Arifureta Shokugyou de Sekai Saikyou Zero - Volume 3 - Chapter SS5

Boys’ Talk and the Aftermath

One quiet night in the Liberators’ hidden village within the forest, all of the men in Miledi’s party gathered under a single roof. At their center sat Naiz, gulping down glass after glass of cheap alcohol.

“Uhhh, Naiz, don’t you think you’re drinking too much?”

Oscar tried to gently warn his friend off drinking anymore. Groaning, Naiz put the cup down. He was already drunk enough that his face was flushed. Sighing, Vandre offered him a few snacks to help the alcohol settle.

“Don’t be so pathetic, Naiz. So you’ve got two girls clinging to you. What’s the big deal?”

“Every time I talk to them, it feels like they can see right through me.”

“......”

Naiz neither argued back nor insulted Vandre. He simply spoke the truth with such weight that even Vandre paused. In truth, the guys had all organized a men-only drinking night. Oscar had placed multiple powerful barriers to keep anyone not invited out. The reason for all this secrecy was Naiz. Oscar had wanted to create an atmosphere where Naiz felt safe to divulge his worries. And since his worries revolved around Susha and Yunfa, Oscar hadn’t wanted any girls overhearing.

“Well, I kinda get what you mean. Susha and Yunfa have been clinging to you the whole time we’ve been here,” Marshal said with a wry smile.

Things had gotten to the point where Susha and Yunfa somehow knew every single word Naiz said every day. Furthermore, they knew everything about his hobbies and preferences. They waited on him hand and foot, acting like they were his wives. Whenever they had the opportunity, they’d sit down on either side of him and monopolize his attention. Yunfa hugged him every chance she got, and while Susha attempted to be more modest in public, she still made relatively bold overtures all the same. Both of the girls worshiped Naiz with a fervor that bordered on fanatical, and whenever they were with Naiz, the other Liberators couldn’t bring themselves to talk to him, even when they wanted to.

“So, what do you think of them, anyway?”

“Isn’t it obvious? They’re kids. There’s no way I’d see them like that.”

Naiz gave the common sense reply. Unfortunately, that common sense defense wouldn’t last forever. “But as time passes, I can feel their approaches getting more aggressive... I’m scared...”

Recently, the villagers had started asking Naiz when he’d hold the wedding ceremony. Susha and Yunfa had already brought the other women in the village over to their side.

“So why don’t you just tell them they’re not in your strike zone?” Vandre asked as he pointed a suspicious look at Naiz.

“I did.”

Seriously!? Everyone turned to Naiz in shock. Marshal and the others knew exactly what Susha and Yunfa’s personalities were like, and they were amazed that there hadn’t been some huge incident the day Naiz had told them they were too young.

“You guys are acting like Susha’s the demon lord or something,” Vandre said, confused. Judging by how terrified Naiz looked as he recalled the moment he’d told them that he wasn’t interested in them, Susha may well have been more terrifying than the demon lord.

“To be honest, I am happy that they like me, but... I feel like they’re wasting their time fawning over me like this... Man, what do I do?”

Wanting to help his friend, Oscar adjusted his glasses and said, “Sometimes, you just have to learn to give up.”

If Naiz gave up, he felt as though he’d be disgracing his dead family. Trying to drown out his sorrows, he downed another cup of alcohol.

“Anyway, what about you, Oscar?” Marshal turned to Oscar and asked that question, trying to change the subject into something more pleasant. Oscar gave him a confused look, so he added, “I’m talking about Miledi. How far have you two gone?”

“Give me a break. We’re not like that. Neither of us has feelings for each other.”

Oscar waved his hand dismissively. His reaction made it seem as if there really was nothing between them.

“Didn’t you tell my brother you’d never hand Miledi over to a guy like him or something, though?”

“Van!?”

Marshal and the others looked at Oscar with renewed interest.

“Oho, is that so? Just so you know, Oscar...”

“Wh-What?”

“The moment you and Miledi become a couple, half of the Liberators will become your enemy. Namely, all the guys.”

“Well, that’ll never happen but... do you guys seriously like her that much?”

“Of course we do! Yeah, she’s normally just an annoying clown, but her real personality’s amazing! And she’s a beauty to boot! There are tons of guys who are totally in love with her! Come on, even you’ve gotta admit she looks captivating when she’s being serious!”

Oscar adjusted his glasses to hide his expression. But of course, his silence spoke louder than any confession. Realizing he couldn’t defend himself, Oscar instead decided to launch a counterattack.

“Well, what about you, Marshal!? I’m sure you know Mikaela’s raping you with her eyes every time you walk out of the bath, right!?”

“Don’t word it like that! It hits too close to home!”

Marshal had only recently discovered that Mikaela peeked on him in the bath, and he still didn’t know how to process this new knowledge. In order to change the topic, he swapped to yet another target.

“Van, what about you! Are you into that Margaretta woman!?”

“Hell no. She’s family, you moron!”

“Then who’s your type!? Who do you like most out of the girls here!?” Marshal asked as he leaned closer to Vandre. Oscar and the others turned to him as well, their eyes brimming with curiosity.

After considering the question for a few minutes, Vandre replied, “Shushu probably.”

“Are you fucking serious!?”

Everyone stared at Vandre in shock. They couldn’t believe he was into someone as rude and coarse as Shushu.

“She’s got slender legs. I actually asked her to model for me, but I haven’t been able to convince her yet.”

Oh, that’s what you meant... Oscar sighed in relief. However, the topic of people’s types had caught on among the other guys. They started discussing who was their type and who they thought was cute, secure in the knowledge that no girls were around.

Around the time the party was beginning to wind down, Oscar muttered, “In the end, no one said they’d go out with Meiru, huh...?”

There was a brief moment of silence. Then, the guys all looked at each other and said simultaneously, “Sure, she’s hot, but just look at her personality!”

For some time, the guys all joked about how hopeless Meiru was when it came to taking care of herself. Naturally, all of them had forgotten that this “hopeless” pirate queen could use magic to observe the past.

The next day, Miledi returned from her patrol to find Oscar and the other men all standing in the town square.

“Hey, O-kun, everyone! What’re you guys—”

“Yes, Meiru-oneesan is the best.”

“Meiru-sama is wonderful.”

“She’s our goddess.”

“We all love Meiru-sama.”

“Meiru-sama’s so beautiful.”

Oscar and the others simply repeated those lines with dead eyes.

“Meru-neeeeeeeee! What did you do to O-kun and the others!?” Miledi’s shout drowned out the monotonous words of praise Oscar and the others robotically repeated.