Chapter 394: Aid Rendered Is Heavenly Providence
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Rakuro: "...Huh? You ran into the Bugman? For real?"
Rei: "Um, well... yes."
As usual, I was chatting with Saiga-san on the way to school when this shocking bit of info came up. Seems like while I wasn't logged in, SLF had some pretty big events of its own going on.
Rei: "It seems they live in a desert area beyond the sea of trees... and, um, the one I met was... a grasshopper? Bugman."
Rakuro: "Huh..."
I'm curious. Really curious. But if I go down another rabbit hole here, Prejiden's gonna end up as a permanent backlog... Now that the story's finally picking up, I want to keep my motivation up.
Rei: "And so, I made it to the Bugman settlement... ah."
Rakuro: "Hm?"
A drop lands right on the tip of my nose. Then more and more, until it's a full-on rain that's way too heavy to ignore... Ugh, wasn't the rain probability supposed to be low today, even with the clouds? Don't tell me... RNG? Damn it...
Rakuro: "Shoot, I forgot my umbrella..."
Rei: "Ah, I have an umbrel... uh, uh-uh-uh... sharing an umbrella?"
Rakuro: "Saiga-san?"
Rei: "Aye!?"
She must've gotten spooked when I suddenly called out to her. Saiga-san's folding umbrella slipped from her hand and fell to the ground. I picked it up and handed it back to her.
Rei: "H-Hizutome-kun!!"
Rakuro: "Uh, yes?"
Rei: "Ai-Ai-Ssi!?"
Ah, she bit her tongue. Saiga-san was writhing in pain for a bit, but once she recovered from the agony, she started opening and closing the umbrella with a series of sharp flaps, turning toward me.
Rei: "Uh, um, well! Getting wet... yes! Getting wet would be terrible!"
Rakuro: "Yeah, for sure."
Rei: "And, therefore!"
Rakuro: "Therefore?"
Rei: "H-how about we share the umbrella!?"
Rakuro: "Huh? The umbrella? Ah... you sure?"
Rei: "Is that okay!?"
Why is the person lending it asking that... It reminded me of those games where you're asked to save right at a point of no return. Honestly, in a multiple-ending game, you'd want to be asked that before the route split, not at the point of no return. Still, if I was heading home from school, I wouldn't mind getting a little wet. But on the way to school, it affects my motivation for the rest of class. If I can avoid showing up like a drowned rat, that's the best option. I'll gratefully take shelter under the umbrella, literally.
Rei: "...!"
Shiver shiver shiver shiver...
Rakuro: "Hey, uh—"
Rei: "H-Hai!"
Rakuro: "Want me to hold it?"
Rei: "Oh, I couldn't... I mean, yes, please."
I mean, just height-wise, Saiga-san would have to stretch her arm out pretty far... so yeah, it'd be more stable if I held it. Stability is important. It's the basics of charting a long RTA.
Rakuro: "But it looks like it's really gonna come down, huh...?"
The beat of the rain tapping against the umbrella picks up. If it keeps raining like this, it's a toss-up whether it'll clear up by the time school lets out. Hmm... Rain, in its own way, has been a subject of poetry since ancient times as something with a certain charm... but unfortunately, for modern people, it's nothing but an annoying weather event that screws up the transportation networks. The heart of charm is lost... But don't worry, Japanese charm lives on in Japanese-style games! Well, that aside, weather: rain still sucks. Die, rain clouds.
Rei: "Is this... a dream...?"
Rakuro: "Saiga-san?"
Rei: "Enyai! I-I'm fine, resh!"
Rakuro: "Huh? Ah, yeah. That's... good..."
Yeah, I still don't get Saiga-san... The way she glitches out at weird times reminds me of Raid Boss-san, whose murder switch flips at completely random moments. That subjugation battle was insane, by the way... Not just the impromptu coordination of nine rankers, but the sight of Kyogoku, left half-dead and abandoned—apparently her cocky act actually pleased Raid Boss-san—was so impactful I instinctively screenshotted it. How do I put it... she looked wilted. Her face was like spinach left out for three days.
Rakuro: "Ah, Saiga-san, the drain cover's off over there. It's dangerous."
Rei: "Huh? Ah, kyah!"
I gotta say, I never thought I'd see someone in real life who could use a shuffling step to dodge like that in a split second. But, as expected, trying to pull that off in loafers in the rain was probably a bad idea. Saiga-san slipped, lost her balance, and I instinctively reached out my arm.
Rakuro: "Whoa!?"
Rei: "Hahya."
And again, I gotta say... or something... I never thought I'd see someone in real life who could twist their body to take a breakfall... (etc. etc.) Anyway, if Saiga-san twists her body, naturally the part I end up catching is her back.
