โIโll team up with you.โ
โWhat?โ
โHuh?โ
I canโt hear them. I can only hear one voice. I canโt hear the others.
โWhy?โ
โSorry. The truth is, I didnโt understand anything from the beginning.โ
I wish theyโd see it that way.
I mean, come on. Iโm basically like a baby who just transferred here today. Itโs only natural that I canโt understand everything, look at it all objectively, and make sound judgments.
โOf course, I noticed thatโฆ Amagi-san is doing the practice alone.โ
โYeahโฆโ
Amagi-san, whoโs willing to listen to what I have to say, is as gentle and kind as ever.
Iโm ignoring the vibe beside me that says, โIf you joke around, Iโll kill you.โ Donโt let it get to you, Toma Yumeno!
โAfter that earlier conversation, when I got back to the classroom, everyone started telling meโฆ or rather, scolding me.โ
โYeah.โ
โThey told me that just by being next to Amagi-san, Iโd be worn out by her magic power.โ
โYeahโฆโ
โDidnโt you know that?โ
Damn it, stay out of my head! โฆNormally, Iโd thank her for her words, but right now, Iโd rather she left me alone.
โI did feel a little pressured next to herโฆโ
You idiot! You almost passed out from itโwhat are you even saying?
โIs that soโฆโ
Sheโs still suspiciousโฆ Maybe I should give it one more push. No, judging by Amagi-sanโs expression, this topic is fine to drop now.
Letโs move on to why I didnโt say โYes, gladly!โ right away.
Yeah, thatโs better.
Letโs go with the sympathy strategy!
If I donโt, the beautiful girl glaring at me wonโt ever let me off the hook, and the angel wonโt feel any better.
โI was hoping to take things easy and work quietlyโฆโ
โWhat?โ
โHuh?โ
Uh-oh. My two angels just turned into two demons. Is there a hole somewhere I can crawl into? I completely messed up the timing. Itโs a scorching hot day, but I feel like I might freeze from their icy stares. Or maybe if I freeze, I can pretend Iโm not here? Freeze, body of mineโฆ
โUmโฆโ
โSo you came to Japanโs top explorer training school, planning to slack off and just graduate with okay grades? Are you mocking us?โ
โIโm so sorryโฆโ
And down I go, groveling.
Iโm such an idiot, stepping on a landmine while trying to console them.
This is badโฆ Sayamura-san is leaning forward and looking seriously angry.
Even the angel looks like sheโs mad at me.
โEriina , letโs hear him out? Yumeno-kun has his reasonsโฆ Heโs a transfer student, after all.โ
Oh, she wasnโt mad. Maybe she was just struggling to calm down her friendโs anger.
โTch, if Sakura says soโฆโ
Iโm sure Sakura-san is Sayamura-sanโs weak spot, or the person she wants to protect.
What a good friend.
โThe reason I transferred is because I left a certain team.โ
โA team?โ
โAnd that made you transfer?โ
Theyโre actually listening normally, now that theyโve decided to hear me out. Theyโre probably both very serious people.
โI basically ran away. The team I was on was an S-rank team.โ
โWhat, S-rank???โ
โThere are only a few S-rank teams around here, like the ones led by Terumitsu Jinguji, Mitsuteru Takamura, and Kiyosumi Shidoโฆ but I didnโt think any of them had high school-aged members.โ
Feeling their surprised gazes on me, I give a wry smile. Itโs not something I like to rememberโฆ the stare of the devil.
In Japan, there are only five S-rank explorers.
Each team led by one of them is classified as an S-rank team.
โEriina , I think he was in Shido-sanโs team.โ
โIsnโt that Shidoโs reverse-harem team?โ
โThatโs the rumor, yeah.โ
It seems like hearing my story has calmed them down a bit.
The prickliness and suspicion in their attitudes seem to have lessened.
Meanwhile, remembering that devil makes my expression stiffenโฆ No, I canโt let it get to me. Iโm here to move forward.
โWell, itโs true. Though, being more than ten years younger, I wasnโt directly involved.โ
โI see.โ
โBut they did pressure me.โ
โWhat?โ
โNo way?โ
โYeah.โ
So, I decide to be honest.
Theyโll probably be shocked, but if I donโt share this, they wonโt understand why Iโm hesitant.
They invited me so openly and straightforwardly, and I want to respond sincerely.
โIs that why you left?โ
โPretty much. Honestly, the treatment was horrible. I was dragged around with no breaks and constantly called in, and because of my second unique skill, I even gotโฆ well, harassed.โ
โWhat?!โ
โIt wasnโt exactly physical, but I was definitely approached.โ
โWhat?!?โ
Amagi-san is blushing bright red. Oops, maybe sheโs not used to this kind of stuff?
โThatโs what pushed me over the edge. It wasnโt like they immediately pounced on me, so I had a chance to gather evidence of the harassment and bring it to someone understanding at the Dungeon Association. It took about half a year to even find someone willing to listen, thoughโmost people donโt go against high-ranking explorers.โ
The two of them fall silent.
But since theyโre listening, I continue.
Sorry, maybe this is just for my own satisfaction, but I canโt stop now.
After that, I submitted the formal withdrawal papers, arranged the transfer to this academy, which is among the best explorer training schools in Japan, and I escaped.
In a country committed to cultivating explorers, if Iโd just said I was quitting, no one wouldโve listened.
So I said Iโd continue as an explorer but refused to stay in a problematic team.
The senior official who listened to my story ended up as my guarantor.
Even so, Iโm sure the devil hasnโt given up and might try to recruit me again once I graduate and am free.
Thatโs why I wanted to stay low-key.
I shared all of this with the two of them.
โIโm sorry for inviting you without knowing your circumstances.โ
โIโm sorry too. I was only thinking about Sakura and got mad without considering you at all.โ
โYeah.โ
They apologized.
Theyโre really nice people.
โButโฆ why team up with Sakura? Are you sure youโll be okay working together?โ
โUmโฆโ
โDonโt push yourself. Iโll be fine on my own. Iโve been doing it alone this whole time, after allโฆโ
Donโt make such a lonely face.
Iโve already decided.
โNo, Iโve made up my mind. Please, team up with me.โ
โHuh?โ
I say it again. I need to make this clear.
With everything thatโs happened, I donโt want to just shut myself away and ignore the people around me.
In the first place, I wanted to be an ordinary guy who didnโt even have events like this happening to him.
But itโs already too late for that.
Ah, maybe I made the wrong decision when I hesitated.
But it canโt be helped.
If I can team up with such a cute girl, then maybe I can turn this situation from a minus to a plus.
And then I declare it boldly, even if it sounds absurd.
But if it means moving forward with an angel beside meโฆ it doesnโt feel like a bad choice.
โWhen we graduate, letโs become an S-rank team together.โ
โWowโฆโ
โYumeno-kunโฆโกโ
The once-chilly atmosphere feels like itโs warmed up a bit.