Kono Sekai ga Game da to, Ore dake ga Shitte Iru (WN) – Chapter 137

“Um…”

After locking the door with a key and magic, I sat down opposite Ena, only to immediately find myself at a loss for words. Ena, sitting across from me, looked visibly\] nervous. I tried to think of something else to say, looking at her, and finally remembered what her outfit was.

“Is that… the ‘Angel’s Robe’?”

“Y-yes! Tiel gave it to me as a present, she said it would be good to have something like this.”

The Angel’s Robe is an equippable piece of armor, sold in shops and of the same rank as Mithril equipment. While it doesn’t match Mithril gear in defense, it boasts the highest magic defense among the armors available in Ramur. Against enemies who primarily use magic, it’s more effective than Mithril gear, so it’s certainly not a disadvantage to own both. Moreover, it’s undoubtedly more comfortable to wear at home than armor.

“But you knew so much about magic-user equipment.”

“W-well, you know.”

The fame of the Angel’s Robe comes less from its stats and more from its design. In “Nekoneko,” when characters are unequipped, an inner garment called an “undergarment” appears. To increase skin exposure, one needs to wear equipment with less fabric. Some gentlemen in “Nekoneko” became obsessed with excavating “erotic gear” with a dangerous amount of fabric, like swimsuits with scanty coverage, and their findings were, naturally, compiled in the “Nekomeko Wiki.”

In fact, the Angel’s Robe Ena is wearing right now is listed on it. It’s not overtly erotic, but despite its innocent appearance, the fabric is thin and the hem is short, making it quite famous in certain circles.

…I myself put it on Tiel with my first playthrough’s data. Not that there was any ulterior motive; it was simply the strongest magic-user armor available for sale in Ramur, and there was absolutely no impure motivation involved. Yes, but honestly, I did think the chest area was a bit revealing.

(In that sense, Ena is the safest.)

If Tiel were wearing the Angel’s Robe in this world, I honestly doubt I could look directly at her, but Ena, on the other hand, would be fine. Her lack of chest and sex appeal is something I, having spent time with her in Ramur, know best.

(Ah, just as I thought…)

And looking at it now, it was indeed as I expected. Even though the robe should be tailored to her body size, the chest area is baggy. As expected, “Ordinary Train” isn’t just a name. Perhaps because the fabric is loose there, the neckline is pulled open quite a bit. Her slightly flushed skin is exposed defenselessly, and I saw it gently rise and fall with Ena’s sighs, and I involuntarily swallowed… wait? Without realizing it, I had become entranced by Ena.

N-no, this is impossible, it must be a mistake. Mustering my willpower, I averted my gaze slightly upwards.

“Ah, ahh…”

Our eyes met, and Ena, flushed even redder than before, looked at me. She knew exactly where I had been looking.

“Ah, um, just now…!”

I tried to come up with an excuse, but honestly, there was no way to explain what just happened.

“—!”

Ena let out a silent scream and hid her face as if burying herself in the cushion she was holding. As if that weren’t enough, she shook her head and kicked her legs, but each movement caused the hem of her robe to flash, revealing glimpses of white skin. Seeing her fidgeting and rubbing her thighs, and her white legs kicking about from beneath the hem, made me feel strange. This wouldn’t do. I mobilized all my mental energy and raised my gaze. My eyes fixed on the only harmless object in sight: the floral cushion Ena clutched. It was a rectangular, slightly large cushion, looking undeniably soft. “This must be a good cushion,” I thought, desperately trying to divert my attention from Ena.

After staring at the cushion for a while, both my heart and Ena gradually calmed down. Ena peeked at me from behind the cushion.

…Is it about time? I waited for Ena’s gaze to fully meet mine and then spoke, trying my best to be gentlemanly and bring up a neutral topic.

“Hey, Ena. Can I touch that for a bit?”

“…Huh?”

It must have been an unexpected request. Ena’s gaze flickered between me and the cushion she was hugging.

“Honestly, I’ve been curious about it since I first saw it. I’ll just touch it a little, I won’t do anything too rash.”

