Chapter 91 A Night on the Hill
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
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The night felt heavy from the very start. I had joined Himawari and the others for a short walk inside the dungeon, and later they showed me a small hut on a low hill where I could sleep. Only simple buildings stood here, nothing more.
A strange sound woke me. Something seemed to crawl close to my ear, and in my dream, tiny maggots pushed inside and chewed at my eardrum. My soft flesh and brain melted into waste. The pain felt sharp enough to split my head, and I wanted to throw up. Flies buzzed near my ear again and again, and small maggots spread inside my body where I could not reach. In the dream, I was eaten little by little.
I woke up soaked in sweat.
”…This is bad. I can’t sleep. What was that?” I whispered.
My body felt hot, and I was out of breath. It felt like I had been bleeding, but when I touched myself, there were no wounds, only sweat. I checked the bedside. There was only tatami (straw mat) and a futon (bedding). No strange maggots, no trace of the nightmare. Nothing seemed wrong.
”What a weird dream. Maybe this place is doing something to me,” I murmured, trying to steady my breath. A strange scent hung in the air, and although we were on a spring highland, sleep did not come easily.
The tatami room was very quiet. It must have been past midnight, and the whole world seemed to sleep. I planned to look around the floors more seriously tomorrow. Earlier, I got a small notebook to keep records and made a list of places I wanted to see, so I had been a bit busy.
No red mist rose over the hills, and the sun still rose and set as it did above ground. Still, the things I had seen today troubled me. If I had stayed safe in that cage and never walked out, I would not know about those traps or suffer such nightmares. I promised myself that on the way back, I would stay inside.
”Is that… a sound?” I heard something soft from beyond the sliding door. It was a faint rustle of clothing, easy to miss. A human shape stood outside the room. The strange scent I noticed earlier drifted from that direction. It was strong, almost too sharp.
The figure did not move. But its round face turned toward me, as if it knew I was awake. After nothing changed for a while, I gathered my courage and spoke.
”Flatty-chan?”
”Yes. I am here,” she answered from the other side of the sliding door, and I let out a small breath of relief.
”What’s wrong? Can’t sleep?” Flatty-chan asked.
”Yeah. I had a weird dream.”
”What kind of dream was it?”
”I don’t remember well, but it was creepy. It felt like something was eating me.”
She seemed to be keeping night watch for me. With Trash-san back on the second floor, she was my only support here. She had been watching over me the whole time without rest.
”Excuse me,” she said when I asked her to come in, and she slid the door open. A net hung from the ceiling to keep insects out, and Flatty-chan sat outside in a formal pose. Her lowered face was dim in the moonlight through the net.
”Flatty-chan… what is that smell?”
”That attendant came a short while ago,” she answered. “She spread a lot of maggot repellent around. The mint smell is everywhere, and it is a bit much desu.”
Her voice sounded tired. So the attendant had been looking after me from the shadows.
”That stuff is to keep the maggot monsters away, right?”
”Yes. It works for normal maggots too desu.”
She sniffed lightly.
”So, it’s like mint oil to keep bugs away. I didn’t know maggots show up in the dungeon.”
”Yes. When we grow crops inside, winged maggots appear desu.”
Wild animals could not leave the dungeon, but creatures from outside could follow people inside. They moved with humans and later died out when people left.
Flatty-chan gave me a small bottle and said to use it every half day. I put it on the shelf and thought of the attendant again, always helping quietly.
”Come over here too,” I said. “Inside the net, no winged bugs can enter.”
I wanted to be a little closer to her. We had begun to talk more on the road, but she was still very tense. Because of my psionic (mental power), it felt like we had spent a long time together, but for her, we had not.
”I cannot enter a man’s room desu.”
”We won’t do anything. I just feel bad seeing you stand all night.”
I tried to call her in, but she refused again and bowed deeper.
