Humiliation

"… Hey, Naoto, pull yourself together."

The one calling out to me as I sat there sunk in a depressed funk was Kanan.

"Fufun, did you see? My splendid fight. Fu fu fu, well? Without me, you can't win, can you? Now do you understand just how much you need me? Hooo-ho-ho-ho-ho!"

Kanan crowed in triumph.

"… Pfft."

Even slumped in the dumps, I ended up laughing. Kanan really didn't change.

"Naoto-kun, cheer up, okay? … It's true that we're being separated for a while… But in the end, I'm sure we'll come back to your side, Naoto-kun. I believe that."

Maika encouraged me too.

"… Hey, Maika, that's what I wanted to say."

"Then you should have said it before crowing in triumph, shouldn't you?"

"But! I want him to say he needs me!"

"I get that, but…"

Kanan and Maika bickered.

… Come to think of it, Kanan and Maika's attitudes hadn't really changed at all from when they were my companions.

When the Master swaps, do a Garumon's feelings really not change?

"They do change. Garumon are absolutely obedient to their Master's commands. But when the Master changes, the orders the previous Master had given are nullified. So whatever parts of them they were following because of their Master's commands disappear once the Master is replaced… Naoto-san, you're a Master who gives almost no orders to his Garumon, so even when the Master changes, there's just no element to change."

… Which meant that Maika and Kanan's affection for me, at least, wasn't necessarily because I was their Master. That had been more or less proven, hadn't it?

That might have been the only good thing to come out of this defeat.

"… Anyway, get your spirits up so you can win us back properly."

"We'll be waiting."

Smooch, smooch.

With that, Kanan and Maika kissed me on the cheeks.

"Let's go, Maika, Kanan. Fu fu fu. Today I'll have these two cuties show me a real good time. If it stings, you'd better do your best to win them back!"

Yuria taunted me.

"I shall serve you well."

Maika buried her face in Yuria's crotch and started sucking on Yuria's penis.

… The same act she used to perform for Noda, even if the recipient sat at the polar opposite end of the spectrum.

"…"

I unconsciously shot her a glare, and…

"Hii, you're mad…"

Yuria flinched a little… Yeah, she really was a cute, good kid. Probably.

Right then, with some agenda in mind, she was working hard to play the villain.

But if I got genuinely angry she would completely cave, so I probably shouldn't bully her too much.

I already knew what her aim was. For mutual growth… it was leveling.

In just two battles, Kanan and Adelia had gone up two LV. Even Maika went up by one. As for Lyuka, she had shot up two LV at once.

Because she and I were fighting all-out, seriously trying to take each other down, we were growing at a tremendous pace.

Which was exactly why I couldn't get used to this situation.

Bite down on the humiliation. The mistaken belief I'd held until now, that I was strong… no, I shouldn't correct it.

If I was under that delusion, then I had to make that delusion real, even if it killed me.

Remember Setsuna's, Yuria's, and Haru-kun's movements. They were one step ahead of where we were.

This defeat was the result of our lack of training. We had to keep tempering our companions, sharpening the precision of my commands, and this time win for sure.

We had to win.

Because from here on out, what waited after a loss was a death battle where only despair lay on the other side.

If I lost the showdown with Kensei Yamagata, I'd lose Kanan forever…

… Which didn't mean it was okay to lose Yuria's, Setsuna's, or Haru-kun's battles either.

I needed the spirit to win every single battle, no matter what.

"… Naoto-kun…"

Haru-kun walked over to me, looking worried.

He'd been ordered to enjoy a blowjob from Kanan, and had just finished cumming once.

He was wearing Maika's Spirit Garb, with only a pareo wrapped around his hips, and he was incredibly erotic.

"… Congratulations on your victory, Haru-kun."

I called out to him. I'd been looking down on him a bit. I was sorry for that.

"N-Naoto-kun, this is… I just came over to this side a little earlier, that's all… and Yuria did all of it for me…"

"… You were strong."

I just said that.

"… Naoto-kun, I…"

At that moment, he took my hand and pressed it to his chest.

… Oof, that soft, munyon feeling.

"I-I'm rooting for you too, Naoto-kun!"

T-this is… wonderful. My sunken heart bobbed back to the surface for an instant… Guys really were simple.

During the break, I decided to use Lyuka's gate to head back to my house.

Leone's Inn… my home, the one I got together with Leone.

