Episode 25

Homeroom ends, and Michael leaves the classroom.

“Shall we head to the staff room for a bit?”

“Sure. I wonder what they’re going to talk about?”

“Well, it’s probably a check-in regarding our future activities.”

“Yeah, I think so too.”

“If that’s the case, let’s go quickly!”

Luminous has a goal of expanding the Union to meet her family’s expectations. Maybe that’s why she’s more eager than anyone else. With her eyes shining with excitement, we all follow her.

When we arrived at the staff room, the teachers’ gazes all focused on us. …I guess even the teachers are paying this much attention. 

Well, if a student they’ve mentored becomes famous in the future, they can boast about their own accomplishments. And with someone like me, who’s a bit of an anomaly, it’s highly likely they’ll set their sights on me. Being popular can be tough. 

While thinking such things, I noticed Michael beckoning us over. Naturally, none of the teachers dared to get in Michael’s way. We made it to her seat without any issues.

“Now, today I’d like to go over your Union activities a bit.”

“What about, specifically?”

Luminous asked eagerly.

“Have you thought about how you’re going to operate as a Union moving forward?”

We were asked. But honestly, we hadn’t planned much beyond a general direction. Luminous answered with a smile.

“For now, I think we’ll be handling requests that the bigger Unions can’t take on. Since Takigawa needs to get stronger, our main focus will be on hunting Kyoei, something like that.”

If we can grow like in a game, then hunting Kyoei would be the best way to level up and aim for good gear drops.

“I see. In that case, I have a perfect suggestion for you.”

“What is it?”

“Do you know of Shizuho City?”

“Yes! Of course!”

Luminous replied energetically, but I felt a little uneasy. 

It wasn’t because I was captivated by Michael’s swaying chest when she tilted her head, but because Shizuho City isn’t exactly a good place. 

Shizuho City… I recall the calendar in my mind. 

At this time of year… it’s still there. 

You see, in the main story of the game, Shizuho City appears as a city in the process of rebuilding. The whole city was shut down after an incident where Kyōjū ran rampant. 

It was set up as a place to illustrate the havoc caused by Kyōjū. According to the lore I remember, this incident happens in about a month. 

Contrary to my inner thoughts, Michael quietly spoke.

“Right now, Shizuho City is short on Soul Binders. And there aren’t enough people to take out the Kyoeis sealed in the dungeon. That’s why I thought it might be a good opportunity for you all to take on activities there.”

Dungeon. Thanks to Gabriel Union’s power, dungeons exist in provincial cities outside of Tenma City. The dungeons act as barriers to trap the Kyoei within the city and pull them in, sealing them away. This way, even at night, there are hardly any Kyoei. It made it relatively safe to live in these cities without the need for Unions. 

Some might say, “If dungeons can do that, why even need Soul Binders?” But dungeons are just containers for sealing them in. What happens if you stuff too many things into a box? It’s simple. The Kyoei that were sealed inside start overflowing. That’s what led to Shizuho City’s collapse.

So, Soul Binders are needed to hunt the Kyoei sealed in the dungeons. This is how leveling up works in this world, and the dungeons play a crucial part in that.

…However, in Shizuho City’s dungeon, the Kyoei are secretly gaining strength and are steadily planning their escape from the dungeon.

“Shizuho City doesn’t have many Soul Binders, and… the Kyoei aren’t that strong there, right?”

“With fewer Soul Binders, wouldn’t that make it easier to gain experience points?”

Seraph and Luminous both voiced positive thoughts.

Indeed, considering the appropriate level for Shizuho City, it wouldn’t be a bad place for a newly contracted Soul Binder like me.

Except for the fact that it’s too rural to live comfortably without a car, this is a great hunting ground for me right now. However, I already know what the future holds for Shizuho City. Considering the disaster that awaits there… I can’t stay for too long.

I have no intention of trying to save Shizuho City. In fact, I hope it collapses, just like in the main game. It might sound cruel, but if it doesn’t, the main storyline would be thrown off balance. Given how much I’ve already distorted things, I at least want to keep some events as close to the original game as possible.

“May I ask a quick question?”

“Sure, what is it?”

“If we start operating in Shizuho City, we won’t be able to attend the academy for a while. Is that going to be okay?”

I already know it’s fine based on my game knowledge. But I want to confirm. 

In the game, expeditions are counted as academic credits, and classes can be attended remotely, so there shouldn’t be any major issues. 

Honestly, I don’t really need to attend high school classes at this point. And when it comes to this world’s history, I know more than anyone. It includes lore that wasn’t even featured in the game. 

So, attending classes is unnecessary for me.

“It’s fine. You can attend remotely. And your activities as a Soul Binder during the expedition will count toward your credits.”

“Understood. …Well then, for now, would it be alright if we only operate in Shizuho City throughout April to see how things go?”

The Void Shadow Incursion — the event where Kyoei and Kyōjū overflow from the dungeon — will happen on May 5th. My psychopathic employee Shibusawa suggested that having the disaster on Children’s Day would make it even more hopeless. He was super excited, saying, “Isn’t it just perfect? Imagine those koi streamers torn to shreds, falling to the ground with bloodstains on them! Isn’t that the best?”

Shibusawa handles all the really brutal scenes. Seriously, that guy’s head is screwed up.

Though….. I’m the one who gave the go-ahead.

Original Author’s Comment:

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