As A Result of Trying To Live An Erotic Slow-Life, I Have Become The Underground Ruler of This Upside-Down Otherworld - Chapter 65: Invitation to Happiness

Chapter 65: Invitation to Happiness

“Let’s turn the world upside down.”

Rozaria was trembling.

It’s fair to say those were enchanting words—after all, there isn’t a single ugly woman satisfied with the current society.

The word “equality” is known, but it’s never truly been felt, not in the past nor now.

The Eld Family, sharpening their claws in the shadows, had built a kind of merit-based social equality within their ranks, but that’s not what this is about.

If it’s just being shunned for bad looks, that’s still bearable. It doesn’t matter if men don’t come near.

But why is it that those deemed beautiful are forgiven for anything they do?

That’s the only thing that grates, the only thing unforgivable, unacceptable.

“Haa… guh, hey? Can you untie this already? You’ve beaten me up this bad, I can’t pull any weird tricks, and I sure as hell don’t want to.”

“Fine.”

They deserve retribution.

Retribution for doing whatever they pleased, for toying with those who didn’t need to be hurt.

The thread binding Arius’s hands snapped with a putsuri.

Was it the sense of freedom, or the strangeness of it breaking without anyone touching it? Arius stared at his hands.

“Thanks.”

“Then let’s begin.”

Men deserve retribution too.

There were countless men who tried to use ugly women.

If you brought money, brought goods, they’d make you their woman—a common transaction. Some women were even used to settle personal grudges.

And Rozaria believes the man before her, Arius, is exactly that kind of man.

“Before that—”

“What? If you’re stalling, I won’t forgive you.”

“That’s not it. What do you mean by ‘sexual acts’? Are you talking about shoving a dick into a pussy?”

Tch…!? “Y-Yeah, that’s right! What else could it be!?”

Despite her cool blue hair, Rozaria’s cheeks flushed bright red as she spoke.

“Got it. Then one more request—can you let me rinse my mouth?”

“Rinse?”

“Thanks to you, my mouth’s full of the taste of blood. It’s gross.”

“…Hmph, fine.”

Rozaria pointed to a water jug in the room.

Arius gargled, and Rozaria watched with something akin to disappointment, as if he was only thinking of himself.

As expected, this guy’s trash too.

That thought welled up inside her.

A man who surrounds himself with capable ugly women to achieve his own goals.

“Phew… Alright then.”

Realizing this, Rozaria regretted that this event had become somewhat dangerous.

The key to unraveling this trap was the emotion of happiness filling one’s heart.

This man can’t do that.

If so, these two women will remain like this forever.

Still too short-sighted, too shallow, she reflected, like a naive kid. She began planning to borrow a collaborator’s power to undo the magic.

“Kazune.”

“…Ari…u…s…san…”

“Huh?”

Rozaria’s eyes widened as she saw her magical threads on the verge of breaking.

“Nn.”

“A…nn.”

Without pause, as if they’d always been one, or as if drawn together by magnetism.

Pua.

“Arius.”

Their lips parted.

In their place, their bodies connected—Arius gently enveloped Kazune’s body.

“Good work, as expected of my subordinate. I came to get you, so let’s head home quick.”

“…Yes, sir.”

That alone.

Just that alone.

“No way.”

Rozaria’s magic unraveled.

“Hey, you! What did you do!?”

“Huh? Just shut up for a sec. We don’t have much time.”

“Ngh, guh…! Damn it! That’s forbidden! Physical contact is forbidden!”

Rozaria panicked.

Happiness is about being fulfilled.

That’s what Rozaria believed, and she knew women were creatures who inevitably felt fulfilled when they were with a man they liked.

What an oversight.

Her inexperience led her to misjudge the scope of “sexual acts” Arius mentioned, and this was the result.

If that’s the case, she’d just forbid that too.

Flipping her earlier words made her seem like a lowlife, but her instincts screamed this couldn’t continue.

