General admittance from me: I almost did have Rishia and Itsuki kiss in the previous chapter. It was in the original draft when I wrote it out but after reading it over, it just didn't feel right. So I rewrote the entire interaction to what it is now and it felt way more organic. Sorry, they couldn't kiss.
Damn it Itsuki. I was so close to getting you laid. Why'd you have to be so vanilla with Rishia?
Also, Moon of Hell… that's probably more true than you'd imagine. Lol.
Chapter Seventy-Two: Backstories of the Otherworld Heroes
- ENTRY #7 -
My teenage years in this world, or my ████████████ years if I still counted my age from ████████████, went by much more smoothly than they had ████████████. A lot of different things also came together for me during this time.
One thing I found annoying and bothersome about this time of my life was Puberty. I hadn't really ████████████, but here it was like those damn sexual thoughts were coming up every other minute. It was almost as if ████████████ was purposefully designed to be hornier than ████████████ or something?
I have noticed this strange behavior exhibited by other reincarnators over the years. Every last one of them has been intent on gathering a harem of young women around them as soon as they were old enough to 'get it up.'
I have no idea why. Maybe the increased libido was something 'they' did for us to make our lives in these worlds more enjoyable.
Either way, I didn't let the thoughts of puberty distract me as I was much more interested in continuing to ████████████ in this world. I'd made several simple inventions by this point, which I sold off with help from my parents to make some cash.
They'd begun to realize how much of a genius I was, and despite me still being young, ████████████ they began to actively take steps to make sure I had everything I needed to succeed. From trade deals with the right merchants that traveled through their lands, to connections with the Capital to ensure my work was patented under my name.
I didn't have a repeat of what'd happened with ████████████. And I was more than okay with that.
My father even bought ████████████ as a 'slave' for me at my insistence. As it never did hurt to have an extra bit of muscle around.
The girl still followed me like a damn dog everywhere. But I didn't mind that so much anymore.
Despite her low self-esteem, she wasn't near as stupid as she believed herself to be. She learned to read very quickly after I took her in, and she was surprisingly good at math. She can be very naive and follow her heart more than her mind, and she also believes anything I tell her without question, but despite all this, she is not stupid.
I did not tell her this, however, as the last thing I needed was for her to grow an ego. It's bad enough dealing with that whenever I have to meet another reincarnator.
During our later teenage years, ████████████ began to nag me about using my inventions to help people. I'll admit, I did not see much point in doing that. I have the heart of a capitalist. I'd rather make money selling my goods than waste my time being a good Samaritan.
Those ████████████ anyway were just a sham. Providing meals for the poor? I guess nobody reads the fine print about how around ████████████ are considered a 'meal.' When they said they helped donate several million meals to starving people poor worldwide, they hadn't even put ████████████ towards that stupid crap.
Anyway, I guess in an effort to show me what she meant, she made me a pair of cheap crappy glasses for my birthday.
I hated them as soon as I saw them. They reminded me of my past life with the name-calling and the talking behind my back. I demanded that she tell me why she made them for me.
Again, her response surprised me:
"I noticed how you're always squinting. And I read that people do that when they find it hard to see things.
I asked her why that should matter. And again, her response silenced me.
"It makes it look like you're always annoyed when you're around people. And I think it might be hurting some of your trade deals. I thought fixing this might help with that."
…
I calmed down as I thought over what she'd pointed out and realized she was right. I'd recently had a few deals fall through, but I hadn't been sure why.
It still took a little convincing to put them on. After looking in a mirror, I said I looked stupid.
████████████ smiled and then said: "I think they make you look cool and smart."
…
I wonder if that is why I still wear them today. Despite having managed to fix my vision through alchemy a couple of years ago…
The glasses did help. It was surprising how she managed to make the lenses just right for my eyesight. Yomogi was definitely more observant than I thought, and, when she dedicated herself to it, she could make some incredible things. My trade deals after that went much more smoothly, and I couldn't deny that it was thanks to her insight.
To reward her without telling her it was a reward, I put together an ████████████. I just inserted this world's version of cream, sugar, and other ingredients in one end, put some gems with ice properties in the other, and through a process where the machine magically induced the mixture and temperature required, ice cream came out of it.
It was pretty simple. I didn't even need to use my ████████████ to learn how to make it. When I presented it to ████████████, she pointed out that shaved ice already existed. I still had her try it though.
After one taste, she became instantly addicted to it. She claimed that it was the ████████████.
As we ate ice cream, I asked her what she wanted. After the last few years and how kind and annoying she'd been, I still expected her to backstab me, or to take advantage of me, or whatever. But I wanted to ask anyway. Maybe to test her and see how she'd respond?
…
She wanted to see the sea. When I asked why she said it was because of the books she'd read about it in my library.
She didn't want riches. She didn't want a place in the world or anything. She just wanted to see the ocean with me…
I arranged the trip with my parents and a week later, we were at the beach. I was eating ice cream from my machine while she played around in the sand like she was a little girl. It was annoying in some ways, but… ████████████.
And I can admit that even though I'm not a fan of the outdoors, it was one of the most ████████████ my entire life. In both my lives, to be honest. And it'd also been something I'd desperately needed. Genuine friendship.
"You should sell the design for this." She told me at the end of the day.
"What?" I responded.
"This ice cream is so good. You'd definitely make a ton of money selling this." She added to her previous statement.
…
I thought about it long and hard. Then I shook my head. "This is one thing I'll keep to myself."
She cocked her head at that. But I didn't elaborate further.
It was honestly the first time I'd invented something ████████████.
I didn't want anybody else to ruin it. And this day... ████████████.
So I kept it between us, for whenever we went back to visit that beach. Something we did as often as circumstances allowed.
And thus I passed through the teenage phase of my new life.
It'd been almost two weeks since Sickle's latest Wave. And around five days since the three local Cardinal Heroes had come back with Kizuna and Itsuki to Sickle.
The situation was tense in the Capital around L'Arc's castle. Reinforcements from other countries were beginning to arrive at the borders of the country. The bulk of L'Arc's army was marching towards Label in preparation for invasion. All the remaining soldiers in the city were on high alert, and so were the Heroes.
The King expected an attack from Kyo's elite forces any day now. The few reports that the crown had received from their scouts trying to track the foreign agents had been buried to avoid unrest. But everyone was aware of what Kyo's target would be. It was how he'd taken down Mikikage and Label, after all.
The Dragon Hourglass.
If Kyo's warriors captured it for even a brief period. They could undo the chains on it and register themselves to it. Allowing them to portal reinforcements directly into the heart of Sickle's defenses.
L'Arc heavily considered moving the Hourglass out of his city as Corrin had done with his. But he didn't have a good place to store it. Nor did he have the manpower to accomplish such a herculean task on such short notice. After discussing these things with the other Heroes and the Council of Ministers, it was decided that it'd be better to defend the Hourglass rather than to try and risk moving it.
Even if they got it outside of the city, they didn't have the same level of defense as Lapis or other countries. It would be better to face Luvar by their fortified border instead of in the heart of their lands where the citizens would be in danger.
A minister had argued that they should invade Luvar immediately before they attacked. But then, even if that was successful, what would be the point if Sickle fell at the same time? Romina was still finishing up the Hero's equipment, and they were waiting for a shipment of Guardian Beast materials to arrive.
Label's Minister had managed to get some of his soldiers to scrounge them up from their hidden storehouses inside his fallen country before Kyo could get his hands on them. They were still en route.
The overall thing L'Arc stressed was that they needed to deal with this threat from Kyo first without leaving the Hourglass unprotected. Even marching out to fight them beforehand was thrown out the window. As all it would take was one of Kyo's warriors sneaking past their forces into the Dragon Hourglass Building to decide the fate of their nation.
They were literally left with no choice but to wait for them to arrive.
Then, after this, when all the other countries were in position, they could launch a full-scale invasion straight into Kyo's territory.
That was the hope, at least. Rarely did things ever go that simply...
"Oh, hey Akane! How's it going?!"
Yet despite this overall tense atmosphere and bleak situation that stretched everyone's patience to the absolute limits, Kizuna was found sitting in her favorite spot at the dock by her house. The end of her fishing line rested in the water as the Jewel Heroine walked across the wooden dock to approach her.
"Not terrible, at least. The people here have been surprisingly welcoming." Akane responded vaguely.
