ch41-ch60 · 049-ch49

Chapter 49: Let's Party

"That's the thing. She's never done this before, not even once. Never cared about anyone else like this, never warned anyone this persistently. Fighting someone just to stop them? That's insane, right? And she was crying too. She even said she can't win anymore."

Nope, not falling for that.

This is a Shiraishi trap.

She literally self-destructed today.

"That's enough. I'm just going to beat Watanabe-san and move on."

"We thought that at first too, you know. That if you just won, everything would be solved. That Watanabe-san would recognize your strength and support you from the shadows or whatever. But winning alone isn't enough, apparently. Just beating her won't save Watanabe-san."

Save her?

Since when did this get so dramatic?

"What happens to Watanabe-san if I win as things are now?"

"If you die, Watanabe-san will be done for, I think. She'll probably quit the Association. But come to think of it, that's not so bad, is it? Starting a new life somewhere else and all that."

??

I'm dying?

Isn't this jumping ahead way too fast?

And what's with 'not so bad'?

"Why is my death the default assumption here? That's what's weird."

"Dungeons are where idiots die, you know. Complete morons who don't understand people's feelings are the first to go straight to the afterlife, obviously. You did something reckless again today, didn't you? You need someone to put the brakes on you. That's why you need to save Watanabe-san."

She's mad.

What does she mean by 'people's feelings'?

And save her...

Isn't that asking a bit much?

"I need something more concrete. What exactly should I do?"

"Maybe just keep losing? If you keep pretending to be under her spell forever, you could stay happy, right? That's what Watanabe-san wants, after all."

Under her spell?

"Even though I declared I would definitely win?"

"That was pretty good, actually. Very youthful and all that. But if you're going to win, you need to think about what comes after."

S-she's making fun of me.

But her anger seems to have cooled.

"So I'm asking for specifics here."

"Geez, I wanted you to figure this out yourself."

"I can't. I wish I had more time... but this is probably going to be the final match. It'll be settled tomorrow at the latest. If you have advice, you should give it now."

"Huh? You can win?"

"I think I can win once."

I answer immediately.

After today's level up, I'd say I'm ready.

"Once? You only get one chance? How cool is that? I'm getting fired up now."

I don't need you fired up, just hurry up and tell me.

"Right. What to do after winning, was it? That's simple. Invite her to a party. Ask her to come with you. Even you can manage that, right?"

"A party?"

"Yes. Honestly, I wanted you to say you loved her or something, but that's impossible for you, isn't it?"

"It is impossible. I can't say things I don't feel."

"Geez, saying things like that—what if she heard you? Well, I'll have to hope for the future, I suppose. If you're in a party together, those kinds of things might happen naturally."

Might they...?

A party... I could probably manage that much.

But what if she turns me down?

"What's the chance she'll refuse?"

"If she refuses, she loses the right to interfere with you, and I think that would be fine in its own way. It'll be okay. If you get rejected, I'll form a party with you. Happy, aren't you?"

So it's definitely not okay.

I don't understand how we got here.

"You need her, and she needs you too."

I hope so...