Ever since I had come to this world, I'd been sleeping and waking here.

That whole time… it had been fun.

Yet this happy home of mine somehow felt chilly and desolate now.

Aah… here, in this strange foreign land, how much had I been helped by Kanan, my fellow countrywoman?

With a familiar face right beside me the whole time… how much was I being protected from anxiety?

Right then, for the first time, I'd been thrown out into another world all alone.

"G-Goshujin-sama…"

Worried about me, Adelia called out in an anxious voice.

"… Adelia…"

Adelia, who'd been my companion ever since I came here, who'd been by my side this whole time.

Of course, Lyuka and Leone too. They watched over me kindly. They were companions I trusted from the bottom of my heart now.

I didn't think I saw them as distant otherworlders.

And yet… no, probably… it wasn't that they were at fault. Most likely, even if Adelia and Lyuka had been taken from me in place of Kanan and Maika, I would have felt exactly the same.

I was simply hurt and grieving over having lost my companions.

There was another thing, a frightening thing: that even with blood relatives, even with companions you've gotten that close to, that you trust each other and have even confessed your feelings to…

If you lose a Garumon Battle, all of it gets lost in an instant.

Without thinking, I looked down at the orb in my palm.

It was something Yuria had handed me when I said I was going home for a while.

"What's this?"

"I can see what's happening here anytime. This is a tool for seeing it. The green light orb is Haru's POV. The pink light orb is mine. Use whichever you like. To use it, just close your eyes and press it against your eyelid. You can do both at once, but… I think your perspective will get a little confused. Take a look if you want. See you later."

With that, Yuria waved her hand. There were some complicated parts to her, but I thought Yuria and I could get along well.

… Yeah, I was curious.

I took a peek at the magic tool Yuria had given me.

Then, as if my vision and hearing were synced with Haru-kun's, I saw and heard it vividly.

In front of me, Maika was on her knees in her erotic Spirit Garb.

"Nfufu… how erotic and adorable. Naoto's companions really are the absolute best."

"Yuria… I have no grudge against Maika-san at all… and yet, this…"

"It's all right. I understand that being made to feel good by my Master is the duty of a slave… Now, Haru-kun. Don't hold back. Let's get along well from now on, you and me."

When she whispered that gently, it seemed there was no way to resist.

And then…

"Aah… Yukishiro-san, who I always thought was beautiful from afar… is sucking on my dick like this… I never thought… Aah, amazing, it feels so good…!"

"Mm, mmh… since this is our first proper greeting, I'll put all my heart into sucking it… mmh, Haru-kun's dick… your face is cute, but it's so impressive…"

Maika fervently sucked on Haru's penis.

Once she finished, I saw Maika and Setsuna exchanging greetings.

"Setsuna-chan, I'm Maika Yukishiro. Pleased to meet you."

"… Pleased to meet you."

Setsuna had a slightly complicated expression.

"… Is something wrong?"

"Maika-san, did you… already know how Onii-chan thought of you back in Japan?"

"Eh, um… that he… liked me… from before? I'm very honored, and I'm so happy."

Maika smiled bashfully, looking happy.

"… Hmm, so you do know. Then you understand why I'd be jealous, right? … Onii-chan's been looking at your photo at home this whole time, after all…"

Ugh, Setsuna… she knew?

"Naoto-kun… you were looking at photos of me…"

"Like the one from our middle-school field trip. And the reason he came to Reido Academy was for you, Maika-san… Well, after that, he ended up being Kanan-san's slave because of our family business, though."

"… I'm really, truly sorry."

The blame got passed to Kanan, who apologized.

"Ah, I'm not going to keep blaming you… Anyway, from now on we're all fellow Japanese girls… And we're all companions who love Onii-chan. Let's get along, okay."

"""Setsuna-chan…"""

Maika and Kanan's voices overlapped.

And then, the three Japanese girls smiled together, getting along well.

"… Even so, for you to get yourself defeated and made into Yuria's slave too… This way, Naoto's all alone in another world. Naoto looked so lonely when he went home… I'm worried…"

"That's right, Naoto-kun… I am worried. I wonder if our pep talk did him any good…"

The two of them, Kanan and Maika, talked like that.

"I'm worried about Onii-chan too… when we'd finally gotten to see each other again. I really wanted to talk so much more… and hug him tight…"

Setsuna joined in.

