Translator: Tsukii
Editor: Lilia
Read at Watashi wa Sugoi Desu!
Chapter 31- Bombardment of Sound Arguments
Erin, who had been visiting her family house during her break, returned to the dormitory with huge news.
It seemed that Mariemaia, my former party member, would be coming here.
Why?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!
How?!?!?!?!?!?!?!??!?!
What do you mean?!?!?!?!?!?!?!
I almost fell off my chair in my dorm room.
It was as if a lightning bolt out of the blue sky and a stray ball from left field fused together and struck me while I was sleeping. Apparently, the two proverbs were supposed to be used in slightly different situations, but this revelation was impactful enough to use both, I think.
[“Teach’, I think you should have a proper talk with that person.”]
Behind Erin, who spoke with a mysterious expression, Sharon and Kuyumi were nodding.
Apparently, the three of them discussed it with each other first before telling me.
Even if they said that, there was nothing I could talk about.
Strictly speaking, there was something I couldn’t talk about, but there was no need to tell Erin’s group about that.
Instead, I unapologetically kicked the three out of my room.
……As my room became quiet, I sighed.
From what I heard from Erin, things were progressing in a completely different direction than what I expected.
Mariemaia didn’t hate me.
Rather, she hated her own powerlessness that led to her being chased out by me.
What was that? ── Give me a break.
You weren’t a person destined to be a comrade to someone like me to begin with.
She was the pure, beautiful, and infinitely kind girl worthy of saving the world, a stereotypical protagonist.
I didn’t mind if she hated me.
Although she never explicitly condemned Haruto, even in the original game, her behavior toward him gradually became less forgiving.
Being meek and a little afraid of others, but still able to bravely reach out to anyone, was Mariemaia’s charm point.
But what did it mean for her to hate herself?
Why did it end up like that?
I──What did I do wrong?
◇
“You are already talented to begin with, and with more experience, you’ll surely become the best healer on the continent.”
I told Mariemaia that over and over in the past.
“That… is all thanks to Haruto-san for picking me up.”
She, who was just a normal town girl, got scouted by game version Haruto because of her appearance. That guy sure was very lucky that she also happened to be so skilled.
And as someone who knew all the scenarios, I scouted her to prepare for the first part of the scenario.
I made sure she was strong so she wouldn’t have trouble on her journey.
I provided her with a comfortable space so she wouldn’t want to leave on her own.
All that left was to YEET her to teach her hatred so she could awaken in the end.
My own journey was nothing but a series of labors of cleaning out mob characters or non-named characters that could have been in the way of the scenario.
I had decided that once I YEETed Mariemaia, I would quit being an adventurer.
The game version of Haruto went into decline and showed his shameful self several times over the course of the story, but I didn’t have to do that.
I already didn’t like the idea of being hated by her, why should I do things that would make her hate me even more?
Of course I would choose to retire and spend my life quietly.
“Haruto, what are you afraid of?”
It was near the end of my adventurer days when I had the hunch that the day I would YEET Mariemaia would soon come.
When we were camping for the night, the Monk suddenly asked me a question.
“……What are you talking about?”
“It’s troubling if you play dumb. Do you really think that we can’t tell? Don’t you agree?”
The Monk shrugged and glanced at the Knight.
By the way, both Mariemaia and the Magician were picking wildflowers nearby. Apparently, they would be mixed for something.
“There’s no way we can’t tell. Don’t look down on us, Haruto. You are getting weaker day by day. It is as if you are being haunted by something.”
“…………”
I could only respond with silence as I stared at the bonfire.
Even if I told them what I was afraid of, there was no guarantee it would have a positive effect; rather, it was more likely to have a negative effect.
“……Kuku, I am the descendant of the hero, you know? There’s nothing I am afraid of.”
While talking arrogantly, I kept my gaze on the flickering flame.
The thing I was most scared and afraid of wasn’t anything that existed at the moment.
It was the possibility that Mariemaia wouldn’t awaken her true power.
Mariemaia was the chosen one who could awaken the magic to kill the demon lord.
Erin too, had similar qualifications. She was the one who would awaken the power to defeat the final boss of the sequel game.
