NOVEL NEXT The Strongest Solo Gamer with Terrible Social Skills Reincarnates as a Hated NPC in a VRMMO Chapter 5
5: The Trials of Kouhane and Trash Shouma
――SIDE: Houkou――
My long-awaited entrance into the Academy.
I couldn’t be happy about it because of that person.
――Ishiru Shouma.
The next head of the prestigious Ishiru family and my fiancé, decided by our parents… What am I? Can’t I fall in love on my own? It’s sad to be born into a warrior family. No matter how hard I try, I can’t inherit the family. Ai-chan, Shouma’s sister, understands how I feel. We’re like birds in a cage, living only to be admired. It’s not like I was born to live for others.
If only my partner was a more decent person…! It doesn’t matter about their talent or appearance. I just can’t stand Shouma’s personality!!
…It wasn’t like that in the past.
At some point, Shouma became a cowardly man who only cares about appearances. On the contrary, I often took a strong attitude towards him, my fiancé.
“…Hey, Shouma, can you let me go?”
“What? Why?”
“I think it’s unnecessary to be so lovey-dovey in front of everyone just because we’re engaged. So…”
“…That’s right, isn’t it…?”
“What…?!”
“Do you think I’m looking down on you?! That’s why you’re saying that! Isn’t that right?!”
“What are you talking about? Ow, that hurts…!”
“I’m the head of the Ishiru family! Not Ai-chan! And yet that sister of mine is so…!”
“Shouma! Calm down, Shouma!!”
“…!”
“Calm down and…please…”
“…K-Kouhane…”
“Didn’t you used to be kinder? Please, go back to how you used to be…!”
“……The old me……?”
“Yes, the old me. The old Sho――”
“――Pffft. Ahahahahaha! The old me? You want me to go back to being the old me? To that pathetic self from back then? Ahahahahaha! You’re kidding, right? Kidding me, Akane――!?”
“Sho, is that true?”
“……Well, it’s you who changed me, isn’t it? You always said that as a member of the warrior family, I had to become stronger, right?”
“――That’s not it. That’s not it at all, Sho! What you’re doing isn’t about strength――”
“Aah! Shut up, shut up, shut up!!”
“!!”
“You’re so annoying, Akane. You always say unnecessary things and get on my nerves. Your very existence is――”
“That’s not……”
“But――there’s one role for you, Akane.”
“!!”
“Having a child with me――”
“Sh, Sho――”
“When that day comes, I’ll make sure to enjoy it to the fullest. In reality, you’re just looking at me with a superficial gaze, and――”
“!!”
“――Oh, you hit me!? You dare to slap me!?”
“――Shut up!!”
“Heh!? You hate me that much!?”
“――”
“This, the lowest of humans! Trash! Loser!!”
I shouted insults while crying and ran away from the scene. That’s how my current relationship with him began.
……Sho was quite mature during the day, wasn’t he?
And it was unusual that he didn’t try to hit on me. I was so curious that I even initiated a conversation with him on my way back. But――I’ve already given up on Tsuru Sho, the human being. No matter how much his attitude changes, I won’t let my guard down like I did in the past.
The idea of me falling in love with him is impossible, no matter how the world turns.
That’s right. Absolutely right.
I nodded in agreement.
“――Are you okay, Otori-san?”
“Touka-san…”
“Do you have any troubles? If you’d like, I can listen and offer advice!”
“Haha……yeah. Thanks.”
My classmate, Touka Shinonome, approached me and started talking, concerned about my well-being. We’ve known each other since middle school, but it wasn’t like we were close friends or anything. We just recognized each other’s existence from afar.
Of course, I had no idea she was aiming to be an explorer or that she took the Academy’s entrance exam.
When we reunited in the classroom, I was surprised. Since we went to the same middle school, we quickly hit it off. Touka, who was skilled at making friends, took me under her wing and introduced me to the girls’ circle, and that’s how we ended up exploring the facility together.
“About what you said earlier, about Tsuru-kun?”
“…”
“――Ah, sorry! I shouldn’t have said that, should I?”
“…I’m fine, anyway. It’s already decided that he’ll spread rumors about me in this school.”
I couldn’t help but sound bitter.
I’d already told Tōun-san about Shōma earlier, and she understood that I disliked him. She’s easy to talk to, and I think she’s a good person.
“…Aren’t you overdoing it a bit?”
“I’m not, so it’s fine.”
I lightly replied to Tōun-san.
It wasn’t a lie.
This kind of thing was a daily occurrence, anyway.
After I said that, I felt Tōun-san’s concerned gaze on me. She didn’t say anything, but I could sense it. I think that’s one of her good points. If it were me, I’d probably say something unnecessary and make the other person angry.
“――Ow, stop it! Let me go!!”
A commotion broke out from behind, and I heard a familiar voice – Utsumi Saki-san? What was going on? Tōun-san and I exchanged glances and rushed towards the center of the disturbance.
“Ah, Tōun-san and Ōtori-san!”
“What’s going on!?”
“Utsumi-san is being harassed by the boys from Class 1-C…”
“What!?!”
“Give it back! My camera!!”
Utsumi-san desperately tried to retrieve her camera from the boys. They were laughing and sneering at her.
“Ah?! You should pay first!”
“You’re taking pictures without permission! That’s a violation of portrait rights, and it’s illegal! If you don’t want to get sued, you’ll pay up!!”
“S-such…!”
“Utsumi-san, are you okay!?”
“Tōun-san and Ōtori-san! They…they stole my camera…”
“Camera…?”
“Give it back, right now!!”
“Huh?”
“Hey, who are you talking to? Ah?”
“……!!”
The boys closed in on us, intimidating us. They think they can get away with this just because we’re girls… How disgusting! The fact that people like them are in this academy is unacceptable…
“…Hey! I’ll delete the photos I took, so…”
“That’s not the point! You took our pictures without permission, and now you’re saying you’ll delete them?!”
“But…!”
“It’s okay, Tōun-san. We don’t need to deal with people like them. Let’s go see the teacher!!”
“…Teacher? Ha! You think the teacher will do anything? Buahahahaha! This is perfect!!”
“What’s so funny? What’s going on?”
“You guys are the ones who entered D-Class this year, right? We’ll teach you a lesson, since you’re so naive!!”
“…”
“The teachers in this academy don’t get involved in student conflicts. So, even if you tattle, it won’t do anything! The students have to resolve their own problems! That’s the law in this academy!!”
“I-I don’t think so…”
“If you think that’s a lie, then go try it. By the time you come back, this camera will be smashed to pieces!!”
“S-stop it! Please stop!!”
“Hahahahahaha!!”
The boys burst out laughing, looking triumphant.
“…There really aren’t any decent guys…”
“Huh? What did you just say?”
“I said those guys are the worst!!”
I vented my pent-up anger, directing my glare at the boys in front of me. Of course, if I said something like that, they might attack me.
But I absolutely refuse to be a pushover!!
More than anything, it’s the existence of Shouma that gets to me.
He, too, was intimidated by strong guys. If I let these guys get away with this, I’d be no different from Shouma back then.
――That’s something I absolutely refuse to accept!!
Just as the enraged boys were about to grab my arms――
“――Stop it!!”
A single boy appeared before my eyes, his presence swift and sudden.