I Saved Too Many Girls and Caused the Apocalypse: Volume 9 Read online

  President Momone shook her head in exasperation. But she wasn’t wrong... I couldn’t deny that I was the only boy present.

  “Could it be that the problem child has no male friends?”

  “Huh?! N-No, it’s not that!”

  Actually, now that I thought about it, I’d been dragged this way and that by these girls since the school year started, so I’d barely spoken to any of the guys in my class... W-Wait...

  “Momone... you just touched on the one taboo for the main character in a harem.” R gulped with a solemn nod.

  Really, this was serious.

  “Well, whatever. Midori and Momone complement each other nicely. One is the soft indoor type, while the other is the well-toned sporty type. Though Midori’s chest easily wins over Momone’s, it’s hard to say who looks better in a swimsuit.”

  Readily dismissing my dire situation, R resumed her commentary on the swimsuits. I could only sigh at her quick change of attitude, but it was also infuriating that her commentary was so pointlessly on point.

  “Rekka...”

  “Hm?”

  A voice called out to me from below, so I looked down. Mio stared back up at me through her sun visor. Her swimsuit was a beautiful balance of purity and cuteness... and looked rather expensive, to put it bluntly. The embroidery was extremely detailed.

  “Ah... This is something I wore for work once. They let me keep it afterward.”

  “It’s really cute.”

  “C-Cute?!”

  “Yeah, but wouldn’t you be more comfortable without that hat?”

  “This is to disguise myself...”

  “Oh...”

  Mio was a pop star, after all. Even though she wasn’t in her wig and outfit, she still had to be careful. I could understand that.

  “Hey, you! Don’t you dare make Mio cry again!”

  “I’m not.”

  Though she was late to the scene, the first words out of Tsumiki’s mouth were an accusation hurled at me. Which I denied indifferently. She had mistaken the sight of Mio pulling her sun visor down over her eyes as a sign of me picking on her.

  “You sure took your time changing, Tsumiki.”

  For the record, Tsumiki’s swimsuit was the same orange one as before.

  “I had to help Lea and Corona change. It was a lot more trouble than I expected.”

  “I see.”

  It was the first time they’d ever worn bathing suits, after all. But if Tsumiki was here now, it had to mean they weren’t far behind.

  “Time for the last boss,” R muttered in an exaggeratedly dramatic voice.

  But the last boss, huh? Considering their species, it seemed appropriate enough. And it wasn’t long after that that the last boss—as R described them—appeared.

  “Eep...” someone squeaked. It was probably an indication of surprise.

  “Hmm? What’s wrong?”

  “Is something wrong?”

  Lea and Corona both looked down at themselves. They were wearing red and purple bikinis respectively, both of which were simple and without any extraneous decorations... I’d thought something similar when I saw Iris earlier, but swimsuits really could become lethal weapons depending on who was wearing them.

  “Just what I expected from the top two heroines, I’d say. Those would probably float in the water.”

  “Pfft!”

  The image of Lea in the water flashed through my mind, and I had to hold back my laughter. Whew, that was close...

  “Rekka? What’s wrong?”

  “Young man, is there something weird about how I look?”

  “Oof!”

  The aura they had just by standing next to each other was overwhelming. Really and truly like a final boss...

  “Don’t start causing trouble outside of school too, problem child,” President Momone leaned in and warned me.

  As for what she meant...

  “Hey, what’s with that unbelievable group over there...?”

  “They’ve got everything... Busty and flat, little girls and older ladies...”

  “They have nothing in common. What are they gathering for?”

  “What’s with the guy?”

  “Don’t tell me that guy is... But with that many girls, he has to be...”

  “An escort?”

  “No way, not at that age.”

  “A harem god, then?”

  “I want in on that religion.”

  Yeah, wow, we were really gathering a lot of attention.

  “O-Okay, everyone’s here now, so let’s get a move on.”

