Volume 6 Chapter 2 – Hero’s Special Skill: Rainy Sunday 2

| Todou Kyousuke

I sipped my post-meal coffee, lost in thought. Coffee wasn’t bad. I hadn’t liked it much before the summoning, but maybe I just didn’t know how to appreciate it back then. I’m still a beginner, though—maybe I’ll add a bit of milk.

No, no, that’s not it.

Was I… a musclehead? I’d never noticed. I’d solved plenty of mysteries in other worlds, so I’d always thought I was more of a brainy type… How embarrassing.

Come to think of it, I did always look for shortcuts to get home faster.

I’d bash through walls, ceilings, floors—literally breaking my way through. If you only heard about it, you might think I was a bit of a musclehead.

But no, that’s not it. It was all about efficiency. I was just pursuing efficiency. Thanks to search magic, I always had a general idea of where to go, so plowing straight through was inevitable.

Think about it—like in games. Ever wonder why the corridors are so winding? Just make them straight! Who’s in charge here?

Natural caves, well, they get a pass. That’s just how they are. Dungeons… fine, those are designed for you to get lost in.

But buildings? No, those are unforgivable. Didn’t anyone notice during the design phase? Someone has to think, “Oh, this would be terrible to live in.” Yet they push ahead.

So yeah, if I could break through, I would.

…Rozenmarie would look confused, Artlily was always pleased, and Tia Croix would just laugh. That was our adventure… And yet.

Wait, no, that’s not right.

Hold on, what can a hero even do here? I know I wouldn’t lose, but I can’t picture any real victory scenes. I can react, but I can’t act. I’d just end up defeating them outright… My skills are magic and… what else?

Q: What are your special skills?

A: Yes. My skills include efficiently handling one-against-many combat scenarios, clearing dungeons and fortresses, defeating large monsters, liberating towns from demons, and finally, defeating the Demon Lord of the Apocalypse! As a side note, I humbly claim unmatched skill in rendering women blissfully unconscious with happiness!

…This is useless.

I cradled my head in my hands.

None of this would help anywhere. I can’t even handle a part-time job. I’d probably get arrested. It seems like the only universal skill I have is causing blissful fainting… Should I try picking up a new skill or something?

Now that I think about it, the Shrine Maidens must have covered for me a lot behind the scenes.

◆

“Are they causing trouble?”

The waitress from earlier seemed caught up in something with a group of customers. Understandable if it’s her first day on the job. I’ll just hope she gets through it safely.

“Listen, I’ve told you already, right? Just give us your contact info, and we’ll call it even.”

“I’ll apologize as many times as needed, but… I can’t do that. I’ll cover any cleaning costs, so please, just forgive me!”

“No, no, it’s all good. Just hang out with us after your shift.”

“Yeah, that’s right. We’re Kameko boys, got it? We can call more guys over, you know? Just give us your number. And, hey, what time do you get off today?”

A quick glance at the table showed six guys. I’d already sensed them with my search magic. From the conversation, it sounded like the waitress had accidentally made a mistake, which they were now using as an excuse to intimidate her, trying to “get friendly.” Really, guys? That’s not even flirting—it’s just bullying.

Is this some post-apocalyptic “Hyaa-ha!” world or what…?

“Lillie, you don’t have to listen to them. Hey, you guys, can you knock it off? You’re making me lose brain cells here.”

“Yeah. There are cameras in the restaurant, so we can just tell the police, or maybe I’ll tweet about this.”

The two friends, clearly unable to stay silent, spoke up. Ah, that’s only going to make things worse…

“Oh, you girls are friends with her? Damn, you’re cute too! Come over here; let’s chat. We’ll forgive her spill, no problem.”

“Yeah, yeah, come on over.”

See? Classic scene. I’ve seen this plenty of times at taverns. If the girls agree, it usually escalates to harassment. They get groped, forced to drink, and then dragged upstairs. It’s like a whole nasty package deal.

Guys like this seem to think that if they can get you to sit down, it’s as good as a yes.