I pleaded further. Ena, perhaps shocked, hugged the cushion tighter, distorting its shape. Seeing that, my conviction grew.

(Just as I thought!)

The cushion Ena was holding, I suspect it’s made of what we’d call ‘memory foam’ today. “Nekoneko” has a medieval setting, but it also incorporates modern technology in many aspects, such as a monetary system that feels like electronic money and building facilities. Ena’s cushion is likely one of those. Pillows and cushions made with memory foam are abundant even today, but unfortunately, I’ve never used one. If Ena’s cushion is like that, I’d like to investigate what it’s like, and it might also provide a starting point to break this awkward atmosphere.

Receiving my expectant gaze, Ena nodded as if she had made up her mind. After taking a few deep breaths to calm herself, she said, “Um… please be gentle, okay?” She slowly, ever so slowly, pushed the cushion she had been pressing to her chest towards me. Then, when the cushion was completely detached from her chest, she uttered in a strained voice, “…Here.”

Her strangely serious attitude bothered me, but there was no point in hesitating now. I leaned towards Ena and said, “Alright, I’m touching it.”

“…Ah.”

After confirming once more, I reached out to the cushion. Could this cushion be something important to Ena? Ena didn’t lower the hand offering the cushion, but her whole body tensed, and she tightly shut her eyes. I plunged my hand in without hesitation.

“It’s so soft…!”

Touching the cushion, I involuntarily exclaimed in surprise. So this is memory foam! It’s truly unlike anything else. My hand sank into it with little resistance, but as soon as I let go, it instantly returned to its original shape. It’s hard to explain, but I can see why it’s so popular.

“Ena, this is amazing! It’s so soft when I grip it, it feels like it’s melting in my hand, but then it suddenly springs back like this – it’s truly addictive…”

“P-please stop!!”

As I was waxing lyrical, Ena, her face even redder than before, snatched the cushion back. Holding the cushion again, Ena retreated to the wall, creating more distance between us. From there, she glared at me with teary eyes.

…What? Did I do something wrong? Ena, unable to keep up with the turn of events, accused me with a pout.

“Soma-san, you really are a terrible person. You were going to say something like, ‘This is softer than me,’ weren’t you?”

“Huh? No, I wasn’t…”

I don’t quite understand why Ena is trying to compete with the cushion in terms of softness. But her words, which sounded both sulky and perhaps a little affectionate, flustered me. And then, “I have something I want to give you, Soma-san.” It was true that the recent incident had flipped a switch for Ena. She set aside the cushion that had been her shield until now and offered me something that glittered instead.

“This is…”

It was two rings of completely identical design. They were unadorned, rugged-looking silver rings, without any settings or gemstones. They were items that I, who should know almost all the accessories in “Nekoneko,” had never seen before.

(Could this be an item obtained from a marriage event?)

I had heard that in “Nekoneko,” one could receive special skills and items by marrying NPCs. I thought such items would automatically be placed in your Adventurer’s Bag, but that wasn’t the case. The only blind spot I had as a “Nekoneko” player was character-related events. Having played solo for years, I had hardly touched any of the individual events with companion NPCs, and I had tried to avoid information related to companions on the wiki as much as possible to save it for later enjoyment. If this was an equipment item exclusive to character events, it made sense that I hadn’t seen it.

“These rings are my parents’ wedding rings. The night before we left for the Capital City, my mother gave them to me, saying, ‘Give them to the person you truly come to love.'”

With that, Ena offered one of them to me.

“Soma-san. Please, accept this.”

However, faced with the silver gleam, I hesitated. Did I truly have the right to take it? My decision to marry Ena wasn’t based solely on pure affection. It felt unfair to accept these rings without telling her the truth.

“Ena, listen to me. I…”

But as I was about to confess the true reason for our marriage, my words were silenced by cold fingertips touching my lips.

“…No, you can’t.”

Ena, who had been holding the rings, now had her hand on my mouth. Her cold fingers were trembling slightly.

“We decided to have that conversation tomorrow night, didn’t we? So, so until then…”

With her slender fingers still covering my mouth, Ena finally looked up.

“—Until then, I’m your wife.”

