Ch.285Fashion Guy Shota (1)

Anyway, we arrived home on foot.

“Sasitsu. Want to stay over?”

I asked with a smile.

“No.”

Sasitsu cut me off flatly. How disappointing.

“Thumbs-up Man! What about you?”

I asked Thumbs-up Man. A pajama party with him! I just can’t resist this!!

“I’d love to…”

Thumbs-up Man was about to respond favorably when he noticed the look in his girlfriends’ eyes. Kana was literally shooting laser beams with her eyes.

“I have things to do! Gotta go!”

Thumbs-up Man smiled, gave a thumbs-up, and promptly retreated. What a social survival monster…!!

Having pushed ourselves so hard, we fell asleep as soon as we got home.

———

That night, I was leveling up in the dream dungeon again.

“Violet!! When are we going on our date!”

I ran straight toward Violet.

Really… Violet’s beauty has a special flavor to it. Just looking at her felt like being under a charm spell.

“Who would go on a date with you…”

Violet made a disgusted face, but then seemed to remember our agreement.

“Let’s just get this over with. Seriously…”

Violet said in a resigned tone.

Where should we really go? Now that I had secured a date with Violet, I wanted to make it the best date possible.

“Ah! Right! Memory of the Strong!”

I approached Violet. I had faced some formidable opponents in the Beast Tamer battle.

“Here, Violet. Would you give me your hand?”

I asked with a smile.

“I really hate this…”

The way she looked at me like I was a bug was so attractive.

Despite her words, Violet interlocked her fingers with mine.

Flash-!

An entry immediately appeared on my status screen.

‘Memory of the Strong: Poppyon’

‘This was the Beast Tamer’s most beloved pet dog. A pedigreed hunting dog with proper bloodline certification. Strength increases by 5.’

Hmm. It was quite strong. Despite its appearance, it has a cute name.

Anyway, I raised my stats with that.

“Next time, Violet, it’ll be a kiss.”

I said.

“Really… I guess I have no choice… Wait!!! There’s no reason for us to kiss! What nonsense are you talking about!!!”

Violet was about to accept it before immediately objecting.

Tch. She didn’t fall for it.

———

Anyway, now that I’ve passed level 90, a new daily dungeon should have opened up.

“The final chapter is approaching, Arigiri Shota.”

Bluebeard said.

“Pinkbeard… has eliminated all the powerful beings in the galaxy. He’s become quite emotional because of you all. December. Once December passes, Pinkbeard will come alone, even if he has to tear open the narrow rift himself.”

Bluebeard said with a troubled expression.

“Yeah. I can do it.”

I replied firmly.

“We can do it together.”

I added.

“Hmph. Is that so. I find myself wanting to believe you. Though believing is all I can do.”

Bluebeard snapped his fingers.

Flash-!

Finally, the final dungeon with the level 90 restriction opened. I immediately went inside.

———

I entered the depths of the final dungeon.

It was… a battlefield. Corpses were everywhere. In the center stood a man.

It was… me.

I could tell from the spiky hair and the eyes with lots of white. His entire body was covered in blood and wounds. The spiky-haired nature remained, and his beard was jagged like it had been struck by lightning.

“Hmm. I should never grow a beard.”

I made that resolution. A beard really needs to be slightly curly to look good. That just looks like a bandit.

“What!! That’s the first thing you say when seeing someone identical to yourself?!!”

He immediately objected.

“I’ve… seen you before.”

He was the one who was intensely tracking Galactintin before. Plus… he often appeared in my high-quality weird dreams.

“Yes. I am you because you are my reincarnation.”

He said.

“I see.”

I just answered like that. But… what’s the clear condition for this dungeon? Do I need to defeat this guy?

“What!! What kind of reaction is that!! Well!! It is my personality!! You’re really simple-minded!!”

My doppelganger in front of me clutched his head in disbelief.

“You’ve probably reviewed some of my memories. I… saved universes in other dimensions… but eventually lost everything. After that… I continued a life of killing anyone who could be a threat to the world. Then… I faced death and was reincarnated here in this 10,789th dimensional universe.”

The doppelganger said.

“Uh-huh.”

I gave a half-hearted reaction. If we’re going to fight, why not just draw your sword already?

“And… here, I failed to save the world.”

The doppelganger opened his mouth to speak.

“………”

Ah. I recalled that vision I saw at the beach.

Eri turned evil and killed everyone. It was the worst harem ending. So that… wasn’t just a vision.

“I… became afraid of forming attachments long ago. Because of that… I became just a beast driven by lust. Everyone in the harem didn’t get along, and because of that, I failed without securing their bonds. I didn’t even become close with Sasitsu Seso Aiueo. We merely cooperated against a common enemy.”

