Somehow, Living Life in Another World is Wrong, as I Expected Ch. 9.2

There are times in life when you realize that things just aren’t going your way. Sometimes, it’s when it rains for no apparent reason, all while you’re out and about with no care in the world. Other times, you stub your toe on the leg of a table that you swear wasn’t there just seconds before.

And in those circumstances, you would curse the world and whatever god was listening for putting you in that situation. I get that. I’ve been there, and I’ve suffered the same fates.

Then, there are those times that make you certain that the world was actively acting against you. Circumstances that seem to twist their way in order to screw you over in particular. Like, going to a massage parlor and ending up dying to a crushed skull via a statue propelled by gravity.

Or, in my case, being dragged back into the mess surrounding Natsuki Subaru despite my best efforts to stay the hell away from it.

The moment Karsten confirmed the storm’s origin, I felt the weight of inevitability press down on me like a physical force. It was as if the universe itself had decided to laugh at my attempts to remain neutral, to stay out of the chaos that followed that kid like a shadow.

And now, here I was, standing in my shop with two Royal Candidates staring me down, both expecting something from me.

Karsten, because she knew damn well I had the means to intervene if I wanted to.

Barielle, because she was enjoying this.

Felt, Rom, and Aldebaran had wisely retreated to the sidelines, watching the scene unfold with varying degrees of amusement and exasperation.

I exhaled sharply, rubbing my temples, "Alright. Let me get this straight, you're telling me that this freak storm is centered around the forest where Natsuki and Emilia are, and you want me to do what? Help you with this?"

Karsten’s expression didn’t waver, "You possess the ability to traverse great distances in an instant. If there is anyone who can reach them before the storm worsens, it’s you."

"And you can’t just go there yourself, because?" I questioned, desperate to not get involved in this. If I knew anything about Natsuki and the messes he was involved in, this was going to be much, much worse than even just the Whale.

"Traveling by land would require us to traverse through the snow, which would be impossible to do so in a timely manner." Karsten nodded, "While the storm is receding, it's still very much possible that whatever is causing it in the first place would be able to do so again. As such, we need to make sure that it can't. If need be, I shall accompany you alongside Ferris and Wilhelm."

I scowled. She had a point, damn her.

The problem wasn’t whether or not I could help - it was whether I should. Getting involved meant stepping back into the mess I’d been trying to avoid. It meant drawing attention, making myself a target, and potentially pissing off forces I had no business tangling with.

Not that I hadn't already dealt with the Cult anyway.

But then again, if I didn’t act, and things went south - really south - I’d have to live with the fact that I could’ve done something and chose not to.

And that, more than anything, pissed me off.

Assuming that I would live that long. If not even the protagonist that was Natsuki and his clairvoyance could stop whatever was going on in Mathers' territory, then I highly doubt we could do anything other than make things worse.

Barielle, ever the instigator, fanned herself lazily, "Oh? Is the great Hikigaya hesitating? How unlike you."

I shot her a glare, "Shut up. I’m thinking."

Karsten crossed her arms, her patience clearly thinning, "Time is a luxury we don’t have. If the Witch Cult is involved-"

"I know." I snapped, "I don’t need you to spell it out for me."

The truth was, I already knew what I was going to do. I just didn’t like it.

With a grunt, I turned and walked toward the back of the shop, ignoring the way Karsten’s posture relaxed slightly, as if she’d already won. Barielle, meanwhile, looked far too entertained for my liking.

Felt, who had been silent up until now, suddenly spoke up, "Boss. You’re really gonna go, huh?"

I was already putting my hands up in preparation, "Yeah."

"Alright, we're coming with you." Felt nodded as if it were a forgone conclusion. This time, my hands froze involuntarily. I lowered them, and set my eyes on the blonde with a glare.

"No."

Felt bristled, her red eyes flashing with defiance, "The hell do you mean, 'no'? You think we're just gonna sit here while you go off into some crazy storm?!"

"Yes." I said flatly, "That's exactly what I expect you to do."

Rom sighed, rubbing his forehead, "Kid's got a point, Hikigaya. If this is as bad as you're making it sound, you shouldn't be going alone."

"Then Karsten, you're coming with me." I shrugged as I effectively shut down the argument. Or at least, that's what should have happened.

"Boss, me and the old man are going with you, and you can't do anything to stop us." Felt crossed her arms and glared back at me, "And if you try and leave without us, we're hopping on the best damn ground dragons we can find and heading out of here."

My eye twitched in annoyance as I glanced towards Rom. With a shrug that I knew meant that he was basically agreeing to Felt's demands,I rubbed the bridge of my nose in annoyance. I could feel the migraine forming once again.

"This is not up for debate. You will stay here, and you will wait. That's it." My words were as firm as I could make it. At this point, I get Felt's feelings on the matter. I didn't feel the same way, but someone like her would hate to be on the sidelines when she could be doing something else.

Couple that with puberty making teenagers more than a little volatile, and I understand her rashness. That only made it even more pertinent that I curb that recklessness before it got her killed.

Well, I say that, but I seriously didn't expect her to grab me by my coat and pull me down to her face.

