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Chapter 31: The Betrayal of this Bro code!

Part 1

"Ohhh! You did it! You actually did it!"

"How come I've never heard of this guy?! He's so skilled!"

"How dare you kill Sylvia?! She was so hot! I didn't care even if she had extra parts!"

The app-users came up to praise me for defeating Sylvia. Well, most of them did.

The remaining Hans slimes were also dealt with, with the JSDF using a flamethrower to make sure every last slime blob was taken care of.

But I wasn't going to leave it up to chance. I took the megaphone from Sena and said,

"If there is anyone here wearing a labcoat trying to leave the premises, apprehend them immediately!"

Aqua raised a brow at my announcement.

"Hah? What are you talking about, Kazuma?"

You see it in every movie.

Just when the monsters are dealt with, some stupid scientist will take a sample of the monster with them to do some experiments in their lab. This scene usually happens at the very end of the movie, maybe even after the credits, setting up the sequel.

"Sir! We found this man!"

My team captured a man in a lab coat, carrying a jar with a slime specimen inside.

"W-Wait! If we can research the cell-structure of this slime creature, we might be able to produce great scientific results from it!"

I knew one of these guys would show up!

"Destroy every sample immediately! And make sure there aren't any intelligence agencies taking samples, either! And make sure everyone here is quarantined for a few days! Check under your shoes and make sure there aren't any slime samples sticking to them! Tanks and weapons should be thoroughly inspected as well!"

The scientist who tried to sneak a sample away was promptly arrested. Meanwhile, a contamination team was sent in to disinfect every app-user and equipment that made contact with Hans.

"I'd say that Kazuma is just being paranoid, but you were right about that man in a lab coat trying to sneak a sample away…"

Darkness said, as she watched that scientist being pulled away by Sena.

"I told you. The way to achieve victory is to avoid flags and cliches!"

Mitsurugi sighed, rubbing the back of his head.

"I guess I can't deny that anymore, seeing all the results."

"Well, I'm just glad that everyone came out of this unscathed!"

Rin said, giving Dust a glance.

"Even you, Dust."

"Aw, come on, Rin. I spent all that time fighting Sylvia from the inside. Don't I deserve some more praise?"

"...It seemed like you enjoyed being inside her."

"Oho. You've got quite a dirty mouth, Rin-chan!"

Dust rightfully received a slap from Rin, who walked away in a huff.

"You're the one who fired all those explosions, right?!"

"You did so much damage to Hans and Sylvia!"

"I'd say you were the real MVP of this battle!"

A bunch of guys started praising Megumin, who was loving all the attention.

"Heh… Well, that was only just 10% of my power… As a Crimson Demon, I'm capable of way more!"

"Eh? A Crimson Demon? What's that?"

"Fufu… I'm glad you asked!"

Megumin wasn't the only one getting attention.

"Thank you so much for healing me!"

"You saved us so many times!"

"Can I have your number?!"

Aqua, who healed a bunch of different people and restored the ones who turned into stone, as well as resurrecting those who died, had a lot of fans as well. It helped that she was also very beautiful, which gathered the attention of the men.

"Kishishi! I'm a goddess, so it's only right that I help my followers!"

Darkness had her own crowd around her.

"You were so tough!"

"Do you workout? Can you give me some tips?"

"Do you have a six pack?"

She blushed and looked at me, her eyes asking for help. I looked at them and said,

"...Obviously, she has a six pack, guys."

"I knew it!"

Darkness blushed and threw a fit.

"That's not what I wanted you to say!"

What, did she think I'd start lying about how feminine and graceful she was?

"Darkness… These guys are just trying to praise you, so don't get upset."

Chris said, trying to cheer her best friend up.

"It sure doesn't sound like praise!"

Meanwhile, Yunyun was by the side, looking like she was trying to get noticed.

I was about to talk to her, when Appuri-chan gave me an alert notification.

You gained 10 levels from defeating Hans and Sylvia! You are now level 20!

