Chapter 37 Survey
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
When Maekawa-san and I got back to the school through the Magic Circle, the inside of the facility was crowded with students who were about to dive into it.
After returning, we moved aside so as not to get in the way and passed our Player Cards through the log crystal.
”It’s really level 1. It’s still hard to believe.”
Satou-san was staring at my card intently. Nishina-san was happily looking at her card, which had turned blue. It seems that as you get closer to level 5, the color becomes darker.
After that, we paid 5,000 yen at the Appraisal Office to have our items appraised.
We kept the healing potions and sold the ring for 120,000 yen, so Maekawa-san and the others were delighted to earn about 35,000 yen each after combining the copper coins and magic stones. By the way, my share amounted to about 1,700 yen after splitting the magic stones.
”Tsuchimiya-kun, was that really okay? I feel really bad that you even gave me a spear.”
”Don’t worry about it. I wasn’t planning to use the spare spear anyway, and I’ve received enough thanks.”
”Thank you, Tsuchimiya-kun. Thanks to you, I feel like I can keep going from now on.”
”Really, really! If you ever have any trouble, just let me know! I’ll do whatever I can to help!”
”If you’re okay with that kind of thanks, then anytime… okay?”
”Yeah! If it’s for you, Tsuchimiya-kun, I’ll do anything!”
Everyone responded cheerfully. They’re all heading to the cafeteria for a party and meeting.
As for the meeting, they emphasized the importance of communication procedures, any concerns during battles, and other matters, urging everyone to communicate clearly and thoroughly.
When I checked my phone, I still hadn’t heard from Higurashi. There was a message from Himeno saying “I love you.” It made me happy, but it was bad timing. I was a little late according to the plan, but I managed to make it safely.
No, this situation might be bad. No, it’s definitely bad. I’m completely out of luck. If things stay like this, I might end up dead.
”Tsuchimiya-kun, did you know there’s a shower room at the back of the locker room?”
”I didn’t know! That’s a lifesaver! Thanks, Maekawa-san!”
After saying goodbye to the four of them, I dashed to the shower room.
* * *
Side: Asagiri Himeno
When the chime rang and the fourth period class ended, I quickly went out into the hallway. Just then, Asuka-chan also came out into the hallway and peeked into class C’s classroom.
Asuka-chan said “get down,” so I went back to the front of my classroom to see what was going on.
After a while, Kanon-chan came out of the classroom, and Asuka-chan started following her.
To make better use of time, Asuka-chan decided to tail Kanon-chan while I asked students from class C.
Since Kanon-chan doesn’t know Asuka-chan well and her hair is shorter than before, she probably won’t be recognized. Still, it’s a bit nerve-wracking to see Asuka-chan confidently walking about a meter behind Kanon-chan.
Once Asuka-chan and Kanon-chan were out of sight, I moved to the front of class C.
I wasn’t sure who to talk to, so I luckily called out to a girl who came out of
”Hey, you. Can I talk to you for a bit? Could you come over here?”
The girl with brown hair glanced at me.
”Huh? What do you want to talk? We’re about to dive in. You’re in the way, move.”
”I want to talk, could you come over here?”
Despite feeling annoyed by the level up, I put on a smile without saying a word and politely asked again.
The brown-haired girl stiffened her expression and took a step or two back.
Oh, is she trying to escape? Maybe it’s faster to knock her out and take her away.
”Hey, Midori. Are you still hanging around there? Go ahead and get ready first, right?”
At that moment, a group of three students, two boys and a girl, came out of the classroom and called out to the brown-haired girl. They were a nuisance.
”N-no, I was just being bothered by this weird girl…”
”Oh! You’re… Asagiri… from Class A, right?”
”Wow!? Is that the ‘Shooting Star’!?”
That doesn’t matter right now.
”I’m borrowing this kid.”
I just stated my business.
”Um… we’re about to dive, so without the leader—”
”I’m borrowing this kid.”
I felt annoyed, but I didn’t let it show and asked again with a smile.
And just to make sure she doesn’t escape, I grabbed the sleeve of the brown-haired girl.
