Reborn Into A Dark Social Game World With Completely Loyal Friends. - Chapter 13: Max Possessive Onee-san.

Max Possessive Onee-san.

Suddenly, Minato was startled by the appearance of Yuzuriha right in front of him.

“Why is she here… No, more importantly, does she recognize me?” In a split second, countless questions flitted through his mind.

She was a partner with whom he had built complete trust, but the suddenness of their encounter and his inability to look away from her left Minato bewildered.

“I understand what you’re thinking. You’re happy to see me, but you’re also shaken by the suddenness… Fufu, you’re so adorable,”

“Yuzuriha…?”

“Yes, it’s me, your Yuzuriha. I’m sorry I can’t greet you in person since things are a bit hectic here.”

“…”

It seemed that Yuzuriha really did know Minato. He had previously referred to her as the ‘status ailment spreading Onee-san,’ but she wasn’t just skilled in jujutsu; she also had a rather merciless attitude towards humans.

She was not someone a human should normally meet… that was Yuzuriha. But there was no mistaking the friendly look she gave Minato.

“Are you afraid of me?”She asked.

“…No.”

“Then why do you look away? It’s true that I don’t have positive feelings towards humans. But you’re different—no matter how much you got hurt or how many curses you bore, you protected me. For you, showing hostility is out of the question.”

“…”

When asked if he was afraid, Minato wanted to bluntly say yes. There was no doubt she looked like an alluring Onee-san, but he could feel the coldness radiating from her.

This was the difference between humans and non-humans… but even so, Minato did not try to flee because it was Yuzuriha.

“Yuzuriha, you said you’re not in your physical form?”

Trying to change the atmosphere, he asked. She nodded.

“That place is likely Nevalis Castle, right? Currently, you can only enter it using Thanatos’s shadow. However, because I’m proficient in magic, I can enter with just my consciousness.”

“That’s impressive.”

“Ufufu, being praised by you makes my heart flutter♪”

Yuzuriha happily swayed her body closer. Despite not being in her physical form, it felt as if she was really there… the scent and even the presence she exuded felt real.

“Even if my physical form can’t enter, it doesn’t mean I can’t touch you, you know?”

“Huh?”

Her outstretched hand overlapped with Minato’s.

In that instant, Minato felt as if he were in a dream—he was overwhelmed with affection for Yuzuriha, to the point where he even felt an intense, almost destructive desire for her.

“My dear, please come over to this side. Neither Mia nor Thanatos can protect you adequately… Surely it must be burdensome for you to be relied upon so heavily? If you stay by my side, you won’t have to deal with such troubles or see such unpleasant sights. Now, my dear, come to me—”

“Get lost, you damn fox.”

“Wha—!?”

With a whooshing sound, an arrow of wind pierced Yuzuriha’s forehead.

With a pop, like a balloon bursting, Yuzuriha’s body collapsed but then reformed a short distance away. With her hand no longer touching him, Minato finally came to his senses and realized he had been under Yuzuriha’s charm.

“So, I was under a charm spell…”

“I was surprised when you suddenly disappeared, Minato-san… So, what do you want, Yuzuriha?”

“Mia… I have no business with you. Oh, I see Thanatos has noticed too.”

Thanatos hadn’t moved, but like Mia, she seemed aware of Yuzuriha’s presence.

“Time’s up. I shall visit you again, my dear—when I do, I hope to hear a favorable answer.”

Yuzuriha’s form wavered and then vanished completely. As her presence faded away, Mia gripped Minato’s hand tightly.

“Minato-san… Are you going to leave?”

“No. I care about Yuzuriha as much as I care about you… But if you ask whether I want to abandon everything I’ve done and everything I want to do to go with her, the answer is no.”

“…I see.”

“Yeah. It’d be better if she came to us instead.”

Though Yuzuriha had her own position to consider, she never liked humans except for the commander. That hadn’t changed even with the commander’s intervention.

“Yuzuriha may dislike humans, but she’s not unreasonable and has a kind side… If I get another chance to meet her, I’ll explain what I want to do and everything else.”

“She probably already knows without you explaining. The way she looked at you was so gentle, unlike how she looked at me or Thanatos… But I can’t forgive her for charming you like that, and I definitely want to give her a piece of my mind.”

