“Well… I guess the day finally came.”
That was the first thing Yuna said when I returned to the dorm.
Finding her in my room was nothing unusual at this point.
Had she been spying on my meeting with Alice or something?
Why were there so many people around me who kept tabs on everything I did?
Weren’t they supposed to be giving me some free time?
“So… it’s finally happened.”
“……”
How was I even supposed to respond to that?
One thing was certain. Nothing good would come from saying the wrong thing.
Her tone sounded casual enough, but there was no way she was actually happy about the situation.
Even so, this was about the mildest reaction I could’ve hoped for.
If she hadn’t given me her unspoken approval beforehand, I probably wouldn’t even be standing here right now.
That didn’t mean she had to like it.
“Where is she?”
“…Probably in her room?”
“Is that so?”
Yuna hopped off the bed, opened the door, and walked out into the hallway.
What exactly was about to happen?
I had no idea.
All I could do was hope Yuna and Alice managed to reach some kind of peaceful understanding.
“What are you doing? Aren’t you coming?”
“Huh…? Me? Um… wouldn’t it be a problem if I went into the girls’ dorm?”
“Do I seriously have to think that far for you too?”
“…No. Of course not.”
I couldn’t argue with that.
I’d obviously just said something ridiculous, and after openly flirting with another girl, I wasn’t exactly in any position to complain.
“Come on. You’ll escort me, right?”
“Y-Yeah… of course.”
Territory marking, huh.
She really wasn’t leaving any room for doubt.
***
Fortunately, I wasn’t dragged all the way into the girls’ dorm.
We ran into the dorm supervisor right in front of the entrance.
That said, it wasn’t as though the situation improved because of it.
“Well then, you all know each other already, don’t you?”
That was because Yuna had used Alice’s ability to gather everyone here.
What was this supposed to be?
An initiation ceremony?
Or a public execution for me?
“Today is the day Johan proposed to this girl. So let’s all congratulate them together.”
“……”
“……”
In the suffocating silence, only Yuna’s applause echoed through the room.
Seriously, why were they doing this to me?
Was I really that much in the wrong?
…Okay, yes. I was.
“Nice to meet you. I’m Alice.”
Alice accepted the situation with remarkable composure.
She really wasn’t ordinary either.
“It’s nice to meet you, Miss Alice.”
Ariel stepped forward and offered her hand.
She wasn’t planning to crush it, was she?
As a beastkin, Ariel’s physical strength was naturally extraordinary.
Snapping a grown man’s waist in half would be an easy feat for her.
“A proposal, huh? I received one too. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime romantic experience, so congratulations. Though… I doubt it was more romantic than mine.”
“Ah… I see…”
Ariel looked oddly proud of herself, while Alice wore a rather complicated expression.
Come to think of it… had I ever actually proposed to Ariel?
As far as I remembered, I’d been the one who got forcibly engaged.
…Then again, who knew?
Even during our engagement, I’d been dragged along by whatever had happened inside Ariel’s mind. Maybe, in her memories, I’d already given her the most romantic proposal imaginable.
There wasn’t any point correcting her.
If that’s how she wanted to remember it, I was grateful.
“You remember too, don’t you, Johan?”
“Huh? O-Of course… I do.”
Cold sweat trickled down my back.
What if she asked me to describe what had happened back then?
“I see. Then would you mind telling us what kind of proposal you gave her, Johan?”
Did Alice sense my growing panic?
She flashed a mischievous grin as she asked.
This woman was actually trying to get her own husband killed.
I couldn’t believe I’d fallen for a villainess like this and proposed to her.
“Th-That’s… our little secret. It’s embarrassing to talk about.”
“I see.”
Alice smiled sweetly.
Seriously, why was she picking on me when we were both in the same boat?
Was her plan for us to go down together?
“I was the one who proposed.”
Emily spoke about her proposal with the detached expression of someone reporting the results of an experiment.
Thank goodness.
She wasn’t the type to compete over something like this.
Maybe it was because her emotions were naturally muted, but she didn’t seem to get jealous.
