Chapter 89: Hero …What the hell is this?
I found Akito, but the situation is bizarre.
Is that guy the vegetable shop owner?
And why are they trying to whip out their dicks so amicably? I know Akito doesn't really care about gender, but didn't he usually only go for girls—or at least femboys who look like girls but insist they're guys?
The women were all lined up with their heads against the wall like they were being punished… If I didn't know these people, I would have closed the door immediately on this grotesque atmosphere.
Scarlet seemed to feel the same way; her eyes darted around in confusion before she looked down, her cheeks flushing red.
"I… I respect everyone's tastes…"
No, I think you've got the wrong idea entirely.
Even the upright Scarlet is having lewd delusions and jumping to weird conclusions. I guess that's an eroge for you.
"Yeon-woo!"
Rio and Masayoshi scrambled to their feet, welcoming me.
…Wait, no. It looks more like they're trying to kill me.
Seeing them stumble toward me like zombies, unable to even stand straight, I tossed them a bottle of water from my bag while munching on a croquette.
"It's mine!"
"Uryaaaaah!"
It's a dog-eat-dog world. No friends when you're starving, I guess.
Leaving the two hungry beasts to fight over a single bottle of water, I set my backpack down in front of Akito's group, who were staring at me blankly.
"You're hungry, right? Eat as much as you want."
"Yeon-woo… how did you get here…?"
"Yeon-woo came to save you."
I came to save the world, not Akito.
When Scarlet spoke with a proud tone, Akito looked at me with an expression of deep moved emotion.
Don't look at me so lovingly; it makes me want to puke.
"Eat first, then we'll talk. There's plenty of water and everything, so take your time."
As I handed out the food, Akito gratefully began pulling items out of the bag.
Croquettes, soda, water, chicken skewers, snacks, cookies, chocolate, side dishes… Since I'd grabbed everything ready-to-eat from the shopping district, it was a bit of a hodgepodge.
Still, as the smell wafted through the room with every item pulled out, the people there began gulping down their saliva.
"Please, eat. Don't hold back."
"Wait… isn't this a radish from my shop?"
"Yes. The situation was urgent so I just grabbed it, but I'll pay for it later."
"No, no. You came to help. As expected, the radishes from my shop are nice and fresh."
The vegetable shop owner sat down, looking at his own produce longingly.
It's kind of funny watching him praise the radish while eating something else.
Well, even if it doesn't need cooking, there's no reason to eat raw vegetables when there's prepared food right there.
"Thanks, Yeon-woo. Everyone's hungry, right? Let's eat."
As the followers hesitated, feeling awkward around me, Akito encouraged them.
Oh, so you're not going to eat? Of course you are. Why act all high and mighty because of your pride?
Eventually, unable to endure the hunger, the people gathered around and began to eat. As time passed, their pace only quickened.
"Everyone looks so happy eating. You really are an amazing person."
Scarlet and I had been snacking the whole way here, so our stomachs were already full.
Scarlet, who had been watching the people eat from a distance with a warm smile, turned to praise me.
…I was just inwardly mocking the followers, so hearing you say that makes me feel embarrassed.
As expected, the kind-hearted Scarlet is different from a narrow-minded guy like me.
I was planning to tease them later about how they owed me one, but I can't do that now.
Since I'd brought so much, there was plenty of food left even after everyone was full.
Maybe I brought too much.
There were a lot of people, but if they rationed it, this was enough to last another three days.
Not that we're staying, though.
"Did you find a way to solve this?"
"To some extent. Shiori found a few clues and said it seems like Randowell's Law is being applied."
What the hell is that, you nerd?
As Akito spouted things I couldn't understand, the recovered Masayoshi also started sharing what he'd figured out.
Since I couldn't follow any of it, it just looked like a bunch of otaku getting excited over a conversation.
Randowell or whatever, all you have to do is keep going through the right-hand door.
"How many days have you been here?"
"We've been here for five days."
"Five days?! And you still haven't found the way out?"
"…"
Ah, sorry. Was that too rude?
I shut my mouth as Shiori's cold gaze pierced through me.
But seriously, in the game, they usually find it in less than three days. This is ridiculous.
Why the hell couldn't they find it?
Chika usually finds the rule by accident while acting like a mad dog… Wait, Chika isn't here.
Chika, who should have been here, didn't come to school with them today because she was taking the exam.