The dresses she'd worn before had been replaced with some tight-fitting jeans and a midriff-exposing tank top. It was clearly something from her old world. Her hair was also down and resting on her shoulders. Her overall appearance made her look a lot less flashy and more like a young adult.
"Is this the favorite fishing spot you told us you'd show us?" Akane asked.
"Yep! There ain't no better place to fish in the entire kingdom! Well, except maybe the mountains, but this place is pretty relaxing on its own too!" Kizuna answered happily.
It was to be noted that Kizuna had the Haori Glass made for her again. Romina had done a fantastic job restoring it.
Which only made Kizuna vow to make it look 'lived in' as quickly as possible.
Kizuna noticed Akane's hands were gripped together in front of her. And when the Jewel Heroine stopped next to her, she bounced nervously on the balls of her feet.
It took a few seconds, but the redhead eventually spoke again. "Is… would you mind if I joined you?"
"Of course not! Have a seat and let your heroine sempai teach you the ways of the sea!" Kizuna grinned conspiratorially at her fellow Hero.
"Uh… um…" Akane couldn't hide her nervousness. "Maybe I shouldn't…"
Kizuna laughed, cutting her off. "Or we can just sit quietly if you'd prefer that."
"Y-Yes, please." The redhead stuttered gratefully.
Kizuna pulled a fishing rod from her inventory, giving it to the Jewel Heroine. Together, they sat in silence at the edge of the water, gazing out over the ocean.
…
Some time passed. Akane didn't catch a single thing while Kizuna reeled in one fish after the other.
"Maybe there's some fishing skill I ignored or something." The Jewel Heroine eventually managed to snark, seeing the large bucket and two chests behind Kizuna filled to the brim with all kinds of fish. The ones in the chest had already been cut apart and everything by the Hunting Hero, as was her custom.
"That's actually very likely, considering the way this world works," Kizuna replied. "Some fish just won't come to your lure if your fishing skill isn't high enough to catch them. Strange, huh?"
"W-Wait, you're not joking?!" Akane asked incredulously.
"Of course not. I learned that skills for fishing and crafting and the like existed after getting some weapon forms that had them." Kizuna shrugged. "Some, like crafting, are incredibly useful. I wouldn't have been able to survive in the Infinite Labyrinth if I hadn't had those helping me out at the start. But I absolutely refuse to unlock the weapons with the fishing bonuses on them."
"W-Why would you do something like that?! I didn't even know such weapons existed before now!" Akane almost screamed at the smaller girl.
"Because it'd be just like cheating. Fishing is a true test of one's patience and grit. Nothing in life will ever quite match up to the experience of your first catch."
Yes. This girl was the best fisherman to walk the face of the universe and she didn't even have anything from her weapon helping her out.
"Let me guess, you also don't use nets since that'd be cheating too." Akane snarked again.
"Yep." Kizuna agreed.
"... wait, you can use nets?" Akane did a double take.
"I'm the Hunting Tools Hero. Why wouldn't I have nets as a weapon form?" Kizuna shrugged.
"B-But you could just throw it in there and catch them even more easily!" Akane rebutted.
"Yeah, and that'd be even worse cheating than unlocking those passive bonuses," Kizuna smirked in response.
"... this makes no sense whatsoever," Akane responded dryly.
"About as much sense as being able to share methods with other Heroes?" Kizuna asked back.
"... touche." The girl responded somberly.
…
There was silence between them after that. With Akane struggling and failing to catch anything as, every time she thought she felt a tug, she'd reel in her line, only to find a bit of seaweed caught on the hook.
She sighed after the fourth time, but baited it once again and cast the line out as far as she could without impaling herself or Kizuna with the fishing hook.
The silence continued for a while after that.
…
"Is there any reason why you and the others haven't shared your methods yet?" Kizuna finally asked. "Doing that would help to make you and the rest of us a lot stronger, you know?"
"Well, actually, it wouldn't help Naofumi or Itsuki get stronger, since you can't share methods with Heroes from other worlds. But you get what I mean." Kizuna added.
…
"I… I really want to believe that such a thing is actually possible… you all seem quite knowledgeable on it." Akane said sincerely. She was looking at the strengthening methods for her weapon as she said that.
They were honestly so lame. There was no way in hell anyone would possibly believe her if she told them. They were beyond stupid, and she remembered Daitan and Hoshi telling her as much when she tried to tell them about it a long time ago at Ken-Sensei's urging.
Actually, none of them had believed each other back then. They all thought the other was lying. And even with the evidence that such a thing could actually be possible… they'd been inactive in this world for years.
It seemed impossible that such a simple action could make them bridge that incredible gap in strength in such a short period of time.
"Alright, I won't pressure you about it for now…" Kizuna seemed to think to herself as her line bobbed in the water. "Oh, I know! How about you tell me about what your life was like before being brought here instead?"
"H-Huh?" Akane stuttered in surprise. "Why would you be interested in that?!"
"Why not? I told you and the others about my life, didn't I?" The shorter girl shrugged.
"Plus, if you didn't know weapon forms could give passive bonuses to technical skills, I'm willing to bet that all your dressmaking skills come from your world. Just like my love for fishing!"
"Well… um… that is right… but it wasn't really the most noteworthy life…" Akane answered nervously.
"Same as the rest of us then." Kizuna winked playfully.
The action brought a chuckle out of the tall red-haired girl. Though there was a sadness in her eyes as well. "I don't know…"
Kizuna rested a hand on her wrist by the Legendary Jewel and smiled at her encouragingly. "If it weighs on your mind that heavily, then the best thing you can do is get it off your chest."
"Well, I don't know if that saying works here." Kizuna glanced down at Akane's lack of bust. "But you know what I mean. Even if I haven't known you for that long, you're one of my friends too! So I'm willing to listen to your life story if it helps you feel better!"
Akane bristled from the chest comment… but feeling Kizuna's sincerity, both in her voice and in her eyes, she breathed out a long sigh.
Kizuna truly thought that they were friends already, huh…
…
...
...
"I was a shy girl growing up…"
In school, Akane would normally sit in the back of the classroom away from everyone else. She'd keep her hair down to cover one of her eyes to help discourage others from talking to her.
She tried to stay on top of her assignments and get her exams done on time. But she didn't really try to socialize with others. She preferred keeping to herself. Not letting anyone know what she liked.
She'd spend her evenings on her computer, playing games online when her homework was done, or sitting in bed while watching one of her favorite animes on the TV in her room.
Her parents were always out working, so she was mostly raised by her grandparents. It was from her grandma that she gained a passion for fashion. Since she used to serve one of Japan's emperors as a royal couturier when she was younger.
Akane's grandma had taught her how to sew. And as she got older, she'd watched videos on the Internet on one monitor while playing games on a second monitor to learn how to make all sorts of costumes and cosplays for characters she played in video games, or watched from some of her favorite animes.
She got really good at it. But she never had the courage to wear them in front of anyone besides her grandma, who despite the odd use of her talents, had praised her for her skills. It was only because of her Grandma's kindness and sincerity that she didn't throw her projects away and kept them in her closet, gathering dust as time passed.
…
"Is your Grandma still alive?" Kizuna asked.
"No… she passed away a year or so after I started Middle School." Akane smiled bittersweetly. "But she'd helped me along up to that point. And I wanted to continue following my passion because of her."
Eventually, when she reached High School, her parents bought her a phone in an effort to try and keep in contact with her. Something which hadn't amounted to much, as they'd been kept as busy with work as ever.
But, after she completed another outfit and put it on, she felt to take some pictures of herself with the phone and, feeling a rush of bravery she wasn't used to, she posted them under an anonymous account online on a certain site.
It gave her quite the feeling of ecstasy. And she went to bed that night, not really expecting anything to come of it. Only feeling pride that she'd managed to put her work out there.
…
A couple of days later, after getting back from school, she opened her banking app to see if she had enough money in it to buy some groceries for dinner. Only to notice that she had a little more money than what she usually got as an allowance from her parents.
After checking where it'd come from, she was led back to the account she'd created online.
She found that her cosplay pictures had garnered her several thousand followers. And there were a lot of comments with them too.
"Who is this chick?!"
"This outfit's amazing!"
"I love that character!"
"Bow chick a bow wow!"
Kizuna chuckled at that, and Akane found it in her to grin as she continued.
A few fans had sent her donations, asking if she'd post more of her work in the future. And, feeling emboldened, she decided to do so. Akane made more outfits and took more pictures of the cosplays and herself in them.
She blurred her face so her identity wouldn't be revealed. But her fans didn't seem to mind.
