Have you ever felt like your teammates held you back in a game?
I’m not even talking about obvious things like friendly fire, where you get attacked by your own allies, or when someone wakes up a sleeping enemy deliberately.
There are other times too, like when you’re trying to run away to the edge of the screen, but for some reason, the screen just won’t switch. You wonder why, only to find out one of your teammates was in the middle of casting a spell.
Or maybe you charged up a powerful magic spell on an enemy after a lot of effort, but it just wouldn’t activate. You look next to you and discover another teammate was targeting the same enemy with a spell, so yours had to wait until they finished.
Or your HP dropped into the red, so you tried to escape quickly, but your character’s feet just stopped moving. After investigating, you find out a teammate was casting a healing spell on you.
If I started listing them, I could go on forever, but these issues are usually due to game mechanics like not being able to escape while a command is executing, not being able to use spells on the same target simultaneously, or characters being healed cannot move.
I honestly thought this wouldn’t be the case in “Nekoneko.” But “Nekoneko” proved me wrong. It turns out that when you use skills or spells with intense effects, similar phenomena occur.
The prime example is “Last Heal,” a healing spell that’s a reward from this Blue Bird event.
“Last Heal” is a powerful healing spell, and it comes with flashy magical effects to match its potency. For some reason, whether it’s due to this effect or not, characters targeted by this spell become unable to move even a single step and unable to use any skills or spells. That’s the mysterious phenomenon that was discovered.
The spell’s effect is quite showy, with a blue bird appearing above the caster. It also features intricate light effects that fly out to each targeted character, which is also a characteristic. The truth is uncertain, but the “Nekoneko” wiki speculates that it might be because “if the character moves, it becomes difficult to track the effect, so the affected character is unable to move.” Similarly, it’s suggested that skills and spells might become unusable due to fear of conflicting with the effects of other skills or spells.
Well, whatever the cause, “Last Heal” isn’t just a healing spell; for 30 seconds after use, it also becomes a malicious restraint technique that immobilizes the caster and the target!
Just to be clear, this spell is dangerous to use in front of enemies, but if used in a safe place away from them, it’s an excellent healing and support spell. Conversely, if you consider it as a means of restraint, while it stops the opponent, it also heals and buffs them. Most importantly, it can only be used on characters, not monsters, so it was treated as a niche trick with little practical use.
But now. In this battle where the goal isn’t to defeat the opponent, there’s no more effective spell than this.
I stammered in the face of the unknown situation and quietly asked Hisame, who was still visibly shaken.
“……Hey. Shouldn’t we, you know, stop now?”
As expected, Hisame’s cat ears stood on end, and she started to get angry.
“What are you talking about? To think that I… at this level!”
“Then try using a Skill or a Spell. See what happens.”
“Rrrgh! That’s…!”
She must have already tried. Hisame shamefully lowered her cat ears.
Actually, even if Skills are sealed, you can still attack normally, but I didn’t say that. Also, while Hisame and I were close, that was under normal circumstances. To attack without moving at all, we were a little too far apart.
Hisame, who seemed to have regained a bit of her composure, retorted provocatively, “It looks like you’re restrained too. If neither of us can do anything, then the moment this wears off, I’ll cut you down, and it’ll be over.”
But of course, I had anticipated this situation and possessed a means of attack even in this state where Skills and Spells are sealed. In fact, you could say all the offense and defense up to this point existed solely to make this one attack possible.
“What’s that!?”
Hisame narrowed her eyes as she saw what I took out. She seemed to have realized it too.
Even if Skills and Spells can’t be used, items can. And this magic gem is my third, and greatest, trump card. With this, I could probably defeat Hisame. But…
“Honestly, I don’t want to use this on you. If you surrender here, and you promise not to approach me again…”
“Don’t be ridiculous.”
My final warning was cut short by Hisame’s words, laced with genuine anger.
“Then it can’t be helped, I guess.”
I gave up on a peaceful resolution. Holding up the magic gem, I prepared to activate it.
“I don’t know what you’re planning to do, but to me, magic…”
“If you cast it normally, yes.”
This time, I interrupted Hisame. Then, as if words were no longer necessary, I raised the magic gem high into the sky. Memories flashed through my mind like a kaleidoscope. Hisame’s unexpected weakness, revealed during her event. Hisame’s light armor, chosen for its speed. The water left on the ground when I used a water spell at the accessory shop. The place Hisame, who would rush anywhere, stubbornly refused to go. Her oh-so-water-resistant Orihalcon armor, wet in the bath. Based on all of this, there was only one strategy to defeat her!
“‘Great Waterfall’!!”