However, if it were Mariemaia against the final boss of the sequel, or Erin against the final boss of the first game, there was no guarantee if their qualifications would still apply.
I had to make sure Mariemaia would follow the original scenario. She would be awakened and defeat the final boss of the first game, which would later be revived for the sequel.
And I, the hero Haruto, couldn’t play the role of guiding her forever.
That was why… I see.
Even if I concealed what I was afraid of, it might be okay to share what I was going to do.
I could tell that both Mariemaia and the Magician were some distance away. It should be okay to confess it now.
“Can I change the topic?”
“Oi oi, wait. You still haven’t answered──”
“In the following days, out of necessity, Mariemaia will be YEETed from this party. This is not a temporary thing.”
The camp suddenly fell silent.
Both the Monk and Knight widened their eyes and were at a loss for words.
“……There’s no way that you, who dote on Mariemaia so much, can do something like that, right?”
Although the words sounded like they were barely squeezed out, the Monk was quick to point that out.
The Knight also nodded.
But this time, I shook my head.
“It’s not a matter of whether I can or not, it’s an established fact. Go ahead and speak up if you have any complaints.”
I tapped my finger on the hilt of the holy sword that had been passed down through my family.
There weren’t many people who could beat me in head-on combat.
Of course, I would like to avoid fighting my party members. There was no way to defeat them without inflicting serious injuries.
But if I had no choice but to do it, I would win, definitely.
Just as I was thinking so, the Knight suddenly raised her hand.
Eh, did this mean she really wanted to have a go? Seriously?
Excuse me… could I still take back my words?
“I like the way things are now… and I also think Mariemaia enjoys her journey together with us, so why would you destroy everyone’s happiness? If I defeat you, will it mean that she won’t have to be YEETed?”
“Kukuku…”
It was a proper argument based on both reason and affection.
I already felt like losing here. I didn’t have any legitimacy on my side.
“Ah… does that mean if I win, I’m going to be the leader instead…?!”
“Kukuku… don’t you think that’s brazen of you?”
“Ah…I-I guess you’re right. It’s too brazen of me, whose huge body is not even human, to speak my opinion…”
“Aaaaahhhh that’s not true! See, your opinions are super helpful every time! You aren’t just strong, but also super smart, cute, and the best! You can give me advice for the rest of your life!”
The Knight was starting to have a mental breakdown, so I hurriedly made to cheer her up.
As I continued to give her all the compliments I could think of, she gradually straightened up, her cheeks flushed red, her eyes began to swim with tears, and she began to shyly mutter “I don’t think so…”
Okay, it seemed like things worked out somehow.
“[Soul Fister!] (soul heavy armor drop)!”
“Obo.”
Immediately after that, the Monk tapped her staff, converted a mass of souls, and dropped it down onto my head.
“What are you doing…!”
“It’s because you went off too far from the main topic. You might get hated by Mariemaia for this… but do you really have that resolve?”
Hearing the Monk’s question, I nodded.
“Aah, I am prepared── for her to hate me. I think that’s how she should feel, after all.”
◇
That was what I said back then.
I had my resolve, and I thought it was inevitable to be hated for that.
But reality wasn’t like that. It wasn’t me that she hated, but herself.
Was she just that kind?
Should I have manipulated her will more arbitrarily?
Was I mistaken?
What was I supposed to do with her?
“…[Vertical Flash Slash!!]”
“Howaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh?!”
While I was hanging my head in despair by myself, the dormitory door was split in two.
Erin’s group of three barged into the room, kicking away what was left of the door.
What was with these overzealous trespassers!
“Wai, what are you……”
“Teach’ is at fault, right? You just tried to push your opinion without even listening to ours!”
Perhaps because she spoke directly to Mariemaia, Erin’s voice sounded desperate.
“It’s no good to leave her as she is! It’s too sad… if something like that happened to me, I don’t think I could bear it…!”
“……That’s…”
“But that person endured it by hating herself! Isn’t that the saddest thing of all?!”
Erin shook her head and grabbed my chest.
“That’s why I will have to preach to teach’-!”
“Eh… I’m the one who’s getting a lecture here…?”
“Isn’t it obvious?!”
