The second day, after enjoying a second sleep, was packed with more active events than the day before.
It started with an event where I accompanied two disciples (both level 150 or higher) in their early morning training. Then there were events like retrieving sake from the basement storage of the Hisame family’s mansion (complete with anti-burglar traps), and fetching a ball that had gotten stuck on a giant tree (2000 years old, 100 meters tall). It was incredibly eventful.
My current level isn’t enough to properly handle these events, but the game has established methods for such situations.
First, the morning training with the disciples. The “training” was merely an excuse; if left unsupervised, they’d attack me simultaneously with their real swords. It’s difficult to incapacitate them without defeating them in such a state. So, to the two disciples who came for morning training, I said, “I’ll train you with whoever is stronger,” provoking them into fighting each other. That’s how I managed to get through it.
After that, I was asked to fetch sake from the storage. While heading to the underground storage, the woman I helped with the vegetable incident on the first day gave me some advice: “There’s a pitfall on the left path… Be careful.”
When I actually reached the front of the storage, the path split into two. Investigating the left path, I noticed a difference in the ground color at my feet, revealing the pitfall. It’s surprisingly pleasant to receive such subtle hints from characters encountered previously. The “Nekoneko” staff really understands this. Yes, they understand it all too well.
Because if you believe it, and take the right path, you’ll be relieved thinking “It seems there’s no trap on this path,” lowering your guard, only to encounter a pitfall several times more cunning than the one on the left. It’s designed to kill you if you’re not careful.
…Well, that’s how it is.
The woman only said, “There’s a pitfall on the left,” she didn’t say “There’s no pitfall on the right.” To put it more bluntly, her statement was also a trap set by the staff. The “Nekoneko” staff seems determined to make players distrust everyone.
However, once the trick is revealed, it’s no big deal. I bypassed the trap and entered the storage. The sake itself had its container swapped, so I had to rely on my memory to find the correct one and bring it back.
Next was the tree with the ball stuck on it. Climbing this tree has traps like HP drain, tentacles extending from the tree to ensnare and consume you, or even the branches breaking near the summit, causing both the ball and the player to plummet to their deaths. While it’s not impossible to overcome these with proper preparations, it’s too troublesome. So, I swiftly cut down the tree to get the ball. It’s obvious that felling such a massive tree is a bigger issue than retrieving a ball, but it’s a strange aspect of the game system that this is considered an acceptable solution.
“Ah, thank you.”
The boy who received the ball from me with a strained smile immediately ran off towards the mansion. I guess he was eager to play ball. But to get a ball stuck on top of a 100-meter-tall tree… if it was intentional, that’s amazing control; if it wasn’t, that’s incredible power. He’s a boy with great potential.
The events continued, one after another, with unreasonable and nonsensical trials such as walking on a floor of needles, doing a bungee jump without a cord, defeating a giant fish in the lake, making a dish from the defeated fish, winning a floor-cleaning race, and even embroidering the Hisame family crest within five minutes.
Even these trials had to be completed, or failure awaited. And failure meant death. I tackled each trial with all my might.
It was especially good that I managed to avoid the event where the clumsy young woman, who was my personal hardest event in the game, scattered dishes. I supported her before she could fall. Unlike other clumsy girl events, this one didn’t directly harm me. However, if she broke even a single dish, the clumsy girl would cry, leading to “How dare you make a woman cry!” and me being attacked by Asahi and the others.
In the game, you can’t move until the accident happens, so whether you can catch all the dishes flying randomly depends on their distribution. This part was almost a pure luck-based game. But in this world, movement restrictions on the player are not active. By supporting the clumsy girl when she lost her balance, I succeeded in making the dish-scattering event disappear entirely.
I was a little worried about how things would turn out when I resolved it in a way that wasn’t possible in the game, but so far, there have been no repercussions. Instead, by helping her carry half of the dishes, I even managed to reconcile with her. According to her, she wasn’t intentionally trying to harm me. Like Train, she just acts as a trap because her body moves on its own, without any malice.
Given the wickedness of “Nekoneko,” I can’t fully believe her, but if the outcome is the same, there’s no need to be overly suspicious. For now, I’ll believe her and parted ways with her with a smile.
In this manner, I managed to fend off the approaching threats and welcomed the second night. And here, for the first time, I faced a completely unexpected crisis.
As you know, I lost my lodging due to yesterday’s collapse incident. Normally, Mitsuki would come to the player and, with her cat ears spinning around saying, “I-I’m nervous, I’m spinning aroundnnnyyy,” would suggest, “…You don’t have a place to sleep tonight, do you? If so, it can’t be helped. You may come to my room.” This would be a typical rom-com event. A thrilling night for the two of them would begin… or so it should have.
