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 131: Joining Forces

-Thank you DCRangeRange, Dean Dexter and Cannedbread
Follow me on Patreon via Linktree https://linktr.ee/Mnotia-

The only light illuminating the dim room came from three monitors.

On the curtain rail, which looked like it had been shut for who knows how long, heavy dust had gathered and piled up like a mountain.

The strange thing was that dust had piled up only in that spot.

As if it were saying there was no need to ever open them, the curtains remained closed.

And beyond the curtains, in place of a window――a wall.

In a room where sunlight would absolutely never shine in, the girl brushed the bags under her eyes, turned her face away from the monitors, and looked toward the door.

"……Yako, you're back."

The girl with unkempt black hair growing down to her waist――Happou Fusagi buried her body in a bead cushion.

Her limbs were so thin they seemed to prove her unhealthiness, and the bags under her eyes looked as if they had been carved there.

She wore an ill-fitting T-shirt and thin shorts, a completely slovenly getup.

"Welcome back, Yako. You were pretty late. Did you need a curse that strong?"

In response to the sound of the door opening, Happou Fusagi muttered while staring blankly at the ceiling.

But the voice that came back was unexpected.

"Long time no see, Happou Fusagi."

"……Huh?"

When she timidly looked toward the voice, there was the familiar white box, and besides it, a woman in a long coat who exuded intimidation.

There were several people behind her too, but they did not matter to Happou Fusagi.

For Happou Fusagi, that woman's visit was the biggest event of all.

"Nene-saaan! Huh, you're already here!? Whoa…… w-wait a sec. I haven't changed clothes yet!"

"I don't mind. Roomwear is fine.……More importantly, Happou Fusagi."

Nene stared fixedly at Happou Fusagi and said this.

"You've trained. The quality of your curse has improved."

"~!? Really!? Geez, I'm so happy!"

"Okay, Hacchan, let's get you changed first.……Hey, thieving cat and merry companions, wait in the living room over there."

"Mm."

Nene led Ei and the others away and disappeared.

Yako, who had glared to the end at her as she headed deeper down the hallway, once she confirmed that everyone had gone to the living room, approached Happou Fusagi again.

"You didn't read my message, did you? I told you I was coming, so at least you should have dressed properly."

"Ugh, sorry, Yako. I was just so worried about the new residents."

On the monitor she pointed to, footage from the hallway security cameras on each floor was displayed.

There were various everyday scenes: children running down the hallway, housewives chatting about trivial matters, and young people struggling to carry in large furniture.

The only strange thing was probably that everyone was wearing a box.

"It looked like you got pretty hurt on this request, so I wanted you to rest.……That's why I was watching."

"You're so kind! I love you!"

"Ahaha……Yako is as energetic as ever.……All right, then I'll get changed. It's been a while since I wore an Enri Bearer uniform. Where did I put it?"

"It's in that closet over there――"

Saying that, Yako ran off to the closet.

Out of the corner of her eye, Happou Fusagi looked beyond the curtains.

There should have been nothing but a wall there, but she could see that thing beyond it.

A sea like sludge, dyeing blacker and blacker.

And drifting at its center, something equal to her own curse.

"……I'm glad you came, Nene-san."

With relief, Happou Fusagi threw her body onto the bead cushion again.

Before long, a uniform fell over her face.

■

This room……is kind of weird.

『Ei, did you notice?』

『Yeah. I get it, Sora.』

It seemed Sora had also noticed the true nature of the discomfort.

Yes, this room 888 has no windows……!

I never thought that alone would make it this suffocating!

『That is an unhealthy boku girl. As expected of an S Rank. Quite the content, indeed……!』

『Honestly, I don't really care about that.』

『……＾＾』

『I am interested! But right now, won't you let me discuss this petty discomfort of mine!』

『I'll settle for an erotic white-robed bathing scene.』

『Equivalent exchange, huh. Fine.』

Sora had said that in an era before currency systems, along with barter, transactions through content exchange had also flourished.

So this was a legitimate means of transaction.

『About this room 888, I can't find a single window……!』

『Well, it is a box, after all.』

『……Ah, you already know something?』

『Of course I know.＾＾ The mechanism itself is an old-fashioned cursed object. This is a curse that starts from seeing. By making the room's resident observe only those mock humans, it increases its power and stabilizes it……yes, it is a very well-designed curse. 』

『As expected, Sora knows everything.』

『Yes. So I can also flexibly accommodate the Ei confinement route. Confinement in a windowless underground, or conversely, confinement under an endlessly continuing sky, both are possible.』

『I'd like a course correction before we go down that route.』

『Don't you think a crossdressing shrine maiden confinement is honestly erotic!?』

『Don't get excited, come back.』

Osora-sama is already hopeless.