Erin pulled my face closed to hers, so close that our noses were rubbing against each other.
I was speechless when struck by her direct gaze.
“I know it must be hard for teach’ to be in a position where he couldn’t explain the situation… but teach’ seems to forget that it is harder on the person who had things done to them without any explanation at all!”
“!!”
My eyes opened wide at Erin’s words.
“Situation, something like that-”
“Everyone who knows teach’ will think like that.”
“Right?” said Erin to her two classmates.
The two of them smiled faintly and pulled Erin away from me.
“Ehhh, why?!”
“It’s because you’re sticking too close～♡”
Sharon and Kuyumi brought Erin back to an appropriate distance.
That helped a little. The distance earlier was too much for me to handle.
Once again, the three of them lined up and looked at me head on.
Perhaps it was better to say that they were half glaring at me.
“Sensei might certainly have some sort of circumstances pushing his decision… and you couldn’t afford to have that circumstance be known by the other party. In that case, you should at least try to consider how the other party would take it.”
Sharon’s indifferent words hit me hard.
“Then, maybe…I…”
“Exact~ly, sensei seems thinking he’s cleverly controlling things behind the scenes with full expertise, but you lack the intelligence and empathy to do it properly♡ mister failure♡ it’s presumptuous of you to try and manipulate others♡”
“Gahah.”
Saying the words hitting me felt like arrows was too lukewarm.
It was like a cannonball was fired at me, making a huge hole.
“A-am I really at that level… that I don’t understand anything…?”
“If you used some common sense, wouldn’t it be natural for her to think she was kicked out due to her lack of ability?”
I was shocked by Erin’s words.
“There’s no way that’s the case, right?! She’s the best healer of the continent! That’s not only acknowledged by us, but also by other people!”
“But, from sensei, who found and raised Mariemaia-san, and then kicked her out, how would she take it?”
“No matter how I see it, it could only be seen that she thought she was a disappointment, right～♡”
“Zanba onii-sama investigated everything about that and told me about it. He told me to say it explicitly to teach’.”
Guh, so that lightning bastard also played a part!
So that was why they knew much more than what they were supposed to…!
“Then… the thing I did was…”
“……Please apologize properly and beg for forgiveness.”
Erin took a step forward and gave an unflinching smile.
“Um, some people might think that the things they did are unforgivable and they don’t want to be forgiven for that. But the moment they feel like they want to be forgiven, they will be able to do so.”
“……!”
It was clear that she was referring to her family problems.
“Besides, Mariemaia-san seems to be blessed with comrades even after being kicked out by teach’. There’s a sharp onii-san, a mysterious maid, and a cheerful old man.”
Eh, so the third person, the pile bunker old man, had already joined?
She was gathering comrades at a fast rate… Well, let’s leave that aside.
That pile bunker old man was generally a super nice guy, and he served as the social lubricant of the party, so it was really helpful for me.
“So it was that comrade old man who suggested bringing Mariemaia-san to this academy. I think the other side also has the same thought. I think he didn’t want the misunderstanding between teach’ and Mariemaia-san to keep haunting her.”
……I see.
They were a party I had watched, operated, and rooted for through the screen.
No, that wasn’t it. They were great adventurers who lived in the same world and traveled to save the world.
They were caring and felt pain alongside their comrade.
I was fully aware that this was reality.
Exactly because of that knowledge, I did everything I could to save it.
Perhaps because I kept running frantically, I ended up overlooking some crucial things.
To think I failed to do something obvious as putting myself in another party’s shoes…
Aah──I guess I was really done for as a person.
There was no way I could call myself an otaku after hurting the character I was such a huge fan of.
Not only did I leave her wounded, I even left her alone in that state. Not only was I a failure as an otaku, I was a failure as a human.
I looked up with determination.
I confidently declared what needed to be done to the three girls in front of me.
“First of all… I will… kneel on the ground and cut my stomach…!”
“Definitely don’t do that♡”
◇
And so, the day when Mariemaia visited the remote adventurer school came.
This was the day when one of the major events that would carve its name in the history of Tail Kingdom occurred.
Nobody except one person was aware that it was the beginning of an incident that would be known by future generations as the “Artificial Demonic Realm Incident.”
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