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I body slammed the door for a while and considered picking the keyhole, but that effort didn’t bear fruit. 

(Aah, I failed here…) (Souma)

Even when knowing it is pointless, regret controls my thoughts. 

Now that I think about it, this room was clearly suspicious, so I shouldn’t have touched anything carelessly. In the first place, I should have been on guard the moment I thought this didn’t look like a crafting room. I should have left Ringo outside at the very least. 

This is after the fact, but having left the key was a minus. 

Even if I didn’t plan on using it, I thought that they might try to lead me into using it if I were to bring it with me. 

Since I am not going to be using it, I thought it would be safer to leave it behind, but it looks like that was the mistake. 

(What should we do…?) (Souma)

The worst part about this is that this place ‘isn’t a place meant to trap the Player’.

If this were the usual malicious trap of the Nekomimi Neko staff, the way to escape would be hard to get or be ill-natured, but there would definitely be one. 

But this is a countermeasure for when thief NPCs invade. 

I don’t know if thieves actually enter your house, but this is a joke room that was made with that intention in mind. 

In other words, there’s a high chance it was not made with the possibility of escaping by your own means. 

“We might have to wait for help…” (Souma)

Saying this, I laid down sideways. 

I am glad this happened when I have a lot scheduled. 

We left so many flashy traces behind. 

People from the castle will come here to capture me, and there’s also my duel promise with Hisame tomorrow morning. 

There’s also the faint possibility that the Bounty Hunting Guild might have prepared the money and someone from there comes or Poison-tan.

(Whichever the case, there’s no need to worry.) (Souma)

Thinking that far, I felt a bit relieved.

If we were to get confined here, we wouldn’t be able to do much of anything. 

But if I switch my way of thinking here, you could call it a break that suddenly came to us. 

For now, it doesn’t seem like there’s any traps aside from not being able to get out, and there’s no signs of anything attacking us from the outside. 

Depending on your perspective, this could be considered the safest place in this mansion.

I face back to tell my companion about this conclusion.

“Ringo, help will definitely come, so there’s no need to worry—ah, no, it is nothing.” (Souma)

Even without telling her anything, Ringo was sitting somewhere close without showing much worry, staring at space, so I just decided to not say anything. 

Now that I think about it, the Princess Shermia in the game would not move for several hours. Not only that, she would even pass a whole day without saying a single word.

Passing hours of doing nothing must be right in her alley. 

(Then, I will do what I can too.) (Souma)

I brought out Master Torch and a whole lot of weapons, and then rolled Master Torch on the ground and took a stance with my weapon.

How many hours have passed since we were locked up here? 

Fortunately, the cooler box I bought at the Item Shop has a number of provisions and beverages, so there’s no issues with food. The oxygen problem I was internally worrying about doesn’t seem to be an issue for now. 

(But there’s nothing to do…) (Souma)

Can’t really call it a break if it is simply boring. 

Single-mindedly hitting Master Torch will eventually bore me, and even if I want to test out the results of it, my skills are currently sealed. 

It may not be the case for Ringo, but for me, not saying a single word in this place is pretty rough. 

“…Hey, Ringo…” (Souma)

Unable to endure, I finally spoke to Ringo who has not moved an inch to the point that it made me worry if she was dead. 

“…?” (Ringo)

Looks like she is not dead.

The face of Ringo faintly moved this way. 

“Aah, uhm, it is just, you see…” (Souma)

I noticed that I didn’t think about what to say to her.

I tried thinking about a conversation topic, and then, I remembered. 

Our conversation before about the origins of my knowledge was interrupted at the part where Ringo said ‘game’.

“Uhm, what we talked about before. About why I know a variety of things and if you have an interest in that.” (Souma)

“…None.” (Ringo)

I was about to connect that to the talk about ‘game’, but I got an unexpected response which made me stop my words there. 

“You have no interest? Stuff like why I have strange knowledge…or where I came from?” (Souma)

“…Not really.” (Ringo)

It is not like that’s definitely the case, but it felt as if she said she had no interest in me, and that was a bit shocking. 

That’s why, even though I didn’t have the intention to…

“Uhm…you wouldn’t think anything of me returning to my homeland?” (Souma)

I ended up throwing her such an ill-natured question.

