Only My Dungeon Equipment Levels Up! (SSS-Rank Weapons)

“Owada!?”

Owada removed his glasses and dropped to his knees on the spot. Then…

“Mr. Mikenju! I am truly sorry!”

He pressed his forehead to the ground, apologizing profusely to Kenya.

“W-What’s wrong with you? All of a sudden! I don’t remember doing anything to you, Owada!”

“No, I’m a coward. I can’t face the wives I love like this. The justice in my heart is screaming at me! ‘You coward!'”

“I don’t understand anything you’re saying! W-Wives? What are you even talking about…?”

(Wait, he said ‘wives’… oh, he must mean his anime wives…)

And then, Owada began to explain everything.

“I need to tell you, Mr. Mikenju… no, I must tell you. The story of this cowardly, pathetic mob.”

Owada began to explain the true reason behind his apology.

◇ Owada’s Perspective

There was once a boy who loved anime.

The boy admired the cool protagonists in anime. They always upheld justice, saving the heroines and their friends. He wanted to be a hero like that, too.

He felt like he could become the protagonist himself.

But there was also a man who solved everything with violence and money. He did whatever he pleased, hurting many people like a tyrant. His followers gladly obeyed him. His name was Sato. He was the son of a company representing Japan.

The anime-loving boy tried to stand up for justice.

Even though he was just a middle schooler, he believed he could become one of those heroes. He tried to protect a boy who was being bullied by Sato.

But justice without power couldn’t do anything against evil with power.

And so, the target of the bullying shifted to the boy. That boy was Owada in his middle school days.

Sato bullied Owada.

Calling it bullying would be putting it mildly; it was a crime.

When Owada tried to resist or went to the police, he was threatened that his family’s company would be destroyed.

Knowing that Sato’s family had the power to do so, Owada couldn’t confide in anyone and spent his days in silence.

What allowed him to get through those days was probably anime and manga. Escaping into that world preserved his mental stability.

But then, an incident occurred that deeply wounded Owada’s heart.

The boy he once saved began to join in the bullying.

The boy Owada had protected from Sato was now bullying him under Sato’s orders.

Though Owada couldn’t blame him, that boy had somehow become part of Sato’s group.

He lifted Sato up, catering to his every whim.

He bowed down to Sato, ensuring he wouldn’t be bullied again.

It was at this moment that Owada’s sense of justice shattered.

No longer wanting to live, Owada began to consider suicide. But one day, the bullying suddenly stopped.

A new toy had appeared.

That toy was…

◇

“When Mr. Mikenju was being bullied! At that moment, I…!”

Owada raised his voice.

“I… I thought I was saved…”

Tears streaming down his face, Owada continued.

“I thought, ‘Now I won’t be bullied anymore.’ That’s what I thought! Even though Mr. Mikenju was being bullied, I was relieved it wasn’t me!”

With the target of the bullying shifting from him to someone else, Owada lived his days in peace. However, the feeling of guilt never left him.

“At that moment, I realized something. I wasn’t the protagonist of this story. I was just a mob character, someone who could never do something as grand as upholding justice…”

“Owada…”

“That’s why I wanted to apologize. I should have done it much sooner. The reason I only approached you after Sato was gone was because of that.”

So that’s why Owada had been talking to Kenya every day since Sato left. Kenya finally understood the cause of his earlier confusion.

“You defeated that Sato. I don’t know the details, but from seeing him grovel the other day, it was clear. You brought him down. Then I leaked all the bad things that Sato’s group had done up to that point. Without Sato’s power, they quickly surrendered.”

The day after Kenya punched Sato, there had been a big scene in the schoolyard where Sato was groveling.

Seeing that, Owada was certain.

From that point, Owada acted behind the scenes.

That’s why Sato and his group had transferred schools.

Owada had leaked everything, and the school had made the decision.

The settlement was that there would be no criminal charges, as long as compensation was paid and they all moved far away.

“And that’s why today, the day they’re finally gone, I wanted to apologize to you, Mr. Mikenju.”

Once again, Owada pressed his forehead to the ground.

“Mr. Mikenju! I’m truly sorry! Please forgive me, the coward who couldn’t act justly! All I could do was tremble in fear!”

Kenya now understood why he had been called.

“I see…”

Kenya understood.

He understood Owada’s feelings.

Kenya knew all too well how Owada felt.

If he had been in the same situation, could he have acted differently?

Owada had been bullied during middle school and the beginning of high school. They had been in different classes, and Kenya had been too busy with his own life to notice.

But if those painful days were to end, wouldn’t he have accepted someone else’s misfortune, too?

Bullying, a crime that may seem insignificant to outsiders, can make the victims feel like even living is unbearable.

Kenya knelt down and, without a word, embraced Owada.

“Thank you… You could’ve kept quiet, but you told me and apologized.”

“Mr. Mikenju…”

“I forgive you. It might sound patronizing, but I think those are the words you need to hear most right now. Also, I think we can be friends! We both know the same pain, right?”

“C-Can a cowardly mob like me really be friends with the protagonist?”

“What are you talking about? You’re the protagonist of your own life. Besides, I kind of like guys like you, Owada. You’re cool.”

“Uwoooaaah!”

Owada cried even harder. Before Kenya knew it, his own eyes had also filled with tears. The two of them spent the rest of lunch talking.

As friends.

They talked about what had happened with Sato, Kenya’s strength, and many other things. Though their bond was still new, it was enough to call each other friends.

…

“Ah, welcome back, Kenya… You two sure seem close.”

Reina looked puzzled as she saw Kenya return to the classroom. For some reason, both he and Owada had swollen, red eyes.

The two of them walked in with their arms around each other, laughing happily. Surely, their hearts had connected.

“Male friendship is a wonderful thing!”

“There are things women can’t understand! Oh! That’s not sexism, just differentiation!”

“Haha! I get it. Is that a line from an anime?”

“Eighty percent of me is made of anime and manga! Let’s have an anime night sometime, Mr. Mikenju! I’m sure you’ll love it! I was surprised to hear you’ve hardly watched any!”

“I haven’t had the time. Come over to my place. I just bought a big TV!”

“I’d love to visit!!”

Reina watched the two of them, stunned but somehow warm inside as well. She didn’t quite understand their conversation, but Kenya looked happy, so she felt happy, too.

The bell rang, signaling the end of lunch break.

Now that she thought about it, they hadn’t eaten lunch, but today, that was fine. Their hearts were full.

Clatter, clatter, clatter.

“Alright, everyone, take your seats! Homeroom is starting!”

That afternoon was homeroom time.

The homeroom teacher entered the classroom, directing everyone to their seats. There wouldn’t be any lessons today.

Why? Because the big event was coming up.

The huge event before summer break—one of the biggest for all the students.

“Now, let’s decide what we’ll do for the cultural festival!”