Chapter 54 Suspicion and Smartphones
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
When I arrived at the 1st-floor teleportation chamber¹, it was peak hour. The room was swarming with students and faculty, a chaotic crowd of returning parties.
Everyone seemed too absorbed in splitting loot or shooting the breeze to notice me shimmering into existence on the teleportation array.
The chamber had been expanded quite a bit recently. Judging by the sheer volume of testers, it looked like plenty of people had finally managed to push through to the 2nd floor.
It usually only took a few days for word to get out once a few parties mapped the Guardian’s room.
As I stepped off the array and moved toward the exit, I caught sight of the baseball club huddled in a corner. They were joined by a composite party from the Kendo and Archery clubs. All of them were glaring daggers at the faculty members.
Was something up? I understood the baseball guys-their coach was right there-but why were the Kendo students so fixated on them too?
I tilted my head inwardly but kept moving, slipping out of the teleportation room.
Reaching the grand plaza, I spotted Sonoda Yuki and his crew near the NTR Prevention Bulletin Board². They were busy sorting their Magic Stones, so I figured I’d say hello.
”Yo. Hard at work, I see.”
”Ah, Mr. Guard! Good work today. You’re back early,” Yuki replied, a genuine smile breaking across his face. His companions followed suit, offering their own respectful greetings one after another.
It was a far cry from our first meeting. Back then, Yuki would’ve greeted me with a wary scowl and the others would’ve been shaking in their boots. Things had really changed.
”Once in a while. I’m thinking of taking tomorrow off.”
”You don’t take many breaks, do you, Mr. Guard? What’s it been, five days since your last one?” Yuki asked.
”Something like that. It’s hard to find a clean stopping point.”
Initially, I’d planned to rest every three days, but somehow the rhythm had shifted to clearing a floor before taking a breather.
”I don’t know how you have the stamina to do it solo,” Yuki said. “Though, I guess since your Mana Capacity rank is higher than ours, it’s a different world for you.”
”That’s part of it. But a high rank means a higher libido, too. Dealing with that is the real chore.”
I gave them a knowing smirk. “But you guys know all about that, don’t you?”
They all turned a spectacular shade of red but nodded in unison. It was the universal struggle for testers. If Yuki’s group was already hitting the 3rd floor, they had to be at least F+ rank by now.
”So,” I asked, “anyone else making the jump to the 3rd floor?”
I’d been keeping tabs on Yuki through morning reports. Since they’d broken into the 3rd floor four days ago, they’d split into two parties of five to milk the ‘first-comer’ advantage for all it was worth. The Battle Sports Club guys were better at interpersonal combat; fighting humanoid-ish mobs was probably a walk in the park compared to those damn Horn Rabbits. Plus, smaller groups meant faster leveling.
”Yes,” Yuki said. “As of yesterday, two elite parties from the Kendo and Archery club alliance made it. Today, two baseball parties and one from the Karate club showed up. Oh, and we spotted the teachers’ party, too.”
”Hoh.”
The Kendo and Archery clubs were a natural fit-low numbers, high synergy. I’d heard they’d organized their thirty-five members into five tight squads of seven. It was only a matter of time before the rest of them followed suit. From their perspective, kobolds were much easier targets; ranged weapons finally became viable from the 3rd floor onwards.
The baseball club was the powerhouse of the student body, nearly forty-five strong. They ran six parties of about seven or eight, all of them kitted out with metal bats and shields. They didn’t lack for nerve. I’d seen them in action once-they were swatting Horn Rabbits out of the air like they were at batting practice. To those guys, a rabbit’s charge probably looked like a slow-pitch. It was only a matter of time before the rest of their heavy hitters moved up.
The Karate club was smaller, maybe twenty people split into three parties. One of them had finally made the cut. They probably had someone with a lover among the slaves-desperation and unity were the only things they had that could rival Yuki’s crew. They were just… loud. Constant shouting, macho posturing, and enough radiant heat to give you a fever.
As for Oida and the faculty… well, those coaches had athletic nerves that were out of this world. It made sense they’d keep pace.
”Word on the 2nd-floor Guardian will probably go public in a few days,” Yuki continued. “We’ve been sharing the attack patterns, but more people are starting to pin down the location.”
