I headed straight home after my lunch with Szilard.
I hardly remember how I got there. My brain had allotted all its resources to thinking over the situation.
“I want to join the battle. Not as the clan master of Rosso and Blu but as a man with a fondness for my fellow adventurers. Don’t worry—I’ve written my last will and testament just in case. So feel free to use me as just another piece on your board. Hah-hah-hah!”
Don’t give me that “Hah-hah-hah” BS, damn it! A guy like you can’t just casually join the fight!
I could understand why he wanted to help—he likely felt responsible for the whole situation with Jupiter. But participating in the battle itself? This was less a bolt from the blue and more like a direct lightning strike to my system.
I had no complaints about his abilities, mind you. If anything, Szilard was a little too overpowered. It almost felt like overkill.
And more than that, he was an important character. Unlike Haruka and me, he had a key role to play in the future of this world. I was reluctant to drag him into such a dangerous fight. Even if the chances were low, the idea of Szilard dying to Keraunos sent shivers up my spine.
The only changes I wanted to make were to the BS twists of fate set to doom me and my friends. I wasn’t looking to rewrite the entire history of Dungeon Magia. As long as the people close to me could live their lives in peace without interfering with the hero’s journey, that was enough for me. If Szilard joined our battle, it could undo all my hard work and planning.
Sure, you’d be a powerful ally, but what if we lost, damn it?! The risks are too great!
I had convinced him to let me think over the decision, but I didn’t have much time.
Ugh! What the hell should I do?!
“Oh, Kyou. You’re home.”
“Yeah. Hey, Sis. Is Albi in her room?”
“Albi went out to fish for frogs with Jupiter.”
Fishing for frogs? What in the world…?
“Albi was having trouble with a game they were playing, and I think she took it to heart. She grabbed a fishing rod and told Jupiter, ‘Little Sister, allow me to show you true hunting,’ before running out of the house. It was so darling.”
So she got pissed that she sucked at hunting monsters and went off to hunt frogs instead? Talk about hardcore.
“Is there something you need from her, Kyou?”
“Yeah. I want to talk to her about something.”
Fumika hummed in thought, tilting her head and raising her hand to her chin.
Why’s Sis gotta be so cute? I wish I could marry her.
“If there’s something on your mind, why not tell me?” she said at last.
“Huh?!”
Tell Sis? I was grateful for the offer, but where would I even begin? I couldn’t just spill the beans about everything.
“I might not look it,” she said, “but I’m quite the problem solver, you know! Why, just the other day, I was able to help my friend from high school get out of an online multi-level marketing scam!” My seraphic sister proudly puffed out her national treasure of a chest.
I wish time would stop this very instant.
“Besides, I’ve been so busy lately that I feel I’ve neglected my darling little brother. I feel bad.”
“That’s not true at all. You’ve just been—”
“It is true!” she declared decisively.
As a robot brought into this world to affirm everything my sister desired, I decided it was best to back down. “All right, Sis. Maybe I could use your advice.”
“By all means! Just leave it to me!” she said, slapping a hand against her fortress-sized chest. “Come on, out with it!”
She was always so motherly. If I hadn’t come into this world as her brother, I would have proposed to her on the spot.
“All right, just gimme a sec to organize my thoughts.”
I sat down on a floor pillow and pondered how best to approach the issue.
Okay, that’s what I’ll go with, I thought, making up my mind.
“Well, I’d been keeping this a secret. But the truth is, I’m writing a novel.”
“What?! Oh! My! Goodness!”
She was 40 percent more excited than usual. I felt like total scum lying to her.
“I had heard boys grew up quickly, but this…this is incredible. I’m so proud of you, Kyou. Remember when you used to tell people your only hobby was ‘getting into fights’? It all feels like a bad dream now.”
“Ah-ha-ha. Thanks.”
Once again, the reminder about Kyouichirou’s past instantly made me want to die in a corner. But I pushed through and continued with my story.
“A long time ago, in a galaxy very, very far away…”
“Hmm.”
“…and during the long-anticipated Galaxy Wars, the Cosmos Monster suddenly appeared…”
“Goodness!”
“…and so to get revenge on Laughing Bat, a member of the Nebula Multiverse…”
“I did not see that coming!”
I made up an epic patchwork space opera on the spot to try and obscure the reality of the situation. But as I spoke, I got a little too into my own story, and by the time I’d reached the crux of my problem, the setting sun had already dyed the sky crimson.
“So you’re debating whether it’s a good idea to include General Grayhair in the operation to rescue Princess Europa because he plays an important role in the original history of the galaxy? Is that it?”
“Yep, you got it.”
She nodded to herself and looked down at the notes she’d been taking. She’d crammed so much onto the pad, it was practically solid black.