Chapter 394: Assistance is a Gift from the Heavens

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"...Eh, you ran into Bugmen? Seriously?"

"Um, well... yes."

While chatting happily with Saiga-san on our way to school as usual, some surprising information was brought to my attention. It seems that while I haven't been logging in, quite a few events have been occurring over in ShanFro as well.

"Apparently, they live in a desert region... located past the Sea of Trees... The one I met was... a Grasshopper? That type of Bugman."

"Huh..."

I'm curious, incredibly curious. But if I get sidetracked any further right now, Presi-Legend is going to end up in my backlog... Now that the story is finally making some progress, I want to maintain my motivation.

"And then, we arrived at the Bugman settlement and......... ah."

"Hmm?"

A single drop fell onto the bridge of my nose. Gradually, the drops increased in number, turning into a rain with enough volume and intensity that it couldn't be ignored... Geh, even though it was cloudy today, the chance of precipitation was supposed to be low. Don't tell me... RNG? Damn youuu...

"I'm screwed, I forgot my umbrella..."

"Ah, if it's an umbrella, I ha... ha-ha-ha-ha-ha......... sharing an umbrella?"

"Saiga-san?"

"Haii!!?"

Perhaps startled by being spoken to so suddenly, Saiga-san's folding umbrella slipped from her hand and fell to the ground. I picked it up and handed it back to her.

"H-Hizutome-kun!!"

"Eh, yes?"

"Aiasui!?"

Ah, she bit her tongue.
After writhing in agony for a moment, Saiga-san, having recovered from the intense pain, turned her face toward me while frantically opening and closing the umbrella with a flap-flap sound.

"U-Um! If you get wet... Yes! Getting wet is terrible!"

"Yeah, true."

"T-Therefore!"

"Therefore?"

"H-How about we share an umbrella!!"

"Eh? An umbrella? Ah... Are you sure?"

"Are you sure!?"

Why is the person lending it asking me that... It reminded me of those games where they meticulously ask if you want to save before a point of no return. I always thought that in a multi-ending game, they should ask that before the route branches, not right at the end.

That being said, getting a little wet on the way home wouldn't be a big deal, but getting soaked on the way to school would negatively impact my motivation for the subsequent classes, so avoiding becoming a drowned rat is definitely preferable. Taking the offer literally, I'll gratefully step under her umbrella.

"............"

Tremble tremble tremble tremble...

"Umm."

"Hyai!"

"Should I hold it?"

"No, um... Yes, please."

I mean, because of the height difference, Saiga-san has to stretch her arm up quite a bit... and honestly, it's just more stable if I hold it. Stability is important; it's the foundation of routing for a long-duration RTA.

"Still, is this going to get pretty heavy...?"

The sound of the rain hitting the umbrella, tatata, was picking up its beat. If it keeps raining like this, whether it'll stop by the time we head home is a delicate question.
Hmm, speaking of rain, since ancient times, it's been the subject of poetry as a sort of tasteful, elegant phenomenon... but unfortunately, for modern people, it's just a troublesome weather condition that messes with the transportation network. The heart of elegance has been lost...

But don't worry, Japanese elegance is certainly alive and well within Japanese-style games! Well, putting that aside, the Weather: Rain status is still annoying. Perish, rain clouds.

"Is this... a dream...?"

"Saiga-san?"

"Enyai! I am perfecfry healffy!"

"Eh? Ah, yes, I'm glad to hear that..."

I really don't understand Saiga-san... Her bugging out at bizarre timings reminds me of Raid Boss-san, whose killing switch triggers at completely random intervals.
The recent subjugation battle was amazing... The improvised coordination of nine rankers was incredible, but the impact of Kyougoku's face—who got half-beaten to death and left there, perhaps because her flexing caught Raid Boss-san's fancy—was so strong I reflexively took a screenshot.
How should I put it, she looked wilted. She had the face of spinach that had been left out for about three days.

"Ah, Saiga-san, the drain cover is missing over there, it's dangerous."

"Heh? Ah, kya!"

Honestly, I didn't think there was anyone in real life capable of executing a step using a sliding footwork technique in a split second like that. However, as expected, doing something like that in loafers while it's raining didn't seem to be a good idea.
Saiga-san's foot slipped, breaking her balance, and I reflexively reached out my arm.

"Uoh!?"

"Hahya."

Again, as expected, or maybe something else... the fact that there's someone in real life who can instantly twist their body to take a breakfall posture is (omitted).
However, if Saiga-san twists her body, the part I end up catching is naturally her back.

"............"

"............"

The umbrella fell to the ground with a soft flap.
I see, this is probably what the world would call the state right before a bridal carry.
Supporting a falling woman by holding her like this might rival a kabedon in terms of those kinds of situations.

