Chapter 72: Straight to the Bitter End!!

"What the hell am I supposed to do..."

—Night.

Karl was drowning in cheap liquor at a dive bar in the capital, crying alone.

"Maika and Lev must be furious..."

What he pulled today was probably the worst mess he’d ever made. All the trust he’d built up little by little until now—it likely crumbled to pieces.

What kind of scumbag confesses to one girl right in front of another girl who just confessed to him?

"Uugh..."

All the experience, friendship, bonds, and above all, trustworthy party members he’d gained on their journey up until now—

For the current Karl, regaining that would be next to impossible.

"...I didn’t expect Irine to be that disgusted..."

Just messing up who you’re confessing to is already a huge blunder.

And of all people to choose, he had to go and aim for the party’s most reasonable and principled member—Irine.

…After that confession.

Irine had gone dead serious, shouted “This calls for a tactical retreat!” and bolted off at full speed.

Left behind were: a Hero clutching empty air, and two love-struck girls shooting him glares so sharp they could kill.

…And then there were Sakura and the others, watching the scene with pained expressions.

“…Ah—well, this is, uh…”

"Hmph!"

Right after being called back, only to be forced to witness a passionate confession to another woman, Maika slapped Karl across the right cheek.

"Lev, this isn’t what you think!"

"...This is unforgivable."

Lev, convinced he was going to confess to his childhood friend, ended up slapping Karl’s left cheek for abandoning her in favor of some noblewoman’s boobs.

"Let’s go, Lev."

"Yeah... I’m with you, Maika."

Leaving the Hero behind with bright red marks blooming on both cheeks, the two girls vanished into the night streets.

No doubt they wouldn’t be coming back anytime soon.

"Hey, Sakura… Don’t you think Karl’s seriously messed up in the head?"

"Yeah. I can’t even bring myself to defend him."

"Karl, man..."

Karl could do nothing but silently open and close his mouth, letting their scornful words wash over him.

---

"Sir, I think you’ve had enough."

"Ugh... I’m hopeless. I can’t live unless I drown myself in booze now..."

"Geez, are you even gonna make it home? If you pass out, I’m tossing you outside and not taking any responsibility, got it?"

Eventually, Karl couldn’t take it anymore and fled from his companions.

He just couldn’t stand the judgment in Sakura’s eyes.

It wasn’t just that he confessed to the wrong person—he was rejected far more harshly than expected.

Karl’s mental state was in tatters.

"I don’t wanna go back to the inn... I don’t wanna go to the room where everyone’s waiting..."

"Sigh. What a troublesome customer..."

What would happen when he returned?

What would Maika, Lev, and Irine say to him?

He sat there alone, tears dripping onto the table as he groaned.

"Hey, mama. Don’t waste time on that idiot—give me your strongest distilled liquor recommendation."

"Ah, coming right up."

"Uuuugh... I’m a failure of a man..."

Karl continued drinking alone at the bar counter.

Weak to alcohol to begin with, he was well beyond his limit. There was no way he could handle it.

All he could do now was surrender everything to the drink and drift off into unconsciousness—

"Oi, Karl. Drink this."

"Gwuhh!?"

A small bottle was suddenly shoved into his mouth.

The vile concoction inside, a brutal mix of bitterness, sweetness, and acidity, was more than enough to jolt him awake.

"Bleeegh!! Blugh, bleeeegh!!"

"Oho, Sakura’s medicine works wonders, huh?"

"W-What the hell... bleeeeegh!!"

It was a secret potion Karl himself had kept tucked in his pouch.

A sobering remedy Sakura had given him in case he ever drank himself into oblivion.

"H-Hey! Who the hell just—who shoves something that nasty into someone’s mouth without warning!?"

"It’s me, dumbass."

What the hell kind of prank was that!? Was someone trying to pick a fight!?

Karl, jolted upright, turned to glare at the culprit—

---

"…Ugh!! It’s you!? Don’t sneak up on me like that!"

"I wasn’t sneaking."

Standing right in front of him was that familiar weirdo in the monkey mask.

"So tell me, Karl. Why the hell are you passed out drunk in a place like this? What happened to your party?"

"My party…"

Karl had braced for an ambush, but realizing the person sitting next to him was a familiar, if mysterious, ally, he relaxed a little.

"My party, my party... Ugh, I... Iiiiii!!"

"Stop blubbering, it’s annoying. Just hurry up and explain the situation—keep it short."

