だって仕方ないじゃない! 一条さんと話すだけでも緊張するのにこれから批評を受けるかも知れないんだよ?! ......ゲロ吐きそう。
「おや、もう来ていたのですか」
「「っ?!」」
「「あの時は調子に乗ってすみませんでした......」」
織田と二人で直角九十度に腰を曲げ謝罪する。......だってあの時めっちゃテンション高くて、織田と二人何を言ったのか覚えてないもん! 神殿跡地で笑い合った後そこに気付いて二人して顔青ざめさせたくらいだもん!
「? なんのことですか?」
え? 怒ってないの? 上機嫌なのは解ってたけど、わざわざ一条さんから私たちを呼ぶ理由でそれぐらいしか思い付かなかったんだけど......なんだろう?
「いや私には負けましたが、最高に面白いサプライズだったのでお願いを聞いてあげよ──」
「......」
あ、ヤバい......つい織田と二人で食い気味になっちゃった......一条さん少し引いてるし、その後首を傾げてて可愛い......じゃなくて! あれは絶対に何か勘違いしてるね、ここ最近近くで言動見てて織田の言うように少し天然入ってる疑惑があるから気を付けないと......一応お嬢様だから世間知らずなのかな?
「そ、そうですね......僕は今度検証に付き合ってくれたらそれで......」
「検証ですか......役に立てるかわかりませんが構いませんよ」
ぐぬぬ......織田め、サラッと次も遊ぶ約束してやがる! 抜け目のない奴め、燃やしてやろうか......。
「それでマリアさんは?」
織田が超うぜぇ......私がこういう時苦手だって解ってて自分は一抜けして煽ってくるぅ! 悔じい〜!
「......ほら、友達になってって言えば?」
「よし......邪魔だから織田は帰ってて」
「なんで?!」
いや、なんというか......恥ずかしいし? 織田を邪険にするわけじゃないんだけど、恥ずかしいし?
「ユウさんが居たらやりづらいお願いですか?」
「っ?! ......マリア、まさかお前」
「あ、いや......やりづらいのは合ってるけどニュアンスが違うから!」
「とにかく織田はしばらく離れてて!」
この野郎......違うってわかっててニヤニヤしやがってぇ! この百合豚め!
「それで? お願いとは?」
お、落ち着くんだ私! 一条さん困惑してるじゃないか! ゆっくりと慎重に木の根元に腰掛けて膝を叩く......一条さんはこちらを訝しみながらも素直に私の膝に頭を置く......ヤバい鼻血出そう。
「あ、頭撫でてもいいですか?」
「......てっきりユウさんみたく友達になってくださいとお願いされるのかと思いました」
なんだかここ数日間の一条さん機嫌悪かったし、一条さんがジェノサイダーだって解ってからも動画を見返したりしたけど......そのどれもが無邪気に楽しそうに『遊んで』たのが、王女様やメイドさんの辺りでは全然楽しくなさそうだったから......。
「それはいつもこちらを見ているのと関係が?」
「......もしかして気付いてないとでも?」
「なんでいつもこちらを見ていたんですか? マリアさんがその方だと気付いたのはつい最近ですが」
「そ、それは......できたら友達になれたらなぁって......」
「......それになんで私なんかと仲良くなりたいと思ったんですか?」
「なんかって......一条さんは素敵な人ですよ?」
まったくクラスメイトの名前すら覚えないし、流行とか追い掛けないし、友達の織田の話でもつまらなかったら無慈悲に途中で切り上げるし......周りに流されないのは素敵だなって......。
「なのに必死になって周囲を観察して溶け込もうとしているところが......可愛いなって思いました」
「何があったのかは知りませんし聞きません......でも、寂しそうな一条さんが楽しく『遊んで』いたのが最近は不機嫌だったから......」
だから織田と二人で一条さんを笑わせようと......楽しませようと本気で頑張ったんですよ? 一条さんの髪を指で滑らせながら、自分でも驚くほど本音が滑り出てくる。
「どうですか? 一時でも嫌なことは忘れられて、また楽しく『遊べ』そうですか?」
It can't be helped! I already get nervous from just talking to her, but what if she criticizes what we did!? How can I endure that!? I'm about to puke right now...
"Oh, you're here already." Miss Ichijouji said as she arrived. We both turned around immediately when we heard her voice from behind us... To think she'd arrive at such a timing, I'm sweating cold right now...
"Eh!?" I could not make any other reply...
"Well, about that... I'm sorry." I couldn't say much more than that now, could I?
"Sorry for the trouble we caused!" Both me and Oda said at the same time while bowing down to her.
"Sorry for what?" She asked us.
"Eh?" We were both confused. She wasn't angry? I was in a good mood because she called us, but I was sure it was to scold us.
"Rather than that, you may have lost, but your surprise was still quite interesting, so I'm going to listen to your requests." She told us.
"... Go ahead." She replied.
Wow, this feels great! Even though we're still in the game, I'm feeling so good that my heart is about to explode... Miss Ichijouji is truly a goddess...
