The Hostage Is Too Big of a Shot (2)
The Hostage Is Too Big of a Shot (2)
Friday came after Thursday's chaos with the Gate.
The outside world must have been in an uproar, but around me, it was utterly peaceful.
If I had to pick out something unusual...
Maybe the call from Suyeon?
[Yujin, are you really okay? No matter how I think about it, it was at the very least a comminuted fracture.]
"I told you I'm fine. I'm surprisingly sturdy, you know."
[Tch. We will see. I am going to examine every inch of you on Sunday.]
"I'm fine, though... well, see you on Sunday, then."
[Yes. If anything hurts, you must call me.]
Suyeon had called out of concern after seeing the Dueoksini beat me around.
I tried to refuse, but her voice was so firm that I had no choice but to make an appointment.
She'd be reassured once she saw how healthy I was.
Anyway. Aside from that, everything was as usual.
The professors and other cadets made a fuss, but otherwise an ordinary day at the academy passed...
And before I knew it, evening arrived.
It was time for my part-time job.
It was time to play with Haru.
"Daddy. You absolutely have to take Haru to the amusement park this week. We'll meet Mr. Panda and say hello together."
"Daddy has somewhere to go on Saturday, so I'll take you on Sunday after I finish at the hospital."
"Okay. Promise... hup."
—Squish.
"...What are you doing?"
"Daddy and Haru are playing the fusion game."
The moment I sat on the sofa, Haru climbed onto my shoulders.
She was so excited that she kicked her legs wildly...
—Squish-squish.
'I used hypnosis to keep her from touching the back of my neck, so that part was fine. Her thighs against my cheeks were another matter.'
Her bare thighs kept lightly slapping my cheeks, which was rather awkward.
Still, she'd gradually begun to feel like my actual daughter, so no inappropriate thoughts came to mind.
It'd look questionable to anyone watching, however.
Perhaps I should put her down.
"The fusion game is over now! Let us get down~"
"Huh...? Daddy doesn't like playing the fusion game with Haru...?"
"What!? D-Daddy would love to play the fusion game with Haru all day, but it is getting hard to hold you up."
"Liar. Daddy got stronger. Now you can play the fusion game for an hour and still have lots of energy."
The moment I told her to get down, she protested sulkily.
It sounded as though she were saying, "I'm light enough for you now, so why are you lying?"
I was at a loss for words.
'Now that I think of it... Status Window.'
—Ding!
[Strength [5.20(+0.41)] Agility [4.78(+0.41)] Intelligence [3.12] Luck [8.42] Mana [4.74(+0.35)]]
'No wonder my body felt lighter. My stats really did rise a lot.'
Just as Haru had said, I'd grown considerably stronger in a single day.
In addition to the Heaven-Sent Spring Water, I'd gained real combat experience inside an unfamiliar A+-rank Gate.
Thanks to that, my stats had reached roughly the lower end of a C-rank awakener's.
My excuse must have sounded rather lame to Haru.
She'd noticed the sudden surge in my stats immediately.
Of course she would also have recognized at a glance that real combat had made me stronger.
Huh? Daddy got stronger, so why is he pretending to be weak?
He's lying because he does not want to play with Haru. Hmph. Haru hates Daddy.
Perhaps that was what she was thinking.
I hurried to explain.
'It cannot be helped. Should I give her a little sex education?'
"That is not the problem. This fusion game is actually very embarrassing, because the space between your legs is touching Daddy."
"Haru is not embarrassed at all. It actually feels good."
"No. It is embarrassing because Haru's precious place is touching Daddy."
When a woman rode on a man's shoulders...
Her crotch inevitably pressed against the back of his neck.
Two fully grown adults doing this would be decidedly indecent.
Therefore, it was embarrassing and they shouldn't do it.
It was perfect sex education.
"So we should stop playing this game from now on..."
—CRASH-BANG!!
"...Kyaaah!!!?"
While I was explaining, a loud crash came from behind me.
Alice's scream followed.
Startled, I spun around.
Haru turned with me.
"What happened...? Sia? Alice?"
"......."