Normally, they should have escaped before I even arrived, but because Chika was missing, they'd been wandering around aimlessly.
…
This… is serious.
My existence was having too much of an influence on Akito.
I don't know why Chika came separately today, but regardless, if I hadn't been around, Chika would have been here and solved this already.
In the first place, the exam wouldn't have been pushed back by two days either.
I was planning to just enjoy the eroge world while Akito saved the world on his own…
Is this… the Butterfly Effect?
If things are like this, I can't just leave Akito alone.
The story breaks and the world ends over something as trivial as Chika not going to school with Akito today.
Dammit… this is getting complicated.
As I frowned at the headache of it all, Shiori spoke up aggressively.
"If you're so brilliant, why don't you try solving it?"
"You said it's Randowell, right? Then you just have to keep going to the right."
I don't actually know what Randowell's Law is, though.
Since I was annoyed, I just blurted out the answer with an equally emotional voice.
"How could it be something so simp—"
"Huh? Wait… if Elme's Theory is applied, then—"
Shiori's scowl was cut short by Masayoshi's intervention.
Muttering something, Masayoshi began writing on the wall and explaining it to the others.
Wow, as expected of God Sayoshi. You're better than Shiori, the supposed brains of Akito's group.
I still have no idea what he's talking about, though.
Before I knew it, Shiori, Scarlet, and Akito had joined in, and after exchanging opinions, they reached the conclusion that going only to the right was indeed correct.
"How did you know?"
"I came through the Zone too. I spotted the pattern."
My conscience pricked me, but I had nothing else to say.
Scarlet's look of admiration, Akito's disgusting look of love, Shiori's look of bruised pride but reluctant acknowledgment—all sorts of gazes were directed at me.
"I suppose since you were investigating from outside the Zone, you saw things we missed."
You can investigate a Zone from the outside?
It was news to me, but I didn't say that out loud.
Masayoshi, nodding to himself, looked around as if asking for everyone's opinion.
"Let's go. No point in dragging this out."
Akito naturally took the lead, and Shiori nodded.
"Yes. I can't stand breathing the same air as that man any longer."
"You seemed to have no problem stuffing your face with the food 'that man' brought, though."
"Ugh…"
"Now, now, let's not fight. Escaping the Zone comes first."
As Akito stepped in to mediate, Shiori glared at me and then marched forward to open the door.
She must be embarrassed. Usually, she'd leave that kind of thing to Akito or the other followers while staying in the back.
Shiori took the lead, her body language screaming that she wanted to escape the situation as quickly as possible because she had no comeback.
Naturally, Akito—who can't help himself around women—followed her, saying it was dangerous, and everyone else began to move.
But this guy, he didn't say a word about Shiori being rude to me.
Grumbling internally, I followed the group as they proceeded only through the right-hand doors.
As we passed through several rooms, the rooms behind the doors became increasingly drab and dark.
"Looks like we're on the right track."
In the game, as you get closer to the exit, the rooms become shabbier and lose their color.
Masayoshi observed the walls carefully as we moved to the next room, finally arriving in a completely black room.
It was a spacious room, large enough to fit ten people with room to spare.
There were plenty of luxurious pieces of furniture like beds, wardrobes, and tables, but they had all lost their color, leaving only black and gray, so they didn't feel grand at all.
The room, which was entirely black from floor to ceiling, had no doors, indicating that this was the destination.
"My mana is back."
As proof that the Zone was ending, Akito summoned a small light above his hand and looked at the others.
"If we release a strong burst of mana, the Zone will probably shatter."
At Masayoshi's explanation, Akito nodded.
Every Zone has a different solution, but as the end nears, the rules mostly vanish and things return to reality.
I don't need to worry about it since I'm never entering a Zone again.
The Samurai and Ailee protected the vegetable shop owner and his daughter, and the light in Akito's hand began to grow larger.
It's over—my first and last Zone experience.
As the Zone began to crack under the pressure of Akito's mana, the shop owner and his daughter looked terrified, while the Samurai and Ailee, who were protecting them, smiled and told them not to worry.
Ugh—come to think of it, didn't I do everything?
I gave them the answer, I brought them food. So why are you guys striking poses like protagonists at the very end?
Well, he is the protagonist.
And right now, he needs to shine more than anyone.
As the Zone shattered, we returned to the shop's warehouse.
