44. I Want to See 'the Sight of Making Love'!
44. I Want to See 'the Sight of Making Love'!
There was one fact that must not be forgotten.
No matter how much I wanted to deny it, the fact was that I was the 'Named Boss' of NTR Academy.
Named Boss.
Unlike other extra NTR villains, these were habitual criminals who constantly tried to NTR the heroines.
On top of that, every last one of them was so insidious that if you spent your academy life without a care, you'd wake up to find everyone non-virgin and face the Hero's Party Pack Mule Ending.
Therefore, it was only natural that the Protagonist, who must have gone through countless NTRs via regression, would react violently to such acts.
Even if Mars was fine now that I could feel her own reluctance, what would happen if I NTR'd this game's true heroine—
the Apostle of Hera, Yuno?
"Electric crispy roast."
He'd probably stop time and kill me in a surprise attack without even giving me a chance to run.
Just thinking about it was a dizzying situation that made my body tremble.
If I had at least learned an [Awakening Skill], I could have bought some time to struggle, but unfortunately, time was currently on the Protagonist's side.
No matter how many loops I've cleared this game, I couldn't defy absolute time.
So the moment Yuno designated me as the NTR target, the right move was to quickly leave the scene—but that wasn't easy either.
"If she gets NTR'd by some other extras...."
That would spiral beyond even my control.
If that happened, wouldn't both Yuno and the Protagonist scream and lose their minds?
"Honestly, the Protagonist....I don't really know...."
His actions and the way he talked didn't exactly make me want to help him.
But just because the Protagonist was disgusting didn't mean Yuno deserved to suffer.
"Yuno has to be happy."
Considering how many times she was NTR'd while clearing this game—
I didn't care about the others, but I didn't want to let Yuno, at least, get NTR'd.
"Then what should I do...."
To sum up the situation:
Yuno seemed to have picked me as the one to be NTR'd.
However, I, the target in question, had absolutely no intention of doing so.
Yet if I completely ignored her, she could slip entirely out of my hands, so
'Ultimately, is there only one answer?'
I drew a conclusion.
I couldn't imagine what kind of ripple this conclusion would cause.....
"So, you're saying you'll go with Mars?"
"Already called her over, so I can't take it back."
"What, you jealous?"
At least it was better than the NTR Drift!
"....Hmmmm...is that so...?"
....It was better, right?
...
..
.
The plan was simple.
Keep Yuno by my side, but prevent NTR by keeping Mars there as well.
It was a bit of a gamble, but it was a plan with some thought behind it.
First, as long as I was next to Yuno, the extra NTR villains probably wouldn't approach.
Call it the system or whatever, but on the surface, it was a situation where the NTR Named Boss was trying to conquer the heroine, so mere extras couldn't dare interfere.
Put another way, I could prevent any potential NTR.
But since this only worked as long as I was actively trying to 'NTR' Yuno, it would be a problem if I actually ended up doing it.
So enter Mars in the role of preventing that?
"You, are you pretty close with Chrono? Close enough to invite him to hang out together."
"We're in the same class...and the same party!"
'Yeah, that's it, Mars!'
She was going to do her best to disrupt any NTR flags being planted on me.
As proof, Mars kept sending Yuno pointed looks by the minute, trying to protect me.
Actually, 'overprotection' was a more fitting term, but for an NTR villain, this level of distance suited me perfectly.
'Anyway, did this balance things out?'
Now the only thing left was to mediate between these two and recover Yuno's condition, even just a little.
I slipped between the two increasingly heated girls and tried to calm them down.
"Hey hey, where did the camaraderie from our first dungeon trip go? Why are you two growling at each other like that?"
Let's all go back to our roots.
Let us return to those beautiful days when we looked after each other in the dungeon.
I smiled and tried my best to pacify them both.
"Well...I do want to be friends with Mars...."
"Yuno, you...you're more wicked than I thought?"
".....Um."
And I failed like a dog.
Mother, what am I supposed to do about this?
There was no way I, who had never even properly dated a single girlfriend in my life, could handle the unprecedented realm of a catfight.
'They're on way worse terms than I thought.'
An unexpected phenomenon.
An unimaginable development.
I never knew they'd show such an intense standoff.
"Chrono, don't you go grinning like a fool either, yeah? We're in the middle of a serious talk here."
"...Even if you say that."
I have absolutely no idea what you expect from me.
As I stared blankly at the two of them in turn, Mars, seemingly frustrated, soon raised her voice and asked.
"You tell me straight. Is it Yuno, or me?"
"Obviously you."
"......Khm, hm! Ahem!"
"Of course, first place is Ur."
"............."
What, why?
Didn't you know all that when we started this relationship?
At my firm answer, Mars snorted, her nose twitching as if sulking.
"Hah! I'm serious....later from ma—no, I'm gonna learn everything from Mom, so brace yourself, you bastard!"
And when that time comes, even if you say you like me best, I won't accept it!
Even while growling, Mars eventually declared war, saying she'd come back properly dressed up after taking a roundabout way.
What was this?
She's just a regular tsundere.
I looked at Mars and spoke.
"I love you, Mars."
"!!!,.....r...right in the middle of the street, what....ugh....uuuuu....!"
Her face, turning red despite her size, as she stammered and covered her face with both hands.
Even her tied-up ponytail hair was trembling softly, looking quite adorable.
'In the past, I just found her noisy.'
Was it because she became my favorite, no, my second-favorite character?
Grab that ponytail right now and do her from behind—I've been a bit pent up lately, haven't I?
