Sometimes I wonder why that's not me.

　Karasumaru Yoshitsune was born in Sakyo-ku, Kyoto. His father was the third son of the Karasuma family, which owned a kimono shop in the city, and Karasuma himself has had a comfortable life since his childhood. When he was in the sixth grade, he moved from Kyoto to his current address, but because his parents were laissez-faire parents, he spent his childhood in freedom.
　There were many things he wanted to do as a boy. But it's hard to say that I was always fulfilled.

　Sometimes I wonder why it wasn't me.

　From the big stories about meeting a famous person and getting their autograph or winning an art competition, to the little stories about the kid who drew the item you wanted at a Gashapon. There was no end to the number, but complaining about something was a frequent occurrence, even as Karasuma.

　I continued to play Kendo all the time when I lived in Kyoto, but I quit it when I moved to a new place and found some of the students who were very seldom strong.
　When I entered junior high school, I started to play in the newspaper club. I quit that, too, when I heard that an older student I liked had a boyfriend in high school.

　Once I got to high school, I think it got a little better.
　During my freshman year, I became friends with Gozashiki Do-suke because we were in the same middle school. He was a quiet boy, but he was the only son of a local luxury inn. Having established a friendship with him and having more opportunities to see the good eye in his own right, Karasuma may have been able to suppress his own frustrations. However, she never tried to join the same soccer club as him. It was because Ozaji was the ace of the soccer club.

　During his time in Kyoto, Karasuma was so lightly dressed that people would say to him, "You're Ushiwakamaru? He joined the gymnastics club, and Karasuma soon got the hang of it, and was able to play an active role in his own right. The gymnastics team at Kamishiro High School was weak.

　In the end, Karasumaru was able to get better at hiding his merit and was able to stay in an environment where he could satisfy his self-esteem to the point where his dissatisfaction didn't surface.

　Three months ago, when the students of Year 2 Class 4 transitioned to this world, Karasumaru was not as dissatisfied as he would have liked to say.
　First of all, becoming a raven-tengu allowed him to fly. He was able to control the wind. These abilities could be used effectively in dungeons, so Karasumaru was still able to play a role in the dungeons in his own right. There were many students who were more capable of fighting than he was, but he was still able to be satisfied with his abilities.
　There were a good number of students who could fly, and there were a good number of students who could control the wind, in spades. Only Karasuma, the Raven Tengu, and Harpy Harui Yuka, the Harpy, were able to do both of those things to a high standard. And Karasuma was able to do both of them better than Harui.

　But gradually, things were changing.

　The Thunderbird, Kannari Toriba, was able to make full use of his massive body now that he was out of the dungeon, and the title of fastest flyer in his class, which Karasumaru had secretly held, had to be ceded.
　As Hanuman's Saruwatari Futa gradually came to grasp the use of his abilities, the position of the strongest wind user in the class had to be ceded as well.

　That's not all.

　Sometimes I wonder why it's not me.

"Yoshitsune, this kind of mind is called 'magical bond'.

　When I was a child, a man who lived in the mountains near me admonished me to do so.

　I don't remember what he meant. It was so preachy that I forgot about it.
　Karasumaru thought he had always been able to keep up appearances, consuming the mental space he had built up over the past year or so like a drain on his savings, bit by bit. But these past few days, that wasn't going to be the case.

　If there was only one person who was better than him, he could manage to put up with it.

　But when something happened that placed him in the lower tier of the whole, Karasuma's merit spirit would turn on its fangs against his self-esteem.




　Several days have already passed since then. Kyousuke and the rest of the group's life of survival continued.

　Yukinoshita and Mizashiki's Phase 2 ability, this was surprisingly helpful. Yukinoshita's 《Molecular Kinetic Reversal》 enabled her to boil water at once, and Ozaji's 《Luckiness Invocation》 made it less of a challenge to secure foodstuffs.
　Thanks to the newly added Hakuba, I was able to act without worrying about injuries to some extent, and since Inugami, who didn't have any special abilities, was a genuine hunter, he was able to find prey that would be difficult to find with the other masks.

　Also, following the Phase 2 awakening of Yukinoshita and the others, the other masks began to show signs of awakening here and there as well.

