"Kei! This isn't what you think! My preferences are normal! I don't have an NTR fetish! Believe me!"
For some reason, Charlie reflexively defended himself upon receiving Kei's condescending gaze.
Truly, he was a pure Vanilla faction member!
"Charlie-san. I haven't said anything yet." Kei tilted her head with an innocent look. "In fact, your hasty explanation makes it seem like your conscience is guilty. It's okay, I don't discriminate against you just because you like NTR."
"But... I hope it's just a fantasy. Don't try to make it a reality, okay? It's not good for your health—or for all of our relationships."
Kei was genuinely serious about not wanting her benefactor to veer toward a Bad Ending.
"I already told you, you're misunderstanding, Kei! I don't like NTR at all! My favorite genre is Vanilla!"
Charlie swore on the purity of his conscience. And also, the protagonist in his chaotic dream wasn't himself, but his template character, Karasuki Rio!
(Wait a minute... Rio? This is the first time I've dreamed of myself as Rio. Is it because I unlocked the limits on my template, so not only did I receive the power, but also the memories?) Charlie thought to himself, his brows furrowing.
(This isn't good news. Other people's memories could influence my personality without me realizing it. At that point, I wouldn't be myself anymore.)
While enjoying the softness and comfort offered by Aishia, Charlie unconsciously sank into his own thoughts. He was so focused that he didn't notice the conversation topic among the girls around him heating up.
"NTR? What have you all been talking about since earlier? Don't ignore me."
Est pouted, feeling left out because she didn't understand their conversation at all.
"That's... Knowing this is too early for you, Est-chan."
Kei tried to avoid the topic, deceived by Est's physical appearance as a petite girl who still seemed very innocent. She didn't realize that the one she considered a little girl was actually older than the combined ages of dozens of her ancestors.
On the other hand, Aishia was more open-minded. After all, the perspective of a High-Rank Spirit like herself on things was vastly different from that of mortal humans.
"Do you want to know the meaning of NTR, Est?" Aishia asked in a calm voice.
"Yes. Onii-chan doesn't like NTR. So I want to avoid such actions so I don't accidentally hurt Onii-chan's feelings in the future." Est nodded seriously in response.
She showed her determination to stay away from things related to NTR, but before doing that, she needed to know what NTR really was—basic knowledge to avoid mistakes.
"Aishia-san?! Are you seriously going to tell Est-chan? She's still a child!" Kei protested, her eyes widening in shock at their interaction.
"Don't judge by Est's youthful appearance. She has lived for over a thousand years." Aishia stated the truth in her usual monotonous tone.
"O-Over a thousand years?!!"
Kei was stunned, her mouth opening wide. She quickly covered it with her hand, looking at Est with newfound awe and wonder.
Ignoring the youngest girl among the three of them, Aishia continued stroking Charlie's hair as he leaned against her chest, making the man even more comfortable and immersed in his thoughts. In a calm voice, Aishia continued her education for Est.
"NTR is short for Netorare, a genre in the world of Japanese anime, manga, and erotic literature that focuses on situations of infidelity and complicated romantic relationships."
"In this type of story, one of the protagonists, usually the male protagonist, witnesses their partner being seduced or having sex with someone else, known as the seducer or third party. The genre tends to explore the intense and conflicting emotions of the characters involved, as well as the negative consequences that infidelity can have on a relationship."
"On the other hand, some viewers may find the aspects of betrayal and the emotional complexity surrounding this type of relationship appealing."
"Of course, as Charlie emphasized earlier, he has no inclination to like NTR. It's purely slander and baseless accusations."
Knowing Charlie's past life from their connected memories, Aishia guaranteed that everything she said was true. She understood him the most compared to anyone in the world—their bond was unbreakable!
"Mm."
Nodding lightly, Est was half-understanding and half-confused. Human interpersonal relationships, with all their complexity and drama, turned out to be too intricate for a Spirit who had spent a millennium secluded in a silent cave.
"Seeing such a detailed explanation, it seems like it was indeed my fault for jumping to conclusions too quickly." Kei admitted her mistake and felt embarrassed.
Unlike most women who might stubbornly stick to their stance, Kei was rational enough to acknowledge when she was wrong.
