Chapter 3 Strongest Card
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
～～To Sow-san～～
Long time no see. It’s me.
Well, it’s only been about a week, I guess.
I’m sorry for what I said the other day, even though we just saw each other.
No matter who someone is, it’s wrong to speak ill of their physical traits.
Also — I’m not angry at all, and I like you.
How have you been feeling since then?
Please do tell me.
Get well soon.
I’m looking forward to the day we can meet again.
P.S.
Thank you for finding me, Sow-san.
～～
No, this is absolutely no good.
This is clearly bullying.
It’s worse than a group message forced by a teacher to a shut-in student.
Yeah, I know the cause.
Calling her “Sow-san” ruins even the kindest words.
If this letter gets forwarded to a law firm, it’ll be considered bullying legally and we’d lose.
If I received a letter like this during a medical visit, I might just kill myself.
The next day, I showed the letter to Cult Slut-san, as promised, and had her check it.
She teared up with joy.
”L-let’s deliver it to everyone right away! No one will not be happy!” she said.
”R-really? Well, if everyone’s okay with it, then…” I replied.
By the next morning, her affection level toward me had reset.
She became overly tense again, fidgeting, and before I knew it, she spoke of herself harshly.
It seems her emotional reference point is fixed at a negative position.
By day’s end, we’d manage to talk somewhat normally again….
Anyway, she’s really, really beautiful. Watching her soothes me.
So I’m honestly happy to be getting private lessons from someone this gorgeous.
”Putting the letter aside for now—”
”Y-yes?” she replied.
”Do I really need to go to elementary school? Even if I do, there’s only about half a year left.”
”Yes, actually. Among the Imperial Guards, opinions differ….”
Still, it’s an important topic.
In this world, if a male doesn’t graduate elementary school, it seems society treats him as having failed.
A male who hates all females and locks himself in his room is a social dropout.
This is a pressing issue.
Actually, more than that, I want to go out to town or the streets and see many females. Even under the label of “lesson” or “male obligation,” I want to flirt with women. But I don’t even know if such a system exists.
Males are more strictly managed than we think.
They only let us leave our rooms when there’s real need. We don’t have TV, phones, or computers, so we have zero information about the outside world.
I asked casually.
”By the way, do we have the Internet or something?”
”What is that?” she replied.
That sets the scene.
Cult Slut-san stood in front of what looked like a blackboard and said:
”As for continuing our talk, do you know what kinds of subjects are taught in elementary school?”
”Well, I know somewhat,” I answered.
She meant national language, arithmetic, science, society, that kind of thing. To them, I’m just a child.
I spent eight years in a learning simulation. I was shut in the entire time, with zero outside information.
But fortunately, I did receive lessons inside the simulation, and I also studied on my own. So aside from general education and mysticism, I know all subject knowledge. I also have the gains from my previous life.
I never got to exercise, though, so physical education is absolutely my weak point.
Damn it — physical education is the one subject I want to focus on most.
”Thanks to your wonderful effort, you cleared your studies. Your culture knowledge has gaps, but your worldly wisdom is strong, and your interpersonal skills toward females are remarkable.”
”That’s amazing,” I said.
”You’re truly admirable. From where I stand, I cannot wholeheartedly welcome how you got there… but….” she trailed.
Heh heh.
My teacher, this pretty girl called Cult Slut-san, spoke crisply in “lesson mode.” Even though she could be about high school age, she tried to sound mature with a cough.
”However, mysticism is a subject where accumulated effort matters.”
”Is it too late now?” I asked.
”It’s never too late. But in sixth grade, the remaining lessons are only applied techniques. Considering the half year left, we should be careful in deciding if joining the lessons now makes sense….”
To avoid hurting me, she chose her words carefully.
”So then, is school only for building one’s career history?”
”Yes. The graduation certificate is required for adult males. But in this case, there is room for mitigating circumstances. We have a probability that a certificate and other credentials will be issued even if you don’t enroll. No — we will guarantee that in your case.”
Cult Slut-san said it firmly. She’s cool.
Among the Imperial Guards, they can’t stand me suffering unjustly, even if my individual fault is minor.
Suddenly a stigma against male failure emerges.
This is a harsh reversed-chastity world.
”But…”
”What is it?” she asked.
Cult Slut-san lowered her beautiful face, letting out a light scent from her silky hair. She looked sad somehow. I watched her, thinking at ease and wanting to smell that scent.
”I—I’m fine. What is it?”
”Y-you see…. My greatest concern is bullying from same grade. Is there bullying?”
