Hikikomori End Up Miserable in So Many Ways

Lucia pried the bosses’ mouths open herself.

She claimed she knew a method that worked. She never said what it was—but the Lowcat side confessed all the same.

The idiots who had accepted the Death God Cult’s commission to kidnap the princess were none other than Lowcat, and the plan was already in motion.

They even helpfully pointed out where they were holding Amelia.

Now I had to stop the forced event on the Amelia–Laward route.

I would insert myself at the starting point of that romance and take Laward’s place.

I would snatch her with everything I had.

Damn it.

Having to pour my best effort into stealing the heart of a pretty girl who wasn’t even my type…

My motivation was flatlining.

I pressed hard at the space between my brows and steeled my will.

Just endure a little longer.

Endure a little longer, raise Laward properly, and I could wash my hands of burdensome nonsense like the end of the world and spend my days loafing around.

All right, then.

Time to go save the princess in the protagonist’s stead.

Not as Karma—as Daywin.

“I’ll take my leave now.”

“Go on, then. And stop killing so many of them.”

I pretended not to hear the last part.

Amelia.

Second-year at the Academy.

Age: XX.

Not because the number carried some special meaning—her age was literally hidden as XX inside the game. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠The other heroines were the same; every last one of them was listed as XX years old. Players only ever knew which year they were in at the Academy. Some legal reason, I supposed. I could dig it up now if I wanted, but for the moment I would leave it buried.

Back to Amelia.

Second-year at the Academy.

Dual major in the Sword Department and the Magic Department.

The reason for the double major: “A woman of the royal house must be perfect.”

She took twice as many classes as everyone else, did twice the homework, and piled on twice the campus activities. She carved her day into minute-by-minute blocks, and her schedule was already packed solid through next year. On top of that she was relentlessly methodical, so she kept her weekly routine for an entire year without missing a single day, without the slightest deviation, with perfect precision.

Because a woman of the royal house must be perfect.

Which meant that if someone planned to kidnap Amelia, she would be the easiest target imaginable. She walked the same route at the same time every day—and she dismissed her escorts because they “interfered with her concentration.” From a kidnapper’s point of view, no mark was easier than Amelia.

And so she got kidnapped.

Even so, picking a fight with the royal house still seemed like a stupid idea… but anyway.

In the game’s scenario, Laward is the one who saves Amelia. There was never a choice like “rescue her / don’t rescue her.” Forced event. He saves her no matter what.

Today, though, Laward would not be at that place.

It was Sunday morning—the hour when the zealot attended worship. Faith that could not even be overridden by a forced event. To the Laward of now, nothing mattered more than the service.

This was different from the game.

“You insolent—!”

The moment I reached the warehouse Lowcat had named, a clear voice rang out.

Found them.

Beyond the door, Amelia and the Lowcat remnants were waiting. The warehouse around me was dark. When I focused my sense of smell, the stink of blood mixed with dust drifted in. I let out a long breath, as if ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠scattering the ominous scent that clung to the air.

“Do you have any idea who I am?!”

“Yeah, the princess. Why else would we grab you? Still not getting the picture?”

“Untie me at once! If I’m stuck here like this, I—!”

“Heh… you won’t be walking out of here in one piece.”

“I haven’t reviewed what I studied yesterday! If I don’t review it now, it won’t transfer into long-term memory!”

…Huh?

“What…?”

Even the hostage-taker looked as blank as I felt.

“I won’t run. Just give me a pen and paper! This is a waste of time!”

“You arrogant little bitch. Still don’t get it, do you? Hey—one finger should be fine, right?”

Shing!

The sound of a blade being drawn rang through the air.

Hm…

These crazy bastards?

So that was why it was a forced event. If Laward failed to show, Amelia’s safety was not guaranteed. Ignore the forced event and you’d better be prepared to lose a heroine a finger—maybe worse.

An event that decided whether the world would open into a new age. Miss this moment and everything would spiral beyond control. Amelia was talent the world needed to stop its destruction. And she was royalty, no less. A precious royal personage. Even one finger—absolutely not. I would not let her be ruined.

Knock, knock.

I rapped on the warehouse door.

“I’ve come bearing good news.”

Somehow the line felt like déjà vu.

Bang!

The door flew open.

The atmosphere was completely different from when I had rescued Laward. No one wasted time asking who I was. Five hostage-takers inside. Every one of them had a weapon out and pointed at me.

…No need for the missionary act this time.

These were not the same breed as the slave traders. Their readiness to act was on another level. They looked full of the intent to stop me cold. In that case, I would answer them thoroughly as an enemy.

Whoosh—!

The lead captor’s dagger shot toward my throat.

I couldn’t just detonate spirits left and right—Amelia might get caught in it. Bare hands first, then.

Thud!

I caught his wrist and stopped the blade, then smashed my left hand into his elbow, reversing the joint.

Crack!

“Gyaaaaah!”

I snatched the dagger he dropped mid-fall. Twice into the side of his neck.

Thuk! Pshhk!

When I wrenched the blade free, dark red blood sprayed out.

“K-kill him!”

The rest charged with their weapons. Hand axe, dagger, longsword, scythe.

Hum—

I had a spear.

I shaped a spear of light from holy power and took it in hand. Aimed fast. Threw.

Swish!

“Ghk!”

“Kraah!”

