Chapter 4

I am bound with ropes.

For the first time in my life.

In the previous world, I was an unproductive unemployed person, but I never did anything that would get me tied up like this.

No, I didn’t do anything wrong this time either.

I am currently walking down the corridor of the school, with both my hands and feet bound with ropes.

My legs can barely support me enough to walk.

Even if I tried to escape, I wouldn’t be able to run.

The lamps hanging on the walls at regular intervals don’t look like they’re lit with fire... I wonder if there’s electricity?

While pondering this, I turn my gaze to the windows that line the corridor at regular intervals.

I couldn’t tell from the thick curtains on the infirmary window, but it was already getting dark outside.

I must have been unconscious for quite a while...

As I absentmindedly gaze out the window, I feel a nudge on my back.

“Hey, move it.”

“...Yes.”

The person who nudged me is a guard.

The guard and Reiza are walking on either side of me.

By the way, when we left the infirmary, Reiza pointed at the guard with her thumb and said, “I’ll keep an eye on this guy to make sure he doesn’t get rough with you,” and came along.

Wow, what a nice person.

“...”

However, the atmosphere here is rather solemn, or something.

It feels quite different from the schools in the world I was in.

Even this corridor we’re walking down looks like a Western fantasy castle from an RPG.

Ah... no good.

I’m kind of excited, even though I’m bound with ropes.

I guess that’s because it feels like the fantasy of being in a game world has become reality...

As I’m thinking this, Reiza points at me.

“So, what’s going to happen to him?”

The guard glances at me.

“First, we’ll interrogate him in the security room today, and then put him in the school’s punishment cell until tomorrow. We’ll consult the principal tomorrow about his treatment.”

Punishment cell.

What a harsh-sounding name.

The excitement I felt a moment ago instantly vanished.

I can’t help but sigh.

“Hmm... interrogation and punishment cell, huh? What do you think? Can I take on that role?”

Reiza raises her index finger and asks the guard.

“No.”

The guard immediately rejects it without hesitation.

A brief silence follows.

“I’ll ask again, can I?”

“I’ll say it again, no.”

“You’re stubborn.”

“Somehow, you seem to... like him.”

“Hahaha, you noticed, huh? You’re quite observant.”

“...Thank you.”

In response to the guard’s disgruntled look, Reiza laughs heartily.

Hmm... Reiza seems to like me.

It’s not a bad feeling to be liked by someone like her.

On the other hand, the guard is looking at me with a face that seems to say, “What’s so good about this guy?”

Hmm.

Could it be that this guard... has a thing for Reiza?

“No, I don’t really see him as a bad guy. He doesn’t seem like a spy at all. I do have some ability to judge people, you know.”

“He might just be acting that way. A trained spy could do that easily.”

Reiza chuckles, “Yeah, maybe.”

...I wish she had pressed the issue a bit more.

As we’re talking, we come to a slightly open area.

It’s a landing-like space with stairs leading up and down.

“...Huh?”

Footsteps?

I turn my gaze in the direction of the footsteps.

Someone is coming down the stairs from above.

Clomp, clomp.

Clomp.

The footsteps stop halfway down the stairs.

“Oh? Is something wrong, Reiza?”

The girl, who has black hair, says as she pushes it back.

She looks like a young girl, but...

From the impression she gives, she seems to be around upper elementary school age.

She’s wearing a black dress with lace frills and a headpiece.

Her black hair reaches down to her waist.

Her eyes are a deep crimson.

They’re not colored contacts...

They’re like gemstones.

She looks like a doll, but she also gives off a somewhat arrogant impression.

She seems used to speaking from a position of authority.

Who is she?

“G-Guard!”

The guard straightens up sharply.

Huh?

The principal?

“Hello, Principal.”

Unlike the guard, whose attitude changed noticeably, Reiza greets the girl without changing her posture.

“I told you to call me Makina... but you’re still so cold, Reiza.”

The girl, who is apparently the principal, is named Makina.

But, the principal, huh.

I observe Makina.

Indeed... due to her height and build, she looks like a child.

However, from her title as principal, her composed demeanor, and the guard’s change in attitude, it’s clear she’s a person of considerable standing.

“So, what did this man do?”

The principal looks at my bound hands and feet in turn.

“Oh, he’s an intruder who sneaked into the school posing as a candidate for Sacred Tree Warrior. I caught him.”

The guard says this with a snort and a proud tone.

Excuse me.

Isn’t this story being made up on the spot?

I thought I was still presumed innocent...

“Hmm.”

The principal gives me an uninterested look.

“So?”

She places her hands on her hips in an arrogant manner.

Due to her height, she somehow looks cute.

After a moment, the principal seems to realize that her “So?” means “Continue the story,” and the guard hurriedly speaks up.

