The following is an excerpt of Shou’s reactions from the moment he arrived at the grassland until he confirmed the location of the base.
“Ooh, that’s a pretty meadow, isn’t it? Huh? There’s a base here?” “Hm? Something just went through my head, and—wait, there’s a house right in front of me!?” “Ino’s ability is insane…” “They’re even keeping chickens. Ryouka’s team had some too, but we didn’t have anything this nice.” “Also, what’s that huge warehouse-looking thing? The Fenrir shed? Ah, got it.” “Oh, it’s Sina and Iinchou~! Long time no see!”
Roughly along those lines.
And so on, with everyone eventually gathering in the living room.
“Ugh. Why is Junme here?”
“Sina really stays true to her tsundere form, huh? I don’t mind that part about her.”
“Shou-san, you’re unscathed. Does coming here mean you’ll join us?”
“If everyone’s okay with it~”
“Then no. Go back to Sumika’s place.”
Yumekai waved her hand away in a shooing gesture.
“That’s way too cold! Ahaha!”
“Well, calm down, Yumekai. Let’s share the circumstances that led to this point for now.”
“Oh, then I’ll make some tea.”
“I shall assist as well.”
Shion and Roa headed to the kitchen.
Meanwhile, having noticed the television and game consoles in Amato’s presence, I took the opportunity to explain how the bonus area worked.
“Wait, that’s a total steal! Oh, but it’s a perk exclusive to people like Takano who stayed behind on the desert island. Normally, you just can’t get those kinds of deals. Basically, everyone else is dying to go home immediately.”
“And in Sumika’s team? They seemed pretty cohesive from where I stood.”
“Ryouka-chan has resolved that she’ll be the last one remaining. Well, among the girls, anyway.”
”…So basically, while serving as leader, you’re planning to send your companions back to Japan one by one?”
I had already realized, given their lack of concern over personnel drain, that they genuinely prioritized their friends above all else.
Taking on the most grueling role of wrapping things up and shouldering responsibility for my comrades’ lives, yet planning to be the last one to go home.
It was a nobility well beyond his years.
Conversely, one could also say that even a popular figure from the original world like Sumika wouldn’t have been able to unite over ten girls without going to those extremes.
“Yeah, yeah. I really think she’s awesome. She kept soothing the girls who were just crying and the ones who never stopped complaining. Plus, she drove off some of the worst guys.”
It seemed there had been several instances of boys trying to harass the girls under the pretense of discovering the Sumika team and asking to join them as members.
Sumika had gathered a few companions even before the last event, using that cave as their base for living, but apparently whether before or after the group grew, she had always had trouble dealing with the guys.
As they listened to the specific hardships, an atmosphere of empathy filled the living room.
“To think… even in such extreme circumstances, for the girls in our class to be subjected to that kind of behavior…”
Professor Luminas’s face had turned a sickly blue.
Hearing the details of the attacks from Munebe, who was part of the Seiou team as well as ourselves, must have made the other boys realize just how severe the situation had become.
Trying to peek at them while they changed clothes or bathed was only the beginning; apparently, there were even men who tried to force themselves on the girls when they were alone or came within moments of assaulting them.
Thanks to the cohesion and response of Seiou and her team, they had managed to exclude the other boys from their base camp, but it seemed some had not given up and were still lurking around the perimeter.
“What? No way! I seriously can’t stand that stuff!”
“Yeah. It’s at the level where there isn’t a single guy besides Takano who doesn’t have those lustful glints in his eyes.”
”…I don’t intend to make excuses, but I have no idea how it would have gone down if I didn’t have my ability either.”
“That’s not true. If I were to dislike it, you’d be able to endure it, Sō-kun, even if we spent ten years living on a desert island.”
Chi-iyu stated this with absolute certainty, while Shion and Moushi nodded in agreement.
It was a pleasure to be trusted, and I did want to be that kind of person. But then again…
I suppose that if a person’s mental state deteriorates, even someone who would normally be kind and decent might end up doing some rather strange things.
