CH 77

“I see, the Nekomimi Neko style, huh! Sounds like a name that would have a connection with us!” (Asahi)

Asahi said this with a complete sudden turn from his thorny attitude of before, showing a handsome smile.

“Sorry for testing you there. I read the letter of Mitsuki, but around 40% of it was praise about your sword, you know. I was a bit curious about it.” (Asahi)

Hearing this, I shouted ‘Mitsuki!’ internally.

I may have told her to not write about me winning against her, but if she is going to praise her battle with me to death with close to half of her letter, there’s no point. 

Or more like, if you are praising a specific person, a parent would normally notice something is there. 

While I was thinking that, the hand of Asahi was offered in front of me. 

“I am Asahi Hisame. I am the dojo master here. Nice to meet you, Souma-kun.” (Asahi)

“…Yeah, same here. Nice to meet you too.” (Souma)

I also hesitantly stretch out my hand. 

Both hands held out like a classic scene of reconciliation. 

But the moment I held his hand, Asahi’s eyes glowed a sharp light again. 

“But don’t think that was our full strength there. I was caught off-guard because I was using a weapon I am not used to, but my weapon of specialty is a spear. If I hold the Hisame family heirloom, Gouging Vajra, I wouldn’t fall behind my daughter just yet.” (Asahi)

He is showing a smile, but his eyes are not smiling.

Those words made me instinctively look at the back of Asahi, at the wall of the dojo. 

“The next time we meet, it will be at the banquet!” (Asahi)

He gave his farewells in that sociable manner, and the disciple that guided me to the dojo in the beginning guided me again this time around. 

“My apologies for doing something so deceptive. I will be guiding you to your real room now, Souma-sama.” 

Saying this, he lowered his head politely and brought me to a certain building. 

“It is here.” 

“Here, huh.” (Souma)

That place should be categorized as separated. 

Its appearance is like that of a solid fortress. 

I don’t know what material it is made of, but even if you take only one wall or one gate, it would be extremely heavy, sturdy, and no regular weapon would be able to wound it. 

It is a place I have seen countless times in the game, but the first thing that comes to mind is that I wouldn’t want to live in a place like this. 

“Uhm, I will be living here alone…?” (Souma)

Leaving aside its appearance, it is way too big for a single person to be staying there. 

I asked this just in case, but…

“Yes, you are an important guest after all.” 

The guide disciple responded with an expected answer together with a face that shows no maliciousness. 

(What should I do…?) (Souma)

I look far away while thinking hard internally. 

That 2 floor building has a number of rooms at the respective stairs. It is not on the level of the Nekomimi Mansion, but it should have a variety of facilities. 

While watching that big building, I was pondering about what to answer here, and a pale faced woman passed by just at that moment. 

The woman was about to run off without noticing us, but…

“Why are you making a face like that? Is something the matter?” 

The disciple called her. 

The woman stopped her feet and glanced at me. 

“Actually…” 

And so, she began telling us her circumstances. 

She told us a variety of things, but basically, the ingredients for our welcoming party are not enough. 

That ingredient is a vegetable that grows close to this place, and you should be able to get it if you go to the fields nearby, but it is impossible to pull them out unless you have enough strength, so they are apparently troubled by this. 

“That is indeed a problem. I have my own matters to attend to, so as for free people…” 

Saying this, he glanced at me. 

“No way. I don’t have enough strength, and just what should I even do…?” (Souma)

I groaned but the woman was also glancing at me. 

With no other choice…

“Then, I will go.” (Souma)

The moment I said that, the faces of the two shone. 

“Really?! Thank you very much! The location of the fields are…” 

It is sudden, but I seriously have been thinking often about how an adventurer bag is convenient since coming to this world. 

In the game, you can’t have several storage type items, and the moment you obtain it, you can only equip them in set locations. 

For example; if you set it at your right waist at the beginning of the game, you won’t be able to move it from there; if you get a bag type item, it will be set at your left waist. As for the Cooler Box and other storage type items, they would be set diagonally right, and if you get something new, it will be switched. 

With these restrictions, you can’t have more than 3 storage type items at the same time. 

Well, right now, I am doing stuff like having a whole ton of storage type items and storing inside a storage, so I feel like my bags have increased more and more in numbers. It does get somewhat inconvenient because of it. 

Because of the limitations, items like the Cooler Box that take a slot would be designated as trash items and they would say ‘having it is a hindrance’.

But now that this world has become half real, there’s no item as convenient as this. 

You can store hot things and they stay hot, cold things and they stay cold forever. 

Even modern science wouldn’t be able to replicate something as convenient as this. 

There’s the downside that you can only store 10 things, but it won’t take space if you put it inside your bag, and if I find more somewhere else, I wouldn’t even mind having extras. 

“Puhah!” (Souma)

I had a cold drink I took out from the Cooler Box while taking a break and looking at the fields. 

