Standing off to the side, I watched as everyone slowly boarded the bus, looking around inside and marveling at the fact that there were no more seats in the back.
Several closed metal crates stood right at the entrance to the store, and my claw-pincers hovered near me.
My head was a bit of a mess, tsk, Saya messed up all my plans, but it seems I'm now in a relationship with the daughter of the head of the ultra-right nationalist party in our sweet government. Not that I regret it, since she's very cute.
[Accept the fact of your relationship with Saya Takagi]
[Bronze Ticket]
Hm…
[Shadow Tag]
|Rare Ability|
Allows you to interact with the shadow of people as tangible objects, you can step on or pin their shadow to prevent them from escaping or grab it and pull them toward you.
Oh, yeah, this thing changes a lot. I can secretly interact with people from a distance, just by creating small claws and touching their shadows. Pretty cool.
By the way, about abilities, isn't it…
[You have received 5+ abilities]
[An additional ability slot was unlocked some time ago]
[You have automatically equipped Despair Aura II due to your emotional state]
[You have 7 abilities]
Wait, I automatically equipped the despair aura? When... ahhh, on the bus! That's why that guy pissed himself and fainted. I thought my ugly mug had just gotten even scarier from all this bullshit, but it was just the ability activating. You need to warn me about this stuff earlier, Gacha!
I stared straight ahead for a while waiting for an answer, but nothing followed, and I just had to sigh. Just as I was about to sort through the abilities I had, Kyoko-san started walking towards me.
"Isao-kun? Everyone is already inside and waiting for you…" She wasn't looking me in the eyes, but rather at my face and lower.
"Yeah, yeah, Kyoko-san, don't worry. I'm just working out a plan of action in my head. I'll be with you in literally three minutes." Assuring her that everything was cool, I finally started to recall all the abilities I had.
First, Metallurgy. This ability will always be equipped until I find an alternative that is stronger and better overall, which likely won't happen anytime soon since I'm literally stuck in a tadpole pond. If I wanted to, I could probably clear this city of the dead in a week or a month thanks to it.
Despair Aura will be helpful in various situations, but I don't need it right now, so I'll remove it from the second slot for now.
Make Me Smaller isn't needed right now either, but it will be good when I need to be more stealthy and unnoticeable.
Next is Hustle, also generally useless for the same reason as Metallurgy: I'm just among weak people.
Then there's Ice Thunder, also too strong and uncontrollable at the moment. I'd only use it when I need to break through a very sturdy structure, or a tank if one happens to be in Japan, which is unlikely.
And now the choice is between Shadow Tag and Familiar Manifestation. The first lets me interact with a person through their shadow, and the second incarnates different parts of my familiar into the physical world as an attack.
The choice, of course, was obvious. It's better not to show too many different abilities, as I don't believe that the entire government of Japan, and other countries for that matter, kicked the bucket in the first few hours of the first day.
Yeah, yeah, anyone would think I'm some kind of paranoid freak, but I'd rather be a living paranoid freak with my loved ones alive and well, than a dead man whose loved ones were harmed because of me. Besides, God helps those who help themselves.
"Pfft…" Snorting and rolling my eyes, I walked towards the crates, lifting my claws into the air. Of course there's a God in this world, riiight, as if I'd believe that. If he does exist, it's more likely me, thanks to this Gacha which gives me almost infinite potential for growth.
Right... better not to think along those lines. I might become something worse than I was in my past life. I had no desire to become a psycho with a god complex just because of some cosmic power.
Grabbing the crates with my claws, I headed towards the bus. Walking at a calm pace, I motioned with my hand for Marikawa-san, who was sitting at the wheel, to open the back doors. I brought the crates inside, sighed, dismissed my claws, and got on the bus.
The first thing I noticed when I got on the bus was how most of the students looked unwell. Two girls were even crying.
And the second thing, that dyed-hair punk and his buddy were trying to stay out of sight, sitting quietly, thinking I'd forget about them. Which I will... for now.
"So, why is everyone so sad?" Some shook their heads, and others just turned away. "Alright, everyone! Don't despair. Just because your parents didn't answer your call doesn't mean something bad happened to them. Maybe they just dropped their phones in a hurry, or forgot them, or other similar situations? So, smile and hope for the best!" I raised my hand with a smile, trying to motivate them, and it felt weird.
They all perked up a bit. Some even managed a weak smile, but the atmosphere of despair was still very palpable.
And that was a little strange. In all my lives—and I've had two—I had never tried to cheer up a crowd of people. And in general, I didn't interact much with people who weren't in my social circle, especially in this world. But even so, somehow they let me cheer them up, accepting my words as true, and it felt good.
The way their eyes became more joyful, the way they relaxed a little. Looking at this, I understood that they trusted me and believed my words, even though my words might turn out to be wrong.
"Okay, whose parents answered their call, raise your hands." And among more than 10 students, only one raised his hand. Mdaa, the situation is worse than I thought.
"You are?"
"Y-Yamada, Isao-san." The kid had a nondescript appearance, so I tried to remember his name and a distinguishing feature, like Takashi's sharp face or Saya's pink hair. But the dude was just... average. So that's how I'd remember him: Average Yamada.
"So where do your parents live?" My voice was calm and filled with a slight smile.
"Ah-h, not far from Miyuki station, a few kilometers from here. Both my parents stayed home today because it was my little brother's birthday…" Oh, my house is also near Miyuki station.