“Oh, well... I’m going to take him to the security room for interrogation. After that, I plan to put him in the punishment cell.”

“But there’s a holding cell in the basement of the security room, isn’t there? Why the punishment cell?”

“It’s currently under construction.”

“Ah, right. I forgot.”

Holding cell.

It sounds a bit better than the punishment cell.

Why is it under construction at a time like this...

“...?”

What?

What is it?

As soon as she steps down the stairs and approaches, the principal stares at me intently.

“So, what’s your purpose here?”

I look to the guard for permission to speak.

He glares at me for a moment before reluctantly nodding.

Oh, permission granted.

If I can explain well here, maybe I can get out of this.

This girl seems to be a person of authority.

“My purpose... I was just picked up and brought to the infirmary, mistaken for a new student. I was told that a new student brought me here.”

“If that’s true, you’re not really at fault.”

Oh, she seems to understand.

“Yes, that’s right!”

The principal turns to the guard.

“I don’t see the need for an interrogation.”

Hmm.

Is there a chance?

And—then a hiss comes from behind.

The guard steps forward.

“No, Principal! This guy is... suspicious!”

At that moment, Reiza, who had been shrugging, interjects as if to offer help.

“Well, he does seem honest. And he doesn’t look bad, either.”

The guard is speechless.

“Yeah... he must have been brought here on purpose!”

The guard points at me with a stern look.

“Probably a spy from the empire... or maybe even an accomplice of the man who escaped from the holding cell! And he’s a womanizer, too!”

The guard says this with foam at the corners of his mouth.

Hmm.

Regardless of the spy and the escaped man...

“Calling me a womanizer is offensive... and, and you don’t know anything about my boring life—”

“Shut up! Be quiet!”

The next moment,

Thud.

A shock runs through my back.

“—Huh?”

I lose my balance.

“Whoa!?”

“Eh? Wait, wait—”

Because my feet are bound with ropes, I can’t steady myself, and I end up falling on top of the principal.

“...”

Um...?

What?

I fell, but... it’s not painful at all?

Rather, there’s a soft sensation... and a pleasant smell.

A sweet, mysterious scent.

And there’s a soft sensation around my face—

I open my eyes slightly.

“...Huh?”

—No way.

My face is... pressed against the principal’s chest?

Oh no!

And my hands are between her thighs... damn!

I can’t move my hands to get out of this position because they’re bound!

And because I can’t move my legs, I end up wriggling on top of the principal’s body.

“Ah!? What, what are you doing!? Rude! Wait— Get off! Understand! If you move any more or touch any inappropriate places... I won’t let you off— Hey, where are you touching now!?”

“It’s not like that! This is—”

I try to get off, but... no good!

I’m just rubbing my body against the principal’s...!

Damn.

The more I move, the more our bodies get entangled in strange positions...!

...

But this sweet scent... girls smell this good...?

Is it perfume?

Even if it is, it smells good...

What am I thinking!?

This isn’t the time for that!

“Get off the principal, you!”

The guard is shouting.

I turn my head to the side.

Ah.

Damn.

He’s clearly blocking Reiza, who’s trying to help us up!

He’s saying, “It’s dangerous, step back!” while blocking Reiza from approaching.

There’s a faint smile on his lips...

Ah, he pushed me!

“Death sentence...”

“Huh?”

“You— death sentence! Ah, don’t move! I said don’t move!”

The principal shouts.

No good.

Because the principal is struggling, I can’t get off...!

I need to calm her down first!

“Please, calm down!”

“Wha—”

As I say this resolutely, the principal’s face turns pale.

“Um...?”

I need her to calm down so I can get off...

“Are you going to do something to me here? How bold and shameless—”

“No, no, that’s not—”

A murderous aura runs through the principal’s expression.

“You have some nerve, scum.”

I can almost see a dark, burning flame behind the principal.

“No, no! I just wanted you to calm down so I could get off—”

At that moment,

“Hey, Principal? Is something wrong? Where are you?”

A voice comes from the top of the stairs.

I look in the direction of the voice.

A girl, judging by the voice, is speaking to the principal in a tone that doesn’t fit the situation. She’s carrying a large number of books and scrolls that hide her face.

“I’m busy right now!”

The principal shouts while struggling.

“Ah!?”

The girl on the stairs lets out a surprised cry.

“Awa, awa, awa—”

There’s a sudden sound.

It’s as if she stumbled on the stairs.

For a moment, the principal and I stop moving.

Something is flying towards us.

From the top of the stairs.

...

Is the person who spoke falling?

“No way, this is a joke, right!?”

“Ah, I need to get out of the way—”

I try to move, but the principal’s struggling makes it impossible.

Damn.

At least I need to make sure the principal doesn’t get crushed—

“Ah!”

Thud.

The view goes dark, and a shock runs through my body.

“Ugh...”

