Volume 11 Chapter 2 Kahoru-chan, Giving Me the Cold Shoulder
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
After Kahoru-chan’s group and Sakasaki-san’s team returned, it was Hikari-chan and the others, then Haruka-chan’s side, and finally Ginga-kun’s unit that emerged from the Labyrinth. Their faces, though, weren’t exactly glowing with victory.
”Welcome back, Ginga-kun.”
”Mm… I’m home. But today’s results weren’t good either. Sorry. If only I’d been more reliable…”
Ginga-kun kept his head lowered as he gave his report, his voice sagging under the weight of guilt. Back then, he still hadn’t found much confidence in himself.
”That’s not true. Without you, this class would have been completely lost. You’re the one feeding everyone, Ginga-kun. Hold your head high.”
That was Shion-chan for you—sweet as honey to Ginga-kun, merciless to anyone else. At this stage, she already wanted the two of them to stand apart from the rest, to live together, happy and independent.
”Let’s go, Kou-kun.”
”Yeah. See you later, Takumi.”
Kano Sayo-chan still had her thorns, but Kotaro-kun respected that and followed her lead. Watching it with a bit more detachment, I realized how differently things looked compared to the old days.
Hikari-chan and Chinatsu-chan… I wondered if they’d returned with their memories intact. I decided to test it and called out to Chinatsu-chan.
”By the way, Chinatsu-chan, without Chisame it’s still tough, huh?”
”Exactly! I mean, can you believe it? After my glorious duel with Bell-chan, where I slaughtered ten thousand foes as the rightful black-haired beauty swordswoman—me, Chinatsu-chan!—struggling against measly monsters on the Upper Layer? Ugh, it’s humiliating!”
”Ah, I knew it.”
”The fact that you asked means… it’s true, right?”
Chinatsu-chan’s shoulders relaxed as she looked up at me, relief shining in her eyes, before she looped her left arm around mine. At the time, her gear was just a hand-me-down from McGaref’s Autonomous Government Army—ragged and battered, patched up by me so she could keep fighting.
”Takumi-kun… listen. When we opened our eyes, we were already fighting inside the Labyrinth.”
On my other side, Hikari-chan wound herself around my right arm. Her huge H-cup chest pressed against me and, well, I was thrilled—but wait, wait, there were still guys watching!
”Hey, hey. Takumi, when did you get that kind of life, huh?”
”Ehh, w-wait, Kadokura-san…!?”
Yoshizuka-kun glared at me, jealousy written all over his face, while Mido-kun just gaped in disbelief.
”Takumi, seriously… this isn’t the right time for that sort of thing.”
”Yeah, I agree. Hikari-chan, Chinatsu-chan—”
”Sorry, it was sudden.”
”We just couldn’t help it.”
And just like that, my both-hands-full paradise was dismissed. Honestly, I was happy, but the truth was this was only a week after our entire third unit had gone missing. Everyone already assumed survival was hopeless… and then Sakasaki-san’s suicide had driven the atmosphere into even darker despair.
”Some people seem to remember, and some don’t.”
”Yeah. We talked about it in the Labyrinth—Kurumi-chan and Rira-chan remembered everything. But Rinko-chan and Shion-chan? Nothing.”
”Oh, and Haruka too.”
”I see…”
Judging by that, the common thread seemed to be: those who had once been my slaves. [T/N: 奴隷 here is literal “slave,” a recurring theme in the series.] But if that were the only condition, then McGaref would already be in complete chaos. After all, Ranka-san’s merchant guild held tons of my slaves as well. There had to be more to it.
”…We need to meet Ranka-san too.”
”Right, right. We’ve got way too much on our plate.”
”For now… let’s all meet up tonight in the cafeteria. At MDGC.”
Guh. Please, Hikari-chan, not that word. Now Yoshizuka-kun and Domoto-kun were giving me looks, curiosity thick in the air.
”Hey, Takumi. What’s MDGC even stand for?”
”Oh, that’s… McGaref—mmph, mmphhh♡”
Seriously, Chinatsu-chan, don’t act like you’re moaning in delight when you cover my mouth with your hand!
And so, somehow, I managed to survive that moment.
* * *
Dinner—well, if you could call it that—was meager. We gathered in the cafeteria, but the portions only served to dull our hunger. Thanks to Yawashi-kun, at least the taste wasn’t awful, a small mercy in this world.
The conversations, though, were nothing but bleak. Even Mido-kun, usually our moodmaker, wore a dark expression.
”Tomorrow again, it’s chase or be chased in the Labyrinth.”
”If only the Labyrinth dropped something good, we could have meat for once.”
”Ahh, Nasu’s got it good. Kanare-san likes him, so he just runs errands instead of diving into the Labyrinth.”
Their words toward me carried an edge. I couldn’t blame them. In half a year, classmates had been dying one after another. Since Sakasaki-san’s suicide, we’d barely held the line at zero deaths, but every one of them was probably wondering who would be next. This was the nadir of our morale.
After dinner, it was bath time. This building had once been a military dorm, so the cafeteria and the large baths were well-equipped. Everyone used their starting magic to fill the tubs, and we finally had a chance to soak, to breathe.
”Ahh, feels like I’m alive again. If only there was booze and sex, it’d be perfect.”
”Quit dreaming. If I had money, I’d stuff my face instead.”
”But man, that brothel last time… that was amazing.”
”Yeah, let’s save up and go again.”