”I see. Well, you’re still ahead of the curve. Keep at it.”
When they’d first downed the Sword Rabbit on the 2nd floor, Yuki had asked for permission to leak the info to prevent any first-timers from getting their heads chopped off. I’d told them to do as they liked. It was going to get out eventually, but the fact that they still came to me for permission every single time showed just how dutiful they were.
”Actually… there’s something about the teachers. They’re acting shady,” Yuki said.
”Shady how?”
”Some people have seen them using magic.”
”Magic? It’s buyable, sure, but isn’t it a bit early for that?”
The 1st-floor Guardian payout was 20,000 DP. The 2nd-floor was 30,000. But that was split among the party members and deposited. To afford a magic tome as a party, they’d have to pool every single Magic Stone they found for days.
A Kobold Stone was worth three times a Horn Rabbit’s. Three days of grinding could net you a tome if you were disciplined, especially if you used the Guardian bounty to cover food. But Oida’s group only reached the 3rd floor today. The math didn’t add up.
”Exactly,” Yuki said. “And some guys from the Kendo and baseball clubs claim they saw them using magic on the 2nd floor two days ago.”
”That early? Yeah, they’re definitely dirty.”
They were almost certainly skimming from the Magic Stones collected from the other students. They might have put in some of their own DP, but the bulk of that magic book was likely funded by student ‘taxes.’
”That’s what we think. The guys in the baseball and kendo clubs are already suspicious,” Yuki added.
”I’d be more surprised if they weren’t.”
If they’d waited until they’d been on the 3rd floor for a week, they could’ve faked the earnings. Amateurs. Did they lose their nerve before the 2nd-floor boss?
So that explained the death stares in the teleportation room. The students knew, but Oida was still a ‘teacher,’ and without hard proof, they couldn’t just jump him.
”Now that we suspect them of embezzlement,” Yuki said, “we’re planning to slow down our contributions, even if we don’t stop entirely.”
”I see.”
I wouldn’t give them a damn cent, I thought. But for Yuki, the fact that the opponents were teachers and the idea of abandoning the shut-in students was too much to stomach.
I wasn’t about to play hero and confront them, either. I only paid my share out of obligation as an academy affiliate and an adult. A few Magic Stones were pocket change to me. Besides, those shut-ins were dead weight anyway.
”I think most of the students who know will follow suit,” Yuki added.
”Probably for the best. Tomorrow is day twenty since the abduction. There’s a good chance the food prices are going to hike again.”
If that happened, the ‘tax’ would go up too. Embezzlement or not, people were going to start refusing to pay. Oida and his cronies, having already blown their reserves on magic books, were going to hit the panic button.
In the end, the stones they earned on the 3rd floor would just go toward feeding the shut-ins they’d essentially robbed. They’d traded student trust for a few spells, and the irony was hilarious.
”You think the food prices will really go up, Mr. Guard?” Yuki asked.
”I think the possibility is high.”
They’d gone up on day ten. With so many people still not fighting, a day twenty hike was a safe bet.
”You’re right. I’m just glad we made it to the 3rd floor before that. The income difference is massive.”
”No kidding. Look, I’ve got the gist of the situation. Tell you what-I’ve got something interesting to show you. Follow me.”
”Something interesting?”
I started heading toward my quarters, Yuki and his crew trailing behind with confused looks. I could hear them whispering-“Is he going to brag about Tsukigase-san again?”-but I ignored them.
Kukuku. Not quite. I was about to show them a reason to keep grinding.
I opened the door to my room, savoring the anticipation.
”Welcome home, Master.”
There they were: Tsukigase Sayaka, still in her school uniform, and Sheena, looking every bit the perfect maid in her frilled outfit. Both of them bowed deeply. Sayaka usually threw herself at me the moment I walked in, but maybe Sheena’s presence-or the fact that she wanted to do the ‘proper’ greeting-kept her at a distance today.
The reaction from Yuki’s group was instantaneous. Five sets of eyes nearly bulged out of their sockets.
”I’m home,” I said casually. “I’m going to talk to Yuki for a second, then I’ll be in.”
”Ah… Sonoda-kun? And the senpai are here too? I… I see. I’ll be waiting, then.” Sayaka had spotted her classmates. Her face went crimson, and she quickly looked away, hiding her embarrassment.
