I finished my reflection and glanced at the students nearby, still venting their frustrations about Umino-sensei.
Complaints about him being unreliable, hard to understand, and other grievances were filling the air. After letting them vent for a while, Chiji clapped his hands to gather everyone's attention.
"Alright, alright, that's enough. We've got to start training, or the knights are going to glare at us even more."
"... Ugh, I guess we have no choice."
"This sucks."
"I wish I had cheat abilities too~."
The students turned their complaints toward the knights this time.
Chiji, however, never bothered to defend Umino. He let the bad feelings toward the teacher fester, narrowing Umino's support network to himself. But that wasn't the end of it.
Once the students had dispersed, Chiji quietly spoke to Setsuna, who had been standing next to him.
"I didn't expect it to turn out like this. I feel kinda bad for Umino-chan."
"... Yeah."
"What do you think, Setsuna?"
"Are you asking about the sudden use of my name, or about Umino-sensei?"
"About Umino-chan."
"... Well, I always knew he had that kind of personality, and honestly, I do feel sorry for him. He's a socially awkward loner, right? He doesn't fit in because he's older, but he also doesn't have the personality to lead. Yeah... it's pretty sad."
"Pretty much my thoughts too. Alright, back to boring training—ugh."
Chiji raised one hand, feigning disinterest as he started to return to his dull training, but Setsuna grabbed him by the collar.
He turned around, only to meet Setsuna's eyes, which were glaring at him.
"And what about the other thing?"
"The other thing?"
"The name thing."
"Did you not like it?"
Setsuna was at a loss for words.
"... That's just unfair. When you ask, 'Did you not like it?' you're forcing me to say 'It's fine' even if I didn't like it. You're aware of that, aren't you?"
"Who knows?"
Of course, Chiji was well aware.
It was a classic bit of Japanese psychology. For example, even if someone wasn't okay, they might still respond, "I'm fine," if asked, "Are you alright?"
Though, this trick only worked with a certain level of familiarity and a specific relationship dynamic.
Since their summoning, aside from her childhood friend Yuunagi, Setsuna had only really talked to Chiji.
Yuunagi had been training separately with the advanced heroes for the past two days, leaving Setsuna with more interaction time with Chiji than anyone else.
Given all this time together and their shared experience of being suddenly summoned to another world, closing the distance between them was easy.
"... Whatever, it's fine."
"You can call me Chiji too."
"Alright, Nakura-kun."
"Hmm, I'm kinda jealous of Yuunagi-kun."
"Well, Taka-kun is my childhood friend."
Chiji glanced over toward the advanced heroes' training session, and sure enough, Yuunagi was glaring in their direction with a displeased expression.
(... Not yet.)
Deciding it wasn't the right time, Chiji met Yuunagi's gaze just long enough to be noticed, then deliberately looked away.
By doing so, he ensured that Yuunagi would start thinking about him, even if only out of irritation.
As Chiji mentally mapped out his future plans, his gaze wandered toward the advanced heroes' training ground, where his eyes met those of a sharp-looking silver-haired beauty. The saying "Eyes speak louder than words" couldn't have been more accurate in that moment.
Chiji, I'll break you. I'll make sure that arrogant mouth of yours can't speak another word.
That was the kind of thought she was clearly projecting.
Chiji pretended not to notice.
Of course, he had no interest in dealing with that, and so he returned to his own training.
After training and a quick meal, Chiji didn't return to his room. Instead, he made his way to Umino's private quarters.
He nodded politely to the maid standing by the door before knocking.
"It's Nakura," he called, and after a few seconds, the door opened.
"You look well, Sensei. I was a bit worried since you weren't at training today."
"O-oh, sorry about that. I, uh, w-well, come in for now."
"Excuse the intrusion~."
Most people would have hesitated before stepping in, but Chiji entered without a second thought.
The room was essentially the same as his own, but the desk was piled high with thick books that Umino must have brought from somewhere.
Understanding that Umino had spent the day skipping training to study, Chiji decided to ask about it, if only to keep the conversation going and build rapport.
"Sensei, what are these?"
"Well, I-I thought I'd study more about this world at the royal library today. I-I'm not good with physical training, so I figured this is the least I could do..."
Umino had clearly taken Chiji's previous words to heart.