”…There won’t be any overt discrimination. However, if you transfer into the academy without any prior record, your standing among the students will be very low.”
I pictured it.
A transfer student arrives with only half a year until graduation. He’s been in some strange place, missed certain subjects, bad at physical education, frail, short, recently hospitalized.
And it’s not just any elementary school I’d be attending.
It’s an academy where towns compete fiercely for male distribution quotas. It’s more like stepping into a political arena than a school.
In Chiba Prefecture, several towns eye each other like rival clans from the Warring States Period, waiting for the chance to strike.
Each male represents his hometown’s pride. A male’s quality reflects the town’s worth.
Once they know my hometown, there’s no hiding who I am.
So I understood Cult Slut-san’s concern.
”How about this?” she said. “Instead of going to school, why not start over from the first-grade lessons with us? You can slowly catch up to the rest of the males in society. You’ll have me, Maggot, Flatty, and everyone else to support you.”
She pressed her hand to her chest and looked at me gently. Her voice was calm, studying my reaction.
This was her proposal—to stay here in Kujukuri, learn together, and grow while they supported me.
Then I noticed something.
Her lips trembled. Her hands, too.
She was mustering all her courage.
I was moved.
And in that moment, I saw how much courage it takes for a woman to make a proposal to a man.
Maybe I really have been a bit of a jerk—trying to peek under her skirt with a hand mirror during lessons and all that.
”I see. I’ll think about it,” I said.
”Yes. Please consider it carefully,” she replied.
I sounded like a politician answering an interview.
Later, when I was waiting in my room, there came a knock.
”Come in,” I called.
I walked to the entrance. Lessons were over for the day. After our school discussion, Cult Slut-san had lectured me endlessly about how sexually defenseless I was.
I was exhausted.
Still, talking to her always relaxed me. Even when she slipped back into her awkward mode after lessons, she was fun to be around. It was just that sitting beside a feast you can’t touch all day leaves you completely drained.
Someday, maybe I’ll hold her hand on the walk back to my room.
I was lost in that thought when I heard a voice from beyond the door.
”It is I, Maggot,” she said.
”Come on in!”
The lock clicked and the door opened.
From the gap, a woman appeared—an older sister type with soft, full curves. Just her presence felt like the harsh summer heat had ended and a cool, pleasant autumn had arrived.
Her wavy hair shimmered like ripe rice ears. She radiated modest warmth.
When our eyes met, she blushed faintly and looked away.
Since I’m small and unhealthy, even when she lowered her face, she couldn’t escape my gaze.
I could lose myself just looking at her.
Yes, this was Maggot-san—the gentle nurse who cared for me while I was hospitalized.
Inviting Maggot into my room… The phrasing sounds bad.
Having her slip through the door gap—it almost sounds like a bug creeping in. No, that’s rude. I’ll stop there.
Maggot-san was actually the one Imperial Guard who supported my attending school, despite knowing the risks.
I’d asked to meet her to hear both sides—the for and against.
Well, eighty percent of my motive was impure, though.
”What brings you here?” I asked.
”Well… allowing a female to enter your room is rather…” she began.
”It’s fine! Don’t worry!” I said brightly.
She hesitated at the door, reluctant to step inside. Technically, inviting her in was my decision alone.
If anyone gets angry later, I’ll deal with it.
Time to play my strongest card.
”In the Learning Simulation, my family was always with me,” I said. “Being alone in this room feels lonely.”
A poor boy, isolated by unfair circumstances, now struggling to fit in—that’s my attack.
It’s practically an unbeatable Tier 1 persuasion technique, even in this world.
Maggot-san frowned slightly, then nodded.
”…Then I shall intrude for a moment.”
She entered the living room and stopped, standing still.
Something about it seemed to touch her.
”So this is a man’s room…” she whispered.
She glanced around carefully, taking in everything without being rude.
She looked like a middle-school boy stepping into a girl’s room for the first time.
It made me nervous—like she was smelling the air.
”There’s only one chair here. Sit on the bed,” I offered.
”That would be presumptuous of me. I’ll remain standing.”
”Come on, it’s fine.”
”Ah—um—well—”
I circled behind her.
Gently, I pushed her toward the bedroom.
”P-please! I can walk on my own!”
She flustered and stumbled.
I let go of her hand and sat down on the bed first. The mattress sank softly under my weight.
I’m light—probably under forty kilos.
To keep her from overthinking, I patted the spot beside me.
I used to laze around eating sweets in bed with Mahoro back in the Simulation. Thinking about that made it a bit awkward—but if she’d come back as this beautiful older sister, I couldn’t complain.