In a way, Yuzuriha’s appearance felt like an attack, and although Mia was the target of her hostility, she didn’t seem to mind. In fact, she seemed to enjoy it, perhaps because she was similar to him in that regard.

This made Minato wonder if the others he had built trust with to the same extent might react similarly, though it was hard to imagine them accepting him as easily as Yuzuriha had.

(I guess not everything will go exactly as I want… But still, I’ll keep doing what I’ve decided to do.)

Minato reaffirmed his resolve, though he had forgotten one crucial thing.

He had grown up in a warm environment, unlike this harsh world. This realization hit him hard when Mia was about to leave and he was left with just Thanatos and himself.

“Uwaa!”

Suddenly, memories of the corpses he had seen in the Empire flashed through his mind. The hellish scenes replayed in his head, causing him to vomit from the overwhelming nausea.

“Minato-san, it’s okay. I’m here with you.”

“First, calm your breathing. Yes, take a deep breath slowly, Master.”

Despite the reassuring words from Mia and Thanatos, he couldn’t help but throw up everything he had eaten. But he had endured well up to this point—whether he had resolved to visit the Empire or tried to save the villagers, Minato’s mental state was still that of an ordinary person. Once the tension broke, he couldn’t help but react this way.

“…Phew, sorry, both of you. I’ve calmed down now.”

They took care of him without a second thought, for which he felt immense gratitude. Both Mia and Thanatos understood his feelings, and that’s why they didn’t tell him to stop if it was too hard. Minato knew it was out of kindness, not harshness.

“Well then, Minato-san, come back tomorrow. We have more to discuss about the villagers and other things.”

“Got it… but next time, I’ll contact you via Lyphon before coming.”

“Huh? It’s fine. I’ll know when you’re here.”

“How do you know…?”

According to Mia, she just has a keen sense. Though it was strange that Thanatos, who first noticed Minato, found it surprising, Mia just smiled and, before slipping into the shadows, pulled Minato close and hugged his head tightly to her chest.

“Ah!?”

“Minato-san, you really did your best today. You desperately explained everything, and even when faced with harsh sights, you never stopped moving forward. You were so cool, and it made my heart race the whole time. So, Minato-san, I will continue to protect you… you can rest assured because I’ll always be by your side.”

“Mia…”

Moved by her motherly words, Minato couldn’t help but shed tears.

After crying for a while, he felt embarrassed and pulled away, but Mia seemed pleased that he had leaned on her, and she beamed with a full smile.

“See you tomorrow! You better come, or I’ll have to detain you!”

“Oh, not that again… I get it. I’ll be there tomorrow.”

Incidentally, there had been a suggestion earlier for Minato to stay in Mia’s room for safety, but Minato had declined. Since Mia was 16 and he was an adult, it just wasn’t appropriate. Mia, of course, had said not to worry about it, but Minato insisted on maintaining proper boundaries.

“She’s finally gone… such a noisy woman.”

“Haha, her liveliness is helpful. Mia brightens up the atmosphere wherever she is.”

“…I do acknowledge that.”

“Well, shall we head back?”

When they returned to where the villagers were gathered, everyone turned their gaze toward Minato. A boy named Kei, whom Minato had saved, ran up to him, and Minato knelt down to meet his eyes.

“What is it?”

“Um… Minato-sama! Thank you for saving me!”

“………”

Those words of gratitude deeply touched Minato’s heart.

(…Really, since coming to this world, I’ve been so emotionally fragile in so many ways.)

Although deeply moved, Minato managed to hold back his tears.

“And… I heard I coughed up a lot of blood and messed up your face, Minato-sama..”

“Oh, that? Don’t worry about it.”

Minato gently patted Kei’s head as he continued.

“Thanks to magic, we knew the disease wouldn’t spread, and there was hope for a cure. So, it didn’t bother me at all… I just wanted to help you as soon as possible.”

Minato then addressed not only Kei but also the other villagers who were looking at him. His words resonated deeply with them.

“No one has the right to deny you, no matter what circumstances or illnesses you face… No matter what anyone says, you have the right to live. I just showed you the way.”

These people had been treated as less than human, living and dying for the sake of the country, often in squalor and without hope. Meeting Minato, who freed them from their cursed land, was a turning point.

It didn’t take long for them to start seeing him with reverence and gratitude.