Chapter 286: The Foolish Yet Optimal Method of Filling the Outer Moat Using Explosives (Score: Self-Destruct)

Author's Preface

It's probably been 24 hours, so here is today's update.

"Well then."

"Y-Yes! Let's do our best today too!"

Since they were in different classes, it was only natural they would part ways once they arrived at school.
But even so, being able to walk together every morning made her incredibly happy.

Recently, she had even become able to speak without stuttering. This year, the wave was finally coming! Pororoca!!

Feeling the aura of happiness radiating from her entire body today as well, Rei suddenly remembered something.

That she had initiated the Unique Scenario "Invitation from Rabituza"? She had already reported that.
About the quest proposed to him by the NPC "Iristella, the Saint of Affection"? He had actually brought that topic up himself on the way to school.

No, it wasn't that.

It was something that Rei... Psyger-0 had, up until very recently, recognized as a sort of already finished event.
But the mention from the Lord of the Abyss, the future foreseen by the alarm bell... and the words from the Wise Rabbit of Rabituza. Putting all of that together, even Rei—who didn't possess Rakuro's deep understanding of games—could understand what it meant.

When Ctarrnid told her about it, she had been too busy escaping from the "Blue" to pay it much mind, and the subsequent internal clan drama had completely wiped it from her memory.
But she had to tell him. She had to consult with him. Because that was almost certainly...

Almost certainly a matter related to the Fourth Stage of the World Quest.

"What's wrong, Rei? You look like you're spacing out."

"Ah, no... I just remembered a slight blunder I made, I suppose."

"Hmm... That's rare coming from you, Rei. You've never even forgotten an assignment."

Responding to her friend's concern with a 'It's nothing major', Rei pondered exactly when she should tell him.
If she wanted to guarantee she could tell him, it would definitely be while they were logged into Shangri-La Frontier. However, Rakuro Hizutome wasn't exclusively playing ShanFro, nor did he log in every single day.

In that case, using social media would be the next best option. While thinking about that as she walked down the hallway during the lunch break, the person in question suddenly came walking towards her from the front, chatting with a friend.

(Ah, perfect timing.)

It is difficult for anyone to devote deep thought to every single action they take.
It's difficult to perfectly control a sudden yawn or sneeze, and similarly, one tends to become careless regarding actions the brain deems low-priority.

"Ah, Hizutome...-kun."

"Hm?"

That is precisely why she wasn't particularly nervous. Focusing her consciousness entirely on achieving her top priority—"Telling Rakuro she had something important to discuss regarding ShanFro"—Rei stopped Rakuro with a perfectly natural motion, thinking about how glad she was to save the trouble of messaging him on her phone...

"After this, I have something important (about ShanFro) to talk to you about. Could I have some of your time... (after we log in)?"

She had dropped a bomb that, to absolutely anyone other than the two individuals sharing that specific common connection, would undeniably be interpreted in a completely different way.

"........."

"........."

"........."

Silence.
A complete, utter silence, as if everyone's breathing had stopped simultaneously.
The noise of those who hadn't heard the bomb Rei dropped felt far away. As the person in question, Rei wondered for a moment why the air had suddenly frozen...

"...? Ah... Wait, are you talking about ShanF—"

"Baaaaahhh!!?!?!?!?"

Disregarding Rakuro (Sunraku), who had correctly grasped her intentions, the meter on Rei's emotions spun three and a half times past the limit as the reality of "I just casually dropped a line that sounded exactly like a confession preview to someone I bumped into in the hallway" finally registered.
Bah!!! With a motion that clearly didn't belong to an amateur, she thrust her palm forward as if to silence Rakuro, while covering her face—which was so hot it felt like it might burst into flames—with her other hand.

"N-No... I don't mean it in that general kind of way!"

"Eh? Ah, yeah, you mean about that, right?"

"Yes! I don't mean it in that general kind of way!"

"Ah, yeah."

"I... Eeee.........!"

The blood and heat rushing to her head reached critical mass.
Her thoughts were churned as if a tornado had suddenly spawned inside her brain.
The gazes raining down on her. Gazes, gazes, gazes. Even her friend standing next to her, jaws dropped in sheer dumbfoundment, completely vanished from her mind...

"I DON'T MEAN IT IN THAT GENERAL KIND OF WAYYYYYY!!"

She ran away.

"...No, so it was about ShanFro, right?"

Left behind was the most important person—who still hadn't realized the future that the detonated bomb was about to cause.

"Hey Hizutome, lunch is on me today."

"Eh, seriously?"

"Yeah. But you're locked into the Katsudon."

"Why?"

"I mean, come on... When it comes to interrogations, Katsudon is a tradition, right?"

"Interrogation? For what........."

After a moment of thought, Rakuro realized there were absolutely no allies in any direction.

"...Hahaha."

"Hahahaha."

""HAHAHAHAHA""

Brushing off the hand his friend playfully placed on his shoulder, they laughed together...

"A friend just invited me, so I'm gonna leave the room ^ ^"

"Catch him!!"

The escape sequence had begun.

Author's Afterword
Rei Saiga's full-power self-destruct performance.
If the relationship won't progress with just the two of you, you just have to move the entire environment around you!

That phenomenon where you try to do something else while watching TV and make an unbelievable mistake.
Like trying to pour hot water into cup noodles, getting distracted by the PC screen, and accidentally pouring the hot water all over your own hand (True story) (The water wasn't even boiling in the first place) (Screaming out of pure misunderstanding).