"Listen up, everyone."
Before Kouki could utter another word, Captain Meld stepped forward. "I know that you all might be terrified right now, but I am here. All of the kingdom's knights are here with you. You possess special powers, and you have the immense potential to become stronger. While I won't stop you from returning to the surface with your teacher if you choose to do so, you should also trust in your own power.
"Where is the absolute best place to forge that strength? It is right here. In the labyrinth!"
To Meld, there was nothing morally wrong with letting a group of youths face mortal danger. In the world of Tortus, where war and survival were daily realities, throwing young men and women into the crucible of combat was entirely normal. It might have been horrifying by modern Japanese standards, but Meld felt no guilt. He genuinely believed that running away now would be a tragic waste of their gifts.
"You all have impressive potential. Instead of letting it wither away, let me guide you. I will protect you with my life until you grow into the powerful warriors you were meant to be."
"Captain..."
Despite the horrors they had faced, the students knew Captain Meld was sincere. He had always been good to them, especially the boys, recognizing their raw potential. Kouki might have held the title of "Hero," but that didn't mean the rest of them were useless.
The reality? During the Behemoth crisis, Suzuki and the students who followed his logistical commands had played a far more vital role than the "Hero" ever did.
So, despite their lingering terror, a few voices began to speak up.
"I-I will follow you, Captain Meld!"
"My power might not be much, but please teach me!"
"Captain, me too!"
Meld was visibly moved by their courage. He nodded, his expression hardening with resolve. "Thank you for believing in me." He then turned to Aiko and bowed his head respectfully. "Aiko-sensei, I know you are deeply worried about your students. But they need to grow, and they have the potential to become the greatest defenders of this world. Will you trust me to teach them in your stead? Like you, I swear I will protect them with everything I have."
"Captain..."
Aiko could see the unwavering sincerity in his eyes. Like her, Meld was a responsible adult. Strangely enough, she trusted this seasoned knight far more than she trusted the Kingdom or the Church.
Still, while every fiber of her being wanted to drag all her precious students back to the safety of the surface, they had to make their own choices.
"Sensei, you don't have to worry about us. Our jobs are powerful."
"Yeah, if we just hide behind you forever, we'll never grow."
"Let us follow the Captain, Sensei!"
"You guys..." Aiko sighed helplessly, a bittersweet smile touching her lips. She looked over her class. "Sensei knows some of you are terrified, and some of you are eager to grow despite the danger. I am proud of your courage. But for those who want to step back, you don't have to worry—Sensei will protect you. For those who want to fight, I won't stand in your way.
"You are all high school seniors. If you hadn't been summoned here, you would be heading off to university or entering the workforce. Sooner or later, we were always going to part ways. No matter what you choose, Sensei will support you. Please, make your decision."
Following Aiko seemed like the obvious choice for the non-combatants. However, Suzuki—who had been quietly observing—stepped in and brilliantly rebranded the group of defectors. Anyone who retreated with Aiko would officially be recognized as "Aiko's Bodyguard Group."
It sounded slightly silly, but it worked flawlessly. Given Aiko's exalted status as the Goddess of Fertility within the Church, the Kingdom couldn't afford to let her come to harm. And who better to trust with her protection than her own fiercely loyal students?
"Bodyguards?" The students murmured, surprised but quickly nodding in agreement. Without making a grand speech, Suzuki had effortlessly smoothed over the political logistics of their retreat.
Watching the students divide, Suzuki felt little interest in the group staying with Meld. His gaze briefly swept over Hiyama, who was cowering with his head bowed, not daring to meet Suzuki's eyes.
Well, it doesn't matter, Suzuki dismissed him instantly. Hiyama wasn't even a blip on his radar anymore. Suzuki's focus was already set on his upcoming moves within the Kingdom.
"Kaori... are you really sure you want to leave? You want to stay here with the Party, right? You want to stay with me, right?"
Kouki, completely unable to process reality, desperately tried to pull Kaori and Shizuku back.
"And you too, Shizuku. Are you seriously going to abandon me?"
"Yes," Shizuku answered with a curt nod. "You are the Hero, right? If you want to save this world, you can't let a minor roster change stump you. How are you going to save humanity if you can't even handle this?"
"..." Kouki gaped at her.
"And Kouki... don't refer to me by my first name anymore," Shizuku added coldly, leaning comfortably against Suzuki's side. "I am his. We may have been childhood friends, but going forward, we are nothing more than acquaintances. Remember your place."
"..."
Kouki was physically struck dumb. He wanted to scream, to curse Suzuki for somehow deceiving his childhood friend, but the words choked in his throat. Suzuki hadn't even said a word. Shizuku's brutal rejection had come entirely from the depths of her own heart, making it infinitely more devastating.
