Part 289 NTR (Second time in 138 episodes)
One year.
During the time the piglets paused their adventure, the game progressed in a scenario reminiscent of a minor character development moment.
1. Attack Power Boost
2. Defense Boost
3. Stamina Enhancement
4. 'Rest (Stress Recovery)'
It seems you can enhance each piglet by selecting from various options.
Still, there's nothing I can do for her right now. — It seems the little red boar has completely abandoned her work and training, happily enjoying her newlywed life with Miss Byakko.
Byakko: "Hehehe. Should I be dinner? A bath? Or... me?"
Red Boar: "Pugii~ pugigii~ (dizzy, dreamy)"
I took her to various date spots, just like that.
Sometimes we'd go to a park where fireflies glowed beautifully.
Sometimes we'd enjoy meals at festival stalls.
Sometimes we'd travel far to watch the aurora.
But the time the two of us managed to get along smoothly was brief.
Bakko: "Hey, you..."
Red Boar: "Huh?"
Bakko: "Why do you always bow so low to the other pigs?"
Red Boar: "I-I mean..."
Byakko: "You're a kind person, but kindness alone isn't dependable. Show me something impressive once in a while."
Red Boar: "I know that, but... if you defy those guys, they'll just beat you up."
Byakko: "So what if they hit you? I'm already laughed at by the neighbors for being married to a pitiful husband."
Red Boar: "What do the neighbors matter? If you have love, then..."
Byakko: "Love alone isn't enough to fulfill one's self-worth."
Red Boar: "B-b-buh-iiii~"
...What is this, some clichéd melodrama script or something...?
And then the story took a sudden turn.
The love between the two, which had nearly faltered.
But it was thought that, once they had a child, everything would be resolved.
That hope, however, was utterly betrayed.
The color of the armor worn by the two infants the midwife had taken up—surprisingly, was yellow.
I couldn't believe my eyes.
I glanced sideways at the "Gambler" person.
I'd noticed all along that they'd been fiddling with a controller over there, clicking away.
"Well, of course—no real man would choose a coward like that."
My suspicion turned into certainty.
「と、トラ子てめえええええええええええええええええええええええええええッ！」
「くけけけけけけけけけけけけけけけけけけけけけけけけけけけけけけけけけけ！」
「席を立てええええええええええええええええええええええええ！ リアルファイトだこらあああああああああああああああああああああああああああ！」
「いやだよおおおおおおおおおおおおおおおおおおおおおん！ べろべろばあ！」
Before I knew it, the game screen displayed the two lovers’ nest, stained crimson with blood.
Red Pig: "…Bakko wasn’t worthy of me. I’ll find a new bride."
With that, Stage 2 began.
The new adventure of the four piglets seemed to center on rescuing Suzaku, located to the south.
As they left the pigsty, the Yellow Pig, acting unusually familiar, draped an arm around their shoulder.
Yellow Pig: "No, really. At first, I tried to be honorable, you know? After all, the Red Pig's been my close friend since forever. But then she insisted so strongly... basically saying that you just couldn't satisfy her. I mean, even though I turned her down twice—no, make it three times—I still held firm. Steel willpower, you know? No matter how beautiful she is, a fickle woman like that? I’d rather not have her. But after thinking it over, I started to realize maybe the Red Pig isn’t entirely blameless. You know, when you think about it—aren’t you the type who doesn’t really pay attention to details? Did you notice the little changes in Bakkon-chan? Did you ever praise her regularly? Like, say, the way her nails looked prettier lately, or how her hairstyle changed? You didn’t say anything, did you? Yet you were quick to comment on things like her getting a little heavier. Did you know she actually gets all soft-hearted over a single flower? Or that she gets genuinely happy even from a clumsy letter? You didn’t notice that, did you? That’s the kind of thing, you see. No matter how much you try, romantic relationships can never be guaranteed forever. But hey, that’s okay. Let’s all head out together again to hunt down the wolf tribe. But this time, I’ll be the one the princess chooses. Wahahaha!"
という、ものすごい長台詞がハイスピードで展開しています。
……これ絶対、ゲーム作者の実体験かなんかだろ。
「はぁぁああああああああああああああああああああ～……」
私は奈落に落ち込むように深いため息を吐いて、コントローラーを握り直しました。
大丈夫。
たぶん、今のはゲーム的なイベント。
If I may make a meta-level deduction, whoever ends up with Miss Byakko is likely to have her taken away by one of the other three eventually.
Otherwise, the story would just end here.
In other words, the initiative is still firmly in our hands.
Guiding the "happy" red pig, whose happiness level is as low as the depths of hell, we headed once more toward "Chūō Town."
While I was absorbed in my new marriage, the other three seemed to have undergone considerable training—everything from their movement speed to their overall performance was clearly superior to mine.
Their demeanor was as if they were saying, "Happiness corrupts."
"Wait up, everyone~!"
"No way. The next princess is mine to devour."
At this point, I'd even begun to think, "Well, I suppose that's just how it is."
Now that I've confirmed NTR expansion is possible, there's no need to go about claiming every girl through straightforward means.
Besides, I doubt my character will catch up to everyone else in this stage... So focusing on restoring happiness might be the right move.
Of course, I won't hand over the princess without a fight.
With the typing speed I've honed through online forum battles, I sent a private chat to Aizuki Miyoi.
'The next princess is yours to take.'
After a brief pause, Mihito responds.
'Got it. Leave it to me.'