"Hm, then first we'll pick up my mother, and after that, we'll go to yours, alright? I also live nearby, so it would be good if your parents stay inside and don't go out. Call them and tell them that." He nodded with a trembling head, quietly thanking me and taking his phone out of his pocket. I sighed, swapped Shadow Tag for Despair Aura, and instantly directed it at the two bastards.
One of whom was covering for his buddy; the other had definitely already gone off the rails and lost his mind from Shido's words. Trusting someone like him, letting a traitor into your rear ranks as your soldier, is dangerous and irresponsible.
"And you two. I don't remember saying I'd let you two ride along. And anyway, who told you to sit down, trash." I addressed his buddy, who had comfortably seated his handcuffed friend.
The dyed-hair punk turned pale and didn't even dare to look up, and his buddy started speaking with a trembling tongue.
"P-please, Isao-sama, f-forgive us… we…" His voice was shaking. The very way he spoke made me want to puke. Such a disgusting display of remorse, exactly the same as the petty drug dealers who would lure stupid high school freshmen into karaoke bars and do their business with them there.
Many people think Japan is a safe and quiet country, but the number of fucked-up people on this isolated island is high, and most of them are just spineless cowards who break from just a scary expression and a promise of violence.
There were even more perverts. Where else in the fucking world do you find a country where people sell panties in vending machines? Hell! I'm a fucked-up pervert myself who gets hard for his own little sister! But I'm not raping her, we have mutual consent!
"Shut up. I don't want to hear anything. Right now, you will both get off the bus and stay here. I don't care what you bu—"
"Isao-kun." From behind, by the front entrance, I heard the voice of Kyoko Hayashi, and I turned to her. "I know you might be feeling angry, but maybe you should soften it and let them come with us to safety." I let her finish. My mother didn't raise me to be a complete bastard, but her words were just stupid.
"I don't think so, Hayashi-san." I looked directly at her, into her dark copper eyes, and for some reason, she blushed and looked away. "I'm not going to keep bastards like them. Shido has already gotten to their minds with his stupid promises, and I'm not going to let them ride with us. Traitors are traitors because, having betrayed once, they will do it again. Just like with other things: a murderer will murder, a thief will steal, and a traitor and rapist, in their case," I pointed at them over my shoulder, "will betray and rape if anyone else offers them something better than safety."
"But they're just teenagers…" Here I decided to interrupt her.
"We are all teenagers here, except for you and Shizuka-san, as well as me and Saeko-san, who are already 18."
"Ooh, already on a first-name basis, huh, Isao-kun…" I ignored Marikawa's quiet words and the slightly offended glances from Saya and K-imoto.
In Japan, addressing people by their first name shows how much you trust and like them. And I hadn't known Saeko and Shizuka for even a full day, but I still called them by their names, showing my trust.
"So, you fuckers will get off the bus right fucking now." I was losing my goddamn patience waiting for these scumbags to piss off, and it was visible in how the students who saw my face trembled.
"A-ahh!" The dyed-hair punk tried to stand up and run, forgetting about the handcuffs on his hands and feet, and fell off the seat. His friend also started shaking violently, all due to two factors: my facial expression combined with the Despair Aura.
Waving my hand, I removed the handcuffs from him and let them fall to the floor. Feeling this, he ran to the back door, followed at a quick, nervous pace by his friend.
Marikawa opened the door for them, and they both ran off, not even looking in our direction, which made me sigh. But the sigh stopped halfway because a screen appeared in front of me.
[Kick out two students, making them feel mortal fear]
[Bronze Ticket]
Hm, a ticket? Alright, let's go Gacha, use the ticket!
[Charismatic Sunglasses]
|Common Item|
A pair of really cool-looking sunglasses that make you seem more charismatic. Are the sunglasses charismatic because they look cool or do they look cool because they make you more charismatic?
A cool reward. It'll be useful when I'm saving cute girls and MILFs from zombies and other people. I snorted at my own stupid joke.
"And now!" I clapped my hands with a sweet smile, walking to the front of the bus. "We can drive to the Hakuren coffee shop!"
"Oh, I know that cafe!" Marikawa-san smiled a silly smile. "I sometimes went there with my friend for a snack. So, are you Kyoko-san's son?" She looked at me, starting the bus.
"Ah?" Hayashi-san pointed to herself with a bewildered look aimed at Shizuka-san, having already taken her seat.
"Ah, no-no! Not you, Hayashi-san." The blonde waved her hands and abruptly slammed on the gas. But this time, I was ready and grabbed the handrail, looking resentfully at this ditz, who didn't even notice, grabbing the steering wheel. "Our cute delinquent and his little sister's mom is named Kyoko, but her last name is Tsumugi! She's a very good woman with golden fingers!"
The bus began to pick up speed, but it was slower than before because I'd attached so much metal to it. Mdaa, I shouldn't expect it to last long. But I don't need it for long trips anyway, just to pick up my mom and Average-dude's family and go to the Takagi mansion, whose daughter I somehow managed to seduce.
God, this is a trope! I'm a delinquent with dyed hair, and she's a smart girl with glasses! No, I'm not an NTR-dude! That can't be! Literally! Because Saya didn't have a boyfriend… but she had a lot of different fans and admirers… fuck, I'm the main character of an NTR.
"Fuuuck…" My voice was quiet so no one could hear it.