  I urged everyone to change locations as I broke out in a nervous sweat.

  ▽

  Several of us had brought along water-resistant phones, so we agreed to contact each other if anything came up before splitting into groups. No matter how large the water park was, it wasn’t like 20 some odd people could all hang out together. If we all got in the river ride at the same time, we’d stop the flow of water completely. So since we couldn’t do anything like that, we decided to split into groups to go do whatever we wanted. But for some reason, I was given two conditions: that I could never be alone and that I couldn’t go along with the same group twice in a row.

  Of course, it was my intention to play with everyone as much as possible since we all came together, but I didn’t know why there had to be rules about it... I couldn’t understand what the girls were thinking. Oh, well.

  “So, Rekka, who do you want to go with first?” R asked me.

  “Let’s see...”

  I leaned against a fence at the corner of one pool and considered my options carefully. Since everyone was splitting up anyway, they could have just assigned me to one of the groups from the start. I’d suggested it, but was immediately shot down because “the whole day would be wasted bickering about it.” Whatever that meant.

  So there I was, standing alone by the corner of the pool. The girls had told me to wait here for five minutes after they left. However, as stipulated, I wasn’t allowed to be alone. I was strictly ordered to go find one of the groups as soon as I left.

  “Well, considering how many of us there are, surely it can’t be that hard to bump into some of them.”

  Even split into smaller groups, there were enough of us that there would probably be someone at nearly every attraction at any given time. Basically, I could go wherever I wanted and I would probably find someone. So my first destination? The wave pool.

  One end of the pool was shallow while the other end was deep. There were fences lined along the very back, behind which were the wave machines pumping the water at a fixed rhythm. They called them waves, but they were more like swells. They were only about 20 centimeters in height. It was basically just a specialized pool for people to get the experience of bobbing up and down in open water.

  “Hey! Brother Rekka!”

  “Rekka!”

  “Oh, Rekka!”

  Playing right in the middle of the waves was Fam. In front of her, Rain and Tetra were enjoying the knee-deep water. The three of them all waved my way when they saw me. Shirley and Garnet were nearby too, apparently supervising the three younger girls.

  “Oh my, did you come to us first?” Shirley asked.

  “Hm? Yeah, I guess I did.”

  “I’m glad to hear that. Everyone else will be so vexed.”

  “Huh...?”

  Puzzled by her comment, I tilted my head to the side. But Shirley just giggled.

  “Aren’t you going to get in, Shirley?” I asked.

  “It’s just nice to be out in the sun once in a while. I’ve been doing so much research these days.”

  Shirley and the others lived in the house across the street from me. Apparently, she’d modified the basement into her own laboratory. She locked herself in there whenever Rain and Fam were out and about.

  “Make sure you’re looking after yourself, okay?”

  “There’s no such thing as a healthy scientist.” Shirley scoffed and looked up at the sunlight
streaming in through the open roof of the dome. “But... it’s nice being able to hang out with you and my friends like this.”

  “Yeah?”

  I was glad she was having fun, but... Huh?

  “Why did you single me out from your friends just now...?”

  Before she could answer, Fam came over waving her arms around.

  “Hey, Brother Rekka! Don’t just stand there! Let’s go to the deep end already!”

  “All right, all right.”

  As soon as I agreed, Fam began tugging on my arm as she dragged me away. She turned to ask Rain and Tetra, too.

  “Hey, do you guys wanna come, too?”

  “Yes!”

  Tetra answered immediately, but...

  “Huh? Rain? Aren’t you coming?”

  “Um...” Rain’s eyes darted about as she hesitated to answer. “I-I’m sorry. I’ll pass.”

  “Really?”

  Well, if that’s what she wanted. No one was going to force her to come.

  “All right, let’s go.”

  “Yeah!”

  Tetra, Fam, and I linked hands as we waded towards the deep end of the pool.

