NOVEL NEXT The Strongest Solo Gamer with Terrible Social Skills Reincarnates as a Hated NPC in a VRMMO Chapter 22
22: The Price of Bullying
――SIDE: Kikuta Mizu――
“No, no, no, no! No, no, no!”
――It’s scary! It’s scary!!
I’m half-frantic, trying to shake off the goblins clinging to my body. Their stench is unbearable, and their slimy skin makes me feel sick. They’re climbing all over me, pulling my hair, grabbing my feet, and treating my entire body like a toy. It’s extremely unpleasant.
“Heh heh! You’re popular, Kikuta! You’re emitting pheromones that attract monsters, aren’t you? Well, you’re doing a great job as a tank.”
While the monsters are clinging to me, Sakaki-san and Shiina-san are chatting casually, as if it’s someone else’s problem.
“Help, help, Sakaki-san…!”
Finally, I’m pushed to the ground. The feeling of despair as my limbs are pinned down is overwhelming. I’m hyperventilating from fear and confusion, and I beg for help without restraint.
But…
“Hey, Sakaki-san?”
“Haa… Kikuta-san. Didn’t I tell you from the start? I’m leaving the monster opponents to you. You’re going back on your promise with me, aren’t you?”
“But, but…!”
The response I got was a cruel one.
They didn’t understand my desperation.
――I didn’t agree to that promise in the first place! They’re just arbitrarily deciding things on their own…!!
“――Ah!?”
…A goblin snatched my uniform’s top.――What are they going to do…? They’re now grasping my clothes with an indecent smile.
“Hey, is Kikuta being stripped? Do monsters have s*xual desires too?”
“I don’t know… maybe it varies by species. Their feeding habits are quite unusual.”
“Kikuta being popular with monsters is not a complete lie, is it? If we let it go on, she might even get pregnant with a goblin’s child…”
“Student pregnancy means immediate expulsion!”
“No way! That’s scary!!”
Pregnancy… expulsion?
The two of them were laughing at me, but what was so funny? I was appalled by the difference in our values.
With brute force, my blouse was being pulled, and the buttons were torn off. When my chest was exposed, Shiina-san let out a delightful whistle.
“Hey, hey… someone help her already…”
It was Anai-san who spoke up. She had been watching the two of them and was now offering me a lifeline.
“What? Why?”
“Because Kikuta-san is going to get raped…!”
“…I think it’s interesting, though. Kikuta and the goblin’s interspecies romance?”
“Huh?”
What was she talking about? I think Anai-san and I shared the same sentiment. The atmosphere here was that abnormal.
“It’s a rare sight, after all.”
“――Yeah”
――Don’t say that and hurry up already. Anai-san was about to continue speaking when…
“By the way, Anai, why are you giving me orders?”
“!”
“If you want to help Kikuta, then do it yourself.――Ah, you can’t fight because you’re a [Healer]? That’s not a valid reason. I saw a high-ranking clan’s explorer on TV, and they were a [Healer] who fought against monsters too! The reason you’re not doing it is just laziness. You have no right to tell me what to do!”
Shiina-san was unfolding her own theory. Comparing beginners and pros was wrong in itself, but her strong attitude wouldn’t allow Anai-san to counterargue.
“Besides, a [Tank] who struggles against goblins is still a [Tank], right? If you’re aiming to be an explorer, you have to be prepared for the corresponding danger, don’t you? It’s like we’re training Kikuta?”
Shiina-san said with a half-smile, seemingly aware that she was saying something ridiculous. Still, she was mocking Anai-san, who couldn’t counterargue.
“Let’s get to the underwear already…”
“Oh no!”
“No, no, no, no! Don’t look!!”
Just as Sakaki-san said, the goblin who tore my skirt was now reaching for my panties from under the short fabric. I felt a chill as I was pulled from behind and involuntarily screamed. However, my friends didn’t help me at all――
“This is disgusting, seriously…”
‘!’
A male student, Ishizuru Shinma-kun, appeared from behind us, drew his rapier, and charged towards the goblins entwining us, ignoring the shocked Sakaki-san and the others.
The goblins, threatened by the newcomer, closed in.
However, Ishizuru-kun’s movements were faster than that. In an instant, he took care of the goblins that had jumped on me and then dodged the one that had charged at him with ease. With a swift and precise strike, he took down four goblins in a flash.
“…You’re quite the stimulating sight, Kikuta. If I hadn’t shown up, you’d have been in trouble, wouldn’t you?”
“I-Ishizuru-kun… you remembered my name…”
I couldn’t help but feel moved. He had remembered the name of a classmates he had never spoken to before. I was aware that I was a plain and uninteresting girl, and Ishizuru-kun didn’t seem to be interested in others, so it was even more surprising.
