My Parasite Skill System - Chapter 87
I was still trying to make a sense of this all
“Romance, comedy, action, adventure, harem own little world, Haruto!!
“I’m telling you this is no jo-o-oke (uhh, I should stop speaking like that, by the way) my dude.
“Just loosen up a bit.
“Here, have some of my udon … I figure you were only holding your chopsticks when we got teleported with the girls … ain’t a problem if you lost your udon … here, have some of mine.”
According to Todora, “Why don’t you just loosen up a bit,” I just had to calm down.
He’d already told me that, didn’t he … “Here, have some of my udon … Figured you were only holding your chopsticks when we got teleported with the girls … ain’t a problem if you lost your udon … have some of mine.”
Like one would even pay attention to that guy’s advice, though.
And so, still onto the setting:
The middle ground folks were dressed up weirdly.
Accommodated with their … ugh … weird outfits?
Let’s say they gave me those medieval-people vibes.
And, hm, on second thought, maybe it was a bit classy, after all.
From among them, only a few stood out of the scarce crowd.
Those ones were more refined, it seemed.
Be it either in the way they were being accompanied, being all surrounded by at least five other ‘nobles’ each, or in the way they were dressed up.
And, hmmm, let’s just say these ones hit different.
…
All that was left now was the background of this place.
Pillars, going up, very high, supporting the beautiful arched structure from below.
They were spread across in the background, lined up and neatly ranged.
Behind them … guards?
Armored people?
Were the armor only empty, just standing there, as decorations … or maybe to deter funny people from doing funny things.
The armors were all black, and motionless.
Being too far away, I couldn’t make out whether the armors were just armors, and only armors–Or whether people hid behind them.
The pillars were concentrated more on the two other walls, going in parallel with the long, crimson red, cordial carpet, and were, too, decorated in fancy, cordial ways.
Pictures, paintings, black canvas filled with scriptures … the ceiling, too, wasn’t left empty and neglected: candlesticks and chandeliers of many forms and many sorts, glittering and glimmering as their light shone down on us.
Come to think of it, now, it was nighttime.
Well, this place simply didn’t lack any of the castle-like furniture needed to make it look real and legit.
It even looked a bit too real and legit, if you want my honest opinion–The so-called princess spoke again.
“Heroes, please, know that you have responded to our call. As such, you are placed in our hand–no harm will we do to you, whatsoever, you are from amongst the noblest and the people, so please–”
And no, she said that again.
It ticked me off the first time she said it, but I said nothing.
“–No harm will be done to us, dare you say?!” so I just snapped.
“What about our two friends here, hah?!” but tried to keep my composure the best I could … I sighed, letting it all out.
“Hey, Haruto, it’s … well–” placing one of his hands on my shoulder, he nodded at me. “Want some of my udon?”
And exchanging glances with him, ignoring the stupid him, I simply nodded back.
“Our friends, here, “Princess,” what has happened to them? Will they be alright? I observe they collapsed. Why is it so? How is it that we can’t even approach them? See, “Princess,” there are so many things that still remain all blurred out to us.”
“We are–” I spoke too quickly.
Quickly, yet distinctively–I continued on: “Provide us some real information, maybe? And I insist, will the girls be alright? Will Shiina and Fuyumi be alright?” and my breathing accelerated, “I can see some of the black-hooded people are working on something with them … can they be trusted?”
This had got me pretty irritated, and it could show on the surface, I’m sure.
We wish you no harm, she had insisted.
Was that so?
Hadn’t they drugged us all, as a group, manipulated us, using some practical, very complex tricks, in order to just play a huge prank on us, because this was funny or whatever?
Along with these, I had so many questions I had wanted to inquire about, too.
Though I needed to stop.
As much as I had desired to utter them in their entirety–I needed to stop … and catch my breath for a bit.
But catching back my breath, though my shoulders and chest dropped down a bit, I didn’t let my eyes drop from where they stared at.
Right in the woman’s eyes.
I addressed myself to her, and just naturally, her eyes were staring at mine too.
Following the same eerily steady pace, my chest went up and down with my shoulders.
And in an uncalled movement, my forearm went up and rubbed itself against my forehead, wiping it off of the annoying beads of sweat that were accumulating up there.
My forehead was a bit sweaty … or, no, not only a bit sweaty.
I sweated like mad, it seemed.
And so I was taking this seriously.
Of course, I was.
I mean … this whole situation … it cannot just be like I think it is … I can’t quite make any sense out of it … but I believe it’s only for now.
The princess’ eyes were the first to go down.
Her expression became tense and showed signs of her being saddened by this.
Was I going too hard on her?
Was I even going hard on her at all?
I didn’t think so.
“Heroes … I am truly sorry,” her lips managed, her eyes still looking down, a slight frown on her face, “The truth of the matter is that, while we know you are being distressed by this situation, we cannot prevent it from happening.”
My breathing was still a bit ragged … my eyes went down following hers.
Holding one of her hands with the other, tighter and tighter as time went by, “And for this, I am failing as one of the King’s heirs.
“Such disturbance cannot be forgiven easily … but I trust, if it’s the noble heroes from the Other World … you will know to forgive not only me but the whole Rinceville’s kingdom.
“Please … Elina. Such is my name. Would you do me the honor of knowing yours, hero…?”
Her name?? What do we even care about her name? I’m sorry, princess person, but that’s the priority here, I believe.
Thinking such thoughts, it only caused a frown to abruptly form on me.
Her eyes still awkwardly and shyly cast down, she lifted her head up and looked over to the nearest black hooded people.
And just nodding her beautiful face, letting her hands come up too and rest upon her dress and busty breasts, “Enough with these two. Their transitions don’t require any more help from your spatial magical energy.”
And, responding to their … to their princess (I was still a bit skeptical about this) they all acted at once before nodding their hidden heads too and taking off their hoods–They just stopped.
And they went even further.
Their entire black cloaks were to be taken off of their … normal bodies.
They looked rather ‘normal’ without their weird gear, at least.
Looking over to the other three of the black hooded mysterious people at our opposite, they still were working on their thing.
Shiina and Fuyumi still weren’t in good shape, it seemed.
But maybe … maybe they genuinely are working out a solution with them…?
A dry gulp could only painfully go within my tight throat.
Peering over to the others, the ones that had just taken off their black outfits…
Normal faces, normal clothes, normal people.
Still judging according to this world’s conventions, though.
And did I just think of ‘it’ as a new world, right now…?
Well–
One invisible barrier went off?
The princess’ eyes went back and stared back into mine … with eagerness and desire…?
And throwing one energetic leg after the other, under her flapping long noble dress,
Tip
Tap
Tip
Tap
Her footsteps echoed, she rushed towards me with alacrity–
Seizing both of my hands with hers, “Please, heroes…”
Though seemingly addressing herself directly to me, she still said ‘heroes.’
She didn’t continue what she had wanted to say before squeezing my hands with strength–but warmth, too.
It was warm, then strong.
“Please, heroes, trust us and save our kingdom from what is imperiling the safety and warmth of itself.
“Follow the way of the heroes, you to whom gifted powers have been granted by mana itself, follow the way of the heroes, and save us from the evil that is awaiting but weakness from ourselves…
“Heroes, I trust and … believe you won’t just let us be wasted.”
“Argh! … And hmph! If it’s like this, then, I’ll keep all the udon for myself, Haruto!”
“I …”
And facing this–I didn’t know what to say.
.
.
.
My name is Shoyo Haruto … I still don’t enjoy cursing: but I mean, damn …. what have I gotten myself into?