”Y-yes… If possible, please let her go back early.”
”Thank you. Don’t tell anyone about this, okay? Forget everything.”
”Y-yes… I’ll… forget about it.”
”Huh? W-wait! Did I do something wrong!? I-I don’t like this! Let go!”
”Hey. Can you calm down for a moment?”
Huh? My voice might sound colder than I thought. Maybe my rough self from the other day is showing. I was irritated, but it’s not good to show it when I’m asking a favor.
Luckily, Midori-san quickly quieted down.
I smiled and spoke to Midori-san.
”Okay, shall we talk in my classroom? Sounds good, right?”
Midori-san nodded while covering her mouth with one hand.
* * *
Taking Midori-san to the classroom for Class A, I asked her to sit at my desk first.
Since everyone had gone to the cafeteria or teleportation facility, only a few people remained in the classroom.
When I pulled out the chair in front, Midori-san trembled slightly and didn’t try to make eye contact as I sat down.
Maybe she’s shy, unlike my first impression. She seems quite nervous.
”It’s okay to relax a bit, you know?”
”Y-yes… I’m sorry.”
She might be like Kanon-chan when we first met, or even more so. Well, as long as I can hear her, maybe it’s better if she’s quiet.
”I wanted to ask you about Watarase Kanon-san, do you know about her?”
”Wa-Watarase-san… Is it? Even though we’re not really close… Well, a little. Um… If I spill everything, I’ll be allowed to go home safely, right?”
”Yeah, of course. I just want to know about her recent behavior and anything that happened around her.”
”Y-Yes! Umm, she’s a magician who works solo, and there are rumors going around that she’s really skilled. Everyone’s trying to gather information to recruit her into their parties. My party is keeping an eye on her too.”
So, they have some information on her then.
”She’s, like, a bit airheaded, or should I say, she calls herself a Magical Girl, but she’s actually quite gentle and peaceful.”
”Has there been any unusual behavior lately?”
”Well, about that, she apparently joined a party under Demiurge as a helper this past Monday, and since then, she’s seemed quite down. But still, she’s been participating in that party’s dives yesterday and the day before, so there are rumors going around that maybe they have some dirt on her and that’s why she joined Demiurge.”
”What’s Demiurge?”
”Don’t you know? It’s a big team led by their captain from rugby club, Kibakura Reiji. They’re the strongest team in school right now and they often clash with the Student Council. They’re recruiting students from different classes, especially pretty girls. Watarase-san seems to be popular with the boys, so she might be at risk.”
I can’t imagine Kanon-chan joining a group like that. There must be a reason.
”Anything else?”
”Um… Oh, right! She uses her own magic wand to cast powerful explosion spells. She can take down multiple enemies with just one attack.”
”That’s concerning.”
”Eekk! I’m sorry! That’s all I know! If you need more information, I can ask around and gather more details! Oh, I remember! Kibakura-san lives on the top floor of dormitory building B and it seems like his followers and some girls are always there having s*x!”
Building B… It’s a big dormitory near the main gate facing Building A. My room and Asuka’s room are in Building C.
Is Kanon being forced to cooperate with Demiurge because he has some leverage over her?
I think there have been enough results.
”Thank you. That’s enough.”
”Huh!? I’m sorry! Please forgive me! I’ll do anything! I really mean it!”
”Hmm…? Well, I’ve asked what I wanted to ask. Thank you, really.”
Midori-san is bowing with a face that looks like she’s about to cry. She’s been acting strange since earlier; maybe she’s emotionally unstable because of leveling up.
”Um… Can I go home now?”
”Uh, yeah… I don’t need to ask anything else. If there’s any new information, please let me know. Oh, and please don’t tell anyone about this.”
”Yes! Got it! I won’t tell anyone, I promise! I’ll keep it a secret even if my mouth is broken! Trust me! Well then, excuse me!”
Midori-san hurriedly got up from her seat, banging into the desk as she left the classroom. She said she’s going to dive now, so she must be busy. I’m starting to feel a little guilty.
”Thanks for taking the time out! Sorry for making you wait!”