"I’m a worthless idiot!!!"

Despite regaining some composure, Karl burst into tears again in front of the monkey-masked oddball.

Karl, mentally fragile as ever, couldn’t handle the idea that he’d lost the trust of the entire party (or so he believed) without the crutch of alcohol.

"Whatever, just tell me already!! In full detail!! Everything that happened today!!"

"D-Don’t shake me, monkey mask! I’m gonna hurl again!"

"What the hell is wrong with you today!?"

For some reason, the monkey mask seemed especially fired up tonight.

As if he were personally involved, his tone was unusually harsh, pressing Karl for every last detail.

"F-Fine. It’s a long story, you okay with that?"

"Yeah, go on."

Overwhelmed by the sheer force of his companion’s demand, Karl finally gave in and opened his mouth.

To confess all the failures he committed that day—

---

…I’d had a hunch for a while, but that day, I became absolutely sure.

“You’re a damn idiot.”

“No argument here…”

Karl was, without a doubt, a colossal idiot.

“Why the hell would you sneak up from behind and confess without even checking who you’re hugging? Didn’t anyone ever teach you to look someone in the eye when you talk to them?”

“…Yes.”

“And once you realized you messed up, why didn’t you deny it immediately? Why couldn’t you just say, ‘Sorry, I got the wrong person’ on the spot?”

“My mind went completely blank…”

I launched into a lengthy lecture, scolding this incompetent Hero.

Nothing’s more obnoxious than a drunk scolding another drunk, but considering I was one of the victims here, I figured I had every right.

Because of this fool, I nearly got myself killed!!

“Wow, so that’s what happened. Here you go, your fire liquor.”

“Oh, thanks, Mama.”

“No wonder you were drinking like that. Honestly… you brought this on yourself.”

I took the fire liquor from the bar mama and downed it in one swig.

The intense alcohol burned all the way up into my sinuses.

“So, why are you even drinking here in the first place, Karl?”

“Huh? Well, I didn’t wanna go back to the inn…”

“If you’re gonna clear up the misunderstanding, the sooner the better. Go back right now and apologize to everyone involved. But sober up first.”

That said, I felt a bit relieved after hearing his side of the story.

Because it meant that unexpected confession had been a complete misunderstanding.

If Karl had actually meant to confess to me, we wouldn’t be talking about just a party breakup anymore.

Whether I accepted it or not, I’d be catching hell from Maika and Lev either way.

“She’s right. That girl you mistakenly confessed to—she might even be up all night wondering how she should respond.”

“…Yeah. You’re right…”

Even the bar mama, looking fed up, pushed Karl to go back home. Probably just wanted to get rid of the hassle.

…Though the girl he accidentally confessed to is actually sitting right here.

“First, you need to apologize to the girl you mistook for someone else. The other two can come after.”

“…Okay.”

“And what if that girl—hypothetically—had feelings for you and was thinking of giving you a positive reply?”

“T-That would be…”

I wasn’t thinking about that at all.

“She was about to return your feelings, only to hear, ‘Sorry, I actually meant to confess to someone else.’ If that happened to me, it’d be a trauma for life.”

“…”

“So go find that Irine girl and apologize right away. Sitting around drinking in a place like this is pretty trashy behavior, you know.”

Hit with a brutal but spot-on lecture, Karl clutched his head and slumped over the table.

…Well, to be fair, I bolted from the scene before he had a chance to explain himself, so part of it’s on me.

At the time, I honestly felt like I sensed death itself lurking in the alley.

“…If Irine actually liked me back… I’d be the scummiest bastard alive.”

“Exactly. So pay your tab and get going already.”

At this point, even Karl should be motivated to get up.

He should head back to the cathedral dormitory we’d rented together.

All that’s left is for me to act like nothing happened, help explain things to Maika and Lev, and everything’ll be back to normal—

“Wait. If Irine really did like me… I’d be over the moon…”

“…What?”

Karl muttered that absolutely impossible hypothetical with a red face, completely frozen.

…What?

“W-Wait a second. I thought I liked Maika… didn’t I?”

“…Excuse me? Sir?”

“… …Wait, wait!! I think… I actually really like Irine too!?”

……I’d suspected as much for a while, but today, I was absolutely convinced.

“Hey. Weren’t you all-in on Maika? What the hell are you saying?”

“No, I mean… It’s impossible, I know. But if Irine did actually like me… I—I think I’d be insanely happy.”

