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 117: The Cycle Ends
-Thank you DCRangeRange, Dean Dexter and Cannedbread
Follow me on Patreon via Linktree https://linktr.ee/Mnotia-
Under this artificially created blazing heat, we arrived home somewhat wilted.
To be precise, only Yoshinori-kun and I were wilted; Master didn’t change expression at all and was only faintly sweating.
...Come to think of it, when she came to help before, she was dressed in a way that didn’t seem like summer.
Does she have a body far superior to a fake human and a calamity-lord-class pseudo-medium...!?
That would mean... I’m losing to a mere human...!?
『Sora, I’m frustrated.』
『Why so suddenly?』
Unusually, Sora raised a bewildered voice.
Could it be that the time has come for me to surpass this child in content power...!?
『I was thinking I want inhuman power as a pseudo-medium that wouldn’t lose to this level of heat.』
『But then comparison would become impossible.』
『Comparison?』
『In order to stage the production of you, eroded by my power, gradually losing your functions as a human, the current you is necessary.』
『You even surpass me with perfectly logical reasoning, huh.』
Apparently, from now on I am to be deprived even of the right to feel heat.
Good grief, Osora-sama’s freewheeling ways are troublesome.
『Let’s graduate from being human little by little.』
『So graduation comes in small increments, huh.』
I’d be happy if you’d leave me my senses of taste, sight, and hearing until the end (greedy).
"Finally here... It’s hot, after all."
"Yes... Nene-oneechan seems fine, but are you all right?"
"I’m fine. I once went running along the edge of hell. That was good. ...Because I was able to train myself in pain so intense it felt like my body was being grated and scorched."
"Ha ha ha, just how brutal was the club you helped out with?"
No, that’s definitely true, Yoshinori-kun...
Your girlfriend probably possesses top-class, absurdly dangerous combat ability and physical specs among humans.
Her spec sheet is like that of a tokusatsu hero.
"Well, we’ll do training for you two to get used to this heat later— hm?"
As if noticing something, Master stopped with her hand reaching toward the door.
From the wrinkles gathering between her brows, a strange bad premonition pressed in on me, but I could only ask innocently.
"What’s wrong, Nene-oneechan?"
"Something unpleasant has gotten in. Hurry!"
Saying that, Master kicked the door down as if opening it would be too much time, and disappeared into the house.
Yoshinori-kun and I could only stand there with our mouths open, dumbfounded.
"Ehh..."
"I wonder if I can keep dating her from now on... I need to train my body..."
What dragged the two of us from bystanders back into participants was a surprised voice from deep in the hallway.
"—Wah, wha, wh-what!?"
"Ah, that’s Senano-oneechan’s voice."
"Of course she’d be surprised."
Unlike Master, we properly took off our shoes at the entrance and went inside.
And when we reached the living room, Master came out as we were entering.
In her hand she was holding her own shoes. Her shoes are huge too...
"Senano got mad at me and said no shoes inside..."
"I’d expect that."
"Right."
Also, if she finds out about the door being destroyed, I think she’ll be angry too.
"Honestly, what is going on... Oh, Ei’s back too."
"Yes, I’m home."
"It must have been hot outside. There are ice pops, so you can have one."
Senano-chan beckoned me over with a little wave.
In her hand was a very enticing red ice pop.
"Wow! Really!? Yes, it was so hot outside...! Even if it was to see the scene where Yoshinori-san confesses to Nene-oneechan, I’m exhausted."
"W-Wait, Ei-chan, I’m not mentally ready for you to say that—"
Ignoring Yoshinori-kun’s words, I ran over to Senano-chan.
And received the ice pop she had.
"Just so you know, don’t eat too many, okay?"
"Yes!"
I tore open the wrapper with a smile.
The key point here is to open it with brute force.
By doing this, I can also stage Ei’s bratty kid vibe.
...But still, this is strange.
Senano-chan is interacting with me normally...?