They loved it and they loved her.
The followers kept on pouring in. More and more of them began to donate and give ideas for characters they wanted to see come to life.
She still tried to keep things going at school and did her best to keep her grades up. But she was spending more time each evening designing cosplays. Reading through comments for ideas and inspiration. Sewing, patching up fabric, spending long nights working till she almost passed out on her table.
Her homework and everything else began to fall to the wayside. In class, she started to doodle in her notebook or nap instead of listening to the teachers.
Things were going great. She was constantly busy every night to the point where even gaming fell by the wayside.
And then, in the middle of her sophomore year, disaster struck.
She couldn't get an outfit ready in time. But her followers expected something new to get posted that night. She'd made it a habit to have a new cosplay out at least every other week. And she'd tried so hard, even giving up sleep to make it possible.
She always blurred her face anyway. So it wasn't like they had to see the stress it was putting her through.
Not wanting to disappoint her followers, she pulled out an outfit from the large pile of cosplays she'd left in her closet.
She'd been smaller when she made it back then. And when she put it on, it revealed more of her stomach than she would have liked. As well as some of her thighs.
She still took pictures of herself and posted them anyway. At the very least, she could use it as a buffer so she could get more sleep that night. She really needed the rest.
…
"What was the response?" Kizuna asked when she trailed off. "Did they call it bad or something?"
"No… they liked it. They really, really liked it." Akane stated, though there was a tone of sadness in her voice.
There were a lot of comments on it. A few were surprised she would delve into echi cosplays too. And when she looked the picture over again, she realized that was the case.
Far from complaining about it though, her followers were begging her to do more lewd outfits in the future.
She'd been unsure about it, but that post alone got her more donations than all of her other ones combined. It would also be a bit easier making outfits out of less material. And with so many requests, she had several ideas already coming to mind.
And so, she did so. She made more outfits to please her growing fanbase.
At first, she tried to reveal only a little more. Some of her shoulders. And maybe a bit more of her legs than usual while doing a sexy pose. She didn't want to delve too deeply into this.
And then, she began revealing more. And more.
And more.
It got to the point where she started doing bikini cosplays of characters. Even going as far as doing a g-string for everyone's favorite anime girl at the time.
That alone made her a lot of yen.
She realized she could possibly make a living off of this. Instead of only keeping it as a hobby. Maybe… if she made enough, her parents wouldn't have to work so much. They'd be able to spend more time together.
She was still a shy girl while at school. But for the first time in her life, she felt… empowered! Like she could be whatever she wanted to be! Do whatever she wanted to do!
People loved her! In her own way, she was finally becoming popular! She could finally get some of the things she'd wanted in her life!
…
And then, around the end of her Sophomore year, she made the mistake of not blurring out her face for an image.
Somebody at school recognized her, and exposed her not only there, but also online. He posted real pictures of her and tagged the photo she'd posted, exposing who she really was.
She hadn't even talked to him or noticed him. She had no idea why he did what he did...
…
You'd think it'd be like in those anime. Where the followers wouldn't care that the cosplayer idol they'd come to worship was just some shy girl in a rural school that nobody really cared about in real life.
…
"My following disappeared almost entirely." Akane eventually brought herself to admit it in a dry voice.
All of her fans… gone.
Their departing comments… twisted, and ugly.
She became a joke at school for the final weeks of Sophmore year, being called a slut and a whore. Her peers showed her no mercy. Rubbing in some of her worst insecurities like her lack of cleavage. Or her stupid hair. Or her unnaturally unsexy height. Or…
"You don't have to say all the things they said about you," Kizuna said gently.
Akane sniffled. "They were right though. And… they just wouldn't stop… even though I'd never interacted with any of them. They, they just…"
It eventually blew over when her Sophomore year ended. Her parents had been home from one of their business trips when she came back from her exams crying.
As soon as she'd admitted to them what'd happened, they comforted her and made the decision to move to another city. So that she'd be able to finish her education at another school.
"At least your parents still supported you," Kizuna said.
"They had… but because of how much I'd focused on my 'hobby', I had to repeat my Sophomore year. That alone almost made me a complete outcast to my peers after I got there." Akane replied with tears in her eyes.
She became even more closed off than before. She didn't talk to anyone, even when they tried talking to her.
She didn't answer the teacher's questions when she was called upon. And eventually, they learned to stop asking her questions.
Rumors circulated about her. Where she came from. Why she was held back. But she did nothing to verify them. She didn't want anything to do with anybody else.
She spent more time after school playing online games. Trying to escape the reality she'd landed herself in. But at times, she came across conversations between players talking about the rural flat cosplay idol. How they couldn't believe they'd ever thought that tramp was hot.
She recognized their usernames as being among the donors who gave the biggest donations for her hard work.
Her parents were so busy with work. No one could see what she was going through.
Akane couldn't make her outfits anymore either, because every time she tried to do so, she'd break down and start crying until she would fall asleep.
Her former classmates had left her with major self-image issues. And so she kept herself closed off from her new peers because she feared that they'd learn who she was and make fun of her just like they had. Just like the people online had. She kept on escaping deeper from her reality.
Finally, during her Junior Year, she was isekaied as the Jewel Hero.
She didn't know how it'd happened. One moment, she was running away from home, tired of being a burden on her parents. The next, she was running through some alley. A hand grabbed her arm, she screamed and punched whoever it was that'd grabbed her…
Then, she was standing in what she thought to be her favorite online game. Alongside two other guys who were labeled as Heroes alongside her.
…
Akane continued to tremble even after she was done speaking. She looked to be on the verge of tears after opening up about her past. And when Kizuna wordlessly rested an arm over her shoulders, she finally broke down crying into her hands.
"I… I never got to say goodbye to my parents. I never got to say how sorry I was for running away. For not trying to be a better daughter. For bringing shame upon my grandmother and our family."
"I just… I wish I could take it all back. That I could have chosen not to go down that path… … that I could have used my talents for something better, and… and… …"
…
"You know… the dresses you design are pretty cool." Kizuna suddenly said after giving Akane a moment to cry.
Akane looked at her in surprise. Kizuna gave her a sincere smile. "I mean it. While you were showing me around all the shops in Lazuli, I looked at a lot of the dresses you designed. I thought the majority of them were actually pretty neat. I'm guessing you overcame your trauma towards that at least?"
"Of course not," Akane replied sourly. "I only did it because I was trying to convince myself that I was in one of my online games. That none of this was actually real. That it wasn't my fault that Kenshiro…"
"I… was trying to run away from what happened to Kenshiro-sensei. To all of us that day… I don't know if I could bring myself to make another dress now that this is real, and even if I could, what good is that going to do against the Waves of Catastrophe?" She asked angrily at the end. "Now that I'm stuck here, I've done nothing to help out in this world. I'm just pathetic."
"You've helped people live their day-to-day lives," Kizuna pointed out cautiously.
"How have I done that?!" Akane angrily asked.
"By making them happy," Kizuna answered.
...
"Even if, one day, the world does end, wouldn't it be better for people to smile and be themselves as much as they can before that happens?" Kizuna asked when Akane remained silent. "Why do you think I enjoy fishing so much? If I focused all my time on being a Hero, I'd go even crazier than I did in the Infinite Labyrinth."
"I think the others get it too. Glass likes to sew or dance when she gets stressed out. L'Arc tries to practice making accessories whenever he has free time.
"Ethnobalt likes to sit down and read a good book around us. Therese will take care of her gemstones. Naofumi will compound medicines or cook. Itsuki will sit down with Rishia to read some manga or talk with his friends.
"It's not like we're expected to dedicate every single minute towards something that'll help us save the world." Kizuna shrugged. "Sometimes, we just need something that'll help us or others around us to feel normal."
"But me and the others have squandered so much of our time…" Akane sighed.
"Didn't I just say you helped lots of people to smile?" Kizuna smiled brightly. "Who knows how many girls you made happy with your dresses? Or guys for that matter." The small girl had the audacity to wink.
The Jewel Heroine blushed faintly. "Even if it isn't contributing to everyone's safety." Kizuna continued. "You're still helping people to be happy. I think that's just as important as protecting them. After all, who'd want to live when the rest of their lives are going to be nothing but pain and misery?"
"That's why I'm happy that Hoshi is the one writing that manga series for everyone. If there's anything this world needs, its more good things for people to enjoy."
…
"You're really something… Kizuna. I can see why you were chosen to be a Hero." Akane said after thinking her words over.
