Chapter 24

I am a slave for life.

I'm the meat shield type that stops the final boss.

"Shut up and get lost if you're done talking."

"No, I'm not done yet. Hey, Kurosawa."

Kurosawa's eyes meet Ishihara's.

"Let's meet a few days later for a sparring session. I'll teach you the F-rank theme, you little brat."

Ishihara growls.

The expected pattern.

He wants to humiliate me in a public sparring session.

This scene was supposed to be in Volume 2, but thanks to my changes to the original work, it's been moved up.

Kurosawa's eyes sparkle.

"Fine. See you then, Ishihara."

Kurosawa Yuji says with a determined voice.

"Tch. Let's go, guys."

Ishihara clicks his tongue and leaves with his two lackeys.

Phew.

Now I can breathe a little easier.

My clothes were all messed up, I thought I was going to go crazy.

"Kim, are you okay?"

As soon as Ishihara disappears, the protagonist runs over and asks me.

I don't want to hear any concern from this guy.

I nod formally.

"Thank you so much... for calling me a friend... today."

The guy scratches the back of his head and smiles.

I feel dizzy.

I have no interest in hearing such crap from this guy.

"Got it, I'm leaving."

We'll talk about the cherry blossom festival later in my room.

"Leaving? Kim, wait a moment..."

I leave the practice building, ignoring the protagonist's words.

This much is enough for the male character.

Any more and I'll lose my mind.

*

I arrive at the First Annex, the Reading Club room.

When I open the door, I see Kasumi-senpai reading a book.

"Kouhai, you really came?"

Kasumi smiles with a bright face.

"I'm really happy you came to the club room today. Hehe."

Kasumi mumbles, hiding her face behind a book.

"Ever since that day, you never came to the club room... I thought I was abandoned. You're a bad guy, Kouhai... taking everything from a girl's body and heart... I hate you."

"Cut it out, Senpai."

Damn.

My head is spinning for a different reason than with Olivia.

Who took what? What are you talking about?

I can't believe this.

Kasumi's shoulders droop.

"Fine. I'm a good spy who listens to Kouhai."

Each word stabs me in the heart.

I feel like I'm going to go insane.

She mumbles in a dark voice and rustles something on the desk.

It's an envelope.

"What's this?"

Kasumi covers her mouth and smiles.

She takes something out of the envelope.

"I bought this for you. It's the school canteen's special yakisoba bread. How is it? Did I do well? Praise me. Praise."

As she says, the envelope contains yakisoba bread.

A staple of Japanese school canteens.

"Yeah, you did well."

I praise her half-heartedly.

To make a slave work well, you need to give them the right carrots.

So they become proactive slaves.

"Kouhai praised me... Hehe..."

Kasumi smiles, hiding her face behind a book.

Even half-hearted praise is good?

I can't understand the thought process of light novel heroines.

Instead, I focus on the yakisoba bread.

A long hot dog bun split down the middle, filled with brown noodle-like contents.

A familiar sight from Japanese anime.

'Selling yakisoba between bread slices, what kind of carb on carb is this?'

Is this a carb hell?

It feels like having rice, spaghetti, and tteokbokki on the same tray in Korean school cafeterias.

But I should eat it to show appreciation for her effort.

I take a bite of the yakisoba bread.

"How is it? Is it delicious, Kouhai?"

Kasumi's purple eyes sparkle.

"Since it's delicious, tell me what you asked me to do earlier."

Honestly, the bread is a bit good.

Kasumi's face brightens at my answer.

She nods.

"Y-Yeah. I understand. First, about the Inokashira Park cherry blossom festival terror plan..."

I listen to Kasumi's story while biting into the yakisoba bread.

Finally, the main topic.

"...It's true. Vulture is participating."

A smile forms on my lips.

I was worried that the cherry blossom festival episode would change strangely due to the butterfly effect.

Fortunately, there's no problem.

That means...

'The only thing left is to take down the bastard.'