They have harvested around half of the crops. 

There’s the need for a set amount of Strength stat in order to pull out the crops, but fortunately, the stat requirement for this event isn’t that high. 

That said, my original stat wasn’t enough, so I used a Power Up spell and Strength Up accessories. 

“Yup. Going well, going well.” (Souma)

I nodded and brought out an item from the Black Adventurer Bag inside the Adventurer Bag. 

And then, I walked to the corner of the field with that in hand. 

“Now then…” (Souma) 

In this world where the position of the bag isn’t fixed, you can do convenient things you couldn’t in the game. 

This is one of them.

“Alright, go~.” (Souma)

I made a shout that had no power in it, and turned the bag around. 

I discovered that, when I think about what I want to bring out from it as I turn it around, that thing will fall out one after the other. 

I changed spots as I walked little by little, and continued spreading around that ‘black item’ on the field. 

“Hm, here it comes.” (Souma)

After I finished spreading things around and I had taken the 3rd crop, that happened.

“Cows! The cows ran away!” 

As that shout came, a tremor and a cloud of dust was raised in that same direction.

They were the cow archetype monsters, Crazy Cows, running at full speed here. 

For some abnormal coincidence, they are running straight to this plot. 

“T-The person there, run! Please run away!!” 

The voice of someone was mixed within the tremor, but I didn’t move. 

Eventually, the Crazy Cows reached the field without slowing their advance and…

“Run away at on—eh?” 

They then suddenly split up and ran off. 

They ran as if avoiding the field, so there obviously was no damage to me or the crops. 

“U-Uhm, eh? That’s strange. The plan was for them to go straight…” 

The moment the cows disappeared from sight, the owner of the voice from before finally appeared. 

The disciple-looking man looked at the unharmed field while tilting his head.

“…Ah, no, I am glad you are okay. Later then. I have to chase after the cows.” 

Saying that, he ran off in the direction of the cows as if he himself was also running away. 

After I confirmed that he was out of sight, I looked down at the field and sighed. 

“Wouldn’t cleaning this up be more of a pain than the crops?” (Souma)

There were a whole ton of black skulls lying around which I took out from the bag.

After I cleared out the skulls and the crops, I returned to my detached dwelling. 

The ones waiting for me there were the guide disciple and…

“Asahi-san…” (Souma)

There’s a man there that shouldn’t be here.

“What about the vegetables?” (Asahi)

“…I brought them all here.” (Souma)

Saying this, I gave him an adventurer bag with all the vegetables packed in it. 

“…Oi.” (Asahi)

“Yes.” 

Receiving the order of Asahi, the disciple took that and ran off. 

They are most likely going to use it for the dishes of today. 

Giving a sidelong glance to that, I ask Asahi. 

“What was that about? You said you would stop testing me.” (Souma)

It would be strange for Asahi to be here since he should have left for the banquet, and no matter how you think about it, cows suddenly showing up and heading straight to the fields was unnatural.

I arbitrarily decided that the one who set this up was Asahi as I said this. 

And Asahi…didn’t deny it. 

“It is a family precept of the Hisame household. When someone from the family is marrying, or when succeeding the family, they must show appropriate strength. 

Me, my foster father, and his father also overcame these trials and succeeded the family. 

The Hisame household has gotten stronger like that.” (Asahi)

Instead, he said something that doesn’t sound like an answer.

(I knew it…) (Souma)

It is not something you say right after deceiving someone grandly, but there’s mostly no bad people in the Hisame household. You could even say there’s in essence no evil person in the Hisame family, or more like, there’s a lot of people with a strong sense of justice as a whole. 

The problem is that there’s only people who think that it is okay to die if it is for the sake of getting stronger, so you get people that see life as light as feathers. 

They would be fine with throwing their lives away for the sake of battle, and even if a family member were to die from a duel, they wouldn’t be sad or get angered. However, having a civilian getting hurt is what they hate the most, so you could say they are in a way barbarians with class.

The stronger one is and the closer that family member is, the more dangerous their involvement.

But turning it around, if you are recognized as a civilian, they are harmless.

(Anyways, I should clear this misunderstanding. That’s my last chance to escape from this den of savages unharmed!) (Souma)

If I fail here, I will end up being pushed into an unreasonable death game. 

I argue vehemently. 

“You are testing me because of your daughter, right? But I have no intention of marrying Mitsuki.” (Souma)

But…

“Don’t play dumb!!” (Asahi)

Those words ended up earning me the wrath of Asahi. 

“I already know that you are in a love relationship with my daughter!” (Asahi)

“Eh? No, eh?!” (Souma)

He for some reason stated this with confidence. 

I don’t understand.

“Didn’t I tell you already? I read my daughter’s letter. You apparently saw the secret of Mitsuki.” (Asahi)

“Y-Yeah…” (Souma)

That part is true. 

I have no choice but to nod at that.