"… Yeah, I'm worried about Naoto-kun too… we're really doing something terrible…"

Even Haru-kun.

"Hold on a minute! You guys are my slaves now, you know! Just so you know, an ordinary Master would get angry if you talked about another Master while ignoring her. It's incredibly rude!"

Yuria complained.

"S-sorry… I've never served any Master other than Naoto, so…"

Kanan apologized honestly.

"W-well, I'm a kind one so it's fine, but. Even now, Naoto might be listening, so don't say anything unnecessary, okay."

They chimed back with "Okaaay" like a group of girls being warned by their class committee leader.

"Look, since we're at it, let's pick a topic that'll make Naoto more frustrated… Haru, how was it? Maika's blowjob."

"Y-yeah… it really felt great. Thank you… Maika-san."

"Fufufu. I'm glad you were satisfied. If you'd thought I was a rude slave who couldn't even properly greet a new Master right after arriving… I'd be sorry to my previous Master, Naoto-kun."

"Fufu, yes. Naoto's slaves really are wonderful. He must have been a wonderful Master."

"Yes! Naoto-kun really is a wonderful Master!"

"… Fufu, so by working hard here, we'll be raising Naoto's reputation. Alright, I'm fired up!"

"… Me too! Now, Yuria, I'll show you again… what the greatest slave looks like!"

"Aah… fufufu, Maika's blowjobs are really skilled, so I'm looking forward to it."

And then Maika latched onto Yuria's penis.

"Then let's do it too."

"… Y-yeah."

Kanan latched onto Haru-kun's penis.

"Haa, haa… a-ahh… Kanan-san… I just came…"

"… Fufu, then don't get this hard. If you think you're an embarrassing slave who'd let himself stay erect while ignoring it… I couldn't face Naoto."

"Geez, you two are sneaky. I want her to think Onii-chan's prized little sister is the best as a slave too…"

With that, Setsuna squeezed her body in between the two of them. She alternated between licking Maika's and Yuria's penises, then Kanan's and Haru-kun's penises.

And just like that, the five of them tangled together in a writhing knot, enjoying the night.

… Yeah, I really did feel everyone's strong affection for me.

I was sure they still cherished me even now.

… But in the face of the fact that they had become Yuria's slaves, that didn't really matter. No matter how strong their feelings were, they weren't here. The fact that they were Yuria's slaves wouldn't change…

This was… this world's system. The institution of Garumon, of slaves…

"Unyaa, Goshujin-sama…"

At Adelia's call, I lifted my eyes from the light orb and raised my face.

"Leone says, dinner's ready, nya…"

"Yeah, thanks."

And then the four of us ate. As delicious as always… but somehow it tasted flat.

"Are you feeling down?"

Lyuka called out to me.

"… Yeah. If I'd done that, maybe I would have won, if I'd done this… I keep thinking that. Of course it's frustrating."

"… That's admirable. It must be painful."

Lyuka was worried about me too.

"Come to think of it, this isn't something I really understand, but supposedly in your world, Naoto-san, there's something called 'lovers,' a man and a woman who love each other as a pair?"

"Eh, lovers…?"

It was a word I was used to hearing, but hearing it again in this world felt a bit strange.

… I see. In this world where men and women weren't equals, there was no such concept as lovers.

"Funya? A pair, I don't really get it nya? Garumon serve their Goshujin-sama in numbers, nya. Adelia is happy when Maika and Kanan and Lyuka and Leone are all together, all getting along, with Goshujin-sama, nya～"

Adelia said.

… She really was cute, this kid.

Adelia made a face like, "Ah, I said something bad."

She probably thought she'd made me sad over Kanan and Maika's absence.

But when I patted her head, pat pat, she squinted happily.

"In the case of lovers, do they not fight to take each other away, the way Garumon do?"

Lyuka asked.

"Aah… it's a matter of each person's own free will. Sometimes feelings shift toward someone else, but normally they don't fight to take each other… well, it's not that it absolutely never happens, but normally not."

When I thought about it that way, the system where you can have someone if you fight for them was actually kinder than the original world.

I'd been enjoying only the upside this whole time, looking away from the downside that they can also be taken from you if you lose.

It was actually fortunate that the one who beat me was Yuria. Asking me to harbor hostility toward someone as cute and endearing as Yuria was a tall order.

… Well, she did seem to enjoy making everyone give her blowjobs, but that was only natural.