　The first to receive the new power was Chihaya Kabeano. After the recent battle with the adventurer, when Gozashiki presented herself to defend her, the distance between the two parties grew rapidly. Her words and actions, which tended to build up walls in her mind, softened a bit, and at the same time, her desire to protect Gozashiki prompted her to awaken to Phase 2.
　Kabeno's Phase 2 ability is 《Defensive Wall Deployment》. Simply put, it was a barrier deployment ability. It can put up non-corporeal barriers like energy fields, and although they disappear over time, it can also create stone walls and the like. This was quite useful, and it was useful for keeping out the rain and wind and keeping me safe.

　The next one to awaken was Mitarai Azuki. Her awakening was surprisingly simple, starting with the fact that when Inugami ate a poisonous mushroom and nearly died, Azuki quickly erased the toxin from Inugami's stomach before calling Hakuba. That's why Azuki's Phase 2 ability is 《Toxin Cleaning》.
　Where it was superior to Hakuba's Cure ability was that if it was something that could be judged harmful, it could wash away the toxin before they ate it, and from then on, Kyousuke and the others had a lot of options on their table. However, Inugami was so traumatized by the mushrooms that he couldn't eat them anymore.

　Currently, the Phase 2 abilities that have been awakened are as follows.

　Soraki Kyousuke. Skeleton. 《Characteristic Amplification》.
　Himemizu Rin. Slime. 《Moisture Manipulation》.
　Yukinoshita Ryouka. Yukina. 《Molecular Manipulation Reversal》.
　Ozaashiki-Dousuke. Zashiki Doji. Luck Charms.
　Chihaya Kabeno. Nurikabe. Wallbreak Deployment.
　Mitarai Azuki. Azuki Washing. 《Toxin Washing》.

　Except for Inugami, who was born a werewolf to begin with, the only ones who haven't awakened to the Phase 2 ability are Hakuba and Karasuma.

Shit.

　That Karasuma was strangely irritated. Hakuba, who had gone with him to explore the area, glanced at him and then asked.

'You're in a pretty bad mood. What's wrong?
...Is the white horse all right?
What?
We're the only ones who haven't woken up in phase two.

　Oh, I knew it was that story. Hakuba got the point.

''I don't really care about it, though.
'I care. Everyone else is gaining more and more useful skills, so why do we...?

　I wonder if he's a guy who thinks about pretty messy things. Hakuba thought.

　Karasumaru Yoshitsune was not in a group that was so close to Hakuba.
　Hakuba's group was a group of hunchbacks, so to speak, led by Washio and Tappuhara. It was a group that wanted to make friends with Ryuzaki, who was at the top of the class caste, and Harao, who was the son of one of the town's most famous warriors, to take advantage of them. However, it was Washio who was the most enthusiastic about this area, while Hakuba and Tashihara were the strongest aspect of his friends who were keeping him company.

　On the contrary, Karasuma didn't give the impression that he belonged to any particular group, much less that he was a member of any particular group. He was good friends with Ozaji, who lived nearby, but beyond that, he wasn't really sure.

''Well, this guy's a Utsurugi case.''

　He was worried if Karasuma seemed to be pondering too much, but he felt it was better to leave these issues to Kyousuke. Kyousuke, in his clumsy way of imitating his squad leader, was sensitive to the mental issues of his companions.
　It doesn't seem like he's doing it very wisely, but that attitude of sincerity that he's trying to deal with is itself acknowledged by Hakuba. It's not easy to be like that. I don't feel like I'm doing it too smartly, though.

'Hakuba's still good. He's been useful as a recuperator.
'Oh, yeah. That's pretty hard work too. Karasuma, do you want to be useful?
...yes.

　There was a slight pause before he answered.

　Karasuma is a raven-tengu. He is wrapped in black feathers and dressed like a mountain priest. If the monster's appearance was a reflection of a part of his mind, what were the circumstances behind Karasumaru becoming a raven tengu? Hakuba was a little unsure.

'Well, I think it's a big deal, Karasumaru too. For now, you're the only one in our group who can fly.
.........
Track and field?
Gymnastics. Track and field I quit after two weeks.
You ran track in middle school?
It's the newspaper.

　I wonder if they are bored.

　Hakuba and Karasuma begin to return to their base after a brief exploration of the area. Karasuma is in a bad mood throughout, but suddenly he says something like this.