"Dammit Hikigaya, is it so bad that I just want to help you out for once?!" She shouted straight into my face. I could see the sheer raw emotion in her eyes, and the beginnings of tears at their edges.

"Every time that something like this happens, you think that it's always up to you to fix things. Every. Single. Time." She punched me at every single word at the end. But they weren't her normal punches. They lacked the fire that I associated with her normally.

"I could understand the Bowel Hunter, she was still after you that time. I could even understand the White Whale, cause you were already involved before we found out about it. But now? You think that we're going to leave you to fend for yourself when we're right here?!"

Her grip on my coat loosened slightly, but her glare didn’t waver. The shop had gone eerily quiet, save for the faint tapping of hail against the roof. Even Barielle had stopped fanning herself, her single visible eye fixed on the scene with an unreadable expression.

Rom walked up, his frame dwarfing mine in his shadow. Had I been anyone else, I maybe would have stepped back as he strode with purpose, placing a hand on Felt's shoulder, "We owe you a lot, Hikigaya. You keep saying that we're working here to pay that debt, but that won't ever happen if you run into your own death."

Aldebaran, who had been silent up until now, finally spoke up, his voice tinted with amusement and seriousness in equal parts, "They're right, you know? You don’t have to do everything alone. Even the Princess has servants that do her work for her from time to time."

"Aldebaran." His amusement was short lived as said Princess shot him a glare, before she unceremoniously kicked him in the stomach without saying a word. The one-armed gladiator collapsed in a heap.

Serves him right.

But that doesn't discount his words. I know that I couldn't do this on my own. The Whale, the Archbishops, even Granhiert had proven that time and time again. I wasn't going alone though, I still had Karsten with me, yet as I looked towards the Duchess, I could see a hint of approval in her eyes as she looked at Felt.

Before I could even process it properly, the woman was already speaking, "I must confess, I am heartened to see that you care about Hikigaya's welfare like this. I certainly know that he needs someone to watch over his stupider tendencies."

"Oi, I resent that." My eye twitched in annoyance despite the situation.

"Hush now, you know it is true. That being said, I confess that I am...wary of letting one as young as yourself participate in a potentially dangerous endeavor such as this." Karsten frowned in thought, even as Felt's warily smug face transformed into yet another glare.

"For your information, I'm fifteen right now, more than old enough to fight." Oi oi oi, fifteen is still way too young, you little shit!

"...Truly? Then I must apologize, I was under the impression you were younger." Don't you look surprised at that! Fuck, I forgot that the age of majority here is lower than Earth's! "Very well then, I will tentatively approve of your joining, provided that you can prove capable of defending yourself."

"Psh, I've seen those knights of yours, and I can run circles around those guys with no trouble whatsover." With the possibility of getting her way on the horizon, Felt was getting more and more confident, returning her usual energy. I could still see the unshed tears though, "Plus, Old Man Rom's joining anyway, he can deal with anything I can't."

Wait, that's it.

"Rom, you seriously can't be allowing this, right?" I turned to my last bit of hope. While Felt was still a bit of a wildcard, if Rom were to also say that she wasn't allowed to join, then we can pressure her into staying behind. If nothing else, then I could still argue that Rom and the Karsten camp was more than enough.

Sadly, it was not to be.

"Sorry Hikigaya, I'm sticking with Felt on this one." Don't you look bashful! I know that the only reason you're agreeing with her is cause Felt's looking at you from behind me!

"Are you all serious?" It took a moment for everything to sink in for me. My head was throbbing at this point, "Felt. You don't need to do this. Seriously."

"I don't. But I want to." She nodded resolutely, her fists clenched at her sides. "You're our boss, right? Then let us act like your employees and support you. You don’t get to decide what risks we’re willing to take for you."

I opened my mouth to argue, but the words died in my throat. The sheer determination in her eye left me with no rebuttal. Even Aldebaran, still groaning on the floor from Barielle’s kick, managed a weak thumbs-up in solidarity.

Damn it all.

I exhaled sharply, running a hand through my hair, "Fine. Fine! But you follow my lead, understood? No reckless stunts, no running off alone. If I say we pull back, we pull back. No arguments."

Felt’s grin was instantaneous, her earlier frustration vanishing like mist under the sun, "Yeah, yeah, whatever you say, Boss!"

Rom chuckled, shaking his head, "Good to see you finally coming around, kid."

Karsten, meanwhile, looked almost smug, "I’m pleased we’ve reached an agreement. Time is of the essence, we should depart immediately."

Barielle snapped her fan shut with a decisive click, "How touching. Though, I must say, I find it amusing that you’re all so eager to rush into danger."

"Good for you." I said flatly, "Now get out. I'm closing up the shop."

"Hmph, no. Al, get up. We're joining these fools." With a groan, the gladiator stood up, even as I whipped my head to the last person I expected would want to join us.

I didn't even ask, I just glared at her.

"Surely you're smarter than that, Hikigaya? What kind of caretaker would I be if I ignored a vandal ruining my garden?"

"...I hate all of you."

Wordlessly, I went to the back room to prepare my own gear, even as Felt whooped at her perceived victory. I will regret this, I just know I will.

Right now though, I knew when I was soundly defeated. I just hope that Felt'll be alive for me to tell her 'I told you so'.

…