"Ah, right... If it's not too much trouble, it would be nice if you could come with me in a Verification." Oda asked her.
"A verification...? You mean the thing you do to learn about more details about the game? I don't know if I'll be very useful, but I don't mind it." Miss Ichijouji replied.
"Thank you very much!" Oda said while bowing... That worm, we said we'd play together again, but now he is skipping ahead? I'm gonna burn him...
"What about you, Maria?" Miss Ichijouji asked me.
"Uhn..." I'm so going to kill him later. He knows I'm bad at this and he is making things worse!?
"... Weren't you just going to ask to be friends?" He whispered to me.
It's just... I just want to... to... "Oda! You're in the way, leave first!" I told him.
"W-why!?" He was clearly surprised.
Well, it's just... embarrassing. It would be troublesome if Oda was here...
"Is it hard to say it if Yuu is here?" Miss Ichijouji asked.
"M-Maria, you aren't going to...?" Oda left the end of his question unfinished, but I knew what he meant.
"No! It's hard to say it, but it's not what you're thinking!" I replied right away.
"A-anyways, Oda, leave for a while!" I told him.
"I got it, I got it." He left while grinning... This bastard of a pig! What's up with this grin!?
"So? What is your request?" Miss Ichijouji asked me once Oda left.
I took a deep breath, then slowly and calmly sat on the base of a tree and lightly tapped my lap.... Miss Ichijouji followed suit and laid her head in it... This is bad, I'm going to have a nosebleed like this...
"I-is it okay if I caress your head?" I asked her.
"I suppose that, even though Yuu is your friend, this request really is something you wouldn't want him to be around for." Miss Ichijouji suddenly said.
I tried laughing a bit to hide my embarrassment, "I-I was glad he was here at first, but it really was a bit too much for him to stay..." Also, miss Ichijouji seemed to be in a bad mood these past few days. I looked back at all the footages of her 'playing' as the Genocider, and she was always smiling at those times... And yet, she seemed to have no fun at all ever since she got close to the princess and her maid... I wanted to do something more for her, and I couldn't have Yuu here to get in the way.
"Could this be related to the fact you're always staring at me?" Miss Ichijouji suddenly dropped a bomb.
"Perhaps you weren't aware of it yourself?" She asked me... No, I was plenty aware of it, I just never thought she noticed me doing my duty as her guardian...
"I only noticed that you were the person that always stared at me recently by the way, but... Why did you do it?" She asked.
"Well, that's because... because I wanted to be friends." It was not a lie. I have always wanted to grow closer to her, but never knew how to approach her, so the gap between us just remained the same no matter how much time passed...
"... Why did you want to get along with me of all people?" She asked this next.
"It's just that... Miss Ichijouji is a wonderful person." Sure, she may be a little... Very dangerous, but that didn't change the essence of who she was, I just found out a new side to her through the game.
I decided I should try telling her a bit about myself to make things a bit clearer, "You know, I'm not that interested in the people in my surroundings. I thought it would be fine if people just thought of me as a blur that easily blended in with the background." I don't even remember the name of my classmates, I don't know the current trends, and even when I'm talking to Oda, I'll just cut him off if he gets boring.
Miss Ichijouji didn't reply, so I continued, "But while I felt like this, you were different. You were constantly observing your surroundings and trying to blend in with them... I thought that was really cute of you." It was cute to see how she desperately observed and tried to imitate others even though she clearly wasn't interested in them at all...
She still hadn't replied, but that was alright. All that I needed, was for her to know, to know that I was paying attention. That even though I was this lonely, there was no way I could let her also be plagued by this horrible loneliness, "I don't know what happened to you, and I won't ask... but I realized you were in a bad mood recently. Because miss Ichijouji was looking extremely lonely too... Because miss Ichijouji did not seem to be having fun while 'playing' anymore..."
It was. That's why me and Oda put our utmost into getting you to smile again, to entertain you, to let you have fun again.
While I gently stroke her hair, my true intentions ended up coming out on their own, "How was it? Forgetting whatever was bothering you for a while and to just enjoy 'playing' with us?"
Genocide Online ~Playtime Diary of an Evil Young Girl~
ジェノサイド・オンライン 〜極悪令嬢のプレイ日記〜
https://www.novelupdates.com/series/genocide-online-playtime-diary-of-an-evil-young-girl/
Action Adventure Fantasy Psychological
Adapted to Manga Aristocracy Assassins Beautiful Female Lead Cold Protagonist Cruel Characters Dark Depictions of Cruelty Evil Organizations Evil Protagonist Famous Protagonist Fearless Protagonist Female Protagonist Gamers Gods Gore Lack of Common Sense Level System MMORPG Modern Day Murders Overpowered Protagonist Psychopaths R-15 Royalty Ruthless Protagonist Sadistic Characters Sword And Magic Virtual Reality Wars
https://ncode.syosetu.com/n7796fc/
たけのこ