With a determined cry, I unleashed the gem’s magic. The target, of course, was directly above Hisame and me.
“What…?”
Hisame’s ears twitched in bewilderment, and her confusion was understandable. Great Waterfall is a magic spell that washes away enemies with a large volume of water. Firing it upwards would serve no purpose.
— If this world were a simple game world.
But I know. After water magic is used in this world, even if the attack ends, the water itself remains. Therefore, naturally, when the Great Waterfall spell’s effect ended and its momentum stopped, the water that had been aimed above us…
“Wha!?”
It returned to being ‘just water,’ not a magical attack at all, and fell to the ground under gravity! Simply casting water magic directly at Hisame might not have caused her any damage, or even made her wet. But what about ‘just water,’ stripped of its offensive properties?
“Ugh!”
A torrent of water, like a giant bucket tiped over, assailed Hisame and me. While my vision was temporarily obscured, I continued to think. Hisame preferred light armor for her agility. Because of this, all she wore was a thin cloth garment, the Heavenly Robe of the Sky! However, due to the mysterious properties of the Heavenly Robe of the Sky, despite being light and thin, it was fluffy and didn’t reveal her body’s contours, nor did her skin appear to be showing through. But! But now!! What happens when it gets wet with so much water! First, her clothes would stick tightly to her skin! Tightly! And then. Even if it’s some strange material, it’s such a thin piece of cloth. If it gets soaked with this much water, surely, surely…
— It would become see-through!!!!!
Yes, it should become see-through. In fact, it would be strange if it didn’t!
…
Ah, no, it’s not like I gain personal pleasure from seeing Hisame wet. It’s not like I’m frustrated because I can’t bring myself to look at Ringo when she’s defenseless, causing everyday frustration. This is purely a strategic necessity. Do you remember? Hisame is a person who “possesses a brave spirit that doesn’t bat an eye even when surrounded by hundreds of monsters, but is extremely shy and screams and curls up if anyone sees her underwear.” If she were exposed to water in this state, she should be neutralized. No, even if she were defeated without being neutralized, it would be enough if she felt uncomfortable. — Yes, my secret plan is to ‘sexually harass Hisame, who challenged me seriously, and make her hate me’! This is the entirety of my plan for Hisame! Therefore, within the rushing water, I stared wide-eyed, waiting with bated breath for Hisame, who also had the nickname ‘Queen of Apparent Slimness,’ to appear!! And finally……. The flow of water stopped, and my vision cleared……. At that moment, at the sight that met my eyes, an utterly unexpected scene, (No way…) I opened my already wide eyes even wider. “What is the point of such a blinding…?” I couldn’t hear Hisame’s disgruntled voice at all. Only a word of surprise escaped my lips. “Sh-Shinkansen…” The mysterious fantasy material couldn’t overcome water. Hisame’s clothes clung tightly to her body, revealing her figure. The effect of Last Heal was somewhat of an obstruction, but I could still confirm her proportions. (What is this…) The name ‘Queen of Apparent Slimness’ was not in vain. Compared to Ena, who was like a local train, there was no comparison. Her figure was truly that of a Shinkansen. Even Ringo wasn’t exactly a local train, but she couldn’t compare to a real Shinkansen at all. …Ah, no, of course, this isn’t about her body, I just mean her speed when running, so please don’t misunderstand! Still, how did she manage to hide such a thing? I was annoyed by the glowing effect and stared even more intently at her skin color… (Hm? Skin color?) I realized a terrible possibility. Come to think of it, Hisame’s attire was different during the event where I accidentally saw her underwear. However, normally, Hisame preferred light clothing and didn’t wear unnecessary items. That meant, could it be, what I saw for just a moment just now… (What sort of fantasy!) I pressed my heated nose. My attack on Hisame’s weakness should have worked, but at this rate, I might faint and lose. “What are you doing?” She didn’t seem to have noticed her own condition yet, but sensing my impure intentions, Hisame’s voice took on a hostile tone. This is bad. I quickly slid my gaze downwards. Descending from the unexpected heights, passing her sleek abdomen, to her waist. Perhaps a side effect of appearing slimmer than she was, it was more fleshed out than I expected, and I was surprised to see a slight bulge before I shifted my gaze further down. “What have you been looking at since earlier… Ah, aah…?! ” It was then that Hisame finally noticed where my gaze was heading. We instinctively turned our heads back, and our gazes met. “Um, eh… haha?” I managed a strained smile. Right before my eyes, Hisame’s expression contorted visibly, and then… “N-NAAAAAAAAAAAaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!!!!!!!” With