I poked Mars's waist and asked.
"Mars, do you know what day it is today?"
"It's...Saturday, right?"
"It's Saturday."
".........?"
"I said, Saturday."
".......!!"
She looked like she just realized the meaning behind my repeated emphasis on 'Saturday.'
I murmured softly toward Mars.
"No plans tonight, right?"
"...You, brace yourself tonight."
Because I won't crumble as easily as last time.
Mars's declaration of conquest.
Unfortunately, saying it with her face dyed bright red didn't carry any authority at all.
It was just that.
Cute.
Like a baby lion.
Made me want to hug her tight and go wah-la-la-la.
"Eut....ooh, uuuuu...!"
Maybe because she herself was gradually realizing what she just said.
Ultimately, Mars retreated once again, covering her face.
That sight was so cute it made me keep smiling without realizing it, but....
"Excuse me....you two? Did you maybe forget I'm here right now...?"
""Ah.""
....Yuno was right next to us.
"Th...that, he...he's mine, you bitch! Touch him and you'll die!!"
"Bbeup——?!"
Mars, stumbling over her words, finally began to run wild.
It was fine that she hugged me because she liked me, but why a headlock, and why was her chest so big, wait, my nose is getting blocked, hold on a second?
"Mars and Chrono are lovey-dovey with each other?"
"That's right! Me and Chrono are lovey-dovey! We already, yeah! We've already done this and that, you know?!"
"Woop....gook.....gh, uwoop.....!"
Air.
Can't breathe.
No, seriously.
Don't ignore me.
"This and that? What exactly did you do?"
"That's...well...anyway, we did this and that!"
"────!!"
Ah.
Mother.
Once, long ago as a child, upon seeing a beautiful big-breasted woman, I dreamed this dream.
'I want to die by drowning with my nose buried in her chest,' I said....
Mother.
Your humble son, though it be rather late in life, seems to have achieved his dream.
Craaack!
"!,....huh...huhh...?"
A sound that should never be heard came from my neck.
"H...hey! Don't play around! It was just a little choking....hey, heyyy! Wake up!"
My vision blurred. My body lost control from my halted breathing.
"Wait, Mars. I have a way."
"...I beg you. Chrono is...Chrono is....!!"
Then, along with the feeling of something crucial twisting,
"First, we need a safe place, somewhere to lay Chrono down!"
"Somewhere to lay down?.....Ah! There!"
'....There...?'
I lost consciousness for a moment.
*******************
───rono
Someone's voice.
─Chrono...come to your senses, you bastard...!
Who was it?
I didn't know.
It was hazy and dizzy.
─Yuno, why isn't he awake yet? You said you'd save him. You said you'd save Chrono!!
─I'm doing my best right now too. Hooooo....[Hera's Resting Place].
.....Ah.
Something floated up.
Something warm and comforting.
Gently embracing me and slowly pulling me upward, pulling me up—
─Uuuuu...I won't do it again...I definitely won't choke you or anything ever again....!
Something flickering dimly beyond.
A faintly leaking, but clearly felt, pink flash.
"─If you wake up right now...I'll do a leash, a dog tail, anything!!!"
"For real?!"
Leash!
Dog tail!
Cosplay!
I urgently raised my body and rushed toward Mars.
"There is no take-backs on those words!"
"....You're alive?"
"Huh? What do you mean───ah."
Come to think of it, I
got squeezed in a headlock just like that,
and suffocated right there by her chest.
"I embraced my romance and drowned, huh."
"....Yuno, isn't he still a bit off?"
"'Off' you say."
That's a bit harsh.
Mars, what do you know about death by nose-burial?
"Ahh, anyway, where is this? It's oddly dark? The lights are...pink too....."
"............."
"....Just on the off chance, I'm asking,"
Is this, a love hotel?
"Well...Yuno said we had to lay you down quickly, that we had to bring you somewhere to lay you down, so...."
"So you thought of here?"
"....I don't go outside much."
"Wow."
Still, out of all the many, many places, it had to be a love hotel?
No, well, I guess the places we went on our so-called date were just a soup restaurant and a love hotel, but still.
'There are places like manhwa cafes, karaokes, anyway, plenty of better spots than a love hotel.'
You could have even laid me down on a bench.
But to say they deliberately dragged me to a love hotel to lay me down....
"Still, I'm glad everything ended well. Right, Mars?"
"....Thank you in many ways. Without you, really...I don't know what would have happened..."
"Mmhm, it's nothing!"
Yuno, sharing a sigh of relief with Mars.
Somehow, the distance between them had become very close, showing that bond they had during the dungeon experience.
....No, wait a moment.
"Don't tell me."
Mars I could maybe excuse, but not Yuno.
Yuno should have been able to act within common sense....and she willingly went along with Mars's suggestion of a love hotel?
'No way, right?'
It's not that, right?
Say it's not.
Please.
I'm too scared.
"Yuno, do you need anything by any chance? Just say the word. I can get just about anything for you."
"Hmm...it's really no big deal. Oh, then could I ask you just one favor?"
"I'll do anything within my power!"
"Hmmmm....in that case...."
I silently prayed that it wasn't so.
All things come true if you put your mind to it.
As a result of my fervent prayers,
"Show me 'right here, right now' how much you like each other!"
"....And what exactly do you want us to do?"
"Mmhm, so I mean?"
The result of my fervent prayers was,
"I want to see Chrono and Mars 'doing the act of sharing love'!"
"..........!!!"
Social burial.
Put another way, a death sentence.