'Hakuba, have you ever felt jealous of anyone?'
Hmm?
I've wondered why it wasn't me that did it...
Not much.
I see.

　There are a few things that I've wondered why I'm like this.

　For example, I've been reincarnated as a four-legged animal. There are some students in my class who have been reincarnated as monsters with no limbs or monsters that deviate greatly from the shape of a human, but when it comes to students with four legs and no use of their hands, there were actually only Hakuba and Washio. With no telekinesis and no choice but to devour their meals like dogs, the scornful looks of the people around them were extremely unbearable (when I told Inugami the story before, he gave me a sour look as if I had used a bad example).
　Because of this situation, I once took it out on Kyousuke and the others. I still have a bit of an awkward feeling about this, so I want to be proactive in taking care of Kyousuke.

''If you have something that's troubling you, talk to Utsurogi about it.
.........

　When Hakuba said this, Karasuma looked up and looked at him.

'To Utsurogi...'
Hmm?　Did I say something weird?
No, no, no.

　Karasuma's mumbling seemed to be spitting. Watching Karasumaru's back as he picked up speed a bit and moved on, Hakuba nodded his head quizzically.




'Tomorrow we have to negotiate with the adventurers.

　Kyousuke said, offering the wizard Weygun his lunch.

　Today's lunch was sautéed poisoned mushrooms and rabbit meat. It's a lot more sumptuous than it was when I first drifted here. Yukinoshita, who was in charge of cooking today, was washing the dishes with Azuki at a little distance.
　Incidentally, the griddle for cooking was created by Wallino's ability. Because she can't create anything uneven with her ability, it's hard to make the likes of a stewing dish. The tubs that Azuki creates are made of wood, so they cannot be put on fire. At best, it could only be used to steam food.

　Weygun is still locked in an improvised room created by Wallno's abilities. Since he was a wizard, there was a chance that he would fight back to the extent of preparing the wall, but he was surprisingly quiet. He had a bitter look on his face the whole time, so maybe he didn't really mean to attack Kano and Azuki, let alone Inugami.
　However, it was still true that he had broken his promise and put the lives of our people in danger. Right after Kyousuke, Hakuba, and Yukinoshita joined up with Rin and the others, they were surprised to the point of being turned upside down by what they heard, and at the same time, they were indignant. When they questioned Weygun, there was a quiet, single word of apology from him, in a small voice.

　I didn't have the stomach for a single word, but I couldn't bring myself to punch him in the face. Besides, he had just finished exchanging information with Weygun's fellow adventurers. If anything, I wanted to keep the conversation quiet.

　That's why we have another negotiation with the adventurers tomorrow.

''........I see.
Well, I'll just hand you back to them by default. It's not like I'm going to leave you behind or anything.

　Kyousuke said, and felt a strong gaze behind him. He turned around to see a silver wolf lying in a field of hillside, looking up at the sky as if he were sniffing. Inugami Hibiki yawned loudly and closed his eyes, using his paws as a pillow.

''Well, that guy seems to be rather still angry.
Of course. I hurt her so badly in her human form.

　Hearing those words, Kyousuke frowned---he didn't have enough facial muscles to frown, so he let out a blatantly sullen voice.

''You, stop being like that. It's not that I don't care about the pain that Inugami suffered, but it just makes me uncomfortable to hear it.

　Besides, we all decided that no matter how unpleasant it got, we would return the wizard in front of us unharmed.

''I'm not going to forget what I've done.
It's just trying to get out of your conscience by blaming yourself out loud.
.........

　After Kyousuke's words, the wizard Weygun fell on his face in shame. As it was, he began to grab a handful of food on a small plate.

''........don't be so sharp.''
My best friend just told me.
I thought you were more of a good-natured guy.

　I was going to say, "What do you know about me?" but in fact, this Weygun has been watching Kyousuke and the others live in front of me for a few days. Trapped in the walls and with nothing to do, he naturally shifted his interest to observing people.
　In fact, Kyousuke only said good-natured things to his friends. It's not that he doesn't want to be disliked, but he can't help but save his words when he thinks of himself being the one to say them. But the man in front of me now, Wegan, is the one who has the least amount of restraint.

