After a fierce battle, we succeeded in defeating Behemoth.
Our party now held thirteen “Return Rights” between us.
For the record, the breakdown was this: I had three, Senjuu, Shinhou, and Professor Luminous each had two, Soushi, Shiine, Seina, and Genchu had one each, while Junmei and Roa had zero.
As for Shiine’s share, that was a right I transferred to her.
Professor Luminous’s second one came with a bonus for keeping her on the party roster.
Apparently, it gets added directly to her personal count.
I’ll have to transfer some of my excess shares to the others later so everyone gets their cut.
Starting now, we’ll be left with surplus rights, though. What do I do with them? It’s a luxurious problem to have.
Upon returning from the white void, our first instinct was to reunite with the rest of the team, but—
The moment the group that had been flying descended to the ground, Momo, who was riding High Row, announced, “Ryoka-chan wants us to throw a celebration party!”
Given how unlikely it is for her to risk putting her main body in danger, that must have been an avatar.
She was a beautiful girl with black hair styled in a two-side updo, accented with pink inner color.
She seems like the kind of person who would pull off地雷系 fashion.
“Mm-hmm. Toasting this victory? I’m in.”
Kenki nodded with a satisfied expression on his face.
“W-well… I’m not really big on loud, rowdy crowds, so I’ll just keep to myself in the corner and be quiet…”
Inimori was the one who responded in a tiny voice.
“Don’t talk like that! You’re no less of a key contributor than the rest of us.”
Kenki gave Inimori’s back a gentle pat.
“I-ike… please don’t assume everyone can keep up with the athletic club vibe…”
Inimori looked troubled, though not exactly resistant.
Perhaps, as one of the valuable combat members of the Seiou party, they had built up a fair amount of rapport over time. “A post-victory bash!
Sweet!”
The first to react within our own party was Moyo.
Hearing this, I asked Momo.
“A post-victory bash… for both our party and Seiou’s, right?”
“Yeah. …You okay with that?”
Momo clasped her lightly clenched fists against her chin, looking up at me with glistening eyes.
It was the kind of coquettish pose only women seem to get away with.
Even knowing it was just an act, its devastating power to unsettle him was, I suppose, impressive.
“You don’t have to do that. I’m going to join in anyway. Yoko, calm down.”
“Yoko says stop! Eeeeh? Chiyu-chan is being mean~”
Momo clung to my arm and put on a fake cry.
Complete with the gesture of cupping her hands over her eyes.
Chiyu watched me with emotionless eyes.
Chiyu was someone who had the tolerance to accept a harem, but maybe she disliked this kind of theatrics.
“Ah… Momo. Can we decide about the after-party once we’ve reunited with the others?”
Even as I tried to gently pry her away, Momo didn’t budge.
“Mm-hmm. Then I’ll wait here.”
Chiguyu stared at me without blinking, Shoushi was puffing out her cheeks in indignation, Fukaho had wrinkles forming around his eyes, the teacher cast a reproachful gaze with a look that suggested she preferred younger students, Seriina made an ominous comment asking if sealing the main body inside the barrier allowed its clones to exit, and Genchu, back to his human form, lowered his sad eyes.
Jealousy certainly breeds even within close-knit groups, but Momo belonged to a different team.
Only Kenki nodded with an impressed “huh…,” while Inimori shrouded in a gloomy atmosphere was muttering under his breath about something.
This was bad; I tried to pull her away more forcefully than before, just then— “Kyaa! W-what!”
Micron bit the collar of Momo’s uniform and hoisted her up.
“W-w-wait! Are you giving orders, Shoushi-chan? I oppose violence!”
“No. I think Micron is just jealous because he loves Souzou so much.”
As Momo screamed and flailed, her uniform rose up, exposing her white belly and tiny navel.
“Aah, enough! I get it, put me down!”
Micron gave a quick jerk of its head to release his grip.
“Pyai!”
Letting out a strange shriek, Momo landed on her backside.
It was a sandy beach so the impact wasn’t severe, but she must have been pretty startled.
「Ugh, I hate this desert island! I just want to go back to my old life.
I want the guys fawning over me, getting tons of likes on SNS, and actually feeling the world’s love!」 「Your true self is showing, Yūko.」
「If you’re hurt, show us. Let’s see, Yūko.」
“Yeah, both Seina-chan and Chiyu-chan are disliked too!”