Her face, still lowered, had a shy red color. In this time, for a normal girl, even holding a boy’s hand felt close to something intimate. Asking her to come into my room at night was a big thing, even if I did not mean it that way.
”I am very sorry. Staying close by at night is already more than I should do. P-please do not worry about me desu.”
”You won’t sleep? We’ll be touring for a few days.”
”I will stay awake and do my best desu. With my psionic power, I have enough strength.”
Seeing her kneeling in dogeza (kneel-bow) on the moonlit porch made me feel even more sorry for her. Usually, two people kept night watch to watch each other.
”Then you don’t have to come inside,” I said. “Just talk with me. I can’t sleep.”
”Ah… um… if it is only that, I can,” she whispered.
She acted like a shy girl in love, nothing like the strong guard I knew. She might be the most pure of all my Imperial Guards. The difference between how she talked to Trash-san and how she talked to me could give someone a cold.
After a short pause, she nodded.
”Th-then I will stay with you. But only until you get sleepy desu. We have tomorrow, after all.”
”Yes!”
I felt like a child on a trip, but she was clearly torn between respect for me and her duty as a guard.
She slid the door wide open, letting more moonlight fall on the space between us. I left the net and sat near her, handing her a cushion. She sat in a modest pose, and I felt I had found a friend for this long night.
That tiny gap, only a few centimeters wide, felt like a wall between men and women that could never be filled.
”Flatty-chan, what do you think about this place…? No—maybe I should ask about you instead,” I said.
”About me desu?” she answered softly.
I avoided talking about the rank and value of this floor. Someone could be hiding under the boards or in the ceiling. It was safer to ask about her. Besides, the Imperial Guards would teach me what to do from tomorrow. For now, small harmless talk would help ease my worry.
”Is the duty of an Imperial Guard fun? Maybe that sounds like a light question,” I tried.
I knew it was not an easy job. Maybe I was not a very good master. Still, I wanted to hear her speak about her life.
”To serve a male and be his hands and feet, to make his wishes true—it’s an honor, no, it is a way of life. For a woman, it is the greatest joy desu,” Flatty-chan said with pride.
”That is a fine role,” I said.
”Yes. If you are a child from a normal town family, you will want this at least once desu,” she added.
She looked proud. She was someone who had seen her dream come true.
”Flatty-chan… I didn’t mean to say you were wicked—”
”Wicked? Flatty-chan wicked…?” she echoed.
”No, sorry. I meant you are reliable. I thought that today,” I said.
Her face brightened at that. My honest words eased the thin string of tension around her.
”You also take care of people in other ways,” I said. “When you are with Trash-san in spirit form, I sometimes see you. You play with poor children from town and give them food.”
I had a habit of watching her from a distance. I knew her good parts. To be honest, that made me the worse one.
”Young Master… I am so happy you noticed. I am good at caring for small, not-yet-grown children because I used to make them work… no, I mean I look after them desu,” she said, a little flustered.
The stalker in me remained unchecked.
Flatty-chan felt like a real older sister, not just a kind one. For brothers and sisters, an older sister often had more power than parents. I did not know the exact family rules of this world, but the feeling was there.
Continuing from where we left off — this is the seamless continuation of the full cleaned manuscript. Meta-commentary is removed, flow is lightly smoothed, all your formatting preferences are preserved.
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Our talk slid into the story of her hard life. The clever plan she used earlier to trick Himawari and take back her hair came from a painful past. She had fought through narrow and harsh trials when she was a candidate for the Imperial Guard.
”The Imperial Guard exam does not favor plain, kind children. They are the ones who fail,” she said.
”That is sad,” I said.
”You might not see it yet, Young Master, but people get meaner as they grow older,” she said with a wrinkle between her brows.
Her words felt close to me. It was the sorrow of becoming an adult.
”But that toughness is needed to protect a master, right?” I asked.
”It is a necessary trait. Maybe I should have been a maid around men, a small servant. They even offered me a provisional post there,” she replied.