"You'll learn one day why your weapon chose you to be a Hero too." Kizuna gave her a genuine smile. "That Jewel must have seen something special in that rural shy unsexy redhead to call you here."
"Unsexy?!" Akane bristled at the comment.
"You aren't seducing anyone with that A-cup of yours. If you can even call it that." Kizuna stuck her tongue out at her.
"I am not going to take that from a washboard like you!" Akane retaliated. She suddenly felt an odd urge to give the Hunting Hero a noogie.
No way. Was this girl actually worming herself into her heart?!
The thought was so ridiculous that Akane started laughing and Kizuna laughed together with her.
"You know when I first heard you were coming to Lazuli for a Conference. I was afraid you were going to put me out of the fashion business." Akane admitted. "And you did, in a way."
"Was that a bad thing to do?" Kizuna asked.
"Maybe… but it was also the right thing to do.
"I guess it's true when they say the right choice isn't always the easiest one." Akane looked down at herself. "I guess, finally getting my past off my chest… well, lack of it, also helped. So… thank you, for asking about it."
"No problem. And I'm sorry about the teasing." Kizuna replied sadly. "I didn't realize how personal it was. I never got to experience that kind of bullying while in my world."
"It's ok. I said the same things to you. Tit for tat, so to say." Akane responded.
"If only I could grab Glass's tits." Kizuna crossed her arms with a pout. "Hers are huge."
…
…
"I…" Akane had no idea how to respond. What?
The Hunting Hero was right. Akane had been in the Hot Spring at the same time as the Spirit Woman at one point. So she could easily verify that the Fans Hero was very much well endowed under the kimono she normally wore. But why would Kizuna want to…
Kizuna laughed at the look on her face. And Akane felt it best to let the topic drop.
They fell into a brief silence.
At the end of it, Akane finally felt a tug and reeled in her first fish.
It was a small trout. Barely anything of note, besides its rainbow-colored scales.
"Rainbow trout, not bad for a first catch." Kizuna nodded her head in satisfaction.
"It only took what? Two hours?" Akane snarked.
"One and a half. But that's the beauty of fishing." Kizuna smiled happily. "You can really let the time pass you by."
"I'm sure the time passes by much faster when you're catching things every few seconds." Akane rolled her eyes.
"Nonsense." Kizuna then tugged on her line, pulling out a monstrosity of a trout from the water. She casually sliced it into sashimi midair, letting the cubes of meat fall into the container behind her while the organs and skeleton structure fell into the water.
"Showoff." Akane harumphed, eliciting a chuckle from the brown-haired girl.
…
"Thank you, Kizuna. For listening to me… again." Akane said genuinely as she stood up. "I'm going to do some more training with Daitan. But I'm glad we were able to sit down and… really talk with each other."
"You're welcome," Kizuna replied happily. "Feel free to talk to me again anytime. You know where to find me!"
The Jewel Hero absorbed the fish she caught into her weapon. Unlocking the Rainbow Trout Gem in the process. A small smile rested on her face. "I will. See you later, Kizuna."
As she walked away, feeling better than she had in years, Akane pulled the new weapon form up to see if it gave her a passive bonus to fishing or not…
Nope, just a passive bonus for swimming.
What a complete and utter ripoff.
…
Still, Hoshi had been right when he said that opening up to Naofumi had made him feel better about himself. And after finally getting this off her chest…
She realized that, maybe, it was time she had a talk with the Blunt Weapons Hero.
"What are you doing up here by yourself?"
"Who's- oh, it's just you." L'Arc relaxed in his stance as Naofumi approached.
The Shield Hero and the Scythe King were standing on a balcony of his castle. Overlooking the surrounding town and the soldiers training in the courtyard below. "I'm surprised you're not catching up on more paperwork." Naofumi pointed out as he walked up beside the redhead and rested against the railing.
"I finished it all yesterday, including the stuff that came from the last Wave." L'Arc shrugged. "It sucked, but at least I won't get bothered about dealing with property disputes and the like for the foreseeable future."
"Now, is there a reason you came up here to bother me?"
"Well, I was about to start cooking dinner for everyone when Kizuna suggested I grab you and Therese since it's been a while since we all ate together," Naofumi answered dryly. "I tried to tell her we could eat without you two, of course, but then she started pouting at me and ordered me to come find you. And you know how hard it is to say no when she gets like that."
"Gee, thanks a lot for that, I guess." L'Arc snarked.
Naofumi smirked. "I guess if you are done with all that paperwork though, you and your girlfriend could have a chance to enjoy my cooking."
…
L'Arc didn't move from his position at the railing. His hands moved to rest in the sleeves of his kimono as a contemplative expression took over his face. The laidback young man disappeared behind the guise of a real King, much to Naofumi's surprise.
"Tell Kizuna we won't be coming, Naofumi." L'Arc then said without looking the Shield Hero's way.
"... excuse me, who are you and what did you do to L'Arc?" Naofumi deadpanned.
"Shut it. It's not that I'm afraid your cooking will steal Therese away or anything…" L'Arc looked down over the buildings of his kingdom. "I just have a feeling the attack's coming today."
…
Naofumi tensed up. "What makes you say that?"
"Call it a gut feeling. But the weather is going to be clear tonight, with no storms coming from the sea or anything. It's also been several days since they should have got here, meaning they've had plenty of time to scout out our defenses." L'Arc said seriously.
Naofumi had to blink his eyes several times. It really was like L'Arc was a different person all of a sudden. He wasn't just thinking like a King but also a tactician. "Whether it is today, or tomorrow, or sometime soon, all I can say for sure is that if I were them, I would attack tonight. Since you never know when you might have the perfect conditions to do battle again."
"... alright. Should I move dinner to the castle then? So we can be there to assist-" Naofumi began to ask.
"No. Keep it at Kizuna's house." L'Arc cut him off. "As dumb as it might sound, they could be dissuaded from attacking today if all the Heroes are in the city. And besides, this castle won't be the main target." L'Arc's eyes moved to the Dragon Hourglass building. "Just tell Kizuna that we already ate. That should keep her disappointment from going too high."
"And if we are attacked, have Kizuna use her Return Transcript skill. The Hourglass is locked to prevent people from using it. But Therese did put an exception for Kizuna's weapon so she can still use that skill to portal there. That should allow you to reinforce us quickly enough."
"Alright. I won't ask how that works, but I'll do that." Naofumi turned to walk away but then paused.
"You know, no offense, but are you sure you're not L'Arc? The redhead I know doesn't tend to take his job as a King this seriously."
"Heh. That's only because of the paperwork involved in leading a whole country. Keeping the peace between everyone, checking that funds are being allocated appropriately, and making sure there isn't any corruption in town officials or anyone in positions of power. If I could, I'd delegate all of that to the Council of Ministers so I could just be a figurehead to the people that could do whatever he wanted…"
L'Arc's brief smile disappeared. "But this, protecting them from danger. Making sure they can live their lives peacefully… that's part of my job I take seriously. This war, I'll give it nothing less than my all, Naofumi."
...
The Shield Hero thought over his words. "You know, I guess I did learn that about you back at Cal Mira. During the Wave between our worlds. I'd wondered back then who the people you were protecting were. But I never could have imagined it'd be a whole country."
"Because you couldn't believe that I'd be a King," L'Arc replied.
"I still have trouble believing that even now." Naofumi shrugged.
L'Arc glared, and the Shield Hero chuckled. "Fine. If we're not attacked today, I'll make sure to set aside portions for you and Therese."
"Alright… and thanks, Naofumi. For all the help you've provided us." L'Arc finally smiled at the Shield Hero. "I swear that when this is all over, I'll give you a proper tour of our world. And we'll do whatever we can to help your world overcome the Waves."
"..." Naofumi smirked. "Boy, we already made that promise first."
"What?! What's with the nickname?! I haven't called you Kiddo once this entire conversation!" L'Arc complained as his serious demeanor disappeared.
"I just wanted at least one glimpse of the L'Arc I know before I went back." Naofumi shrugged as he began to walk away. "Oddly enough, you're even weirder when you're serious and brooding than when you're drunk and immature."
"&^%$ you, Naofumi! One of these days I'll become a better accessory maker than you'll ever be!" L'Arc yelled at his back.
"Tell me when you make one that doesn't explode," Naofumi called back. Before L'Arc could respond, the Shield Hero used Portal Shield to head back to Kizuna's house, disappearing in a bright flash of light.
