Ch.56The Kiryu Family Vacation (1)

“Grrrr!!”

“Graaagh!!”

Monsters sprang out from all around.

“What’s going on… there seem to be more monsters than usual.”

Sasith muttered while drawing his sword.

Well, according to the setting, the number of monsters increases right before a dungeon appears. It’s because the boundary between the hidden world and reality becomes blurred.

“Alright!! Let’s go!!”

Taiga immediately brought out Fenrir.

“Their weakness is fire!!”

Conveniently, their weakness was indeed fire.

“That’s perfect!!”

Taiga smiled and immediately controlled Fenrir.

Whoooosh-!!

As flames burst from Fenrir’s mouth, the monsters were instantly dealt with.

“Graaah!”

“Kyaaah!!”

More monsters appeared one after another.

“Tch. One blast of fire isn’t enough to finish them all.”

Taiga clicked his tongue.

“Over here!!”

Umi shouted urgently.

When aggro shifts to the DPS, the solution is always the tank.

“Here I gooo!! Pinocchio!!!”

I immediately pulled out Pinocchio.

“Maaaster!!!!”

Pinocchio shouted loudly and threw himself at the monsters. Now I didn’t even need to throw him; he went straight for the enemies on his own. Yes, he’s being trained well. Grandpa Geppetto… are you watching?

Thwack-! Thud-!

The monsters, as if entranced, began hitting Pinocchio with tremendous force.

“Now!!!”

I immediately rushed in between the monsters.

“Hyaaah!!”

I swung my sword.

Swoooosh-!!!

The blade cleanly sliced through a monster’s body. A perfect bisection.

“Uoooooh!!”

Slash-! Swish-!! Stab-!!

Swinging my sword in succession, I cut down the monsters in front of me.

Now I could take down monsters in one hit. That was significant progress compared to before.

‘But… this isn’t the feeling I’m looking for.’

It wasn’t the same feeling as when I split that wooden sword. Back then, the wooden sword was cut with such clarity. It was sliced so sharply that I barely felt the cutting sensation.

‘If I could just… find something more, I might grasp it.’

The realization seemed just within reach, yet still elusive. That complexity troubled me.

Anyway, the remaining monsters could be cleaned up by the others behind me.

“Mira-king!!”

Sasith immediately summoned his Psycho-robo.

“Flare!!”

Sasith cleanly unleashed an area attack.

Whoooosh-!!!!

As the pillar of fire blazed, the monsters’ bodies shattered and scattered.

After the battle ended…

“Hehehe. Shota. This guy might look stupid, but he’s actually strong. Look at him working so hard not to get kicked out. Kuhehe.”

Taiga patted my shoulder proudly.

“That’s the maximum output of a level 9.”

Umi also said with a smile.

“Don’t mention my level!! Crybaby!!”

I cut off Umi’s words. She keeps bringing up my level.

“Don’t call me a crybaby!!!”

Umi shouted angrily.

“Anyway, everyone has gotten stronger. We should be able to handle the next dungeon easily.”

Sasith said.

Our levels had indeed increased.

‘Actually, it’s mostly thanks to Sasith’s level increase.’

I didn’t think much of it during the game, but now I realized how overpowered his ability to switch between various Psycho-robos was. Just carrying different Psycho-robos allowed him to cover all elemental types.

He was on a completely different level from me, who just swung a sword around.

‘Still… my level isn’t increasing as much as it should.’

Honestly, it was strange at this point.

However, there was an understanding that didn’t show up on the status screen.

‘Is there… some secret?’

The only ones who might know about this were Violet and Bluebeard in the Soul Room.

But since I’d been labeled as a troublemaker there, I’d be kicked out immediately if I went alone. I thought I should take Sasith with me next time.

——

Anyway, after hunting, we decided to head back.

“Shota. We’re going on the trip tomorrow, right? Did you pack everything?”

Umi asked.

“Ah. Of course.”

Not only had I packed my luggage, but I’d also scheduled my serialization releases during the trip period. Everything was perfect.

“Good. You packed the most important luggage.”

Umi then caressed the upper part of my pants. She had taken to making lewd jokes whenever she got the chance.

“A trip….”

Sasith looked at me.

“Yeah. Hot springs in Hakone.”

I nodded as I spoke.

Stare…..

Sasith stared at me intently.

“Right. I’ll bring you a souvenir.”

I immediately said. This kid… just say it out loud if you’re feeling left out.

“Not particularly interested.”

Sasith turned his head away as he spoke.

“They’re doing an Evan*elion collaboration there, so I’ll get you some character-printed rice crackers or something. I’ll get either Rei or Asuka for you.”

I said.

Sasith pretended not to care, but he was an otaku. He must have seen that famous work. It’s like a bible for chuunibyou kids.

“If possible… get Misato. If they have it.”

Suddenly Sasith was expressing his opinion quite strongly.

“Sasith, you… you know about it!!”

