NOVEL NEXT The Strongest Solo Gamer with Terrible Social Skills Reincarnates as a Hated NPC in a VRMMO Chapter 24
24: First Return
The portal in my pocket began to vibrate. The time was exactly 1 hour. It seemed the enjoyable ABYSS exploration had come to an end.
Although we encountered an unexpected accident, the result was surprisingly good. I was personally satisfied, and as a member, I felt fulfilled.
“I’ll start the real exploration tomorrow…”
As I muttered, I used the portal’s emergency escape function.
The scenery in front of me changed with a dazzling light. The view that appeared was the first floor of ABYSS. It was the transfer area’s large hall. There, I saw our teacher, Kageyama, as well as the “Sakaki PT” and the excellent student “Yoshikawa PT” who had returned earlier. ……Kikuta Mio was wearing a jersey. Well, her uniform was torn to shreds by the goblin, so she had to wear that until she could buy a new one.
“――You seem to be safe, Ishiru-kun.”
Kageyama approached me, looking concerned. Maybe he felt guilty for letting a student go solo?
In any case, my answer as “Shouma” was already decided.
“The next head of the Ishiru family wouldn’t struggle in the second floor, would they? Honestly, it’s a letdown. The monsters that come out are all weak, and anyone who struggles against them is a total failure, I think.”
“……”
――Ah, damn.
I unintentionally hurt Kikuta’s feelings.
My “Shouma” persona was highly complete, but the original Shouma’s character was trash, so I ended up hurting others unintentionally. If I changed my words to be kinder, it wouldn’t be “Ishiru Shouma” anymore, and as a gamer, I couldn’t do things halfway.
But showing my true self was out of the question.
Once I decided on something, I would see it through, and from an efficiency standpoint, it was better to maintain the “Shouma” facade to smooth out my relationships. By acting as “Ishiru Shouma,” I could also suppress the gap others felt, and although there were some drawbacks, there was no other way.
“If you did well on your first exploration, that’s good. However, don’t let your guard down. Many students have lost their lives in ABYSS. There’s no guarantee you won’t be one of them.”
Kageyama warned me with a sour tone. From an outside perspective, it looked like a weakling like me had somehow managed to explore successfully, and it was embarrassing…… but thank you…… really, thank you…… I’m Shouma now, though!
“Huh? Ugh, don’t worry about me. Worry about the other students instead. Even the ones who returned earlier, like Sakaki, and the ones who are full of themselves, like the Saiga group, are actually in danger, you know?”
“What about Sakaki-san’s group……”
“I know, I met them during the exploration. The ones with good reputations are actually more likely to fall.”
(Note: I’ve maintained the original line breaks and formatting as much as possible.)
Just as I was about to wrap up the conversation…
“You’re saying that the more excellent ones are more prone to stumbling? What a ridiculous thing to say. Stop trying to be clever, Shōma Ishiru!”
Ura Seigen, the intelligent glasses-wearing member of the “Yoshikawa PT” group, who had been listening in on the conversation, chimed in from the side.
Haven’t we already dropped that topic…?
Yeah, I wish you wouldn’t keep poking your nose into our conversation like that. Even though I’m trying to act like Shōma, it’s still tough for me, a socially awkward person.
“You’re just unwilling to admit your own lack of ability. From where I’m standing, all I hear are annoying comments…”
“Then why don’t you just plug your ears? Saying you’re bothered is proof that you’re worried, right? And what about Ōsuga, who retired halfway through? Isn’t it too early for you guys to be coming back? …You’re getting all worked up like an ABYSS monster, aren’t you?”
“What’s with you?!”
“Wait, stop it!!”
“No fighting, okay, Sei-kun?”
“…What’s gotten into you?”
“…Ah, sorry…”
Ura regained his composure, surrounded by his friends, Sengawa Sashiro, Yoshikawa Himeko, and Takatō Aoi.
“A-ah, Ishiru-kun!”
“Hm?”
Yoshikawa Himeko, with her pink hair and slender eyes, stepped forward, shielding Ura. She placed her hands together in front of her chest, looking tense, but her impressive bust was pressed against her arm, soft and deformed.
…No, no, no!
I should calm down.
I shook off my own anxiety and focused on Yoshikawa’s words.
“It’s not because of what Ishiru-kun thinks, but…!”
“Then what is it?”
“It’s just that…my…stomach…”
“…Your chest?”
No, I must have misheard.
Takatō Aoi’s gaze behind me sharpened.
“No, it’s just that…I got hungry! So, we cut our exploration short and came back!!”
“…”
Waaah, Yoshikawa Himeko covered her face with both hands, looking embarrassed, and leaned into Takatō Aoi’s chest. Takatō silently patted her head, while Sengawa Sashiro pressed his hand against his forehead, saying “Araa…” Ura adjusted his glasses, looking uncomfortable.
What’s with this group of friends…?
Am I being made fun of…?
It’s hard to suppress my frustration as an outcast!
As we stood there in an awkward atmosphere, another group, the “Aiba PT”, suddenly appeared in the large hall.
They were…the “Aiba PT”.
“…And so, you’re back?”
“Hee! So, you’re returning like this?”
“…There are already teams that have returned…”
“…! Shōma…”
Normally, I wouldn’t want to talk to them, but since they appeared in a bad location, I couldn’t ignore them. Akane was right in front of me. If I ignored them here, it would be even more noticeable.
I had no choice…
“Huh? It seems like the exploration went smoothly? Our first adventure with Aoi was fun, wasn’t it?”
“…Hey, Shoma. I thought so before we entered, but are you misunderstanding something? I and Sosuke aren’t in that kind of relationship!”
“It’s fine, I won’t hide it. I don’t like girls who are easy to get, like you. And Akane probably dislikes me too, right? —At this point, it’s already pointless to try to convince you!”
“Th-that’s…”
“No, it’s not like that, Ishiru! I was the one who suggested calling each other by name! Akane-chan and Sosuke-kun aren’t in a weird relationship!”
“That’s right! You’re misunderstanding, Ishiru!”