But Ringo didn’t falter. 

“I will come with you.” (Ringo)

She said straight on. 

I honestly wasn’t expecting her to answer this fast. 

But in order to go to my homeland, you would have to cross the walls of the world.

That’s most likely thicker and taller than Ringo thinks. 

That’s why I changed my question.

“But my homeland is really far away, and it is a place where your common sense until now wouldn’t work at all.” (Souma)

“I will follow.” (Ringo)

Her answer didn’t shake at all. 

I was more worried than anything about this. 

“If I am the only one who can go back and you can’t follow me?” (Souma)

A small pause happened before she answered this one. 

“…I will search for you.” (Ringo)

But the essence of the answer hasn’t changed at all. 

That’s basically you following me still. 

I add a question.

“If you can’t find my homeland?” (Souma)

“Search more.” (Ringo)

How stubborn.

 “If you can’t find me even after searching the whole time?” (Souma)

“Search until I do.” (Ringo)

How incredibly stubborn. 

“If my homeland is somewhere that definitely cannot be found?” (Souma)

“Search until I die.” (Ringo)

She finally ended up throwing her whole life into it. 

“Sorry. That’s all.” (Souma)

I sighed. 

She sounds like a spoiled child. 

Well, Ringo’s life experience is technically around 3 days. 

I am sure her one-sided values will be corrected little by little. 

Thinking this, I forcefully convinced myself. 

I forcefully convince myself like that. 

I fell silent, and this time around, Ringo was the one who asked me a question. 

“…Are you…returning to your homeland?” (Ringo)

A really straightforward question fitting of Ringo. 

I thought about it for a bit and shook my head to the sides. 

“I won’t return…for now, that is.” (Souma)

Hearing what I said, Ringo stayed silent for a while. 

But…

“…Good.” (Ringo)

After saying that, she didn’t move anymore like a statue. 

A while after, Ringo approached me. 

“Did something happen?” (Souma)

When I asked this, Ringo showed a somewhat strained atmosphere despite being expressionless.

“Souma, you…” (Ringo)

And tried to say something to me. 

“What is it about me?” (Souma)

Ringo didn’t continue, so I asked back in wonder, and she made a slightly flustered expression and averted her gaze. 

That gaze of hers falls onto my hand. 

“…Is that…preparation for your duel?” (Ringo)

“Eh? Y-Yeah, you are half-right.” (Souma)

I was surprised at how she threw the topic in all of a sudden, but I noticed that I haven’t explained what the Master Torch is to Ringo. 

Of course she would think it strange if I were to endlessly hit this without any explanation at all. 

Since there’s the chance here, I explained about how this is an item to train your weapon proficiency and how strong it is against Hisame who I plan on fighting. 

“…Can you win?” (Ringo)

After Ringo listened to everything, she made the natural question. 

I take out a magic gem from my pouch before I answer her question.

“I think I can win if I use this.” (Souma)

What I showed her after saying this was the normal gem that I bought at the Item Shop. 

This gem that has mid rank attack magic in it doesn’t look so reliable as to defeat Hisame at all. 

Ringo must have thought the same.

“…Any plan B?” (Ringo)

She asked.

Hisame has almost complete resistance to all 4 elements.

Would a gem that you can buy in the store really be effective against Hisame? 

This question is natural as well. 

But I obviously have thought properly about this. 

No need to hide this. Even our orichalcum armor has resistance to all elements. 

The further you go into the story, the more enemies and characters that are resistant to all elements.

In the latter half, there will only be monsters with resistance to all elements or absorb them, so the mages would equip two element specialization ring I, and with their -40% modifier, they would attack the enemy that absorbs the element. It is that kind of nonsensical strategy. 

Well, even with that, it only deals 40% the normal damage, so it is still a pretty muscle-brained strategy. 

I got a bit out of topic there, but what I mean is that I have taken into consideration the resistance of the other party when I decided I will be using this gem. 

I said with full confidence.

“Of course, if I shoot it at her straight on, it would not work. But I plan on shooting this spell…there.” (Souma)

“…Up?” (Ringo)

Ringo said this after seeing me point at the ceiling. 

I nod.

“Yeah. Spells aren’t always just to lower the HP of the opponent. I plan on striking…at her weak point with this spell.” (Souma)

…That’s right. 