”No problem at all! I’ll report back if anything comes up!”
Maybe she’s actually a straightforward and nice kid. At first, I was a little annoyed, but I’m glad I didn’t knock her out. I need to be careful not to be consumed by the urge to attack. So far, I think I’m holding it together.
Now, should I wait for a message from Asuka-chan or go check out Building B? Oh, I also need to send a ‘I love you’ message to Tsuchimiya-senpai.
I’m sure all of my feelings haven’t reached Tsuchimiya-senpai yet. But, little by little is okay. I’ll build it up gradually. I want to engrave these feelings into Tsuchimiya-senpai’s heart and body. I love you, Tsuchimiya-senpai.
After that, I decided to go to dormitory building B. As soon as I started moving, I got a message from Asuka-chan.
GC: Himeno × Higurashi
Higurashi: Watarase-san went into the boys’ dorm B. I’m keeping watch at a café called ‘Showa Base’ nearby.
Himeno: Got it. I’ll join you since I’ve found something here too.
While replying, I thought of sending a message to Tsuchimiya-senpai saying ‘I love you.’ Oh… just thinking about Tsuchimiya-senpai made my uterus feel weird. I should let him know about this too.
* * *
”Demiurge… that sounds troublesome.”
Asuka-chan furrowed her brows and looked at the boys’ dorm B through a large glass window.
In the B building, you could see rough-looking male students and various types of female students going in.
”I’m worried about Kanon-chan…”
”If we’re gonna jump in, we need to prepare. Seems like everyone at Kibakura Reiji’s party has reached level 4, and Kibakura Reiji himself is said to be the strongest in the school alongside Vice President Sogahara-senpai. There are rumors that Demiurge’s members are approaching a hundred, and ideally, we’d want to avoid getting involved directly. If we cause a scene there, even outsiders might get dragged away by the dorm manager. Judging by the dorm manager of Building C, our dorm manager wouldn’t stand a chance even if all of us teamed up.”
Saying this, Asuka-chan took a bite of her green tea milk sweet potato shaved ice.
”Oh…! Kanon-chan is coming out!”
At the end of a group of about ten people coming out from Building B, Kanon-chan walks slowly among several female students with a gloomy expression.
I finished drinking my milk tea, then waited for the crowd to pass before leaving the shop and following them.
”Ugh… my head hurts!”
”Asuka-chan, are you okay? You’re rushing and eating so quickly…”
The crowd entered the school straight from the main gate and headed straight to the teleportation facility.
After confirming that the groups had split off into the locker rooms and then reunited in the lobby before entering the teleportation room at the back, we decided to call off the pursuit.
* * *
Side: Protagonist
I took a shower, thoroughly washed away the sweat and smell with soap and shampoo, dried my hair, and changed into freshly washed school uniform. I also drank water from the recovery spring to refresh myself.
Alright, all set.
My phone vibrated, so I checked, thinking it might be Higurashi or Himeno.
GC: Tsuchimiya × Tina
Tina: Can you really get away with that? Hahaha!
”Shut up. No matter how you look at it, it’s perfect.”
While I was at school, Tina couldn’t come out and was bored, so she asked me to keep her updated using 60 exp points. It seems like she’s nearby even though I can’t see her. It seems she can’t come out here without at least obtaining a spiritual body.
As I left the locker room and entered the lobby, my phone vibrated again. I looked, and it was a timely message from Higurashi. She suggested meeting up at the cafeteria.
”Ah…”
As I tried to reply and lifted my head to avoid the pair in front of me, there stood Himeno and Higurashi holding their phones.
My phone vibrated again, this time with a message from Himeno saying, “I love you to death.”
”Tsuchimiya-senpai!”
Himeno looks happy and hugs me tightly, rubbing her cheek against mine.
”Huh? Tsuchimiya-senpai, were you taking a shower?”
Himeno tilts her head curiously and gazes at me.
She’s super cute, but I feel a chill down my spine.
Calm down, me. Keep your cool.
There shouldn’t be anything suspicious about me right now.
”Oh, umm… Yeah. There were a few things, and I ended up sweating. Since I had some time, I thought I’d freshen up.”