”She was stacked, blonde, and that was low-class? The women in this world are insane.”
”An elf… a dark elf… just once, I want to do it.”
Most of us had been ushered into that low-class brothel by the madam’s pity, given a one-time cheap chance. Honestly, that was where most of us lost our virginity. And it was also what had pushed Kahoru-chan into working there.
Soaking in the bath, I turned my thoughts to the future. First, Livia worried me, but with Sheryl in the role of court witch, it would be hard for her to move freely. If my prediction was right, Sheryl held the memories of Livia’s danger. Still, what was this world, really? We needed information.
And we needed to raise our skills and strength. My hand drifted, touching myself under the water. My ‘Sexual Champion’ skill—this proud instrument that had poured into countless women—was, at the moment, nothing more than an ordinary one.
”First, Chinatsu-chan. And then Haruka-chan.”
”Whaaat!? Asakura-san and Date-san aren’t yours to take, Takumi!”
”Seriously, muttering about two-timing out loud? That’s insane.”
”Yeah, divine punishment is in order.”
”Wait, no, that’s not what I meant—hey, Hatsujou-kun, quit splashing, you’re wasting water!”
It had been a while since I’d bantered with the Four Idiots like this… I felt a pang of nostalgia as the hot water eased our bodies.
Later, as I was getting ready to head to the cafeteria for the MDGC gathering, a knock came at my door.
”Takumi-kun, may we come in?”
”Sure. Oh, that’s rare—Haruka-chan and… Kahoru-chan too.”
”Hey, Nasu-kun.”
”What is it, Kahoru-chan?”
”Um, excuse me, but… calling me ‘Kahoru-chan’ so casually, isn’t that a bit too familiar?”
Her black hair, with its tips still dyed gold, swayed with the movement of her shoulders. Standing there beside Haruka-chan, shoulders drawn up, Kahoru-chan gave me that frosty reaction just for saying her name. It was the perfect example of 塩対応—giving me the cold shoulder. [T/N: 塩対応 means a chilly, unfriendly attitude in Japanese slang.]
Notes:
• Hikari-chan – 4th Division leader. Stressed, relies on Takumi.
• Hikari – 4th Division leader. Stressed, relies on Takumi.
• Haruka – Witch of Destruction — Silver-haired, F-cup. Former class vice-president, now a powerful witch. Wields the Agilaus Staff, capable of devastating ritual magic. Became the world’s strongest after acquiring the ‘Dark Emperor of the Abyss’ as a familiar. Exhibits exhibitionist tendencies, often seeking public intimacy with Takumi. Deeply devoted to him, balancing her role as a leader with her desires. First appears in v1c1 Prologue.
• Kaho – 3rd Army leader. Worried, ceremonial magic.
• Shion-chan – Ginga’s GF. Archery, healing.
• Shion – Ginga’s GF. Archery, healing.
• Sayo – A Cup. Non-virgin. The younger sibling in the fake-sibling couple.
• Chinatsu – White Wall — Black hair, B-cup. Adventurous, masochistic, Takumi’s first slave & lover. Master of Asakura-ryu Iaijutsu, wields cursed sword Chisame (blood-powered). 12th-ranked fighter, close to Hikari. First appears in v1c1 Prologue.
• McGaref – Fortress city, adventurer hub.
• Mido-kun – 4th Army leader. Optimistic, cooperative.
• Rinko – She’s mentioned as the one who attempted to rescue Shion, but Ginga-kun protected her instead, leaving a scar on Shion’s abdomen.
• Rira – A classmate and one of Takumi-kun’s harem members. She has J-cup breasts and short black hair, which she plans to dye blue. Rira enjoys playful and creative expressions of intimacy, including cosplay and affectionate physical affection. Rira is also known for her ‘Intuition’ skill, which has been evolving into something more advanced. She is a key figure in Takumi-kun’s life, offering both emotional and physical support. First appearance in v1c15.
• Ranka – She’s a guild shop assistant with a friendly demeanor and a practical mindset. Ranka’s recommendations are based on logical, merchant-minded suggestions, catering to the buyer’s needs.
• Domoto-kun – 1st Division vanguard. Wanted virgin at brothel.
• Kanare – The stern battalion commander, who once led Chinatsu, shares a solemn mission, his eyes reflecting battlefield memories.
• Sheryl – Second Princess of the Quvarian Empire, a striking beauty with red hair. Initially appears as a diplomatic envoy, but she is a reformer within the empire, seeking to atone for Quvar’s past betrayals, particularly the destruction of the Northern Kingdom. Sheryl is highly intelligent and politically savvy, using her position to gather secrets and undermine the empire’s plans to destroy McGaref. She is also a slave to Takumi, bound by enslavement magic, and tasked with sowing chaos within Quvar. Despite her circumstances, she maintains a sense of duty and hopes to bring about change. First appears in v6c26.
• Livia – 8th-ranked imperial witch, heir of Cartera and friend of Lilus (Neige’s sister), whose death drove her to hate Quvar. Austere, sharp, and feared, she opposed the Ghost Army and toppled Emperor by using then betraying Gritch, secretly backing Princess Sheryl. First appears v9c3. Reminder: Brilliant witch who twists loyalties to save the world.
• Hatsujou-kun – One of the ‘Old Man Trio,’ appeared as frustrated individuals, jokingly advised by MC to visit a brothel.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
Thanks for reading.
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