“Is that so?”

Arius sighed at Rozaria but nodded in agreement.

He hadn’t intended to exploit a loophole, but it seemed she saw it that way.

Holding Kazune, he looked around, but sadly, there was no place to lay the unconscious Kazune down.

Muttering “sorry,” Arius gently placed her on the floor.

Taking a deep breath, he turned his gaze to Shuri, who stood with vacant eyes.

“…”

Truth be told, Arius didn’t know how to make Shuri happy.

Unlike Kazune, Shuri hadn’t voiced her desires. He couldn’t even tell if she wanted anything from him.

That’s why he’d confirmed the scope of “sexual acts”—for Shuri’s sake.

It was a sly move, but Arius knew well that fulfillment equaled happiness.

“…Shuri.”

“…”

Sadly, Shuri showed no reaction.

Arius felt a pang of disappointment, while Rozaria sighed in relief.

“Shuri, I… I don’t know what you want.”

“…”

He was saying something pathetic. Both Arius and Rozaria thought so.

“You’re so good at hiding your emotions, what an excuse. It’s normal for a woman to want a guy to pick up on things, right? Sorry for being a dense guy.”

“…”

Few could read Shuri’s heart.

Not Towa-sama, not Kazune, not even the Rats. Shuri herself didn’t understand, which is why she did what she did.

“But, that’s why… I want you to hear my wish first.”

Blushing slightly, Arius reached out to Shuri.

“I want to hold your hand and walk through life together with you.”

“…Ah.”

Shuri’s lips quivered at Arius’s wish.

“I want to touch you. I’ve never touched you, Shuri.”

Always through a leash.

A cord from her arm by day, a cord from her neck by night.

Bound only by that collar, as if that was their only connection.

“Hand in hand, flipping off this shitty world together. How about it? I want to shout, ‘We’re happy, you bastards!’”

Because this world will keep screwing them over, and it’ll keep doing so.

“I…”

“Yeah.”

Shuri’s hand, her fingers, trembled.

“Can I… touch? Is it… okay?”

“If you feel that way.”

Her trembling arm reached out.

Small, slow, but steady.

“…Warm.”

“Your hand’s warm too, Shuri.”

Their hands clasped, connected.

“…Goshujin… is warm…”

“Good job. Welcome back.”

Shuri collapsed into Arius’s chest, like a thread had snapped.

Just like with Kazune, he gently stroked her head, adorned with beast ears.

“Impossible.”

“Hah… Did I make it in under an hour?”

Laying her gently on the floor, Arius shot Rozaria a look, as if to say, “No complaints, right?”

※

“Back to square one. That cool?”

“…Yeah.”

What was the point of that event? Nothing, really.

Rozaria told him to break the spell but never promised to return them if he did.

Arius only did it because he was told his life depended on it.

“Then, let’s try this again. Hand them over.”

“Tch…”

But the situation had changed.

The enchantments on Kazune and Shuri were gone. That meant when they woke, they’d act of their own will.

Ownership had shifted. Rozaria no longer had a say.

“Do what you want.”

“Thanks.”

And so, both stepped onto a new stage—or perhaps the same ring.

Arius now had to figure out how to escape safely, while Rozaria had to rethink how to bring Arius under her control.

“So? Ready for that tea party yet?”

“Huh?”

In a tense, critical moment.

“Oh, maybe introductions first? I’m Arius, you might know me already, but nice to meet ya.”

“Uh, wha…? R-Rozaria, that’s me.”

Without a hint of nervousness, Arius sat back in the chair he’d been tied to.

“No, wait! You think you’re safe or something!?”

“Didn’t I say earlier? Do what you want, but if you do, this whole area—or somewhere, I dunno—will turn to ash. If that’s fine, go ahead.”

Rozaria faltered at Arius’s response.

It wasn’t that he wasn’t nervous—he was resolved.

“…My demand hasn’t changed. Join my ranks.”

