Volume 2 Chapter 15 Re-Counterattack
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
“`text
Chifumi stared at Komoda, a single thought flashing through her mind.
(The bastard actually pulled it off.)
Or at least, that was what it looked like at first.
Still, she forced herself to rein in that conclusion. It was entirely possible that the “Komoda” they had encountered had never been the real one at all. The simulated dungeon generator could have recreated the same situation the real Komoda’s group had fallen into, producing a result that only looked identical from the outside.
There was also the matter of the rules. Supposedly, no more than two groups could enter the same simulated dungeon at the same time. As long as that restriction remained intact, everything they had discussed was still speculation—nothing more than a cynical theory built on circumstantial evidence.1
Determined to get the facts straight, Chifumi rose from her seat and headed toward the teachers.
Before she could reach them, a commotion erupted at the building entrance.
Two female students were being escorted inside by a group of instructors.
Wait. Aren’t those the “Free” girls from our class?
”What exactly did you do?” a man demanded.
”We didn’t do anything, sir.”
”That’s impossible!”
”Horikoshi-sensei, please. The students are watching,” Tamai-sensei said, stepping between them.
The man raising his voice was Chifumi’s father, the technician responsible for operating the dungeon generator. The two girls standing before him, however, looked completely untroubled. While Tamai-sensei tried to calm the situation, neither student showed the slightest sign of panic.
”We were only asking questions about the simulated dungeon generator,” one of them said. “We thought becoming sorcery technicians might be interesting.”
”…Horikoshi-sensei, is that true?” the grade head asked.
”It is true that they’ve been asking me questions recently,” Horikoshi-sensei replied, his jaw tightening. “They seemed genuinely interested. But what they did today crossed a line. While I was away from my desk, someone altered the device settings.”
”…Is that true?” the grade head asked the girls.
One of them shook her head.
”We didn’t do it.”
”Don’t lie!”
”Sensei, calm down,” Tamai-sensei warned.
Horikoshi-sensei clenched his fists before forcing out a long breath.
”…The settings for today’s simulated dungeon were finalized this morning. The backup logs show everything was normal at that point. If an anomaly appeared later, it had to happen during the hour between lunch and the practical session. I was here almost the entire time, which means there should have been no opportunity for anyone to alter the settings without me noticing.”
The two girls remained remarkably composed.
The grade head folded his arms. “Did you come here during lunch?”
”Yes,” one answered. “We wanted to ask how the device worked.”
”That’s right,” her friend added.
Horikoshi’s frustration surged again.
”That was the only time I stepped away from my post! The only opening anyone could have used! And I actually believed they were hardworking students.”
”Sensei, that’s a terrible accusation.”
”We didn’t do anything.”
”Do either of you have proof?” the grade head asked.
”I…” Horikoshi hesitated. “No. Not direct proof. Everything I have is circumstantial.”
Tamai-sensei pointed toward a camera mounted near the ceiling.
”What about the surveillance camera?”
Horikoshi visibly shrank.
”That is… we switch the cameras off during breaks.”
A heavy silence followed.
”…Why?”
”Well… we did not want our private time recorded.”
”You should never be disabling surveillance cameras,” the grade head said sharply. “If they cannot be used in situations like this, then they serve no purpose.”
”I apologize.”
For the first time, Horikoshi looked genuinely cowed.
The grade head sighed.
”Then tell me exactly what was wrong with the settings.”
”The difficulty for every group had been raised to High,” Horikoshi explained. “On top of that, the dungeon surveillance system was disabled, the student load-limiters were increased, the automatic evacuation system was turned off, and…”
”…Four separate changes that could have placed students in mortal danger,” the grade head concluded.
Horikoshi nodded grimly.
”There was one more. The system had been configured to allow multiple groups into the same dungeon.”
”It’s been restored?”
”Yes. The systems are operating normally again. The students trapped inside are being evacuated one at a time, and the injured are already receiving treatment.”
As he spoke, Tamai-sensei gestured toward the nearby members of Komoda’s group.
The more information that surfaced, the harder it became to dismiss the possibility that the Komoda they had encountered inside the dungeon had been the real one.
While the teachers continued discussing the incident, Chifumi stepped toward the leader of the two accused students.