OH! HE WAS SO GOING TO GET REVENGE ON THAT BASTARD!
The days seemed to slowly pass for the Bow Hero.
Naofumi's thoughtful gift had made him feel better for a bit. And the time he spent with Rishia was some of the best they'd had yet.
They talked more with each other at night. Sometimes over text, other times over call. A couple of times, they'd sat down in the living room early in the morning while no one else was awake and read manga together. One time, they even fell asleep down there while holding each other's hands.
It was a miracle Naofumi didn't walk in to see them doing that. It would have been so embarrassing to deal with his teasing again. The Shield Hero had laid off on doing that as of late. His friends had laid off on it too. Even Aksel and Maya seemed to have cooled down enough to want to spend time around Itsuki again without every other thought being about sex.
Itsuki really wanted to do better. He wanted to become the Hero Rishia and his friends pictured him to be so bad. But… he still hadn't managed to even so much as apologize to the other Heroes for his actions.
It definitely wasn't from lack of effort either. Itsuki had tried to meet with the other Heroes at first. To apologize to them for what he'd done. He honestly had.
But… every time he tried to approach them, they would run off to do something else. Or smile awkwardly before trying to look for somebody nearby to grab their attention.
Itsuki eventually got the hint to give them space. Fixing his mistake wouldn't be that easy.
It made him feel even more terrible, however. And despite Rishia's kindness and encouragement as well as Maya and Aksel's companionship, he felt like he was digging himself deeper and deeper into his hole of pain and regret.
The green-haired girl dedicated some extra time to train him and the others further in Hengen Musou, which was a ploy for them to spend more time around him. She'd even taken control of the kitchen for a bit and made Itsuki and the others his favorite Napolitan.
Aksel had been really happy about that. It almost always seemed like he had to go into town lately since most of Naofumi's cooking contained seafood. No thanks to the freaking Hunting Hero and her obsession with providing fresh fish for every meal.
Despite the great meal, however, it hadn't made Itsuki feel any better. Even though he wished it had.
Rishia couldn't cook much. But what she could cook was sooooo good.
…
Today, he was standing in a lookout position for L'Arc. It was an ideal spot on the wall that'd allow him to see Kyo's infiltrators should they manage to enter the city.
However, while he was doing that, Itsuki caught sight of two of the Heroes dueling each other in the nearby arena.
He left his post and used a sneaking skill to approach them. He didn't want to scare them off. He just wanted a chance to apologize. To alleviate some level of guilt from off his chest.
By the time Itsuki got there, he found that they'd just finished their practice duel. Daitan was resting on the ground, covered in a thick layer of sweat. And Akane, though standing, looked just as winded.
They were dressed in clothes from their worlds. Itsuki was about to show himself when the redhead suddenly opened her mouth.
"I… I see you finally got that flame skill you bragged so much about." Akane reached out her tired hand to help the manlet stand back up.
"Yeah, I… ended up getting it after absorbing some coal from the blacksmith… instead of that monster in the wild…
"Ha… it's funny how what Hoshi said about learning to absorb everything actually paid off." Daitan chuckled to himself. "I've discovered several skills and abilities doing that."
"I've gotten a lot of weapon forms with unique stat bonuses too," Akane admitted. "It's not much. But there's more than a few levels worth of stats I can acquire if I keep the forms equipped for long enough to unlock their bonuses."
"Same here." Daitan smiled.
…
The two were silent as they worked on catching their breaths.
"... we're really learning a lot from everyone here. The three of us. It's just like the old times when we first arrived." Akane said almost sadly.
"If only we'd done this a lot sooner… I wonder if that's why they're so strong. They must have gathered thousands of different weapon forms while we sat on our *&^&^ doing nothing," Daitan grumbled.
"Maybe… Itsuki and the Heroes did share their methods with one another," Akane tried.
"Bah." The Blunt Hero scowled at Itsuki's name. "Don't talk about that cheater around me."
Itsuki bristled at the comment. He almost wanted to run out of his cover to yell at the Blunt Hero for calling him a cheater… only to feel immense disappointment in himself at the thought.
He turned around to leave since he was clearly not ready to atone for his previous actions.
"You know, I never did ask. But where did the faux manly act you put up from time to time come from anyway?" Akane suddenly said.
"Do you really believe that I have no experience with being manly?" Daitan asked incredulously.
"Have you looked in a mirror lately," Akane dryly remarked.
"Have you?" Daitan countered with a victorious smirk as if what he'd said was the 1000 IQ play.
Itsuki paused in his steps.
Even if he felt he wasn't ready. He… he at least wanted to see if he could learn more about the two of them. Maybe find out if he was really like them, or if they were different.
"Which one of us has an acne problem on our face?" Akane asked as she crossed her arms in front of her.
"Well, some girls find the acne adorable!" Daitan retaliated.
"What? On opposite day?" Akane rolled her eyes as the sarcastic comment left her lips.
"No! Not even the most beautiful girls could resist my face! It was because of this manly trait of mine that I didn't come to this world a virgin!" Daitan grinned.
"... really?" Akane asked in disbelief.
"Absolutely…! Well, not really, but I'm not a virgin. I'm not lying about that… …" The triumphant look on his face gradually disappeared, and he sat down on the ground.
"... I really wish my first time had been more special." The proud Blunt Weapons Hero… didn't look so proud at that moment.
Akane sat down opposite him. Having opened up to Kizuna earlier about what she went through, she decided it was about time she did the same for the guy she'd dealt with ever since coming to this world.
"Was it a one-night stand while you were both drunk at some party?" Akane asked.
"Nah." Daitan smiled. "It was consensual. She was one of the most popular and pretty girls in the school. And we were both sober for the event."
…
Akane's eyebrow slowly raised. Daitan pouted at her. "What, I'm not lying!"
"I know you're not lying," Akane responded. "I've known you for long enough to tell that you're being serious right now."
"Then what's with the look of disbelief?!" Daitan asked.
"I'm trying to figure out why such a girl would spread her legs for you is all," Akane said, putting a hand to her chin in thought.
"Oof. That's low. Even for you." Daitan scowled and looked to the side.
"I'm sorry."
…
Daitan steadily looked back at her. She was looking at him with regret. "I'm sorry. I'm still trying to get used to… well, the reality we're in right now. And we've acted like this around each other for a long time. But I just had a talk with Kizuna, and it made me realize that I've been acting like a bitch around you and Hoshi for a long time. It's about time I tried to fix that."
"Well, it's not like the bitchiness is unwarranted." The sandy brown-haired young man shrugged. "Since, you know, I was the one who forced you off of Ken-sensei after he died. I even carried you away too. You probably hated me a lot for that."
"I did," Akane said. "But I wouldn't be here now if you hadn't done that. Those monsters would have killed me too…"
…
…
The two fell into silence for a while. With neither of them saying anything to the other.
…
Daitan eventually let out a sigh. "Alright, to tell the truth, I… I didn't always act like… well, this." The Blunt Hero gestured to himself. "If you'd believe it before I gained this attitude, I was even shorter than I am now. The shortest kid in my class, actually. And the acne problem was worse. Like, a lot worse."
"That isn't too hard to picture…" Akane's comment brought a glare from her fellow Hero.
She nodded her head in apology and gestured for him to continue.
"Because I was so short, I was bullied a lot as a kid. Every dwarf joke known to man was my everyday life at school. The girls would look at me and giggle at my appearance. I was a walking disaster as a kid.
"It wasn't all bad though. There were other kids there in the same boat as me. Some of them were short. A few were just physically incapable of retaliating. One girl in our group, Hanako, had a birthmark covering the right side of her face. She was really shy, and hard to talk to, but she was one of the sweetest girls ever once you got to know her. And… she was pretty too. A really nice girl who cared for all of her friends.
"I hung out with them a lot. We'd play games on those old handheld devices between classes. We'd band together when the bullies became especially bad towards one of us. I know I took more than a couple of beatings for some of them so they didn't have to. You'd think the adults would have cared about what was going on. But eh, that's the Japanese education system for you."
Akane chuckled at that.
"We learned to watch each other's backs. A bunch of guys and girls, geeks and nerds, outcasts and otaku, united together to face the world."
Daitan smiled nostalgically, picturing moments with his old friends with fondness.
"Did something happen to them?" Akane broke the Blunt Hero out of his reverie.