Momo turned her head away with a huff.
Momo, who was used to being adored in Japan, seemed to have landed in the role of the group’s butt here.
「I’m not trying to defend Momo, but if she hates it, isn’t it okay to at least change how you call her?」
Honestly getting a little sorry for her, I couldn’t help but interject.
「Sugoi, Sōsuke-kun! You’re so sweet!」
Momo sprang back to life instantly and darted toward us, but Mikuro blocked her advance.
“Goodness.”
「You’re right. But if she hates it, we should just say it. Maybe teasing her was a bit childish. Sorry, Momo.
I hate you.」 Seina said with a smile.
「Apologize without hurting her!」
Since Momo seemed totally into the vibe, maybe this was just how they handled their distance.
In the midst of that conversation, Shiin, Loa, and Unme arrived on Mashiro.
“I’d love to be part of the celebration too.”
“If it’s a gathering to thank everyone for their hard work, I would be more than happy to help out.”
“Me too! But wait, is it okay for me to participate even though I didn’t really do anything?”
It seemed like the three of them were feeling a bit down about not having much of a role in this event, but I think they’re perfect for this kind of task.
Aside from Shiine’s cooking and Roa’s hard work, Runa’s abilities are incredibly popular with the girls, and her sunny disposition helps out quite a lot in many situations.
In any case, no one opposed it, so everyone ended up being included.
“If possible, I’d like to invite Tenporin and… probably just Hida, but that might be difficult.”
“Tenporin-kun has a bit of trouble with girls, doesn’t he? And didn’t Hida-kun take the last flight?”
“Yeah. Besides, it’s pretty far from here.”
“Should we ask Mashiro to pick them up?”
Maiko offered the idea, but…
“Hmm, maybe it’s better not to this time? A lot of the girls in our group have become averse to men.”
I see. The Sehou Party has a past where they were harassed by men who had lost their reason.
“Is it too late to ask, but am I alright?”
“Sousuke-kun’s been giving us all kinds of support. Plus, Suzuka-chan managed to persuade everyone, so it’ll be fine.”
Seiho was trying to poach me for her party.
As a preparatory step, she had apparently worked on cultivating the right atmosphere among the team members to accept me by spreading favorable explanations about me.
Given that they actually received material supplies and witnessed the healthy-looking shogatsu (summoned beasts) firsthand, the argument was extremely persuasive, I was told.
“Hmm. Well then, how about we just drop in on you guys alone today?”
By the way, once they realized that the monsters were specifically targeting only those with the “Right of Return,” the search for the other male students was called off.
We haven’t been able to confirm it yet, but they are probably safe as well.
“That would be great. If so, could everyone come to Momo’s and the others’ base?”
Our group, which includes three Illusion Beasts and Black Dragon Miyo, has superior mobility.
It’s easier for us to go over there anyway, and there’s no reason to object.
“Sousuke-kun, since we’re going that far, I’d like some beef.”
At Chiyu’s proposal, I nodded in agreement.
“That’s right. We’ll hunt our way there. Though I’m guessing we’re going to have to lean on Mashiro pretty heavily.”
“Mashiro said, ‘Leave it to me!’”
“Did Mashiro actually sound like that?”
As I gave a wry smile, Shouko let out a sharp, rattling laugh.
It was probably just a joke after all.
“Oh right. Before we head out, let’s transfer our ‘Return Rights’.”
“Regarding that matter, please allow us to transfer both of your rights, Sensei. We have no intention of returning before the students do. Besides, one of them came from a bonus anyway.”
“Luminasun, there’s no need for that.”
“But I’m holding two, just like Chiiru and Fuhou are.”
Chiiru and Fuhou said the same, but Sensei wouldn’t budge.
“You two… it’s a blessing, and sheer luck, that you’ve become such exceptional students to guide. But please, let me handle this.”
As Sensei Luminasun spoke through tears, Chiiru and Fuhou finally relented.
While I was still trying to find an opening to interject, the matter somehow resolved itself.
And when Lumina-sensei attempted to transfer the ‘Return Rights’ to Loah and Junga, she paused, tilting her head.
“Oh…?”
