Author’s Note:
This is an unpleasant chapter. It’s recalling a trauma.
In particular, this is how Maito became the only female member of the club and the rumors that came with it. That’s why it can’t be helped.
Even if you skip this chapter, it won’t affect the story much, so if you don’t like it, I recommend that you don’t read it.
If you feel that it’s even a little annoying, I recommend that you don’t read it.
It was morning when I noticed. It’s bad that time goes by too quickly.
Embroidery is…I feel like I want to add a little more. If I can improve the performance little by little, I don’t want to cut corners.
Because no matter how hard I try, clothes aren’t as durable as armor, so I have to do it differently.
For the time being, breakfast…today will be another day of trying on equipment…
I decided to make breakfast light, but I was careful about the balance. Why? Because the people in the English Lab can finally eat properly.
So we’re now eating together in the lab. It’s a big deal because they’ve slowly begun to eat ordinary foods on their own. I wonder if their resilience was also a correction.
And so, it’s about time to ask the English Lab people about their situation.
“You guys were with Fukuyama-kun for a while, right?”
“That’s right, but he didn’t come back since a long time ago. We were worried too…even if we wanted to go look for him, the number of monsters suddenly increased around here…until then, there were only a few monsters at night, but suddenly, the number of ferocious monsters increased…so we can’t go out.”
…maybe the reason why the number of monsters suddenly increased…was because Ketorami-san was gone…okay, let’s stop thinking about it.
“That’s why we ran out of food, but we’re also scared since there were a lot of monsters when we tried to go out…”
…I’m very sorry.
What is this? Did I go around indirectly killing these people?
That’s right, that’d happen if the top of the ecosystem suddenly disappeared.
I had no idea…no, I couldn’t have. I don’t think I could afford to think so much at that point.
In fact, when I think back on it now, I think I couldn’t afford to think about the surroundings because I was so busy at that time.
It’s good that we saved them on time, but still, let me apologize.
…rather, it was Fukuyama-kun who took the top of the ecosystem! As expected, all of this was because of him!
“That’s why we starved and couldn’t move…by the time I noticed, someone was helping me…I couldn’t say it all this time, but the porridge I got was really delicious enough to die. I was so hungry that time that I was wondering if I would die from happiness…thank you.”
I can’t help but be scared of them bowing like this.
But, they said it was delicious so I’m glad. I think hunger is the best seasoning.
However, I think I’m part of the reason why you became so hungry…but when I tried to explain, it sounded incoherent…no, but I have to explain…yeah…yeah, uhm, I’ll bring it to the grave, this secret…
“Then, after Fukuyama-kun disappeared, did you guys stay in the English Lab all the time?”
“That’s right. That’s why we don’t really understand the situation…what happened to us?”
O-ou, from there, huh? Uhm…I wonder where should I start…
I explained it. Roughly. If we talk in detail, the sun will go down.
In other words, about how we came to this different world and about collecting the classrooms. About the cause and the temple. And then how to go home.
After that, I explained the mechanism of this world…about skills, corrections, and jobs. There’s nothing more scary than being unaware.
“Then it’s thanks to the correction that we lived even though we didn’t drink or eat for about a month!?”
Eh, you didn’t drink or eat anything!? Even if you didn’t eat, you didn’t even drink!?
I was a little worried, so when I asked them to show me their dog tags, sure enough, they had a [Hunger Resistance] skill. I don’t know when they got the skill, but I’m pretty sure they managed to survive thanks to both the skill and the correction.
…I never wanted to be in a situation where I would use it, but just in case, I tried to [Share] it after getting their approval and…I got it.
With this, I can survive for a month without drinking and eating! …I definitely don’t want to do that!
By the way, I didn’t harvest any other skills. Yeah, I felt like it’d be like that. I’ve already given up. And because I’ve given up, I’m not even convinced that I could get [Hunger Resistance].
Seems like the physical condition of the people in the English Lab returned to normal due to Kariya’s recovery magic, so after asking them about their plans, they were eventually entrusted to the Information Room / Newspaper Group.
Arino-san, one of the girls in the English Lab, was a member of the newspaper club. Then the others said they wanted to be with her, so the other four people joined the Information Room / Newspaper Group together.
…rather, we didn’t even think about them acting with us since we’re going to declare war as the Demon King, and if we were together, they’d get involved…above all, another girl, Mizusawa-san furiously opposed it. She said, “I don’t want to be with Maito-san”.
Yeah, Mizusawa-san…seems to be from the Home Economics Club, so well, yeah, it can’t be helped. Yup…yup. Even when I think it couldn’t be helped, it still caused damage. Even when I know that not all people would like you and that there are often things you could never make them understand. Yup.
Before fighting the agony from Mizusawa-san’s blow, I already confirmed it and didn’t expect anything. Despite this, I was able to borrow the vision of the three maid dolls I gave to Tsukimori-san of the newspaper club through [Share], so there’s no need to contact them in advance and do a Ketorami ride. I succeeded in smoothly [Transferring] and entrusting the people from the English Lab.
Yeah, I’m glad I gave them a maid doll. I should dispatch some maid dolls to Homura-kun and the others when we meet next time.
However, because we suddenly visited, Tsukimori-san was very angry.
“Maito! You’re really! For what reason do you think I purposefully increased the number of [Communication] bracelets!”