The light spear skewered two of them at once. Unlike the undead, they did not get back up. That left two.

Hum—

I formed another spear. I slipped the axe-man’s swing with a back step and drove the spear forward at the same time. Perfect counter. It punched clean through from his jaw to the back of his skull.

Pshhk!

When I pulled the spear free, only one remained.

“E-eeaaaah!”

That last one flung his weapon aside and spun around. Even with me blocking the door he turned his back—planning to use a rear exit or a window, most likely.

In my left hand, a spear. In my right, a dagger. Which to use?

Whirl!

Both.

I floated the dagger loosely in front of my body. The blade spun in midair. Then I gripped the spear with both hands and swung it like a baseball bat.

Clang!

The spear shaft struck the dagger cleanly and sent it flying forward.

Whirrr—thunk!

The dagger buried itself perfectly in the last captor’s nape.

Thud!

That finished the last of them.

Just to be sure, I went around stabbing the bodies on the floor one by one—and my eyes met the princess’s.

Amelia, kneeling with ropes still binding her. She looked up at me, her face drained of thought. Mysteriously luminous red eyes. Hair just as red, long enough to brush the floor. She resembled the maple leaves of a fading autumn.

It was Amelia, without a doubt.

I was just as dazed as she was. Beautiful enough to scramble the mind.

“Hhh…”

She was on the very brink of tears. She fought desperately to keep her face blank, but she could not hide the dampness at the corners of her eyes.

“Th-thank you… T-truthfully… I didn’t know what to do… I thought I was going to die like this…”

She tried to sound casual, but of course she had been terrified. Talking about studying in the middle of a kidnapping had not been superhuman mental fortitude. Soft on the inside, she had only been pretending to be strong.

The princess who always pretended to be strong.

The princess who never stopped striving.

The one who said, as if it were a personal creed, that more precious than royal blood was the time given equally to all.

Crack.

I picked up a dagger from the floor and cut her ropes. Amelia watched her hands and feet come free one by one, then suddenly looked up at me.

“…What is your name?”

A little haughty for addressing her savior, but given her birth, a gentleman could endure this much.

“Daywin Hasgard.”

“Hasgard… of that Viscount Hasgard house, then. There was an incident at the recent Subjugation Festival, was there not.”

Even with her voice thick from tears, she enunciated every word with care.

“I’m honored you know of us.”

The princess knew the Hasgards, and yet in my previous life I had never met her… Hikikomori end up miserable in so many ways…

In truth, it was mostly my own fault that I had realized so late that this world was the game. Family responsibility, honor, duty—I had thrown them all away and done nothing but play.

Yes.

I had said it enough times already.

I regretted it.

“Of course I know. Memorizing the status of every great house is part of a princess’s duties. The Hasgards currently have three children… is that right? Which Hasgard are you?”

Amelia rolled her newly freed wrists this way and that.

“The third.”

I held up three fingers. Thumb, index, middle. The middle one was me. Was my lifespan the longest of the three because I was the middle finger?

“All the ropes are cut. Please stand. I’ll escort you home.”

I said it, but Amelia did not rise. She only thrust both arms toward me with a sulky look on her face.

“Here.”

She spoke shortly and stretched her arms a little farther in my direction.

What.

What am I supposed to do with that?

“Come on. Quickly.”

What was I supposed to do with her arms…

“I can’t stand.”

Was she seriously asking me to pick her up?

“My legs gave out from fear.”

…Don’t lie to me.

I saw you move your legs while I was cutting the ropes. You can move just fine! At least try to preserve some dignity.

“We don’t have time for this, Hasgard. How long do you intend to leave me in a place reeking of blood?”

The appeal for physical contact was extremely blatant. Trying to be held by a strange man she had just met… This was… a princess?

And she had called me “Hasgard.” An address I had not expected.

Meanwhile Amelia clapped her hands twice and spread her arms again, casually assuming a posture convenient for being lifted.

“Ugh.”

Slide—

I had no choice. I scooped Amelia up.

A princess carry.

Amelia was a princess, so this was the real thing. There could not be a more princess-like princess carry in existence. It might have been an idle observation, but she was so light I started worrying about her diet.

“Hasgard, take me to the library.”

“Excuse me? After everything that just happened, you’re going to study?”

I furrowed my brow in warning, but—

“Take me to the library.”

—Amelia was immovable.

“Today is the day I borrow books from the library and study on the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠terrace of my favorite teahouse. Neither the kidnappers nor you can stop my schedule. That is an order. An order.”

“…I clearly advised against this.”

Whoosh!

I slung Amelia over my shoulder instead.

“Hyaat!”

An absurdly high-pitched scream burst out of her.

“W-what do you think you’re doing?! Put me down at once! Put me down this instant!”

“You said you couldn’t move.”

“E-even so, how can you treat a princess like this?! How dare you lift a princess this way! Put me down!”

Punishment for lying.

She thumped my back with both fists, but it barely hurt. The Sword Department instructors must have taught the princess rather halfheartedly.

“H-Hasgard! I… I was wrong! I was wrong, so…!”

I ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠ignored her and shrugged my shoulders to settle her into a more comfortable carrying position.

Right. I remembered now.

There was a reason Amelia acted like this. She had one hidden setting that did not match her lofty princess image at all.

Namely—she was extremely—

—easy to capture.

Lowest capture difficulty.

The princess was… easy.