Chapter 66

The Finishing Blow “Mikenne, how does it look?” asks Captain Kerioyl as Mikenne peers into the hole. “It looks like we’ve hurt it some, but I think we still need another push.” The smaller stones haven’t quite done the trick, huh? If they used something heavier and harder, it might work… Hmm? Why is everyone staring at me right now, I wonder? “Wouldn’t Boxxo do the trick?” “Wait, but if we fail, Mr. Boxxo will break.” “He fell from a stratum split just fine, didn’t he?” Captain, Vice Captain, would you please stop with all this dangerous talk right in front of me? Still, to be honest, changing into a giant vending machine and falling on it kind of seems like the most effective option. “You can’t! I won’t let you put Boxxo in danger!” “There’s no guarantee. I’ll have to oppose this, too.” Lammis and Hulemy stand in front of me as if to protect me. I’m happy they feel that way, but if this plan is our only way to deal a decisive blow, then I think you should consider it. I’ve gotten quite a few more points of toughness, so I think I should be fine if I fall. As long as my durability doesn’t reach zero, I can repair using points, so I think I can do it. But if it doesn’t work, it’s all over for me. “Right. Boxxo’s been such a big help in the past. It would be cruel to ask any more of him. And we have to strut our own stuff, too.” “Shall we jump in and kill it in one fell swoop?” “Well, as long as the flames aren’t in the way, we could…” Wait, no, no, you can’t do that! The bottom is filled with carbon dioxide. If you go down there, you’ll have trouble breathing—actually, you’ll die from carbon dioxide poisoning! I didn’t expect this. I have to somehow get them not to go down there. “Welcome. Welcome. Welcome.” “Oh, Boxxo, you agree.” Nooo! “Too bad. Too bad. Too bad.” “You don’t? But if we dally too long—” “It’s trying to climb up!” Well, it didn’t have any reason to sit quietly in the hole. Of course it would try to climb up. Now we have even less time. But I can’t let people go down there. “We can’t pass this chance up. You ready, everyone?!” “Please don’t let go of the ropes!” “Seriously, please!” “Seriously, this is no joke, after all!” Their gung ho attitude in times like these is worthy of respect, but this is absolutely the wrong time! They can’t. At this rate… Don’t I have some way—some way of stopping them?! My current position is a short distance away from the hole. It’s about ten feet to the slope on the edge of it. Lammis and Hulemy are close by, as are the Band of Gluttons, excluding Mikenne. The captain unwraps his rope from my body, then hands it to Director Bear. He’ll be better if they need to adjust the length. Isn’t there some way to bring my body to that sloped edge? First, I quietly attach wheels to my bottom. Now if someone pushes me, I should make it. Even if I had a way to tell Lammis what I wanted to do, she would no doubt refuse. Hulemy doesn’t seem like a good bet, either. Which leaves Director Bear and the Band of Gluttons. If the Band of Gluttons were to push me, they’d all have to combine their strengths to move me at all. Director Bear’s hands are full with the rope the captain left him with. Of course, Lammis’s Might seems more than capable of giving me a light push to propel me to the slant. Oh…I just thought of something. However, to do it, I’ll need to throw away my shame and reputation. But this is to win. Lowering my affection level with them is better than them dying. I select a form change—to a porno mag vending machine. “Wait, Boxxo, you changed suddenly… Wh-whaaat?!” The lasciviously dressed women lined up behind the glass are in seductive poses, a feast for the eyes of those with such tastes. When Lammis sees them, her face goes red in the blink of an eye. “Hyah, eh, why are these people in their underwear and sticking their butts out and lifting their chests… Uwaaah!” Even though she’s blushing hard, her eyes are fixed on them. She seems like she’s curious despite her embarrassment. I know the feeling, Lammis. But this isn’t the time to be reflecting on how moe the embarrassed Lammis is. Time for a little insurance. “Welcome.” “Heauhh! S-stop it, Boxxo. I’m not buying any of these. You pervert!” Because my greeting broke her concentration as she was trying to collect herself, Lammis overreacts, and in order to conceal her embarrassment, she slaps me. Normally, it would only make a light sound. In her frazzled state of mind, however, she must have underestimated the amount of force she used, and the impact on my body is monstrous. And thanks to that impact, my vending machine body quickly slid to the side. If not for the wheels, my body would have only shaken, but for my current state, her force was more than enough. “Huh? Boxxo?!” “Thank you.” Panicked, she reaches out, but her hand only grasps air while I accelerate toward the slope, hurtling toward the hole. As I sense my body has come off the ground, I then change into a giant vending machine.