◆━⊰✧⊱━◆
At the same time, Charlie, with his head comfortably resting on Aishia's chest, analyzed the reason behind the nightmare he had just experienced—a dream so vivid that it felt more than just a sleeping illusion.
(The most likely cause of this nightmare is excessive brain strain. After all, after I wiped out nearly 30 million monsters until sunset, I immediately rushed to destroy every portal in Japan that I found using Senrigan.)
Thanks to his hard work that exceeded that of a corporate slave—without rest and without compromise—Japan became the first country freed from monster threats.
Unfortunately, except for Kei, no one celebrated this peace. The world had been destroyed, and most of humanity was gone. Only Kei remained in the Japan that Charlie had cleared.
(After that, I felt a severe headache, then passed out as soon as I returned to Aishia and the others.)
Even so, that explanation still wasn't enough to satisfy the unease in his heart. There was something that felt... too real.
(Let's make a conspiracy theory. From what I know from the two seasons of the Seirei Gensouki anime, and the light novel spoilers scattered across social media, there's no event that I dreamed about.)
Charlie tried to compare his dream with the original story plot he knew.
(The dream was too realistic to be just a dream. It felt like I experienced it myself. Ugh... Just remembering it makes me want to vomit.)
The feeling of disgust and helplessness he felt in the dream still clung strongly, making him shiver.
Holding back the discomfort that gripped his heart, Charlie continued his analysis.
(Could it not be a dream, but a reality? An If Timeline, alternate reality, parallel world, and the like. In short, it's a story where Rio makes a different decision, leading to a different storyline.)
He began building a complex theory in his mind.
(In the case of my dream, Rio was a year late in saving Celia, leading to a painful Bad Ending. Maybe my boss, Gaia, used this failed version of Rio to create my template? That sounds reasonable.)
(It's impossible for the Rio from the main timeline—the successful and strong Rio—to be used as template material, because he hasn't experienced a fatal failure like that.)
Honestly, Charlie liked the character Rio so much that he secretly wanted to be like him. Because of that subconscious thought, as soon as Gaia chose him to be the Savior, he immediately accepted "Karasuki Rio" as his template without much thought.
Of course, there was an aspect of Rio that Charlie didn't like: his herbivore-like nature in romantic relationships—too passive and hesitant.
Before Charlie died in his old world, there were already 20 volumes of the light novel Seirei Gensouki. But what about the main character's romantic development?
Stagnant!
Rio was surrounded by dozens of beautiful girls who liked him, but he stubbornly loved his childhood friend, Ayase Miharu, who also happened to be summoned to another world. His loyalty was admirable, but sometimes excessive.
In short, Charlie didn't like Rio's mindset, which was still shackled by his past life as Haruto—a modern Japanese teenager with strong monogamous values.
(Come on, it's a medieval sword-and-magic world! Polygamy isn't illegal like in modern Japan. Look at the guy who almost married Celia, Charles—he has six wives!)
(Meanwhile, Rio's background is even more extraordinary than Charles's. He comes from the lineage of the Karasuki Kingdom. In other words, Rio is a member of the royal family. He has the right and ability to marry all the women who have feelings for him and build a harem! Why limit himself?)
Charlie felt frustrated with Rio's romantic situation.
(Rules are made by the strong to limit the weak. Rio is one of the strong, but he's too conservative and clings to the monogamous values of his previous life.)
(So what if he can save all the girls who love him? If in the end Rio decides his partner is only Miharu, won't girls like Celia still end up marrying other men? That's basically NTR!)
He thought about Celia's tragic fate in his dream, and how it could have happened in the main timeline if Rio hadn't taken decisive action.
With all these thoughts swirling in his mind, Charlie was more inclined to conclude that his nightmare was an If Timeline—a branch of reality where Rio's decisions differed, leading to tragic consequences. Just like Natsuki Subaru, who had several tragic If routes in the Re:Zero story.
Of course, all this was baseless, just his guess that he considered closest to the truth.
(This situation can't be left alone. These feelings of disgust and anger are too real. It seems I need to consult Gaia about this. She must know if template memories can leak into me, or if I'm really accessing Rio's If Timeline memories.)
Charlie took a deep breath. He didn't want to experience getting NTR'd a second time, even if it was just a dream.
It was a disgusting feeling, humiliating, and left deep psychological scars!