”A few things? What do you mean by a few things?”
Himeno smiles brightly and presses for more information.
My heart pounds.
Stay calm, me! Keep your cool! I’m not suspicious at all! (Tears well up)
”Uh, well… Some guys, called Ded and Demiglace or something like that, came into my classroom, and they started bothering a friend, so I took care of one of them. That’s really all there is to it.”
”Is it an acquaintance? Is that a woman?”
”Demiglace? Is that something called Demiurge? Did Tsuchimiya-senpai fight with those people?”
”Yeah, I guess that’s what the name was. It wasn’t so much that we fought. We just knocked out one guy’s eye and knocked him out. Then the whole class suddenly got motivated and started beating them up. I’m kicking people out and throwing them into their classrooms, and for some reason I feel like I’m the leader, right? The world is strange!
”Hehe, ahahahaha! I see, as expected of Tsuchimiya-senpai!”
For some reason, Higurashi suddenly started laughing.
”I didn’t want to cause any trouble to Tsuchimiya-senpai, but I was worried all the time! I see, you’ve already started a fight!”
”Wha? I-I didn’t mean to start any fight or anything…”
”If the active squad, with Demiurge’s banner flying high and causing chaos in every classroom, were to be counterattacked, they’d lose all credibility. Even the quiet classrooms might rebel! And at the heart of it all is Tsuchimiya-senpai!”
”Huh? Me!?”
No, I don’t get it!
Why is this happening!?
What happened to my peaceful school life!?
I thought I was done dealing with Himeno!
”Being with Tsuchimiya-senpai is never boring! Oh, but right now, let’s focus on Watarase-san’s story. Shall we head to the cafeteria first?”
Still not quite understanding, the three of us ended up heading to the cafeteria. Himeno wrapped her arm around mine and leaned her head on my shoulder.
My arm was snugly wrapped around her ample chest, making my heart race.
Well, since we’re dating, I guess I won’t get sued or anything. Yeah, this is legal.
As soon as I entered the cafeteria, I saw Maekawa-san and others sitting around a table, and I felt a rush of blood drain from my face.
”Looks like there are some empty seats. Where should we sit, Tsuchimiya-senpai?”
”Uh, yeah. H-How about the front seats?”
”Well, it’s more convenient for talking, isn’t it? Got it.”
My heart pounded as Maekawa-san’s group approached our table.
Hano-san noticed me and flashed a smile like a loyal dog, standing up and waving, but my heart froze.
However, Maekawa-san quickly covered Hano-san’s mouth with her hand and pushed her back down.
Thank you, Maekawa-san! You’re a lifesaver!
”Huh? Tsuchimiya-senpai, aren’t you still sweating? You’re sweating, you know?”
”Ah, there. I rushed out, so…”
Himeno took out a handkerchief and wiped my face and neck.
”Oh, by the way, I thought I should return the handkerchief I borrowed from you…”
I tried to take out the handkerchief that was in my breast pocket.
”No, please keep that, senpai. Instead, may I have the handkerchief I borrowed from you?”
”Oh, that’s fine.”
”Thank you!”
Himeno pressed the handkerchief she used to wipe my sweat against her lips and happily smelled it.
By the way, Kondou-senpai’s handkerchief and wallet are kept in my pants pocket as charms and are always carried close to me.
Sinking into the sofa at the table seat, I ordered the first set meal. Himeno held onto my arm while Higurashi sat across from us.
After eating about half of the first set meal that was delivered in a minute, Higurashi spoke up.
”First off, Watarase-san’s invitation didn’t work out this time.”
”Oh, really… That’s too bad, but if Kanon decided, there’s nothing we can do.”
”No, she said, ‘I can’t join now, but I’ll contact you if I can later.’ So I looked into it, and it seems like she’s being forced to work with Demiurge, who we mentioned earlier, as part of the party because they have some weakness over her.”
”Weakness? What could that be?”
”I’m not sure, but given the situation, it’s highly likely. She can’t even talk to Asagiri-san about it. After classes, Watarase-san goes to the B-building dorms where they’re based, then they all come out together and dive into the dungeon.”