"No, something happened to me." Daitan sighed as the illusion he'd created in his mind was shattered. "Before Middle School, I had a growth spurt. Coupled with me working out all summer that year. I easily swept the kids that used to bully me before when we entered our first year of Middle School.
"It was cathartic. Those bullies had gathered on the first day of school to beat me and my friends up like usual in the courtyard. But instead of that, I beat the crap out of every single one of them.
"It was quite the battle. I had several bruises all over my body before somebody finally brought the teachers to stop the fight. But man, you should have seen what I did to them. I broke more than a few arms and legs. I even broke some of the main bully's ribs, putting him in the hospital. Even against all those odds, I'd refused to back down.
"They didn't mess with me after that. And they stopped bothering my friends when I promised retaliation if they so much as looked at them."
…
"Things should have gone well after that. We were finally free of a lot of the harassment we'd dealt with in Elementary School…"
Daitan's fists clenched. "But instead, I got drunk off the power of bullying those who used to bully me. I began to treat them the same way they'd treated me. And… eventually, I ended up bullying my former friends too.
"Not to the same extent that I'd had to deal with… but I became a really &^%$^& person to them," Daitan said sadly.
…
Akane stared at him as his face saddened more.
"I eventually reaped the karma of my actions. When I reached High School, I met a very big kid in my karate class that absolutely wiped the floor with me. And then, he and his group made me the butt of all their jokes. Usually choosing to spar with me just so they could kick my &^% in front of our instructor.
"I couldn't take that humiliation lying down. So I kept working out. Training harder and harder so I could grow strong enough to pin them to the floor like I had those losers from before. Yet… nothing I did bridged the gap between us. That guy kept on making a mockery of me no matter what I did. And to make things worse, I didn't receive another growth spurt. I peaked. I was stuck at my current height."
"It was as if nothing had changed. No matter how much I worked out or trained, no matter what I ate or drank, nothing helped."
…
…
A heavy silence followed, as Daitan bit his lip nervously. Somehow, Akane, and Itsuki, felt that hadn't been the worst part of the story.
"I… in Middle School, one of the popular girls paid attention to me. I started to develop a crush on her… then, when we started High School, we started dating. Even though I was going through a lot of &^%$ from that guy, she was there for me. Encouraging me on…
"During our senior year… we had our first time… and then I discovered she'd been cheating on me for all that time with that guy. Egging me on just for the fun of it."
…
Akane didn't say anything. She merely rested a hand over his as the Hero trembled.
"I lost it at that point because I thought all the workouts I'd been doing had at least been enough to keep her around. To give some boost to my otherwise shattered ego. And then when we had our first time, I thought that meant she loved me. But right after, she called me a scrawny kid who wasn't even that good in bed. She then walked into a hotel with that dude and… sent me one final video of themselves doing it."
…
…
His fists clenched so hard his knuckles whitened. "I had no one left. I'd left my former friends back in Middle School, and I never went back to them throughout High School because I didn't think they'd want me back.
"I continued playing my favorite game on my handheld device whenever I was alone. But it didn't feel the same without them around…"
"I didn't realize just what I'd lost until that moment. And before I could even think about trying to figure out what to do, some truck hit me, and I ended up isekaied into this world alongside you and Hoshi."
"And there you have it. That's my pathetic sob story. So yes, I did have experience bearing that toxic manly attitude back in my world. And yes, I did have a girlfriend, and I did have sex with her. Though, I really wish I hadn't any more. Since it turned out that she was just a bitch."
Daitan chuckled deprecatingly to himself. "There was another girl I had a crush on, actually. Hanako. That summer when I worked out and had my growth spurt, I put in all that effort and cut out all the junk food I'd loved because I wanted to be able to protect her… so I could see her smile more often without others trying to ruin it…"
"Heh. Some friend I turned out to be in the end. I wonder if she's spitting on my grave right now.
"I honestly wouldn't blame her… I'd do the same if I saw myself…"
…
It… wasn't entirely similar. But Itsuki still felt sad.
He knew what it was like to be bullied. To suddenly become special and think he was above his peers… only to realize there was always a bigger fish out there. And to then hate himself for his shortcomings.
That'd happened too. After… after she…
As Daitan trembled, Akane did something that surprised him.
She stepped forward and embraced the Blunt Hero in a hug.
"If your friends were as good as you said they were, I doubt they'd do something so crude.
"If anything, I'd bet that they miss you. And that Hanako misses you too."
"What… makes you say that?" Daitan asked in a choked voice.
"You might have been even more of a manlet at one point." The Jewel Heroine continued. "But you were also their friend. And… even though you turned on them, they sound like the kind of people who would have welcomed you back with open arms.
"After all, if you remember them so clearly even years later, it must be the same for them. You must have meant a lot to each other at some point."
…
Daitan sniffled and hugged her back. He didn't openly sob, but tears still fell from his eyes.
If he had any regrets, it was that he'd never apologized to them. That he hadn't been a better person towards them.
A moment later, the two separated, and Daitan looked to be smiling again.
"I-Is this your way of confessing you like me?"
"In your dreams." Akane dryly responded.
The Blunt Hero laughed, and a crack of a smile appeared on her lips. "Alright. Fair enough. Can't blame me for trying."
"Do you want to get back to training?" She asked.
"No… no, I've had enough of getting beat up physically and emotionally by girls for today."
…
"Thanks for listening, Akane. This really means a lot to me." Daitan said sincerely.
"Well… I learned today that, sometimes, we have stuff we need to get off our chests. And… it's better to get it off than keep it on." Akane straightened her posture and turned her head. "Isn't that right, Itsuki?"
…
Daitan looked around in surprise while Itsuki froze.
Crap. Had he somehow exposed himself? He could have sworn his hiding skill was hiding him…
However, Akane had looked directly at him. And when he checked his HUD, he found that his skill had worn off. He was in plain sight.
"Um… …" Itsuki couldn't think of something to say.
"Wha- are you here to spy on us or something?!" Daitan asked angrily when he finally spotted the Bow Hero. "Wasn't what you did to us before bad enough?!"
While he immediately wanted to defend himself, Itsuki slouched instead. "... yeah, it was,"
The admittance made Daitan stop talking in surprise.
"I've felt terrible about it ever since. I would like to apologize. I wish I could blame it on my Cursed Series influencing my actions. But the bottom line is that I took my frustrations out on you guys."
Itsuki looked Daitan in the eye. "There was a point when I knew I wasn't in a game anymore. Yet I denied it anyway because acknowledging that what was happening was real would have been too painful for me to bear. I… should have known better than anyone else what the three of you were doing. I'm really sorry for being so shortsighted."
…
The three Heroes stood in silence. Itsuki bowed his head. "I really am sorry for what I put you two and Hoshi through. And knowing you experienced much of the same life I did growing up, I'm especially sorry for almost killing you, Daitan."
"I don't expect forgiveness. I just want to take down Kyo so I can return to my friends in my world. So…" Itsuki didn't know what he'd do then. He could only hope for a brief respite before they had to face the Phoenixes or whatever came next. Maybe then he'd have a chance to build something healthy between himself and Rishia?
Did someone like him deserve to have a healthy relationship though?
Could he ever have one after all that he'd been through?
…
…
Daitan opened his mouth, and Itsuki expected nothing but a rebuttal.
"Were you isekaied by Truck-kun too?"
…
The question was so out of left field Itsuki didn't know how to respond at first. "Huh?"
"You said we had pretty similar circumstances growing up. I'm just wondering if that was similar too?" Daitan honestly asked.
"Wha- yes, I was. But why is that relevant?" Itsuki asked.
"Was it out in the street?" Daitan asked.
"Obviously," Itsuki answered a bit out of frustration. "Where else would a truck barrel into you?"
…
…
A smirk slowly grew on the Blunt Hero's lips. "I win."
Itsuki raised his eyebrow in confusion. "You see, unlike your generic %$#!, I wasn't outside when my ticket from Truck-Kun arrived. I was inside a gym, doing my usual routine when a large semi suddenly burst through the wall and drove all the way across the room to run me over!
"In fact, there was also the front lobby it had to go through too. There was clearly a lot of effort for it to get through everything and isekai me to this world."
"Wh… WHAT?!" Itsuki nearly screeched. "HOW DOES THAT MAKE YOU WIN!?"
"My experience with Truck-Kun was far more memorable than yours!" Daitan threw his head back and laughed at the Bow Hero.
…
Honestly, it actually was. Who else could claim a truck plowed through a whole building just to isekai them into another world? None came to the Bow Hero's mind at least.