Seems like Tsukimori-san was taking a nap. Sorry.
“Uhm, are you Saegusa-kun?”
“What? How…Arino! You were safe!?”
When Arino-san, who was behind me, appeared, Tsukimori-san’s face suddenly became bright, and then scrunched her face. …this is bad. She’ll cry, this kid will really cry.
I’m confident in identifying signs of when girls are about to cry!
“You guys, hey, we…just how worried do you think we are?”
“Sorry.”
“You’re really stupid! About not contacting…it’s fine, it’s really fine…”
“Yeah, yeah, I’m sorry, I’m sorry…”
And like that, Tsukimori-san and Arino-san hugged each other and rejoiced at their reunion. I could painfully understand their feelings.
…I can’t tell Tsukimori-san that I’m partly to blame for Arino-san’s starvation. I truly can’t. If I say that, I might be killed. I’d definitely take it to the grave, definitely.
The other members of the newspaper club heard that Arino-san was here so they also came later and had a happy reunion. The crowd gradually grew, so I moved away. I decided to look for Saegusa-kun.
It’s unreasonable to go back without explaining the condition of the people in the English Lab.
When I was looking for him in the crowd, I was suddenly hit on the shoulder from behind.
“Hey, Maito-san.”
…yeah. What is it?
“Did you recover from being an amorous woman?”
A little below my line of sight, Mizusawa-san had a neat smile, so I also smiled for the time being.
Let’s sort out my mind a little.
It began last winter.
A child who was part of the Home Economics Club and the Chemistry Club started attending cram school. Then, doing two club activities and cram school became stressful, so she consulted with girls other than me and decided to quit club activities.
…it’s really unreasonable why I was ostracized at this point. At that time, the science exhibit at the prefectural level was approaching, so I was practicing my oral presentations and getting rid of the flaws.
And because of that, I answered the questions of the chemistry teachers endlessly until about 8 o’clock when the other girls went home at 5 o’clock. When I got stuck at something, the teachers would verify it and explain it to me, even finding my poster for the exhibition and making me fix it…and after doing that, I didn’t have the time to talk to the other girls in different classes.
And so, the science exhibition was finally next weekend, and when I printed the poster and did the pre-presentation at the club…all three girls other than me quit club activities.
Then they reported to me before filing their withdrawal notice. All three of them.
But I was waiting for the science exhibition next weekend, so I couldn’t leave then, so I told them that I’d remain in the club.
…and then. From their point of view, well, it seemed like it was because I wanted to be among the eight boys, so I didn’t quit. After a rather harsh verbal lashing, they left.
And, well, the three girls entered the Home Economics Club with some girls…and in that girls-only club, they arrived at the right time to make me the seed of some rumors.
At that time, I thought that I shouldn’t bother with women’s gossip.
After that, I was in a punching bag state for a while, and the rumor grew and grew.
Even so, I managed to get rid of it because I had a female friend (an angel…no, a devil) who kept her friendship with me.
So it’s fine now. It doesn’t bother me anymore.
But the biggest problem for me…is that the Chemistry Club had already become a cozy place.
Yeah, it was a fun place, simply that.
First of all, our hobbies matched. Our interests also lined up. Then, our thought waves were a great fit.
They were people who were willing to talk to me. And what we talked about were generally topics I liked.
And so, when we’re doing that kind of thing, I really loved it.
…well, in other words, it was really comfortable here. Truly.
I thought that if I were a man, I would have had more muscle and physical strength, and above all, I thought that no one would complain about me being in this cozy place. So it’s very frustrating.
After all, from society’s perspective, that’s the way it is, isn’t it?
Even if society was brutal, that’s just how it is. I’m aware, so I thought it can’t be helped.
But unfortunately, I was born a woman, and I couldn’t change that. And yet, I didn’t have to throw away my pride and leave this comfortable place, right?
That’s what I decided at that time.
Let’s stop doing things to be liked by people we don’t like. Yup.
It’s okay if people hate me and I don’t like them, we just don’t have to get involved with each other. It’s peaceful that way.
I don’t understand the feelings of people who came all the way to me even though we don’t like each other. It’s irrational.
I think we should do something more productive, so I wonder if we’re different after all. Yeah, I don’t understand. We won’t understand each other for the rest of our lives. It can’t be helped, because we’re human beings.
And that’s it. It ended when it was over.
I’m already prepared. I understood the price for staying.
And for me, this was the place I wanted to stay at any price.
If this was the cost for that, it’s nothing.
Because it’s a matter of exchange.
“Yup.”
There’s no such thing of course. I just greeted her as if she said hello to me normally. Mizusawa-san looked surprised for a moment and quickly left, seemingly bored.
…yeah, I won.
I found Saegusa-kun after that and roughly said the state of the people from the English Lab. After finishing the status report (the latter seems to have already known from the [Communication] bracelet), I returned immediately with [Transfer].
“Ah, welcome back. Thanks for your hard work.”
When I came back, I’m grateful that there are friends who’d just glance at me, and continue making equipment while putting the appropriate amount of praise in their voices. Yup.
It’s a bit bad for everyone who’s doing their best…but let me take a break first.
Translator’s Note:
It’s okay Maito-san, you can take as much break as you need.
Oh, wrong chapter.