「Yo, Cyan. You’re looking a bit down. Did something happen?」
「Huh? Shut it...! Keep your mouth shut, old man.」
It was an ordinary day when Egos Cutman, a fellow Reincarnator, called out to Cyan.
Showing his blatant irritation, Cyan addressed Egos as "old man," despite the two of them being the same physical age.
There was a good reason for it: before his reincarnation, Egos had been an adult on the verge of forty.
Egos Cutman... his real name in his previous life was Kirio Egoshi.
He had been an adult male working for a "black company," the kind of soul-crushing job common in otherworld reincarnation stories. He was an otaku who spent what little private time he had on gaming, and perhaps because of that background, he was a "light gamer" when it came to Luminous History, much like Cyan himself.
Furthermore, whether it was due to the hectic nature of his past life or simply his age, his memory was hazy. His knowledge of the game lagged several steps behind that of the other Reincarnators.
Because of this, he was trailing in the race between Reincarnators—what one might call the Hero Derby—but Egos himself seemed to be enjoying this world at his own pace.
「Cruel. It might be true, but right now I’m a fresh-faced high schooler just like you, aren’t I? Let's try to get along as fellow light-tier players.」
Cyan clicked his tongue, his gaze screaming that Egos’s very choice of words felt dated.
For reasons Cyan couldn't fathom, Egos was incredibly friendly—or rather, annoyingly over-familiar—toward him.
Cyan felt that while he would welcome a cute girl, being approached by an old man who had merely patched up his outward appearance was just disgusting. He continued his cold treatment, but Egos spoke on, entirely unbothered.
「Everyone else is getting so worked up over being a hero or whatever; it’s a real drag, don’t you think? Don’t they ever just want to live a happy, easygoing life?」
「You’ve got a lot of nerve saying that when you’re also looking for a way to outsmart everyone. Is this that 'dirty adult tactics' thing people talk about?」
「Maybe. But I’m not as obsessed with the Seat of the Hero as the hardcore players are. I just want to live happily in this world. My previous life was stained entirely in filth because of that damn black company. I’ve had more than enough of that. The time I’ve been waiting for has finally arrived—the time to get serious—so I’m going to do my absolute best to be happy in this world.」
Egos appeared to lack a competitive spirit, yet he was shrewdly watching for openings in those around him. That was the essence of the man.
While he claimed to have no interest in being a hero, the reality was different. The ambition to rise to the top if the opportunity presented itself slowly oozed from his presence.
He was different from the younger Reincarnators, yet he was a creepy individual who was even more honest about his greed. That was Cyan’s evaluation of the man.
An ally like Egos would likely betray him, but making him an enemy would be an even bigger headache.
Deciding that a relationship as collaborators with a moderate amount of distance was best, Cyan kept Egos at arm's length.
「So? What do you want? Did you just come here to tease me?」
「No, no. A rather interesting Request came in. I was thinking that if you’re up for it, Cyan, we could take it on together.」
「A Request? Why bother asking me?」
When Cyan asked with a scowl, questioning why Egos would invite a fellow Reincarnator instead of his own party members, Egos replied with a smug grin.
「I told you, it’s an interesting Request. This one only triggers once you raise the Affection Level of a specific student above a certain point. The rewards are sweet when you include the Sub-quests, and since the others didn't seem interested, I found a gap to meet the requirements... but a liiiittle change has occurred in the conditions.」
「A change? What changed?」
「Well, I’ll tell you the details if you promise to take the Request with me. If there’s one thing I can say right now... it’s that we might just be able to snatch Melt and Anhel back from Scum Yugo.」
Cyan’s body gave a visible twitch at those words.
Melt and Anhel were popular characters in Luminous History. Despite his plans to have them in his party and his harem, he had been unable to recruit them due to some inexplicable error. The prospect of taking them back from Yugo was more than enough to capture Cyan’s attention.
「...Fine, I’m in. Tell me the details.」
「That’s the spirit. If we cooperate, this Popular Heroine Reclamation Plan is sure to succeed. Let’s get along as fellow light gamers, Cyan...!」
With a pact formed, the two men set a sinister plan in motion.
To explain the "interesting Request" that started it all, let us turn back the clock and shift the scene.
A few hours earlier, in a familiar corner of the courtyard, Yugo was bringing a certain matter to his companions' attention.