ALL NOVEL The Strongest Solo Gamer with Terrible Social Skills Reincarnates as a Hated NPC in a VRMMO Chapter 38
38: Whatever, Shōma’s Already Like That
“…The battle against Golem…”
After listening to my explanation, Song looked worried. In reality, it’s not an opponent for beginners. They must have been worried about us, knowing that we had risked our lives.
“Ah, yeah. I’d heard about it, but actually fighting it was really tough. If Shōma hadn’t known the weakness, we would have been in big trouble.”
“But where did Ishizuru learn about that?”
Song’s question was something that even I and Aki were wondering. Ishizuru Shōma, who had entered the higher grades, knew too much about ABYSS. The information he had gathered from TV and the internet was too specialized, and it felt like he was an experienced explorer.
“…Maybe he heard about ABYSS from his sister, Aina-san?”
“Does Ishizuru have a sister?”
“A senior at the academy, 2-B’s Ishizuru Aina-san. I think she’s famous on the school network. She’s an excellent person, so…”
“I see, B-Class, huh… If he has a sister like that in his family, it explains his vast knowledge.”
“But then, what about the content of this article?”
“Ah, it’s completely made up.”
I declared to the two of them.
“It’s just a self-serving speculation, and they managed to write it this far. They even prepared a photo of Ishizuru… The person who wrote this article must really want to defame Ishizuru Shōma.”
“When you think about it, the other threads seem suspicious too. They’re trying to tarnish Shōma’s reputation, aren’t they?”
“…?”
“…? What’s wrong, Akane-chan?”
While we were deep in thought, Akane was looking serious, her eyes cast down.
Was she worried about something?
“…Sorry. It’s nothing. But does Shōma know about this?”
“I don’t know… If he’s the type to regularly check the bulletin board, it’s not impossible that he knows, but I have no idea what kind of person Shōma is…”
“――!”
“Ah, Akane-chan!?”
In the middle of our conversation, Akane suddenly stood up.
She was heading towards the classroom entrance.
There, Shōma was about to come out.
“――Ugh!?”
“Wait, Shōma!!”
“Guh! Ku, Akane!? What are you doing…!?”
Shōma, who had been grabbed by the collar from behind, was choked and let out a groan. He might have been heading to the cafeteria. Looking at the classroom exit, Shōma faced Akane with an uneasy expression.
“You, have you seen the school network!?”
“What? What are you talking about all of a sudden…?”
“This thread!!”
Akane, who had released her grip on Shōma’s collar, showed him the screen of her portal terminal displaying the thread.
“An anti-thread…! You’re showing it to the person himself, aren’t you normal!?”
“Just read the content properly!!”
“Ha…!? What’s with this…!?”
As told, Shōma read through the thread.
“…And? What’s this?”
“What’s with you… You’re not even bothered!? Writing such baseless rumors!”
“Who cares? If someone wants to say it, let them. Besides, even if I’m bothered, will they stop writing bad things about me? It’s just a waste of effort.”
“…But you were trying hard, weren’t you?”
“Huh?”
“You learned from Rina-san and studied hard in secret, didn’t you?! And yet, this…!”
“St-study? ——Oh, you mean the morning special training? No way, that was just my sister forcing me to do it, and it’s not like I was trying that hard—!”
“…Shohei?”
Shohei’s face suddenly turned pale.
Red Feather was worried about Shohei, but he acted as if nothing was wrong, shook his head, and tried to leave the classroom.
“W-wait a minute!”
“…What do you want from me now?”
“I have a lead on the person who’s been posting on the bulletin board! So, Shohei, you should—”
“Shut up! I’m not in the mood for this right now!! This is an emergency!! Don’t bother me with trivial things—!!”
Shohei shook off Red Feather’s hand with a loud “Bashin”.
“W-what’s wrong with you…! I’m worried about you, and you’re acting like this…!!”
“Oh, spare me the fake concern! When did I ever ask for your help?! You’re looking down on me, and it’s not funny!!”
“W-what…?”
