105. Acting Clean for a Mere Human?
105. Acting Clean for a Mere Human?
Could it be called a date?
The semi-forced date was better than expected.
「[300, The Last Warriors] Chapter 2」
「.......Hmph」
He knew her tastes.
「Three more servings of bulgogi here」
「...........」
He knew her appetite.
「Yeah. This suits you」
「...You...」
What kind of clothes suited her,
what kind of accessories suited her—
「Since you have no backup plan, this equipment will definitely be the most efficient.」
「.......Tch」
The sensation of being read from A to Z.
It was strangely similar. It strangely reminded her of 'him.'
As if he knew everything,
infinitely relaxed, a loner living life entirely on his own terms.
'To a bastard like that....'
He, Chrono, kept overlapping in her vision.
And this was not simply a matter of Mars having a weak heart.
「Heh heh.....」
She was wavering.
Noticeable even from the outside, a strange tremor could be felt from Mars, who had seemed like an iron fortress.
'Originally, it would have been impossible, but'
Ter quietly smiled as he checked his title window.
[Title: Hera Class (Child of Hera)][Rank: B]
-The hero acknowledged by the Queen of the Gods to protect the mortal world
-The one who will overcome the coming despair and bring a brilliant future
-'All Characters' Affection 100% bonus
-Skill: [Last Strike] Acquired
'If I have this title.....!'
No matter how much of an iron fortress Mars was, she couldn't help but waver.
In the first place, this world was created with him at the center.
A world naturally built so that he, the Protagonist, could build a massive harem.
Though many hardships followed in the process, overcoming even those was precisely what it meant to be a 'Hero (Me).'
「So, how is it? Do you like it?」
「.......Hmph」
Mars averted her eyes.
In that moment, Ter was certain his plan had succeeded.
「Well... sure.」
Mars let out a light sigh.
Ter's actions,
Ter's gift offensive,
If there was one thing she felt through this semi-forced date...
'That insolent attitude of looking down on people actually helps in times like this.'
...Was the fact that Chrono and Ter were ultimately 'different.'
'I almost got confused for a moment, but'
They were similar.
But a decisive 'something' was different.
Just what was that 'something'?
'Sure enough, he can't compare to Chrono.'
It was simple.
Their attitude toward people.
Their mindset when dealing with people.
Above all, the 'look in their eyes' when they looked at people was different.
A gaze looking down from above,
and a gaze meeting eye-to-eye, facing each other.
One-sided imposition under the guise of benevolence,
and the difference of 'communication' where thoughts are exchanged.
A sentiment where the thought 'Maybe...' was always followed by the conclusion 'As expected.'
「Kuheut.... kuhuhuhu.....!」
Watching Ter let out laughter as if he were so great,
'....What a fucking moron.'
Mars simply clicked her tongue lightly.
...
..
.
That night,
Mars headed into the lodging where Yuno was staying.
「Merk isn't... here after all. That's actually better.」
「Mars?」
Yuno was left alone in the room.
Mars strode right inside and plopped down on the bed across from her.
「Yuno, we're friends, right?」
「Huh?」
A sudden question.
Yuno quietly nodded.
「Friends... right?」
「Then don't give me any bullshit and speak honestly.」
Filled with sincerity, Mars asked Yuno,
「Just what do you like about that bastard to follow him around?」
「Eup......」
A question she had never even thought of,
a question she had never dared to imagine.
「You know I went out with that bastard today, right?」
「U-uhm.... but what about it?」
「What about it? Ha, fuck, seriously, I should've ripped that bastard's jaw apart!」
Boiling with rage just at the thought of it,
Mars gnashed her teeth and began telling Yuno everything that had happened that day.
「So I'm telling you. Like, huh? Fuck, this bastard, let's see how far he goes—acting like he's the king of the world? Zeus? Fuck, every single thing he does is just uniquely piss-stained shitty, so really...!」
「Uh-huh... I see...」
Yuno, the one listening, found herself in an awkward situation, unsure how to react.