I need to gather all available forces and make sure the villain doesn't survive.

If I report to the association, the information will definitely leak to the New World League.

There's no other way but to take him down on the spot.

"Good job."

"Thank you for the praise... Kouhai. I'm happy."

Maybe because of the terrible things I experienced earlier, Kasumi's lines are more tolerable today.

I stuff the remaining part of the yakisoba bread into my mouth with my right hand.

But it's surprisingly delicious. Bad things are always tasty.

I can't die alone.

Just as I swallow the last of the yakisoba bread.

Kasumi's voice rings in my ear.

"Kouhai, are you planning to go to the cherry blossom festival?"

"Would I ask if I wasn't going?"

"You're going with the Knight Princess again, aren't you? You really are a bad guy, Kouhai, taking a girl's pure love."

Kasumi looks at me, hiding her face behind a book.

I feel like I'm going to snap.

My blood pressure is rising in real-time.

Is this place a utopia?

"...Just kidding. I can't go with you to the place where the League's villain will be dealt with, as I'm the League's spy. Yeah... I understand."

It's the scariest and most dangerous joke I've ever heard.

If I joke again, my limbs might degenerate into tentacles and I'll end up in the emergency room.

"Kouhai, be careful. Vulture is a tough opponent for the Knight Princess and Kouhai. If you get hurt... it can't be allowed."

Kasumi says with a worried voice.

It's not just the two of them, but I don't need to explain that.

"I'll handle it, don't worry."

I have no intention of dying.

I plan to live until I can paint the walls with my own feces.

"Yeah. I trust you, Kouhai."

Kasumi smiles.

I'm too tired to react to every little thing.

Let's get to the point.

"So, what's the second matter?"

I ask again.

Kasumi's face turns serious.

"About Kurosawa-kun. Yeah, I looked into it. It's as you said. The upper echelons ordered me to keep an eye on the son of the Sword Saint who defeated Shinozaki-san."

Finally, I hear a line I like in this crazy world.

Just like in the original, the protagonist, who is an F-rank but defeated an A-rank, is being watched by the black organization.

I was a bit worried when the protagonist's opponent changed, but it's a fact that an F-rank defeated an A-rank.

With the title of the Sword Saint's son, the League has no choice but to keep an eye on him.

It's all according to plan.

'I really like it.'

Now the world feels like it's moving in a normal direction.

I wish the protagonist could stop the New World League in my place.

The title of the original is "World Savior." The world should be saved by the protagonist.

'Fucking villains.'

If it weren't for them, I wouldn't be suffering.

Why does their goal have to be the destruction of the world?

More accurately, the recreation of the world through an apocalypse, but it's the same thing.

If the New World Plan of Messiah succeeds, all beings in this world will cease to exist, as mentioned in the original.

If this crazy world falls, I'll die too.

A modest goal like world domination would be better.

Anyway, who would be a light novel villain?

'I need to find a way back.'

It might sound like a cliché in modern stories, but my mom is really sick.

After the possession, I don't know what the situation is like in my original world, whether I'm dead or alive, or how much time has passed.

I need to escape this crazy world.

I need to get a job and pay medical bills when I return.

It's too much for my dad, who is almost at retirement age.

So I can't get attached to this crazy world.

"Sigh."

A sigh escapes me.

The worries and thoughts I've been trying to ignore to maintain my sanity in this crazy world suddenly surface and confuse my mind.

It's all because of that bastard.

If I ever return, I'll definitely punch the author in the face.

Fucking bastard.

"Kouhai, is something bothering you?"

Kasumi asks.

I shake my head.

"Nothing."

"Liar. It's written on your face, Kouhai."

She touches my forehead.

I'm already troubled, and she's making it worse.

Creak.

I stand up from the chair.

"I'll be going now."

I've heard everything I needed to.

It's late, and it's time to return to the dorm.

"...Got it. It was nice seeing you today, Kouhai. Be careful on your way back."

I leave the club room