What can you tell me about your people? Who are Lesbon-Filhana, who are these two guys that I think are going to have to negotiate with you?

　When asked, Weigan looked up slightly and chewed the mushrooms in his mouth before answering.

''Well Lesvon is originally from the Southern Kingdom. I've heard that he was a prodigal son and became an adventurer in the form of a runaway. He has a high ability to judge situations, but he tends to get careless on the spur of the moment. The Balkh family has always been a family that excelled in the martial arts, so they are familiar with most of the weapons they handle.

　So I took one of my arms away from him, though.
　Kyousuke was silent as he was about to say it. This was also because it was just a word that he was trying to escape his conscience by saying it out loud.

''As I recall, about thirty years ago, one person from the Balk family joined the Imperial Clockboard Alliance (Dial Knights)........ Filhana knows more about this area than I do.''
What's this Filhana?
'I am from the Empire. The Holy City of Fianderg, I'm told. He is a newcomer to adventuring, but soon became a Gold Ranker. He uses communication magic. I don't know if this is why, but I know the inner workings of the Empire.

　In terms of personality, she's not the type of person who can make decisions that are very adventurous, Wegan continued. Indeed, she's the only one who has never turned her intent to engage us. Maybe it's simply because she doesn't have the ability to fight, but nevertheless, she's moderate.
　As long as that Filhana comes forward, negotiations may become somewhat easier to do.

　But.

Well there was one more, or maybe two more.
Wombat and Rain.

　At the negotiating table, the most important thing to note is the wombat of the sheaf. His arbitrary decision has put Kyousuke and his friends in danger. As a result, Weygun has been captured and Lesbons will be forced to negotiate against him, which looks pretty uncomfortable.

'The Wombats are from the favelas of the Empire. As we all know, he is very meritorious. He knows a lot about monster life, and he wasn't a bad guy among his friends.
So you want me to forgive you?
It's not like that.

　I don't want to go out of my way to chase him down and kill him, but the Inugami will be resentful, and if he's going to mess with me from over there, I'll still have to consider killing him this time.

I'm not sure if I'm going to be able to find out what's going on, but I'm sure I'll be able to find out. It's from the Zelga Gladiatorial Principality, but it seems that he was taken in by the Bulk family as Lesbon's guard. So those two have known each other the longest.
The Lesser Demon caught you by surprise. You okay?
He's got burns all over his body, and he's going to have some marks, but he's alive, and he's recovered well enough to be able to stay on his own.

　Lesvon, Philhana, Wombat, and Rain. These are the remaining adventurers from the other side. I guess this is the kind of information we can get out of them. I don't know how much of an advantage this will give us in negotiations, but it seems to be worth holding on to.
　Wegan continued to provide me with information while talking in whispers, but after a while, the plate was clean and tidy.

'It was good. I appreciate it.
Yeah.

　Kyousuke takes the plate thrust back with a short reply.

'Utsurogi.'

　As Kyousuke stood up and went to wash his plate, Weygun called out to him from behind.

'From the looks of it, there are some of you types who are in a hurry for merit.
Hmm?
You better watch out for that crowsteng.

　Kyousuke tilted his head at the abrupt statement. He didn't quite understand what he was trying to say.

'You guys get along well, you're united for a single purpose, and you have teamwork. But it's only recently that you've had that kind of relationship. Right.
Oh, yeah.
'Then you'd better be careful. Sometimes the things we do for good reasons are cutting something off from the public eye.

　With a sharp, razor-sharp profile, the wizard said just that and began to wash his hands in the wooden tub Azuki had brought with him.
　As Kyousuke was ruminating over Weygun's words, Azuki looked up at him.

'Utsurogi-kun?'
Oh, yeah. What is it, Mitarai?
Would you like me to wash that plate down for you?
Oh, no, no, no. I'll wash this off myself.

　A few steps away, an inconspicuously large tub was filled with plenty of water. Kyousuke scooped the water into a small tub and began to wash the dirt off the plate.

'Be careful, Karasuma...?　Was that guy really that dangerous?

　From the looks of it, though, he looks like a good-natured sycophant.

　Thinking that, Kyousuke was washing off the dirt, but he suddenly stopped his hand.

''Come to think of it.......come to think of it, Koganei was too.

