“I see, the Nekomimiko style!
That name seems to have some connection to us too!”
Asahi said, her previously sharp demeanor changing completely into a charming smile, unsuited to her robust appearance.
“No, forgive me for testing you.
I read a letter from Mitsuki, and about 40% of it was filled with praise for your swordsmanship.
I became a little curious.”
Hearing this, I inwardly shouted, “Mitsuki!”
Even if I hadn’t written about my victory over Mitsuki, it’s pointless if nearly half of the letter was spent praising my fighting.
Moreover, if you praise a specific person that much, it’s natural for a parent to suspect something might be going on.
While I was thinking this, Asahi’s hand extended in front of me.
“I am Asahi Hyouryuu.
I am the master of this dojo.
Pleased to meet you, Soma-kun.”
“…Yes. The pleasure is all mine.”
I hesitantly extended my hand as well.
Our hands clasped firmly, a typical scene of reconciliation.
However, the moment I shook her hand, a sharp glint returned to Asahi’s eyes.
“However, don’t think that our strength is limited to what you’ve seen.
I was caught off guard with an unfamiliar weapon, but my specialty is the spear.
With the Hisame family’s heirloom, the ‘Kongou Toshi,’ in hand, I believe I can still hold my own against my daughter.”
Though she had a smile, her eyes were not smiling.
At her words, I involuntarily glanced at the wall behind Asahi, in the dojo.
There, hung the unique weapon known by the epithet of ‘Godspear of Sure Hit and Certain Kill,’ the ‘Kongou Toshi.’
“Let’s meet again at the banquet!”
After being cheerfully bid farewell, I was guided back by the disciple who had initially led me to the dojo.
“I apologize for deceiving you.
I shall now guide you to Soma-sama’s true room.”
With that, he bowed deeply and led me to a building.
“This is it.”
“This… is it?”
Classified as a separate building, it could be described as such.
However, its exterior, resembling a sturdy fortress, betrayed that notion.
I don’t know what material it was made of, but even a single wall or gate looked incredibly heavy and hard, suggesting that ordinary weapons would be unable to scratch it.
I’ve seen similar places many times in games, but my first thought was that I wouldn’t want to live in a place like this.
“Uh, am I alone here…?”
Regardless of its appearance, the building was too large for me to stay in alone.
I asked just to be sure, but,
“Yes. Because you are a valued guest.”
The disciple who guided me gave me the expected answer with an innocent expression.
(But what should I do…?)
Troubled internally, I looked up at the separate building.
The two-story structure had numerous rooms on each floor, and while not as extensive as the Cat Ear Mansion, it seemed to have various facilities.
As I gazed at the large building, lost in thought about how to respond, a pale-faced woman rushed past us as if not noticing us.
As she tried to run past without acknowledging us,
“You look troubled, is something the matter?”
The disciple who guided me called out to her. The woman stopped, glanced at me, and then,
“Actually…”
She began to explain the situation.
She talked at length about various things, but the gist was that they were lacking ingredients for Mitsuki and our welcome banquet.
These ingredients were vegetables grown nearby, which could be found in the fields not far away. However, it required considerable strength to pull them out, and that was the problem.
“This is quite problematic.
I have other commitments, and are there any other available members…?”
Saying this, the disciple kept glancing at me.
“Oh, I don’t have enough strength, so what are we going to do…?”
The woman lamented, also glancing at me from time to time.
Reluctantly, I said,
“Then, I’ll go.”
The moment I spoke, their faces lit up.
“Really!? Thank you very much!! The location of the field is…”
Abruptly, I thought about how truly convenient Adventurer’s Bags are, something I’ve often realized since coming to this world.
In the game, storage items were designed to occupy specific slots upon being equipped, preventing players from carrying multiple storage items.
For example, a pouch was fixed to the right hip from the start of the game, a bag-like item was fixed to the left hip upon being acquired, and other storage items like Cooler Boxes were fixed to the lower right rear, requiring replacement if a new one was obtained.
This restriction meant I couldn’t carry more than three storage items simultaneously.
Well, it’s understandable considering how many storage items there were, or the multiplication of storage within storage, which likely caused more bugs. Still, it was undoubtedly inconvenient.
Because of this system, items that took up space, such as Cooler Boxes, were often deemed “just in the way” and even labeled as junk items.
However, in this world, which has become a semi-reality, there’s no item more convenient than this.
Hot things stay hot, and cold things stay cold, and they can be preserved indefinitely.
Such convenience couldn’t be replicated even with modern science.
Although there’s a drawback of only being able to hold up to ten items, when kept inside a bag, it doesn’t take up space, and one might consider buying another if they find one.
“Phew!”
I took a break, drinking a cold beverage from a Cooler Box, and gazed at the field.