“Mitsuki was bothered by that ‘secret’ the most -to the point that she wouldn’t show ‘that’ to any family member. I doubt she would have ‘that’ seen from something like lowering her guard or by coincidence. In other words, that’s how much Mitsuki trusts you.” (Asahi)

“Eh, no, that’s…uhm…” (Souma)

If I say ‘I actually drenched her and got to see her tail from her see-through clothes’ the misunderstanding might get cleared, but I feel like I would be killed for a different reason. 

Or more like, being seen at that time was a misunderstanding from Mitsuki, and the first time I saw her tail was when Mitsuki herself showed it to me. 

Moreover, her complex might have diminished after I sang praises to her tail, she even let me brush it a bit. Even promised me I could touch it again when we are alone. 

The chances that the misunderstanding will be cleared if I tell him all of this are honestly low. 

“Also…” (Asahi)

Asahi looked at me annoyed while I had fallen silent, and then he pushed on. 

“Even a person that doesn’t know the circumstances would be able to tell what’s happening in one go just by reading my daughter’s letter. 

I said 40% of the letter was praising your sword, but there was something that had a lot more written about. 

50% of the letter was…” (Asahi)

“50% was…?” (Souma)

He glared at me bitterly and said.

“…It was filled with stuff about you directly.” (Asahi)

When I heard that, I shouted ‘Mitsukiiiii!!’ internally.

If 90% of the letter is about me, of course he would misunderstand. 

Rather, it would be strange if he didn’t. 

That’s a no, no matter how you see it. 

To the point that I would like her to think a bit about it. 

Is your head for decoration?

Is your intelligence being sucked by your cat ears…? Ah, if that’s the case, I can forgive it! 

Well, leaving aside this talk about forgivable or unforgivable…

“Any excuses?” (Asahi)

The reality is that Asahi has completely misunderstood. 

I doubt this will be cleared easily. 

If there’s any way, it would be…

“Let’s assume Mitsuki likes me, but I have no intention—” (Souma)

I couldn’t continue my words because of the sudden burst of killing intent. 

I don’t know how that works, but the body of Asahi seemed bigger for a second there. 

He said in a low tone that would shake the blood while still clad in killing intent. 

“Do you need…an answer?” (Asahi)

“No…” (Souma)

I averted my gaze. 

(This ain’t good…) (Souma)

I actually knew it already since the crop event. 

The beginning was irregular, but the contents in itself are faithful to the Hisame House Visit Event. 

If the letter of Mitsuki had been a decent one, it might have gone a different route, but I should assume I have entered the route completely already. 

(In that case…) (Souma)

Might as well just ride on it. 

Even if I run away here, there’s the chance that they will stay antagonistic while still keeping the misunderstanding. 

I want to avoid hostilities with the Hisame family at all cost. 

I have to solve the problem here somehow. 

Actually, this is what I was pondering about when I was guided to this detached dwelling. 

Being guided there was exactly the flow of events in the game. 

Even I know that there’s real big traps set there. 

Even with that, I still pondered about it. 

Should I ride on the flow of the events, or go against it? 

I thought about it and couldn’t decide. 

But I now know clearly what path I should take. 

“Understood. Then, please test me.” (Souma)

“…Hoh?” (Asahi)

I will take on this chain event! 

Or more like, I have to take it or I die!! 

The battle instincts of Asahi are far more than I imagined, and considering my specs right now, I can’t match him. 

If the disciples took proper arms, I am sure they would be decently strong. 

If guys like that were to attack me while ignoring the event, I would have no chance of winning. 

No, even if I managed to win by some miracle, if I kill even one of them, it is practically game over. 

Then, it would be better to just go with the event that I know the developments of. 

The events here are all inside my head, and I have prepared countermeasures for them. 

If I finish them all, it is assured that it will all end amicably, and even if you finish all the Hisame House Visit Event, you may get Mitsuki as a companion, but it won’t go as far as marriage. 

In other words, if I do this, everything will be solved.

“Honestly speaking, I still don’t know if I will marry Mitsuki. But I want to prove that I am a person worthy of her!” (Souma)

That’s why I said this resolutely while thinking such an underhanded thing. 

Asahi laughed at this. 

“Nicely said!! Then, I will test you to my heart’s content! 3 days beginning from today. In those 3 days, prove to me that you have ‘a righteous heart’, ‘the readiness to be a resident of the battlefield’, and ‘the power to overcome adversities’! 

Take on the last trial, and if you survive all of that, I will approve you as a member of the Hisame family!!” (Asahi)

The clear condition being ‘survive’ is as expected. 

“Alright!!” (Souma)

I answered with energy.

Zero players have been able to finish this event before clearing the game. 

Even thoroughly seasoned Nekomimi Neko players would complain that ‘this place alone is a death game’. 

And so, the curtains of the sudden death game organized by the Hisame family that sees life as lighter than a feather…were raised.