”Why didn’t you take it?” I asked.
”Because I liked mystical objects,” she said, and her eyes looked far away for a moment.
Imperial Guards could touch rare, high-level mystical objects that town people never saw. Her love for those objects and her nature as a researcher had not changed since childhood.
”Exploration Squad is dangerous and has few chances to meet the master. It is unpopular in the Guard. Many are odd—monster lovers, extreme collectors. Maybe it is a reaction to a shy childhood,” she said.
Did training break people, or did only broken people pass the Guard selection? That was a mystery.
And those like Flatty-chan in the Exploration Squad had the worst place in the Guard. They did not get much respect. Yet the Squad could let people forget their past homes, and some became close to the town people. They were sometimes loved, sometimes feared, like a wild tiger. Because they handled valuable items, strange people always came near.
She started to grumble.
”After I began this work, I suddenly had many friends. Even relatives I never met showed up. When three women claimed to be my mother at once, I laughed,” she said with a bitter look, a little sulky.
”I get that,” I said. The Guard paid well, and when someone gets money, people ask for it like a lottery winner.
”What did you do then?” I asked.
”I was so angry I gave everyone a steamed bun filled with coins. I mixed bitter fish bile and cow dung into some of them. I only gave the money to those who ate the whole bun,” she said.
”That’s extreme. A bit cruel, but maybe they deserved it,” I said.
She had driven away fake relatives with a mean trick. When a guard was promoted, greedy people came out. Fighting them off was like the first test of becoming an Imperial Guard.
Through such trials, the Guard learned the dark side of the world and grew strong. But it seemed unfair if, after all that, they still had to follow a master’s weird wishes all their life. Even I could be ordered into dangerous things easily.
”When we were poor, even thieves didn’t come to my house,” she said.
”Maybe you were lucky then?” I tried.
”But they never came to my room. They went to other girls’ places,” she said, a little hurt. Young Flatty-chan found that unfair, like Santa skipping her house.
Looking at her side profile, I felt a sudden guilt. She was a normal person who hopes and then gets disappointed by society. Seeing her reach into the moonlight, lips slightly pushed out, made that clear.
”Flatty-chan. I have to apologize about something,” I said.
”…Y-yes. What is it?” she answered, tense.
I had felt guilty toward her for a long time. This was a good chance to confess.
”When we fought that demon woman, I never told anyone, but I ordered that you be left behind,” I said.
She turned toward me. Her eyes, free from old hate, looked innocent as ever. Hearing that made my voice shake. I had once accepted that a person who spent life to be my Guard might die. I had told Trash-san to save me even if others were lost.
”I told Trash-san that if it seemed no one would survive, he should come back even if he had to sacrifice others,” I said, my voice low.
Back then, when Himawari was chasing us, I gave an order that set a rank on our lives and told them to leave everyone and come back with me. The fact that Flatty-chan survived was only luck. It would not be strange if she were gone.
”I know saying sorry is not enough, but… I am truly sorry,” I said.
It was not even for her sake. I was scared that one day Trash-san might let it slip, and she would hear it by chance. What would she feel then? Would she hate me? Or would she think, “Well, men are like that,” and add another small disappointment to her life?
”Oh, is that all desu?” she said.
Flatty-chan did not seem bothered. She did not even connect what I was apologizing for.
”Good. I thought it was something more serious desu.”
”‘That all’? But—”
It did not suit her. She usually showed her feelings clearly and hated pain or fear. She often compared herself to Trash-san and got upset. Yet hearing she had been the one to be left behind, she took it calmly.
”It is a little sad and surprising, yes. But Young Master caring so much for someone that you would protect them first… that makes me happy,” she said.
Of course. She was my Imperial Guard. She made it sound like nothing, and I could not look her in the eyes.
”No Imperial Guard will get angry at their master for valuing a woman,” she said.
”Really?” I asked.
