Can Someone from a Tradition-Ridden Village Pull Off a Narou-Style Story in a Modern Dungeon? ～The Higher Being Behind Me Is Way Too Much of a Final Boss～ - Chapter 111: Changing, Aberration
-Thank you DCRangeRange, Dean Dexter and Cannedbread
Follow me on Patreon via Linktree https://linktr.ee/Mnotia-
Walking side by side with Ruu along the summer promenade.
The plain, featureless path at the foot of the mountain saw only the occasional elderly passerby.
In this sunlight, the shade of trees meant little, so simply walking like this could already be considered eccentric.
Yet, perhaps for that very reason, this was a surprisingly suitable place for conversations not meant to be overheard.
Though, the liberating feeling under the open blue sky did make one feel as if someone might be listening in.
"So, basically... wait, should I start over?"
"Go ahead."
"Right, so, the incredible god inside Senano-chan has been looping their reconciliation over and over."
Saying this, Ruu finished her explanation, ice cream in hand.
As if rewarding herself, she tossed the ice cream into her mouth and traced the clouds floating in the sky with the remaining wooden stick.
This was her fourth one, by the way.
"I-I see. I feel like I sort of understand and sort of don't... ''
"You're using polite speech again''
''...Sorry."
When Ruu pointed out his formal tone, Yoshinori bowed his head honestly.
Having the distance between them shortened like this made Yoshinori prone to pointless misunderstandings, so he wished she wouldn't, but the person in question seemed unaware, smiling contentedly.
"Well, a non-Enri bearer suddenly told something like that would be confused, right? Do you have any questions? I'll answer anything."
"Uh, um... then, first off."
"Here you go, Yoshinori-kun!"
When an unopened ice pop was thrust toward him, Yoshinori hesitated.
Then it was pushed on him even more, so after a brief word of thanks, he accepted it and asked his question.
"Why me? Ruu, you're an ally of Nene and the others, right? Then you could just tell them directly. If that's not possible, you could ask Nene, and she'd grab them by the scruff of the neck and pull them apart."
"Heh-heh, I knew you'd ask that! Just as expected!"
'Then maybe you should have explained it first?' Yoshinori thought, but kept it to himself.
Instead, as if swallowing his words, he put the ice pop into his mouth.
"I noticed the loop partway through and fought the god first, but I couldn't win! ...Ah, I didn't lose, okay? It was a draw! And so, they've got their eye on me, and my actions are being closely monitored."
"Monitored?"
Yoshinori looked around, but there was nothing that looked the part.
There were only the lush roadside trees and a bench with peeling paint.
"Ahahahaha, it's fine, it's fine. Senano-chan's god doesn't have that good an eye. ...It's just that if I get near those girls, I'll be found out. And then, no questions asked, it's back to square one. Phone calls and letters were no good either. I'm already out of moves by myself. And while we're looping, I can't go outside, so I can't ask other Enri bearers for help."
"So that's why me."
"Yeah!"
Ruu pulled out a new ice cream and nodded.
"You're their childhood friend, so you have a bit more sway with those two than some random background character, and on top of that, you're not under the god's surveillance. There aren't many people this perfectly suited, you know?"
"Hmm, I feel like I'm just being used because I happened to be in the right place..."
"Hahaha, I can't exactly deny that. Enri bearers aren't supposed to involve ordinary people. But this can't be helped. There will be compensation, after all."
"...Can I ask how much?"
"Enough that you won't need a part-time job until graduation. I'll promise you seven figures! Wahaha!"
(TL Note: a few million?! holy moly)
"Whoa!"
Partly because it was a mess caused by his childhood friend's older sister, but having a clear reward presented to him made Yoshinori fully motivated.
A mysterious summer experience plus cash.
There was no way a high school boy like him wouldn't bite.
"Somehow, I'm getting motivated!"
"Oh, that's great! Then, feel free to ask more questions!"
"Um... I understand that reconciling causes a loop, but what is the god thinking, doing such a thing?"
"Instead of probing deeper about the reward, you ask serious questions, impressive. ...The god is like a little child."
"A little child?"
It was an unexpected answer.
The gods Yoshinori imagined were all fearsome, all-powerful beings to be revered.
That was why he had arbitrarily imagined there must be some grand reason for this reconciliation loop.
