Chapter 49: That's Not Right of You "I felt a massive surge of mana just now. Yeon-woo, was that you?"
Why is this guy suddenly popping up and acting all friendly?
As I stared blankly at Akito, Yukina and Chika briefly explained the situation.
While I was meeting Trevor and preparing the truck protest, Derek had called Akito. His special request was to arrest Keiji, the leader of the Union, and confirm Takeo's true intentions.
While the teachers were busy rescuing Haruna, Akito and his followers tracked down Keiji and Takeo.
During the brief moment we were held up by Takeo, Akito—by some stroke of pure luck, or perhaps because the entire universe's energy converges on this bastard—happened to run into Keiji's group as they were fleeing and easily apprehended them.
By the time Yukina arrived, they had already been captured and neatly packaged by Akito's group. She had to return without getting even a shred of revenge.
Right. Why didn't I think of this?
Akito, who enjoys the infinite trust of Yggdrasil, wouldn't be left out of an event like this.
The only person injured was the guy who had beaten Somi after hitting her with the car; Keiji and the rest of his gang were perfectly fine.
"I was framed! You just wait until I get out! You better keep a close eye on your sister!"
Contrary to his first words claiming he was framed, Keiji's subsequent threats were the hallmark of a true villain.
Takeo, who had lost his will to fight, stared at him intently. When Chika tried to punch Keiji, Akito stopped her.
Realizing he was safe for the moment, Keiji smirked and began to taunt Yukina.
"You worked hard to catch me~ But I'm not going to prison. Do you think this is my first time? Once the trial starts, I'll be out in no time. Too bad for you~ You and your sister will have to live in fear for the rest of your lives."
Akito prevented Chika from hitting him, but Shiori used magic to silence his mouth.
As expected of a character the developers explicitly created to be a villain, he was playing the part to a T.
But doesn't he realize that making such threatening remarks will hurt him in court? Then again, if he had any brains, he wouldn't have messed with Yggdrasil in the first place.
Yukina watched the silenced, mocking Keiji for a moment before letting out a charming smile.
"Please, get released on a 'not guilty' verdict. I can hardly wait."
"… …"
That's terrifying.
Who wouldn't be intimidated by someone giving a cold smile and saying they'll be waiting for the moment they can kill you?
Yukina might seem kind now, but she's someone who spent her whole life doing the grittiest work in back-alley organizations.
Perhaps the experience she's accumulated carries a certain weight, because everyone sensed that her words weren't just a bluff or an empty threat, and they instinctively grew wary.
"Revenge doesn't solve the situation. I understand that you were distraught and had a hard time because your family was kidnapped. But she was rescued safely, and the culprits are now facing the judgment of the law. Revenge doesn't help."
"… …"
When the clueless Akito interjected, Yukina looked at him wordlessly before turning her gaze to me.
Her blue eyes seemed to be asking for my permission.
Permission for what? To deck Akito? I also wanted to smack the back of his head with an Etiquette Infuser, but I couldn't.
When I gave a small shake of my head, Yukina closed her eyes for a moment and bit her lip, as if composing herself, before standing by my side.
As I touched her shoulder to tell her she did a good job holding back, I felt eyes on me. I looked over to see Chika and Angelica making eye contact with me before quickly turning away.
Their reaction was a bit strange.
"Takeo. Were you also involved in the kidnapping of Yukina's family?"
At Akito's question, his followers, who hadn't let their guard down, looked at Takeo.
The suspicions against Takeo hadn't been cleared yet. Helping Keiji escape was a crime in itself.
As if ready to attack at the slightest suspicious move, the Samurai lowered his stance, preparing to draw his blade.
"He's not involved."
When I stepped forward, everyone looked at me.
Only Yukina and I, who had received information from Trevor, knew that Takeo wasn't involved.
Shiori looked at me with suspicion, perhaps not expecting me to take Takeo's side, while Yukina didn't seem to care at all since it didn't involve Haruna.
"You…"
"He's not involved. He has nothing to do with it."
I cut Takeo off and stated his innocence once more.
This guy is annoying, but the fault lies with that bitch Emma, who isn't even here, and Akito.
I guess Emma didn't have the skills to come along on this request.