I slowly open my eyes.

In front of me is the small, cute face of the principal.

She seems to have stopped moving.

“Huh?”

The positions have changed.

The principal is straddling me, her legs around my side.

Looking at her up close, she’s really cute.

Her ruby eyes are so beautiful—no, that’s not the point.

The principal, who is now facing me, pushes back her fallen hair.

“Well... I’m looking forward to what happens next?”

Her lips form a curve, but her deep crimson eyes are cold.

Her eyes aren’t smiling.

“Can I have a chance to explain?”

“No.”

“No?”

“It’s over.”

And,

“Um, something’s touching my crotch—”

Our gazes turn to my crotch.

...

A soft, chestnut-haired girl is pressing her face into my crotch.

She’s the one who stumbled with a large number of books and scrolls.

From her lack of reaction, it seems she’s unconscious.

The principal glares at me.

“...Did you aim for that?”

“Huh?”

“You seemed to move just before she fell.”

“No, I was trying to avoid the principal getting crushed—”

“Hmm, I see.”

“Yes!”

“But you’re still getting the death sentence.”

“What was the point of asking then!?”

The principal smirks.

“I’m a bit strict with unprincipled perverts.”

This girl is scary.

“Guard, Reiza!”

The principal’s gaze turns to the guard and Reiza, who have been watching the situation in shock.

“Yes!”

“Huh, what?”

“You’re not to interfere. Just stand there and watch.”

“But, this was clearly an accident—”

“Unfortunately, there’s no room for discussion. The only fact that remains is that this man rubbed his body against me.”

Reiza, who tried to help, is cut off by the principal’s firm tone.

She’s not listening to any arguments.

Well, I can’t argue with the second part of the principal’s statement.

It’s a fact.

The principal picks up the unconscious chestnut-haired girl and quickly moves away from me.

I notice a piece of paper floating in the air, probably from when the girl fell.

It reminds me of a scene where lottery tickets fly around a racetrack.

...But that’s not the issue now.

What should I do?

“I’ll punish this shameless man here. Let him taste a little pain.”

As she says this, the principal begins to trace something in the air with her fingers.

Is she writing in the air?

Her movements are smooth and graceful.

The part she traced begins to glow a pale blue.

...

This doesn’t feel good.

Is this some kind of magical incantation?

I have a bad feeling about this.

“Ah, ah!”

Instinctively sensing danger, I try to stand up but stumble immediately.

“Ugh.”

No good.

I can’t keep my balance because my hands and feet are bound.

“...”

Well, the principal seems fine and unharmed.

At least she’s safe.

Damn.

But that guard, what a guy.

He must have been jealous of Reiza’s support for me...

I didn’t expect him to do something like that.

I sigh.

So, will I really be executed as the principal said?

Hmm.

Even if it was an accident, I did do something pretty bad.

It would be a crime in my original world too.

I check the surroundings.

...

There doesn’t seem to be any room for argument.

I sigh again.

To die because of a perverted situation... what a way to end my life.

Yeah.

Reality is harsh.

Still, I look at the principal.

The existence of magic means this is really a different world...

What kind of magic will she use?

Ha, but... maybe I should look forward to the next life.

For a moment, I thought I might get a chance to restart my life here... but it was a short and fleeting dream.

As I resign myself to this, a rolled-up piece of paper flutters down in front of me.

Huh?

What’s this?

Parchment?

The string that tied the scroll-like paper must have come loose, and it unravels in front of my nose.

“Huh?”

There’s writing on it.

A poem?

Hmm.

Well, since I’m here, I might as well use the words on this scroll as my last words.

I can read it normally.

“Let’s see...”

I scan the text.

“‘I, the Master of Chains, invoke the forbidden spell. From the deepest prison, a thousand chains, by my command, bind my enemy—Ninth Forbidden Spell, Release’?”

I can’t help but laugh.

Even in this situation.

But what can I do?

The last words are a random, middle-schooler-like poem.

Ha ha ha ha.

But it’s okay.

I feel a sense of closure at the very end.

Yeah.

Dying with a smile is probably a good thing.

Here we go.

I look at the principal with a clear mind.

And, when did she wake up? The chestnut-haired girl behind the principal looks shocked.

But, considering how shocked she looks, it seems like she’s more confused by the situation in front of her.

Huh?

Could the magic the principal is about to use be that dangerous?

“P-Principal.”

The chestnut-haired girl calls out.

“I’m in the middle of casting the spell, don’t interrupt me! I can’t afford to mess up the coordinates—”

The chestnut-haired girl’s trembling finger points at me.

“No... just now...”

In an instant,

Holes open up around the principal.

It’s as if...

A portal from another dimension has opened, revealing red-black holes.

What is this?

It’s like a wound in space—

“Get away, Principal!”

The chestnut-haired girl shouts.