Of course, who knew how that might change in the future.
I should probably make an effort to treat everyone well.
“By the way… why did you accept his proposal?”
“Hmm?”
Yuna’s question cut straight to the point.
“Do you even like Johan?”
“Yes. Unfortunately.”
She answered without the slightest hesitation, then added that completely unnecessary addition.
…What was that supposed to mean?
Was it unfortunate that she’d fallen for me?
Why was she still acting like this even after accepting my proposal?
“What exactly do you like about Johan?”
“The way he shrinks back whenever I criticize or bully him.”
“……”
Even Yuna froze, drawing in a sharp breath at the utterly unexpected answer.
That idiot…
Wh-What the hell did she just say?
Had she been looking at me like that this whole time?!
“I-Isn’t it… cute?”
With her cheeks flushed, Alice looked around as if seeking everyone’s agreement.
I was completely speechless after witnessing this side of my childhood friend that I’d never imagined.
Come to think of it, Alice used to tease me all the time when we were kids.
I’d always brushed it off as harmless childhood memories.
…But what if it wasn’t?
What if she’d already had this sadistic streak back then?
No.
Stop thinking about it.
My beautiful, nostalgic childhood memories were about to be stained forever.
Don’t think about it.
“R-Right… I see. In that case… shall we call today’s welcome party here?”
Overwhelmed by Alice’s disturbingly honest confession, Yuna decided to retreat.
The welcome party which had been in serious danger of turning into a public execution came to an abrupt end thanks to a single sentence from Alice.
Alice had navigated the crisis flawlessly.
As for me…
I’d just stumbled into a nightmare I never could’ve anticipated.
What was I supposed to do from here?
I honestly had no confidence that I could survive this.
The future looked pitch black.
This was terrifying.
Even when the leaders of terrorist organizations were hunting me down, I hadn’t been this scared.
At least I could run away from them.
But this?
There was no escape from the hell I’d brought upon myself.
“…I think… I might understand.”
I watched as Ariel hesitantly walked over to Alice and quietly murmured those words.
I was doomed.
***
“Something like that happened, Helena.”
“I see. So that’s why you ran all the way out here? They’ll find you eventually, you know.”
“I just came here to get away from it all for a bit. Besides, I wanted to see how you guys were doing. This is the first time we’ve met since the day the late Emperor passed away.”
“Oh, I was starting to think you’d completely forgotten about us. You know, like the kind of commercial novelist who gets caught up wrapping up everything else and then suddenly goes, ‘Oh right, these people existed too’ before scrambling to tie up their storyline at the very end?”
“Hey now, don’t say things like that. And as if I’d forget you. I made you work way too hard for that.”
“Exactly. That’s what makes it so unforgivable.”
“I said I didn’t forget.”
“Of course.”
I had returned to the Misfits’ hideout for the first time in a long while.
They all seemed to be doing well enough.
They’d canceled their plans to relocate, and they were no longer fugitives either.
Even so, they were still living deep in this secluded forest.
I figured it was simply because this place had become home.
Well, I trusted them to manage just fine.
Cattleya would look after everyone.
Now that the warrants were gone, Helena’s value as a Prophet would only continue to soar.
“So, how have things been lately?”
“The same as always. Her Majesty asked us to keep it that way.”
“Her Majesty Lobelia?”
“Mhmm. She said she doesn’t have the spare attention to deal with us right now, so if we’re planning to reveal ourselves to the world, she’d appreciate it if we waited a little longer. Honestly, I wanted to make a grand speech about how our freedom couldn’t be infringed upon.”
“And then?”
“After seeing the state she was in… I figured I’d just let it slide and call it saving someone’s life.”
“Ouch.”
Lobelia must have been aging by the day.
At this rate, by the next time I saw her, that blood-red hair of hers might have turned completely white.
Then again…
Thinking about all that stress getting dumped onto me after graduation made me feel a little lightheaded myself.
“By the way, I heard you and Miss Alice have become… that kind of couple?”
“How did you find out about that?”
