On how PhDs become human evil

"Mr. Shi, Mr. Shi, where should we go to play first?"

"Whatever you want. I came out with you today, and I'll go with you wherever you want to go."

"Let's go to the aquarium first!"

"Raising marine life inland...that's really dedicated. The transportation, management, and maintenance must be incredibly demanding."

The two voices were a man's and a woman's. Although Bai Jie wasn't familiar with the woman's voice, the man's voice sounded exactly like...

"Nangumo?"

Bai Jie looked in the direction from which the sound came and said.

Behind Bai Jie, Nagumo Hajime, dressed in a chuunibyou-inspired black outfit, stood there, accompanied by a rabbit-person demi-human in a white dress.

Hearing someone call his name, Hajime Nagumo instinctively looked over: "Fafner? What are you doing here?"

"That's what I wanted to ask you. What are you doing here? And this demi-human is... did you cheat on me?"

"Do you want to eat bullets?"

"I'll chop you up."

Section 249, Part 23: The Second Day (3/4)

"Hey, I see. You went to the Forest of Trees."

In a coffee shop in Furen, Bai Jie was sitting with Nagumo Hajime, Yue, and a rabbit-person demi-human named Shia.

According to Hajime Nagumo, after he and Yue left the Great Labyrinth of Orcus, they arrived at the Raisen Canyon, where they met Shia. Under her persistent entreaties, they went to the Sea of ​​Trees of Haltrina, where they helped solve the survival problem of the Rabbit People and also conquered the Great Labyrinth within the Raisen Canyon, obtaining the new divine magic, Gravity Magic.

Since then, Hajime Nagumo and Tsuki have been traveling with Shia, and they only arrived in Furen these past two days.

Incidentally, although the two were initially alarmed that Bai Jie hadn't come out with them, they weren't worried at all when they thought about Bai Jie's strength. They even thought that Bai Jie would return to the surface from the deepest part of the maze.

"You two are so heartless! Didn't you ever think about what would happen if I died?"

"Didn't you yourself say that you have an immortal body, and that the effect of your immortal body is even better than Yue's? Then there's no need to worry about you."

Nagumo Hajime said this as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

"Speaking of which, what happened to you after that?"

Rolling his eyes at the heartless guy, Bai Jie said, "I released a little magic power, tore open a spatial rift, and left the Great Maze while braving the spatial turbulence. After wandering around the spatial rift for a few days, I landed in the Leisen Grand Canyon and then started wandering alone, traveling and having fun as I went."

"I arrived in Furen about a month ago and was asked by the head of the Adventurers' Guild here to go to the North Mountain Range. That's when I met Teacher Hatayama."

Upon hearing the name that briefly appeared in Bai Jie's words, Nan Yun frowned almost imperceptibly: "Teacher? You encountered him?"

"Yeah. After that, I went to the Northern Mountains to find someone and took down a dragon-human while I was at it. Now she's with me. —Although she got herself killed last night and I beat her half to death."

"After that, a monster army invaded. Shimizu Yukitoshi brainwashed more than 60,000 monsters to destroy Ur Town and kill the teacher. In the end, I killed them all. Shimizu was also killed by me."

"I can't believe you could do that."

"You dare say you wouldn't have shot him in that situation?"

"I really don't know how."

Nagumo Hajime said in a very serious tone.

Just as Bai Jie was slightly surprised, thinking that this cold-blooded animal had finally changed, Nan Yun Shi said the second half of his sentence: "I will shoot him twice, once in the head and once in the heart, so that I can guarantee that he will die."

"...As expected, you are a heartless monster."

"What's wrong with me being a monster that crawled out of the abyss? Besides, you're way more monstrous than me. Compared to you, I'm practically a normal person."

For some reason, the two people gazing at each other felt a sense of emptiness and sadness. They remembered that they were once pure human beings, and that things had turned out this way could only be blamed on the world.

Yes, it's all the world's fault. The world turned them both into monsters.

Although it seems that the person who directly caused Hajime Nagumo to become a monster was Bai Jie...

"Um, it's a bit strange to ask now... Is this white-haired man an acquaintance of Mr. Hajime and Ms. Tsuki?"

Sia raised her hand in confusion and asked.

"Well, if I could, I really would never want to meet him again, but I have to admit that he changed me. To me, he's like a benefactor." Nagumo Hajime shrugged.

"Me too. Fafnir is my teacher in magic. He taught me a lot of new magical theories and knowledge. Apart from the Beginning, he is probably the person I respect the most."

Hearing Yue and Hajime say this, Bai Jie couldn't help but touch his nose: "I didn't expect you two to think of me like that. You two are quite good at talking. Shia... right? I am Fafnir Schariac. As you can see, I am a friend of Hajime and Yue. We conquered the Great Labyrinth of Orcus together. If you don't mind, you can call me Fafnir."

“Mr. Fafnir…is this alright? I am Shia, Shia Horia, Mr. Hajime’s woman!”