Akito looked at my dirt-stained body and the signs of battle around us before asking, "Didn't you two fight? Yeon-woo and Yukina were chasing this man, so there's only one reason to fight."
"No, there's one more. I slept with Emma, so this guy got pissed and came to beat me up."
"… …"
"You know how thick-headed this guy is. Do you think he's the type to care about requests or legal judgment? He just wanted to hit me because he felt like it, so he attacked. If he's guilty of anything, it's being an idiot."
"What a vulgar man…"
I heard Shiori mutter, but I ignored her and pushed forward shamelessly.
Having been poked in a sore spot, Akito seemed unable to say anything and looked at Takeo in silence.
Then, he bowed his head.
"I'm sorry. I'm the one who slept with Emma. Yeon-woo did nothing wrong. I should have said something then, but I was too weak and got scared."
He's apologizing here?
Even though I curse Akito for being a frustrating guy with forced morality, he really is a protagonist.
Once things get tangled and escalate, it's hard to reveal the truth until you're backed into a corner, but Akito apologized publicly even though the situation was wrapping up nicely.
I have to give him credit for that.
Takeo, who was looking at the back of Akito's bowed head, turned to me with bewildered eyes.
Is this some kind of reformation event?
The process had nothing to do with the game's story, but looking at the atmosphere, it felt like he was going to be reformed.
I mean, whatever—do what you want. But even if you reform, don't cling to me because it's a pain; cling to Akito instead.
Sure, I was pretty cool.
I kept my mouth shut even when framed for sleeping with Emma, showed a mature side by enduring his provocations, and even took his side, so I understand if I look incredibly cool to him.
But a party consisting of a comedy duo plus a thug is a bit of a weird composition.
There are no more spots for dicks in my party.
Go to Akito. Emma is there too, so the three of you can just have a threesome or something.
"Tch…"
Takeo, who had been staring at me blankly, clicked his tongue and turned his head away.
It looked exactly like a villain character being reformed, unable to express his true feelings and acting awkward.
This is driving me crazy. The moment you try to talk to me later out of embarrassment, I'm slapping you across the face first.
After that, Akito and Takeo talked amongst themselves for a long time, but their voices didn't escalate.
He was hurling curses and threatening to kill me earlier—isn't this discrimination?
"Yes, all objectives of the request have been achieved. Yeon-woo and Yukina have joined us, and we will return now."
After finishing his call with Derek, Akito turned back to us with a refreshed expression and that trademark protagonist smile.
The sun was setting just in time, and the other heroines were swooning at the sight of Akito smiling against the backdrop of the sunset.
Yukina and I were the ones who solved everything, so why are you striking a pose when you only landed the finishing blow?
"Then, let's head back. Good job, everyone."
At Akito's sweet voice, the followers' expressions brightened. Shiori and the Samurai were practically trembling, as if they'd reached some kind of peak from the ASMR.
Just as everyone was about to follow Akito in a heartwarming atmosphere, I raised my hand.
"Wait, it's not over yet. Isn't there one more person who needs to apologize?"
"You…"
"What a petty man."
Shiori and Samurai, you guys aren't involved, so get lost.
Akito looked at me blankly before nodding with a bitter expression.
"I haven't apologized to you. I'm sorry, things must have been hard because of me. An apology that's just words won't make you feel better. I'll do whatever—"
"Sigh—"
Akito stopped talking at my sigh.
I can handle damage coming my way.
Being the scapegoat? Being framed? Getting screwed over? Whatever. I know Akito has to save the world, so I'll endure most of the collateral damage caused by him.
But he shouldn't have done that to Yukina.
Why are they acting like everything ended well after apologizing to each other, while leaving out the real victim?
"There's a girl named Haruna."
"I know. She's Yukina's sister, right? The teachers said she was rescued safely. She's not injured and hasn't suffered any mental trauma."
"Yukina raised Haruna all by herself without parents."
"… …"
"I can't give you the details, but from the time she was a young child who should have been under the care of adults, Yukina lived a hard life, enduring everything to protect Haruna. It was a life far more cruel and painful than you can imagine."
At my words, Akito glanced at Yukina.
