No way, thatâs impossible.
ăYes, we were getting angry, yet you didnât mind at all⌠I think thatâs amazing.ă
Hiyama-san has the same opinion as well.
ăYes, before all this happened, my impression of you was just that of an ordinary boy. Maybe I should say youâre very calm? Look, the combat group is like that and, except for those girls who are curry favors, arenât we just complaining?ă
ă⌠Thatâs true. Those people getting sticky over there are disgusting⌠Right?ă
ă⌠Theyâre just cold.ă
If I were in the same situation as everyone, I donât think Iâd be as calm as I am now. After all, Iâm the only person who can return to JapanâŚ
Whenever I think about that, I can ignore any verbal abuse. I donât think I would make a fuss out of it either.
This and everything about this survival situation are terrible⌠No, those players like Taniizumi donât make things any better. It would be nice if some members of the base group are taken into a party so they can learn self-defense, but that isnât happening. Letting them fight weak monsters in their place would be efficient though.
Is maintain dominance all they can think of? Itâs like back when I was a grade school student. Those with good reflexes grouped together during baseball and soccer lessons just so they win.
Even though the teacher allowed us students our own independence, the guy who became our representative totally divided us by ability. Fortunately, at those times, Shigenobu protested and joined those without athletic ability.
However, whenever Shigenobuâs teams won, the stronger teams would always make excuses. There was a foul. This was a goal. That guy cheated. Those kinds of complaints.
Me? Shigenobu invited me and I did my best on the weak teams. Itâs more fun to be with him after all.
ăAnyway, thanks. By the way, Himeno-san⌠Are you participating in that plan?ă
I know Shigenobu and Hiyama-san are taking leadership, but I havenât ask Himeno-san if sheâs participating.
ăHm⌠Iâm not sure, but Iâm the base groupâs healer. I canât not go, right?ă
Thatâs true⌠Thereâs no denying Himeno-san has a convenient healing ability. Even though sheâs part of the base group, she was also invited to join the combat group. By ignoring its sole fault which is the time it takes for her to heal someone, it can be used the same way as an ordinary healing ability. Furthermore, it doesnât just provide basic healing, but it also restores mana. Compared to an ability user who can just heal injuries, itâs better in that aspect.
Himeno herself, however, is the one stubbornly declining Taniizumiâs invitation. Naturally, they have a reason for not taking her in forcibly. Even though she seems to be rejecting them, the guy with barrier ability protecting the base needs a large amount of mana to maintain the barrier formation. While weâve confirmed that mana recovers by sleeping, the barrier canât be maintained for 24 hours just by sleeping.
The basic heal Himeno-san is necessary to restore mana. For that reason, she can choose between the combat and base groups.
ăWhy is Himeno-san cooperating with the base group?ă
ă⌠At first, I only didnât go with them because I was treated as a backup, but later on, maybe itâs the combat groupâs attitude⌠I didnât like it. I guess I didnât want to be influenced by them, so I left. Sakaeda-kun and Hiyama-san feel the same, donât they?ă
Even though Himeno-san was one of the more popular members of our class, that status now belongs to another person. Taniizumi sometimes⌠invites Himeno-san for a night of pleasure, but she indirectly turns him down.
ăWith those attitudes, I wonât want to go with them no matter how much they ask.ă
Hiyama-san is also the same⌠I guess.
Anyway, the authority to make a move on Himeno-san and Hiyama-san⌠Taniizumi doesnât have it right now. This situation might be extreme, but we havenât reach a point where he can force relationships. Moreover, there are quite a number of members in his faction whom have their eyes on Himeno-san and Hiyama-san. He canât really force them even if he wanted.
Well, speaking of that, Ono is who he should worry about offending. His character is the worst, not even Shigenobu trusts him. Should his relation with the lustful Ono turn sour, further equipment upgrades will become completely impossible.
Therefore, in order to keep Himeno-san and Hiyama-san for himself, he needs a definite strength⌠Thatâs what I think. For those reasons, I donât believe the combat group is as rock solid as it appears. If we could break them now, it might work out, somehow.
ăThanks, Himeno-san.ă
Falling in love with Himeno-san who treats anyone kindly⌠Iâm not sure if thatâs happening to me. Perhaps, being able to return to Japan creates a state of mind where I feel indebted to her and creates a break for my feelings.
ăI guess I should you my thanks.ă
ăThatâs⌠Even if everyone is sharing their belongings, thatâs bad!ă
The rule is that the items inside everyoneâs bags from the start are their personal belongings. In short, things that brought from Japan are personal property. We thought that gathering them together would work, but there are too many who want to monopolize them so it became like this.
Anyway, I still have a bentou in my bag.