She said it with a smile that was like a mixture of tears and laughter. It was a shock, like a blow to the head. I finally realized that Ena had been thinking about our marriage far more seriously than I had imagined. Ena, the future, my original world, the future of this world. So many things flashed through my mind in an instant. But my body moved, leaving all of them behind.

“…Lend them to me.”

I forcibly took the two rings from Ena’s hand. Removing the ring specialized for light attribute magic from my left ring finger, I put on the silver ring Ena had given me. But that wasn’t the end of it.

“Huh? Soma-sa…”

Taking Ena’s bewildered hand, I slid the silver ring onto her ring finger myself. Looking up at Ena, whose eyes were wide open, I said, “Sorry. This is all I can do for you right now.” As soon as I said that, tears welled up in Ena’s eyes and streamed down her face. I didn’t know if they were from sadness or joy. But we naturally began to gaze at each other…

(Ah, wait? This situation…)

Suddenly, I realized Ena was extremely close. Her eyes, gazing at me, were tearful, and her breath was hot. Her white robe was thin, and it felt like I could feel her skin through the fabric. Without trying to adjust it, she leaned forward, her chest opening wide.

“Soma-san…”

Ena called my name in a feverish voice. Each time she shifted restlessly, the faint scent of soap wafting from her damp hair seemed to ensnare me. An atmosphere I had never experienced before filled the space between us. Just as it reached critical mass and was about to explode…

—*Clatter!*

A noise came from behind us. In an instant, the sweet atmosphere that had dominated my mind dissipated. My body, which had stiffened in the strange atmosphere, immediately regained control.

“Ena!”

I shouted sharply and pulled her body close. Relieved by the firm sensation in my arms, I heightened my vigilance.

(What happened?)

It might seem like an overreaction, but any sound in this room is strange. I quickly surveyed the room, but found no obvious anomalies. In this room, there was only the Adventurer’s Bag and Cooler Box against the wall. A closet and a full-length mirror brought in from another room. And the Fire of Sh propped against it. None of these were placed unusually high, and none of them would make noise on their own.

(Then, what does it mean…?)

There were no windows in this room, and the door was closed. The door was enchanted with a silence spell, blocking out external sounds. This place, sealed off from the outside world, including sound, was a complete vacuum chamber… or it should have been. But just a few seconds ago, my ears had definitely caught a sound. There were no pieces of furniture in my room that would make noise on their own. And if the possibility of external sounds being heard is ruled out…

(Is something else in this room with us!)

I mentally searched for monsters disguised as items or invisible enemies. But none of the monsters or NPCs in “Nekoneko” fit those criteria. More importantly, I should be able to detect such an opponent. However, if this were an individual event for Ena, or a phenomenon not yet implemented in the game, there might be unknown enemies. If that were the case, could I protect Ena and fight without prior knowledge or companions? Ena, sensing my tension for a different reason than before, asked in a bewildered voice, “S-Soma-san, what is it exactly…?”

“I don’t know. But don’t leave my side.”

“Y-yes…!”

While reassuring Ena, I desperately tried to suppress my panic. Come to think of it, there were signs of abnormality. Ringo aside, Mitsuki, Christina, Reiko-san – there were too many visitors. Even the rattling sound I heard passing by the door. That was probably the sound of everyone in the mansion taking action. Whatever was happening, this incident had already begun then. I had completely blundered into complacency. It wasn’t an excuse that I had defeated the Demon Lord, or that this was my home. Such leniency wouldn’t work in “Nekoneko.” I should have known that…

(But what exactly happened?)

Mitsuki’s words kept nagging at me. Did Mitsuki really come looking for Ena? If so, given Mitsuki’s personality, it would be more natural to simply name Ena. Mitsuki had said, “There’s someone I can’t see, so I came to a place I might know.” But, calmly considering it, I don’t think Mitsuki would search for someone she could track with an Explorer’s Ring like that. Was she searching for someone she couldn’t track?

—*Clatter!*

As if mocking my desperate attempt to grasp the situation, that sound struck my ears again. I still couldn’t pinpoint the source of the sound, but it was definitely coming from within the room.