The doppelganger said.

Damn. This story seems like it’s going to be long. Is there a skip button?

“Therefore, I took drastic measures. I erased all my soul and memories, so that you could develop a healthy humanity in a completely different dimension.”

The doppelganger said.

After that… I was born in Korea? Born into an ordinary family there… had a normal school life… lived normally, and then I was possessed again.

It wasn’t possession. I just returned to my original world.

“That once-in-a-lifetime gamble paid off. You’re doing much better than I did in the past. With this, I could disappear without regrets, but…”

The doppelganger smiled and drew his sword.

It was the holy sword I hadn’t restored before.

“But as the price for losing your memories, you’ve forgotten the ultimate swordsmanship. You are weak, Arigiri Shota.”

The doppelganger immediately took a stance.

It wasn’t the sword technique stance I learned from Gonzaemon. I froze slightly at this unfamiliar stance.

“You’re still not worthy of inheriting the hero’s symbol, the spiky hair. I’ll train you properly.”

The doppelganger said.

“I see.”

This dungeon wasn’t about eliminating enemies, but about sparring with the doppelganger.

“I’ll pass on everything I have as a hero!!”

The doppelganger shouted loudly.

“Alright!! Bring it on!!!”

A duel with my past life… damn, this was an exciting development!!

“Um, but… aren’t you surprised by the shocking past that was revealed?”

At that moment, the doppelganger spoke in a timid tone.

“Ah… should I react?”

Some super important setting did flash by… but whatever.

“I’m happy now, and I have lots of precious people. And I’m protecting this world. That conclusion doesn’t change, right?”

I smiled and raised my sword.

“…I see. You’ve successfully… let go of past memories.”

The doppelganger, slightly surprised by me, smiled and raised his sword.

“Good. Come at me!!!”

The doppelganger immediately closed the distance toward me.

Claaaaaang-!!

The two swords clashed directly. Yes. Swordsmen communicate through their blades.

——–

After crossing swords for a while, I finally came to my senses.

“I’ve lost.”

It might have looked like an even match to an observer, but in reality, the doppelganger was overwhelmingly toying with me. I couldn’t land a single effective hit. I was just being led around one-sidedly. In soccer terms… it felt like playing a half-court game.

Ding-!!

But the rewards were given immediately. My level rose at an incredible pace. It reached 97.

“That’s enough for today. Engrave what you’ve learned today into your body.”

My doppelganger said as he sheathed his sword.

“Okay! See you tomorrow!”

I got up. Now I had completed the daily dungeon, and I just needed to run the weapon dungeon for perfection.

“See you tomorrow… what a friendly guy.”

The doppelganger chuckled and muttered.

——–

After that, I was about to run the axe dungeon when…

“Shota!! Wake up!”

Someone woke me from my sleep, and I was forcibly ejected from the dream dungeon back to reality.

“Ah… Umi? Why?”

I woke up with a start.

“Remember the illustration I drew for you? That means I get a one-day Shota rental coupon, right?”

Umi said.

“Ah… right.”

I nodded.

The cover effect was definitely noticeable. The traffic really increased.

“I have a photoshoot today… would you be my manager for the day?”

Umi asked, her face lighting up.

“Manager? I… don’t know anything about fashion.”

I said.

“Hehehe. You don’t need that kind of specialized knowledge. Just help manage the model’s condition.”

Umi said.

“Seeing Umi at work… I’d like that.”

I did want to witness my girlfriend working hard.

“Y-you want to see me…”

Umi suddenly blushed.

“I want to know more about Umi.”

I immediately expressed my true feelings.

“Shota…”

Umi hesitated for a moment, then pressed her lips against mine. That kind of atmosphere had already formed.

Umi and I shared a lingering morning kiss.

And so, I agreed to be a fashion model’s manager. Yeah, why not? Besides, today was the start of the weekend. This… could essentially be considered a weekend date, right? Probably.

——–

After taking a quick shower, I explained the situation to my other girlfriends, and Umi and I headed out.

“Umi. Your clothes are more ordinary than I expected. I thought you’d be dressed more flashy.”

I said to Umi.

“Shota. Models don’t wear their photoshoot clothes from the beginning.”

Umi looked at me as if my question was cute.

“The clothes would get damaged or wrinkled. We keep them intact until the shoot and then change into them.”

Umi explained.

“I see.”

I understood. Makes sense. Clothes are expensive after all.

“One of a manager’s duties is… helping the model change clothes.”

Then, Umi made a mischievous expression.

“Umiii!!!”

I was already starting to look forward to my manager duties.

And so, Umi and I headed to the photoshoot location, chatting pleasantly along the way.