28. S... Se... S... S-Sex...!!
28. S... Se... S... S-Sex...!!
The timetable at NTR Academy was as follows.
Morning, common classes
Afternoon, two major classes
Evening, club activities
It could vary slightly when going out for dungeon practice, but the general framework was like this.
Furthermore, when taking major classes, everyone was integrated without class assignments, which, honestly, would have been an absurd thing in reality.
'But this is an eroge, after all.'
An NTR game, at that.
Being split into classes was already sad enough, but imagine if the major classes were also split.
That would be the start of an utter humiliation story, where you get endlessly NTR'd, getting your stuff taken without even having laid a hand on it yourself.
Therefore, as if the system tried hard to create some point of contact somehow, in the case of major classes, students could participate regardless of their class, and in the case of clubs, regardless of their year.
Thus, the Protagonist would seek out the classes where the heroines mainly were to somehow raise their affection and Bond Rank.
"He probably won't come here."
Conversely, I was hell-bent on avoiding the heroines.
Any further approach was no good. I might have acted carelessly during the vacation, but now it really was no good.
I could end up as a crispy electric whole roast chicken.
No matter how much experience or veterancy mattered, the sheer gap in raw specs in the early tutorial was something even I couldn't do anything about.
And so, in my own way, I chose my classes avoiding the Protagonist and the heroines.
"Why are you here?"
"Hi, Chrono!"
And Merk just wouldn't fall off.
...
..
.
Dagger Mastery.
Firearm Training.
These were the major subjects I was taking.
In the case of Firearm Training, it was to unlock higher-tier guns, and for Dagger Mastery, I took it because it was the closest thing I had to a last bastion.
I figured I'd probably drop Dagger Mastery after earning a decent amount of skill points, but I suspected I'd stick with the firearms side to the very end.
"Heeeh... Chrono, you're better with daggers than I thought, huh?"
"............"
So, I asked, why are you here?
The dagger side was one thing. Merk's job was a thief, so she could learn daggers as a default value.
...But, you see?
"You, that's a crossbow."
"A crossbow is the same as a gun! See the trigger here?"
"Noooo...."
So anything with a trigger is a gun now?
In the first place, the 'bow' attached to crossbow was the character for bow, as in bow and arrow.
'How did it come to this?'
I let out a measured breath and called up the thought.
What was the reason Merk was approaching me?
'I'm sure Merk's Bond Rank unlock condition was...'
I remembered it being slightly unhinged.
"Hmm? What is it?"
"......Hmm."
Merk, the Apostle of Hermes.
The apostle who served the god of thieves and liars.
As such, her main job was a thief, and just as the god she served was all twisted, her disposition was also twisted.
A consistently cute manner. Cute actions. A small, orange-haired little girl fitting that description.
But in reality, she was a child who was more sinister than anyone, good at scheming, and actually loved playing pranks.
Therefore──Merk's Bond Rank unlock condition was as follows.
"Oh, right, come to think of it, Chrono, are you close with Mars?"
"......Huh?"
Raise one heroine's Bond Rank to 3 or higher.
"Hey, hey, Chrono, I have to staaaaay stuck together with Mars all year, you know? So please! Help this foolish Merk out!"
"No... um.... huh, haa...?"
Yes.
Merk was a heroine fitting for NTR Academy.
She camouflaged herself as the type who primarily desires NTL-like love, saying that other people's things look bigger──
'Bullshit.'
In fact, even that was a fake.
If you turned your route toward Merk immediately in that state, her Bond Rank would stop right at 9.
Saying that since it was ultimately about snatching someone else's possession, she had no interest once it became hers, or something like that.
Therefore, to raise Merk's Bond Rank...
"I'm honestly into older women, so a loli is a bit much for me."
"Ehk......"
Don't even start at all.
Then her Bond Rank would go up on its own.
Of course, the outwardly visible Bond Rank didn't exist, but if you kept refusing her like this and then conquered her when a special event triggered once, her Bond Rank would skyrocket to 10 at that very moment.
'Truly vicious, this game.'
Everyone thought about raising Bond Ranks step by step, but if you walked such a 'royal road', the Bond Rank would stall at 9.
Conversely, if you kept deviating from common-sense answers, the Bond Rank would inversely jump from 1 to 10──literally, the apostle of thieves and liars.
It was a concept where the more a treasure wasn't stolen, the more captivated the heart became, until she ultimately ended up being stolen herself.
Whoever designed this concept was truly amazing in many ways.
I left the stunned and frozen Merk where she was and got up to enter the classroom.
"...But why did I conquer her?"
And only then did I realize.
Why was I saying no, no, with my mouth, but conquering her with my body?
Was this that? The 'my body is honest' thing?
It seemed like the experience of having cleared the route several times had already been imprinted at an instinctual level and was bursting out of my body.
"Next time, I'll just say okay and follow along... then..."
But that, in turn, would draw aggro from the Protagonist.
...Indeed, the best method was to not create any point of contact in the first place.
"Euh, what's the use thinking about it now."
I decided to attend the last remaining 'club activity'.
So, which club should I join?
"I've already decided that, of course."
After arriving at the classroom, the homeroom teacher told us that the first week was a club experience period and to join any club.
Upon hearing that, I immediately picked up my bag and headed out.
The club I was meant to go to was──
"Where are you going right now, Cadet Chrono?"
