Tentacle Monster Reincarnation: I Will Protect the Heroines

“————Well then, from this point the heresy trial shall begin.”

——How did it come to this.

Lunch break. I, who was about to eat the bento I had bought the previous day at the Rat’s Variety Shop, was surrounded all around by male students.

No, seriously why, what happened, my understanding can’t keep up—!?

“…Th-this bento is mine, okay?”

I protectively hold the only possible reason for being targeted — the bento with Mr. Rat’s mark. No, it’s really delicious. It has volume with meat and rice, and the vegetable side dishes of the kind I don’t usually eat also moderately delight the tongue.

In truth, lately I’ve been frequenting the Rat’s Variety Shop to buy bento. The nausea before entering? The exasperated face of “…We’re not a bento shop though~”? Who cares; what matters is food expenses.

With the appetite that increased after becoming a Monster Villain, food expenses are seriously dangerous, so having the meal stolen is a matter of life and death. If I can’t eat this, during afternoon classes I’ll keep making my stomach growl the whole time—!

“Haa? Bento doesn’t matter— no wait, it does look delicious; where did you buy it, Shusawa.”

“Chairman! Chairman! Don’t get distracted by food just because you haven’t eaten lunch yet!”

“Eat lunch properly, you guys… If there’s something to talk about let’s do it while eating.”

“Kh… Such sweet words— yosh, councilors, quickly move the desks—!”

“Instant fall in two panels or what, Chairman… Yosh, Shusawa, don’t you run away!”

I wonder, what kind of skit am I being dragged into.

I glance toward Niekawa. What the hell are these guys?

Somehow guys from other classes are also gathered, but honestly with my narrow circle of friends there’s no way I have this many friends.

Noticing my gaze, Niekawa bowed “…Sorry” and immediately pretended to be a stranger. This bastard.

——Well, yeah, the fact that he’s looking the other way means it’s not a talk of being beaten up or something.

If it were that kind of gathering he would have intervened long ago and beaten them down.

Not doing so means at least there’s no danger — and that in itself means it’s troublesome. What should I do; I want to hold the bento and escape from the window.

“————Well then, from this point the heresy trial shall begin.”

“…Ah, yeah, as you like?”

Surrounding desks and everyone eating bento while doing a heresy trial is, even comparing the common sense of previous and current lives, extraordinarily bizarre.

“The problem is the matter of last Sunday. Defendant, don’t you have something that comes to mind?”

Even if you say Sunday.

I mosha-mosha pour sauce on the white-fish fry and devour it. Compared to meat fries it’s a light taste and texture, but this is also good in its own way. The sauce that came with the bento is one that lets you feel the flavor of onion, and even though I’m pouring quite a bit of sauce it doesn’t feel too strong.

Lately I’ve gotten tired of only fried food, but separately I had the desire to eat fried food so it suits my mouth well. What’s this, super delicious; I want to become a child of Mr. Rat’s house…!

“Oi Shusawaa! Don’t concentrate on eating and answer the question! We’re waiting for a reaction without eating over here!”

“No, just eat normally. All your companions are eating.”

“If my stomach is filled I don’t think I can maintain this tension so I refuse…!”

I don’t understand what is driving this unknown male — shall I call him Chairman.

While eating the potato salad side dish, I look back on last Sunday.

It was the day I first entered the Rat’s Variety Shop and received the key for going to the other-space, but there’s no way the Chairman in front of me would know that.

That means it’s something else, I think, but—

“…Frankly nothing comes to mind. That day I went to the front of the station with Leas and Reiko, and nothing special—”

“That’s it, you death-row inmate—!”

“Rank-up from defendant is fast, oi!”

Apparently my one word was a confession of evil deeds sufficient to immediately send me toward the thirteen steps; what the hell.

The gazes of the males who had been watching the developments while eating bento around also grow murderous. What should I do; I seriously don’t understand the reason…!

“You, you, youu… it’s Leas-san, it’s Leas Lot-san, don’t you understand…!?”

“I don’t have the esper ability to understand from only that over here! Explain properly, you guys!”

That day, after having them reimburse the smartphone we just went to a family restaurant together. Nothing special—

“You entered a phone shop together with Leas-san, chatted, even ate a meal together — and on top of that you were bringing a junior girl along, weren’t you!”

—I thought there wasn’t.

According to the Chairman, that itself is special and an unforgivable vice.

But, leaving that aside—

“Don’t say ’on top of that’ about Reiko; she herself doesn’t think she’s a beauty of the same level as Leas, but if the attitude is that blatantly different even she will find it unamusing.”

“Ah, that part I’m sorry; that girl is also cute and I didn’t mean it that way… no you, reverse! Reverse you, which side is the rude one! …Anyway! It’s already confirmed that while dating with flowers in both hands you even had them pay for the smartphone and meal costs! Do you have an excuse, you freeloader bastard…!”

“…Oh shit, I can only think of it that way pretty seriously.”

If you only cut through that part I’m a shitty bastard making those two pay while having flowers in both hands; of course it gets murderous. Which shitty bastard is that; this shitty bastard is that; I feel like holding my head.

“…Chairman, may I defend myself?”

“Hmph, well I’ll allow that much.”

Thankful.

And so I spoke of the events of the other day.