You've unlocked a new title, 'General Slayer'!

I wanted to talk to Yunyun, but gaining 10 levels suddenly occupied my attention.

But first, I went ahead and checked out the title.

General Slayer

When fighting a Demon King general, you gain 1 to all attacks and 1 Damage and Magic Reduction.

It was quite a useful title.

However, I kept the Monster Tamer title for now, since I wouldn't encounter a Demon King general on an everyday basis.

Then, there was the matter of the 10 skill points.

I decided to leave them unspent for now, since there was a new set of exclusive skills I could unlock after switching to the 'Archer' class.

I did just that, switching from Wizard to Archer.

Sena approached me, megaphone in hand.

"Sir, perhaps you have a word or two to say to everyone who fought today? Not only the app-users, but the JSDF troops. I'm sure they would appreciate that."

She was asking me to give a speech to everyone.

I understood what she was trying to do. Not only would it raise morale, it would also cement my role as the leader for future operations. She witnessed firsthand how chaotic it was at the start, with the app-users acting on their own. If I could establish myself as their leader now, it would make it easier for us to control them in the future.

That, or it would backfire on us and they'd never listen again.

I took the megaphone and spoke to everyone.

"...I would just like to say a few words! Today, we…"

"Nature's Beauty!"

"Ohhh! What a wonderful party trick!"

That stupid goddess…!

She butted in at the worst time!

From then on, everyone paid attention to Aqua instead of me.

"...Where did those doves come from?!"

Even Sena forgot about me and was invested in her performance.

Part 2

The rest wanted to go back to the mansion to recuperate after the war. But I headed over to Wiz's shop to confirm some things with Vanir.

"Ah, congratulations on your victory, boy! I'm sure that there's quite a big target placed on your back now! Perhaps the demon king army has even prioritized eliminating you instead of the traitorous me!"

I stared blankly at him.

"...Don't tell me you planned this."

"No, but the swell of negative emotions you just emitted is wonderful! You were too happy about winning the war, so I had to do something to change that!"

Couldn't he just let people be happy?

"Of course not!"

"Stop reading my mind! …Anyway, do you know when the demon king army will attack again?"

"Like I said last time, it will probably be a while, since they used a lot of energy on those portals."

"Yeah, I know, but I'm asking for a specific timeframe."

"Even if I knew, I wouldn't tell you so easily!"

This guy was such a pain to talk to.

Wiz smiled and clapped her hands together.

"Kazuma-san! Congratulations on a hard fought victory! I'm happy to hear that you and your friends are safe!"

"Even Aqua?"

"U-Um, yes, Aqua-sama as well!"

She seemed hesitant to say that.

"Wiz, you sure are happy for me, even though you're technically still a member of the demon king army."

"T-That's a separate matter! I'm just happy that you're safe!"

I chuckled, amused by Wiz's cute and sincere personality.

Then, I noticed that the captured demon was cowering in the corner. I went up to him, smirking as I looked down at him.

"W-Whaddaya want?"

He said, avoiding my gaze as he trembled.

"Ehh? Weren't you bragging about how I didn't have a chance against Hans and Sylvia? Well, lookie what happened! You were so confident, too? What are you gonna do now, huh? There's no chance of rescue anymore!"

He started tearing up while I poked his cheek, grinning all the while.

"Um… He's still an employee at my store, so please stop harassing him, Kazuma-san."

"Oh, sure."

The demon relaxed once I left him alone because of Wiz. He couldn't resist some parting words, though.

"Just you wait… The demon king will learn from this and…!"

"Demon king, demon king, demon king! Who is the demon king anyway?! I bet he's just some scrub and that's why you all refuse to tell me who he is! I mean, you were hyping up Hans and Sylvia for so long, and we beat them! What's next, you're gonna tell me that there's a 'Five Heavenly Divine Kings' who are stronger than the generals we faced?! Come on, at some point, you just have to face reality and accept that you're screwed, got it?!"