“Tell me why. My demand hasn’t changed either. I’m willing to cooperate, but I won’t be your lackey. Like I said, if there’s something I need to do unconditionally, it’s an apology or atonement.”

They were at an impasse.

But perhaps touching Arius’s resolve made Rozaria realize threats and blackmail wouldn’t work.

Arius didn’t fully grasp the situation.

He didn’t think this was a negotiation between underworld bosses.

But he understood this was a moment he couldn’t back down from.

One step back, and his dream of shaping the world would vanish. Standing firm, even if it meant death, would spare many women from sorrow.

“…What do you think of beautiful women?”

“They’re shit.”

Rozaria saw it in his resolute eyes and instant answer.

No need for schemes—just clash head-on.

“How are they shit?”

“It’s harder to find a part that isn’t shit. If I had to pick, the shittiest thing is they know they’ll be forgiven.”

They do whatever they want and get forgiven.

Even if they hurt someone, they’re let off.

And they revel in that comfort.

It was exactly what Rozaria felt.

“I feel the same. Beautiful women are shit.”

If he truly believed that, he’d agree, he’d cooperate, Rozaria thought, continuing.

“So many ugly women are suffering. Their actions create victims. They steal precious partners, violate children, trample on others’ happiness. I want to end that.”

“Admirable. So, Rozaria, how do you plan to end it?”

“By turning the world upside down.”

“…Upside down?”

Rozaria wanted to deliver retribution. Those deemed beautiful should know the weight of their sins.

Call it a wish or desire—she wanted them to taste the bitterness she’d endured.

“Those who’ve done whatever they pleased need to learn the hardness of the ground. Those who know the earth’s hardness should know softness.”

“So, putting aside whether it’s possible, you want to completely swap the positions of beautiful and ugly women, right?”

Rozaria nodded.

She’d met someone capable of that, someone whose goals aligned with hers.

That’s why they decided to lend their strength.

Yes, they joined hands with the entity called the Ugly Duckling.

“Let me say this.”

“What?”

“Are you an idiot?”

“What!?”

Rozaria bristled.

Arius stared at her, genuinely exasperated.

“Wh—”

“Look, I get it. I hate those women too. I’m always thinking they deserve to suffer.”

“Then what’s the problem!? What’s idiotic about it!?”

“Revenge is fine and all. I’m not gonna spout nonsense about it producing nothing. It’ll feel good, sure. But… all that’ll happen is people will start calling ugly women shit instead.”

You might bask in superiority, laugh darkly at their comeuppance.

Paying them back for what you’ve suffered might ease something inside.

But Arius didn’t think that was happiness.

“Then what should we do!? You can’t change anything unless you flip the world’s structure!!”

“That’s it.”

“Huh!?”

“That’s what’s idiotic.”

If Rozaria’s “flipping” succeeded, many ugly women would feel saved, Arius acknowledged.

But he also thought it’d just turn pitiful ugly women into ugly-hearted ones. The oppressed would simply become the oppressors.

Above all, though he didn’t say it, he thought Rozaria was the most foolish—and pitiable—for believing that was the only way to save ugly women.

“Then!! Can you do it!? Can you save the world’s ugly women!? Make them happy!?”

“Nah, I can’t. Don’t even want to.”

“Hah! Anyone can criticize with their mouth!! That’s enough! You’re gonna—”

“Rozaria.”

—Become my puppet here.

“Shut up and watch me.”

Her words were cut off by Arius’s single sentence.

“If there’s anything I can do to help, that’s it. And if you’re that upset about the state of ugly women, then help me instead. Let’s build it—a world where we can flip off this shitty system. A world where beautiful or ugly, everyone can stand tall and say, ‘I’m happy.’”

“—”

Rozaria felt drawn into Arius’s eyes.

She nearly reached for the hand he extended.

“Rozaria. Happiness isn’t given—it’s seized… Well, I’ve only recently come around to that myself, so I can’t talk too big.”