ALL NOVEL The Strongest Solo Gamer with Terrible Social Skills Reincarnates as a Hated NPC in a VRMMO Chapter 37
37: The Bustle of the Anti-Thread
――SIDE: Akihiro Sōga――
April mornings are sleepy mornings.
In the spring, when entrance ceremonies and new employee orientations overlap, people tend to get their autonomic nerves mixed up due to environmental changes. So, even I couldn’t help but yawn today. My old man would say, “Take it easy!” and bring down thunder, but it’s hard to help feeling a bit sluggish in this weather.
“Ohayō, Sōga-kun”
“Kaoru and Kōu, ah, ohayō”
“You look quite sleepy, don’t you?”
“Uh, yeah… maybe the fatigue from yesterday is still lingering”
“If Sosuke-kun is walking around at this hour, it makes us feel like we’re late too, doesn’t it?”
“Oh? That’s not true, is it?”
“You should be aware that you’re always late.”
“Ah, yeah… sorry about that…”
Ugh, I can’t win against these two girls. I gave up early and decided to apologize.
“… Are you really that tired?”
“Yeah… ah, no, I’m fine. Don’t worry about it.”
“I’m not worried, but you don’t have to put on a strong front just because you’re a guy.”
“It’s not like that—”
“You’re just like that guy who always puts on a strong front. I know all about it.”
“… Hmph.”
This tone of voice reminds me of Shoma.
Akane may say things like “I’m not interested” or “I dislike it,” but in reality, she’s always thinking about Shoma. If only we could be a bit more honest with each other…
“By the way, about yesterday’s exploration. We didn’t discuss it in detail, did we? Let’s talk about it during lunch break.”
Maybe this will soften her attitude towards Shoma a bit?
He’s not just a guy who talks big.
After exploring together, I realized that he’s not like that. If possible, I’d like the two of them to get along better. —I mean, wanting peace isn’t a bad thing, is it? As we walked along the school path, I thought about such things.
◆
The fourth period of general classes ended, and the lunch break bell rang. Students began to open their lunchboxes, leave the classroom, and head to the cafeteria, each doing their own thing. Meanwhile, I sat at my seat, waiting for my friends to arrive.
“—Sosuke!”
“Yeah, I brought a lunchbox today. It’s great to have someone who can cook for themselves. I, on the other hand, bought mine at the school store—”
“This isn’t the time for that! Did you check your SNS today!?”
“Ah… no, not yet—”
“If not, check it now!”
“Okay, got it!”
As I was rushed by Sosuke, I took out my portal from my pocket.
“What’s going on?”
“I don’t know, but Sosuke seems to have found something…”
Seeing Sosuke’s unusual behavior, Kaori asked Akane, who was sitting next to her, for an explanation. However, even Akane herself didn’t know what was going on, so all she could do was take out her portal as instructed.
“Wow, it’s still the same…”
When I opened the school’s SNS bulletin board, a massive thread tree appeared, with most of the top posts related to Shoma. I had opened it once before, but there were many unverified rumors flying around, and it looked chaotic, so I quickly closed it and forgot about it.
… Is it like this now?
“Look at the top one.”
“… This is—”
“【Breaking News】Shoma-san Interfered with Classmate’s Search and Stood in the Middle When He Returned”
As I read the thread title at the top, I was taken aback.
I nervously opened the content and found a screenshot of the scene when we returned with Shoma and the others.
So, this is what it means to stand in the middle… When I looked at the image, it did seem like a provocative pose.
We, who were carrying the injured, were separate from Shoma, who was standing alone with a victorious smile. It might be annoying to some people.
I quickly scrolled through the thread.
[1:noname:2025/04/12(Wed)]
Too evil, wwww
[2:noname:2025/04/12(Wed)]
You’re not the protagonist
[3:noname:2025/04/12(Wed)]
What’s with Shōma’s maddening (・∀・ )っ/凵⌒☆ﾁﾝﾁﾝ
[4:noname:2025/04/12(Wed)]
Trash thread preservation
[5:noname:2025/04/12(Wed)]
Explain the circumstances
[6:noname:2025/04/12(Wed)]
The first-year high school students in class D went on their first ABYSS exploration
They didn’t come back, and a rescue party appeared
That trash Shōma, without reading the air, volunteered for the rescue
He ended up getting his foot caught and returned empty-handed
He got scolded for being center stage
[7:noname:2025/04/12(Wed)]
He’s trash
[8:noname:2025/04/12(Wed)]
First ABYSS exploration, wwww
Got lost, wwww
[9:noname:2025/04/12(Wed)]
Shōma, the s*xual harasser, is at it again, peeping at the female students today!! Don’t let this scum get away with it!!
“Uwa……”
“Hon, he’s the worst…”
Kaon and Akane opened the same thread, and their expressions turned sour due to the harsh content.
“Wait, just a minute!”
This is too unfair to Shōma. I tried to clear up their misunderstanding by speaking up.
“Shōma did his job properly! There’s no reason for him to be criticized like this!”
“R-really…?”
“…To be sure, we left the monsters on the way to me and Sōji, but…”
“A, Aku!?”
“Yeah, after all――!”
Kaon’s misunderstanding deepened due to the words that seemed to affirm the thread’s description. However, Aku’s words continued.
“But――if Ishiru wasn’t there, the rescue the other day would have failed. I and Sōji might have even lost our lives… He did an important job like that”
“Important…? But Shōma…?”
“What happened, anyway?”
“Well, actually――”
As I nodded to the inquiring song, I began to explain to the two of them what had happened yesterday. By the way, I didn’t plan on telling them about the Isogai incident. It’s not a problem that can be solved by talking about it, and I thought it would be more reliable to leave it to Shōma.