Chapter 61 Hesitation
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
Tester Life: Day 25 – Room – Sanada Yakumo.
It was the day after we held the service for the first victim among the testers.
When I woke up, Sheena was already giving me a morning b**job, and looking next to me, Sayaka was still asleep. We had spent last night in “consolation s*x” until the early hours, and I’d ended up making her pass out at the very end.
I suppose three rounds without pulling out was still a bit much for Sayaka to handle. I’d finished about the same amount inside Sheena, but she’s a higher rank than I am. She didn’t faint; she just ended up arched and quivering, s**men spraying from her crotch in rhythm with her spasms.
A night’s sleep was all she needed to recover enough for this morning service. I’d also called Lilith and Freya via Wall-Butt¹ for a quick session after the girls were done, so I’d slept pretty soundly myself.
As these thoughts drifted through my head, Sheena sped up her hand, her tongue swirling around the tip of my member.
”Guh… I’m going,” I grunted.
Unable to hold back, I let out the morning’s first load. Sheena swallowed every single drop, finished her “cleanup” lick, and gave me a light kiss. I slipped out of bed, careful not to wake Sayaka.
Sheena and I shared a shower. She washed my body, and I returned the favor, paying extra attention to her breasts where I’d made a mess of her the night before. Once we finished, Sheena stood before me silently, clutching a toothbrush and toothpaste. I reached for them, but she gripped them tight and wouldn’t let go.
”Can you give me the toothbrush?”
”I will,”
”Sheena is going to brush them?”
”Yes.”
Give me a break. “No, it’s fine. I can do it myself,” I said.
”No.”
”I said I’ve got it…”
”No.”
She probably thinks she should be doing this since Sayaka always does. I thought about giving her a direct order, but she’s seen Sayaka do it so many times. Figuring this was just another side effect of her Total Submission², I decided to let her have her way.
”…Fine. Go ahead,”
”Yes.”
Her response was faster than usual. I opened my mouth and let her work, suppressing a smirk as I noticed her tail wagging rhythmically behind her. She was actually enjoying this.
After the shower, I prepared breakfast while Sheena dried her hair. I checked my Mana Capacity³ – no change. Just as Sheena stepped out of the dressing room, Sayaka came rushing into the living area, looking panicked.
”I overslept. I am so sorry, Master!” Sayaka cried.
”Don’t sweat it. A lot happened yesterday and I pushed you pretty hard. Go wash your face,” I told her.
I couldn’t help but chuckle. Her hair was a bird’s nest, and in her rush to get dressed, her shorts were unbuttoned, revealing her underwear. It was a rare, messy sight for the usually perfect Sayaka. She blushed, trying to comb her hair with her fingers as she ducked into the bathroom.
The three of us had breakfast together. As I sipped the coffee Sayaka brewed, I watched a video of a hot spring playing on the monitor. A hot spring, huh? It’d been a while. I spent a quiet moment watching them clear the table, enjoying the domesticity.
* * *
”Morning, Guard-san,” a voice called out.
”Morning. Sorry about having to explain everything yesterday,” I replied.
I’d stepped out of the room at the scheduled time to find Sonoda, one of Sayaka’s classmates, waiting. He wasn’t exactly a male model, but he was tall and served as the spearman for Yuki’s party. I thanked him for the heads-up about Noda’s group and handed over a bag filled with twenty fully charged power banks.
”No, you were cool-ssu, Guard-san. We were talking about how we’d want to be mourned like that if we died too-ssu.”
”Sure. I’ll mourn you when that time comes.”
”Isn’t this the part where you tell me ‘don’t die’ or something-ssu?”
”Doesn’t matter how strong you get; when it’s your time, it’s your time. Just live so you don’t have any regrets. That way you’re ready whenever it happens.”
I’ve seen plenty of veterans get taken out by stray bullets. Or get their throats slit by their own men during a retreat. Well, I was the one who did that last part.
”Regrets-ssu, huh… I can’t die until I save Nanami-ssu.”
”Your girlfriend on the 4th Rank? I heard from Sayaka. You two just started dating, didn’t you?”
”Hehe, I took the plunge and confessed during summer break-ssu. And she said okay.”