”Yes. Hearing that story was a lucky gift. I can be proud to serve a master like you desu. There is no need to apologize.”
Her thinking fit this world. She always saw men and women with different rules. Even Trash-san was inside the large “female” group in her mind, so receiving kindness from me was a good thing.
”Also, dying for the master is part of the job. There are plenty of us,” she said.
”That doesn’t mean you are not important to me. Please don’t get the wrong idea,” I said.
She shook her head.
”Young Master, that is needless mental strain desu. Someone else thinks I am the most important person in the world,” she said.
”Really? No way. Who?” I asked before thinking. It was rude. She had no family, and I had not seen her with close friends.
”Myself,” she answered, serious.
I did not know whether to laugh or feel sad.
”So Young Master should become like that too desu,” she added.
Maybe she was right. Only recently had I begun to think that way. It was also a promise with Cult Slut-san. My life carried everyone’s meaning and hope. I could not waste it. Flatty-chan reminded me again.
”As your Guard, I do hope you fix the balance a bit. But scolding is not my style desu. Like a maggot, you should follow what you want to do. That is the Young Master I like most,” she said.
Moonlight showed a soft look on her face, mixed with a little tiredness, a little giving up, and a lot of fondness.
”That is what Imperial Guards are for, after all desu.”
She encouraged me even when I failed. She had the gentle power of a big sister who lets you try things.
I was moved. Flatty-chan was always honest with herself, yet she never stopped me. She wanted to take the blame for me instead.
”I know I drag you into my selfish choices, but do you regret coming to this dungeon? You let a bit of truth slip before…”
”Th-that was different desu!” she said quickly.
I remembered her complaining about missions more than once. I was afraid I had forced her to come.
”I do not regret it! Well… hmm. It is hard to say that when I made so many mistakes, but I did what I had to do desu,” she said.
She looked ashamed. None of us had acted perfectly on that mission. We all messed up and acted on our own.
”And you were kidnapped. If I stayed in town and waited, I would suffer too much thinking about it,” she said.
”I’m sorry for that,” I said.
”No, the ones who let a kidnapping happen in the neighborhood are the Imperial Guards and the town officials. Some heads will roll,” she said.
Probably in the literal sense. That was a dark thought to wake up to. I should ask Maggot-san about it later.
We talked for about thirty minutes. As comfort settled in, my eyelids grew heavy.
”Shall I sing a lullaby for you desu?” she asked. She sounded nervous, but not joking.
To her, I was really a child. In age and looks. I still looked young enough to wear short pants.
”Then… please,” I said.
”Leave it to me desu. I sang so much for the nearby children that they cried and begged me to stop and sleep,” she said proudly.
”…I think that means they did not want to hear it,” I said.
She began to sing the old song known for the line “Sleep well, little boy.” It was from the early 1900s. Hearing it here felt strange, like hearing my hometown song on a faraway street. The tune and first verse were the same, though the later verses were new to me.
No tears came. No sadness either. Just a faint picture of an old scene rose in my mind, then popped like a bubble.
”My ears feel dizzy. Let me sleep,” I whispered.
”S-so sorry! Maybe it was too hard for Young Master,” she said.
Her singing was tragic enough that she had no right to comment on my poor review.
Still, she stayed with me in silence until I fell asleep. Just as my mind slipped under the futon, I heard the sliding door close. The mint smell still hung in the air. I did not dream again.
* * *
Morning came.
Himawari and her group of girls took Flatty-chan and me to show us the new town.
”Monsters? Of course they are here. This is still a dungeon,” Himawari said. She taught us with a casual tone, like talking about bears or wild boars in the mountains.
I had foolishly thought the good environment meant no monsters.
A day had passed, and Himawari had turned from black back to a green oni. Hair and eyes all green. She looked like some vegetable spirit of the high plain.
When she relaxed, she looked like a silly student who painted herself green with a pen for a school festival. No one would guess her body could kill a person with ease.
”I’ll show you. Come here,” she said.
