NOVEL NEXT Episode 3
Episode 3
It seems like it’s confirmed that I was a shut-in, but was Mai involved in it?
Did I choose to shut myself in because Mai is too cute?
If that’s the case, I somewhat understand.
I feel the same way now. How happy would I be if I could spend my life hugging Mai like this…
“Mai isn’t at fault, right? Um… it couldn’t be helped, right?”
“…But if I hadn’t been involved with those guys there… if I had managed to deal with them somehow, my brother wouldn’t have needed to shut himself in…”
If I hadn’t been involved with those guys there?
…Did Mai get involved with someone, and that became the reason I shut myself in?
“But well, Mai has nothing to do with it, right?”
“If I hadn’t gone to cram school, my brother wouldn’t have had to deal with those delinquents, right? It’s all my fault…!”
Waaah! Mai started crying again, and I gently embraced her.
After comforting Mai, who had cried, I subtly extracted information from her.
In summary, the reason I shut myself in is simple.
1. On the way home from the cram school Mai attended, she was harassed by delinquents.
2. On a day when I was late coming home, I went to pick up Mai, but I ended up going to help her when I saw her being harassed by delinquents.
3. I got beaten up.
4. I suffered various mental distress there, and that’s why I shut myself in.
It seems.
While thinking about how I managed to protect Mai with a body that doesn’t even have the hero’s correction, I also have various complaints to the goddess.
Anyway, about a year passed like that… Mai’s entrance exam is safely over.
It seems like it’s currently spring break.
“Well, I’m not worried about it anymore. Don’t cry.”
“…Big brother…”
Mai was still sniffling.
…By the way, it seems that Mai’s appearance is like a delinquent to avoid being looked down upon.
Well, wouldn’t that lead to Mai being harassed by those kinds of delinquents? I thought, but for now, there doesn’t seem to be a problem.
Also, it seems that Mai has also passed the school she aimed for. She’ll be going to the same school as me starting this year.
By the way.
Hey! Goddess!
Do you think I became a shut-in because of such a minor thing? You idiot! I would never do anything that would make Mai sad! Don’t mess around! Properly manage my one year!
While comforting Mai, I was secretly furious.
That goddess. It must have been convenient for her to keep me as a shut-in.
Certainly, if I had shut myself in for a whole year, I could return to life in Japan if I left my school enrollment intact, even if I had to repeat a year… Well, it’s not that bad, is it?
“Oh! That’s right, big brother! Today is the release date for ‘Little Brave Online’!”
“…’Little Brave Online’?”
“That’s right! It’s a VRMMO! Did you forget!?”
…Ah, right. There might have been a conversation about that before I was transported to another world.
Now that I’ve experienced a different world in reality, I’m not that interested in VRMMOs, but…
“I’m planning to do a lot of streaming! Let’s go buy it together, big brother!”
“Alright, let’s go!”
Streaming, huh. Come to think of it, Mai has been doing streaming activities since she was in middle school.
There are still some things I’m confused about, but I can’t refuse Mai’s request.
I left the house with a smiling Mai.
“Oh… it’s been a while, hasn’t it?”
Just as we left the house, we heard a voice from behind us.
When I turned around, there were clearly two men who looked like delinquents.
Who are these guys?
Feeling doubtful, I felt trembling coming from Mai, who was holding my hand.
Unless Mai is the epicenter of an earthquake, she’s trembling because of fear… Who scared Mai like this?
“Ah, big brother… th-these guys… they… they beat up big brother…”
“Are they the ones who caused me to become a shut-in?”
“Y-yeah… I heard they went to juvenile hall or something…”
Mai said, trembling.
The delinquents smirked and clenched their fists.
“Yeah. Because of you, we didn’t have any freedom for a while.”
“Give us a break, and let us vent our frustration.”
I see.
Mai is still afraid because of those guys.
I sighed quietly and looked at the delinquents.
They’re way too full of openings.
If I heard that those guys were the reason I shut myself in for a whole year, I’d get angry.