Though Umino's speech was hesitant, he wore a slightly proud expression, like a loyal dog waiting to be praised. Chiji silently noted this as he smiled inwardly.
(Well, she is a teacher, so she's good at gathering information.)
Still, Umino could have at least informed the others or made some attempt at communication, but expecting that much from a socially awkward loner was too much to ask.
Recalling the times Umino had been scolded by other teachers back in Japan, Chiji realized that this was likely the reason.
Though understanding this, Chiji still praised her efforts.
"That's amazing, Sensei! You're impressive! If you don't mind, could you share what you learned today?"
"R-really?"
"Of course! Please, Sensei!"
"Hehe..."
Beaming, Umino scratched her head in embarrassment, then opened the notes she'd compiled and began explaining what she'd learned.
She had gathered a general overview of the world they were in.
Geography, language systems, information on the Demon King and his demon subordinates.
There were also details on non-human races, such as dragonfolk like Rinyu, as well as the standard fantasy races like elves, dwarves, beastfolk, and merfolk.
And then—something called "dungeons."
"... Dungeons, huh?"
"Y-yeah. They're caves where monsters spawn endlessly, and they exist all over the world. Oh, and, even though they're called caves, they're strangely well-structured, kind of like those mazes in games."
"I see."
"A-adventurers often explore them to gather resources and magical items. The dungeons have a strong monster—called a boss—on every tenth floor, and adventurers usually tackle them in groups of dozens. Some even clear dungeons solo, though..."
"The more I hear, the more this feels like something out of a game or anime."
"R-right? I thought it sounded like something out of a web novel."
"Agreed."
"N-Nakura-kun, I remember you used to read those on your phone during class, right?"
"... Sorry about that."
"Mm, it's okay. I-it was my fault for not being able to keep the class interesting..."
Chiji glanced at Umino, who seemed a bit down after her comment. Finding it slightly annoying, he quickly reassured her.
"But you're doing an amazing job as a teacher now."
"Th-thank you! A-anyway, back to adventurers. They're ranked, just like us. The top rank is platinum, and the lowest is bronze."
"I see. Did someone explain this to you?"
"Y-yeah. I didn't understand some things, so I asked the maid, Moony-san."
Chiji was impressed. After all, the maids and butlers assigned to them were probably the closest locals they had contact with.
Chiji himself had barely paid attention to them—viewing them as nothing more than "the people who stand outside my room and bring clothes." He realized now how short-sighted that was.
"Are you on good terms with the maid?"
"I-I guess I've talked to her more than anyone else since we got summoned here..."
It seemed like her inability to connect with the students had led to this discovery.
Thinking he might chat with the maid later himself, Chiji let Umino's impromptu lesson come to a close without incident.
As he returned to his room, Chiji finally took a proper look at his butler. Upon closer inspection, the young man didn't seem that much older than him. When asked about his age, the butler replied, "I'm seventeen."
His voice was slightly higher than average for a boy, and he was strikingly beautiful. His hair was long, a dull shade of navy, and his eyes slightly sharp.
He could easily pass as a girl, especially given how his features were more delicate than masculine.
If you called him a "trap," you wouldn't be wrong.
His name was—.
"Laika-kun."
"Yes?"
"... Ever thought about wearing a maid uniform?"
"No."
"Shame."
"If you're frustrated, I can assist you with that."
"No, thanks. I'll pass."
"I see. The princess instructed us to 'obey the heroes unless in official capacities,' so if you have any requests, do not hesitate to ask."
Official capacities—likely referring to any situation where others might be watching.
But beyond that, it seemed like anything was fair game.
"I'm shallow, and as long as they're pretty, I don't care about gender. But I've decided my first time will be with someone I love."
"I didn't ask."
"You're more cutting than I expected."
"Well, you're more deranged than I expected. You seem to have no sense of ethics."
He's right.
"I'm just honest about my desires. Now, I'd like to take a bath, so can you prepare my clothes?"
"As you wish."
After receiving his change of clothes from the butler, Chiji made his way to the palace's grand bath. It was late enough that he had the large bath all to himself.
As he swam leisurely, he considered the new information he'd learned.
(Still not enough. I'll head to the library myself tomorrow.)
With that decision, Chiji continued steadily building his power, all with one goal in mind:
To kill every last one of his classmates.