”No thanks, that sounds scary,” I replied.
”Come now, don’t say that. Step right up, noble guest! If you are far, hear the tale; if you are near, come see with your own eyes!” Himawari announced with flair.
”Oh… that’s a saying from Kazusa country, right?” I asked.
”My distant ancestors came from there! Mother said I have noble blood,” she replied.
It sounded like a lie. Country noble families often shoved famous warriors into their family trees.
Ignoring my fear, Himawari placed her hands on a boulder half her height.
”Look! Well?” she said.
”…Cute.”
”Right? There are lots of these little guys.”
With bulldozer strength, she lifted the rock. A group of thumb-sized mushroom-fairy monsters burst out.
”Whoa, they’re running!”
Maybe the sudden sunlight scared them. Their tiny feet scattered away, leaving sparkling spores behind.
”They’re gone,” I said.
”They’re timid. They hide in dark places,” she said.
”They’re monsters, right? They won’t sneak into houses at night and jump into someone’s throat to choke them, right?”
”No! What kind of idea is that?”
She dropped the rock with a thud, shaking the ground.
”Sorry. The most common ones here are those,” she said, pointing.
On the meadow, groups of butterflies danced. Their red wings had elegant black edges—luxurious like hotel carpet patterns. Like curtains of tiny bells, they fluttered in the wind.
Some rested on the field, and one landed on Himawari’s horn, opening and closing its wings like a dragonfly on a rice stalk. One perched on her hair like a decoration but was quickly shooed away.
None came near me, sadly.
”No dangerous ones?” I asked.
”None. Even those butterflies don’t harm crops since there are no maggots around,” she said.
These “butterflies” were monsters. No larvae, no cocoons. They just appeared. A strange life cycle.
”When someone tries to get rid of them, people stop them because they’re too pretty. No one minds anymore.”
People here were used to living with monsters—and even fond of them.
”Oh right. There are fish monsters in the river. This big,” she said, measuring with both hands.
”They’re not man-eaters, are they?”
”They’re tasty! The problem is people catch too many. Kids can grab them by hand. Come on.”
* * *
The riverbank looked like Alaska’s sacred fishing grounds. Large fish monsters swam upstream like salmon. Wild huckleberry-like and mulberry-like plants grew here and there.
I looked around. Town people carried baskets of fish.
Dungeon resources were not unlimited. Overhunting meant waiting longer for them to return. Each dungeon had an original “ideal state.” Monsters and nature would slowly return to that form—even if this hill burned down, it would recover.
Only fully clearing a floor changed things. I did not know what counted as “clearing” here, but each floor had a core and a method to conquer it.
Not my problem. The people of Isumi town would handle the management.
”No dangerous place here?” I asked.
”None found so far. No deaths either. And… you keep asking things like that. Why not enjoy yourself more?” Himawari said with a half-lidded stare.
But I could not relax easily.
She seemed uneasy beside me.
”If you’re scared… you can hold my hand or…” she mumbled.
”I just need to confirm safety before we invite others here.”
”Right. Then let’s go. Look carefully.”
* * *
We climbed along the stream and reached a beautiful valley. A jinrikisha ride took us along the ridge. Snow still sat on both sides of the trail. No tall trees—just early-spring colors waiting to bloom across the highland.
The green oni girl acted like a cheerful tour guide. Showing her town’s success to a man must have felt wonderful. Without her status, she might have skipped along.
At the top, a small hidden teahouse appeared. Hard to notice—a little off the main path, half hanging over the slope. From the roof, the view was the best yet: the terrace-like river, the farms below, all visible.
It was not for regular tourists. More like a secret VIP retreat—like a private lodge behind Mount Fuji for the elite. Money alone could not get you in.
As a man, I was allowed.
We would eat lunch here, slowly.
”How big is this world, I wonder? How far does it go?” I asked.
Distant snowy peaks and endless blue sky stretched on. This eternal early-spring land felt limitless.