A multitude of devices and government agents were there, and they looked at us in shock.
"Wait… how?"
"Daihara Akito, a student at Wygdrasil, has cleared the Zone!!!"
Before anyone could say anything, I screamed at the top of my lungs.
Scarlet, who was right next to me, jumped in surprise, but I didn't care and shouted again.
"Daihara Akito cleared the Zone! He's a hero who gave up his exams and dove into the Zone to save the civilians caught inside! Daihara Akito!! Remember the name Akito!!"
"Wait… stop, okay, I get it, so just stop."
An agent tried to stop me in embarrassment, but I wasn't talking to you guys.
I couldn't see it from inside the shop, but there would be a police line outside and a huge crowd gathered.
They must have heard my voice, amplified by magic.
Mr. Reporter, you know what to do, right? Akito is the important one here.
Since I've made this much of a scene, Wygdrasil will have to take some kind of action.
*
The next day.
I'd spent the previous day in a whirlwind, being questioned by agents and reporting to Wygdrasil.
On the internet, the face of Akito, the hero who cleared the Zone, was plastered everywhere.
The reporter guy really did his job for the money I gave him.
"It wasn't really my doing…"
"What are you talking about? If you hadn't been there, everyone in that shop would have died. You're the one who saved them."
Despite what I was actually thinking, I spoke those words, and Akito looked at me with that loving gaze again.
"He's right. Because you were there, Brother, you saved Mr. Kon and Nanami."
"That is true. If it weren't for Lord Akito, the Zone would have been discovered much later, and those two wouldn't have lasted."
"Akito is so cool."
…Things are going exactly as I wanted, so why am I getting annoyed?
It was like the followers were trying to erase my contribution entirely, fussing over Akito and showering him with praise.
A short while later, Erin entered the room where everyone involved had gathered, accompanied by her secretary.
Your chest is as bountiful as ever.
She's definitely wearing underwear, so what's with that sway?
I was staring at her seductive chest when our eyes met, and I quickly looked away, pretending I wasn't.
Erin gave me a small smile and then spoke to the people who had stood up.
"Please, sit. We can't have the heroes of Wygdrasil feeling uncomfortable."
Sitting in the chair her secretary brought, Erin praised us as we sat in a row.
However, it wasn't just praise; she also gently scolded them for their reckless behavior, causing Akito to hang his head.
"It's all my fault. If I hadn't rushed in so hastily…"
"I didn't call you here to scold you. I only hope that you've learned a lot from this experience and will act with more composure next time."
Wow, so kind.
If it had been my department head back at the company, he would have started by swearing: Are you insane, you piece of shit? If something happens, you should have reported it before moving! You think you're so great? Huh?! Since you're so great you solved it yourself?! Why don't you just start your own company and run it then?!
I learned this from my corporate life, but the higher-ups not knowing the situation is a very big deal.
They could have provided help with the problem, or set up a backup plan in case it wasn't solved, but by not reporting it, all those opportunities were lost.
Erin is speaking kindly now, but I bet she's boiling on the inside.
Anyway, since Akito is currently being hailed by the public as a hero who cleared a Zone—often called a Mage's Grave—it's hard for her to say much.
"Akito-kun, Shiori-san, Kurumi-san, Ailee-san, Emma-san. Since the five of you were in a disaster situation, you will be taking a re-exam."
Akito looked happy at Erin's words.
"However, the difficulty of the exam will be higher. I hope you won't hold a grudge against Wygdrasil just because it's difficult."
"Yes, thank you."
"And…"
At Erin's signal, the secretary standing beside her took something from a tray and placed one in front of each of us.
A card…?
"We can't just leave these excellent students who cleared a Zone alone. These are Temporary Licenses. Since you all have good grades, you would have naturally received them anyway, so it's not exactly a prize, but the higher-ups were quite insistent."
I finally got the Temporary License I'd wanted so badly.
Wait, but not everyone here has good grades, do they?
There's a thug over there who failed the deserted island exam, and there's this kid named Rio who was bragging about his grades but, from what I saw, got everything wrong.
Is this a prank by the scenario?
Takeo and the Comedy Duo, who weren't supposed to get their qualifications for another six months, received Temporary Licenses.
Dammit, stop grouping me with them.
Is this the Butterfly Effect too? But why is the world only screwing with me?
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