But that doesn’t mean what the guys did can just be excused.
“Once Mioe’s third phantom beast becomes summonable, we’ll dispatch it, or once the Dream World’s capabilities are expanded, we’ll set up a barrier for you… We might be able to weave those terms into our future agreements.”
When I proposed a course of action to deal with the guys who had lost control, the girls’ faces lit up.
“Of course, Sōsuke! That’s brilliant! Sure, I wouldn’t have had the nerve to suggest something as cool as making everyone allies, but just writing them off because they snapped? That’s not right!”
”…I’ll follow your instructions, Kuino. I think that strikes the right balance for how far we should assist. Honestly, I don’t really want to wait until I have a ‘Return Right’ secured for every single one of them.”
We’re not heroes or saints, so we’re prioritizing our own comrades and demanding our ‘Return Rights,’ while continuing to search for the conditions required to inherit abilities and memories.
But even with that priority, there should still be a way to help our classmates.
“But, Radiance-sama. Would it really be possible to persuade gentlemen in such a state of mind to become trading partners?”
Loa said this as he returned from brewing the tea.
Since the kitchen had a view of the living room, he had probably been able to hear our conversation.
“Mmm… I want to believe that if their minds settle down with nice clothes, a comfortable bed, and warm food, they might be able to make rational judgments again…”
If they’re willing to turn over a new leaf and earnestly look for trading materials, I have no problem with it.
But from the perspective of the girls who were harmed, they probably won’t take it well.
“It’s scary thinking about gathering all the boys who caused trouble in one place,”
Shion, who also brought over the tea, said anxiously.
It’s true that keeping track of them as a team is easier for us than dealing with individuals separately.
But considering the possibility that these boys, with their corrupted hearts, might unite, we want to avoid that.
“There will probably be some who say they want to join our side…”
Fukaho also looked worried.
Everyone on my side expressed the feeling of “That’s impossible” on their faces.
Though expressionless Chiyu and the teacher, who was still shaken, were exceptions.
Of course, I have no intention of making them our comrades either.
“The island is big, and aside from three girls, all the females are on my side or at Sumika’s place, so wouldn’t helping defend Sumika’s team be a reasonable compromise?”
“Hmm. If we find the remaining three girls and put them in Ryoka-chan’s team, it’ll be solved.”
Splitting the girls between my party and Sumpho’s party to shore up defenses on both sides would eliminate the threat from the guys.
On top of that, I’d reach out to the male students with a proposal for a deal, encouraging them to make rational judgments.
This might be the best course of action available.
The only concern left would be the guys who possess abilities.
As far as I recall, one of them claimed to have a Teleport ability.
According to reports, no one has actually seen him. We didn’t spot him during the events either.
I want to believe he can’t teleport inside the barrier, but he remains a potential threat.
“Sō-kun, what’s the next move?”
“There are two things I need to address. The first is forming teams for tomorrow’s event.”
Participation in tomorrow’s event is restricted to teams of exactly five members.
Including the teacher, there are forty-one people on the island.
My party consists of nine people, including Shōbu. That means we can only form one team.
Sumiō’s party was down to twelve after Shōbu left. That meant they could only form two teams.
There were nineteen remaining teleporters. It was hard to picture the logistics, but in terms of numbers, a maximum of three teams could be formed.
So, that meant up to six participating teams in total.
The event format this time was a team-based round-robin tournament. To earn the “Right of Return,” a team had to go undefeated.
That required at least five consecutive wins.
“Indeed, there are matters we must discuss thoroughly.”
Fukuhō nodded.
“And what’s the other one? Ah, was it collecting different shades for cosmetics?”
In response to Yōko’s comment, I replied, “Ah, that can wait until after these two tasks are done,” and then continued.
“Second, I’m thinking of setting up a new base.”
I needed to prepare rooms for Mr. Luminous and Shōbu, and I wanted the individual rooms to be a bit larger.
Also, since several people had requested it, this was a good chance to build one of those larger bedrooms they were asking for.
Base reinforcement is a staple in games, so I was already feeling excited.
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