Welcome back, I thought. Stay awhile… maybe till morning.
”I really should stay standing—” she began.
”I used to chat like this with my girl friends,” I said.
”…!”
Her graceful face twisted with embarrassment.
This really is a powerful card. They don’t know my memories—so I’m practically invincible.
Still, if I use it too much, I’ll only end up hurting them needlessly. Even I take a bit of self-damage; after all, I poured my whole heart into the Learning Simulation.
Maggot-san sat cautiously beside me. Since she weighed more, the bed dipped slightly. As she sat, she brushed her bangs aside with a quiet motion.
Her profile was stunning.
Sitting together like this, I could clearly see her full figure. Her waist was slender, yet her soft chest drew me in like gravity.
I just… wanted to touch her. To sink into that softness.
Even her hips looked perfectly shaped, solid and inviting. I wondered how good it would feel to play there.
Of course, she had no idea what I was thinking. She sat a little stiff, holding herself with restraint.
And yes, our desires are reversed in this world—she probably wanted to push me down more than I did her.
Ah—she just sniffed the air of my room a little. Then, realizing what she’d done, she blushed and looked away.
”Hey,” I said.
While watching her from the corner of my eye, I organized my thoughts.
There were two reasons I’d called her here today.
First, I wanted to—well, not that. What I meant was: earn her trust. Then, little by little, deepen physical familiarity with females.
Honestly, if I reached adulthood in this world still a virgin, I’d probably lose my mind.
There are no “extraction” services or female-focused relief programs in this town. Maybe other regions have them.
I tried to research it quietly in the learning room. No luck.
Maybe at least one of my Imperial Guards has broken the rules before.
After all, I still carry the ethics of a man from my previous life.
I’ll start with simple contact—just touching—and work my way up from there.
It doesn’t even have to be with the Imperial Guards.
This town is full of beautiful women—thank the gods.
Even without rewards, there must be plenty of ordinary women who’d want to fool around with me.
I just need to find the right connection.
Right now, Cult Slut-san has completely blocked my route to losing my virginity.
So I need another path—through Maggot-san.
Whether or not I go to elementary school? That can wait.
I was planning to take that talk seriously earlier, but after meeting this beautiful older sister in person, any rational thought flew right out the window.
Maybe her feelings aren’t romantic. Maybe it’s protective instinct.
But that doesn’t matter. What I feel is what matters.
I spoke, trying to sound serious.
Still, I had to start with the school topic, even though my interest had already died.
”About your ches—uh, your feelings, I mean—about school,” I began.
It wasn’t what I wanted to talk about, so the words came out awkwardly.
My mouth felt heavy, reluctant to move.
”I heard that among the Imperial Guards, you’re the only one with a different opinion. I wanted to hear the other side directly. Why do you think I should attend elementary school?”
I asked the question honestly.
Truthfully, I didn’t think I could master all the lessons in six months anyway.
Physically aside, I’m not exactly the lively, energetic boy type.
I don’t feel inferior to others my age, and as long as I get the certificate, I’ll have the education record I need.
I know life is long.
A few lost years in childhood—well, eight years is a lot—but that alone won’t doom my life. Youth can make up for it.
But she must have her own reasons.
After a pause, she began to speak slowly.
”If I may, I shall begin from the day I was entrusted with Your Lordship…”
I looked at her carefully.
”That was quite a while ago, wasn’t it?”
”Yes. Are you familiar with how the Imperial Guards are chosen?”
”No,” I said.
She responded gently, almost reverently. It concerned the standards by which the authorities selected the nine female guards assigned to me.
”The Imperial Guards are chosen from the top students of each region, often daughters of powerful families. I am the third daughter of the largest household in the Katakai District of Kujukuri town.”
So she was from a good family. I’d suspected as much.
I listened closely.
”When Your Lordship turned five and was to arrive here, we all longed for that day with every fiber of our being. The other Imperial Guards felt the same.”
”But I didn’t come,” I said quietly.
”Yes. When I finally found Your Lordship, I had resolved to bear your resentment for the rest of my life. Never did I dream that you would forgive me so easily, or that we could speak like this.”
She spoke as if savoring every word.
She looked genuinely happy. Her warmth made me feel oddly happy too.
”But—” she said, voice firm now.
Then, clearly and solemnly, she declared:
”However, I am the Third Daughter of Katakai, of the Kazusa Province.”
She rose from the bed and knelt on one knee before me.
Her composure made her words all the heavier.
