317 — Neighbors

Recap from last time!

Demon King: "You were comrades all along!"

(；・`д・´) W-W-WHAT WAS THAT?! (`・д´・ (`・д´・;)

Comrades?

A type of surname.

Yes. That’s correct, but not the meaning here.

Comrades?

Those who do the same things.

Those of the same rank, occupation.

Those of the same kind.

Each slightly different, but mostly overlapping in meaning.

In essence, things that stand side by side.

Are we standing side by side?

Honestly, in terms of combat capacity, we are not.

I stand apart. The others are far below.

In that sense, calling us comrades is difficult.

Yet, in terms of sharing the same goal, we are indeed standing side by side.

If that’s the case, then… were we really comrades?

What a thing to think.

I never thought I’d have allies since my previous life—yet here I am, already surrounded by comrades!

Eh…

Eh…?

How exactly am I supposed to interact with comrades?

Teach me, wise one!

"Shiro’s frozen and not returning. This won’t work. The concept of friendship came too early for Shiro. Effort and victory should’ve accumulated, yet still nothing."

"Um…?"

"Lars-kun. Shiro may look mature, but emotionally, he’s still a child. Don’t be fooled by appearance or demeanor. When Shiro acts illogically, it’s usually because he’s trying to suppress something inconvenient through force. Right? Sounds like a child, doesn’t it?"

"Y-yes…"

"So when you think it’s unacceptable, don’t just voice an opinion—reprimand him. Otherwise, no improvement will ever happen."

"Reprimand him? Me?"

"Sophia, you're that kind of person. You're the only one I can rely on. Do your best."

"Wait a minute! What was that? What was that about!?!"

It's noisy, but right now I'm intensely analyzing the situation with the companion—so please be quiet.

Hmm, the companions I know are about like game allies, that's all!

So, if I feel like it, I'll fondle them. If I get annoyed, I'll kick them away.

That being the case, I considered petting the Vampire Child's head affectionately, but seeing it squirming like a caterpillar and screaming, I got annoyed and kicked it instead.

"Why was I kicked now!? Hey! Why!?"

Noisy.

That's just how companions are, isn't it?

"Something fundamental seems to have gone wrong in Shiro's mind, but oh well."

"Ariel, please don't just abandon it there."

"Never mind that!"

"Never mind that!?!"

The Demon King and Oni-kun are engaged in a routine exchange, as if performing a comedy sketch.

Yet the Demon King, one of the two, wears a serious expression.

This appears to be a matter of genuine importance.

"Shiro, what do you think of this?"

The Demon King asked, indicating the monitor with his chin.

The serious expression was enough to signal to Oni-kun and the Vampire Child that this was not trivial.

They adjusted their focus, turning their gaze toward the monitor.

...The Vampire Child remained in its worm-like state.

"Where is the issue here?"

Oni-kun had been scanning the text on the monitor for some time, but failed to discern what the Demon King found problematic.

The Vampire Child, despite its inflated pride, did not voice confusion—yet the expression on its face suggested it understood nothing.

"There is a serious issue."

The Demon King stared at the text, appearing genuinely perplexed.

What was written there resembled a diary—Potimas’s diary.

The text suggested the man had been meticulous, recording daily events without omission.

It was merely a matter-of-fact summary of occurrences each day—so whether it qualified as a diary was questionable.

There was little in the way of personal reflection.

Occasionally, notes resembling research observations were included—but those were rare.

The overall tone conveyed no emotion from the writer—thus, it lacked the quality of a true diary.

However, the portion displayed by the Demon King was unusual: it contained words that revealed Potimas’s emotions.

Contained within were urgency.

And doubt.

— Sudden, significant drop in total MA energy observed. Cause unknown. Dimensional quake detected simultaneously by our instruments; possible correlation, but cannot confirm at this time. Clear anomaly. No such incident recorded since system activation. System malfunction? Is safety guaranteed within this world? Unknown. Restricted from leaving the planet by Guriédistidies, but preparation for escape may be advisable.

Hmm.

That event.

The one involving the previous-generation Hero and the prior-generation Demon King.

Attempted dimensional magic interference, failure occurred, classroom in Japan exploded.

This is the diary from the time that event triggered the reincarnation of us reincarnates.

Thanks to what those fools caused, we reincarnates were born into this world, and the Demon King became the Demon King in order to secure the M-A energy that vanished as collateral.

The Vampire Child and Oni-kun already know the gist of the incident, so reading this won’t surprise them.

That’s why they’re confused—why the Demon King is concerned about this.

But it’s a major issue.

Because this was written by Potimas.

“What? You’re saying Potimas didn’t incite the Hero and the Demon King?”

Yes.

That’s correct.

If Potimas is this surprised by the event caused by the previous Hero and the prior Demon King, then the true mastermind must be someone else.

Huh?

You think the previous Hero and prior Demon King acted on their own?

How could someone who doesn’t even understand the system’s fundamentals do something like that?

There is always someone who taught them about the system.

Otherwise, a person with no knowledge could not have reached that classroom beyond space and time.

Even Potimas had not noticed D’s existence.

...By this point, the culprit is obvious.

The Demon King should know.

He simply refuses to admit it.

"That’s right. All of it is my responsibility."

A voice, foreign to this place, echoes.

The figure appearing through spatial displacement is exactly as expected.

The administrator of this world, clad as if in black armor.

Black. Guryiedistadies. That person.