I had harvested exactly half of the crops.
Actually, it was about half, plus one or two more.
Pulling out the vegetables required a certain level of strength status, but fortunately, the required status for this event wasn’t that high.
That said, my base stats weren’t enough, so I had to rely on Power Up magic and strength-boosting accessories.
“Yep, going smoothly, going smoothly.”
I nodded once and took out a ‘Black Adventurer’s Bag’ containing only specific items from within my Adventurer’s Bag.
Holding it in my hand, I walked to the edge of the field.
“Alright, then.”
Since the bag’s position isn’t fixed in this game, I can do convenient things I couldn’t in the game.
This is one of them.
“Okay, go!”
With a weak shout, I turned the bag upside down.
I discovered that if I flipped the bag over while thinking of the item I wanted to retrieve, it would fall out.
I continued to scatter these ‘black items’ along the edge of the field, gradually walking and changing my position.
***
“Hmm. They’re here.”
Right after finishing the scattering work and picking the *third* vegetable, it happened.
“It’s a cow! The cow’s escaped!”
Along with the shouts, the ground rumbled and dust clouds rose from the direction of the voices.
The source was a cow-like Monster, a ‘Crazy Cow,’ charging towards me at full speed.
By some strange coincidence, they seemed to be running directly towards this field.
“H-hey, you there, run! Please run away!”
Screams mixed with the ground tremors, but I didn’t move.
Soon, the Crazy Cows surged towards the field without slowing down at all, and,
“Run immediately… huh?”
Suddenly, they split into two and ran off.
They veered around the field, so of course, neither I nor the vegetables were harmed.
“Huh, uh, what? That’s strange?
According to the plan, they should have come straight…”
As the cows disappeared from view, the man whose voice I’d heard earlier finally appeared.
He seemed to be a disciple, and he frowned at the undamaged field, then said,
“…Ah, no, I’m glad you’re safe.
Well then, I need to go chase after the cows.”
Saying only that, he ran off in the direction the cows had fled.
After making sure he had disappeared, I looked down at the edge of the field and sighed.
“Isn’t cleaning this up more troublesome than picking vegetables?”
Scattered there were a large number of black skulls, which had come out of the bag.
***
After cleaning up the vegetables and the skulls, I returned to the separate building.
There, the disciple who had guided me earlier, and…
“Asahi-san…”
A man who shouldn’t have been here.
“The vegetables?”
“…I brought them all, as requested.”
I said, presenting the Adventurer’s Bag filled with vegetables.
“…Oi.”
“Yes.”
At Asahi’s command, the disciple took the bag and ran off.
Presumably, they would be used for cooking.
With that in mind, I questioned Asahi.
“What do you mean by this?
Didn’t you say you were done testing me?”
It was strange that Asahi was here when she was supposed to be at the banquet, and the sudden appearance of the cows heading towards my location was also highly unnatural.
Assuming Asahi had orchestrated it, I voiced my suspicion.
And Asahi… did not deny it.
“It is the Hisame family’s house rule.
When marrying into the family or when a child marries, they must demonstrate suitable strength.
Both I, my foster father, and his father before him, inherited this house by overcoming trials.
The Hisame family has grown strong through this.”
Instead, she gave an answer that wasn’t really an answer.
(So that’s how it is…)
It’s not something to say after being so thoroughly deceived, but generally, there are no bad people in the Hisame family. On the whole, they are a group of people with a strong sense of justice.
However, they are also a devilish place where only those who believe “anything goes if it makes us stronger, even if we die” can be here and survive, resulting in their lives being valued lighter than a feather.
They are a unique warrior race that readily throws away their own lives for battle. When a family member dies in a duel, they grieve but do not get angry. Yet, on the other hand, they detest seeing non-combatants harmed more than anything. In a sense, they are straightforward. The more skilled they are, and the closer they are, the more dangerous their interactions become. But conversely, if they perceive someone as an outsider, they can be harmless.
(I need to clear up this misunderstanding.
This is my last chance to escape this devilish place unharmed!)
If I fail here, I’ll be forced to participate in an unreasonable Death Game.
I desperately urged.
“You’re trying to test me because of your daughter, aren’t you?
But I have no intention of marrying Mitsuki.”
However,
“Don’t play innocent!!”
For some reason, those words struck a nerve with Asahi.
“I know you and my daughter are in love!”
“Huh? No, wh-what!?”
For some reason, I was strongly asserted.
It made no sense.
“Didn’t I tell you?
I read the letter from my daughter.
And you saw Mitsuki’s ‘secret,’ didn’t you?”
“Y-yes…”
That part was true.
I had no choice but to nod there.
“Mitsuki was more worried about that ‘secret’ than anyone else.