Rakuro: "........."
Rei: "........."
Flap. The umbrella falls to the ground. I see. So this is what you'd call a state just one step before a princess carry, right? Holding up a woman who's about to fall, in a situation like this, might be on par with that whole "slamming a hand against the wall" thing, maybe. But, y'know, reality never goes the way you want, and that's exactly why fiction was born in the first place, right...?
Rakuro: "...Gh... nnngh...!"
I know it's extremely rude to say this about a girl, but I've gotta say it. Even if she did take a breakfall, when you suddenly support the weight of a high school girl from a half-squatting position, well... yeah. To put it simply...
My back gave out.
Rakuro: "You've gotta be kidding me..."
I'm the embodiment of youth, not even twenty yet, you know? I mean, sure, I don't really work out that much, but still... That, just from carrying something heavy, my back goes out? You're kidding, right?
Rakuro: "Uh, Saiga-san... This is really hard to say, but if you could stand up..."
Rei: "Hyi..."
Rakuro: "Uh, Saiga-san? I'm seriously in trouble here—"
Rei: "M-my legs won't work..."
Wha—.
I look down, and there are Saiga-san's legs, shaking so badly that even a newborn deer would probably be more stable... Wait, this is bad! Her motions! Her motions are bugging out!!
Rakuro: "Whoa, your legs are all jittery and buckling—are you okay!?"
Rei: "If I-I should leave this life with regret, it would be the bitterness of dying with my purpose half-fulfilled... Ahh, but I feel like I could pass on peacefully..."
It was a full minute later before I realized we should just stop being stubborn and kneel on the wet ground to sort this out... Maybe I should start working out.
I never thought I'd end up buying a medicated patch for my back at this age. With eyes tinged with sadness, I browse the patches at the pharmacy, then find myself drifting over to the drink section. I'm not particularly interested in nutritional supplements, but I heard Riot Blood Tonight finally got approved in Japan, so just in case... Oh, there it is!
Rakuro: "They increased the fructose and glucose... I'd say about seventy percent of the original kick."
I grab a four-pack... Come to think of it, what ever happened with that early-release Revol Blantan? That thing's immediate kick was obviously ille—... I mean, nothing. I'm sure it's totally legal. I mean, spiritual elements don't show up on drug tests... Hm?
Rakuro: "Huh? Iwamaki-san?"
Mana: "Huh? Oh, Hizutome-kun! What a coincidence, running into you here."
I ran into Iwamaki-san. Well, yeah, of course. She's not a fixed encounter NPC. Of course she has a daily life too. Iwamaki-san seems to realize something from the box of energy drinks in my hand, but then she notices the medicated patch and tilts her head with a puzzled look.
Mana: "A medicated patch? Why in the world would you need that?"
Rakuro: "Ah, well, a lot happened... To put it simply, I guess I was a little short on STR."
There's no way I can say "I threw my back out trying to catch a girl and hold her up."
Mana: "Hmm... Well, it's no good ruining your body while you're young. You should take better care of yourself, okay?"
Rakuro: "Got it."
Just then, a new person joins our conversation.
Sakai: "Oh, Mana... an acquaintance?"
Mana: "Oh, dear. Did you find your stomach medicine?"
Sakai: "Yeah. I've been curious about this new one they released recently, so I think I'll give it a try."
What is this guy, a stomach medicine sommelier...? No, more importantly, from the flow of conversation, this guy is... him?
Rakuro: "Don't tell me you're the rumored guy who cleared a real-life otome game and... gwuh—"
Mana: "A love marriage after mutual affection. Nice, isn't it?"
Rakuro: "...Yeah."
She nailed me squarely down the centerline... Anyway, so this guy is the rumored Mr. Iwamaki... Iwamaki-san doesn't talk much about it, but rumor has it they went through an absolutely brutal romantic battle to reach that goal. She brags about him all the time, so even though I've never met him, I knew that his favorite thing is her homemade cooking, and he gets through his grueling work days with stomach medicine and his loving wife's bento.
Sakai: "Tsu... no. I'm Iwamaki Sakai."
Rakuro: "Ah, yes. I'm Rakuro Hizutome. I'm always visiting RockRoll."
Wow. He's in casual clothes now, but I can easily picture him in a sharp suit, looking like a capable professional. And he's handsome. As expected of a heavyweight in otome game conquest... he even snags the winning route in real life with those formidable skills. After all that, I parted ways with the Iwamakis and headed home, still rubbing my aching back... Damn. I really don't want to lie on my back today, so full-dive VR's gonna have to take a break.