Worthless Skill Escape (WN)

Chapter 110

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TL: ALT

Chapter 110 – My Discomfort Not Working (or is it?)

I wake up to my phone alarm ringing on my pillow.

After fighting the persistent snooze, I finally get out of bed.

“I had a bad dream.”

Even though I’ve already solved it, it’s still my trauma that I overlooked Sayuki’s bullying in the past.

“I was so naive a year ago.

Just because I became physically stronger by becoming an explorer, it didn’t mean that I could solve the bullying.

I took my frustration at having a younger girl see through my weakness and turned it into a way to become stronger by becoming an Explorer.

It’s a common outburst for adolescent boys.

But as it turned out, becoming physically stronger was not a waste of time.

“I never thought Junko Himuro would go this far.

As I suspected back then, the chemistry between Junko Himuro and Sayuki Natsume was terrible.

Sayuki was able to take everything in stride, while Junko Himuro poured her heart and soul into breaking people’s hearts.

The harassment escalated over time.

In the end, the men Himuro treated as his servants kidnapped Sayuki and took her to an abandoned factory… in a development straight out of a movie.

The men were members of “Ultimate Freedom,” an explorer circle at a nearby university, and all of them were fairly high-level explorers.

If I had not been the first to receive the advanced job of “Magic Swordsman” and had not worked hard to improve my rank, I would not have been able to defeat those explorers.

Normally, solving bullying is a delicate and difficult task, like unraveling a complicated thread.

Even then, it is rare to be able to say that the problem is completely solved, and the spark tends to keep smoldering in a place unseen by adults.

It kills me when I see teachers who are oblivious to such things and who are so smugly proud that “I (I) solved the student’s problem.

I finally solved such a complicated problem by physically beating up the enemy.

It’s a simple solution, like a shogun in a period drama who cuts himself into the mansion of a bad government official.

However, there was a catch to this solution.

The men who carried out the crime were caught, but the ringleader, Junko Himuro, continued to evade charges and was not prosecuted.

The reason was that Junko Himuro was not an explorer.

When an explorer uses her power to commit a crime, the crime becomes more serious.

At that time, the dungeon had just been established, but such precedents had already been set.

That’s how dangerous the criminal explorers were considered.

The prosecutor didn’t feel any reality in the fact that a mere high school girl who wasn’t an explorer was using such illegal explorers to do her bidding…

Especially since Junko Himuro had no relationship with any of the men.

However, Himuro could not continue attending high school there as if nothing had happened, so she transferred to a private school in Tokyo as if she were running away in the night.

It is said that she was taken in by an institution somewhere after she fell out with her parents, with whom she had a bad relationship.

Sayuki became an explorer after this incident in order to gain the power to protect herself.

She is now an excellent “Black Magician” who supports my party.

“Well, I have to get ready, or I’ll be late.”

I left the room and went to the bathroom to brush my teeth and wash my face.

I soaked my face and looked in the mirror.

“…Hmm?”

I felt a strong sense of unease.

Have I gotten a little shorter?

No, I may be getting taller, but at my age, I would never shrink.

Is it just that I’m tired, and my posture is getting worse?

“No, that’s not true either…”

There was no part of me that showed signs of fatigue.

I’ve been working out as an explorer, and as a result, I’m taller and stronger than I used to be.

I was even a bit hunchbacked until middle school.

My eyes are full of strength, and my skin is youthful.

“No, I’m not young. I’m a sophomore in high school, right? Of course, I’m young.”

I looked in the mirror for a while, but in the end, I couldn’t figure out what was wrong.

“Yuto, breakfast is ready.”

“Okay!”

Since I started as an explorer, my breakfast, which used to be little more than toast and salad, has become quite hearty.

The amount of food is like that of a boy in a sports club who has morning practice, but I can eat that much without a problem when I am working as an explorer.

After lunch, I changed into my uniform and was checking the contents of my bag when the doorbell rang.

“Coming!”

I called from my room to the door.

I hurriedly put on my shoes and opened the door,

“Good morning, Yuto-san!”

A petite blonde-haired, blue-eyed girl wearing the same high school girl’s uniform greeted me cheerfully in the morning.

They say that morning is the best time to take beautiful pictures, and this girl is no less stunningly beautiful no matter what time of day I see her.

I greet the beautiful half-elf girl who has become a familiar face to me.

“Good morning, Honoka-chan.”

“You better hurry, or you’ll be late for the bus.”

“You’re right.”

I walk to the back of my house, say, “I’m off!” and step outside, matching the heels of my shoes.

…Then I suddenly looked back at the house next door.

It’s across the street from the bus stop, so I don’t know why I was so curious about it.

The name plate of the house, which is similar to ours, reads “Akunojo.”

This is the house where my childhood friend Serika Akunojo lived.

