rested her down with a white handkerchief covering her face. It was a present from Yukiko, and I’d used it for her like this, sort of reluctantly, but I thought she deserved this much.

 

“… Sorry.”

 

I muttered. I really didn’t know what I was supposed to be apologizing for, but I did anyway.

I had no other words.

Instead, I placed a healing clover, one of mine, beside her. I then stood up and said my good bye,

 

“See ya, Shinohara. You were an ugly and annoying cunt, but you weren’t that bad.”

 

I began walking, not once looking back.

I’ll fight for my own survival. I’ll use any means, make any sacrifice. I’ll do it only for my own sake, and I’ll make it out of here.

I dare anything to come at me. Whether it be Souma or Tendou, I’ll take ‘em all on.

And I’ll by the last one standing.