The tears turned into full on bawling, as I yelled at the demon's face.

"P-Please don't bully my employee!"

"Oh, right."

I forgot about Wiz's request and started ripping on the demon, anyway.

Just as I was about to leave the store, Vanir said,

"By the way, boy, a word of advice from me…"

"Is this advice gonna be useful?"

"When have I ever led you astray?!"

Did I even need to answer that?

"Ahem… Some time after the evacuation orders are over, you will receive an invitation for a middle school reunion…"

"Not interested."

"At least let me finish."

"Like I said, not interested."

"...If you don't show up, you will regret it."

"Alright, I'll show up, then."

"...Why did you agree so easily?"

Vanir was stunned that I gave in without much resistance.

"Usually, when a line like that is spoken, then that means something tragic will happen if I don't show up, right?"

"...You know, it's kind of boring if you're so keen on picking up on things."

"Efficiency is boring, but excitement only invites chaos. Now, are you gonna be more specific than that, or are we still sticking to cryptic warnings?"

"You already know the answer to that!"

I sighed and turned to Wiz.

"Can't you do something about this guy?"

She shook her head.

"Unfortunately, I can't."

Vanir laughed at our resigned faces.

"Mwahaha! The feelings of disappointment over my predilections are quite delicious! …It's also a bit insulting."

Vanir stopped laughing and looked thoughtful at the end there. I doubted he was doing any actual self reflection, though.

…

…

After all the chaos of the war ended, the government went straight into recovering the destroyed buildings of Shibuya. It should be noted that Megumin was to blame for most of the destruction. Thankfully, they didn't foot us with the bill. There would have been a lot more destruction if it wasn't up to us, though.

I went up to the shrine where the priest who refused to evacuate resided. I found him sweeping the grounds with his broom. When he saw me, he raised a brow and said,

"Oya? What are you doing here, kid? I thought there was a big bad earthquake that was gonna destroy this shrine?"

That was really only going to happen in the worst case scenario.

"Well, looks like the earthquake wasn't as strong as expected."

"Heh. Figures. See, that's why I didn't leave. I knew those reports were exaggerated!"

I didn't want him to get the idea that he could keep ignoring evacuation orders like this, so I secretly casted [Wind Blade] behind me, launching wind magic from my hand. The blade of wind traveled down the woods that led up to the shrine, mowing down several trees.

"...! T-Those must be the aftershocks!"

"Quick! Get inside the shrine!"

He nodded and led me inside the shrine, where we took shelter inside and hid under a table. On the way in, I cut more trees down with [Wind Blade].

We came out thirty minutes later and the priest inspected the damage.

"Hah… Well, I guess it's not that bad. Nothing insurance won't cover."

"You're lucky it didn't reach the shrine, old man."

"Yeah. Sorry for endangering you like that, kid. You even went out of your way to check up on me."

I felt bad that he apologized to me, but it was better than having him ignore actual emergencies, just because he felt safe this time around.

You earned 1 'Cunning'!

But… You also helped a person of the cloth, so…. You also earn 1 'Faith'!

This was the first time I gained cunning and faith at the same time. Usually, I lost 'faith' whenever I gained points in 'Cunning'.

Part 3

School was back in session after the government rescinded the evacuation order. To avoid suspicion from our classmates, we took the train to school rather than the bus driven by Sena.

I noticed that the majority of students were excited to go back to their normal lives, while there were those who felt that the government should have given them at least one more day to ease back into things, after everyone spent the last few days living in an evacuation center. There were also those who had lots of stories to tell about their time in the centers, about the emergency rations they ate and the things they did to occupy their time.

I didn't think about coming up with stories of my own, so I was quite blindsided when the guys I talked to asked me what my experience was like in the center.

"Oh, uh, I guess I just watched a bunch of movies I saved on my laptop."

I said, thinking up something quick on the spot.