"A child who repeats what made their parent happy. Senano-chan, when she reconciled with Ei-chan, must have been incredibly happy, enough that even the god could tell. So the god thought it would be nice if that happy feeling could be savored again and again, and took it upon itself to do a favor."
"........Eh."
"Right? It's a total turn-off, isn't it (lol)."
"You're talking like a complete outsider who isn't involved."
In fact, she probably was enjoying this somewhat.
Ruu's words lacked any tension.
As if recounting an amusing incident from the class next door, she explained this grand repetition of the world.
"Well, at this point, we just have to enjoy it. Plus, it's not like we're killing Senano-chan and the others. We just need to shift the timing of their reconciliation a little."
"Is that so?"
"Yeah. Even though it's a god, it's not omniscient or omnipotent. The loop only holds where all the conditions are met: a limited time, a fixed place. So what we have to do is super simple: just keep their fight and reconciliation ambiguous until tomorrow."
"So if they don't make up and we reach tomorrow, they'll be freed from the loop."
"That's right!"
Ruu nodded and, as if it were a reward, handed over another ice pop.
Since Yoshinori hadn't finished his first one, he naturally ended up holding one in each hand.
(She's got what looks like an expensive ice cream, and mine's the bargain kind you buy by the box...)
He couldn't complain since he was getting it for free, and was even grateful, but for some reason, he couldn't quite accept it.
"So, what exactly should I do to help? Should I try to explain the situation to Nene?"
"That's not a bad idea, but it's more of a last resort. I'd hate for you, Yoshinori-kun, to end up unable to interfere with the three sisters like me."
"I see. Then what do we do?"
"Fufufu... I, the genius Enri bearer Harume Ruu, have thought of something good~"
Saying this, Ruu grinned fearlessly.
Yoshinori had idly imagined that a plan from an Enri bearer would be something cool, but the words she spoke next stopped his thoughts dead.
"You. Confess to Nene."
"................????"
"If we're gonna make everything vague, you hit it with something even bigger!"
"Me?"
"Yeah."
"To her?"
"Yeah!"
"I confess?"
"Yeah!!"
"Are you crazy?!"
"But with this, neither Senano-chan nor Ei-chan will be in any state to keep fighting, you know? It's a way more interesting event than the three sisters' usual quarrels, right?"
"No, no, give me a break... Isn't there some other method... Hm?"
In the middle of the conversation, Yoshinori suddenly realized something.
(Quarrels between the three sisters must have happened plenty of times before. And yet, would just this one reconciliation make her so abnormally happy? Happy enough for a god to notice?)
Was it really just a simple fight?
Maybe the thing smoldering underneath was exactly what should be resolved—he thought this, wanting to avoid the confession.
But his thoughts were cut off by a cold sensation running down his cheek.
"Hyah!?"
"Ahahahaha, you sound like a girl~. I'm so sending this to Nene."
"Absolutely do not!? More importantly, am I really going to confess!?"
"Yep. That'll solve everything, and I'll get to tease Nene... I mean, no, this is the absolute best method as an Enri bearer!"
"I wonder about that..."
Still not fully convinced, Yoshinori was swept along by her momentum and reluctantly agreed.
She was a specialist, after all, so it probably wasn't wrong.
"Alright, once it's decided, we act immediately. If we don't hurry, we'll be late for the ocean stuff!"
"The ocean...?"
"Yeah. I'm in high demand, you know—I've got work at the ocean too. We won't make it in time for the tide-weeping!"
Yoshinori was intrigued by the unfamiliar term, but quickly remembered what was most important to him.
"A confession... Am I really going to confess... Somehow, this isn't how I imagined saving the world..."
"Do your best! It's youth, right!"
"A confession tangled up with this much outside baggage is not youth."
Yoshinori's perfectly reasonable opinion was blown away by a bright, carefree laugh.
Under the blue sky, only Ruu's laughter echoed.
At the very least, for Yoshinori, it was no laughing matter.
『Oh... So that's how you'll come at me. Very well, then I shall accept your challenge.』
『What came? Hey, what are you accepting the challenge for? Hey——』
-Thank you DCRangeRange, Dean Dexter and Cannedbread
Follow me on Patreon via Linktree https://linktr.ee/Mnotia-