“Um, sensei? You can only transfer multiple ‘Return Rights’ if you possess more than one, so I believe you can only transfer one at a time.”
“Oh, right. That’s why it failed when I tried to transfer them to both of you simultaneously…”
Sensei slumped in a way that sounded like a heavy thud hitting the floor.
“Then how about this, sensei? I’ll transfer one of my ‘Return Rights’ to you, and you go ahead and transfer them to the two students as planned.”
“But that would mean you’d have to cover for one of them, Kouno-kun…”
“Yeah, so please give it back to me next time.”
If I had one extra ‘Return Right,’ I could transfer the right to the students.
Since Sensei was around, there would likely be opportunities to earn the bonus shares in the future, so I could just have her return the surplus rights to me at that time.
Hearing this, Lumina-sensei’s eyes went wide, but soon she flashed a gentle smile.
“Thank you, Kouno-kun. I’ll take you up on that offer.”
“Yes.”
So, I transferred one of my ‘Return Rights’ to sensei. I was left with two remaining.
And the teacher transferred two ‘Return Rights’ to the students. One remained.
The two who received the transfer froze for an instant.
They had been summoned into the white space.
Then, they suddenly came to their senses.
The usage was on hold, and consciousness returned to them.
With that, everyone had been distributed a ‘Return Right’.
Among them, Chiayu, Shinpou, and I ended up with two each.
“Ikuno-kun, we will absolutely pay you back for this, okay?”
The teacher said it with a gentle face, much like praising a student for excellent grades.
“Since it’s the teacher, you should be able to acquire one in the next event, right?”
“Yes sir/ma’am!”
And so, the matter was resolved.
Now then, what shall we do with the one surplus ‘Return Right’ at this point?
I’m told that if it’s left unused while in possession, it will be converted into points in the result of the return, so it wouldn’t go to waste.
Precisely because it won’t be a waste, I start to wonder if it’s really okay for just me to have an extra one.
Into my ear, Chiayu leaned in to speak.
“It’s okay to share the girls who take your fancy with So-kun.”
My childhood friend said something like that again.
Given that he’s sleeping with eight women excluding Genchu, he really has no business saying such things. But seriously, what the hell does he think people are?
…No, actually, considering how many there already are, isn’t it more natural for Chiyu to be worried about even more being added?
” …Is it okay with you, Chiyu?”
Out of curiosity, I asked.
I’d asked before, but this was just a reconfirmation.
“Mm. It’s only honorable that So-kun becomes popular. Besides, given the circumstances this time, expanding the harem isn’t a bad thing either.”
”…What do you mean?”
“You must already know, So-kun.”
It seemed that the same thought had taken root in Chiyu’s mind as well.
”…Ah, let’s talk about it later.”
“Mm. Right now, we’re just making a fool of ourselves at this celebration.”
“Hey, don’t you call your own shenanigans ‘making a fool of ourselves’?”
And because Chiyu said it with a deadpan expression, the inconsistency created a strangely amusing effect.
“Hurry up and go, Sousei-kun!”
Momo wrapped herself around my arm.
Thinking that Mikuron should have been guarding us, I looked in her direction to find one of the enemies blocked by her.
Had they multiplied again?
Being able to create clones from clones felt like a serious cheat ability.
How many could it possibly produce at maximum?
Curiosity aside, for now, we needed to move.
Mikuron had myself, Chiyu, Shion, and Fuhō with her.
Mashiro was with Yobiko, Yorina, Inimori, Tsurugi, and Momo.
Highrow had Roa, Juna, Sensei Luminas, and Genchu.
We split up that way and departed.
I wanted to discuss the awakened abilities and our next moves with everyone, but I’d have to leave it for later.
At the very least, they deserved time to celebrate taking down such a giant monster.
Please support Part 4 as well……!!!!
The book version is also currently on sale, so if you haven’t picked it up yet, please do!!!
A request to all readers
If reading this work has, even in the slightest,
“If you found it interesting,” “If you’re dying for the next part,” or “If you’re yelling ‘Write it, dammit!!!,’” then:
・Add it to your bookmarks
And under the section at the bottom of the page, “Support the author with points,”
please change ☆☆☆☆☆ to ★★★★★
Your support gives me the motivation to keep updating!!
Thank you!!!