Can someone in MyGo stay in an adventure group forever?

Page 24

They vary in size and angle, some are clear and some are blurry, but the main character is the same in every case—Toyokawa Shoko.

A focused profile during class, a silhouette on the way home from school, tuning an instrument in the classroom, and even some photos that look like they were secretly taken from a distance... These photos are densely strung together with bright red threads, covering the entire wall like a spider web.

In the latest photos, she has even changed into Yuuki's school uniform.

So it was an agent from the Moon Forest... I was careless...

Without hesitation, Koshimura Sawa pressed the switch on the wall again.

The blinding white light vanished instantly.

The living room was once again enveloped in the dim glow of the floor lamp, obscuring the wall in heavy shadow, as if the terrifying scene from just moments ago had been nothing but an illusion.

Koshimura's gaze passed over the sea of ​​instant noodle containers, packaging bags, and beverage bottles piled on the ground and landed on Nagasaki Motoyo, who was sitting on the sofa.

She remained frozen in place, still in the posture she had just tried to use to stop him. Her cheeks, ears, and even neck instantly turned as red as a boiled shrimp, and it seemed as if tangible steam was rising from the top of her head. Even her eyes lost focus and became chaotic mosquito coil-like shapes.

"It's over...it's over..." she repeated mechanically in a low voice.

The air was eerily still, with only the two of them facing each other.

"Haha, actually I sometimes can't help but secretly take pictures of other people..." Koshimura Sawa laughed.

【Jeong-yeon 言。】

How could you say that? I've captured and carefully appreciated every single frame of Hatsune Miku crawling in the shadows of the hen.

That's quite good at holding stones.

"Ahem—" Seeing that Nagasaki Motoyo still didn't react, he cleared his throat, took a few steps to stand in front of the sofa, bent down slightly to look her in the eye, and showed what he thought was a very kind smile.

"It's okay. Although everything is difficult at the beginning, we have to start..."

"If we don't take action because we're afraid, the problem will never be solved."

It's like talking about garbage, but it's also like talking about something else entirely.

As for the photos that covered an entire wall, he had selectively ignored them.

Koshimura Sawa casually grabbed something from beside the sofa.

"Come on, let's start with this!"

Wait, what's this feel like?

It feels soft to the touch, like a piece of fabric.

He subconsciously rubbed the smooth fabric in his hands, then stiffly looked down.

Black, and it's lace...

I'm so awesome!

[A. Twist it, lick it, soak it]

B. Bury your nose in and let it pierce your lungs.

C. Pretend nothing happened and secretly slip it into your pocket.

Auntie? QQ?

Are you kidding me?

Under Nagasaki Motoyo's shocked gaze, his hand trembled but firmly raised the black fabric, and he slowly leaned closer... burying his face in it.

—He took a deep breath.

Chapter Twenty-Five: My Confession

“My confession,” Yuecun Ze read aloud, his voice clear and resonant, his eyes filled with remorse.

"On April 27, 2020, I commented on Ms. Motoyo Nagasaki's weight gain—"

"No need to shout so loudly!" Nagasaki Motoyo's broken voice came from the sofa as she curled up into a ball, burying her face in her knees.

It seems that Ms. Nagasaki has completed the second industrial revolution, evolving from a steam princess to an internal combustion princess, with steam rising from her head almost forming a mushroom cloud.

Wait, a mushroom cloud?

This is really Nagasaki.

"Don't worry, Nagasaki-kun, I would never tell anyone that you secretly took pictures of others and hung them all over a wall!"

"Hasn't it already been told?!" Nagasaki Motoyo was even more devastated, her pointed ears, which had already turned into an elf-like shape, were so red they were almost dripping blood.

So, is the trope of revealing one's true form when emotionally agitated universal?

"If all else fails..." Koshimura gritted his teeth, looking down, "the only option is an equal exchange, give me mine too—"

"Who wants that kind of thing?!" Nagasaki Motoyo angrily grabbed something from the side and threw it at him.

Koshimura felt something soft and slightly elastic being precisely applied to his face, blocking his view, and carrying a fragrant scent.

The world is quiet.

Koshimura Sawa raised his hand, ripped the stuff off his face, and held it up to his eyes.

Black.

The pattern... this style...

Is it a matching set?

He calmly folded it and politely handed it to Nagasaki Motoyo.

"Nagasaki-kun, please don't litter like this anymore. It's very unhygienic."

"Woo——!!!"

A whimper of extreme shame escaped Nagasaki Motoyo's throat, and she looked like she was about to cry.

She grabbed the plastic broom next to her and shoved it into Yuecunze's arms like a bomb, her voice trembling with tears:

"You...you go clean the second floor! The first floor...I'll take care of the first floor!!!"

"Yes, sir!" Upon receiving the imperial decree, Yuecun Ze stood at attention, saluted, and fled as if escaping.

------

The huge floor-to-ceiling windows let in the neon lights of the night. Perhaps because it is not used often, there is significantly less trash on the second floor than on the first floor; there are only some dusty debris that need to be cleaned.

Koshimura leaned against the glass railing on the second floor, looking down at Nagasaki Motoyo.

She was facing away from him, struggling through the pile of trash in the living room. Her movements were somewhat clumsy, but she was diligently sweeping up the debris with a broom, occasionally bending down to pick up trash and stuff it into the bag next to her.

Immediately afterwards, she seemed to have accidentally stepped on something's packaging bag and slipped and fell to the ground.