"....Coach?"
─The Going-Home Club, or so it should have been.
"Perfect timing. There was something I needed to tell you beforehand."
"Huh?"
The basic fitness teacher I saw every morning.
In her eyes, filled with interest and goodwill, I felt an inexplicable chill.
'Nah.... no way?'
No way. No way, no matter what.
Clubs were a student's right, weren't they? For a teacher to do as she pleased──
"Welcome to the 'Basic Physical Training Club'!"
"How come!"
──To do as she pleased like this!
I protested. Of course I had to protest.
'My after-school hours were solely designated for Ur!'
My objective was quite clear, too.
Having received [Ur's Blessing] and [Ur's Harp], I could faithfully execute my role as a 'Bard'.
As such, under the pretext of receiving direct 'performance' tutelage from 'Ur', an actual member of the Muses──I could spend happy days with Ur every single day.
Perfect.
A truly Perfect☆Plan.
"How come? Do you think sleepiness will come to that body of yours right now?"
"No, teach, please. This isn't right!"
But this plan was being denied right from the outset.
"In the first place, I scored better in the ranged category! During the exam, you saw I had an aptitude for 'Bard'. My stamina might fall a bit short compared to the combat-type kids, but that doesn't become such a huge problem!"
"Cadet Chrono."
A refusal, I was going to refuse.
The teacher grabbed my collar and started dragging me along just like that.
"N-No! I have something to do, someone I have to meet!"
"Perhaps a girlfriend?"
"Yes!"
Since a sex friend also had 'friend' in it, wasn't that a friend?
I answered in a loud voice.
"Then that's perfect. How happy would your girlfriend be if her boyfriend became sturdy and healthy?"
"Ah.... Aaaaahhk.....!!"
There was no escape. I was dragged away, just like that.
"Still, don't be too hard on me. Instead, I’ll teach you exercises that are good for your stamina."
"!........."
Just for the record, I was strictly dragged away.
"Oh my, look at this kid. As expected of a male..."
"N-No I'm not!?"
It was absolutely not because I followed along due to lack of vigor or whatever.
Really.
Seriously.
Didn't Ur always say she liked it and was happy every time?
...Even if Ur did all the cleanup alone every single time.
***************
After school ended, on the way back to the dormitory.
"Eobeobeobeobeo...."
Walking with trembling thighs, barely managing to move.
On top of that, because Cronus even issued a quest, I couldn't evade it and ended up receiving a personal PT session.
Seriously, the feeling of each individual muscle fiber tearing apart.
I forcefully moved my body, which felt like it would collapse and die any moment, and walked on.
".....Hey."
"Huh?"
Mars stood before the school gate.
With the gradually darkening sunset at her back, she slowly walked towards me.
"Your body... you alright?"
"Me? I'm fine."
"You don't look fine."
"Truth is, it hurts like hell."
"What? Fuck, which bastard was it this time!!"
Mars yelled, bursting out.
Worried she might cause a big scene again this way, I hurriedly continued speaking.
"I joined the Basic Physical Training Club and got worked to death, so that's why."
"Ah.... Then you should've said that first, you idiot."
Was this a part where I was supposed to get cursed at?
Finding it a bit absurd, I stared at Mars, and she soon blushed and averted her eyes.
"Wh-What are you looking at."
".....???"
What was up with her now?
I took a step forward.
"Oh... Uh... Uuht.....!"
Her body trembled finely.
And then, she shut her eyes tight.
And so, I──
".....Huh?"
"I'm heading off first?"
"..........."
─Walked right past the school gate.
"What."
Why.
I was damn tired right now.
I told her earlier. I thought my whole body was being torn apart.
I waved my hand and told Mars to go on.
"Hey.... Hey!! Let's go together!!"
She yelled again, then pattered over to my side.
"Th-This bad guy. Bastard. Pushover..!"
"No, why."
Why did she keep piling on the insults?
I glanced sideways at Mars, and she was startled again, averting her eyes.
I lost interest and walked forward again, but...
"H-...Hmph!"
"....?"
Suddenly, Mars grabbed my hand.
What. Was she going somewhere again?
I slowly turned my head to the side to look at Mars again.
"...What. Got a problem?"
She spoke out, pretending to be tough.
But the voice itself was trembling, quivering.
"Whatever. Do as you like."
".......Stupid bastard."
Mars kept her head deeply bowed and toddled along beside me.
Her hand was still holding mine.
"....Chrono."
"What."
Just before arriving at the dormitory,
Mars asked me.
"You, still... with me.... that...."
"With you?"
"S-S-Sex...! S-S-Sex...!!"
"Sex?"
Sex, what?
Since the dormitory was right in front of us, I let go of her hand.
"Wait!"
"???"
And then, Mars grabbed my shoulder.
And she was....
"......Ah."
"Uh.... Ah, Aahh....!"
Gradually heating up, turning bright red,
Heating up so much I couldn't tell where the sunset glow was and where Mars was.
"Aahk! Aaaaaaaaaahk!!!!"
She turned right around and sprinted at full speed.
With her ponytail flying, she fled with all her might.
".....That."
I watched Mars's retreating figure and said.
"I'm probably right, huh?"
Bond Rank 10 (Max).
No matter how much I wanted to think otherwise, if she telegraphed it that much, I couldn't not know.