”And you guys did the deed right after, didn’t you?”
”Eh? How do you know that-ssu!?”
”Kukuku. I heard that from Sayaka, too. Apparently, you made quite a scene in the classroom.”
”Achaa, you heard that much from Tsukigase-ssu? Makes sense-ssu.” Sonoda scratches his head sheepishly.
How pure. Watching him almost felt like it was purifying my own filthy heart. Hurry up and come to this side too.
”So, now that we’ve had the first casualty, how’s everyone else holding up?” I asked.
”It’s heavy-ssu. Before, people got hurt, but we had potions. We didn’t really feel like our lives were on the line. The frontline guys knew Kobolds were dangerous if they got your neck, sure. They aim for the neck a lot-ssu. But seeing someone actually die… it changes things.”
”Makes death feel real. Everyone’s getting serious now?”
”Yes! Exactly-ssu! People are scared, but mostly everyone’s just tense. They’ve realized they could be next-ssu.”
”I see.”
That was good. Carelessness gets you killed.
”Also, the hate for the Shut-in Group is through the roof right now-ssu.”
”I’m not surprised.”
Nobody likes seeing people lounging in safety while others are dying to keep them there. The less mental health and DP people have, the stronger that resentment becomes.
”The teachers are gonna have a hell of a time collecting from them-ssu. I don’t feel bad for ’em at all, though. Serves ’em right-ssu.”
”I might have felt some sympathy if they weren’t embezzling. They’re idiots.”
I felt a bit for the coaches caught in the middle, too. I chatted with Sonoda for a bit longer before we parted ways and I headed for the teleportation room.
I found the baseball club members at the spot where we’d laid the body yesterday. Their coach was with them. The dungeon hadn’t reclaimed the body yet, and it was surrounded by offerings – snacks, juice, things like that. The coach noticed me and walked over. He looked exhausted, his face gaunt. Losing a student had clearly broken him.
”Ah, Sanada-san. I was waiting for you,” the coach said.
”Waiting for me?”
I realized they weren’t just here to pay their respects.
”Yes. I wanted to thank you again for yesterday. For what you did for Noda. Your words and your actions… they helped the other students find the strength to keep moving. I should have been the one to do it, but I was in such shock I couldn’t move. It’s a pathetic story.”
”You lost a student. It’s understandable. So, are you moving out with the baseball club now?”
It seemed like the obvious move, but his answer caught me off guard.
”Well… last night I told Oida-sensei and Kume-sensei that I wanted to focus on the baseball students. They tore into me. They asked if I was going to abandon the students who couldn’t fight. They spent all night grilling me, asking if I only cared about my own kids.”
”Hmph. They’re just worried about losing their breadwinners,” I scoffed. “The frontline guys are already suspicious of you, you know. They think you’re skimming the Magic Stones the students collect to buy yourself magic books.”
The coach flinched. “Is that so… no wonder the Students too…”
He clearly knew the baseball kids were starting to doubt him too. Even though he’d led them to Koshien, even though he’d cried for Noda, the suspicion was there. The kids found it hard to confront him, and the coach was suffocating, caught between the corrupt teachers and his own students.
He was terrified that if he left with his players, the teachers would brand him a traitor. But if he stayed with the teachers, more of his players might die. His exhaustion wasn’t just grief; it was the weight of these politics.
I get it. Being an adult means being tied down by obligations. But that’s for life on the surface. Down here, in this life-and-death madness, those ties are just lead weights.
”I’ll tell you one thing,” I said. “Drop the arrogant idea that you can save everyone. A single man’s hands can only hold so much. Don’t lose sight of what actually matters to you. If you don’t choose, you’re going to lose it all.”
I felt a flicker of pity for him, but I left it at that and walked away. The choice was his. Follow the teachers and be abandoned by his kids, or cut ties and move on. Either way, it wasn’t my problem.
* * *
”Tch! More of them! Rock, endure it!”
”Waoon!”
I left the four Goblins already in a melee to Rock and pivoted toward the four new ones that had just emerged from a side passage we’d passed.