...Let's go down and help her later.

He picked up the garbage bag, now full of waste and dust, tied a knot, and casually tossed it into a corner of the corridor. Wiping the sweat from his brow, he pushed open the door to the next room.

What comes into view is a striking floor-to-ceiling window and an outrageously large bed.

A spacious sofa, an elegant wardrobe, and various expensive cosmetics displayed in front of the dressing mirror.

Alas, capital!

After looking at the room, which had no girlish atmosphere at all, for a while, Koshimura Sawa belatedly realized that this seemed to be Nagasaki Motoyo's bedroom.

So how exactly did you go from a divorced wealthy woman to a gloomy, reclusive girl?

He immediately stepped outside and shouted through the glass railing to the figure battling the trash below:

"Nagasaki-san! Do you need to tidy up your own bedroom?"

A muffled reply came quickly from below: "Check if there's anything you can throw away... I'll come over in a bit..."

Having obtained entry permission, Koshimura once again stepped into the girl's private space with a clear conscience.

Come to think of it, he's never been inside a girl's room before.

[Fun fact: Only male chefs would care about this]

Really? Why are you telling me this...?

The bed was made neatly, without a single wrinkle.

He subconsciously reached out and wiped the dust off the bed sheet.

The case is solved; it turns out it hadn't been used for a long time.

So where do you usually sleep? On the sofa?

Koshimura Sawa imagined it for a moment and felt that Nagasaki Motoyo was indeed capable of doing such a thing.

Why are there so many crumpled pieces of paper in this trash can?

He took out the already full garbage bag, tied it, pulled out a new bag from the one he had brought and put it in, then straightened up, his gaze inadvertently sweeping across the bedside table.

An upside-down wooden photo frame stands quietly on the counter.

As if possessed, Yueyi reached out and flipped it over.

The framed photo contains a picture of a much younger Nagasaki Motoyo, whose hair is tied up with a headband. She is smiling brightly and nestled in the arms of a woman with a similarly gentle smile and graceful demeanor. The background appears to be a park, bathed in perfect sunlight.

However, the right half of the photo was roughly torn off, leaving an irregular mark, which made this originally heartwarming photo less so.

"You saw it."

A voice so calm it was almost devoid of emotion suddenly rang out behind Koshimura Sawa.

Koshimura Sawa shuddered, nearly dropping the photo frame, and suddenly turned around—

Nagasaki Motoyo stood silently at the bedroom door, her face still bearing the fine sweat that may have been left from cleaning, but her expression was unusually calm.

She slowly walked in, her gaze falling on the photo frame in Koshimura Sawa's hand.

She came to his side, gently took the photo frame from his hand, and ran her fingertips over the gentle smiling face of her mother in the photograph. Then, she silently walked to the bedside, sat down, and with her palm, very slowly and very carefully, wiped the dust off the glass of the photo frame, as if she were cleaning a fragile treasure.

Do you believe that sincerity exists in this world?

Her voice was soft and flat, as if she had never expected an answer.

"...Koshimura-kun, actually...my mother passed away a long time ago."

what?

A cold sweat broke out on Koshimura Sawa's forehead.

No, why did you suddenly start telling stories?

Motoyo Nagasaki's gaze remained fixed on her mother's smile in the photograph.

“She was a registered professional in the Adventurers’ Guild, and like me… a priest.” Her fingertips traced her mother’s cheek in the photo. “Although she didn’t join an adventurer’s group, as a high-ranking professional, her income and… that man’s income was enough for us to live a comfortable life.”

“From childhood to adulthood, we have always been the model family in other people’s eyes. I have loving parents and a happy life. Even though they are very busy with work, they still often make time to be with me.”

“I thought this kind of life would continue like this.” Her gaze drifted slightly, as if recalling that hazy time. “Once we’ve saved enough money, we’ll buy a house that’s truly our own in Tokyo… I’ll transfer to a school here, go on to higher education, get a job… get married with our parents’ blessing, have children, and live… a happy life.”

Her voice paused for a moment, trembling almost imperceptibly.

"Until that day, Mom... remained forever in the void."

"Do you know how she died?" Nagasaki Motoyo suddenly smiled and looked at Koshimura Sawa.

Koshimura met her empty eyes, his lips twitching, unsure of what to say.

“The Void has rioted, and monsters have appeared that they can’t handle…” Her voice suddenly turned cold, her fingers gripping the edge of the photo frame so tightly that her knuckles turned white. “Then, that man… abandoned my mother without hesitation and ran away.”

"The Adventurers' Guild gave us a large sum of compensation. That man... used that money to buy this house in Roppongi and even arranged for me to get a job in the Moon Forest..."

"But he gradually stopped contacting me. Whenever I reached out to him, he would make excuses like being too busy with work. Even when we did have time to talk, he would impatiently skip over the topic whenever I mentioned my mother, as if he had suddenly become a different person..."

"It seems... he wasn't really saddened by his mother's death, but rather saw the money as... a fair exchange."

Nagasaki Motoyo's voice trembled more and more.

"Later I learned through other means that he had remarried, found a new job, and had children..."

“He told almost everyone, but he didn’t tell me.” She recounted calmly, as if she were talking about something that hadn’t happened to her.

"Perhaps out of guilt... or maybe he doesn't know anything, he's still paying my child support on time every month..."

She paused for a moment, then suddenly screamed hysterically: