Before dinner, we talked about the results of the recon at the bonfire.
They don’t need us to tell them when they saw the luggage we brought back but we still talked about it.
Everyone’s reaction is just as expected.
「 I guess it didn’t work out for them 」
Arisa’s thoughts were the same as everyone else.
Team Sasazaki’s defeat wasn’t a shock to our team.
「 Shinomiya-kun, we have too many boy’s uniforms, I’d like to repurpose them as girl’s clothes if you don’t mind 」
Meiko asks while holding the uniform the corpses were wearing until a few hours ago.
「 Sure. I’ll let you handle the uniforms, Meiko 」
「 Thank you 」
The others aren’t feeling sad and they just ruffled through the items we brought back.
「 I don’t like it wet so I’ll hang them for now 」
Shiori packs up the 27 bags and carried them to the lake.
Everything inside the bags got scattered on the floor.
「 We could use this brush for making lacquerware 」
Eri turned her attention to the foundation brushes.
Karin agreed, saying “Nice”
「 Hey, why are there so many condoms in here? 」
Arisa complains about the number of condoms.
「 Don’t boys always prepare condoms normally? 」
Mana asks.
Muscle answered the question.
He spotted it because he was doing push-ups nearby.
Muscle stopped and replied.
「 I don’t know, muscle. However, I always have one with me on standby too 」
Hearing that everyone went “no way?” in surprise.
「 Muscle? You’re not that kind of character! 」
I also retorted excitedly.
Well, it’s understandable if it were me, Tanaka, Kageyama, or Yoshiokada.
We’re not going to prepare for something that won’t ever come.
If it were the Sumeragi siblings, then it’s obvious.
They do it with women like it’s obvious.
However, Muscle’s quite unexpected.
He’s not a background character, but not a popular one either.
He’s basically the muscle.
The type who gets a regular supply of protein.
But, having condoms at hand was a surprise.
「 I’m also a man 」
Muscle continued pushing up after that.
He wasn’t willing to answer in detail and just ignored everyone after that.
No matter how much we questioned him, he just continued doing push-ups with a blank face.
Well, Muscle has a lover if I recall correctly.
I don’t know who his partner is, but I’m sure he had sex with her.
「 We probably have gone through most of the stuff so let’s have dinner 」
We spent the day in moderation to prepare for tomorrow.
◇
December 5, Thursday
The work assignment is different from usual.
After breakfast, it’s time to work.
「 Amane, look after Karin and the group 」
「 Umu, let’s go 」
Karin replied with “Roger”
「 We’re off, Hokage 」
「 Yeah, take care 」
Karin’s leaving the hideout.
The group members are Karin, Amane, Muscle, and Shiori.
Their mission is to go to team Sasazaki’s base.
They’ll retrieve the necessary items from among the goods we didn’t get brought back.
I only brought home the bare minimum yesterday.
「 I’ll be counting on you, guide 」
「 Leave it to me! 」
Kageyama and I are going to the Sumeragi team for recon.
I planned to go with Amane, but we changed our plans on short notice.
Amane’s added to Karin’s group in anticipation of combat.
By enemies, I meant predators.
Team Sumeragi won’t be contesting.
And they have no reason to fight us.
Even if there was a situation, it won’t be a problem if Amane was with them.
「 Ready? Let’s go 」
「 Let’s go! 」
After Amane had left, Kageyama and I left the hideout as well.
◇
On our way to the caves where team Sumeragi’s located.
「 Speaking of which, Shinomiya-san, can I ask your advice on something? 」
Kageyama asked.
He’s making some meek face.
「 Advice? 」
It’s rare for him to consult, but I feel like I have an idea.
「 How do I become popular like Shinomiya-san? 」
「 Huh? 」
That’s so unexpected that I let out a weird voice.
「 I want to be popular too 」
「 But, I thought you and Tanaka were “2D for life!” Don’t you treat anime characters as your waifu? 」
「 That’s just escapism. 2D is indeed wonderful. However, if I were to choose between 2D and 3D, I would choose 3D!
Kageyama said it once and for all.
「 I get that, but I’m not the right person to talk to 」
「 What are you talking about! I’ve never seen anyone as popular as Shinomiya-san! 」
「 Only in this particular environment. I was also a nobody back in Japan 」
Sure, I’m a normie in this place.
No, I’m even better than the normies in this situation.
But that doesn’t mean that I’m overestimating my objective assessment.
The only reason I’m having a good time is that I’m in this world.
I’m not good at making the opposite sex fall for me. I’m sure of that.
「 Sure, you might be a nobody in Japan. But as of now, you’re the best! So I want some advice! If you have any secrets you’ve discovered in this world to make yourself irresistible, I want to know them 」
Kageyama’s earnest.
I can sympathize with him.
Kageyama’s getting impatient.
He’s wondering if he’s going to remain a virgin for the rest of his life.
The commotion and the flurry of deaths from other teams.
Seeing this must’ve raised his sense of urgency.
「 You’ve noticed? Right… 」
I know how that feels, that’s why I’m being accommodating.
But, I don’t want him to be popular here.
I realized it with Yoshiokada’s masturbation incident but I’m not that generous.
Even so, I racked my brains to give him advice.
After some long thinking, I came up with a conventional answer.
「 Women like men they can rely on. I think Eri or someone else mentioned it in the past, but in fact, the women here like me because of my survival knowledge and how reliable I am 」
「 I see! I get it! 」
「 Therefore, I think that the secret to being popular is to become a man women would want to rely on 」
「 Can you give an example? 」
「 I don’t know that either. In my case, they’re relying on my survival knowledge. If it were in school, you could be good at academics or something? 」
「 I see! 」
Then, I ended it with a standard line on this unhelpful advice.
「 However, that’s all useless in front of a good-looking-guy 」
「 Oh no! 」
Even a dull guy like me knows that.
No matter how shitty their personality is, if they have good looks, then they can get women.
Athletic supremacy will only work in elementary school.
From middle school onwards, only your looks are valued.
「 Thank you for teaching me. Just in time, we’ve arrived! 」
We reached the cave of the Sumeragi team.
What awaits us is…the expected scenery.
「 Shinomiya-san, this is… 」
「 Yeah. Another heap of corpses 」
As expected, team Sumeragi also met their demise.
The environment was better than that of the Sasazaki team, but they appear to have it worse.