1.5 Interlude
** 1.5 Interlude
“First of all, I knew you were a woman-friendly warrior beyond harmlessness.”
“No… “
“Do you know the term human condom?”
“What is a condom?”
“Yes, something like that.”
Orien covered her mouth with a book and giggled.
**
Somehow I managed to prove my innocence.
She was the only senpai who remained in her position among the existing warriors from Eros, so this was quite meaningful.
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Because it means that there is at least one person who will stand by me in an unfortunate situation.
“Whoa… “
You don’t know how anxious I’ve been since I started in the morning.
It was almost like walking barefoot on thin ice. Under the water, sharks were infested with the moment I made even the slightest mistake, and it almost happened.
Even Orien could melt the thin ice sheet I was standing on at any time. Of course, now I don’t have to.
She said.
“Even if I were there, your academy life would not be very smooth.”
“I think so.”
I’ve already gone through a lot of things close to the crime of don’t ask. Now that I know there are vigilantes out there who are just looking for the slightest flaw, I can’t be at ease.
“What are you going to do now?”
“What… Wouldn’t you have no choice but to work hard?”
Be it a person or an object, impressions are not so easily changed once imprinted on them. Furthermore, numerous criminals from Eros committed indelible sins in Academia and evaporated.
In the eyes of the victims, it was obvious what kind of situation I would be in, who would be treated as a descendant.
“I did a survey about that, would you like to take a look?”
“Yes? It’s a survey… “
Orien handed me a wad of paper from which to find out. Originally, it was a high-quality item that was incomparable to parchment, which was mainly used in the world. Whiter than milk and smoother than silk, I admired a little.
“In the middle dimension, that’s the average, so get used to it.”
“There are many interesting things.”
“Read it anyway. If you look at it, you will be able to roughly grasp what the heroes from other dimensions think of Eros.”
“Hmm… “
The paper was recorded with several people giving answers to roughly one question.
* * * *
Q. What do you think of Dimension: Eros? (All responses are posted anonymously.)
Seed of Satan: 34%
Angry Monkey Cubs: 27%
Bastards to kill: 16%
…
..
.
* * * *
I was depressed after reading the first question, so I put down the paper.
“…..Aren’t they all the same?”
“Well, it’s similar, but.”
Then there was no need to read it.
In the end, it was confirmed once more that the impression of Eros had penetrated the abyss and dipped one’s feet into the brimstone waters of hell.
I was completely exhausted and let out a sigh.
“But are you even doing this?”
“Surveying public sentiment is an essential virtue for rulers. And that kind of reaction has faded lately. It’s because there are many people who don’t know about the Eros incident as the new students come in and the water changes.”
“Is that so… “
“Cheer up. This body also tried tirelessly to renew its image, but it wasn’t impossible.”
Orien chuckled.
She has a bit of an eccentric personality, but I don’t have anything to add to the fact that she even received the approval of the chairman anyway. Because great is great
“If you put in a little effort, people around you will recognize you right away. In the beginning, noble people will lead public opinion, but from the point of view of this body, if you do as you normally do, you will be able to melt into the academy.”
But there is one problem.
“Then the impression of our origins will be forever… Can’t you change it?”
“Hmm?”
Orien was only talking about reforming her individual image, but she didn’t seem to care much about how Eros was treated.
“It is too late.”
At that, Orien laughed dryly.
“As long as there are people who, just hearing the name Eros, take out an ax from under the bed while sleeping, collapse and sob while eating, and cannot control the curse that boils from within.”
“…..”
“That is absolutely impossible. I know because I did it. After some time passed after the incident, I went to volunteer work under the name of Eros, and soon after, a group of victims came and put up a fight. I don’t know if 50 or 100 years pass like this, but it’s just meaningless for us to do anything right now.”
It was a theory.
But the reason why she couldn’t take the last step back.
“…Then, do the next juniors have to go through the same thing as me?”
I now recognize that Orien and I are like mutants from Eros. But even so, there was no guarantee that a similar case would not come in the next time.
And if someone really far from crime, innocent, is summoned here.
At that time.
“…For me, it seems difficult to watch.”
At some point, Orien’s eyes were wide open and he was staring at me. A familiar golden magic overflowed in her eyes.
Originally, it was said that it was a magic used to determine the authenticity of words. So, Orien now has insight into whether my words are true or false.
Even though my words didn’t sting me one bit, my body shrank involuntarily. The spirit was so great.
A few seconds passed, and by the time the golden magic faded from her eyes, her beautiful blonde hair had stiffened from the top of her head.
She smiled broadly with a flushed expression she had never shown before.
“…Why do you do that?”
“…You really are a warrior.”
I was dumbfounded by Orien’s smile.
It was because it was a smile that only a child with a childish spirit could show, without formality or embellishment at all.
“Ahahahahaha! No, aha? Ahahahahaha! What a wonderful thing! It’s been a long time since I’ve seen such an admirable hero!”
“I am not joking.”
“I know! Isn’t that what you’re doing!
Orien laughed to the fullest, and she wiped away the tears.
“Ah, huh… She stopped because she was glad to meet someone like a person for the first time in a while. Excuse me.”
“…Yes.”
“Okay, let’s try it to our heart’s content. If I can purify this cursed origin, I’m welcome. Possibility aside.”
Saying that, Orien took out the bookmark from her book and picked it up.
“Take this.”
“This is… ?”
I took it questionably. The golden bookmark she held in her hand shone dazzlingly in the setting sun.
“It’s a gift. It will never disappoint you.”
**
I went straight to the dormitory.
Orien told her of the route with few people, so she was embarrassed.
Fortunately, the accommodation was a single room for one person.
“Whoa.”
As soon as I got to my room, I lay down on the bed. As I stared blankly at the ceiling, the events of the day automatically flowed into my head.
“It wasn’t a joke.”
Billion.
It was a word given to me by Orien, who came to the middle dimension earlier than me and learned various cultures.
In other words, it means that the world is trying its best to take down one person. As I pondered over the meaning of the word, I felt somewhat moved.
“Write… No.”
Aren’t everyone in the middle dimension, Academia, voluntarily selected warriors to advance to a higher level?
I’m still not sure about my last memory in the original world, perhaps because of the reaction that crossed the dimension, but anyway, I chose to come here myself.
But after barely ascending to heaven, I think it makes no sense to come to a place like this and be harassed or victimized.
It will change a more fundamental problem. It will change from now on.
“Let’s clear the way. To do that, you need to have a successful academy life more than anyone else.”
With that promise, I fell asleep early.
The long-awaited class day has dawned.
After arriving at the classroom, I immediately went to my assigned seat. But there was no place for me.
“Huh?”
The really strange thing about this situation is that all the desks in the classroom are designed to be long so that several students can sit side by side.
It means that there can be no seat if there is no seat. However, there was no place for me to sit.
What do you mean by this?
In other words, only the part where I would sit on the long rectangular desk was cut out with a saw.
The area around the rugged, forcibly dug area was full of dust and sawdust, and the nearby students who saw it were also embarrassed.
But after they saw me appearing late, they indifferently turned their heads as if they understood something. I must have heard various things about Eros from my seniors.
“……”
I tried my best to keep the corners of my mouth masquerading as calm.
Isn’t this too much?