“You’re saying you have a lead on the person who’s been posting… Isn’t that something you did, Red Feather?! You’re the one who’s been badmouthing me behind my back, and now you’re pretending to be my friend?! You’re desperate because you have a guilty conscience, aren’t you?! You’re not fooling anyone, Red Feather—!!”
“T-that’s not…!”
“Hah, you said it yourself, and now you’re denying it?! You’re hurting me, and it’s real…”
“S-shohei, I…!”
“Just leave me alone…!”
Shohei tried to leave the classroom again.
Red Feather blocked his way with her body.
“Hah, what are you doing, Red Feather?”
“…I won’t let you go.”
“H-hey…?”
“Don’t say whatever you want! I’m not finished talking yet! So, I won’t let you go…!!”
“—Ugh, damn it…!!”
Red Feather spread her arms, blocking Shohei’s path, and he couldn’t help but wrinkle his face in frustration.
—Whatever, Shohei’s got some guts, but what’s with his attitude?
Is he really that hungry or something?
If so, the timing is bad.
“What’s with you, Red Feather—!! You only do things I hate! Do you hate me that much—!! Ahh…!!”
“…I do hate you! I really hate you!! I said it before, didn’t I?! I’ll say it again! I hate Shohei’s guts!! So, I won’t do what you want me to do!!”
“H-hah, you’re kidding me—!! You’re supposed to be my fiancée, aren’t you?! Don’t you have any feelings?!”
“I don’t have any feelings for you…!”
“K—”
“So, I won’t budge from here. Not until you give up…!!”
“—”
In an instant, Shōma’s face turned a deathly pale, as if he had given up all hope. I thought he had gone too far, but it seemed that Kurenai was also serious about it for Shōma’s sake.
We could only watch.
“K-Kurenai…! I-I was wrong, I’m sorry…! Please, just leave him alone…!”
“No.”
“K-Kurenai-sama…! Please, I’m begging you, leave him alone…! If you don’t, I’ll listen to you later, I promise!!”
“No!!”
“What are you going to do?! Are you going to abandon me?! You can do whatever you want later, I’ll do anything! Just—”
“Absolutely not!!”
“H…H…H…………”
—At that moment, the light in Shōma’s eyes vanished.
It was as if he had given up.
His expression was one of resignation, and it seemed like he didn’t care about anything anymore. I couldn’t help but worry about Shōma’s state at that moment—
“What’s all the commotion about?”
“K-Kageyama-sensei!?”
Kageyama-sensei, who was passing by the classroom, called out to the two of us who were arguing.
“There’s not much time left until lunch. Make sure to eat properly for your afternoon classes.”
“Y-yes…”
“—Where’s Ishizuru-kun…?”
“!”
While Kurenai was distracted by Kageyama-sensei, Shōma slipped out of the classroom. He walked away with a awkward gait, his hips swaying. Red Feather caught a glimpse of his retreating figure and couldn’t hide his frustration.
“That guy—!”
“Wait, Feng-san”
Kageyama-sensei stopped Red Feather, who was about to chase after him, with a gentle tone.
“—I don’t know what happened, but rushing into things will only make a mess. You’re in the same school building, so there’s no need to be in a hurry.”
“Sensei…”
As expected of a grown-up teacher… Kageyama-sensei’s words calmed down Red Feather’s fiery emotions with just one sentence.
“Red Feather-chan…”
“Kaoru, and everyone… I’m sorry. I got too hot-headed and did things on my own…”
“Did something happen that you can’t forgive?”
Red Feather nodded quietly in response to Akiho’s question.
“—I really hate Shōma. But I think it’s unfair that what I did wasn’t evaluated properly. I just can’t understand his way of thinking that accepts that…”
“—You said you had a reason, right?”
“Yeah… probably. That’s why I need to put an end to this foolish ‘festival’ myself…”
Red Feather spoke with determination, her voice filled with a desire to reclaim her opponent’s evaluation.
It’s not very honest, is it? I thought to myself again.
But where did Shōma go?
He didn’t head towards the cafeteria, which was in the opposite direction. There was only the student toilet in that direction, wasn’t there?
Did he rush to the bathroom because of a stomachache?
“—That’s ridiculous…”
I laughed at the ridiculous delusions in my head and decided to enjoy my meal with my friends.