CH 80

[Changed Mind]

Iris’s home behind the student dormitory, past the groove.

As I’m straddling Horsie and working hard at leveling horse-riding skill, Amanai comes swaggering about, saying, “Heya there, Ikemen protagonist’s here! I brought two beautiful girls along, do excuse me for the intrusion!” …then he casually hands me a visit gift out of nowhere.

Why the hell are you here? – so I tilt my head, and he tells me he ended up going to have a competition with Julia and would like me to help him.

Although he kept it vague as his friends are here, I can tell from his words that he seems to have triggered that princess’s troublesome event.

It should be impossible to trigger her event at this time, but when I’m about to say that, I’m reminded that even Iris’ event was triggered in the absence of the protagonist, so I get inwardly convinced that it’s most likely a change brought about by the game turning into reality.

“Were you in Julia clique?” (Sakurai)

“It’s not like that at all. I don’t really get it, but it seems that her favorability to me rose on its own hearing about the opera house incident. Perhaps, Luisina Mateos has something to do with it?” (Amanai)

“I-I didn’t tell her to do anything! If you want to falsely accuse me, I’ll resist, y’know! I’ll resist with my sword!!” (Sakurai)

“It’s only my speculation, so stop making yourself suspicious. And as I expected, there sure is a connection between you and Luisina.” (Amanai)

The connection between me and Luisina ended up getting exposed because I splendidly fell for Amanai’s trick question.

Well, unlike me, he’s not the type of guy who threaten others with their weakness that he grasped anyway, there would be no kind of demerit to me even if he found out about it, so there should be no problem, probably.

And getting back to the matter at hand, even if he asked me to help him in tackling Julia’s event, I got no reason to be involved as it has nothing to do with experience points, so I can only say that he should wipe his own ass.

So, although I’d receive his visit gift, I’m not gonna give him a hand!

Rather, Amanai, you’re getting in the way of my house-riding skill leveling, so go back already! STAY HOME!

“I’ll help you to get Fool’s Necklace.” (Amanai)

“Amanai-kuuuuuun!! You can speak more casually with me, y’know~~~~! Come, sit on the stump over here, and tell me more about this matter of yours, okay~~~?” (Sakurai)

“Ku… o-okay.” (Amanai)

I’ll lend you an ear— I, myself, was the one who said that.

It is a matter of course for an adult, no, for a person to keep their own words.

Moreover, he is a reincarnated person who has lived with the same suffering as me, as well as my compatriot. I’ve never had any trouble with being reborn, but it’s no exaggeration to say that we are of one mind.

If such a bestie, a protagonist too boot, needs my help, what kind of man would I be if I don’t at least listen to his problem!

Or perhaps I should say, since I can’t rob the necklace, I have to get it in a straightforward manner, so I have to increase my winning chance in the competition as much as possible! Now that the necklace is put on the negotiation table, I’m totally hyped!!

To bring out such a negotiation card, it seems this guy has become really familiar with my weaknesses.

Are you really still the protagonist?

I digress. Let’s summarize his story for a bit.

The cause is unknown, but Amanai has ended up triggering Julia’s event during this academy festival.

In the original game, the event started when Julia, who had summoned the protagonist, strongly invited him and his friends to join the military academy, and proceeded after you choose between the two Nos choices.

She, who still didn’t give up after being rejected, decided to challenge the protagonist halfway through the event, and depending on the outcome of the duel, the event would derive three different routes.

First, winning the duel.

In case you win, she will give up inviting you to the military academy and then go to study abroad at the adventurer’s academy.

She will officially participate in the story as a heroine, and you will be able to reach her individual ending by completing the events that’s unlocked after the duel.

Next one is, in case you lose the duel.

In this case, although you won’t be made to go as far as transferring to the military academy, you have to study abroad there for a short period of time. And while Julia’s favorability will greatly increase, your freedom of action will end up being restricted and you will be forced to spend time learning knight-type skills for two weeks.

Although knight-type skills are effective in any situation, from the perspective of character development, it is merely a penalty as you’d end up wasting your time if you don’t go into knight-exclusive build.

After that, Julia will go study abroad at the adventurer’s academy, just like in case you won.

Then, the worst pattern is in case you renege on the duel.

It wouldn’t happen unless you intentionally do it, but if you do, depending on how high her favorability is, there’s a chance that a route will open where, in order to fight you, she would join the Black Sword, go through demonization, and stand in your way. Becoming a so-called hidden boss, I might say.

In case she doesn’t turn hostile, all the interaction events with Julia will disappear after the time of the duel, so if you choose this pattern, you need to be prepared for that.

(In a high favorability state, Julia, who was said ‘having good discerning eyes’, saw through Amanai’s genius, and as a result, the event triggered regardless of the level limit… or something along that line, huh. The effect brought by the game turning into reality sure can’t be underestimated.)

Then Amanai, who sensed the occurrence of that event, took a measure.

That is to enact the happenings that led up to the duel which occurs in the event all at once by making use of the academy festival’s competitions.

The happenings that occur before the duel with Julia are, roughly speaking, to get authorized people other than Julia recognize that the protagonist is an adequate person to fight her.

So, what does that have to do with her challenging the protagonist to a duel? – you might wonder. About that, it’s not her fault.

It’s because some students of the military academy spread a rumor doubting her ability to judge people, saying “It’s unbelievable that Julia, a royalty, recognize some unknown peasant!”

So, she figures out she might as well have him show his strength to shut them up. By the way, Julia goes find those guys after the duel and forced them to fully equipped themselves and have them survive in the mountains, so it seems that she’s quite pissed off by them.

“So, you’re planning enact the happenings during the competition.” (Sakurai)

“In the end, after getting recognition of the surroundings, I will win against her in a one-on-one fight. If I do that, I think everything will turn out well.” (Amanai)

I’ve learnt in the Netherworld that an event will start once the main conditions has been met.

Taking one step from there, I came to a conjecture that no matter the route, we’d be able to minimize divergence from the original as long as we can keep the main points of the events under control.

Based on that conjecture, there’s something that pique my interest in Amanai’s whole ‘getting his strength recognized by the surroundings and have a duel with Julia’ plan.

“But, can you win? Against that Julia von Knaust.” (Sakurai)

“…My current level is 35.” (Amanai)

“That’s high for your second month after enrollment. If it’s in the game, that is. You gonna have a tough fight.” (Sakurai)

Originally, the protagonist’s level must be above a certain level for Julia’s event to initiate.

In other words, the creator side had made sure that the event couldn’t be broken through without a certain degree of strength.

Even if say, we proceed with the event while keeping its main points under control, it would be meaningless if he can’t win in the first place.

That’s why, although he has turned it not to a direct confrontation, but a competition, he still has to beat her in the end of the day.

“Well you just have to spend two weeks in the military academy after you lose. It’s not that much of a problem.” (Sakurai)

“No, I’ll win. I still have something I want to do at the academy, and I don’t want to be away from here for two weeks while there’s still the possibility that Black Sword is lurking around.” (Amanai)

“But you realistically have an abymal chance of winning, y’know?” (Sakurai)

“That’s exactly why, Sakurai. I came here because I judged that your cooperation is indispensable.” (Amanai)

Having said that, Amanai clenches his hands lightly to release his nervousness, and then he looks at me with a serious gaze, and says,

“Please, Sakurai. Can you make me stronger?” (Amanai)

“Alright, then, die!” (Sakurai)

So, I release a slash at Amanai.