ShangriLa Frontier ~ Shitty Games Hunter Challenges Godly Game ~

「Ah! S-Sanraku… -kun……!?」

「…… Umm, yeah. It seems that I am getting in your way. Sorry about that. I’ll just be on my way, so you…… you know…… carry on, I guess……?」

「I-It’s not what you think it is, Sanraku-kun!! It’s really not!! I myself have little to no idea why something like this is happening right now, but I’m sorry! I’m so sorry that you have to see this!!!」

…

………

……………

So in a nutshell, the situation with Rei-san’s corps was just like my very own situation, if not even far worse than my situation. My troops were essentially fully based on the Faith statistic, which means that at the current moment they have turned from devoted followers into obsessive cultists and fanatics.

Now, when it comes to Rei-san’s troops, those guys were helping poor women who needed help with virtually anything, or damsels in distress being assaulted in the back alleys…… That kind of stuff that you would find in any other dating sim or romance medium. This naturally led them to increase their Charm statistics at the astonishingly fast rate, which eventually led to this…… Rei-san’s corps right now was like a sickeningly sweet bouquet of lilies, with lots and lots of sweet honey dripping from every single petal without stopping. At least that was my sincere impression.

「Umm, what the hell is…… I mean, how should I even put this into words…… Oh my, like…… Yeah.」

「No, it’s not like that! I swear! No, umm, this is…… I really mean it! That was not my intention at all! Please believe me! I would have never done something like that! And…. Oh, it seems that more and more male NPC from the middle are starting to wonder off somewhere……」

Wonder off, huh? It’s more like they are becoming absent-minded for some reason…… And it is obvious that it might be because of me, another unfamiliar male avatar. Because the gazes of all other male NPCs are being currently pointing straight at me. And that look is the look of pure jealousy and envy. I don’t think that there would intentionally be such a parameter in this game, but apparently I was wrong…… No, actually, even without one like that, the effect would still be the same. It’s just that Rei-san is just that amazing of a character, you know? If fact, I have heard rumors that she was pretty popular already in Middle School, and we are talking about both men and women alike. So it wouldn’t be impossible for her to be quite the heartbreaker, doesn’t it……? But those were just rumors, so the actual question should be, just how much truth was in those rumors, huh……?

「S-Sanraku-kun…… A-Are you perhaps still doubting me?」

「Hm? What? No! No, that’s not the case here.」

「But the look in your eyes seems to be saying something completely different! Surely, you must doubt me, right!?」

Oh shit, I have completely forgotten about that! Even though you can deceive someone with your facial expressions, there is nothing that can possibly be done about one’s eyes! Eyes are the doorway of the soul, as the old saying goes! And currently my eyes are like an open book for Rei-san!

「No, that’s not what I…… Look, there is nothing wrong or improper about those things, you know? Especially in this day and age! I mean, so if that’s what floats your boat, then just go with it and ––––––」

「No! It’s really! Nothing of! The sort! B-Because……! Because I……!! You are the only one that I……! That I like……!! Like…… Like…… BUEH!?」

SLAM!!!!!!!!!

「R-Rei-san!? Are you okay, Rei-san!?」

At that exact moment I just couldn’t really help it but to not be able to hide my inner and outer turmoil seeing Rei-san slamming her face against the desk with full force and momentum like some sort of a drunk salaryman would do against a bar counter. Not to mention that this looked and must have felt absolutely painful. Now, this might be really unscrupulous coming from me of all people out there, but still……

「Ah, umm, this is…… Are you alright, Rei-san? That… that looked really painful……」

「I-I am fine, thank you very much for asking…… It’s just that, it might have looked really bad, but it’s only because I felt really weird and weak all of a sudden. Yes, just like that. Nothing to concern yourself with, really……」

「Say what now? I mean, when you put it like that all of a sudden…… Umm, you know, if you are feeling sick or are unwell, how about taking a break? Or maybe calling it here and quitting for the day? Who knows? Logging out right now might actually make you feel better……」

「…………… Can you please give me about thirty seconds or so? That’s all I need to pull myself together for the time being. Really.」

「O-Oh? I-Is that so? Okay then, whatever you say, Rei-san.」

And just like that, the thirty seconds that Rei-san wanted me to give her have passed ……… Ah? How long have you been glaring at me like that, you guys? Don’t you have anything better to do, my dear Scapegoats? Like, I don’t know…… Getting subjected to friendly fire during the Boss battle? Come on now, my dear believers! Your God has issued you a mission, and I expect you to carry it out just like you are supposed to do! I won’t accept any other results than a complete and utter victory here!

It was also then that Rei—san, after pressing her head against the desk for a solid thirty seconds out there, managed to get her head up. And then she looked at her followers with a kind of a face that I could only possibly describe as the most hollow-eyed, yandere-like look that you could have witness in your entire life. Needless to say, when someone gives you a look like that, it creates that nasty kind of a tension that just keeps on growing and growing, never letting you go pressuring you.

「Ummm, this is…… How should I even put it……?」

「Oh, please, everything is okay, there’s no need to worry. Yes, everything is fine, and nothing is wrong. Yes, I feel very calm right about now. In fact, right now I feel even better than I have ever felt before. Which is mysterious, but a pleasant surprise.」

「…… But are you really sure about that? Are you absolutely certain that everything is okay? If you want to stop, you can just go and do just that, you know? You don’t really have to force yourself to play this game for my or anyone else’s sake, you do realize that, right?」

「Hahaha. Please, don’t worry about it. I was just joking. For the most part, that is.」

Oh shit, this is not good! This is not good at all! Sure, I have seen Rei-san bug out before, so technically this sight right here was nothing new. But this time around, I get a distinct feeling that this time Rei-san might have bugged out completely and for good!