Any guy with the absolutely beautiful and charming Kanan and Maika as slaves who'd obey his every command, who wouldn't even make them give him a blowjob, that guy would be the crazy one. So I didn't intend to resent her for that.

… Maybe that was exactly why I took on a disadvantageous battle, because I felt it was okay to lose.

But to actually lose and end up this depressed, I really wasn't thinking things through…

To get me to take that battle, Yuria had been spinning her wheels with that villain act.

The act itself was clumsy, but charmed by her cuteness and silliness and eroticism, before I knew it I was taking on a long-shot disadvantageous battle.

C-Class is supposed to be allowed to refuse battles, so unwinnable battles can just be avoided.

When I thought about it that way, she might actually be quite the strategist. I'd fallen right into her trap.

Well, in Seeds, apparently you can force a battle by paying enough money, so…

"Naoto-san…"

Leone called out to me as I sank into thought.

"Anyway… if I just win, it'll be fine. The fact that I couldn't is all my fault."

"But… you mustn't blame yourself like that. The first match was more than enough given the level gap, and the next match was honestly forsaken by luck."

Leone defended me.

"That's right nya, Goshujin-sama is the best nya! And it's Adelia's problem for not living up to it nya… I want to get stronger, even stronger… for Goshujin-sama, nya…!"

Adelia said.

"Don't say that. Adelia, all of you, you really did well. Not getting your LV up high enough is my problem too."

I pushed back.

"Naoto-san…"

The mood had become completely gloomy.

I wasn't in the mood to do anything erotic either, so I decided to take a short nap, and surprisingly, I slept pretty well.

It might have been because I was mentally exhausted.

"Now then, it's about time."

"Then let's go. Lyuka, the gate, please."

"… Naoto-san."

"Lyuka, what is it?"

"… As she is, Yuria is actually quite competent. I think it'll be a tough battle for you."

"… Yeah, I get that."

"As she is" is a bit of a sad way to put it. I get it, though.

"… But this experience will definitely make you stronger."

That's what Lyuka said.

"… Yeah."

And we set off.

"Naoto-kun, good morning!"

"Ah, Haru-kun. Good morning."

I exchanged a morning greeting with my best friend, like reuniting with an old companion.

"Onii-chan, good morning! Did you sleep well?"

"Naoto, good morning."

"Good morning, Naoto-kun."

The three of them welcomed me warmly as well.

"… How are you feeling? Did you get some sleep?"

Yuria asked, worrying about me too.

"… I'm fine."

When she heard me say that…

"Fu fu fu, Naoto. So you've come crawling back to hand me even more cute slaves!"

She started up her villain act again.

"Now, today we'll both do our best. Today's match is two on two."

A team of Maika and Yuria versus a team of Adelia and Lyuka.

My fighting spirit was plenty high. I got some sleep, even if not much. As for my condition… I wasn't really sure.

This time, our forces weren't necessarily inferior either. Even if our LV was lower, in terms of attributes we actually had an advantage.

… Even with these favorable conditions, what was going on? Everything was just slightly off.

The gears weren't meshing. Or to put it more simply, my form was just bad.

… In any case, the bad current that started yesterday wouldn't stop.

The luck was just terrible. Anything decided by probability fell on the unfavorable side, as if utterly forsaken.

… No, thinking back on it later, my judgment itself might have been bad.

I tried to claw back the advantage over and over, but it wasn't enough…

"… How… why…"

It was like being inside a nightmare. Struggle and struggle, but the far shore stayed just out of reach…

This time, too, it was paper-thin… but we lost.

"Nya, it's Adelia. Please look after me, Goshujin-sama…"

"Yeah, please, Adelia… Cute! Cat ears! Sexy figure! Nfufu～ I've been keeping my eye on you for ages…!"

Yuria looked happy.

"… Aah, Adelia."

I called her name without meaning to.

"Unya… what is it nya? Goshujin… no, that's wrong… N-Naoto."

Adelia had stopped calling me "Goshujin-sama."

A sharp pang ran through my chest.

It wasn't that I wanted to be called "Goshujin-sama." She could call me without an honorific and I wouldn't mind.

… But I didn't want her to change like that just because of a difference in status.

And then four hours later…

The match was Adelia versus Lyuka.

"Funya, my first battle under Master Yuria, I'll do my best nya! I'll show off how strong I got under Master Naoto, nya!"