a scream louder than I had ever heard, Hisame clutched her lower body with both hands and curled up. I flinched in surprise. But this was the planned action. In fact, if she didn’t hate me now, the plan would fail. I decided to act tough and spoke to Hisame, “I told you, I didn’t want to do this, that’s why I said it earlier…” “Don’t, don’t look! Don’t look!!” “No, well, I didn’t want to look either, you know…” “No! No!! Don’t look!” “So, well…” “Eyah! Noooo!!” There was no sign of her understanding. In fact, a chilling premonition struck me: perhaps I was doing something truly awful. — To magically restrain a young girl, expose her skin, and then stare at her unilaterally. Written down, it sounds like the actions of a criminal. Completely discouraged, I averted my eyes from the sobbing Hisame, only glancing at her a few times. As time passed, the spell wore off, and my body was free to move. I hesitantly spoke to Hisame, who was still crying and desperately trying to cover herself, “Uh, um, Hisame? The spell has worn off, so…” I tried to speak as gently as possible, but “Hii…!” Hisame recoiled in fear, and then, realizing her body could move, “Ah, wait a m–…!” She bolted away in an instant, escaping with a speed that earned her the title of ‘Cheetah of the Nekoneko world,’ and vanished from sight. “I never imagined it would turn out like this…” I muttered, picking up her beloved katana, ‘Moonshadow,’ which Hisame had left behind. The flow of events was exactly as I had envisioned, but the actual execution left a bad taste in my mouth. “W-Well, it’s all good in the end, all good.” I think Hisame had an unpleasant experience, but my own life was on the line. Her flag must have been completely broken, and I probably won’t be invited to the dojo. Sometimes, you have to sacrifice something to gain something. I forced myself to put on a brave face and returned to Ringo. “Alright, shall we go home, Rin-go…?” — *Swish* When I spoke to her, Ringo smoothly stepped back, creating distance. “Ri-Ringo!?” Thinking it was a mistake, I approached again, but she just moved back with a *swish, swish*, keeping me away. Looking at her face, her eyes, colder than usual, stared at me expressionlessly. (Th-this…!) Cold sweat dripped down my brow. I slowly approached, trying not to provoke Ringo, and began to make excuses. “I-It’s not like that, you know? That was a plan, a necessary action. I never did it because I wanted to see…” “……………” My persuasion was in vain; Ringo didn’t answer. What’s more, — *Pout.* As if to say there was nothing more to say, Ringo turned her face away from me. (Noooooooo!!!!) I clutched my head. But if I gave up now, the match would be over. I desperately clung to Ringo. “Pl-Please say something! Th-That’s right! I have to check if the Hisame event has occurred! If Ringo doesn’t say anything, I can’t confirm it!” As I insisted, Ringo, without meeting my eyes, mumbled, “………S-sex harasser.” I died. I don’t remember how I got home after that. Deeply shocked by Ringo’s attitude, I found myself buried under my futon in my room, my face completely hidden. I was completely sulking. However, perhaps it was the lack of sleep from the previous day that caught up with me. I fell asleep before I knew it… “… Soma, wake up.” The next time I regained my senses was when Ringo shook me awake, saying so. I raised my head to see Ringo’s expressionless face. “What happened?” I asked sleepily. “…A customer.” Ringo replied concisely. Do I just think her words sound unusually curt, or is she still angry? “…They said there’s an announcement.” As if she could read my mind, Ringo added. I somehow managed to turn my sluggish brain and thought. (A customer, and an announcement, huh…) Perhaps, after more than a day had passed since the incident, the Knights’ Order had finally sniffed their way here. Normally, I would have been shaken to some extent, but what I felt now wasn’t enough to stir my emotions. In fact, I even felt that being caught and thrown into a cell would be fitting for someone like me. I was tired of everything. I indifferently said, “Then, please bring them this way,” and Ringo nodded slightly. Then, she walked towards the door herself. “…Please come in.” She opened the door and let someone in. Without waiting for me to tell her, she had already brought them to the room. Surprised by this fact, I finally raised my head. Standing in front of the door Ringo had opened was… “Poison-tan…” Not a knight, but a smaller girl, Poison-tan. Although I blurted out her unofficial nickname, Poison-tan didn’t seem to mind and rushed towards me with a big smile. (Ah, I see.) And at the same time, I realized. I had asked Poison-tan to be my contact with the Bounty Hunter Guild. The fact that she had come meant I could easily imagine the content of Ringo’s ‘announcement.’ Yes, it was nothing special. The announcement that reached the dejected me was simply— “Onii-chan! Hisame’s house is in the west of the city!!” — A simple announcement of my end.