But you see, the reason fiction was created is precisely because reality never goes the way you want it to...?

".........Ku, noooooo...!"

I am fully aware that saying this to a woman is incredibly rude, but please let me say it anyway.
Even assuming she was taking a breakfall posture, suddenly supporting the weight of a high school girl from a half-crouch position is, well. Yeah... What I'm trying to say is...

───My back gave out.

"You've gotta be kidding me..."

I'm the embodiment of youth, not even twenty years old, you know?! No, sure, it's not like I train my body all that much, but... for my back to give out just from holding something heavy like that? Seriously?

"Umm, Saiga-san... this is incredibly hard to say, but could you please stand up..."

"Hie..."

"Umm, Saiga-san? It's starting to get really bad, I mean—"

"A-All the strength has left my legs..."

Geh.

When I directed my gaze, Saiga-san's legs were trembling so violently that a newborn fawn would probably look more stable... Wait, this is bad! Her behavior! Her behavior is bugging out!!

"Wait, your legs are violently buckling, are you okay!?"

"I-If I have a single regret in my life, it is falling before fulfilling my ambitions... Ah, but I feel like I can pass on now..."

It wasn't until a full minute later that I realized I could have just given up my pride and dropped to my knees on the wet ground to manage the situation... Maybe I should start working out.

To think I'd be coming to buy back pain patches at my age.
While browsing the pain patches at the pharmacy with eyes colored by sorrow, I absentmindedly wandered over to the energy drink section.

I don't have any particular interest in nutritional supplements, but I recently got word that Riot Blood: Tonight had been unbanned in Japan, so just in case... Oh, they actually have it!

"The high-fructose corn syrup has been increased... so the effect is probably about 70% of the original."

For now, I'll buy a 4-pack... Come to think of it, what ever happened to that advanced copy of Revolver Lantern? The immediate efficacy of that thing clearly looked illeg—no, never mind, I'm sure it's completely legal.
Spiritual elements don't show up on drug tests, after all... Hm?

"Oh, Iwamaki-san?"

"Eh? Oh my, Hizutome-kun, what a coincidence running into you here."

I bumped right into Iwamaki-san. Well, obviously, she's not a fixed NPC; of course Iwamaki-san has a normal daily life too.

Iwamaki-san seemed to deduce something from the box of energy drinks in my hand, but then she noticed the pain patches I was also holding and tilted her head suspiciously.

"Pain patches? What in the world do you need those for?"

"Ah, well, a lot of things happened... but basically, if I had to put it simply, I lacked the STR for it."

I couldn't exactly say 'I hurt my back trying to support a woman I caught.'

"Hmm... Well, it's no use ruining your body while you're still young, so you really should take better care of yourself, you know?"

"Will do."

Right at that moment. A new person joined the conversation between me and Iwamaki-san.

"Oh, Mana... an acquaintance of yours?"

"Oh my, dear, did you find your stomach medicine?"

"Yeah, I've been curious about the new one that came out recently for a while now, so I decided I'll give it a try this time."

Is this guy a stomach medicine sommelier or something... No, that's not it, judging from the flow of the conversation, is this guy that person?

"Could it be, the one rumored to have been captured at the end of a real-life Otome game... ubeh."

"A love marriage resulting from mutual affection, understood?"

"...Yesh."

She perfectly struck my centerline...
Leaving that aside, so this is the rumored Mr. Iwamaki... Iwamaki-san doesn't talk about it much, but according to rumors on the wind, I've heard they reached the goal after going through a gruesome bloodbath of a love triangle.

She occasionally tells me stories about her love life, so I actually know—despite never having met him—that he loves Iwamaki-san's home cooking and survives his grueling daily workload entirely on stomach medicine and bento boxes made by his beloved wife.

"Tsuku... no, I am Sakai Iwamaki."

"Eh, ah, I'm Rakuro Hizutome. I'm a frequent customer at Rock Roll."

Amazing. He's in casual clothes right now, but I get the feeling that if he wore a tailored suit, he'd look exactly like a highly capable professional. Plus, he's handsome. As expected of a heavyweight in Otome game capture... Does he use that same shrewdness in real life to secure the winning route?

After all that, parting ways with the Iwamaki couple, I headed home while rubbing my still-aching back... Dammit, I really don't want to lie flat on my back today, so I guess I'll take a break from Full-Dive VR.

Author's Afterword
Four hours remain until Romance Advisor Iwamaki learns exactly why Rakuro injured his back, and exactly why the Heroine-chan is in a state of uncharacteristically extreme high tension.

Basically, the Heroine-chan is the heroine of a romance game actively trying to capture the protagonist.