Adelia, full of fighting spirit, faced off against me.

"Adelia-san… Naoto-san. This world's system… what do you think of it?"

Lyuka asked me.

"My days have been so much fun, I forgot… This is an incredibly harsh world. That's what I think."

"… Yes. I'm truly happy that you've been enjoying this world, but please never forget that there's a harsh side to it."

No matter what either party feels, you're forcibly bound by the slave bond…

And it's a world where defying that is impossible.

Lose just once, and your companions are taken by your opponent.

Even if the opponent isn't a beautiful, kind, capable, wonderful Master like Yuria.

"But, in such a harsh world… I need the strength to survive. So I'll win. Without fail."

"… Yes!"

And then… the match began.

In the battles up to now, Lyuka had gone up five LV.

But Adelia had gone up by three. Even though she was catching up, the LV gap was still glaringly clear.

In a one-on-one fight, defense-strong close-combat types are basically more advantageous.

Even taking those conditions into account, Lyuka pushed past her own limits and held on right to the edge.

But…

"Nya!"

"Aaah…!"

Crunch…!

The final blow connected with Lyuka, and Lyuka was defeated.

And just like that… I'd finally lost every single Garumon I had on hand, except for Leone.

"… Aah…"

I hung my head in defeat.

Maybe… I should just die. That might be easier…

If my trusted companions were all gone, then in a world like this… I might have no regrets left.

I'd lost everything, and my heart was broken…

"A free Master with no Garumon left… Hunting wild Garumon is impossible for an ordinary man, so well, you'll never recover, will you?"

Yuria said something like that.

"Ah, don't worry. From now on we'll keep Naoto as our slave. You'll serve me here, together with everyone else. How about it? Doesn't that life sound fun?"

"Wahh, Onii-chan with us too?"

"Together with Naoto… that would be wonderful!"

"Wah… to serve with my beloved Naoto-kun, that would be lovely…"

"Unya, Naoto, Adelia would be happy with anything as long as I'm with my beloved Naoto, nya!"

The four of them rejoiced one after another.

Aah… that might not be so bad either.

Becoming a slave myself, together with everyone, serving Yuria, spending my days that way…

It would surely be a lot of fun.

I want that too… please…

I almost said it out loud.

"But…"

That's when…

"Somehow that doesn't quite fit… It's not that I'm saying I hate the idea. But… that's not it."

Kanan opened her mouth.

The girls who had been ecstatic over my words about becoming a slave together suddenly stopped.

"… Yeah, that's right. That's not it. Naoto-kun… isn't that kind of person."

Haru-kun, who'd been a fellow slave with me before, seemed to understand.

… No, that was right. It was wrong.

A slave of Yuria's. If I could be satisfied with that life, then I shouldn't have had any complaints about the slave life under Kanan in the first place.

There were plenty of guys who would have been thrilled to be the slave of a beautiful girl on Kanan's level. But me… I was unhappy.

This isn't right, I'd thought, the entire time.

Not because Kanan was a worse Master than Yuria or anything on that level.

… I wasn't a person who could be content as someone's slave.

To rule someone, to dominate them.

That, exactly that, was… my essence.

In that moment, my view became clear and sharp.

… Aah, just how narrow had my field of vision been all this time?

I felt as if I could see all kinds of things I hadn't understood before.

… Aah, I see. Probably it was because I'd lost once. Back then, I was genuinely sick.

I probably had a fever too. My judgment was clouded.

I didn't intend to make excuses, but…

… But not now. Even my fever was instantly cured.

It was a fever born of unsolved questions whirling around in my head.

Now… I understood. So, I was fine now.

"… No, that's wrong. I haven't ended yet. Nothing's over."

My mind was made up.

Even if I was left alone, I couldn't stand serving anyone.

Rather than be anyone's slave, I'd fight again and again.

Even if I lost as a result and became a slave, I'd stand right back up and keep fighting.

I'd defy the system itself.

But… this time, that kind of decision wasn't necessary.

Because I still had one truly reliable, wonderful companion left.

"Yes, well said. It's not over yet. No, it hasn't even started."

Tan…

"You have me. Let's go. We're turning this around from here."

And then… before me, Leone stood.

"Now then, the conditions said I was forbidden to enter until you were down to your last one. Now, I can fight for your sake without any restrictions. Naoto-san."

"… Yeah, let's go, Leone."

I took her hand.