“Oh, it’s begun. Now then, I wonder what kind of developments are waiting for us from here?”
Lost muttered with a voice thick with anticipation as he watched the scene unfold. Beetle-type Magic Armor Beasts—creatures with bodies the size of a human face and horns just as long—began their assault on the crowd.
The unfolding chaos and confusion, a scene reminiscent of the incident caused by Rush—the one to whom he had once granted power—gradually spread across the entire Insect Museum. Drop, watching the spectacle alongside him, seemed unable to suppress her delight.
“Kyahahahaha! It’s finally started! The fun, fun event! Well, I’m not really involved this time, so I suppose I’ll just have to enjoy the show!”
“Isn't it fine? It’ll be quite a sight to see how the people caught up in this turmoil move, wouldn't you agree? Besides, there are other things I’m looking forward to as well.”
The two spoke with the nonchalant air of people watching a movie with popcorn in hand, spectating as person after person was attacked and struck down by the monsters. As she watched another victim collapse in a pool of blood with a beetle clinging to them, Drop posed a question to Lost.
“By the way, wasn't one of those trashy protagonists acting a bit strange? When Yui and your favorite's little brother went to the restroom, he intentionally left them behind and disappeared. What do you think the point of that was?”
“Hmm? Well, for the most part, I'd say he's trying to use this event to eliminate Fee-kun. Given the timing and the current route, it’s the only explanation that makes sense.”
“Heh? Could you tell me more about that?”
Drop, who had no intention of deeply analyzing the thoughts of the Hero Candidates herself, threw another question at Lost, who seemed to have seen through everything. Lost began to explain the route branches and the subsequent developments with the casual tone of someone discussing something utterly trivial.
“See, this event branches into two distinct paths depending on the exchange students' affection levels. One is the route the protagonists are experiencing now, and the other is the one Fee-kun just entered.”
According to Lost, if the player has high affection with Ryuga and Yui at the start of the event, they enter a special route. In this scenario, the player is tasked with looking after Yui and encounters the incident while accompanying her to the restroom—exactly what was happening to Fee now. This path required the player to leave the main party and face one of the bosses alone. It was significantly more difficult, but clearing it would skyrocket Yui’s affection level.
“…So, Egos is likely using those specifications in reverse to force Fee into a confrontation with the Magic Armor Beasts. If the others had realized the two had gone to the restroom, the main unit would have waited for them. That would have prevented this scenario, so he suppressed the information to isolate them.”
“So he’s forcibly recreating the 'alone with Yui' route so the monsters will attack Fee. Since he has no combat ability, there’s no way he can win. Fee gets brutally killed, and his big brother Yugo falls into despair… something like that? But wait, isn't there a chance Yui gets killed too?”
“In the game, Yui doesn't die until the player is defeated. He probably assumes Fee will be targeted first. Besides, the Magic Armor Beast blocking their path happens to have a preference for young boys, so he’ll likely be eaten first anyway. Still, it’s a massive mistake to think everything will go exactly like the game. After all, this isn't a game.”
“Haha, I see where this is going! Fee gets killed, Yui is about to be attacked, and then—ta-da!—the protagonist makes his gallant entrance! He slays the beast and wins her heart! He eliminates a rival and gets a little girl to worship him. It's a win-win for him… even if it's incredibly sleazy.”
“Exactly. Regarding the fact that he suppressed the information, I think he believes that if Fee dies and Yui’s affection level is high, he can somehow deceive everyone. In other words, they are planning and acting on the premise of leaving Fee to die. They really are vile scumbags.”
“…Do you think that plan of theirs will work?”
Lost shrugged his shoulders as if to say 'no way' and pointed to a certain spot in response to Drop’s question. Over there was the figure of Cyan's party plus Egos confronting the Magic Armor Beast siblings, who were the culprits of the incident. While watching them, Lost continued speaking.
“The plan is already starting to fall apart. For starters, encountering two Magic Armor Beasts simultaneously here is bizarre. According to their script, they should only be facing the older brother. They’re probably wondering why the younger sister isn't off attacking Fee and Yui like she’s supposed to.”
“Hmm, I see? So, how does that difference affect things?”
“From the protagonists' perspective, they need the younger sister, Rielle, to hurry up and go after those two. But since they're with the rest of the party, they can't make it look obvious. They’ll likely try to rough up the two monsters just enough to create an 'opening' so the sister can 'escape.' They can't land a killing blow until she’s gone. They have to play it like, 'Oh no, the sister got away! Let's finish the brother quickly so we can chase her!' Otherwise, if they catch her too soon, the whole plan fails.”
“I see, I see! But still, there’s enough of a difference in strength that they can afford to play around like that, right? In that case, wouldn't the protagonists—pfft, 'Hero Candidates'—just use that strength to complete their plan successfully?”
“You have a nasty personality too, Drop! You can already imagine the developments after that yourself!!”
Lost gave a smirk and poked fun at Drop’s deliberate remark. It would be a pointless answer to say that if one didn't have a nasty personality, they wouldn't be a mastermind making people miserable. The expression on Drop’s face was also filled with anticipation and malice as she waited for the misfortune of those she disliked.
“Drop-chan doesn't understand a single word those two are saying… but there is one thing I can agree with.”
“Oh? And what’s that?”
“The idea that the diversity of insects… and the potential for evolution is truly wonderful.”
Drop chuckled, a sound vibrating in her throat as she shared a moment of dark amusement with Lost. She was certain he was thinking the exact same thing.
“They say that evolution usually happens when a species is on the brink of extinction… essentially, when they're cornered, their latent powers awaken. What do you think, Lost?”
“Who knows? I'm no scholar. I don't know the specifics. But if I had to give an opinion…” Lost trailed off, staring at Cyan and the others as they battled the Magic Armor Beasts. “…I think we’re about to see a practical demonstration of the answer very soon.”