”If you go to the edge, you won’t return. Reach the end, and you disappear. Anyone,” she warned.
”Even you?”
”Strength doesn’t matter. It’s about psionic power compatibility.”
From above, the horizon curved. Outdoor-type dungeons became blurry if you walked too far from the door. Keep going, and most people got lost or rarely appeared somewhere else entirely.
Dungeon doors were guides linking floors. Walking there by foot meant getting lost in the unknown middle world. There was a team in the country of psionic “return-type teleporters” who studied this.
* * *
Lunch time. A lodge-style course meal sat before me. Elegant Japanese-Western fusion.
Had we wandered into a café?
”Enjoy to your heart’s content,” Himawari said.
”Wow. Is everything made from ingredients here?” I asked.
”Yes. Except the cooks.”
The main dishes were steamed vegetables and fish, plus simmered ones. Side dishes included seasoned beans, stir-fried wild greens, a miso-like dip, pickled river fish, and grilled pieces. A feast of fresh highland foods. Soba dough balls steamed like fresh bread, and the mushroom-monster broth came last. A coaster-like mystical object kept everything warm.
Sadly, Flatty-chan would not let me touch it.
”Flatty-chan, isn’t this unfair?”
”I-I cannot give in here. Young Master must eat only after I taste it and wait one night to confirm safety desu.”
She volunteered for poison-tasting and stole all the small plates.
”For a poison test, you *look* like you’re really enjoying it,” I said.
”Not at all! This is for Young Master’s sake—r-really!” Flatty-chan insisted, cheeks full.
Her stomach was round, but she still refused to let me eat dungeon food easily. Even Himawari looked unhappy, but accepted it for today.
Some dungeon monsters looked harmless yet carried poison. Food needed testing before nobles ate. For my safety, it was non-negotiable, and surprisingly, they understood. Those who served men seemed to share that view.
After all, sightseeing in enemy territory was already strange. She probably wished I would not take a single bite. Careful as always.
”But Flatty-chan, you’re a psionic user. Your stomach is stronger than mine,” I said.
”Even so, I must be extra careful desu.”
”People here have been eating this for half a year with no problems.”
”…Young Master.”
”Fine… sorry. I’ll eat that instead,” I agreed.
This world lacked rich food culture, so I was starved for good meals. My weak logic collapsed under her pained expression. I had no choice but to obey.
There was always tomorrow. Including yesterday, we had three days here. If we liked it, we could stay longer—Himawari even wanted a one-month diary to share with society.
”Here you are,” Flatty-chan said.
She served a meal instead. At some point, she had walked around and gathered refugee rations: dried taro stems, hard rice, pickled plums, salted vegetables. Commoner preserved food unfit for a noble, but given the situation, it was fine.
”A bit salty, but it feels like a picnic. Not bad,” I said.
”I’m glad desu. I’ll season it lighter next time.”
Her psionic power was originally a wish to make delicious meals—so the food genuinely tasted good. Thinking how she stayed awake all night and still cared for me, my regret over missing the fancy lunch faded. Nobles always ate alone outside, but the girl watching me looked so happy that I said nothing.
We sat together—me, Himawari, Flatty-chan, and the town officials—resting under the blue sky. A warm spring breeze brushed our hair and drifted over the mountains.
Moments like this made the conflict feel unreal. Yet everyone here was enemies. If I vanished, they would kill each other. Himawari had killed Kaede-san and Kiri-san.
As I sipped hot water after the meal, Himawari spoke.
”I’ll introduce you to my masters now.”
She sat on the veranda opposite me. They had already eaten lightly in the back.
”Oh right, I was supposed to meet them. What are they like?” I asked.
”They are three wonderful men. They think of Isumi town more than anyone. They gave me the dream of a land where no one is hungry,” she said proudly.
I frowned. Her dream was to make Isumi into a land beloved by men—her family’s wish for generations. Only recently had that turned into “migration.”