It must’ve been a trip for them. Seeing a girl who was their classmate until yesterday calling another man ‘Master’… yeah, that’s got to sting.
I fought back a grin, closed the door, and turned to the shell-shocked boys.
”Well? You saw her, right?”
”M-Mr. Guard… if my eyes didn’t deceive me, there was a beautiful woman with bunny ears in there,” Yuki stammered.
”I saw them too! The white tail, the ears… they were real!” another shouted.
”Wait, did you buy another slave? But those ears…”
”Mr. Guard! That g-girl just now! T-They weren’t fake ears or a tail, right!?”
”She had an amazing figure! Who the hell is she?!”
”Now, calm down, you guys.”
While giving a wry smile at the club guys who were in a state of total panic, I waved my hand to tell them to settle down.
The Battle Sports Club was full of guys who loved medieval Europe. They’d definitely binged enough anime and manga to know what they were looking at. Seeing a real-life bunny girl was basically a religious experience for them.
The other students by the fountain were starting to gawk at us. Perfect.
Once Yuki managed to find his voice again, he asked, “My apologies. Are… are those ears actually real?”
”Yeah. She’s a race from another world called a Beastman. But she’s what’s called a ‘Soul-less Doll’-a human without a soul. She was sealed inside an item called a Resurrection Crystal.”
”Another world… I knew it. And a Soul-less Doll in a Resurrection Crystal, huh.”
”Exactly. She has a Crotch Crest of Subjugation engraved, and just like a slave, she obeys her master absolutely. Think of her as a slave without a sense of self. It’s a harsh way to put it, but she’s essentially a living love doll.”
”A… love… doll…”
I heard a chorus of audible gulps. Yuki was a beet, but the others were staring at me with a newfound intensity. I knew exactly what was on their minds.
”As for how I got her… she’s actually a reward from the Wall-Butt service.”
”””””A reward for Wall-Butt?!”””””
”That’s right. When we use the service, the succubus actually rates us.”
I broke it down for them: the 10-point scale, my 8-point average, and the 500-point cumulative milestone that landed me a High-Grade Resurrection Crystal. I told them that as long as they averaged above a 5, they could probably snag a lower-grade crystal. I also mentioned that the more expensive courses seemed to lead to better ratings.
”””””Whoa! Amazing!”””””
The roar that went up from the group was enough to startle the birds. These guys used the Wall-Butt service every day. The idea that their ‘performance’ could lead to a bunny girl of their own? It was the ultimate motivator.
”I see… I had no idea there was a bonus like that,” Yuki said, though he was the only one not vibrating with excitement.
”President, you’re too calm!”
”Can’t help it, the President barely ever uses the service.”
”Man, I respect the self-control, especially for his sister’s sake, but still!”
”Screw that, I’m getting a bunny girl! I’m switching to the ‘Chest-Down Exposure’ course tonight! I’m gonna give it 110%!”
”You? You’re a three-minute man, you’ll never get a high score.”
”The hell I am! It’s a succubus! It’s normal to get drained six times in thirty minutes!”
”””No, it really isn’t.”””
”Wait, you guys are joking, right? Right?!”
Certainly, six rounds in thirty minutes was a fantasy. Even with Lanora or Freya, I had my limits.
”Anyway,” I said, steering them back. “The point is, the service has perks. But I’ve heard some guys are being rough or cruel to the Wall-Butt girls because they can’t fight back. I want you guys to spread the word about the rewards. It might encourage people to behave.”
”There are people who do things like that? I understand. We’ll spread the word,” Yuki said.
”So that’s why you showed us the bunny girl. Got it, Mr. Guard. We’ll make sure everyone knows.”
”Yeah, people will play nice if there’s a chance to get a kemonomimi beauty.”
”But I wonder if they’ll believe us? If we could use our phones, we could take a picture for proof.”
He had a point. Evidence was key. But there was no way I was parading Sheena around like a zoo animal. I could’ve taken a picture of the notification on my phone, but I wasn’t about to hand my device to anyone.
Unless…
”Actually, once you renovate, you get electricity. And the Shop sells mobile batteries for about 500 DP. If you guys buy some, I can charge them for you. Once your phones are back up, I’ll send you the reward notification and a photo of Sheena. That should be proof enough.”