“Oh my, sir. Are you playing the field now?”

Don’t worry, dumbass. She doesn’t.

“J-Just give me a second. I need to sort out my feelings.”

“…”

That idiot Karl, spouting nonsense, fell silent as his eyes started spinning while he got lost in thought.

“Irine is my companion on this journey. She’s kind, noble… and she joined us on this dangerous trip without hesitation.”

“…”

“Maika is my childhood friend. Cold, irrational… but she’s always been my biggest supporter.”

For some reason, Karl started comparing his feelings for both girls—as if I liked him—and he needed to choose between us.

Why the hell are you the one picking, you arrogant bastard?

You’ve never shown a single sign of interest until now.

“…Well, even if we’re entertaining hypotheticals here, do you think there’s actually a chance she’d say yes? Did she ever make a move?”

“...Yesterday, Irine let me… touch her chest…”

“Wow, sir. You’re unexpectedly popular. That definitely sounds promising.”

…Maybe I did give off that vibe.

No, wait. That was supposed to be a virginity test. But now that I think about it, I guess it could be seen as flirting...

“Letting you touch her chest is a pretty strong green light…”

“Seriously...? Then maybe… maybe there is a chance?”

No, there isn’t.

“So basically, sir, you’re saying you like Irine too?”

“…Yeah. Probably.”

“Then the answer’s simple, isn’t it? You just need to go and get her answer.”

“…Huh?”

“If it goes well, great. If she turns you down, just apologize and tell her you confessed to the wrong person. That’s a win-win strategy!”

The bar mama suggested this with a smug grin.

It was a clever little double-layered tactic—turning a mistaken confession into a backup plan.

“But… Mama, wouldn’t that be kind of… shady? Like, I confess to the wrong girl, and if it works out, I just go with it? Isn’t that super two-faced?”

“Not necessarily. If you really like Irine, and she likes you, then it’s mutual. And no matter how it turns out, Irine won’t end up getting hurt.”

“…I see. So she wouldn’t be hurt…”

From Karl’s perspective, Mama’s plan made perfect sense.

If he asked Irine about her feelings and got rejected, he could just go back to confessing to Maika as originally intended. For the one confessing, it was a pretty favorable scenario.

────But isn’t that exactly what a sleazy guy would do? Stringing multiple girls along just to keep his options open?

“…I don’t like it. That plan. There’s no sincerity in it. It just doesn’t feel right.”

“I think it’s the best option available right now. Even if the original confession was a mistake, once you end up together, it becomes real.”

“…Ugh. I… I just…”

Karl groaned as he wrestled with both our opinions.

He clearly felt some discomfort with the method that had just been laid out for him.

“I… I don’t want to hurt Irine. Not even by accident…”

“Then you should do exactly as I said.”

“But that’s not manly at all…”

“Yeah. Anyone who’d pick that kind of option can’t call himself a real man.”

“…”

At that, Karl fell completely silent and went deep into thought.

…What’s this guy going to do?

And if he actually follows Mama’s plan, what am I going to do?

Mama’s suggestion isn’t necessarily wrong.

It sounds like it’s just convenient for Karl, but he’d be doing it for my sake—to avoid hurting me, Irine.

It’s just that… I don’t like it. That way of maneuvering. It reeks of a womanizing player.

——If Karl really went through with something like that... would I still be able to trust him the way I always have?

"Alright, I've decided. I'm going to go ask Irine for her answer."

"Well, that does sound like the safest move."

Eventually, Karl lifted his head.

Then, as if on impulse, he pulled some money from his wallet and placed it on the table.

"Will this cover it?"

"...It’s a bit much, but I’ll take it as a consultation fee."

"Fine by me."

"Thanks for your business~"

…Looks like Karl chose Mama’s advice after all.

That choice works out conveniently for both of us.

Like Mama said, it’s probably the safest approach.

"I see... A bit of a shame, though."

"Hm?"

"Hard to explain, but... I don’t think I like that kind of thing."

I followed Karl out of the shop, dropping some money on the table for the liquor before standing up.

...If Karl’s going to show up at my place later, I’d better get back ahead of him.

"Well, if that’s the path you chose—"

"Hey, no. Don’t get the wrong idea. Don’t look down on me, monkey."

I jabbed at Karl a little sarcastically. Maybe I really was feeling a touch of disappointment toward him.

But seeing my attitude, Karl looked downright offended.