They have become a monster that gets excited by finding content on their own.

There are quite a few works where gods become monsters due to the decline or change of faith, but to think there's also a pattern where they become monsters because of content.

"Does everyone want something to drink?"

Master asked us that as we waited in the living room.

She was quite familiar with the place, or rather, it was as if it were her own home.

"Orange juice!"

"Ah, I'd like mineral water!"

"You two, how can you ask so honestly?……Master, I'm fine."

"U-urp……me too……"

"Got it."

Master walked heavily and slowly toward the refrigerator.

And then, without any reservation, she began rummaging around noisily.

Looking closely, the refrigerator had 『Friends Only!』 written on it in pop-style lettering.

"……Mm, sorry, Ei. There was mineral water, but there was nothing else but this."

What was placed in front of me when she said that was an energy drink.

That thing young people have when staying up late.

Maybe I'll try drinking it after a long time.

"Wow, that's kind of a cool juice. May I have this?"

"Yeah."

Then, without hesitation-

"Wait, Ei."

"……Huh?"

While I was scratching at the pull tab with my fingertip to open it, Senano-chan stopped me with a serious expression.

Before I even had time to ask what was going on, she took it from me.

"Master, what will you do if Ei can't sleep at night!? This kind of thing is still too early for Ei!"

"Are you their parent?"

"Ei, this is the kind of thing bad people drink, so you mustn't drink it!"

"I-is that so……?"

"Yes. If you drink it……all your teeth will dissolve."

"Eek."

I moved away from the energy drink and cowered exaggeratedly.

And instead of Senano, who was holding the juice, I clung to Shio, who was lying face-down on the desk nearby.

"Shio-san, is that an Aberrant Entity!?"

"Uegh!? Hey, don't shake me! U-urp……"

"If you drink it, your teeth dissolve…… I mean, then does Happou Fusagi-san have no teeth!?"

"…………S Ranks' teeth don't dissolve."

"I see……! Amazing……!"

I nodded while pretending to be an idiot.

Good grief, acting pure and innocent isn't easy either.

『Oh, if you want to drink it, I can make you an Osora drink? It's a sparkly-eyed drink made by swirling Aberrant Entities around!』

『I'll pass.』

『There's also an injection type, you know?』

『I'll pass even more!』

Who would accept a proposal to inject Aberrant Entities into their body?

"――Sorry for making you wait."

Just as Sora was about to make another proposal, a hoarse voice reached my ears.

When I looked, there stood Happou Fusagi-chan wearing an Enri Agency black suit.

『Ho, an unhealthy boku girl in a black suit, huh.』

Sora was also groaning about something else.

Please behave yourself already, Master.

"Everyone, sorry for the wait! How is it? When Hacchan dresses sharply like this, she looks cool, right!? My Hacchan is cool, right!"

"She's cool!"

"Right!? Ei-chan really gets it!……Compared to that, thieving cat, what's with you? Don't go all sulky."

"I'm used to seeing it. There's no need to say again now that it suits you."

At Master's words, Happou Fusagi-chan looked startled and hung her head.

Fidgeting like that is cute.

"Th-thank you……"

"Thieving cat! Don't seduce Hacchan!"

"I'm not."

"N-now, enough about me!……More importantly, let's talk about work."

"So serious and wonderful……"

Could it be that Yako-chan is also quite an odd girl?

"Originally, we planned to relocate this Maison de Hakkai and withdraw as soon as Nene-san arrived. Just in case, we prepared handover documents too, but……"

"Did something happen?"

"Yeah."

Happou Fusagi-chan held up three fingers.

"We've already dealt with that thing in the sea three times. But it won't disappear. So, to prevent further expansion, we decided to instead gather all the material people on this side, but……"

Still wearing an expression as if it did not sit right with her, Happou Fusagi-chan said this.

"That might not be the Tide-Weeping Shrine Maiden……"

-Thank you DCRangeRange, Dean Dexter and Cannedbread
Follow me on Patreon via Linktree https://linktr.ee/Mnotia-