”Would you mind letting me check your pockets?”
The girl blinked but complied, turning out every pocket she had, including the hidden ones sewn into her uniform.
Only a handkerchief and a packet of tissues emerged.
”That’s everything?” Chifumi asked.
”Yes.”
”Hmm…”
Disappointment flickered across Chifumi’s face.
The grade head returned his attention to the girls.
”Are you absolutely certain you had nothing to do with this?”
”We didn’t!” one protested. “Please believe us.”
”We have nothing to do with it,” the other added before glancing toward Horikoshi. “Isn’t it possible he’s trying to blame us for his own configuration mistake?”
The grade head immediately turned.
”Horikoshi-sensei. Tell me honestly. Was there a configuration error?”
”Impossible,” Horikoshi answered without hesitation. “Someone requested that I adjust the difficulty for a specific group, so I followed a checklist while changing the settings. There is no chance I made a mistake.”
”And where is this checklist?”
”Here.”
Horikoshi retrieved a file from the desk beside the machine and handed it over.
The grade head examined the contents.
”I see. Everything is clearly documented. It even has Tamai-sensei’s seal.”
Tamai-sensei nodded.
”I personally witnessed the configuration process. At the time I stamped it, there were no dangerous settings in place.”
”This only gets stranger and stranger…”
The grade head rubbed his forehead before making a decision.
”I understand the situation. For now, caring for the injured takes priority. Leave the device in its current stable state, and contact outside technicians to conduct a formal investigation. Also, the surveillance cameras are to remain active at all times.”
”Understood.”
”Are we free to leave?” one of the girls asked.
”Yes.”
”Head!?” Horikoshi blurted out.
”Horikoshi-sensei, priorities,” the grade head said firmly. “We can look for a culprit later.”
”…Understood.”
The two students slipped through the circle of teachers and quickly disappeared from the area.
”Once the specialist engineers arrive, they can examine the logs and determine what happened,” the grade head continued. “Until then, we’ll wait. I am going to report this to the vice-principal.”
Meanwhile, the members of Komoda’s group remained in an extremely delicate state.
Everyone wanted the answer to one question:
Had Komoda actually succeeded in pulling off a re-counterattack?
”Hey,” Risa said, breaking the silence. “You didn’t really exorcise those Apparitions, did you? We were the ones who defeated the two Unique Variants. You were just standing there watching, right?”
”…I don’t know,” Komoda replied.
Risa narrowed her eyes.
”Oh? Then do you at least remember meeting us inside the dungeon?”
”…I don’t know.”
”What do you mean, you don’t know?”
Komoda’s expression never changed.
”…I don’t remember. I remember fighting the Apparitions. I remember struggling. Everything after that is a blur.”
”Wait, seriously?!” Risa snapped. “You’re kidding, right?!”
”…My apologies.”
Even then, Komoda’s voice remained perfectly flat.
While Risa looked ready to explode, Komoda-kun showed no reaction at all. It was an impressively effective defense, I had to admit. As long as he refused to commit to a clear answer, nobody could corner him.
Although Risa had mellowed out recently, many students still remembered the disaster she had been during her first year. Back then, she had managed to annoy practically everyone around her. Because of that, there were still plenty of people who found it difficult to take her claims at face value.
Komoda-kun, on the other hand, belonged to a respected Sorcerer family. The trust people placed in him was on an entirely different level.
More importantly, he was not actually lying.
If he had openly claimed that he was the one who exorcised the Apparitions, people could have questioned him, challenged the details, and torn his story apart. Instead, he continued giving the same answer.
He did not know.
With that, the conversation ground to a halt.
”So, Komoda-san,” Chifumi said, her tone as light and relaxed as ever, “what was the situation when you returned?”
”…When I regained consciousness, I was already back here. I was holding a Return Slip, and everyone else was lying around me.”
”They were lined up in a perfect row!” someone from the crowd called out.
A Return Slip was normally used to return to a dungeon entrance, not to leave a dungeon entirely. If everyone had appeared in a neat line, then the Dungeon Generator’s settings must have been restored to their defaults, allowing the safety system to activate.
”And what time did you return?” Chifumi asked.
”About twenty minutes ago,” Tamai-sensei answered.
The timeline matched perfectly.