　Kyousuke had been sharing his student life with Yoshiki Koganei ever since he was in his first year of high school. He understood him, he didn't mean to, but still, Kyousuke thought he was his friend.
　Kyousuke didn't know what kind of darkness that friend had in his heart.
　If the same thing would happen to Karasuma this time, what would he do?

　The plate that had been washed and set up to dry.

　Hakuba and Karasuma are scouting the area, while Rin, Kabeano, and Ozashiki are searching for food. Aside from Kyousuke and Weygun, Azuki and Inugami are the only ones left on this gentle hillside. Inugami hadn't shown any signs of returning to his human form since he joined them. I've heard that that form can easily drain energy, but at the moment she's lost her clothes, so it's not good to be back in her human form so gleefully.
　Azuki, who was supposed to be a germaphobe, seemed to be surprisingly fine with touching animals, stroking Inugami's side as she lay in the grass with a big smile, wondering what made her happy. I think Sakuma Shoko did this kind of thing sometimes too. Inugami in his bestial state was rather popular with the girls.

　It was peaceful. His current life was relatively stable.

　But it seemed that we had to be prepared for that to be broken soon.




''In the end, these adventurers aren't much use to us, are they?

　Sink muttered as he looked languidly out the window.

　After all, as for the unicorns and werewolves that escaped, they still hadn't been captured. On the contrary, it seems that the werewolf had joined up with the other denatured monsters that had transitioned to this continent, and one of the adventurers was captured with the haphazard result of being captured. To say that they weren't expecting it from the beginning would be true, but the body was less than expected.
　If that's the case, you would think that it would be better to find out the other party's base and attack them, but the representative of the adventurers, the ship-armed, one-eyed man, forcefully opposed the proposal. He said that his captured comrades would take care of themselves, so he wanted them to stay out of the way until then.

　Honestly, there was no need to go along with it.

　But the purpose of Glenn and Sink's visit to this new continent was not only to capture them.
　As a result, Guren and his team would give the adventurers a certain amount of time. The reason why they didn't bother to make a move on their own was because they wanted to turn the extra power around. However, our business will soon be settled.

'Sinc, I hear they're finally willing to negotiate.
"Hmm.

　Glenn told him, and Sink smiled as he looked out the window.

''You were quite reluctant to do anything but discuss it. At this rate, I'm not sure we can expect much in the way of negotiations themselves.
I don't expect them to make a move on me now. Just promise me you'll be quiet, and that's all that matters.

　In any case, they are nothing more than losers who were defeated by the humans two hundred years ago and forced to live on the frontier.
　However, geographically speaking, the land where the bloods are currently based is on the eastern coastline. If they didn't come to a strict non-warring agreement with the junta, they could be attacked from behind. It's doubtful that they would have been able to benefit from that, but the bloods are very much resented by them.

'I wonder who will be at the negotiating table?
You know. They've lived a long time. I'm sure they're going to get old.

　Is it an ogre, a fox, or a tengu?

They can't tell me what to do. That's why they took the piece of paper out of the bag.

　Glenn said.

　Currently, there were two royal fragments kept by the Blood Clan. They had brought one of them to this new continent. Thanks to this, it was easy to replenish the force. Unfortunately, neither of the king's pieces kept in storage are compatible with the body of the bloodline, so it doesn't directly increase their fighting ability.
　Nevertheless, it is a great advantage when it comes to negotiating in this new continent.

　After nodding at Glenn's words, however, Sink muttered boredly, sounding as if he was predicting the weather.

''I wonder if this matter will be settled by tomorrow.
Yeah. It's time to take a load off your shoulders. Then we'll go hunting.
'Good. I couldn't get out of control and I was bored.

　Sink smiled a bewitching smile that didn't match his young face and picked up the spear that was propped up in the corner of the room. The blade reflected the slightest light, and the metallic sheen illuminated the darkness.
　She was not of the nature to think hard. Long before she was given the title of Knight, Sink looked good wielding a spear and flailing about. It was because he thought she was beautiful in that way that Glenn would want to let her do what she wanted to do.

'Just a little more patience, Sink,'
'Yes, I know. Glenn.

　Still, Sink's mind was apparently already in the middle of a battle.
　As if she couldn't wait, she smiled enrapturedly and softly stroked the spearhead with the tip of her finger.