That seemed to be enough to fool them, but I should have known better than not coming up with a believable story ahead of time. I hoped that Rin and Mitsurugi fared better with their friends.

There were still midterms at the end of the month, so I had to catch up on that. With my intelligence stat nearing the 80s, I actually found it easier to receive and retain information, but it was still a challenge to sift through the kind of information I actually needed to memorize and what was ultimately just filler.

For that reason, I sought out Konno-san's help again. I thought that she'd be her usual cold self, but the first thing she did when I approached her was give me a small smile.

"I'm glad you're safe as well, Satou-kun. That was quite unexpected, wasn't it?"

She didn't even know the half of it.

"Yeah, I'm glad you're safe as well, Konno-san."

"I guess it's back to the usual grind now. Are you in the camp that believes we should have had a couple more days off, or are you happy to go back to school?"

"I'm actually glad that we're back to school so soon."

She raised her brows at my reply.

"Wow! How unexpected!"

Was it really that surprising coming from me?

From my perspective, the whole country nearly fell to the demon king army a couple of days ago. Compared to that, coming back to school wasn't an issue at all.

We started studying, finding a good flow as we began to acclimate to each other's studying styles. I was a bit intimidated by Konno-san at the start, not only due to her secret status as an idol, but also because of the detached and cool persona she portrayed in class. But I started to see that she was kind to those she was accustomed to, as she'd often smile at me and even throw in a joke here and there.

Your bond with Konno Lia has deepened!

Konno Lia (Idol-In-Disguise), Bond Rank: 3

At Rank 3, Lia views you as a classmate who she can study for the midterms with. She has opened herself up to you a little, despite labeling you a creep before. Spending more time with her and studying with her will allow her to get more comfortable with you.

Bond Reward: [Versatile Entertainer] rank-up!

[Versatile Entertainer ] Skill Rank: 2, Passive Skill

You are adept in mimicking the voice of someone you know. If you are mimicking the voice of someone you don't know, you must spend at least 15 minutes observing their speech patterns and mannerisms. Useful for making celebrity impressions. You become proficient with acrobatic moves, the success of which is determined by your 'Dexterity' (76).

To think this party trick skill actually had more to it than I thought…

Maybe I shouldn't have judged Aqua's bond rank rewards so hastily. Especially since the voice mimic skill actually helped me a lot in the past.

Also, the fact that [Versatile Entertainer] ranked up thanks to Konno-san probably had to do with her secret identity as an idol.

When study period ended and it was time for lunch period, I expected to part ways from Konno-san right away, like what happened before.

"Satou-kun, would you like to have lunch in the cafeteria together?"

Konno-san asked, while giving me one of her smiles again, a sight I was getting used to seeing.

"Ah, yeah, sure."

I didn't have a bento, since I still lived in the mansion and we were all essentially tasked to make meals for ourselves. My mother always made my bento for me before. I planned on buying something at the cafeteria anyway, so I accepted her offer.

We chatted while walking to the cafeteria together. On the way there, we noticed a commotion in the halls.

"S-So pretty!"

"She's a foreigner, right?"

"Can she speak Japanese? I wanna talk to her…"

Oh, that's right.

Since Darkness was gonna live in Japan now, she transferred over to our school for her last year of highschool.

Since she was in a third year class, I didn't realize just how much attention she was getting. I should have predicted that, since she was a beautiful foreigner. It wasn't strange that the other students would clamor around her.

"U-Um, nice to meet you, everyone! I'm from England and…"

She saw me and we made eye contact. I glanced away and tried to walk away.

"K-Kazuma! I've been looking for you! Why haven't you been answering my calls?!"

"...Why are you calling me during class? That's the real question."

"R-Right… Still, you should have called back when your class ended!"

"I guess I forgot."

"Kuh! The cold way you treat me is just…"

I didn't even mean to insult her, but she still took pleasure in that.

Konno-san stared in wonder at Darkness and said,

"Satou-kun, how do you know this beautiful girl?"

