Ch.316Initial S (2)

The concept of October’s dungeon was car racing. Yes, it was about completing a five-lap rally in a car. Naturally, it was a deadly race with a low completion rate, filled with various traps.

‘The original developers of this game… they were a company that made arcade racing games.’

This was a chance to show off my nerd knowledge. Despite being just a mini-game within the game, the quality was considerable. There were even requests to make this into a standalone mini-game.

Assuming one completed the race, losing wouldn’t result in a game over. However, the higher the boss ranked in the race, the higher their health and attack power would become. That was the October dungeon boss’s psycho-robo ability.

‘Pride.’ That was the psycho-robo ability it possessed. The higher its self-esteem and pride, the more its power amplified. It was a strange ability that made it stronger the more triumphant it felt.

“Anyway, we’ve got nothing else to do. So… we’re doing this.”

I pointed to the car racing game.

“But… this is different from actual driving.”

“Don’t you just want to play around?”

I could feel my girlfriends’ cold stares. Well, if that’s how they feel.

“Hmph. Racing, huh? I’ve been wanting to try it.”

Sasith said with a smile. He seemed excited already.

“Yeah. Don’t worry! You won’t suffer any humiliating experiences like turning into underwear. Rest assured, Sasith!”

I laughed and patted Sasith’s back.

“Enough with the underwear talk!!”

Sasith immediately got angry.

Speaking of which… I just remembered something I needed to do.

“Ah! Right! The thing Hagenstein gave me!”

I took out the legendary hair growth formula.

Yes, it was a hair growth formula. A miraculous elixir that could turn any bald person into someone with luscious hair, as long as their hair follicles weren’t completely destroyed.

“Thumbs-up Man! Come here!”

I had accepted the science department’s request for this. Man… I really do care about Thumbs-up Man!

“What’s this, Shota?”

Thumbs-up Man looked at the shampoo-like product.

“It’s a hair growth formula made by our science department. They guarantee its effectiveness.”

I said.

Of course… Hagenstein, the developer, couldn’t benefit from the formula. Hagenstein’s pores were… already dead. But Thumbs-up Man was different. It wasn’t too late for him. I had to believe that.

“Suspicious… Has this been approved?”

Thumbs-up Man naturally worried about that.

“No… it hasn’t…”

I had no response to that.

“Hmm… What if something dangerous happens?”

Thumbs-up Man said, stroking his bald head.

“Besides… I’m bald by choice. I don’t particularly need hair or anything.”

Thumbs-up Man tried to maintain his remaining dignity.

At this point, with his long tongue, Thumbs-up Man was clearly obsessed with hair. It was like failing a test and saying, “Well, I didn’t study for this one anyway,” trying hard to suppress your frustration.

I silently stroked Thumbs-up Man’s bald head. So smooth.

“Could it get any worse than this?”

I asked Thumbs-up Man.

“This guy is really mean!!”

Umi shouted loudly, pausing her drawing.

“…I see. I was unknowingly afraid again.”

Thumbs-up Man resonated with my passion!

“Right. We move forward. There is no other choice.”

Thumbs-up Man said resolutely.

“He’s really so kind…”

Eri seemed impressed by Thumbs-up Man’s virtue. Yeah, he is kind.

“Alright. Apply it.”

Thumbs-up Man immediately sat in a formal position.

“Before that… Thumbs-up Man!! Speak!! I haven’t heard your true feelings!!”

I stopped him before proceeding.

“Say that you’re not bald by choice!! Say that you actually want to have luscious hair!!”

I said firmly.

“……..”

Thumbs-up Man looked at me resolutely.

“I…!! Actually, I’m not bald by choice!! I’ve always envied those with luscious hair!! I want to have luscious hair too!!!”

Thumbs-up Man shouted loudly, holding back tears.

“Thumbs-up Man… your sincerity has been clearly conveyed.”

I nodded.

“Did we really need to hear that…?”

Sasith looked at me almost as if he was seeing a demon.

“This guy is truly the worst. Hehehe.”

Taiga chuckled.

Hey. Don’t interrupt the passionate conversation between men.

“Then I’ll apply it~”

I immediately spread the hair growth formula on my hands and rubbed it onto Thumbs-up Man’s pores. Ah… it’s slippery and feels good. It could be addictive.

“And after applying it… wait about 10 minutes and then wash it off with shampoo.”

It was quite convenient.

———

About 10 minutes later, I personally washed Thumbs-up Man’s head. It was my first experience washing a bald person’s head. This… feels good. It could be addictive.

“This is bad… it feels better than touching my girlfriends’ chests and butts…”

Is this the charm of baldness? King Beopheung of Silla must have been captivated by this charm of baldness when he accepted Buddhism. All that talk about strengthening royal authority was just a surface reason…!!