With each new piece of information, the situation looked worse for Komoda-kun.
”Komoda-san,” Chifumi continued, “looking back now, do you truly believe you were the one who exorcised the Apparitions?”
Komoda paused.
”…I don’t know. Even my memories of the Apparitions are vague. I barely remember what they looked like. I only recall that there were two of them.”
”I see.”
Chifumi tilted her head.
”Then perhaps you should fight them again and confirm it for yourself.”
”…I’d rather not.”
His answer came immediately.
”Once was more than enough.”
”I see… is that so.”
Her voice remained sleepy and unhurried, yet I could practically feel the irritation she was suppressing beneath the surface.
Still, I understood why she was frustrated.
No matter how many questions she asked, Komoda-kun was never going to admit failure on his own.
Before she could continue, a student from another class spoke up.
”Look,” he said bluntly, “did you pull off a re-counter or not? Which is it?”
”…I don’t know.”
The student frowned.
”You don’t know?”
”But it is a fact that the Apparitions were exorcised,” Komoda replied calmly. “And I was the only person who returned conscious.”
Silence followed.
It was difficult to argue with that logic.
”Exorcised, huh…”
”…The fact that I came back means I must have exorcised them. Isn’t that right?”
”Well… I guess.”
The student sounded unconvinced, but he could not find a flaw in the argument.
There were no contradictions to attack.
”So we’re really heading toward a rematch…”
The idea spread through the room almost immediately. Conversations about a revenge match at the Guidance Facility began popping up everywhere.
At that point, I decided to ask one final question.
”Komoda-kun.”
When he looked in my direction, I met his eyes.
”Are you really okay with this?”
”Given the situation, I think this is the only option.”
”I see.”
Even as he answered, he avoided looking directly at me.
That hesitation told me everything.
Ever since the dungeon training had started, Komoda-kun had begun approaching me whenever we happened to be alone in the hallways. That was despite the fact that he had already been thoroughly defeated by the Strong-Females in his own group.
I had been wondering about his motives for a while now.
His behavior today finally confirmed my suspicions.
If I was right, then I was the only person here who could deliver a judgment—or perhaps a salvation—that would not turn into a public spectacle.
”Komoda Michinori.”
Using his full name immediately got his attention.
His eyes widened.
”Are you truly certain this is the path you want to choose?”
”…”
”Does the conclusion you’ve reached really live up to the morality contained within your name?2“
”…”
”If this is a truth you can carry proudly for the rest of your life, then I will not stop you. But if it is not… will you not regret this someday? As a fellow student and as a comrade, I do not want to watch you lose your way.”
The room had already reached the same conclusion.
Komoda-kun had not performed a re-counter.
The problem was that nobody could prove it.
The only thing left that could still change was his resolve.
”…Tell me, Komoda-kun. Is there something in your current life that you are afraid to lose?”
”…”
”Are you unaware of it? Or have you realized it already and simply chosen not to acknowledge it?”
”…”
Risa shot me a bewildered look.
I understood why.
To everyone else, I probably sounded insane.
Even so, there was no point dancing around the issue anymore.
I needed to be direct.
”Let me put it another way.”
I took a breath.
”Your group members are all very attractive. You wanted them to bully you. You wanted them to step on you. Isn’t that the real reason you ended up getting counter-attacked in the first place?”
A wave of murmurs swept through the room.
Nobody understood what they had just heard.
Komoda-kun remained silent.
But when I looked at his face, I became certain.
I was right. At least, right enough.
”You were satisfied with being counter-attacked,” I continued. “But when everyone around you started criticizing it, you panicked. So you chose a re-counter instead.”
”…”
”That is certainly one way forward. But if you do that, you’ll lose everything you have now. Nobody will bully you seriously ever again. You might recover your public reputation, but is that truly what you want? Do you have the resolve for that? Or are you about to throw away the conviction you fought so hard to obtain?”
The room fell silent.
Nobody spoke. Nobody moved. Everyone simply waited.
Finally, Komoda-kun lowered his head. His expression twisted with pain. Then he spoke.
”…I didn’t perform a re-counter.”
Nobody interrupted. Nobody even breathed.
”I want them to keep trampling on me.”
His voice trembled.
