Chapter 77

To be honest, Lily (male) is much easier to handle because his character is so well-defined.

While I did feel a bit sorry writing it, once a plot point is introduced, you can't just take it back!

"---So, you're saying that after hearing the information that I'm a man who is so dedicated to playing the role of the ideal woman that I enjoy deceiving many people for it, you believed I was a man?"

"Y-Yes!"

I desperately tried to hold my ground against Lily, who looked like she was thinking, "What the hell is this guy talking about?"

Indeed, if you heard it objectively, it was a situation where you could only think, "What the hell is this guy talking about?" But I just couldn't believe it.

"…H-Hey, Lily, are you really… not a man?"

"No, I'm not!"

Lily frowned, looking offended, and her appearance was unmistakably that of a woman.

But that was strange.

On the day we first met, I talked to Lily and was convinced she was a man.

What was going on?

"H-Hold on! When I said I knew your secret, you were surprised because…"

"That was because of the black magic and the unique skill."

"Ugh…"

Indeed, Lily had shown obvious signs of distress when the black magic and unique skill were mentioned.

I had assumed from the start that it was an act, but if she had actually been afraid, it would make sense.

"But what about your siblings? The sister who miscarried…?"

"I've been saying from the beginning that I don't have any siblings. Besides, I don't think my mother ever miscarried. She said she got pregnant at the end of her journey and moved to our current location."

"Then, when we first met, you lied about being old enough to drink, right?"

"Not at all. I turned twenty last September."

"Huh?"

The escape routes were being closed one by one.

My mind went blank.

Still, I clung to the last glimmer of hope.

"R-Right! The name! You definitely said you were bullied because of your name! What about that?"

Even if she could explain away everything else, this was something that couldn't be explained unless Lily was a man!

Receiving my hopeful gaze, Lily tilted her head in confusion.

"Bullied? I… Oh!"

Lily nodded as if she had just realized something.

Then she took out the harmonica she had used multiple times during the dungeon exploration.

(Could it be…?)

As if to confirm my suspicion, Lily smiled sheepishly and said…

"I wasn't really bullied, but when I was a child, I was teased for playing the harmonica. 'Harmonics is playing the harmonica!' But that actually sparked my interest in music."

"Her last name, you mean?!" I almost shouted, forgetting my role as Rex, but I managed to suppress it.

No words of rebuttal came from my mouth.

Everything made sense.

Still…

(But it's strange! It's strange!)

At least in the game, Lily was definitely a man.

There was no doubt about it.

Lily's story had been thoroughly explored from both the perspective of the victims seeking salvation and the few enlightened ones.

However, there was no hint that Lily was actually a woman, and there were almost no branches in the story.

To recruit Lily as a companion, you had to be deceived by her and then approach her.

As a result, she would join with the line, "You're really a hopeless pervert, you know. Honestly, you're disgusting, but I guess you could be useful as an accessory. If you really want to serve me, I'll use you as a footstool."

From then on, her attitude never changed, and there was no hint of a twist where she turned out to be a woman.

So, if this world followed the game, Lily would definitely be…

"Still don't believe me? Then, can I say one more thing?"

Lily leaned in, looking at me, who still couldn't accept it.

"W-What…?"

Lily wasn't angry anymore.

Instead, she looked at me with a gaze that seemed to pity me and said…

"---This isn't a fictional world. There's no way such a person exists in reality."

My knees buckled.

It was like a brutal truth.

The moment I heard those words, I understood everything.

(That's right. That's what it was.)

Because I had thought this world was a game, I never doubted it.

But if you didn't view this world metafictionally, it was a natural way of thinking.

A man who looks like a woman or a woman who looks like a man exists in fiction.

But in reality, you rarely encounter such people.

Especially the "game Lily" was a man who had a woman's body at the skeletal level and spoke with a woman's voice.

---Such a being shouldn't exist in "reality."

And this world is both a game and reality.

For example, in the game "The Labyrinth of the Undying," the skeletons that endlessly spawned only appeared once.

This world is like the game, but things that are "unrealistic" are corrected.

Therefore, in this world, unnatural things like cross-dressing girls or boys are destined to be rejected.

As a result, the Lily who was a man in the game became a woman.

Or, given the age of "this world's" Lily and the fact that she has no older sister, "this world's" Lily might be the sister who miscarried in the game.

In other words, the person I had been planning to get back at and had been hating all along didn't even exist in this world.

"…Do you understand now?"

To Lily's voice, I nodded naturally.

"…Yeah. Sorry. I must have been out of it."

I apologized again, firmly…

Then, I suddenly realized something.

(…Wait, isn't this bad?)

If Lily was really a woman, what I did was completely off the mark.

I would be a pervert who spouted nonsense and tore her clothes.

Moreover, Lily was holding a recording crystal in her hand…

(This could be as bad as, or even worse than, the event in the game.)

Cold sweat wouldn't stop.

"Um, Rex. I have a request."

"Y-Yeah. W-What is it, Lily?"

I managed to respond with a trembling voice, and Lily smiled softly and said,

"Can you hire me?"

"…Huh?"

It was a completely unexpected proposal.

What was she thinking?

Seeing my wary look, she said, "Don't worry," and hugged me, holding my head.

"Wh-Wha, Lily!?"

The softness I had seen earlier pressed against my face, and I panicked.

"Poor thing. You must have been so desperate to believe such an absurd story."

"Huh? Huh? Huh?"

"Don't you remember? That day, I heard a lot from the drunk Rex. You were overpraised beyond your capabilities, but you couldn't rely on anyone, and you couldn't return to a place called 'Nihon,' so you've been struggling alone all this time."

My blood ran cold at her words.

What had I said that day, and how much had I revealed?

"But don't worry. From now on, I'll support you."

"N-No, Lily…"

I couldn't form a coherent response.

"I'm not like Risia, who only restrains you, or Veltan, who only exploits you, or Mana, who only respects you without seeing the real you."

Lily looked at me with teary eyes as I was in a state of confusion.

"I'm the only one who will truly be on your side, okay?"

Surrounded by softness and a sweet scent, my mind was a mess, but I had one certainty.

(---Ah, this person is definitely the type who gets hooked on a hopeless man.)

And so, that day, I acquired the "best pawn."

Good job, Risia!

You've gained a new companion!

Thus, the Lily arc concludes!

The side stories tend to have a tricky structure, but this is a work that is recognized as a straightforward, orthodox battle fantasy, so the main story will have a lot of battles and exploration, like a shonen manga!

Actually, I intended to breeze through Lily's story in about three chapters and then move on to the main story, but it ended up being a bit (a little?) longer!

I forgot to adjust the chapter divisions, so I'll make this an interlude!

Our true fourth part starts now!

Oh, and since we've reached a good stopping point, I have a request for everyone who has read this far!

If you found this work even a little interesting, I would be grateful if you could support it by bookmarking, leaving comments, giving stars, writing reviews, buying a hundred copies of the book, or sending a million yen to the Enbure editorial department with "Go to Usu-bar" written on it!

Personally, I recommend sending a million yen!

The next update will be tomorrow or the day after!

I might end up not updating for 100 days again, but I think it will be okay this time.

See you in the fourth part!