Hannes' Perspective
"—Rah!!"
I turned my horse around and swung my battle-axe sideways forward, upturning the earth along with the tree roots, blowing away my pursuers who were now facing me. My earth magic was well suited to this forest field, where the space a horse could move around in was limited. I could use the few enemy weapons as platforms, and I could move the trees along with the earth to run freely.
...The fact that I have no hesitation in destroying forests just because it's convenient shows that I've been pretty much poisoned by that person.
"...Tch." (Hannes)
I clicked my tongue and frowned—that's not true, I'm definitely not influenced by Ichijou, I make excuses to myself in my mind. It was my damn brother's fault for making weird excuses without anyone even knowing what was on my mind.
"Eh? So recently your words and actions have been influenced by a certain person? ...Masaki, that means you don't hate that person." (Hannes' brother in Hannes' mind)
"Huh?" (Hannes)
"There are only two types of people that influence people: those close to you, and those you have feelings for." (Hannes' brother)
"……" (Hannes)
"You're grimacing, so you know what you're talking about, right? Next time, introduce her to your big brother." (Hannes' brother)
"Shut up! You should go to college already!" (Hannes)
"Listen, Masaki. Being a university student is all about having fun." (Hannes' brother)
"……" (Hannes)
Remembering even trivial things made me want to frown...but then I sighed.
"...Damn it." (Hannes)
Never mind, what's the point in worrying about it... I'm just going to play the game in a way that I think is efficient and fun. Fields with area bosses like this would return to their original terrain over time anyway, so there was no point in worrying about it. The bigger issue was whether someone who was unfamiliar with how to play this kind of game could do the job properly.
"...I don't think that's the case, but I haven't done anything wrong, have I?" (Hannes)
No, that's not the case with that person... Rather, it seemed like things are going so well that they're naturally going to provoke me. Thinking about it like that made me really angry—I'm the one in the lead, so there's no way I'm going to lose. Now's the time to show the determination of the attacking team.
"—So, you guys will join me in the boss battle?" (Hannes)
I lightly deflected the axe thrown by the group in black with their arm, unsure if they could hear it, and in return, I threw a magically created ore axe backward. This was a feat that was only possible with the Hawk Eye skill, the ability to create a separate, bird's-eye view with myself at the center. As far as I could tell with my Hawk Eye, despite the poor footing and the uncertainty of the terrain, the group showed a responsive movement, perhaps because the throw wasn't as sharp as Ichijou's.
"—— ‹Blast›" (Hannes)
Not only would the trees in the forest be an obstacle, but I knew that those who were forced to be wary of my earth magic would inevitably try to dodge with minimal movement. So, to avoid being detected by the enemy, I faced forward and used my Hawk Eye to visually confirm the magic I had prepared while activating it. An explosion that could be described as a miniature eruption occurred from inside the axe, scattering magma along with extremely hard ore fragments all over the surrounding area.
As expected, they were hit directly at close range and fell off their horses one by one— Even if they were able to withstand it thanks to their stacked buffs, the same could not be said for their horses. If anyone was injured and thrown off their dead horse, it would dig a big pit in the ground and bury them alive. While the surviving group was trying to calm their horses, who had been agitated by the sudden explosion and smell of blood, I used ‹Rock Bullet› to destroy the last mushroom—and that was the end for us.
"It's just the right number." (Hannes)
Taking another look at those who still clung to their life, I realized that they could be used as sacrificial pawns in the upcoming boss battle, and I could deal with them even if they got in my way. Even so, the fact that their allies had been separated and they had already suffered considerable damage, yet they still refused to retreat, showed that they were not just stupid, but that there must be a fairly large organization behind them. Ichijou, who belonged to the Chaos faction and had deep ties to the gangs, would likely know more about the underground organizations within the game.
"——So, you're done, huh." (Hannes)
"——Without problem." (Ichijou)
On the way, while I still had time to think about things that didn't matter at the moment, I met up with Ichijou. What do you mean, there's no problem... with a beautiful, calm face.
"Hmm, the boss here is a plant type, so although it has weak points, it doesn't have any vital points... be careful." (Hannes)
"I see. It doesn't seem like it will work the same way as with a human." (Ichijou)
Heck, she doesn't even change her expression... is she really enjoying this moment? Am I providing this guy with a place to escape to, a fun place to play? …If I was worried about something like this instead of treating her coldly, I should have asked my brother, who started bragging about how popular he was, to teach me how to escort someone—Well, it was not necessarily true that my brother was right, and I didn't think it applies to this woman in the first place. Ichijou was completely different from those girls around here, so I shouldn't lump her in with them— Who the hell am I mad at, dammit.
"Hannes" (Ichijou)
"...What." (Hannes)
"It's a little exciting, isn't it." (Ichijou)
"...I see." (Hannes)
Checking on her from the side, Ichijou innocently said, "This is the first time I've had fun with friends like this, doing what I want." Her face was still the same and I couldn't tell what she was thinking, even though she had a composed expression—Her voice was a little higher-pitched and her aura seemed brighter. But, well, if you're having fun...it's fine...I didn't mean to become friends, but as long as you're having fun, then it's fine.
"How is Hannes? Are you having fun?" (Ichijou)
"...It's kind of disgusting that you care about other people." (Hannes)
Ah, shit... I know that's not true, you idiot... why am I swearing in a place like this? Everyone was having so much fun, so I shouldn't say things that would ruin the mood.
"...More than being concerned, I just want to make sure." (Ichijou)
"..." (Hannes)
"It seems that I am severely lacking in the normal ability to sense other people's feelings, you see." (Ichijou)
She didn't seem to be offended by my rudeness, and simply frowned at my reaction, as if to answer the question, "Why were you acting like you were concerned?" That's right, this is the kind of guy she is... I was the one who should be caring and doing something disgusting. There was no need to be considerate with this woman, so there was no need to be so careful with my words——in fact, it was better not to be so careful.
"——If you're having fun, then surely the people you're with will have fun too? I don't know though." (Hannes)
It's best to be almost too straightforward with this guy, otherwise she'll just interpret it differently. However, there was a slightly uncool excuse at the end...but there was nothing I could do about it.
"I see. I'm glad you're having fun too, Hannes." (Ichijou)
I frowned and grimaced at the words that were thrown at me.
"...Kuh."
...Don't just assume things are right at times like this, you stupid woman.
Author's Note (Preface)
Haa, haa... I've finally finished adjusting the page count for volume 3... (dying)
Author's Note (Afterword)
Even I, the author, haven't seen it yet, but Volume 3 is scheduled to include character designs for two of the most popular characters in the work, Maria-chan and the Absolutely Forbidden Territory, so please look forward to it!
It seems that you can already preorder it at bookstores and Amazon, so please do get in touch!
Also, if volume 3 sells well and a fourth volume can be released, I think more than half of it will be new episodes...I would like to include a conflict between Love Pandora (the hardcore negative fans) and the Hokushin Juji Renmei (the Chaos faction guild) in the process of obtaining Jun-san.
For some reason, in my head, I can think of a certain Smash Brothers story where they go "Many victims! Hardcore fakers Love Pandora joins the fray!", or various episodes on message boards or something.
And we received some more fan art from our regular visitor, Carol Lewis!
It's a slightly late Hinamatsuri Rena! So cute!
Thank you for your continued support!
Everyone else, please feel free to send in your fan art too! I'll be waiting!
Translation Note
Probably I did misspell or miss-translate some skill or character names. In that case, please let me know.
Proofreader: TV.Station