  ▽

  We played in the waves for quite a while. When I realized how long it had been, we returned to Rain and Shirley on shore to rest a bit before I moved on.

  “Where are you going to go next?”

  “Hmm... Well, wherever I feel like, I guess.”

  I let my feet lead the way and wandered around aimlessly for a bit, glancing at the attractions as I passed. And then...

  “Rekka! Over here!”

  I heard someone call my name. When I looked over, I saw Hibiki and Chelsea.

  “Hey, what are you two up to?”

  “I was going to have a race with Chelsea,” Hibiki said and pointed to the proper swimming pool next to her.

  The six-lane pool was well maintained, but rather deserted in comparison to the wave pool and river ride.

  “We went to the wave pool first, but there were so many people that we couldn’t swim freely,” Hibiki continued with a slight grimace.

  “Actually, Hibiki was embarrassed about being seen and ran over here.”

  “Ch-Chelsea!”

  “Heh, you two sure get along.”

  I laughed along with Chelsea as Hibiki let out a dejected sigh.

  “Anyway, Rekka, do you want race with us?” she asked.

  “Hm? Yeah, sure.”

  I did some light stretches before lining up next to Hibiki and Chelsea at the starting blocks. I’d never done competitive swimming before, but I figured I could at least manage to dive in by mimicking what they did.

  “Rekka, Rekka.”

  “What?” I whispered back to R.

  “Please turn to the side.”

  “Huh?”

  All I could see was Hibiki and Chelsea.

  “You don’t want to miss the moment the two of them dive in, do you? There’s a chance something might slip out.”

  “Bwuh!”

  True, Hibiki was in a bikini, and Chelsea was in a strapless suit. There was definitely the possibility of an accident. And thanks to what R said, I couldn’t get my mind off of it. My focus was completely shot. I was practically swooning and couldn’t turn away.

  “Hmm... Since it’s a race, should we have a prize on the line?” Chelsea suggested.

  “A bet?” Hibiki asked.

  “How about, like, the winner gets to pick something from that stall over there?”

  “Fine by me... What do you think, Rekka?”

  “Huh? Oh, s-sure.” I responded in a fluster and agreed without thinking.

  “All right! Then, on your marks... Get set... Go!”

  ▽

  Of course, I came last. Hibiki and Chelsea were both way faster than me, even though you’d think their... excess baggage... would be a handicap in terms of water resistance. But after the race, we headed to the square with shops and stalls to buy the two of them something to eat.

  “Hmm, what would be good?”

  “Have you had shaved ice before, Chelsea?” I asked.

  “You mean Italian ice?” she replied.

  “Italian ice?”

  “They’re both pretty similar,” said Hibiki.

  The three of us continued chatting as we inspected the various storefronts. Eventually, we came to one that seemed particularly crowded.

  “What’s that over there?”

  “Dunno. Judging from the smell, it’s a grilled corn stand.”

  “Let’s check it out.”

  “S-Sure!”

  I was more than willing to go, so there was no need for Chelsea to pull me along. When she grabbed my arm like that, her chest...!

  “Hmph... Hurry up, Rekka.”

  “Don’t you push me from behind either, Hibiki!”

  She could have just used her hands! There was no need for her to press up against me like that! Her chest, too...!

  “Nothing like a bit of friendly rivalry!” R cheered.

  My current situation was probably a real laugh from where she was sitting. But nevertheless, the thick crowd of people turned out to be all men, who happily stepped aside when Chelsea and her drop-dead gorgeous figure arrived on the scene. And what we saw on the other side of the crowd was...

  “Lea?!”

  “Hom nom... Oh, Rekka.”

  Lea, who was munching on some grilled corn, turned when she heard my voice. A huge pile of corn cobs lay at her feet, which were surrounded by pale men on their knees, moaning in horror. This scene... It was my first time witnessing it in person, but I had heard of it before.

  “Lea... Did you get all these people to buy food for you?”

  “Y-Yes, I did. They said they’d pay, so I just...”