I found Alice on the floor as though she'd fallen while pressing her ear to the door, and my eyes met Sia's after she flung it open.
Both of their gazes fixed on me and Haru.
"Yujin... That is what you meant by the fusion game? A shoulder ride?"
"Huh? Oh, yes. Haru suddenly asked me to give her a shoulder ride."
"Her precious place touching Daddy, and it feeling good..."
"The Chairwoman wasn't here, so I was giving her a little sex education."
"......."
Silence followed my explanation.
Perhaps they found the idea of a man giving a woman sex education absurd. The two exchanged glances.
—Whisper-whisper.
"Sia, did I misunderstand again because my Korean is poor?"
"No. This time it's their fault. We did nothing wrong."
Then the two whispered among themselves.
Unable to endure the awkward atmosphere, Haru hopped down.
"Hup...."
"Pinky and Flatty, do you want to play the fusion game with Daddy too? It feels really good. Haru highly recommends it."
"Are you insane!!!?"
"I am not doing that, you idiot!"
So she had merely been offering them a turn on a fun ride.
Our Haru was so kind.
* * *
There'd been a brief commotion over shoulder rides and sex education, but in any case...
The four of us gathered around the table in the Chairwoman's office.
"Alice, are you here because of what happened yesterday?"
"Yes. I realized that I hadn't returned the wand, so I came to do that today."
Alice had come to return the weapon she'd borrowed from the Chairwoman the previous day.
"Sia, you...."
"I came to see you. More than a few people want to film your treatment at the hospital the day after tomorrow, so I wanted to discuss it. I also need an outing pass from the Chairwoman."
Sia had come to discuss my hospital treatment and, while she was here, obtain an outing pass for Sunday.
Both had business with the Chairwoman.
This time, everyone looked at me.
"But where's the Chairwoman? Why are just you and Haru here?"
"They said yesterday's Gate was actually A+-rank, so the Chairwoman went to analyze the footage."
I'd glossed over the details the day before so that I wouldn't sound suspicious, but Alice and I had indisputably cleared an A+-rank Gate.
When I explained that, the Chairwoman showed great interest.
It was an unprecedented type of Gate, so her interest made sense. She'd even gone to inspect it herself.
"...A+-rank? What's that?"
"No idea. That's what popped up in the Status Window notification."
"I didn't receive any notification like that."
"Maybe you were too startled to notice? I definitely..."
My wives were curious, too, so I decided to explain.
'It definitely said that the A-rank Gate was reacting to the target's "???"... Huh? Wait. What was "???" in the first place? There was definitely something like that in my Status Window...'
—Ding!
[The skill 'Complete Hypnosis' activates!]
'There were already countless variables in the Second Round. Thinking about it would obviously get me nowhere.'
My thoughts abruptly changed direction.
'"???" or whatever. I could rack my brain forever and still never find the answer, just like with my regression.'
"Anyway. She said she'd be back shortly, so she should be here any minute now."
"Yujin, your eyes went hazy just now. Are you all right?"
"That happens when you get old. Ah, I need to remember to take lutein and zeaxanthin."
"Pfft. You sound exactly like my dad."
As I cracked a joke like that, the mood brightened again.
We forgot all about the A+-rank Gate.
And then...
Taking advantage of the relaxed mood, the Chairwoman returned.
—Creak.
"...Hm? What's everyone doing here?"
"Oh. These two said they had business with you, Chairwoman."
"Hm. That should be fine. Come in, Ninomiya."
"Oh? Disciple, you were spending time with your friends."
This time, however, my master had returned with her.
"Master? Why are you here?"
"Seol Hayeon asked me to help analyze the footage of you from yesterday."
—Plop.
"I shall sit beside you."
"Ah, yes."
With that, my master naturally claimed the seat next to me.
Alice was nudged aside.
"W-wait! I was sitting there first—"
"Do you object to a master sitting with her disciple?"
"...G-go ahead."
Dejected, Alice moved across the table to sit beside Sia.
—Whisper-whisper.
"Sia, Yujin's chastity is in danger. That woman..."