I pulled my own backup battery out of my Magic Pouch. The reaction this time wasn’t as explosive as the bunny girl, but it was close.
”Wait… electricity? You can charge phones?!”
”No way! This room has power?!”
”Renovating gives you electricity?! I need to upgrade, now!”
”I checked the price once-it’s like 100,000 DP for a studio. It’s insane.”
”Gah! That much?! Mr. Guard, just how much are you making?”
”Doesn’t matter. But if you can charge our stuff, that’s a lifesaver. We can take photos of Shop items, and… well…”
”And we can finally watch our ‘private collections’ again! If we trade files, we’ll be set for months!”
”And the President can finally look at that massive stash of his sister’s photos.”
”I… I mean, yes,” Yuki admitted, blushing. “But are you sure, Mr. Guard? Electricity isn’t free, right?”
While being teased by his companions, Yuki asked reservedly.
”It costs me a bit,” I said. “So, let’s make a deal. One F-rank Magic Stone per battery. Or, if you bring three at once, one F+ rank stone. You guys will probably end up doing this for your friends anyway to avoid jealousy, right? Bring their batteries along and I’ll handle them. I’ll have to put a cap on the total, but you can charge a ‘handling fee’ to your friends or use it to buy info. I just want the stones.”
A phone battery only lasts two days. In this world, a working phone was the ultimate luxury-especially one filled with porn. By giving Yuki’s group control over that ‘resource,’ I’d be handing them a powerful tool for social engineering. And that meant better intel for me.
I’d just plug the batteries in at night and have one of them pick them up in the morning. It would more than cover my power bill. As for the proof photos, I’d let them snap a picture of my screen once I was back from my break.
I’d protect the Wall-Butt girls, get free electricity, and upgrade my spy network. A triple win.
”Thank you, Mr. Guard. You’re really looking out for us. This will definitely help us build bridges with the other parties. We’ll work twice as hard to get you the info you need,” Yuki said.
”Glad to hear it. Go buy the batteries and bring them to me. I’m resting tomorrow, so you can pick them up the morning after. In the meantime, use mine to get started.”
I tossed my battery to Yuki.
”Yes, sir! Thank you! We’ll be right back!” Yuki shouted.
Yuki looked even happier now than when I’d told him about the bunny girl reward. I guess he really missed those photos of his sister.
A few minutes later, the boys returned with a pile of new batteries. I took them, told them to see me the morning after next, and headed back into my room where Sayaka and Sheena were waiting.
—
Summary:
The protagonist discovers that the teachers are likely embezzling Magic Stones to buy magic books. He reveals his new bunny-girl doll, Sheena, to Yuki’s group to incentivize good behavior at the Wall-Butt service. He then leverages his room’s electricity to start a phone-charging business to gather intelligence.
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Character Insight:
The protagonist demonstrates a savvy understanding of social engineering, using ‘porn’ and ‘bunny girls’ as high-value leverage to control the student information network.
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Behind the Scenes:
The ‘Wall-Butt’ system is a unique mechanic where succubi rate the users’ sexual performance, adding a gamified layer to the harem elements.
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TL Notes:
Notes:
• Yuki – A third-year high school student and leader of the Battle Sports Club. He is a national champion in medieval-style combat using swords and spears. He has a severe sister complex. He has hawk-like eyes and a polite but determined demeanor.
• Oida – A PE teacher with a large build and a plain, non-intimidating face. He was formerly an Olympic developmental athlete for Judo. He uses a greatsword in the dungeon and wears tattered jerseys.
• Sayaka – The academy’s premier beauty and a member of the swimming club. Currently classified as a Rank 1 Slave. She is seventeen years old and a virgin. E-cup. She has blue, short, boyish hair. Her best friend is Sanae.
• Sheena – Beastman Soul-less Doll with rabbit ears and a large chest. Flawless face, approx 165cm height, F or G cup, narrow waist, large hips, and a fluffy tail longer than a rabbit’s.
• Lanora – The brown-skinned elder sister succubus.
• Freya – A new ‘Wall-Butt’ succubus with long white hair, a high-class appearance resembling a high school student, and large breasts. She is currently trapped in a wall-style display for slave purchase.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
Thanks for reading.
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