"Are you that desperate to one-up me that you'd compare our own deaths?" Itsuki asked blandly.
"YES!" Daitan grinned like a madman. "FACE IT, I FINALLY BEAT YOU AT SOMETHING!"
"Fine… whatever, you win at something." Itsuki turned away with a grumble.
"WOOHOOOOOOO!" Daitan pumped his fist into the air victoriously.
…
"... does this mean-" Itsuki began to ask hopefully.
"No, you're not forgiven," Akane stated evenly. "It will be a long time before that happens… if it happens."
"Yeah. I'm not just going to be buddies with the guy that tried to kill me last week." Daitan said after that. "No offense."
"However," Akane continued. "We would have to be even more stupid than we've already been to not help out with Kyo. So even if we don't like you right now, we will work as allies to protect this world."
The Jewel Heroine scowled. "Just don't expect more than that."
"... I can live with it." Itsuki almost smiled sadly. It reminded him of the past, having to fight alongside the villagers even though they hadn't liked him.
Some of the weight disappeared, but not all.
If only that weight could disappear entirely…
"So, um, if you really want to help us out… could you tell us how you actually became so strong?" Daitan asked nervously. "I hypothesized earlier that it was because you gathered hundreds of different weapon forms. But that seems like it'd take way too long to accomplish in a normal time span."
…
Itsuki almost wanted to facepalm. "By learning the methods of the other Heroes and using them myself," Itsuki answered for what felt like the thousandth time.
"But how?" Akane asked. "How does that work?"
"It's straightforward, I don't understand why… did you try sharing them with each other in the past?" Itsuki asked after a pause where he thought about it.
"Yeah. We asked each other how we could grow stronger more quickly while we were under Kenshiro. But what we said didn't match up with our weapons at all, so we didn't believe each other." Daitan rolled his eyes.
Holy… Itsuki felt like wringing the Blunt Hero's neck all over again. He was truly the spitting image of his former self. And he didn't like it at all.
He would have sworn he'd be more like Motoyasu with his Casanova Wannabe schtick, but that was turning out to not be the case.
Was it any wonder the Blunt Weapons Hero was bad with girls?
Itsuki opened his mouth to reprimand him for his stupidity. To say that it was because they hadn't believed each other that they hadn't been able to share their methods. It was the same thing he'd had to struggle through when Naofumi told him and Ren what'd happened after they shared their methods with him so he had to get that into their skulls as soon as possible.
Only… a chill ran down the Bow Hero's spine.
He looked towards the arena's entrance. A look of surprise on his face.
"What is it?" Akane asked.
"I… I hear the sounds of fighting…" Itsuki activated his eagle eye skill. Observing the area around them from above.
He almost found the source of it immediately. His face whitened.
Smoke was rising near the Dragon Hourglass building and the castle.
"&^%$." He shouldn't have left his post! &^%$!
He switched to the Demon Elephant Bow and rushed for the entrance. Akane asked what was going on, but Itsuki didn't listen. L'Arc and his soldiers needed backup as soon as possible.
However, before he could go more than a few feet, a trio of girls jumped down in front of the entrance. Smirks were on their faces. Two held swords in their hands, while the third one wielded a spear.
"Heh. One of Lord -" A breeze blew through the arena. "- murderers are here. Finally, the time for our revenge is at hand." The lead girl said maliciously.
Itsuki reeled in shock. It wasn't just their sudden appearance, or the weapons in their hands.
The left halves of their bodies were covered in white fur. As if they were mid-transformation into a White Tiger Clone.
Or, to be more specific, Dou-Lon's hakuko therianthrope form.
Itsuki didn't get much time to get more than that, as the lead girl swung forward with her blade, her compatriots following right behind her.
"Dieeeeeeeeeeee!"
Naofumi and the others were in the living room of Kizuna's house. The Shield Hero had just finished making dinner for everyone, and they were sitting down to eat.
"Filo can't wait to see what Mommy thinks of Filo's latest dish!" The little girl said excitedly.
Raphtalia smiled tightly. "And Mommy can't wait to try it, sweetie."
Talk around the table was tight. Even though they'd sat down for dinner, everyone looked ready to stand at a moment's notice. And the reason was obvious. After telling them what L'Arc had told him earlier...
"Do you really think it'll be today when the attack happens?" Dou-Lon asked the Shield Hero.
"The anticipation is killing me," Glass muttered.
"I wish they'd just get here already. I'm tired of all this waiting." Rishia sighed to herself.
"Pen!" "Rafu!"
Everyone sitting around the table was dressed for battle. Even the two shikigamis looked ready for a fight.
"Maybe we should skip the dinner then? It probably wouldn't be good to fight after we're done eating." Hoshi said nervously. He was the only one who didn't look ready to fight.
"Nonsense. You don't want to go into battle on an empty stomach." Kizuna replied teasingly.
"But wouldn't a full stomach just slow you down?" Hoshi asked in response.
Naofumi opened his mouth to say something along the lines of 'I didn't spend all that time cooking this to have it go to waste.'
CRASH!
The front doors suddenly came bursting off their hinges.
"Air Strike Shield!" It was only thanks to Naofumi's quick reflexes that the skill shield appeared in time. Protecting his wife friend, daughter, and everyone else at the table from the large airborne projectiles.
"Eep!" Dou-Lon still jumped back as the doors crashed into the skill shield just a foot in front of his face. Almost plowing over Rishia behind him.
"What the- who just bursts down the front door of people's houses?!" Kizuna stood up in her chair indignantly. Glass and Raphtalia also rose with her angrily.
…
A lone figure walked inside. A sword gripped tightly in her hand and pointed towards them.
She had a murderous look on her surprisingly beautiful face. It took her a second, but Kizuna recognized her. "Wait… Yomogi? Is that you?"
Naofumi switched to the Spirit Tortoise Heart Shield. "You know her?" He asked.
"She's Kyo's retainer," Glass answered stiffly.
…
Naofumi's face tightened. At the same time, a communication ofuda went off on Kizuna's side. Possibly L'Arc telling her the attack was happening.
The day had finally arrived.
"So, it is true. You really did ally yourselves with these Otherworlders, Kizuna." The girl spoke, each word lathered with hate and venom.
"Yomogi, wait. Kyo did terrible things in their-" Glass began to respond.
"Save it. I don't care." Yomogi raised her blade towards the group. The murderous look on her face showed that she wasn't here to talk. "They crippled and nearly killed Kyo. And you dare to ally yourselves with them, and betray our world? I will kill them, and then I'll stop you too before you start a war and destroy our world."
…
Yeah, Naofumi didn't see a way to negotiate out of this fight. The fact that this girl was allied with Kyo and spouting nonsense sealed the deal.
"It's about time you got here then. We were beginning to get a bit impatient." Naofumi smirked.
He and the others with him took battle stances. Rishia readied her blade in one hand and an ofuda in the other. Energy surrounded her as she activated her Hengen Musou form. Something Naofumi could notice thanks to his recent training. She'd been doing that for a while, apparently.
Yomogi's face bristled at the Shield Hero's comment.
"Don't you dare treat this as some trivial matter! I will inflict divine punishment on you for what you did!"
"Then go ahead and try," Naofumi replied. "I've already lived through the divine punishment of others. Let's see how strong your 'divine punishment' really is."
"RAHHHHHHHHHH!"
Their enemy charged them like a raging boar.
The battle started in earnest.
Author's Notes:
This chapter and last chapter had a large focus on introducing the backgrounds of the other Heroes. They're about as human as Naofumi and the other Heroes are in the Light Novels. Similar in some ways, different in others. Sorry, I can't gradually put it in like the others, but my time in the Otherworld is very limited and we're jumping into the thick of it. So I can't exactly put some of this in later.
Yes, that was how Daitan was isekaied. I thought it'd be good to have at least one Hero get the Truck-kun experience, although I was inspired thanks to a Youtube video that makes fun of the trope. Also reminds me of that manga with the truck driver whose job is to use his truck to isekai kids to other worlds. Man, I want to read that again.
Hope you're ready for the latter half of this arc.
Before that, however, another way to torture Itsuki via omake!
Hero Clips!
Weapon Picks
"What the- I don't remember this being mentioned anywhere in the chapter? Did you see it mentioned anywhere, Naofumi?" Itsuki asked confusedly.
"Not really. Though I guess it's a stretch on Kizuna's conversation with Akane about the Jewel picking her for a reason." Naofumi replied.