We were pretty close until junior high school but grew apart after high school.

Serika’s parents had divorced, and Serika’s mother was in a tough financial situation.

Fortunately, Serika’s grades were good, and she went to an all-girls boarding school with a special needs program.

When she entered the school, we sometimes kept in touch via smartphone, but it’s been a while since I’ve seen her.

Apparently, the dormitory rules are so strict that she can’t even use her phone casually.

I heard that since she is a special student who is exempt from paying tuition, she has to pay attention to her grades as well as her behavior.

I’ve been too busy with my activities as an explorer to contact her.

Even if I did, we are in such different environments that I don’t even know what kind of message to send her.

Besides, I have a girlfriend named Honoka, but contacting another girl, even if she is my childhood friend, is also a bit strange…

I didn’t tell Serika about me and Honoka-chan.

I feel guilty about that.

“…Hmm?”

Wasn’t that strange?

Do I feel guilty to Serika about what happened with me and Honoka-chan?

No, it’s the opposite.

I feel guilty for communicating with Serika.

That’s how it should be, considering the relationship I’m in.

“…What’s wrong?”

“Oh, no…”

I don’t know why I felt like that.

Honoka-chan asks me while I shake my head.

“This is very fashionable. What’s wrong with it?”

Honoka-chan says, pointing at my left ear.

“Eh, what are you talking about?”

“It’s this earring. It looks like a rare color of the Anti-Poison Earring.”

I grabbed my ear at Honoka-chan’s suggestion.

It was true; I was wearing an earring.

When I washed my face in the bathroom a few minutes ago, it looked like I already had them on.

Was that the strange feeling I had when I looked in the mirror?

No, I feel something different.

In fact, there is nothing unusual about these earrings at all.

But according to my memory, I didn’t wear earrings until yesterday.

The very fact that I didn’t feel uncomfortable should make me feel uncomfortable.

I put my hand on the earring and kept silent, and Honoka-chan gave me a suspicious look.

“…By any chance, were they given to you by a girl? Even though you have me, it’s terrible!”

“T-That’s not it! This is…”

This is… eh, what was it?

This earring, which has complete resistance to abnormalities, even if it is only poison, is valuable in itself.

However, it is only “sufficient” in its own way.

I have a number of accessories that are more useful to me now.

Besides, according to the school rules at my high school, accessories (in the general sense, not equipment) are strictly forbidden.

Not that the school rules are always followed, but apart from girls, I don’t know any boys who wear earrings.

And wearing just one earring is a pretty painful way to be full of myself.

I tilt my head,

“Jiiii!”

Honoka-chan gives me a suspicious look.

“No, it’s really not!”

I quickly take the earrings out of my equipment and put them in the magic bag in my school bag.

“It’s true that it looked good on you, but it’s not your style, is it?”

“It’s just a coincidence. I must have put them on when I was half asleep.”

It’s a rather bitter argument on my part, but I have to say it.

“Well, I wouldn’t expect Yuto-san to cheat on me so soon after we started dating.”

“O-of course not!”

I quickly shook my head.

Yes.

I’m dating Honoka-chan.

It was by accident that I saved Honoka Shinozaki, a.k.a. Honoka-chan.

I rescued Honoka-chan, who had been tricked by a villainous explorer in the “Black Swan Forest Water Park Dungeon” near here.

The evil explorer happened to be a member of the Ultimate Freedom Circle, a group under the control of Junko Himuro.

Later, we became friends as we went around together looking for elixirs for her sick mother―an elf from another world, to be exact.

Honoka-chan, who joined my group, acquired an unknown advanced ability called Telepathy.

In addition to telepathic communication, her god-like ability to read what her friends want to do is truly amazing.

She can even read the minds of her enemies and warn us of dangerous attacks.

Buffing allies and debuffing enemies with thoughts is also powerful.

In particular, disrupting thoughts with thoughts can be effective even against enemies who are resistant to Confusion and other mind-blocking status anomalies.

It is only with Honoka-chan’s help that my group is able to show its power beyond its level.

The fact that we were able to survive the deadly battle against the Elf King of the Otherworld, Clovis Ertland, was largely due to the special nature of Honoka-chan’s work.

And last month, Honoka-chan and I finally took a big step forward.

I’ve been aware of her fondness for me for quite some time, but I’ve been reluctant to become her boyfriend in order to sell her favor… mainly because I’m not comfortable with it, but Honoka-chan finally pushed me into it.

“Hehehe.”

Honoka-chan said while elbowing me.

“I’m glad…”

“Yeah, I…”

I wanted to say, “Me too,” but for some reason, I choked.

I suddenly felt a lump in my throat.

“Yuto-san?”

“Oh, yeah. It’s nothing.”

I shook my head and walked faster to the bus stop.

It was like something unpleasant was coming out of my mouth.