Chapter 185: Catch! Catch! Catch! Catch 'Em All!
With their personalities, not pursuing would actually be scarier.
The reason Eikou felt such intense danger was because he sensed the Contract between himself and them.
That contract tightly bound their existence together, so he could clearly feel their presence.
Even at full throttle, he didn't feel he had pulled far ahead of these married women.
"Too scary…"
Eikou drove the Mecha, trembling:
"These are the married women of mythology, each one's attachment so strong it's like a black hole, yet even now, I feel they're sticking to me every step, never leaving my side…"
[Actually, perhaps…]
[Have you forgotten that last time you rolled a great failure on Agility?]
"What do you mean?"
Eikou asked cautiously, then realized the answer himself.
"Rolling Agility great failure, plus the Disaster With Women effect on me, the final result must be..."
His heart sank, and he slowly stopped Mana Burst.
The high-speed Mecha instantly froze in place, unable to move.
A strong sense of déjà vu washed over him.
[First, you rolled a great failure on Agility, making it difficult to take the key.]
[But you also had a great success on Disaster With Women, which destined you not to escape them easily.]
[The combination of these two check effects means…]
"Th-this, th-this, th-this..."
Eikou trembled all over, already guessing what was about to happen.
"…"
He didn't dare open his eyes, because the situation was exactly like with Tezcatlipoca before.
But still hesitating, he slowly extended the Mecha's hands.
On the giant palms of the Mecha, the three married women stood towering.
Pollux, Medea, and Kriemhild—none of them had left his hands even a single step from start to finish!
Damn it, I knew it would be like this!
[Even though you ran without taking the key…]
"But… I succeeded in taking the three married women!"
Eikou smirked, having learned to reflexively respond.
Last time, he took Tezcatlipoca and left Baobhan Sith; this time he took the three married women and left the most important key behind—why does he always miss the critical point?!
"Damn it, everything goes wrong in the Haunted House, and I even make such basic mistakes…"
"Little brother, don't you make basic mistakes every day anyway?" Jeanne Alter couldn't help but say from the side.
[For the next few seconds, no one spoke.]
[You looked at the married women through the cockpit, and they also sensed your presence inside the Mecha through the Contract.]
[…]
[You thought they would use their Noble Phantasms and crush you and the Mecha into pieces.]
[What surprised you was that this imagined scene didn't happen at all.]
[The three married women remained silent for a long moment, like wives reunited after a long absence, becoming shy and timid.]
[Their pale, soft faces slightly flushed, gripping the edges of their clothing and turning away, like bashful young girls unsure of what to do.]
"…Mou~."
Kriemhild blushed, murmuring so softly it was barely audible.
"???"
Eikou was shocked.
Why are they blushing? Why suddenly acting tsundere? Is there some romance here causing tsundere behavior?!
"Boy-ya…"
Medea, the mature version, her face flushed in embarrassment, spoke in an unbearably sweet voice:
"Even after such a long time apart, don't rush to pull us along like that. This mansion may be large, but it doesn't have the kind of room you want, boy."
What the heck is this? Do they think I'm trying to drag them somewhere for… what, like some Stone Age primitive ritual, picking a mate and dragging them into a den to have children?!
Medea added gently:
"Of course, with my Magecraft skills, building a suitable Workshop right here would be easy enough."
"Workshop for what? Magecraft, or just a room to draw mana?"
It seemed Disaster With Women had caused quite a misunderstanding with them.
Although he appeared to have avoided the outcome of brutal revenge from the married women, the situation didn't become any simpler.
On the contrary, if the misunderstanding deepens, the resulting bond could be even stronger!
"Waa a a a a!"
While Eikou was panicking, a terrifying scream suddenly echoed from the end of the corridor.
The scream sounded like… Baobhan Sith?
Eikou flinched.
I didn't mishear, right? The brave red-haired girl who fears nothing in the world, could something really have scared her?
Not good, could she be in danger too?
Eikou didn't think much and rushed forward, but a Dragon-Slaying Sword shot past him, embedding deep into the wall, blocking his way.
"Wait,"
Kriemhild looked at him with eyes full of both resentment and coldness,
"You came here and brought other women with you too?"
"…"
Alright, clearly this couldn't be taken lightly.
He frowned in worry, looking at Kriemhild and the others, then down the dark corridor where Baobhan Sith's scream still seemed to echo.
Time waits for no one; Baobhan Sith could very well be in danger.
"…"
This is a bit of a mess.
[You quickly simulate possible scenarios in your mind.]
[If you try to explain or lie to these married women here, the time lost could very well put Baobhan Sith in danger.]
[If you choose to ignore them, then when you meet Baobhan Sith again, they will also chase and interrogate you, and you will face an extremely troublesome Shurefield situation, possibly ruining your relationship route with her.]
[After all, no one wants to see their date get entangled with another women.]
[In other words, how will you explain to Baobhan Sith the sudden appearance of these women? No matter what explanation, it won't be convincing.]
"Only one way left."
Eikou's eyes hardened with determination.
His plan had never changed from the start—everything prioritized the date with Baobhan Sith.
And Baobhan Sith's safety was more important than the date itself.
"So… I have to do it this way again…"
Eikou raised the Mecha's hands, already skilled at holding the married women.
"Fine, it's not the first time I've done this, and probably not the last!"
[You activate Disaster With Women, absorbing them into the Mecha.]
[Kriemhild, catch!]
[Medea, catch!]
[Pollux, catch!]
[Well done, Ash-kun!]
…