”That’s something Kanon doesn’t want, right?”
”Yeah. It’s obvious just by looking at Watarase-san’s face. She seemed really distressed. What do you want to do, Tsuchimiya-senpai?”
”It’s obvious, isn’t it?”
Are those guys threatening Kanon and pushing her into a corner? Anger wells up from deep within.
”I’ll set Kanon free. Then we’ll approach her again for recruitment.”
”Tsuchimiya-senpai!”
”Yeah, that’s Tsuchimiya-senpai for you. But first, we need to find out what that weakness is before we can make a move.”
”We can just ask the person herself about that. I’ll go directly to Kanon tomorrow morning to ask.”
* * *
”Flare Bomb!”
My activated Magic flies out and fiercely explodes, causing the Ogre charging towards me to stop and kneel down.
”Now’s our chance, attack!”
A loud shout echoed as six front-guards charged at once.
The ogre swung a big club, sending two of them flying. But then it got stabbed from behind and hit in the face with an axe, making the ogre roar in pain.
”Don’t stop! Keep attacking!”
Iwakura-senpai slammed his axe onto the ogre’s neck, causing blood to spray. Other front-guards showered the ogre with sword slashes. The ogre tried to swing its club weakly but eventually fell forward, not moving anymore.
”We did it! We defeated the floor boss!”
”Hey, hey! We might be the second group to do it, following the main team from two days ago!”
”Hehe! This should secure my spot as a leader!”
With a laugh, Iwakura-senpai delivered the final blow to the ogre’s head with his axe.
”Hey, Iwakura! My party contributed a lot too! We should have done even better than your party!”
”Sure thing, Kiryu. I’ll pass your name along to Kibakura-san.”
”Tch! You better know! I’ll make sure to get paid for the work I put in!”
Kiryuu-senpai clicks his tongue and glares at Iwakura-senpai. Although Iwakura-senpai is the leader of this joint party, Kiryuu-senpai seems unhappy about it and frequently clashes with him.
”Don’t worry, I got you covered. I won’t skimp on rewards for my ‘subordinates’.”
With a smirk, Iwakura-senpai reassures, while Kiryuu-senpai grits his teeth in frustration and heads back to his own party.
As the ogre disappears, a treasure chest appears, and the Lockpicker checks for traps. The chest is quickly opened, and items and coins are stuffed into a leather pouch.
”How are Yamagiwa and Tsuda doing?”
”It looks like they have some broken bones, so I think we should send them home.”
”Then do it. The rest of us are gonna party! We got plenty of girls lined up, so go wild!”
As Iwakura-senpai signals, the girls waiting near the entrance start stripp*ng. Both the guys and girls from the combat team strip down, and the o*gy begins. I slowly back away from the scene.
”Hey, Watarase! Get in here!”
One of Iwakura-senpai’s party dudes calls out to me, giving me a disapproving look.
”Uh, I’ll pass. Pretty sure we agreed to skip that kind of stuff.”
”If you’re Evold, aren’t you already turned on? Quit holding back and join us! I’ll treat you right.”
Facing the looming guy reaching out, I brandish my Shining Luminous Baton.
”Hey, stop it. It’s gonna be a hassle if you start using weird magic like you did yesterday.”
When Iwakura-senpai said that, a male student clicked his tongue and started assaulting a female student who approached him.
”Well, he’s not entirely wrong. If you feel like it, you can come in anytime, alright? That might make ‘that’ come back faster. Oh, ‘that’ was mine, wasn’t it? If you want it, it’s a million. I’ll make sure you work hard for it.”
Feeling frustrated and sad, I bit my lip to hold back tears. It’s frustrating to hear the cries coming from all around, and it’s even more frustrating feeling my womb ache.
I moved to the corner of the room and whispered softly while raising the Shining Luminous Baton.
”Shiny Floral Spring Wind.”
Light petals fell from above, and I felt a refreshing breeze, calming my mind and making the impulses fade away.
”Tsuchimiya-senpai…”
When I say that name, my heart fills with happiness.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
Thanks for reading.