Taniizumi shouldnât have become that trashy, right? No⌠He will probably say something like everything is shared property and confiscate whatever from whoever is hiding something. Even if there is nothing that can be considered food, there might still be something good.
A few students that are secretly in that situation. Himeno-san probably senses this is something similar and declined.
But itâs all right. Whether or not thereâs something like that, I will secretly share the sweet I have been hiding to Himeno-san. Of course, Hiyama-san too. This time, itâs candy.
ăThere are still some remaining in my bag, but you can take it if you like. Itâs a bit stale though.ă
Of course, they arenât stale. I bought these yesterday.
ăThatâs⌠Hanebashi-kun, even if I didnât get much to eat, I still feel bad taking your candies. Instead, Hanebashi-kun, you shouldâŚă
ăThatâs right⌠These past few days, Hanebashi-kun, havenât you not eaten at all?ă
At that moment, I smile and show that Iâm not suffering.
ăItâs okay, more importantly, this is all I can do to pay you back for all the times youâve healed me, Himeno-san. Let me repay your kindness with this. Youâre also doing your best for everyone, so it will be not good if you collapse here.ă
I make a strained laugh, I think. Himeno-san, however, probably guesses my intentions and smiles at me.
ăI understand. Then, Iâll hold on to this, okay? Next time⌠I will receive it if I have something that I can use as a payment.ă
ăThen, Iâm fine with that.ă
She accepted it, but it doesnât look like sheâs going to eat it⌠Iâm a bit disappointed.
ăI⌠canât accept this, after all.ă
Saying that, Hiyama-san returns it to me.
ăIf you eat this candy in front of me, itâll make me happy?ă
Hiyama-san, together with Himeno-san, glares at me.
Uh⌠It canât be helped.
I put candy in my mouth and started rolling it around. The sweet taste spreads inside my mouth.
ăGreat, thanks, Hanebashi-kun.ă
Hiyama-san looks at me and smiles. Other than that though, I donât really think itâs all that good.
For now, something⌠Iâll come up with a way to help everyone. Itâs just, brining materials from Japan is too suspicious. Hiyama-san will also worry about my body if I share candies without compensation⌠Itâs a difficult problem.
With those feelings in mind, the sun once more sets. Another worldâs atmosphere, another worldâs daily life⌠The members of the base group are being suffocated. In unexpected survival situation like this where everyone is being restrained, there would be nothing strange if all the dissatisfaction erupted in the end.
Even if the combat group directly challenged from the front, no one will rise as support.
This⌠isnât because of Taniizumiâs brainwashing, but because the combat group respects the base group⌠theyâre well aware the they are dealing with fellow human beings. Therefore, they realize that if they use violence, it will lead to severe retaliation.[1]
In a normal situation, everyone would be equal. The combat groupâs differing opinions are the biggest cause to our problems. Essentially, the base group should exist as the combat groupâs lifeline.
The so-called base in RPG⌠Itâs easy to imagine how difficult it would be to play if you canât use the Shigenobu who is in charge of smithing. Hence⌠The combat group will also be troubled. There might be also another person to replace him if it was a game, but this place is the reality of another world.
They still donât know what will happen if they die, and itâs not a question that they can experiment with. That situation prevents them from completing a speed run.
Even though Taniizumi and the combat group should respect the base group for these reasons, this is the situation. Useful members of the base group are treated favorably while those who are useless are treated coldly. In the end, it results in NPC treatment.
⌠As expected, itâs all because of Ono who has the copy ability.
If the worst comes to it, I would prefer those who arenât needed because he can utilize their abilities not be killed. Still, even though I say that, it doesnât mean Ono is to blame.
There should be equality, but the situation doesnât allow that. As such, we should consider our own personal safety within the base group and provide services to the combat group.
Itâs ridiculous, but Taniizumiâs charisma is very effective. Regardless, the girls of the base group are still desired. This is the worst of the worst, but if they present their bodies, he will take them happily. Heâs a man whose wretchedness knows no bounds.
I, being able to return to Japan, am a special case. However, in a situation where only the minimal food is given and no one can eat to their satisfaction, itâs quite bad. No one has collapsed yet, but some are complaining of poor health due to stress. Thanks to Himeno-san, physical problems are resolved. Metal problems are another issue.
At any rate, these are the problems having over the group. Somehow, something needs to be done.
Had this place not been a forest, but a country or a town⌠even just a place with people other than use would have been fine. Had we been sent to a place like that, then the position of the base group would have never fallen this low.
My position towards the circumstances about surviving is divided.
⌠Iâll think about it after I return to Japan. Iâm going to run out of sweets soon. Nowâs a good time to go buy more. I wonât be able to think calmly if I donât.