Konno-san obviously had some kind of impression of me that was completely at odds with reality. She was constantly surprised by everything she learned about me, anyway.

"Ah, we're part of an afterschool program that connects Japanese students and foreign exchange students."

That was the excuse we agreed on if someone started asking questions.

"I see. I'm Konno Lia, by the way. And you are…?"

"Oh, I'm… Um…"

Darkness seemed to have some problems saying her name. Come to think of it, I never really heard what her real name was. And the app didn't show me.

"J-Just Dustiness is fine!"

"Ah, of course. Nice to meet you, Dustiness-san."

She gave her last name. I didn't think that Darkness was the type to be so overly polite that she only wanted us to call her by a last name. Was there a reason why she was hiding her real name?

"We're going to the cafeteria right now, would you like to join? We can give you a tour of the school along the way."

"That would be lovely!"

Darkness happily agreed to Konno-san's offer.

Once we sat down and ordered our food, Darkness said,

"By the way, are there any clubs I should join? I'm having trouble deciding? Maybe the tea ceremony club?"

"Pfffft!"

I almost spat out my food when she said that, since I didn't see Darkness as some refined girl who would do such classy activities at all. Instead, I saw her as a brute who had an unhealthy obsession with pain and humiliation. Perhaps the tea ceremony club would suit her if her intention was to constantly get the steps wrong and make a fool out of herself.

Darkness glared at my reaction, but she also seemed to understand how ridiculous it was for her to even consider that as an option.

"Ahh… Konno-san, are you in any clubs right now?"

Darkness asked Konno-san instead of pursuing that tea ceremony idea.

"Hmm… Well, I'm in the naginata club. I'm not sure if you would like that, though."

Right after she said that, Darkness and I both got a notification from our phones. We gave each other a glance and checked our phones.

Side quest unlocked! Join the naginata club! Quest Rewards: 1 'Dexterity', 1 'Health'

The soccer season ended and there weren't any practices until the start of the next one. That meant that I had time after school to join another club.

I also knew firsthand that joining a club was a good way to raise physical stats.

What's more, Darkness who really needed to raise her dexterity could use this chance as well.

She seemed to have the same idea, as she said,

"I'll do it! I'll join the naginata club!"

"Eh? Really?"

Konno-san was surprised, not expecting her to join right away.

"I'll join, too."

"Really?!"

She was even more surprised when I agreed to join as well.

Part 4

"Oh? Konno, you brought in two new members, huh?"

The club captain, a big guy wearing protective gear and carrying a blunted spear used for training said, when Konno-san brought us to the club after school.

"Yeah… I'm surprised they joined, to be honest."

Since our school was primarily focused on academics, only the soccer and baseball clubs received significant success and attention on the athletics side. I was surprised that we even had a naginata club.

There were only a handful of members, a far cry from the soccer club that had a full starting roster, and a deep bench following that.

"Alright, well, Konno, help them put on their protective gear and help them get used to the spears."

Konno-san helped us put the equipment on, which was pretty similar to kendo equipment. As for the naginata itself, I didn't really need much instruction in it, since I already had a couple levels in the [Spear] skill, and my dexterity score was near 80, which was already in the realms of a top highschool/collegiate athlete.

Konno-san displayed some forms for us to copy, and she was surprised by my proficiency.

"Eh? Satou-kun, your form already looks pretty good!"

She said, impressed by my skills.

"...As for Dustiness-san… Um…"

Now, being beginners, we weren't asked to spar or even hit a target yet. We were just supposed to hit the air, pretty much.

This might be hard to believe, but Darkness was somehow failing to hit air.

"...No, a bit higher… Eh? Why did you swerve to the side?"

When she was supposed to thrust straight, she thrusted to the side.

When she was supposed to do a sweep, she somehow did a straight thrust.

"..."

Konno-san saw right away that Darkness was going to be a worthless club member.

"...Satou-kun, let's advance to the next step."

She wisely decided to focus her efforts on me.