After finishing the shampooing, I examined Thumbs-up Man.

Poof-poof-poof-!!

Shortly after, hair began to grow at an incredible rate.

“Hair, hair is…!!”

Thumbs-up Man seemed unable to believe what he was seeing.

Before long, Thumbs-up Man’s hair had completely grown out.

Like a huge ball, an afro had grown. Thumbs-up Man… your hair is curly.

“It’s luscious!! I can feel something!! This is the best!!”

Thumbs-up Man shook his afro in all directions.

“No!! It’s good that your hair grew, but do something about that hairstyle!! Hehehe!!”

Eri couldn’t hold back her laughter at the sight.

“That… maybe you should go to a salon and trim it…”

Kana said.

“No!!!”

Thumbs-up Man clutched his hair almost like Gollum holding the One Ring.

“Not a single strand! I won’t cut a single strand!!”

Thumbs-up Man shouted while clutching his hair. His obsession with hair had evolved into madness!!

Then, Thumbs-up Man knelt before me. And raised his hands in a praying gesture.

“Lord Shota… I will follow you.”

I had become an object of faith for Thumbs-up Man.

I immediately raised my arms high like the leader of a cult.

“No. Why are you going along with this mood…”

Aki objected to me. Aki… is this tension new to you? Later on, the frequency of your objections will decrease significantly. Look at Kana. She’s given up on objecting and just does what she needs to do.

———-

“Anyway, when are we going to tackle October’s dungeon?”

After the commotion over Thumbs-up Man’s hair ended, Sasith asked me.

“Hmm? Should we do it today?”

It’s better to eliminate future troubles early. My heart wanted to quickly deal with the dungeon and enjoy a happy daily life.

“We should start preparing for the overseas trip soon.”

Tina suddenly said.

“Ah. Overseas trip… you mean the Kingdom of Neverdreaming?”

I said. Honestly, I was more curious about what kind of kingdom Neverdreaming was than about the Pink Beard incident.

“Yes. Let’s go as soon as winter break starts.”

Tina said.

“Well… there’s a lot to prepare.”

First, passports, and depending on the country, vaccinations too. And of course, money.

“Ah. You don’t need money. Just bring yourself.”

Tina seemed to have read my mind and said firmly.

“I’m a princess.”

Tina said with a smile. Right… she’s a high-ranking person.

“You only need a few vaccinations. But I’ll talk to the embassy and take care of that. Regular hospitals or health centers don’t have vaccine samples.”

Tina said with a smile.

“What kind of diseases are they…”

The only disease my limited imagination could think of was malaria. Are there others?

“Yes. Things like the chilly-chilly disease or the jumpy-jumpy disease, various things.”

Tina mentioned some strange disease names. It was clear that Tina’s homeland was not normal.

“There are terrorists, so it’s good to bring self-defense weapons… ones that can be brought onto the plane.”

Tina said.

“Wait. What terrorists?”

I immediately grabbed Tina’s chest as if squeezing it. Are you planning to take us somewhere dangerous?

“Kyah?! Shota… that hurts!”

Tina cried out.

“Well… terrorists are everywhere. It’s normal. Even developed countries like France or England have terrorism. Not to mention America. Japan and Korea are the unusual ones.”

Tina said.

“Ah. I see.”

Indeed, I might have become too accustomed to countries with good security. Terrorism was quite common abroad. Europe, of course, but also North America and Southeast Asia.

I was surprised when I went to the Philippines in my previous world… I went to Starbucks and there was a police officer with a pump-action shotgun patrolling. It was amazing in many ways. In the worst case, criminals would immediately become minced meat from the shotgun blast.

“There’s some political conflict, so it can’t be helped. But the place I’m going is safe!”

Tina said confidently.

“Political conflict…”

I thought Tina’s homeland would be fighting for stupid reasons… but from what I heard, it was a conflict between royalists and parliamentarians. It was anachronistic but a normal reason. I could think of it like the Whigs and Tories in England.

Anyway, everyone got excited when the topic of overseas travel came up.

“Clothes!! I need to wear pretty clothes!”

Umi shouted. The other girls all had expressions of agreement. I was thinking about passports first… but my girlfriends seemed to have different priorities.

Anyway, to enjoy ourselves without worry, we needed to quickly deal with the dungeon. We decided to go to the dungeon tonight.

“Then!! Sasith!! Thumbs-up Man!! Let’s have another round for practical experience!!”

I immediately picked up the game controller.

“Hmph. I’d like to win at least one round, Shota.”

Sasith said with a triumphant smile.

“I’ll wipe that arrogant smile off your face!!”

I immediately operated the game console.

“Beat Thumbs-up Man first.”

Sasith smiled slyly.

And so, we were immersed in gaming until evening. We suffered the humiliation of losing to Madoka who joined in the middle, but anyway, everyone had fun.