”I want them to keep treating me harshly.”
For the first time all day, his emotions finally broke through.
”That’s why… I won’t do a re-counter.”
Silence. A long, heavy silence.
Then someone began clapping.
One person.
Then another.
And another.
The applause spread through the room until every student and teacher present had joined in.
It was not polite applause.
It was the kind that came from deep within the soul.
Komoda-kun was crying.
His group members were crying too.
What a beautiful story.
And just like that, the Pseudo-Dungeon Generator incident came to an end.
—
Summary:
Tension mounts as school officials interrogate students regarding the suspicious anomalies within the simulated dungeon. Chifumi observes the proceedings, deeply skeptical of the “re-counterattack” Komoda claims to have achieved. The narrative concludes with Risa confronting Komoda, who offers only evasive answers.
The protagonist interrogates Komoda-kun about the suspicious circumstances of a dungeon incident. By exposing Komoda’s true desire to be dominated by his group members, the protagonist forces a confession that effectively ends the false narrative of a “re-counter.” The classroom erupts into applause, validating Komoda’s unconventional admission and resolving the conflict.
—
Trivia:
The surveillance system is turned off during breaks, which provided the window for the alleged tampering.
The grade head is Chifumi’s mother.
Horikoshi-sensei provided a physical checklist with Tamai-sensei’s seal to defend his configuration process.
The “re-counterattack” requires the Tsuyo-Osu to defeat Apparitions that the Tsuyo-Mesu could not, thus bypassing the predetermined ranking.
Risa has a history as a disruptive student from her first year.
Return Slips only function for returning to the entrance, not exiting the dungeon.
The Dungeon Generator automatically triggered a safety function to line up the students.
The protagonist and Komoda have been speaking privately in the hallways during training.
—
Translation Notes:
Notes:
• Chifumi – Minoru’s 15-year-old classmate and childhood friend is a scrawny, long-haired frost/water mage and elite witch. As his loyal secretary and scout, she balances a bubbly, cat-like charm with a sharp, witty, and observant nature. While devoted to Minoru and favored by his parents, she maintains a deceptive, airy tone to probe group secrets and remains deeply suspicious of Komoda’s dungeon actions.
• Komoda – The family name of Michinori.
• K – A student from East Middle who followed N to National High School out of care, successfully remaining pure through N’s protection until a misunderstanding involving Anonymous Student 0008 led to her capitulation.
• T – A first-year student at District 13 High School who has recruited K and N from East Middle into his group.
• S – A first-year student at District 13 High School who has taken B from North Middle into his squad.
• A – A student from South Middle School described as an idol who has been recruited into R’s high school squad.
• B – A student originally from North Middle School who was added to S’s group.
• Horikoshi – A teacher at the school who handles equipment maintenance but is not a sorcerer and operating the dungeon generator who is currently being questioned by school administration regarding system anomalies.
• Tamai – A male academy instructor and homeroom teacher who manages dungeon training, duel procedures, and student development. Beyond his administrative duties overseeing safety and logs, he acts as a vital mediator during investigations, working with technical staff to resolve conflicts and providing crucial testimony to establish timelines and context regarding students and staff under his charge.
• N – A student from East Middle with an eccentric personality who entered National High School due to complex family circumstances and used herself as leverage to negotiate a protective agreement for K.
• M – A first-year student at District 13 High School and the childhood friend of Anonymous Student 0006, described as an atavistic strong-female who looks plain but possesses significant power.
• Risa – A sharp-tongued, long-haired gyaru student, she is an analytical combatant who wields magical rifles and pistols, often coordinating with Yurina. Though once a disruptive influence, she is now a pragmatically rational member of Minoru’s group. She balances a stern, confrontational attitude toward underperformers with submissive, devoted roleplay toward Minoru and a talent for Western cooking.
• R – A first-year student at District 13 High School who has successfully built a squad and added multiple girls, including M and A, into his group.
• Michinori – Once a high-status leader from a renowned sorcerer bloodline, this handsome student has devolved into a broken, masochistic servant to the female followers he once commanded. Following a crushing defeat by unique Apparitions and a failed counterattack, his memory is obscured and his spirit shattered. Despite his current submissive status, his prestigious lineage still disrupts the school hierarchy.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
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