”So the idea to move here came from them?” I asked.
”Yes. It was the masters’ idea. They first came for a short visit, but refused to return to the surface. So we thought—why not stay?”
”I see.”
She sounded troubled, but her mouth curved upward. A woman’s look when she knew she had pleased a man. Simply put, she was smug.
For men who disliked Isumi, this place must have felt like a blessing. Like a national park in North America—no wonder they did not want to go back. For the Imperial Guards, watching men suffer back home was painful. This place was a land of hope.
In the end, they had taken the masters from town. Of course noble families grew hostile, and the old rulers of Isumi split away.
”They joined forces to settle here. They found value in me, not just as a noble daughter, and even gave me their fingers. I must repay them,” she said. Her young face was serious. I could not say that I thought they kidnapped and brainwashed the men.
After some talk, I finally understood what had happened in Isumi and the southern front.
Over half a year ago, explorers from Isumi discovered this floor. The environment was so good they invited the town’s men. As expected, the three men loved it and shared a wish to build a town inside the dungeon.
People began migrating in stages.
But on the surface, it caused division. Onjuku—Himawari’s family—wanted migration. Katsuraura opposed it so strongly they tried to kill her to protect life aboveground.
Other noble families also split. Even rival families divided internally: young ones wanted a new land; elders feared change. Add a war-driven food crisis, and unity collapsed.
Finally, a psionic “cheater” was created—Himawari. No wonder such a strong psionic user appeared suddenly. She had not existed in the southern war at first.
”So the men came by their own wish?” I asked.
”What do you mean?” she said.
”I heard cheaters only form in rare cases. I thought there was brainwashing. But I was wrong.”
Maybe their desires aligned with hers. Noble families always cared for town growth. Himawari wanted her estate to prosper. The men wanted better status and life in social society. Different roots, same goal: a better town.
Still, it was hard to believe people’s wishes could be so social. Psionic wishes were usually personal. Even someone who “wanted world peace” often really wished for love. Four matching wishes—including Himawari’s—was a miracle.
”People in our town were worried you were controlling the masters,” I said.
We had suspected that for a long time.
”I NEVER did anything cruel to them!” she shouted, slamming her green fist on the table.
A heavy crack rang out as the solid wooden table split. Her strength was terrifying.
”Who said that about me!? You don’t know anything—nothing!”
Himawari burst into anger so suddenly that I stared, wide-eyed.
”A-ah… I’m sorry. I lost my temper again…”
”It’s fine. You scared me a little, but I was insensitive. I’m sorry too.”
I had been quite shocked—but she looked even more shaken than I was. Her eyes were on the verge of tears. Seeing that snapped me back to calmness.
”I’m sorry… I promised myself I wouldn’t get angry in front of you. I regretted it… but my hand just moved on its own…”
Her green fingers trembled violently. She was more afraid of her own actions than I was.
”I didn’t mean to—”
”It’s alright. I’m not hurt.”
”No, that’s not it, I didn’t want to frighten you—”
”I said something foolish. You don’t need to apologize.”
No woman chooses to become a “cheater” in this world.
If you swap our positions, it becomes clear—Himawari was struggling under immense pressure.
Born as an heir to a noble house, but the town was divided by constant fights. Men were leaving. Kamogawa threatened them into war. She carried the lives of the townspeople, the town’s survival, and the wishes of the men—while friends died one after another, and she fought among them.
And then I—a man—accused her of abusing men, the most disgraceful reputation imaginable. She must have felt the hatred of every man in the world at once.
She was in shock. Maybe at her limit.
Come to think of it, she had snapped at Trash-san’s taunts and fought the old council members—her emotions had been unstable for a while.
Behind Flatty-chan, who had moved to shield me, Himawari kept babbling apologies. The ogress who killed two of my people was frightening once—but now, not so much.
I didn’t like her, but I had no desire to stomp on someone already hurting.