Eye color, eye color… Wait, isn’t she giving up too quickly? The waitress, she… Fine, I’ll step in. I’ve been meaning to try something anyway.

◆

“What are you doing?”

“Huh? Who the hell are you?”

“I’m Todou.”

“Todou? Who’s that? Anyone know this guy?”

“Nope.”

“Never seen him before. You?”

“Is there anyone here you actually know, dude?”

“No, just thought I’d ask what was going on.”

“Then stay out of it! Why’d you even butt in?”

Fair question. Just making small talk, you know? “What’s going on?” And could you not make this so complicated? Keep it to two choices.

sigh Guess I’ll start over from scratch… In other worlds, all I had to say was “hero,” and they’d immediately decide whether to fight or run.

“Oh, I get it. This guy’s trying to play hero, isn’t he?”

“What’s this? Are you a hero? Or are you the hero?”

“Oh, yeah. Pretty much.”

“…Pfft.”

“Pfft! Hahahahaha! That’s rich… Oh, my bad, Hero-sama! Hah! We’ll be taking care of the princess, so you go on and save the day elsewhere! Oh man, did you see that? My acting’s on point.”

“Yeah, exactly! Hero-sama can go on his adventure, no problem! We’ll protect the girls. Hahaha.”

“Lies aren’t good, you know.”

“What?”

◆

“Why don’t you go call your buddies? Perfect for leveling up, right?”

“Wh-What the hell is with this guy, throwing punches out of nowhere? Are you nuts?!”

“More are coming soon! You’re dead meat, dude!”

You guys started throwing punches, not me… And surprise attacks don’t work on me anyway.

Having my identity revealed at a family restaurant of all places, I’d led the self-proclaimed “Kikou” gang of six under a nearby bridge, rain still pouring down.

Just as I was about to start negotiations, one of them took a swing at me, so reflexively, I knocked him out. Cleanly, at that.

sigh I wanted to practice negotiations, like dealing with nobles… I wanted to expand my skill set…

Oh well.

Looks like it’s an endless spawn today. I’ll treat this as combat training. Alright, bring it on, Kikou!

◆

“Are you the boss?”

“What’s wrong with you, man?! This is crazy! Who the hell are you?!”

“Who am I? Just a human.”

Since then, they’d brought in ten more guys. I took them all out one by one, carefully arranging them by the wall. It looked like the background of a side-scrolling fighting game under the bridge, with graffiti adding a nice aesthetic. Fight! You Win!

But since they’re all just sitting there with their heads down, it gives off this gloomy vibe… Not exactly a game anyone would want to play.

Now, there’s only one left—the supposed “boss.”

Huh? For a monster house, this is pretty weak. This loot’s just going to be an herb, if anything. This is supposed to be a post-apocalyptic world, so bring on more minions! That’s why I left him conscious.

“Why don’t you go call for another batch? ASAP, if you don’t mind.”

“…Please, let me go. They’re the ones who picked a fight. I didn’t have anything to do with it.”

“…Lies aren’t good, you know.”

◆

“You’re from Kameko High, aren’t you? When you said ‘Kikou,’ it threw me off. Took me a while to remember.”

“Y-Yeah… w-we’re K-Kameko…”

Finally, reinforcements arrived. Took long enough. Apparently, they’re from Kameda Technical High, in the next district. I’d only heard rumors, but it seems their reputation for bad behavior is well-earned.

Evidently, they hate being called “Kameko.” What’s wrong with being called turtle kids? Turtles are cute. Well, the ones from my world were massive, with fangs and all. And they were fast. Maybe not that cute, after all.

So, that’s 30 down. I’d like to reach a hundred, maybe score some decent loot. “My special skill? Treasure hunting!” …No, that’s just stealing. sigh Special skills, huh…

“Are there any more friends who might cause trouble? Could you invite them?”

“N-No more! I swear! Please, just let us go!”

“Hm… looks like you’re not lying. Alright, but do you have any other friends who might be a nuisance? Call them over.”

“……”

Oh? So, there are more, after all. See, I’m more than just a wall-breaker. I can make this flashy if I want to!