“Hurry up and come into the room.”
“…Sit here.”
There was not even a hint of sweetness in the air between me, Ringo, and Mitsuki. Instead, it felt tense, with an aura of anger from both of them. This feels like trouble. I need to change the flow, I strongly felt that something inconvenient for me was about to happen.
However, there is a way out. This should be the domain of a rom-com event. So, if I act in a rom-com fashion here, perhaps it will shift the story in that direction with some sort of compensation.
“Wait, before that, there’s something I want to say too.”
So, I stated it clearly, crouched down, and took hold of the small, soft shoulders in front of me. Looking directly into those round eyes, I confessed, “I wonder why. When I see your smile, I feel a flutter… in my chest. Hey, could this be…?”
I spoke as if revealing my hidden feelings, but:
“It’s probably fear, not ‘this’.”
“…Soma, don’t joke around.”
Unfortunately, I only managed to provoke the serious-faced two. Even Bear, who had been told, brushed my arm away dismissively and went to Ringo. I wasn’t necessarily seeking affection from Bear, but I felt a little sad.
Resigned, I sat down in front of them. And not just sat, but in seiza. After confirming this, Mitsuki nodded, her cat ears saying, “Alright!” and began to speak.
“After the incident this morning where you were crushed under the annex, we began to question the nature of the trials. So, Ringo and I have been subtly watching over your trials.”
Ringo said nothing, but nodded in agreement with Mitsuki’s words.
“I’m not saying we saw everything, but I believe we have grasped the general situation.”
“…Soma, you were lying.”
Mitsuki stated plainly, and Ringo silently accused me. Upon listening, both were angry about the trials, but Ringo was angry that the trials were dangerous, while Mitsuki was angry that many of them were unreasonable and had nothing to do with combat.
“You called this a trial of martial arts, but the content of these trials is absurd. What does cooking and sewing have to do with fighting?!”
Although Mitsuki’s expression was blank, her cat ears were shaking vigorously, and while there might be a hint of personal vendetta in her words, her anger is justified. Like the Hidden Dungeon, this event, which has many bonus elements, can be said to be imbued with the “Nekoneko” staff’s misguided determination to prevent players from clearing it. Frankly speaking, many of the trials are little more than harassment intended to annoy the player.
While this is par for the course with “Nekoneko,” and I wouldn’t mind it if I considered it a game event, it would still appear unreasonable to an outsider. Perhaps those on the side creating the events don’t notice it due to some compensation, but when you think about it calmly, most of the trial situations are abnormal.
“And besides…”
At this point, Mitsuki hesitated. Her cat ears drooped as if in deep thought, saying, “Mmm, mm-hmm.” But after a moment of deliberation, she finally spoke.
“Also, earlier, you were talking cheerfully with our maid in the hallway.”
“Maid…?”
Then, I snapped my fingers. “Ah.” It must have been that clumsy girl. It seems she had seen that far.
“Even though this is supposed to be a trial for me, I find that sort of thing troublesome.”
Her cat ears twitching, Mitsuki protested in a voice smaller than usual. Before I could ask her true intentions, she continued, “Therefore, starting tomorrow, we will accompany you on your trials.”
“Huh?! Oh, wait a minute! If you say ‘we’…”
“…I’ll go too.”
Hearing their outrageous statements, I was more concerned than ever. Even though I had the confidence to handle it alone, this is problematic. However:
“Hold on. What if it causes the trial to fail because of that…?”
“Of course, I’ll ask Father for permission. If he refuses, I’ll give up.”
When she said that, I couldn’t come up with an immediate counterargument. Besides, I figured Asahi would reject it anyway, so, “…Alright. But don’t forget that promise.” I decided to accept their offer for the time being.
And so, “Well, we’ve finished talking. Shall we get some sleep now?”
“…Soma, you’re here.”
“Huh?”
After that, for some reason, we all ended up sleeping in Mitsuki’s room with futons laid out. What’s more, I was in the middle futon, sandwiched between Ringo and Mitsuki.
—My new trial had begun!!
Incidentally, Bear, who was supposed to be with Ringo, had somehow snuck into my futon. I wasn’t necessarily seeking affection from Bear, but I felt a little pleased.
And then, the next day.
“Kyaaa, my han—”
“…Not on my watch.”
Ringo’s lightning strike instantly shot down the piping hot dish that the clumsy girl had dropped.
“Mr. Soma. Actually, there’s a large rat infestation under the mansion floor—”
“Is that something we should ask a guest to do? If it’s necessary, you should come and do it yourself.”
Mitsuki’s words instantly shot down the impossible demands brought by the disciples. The trials were no longer unfolding as intended.
