Chapter 1171 - A Scolding
— And then, a few days later, on a Saturday afternoon.
"Are you an idiot?"
"What are you doing?"
"You are beyond saving. In many ways."
In my own room, where a long-awaited "crashing girls' party occupying the space" situation was occurring, I was showered with exasperation, confusion... and a tiny bit of anger from each of the three girls, all looking at me as if looking at an idiot.
Needless to say. This disastrous situation was the result of me lightheartedly talking about the episode concerning the trauma I had confirmed by myself the other day. Well, I suppose sitting in seiza was unavoidable.
"No, uh, that's not it..."
Even I think I did something stupid, and precisely because I thought so, I opened up about it as a silly story, so I didn't feel any desire to argue back.
Even so, what can I say. An idiot has an idiot's shallow thinking, or to put it bluntly, I didn't think that within two seconds of speaking, every single one of them would switch to a lecturing expression...
"What is?"
"What is?"
"What is, I wonder."
"An encirclement of beautiful girls is scary..."
"Now is not the time for that."
"We don't need that right now."
"That's not necessary right now."
"I'm sorry..."
In summary, it looks bad. Today will probably be the day I die — and,
"Somehow, what is it."
As I trembled at the end of my life while maintaining a proper seiza posture, Nia's face descended next to mine along with her words, showing a voiceless sigh with her breath.
Extremely close. Crouching down to observe the face of an idiot, those caramel-blonde, green eyes were, today of all days, a seven-hundred-million-point face full of exoticism that made all of me feel it was only natural to prostrate myself.
And so, as I was escaping reality, thinking about how cute she was today as well.
"I think this is the most I've ever thought you were an idiot. You're a massive idiot. Idiot."
"To a man's heart, 'abuse from the girl he likes' really hits hard..."
I think a girl's half-closed eyes are cute, but when what's contained in them is one hundred percent pure exasperation, that's a different story. It turns into a weapon of mass destruction capable of easily killing a man.
And yet, the follow-up attacks did not stop against me, who was taking completely normal damage.
"......................"
"The shilen' one is tough (the silent one is tough too)..."
On the opposite side.
My partner (Sora), who had similarly bent her knees and crouched down, was pinching my cheek with quite merciless force — no, rather than pinching, she was grabbing it pretty firmly. She was grinding her slender fingers into my cheek flesh.
It actually hurt a little. A pure attack, which was extremely rare for Sora.
...And then,
"Haru."
"Yeth."
"My forehead flick hurts a lot."
"Instilling fear with a declara— ugh... That huuuuuurts...!!?"
Should I rejoice that the lack of mercy was out of love, or should I feel pathetic that the woman I love is physically stronger than myself? At the same time as a ridiculous, sharp snapping sound echoed, unable to resist the immense shock rather than the pain that ran through my forehead, I fell backward with great force.
And so, while my head was caught by the sofa...
"U-Uh, really, that's not it. I had absolutely no intention of treating myself carelessly. Really, yes, I swear to my heart, it wasn't that kind of thing..."
Belatedly, the earnest excuse time began.
I felt pathetic and awkward enough that I could probably cry if I tried, but now was the time to swallow my shame and show sincerity — of course. Thankfully, I was being loved this much.
Since they were worried about me enough to get properly angry, it was already an obligation.
"Until now, what can I say? I've been properly avoiding it. To be honest, there was a part of me that was vague about 'how big' the trauma actually was at present."
Therefore, without lying, honestly.
"When I see water with fish, I normally flinch for a second, and when I get close to a lake or the sea, I get slightly nervous, so I understood it was decently bad, but..."
While being overwhelmed by the three-colored, staring eyes, I tried not to run away.
"To think that, whether systematically or unconsciously, it would cause a forced logout incident..."
"......You didn't, think so?"
"Yes."
"You underestimated it."
"......Yes."
"What a silly boy."
"............Yes."
To conclude — indeed, although the air of exasperation did not leave.
"............................Haa."
"Well, if it's not like you treated yourself poorly knowing that...?"
"Should we leave it at this, I wonder."
At least, the sharpness was gone.
It didn't look bad. Apparently, today was not the day I died.
Slender fingers reached out from beside me again, but this time with a gentle strength. When I turned my eyes toward the cheek that was softly pinched, although the half-closed eyes continued, the Angel had shifted to a shade of worry.
Cute. Well, it was entirely my fault for making her make that face, so I could only reflect on it one hundred percent.
"I probably can't say... I'm fine, but I'm fine. For me, the main feeling was 'I was surprised,' and it's not like I'm terribly heartbroken."
"......Is that so."
As a return for the lovely cheek-pinching, I pretended to pat her head with my fingertips.
With these three as my opponents, my bluffing and deception no longer worked, nor did they have a turn. Combined with the fact that I wasn't the type to lie in the first place, I was extremely happy that if I spoke to them head-on, they would believe most of my words... Well, that's why.
Doing this occasionally... occasionally?
Well, yeah. When I rarely mess up this badly, I reflect on it even more heavily.
"Haven't you been fishing? Like that criminal fishing too."
"Ah, yeah. That's why, you see, if they're separated, I'm actually fine. After all, they're aquatic creatures; I understand that once they're landed, they're basically helpless."
"......And in the water?"
"Ah, yeah. That's why it's impossible. In that domain, someone like me is after all a land creature; I understand that even if a clumsy bipedal animal struggles, it's just mere bait."
"I wonder about that extreme understanding..."
"It's not that I don't get it, but..."
While soothing Sora, who pressed the crown of her head against my hand with a dissatisfied face as if to say "don't pretend, touch and stroke me," I answered the questions that started with Nia as if they were natural doubts, and what drifted in the air was a different kind of exasperated atmosphere than before.
Rather than being directed at me, it was the kind of "it seems hopeless" directed at the size of my trauma... in other words, an exasperation close to resignation.
Indeed. That is to say —
"So... well, what I originally wanted to say was," (T/N: possible typo in source — original reads そもそ目の話, likely meaning そもそもの話)
"......It's fine. I know."
Probably, as expected, this time of all times, I should declare my "non-participation."
About the other day's expedition and so on. Including Yura's analysis and other things, the matter of the [Deep Realm of Blue Source] has already been made known to each faction. If so, the [Sword Queen]-sama, who has naturally begun to take command of the plan management, cuts off my words as if saying there is no need to say everything.
Cutting me off, she gently stroked my forehead, which was probably red.
No mentioning that she was the one who landed the critical hit. I quietly accepted it, thinking that happiness should be enjoyed openly... but in about three seconds, the Princess's hand was snatched away by the fairy and immediately confiscated.
Why? Another five seconds would have been fine.
"From the start, I had no intention of forcing you. Because we will conquer it —"
And so, on my forehead again, as I bragged about my love, unpunished by the situation.
"Haru, be a good boy and stay home this time."
"............So cool. I think I'm falling in love."
Ashe, with the hand opposite to the one that was snatched, poked me as if chiding a mischievous child.
You're really loved, aren't you!!!!!