The Virgin Hero Who Fought in the Dungeon for 20 Years Returned to the Surface Only to Find the Population of the World Has Dropped Drastically, with a Male-to-Female Ratio of 1:1000 - 100

Chapter 100: Reconciliation

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The smartphone placed on the glass table suddenly began to vibrate. It had been set to silent mode, so no ringtone rang out. But the sudden, intense sound made Kazuki Genma jolt in surprise.

The location was at Ryuuto’s high-rise apartment. The burning red glow of the evening sun poured forcefully through the windows.

“Come on, you’ve got something to say, don’t you?”

Ryuuto, sitting on the sofa with his legs crossed, spoke. On the opposite sofa, his older sister Kazuki and his friend Shougen sat side by side. 

Kazuki turned her gaze away awkwardly, nervously intertwining her fingers together. It was an old habit of hers. Shougen, with a frown creasing his forehead, suddenly stood as if making up his mind, bent forward, and raised his voice.

“Sorry. Ryuuto, everything about Rinka was a lie I made up on my own.”

“So it really was a lie, you bastard?!”

“Gahhh!”

With the supple movement of a big cat, Ryuuto slipped behind Shougen, tangled his body around his head, leg, and one arm, and locked him in. It was a hold known as the octopus hold—or the cross-legged hold—that dealt intense damage to both the shoulder and the side at the same time.

“I give, I give up!”

“Dahaha! You want me to stop?!”

Shougen, a man in his forties, groaned in agony, his face contorted in pain before Ryuuto’s demonic expression. At once, Kazuki jumped to her feet and cried out, nearly in a scream.

“Hey, Ryuuto, what are you doing?!”

“This is my finishing hold on this guy!”

“Stop it!”

When Ryuuto looked at Kazuki’s face, he gave a fleeting smile with an indescribable expression. Kazuki, seeing her younger brother’s expression soften, clearly relaxed, thinking he was about to release the hold. Good. Her brother wouldn’t do something so cruel. Deep down, he was really a kind boy. Kazuki’s heart still believed in Ryuuto’s goodness.

But that belief was betrayed in the very next instant.

“Just kidding! Like hell I’d stop. Die, you bastard!”

“Guaaah! W-wait! I give, give, give! For real!”

“Seriously, stop it already!”

Ryuuto tightened the hold even more, wringing out Shougen’s suffering. Yurina Tsukikage, Kazuki’s secretary, was thrown into a panic, but since the one doing this was Ryuuto, she could do nothing.

Just when it seemed Shougen’s life would be snuffed out, Johntarou, the Shiba Inu that had been waiting in another room, dashed in cheerfully, barking with delight.

“Waon!”

Johntarou bolted like the wind and began running circles around Ryuuto and the others. No doubt he thought they were playing. His eyes sparkled, his tail wagged furiously as if it might snap off. Then, with a leap, Johntarou sank his teeth into Ryuuto’s butt.

“Ngffuh!”

Ryuuto let out a foolish cry. The hold loosened just enough for Shougen to use his last bit of strength to escape.

“Damn it, don’t you run!”

“Idiot, of course I’m running!”

Shougen shouted back. Ryuuto rubbed his rear and glared at him. But Johntarou blocked his path, planting his four legs firmly on the floor, his curled tail bristling boldly. Johntarou was nothing short of a righteous warrior.

“Nice one, puppy.”

Kazuki praised Johntarou. The dog flicked a glance behind him, then barked briskly, “Waaf!” while shielding Shougen.

“Ngh, John. That man deceived your master!”

Ryuuto and Johntarou’s gazes locked in midair.

Such clear, unclouded eyes. Overcome with feeling, Johntarou gave a small hop. He was utterly adorable.

“Thanks, you saved me, dog.”

Shougen gave Johntarou a thumbs-up.

“Hey, Shougen. Don’t you run! Damn it—”

The pup Johntarou, mistaking the scuffle for playtime, clamped down on Ryuuto’s right leg. It hurt, though only a little. Even so, Ryuuto dropped onto all fours and chased after Shougen.

“Get back here, you—”

“Hell no, why would I?!”

Shougen rolled away, keeping distance. Ryuuto grabbed at his leg. Shougen kicked Ryuuto in the face. Immediately Ryuuto bit down on Shougen’s shin. Then Johntarou bit down on Ryuuto’s head.

A bunch of middle-aged men and a dog tangled together like children. Truly, this was the very definition of pandemonium. Kazuki pressed her hand to her forehead in exasperation.

“What on earth is happening…?”

Sayaka appeared from her room. Taking in the situation at a glance, her face went pale. Ryuuto had asked her to keep an eye on Johntarou whenever guests came. But now, Johntarou was biting his own master. Knowing Sayaka’s earnest personality, she surely thought it was her failure of supervision, that she had committed an unforgivable blunder.

Suddenly, Ryuuto’s anger evaporated. It was ridiculous. The tension in his shoulders eased. Before Sayaka could apologize, Ryuuto raised a hand. He turned his eyes away from the coughing, choking Shougen.

“Jeez. Guess I’ll call that enough punishment. Now then, Shougen, I want you to tell me the truth about Rinka—everything, no lies, no secrets. Otherwise, next time you’ll be eating Ryuuto-sama’s Ultimate Original Hold.”

“Go easy on me, will ya.”

Shougen stood up from the long-pile carpet, rubbing his arms and legs where the holds had been applied. Having trained himself well, he quickly returned to his usual composed expression. He cracked his neck from side to side with a popping sound and spoke.

“Look, I’ve got an old man’s body now. Show a little restraint, will you?”

“Heh. You’ve gotten old, Shougen.”

“Shut up…”

Shougen dropped back lightly onto the sofa and began talking about what Ryuuto hadn’t known about Rinka. Eighteen years ago, Rinka had vanished without telling Shougen or the others her reason.

And when they reunited, the lie that she had run off with a man was something he told deliberately, to stop Ryuuto from recklessly returning to the dungeon. If Ryuuto thought she was living with another man on the surface, then surely he wouldn’t do anything extreme.

When he finished saying that, Shougen’s expression looked relieved.

Huh, he looks refreshed. How annoying.

But then Ryuuto reconsidered. Surely Shougen had felt guilty about lying to him. A thorn in the heart stabs at the spirit. Now, Shougen’s face was bright and clear.

Well, whatever.

He hadn’t been truly angry to begin with. Ryuuto exhaled a long breath and downed the barley tea from the table in a single gulp.

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