Jujutsushi 272.2
Chapter 272: Split Opinion 1
TL : Cnine
ED/PF :
R1[1-3], R2[4-6]
Part 4
Ryōko heaved a sigh. That was exactly right. If Shimokawa hadn’t brought up the unnecessary topic, they wouldn’t have had to take such a detour.
No, rather, the very fact that she had to deliberately reveal that the teleport function was unavailable was already a significant negative in Kotori’s eyes.
It was immediately clear from the information on the stone tablets that all the Fairy Plazas scattered across the lowest area had been destroyed and the teleportation magic circles had malfunctioned. However, giving too much information would only draw unnecessary suspicion.
Naturally, they should take their time to make a full sweep of the lowest area, confirming that all the Fairy Plazas had been destroyed and that teleportation to other areas was no longer possible… But they couldn’t afford to spend too much time on that.
Momokawa Kotaro. I absolutely must do whatever it takes to prevent that wretched shaman from returning.
She had already spent an entire month just gathering the cores needed to reach the lowest area. If she wasted any more time on top of that, he might’ve caught up with them.
Kotaro had Randou Kyouko with him as well. She excelled in both offence and defence, and could use alchemy too. With such a combination, there was no reason they couldn’t bolster their forces with Rem and the corpse doll and once again advance through the dungeon using conventional tactics to reach this point.
Above all, Kotaro possessed the core of Yamata no Orochi. Since he already held the key, a powerful core needed to reach the lowest level, the boss battle there would simply be bypassed.
Kotori weighed the risk of being suspected against the risk of Kotaro catching up to them, and chose the former.
「Hey, wait a minute. Is it really true that we can’t get out of here?」
And the risk she had taken for herself quickly manifested as a real problem.
Shimokawa once again dropped a bombshell into the class meeting, which had once more fallen into silence.
「Are you trying to say that Takanashi-san is lying?」
「Woopsie, don’t glare at me like that, Sōuma… I’m just asking a valid question here. Which do you think is safer: finding a back route to infiltrate the tower, or finding a way back up to the upper areas from here?」
「According to Kotori, all the Fairy Plazas in this lowest area have apparently been destroyed.」
「Maybe some of them are still intact, and there might even be a normal way to get them repaired. Even if there are hidden passages, Natsukawa might be able to find them.」
Even if Kotori wasn’t lying, there was still an extremely slim chance that something had been overlooked.
A careful way of speaking that deliberately didn’t make Kotori the villain———— Yet, for Kotori herself, it was more than enough to earn a grudge strong enough to want to kill Shimokawa on the spot.
「D-Don’t think that any path is open… This lowest area is sealed off.」
「That’s why we’re gonna check it out ourselves. Hey, you only just mentioned the paths being blocked, right? You’re not keeping that from us on purpose, are you?」
Shimokawa… this guy… he’s doubting Kotori. No mistake about it, he’s trying to trust Kotaro instead of Kotori.
That’s right, Kotori became certain after hearing Shimokawa’s question.
This guy was the source of trouble.
Come to think of it, the reason everyone so smoothly agreed with the escape plan was probably because he had been laying the groundwork. Just like Kotaro, he’d been cleverly coordinating and unifying opinions even before the class meeting started.
This is bad. I need to deal with Shimokawa immediately, or he’ll become the second shaman, a being who spreads curses and ensnares me, the sage chosen by God.
「H-Hiccup… S-So cruel… Why would you say something like that?」
Despite the surge of anger, she first resorted to her trademark move, fake crying.
In class, Kotori's image was that of a fragile girl who cries at the slightest thing. Rather than strongly defending herself when doubted, she cries first.
「Hey, Shimokawa, don’t you think you’ve gone a bit too far?」
「What do you mean, ‘gone too far’? Don’t tell me you’ve forgotten that Takanashi-san is in a position where she could be suspected?」
「You, are actually saying you suspect Takanashi-san at a time like this?!」
「Hey, Sōuma, try to understand, we’re scared too. What if what Momokawa said is true, and we’ve just been deceived all along?」
「That can’t possibly be true! It was him who poisoned everyone. Just so he could save himself!」
「So if you are insisting that Takanashi-san isn’t at fault, would that make us feel safe? This isn’t a matter of good or bad. Even if Momokawa’s claim that Takanashi-san is the mastermind was just nonsense… It’s only natural that hearing it would make us feel uneasy. And feeling that way doesn’t mean you’re weak or bad, are you trying to say it does?」
「Dammit!! That's...」
As expected, even Yuuto was at a loss for words hearing such sound argument.
It was easy to say that it’s your fault for not trusting Takanashi.
Yet their fear—the “what if” situation—was genuine, and he could not help but understand it. That was precisely why Yuuto could not simply blame Shimokawa.
「Yuuto, Shimokawa, both of you, calm down. I understand exactly what you’re trying to say. In a situation like this, doubting Takanashi isn’t right, but it’s only natural to feel uneasy and think, “What if…?”」
Yes, Ryōko, the Class Rep herself, was the first to suspect Takanashi. It was none other than her who conducted a body search immediately after the commotion, checking whether Kotori really had the antidote or not.
Naturally, the fact that no antidote was found in that search did not completely erase the suspicion towards Takanashi.
Outwardly, she must speak as if she supports both sides, yet Kotori was keenly aware that Ryōko still suspected her.
「I'm sorry for saying this but Takanashi, in the present situation, it’s difficult for everyone to place their complete trust in you. Everything you know, everything you’ve discovered, it must all be reported.」
「Y-yeah… you’re right… I’m sorry, Class Rep.」
"Damn it, damn it, blast it!" Though she uttered her apology through tears, Kotori’s gut seethed with rage.
It was Shimokawa, as expected. Had he not spoken out unnecessarily, there would have been no need to be pressed about revealing, after the fact, that the lowest-level area was sealed off.
Above all, this incident had effectively made it permissible to direct suspicion toward Kotori in public.
Not only would the scrutiny upon her grow harsher than ever, but being compelled to share the knowledge she possessed as a sage would become yet another chain binding Kotori.
Most likely, she could only get away with “I simply forgot to mention it” once. Losing the subtle yet crucial control over the timing of disclosing information was a significant blow.
From now on, she must reckon that, in effect, she could provide the class with no information at all.
However, if this led to the discovery of an escape route and the plan for everyone to flee on foot was adopted, her mission was doomed to fail. That would be utterly counterproductive.
Yet, if she strained herself only to be suspected and caught up to by Kotaro, her position would become even more precarious.
「So, Takanashi, is there anything else you’ve discovered? Please tell me everything you learned from examining that tablet.」
「Ugh… It’s true, the lowest level is sealed… There really isn’t anything else, I swear…」
「That sounds suspicious. Are you really telling the truth?」
Those words were probably just a casual remark from Shimokawa.
Yet there was no denying that it was, indeed, an unnecessary remark.
「Oi, Shimokawa, you’d better cut it out. You’re the sexual predator who attacked Kotori, after all.」
Shimokawa’s unnecessary remark pushed Asuna’s patience beyond its limit———— And as a result, a new bombshell was dropped into the class meeting.