**Day 26 Midnight Omui Gate**
We had just come out of the dungeon when we were immediately told to hurry back to town.
A nearby village was apparently wiped out.
They got a magic message about it. Monster attack.
But then even the village that sent the message went silent.
Judging by the direction, this town is next. The Adventurer's Guild issued an emergency summons.
Right now we're in front of the gate, setting up barricades, lighting bonfires, preparing for battle.
We'd finally gotten some peace...
Haruka-kun gave us that peace.
All by himself, fighting alone in the forest.
So this time, we're the ones who protect.
Even Kakizaki-kun and the others who were bedridden joined in.
Their gear was in tatters, but Oda-kun and the rest handed over spare equipment.
It could come any moment now—actually, it's already late.
The guild folks have been prepping defense since before noon, apparently.
Up on the gate, even the lord's daughter showed up armed.
It must be that serious. A matter of the town's survival. That big a deal. But we're here.
We were protected by Haruka-kun, who risked his life—no, that's not right... that story... Haruka-kun had been throwing his life away the whole time.
"I'm sorry for being idiots." That wasn't about Kakizaki-kun and the others. It was definitely Haruka-kun's last words... his dying message... Everyone understands that now.
We were protected again. We couldn't do anything again. We let him die again—or so we thought.
But he came back. The person himself came back, even though he seemed kinda unsatisfied about it...
It must have been a fight where nobody expected him to come back alive. He went in planning to die there.
We failed again. Couldn't protect a single thing. Couldn't save a single person. Just kept getting protected and saved. Even after getting stronger, we couldn't do anything. Couldn't protect the one person we wanted to protect most—we thought we'd lost him. But even that, Haruka-kun saved. He saved himself. And came back.
So this time, we protect him.
Because it's the strength Haruka-kun gave us.
This time, we save him.
The way he saved us.
And we protect Haruka-kun too.
Maybe Haruka-kun would be fine anyway.
I still can't wrap my head around the idea that Haruka-kun is considered "weak."
But even though he acts normal, his body has to be wrecked. He must be covered in wounds.
No way he's fine. Kakizaki-kun and the others had limbs torn off—that kind of enemy. He took all those attacks himself, trading his own body for ours.
No way he's okay. And yet he came back. With a normal face, saying "I'm home."
So today, at least, we protect him. At least so Haruka-kun can finally rest properly.
This is pretty much all we can do. This much at least.
Fortunately, Haruka-kun isn't an adventurer, so he wasn't summoned.
It's worrying that Kakizaki-kun and the others haven't seen him, but at least for today, let us protect him.
Because we still haven't repaid anything. We've received so much, yet...
At least while Haruka-kun is healing his wounds, let us protect him.
...
...
...
But... the monsters aren't coming...
And then Haruka-kun showed up?
"Why is everyone doing a campout BBQ? Why am I being left out? Because I'm a loner? I come back starving, and you're all having a barbecue? The fruitcake already proved I'm not guilty! I wanted to join the BBQ too! If you're gonna bully someone, bully the otakus—they're finally catchable, right? ...Why just me? Anyway, I'm hungry~"
Uh... he's hungry, apparently? ...BBQ?
"Um, Haruka-kun? We're not excluding you or anything? And this isn't a campfire, okay? It's dangerous here, so let's go inside? Okay?"
I don't know when exactly the fruitcake proved he was innocent, but we can't let the current Haruka-kun fight a monster horde.
He doesn't say anything. Acts normal. But his body has to be falling apart. Not in any condition to fight. Even if potions healed the visible injuries, the accumulated fatigue and damage must be insane. Exhaustion is showing on his face. He looks like he could collapse any second.
"Listen, a nearby village got overrun by a monster surge. Next is probably this town. Soldiers and adventurers are prepping to intercept right now, and we're staying here to defend the town too. So please, rest. It's okay here?"
Was my explanation too long? Somewhere in the middle Haruka-kun started grilling fish. And the moment he poured soy sauce, a crowd formed around him.
Everyone's staring hungrily. Haruka-kun eating looking delicious. The fragrant smell of soy sauce sizzling fills the air. Everyone gulps.
A few people talk to him—then suddenly he plants his hands on the ground, a table pops up out of nowhere, he lines up fish and starts grilling more?
Before we know it there's a line. People hand over money as they get grilled fish from Haruka-kun. A street stall? Oh... pretty overpriced, actually.
Huh? Isn't a monster horde supposed to be attacking? Why is everyone happily eating fish? Was this actually a campfire party after all?
Haruka-kun starting a business on his own here is gonna get him in trouble, right? Why is even the guild master lining up? Why is the lord's daughter chomping on fish looking so happy? Why is he giving Vice-Rep B the biggest fish? Wait, when did she even get in line? Huh? Aren't we about to fight? Defend the town? Why am I lining up too? If my fish is smaller than B-san's I won't forgive him! Absolutely not!!
They're not coming, huh?
Haruka-kun is deep in conversation with Oda-kun and the others.
Even though it's dangerous for him to be here.
Then he got dragged over to the guild master?
They're arguing about something? Probably the stall was the problem.
Even the lord's daughter got called over? What happened?
For some reason the young lady is stomping her feet. Haruka-kun is stomping too? Why is Haruka-kun stomping with such a puzzled face?
The guild receptionist onee-san came to get me? This is my post, is it okay to leave...?
"Forget posts, scouting, vigilance—whatever! Just come! We need a translator... not a linguistic one..."
I think that's a bad idea, but I follow... Ah...
The culprit was Haruka-kun.
"Huh? I didn't hear anything? Didn't know about any monster attack? Something kept showing up so I punched it? Like that? Eh? Since morning? Yeah, all day long? Attack? It was an爆買い tour! Apparently some town's super popular right now? No, I didn't hear that? Who? The orcs? Yeah, there were orcs. Orcs with orc-ish faces. Eh? No, they were orcs? But I just punched them? Why? They kept showing up? Yeah, nonstop. There might've been prizes, right? Eh, Monster Whack-a-Mole? But it could've been Master of Monsters? So I kept whacking, but no prizes! I'm the victim here! Got nothing after clearing! Eh? Clear? Orc King, yeah? No, I got scammed! They kept coming! I tried so hard! Even hungry! Why? No, just punching! I'm innocent, right? If monsters show up you punch them, right? Normal? See? Not guilty? ...You'd punch too, right? Everyone?"
Nobody understands what he's saying. I don't either. Definitely not a language issue.
But whenever Haruka-kun goes "I'm innocent, right?" he's usually the culprit.
He's never once been innocent.
The truth is always that Haruka-kun is the perpetrator.
As the sun started to rise, under the criminal's own confession, we all headed to the crime scene.
The monster corpses had vanished, leaving mountains upon mountains of magic stones and clubs scattered everywhere.
Monster bodies disappear after a few hours, leaving magic stones behind. So this is the crime scene. Caught red-handed in mass slaughter.
Normally repelling a huge monster wave makes you a hero... but turning into the criminal is pretty rare...
Still, no room for leniency. Because he nonchalantly sold grilled fish and made a killing.
Plus, extremely high recidivism. Habitual offender. No remorse despite the clear repeat tendency.
Verdict:
It was another lecture after all.
**Day 26 ended, or should I say Day 27 has already begun.**