“Huh? — Ah, yeah! We’re in the same class, so of course, I’d remember your name. But, you’re in a pretty bad state, aren’t you? You can’t continue exploring like that. Use 【Emergency Escape】 and get out of here quickly.”
Ishizuru-kun pointed at my appearance and said so.
――Ah!
I instinctively covered my chest with my hand. My pants were too short, and no matter how I stretched, they wouldn’t cover my lower body.
I had been seen in such a state by a boy.
It was so embarrassing…
“Don’t you think it’s bad to steal someone’s prey and give orders to their party?”
“Ha, Sakaki Fuyuko…”
“Oh? You remembered my name too, Mr. Celebrity. You think you made a grand entrance, but — we were fighting goblins, weren’t we? What you did was just interfere with our battle…”
“Huh? Watching your comrades get killed is a battle…? It seems like the definition of words has changed without me knowing. I guess I need to learn from Shadow Mountain again when I get back…”
“You! If you tell the teacher about this, —“
“Sakaki-san!”
“A-ah…”
“What do you want?”
“You’re making quite a scary face, Sakaki. Are you losing your cool? Try to relax more.”
“…”
“As expected, I recorded the events from earlier using the magical terminal’s camera function. You guys were having quite a lively time, weren’t you? Especially you, Sakaki… If this video gets out, you’ll be in big trouble, won’t you?”
“W-what!?”
“You’re an abnormal pervert who likes interspecies s*x… I know the horrors of the internet, so I’m aware of how your s*xual preferences will be exposed to the entire school…”
“…If you release that, it’ll also harm Kikuta-san, won’t it? Is that okay with you?”
“On the contrary — why would I care about that?”
――Eh?
“I’m not doing this to help Kikuta or anything. The reason is simple. I wanted to grasp your weaknesses.”
“――Weaknesses?”
…That’s right, that’s what it was.
…He wasn’t trying to help me.
“――Let me do it, Sakaki!! You too, Sakaki!! I’ll thoroughly discipline you!!”
“!?!”
What kind of person says such horrible things so confidently!?
In the end, is it all about physical desire?
He’s no different from the dead goblin…
“F-fuck off! Who do you think you are…!”
“But you can’t refuse, can you!? If this video gets out, it’ll affect your activities as an explorer, and you’ll ruin your school life!! You’ve finally entered the Academy after struggling to get in, and you don’t want to throw it all away, do you!!?”
“――B-but…”
Sakaki-san’s weak and hesitant muttering was a rare sight. She was usually strong-willed, but now she was showing a different side. I thought it was someone else’s problem, but…
“First, show me your pants!! Let me see them!! Right there, lift up your skirt and show me the pants you’re wearing now!! We have to share the pain with our friends, right!? —— And of course, Anai-san is included too. You’re just as guilty for participating in the bullying, even if you didn’t want to! Get in the center, I’ll take a picture with the camera!!”
“Ugh……!”
Sakaki-san changed her position as instructed. Ishiru-kun, who had set up the camera, urged the hesitant Shiina-san to hurry up. “Come on, let’s get this over with!”
“Are we supposed to show our pants too…?”
“I’ll make it quick, so let’s get this over with!!”
“Ishiru Shouma, remember this for later!!”
As Ishiru-kun gazed at the angry faces, he couldn’t help but smirk while operating his handheld device.
“Hehehe, this is great! The reactions are so exciting!! Alright, let’s get all three of you to lift up your skirts!!”
The three of them reluctantly lifted their skirts, revealing their underwear to Ishiru-kun.
“Look at those faces! Sakaki has purple, Shiina has black, and Anai has white… It’s amazing how each of you has your own unique style!! —— That’s enough, I’ve got the camera shot. I’ll enjoy it later!!”
“Ishiru, Shouma!!”
Sakaki-san glared at Ishiru-kun with anger, while Shiina-san looked frustrated and Anai-san cried in shame.
“—— Karma’s a b*tch. You reap what you sow. Try doing the same to Kikuta someday. I’ll post this picture on SNS!! If you don’t like it, then behave yourself in school!!”
Ishiru-kun said this and laughed as he disappeared into the corridor.
The three of us were left in a pitiful state, unable to continue our search.
“…… Let’s go home.”
Sakaki-san whispered softly, her demeanor a stark contrast to her previous boldness. Her exhausted expression made me realize that her pride had been truly broken.
Ishiru Shouma-kun…
The student with the lowest overall score, who got into a fight with the boys from Class 1-C during the entrance ceremony. In the video, he was even favored by the student council president, Tenjuin… And now, he had broken Sakaki-san’s spirit.
“What kind of person is he, anyway…?”
The whisper disappeared into the labyrinth. Should I be grateful for his straightforwardness…?
He was an enigmatic and mysterious boy.