”I must tell you this. Since the search for Your Lordship proved difficult, our land has not been blessed with a new boy. I am looked down upon because of that.”
Her eyes held quiet humiliation.
”But my disappearance was caused by a government error, right? Doesn’t that mean it’s the officials’ fault, not yours?”
”Such matters are not the issue, Your Lordship.”
I frowned. Was that really true?
Seeing my confusion, Maggot-san offered a calm explanation.
”To protect a boy is the pride of a town. Whatever the circumstances, failure to fulfill that duty is a disgrace.”
”So if you let people look down on you, no new boys will come to this town?”
”It goes beyond that,” she said softly. “If we draw ridicule from our neighbors, the vulgar dogs of Inubou, Narita, and Kamogawa will seize the opportunity—and we’ll be forced into unnecessary wars.”
Wait, what? So even the neighboring regions would attack?
I tried to recall the geography. Choshi Port was in Cape Inubou, Narita had the old airport, and Kamogawa—famous for its aquarium and killer whales—was further south. Right, that must be what she meant.
So the country lost me, but the punishment for the town came anyway.
That’s harsh. This world naturally shifts from peace to open conflict. It’s basically a war chronicle—and I have zero interest in that. I just want a lazy life, maybe as someone’s kept man.
But maybe she wasn’t exaggerating.
These women are kind to me, so I forget—but they did offer me a severed head on the first day.
The thought made my stomach twist.
And the family of the person blamed for my disappearance? Executed, every one of them.
My chest tightened. A chill crept up my spine.
”Wasn’t punishing that person enough?” I asked quietly.
”It was not sufficient. We must prove Your Lordship’s well-being through deeds at the academy.”
I couldn’t grasp that kind of logic.
But Maggot-san clearly believed it.
I guess from their view, saying “We saved the missing boy” means nothing if he stays locked inside forever. Outsiders would think they were lying.
”The other Imperial Guards oppose this,” I said. “Aren’t you worried?”
”Not in the slightest,” she replied.
Her resolve was absolute.
I understood, then.
They wanted me to attend school—not because I needed it, but to show the world that this town still protects its males proudly.
Even if it’s painful, I’m supposed to go and act like the eight lost years were nothing.
It’s almost like those mothers who force their kids back to school just to save face—but here, the stakes are higher. If I refuse, no new boy will ever be born here again.
”So my first job as a male is political?” I muttered. “Not what I imagined.”
”…?”
”I thought it’d be more like, ‘Go hang out with girls,’ or ‘Visit female workplaces to boost morale.’ Stuff like that. You know—typical duties for a one-in-a-thousand male.”
Guess that’ll have to wait.
Still, saying all this to me must’ve taken real courage. She’s not wrong—and neither is Cult Slut-san.
Both care about me deeply. They just see different risks: one worries about my comfort, the other about my standing.
I kept mumbling to myself, thinking it through. Sometimes my gaze wandered to her cleavage as she waited patiently.
”Hm… what should I do? Honestly, I don’t mind either way,” I said at last.
I’m not afraid of a few childish pranks. Worst case, I’ll just endure until graduation.
And part of me wants to meet other males in this world. Once elementary school ends, I might only see older ones from my region—but I may never again feel the presence of peers my own age.
I want to know how other men treat women. How women from other towns see me.
Right now, I know too little.
The Imperial Guards are overprotective. Since my discharge, I haven’t spoken to a single ordinary woman in this town.
Understanding how this male-dominated society actually functions feels valuable.
But just agreeing outright would be boring.
If they want me to serve the region, I might as well make something of it.
”Hey, Maggot-san,” I said suddenly. “So basically, you want me to sacrifice myself for this town?”
Her eyes lowered. “…I sincerely apologize.”
She didn’t offer excuses. She probably had plenty she could have said.
She wants the best for me, yet she has to send me into hardship. That’s her burden.
She stayed kneeling before me, motionless.
”What if I got angry and started hating women?” I asked.
”Then I would cut open my stomach.”
”Don’t. That doesn’t make me happy.”
Her determination was terrifying.
Is she really all right?
I half-expected she might have a hidden dagger under those robes—a true samurai daughter.
”For another male, I would have kept silent,” she said. “But I believed Your Lordship would understand.”
Her face twisted slightly with pain.
Watching her hurt made my own chest ache.
This trust feels… heavy.
”Come here,” I said softly. “Lend me your ear.”
I slid off the bed and sat beside her. Crouching put us at the same height.
Gently, I ran my fingers through her long hair until I found the perfect curve of her ear.
Then I leaned in close, and whispered to her.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
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