NOVEL NEXT The Strongest Solo Gamer with Terrible Social Skills Reincarnates as a Hated NPC in a VRMMO Chapter 33
33 What’s going on!?
――SIDE: Kanzaki Ayumu――
I never thought we’d really win…
As I looked at the handle of the wooden sword in my hand, I thought so again. The Fire God, Double-Edged Sword, had cut off the Golem’s arm, but the wooden sword I was holding had reached its durability limit and broken into pieces, leaving only the handle.
It was a truly close battle, I think.
During the fight, I had considered the option of retreating from the scene with Shinohata, which would have meant giving up on his safety, as well as that of Isano and the others.
“Shouma…”
The one who turned the tide of the battle was undoubtedly him. The commander had evaluated Shouma as a man with power beyond his numerical values, and it seemed that wasn’t an overestimation.
As an explorer, he had the “knowledge” weapon. I didn’t know where he got it, but at the very least, it was foolish to evaluate him based only on his overall power.
That Shouma guy was――
“What are you doing?”
“I just picked it up because it was lying around.”
Shouma, who had picked up the magical terminal (Portal) that had been dropped next to the unconscious Shinohata, was operating it without permission and switching screens.
“Isn’t that Shinohata’s? You shouldn’t be messing with it without permission――?”
Aoi, who was resting, said something very reasonable to Shouma. In response, Shouma silently showed us the screen on the terminal.
“Can you say that after seeing this?”
“―ッ！ This, this is…!”
“…Are you bullying us?”
On the screen, a quarrel between Lin Sheng and Sugiyama Haruo was being displayed. The voices cheering them on from outside the screen belonged to the Isonos. Given the situation, it seemed that those people had deliberately instigated the two to fight.
You’re trash…!
I felt a growing sense of unease in my heart.
“Ah, you’ve had a tough time too, huh?”
“…Delete it, please!!”
Lin, who was crouching in a corner, clung to Shi’s feet as soon as he felt safe. Although Lin urged Shi to delete the video, Shi remained still, lost in thought. When Lin opened his mouth again, Shi finally looked up.
“…No need. I can delete the video if you want, but…are you really okay with that, Lin?”
“What do you mean?!”
“It’s not just Lin; Sugiyama too. Are you guys okay with being bullied by the Isonos?”
“What, I…?”
“You’re saying you’re going to keep getting bullied…? Today’s the last day, and then it’s over! After that, Sugiyama can do whatever he wants!!”
“You’re pretty nonchalant about it, huh? But realistically, you’ve caught the Isonos’ attention. If things continue like this, it’ll just be a repeat of the same thing. Even an idiot would understand that, right?”
“Who’s an idiot?! You…!!”
“Both of you, calm down!”
“…Shi, do you have a plan?”
The two of them were being provoked by Soji.
As I glanced at Lin, who was breathing heavily, I asked Shi if he had a plan, and he nodded in response.
◆
Isonos, Katsuragi, and Shinhata. Shi moved the three, who were knocked out, to the center. …In reality, it was us who did it, but Shi gave the instructions while sending Lin and the others out of the small room.
It seemed that they were in the way.
The Isonos might try to intimidate Lin and the others into giving favorable testimony. Shi was wary of that and had them removed.
“You guys just stand back and don’t say anything, no matter what they ask.”
“…Got it.”
Soji reluctantly accepted Shi’s words, his discontent written on his face. I didn’t have any complaints either.
“Then, let’s start…”
“―ッ！？ ……Ga, ga…!”
“Hello? Isono? Are you awake now?”
Shi stomped on Isono’s chest, who was lying on the ground, and woke him up.
“Shi…? The monster is…?”
“That trash was taken care of by us. Honestly, you were no help at all, were you?”
“Ku…!!”
Isono’s anger was evident, but his bodily pain was suppressing his fervor.
“So, we just happened to see this, but…what is this?”
“!!”
“A video of Lin and Sugiyama’s fight. The location is this small room, and the voices in the background are the Isonos, right? Why would this video appear on Shinhata’s portal?”
“…Ha, we just happened to fight, that’s all. We just recorded it.”
“A penalty game…or something, you’re saying?”
“……Ah. I was told to set a rule for the standoff, and the loser would have to play a penalty game. That’s the rule I proposed to Lin and the others.”
“……”
The two of them glared at each other in silence.
That guy, Isogino, has a sharp tongue. If he hadn’t been told to shut up, I would have already counterattacked.
“……Isogino, come on, that’s unreasonable, isn’t it? From a third-party perspective, it’s clear that you guys bullied Lin and the others.”
“That’s just your opinion, isn’t it? The fact is, we didn’t do it, so it didn’t happen!”
“……Isogino’s testimony is worthless. There are students with more influence here who can speak up.”
“What?! You…!”
“Aiba and Kanzaki will testify that they were bullied. Of course, we’ll attach this video as evidence too?”
“Don’t make me laugh! Who’s going to testify?! You think the Academy’s teachers will get involved in a student dispute?!”
“——Student dispute? No way, this is a matter for the explorers. You guys broke the rules set by Kageyama and continued to explore ABYSS without permission. By now, the special task force should be organizing a rescue mission. It’s not unusual for explorers to go missing, but if the reason is that you bullied Lin, the teachers can’t just sit back and do nothing.”
“B-but that’s not the reason…!”
“Who’s going to listen to that?! Me?! Aiba?! Kanzaki will report your bullying! We were forced to fight a useless battle against a powerful enemy, the Golem! The damage is real, the damage is…!”
“——”
“Ah, it seems like Isogino will be expelled too? That was fast. He should live a normal life in the general curriculum from now on. ——Ah, don’t be lonely, okay? You’ll have Katsuragi and Shinhata with you. The three of you can stay friends forever, right?”
“W-wait…”
“What? ——Wait?”
“……P-please… wait…”
Isogino suddenly became weak-willed. Ishiru’s verbal attack was terrifying. It seems that when someone who’s usually arrogant gets serious, this is what happens. I or Sōji would never have seen this side of him.
“T-that… please don’t tell the teachers… I beg of you…”
“What about the teachers? What did you…?”
“About the video…”
“What?! What did you say?! I didn’t hear it, say it louder and more clearly!”
Ishiru covered his ears and made a provocative gesture, looking at Isogino’s twisted face. “You’re a devil…” Sōji muttered beside him.
Generally speaking, we agree.
“We’re the ones who… bullied Lin and the others in the video! Please, spare us…!”
“Hmm, so Isogino, Katsuragi, and Shinhata’s three of you bullied Lin and Sugiyama…?”
“That’s what I’ve been saying from the start…!”
Ishiru showed Isogino the screen of his magical terminal (Portal), smiling slyly.
The screen displayed the recording mark.
“Thanks. In reality, our testimony wasn’t convincing enough. There’s no more effective evidence than a confession from the person themselves. You did well, it was good…”
“You… from the start…!”
“This is how Ishiru Shinma does things. You simple-minded people are different from us… ——”
Ishiru tapped his own forehead with his finger, showing off his pose. Does he like this pose? By this point, Isogino’s guy is pitiful…