Should she sympathize?
Should she scold Mars for insulting her nominal lover, telling her she shouldn't do that?
Or should she just stay quiet and listen without a word?
Ultimately, unable to settle on any response, Yuno just sat there, and Mars quietly looked at her and asked,
「You really don't like that bastard much, do you?」
「!,...N-no. It's not... there's no way...」
「Is that so?」
Mars clicked her tongue as if unimpressed.
「If it were me, you know. If someone insulted Chrono in front of me? I'd smash that bastard's jaw to pieces on the spot.」
「Mars...」
「And if you, Yuno, were getting picked on, I'd bust that bastard's jaw too.」
「.........」
Chrono.
Yuno.
Both were special and important people to Mars, precious bonds.
If those bonds were insulted, she was ready to step forward with both arms swinging.
And that was only natural, because
「When someone tries to defile what's precious to you, it's only natural for a person to get angry.」
「............」
Only then did Yuno realize.
What Mars wanted to ask, what she wanted to say.
「You... why don't you get angry?」
If Ter was your lover,
if you liked your Ter,
then why don't you get angry?
「....That's...」
「Ah, don't give me that crap about thinking of me as a friend so you let it slide. Honestly, no matter how close a friend is, if they just grin stupidly and let it go when their love gets insulted, then they're just sub-human scum.」
「............」
「So, what's the reason?」
The reason why she claimed a bastard she had no feelings for,
a bastard she didn't even like, as her lover and followed him around.
Mars rested her chin on her hand and stared at Yuno.
「....I....」
At this, Yuno spoke.
「I'm.... because I'm Ter's lover.」
「He's also my friend... and a precious, truly precious childhood friend...」
「Because... I don't want my relationship with Ter to go bad.」
Her gaze gradually dropped.
Seeing Yuno eventually whispering while staring at the floor, Mars spoke with a hint of irritation.
「What? I can't quite hear the barking sound of your bullshit?」
「...Mars...」
「Didn't I tell you? No bullshit.」
「...It's not a lie.」
A timid defiance.
「Horseshit.」
「..........」
It was meaningless in front of Mars.
No, rather, it had the opposite effect.
「If you're truly sincere, say it looking me in the eye. If you're so damn shameless about it, why would you need to avoid my eyes?」
「.....I...」
Yuno pressed her lips together tightly.
She lifted her head and met Mars's eyes.
Then she put her words into her mouth.
「I..... I-I, uurgh....」
「What. Moron.」
「...........」
「Spit it out, you moron.」
「.....I....」
Her own words.
Her own sincerity.
「............」
Silence.
Ultimately, unable to say a single word, Yuno hung her head.
「Good grief, why are all the people around me such a mess like this?」
Mars struck her chest a little exaggeratedly and came to sit beside Yuno.
「Yuno, did you know? In the age of the gods, you see...」
「...Huh?」
Mars subtly glanced around.
The sight of her being careful in case someone was listening was unlike her usual self, but—
「—It was full of trash and morons.」
「...???」
Yet when you heard what she was actually saying, maybe that was still like her...?
A sudden coming-out. Mars revealed her true feelings to Yuno.
「Zeus is a trash rapist. Hera is a bitch crazy with jealousy. Athena is a stuck-up bitch who thinks she's so damn smart and great—」
「Ma...Mars! Stop! Stooopp!!!」
You'll really get divine punishment for that!
「Well, our totally awesome amazing Ares was always fair and square, though.」
「Uh.... um..」
Fortunately, she didn't seem to diss her own patron god, but,
「The point is, if you pick them apart one by one, they're all a bunch of trash.」
「Mars...」
Wasn't she going to just keel over and collapse one of these days saying things like that?
As Yuno looked at Mars with a worried heart, Mars grinned and spoke.
「But do you know what's funny?」
Even the Main Gods themselves were such a mess of trash,
and yet the humans beneath them all tried to act clean?
「That's...」
「As believers dealing with gods, we should be courteous? Well, of course we should be courteous. But that doesn't mean we have to 'act all clean,' does it?」
「.............」
In a way, it was a statement of enlightenment.