That image data from when the Panty-Flash Monster Villain appeared is circulating on the net, that in the flow of conversation I ended up telling my junior “I saw it,” that I was thoroughly yelled at by a junior who purely supports the Sacred.

Around here the other males are saying “…Hey, isn’t this not a defense but a confession of additional crimes?”; I understand the feeling but please listen to the end.

That I was about to have my smartphone destroyed, that I ran, that Reiko made Leas an ally, that Leas’s hand-chop smashed the smartphone including the cover — that it became a flow of the two reimbursing me because they overdid it.

“I was out for that kind of errand. …Still, I see… somehow I felt the shop staff’s eyes were cold…”

This is absolutely a guy who reached the same conclusion as the Chairman; a guy completely thought to be a shitty bastard…!

What should I do; I feel like I can never go to that family restaurant again.

Perhaps finally pitying me who started holding my head, the surrounding males give kind words of “O-ou, the reason is understood,” “I work part-time there so I’ll explain for you…”. Ah, human kindness sinks into the body!

“…Leaving that aside Shusawa, you’ve been getting along well with Leas-san lately, right. At least enough that that kind of conversation flow happens.”

“Nn? Well from around when I was helped after collapsing, there were several opportunities to talk. From there we talk casually sometimes.”

Talking with Leas not as Atel Octo but as Shusawa Senjumaru has been frequent lately.

I myself have been showing my face casually because I’m worried whether she’s all right, but that side also has been greeting friendly when we meet lately.

“That in itself is enviable! Isn’t Leas-san the type who doesn’t go out to play that much! And yet why only you…!”

“Even if you say that kind of thing…”

At the jealousy rays directed from all directions, I can only be confused.

Of course I understand that Leas is a beautiful girl, and there is even a sense of superiority that she who doesn’t talk much with other males is talking normally with me.

——But well, is this a good opportunity.

There is a sense of superiority, but it can’t be good to leave it like this.

Then, while searching for Leas’s number from the smartphone contacts I declare toward the males including the Chairman.

“If you’re that envious I’ll call Leas and we can eat together. Well she might be busy with helping people or something, and even if I suddenly call she might not be able to come today…”

“Eh, what is that, scary.”

What is that reaction; that side is scarier.

The momentum of the males who were aggressive until earlier rapidly sinks.

“No well… I have a bit of admiration but.”

“Yeah… hey.”

“Um… it’s troubling.”

“Sorry, when I imagined it I got so nervous the taste of the bento disappeared.”

“You guys reek of virginity so much it’s grassy.”

Though I’m also a virgin, show a bit more backbone, you guys.

“No, wait, wait Shusawa. Um, that is — I can’t imagine a future where I can talk in this kind of mood in front of Leas-san. From tension I’ll become a jizo, and if I become a jizo being ignored is the established convention continuing from Ma○o… right? Therefore I want this matter to be ignored…”

“You’re not a raccoon dog; you can’t become a jizo so it doesn’t look like it can be ignored.”

Or rather these guys seriously.

I understood the reason why in the original game’s daily scenes of the Sacred, despite being co-ed, males don’t appear at all. These guys are super cowardly.

Though compared to the types who, while being agitated by Alter or Monster Villains, violate the Sacred in erotic scenes, they are far more good-natured — probably because of this kind of mentality they couldn’t go help even when Leas became tattered.

No — or perhaps, like me if I didn’t have previous-life memories, they ended up thinking “There’s no meaning even if the likes of me intervene.”

Haa, I let out a large sigh.

“Don’t get that nervous; you’re classmates. Rather she said that when she’s there everyone goes silent so she can’t easily get involved; if you invite her for a meal she’ll happily nod as long as she’s not busy.”

Of course if you call out with lower-body desire completely leaking she’ll refuse — but she’s not the type of human who refuses when told “I want to get along so let’s chat while eating.”

From there to lovers is probably difficult considering the main job of Sacred Saber, but becoming friends and chatting casually seems possible for anyone.

“…Eh? No, wait a bit; even if you suddenly say that kind of thing it’s troubling… what is that, is this a flow where from now a jar sales pitch will be done to me…?”

What should I do; it’s not progressing.

While glaring at the flustered Chairman with half-lidded eyes, the figure of a tall girl crossing the corridor came into view.

Fluttering silver hair and a dignified bearing; there’s no way several such humans exist in the same school.

“Oi Leas—! Do you have some errand now—?”

I shout with a voice that resonates in the corridor and wave my hand largely so as to stand out.

“Mu?”

While the surrounding males stiffen, Leas who put on a suspicious expression peeks into my classroom.

“Senjumaru? What on earth is it; unusual?”

“An invitation to eat together. There are guys who want to talk with you.”

“Ba…!? Cho…!? Wait…! Kohyu…!?”

Shut up, who cares.

While looking around at the Chairman and other males who have lost Japanese from surprise and confusion, I lightly beckon.

“…Incidentally if you run away now, Leas will be shocked that ’because of me the lively lunch was ruined.’ She’s self-punishing, that one.”

I quietly tell the males who floated their hips.

At the words of me who has deepened exchange with Leas more than themselves, the males sit back down while dripping oily sweat.

——In this kind of place they are really good-natured.