What I am trying to do wouldn’t work on anyone aside from Hisame. 

The weak point of Hisame I learned of in the game, her high movement speed, and the reality that she is equipped lightly in order to lower her weight to the very limits. 

With those factors considered, a chance finally shows up for once. 

I thought of talking in more detail about it, but I wouldn’t really call it a fair-and-square method. 

I decided to just keep it vague for now. 

“Well, this is a simple plan that anyone would be able to come up with by thinking a bit. What’s important is how to hit with those attacks. In order to do that…” (Souma)

That’s where I look at the stick in my hand. 

“I really gotta hit this.” (Souma)

I returned to my job of being taught by Master Torch. 

 

“Night passed, huh.” (Souma)

In the end, even when the day passed and morning came, no one had come to save us yet. 

Last night I brought out camp tools and set up a tent. 

I was questioning camping in a room, but it was more comfortable than I thought, so I couldn’t complain. 

That said, I don’t know if it is a mental thing, but I couldn’t sleep that much. It is at times like this that I end up having weird dreams. 

The dream I saw at dawn when I was dozing off was crazy, and I ended up waking up completely because of it. 

The dream was about Hisame coming at me naked…

“I will show you my side that I have never shown anyone else.” (Hisame)

Is what she would whisper into my ear.

This is something I can’t tell Ringo about. 

By the way, this is also said in the game as well, and she will tell you this once you stay with her in the same room after marriage. 

Despite the event being so rare, it is very popular, and it is ranked within the 10 most erotic phrases in Nekomimi Neko. 

Of course, I haven’t done the marriage event, so I have not heard it directly myself, but the screen would fade out to black and it would be morning after, so it is not like anything really happens. 

Also, I know why I got a dream like this. 

One of the reasons is of course because of my duel with Hisame today. The remaining one is because…

“This person here…” (Souma)

It is Ringo who is clinging to me while sleeping. 

It is not like she is touching me all over, but Ringo didn’t want to leave my side more than usual last night. 

She probably couldn’t sleep because of being locked up in this room which stressed Ringo little by little.

But I can understand that feeling of hers painfully well. 

(Will help really come?) (Souma)

Even though I thought I was completely composed here, I ended up lowering my head faint-heartedly. 

Now that I think about it, this Nekomimi Mansion is the worst fortress that the Nekomimi Neko staff created with all their maliciousness. 

Normally, the only ones who can move freely in this house are us two since we are the owners. 

Even the owners end up like this if we lower our guards, so I can’t even imagine what the people outside would be experiencing. 

(Maybe we really won’t be able to get out of here for the rest of our lives.) (Souma)

Just when I was about to be overcome by those pessimistic thoughts…

*Knock Knock*

I certainly heard a faint knocking sound.

I immediately jumped up and ran to the door. 

I shout out loud for help. 

“Someone! Is someone there?! We are here! We are locked up! Please help us!!” (Souma)

I stick to the door and say all that in one breath. 

But there was no response. 

Was the knocking just now my imagination? 

The moment I began feeling uneasy about it…

*Knock Knock*

A knocking sound from the door. 

Could it be that they can’t hear us from here? 

No, it could also be the opposite. 

“C-Can you hear me?! The key is in the living room of the 1st floor! If you use that…” (Souma)

I placed my chips on the possibility that they can hear us, and shouted this. 

There really is…no response. 

Is my voice really reaching? 

I was being overcome by impatience and uneasiness, and time slowly passed. 

But after a while…

*Click*

I heard the sound of a key being inserted into the keyhole. 

Looks like they really could hear us from their side. 

(Yay!) (Souma)

I didn’t say it out loud, but simply pumped my fist. 

And then, finally…

*Clack*

The door that was trapping us in was unlocked.

It slowly opened.

Who was the one who saved us? 

My main objective, the Knight Order that came to apprehend me? 

Hisame who couldn’t wait for our duel this morning?

Or Poison-tan who has come as an emissary for the guild? 

The knights, Hisame, or Poison-tan, huh. 

While I was watching with expectation and gratitude, the one who showed up at the other side of the door was…

—*Grin*

This is the moment when I thought: Bears these days are really proficient. 

And after such an eventful time, the duel against Hisame has come once again. 

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