"Hey, were you listening in on that?! That was supposed to be private!" Kizuna asked angrily.
"We're in the plains of omake. Nothing is private here." Naofumi scowled.
He still vividly recalled the omake where his sex life was made fun of with Clanging and Honking noises.
"Yo, Allen, what is this?!" Itsuki yelled at the sky.
Lightning struck the ground nearby, and the author dusted his kimono off after the awesome appearance. Well, what he considered to be an awesome appearance. "Man, I really need to try wearing a kimono in real life. They look so damn comfortable to wear. I swear I'm not a weeb for saying that."
The others gave him deadpan looks for the comment.
"Cringe." A shady figure muttered in the background.
"Anyway, to answer your question, I just thought I'd do this here since it'd be almost impossible to fit this into the main story." Allen snapped his fingers, and the three Otherworld Heroes appeared in front of everyone.
"EEK!" Daitan covered his lower body with a towel, as he'd been in the Hot Spring at the time of the omake. Hoshi blinked, wondering where the paper he'd been drawing on had disappeared too. And Akane had a fishing pole in her hand for some reason.
"I-I wasn't trying to find a weapon form that'd increase my fishing skill!" She quickly yelled.
"Cheater." Kizuna pouted.
Akane looked ready to scream some more. Allen spoke, however, cutting off any potential arguments or conversations.
"Alright, class. You see, at the time of summoning, each weapon has a list of potential candidates they choose from. There is a list of things individual weapons look for, ranging from personality traits, interests, hobbies, level of vagueness in their world, etc." The author listed off. "However, all of these aside, one of the most important things a weapon searches for in a wielder is their potential to become Heroes down the road.
"I have to stress that the weapons aren't capable of manipulating the reality of a world enough to take someone who's well known or who is already a Hero to the people. Their ability to influence reality on worlds outside of their own is extremely limited.
"Contrary to popular belief, they're not Gods. No matter how much Siltvelt might want to argue that."
"BLASPHEMY!" Werner's voice yelled from across dimensions.
"Anyway, this brings me to my main point. The list of potential candidates at the time of summoning.
"Given that we're dealing with an infinite multiverse full of otakus and nerds and the like with countless worlds and weapons picking them as their wielders and a list of other factors I won't bother to repeat, these lists constantly change. Thus, at the time of a Hero summoning, the position on the list doesn't matter to me as much as the fact that they were on the list, to begin with.
"Just the fact they were on it, goes to show they held the potential to become a great Hero at the time of their summoning." The Author stated clearly.
"If… if that's the case, then what is the point of the list?" Itsuki asked.
"The list is basically to show which candidate is more desirable due to… flaws in their personality, so to say," Allen said with a shrug. "Like, for example, your pride complex ranked you as a third pick for the Bow. Ren's social anxiety and all that also put him as a third pick for the Sword. Motoyasu, well, I obviously don't have to point out how his blind loyalty put him as a Third pick as well.
"Naofumi was a First pick for the shield. But even with that, he still had flaws like his naivety. Or, after it was exposed by Bitch, a severe anger problem when pushed too far." Allen smirked. "First picks, as you can see, are still far from being perfect."
"What can I say? That redhead just has a way of pissing me off." Naofumi deadpanned.
"Face it Naofumi. She has a talent for pissing everyone off." Allen laughed.
"Almost everyone." Naofumi scowled.
"We don't talk about them," Allen whispered back conspiratorially.
"Was there a point to mentioning where we fell on those lists?" Itsuki asked through gritted teeth.
"Yes. Before that, I just want to point out something else. Like how despite being a third pick for the Bow, you were the First Pick for the Musical Instruments Weapon in this world." Allen responded.
Itsuki blinked. "Really?!"
"Uh, duh? Have you forgotten how you're a God with every musical instrument you can get your hands on? I'm surprised you haven't tried learning Performance Magic yet. You'd be so OP in this world if you did." Allen replied.
He'd... been busy with other stuff...
"Now, Motoyasu was also considered the Second Pick for the Shield. Kizuna, I think, was either the First or Second Pick for her weapon. Naofumi was also a First Pick for the Mirror due to his cooking skills. I don't really know too much more outside that, but basically, that goes to further reinforce how it doesn't matter where you're at on the list, as it just matters that you were on the list, to begin with. That even if the Bow hadn't picked you, it is extremely likely that another weapon would."
"Doesn't that just mean we're doomed to be isekaied no matter what?" Naofumi asked.
"YEP!" Allen grinned. "Had your weapons not chosen you two, you'd definitely have been summoned by the weapons in Glass's world!"
The two Heroes groaned. "Anyway, for the main reason why I did this omake."
Allen pulled the three Otherworld Heroes he'd created together. A big smile on his face while they were creeped out by the close proximity. "Hoshi here is the Second Pick for the Ofuda. Sorry about that, my guy. You were only summoned because the weapon's First Pick is currently in a place called Q'Ten Lo. And due to the barrier surrounding that country that not even the antagonists behind the Waves can breach, the Ofuda couldn't choose her as a wielder."
"W-Wait, how would you know something like-" Hoshi began to ask incredulously.
"Light novel knowledge, my friend! It really is a gift or a curse depending on how you look at it!" Allen smirked. "Anyway, Akane, I really wish I could put you higher. But I think you'd be considered the Jewel's Third Pick. Or maybe even the fourth pick! No offense."
"None taken." The redhead said through gritted teeth.
"What about me?" Daitan asked.
"Oh. Easily First Pick." Allen smiled.
"Really!?" Daitan said excitedly.
"He's obviously being sarcastic." Akane rolled her eyes.
"Actually, I'm not," Allen said seriously.
…
…
Everyone looked from Allen to Daitan. Then back to Allen. "Do you think a weapon would send a semi through a building without harming anyone else just to get a third or fourth pick?" Allen asked.
"What the &^%$?" Itsuki said out loud.
"FUEEEEH!?" Rishia whimpered loudly in surprise.
"While it might not be canonical since there's literally no knowledge on the canon Heroes of Glass's world outside of Kizuna, I made Daitan as an example to show that even a First Pick for a weapon can fail to become a Hero due to a variety of factors."
"Actually, to take that lesson even further here's a fun fact. Despite Motoyasu's flaws and him being the third pick for the Spear. All it would have taken was Malty not being in his party and he would have been the protagonist of the story since he would have been a lot nicer to Naofumi.
"So it honestly wouldn't have taken much for Moto to be the Hero instead of Naofumi. Unlike with Dai here. Funny how the pronunciation for the first part of his name is 'die'."
"Hey!" Daitan yelled indignantly. But after a second, his eyes widened in realization, and he looked at Itsuki victoriously. "I HAVE YOU BEATEN IN SOMETHING ELSE NOW ITSUJERK! MY WEAPON RANKED ME HIGHER THAN YOURS DID FOR YOU!"
"W-WAIT A SECOND! AL SAID I WAS FIRST PICK FOR ANOTHER WEAPON!" Itsuki yelled back.
"THAT ONE'S A VASSAL! YOU'RE STILL NOTHING MORE THAN A THIRD PICK FOR A CARDINAL WEAPON, UNLIKE ME!" Daitan laughed victoriously.
Itsuki tackled the Blunt Hero to the ground and the two became entangled in a brawl.
It was very humorous seeing them trying to beat the other up without the towel coming loose from Daitan's scrawny waist.
"Was there really a point to this omake?" Naofumi asked in a deadpan.
"Just building off what you said before to Hoshi. And what L'Arc said to Raphtalia back in Arc 8." Allen smiled.
"Not every person is summoned special or perfect. Some are just summoned with more visible flaws than others. And some are summoned with flaws that are harder to overcome. Yet every person chosen by a weapon holds the potential to become a great Hero down the line. All they have to do is grow into that potential. Just like you. Just like Keichi. Just like Kizuna and L'Arc and Kenshiro and Glass and every other Hero who was chosen by their weapon.
"I sincerely believe that with all my heart."
…
Naofumi gave the Author a rare smile in response. "Thanks for having faith in us."
"Somebody has to." Allen rolled his eyes. "It might just be about time for me to write part two of my misadventures of the Bow Hero to further piss on how self-inserts replacing Heroes will do more harm than good in a fantasy world."
Would the readers like that?
"Definitely not." The shady figure muttered again.
Well, either way, watching the Hero brawl was pretty entertaining. And Allen thought it would be the perfect segway to the action occurring next chapter.
Till Next Time
Allen