I immediately bonded with Sasith over this.

This guy… he was into mature women. I understand. All men crave maternal love.

Plus, she even kisses him in the movie version. If that’s not a heroine, what is?

“Ah… Shota. You’re having another incomprehensible conversation with Sasith.”

Umi said.

“You two are surprisingly close. Kuhehe.”

Taiga said.

Anyway, our party disbanded.

My level was still 9. Well, I wasn’t expecting much anyway.

———

I suggested resting the day before the trip, but Taiga and Eri wouldn’t allow it. Since they wouldn’t see me for three days—Friday through Sunday—they needed to replenish their “Shota nutrients,” as they put it. Umi joined in later, and I was one-sidedly ravaged by the three of them.

And the next day.

I packed my luggage and went outside. I was supposed to meet the Kiryu family in front of the dojo.

“I’ll carry your bag.”

I took Umi’s luggage.

“Ah… thanks.”

Umi smiled as she spoke.

But… half of the bag was open. Because of that, I couldn’t help but see the contents.

First, there was Umi’s school uniform. Why was her uniform in there? As I was wondering about that, I noticed something else.

My school uniform was also there, though I had no idea where she got it.

“Um… Umi. Why are you bringing school uniforms?”

I asked Umi.

“Well… I thought we could spice things up a bit in bed.”

Umi said with a broad smile.

“How about some supplementary lessons in our room?”

Umi then opened her eyes seductively.

“………..”

This girl has nothing but lewd thoughts in her head. The thought made me shudder. Am I… going to die from overexertion during this trip? That’s what I couldn’t help but think.

———

In front of the dojo, Gonzaemon and Asuna were waiting.

“Oh!! Shota!! Good to see you!!”

Gonzaemon immediately greeted me.

“Ah… thank you for inviting me.”

I bowed my head in greeting.

“It’s nothing!! Don’t mention it.”

Gonzaemon laughed heartily.

“Oh my… our Shota. You look half-dead.”

Ms. Asuna showed concern after seeing my complexion.

“Ah. I’ve had some tiring days recently.”

I answered vaguely.

To be precise, every night had been exhausting.

“Ufufu. Youth, isn’t it?”

Ms. Asuna seemed to catch on and chuckled while looking at Umi.

Seeing that made me feel somewhat guilty.

Ms. Asuna… she wouldn’t know that I was intimate with women other than Umi. I should tell her someday… or maybe I’ll take it to my grave? Such thoughts swirled in my mind.

“Well then. Let’s get in the car.”

Gonzaemon got into his car.

Ms. Asuna took the passenger seat, while Umi and I sat in the back.

“I won’t look in the rearview mirror… so enjoy yourselves.”

Ms. Asuna offered a strange consideration.

“Y-yeah….”

Umi immediately initiated skinship. Holding my hand, she teased me by playing with my fingers.

Vrooom-!

The car headed toward Hakone. It would only take about an hour from here.

Emoshita City is a fictional city that only appears in the game, but it’s set somewhere in the Tokyo metropolitan area. Like one of Tokyo’s many satellite cities.

“Aahn~”

Ms. Asuna peeled a tangerine with her hands and fed it to Gonzaemon as he drove. They still had good chemistry despite their years together.

Umi and I watched them while embracing each other and sharing a leisurely kiss.

However, that scene didn’t last long.

“……….”

“……….”

Both Umi and Ms. Asuna had fallen asleep. Some people just fall asleep as soon as they get in a car. Usually, those prone to motion sickness develop this habit.

“Why don’t you sleep too?”

Mr. Gonzaemon asked.

“No, it would be rude to sleep while the driver is working hard.”

I said with a smile.

“Hahaha! You have the personality to be liked by adults!! Very well-mannered!!”

Gonzaemon laughed.

“Ah. But I’m not forcing you. You can sleep if you want. I’m not an old fogey.”

Gonzaemon said.

Typical middle-aged man trait: hating to be seen as old-fashioned.

“I actually wanted to chat with you one-on-one, Master.”

I shrugged as I spoke.

“Hahahaha!! I see!!”

Gonzaemon burst into laughter, clearly pleased.

Then, Gonzaemon’s eyes turned serious.

“Last time… we talked about the God Vessel Tournament.”

Gonzaemon said.

“Ah. Yes.”

The tournament I would enter in summer.

“I mentioned the God Vessel Saito Tetsu before. Saito Tetsu has retired due to old age… but his granddaughter will be competing in the tournament.”

Gonzaemon said.

I knew this as a veteran player. The granddaughter of a God Vessel—impressive in the setting, but she becomes a minor heroine with no connection to the player or main story. I knew the inside story, but I responded casually.

“I guess I’ll meet her at the tournament.”

“Yes… the problem is, she’s marked you.”

Gonzaemon looked at me through the rearview mirror.

“As a target for talent crushing.”

Gonzaemon said grimly.

“…What?”

Marked me… what does that mean? I was honestly confused.