You completed the quest, 'Join the Naginata club'! Quest Reward: 1 Dexterity, 1 Health

Once club practice was over, Konno-san was in a hurry to leave somewhere. She didn't specify where she was going, but I was willing to bet it had to do with her secret life as an idol.

Darkness and I left the school together. Rin and Mitsurugi already went home, since they didn't have club activities to do.

The sun hadn't set quite yet, giving the surroundings a wistful golden hue.

As we walked to the train station, Darkness said,

"...Do you mind if we stop by the dungeon?"

There was a depressed note in her voice.

"That's strange. You should be ecstatic that you received plenty of humiliation today."

"What do you think of me?! Someone who wants to be humiliated all the time?!"

Did I even need to answer that?

"...Even I want to look cool sometimes, you know? I looked like a total fool back there."

I guess even Darkness would be depressed after she failed to hit air.

"So you wanna go to the dungeon and try to raise your stats a bit more?"

She meekly nodded. It was the first time I had seen her this legitimately sad. I sighed and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"...Alright. I'll help you out."

"You're being surprisingly gentle right now, Kazuma…"

"You can thank Megumin for that."

"I see… So Aqua was right about you after all…"

"Hold on, what does that mean?"

I stopped patting her once I heard her mention Aqua saying something about me behind my back. Knowing her, it couldn't have been anything good.

She glanced away, looking like she regretted mentioning it, but when she saw I wouldn't let the subject drop, she said,

"...She said that Kazuma has a soft spot for little girls."

"Hah? Change of plans, I'm coming home to teach that girl a lesson!"

Darkness held my arm as I turned to change directions.

"Hold on, you promised to help me!"

"...How can I go on with my day like normal after hearing that someone has been spreading falsehoods about me?!"

She was probably calling me names like 'Lolima', too.

"Kazuma, think about it! Wouldn't it be more suspicious if you act so defensively about it? I mean, if you just let the matter drop, then no one will take Aqua's claims seriously."

"...You have a point."

The more someone reacts, the more people will suspect it's true. That's just the way human psychology works, for some reason.

"So your best chance of denying these lolicon allegations is to train me in the dungeon…"

"I don't like how you worded that."

At the end, Darkness managed to convince me to come with her to the dungeon, instead of rushing home to punish Aqua.

"Ah… Here you are again, Kazuma-san."

Mary greeted me, as Darkness and I teleported to the fourth floor.

"How are the monster movements today?"

"...Why do you sound like you're asking for the weather forecast?"

She sure knew a lot of human terms.

Mary told us that there was an unusual number of lizard men roaming in packs. As for the reason why…

"An app-user went down here and dropped a bunch of their loot they didn't want. The lizardmen then came out from their hiding places to look for the dropped loot."

"Hah?! Can't they just sell it from their inventory?!"

"I overheard him say that he felt generous and was leaving behind freebies to low-level app-users."

He had good intentions, but what a stupid way to go about it!

"Why didn't he just put them all in the same spot?"

Darkness said, bringing up a very good point.

"Hmm… I heard him mutter something about making it fun for app-users to find, like an easter egg hunt."

Nevermind, this guy is just plain stupid.

"...Hah. I guess we have to defeat those lizardmen, then."

Darkness said, knowing that lizard men with a bunch of equipment from the higher-floors would make for dangerous encounters to low-level app-users.

"Well, we're gonna be fighting, anyway. This doesn't really change our plans too much."

I tried to spin it into a positive thing, even though we both knew how much of a waste of time this was.

With that, we started our hunt for lizard men.

Thankfully, it didn't take long to find them at all. Like Mary said, they were all looking around the dungeon for the gear this stupid app user left behind.

I wanted to try unlocking some archer skills, but I also knew that this session was more about letting Darkness develop her dexterity scores. I took out my bow and focus on aiming at the lizardmen's weak spots, like their knees or thighs, severely immobilizing them.