"Wrong idea?"

"I’m going to go and tell Irine everything—then drop to my knees and ask how she feels. That way, no one gets hurt."

With a completely straight face, Karl blurted out that absurd declaration.

"...What?"

"I’m going to leave my fate in Irine’s hands. I’ll explain everything—how I planned to confess to Maika today and accidentally confessed to her instead. That I like Maika, but I also like Irine. I’m not going to hide a single thing."

"..."

"Then, once I hear how Irine feels, I’ll decide what to do. That way, even if she does have feelings for me, I won’t end up hurting her. More than anything, that’s the most honest thing I can do for her."

I was dumbfounded.

Karl was serious. Dead serious about saying something that stupid.

"Mama’s idea might be the easiest route, sure—but it’s dishonest to Irine. She’s always been honest with us. I can’t betray someone like that."

"...Isn’t two-timing her the very definition of dishonest?"

"Yeah, exactly. That’s why she might end up despising me. I might lose her trust entirely."

…What a hopelessly awkward guy.

Love is a bit of a game, a give-and-take. But this guy? All he knows is charging in headfirst.

"Even so... I don’t want to betray Irine."

Well—maybe...

────That decision might just be the most to my liking yet.

"Okay, I get how you feel. I really like it. Count me in, buddy."

"O-oh, thanks. Though, this time, it’s something I need to settle myself."

I smiled beneath my mask and patted Karl on the shoulder.

Ah, damn. I knew it. This guy really is a good man.

"That might be true, but calm down for a second. Even if you settle things with Irine, what about Lev and Maika? If you don’t figure that out now, things’ll get messy again, you know?"

"Ugh…"

If Karl was really going to follow what Mama said, he’d just let the whole Maika situation sort itself out.

But this guy just proved he's got guts. I might as well help him clear up the misunderstandings.

"You’re right, I still haven’t figured out what to do about Lev and Maika... But first, I have to go see how Irine feels."

"That can wait."

"No, it can’t! Irine might still be in her room, worrying herself sick. I need to deal with that first—"

Ignoring my attempt to stop him, Karl started marching straight toward the cathedral.

Man, he really dives headfirst into romance.

"Hey, Karl. Look."

"Huh?"

With no other choice, I stepped in front of Karl and adjusted my mask.

I figured nothing would move forward unless I did.

"Ahem. Since you’ve shown such sincerity, I suppose it’s time I stopped keeping secrets as well."

"Irine…?"

"It’s alright now. There’s no need to clear up Irine’s misunderstanding anymore."

…And just like that, I revealed the truth to Karl.

But I don’t regret it. Because this guy—he was always trying to be honest with me, no matter what.

"I’m sorry for deceiving you all this time. I wear a mask like this when I have to act somewhere I can’t go openly, because of who I am."

"Ah, I see. That’s how it is."

"I wasn’t nearly as honest as you were. But I swear on the Founder—I will never again be dishonest with you."

With that said, I put my mask back on.

This was the side of the street, after all. There were still people passing by. No one but Karl could see the true face beneath the Monkey Mask.

"And that’s the story."

"Yeah, yeah, I get it—hahaha!"

"Well, that wraps up the first issue. Now it’s just Maika and Lev we have to deal with…"

"Aahahahahaha—!"

Now back in my monkey mask, I put an arm around Karl’s shoulder as he roared with laughter over my true identity.

He looked surprised, but not totally thrown off. Maybe, just maybe, he’d suspected it all along.

That the Monkey Mask—was me, Irine.

"I’M SORRY, I CAN’T JUST BRUSH THAT OFF!!?"

"Karl!?"

Then Karl suddenly smashed his face into the wall of the bar we’d just come out of.

"The monkey—was Irine!? What the hell does that even mean!? Wait, so Irine’s not Irine, she’s the monkey mask guy!?"

"H-hey!?"

"What on earth is going on—?! A customer’s destroying the store!?"

Blood covering his face, Karl kept ramming his head into the bar wall and screaming.

All I could do was stand there, stunned, watching him spiral into madness.

"I CAN’T SWALLOW THIS, I CAN’T DIGEST IT!! IT’S TOO HEAVY, DAMN IT!!"

"E-eh!? I didn’t serve him anything that strong!?"

……

Looks like Karl's suffered a complete mental breakdown.

Right there in front of the bar at night, screaming and bashing his head, he looked like the worst drunkard in the entire district.