"What are you talking about...? Still, she is sitting a little too close to Yujin. I'll say something too."
The two continued muttering to each other.
"My disciple. This right here...."
"...Ah. Now that you mention it, banana milk."
Ignoring them, my master pressed her body against mine.
Haru suddenly clutched her head at the mention of milk.
Finally,
"Hmm... Woman troubles, I see."
"Pardon?"
"It's nothing."
The Chairwoman sighed from across the table.
...It reminded me of before the regression. Things had been exactly like this then.
My master would cling to me, while Alice and Sia grew jealous and complained about the woman who had joined us later.
Whenever I silently begged the Chairwoman for help, she'd cackle and call it the harem I'd chosen.
I'd been overwhelmed at the time, but now it was a memory I missed dearly.
A smile rose naturally to my lips.
'They weren't interested in me now, but someday, surely...'
—KABOOOOOOOOOM!!!!!!
"......!!!!!!?"
———The sudden explosion shattered my smile.
A crack appeared in our peaceful daily life.
"A terrorist attack!? My Sixth Sense didn't detect it..."
"It's probably because of me. Because I'm too strong."
"...Damn it!!"
A terrorist attack that even the Chairwoman, wielder of Sixth Sense, had failed to detect.
When I looked out the window, smoke billowed in the distance.
Outside the academy grounds, near the busy streets by the main entrance.
My mouth fell open.
'This event is... Winterer!? You weren't supposed to come until next week!'
It was an event I'd also experienced during the First Round.
Winterer's second attack on the academy.
If we knew it was coming and prepared, it would end anticlimactically, but...
Being caught unaware left no word for it but unfair.
That was why I'd planned to spend all day Saturday outside preparing for it.
Yet the attack had been brought forward?
'At this rate, we were guaranteed to enter a Bad Ending Route. What should I do...?'
—Bang!!
"Association President! Grade 1 Villain Winterer has taken hostages!"
"Hostages? Those murderers took hostages instead of killing them immediately!?"
My thoughts churned as the room erupted into noise.
The Chairwoman's sharp voice pierced my eardrums.
"That is impossible! How could a villain..."
"What's more, she is demanding to meet you, Association President! She says that if you don't appear within ten minutes, she will kill the hostages one by one."
"A tablet? Connect a video call to me and throw it to her. Going to the scene myself would be far too dangerous."
Her confusion lasted only a moment.
The Chairwoman acted quickly.
First, since the villain wanted to speak with her, they would begin with a video call.
Within minutes, a tablet was placed in front of the Chairwoman.
Winterer's face filled the screen.
[What is this? I told you to come out, and you send a video call instead~?]
"What are you scheming?"
[Hmm~ It has been a while, yet you're so cold. Hee-hee.]
Winterer laughed in a cute voice that didn't suit her at all.
And then...
In the blink of an eye, her smile became a deadly serious expression brimming with murderous intent.
[Trying to talk nicely is getting us nowhere. Do a whole crowd of people have to die before you come to your senses?]
—Swipe.
[Are you saying you don't care if these balding old men die, huh!?]
The camera angle shifted.
Five middle-aged men appeared on the tablet, trembling with their feet frozen in place.
From where I watched at a distance to remain outside the camera frame, the angle made them difficult to see clearly...
I knew without seeing.
They were obviously innocent civilians who'd merely been swept up in the incident.
'Talk about bad luck. Of all people, they had been caught by Winterer...'
"What!? D-disciple, lend me your ear for a moment."
"Huh?"
—Whisper-whisper.
"Th-that bald man... No matter how I look at him, he is the Prime Minister of Japan."
"......!!!!!!!!?"
Innocent civilians, my ass. They were VIPs.
[Come out right now unless you want to watch innocent civilians die. I will give you ten minutes.]
"I do not negotiate with villains. Even if those five lose their lives, I cannot make an exception to that principle..."
The Chairwoman had no interest in politics.
Winterer seemed equally unaware.
The two merely remained locked in a tense confrontation.
[Heek, hiiik....]
'They cannot die! If Suguru dies, I might not be able to marry my master!'
Neither of them knew just how important the hostages were.