Then, even someone as clumsy as Darkness could hit them all at once.

At least, that was the theory.

She slashed at all the lizardmen who fell down, but somehow managed to kill none. The rest were completely fine.

"...Kuh! I-I deserve to be mocked…! Give me your best roasts, Kazuma!"

I thought that she was just being her usual pervy self, but I sensed something else in her voice. There was disappointment and resignation in it.

"...You don't have to pretend that you're not disappointed by the outcome, Darkness."

I finished off the lizardmen with multiple snipes in a row.

Then, I went over to Darkness and placed a hand on her shoulder again, patting it. She blushed and looked at me in shock.

"Kazuma… Why are you being so nice?"

"What, you think I'm mean all the time?"

"You aren't?"

I really gave off that kind of impression, huh?

I started collecting the loot, with Darkness helping me once I started the task. Then, I said,

"Just like how you're not a masochist all the time and can genuinely feel hurt, I also know when my friends need my kinder side. So, uh, don't make it weird."

"It's hard not to feel weird when Kazuma tells me you want to treat me kindly!"

This kind of talk was way easier with Megumin. It was even more awkward with Darkness for some reason. Maybe it was because we never really talked about anything serious. Treading into the unknown was always painful, especially if it involved stuff like friendship.

Once we were done putting the loot away, I looked into Darkness's eyes. When she could see that I was being serious about this, she let out a long sigh.

"...Fine, I'm disappointed that I'm so useless when it comes to hitting things."

"You're not useless, Darkness."

"Kazuma, seriously, what's wrong with you?!"

She placed her hand on my head to see if I was afflicted with a fever.

"I'm just trying to cheer you up here! And I'm telling the truth, anyway. It doesn't matter even if you don't hit anything. Remember what you did during the war? You created a lot of space for us. You were essentially controlling the battlefield."

"...I was?"

From having her use [Taunt] to control the app-users, to making Sylvia move with her powerful but inaccurate attacks, Darkness acted as the perfect tank that day.

"Listen, Darkness, you don't play any MMO's right?"

"Um… You mean like genetically altered corn?"

"You're thinking about GMO."

This ojou-chan seriously didn't know anything about games.

"Alright, so basically, your role isn't really to do damage. Your real goal is simply to defend allies and control the battlefield. If you do end up doing damage, then that's great, but it's not really a requirement. Just think of landing hits as a nice bonus."

"...I don't really get it."

I sighed and said,

"I reckon it's a good idea to play an MMO together."

I had been meaning to play a bit of Myriad Swords 2 again, anyway. I hadn't touched the game since I took down the player killer.

Your bond with Darkness has increased!

Darkness (Masochist Crusader), Bond Rank: 6

At Rank 6, your relationship with Darkness has moved beyond her initial expectations of a sado-masochistic relationship! She sees that you sincerely care for her, and she appreciates you helping her improve her skills. Her feelings for you are slowly becoming real.

Careful! You are at a crossroads in your relationship!

Bond Reward: 20 Health

You have learned two new Archer skills!

[Crippling Shot] Skill Rank: 1, Active Skill (5 mp)

Target receives the 'Incapacitated' condition for 1 second. This skill only works on normal ammunition and additional buffs do not apply to damage.

[Rapid Shot] Skill Rank: 1, Active Skill (5 mp)

Attack speed when shooting with shortbows increased by x 1.5. This skill does not apply to longbows or crossbows.

Part 5

"...And so, for his efforts during the Shibuya Conflict, we will award Satou Kazuma with the rank of 'Captain'. Congratulations!"

When Sena told me that I had to show up for a meeting, I thought it would entail a debriefing, or maybe I'd even have to take the blame for the property damage.

I didn't expect a promotion.

"Congratulations, captain! You deserve your promotion!"

Sgt. Fujimoto took my previous title of First Lieutenant. This was really crazy to me, but when I thought about it, my ideas for the missiles were what took down Hans, and I also defeated Sylvia, albeit, with the help of others. It wasn't strange for them to consider me as the hero.

