NOVEL NEXT WORLD The Strongest Solo Gamer with Terrible Social Skills Reincarnates as a Hated NPC in a VRMMO Chapter 131
131: Shoma’s Drowsiness and Akane’s Suspicion
Dream――
I must have been dreaming――.
It’s all hazy and unclear, with no distinct outlines. An unrealistic landscape. My own existence is ambiguous, and the universe is unstable. I’m just drifting, conscious but unaware.
It’s been a while since I last recognized a dream as a dream, probably since I was a kid.
Isn’t it called a lucid dream…? Where you can control the dream freely…? Unfortunately, I’m not capable of such feats now.
I don’t have a physical body.
I’m just drifting in a decorative, empty space.
I can’t even move my hands or feet, it seems.
But, strangely, my mood is calm.
I might as well just sleep like this.
Sleeping in a dream… or what?
What’s the point of that, anyway?
Well, it doesn’t matter.
I’m a bit tired, though…
“…I, …did it…!?”
I hear a voice.
A voice that’s eerily familiar.
I shift my “gaze” in that direction.
What is this――? Am I the one talking?
No, it’s not me――?
Who is this――?
“…such a… pose… you’re using your body… are you aware of it!?”
Is this Shoma-kun――?
The voice is muffled and unclear.
It seems like they want to tell me something.
“…shut up! …the memories are… but… there’s nothing else, right!?”
What’s going on!?
“You’re using my… body, so… help me… save me!”
What are you talking about!?
“Enemies are… guuji… kitsuda! …That guy… be careful! …We’re going to crush them!?”
……
“…Do you understand?!”
…Not at all, I don’t understand.
Shouma screams while gasping for breath.
…I appreciate your enthusiasm, but it’s meaningless if it doesn’t reach me, right?
Uh-huh?
As I think so, the space starts to shine bright white. It’s probably a sign that I’m about to wake up.
“…Wait! Oh, hey!!”
Shouma desperately tries to stop me. But sorry, I’m not going to wake up just because I want to. We can talk about it again in my dream.
“…Everyone… avenge…! …Give it to them! …Save…!”
Is he still talking?
I can’t even see Shouma’s face anymore.
“…What’s going on…? …So please…!!”
…?
“…Save Kouu…!”
My consciousness rapidly awakens at that point.
◆
“What…?”
I exclaim in surprise. I was lying on a hard stone pavement. I look around with a blurry vision and see several tents set up by the explorers.
Could this be the transfer area…?
What happened to me after that…?
“Uh…? Oh, hey! Are you awake, Shouma!? Oh, it’s not you… it’s Kaion! Shouma’s awake!”
“Hey!”
The two of them shout in a flustered tone. Looking up at the ceiling, I see that it’s nighttime now. The explorers are trying to keep their voices down.
“…Uh, Shouma-kun, are you awake?”
Kaion peeks at my face with a frightened expression. Taichi is standing behind him.
“…Kaion? What happened to me?”
“G-gomen ne… I got too excited and overdid it… I didn’t think Shouma-kun would foam at the mouth and pass out…”
“This is ridiculous! You don’t know your limits! I was worried sick, and when I came back, I found Shouma-kun lying there naked and unconscious, which really shocked me…”
“N-naked!?”
It seems I exposed my junior self to Kaion and Taichi as well!?
What a humiliation…!!
And to make matters worse, I passed out…!? My memories are hazy, but what exactly happened to me?!
“Did you… take my virginity…?”
“—Ah, no, that’s okay”
“Huh?”
“I was able to resist, of course. I wouldn’t do something like that to Kouu’s fiancé.”
“…”
“…Well, I did jerk off about 20 times, though…”
――What did you say?!
――Nothing, nothing!! You must have misheard!
The sweet, white laughter of the song. This incubus tribe (succubus) is…! They’re doing whatever they want with someone else’s body…!!
…Someone else’s body, huh…
――
――Hmm? Are you seriously angry?
――No…
I started thinking about the dream I had earlier. In this world, I’ve been reborn as “Seiryu Shinma,” but that means I killed the original Shinma and replaced him, right?…
『Please save… Akane…!』
Shinma’s sorrowful words echoed in my mind.
That guy… does he still have feelings for Akane? It’s impossible for that woman to fall for him. He’s so one-track-minded… or maybe just stubborn.
And what’s with saving her, anyway?
I don’t understand anything right now.
Since I don’t understand, I’ll focus on what I can comprehend for now. That’s more constructive.
――What’s the situation been like since I passed out?
――We got the golden nectar, didn’t we? Here, this golden honey is what we needed.
Taiichi handed me a bottle with the nectar. At first glance, it looked like regular honey, but upon closer inspection, it glowed differently. That faintly radiant substance was indeed the golden nectar I had been searching for.
――There are four more bottles with the nectar.
――Then, is the number sufficient…
――And, by the way, we reached the 19th floor while you were unconscious!
――You’re boasting, aren’t you?! During that time, I was the one who carried Shinma and moved around! You’re just causing unnecessary trouble…!
――That’s cruel! I was the one who fought all the monsters along the way! Taiichi, you’re the one who had it tough!
――That’s only natural!! Who do you think is responsible for getting us into this mess?!
――Haa!? You’re the one who’s been peeking, not me! You always say you’re not interested in my body, but… Ugh, you’re disgusting!!
――Wait, Taiichi!?
Don’t talk to me like that――!!
――Is that true?! The song approached me, and I stuttered, “S-sa…?” while wiping away cold sweat. The argument between the two continued, and I, feeling annoyed, averted my gaze to the side.
――
Akane was near the transfer stone, alone with a man.
I unintentionally held my breath.
――What’s wrong, Shinma-kun?
――I-I…
This is weird. Why am I getting flustered? Akane being with a man has nothing to do with me, right?
That promiscuous woman. She’s probably doing her thing behind the scenes, as expected. It’s not surprising at all! It’s Golden Week, after all! She’d definitely go out with a guy!
Hahaha! Now I can openly call her a b*tch! It’s just as I thought! Golden Week, indeed!
I feel refreshed! High tension!!
…But why, though…
……My chest hurts…….
It feels like my chest is being constricted, and it’s painful.
Is this really――”Ishizuru Shoma”――?
“Uh? Is that Koume-chan……?”
“Hmm? Do we know each other?”
“Well, yeah……but that guy――”
Koume and the man slipped away, unaware of our presence, and disappeared into the exploration zone.
“What’s going on at this hour, with a woman and two men――?”
“I remembered!”
“What?”
“It’s the guy from the other side. He’s Kujou Akito-san, the god of the Yaobikuni shrine! Koume-chan, didn’t you say you were helped by him in the past――?”
What’s going on? This is the first I’ve heard of it. There’s no connection between Kujou Akito and Koume in the original story, right? Who is he, really? Is he a player? If so, what about me――?
What should I do……?