”I won’t make you apologize. I threatened you with my words—no wonder you tried to apologize. I’m sorry. It must’ve scared you. But I just—”
”Himawari.”
She froze when I spoke her name.
The scene felt familiar—Ichimatsu tearing into her Imperial Guards, and the Guards trembling the same way. Women feared verbal rejection from men more than anything.
”I understand now. You’ve been doing your best. Truly.”
She had to be a charismatic leader for migration. The strongest psionic in town, heir of a noble house. She forced divided people together and kept moving forward even as men left and war raged. She was the pillar that held the plan together—and its sacrifice.
At some point, she must have looked at her own hands—hands that men now feared as monstrous.
”I don’t think you’re scary for becoming that for others. I think it’s admirable,” I said.
”…Eh? That, I am not…”
I spoke slowly, to help her settle. If I spoke honestly—even clumsily—she would feel it.
”I could never do what you did. You held on to your duty and didn’t let your feelings break.”
Honestly, I couldn’t do her job. Give me that burden and I’d collapse.
Two deaths had almost broken me—but she carried responsibility for thousands. Anyone else would go insane or run.
I didn’t know her hardships. I couldn’t even explain them properly. But sometimes looking someone in the eye was enough for feelings to reach.
”I respect you, Himawari. So, I’m not afraid of you. You’re like that beautiful orchard in the park—you’ve done well.”
I affirmed her gently. I didn’t stand up, run, or hide behind Flatty-chan.
”What’s with that. Why are you suddenly saying that?”
”I just wanted to. People should say what matters while they’re alive.”
Truthfully, Isumi might be massacred next week if Kujukuri made a certain decision. We might never meet again.
For a woman, being comforted by a man was overwhelming—far more than I could imagine. The air felt awkward from the weight of it.
Himawari trembled slightly as her anxiety faded. Then, almost to herself, she whispered:
”It’s just… lately I feel wrong. Even a light touch can hurt someone. My claws cut people. So…”
”You’re not a monster. You’re a responsible woman.”
”Stop… don’t say things like that…”
She looked down, fighting tears.
Maybe my words hit harder because they came from me. She had no one who truly praised her. Even if she had friends, perhaps none she could lean on. The elders, the “adults,” opposed her.
”Feel a bit better?” I asked.
”No. I wasn’t crying.”
”I meant it. That wasn’t pity.”
”I said stop. And you all saw nothing—got it?”
She weathered the storm of emotion and snapped orders at the women nearby.
But they did not listen.
”Himawari-sama, you were crying adorably.”
A small Imperial Guard spoke timidly at first, then smiled.
”I said stop!!”
”What a kind, wonderful gentleman. Himawari-sama, since you’re trembling, perhaps you should take his hand?”
”Ugh, not you too, Obaa-san!”
Her close Guards teased her. As a guest, I didn’t scold them—even if it was a bit improper.
After that, looking refreshed, Himawari guided us toward the central facility of the settlement. Her steps were lighter. The women around her smiled warmly. And as I watched them, a chill ran through me—some of them might be future cheaters too…
Notes:
• Himawari – A one-eyed black oni girl/aberration-type psionic; town leader/face; asks for promotion help; apologizes for killings; sets 2‑day deadline.
• Kaede – A female psionic explorer known as Necksplitter, is a veteran assassin and messenger of Lord Ichimatsu. Her appearance is both young and old, with gray hair streaked through black and vibrant, unlined skin. She is graceful yet carries the fatigue of a long life in war, resembling an old hunting dog. Her psionic ability is mysterious and potentially dangerous.
• Kiri – A female sniper and member of Kaede-san’s team, white-haired with sleepy eyes, wielding a disguised sniper rifle, known for her quick hands and slow speech, often joking in dire situations.
• Ichimatsu – A high-ranking figure associated with the Imperial Guard, mentioned as having spineless guards around him, with no further details provided.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
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