"Well… It wasn't such a big deal…"

"We have also decided to give you a reward of another 1 billion Yen for your efforts! Please use the money well to defend Japan once more!"

"..."

I wasn't able to respond this time.

I hadn't even put a dent in the previous billion they gave me, yet they were giving me another one.

"Ah… With that kind of money, Captain is gonna treat us to dinner, right?"

I couldn't exactly say no, could I?

I treated my squad to a very fancy wagyu restaurant. The whole thing cost me 100,000 Yen, but that was such a low amount compared to what I had that I didn't even blink twice at the bill.

"Captain… Hic! You're the best!"

"You guided us so well during the battle, too…"

"Banzai for our captain! Banzai!"

Aside from the wagyu, they also had a whole lot to drink.

Your bond with your squad has increased!

Satou Kazuma Squad (JSDF Forces), Bond Rank: 3

At Rank 3, this squad will obey all your orders and your commands. You have begun to cultivate a sincere loyalty from your squad, after you led them to victory against Hans and Sylvia. Marika thinks that you're a pervert, while the men appreciate your perverted nature. A good sense of camaraderie is forming between you and your squad.

Bond Reward: 5 Willpower

We went our own way after I made sure they each had a cab to take them home. I thought that I was free from drunk people for the night, until I arrived home and saw Aqua and Sena chugging down alcohol as well.

"Hic! You're late, Kashuma! Hic!"

Aqua wobbled as she got up and started prodding me with her finger.

"...You know, even if you are allowed to drink, Aqua, you should still practice moderation."

"When did you… Hic… Become such a square, Kazuma! This is our party for winning the war, get it? Our party!"

I looked around at the living room, which was only filled with empty bottles.

"I don't see anyone else celebrating."

"'Coz they're squares and losers like you, hic!"

I groaned and turned to Sena.

"...I was wondering why you didn't go to the meeting."

She had an uncharacteristically silly smile.

"I'm just a police officer. I don't need to show up to promotion ceremonies like that… hic!"

These two were hopeless.

I didn't know what to do with Sena, but I felt like it was fine for me to just pick up Aqua and carry her to her room. I carried her bridal style and considered dropping her on her bed, but I ended up gently laying her down.

I was about to leave when she giggled and pulled me to the bed with her.

"Oi… Kashuma… It's been a while, you know? Why don't we do it a lil' bit, hm?"

"Hah? You think I'd do it with a drunk girl?"

"Worrying about that… What a gentleman! Come on, you didn't party with me so you gotta make up for it."

I couldn't really deny that I did miss the sex with Aqua, since we hadn't had a chance to do it in the mansion.

She cheered as I sighed and started to drop my pants. I lowered her pajama bottoms as well and moaned as I went between her thighs and felt her pussy for the first time in a while. She moaned as well as I slowly readjusted to her tight body, until I was going at our usual pace, thrusting deeply inside her at a fast but controlled pace.

"That's it, Kashuma… Mnn! I missed this so muuuch~!"

Drunk as she was, I couldn't deny that I missed her too. I kissed her, my hands going up her top, feeling her breasts as we squirmed and bumped against each other. She was much grabbier when she was drunk, much more forthcoming with the dirty talk. It was so intense, and it had been so long since the last time, that it didn't take long until I came.

Thankfully, she was much the same, quickly having her own orgasm. I thought she'd ask for a round 2, but her eyes fluttered close as she fell asleep.

"...Falling asleep after you were begging for it…"

I sighed and put on my pants, ready to sneak back into my room.

When I opened the door, I didn't expect to see someone on the other side.

Much less Mitsurugi.

He was holding a glass of water, a look of surprise in his eyes.

"..." x 2.

We both stared at each other.

"Ah… Aqua sure is a pain in the ass to bring to bed!"

"Satou… I'm not falling for that one."

"Right…"

Ah, shit.

I messed up.