Konbini Ossan Volume 4 Chapter 13 — Hero vs Hero
On our way to the dining hall, Kanehama began explaining the situation.
“It was Yuuki who first noticed something was off. He realized more and more classmates were suddenly skipping mandatory training.”
Mandatory training — one of the programs the palace enforces on the summoned heroes. It’s their combat training.
Along with that, they’re drilled in classroom lessons and etiquette, and when needed, they’re dispatched across the kingdom as heroes.
That’s the daily routine I’d heard about from Matsuriya, of Matsugaya High.
Strictly speaking, it’s not much different from a school system, which probably made it easier for them to accept.
Daily lessons and etiquette classes are like academics, the training is their physical education, and hero dispatches are like seasonal school events.
And since they accepted it, most heroes followed along.
But one day, that changed.
“That’s when Yuuki figured there had to be a cause, so he started digging around. Then he noticed something else strange.”
“Something else?”
“Yes. Several palace staff were suddenly acting… uncooperative, in unnatural ways.”
“Unnatural? How unnatural are we talking about?”
“They’d openly grimace, or abruptly steer the conversation somewhere irrelevant. And though it was obvious they were hiding something, they all acted strangely confident about it.”
I see. That is indeed unnatural.
Normally, people hide things better than that. And if they can’t, they get nervous and show it.
But these palace staff were clumsy in hiding things yet oddly bold about it. Either they had nerves of steel— or were simply idiots.
Still, that kind of case is rare. And to have several people acting the same way? It’s hard to believe they’re all fearless or fools.
“Of course, Yuuki suspected someone else’s involvement and gathered more information. Eventually, he easily figured out who was behind it.”
“And who might that be?”
“One of our classmates. A fellow summoned hero — Takashi Naitou.”
Even when he said the name, I couldn’t immediately recall who that was.
“You don’t remember? He stands out quite a bit. Gray hair, a lip piercing — that guy.”
Now that he mentioned it, I vaguely remembered someone like that.
“Naitou’s skill is called «Brainwashing and Domination». It lets him take control of anyone who makes eye contact, turning them into slaves who’ll obey any order.”
Once I heard the nature of the skill, the situation started to make sense.
“I see. So the palace staff were controlled by Naitou’s skill, and that’s why they changed.”
“Exactly.”
Kanehama nodded and went on.
“According to Yuuki’s investigation, those palace people acting strange — and our classmates too — had all recently gotten unusually close to Naitou.
…
Back in our world, he was a delinquent and a total outcast, so there’s no way he suddenly built friendships that easily. Yuuki figured he must’ve used his skill.”
Kanehama’s reasoning made perfect sense. Someone despised by everyone doesn’t suddenly become popular overnight.
No matter how much they reform, the weight of the past doesn’t disappear that easily.
And yet, this Naitou kid suddenly had more friends — while possessing a cheat skill like «Brainwashing and Domination».
The circumstantial evidence couldn’t be darker.
“But Yuuki couldn’t figure out more than that. He didn’t know what Naitou was planning by gathering people and making them skip training.
…
We also don’t know how dangerous it might be.”
Well, that can’t be helped. There’s nothing concrete to go on, and confronting him directly could backfire.
Since Naitou hasn’t made any openly hostile moves, acting carelessly might stir up a hornet’s nest.
“So, that’s why Yuuki decided we needed to band together — the classmates who haven’t been brainwashed yet.
…
He first talked to me, Youta, and Saori. From there, the four of us started recruiting others and formed an anti-Naitou group.”
“I see. I understand the situation now.”
I nodded thoughtfully at Kanehama’s explanation, then asked another question.
“I’d like to confirm something. Are there any factions other than yours and Naitou’s?”
“No. Just ours and his. We call his side the Naitou Group.”
“And ours is the Kanehama Group!”
“Hey, Youta. I told you not to call it that.”
Toudou cut in cheerfully, earning an elbow from Kanehama. He just shrugged and went quiet again.
“There are also a few who haven’t joined either side. For example, Nanakamado-san — she’s neutral. We tried to invite her, but she turned us down flat.”
Kanehama mentioned the name casually, but it made me flinch. That’s not someone I wanted to hear about.
Most likely, she refused because she didn’t want to serve under anyone.
And just like that, while we were talking, we arrived at the dining hall.
“Well, here we are.”
Kanehama said, leading the way inside.
I followed after him — to learn more about the circumstances surrounding the heroes, and to strengthen my connection with them.
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E/N:
Saw this coming from the start of Volume 1! The Goddess is so incompetent, who tf gives mind control powers to a delinquent, evil bastard?!
Stay tuned!
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