’Fireball’ ‘Fireball’
The twin bursts of flame slammed into two of the Goblins, but the other two dove out of the way. Tch. Too far. I should have let them get closer. I gripped my machete and charged. I hacked through the arm of the first Goblin as it wildly swung a rusty knife, then planted a boot into the stomach of the second one as it raised a sword. As it tumbled onto its back, I drove the machete deep into its chest.
’Gugi…’
The Goblin went limp, dropping its sword. I spun around to see Rock finishing off his second opponent with his spear, despite a fresh gash on his face. Two left. I flanked the remaining Goblins, who were too busy trying to bash Rock’s shield to notice me. I took their heads in two quick, clean sweeps.
The rush was finally over. “Whew. That was close.”
I signaled Rock to down a Grade-5 Potion while I started gathering the Magic Stones. We’d started with four Goblins. Rock had performed a charge and blew them away as usual, but there was a small room ahead and four new ones came out from there. They were at too close a range for Rock to charge, and I couldn’t fire magic because Rock was too close to the Goblins.
For the time being, I had Rock deal with the four new ones while I went around finishing off the Goblins Rock had blown away… but four more new ones appeared from behind, and Rock and I each ended up facing four Goblins.
As a result, Rock got slashed in the face and had knives thrust into his arm and knee joints, but due to the rank difference, they didn’t seem to go that deep. A potion would fix him right up. Still, twelve Goblins in a pincer attack was enough to give me a cold sweat. It happens sometimes in these branching tunnels. On the upper parts of the 7th floor, they come in threes. Down here, it’s always fours.
I really need a second Rock. Or maybe a Goblin? I’ve killed over 1500, but no Magic Sealing Crystal⁴ has dropped.
But even if I did get a goblin’s Magic Sealing Crystal, would it be useful? They are more dexterous than Kobolds, but they’re stupid. Besides, I don’t think they’d become as obedient as Kobolds.
Well, I’ll think about it after I get one.
Still, that rush just now made me panic for the first time in a while. Thinking I might lose Rock if I didn’t kill them quickly, I ended up firing Fireball twice when I usually only need one.
”Rock, is the bleeding stopped?”
”Wafun!”
When I call out, Rock, who has finished drinking the Potion, rushes over while panting. His tail is wagging like crazy too.
”Good boy. There’s something up ahead; I can feel it. I’m counting on you.”
I checked my hand-drawn map. There was a big blank spot just ahead that smelled like trouble. “Let’s go.”
”Wan!”
Rock replied energetically to my command and began walking in front of me, holding his large shield. His tail was still wagging. He really loved being relied on. I couldn’t help but smile at his back as we pushed deeper into the 7th floor.
—
Summary:
Yakumo navigates a domestic morning with Sheena and Sayaka before heading back to the dungeon. He encounters Sonoda and the baseball coach, witnessing the growing tension between the active testers and the corrupt faculty. In the dungeon, Yakumo and Rock barely survive a triple-wave Goblin ambush.
—
Trivia:
- Sheena is higher rank than Yakumo and recovers faster from exhaustion.
- The teachers are being accused of embezzling Magic Stones to buy magic books.
- Sonoda’s girlfriend Nanami is stuck on the 4th Rank.
- Yakumo admits to having killed his own men during retreats in his past life.
- Rock takes damage in this chapter, emphasizing the increasing difficulty of the 7th floor
—
Character Insight:
Yakumo shows a rare moment of empathy toward the coach but remains committed to his ‘every man for himself’ philosophy. Sheena is developing a more proactive personality within her enslavement.
—
Behind the Scenes:
The ‘Koshien’ mention refers to the prestigious Japanese high school baseball tournament, highlighting the coach’s former status.
—
TL Notes:
Notes:
• Yakumo – A 25-year-old human male. He has facial scars, stab wounds, and gunshot scars from his time in a war zone. He works as a school guard.
• 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.
• Lilith – The pink haired maso 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.
• Noda – Vice-captain of the Baseball Club party. Catcher and tank.
• 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.
• Kume – An English teacher, suspicious of Sanada. Slicked-back hair, wears a shady expression.
• 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.
• Rock – A male Kobold summoned from a Magic Sealing Crystal. He has grey fur, round eyes, and a face resembling a Shiba Inu. He wears a leather jacket and a pilot’s cap
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
Thanks for reading.
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