A goblin, known as the weakest in the other world, would still be stronger than these guys.
Well, this is just right.
Let’s try out this body.
After all, the goddess said, “I can’t return you to your original body, I’m sorry.”
“I also have business with the bastards who made Mai cry this much. Come on, you idiots. I’ll crush you.”
“…Oh!?”
“This time, I’ll kill you!!”
The men who yelled and charged in were too late.
To protect Mai, I stepped forward.
A tall man swung his fist.
…Too slow.
Dodging his fist, I jabbed my fingers into his eyes.
A light eye gouge. But very effective.
“Ugh!?”
Ignoring the man who fell screaming, I grabbed the other one’s fist with one hand.
And then, I crushed it with my grip.
“Gaaaah!? L-let go!”
…I have corrections I trained in another world.
I adjusted the force so his bones wouldn’t break, but it seems the pain left him unable to move.
I kicked his vulnerable body.
The stumbling men tried to stand up, but I approached with a smile.
“Ah, big brother…?”
Mai looked surprised as she glanced at me.
…Well, to Mai, I was just a shut-in for a year.
Mai’s surprised face was very cute, but if I overdid it and scared her, big brother would cry.
“Y-you…!”
“…Don’t underestimate me!”
The tall man pulled out a knife he had hidden.
They even have that. These guys are trouble.
Perhaps because he had a weapon, the man had a confident smile on his face.
Do they think they’ve won with just a weapon? Should I take out a dagger from my inventory too? Huh?
I won’t take action because I don’t want to violate the firearms and swords control law.
“Die!”
He lunged at me, but his trajectory was too predictable.
I don’t even need to evade this kind of knife, but… Mai is here.
I don’t want to show her a shocking scene.
While grabbing the man’s wrist, I kneed him in the face.
“Ugh!?”
The man, staggering, dropped the knife from his hand.
As I approached the fallen man, they seemed to fully understand the difference in power and screamed in fear.
“We’ve got ‘Shidaka’ backing us up!”
“‘Shidaka’?”
“Y-yeah! That’s right! We’re a gang that controls this area! If you lay a hand on us, you’ll be killed!”
Realizing they couldn’t do anything on their own, are they now relying on something else?
Pathetic.
“Wow, then bring them all here. I’ll crush every one of them, alright?”
“…Huh?”
“Come on, you can use your smartphone, right? Hurry up and call your buddies. It’ll be good XP farming for me.”
Oops, these guys are like monsters.
There were days in the other world when I trained by tormenting monsters that called for reinforcements, so it became a bad habit.
I told them to call out, but the men were still trembling. They didn’t even take out their smartphones.
I sighed quietly and asked him.
“You’re just low-level grunts, right?”
“…Huh?”
From their expressions when they yelled earlier, I kind of figured it out. You don’t really trust those low-level grunts, do you?
I’ve dealt with various people, so I can quickly understand facial expressions.
Crouching in front of the pale-faced men, I smiled after taking the knife they had and said,
“If you guys… dare to touch my precious ones again, I won’t go easy on you next time. What will you do?”
While saying that, I crushed the knife with one hand.
There was no bleeding at all. I was trained enough in the other world to crush this kind of knife. Damn you, goddess.
Seeing my intimidation, the men were completely frightened and begged on the spot.
“S-sorry…! W-we won’t do anything anymore, so please spare us!”
“Yeah. I’ll let you off this time. But there won’t be a next time, okay?”
“…Y-yes! We’re sorry!”
“Yeah. From now on, live properly, alright?”
I waved goodbye with a smile as the frightened men ran away.
I marked them with magic just in case. I can crush them anytime.
Well, if they don’t do anything, I really don’t intend to interfere any further.
When I turned around, Mai was wide-eyed in surprise.
…Did I scare her?
“Um, Mai…”
“Ah, big brother… that was so cool!”
When I called out to Mai, she came over, her eyes sparkling.
It seems she’s okay.
Original Author’s Comment:
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