“How did it come to this…” I clutched my head from behind. No, perhaps in this case, it should be: “Why didn’t we do this from the start…”
Asahi was surprisingly weak-willed when it came to his daughter, so Ringo and Mitsuki’s proposal was easily accepted, and the trials were already in a state of partial collapse. If I refused their requests, or if I failed to complete a request, Asahi and the others would normally become hostile. However, it seems to be fine when Ringo and Mitsuki do it. This is probably the result of irregular intervention leading to irregular outcomes.
However, what would actually happen was uncertain. There was a possibility that the trials could have been considered failed the moment Ringo destroyed an obstacle or Mitsuki refused a request. It went well this time, but I must remind myself again that actions that distort events must be carefully considered.
Well, even so… While I don’t want to keep walking this tightrope, I think things will be easier for this particular event. As I pondered this, “—?!” A white blade appeared before my eyes. The speed of the sword was so great that I couldn’t react in time!
(No good, I can’t avoid it—)
At that sudden attack, as I prepared myself for death, “…Huh?” It stopped abruptly, right before my eyes.
“You’re too careless.”
As the voice that followed reached me, the tension left my stiffened body. It was Mitsuki who had swung the sword at me.
“I was careless, that’s true. But don’t scare me too much.”
As soon as I felt relieved, sweat poured out of me. I genuinely thought I was going to die just now. I protested, but:
“The speed of ‘Kongou Toshi’ is incomparable to this.”
Mitsuki’s words poured cold water on my protest.
“That is…” I was momentarily speechless. It’s true. The speed of the thrown “Kongou Toshi” would likely be even faster than Mitsuki’s current strike. Recalling that, I understood Mitsuki’s intention. The trial wasn’t over yet.
“My father probably allowed us to intervene in your trials because he thought you couldn’t stop you with normal trials. However, he gave us a stern warning that you must face the ‘final trial’ alone.”
“…Ah.”
That’s right. Up to this point, there were people who had reached it even before clearing the game. Unexpected traps are often easier to deal with once their mechanism is understood. However, the final trial that awaited had no room for trickery.
—The strategy for “Kongou Toshi.” If I couldn’t manage that, there would be no success in the trial, and more clearly, no life for me.
“It seems you’ve understood.” Mitsuki sheathed her sword. By then, my dispirited feelings had vanished somewhere. Noticing my change, Mitsuki, her cat ears fluttering in the wind, spoke softly.
“I saw my father use ‘Kongou Toshi’ just once. To be blunt, it’s impossible to dodge.” She added that defending against it was also difficult. That throwing attack had the attribute of ‘penetration’ added to it. No matter how much you hardened your equipment to increase your defense, most of it would be nullified. Furthermore, it would even break through the invincibility state of counter-type skills.
“Therefore, to overcome the ‘final trial,’ you must either withstand that attack, or before the spear is unleashed…”
“I won’t do that.” I said firmly before Mitsuki could finish. If dodging and defending were impossible, there was only one option: “kill the owner” before the spear was unleashed. Mitsuki probably intended to say that. But that was a misguided prediction. If I were going to do something like that, we would have escaped from here with the three of us long ago.
“Even if you can’t dodge or defend, there are ways to overcome the attack, aren’t there?” She was concluding that options other than dodging and defending were impossible. Mitsuki’s eyes widened as she understood the meaning of my words.
“Surely, you’re not suggesting you’ll…?”
Her usually expressionless face and cat ears showed her shock as she looked at me with disbelief, but:
“…No, you blocked my ‘Hyouryuu’ with a strange technique and stopped my movements with magic I’ve never seen before. With your strange sword, you might even be able to break that spear.”
Mitsuki seemed to reconsider, giving a slight shake of her cat ears. “Please forgive me. After all, you should just be dazed there for a while.” She said the opposite of what she had said before and turned her back to me.
“A-are you sure? I mean, for that purpose…” I hurried after her, but she shook her head.
“It’s fine. We will clear the path until sunset. We won’t let a single finger touch you. Instead…” Mitsuki turned back and smiled gently at me.
“—Give Father and ‘Kongou Toshi’ your best shot. Show them your strange sword!”
A shiver ran down my spine. The trust embedded in those words was different from the unconditional trust I occasionally felt from Ringo. I clearly felt that she, as a warrior, believed in my “ability.” Whether I could live up to this expectation, I didn’t know. I was attempting something I hadn’t even done in the game, and naturally, there was a risk of failure. Beyond Mitsuki’s wishes, I could easily be pierced by that spear and die.
—And yet. Even so, I nodded. The rising passion within me wouldn’t allow me to choose any other option.
“Yeah, leave it to me!” I replied, casting aside various doubts.
Wait for me, Asahi, and “Kongou Toshi”! I will definitely—