(This is bad…)

Locking the door with a key and magic had backfired. I couldn’t call for help by shouting, and to retrieve the key, I’d have to first summon the Magical Pocket, then get the key from it, and then use it to open the door. However, in this situation where I couldn’t see the opponent, that opening could be fatal. At the very least, Ena’s level is probably not very high. If the opponent lurking in this room is dangerous, I have to protect Ena above all else. It’s tough not having Fire of Sh at hand, but I have to protect Ena somehow. As I sent my gaze to Ena, she pointed at something once again, “Soma-san, that!!”

The source of the sound was the Adventurer’s Bag placed at the edge of the room. Right before our eyes, the Adventurer’s Bag inexplicably tipped over as if moved by something invisible, and then…

“Wh-what!?”

The lid of the bag burst open from the inside. And then, from within—

“…It’s a Bear, isn’t it.”

—rolled out the everyone’s darling, Bear.

Oblivious to our astonished gazes, Bear tumbled out of the bag, stretched as if he had slept well, and rubbed his eyes with an almost coy gesture.

“Ah, that’s right…”

I hadn’t seen Bear for a while, and I finally remembered when I last saw him. It wasn’t at dinner when everyone gathered… nor when we arrived at the mansion… nor even when we returned to the Capital City and were called out by the townsfolk… but a little before that. After reuniting with Ena, the atmosphere froze due to her bombshell statement, and Bear, sensing the tense mood, took refuge in my bag. That was the last time. So…

“Bear, you wouldn’t have been napping in my bag this whole time, would you?”

When I asked, Bear grinned and nodded affirmatively.

“…How utterly ridiculous.”

At that answer, my head drooped. I felt ashamed for making such a fuss over an invisible enemy. …Yes. Thinking about it, the reason the mansion residents kept coming to visit was probably because they were looking for Bear. Even if the Explorer’s Ring couldn’t detect Bear inside the bag, it’s possible. Perhaps Mitsuki also asked Ringo about Bear’s absence and came to check my bag. I felt bad for making Ena go through this strange experience. As I returned my gaze to her, I noticed something I hadn’t before, “…Ah.” We were now closer than during the ring exchange, and it was more intimate. Judging by our poses, we were completely embracing. Moreover, perhaps due to my rough pull, the Angel’s Robe, already revealing, had become even more precarious in places.

“Ugh, uaaah…”

Ena now lacked the strange atmosphere from the ring exchange. Having returned to her senses and realizing our posture, her face turned progressively redder. And to make matters worse…

—*Pop.*

Bear, who had been watching us, clapped his hands. As if saying, “We’re not watching anything, please continue,” he expertly covered both his eyes with his hands and turned his back.

“—Hya, ya, yaaaah—!!”

Ultimately, that was the final straw. Shame reaching its peak, Ena let out a scream that, depending on how you heard it, was quite courageous. She stood up and bolted like a startled rabbit. She sprinted towards the door at an incredible speed… tripped, but still sprang up with incredible speed and flung herself at the doorknob, yanked the door open with incredible speed, and escaped outside with incredible speed.

“Hey, the door…”

After a while, I came to my senses and rushed to the door. It had been broken open by sheer force. The power of an emergency was not to be underestimated. In the end, I was left with a broken door, Bear still covering his eyes with both hands, and the abandoned memory foam cushion. Troubled, I closed the door and said, “Well, for now, I guess I’ll sleep.” I scooped up the still sleepy Bear and decided to sleep with him for the first time in a while.

As a side note, the next morning, perhaps thanks to Bear’s body pillow effect, I woke up feeling refreshed. When I went to the living room, Ena was there, her eyes red. She told me she hadn’t slept a wink last night. When I replied, “Then you should have brought your pillow,” she glared at me.

—Women are unreasonable, I thought, as the morning unfolded.

Although the meaning of Reiko’s memo from the previous episode has already been deciphered and explained in the comments section, here’s a revised “chuunibyo hint” for those who didn’t understand it.

“In the beginning, there is a curse, and later, resentment follows. When curse and resentment intertwine, death shall ensue.”