Since she was old enough to understand, she never showed ‘it’ to anyone, not even her family.
I can’t believe she’d let someone see ‘it’ just due to carelessness or by chance.
This means you are trusted by Mitsuki to that extent.”
“Uh, no, that’s, well…”
If I said, “It’s because when she got wet, her tail became visible too…” it might clear up the misunderstanding, but for a different reason, I feel like I’d be killed.
Besides, Mitsuki misunderstood when I saw it at that time; in reality, the first time I saw her tail was later, when Mitsuki willingly showed it to me.
What’s more, after that, perhaps because I praised her tail so much, her complex lessened slightly, and she even let me pet it a little, and even promised to let me touch it again when we were alone.
Even if I explained everything honestly, there’s a high chance the misunderstanding wouldn’t be resolved.
“And besides,”
Asahi began to press further, looking at me with disdain as I remained silent.
“Even someone who doesn’t know the situation would understand at a glance if they read the letter from my daughter.
I said 40% of this letter was praise for your swordsmanship, but there’s more written.
50% of this letter is—”
“50%, is…”
As Asahi glared at me, who had echoed her words, she stated,
“—filled with details about you.”
Hearing this, I inwardly cried out, “Mitsuki!!”
Naturally, anyone would misunderstand if 90% of a letter was filled with nothing but me.
In fact, it would be odd *not* to misunderstand.
It’s completely over.
I want to tell her to think about it, even for a little bit.
I want to ask if her head is just for decoration.
Did all her intelligence get absorbed by her cat ears…? Ah, well, if that’s the case, I can forgive it!
Well, whether I can forgive it or not,
“Do you have anything to say for yourself?”
In reality, Asahi has completely misunderstood me.
This misunderstanding doesn’t seem like it will be easily resolved.
There is only one way…
“Hypothetically, if Mitsuki likes me, but I have absolutely no interest in her—”
A sudden surge of murderous intent stopped me from continuing. For a moment, Asahi’s body seemed to grow larger. With murderous intent, she said in a low voice that shook the ground.
“Do you need an answer?”
“No…”
I averted my gaze.
(This is bad…)
I had actually realized it from the moment the field event began.
Although the start was unconventional, the content itself faithfully followed the ‘Hisame Family Visit Event.’
If only Mitsuki’s letter had been more reasonable, there might have been another path. But this is definitely on the established route.
(Then…)
Perhaps I should just go with it, I thought.
Even if I try to escape here, if the misunderstanding persists, there’s a possibility of a hostile flag being raised.
I absolutely want to avoid conflicting with the Hisame family. I must resolve this issue here somehow.
This was precisely why I was hesitating when I was guided to the separate building.
Even being guided to that separate building was part of the game’s event itself.
I knew there was a huge trap set there.
Yet, I anguished.
Should I follow the flow of the event, or resist it?
I pondered, but couldn’t decide. But now, I clearly see the path I should choose.
“Understood. Then, please test me.”
“…Ho?”
I will accept this series of events!
In fact, if I don’t, I’ll probably die!!
Asahi’s instincts regarding combat are beyond imagination, and given my current specs, I’m no match for her yet.
The disciples, if they wield proper weapons, will likely be quite strong as well.
If such people were to attack me, ignoring the event sequence, I wouldn’t have even a sliver of a chance.
No, even if I somehow managed to win by a miracle, if I killed even one person, it would essentially be Game Over.
Therefore, it would be better to trigger an event whose development I already know.
I have all the events here memorized, and I’ve taken countermeasures to some extent.
Once all of this is over, it is guaranteed to be resolved amicably. In the game, I completed the ‘Hisame Family Visit Event’ entirely and made Mitsuki an ally, but I did not marry her.
In other words, if I can just get through this, everything will be resolved.
“To be honest, I still haven’t decided if I will marry Mitsuki.
However, I want to prove that I am worthy of being called her friend!”
Therefore, with a sly thought in my heart, I declared with resolve.
In response, Asahi smiled.
“Well said!!
Then I shall test you without reservation!
The period will be three days, including today.
Prove that you possess ‘the spirit of righteousness,’ ‘the mindset of constant readiness,’ and ‘the strength to overcome crises’ within those three days!
If you undergo the final trials and survive, you shall be deemed worthy of becoming a member of the Hisame family!!”
The condition for trial completion being ‘to survive’ was so typical, I thought internally,
“Yes!!”
I replied enthusiastically.
Zero clear reports from characters before clearing the game.
Even a seasoned ‘Nekomimiko’ player complained, “This part alone is a death game,” referring to the difficult event.
The curtain has risen on a Sudden Death Game hosted by the Hisame family, where it is said that “lives are lighter than feathers.”