Mars kept talking to Yuno.
「You know, Yuno.
I like meat.」
「Huh...?」
She liked meat.
And?
「Beef, pork, chicken—I like them all without discrimination.」
「...Mars」
Why was the conversation suddenly going this way?
Yuno found it hard to keep up with Mars.
But Mars couldn't care less, and this 8-ton truck with broken brakes simply charged full speed ahead.
「I like Chrono.」
「Eut...!」
A confession.
A pure confession, about herself, to herself, from herself.
「Every single second I spend with that bastard is totally fucking insane. My womb rings and tingles so much that water just leaks right out down below, you know?」
「Mars...」
「So I've been trying to get an opening inside the academy too, but with all the teachers spread out everywhere, it's hard to find the right moment.」
「...I really didn't want to hear about this kind of thing...」
Her friends' sex lives, of all things.
As Yuno covered her face at the unbearable story, Mars spoke to her simultaneously,
「This is my 'true heart.'」
「...........」
True heart.
Real feelings.
A truth welling up sincerely from deep within.
「What about you? That bastard Ter, do you really love him?」
「.....I....」
「Don't get tangled up in morality or whatever human laws.」
「.............」
She wanted to speak.
But she couldn't speak.
Afraid that the moment she said it, she would lose herself.
Afraid that the moment she put those words in her mouth, the most important thing to her would shatter.
At that moment, when she hesitated, ultimately unable to bring herself to say it—Mars spoke.
「Empty your head. Don't think about anything.」
「Hyaak—?!」
Her shoulders were suddenly grabbed.
Before her startled eyes, Mars's red eyes met hers.
「Yuno. If you avoid my eyes right now, I'll stop being your friend forever.」
「What do you...」
「Enough, just say it.」
You.
Do you really like that bastard?
「Th...at.......」
「I'm cutting ties if you avoid my eyes?」
「...........」
She couldn't avoid her eyes.
She just looked. She just stared.
Mars's straight, unwavering gaze.
And within it, her own image, hesitant, flustered, torn.
「Honestly. Without thinking. Just as it is in your heart.」
「I... I.... I...!」
But.
No, even so.
Even so...
No matter what...
「Yuno!」
「I......!」
Ter—
「I......!」
Ter—
「I hate him......!」
She hated Ter.
「...What do you hate about him?」
Mars's question.
Having already crossed the wall, Yuno had no more reservations.
「He says he likes me, says he loves me! But then why does he ignore me!」
「He said he'd only look at me! Said he'd only care for me! But then why is he always with other women!」
「If you hate me, just say you hate me... why do you keep being so ambiguous, huh? Why do you keep making people so frustrated!」
「...Yeah.」
The sound of Yuno wailing, screaming at the top of her lungs.
Mars silently held Yuno in her arms and muttered.
「Now you're finally acting like a 'person.'」
The day before,
the day he had declared victory over her,
for Merk, it seemed like Mars could let it slide, but...
...Yuno truly had a face that looked like she was on her very last thread, so—
「Am I a tool? An object? I... I really... felt so dirty and it was so hard...!」
「There, there. It was really tough, wasn't it?」
「Heu-eup... eup... huaaaaaah!」
Yuno, held in her arms, shed tears.
Mars embraced and stroked Yuno.
As an aside,
「Will you be naming a specific girl, sir?」
「[Lilith].」
Ter went to the red-light district.
「Hello, sir! Lilith will do her very best to serve——」
「——You're a succubus, aren't you?」
「............」
「Don't worry. I came strictly as a 'customer.'」
「...Well, if you're a 'customer'...」
Lilith undressed and approached Ter.
'With the help of this succubus, I'll kill the succubi in the dungeon.'
Use Barbarians to Control Barbarians,
fight poison with poison.
As Ter lay with the succubus, he once again marveled at his own genius.
...For reference, once you lay with a succubus, you naturally fall under the succubus's 'Charm' status.