『Sora, Senano-chan is acting strange. She gave me an ice pop. Just like before.』
『Isn’t that a good thing?』
『It certainly is a good thing, but my Senano-chan Simulator ver1.04 never calculated this result. Senano-chan, who can’t be honest even while worrying about me, should have left this place. At the very least, she wouldn’t smile watching me stuff my face with an ice pop! Who are you?!』
『Hoh... Ei, you’ve developed a rather good eye. Then how do you see this situation?』
『...I don’t know!』
『Hmm, a failing grade.』
『But until now she moved exactly as I predicted, and I was able to guide her perfectly with my acting. Suddenly I can’t predict her anymore!』
『I see. I hear that’s a common worry among content-intuition types.』
『That phrasing implies there are also logic/reasoning factions...?』
『I am one.』
『?』
『?』
If I dig deeper into this, it’ll be troublesome in its own way, so I’ll leave it aside for now!
Anyway, I can tell something about Senano-chan is off, but I can’t tell more than that!
Damn, at this point I have no choice but to ask directly.
With my innocent pretty-girl (♂) act, I’ll lay Senano-chan’s heart bare...!
"Senano-oneechan... um, are you not angry?"
Timidly, I looked up at her from below to gauge her mood.
Until just a little while ago, I could understand it as if holding it in my hand, but now I can’t see Senano-chan’s heart.
Frankly, it’s a little scary!
"Angry... hmm."
Senano-chan patted my head and smiled gently.
It was, far too much, the same smile as always.
"Sorry, Ei. Once I was alone, I had a little time to think... I realized this couldn’t go on."
It was a surprisingly admirable reason.
I had assumed there was some weird content setup at play again, but Senano-chan was just being a decent human being. Sorry for doubting you!
"So, let’s make up."
"Wha...!?"
"Yes!"
Yoshinori-kun, for some reason surprised that we had been fighting, looked tense.
Why are you surprised? She’s seriously suggesting we make up, you know?
■
The moment Senano saw Yoshinori’s reaction, she immediately understood that he was someone on her side.
(So that’s the collaborator Fuefuki mentioned.)
A few minutes before Nene and the others returned, Fuefuki and Senano had already finished sharing their plan.
In that plan, the local collaborator Fuefuki had mentioned several times.
Senano had wondered what a local collaborator could mean in a world composed of a fake called ZONE, but seeing Yoshinori made it clear.
(I’m sure separating Master was part of the plan too. It seems he even knows that making up causes the loop. But maybe he hasn’t been told anything beyond that.)
As if to confirm what was coming next, Senano repeated Fuefuki’s words in her head.
『The key to the loop isn’t exactly the making up, but the movement of the heart at that moment. So what you need to do is simple: carve into your brain just how foolish you were as an existence, and simply don’t feel joy over something like making up.』
The plan Fuefuki brought was exceedingly simple.
It was merely an improvement in awareness of emotional subtleties.
Precisely because of that, it would be achieved without preparation, easily, and naturally.
Simply by trampling on Senano’s heart and betraying Ei’s trust, the first key of that loop had already been destroyed.
『All that’s left is to get through today. That said, if you stay like that, you might easily actually make up, so I’ll give you a little help too.』
Without feeling joy at making up with Ei, she would greet tomorrow.
For that purpose, the help arranged on Fuefuki’s side was also exceedingly simple.
『Night will come soon.』
As if proving the words stuck in her mind, the blue sky began to be dyed black.
Blurring, as if to swallow everything.
"Wha, what is this...!? Senano-san, the sky...!"
"Tch, what was my confession all about?"
Facing the panicking pair, Senano calmly patted Ei’s head and said.
"Night has simply come."
In the eyes that gazed at Ei, there was no unease.
Now, she would simply do what she had to do.
-Thank you DCRangeRange, Dean Dexter and Cannedbread
Follow me on Patreon via Linktree https://linktr.ee/Mnotia-