No... this can't be happening...
"Kaori, what about you?!" Kouki pleaded, turning to his last hope. "You are our Priest! We'll be miserable without your healing! How can you just abandon us—"
"Amanogawa, stop!"
Before Suzuki or Kaori could even respond, Aiko stepped forward, fiercely glaring at the Hero. "Shirasaki-san has made her decision. She is coming with me, and she is under my responsibility. Do not attempt to guilt-trip her."
"I... I wasn't guilt-tripping her! I'm just thinking about the survival of the group—"
"Stand down, Amanogawa."
"Captain?!" Kouki whipped his head around, staring at Meld in absolute betrayal.
"She has made her choice, and as a man, you need to accept it," Meld said sternly. "Instead of whining about this, you need to focus your mind on leading the upcoming expedition."
Kouki looked at the Captain—the man he deeply respected—and felt intense, nauseating vertigo. His entire world was spinning out of control.
"Amanogawa, sorry, but please don't call me Kaori anymore either."
"Kaori...?"
Kaori happily wrapped her arms around Suzuki's other side and pressed a sweet, lingering kiss to his cheek.
Smooch~
"..."
The dungeon fell completely silent. In that deafening quiet, everyone could practically hear the sharp, pathetic crack of something breaking inside Kouki's mind.
"I love Suzuki too," Kaori smiled radiantly. "So please, just forget about me."
"No... no... no... It's all a lie. This is impossible! You're lying! Everyone is lying to me! I don't believe it! Everything is—"
Snap.
Kouki's eyes rolled back into his head, and he collapsed face-first onto the cold stone floor in a dead faint.
"..."
Suzuki looked down at the unconscious Hero with a strange, slightly pitying expression. Still, Kouki passing out actually made everything significantly easier. Without him throwing a tantrum, the class quickly finalized their division.
Hmm...
Suzuki thought it was a bit wasteful for Meld's group to continue conquering a dungeon that he had already completely looted. But then again, the monolith and the Age of Gods Creation Magic were still waiting at the bottom. They would at least get something out of the grueling journey.
However, there was one student whose decision genuinely surprised him.
"Are you absolutely sure you want to stay, Nagumo?" Suzuki asked, raising an eyebrow.
Nagumo couldn't give a proper verbal response. His chest felt tight as he watched Kaori—the girl who had always been so kind to him—happily clinging to Suzuki. He had secretly harbored the hope that Kaori liked him back. Seeing her publicly declare her love for the class's stoic Merchant felt like a brutal punch to the gut.
He was still a teenage boy, after all. His ego was heavily bruised. Yet, the sting of that realization was exactly why he needed to stay.
"Yes. I'm staying."
"Are you sure?" Suzuki pressed.
"Yes," Nagumo replied, his expression hardening with resolve. "I know I am weak. I know I'm probably just a burden right now. But even so... I'm staying."
As he spoke, he glanced at Kaori one last time, desperately hoping to see a flicker of concern. But she wasn't even looking at him. She was entirely focused on Suzuki.
"Then take care of yourself," Suzuki nodded, turning away.
Watching Suzuki's retreating back, Nagumo reflected on the boy's life back in Japan. Suzuki had been a stoic, relentlessly hard-working orphan who clawed his way into the country's best university through sheer, terrifying stubbornness. Even here, relegated to the "useless" Merchant class, he had built himself into an irreplaceable pillar.
Nagumo didn't really blame Kaori for falling in love with him, even if the three-way relationship was highly immoral (a fact Aiko-sensei was currently turning bright red over).
As Nagumo watched Kaori's sweet, liberated smile as she walked away arm-in-arm with Suzuki, the words died in his throat.
Say something! Speak up like a man, Nagumo! his mind screamed.
But he couldn't. And in that quiet, painful moment, Nagumo knew his first love was definitively over.
Nagumo and Kouki weren't the only ones nursing broken hearts as the girls walked away, but Suzuki couldn't care less about the fragile egos of teenage boys. His focus was entirely on the next stage of his plan: securing Aiko-sensei.
"Y-You three are absolutely shameless!" Aiko sputtered, pointing a trembling finger at them.
"..."
Watching Aiko's flushed, flustered expression as she glared at him like he was a lewd, naughty boy sent an unexpected, pleasant shiver down Suzuki's spine.
Yep. Coming to this world had definitely unlocked something inside him, and he knew he couldn't hold back his ambitions anymore.
But first... let's focus on the master plan.
---
Tomorrow is the world of Tensura!
Please look forward to his Isekai adventures!
It will be fun!
Also, Suzuki Naruto has returned!
You can see him return after the world of Tensura, and the style?
Hm~!
Anyway, please look forward to it!