Surely rumors hadn’t already spread?
That couldn’t be right.
“Big Sister Cattleya told me. Apparently she’s been trying to figure out the best way to kill you, Teacher.”
“Come on, what a pointless thing to waste brainpower on. I’m resistant to poison, Mephi would stop any surprise attack, and unless someone can beat me head-on, killing me is basically impossible.”
“Then doesn’t that just mean she should beat you head-on?”
“What are you trying to say? You think someone can actually overpower me?”
“Should I call Big Brother Dietrich?”
“…What exactly would we gain from fighting?”
If I remembered correctly, Dietrich had awakened a truly terrifying ability.
At this point, there probably weren’t even enough people who could beat Dietrich to fill one hand.
Off the top of my head, only Lapis and Lobelia came to mind.
By now, even Ariel and Yuna would probably have a hard time defeating him.
“So, speaking of which, how are things going with you and Dietrich these days?”
“What do you mean?”
“Come on, I can already tell just from the way you’re answering. No wonder you two aren’t making any progress when you’re this dense.”
“Coming from someone who managed to juggle four women, that’s surprisingly unhelpful.”
What was that?
Was she taking a jab at me?
“Even if I’m a little slow, I’d rather marry someone who’s devoted to me and only me.”
“Are you picking a fight?”
“Me? I was just saying what I think. Or… are you unhappy with your current situation, Teacher?”
“…I never said that.”
“I see. For a second there, I thought you might have something you wanted to say to Big Sister Yuna.”
At this point, I probably couldn’t beat Helena anymore either.
How had everyone around me ended up getting so strong?
She used to be such an obedient, well-behaved kid. What on earth had turned her into someone so materialistic and sharp-tongued?
“It’s you.”
And why did this bastard keep sticking her nose into my business? If she was going to lurk in the shadows, she could at least stay there.
“What about the others?”
“Big Brother Jeff and Big Sister Melana went on their honeymoon.”
“…Wait, when did they get married?”
“Right after the bounty on them was lifted.”
“Come on, we’re friends. You could’ve at least told me.”
“Big Sister Yuna and Big Sister Ariel both came. You’re the only one who didn’t, Teacher. Why didn’t you come?”
“I would’ve if you’d invited me.”
Why had something like that happened without anyone telling me?
“Hmm… I think I get it now. Yeah, I can see why they wouldn’t want you there as a wedding guest.”
“You’re talking about me?”
“Mhmm.”
“…That’s honestly depressing. After everything I’ve done for them.”
“You worked them just as hard.”
Still… we were friends.
“Besides, you were in a coma at the time, Teacher. There wasn’t much we could do.”
“You should’ve started with that.”
I almost ended up genuinely hurt.
“So I guess things are pretty quiet around here now? How does it feel being alone with Dietrich?”
“I have more work to do.”
“That’s not exactly the kind of realistic answer I was hoping for.”
Somehow, it felt like those two still had a long, difficult road ahead before anything happened between them.
Haah. They’re still just kids.
“Well then, I should get going.”
“Okay. But next time, don’t come empty-handed. Bring me a present too.”
Hah! Since when have you ever seen me bring gifts?
As if. I’ll show up empty-handed again next time and just mooch another good meal.
***
This was my last stop of the day.
The World Tree.
I wondered how she was doing.
Was she happily celebrating the fact that she’d survived?
“Kukuku! At last, I can show that brat the true extent of my power!”
Just look at this fully grown idiot declaring her intention to bully a child.
Could she be any more pathetic?
Ignoring the ugly grin on her face, I walked toward the World Tree.
“Ah! M-Mephi suddenly became an adult! That’s cheating! Totally unfair!”
As lively as ever, the World Tree stared at Mephi in shock.
Then again, shouldn’t she know that Mephi had manifested in the mortal world through our contract?
“I won’t forgive this!”
“Bring it on!”
Judging by how they were acting, maybe she really didn’t know…
Or maybe she did and just didn’t care.
“I won!”
“Graaagh!”
And Mephi lost again.
Seriously, this idiot.
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