"Yukina would do anything for Haruna. And Haruna grew up well despite the difficult environment."
"I would also do anything for Shiori. That's what family is."
"Brother…"
Ugh, stop butting in and stay quiet.
Ignoring the touched Shiori, I continued.
"Right. Because of you, that child was almost in danger."
"…Because of me?"
He slept with Emma, Takeo got pissed and told Keiji, and Keiji went crazy trying to do something to Yukina, leading to this.
The only one truly at fault here is Keiji, but life is funny in how seemingly unrelated events intertwine to create this mess.
"The fact that you ran away from what was happening right in front of you, using your weakness as an excuse, was the start of all this."
"… …"
"Ha—did you expect that sleeping with Emma would lead to Haruna being kidnapped and Yggdrasil getting involved? You have nothing to do with the kidnapping itself. But you are the start of it."
"Isn't that a bit of a stretch?"
"Oh, I'm sure you think so. Are you angry because I'm blaming your precious Lord Akito? But you know, if your Lord Akito had just told the truth when he was questioned about sleeping with Emma, Haruna wouldn't have been kidnapped."
"You…!"
The Samurai frowned and took a step forward, but Akito raised his hand to stop him.
Looking back at Yukina, who showed no emotion, Akito's face turned somber.
"Yeah, it's good that you apologized now. But it pisses me off that you're making such a relieved face as if everything's been resolved, while ignoring the person who suffered the most."
"I'm sorry, Yeon-woo. I didn't think that far."
"And you understand the feeling of having your only family kidnapped? I appreciate you stopping Yukina, but even Teacher Derek, who has plenty of experience in rescue operations, wouldn't dare say something like that."
"What do you know about us to be acting so high and mighty? My brother also—"
"Are you going to talk about your great father? That was a disappearance, not a kidnapping. Besides, there are people who've seen him recently, and there are signs that he's alive and well. Isn't he just wandering the world rather than being missing? Do you think that's the same as this?"
"… …"
"Fine, let's say something bad happened, whether it was a disappearance or a kidnapping. But I don't understand your standards, equating the kidnapping of a member of the 12 Zodiacs—someone called the strongest mage among them, who has no rivals except his own kind—with the kidnapping of a helpless young child."
Shiori fell silent, and the other followers went quiet as if they had nothing to say.
Honestly, I felt like venting everything I'd been holding back until now, but I restrained myself and tried to focus only on Yukina's situation.
Akito listened to my words with a serious face without a single excuse, and seeing that, I felt pathetic for being the only one angry, so I stopped.
"Hey… I'm sorry. If I hadn't been so pathetic and blabbed to Keiji, this wouldn't have happened. It's all my fault."
Before Akito could, Takeo bowed his head to Yukina and apologized.
"No, it's my fault. And yet I was talking as if I were so righteous… I'm sorry, Yukina."
"… …"
The two of them bowed in unison and apologized, but Yukina didn't give any answer.
If this were a game, there would have been a cheap scene where Yukina accepts the apology in a heartwarming atmosphere and Akito and Takeo shake hands, but that wasn't happening.
The two remained bowed, waiting for an answer.
After a long time passed, Shiori and the Samurai looked over, but Yukina didn't care and spoke calmly.
"Are you planning to get forgiven by pressuring me by keeping your heads bowed like that?"
"No, that wasn't my intention. I'm truly sorry…"
"Don't think you can be forgiven by me with a pathetic apology. People who do wrong always try to end things with a single word, without any shame. Kneeling and bowing are such cheap ways to solve things, aren't they?"
Even at Yukina's sarcasm, Akito and Takeo couldn't say a word.
After watching them silently, Yukina turned around and took my hand.
"Let's go."
Leaving the two behind, I walked away with Yukina.
When I looked back from a distance, the followers were taking care of Akito, and Chika was watching us.
"Thank you."
"Huh? For what?"
"There's no one else who thinks of me like this. Only you and Haruna."
Yukina, who had been a cold woman in front of Akito, was now looking at me lovingly.
Her blue eyes, which I thought would be cold, were so warm. Her long eyelashes slightly veiled her eyes as she leaned her lips toward me.
After a short, soft kiss, Yukina smiled brightly and led me forward by the hand.
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