  She seemed to have picked up on the serious tone of my voice and hesitated to answer. Which meant... she’d eaten the men hitting on her out of their wallets again.

  “I told you to use your own money when there was something you wanted, didn’t I? That’s why you started your part-time job, after all.”

  “But my next paycheck is still a ways off... and the money I had left, I spent buying this the other day,” Lea said, snapping the straps of her bikini.

  The crowd around us stirred as her supersized chest bounced up and down. I had to stop her!

  “J-Just quit it for now, okay? Come on, this way!”

  “O-Okay...”

  I grabbed Lea’s hand and slipped out of the crowd of people. Hibiki and Chelsea followed us.

  “What? Wasn’t she going to hang out with whoever paid for her until she was satisfied?!”

  “Is that supposed to be her boyfriend? They don’t suit each other at all...”

  “Wait, are all those girls with him?!”

  “Has that brat mastered hypnosis or something?!”

  I was starting to get used to the death glares directed my way. And no! I hadn’t hypnotized anyone!

  At any rate, I let go of Lea’s hand once we got far enough away from the grilled corn stand.

  “Jeez! You need to be more careful. For some reason, they thought you were going to hang out with them for the whole day once you had your fill, you know?”

  “Huh? I never said anything like that.”

  “That’s what I figured, but...”

  It was probably a crazy idea that had been started by the men who’d gathered, but it could have turned out rather badly.

  “Well, she probably would have been fine anyway. I bet she still would have been hungry after emptying all of their wallets.”

  Hibiki had a point. She definitely had a point, but...

  “Just don’t do anything that would make me worried.”

  “...All right.”

  Lea threw away the last corn cob and nodded earnestly.

  “Oh, I almost forgot about buying something for the two of you. Sorry.”

  “If we go back there now, we’d just run into those men again. You can just get us something on the way
home,” offered Hibiki.

  “I’m fine with that, too,” agreed Chelsea.

  After we made it a promise, the two of them went their own way, leaving me with Lea.

  “Well, was there anywhere you wanted to go?” I asked.

  “Hmm... that’s a tough choice.”

  Just as Lea crossed her arms and began contemplating her options, I spied two familiar-looking girls on the other side of her: one with silver hair and one with purple hair.

  “Found you, Rekka!”

  “There you are, young man.”

  Iris and Corona made their way over with smiles on their faces.

  “Just in time. Iris, Corona, was there anywhere you wanted to go?”

  I figured I’d take this chance to hang out with them, so we might as well do something they wanted to do.

  “Let’s see... That!”

  “Urk...”

  I looked up and let out a small groan. She was pointing to a ridiculously high diving board...

  ▽

  “So, do I take off from here?” asked Corona.

  “No, you’re not supposed to fly,” explained Lea.

  “You just jump off and aim for the pool below!” said Iris as she turned to me. “Right? Rekka.”

  “Yeah...”

  I’d jumped off plenty of things before, right? Like Bahamut’s back or the roof of a tall building... I’d even fallen out of the sky with a demon. This should have been nothing compared to all that, so why was it still so scary...?

  “Hey! Only one person at a time allowed on the diving board!”

  Oh, one of the lifeguards was angry. Iris had pushed me the whole way up, so I’d completely missed all the posted signs with the rules. My bad.

  “What?” Corona asked, unfamiliar with the common sense of this world.

  “Does he want us to jump down quickly?” Lea asked, just as confused.

  “I see. In that case...”

  Corona didn’t hesitate to jump off the diving board.

  “Wait, Corona!”

  I inched closer to the edge, worried about her well-being. But my fears were unfounded. I could see her taking a deep breath as she resurfaced after her graceful dive. Her physical abilities were typical of a Demon King. Her courage, too.

  “Me next.”

  “Lea?!”

  Lea jumped and did one somersault in the air before landing in the water too. The other guests were clapping at her dive.