Upon hearing this, Bai Jie immediately grabbed Nan Yunshi by the collar: "Nan Yun, you're actually this kind of person? I thought you'd be clinging to the moon for the rest of your life."

"First, what do you mean I'm this kind of person too? Let me state upfront that the only person I love most is Yue. Second, not just in this life, but even in the next life, I will still be holding Yue."

"...From the beginning, I love you."

"I love you too, Moon."

Even with Bai Jie holding their collars, Nan Yun Shi and Yue still gazed at each other tenderly, instantly transforming the surrounding space into a romantic atmosphere. Even Bai Jie couldn't help but be surprised by their relationship—although he himself often threw flashbangs with Chen in public.

(Speaking of which, it's been almost a year since I last saw Chen. I wonder how she's doing on Rhodes Island all by herself. With Exusiai and Kal'tsit helping her, she should be alright... I hope she hasn't gotten into a fight with Talulah yet?)

Although he has been involved in ambiguous relationships with many women, and even has a sixteen-year-old daughter named Kiana with Cecilia, Bai Jie's most beloved woman is still Chen, and the one he can't let go of the most is also Chen. After nearly a year of separation, Bai Jie has also begun to miss her.

Seeing Bai Jie suddenly freeze in a daze, Nan Yun Shi couldn't help but mutter, "Why is Fafnir also looking like he's looking at a woman? Could it be that he has a girlfriend too?"

"...Fafner's expression is very similar to the expression he had when he first thought of me."

"Mr. Shi, Ms. Yue, please don't leave me behind!"

Section 250, Part 24: The Second Day (4/4)

It was several minutes later when Bai Jie finally snapped out of his reverie about his wife.

Seeing the three of them grinning like aunties, Bai Jie coughed twice and said, "So what are you planning to do next? Are you going to join up with the Heroes and the others?"

"No, I don't plan to rejoin the team."

Nagumo Hajime spoke decisively, without a trace of hesitation or confusion in his eyes.

"If I went back now, it would only cause disharmony. Besides, I don't think I can still get along with my classmates. So it's best to keep things as they are."

"Furthermore, Yue and I have finalized our next course of action—to conquer all the great labyrinths, acquire all the magic of the Age of Gods, and then return to Japan."

Bai Jie frowned suddenly and asked, "Collecting seven divine magic spells will allow you to return to Japan? Who told you that?"

“Mirady Lesson, the master of the Lesson Labyrinth, told us that collecting all seven divine magic spells might give us a way back to Japan. I don’t know how likely that is, but I want to give it a try.”

After listening to Nagumo Hajime's words, Bai Jie pondered for a while, but ultimately chose to suppress what he wanted to say.

Actually, if Hajime Nagumo asked for help, Hakuge could break the seal and use spatial magic to send them back to Japan. But since Hajime Nagumo wants to return to Japan on his own, let him go.

People always need a reason to live; only with a goal can they have the motivation to survive.

but--

"Nagumo, if you want to go back to Japan, you'd better make some changes."

"Huh? Why?"

Do you think your current lifestyle is acceptable in modern society?

Bai Jie's words struck Nagumo Hajime's heart like a hammer blow. Indeed, with Nagumo Hajime's current personality, code of conduct, and lifestyle, he would have absolutely no chance of integrating into Japanese society; he was a complete oddball.

"But it's really nothing. If you don't want to change, I'll just bring you into the magic world. Anyway, there are tons of weirdos with the same personality as you in the magic world."

"Give me back my worries, you bastard!" Nagumo Hajime almost drew his gun. "Wait, didn't you just mention the magic world? Could it be that our original world...?"

"Yes, magic exists there too. By the way, I'm the strongest in the magic world, known as the 'King of Magic.' Remember to treat me with the respect due to a lord when you return to Japan."

"Does shooting you dead on sight count?"

"Are your bones itching? Want me to loosen them for you?" Bai Jie kindly pulled Sifang Youshen out a small section, but then pulled it back. "Just kidding. How could I possibly have any of those courtesies? I hate those tedious formalities. Just treat me the way you normally would."

With a helpless sigh, Nagumo Hajime complained, "Is it fun to tease me? Can't you be a little nicer?"

"Who told you to always have such a poker face? Anyone would want to tease you a little—"

Bai Jie stopped halfway through his sentence, and at the same moment, Nan Yun Shi, who was sitting opposite him, also showed a puzzled expression.

"You felt it?"

"You're the same, aren't you?"

Seeing this, Xia asked Nagumo Hajime with a puzzled look, "What's wrong, Mr. Hajime?"

"My sense of presence detected a human presence—down below." Nan Yun Shi looked at the floor with a strange expression. If he remembered correctly, there was a huge sewer system beneath Furen.

"It doesn't feel like an adult's aura; it's small and weak... It's probably a child's, and a very weak one at that."

"W-Wouldn't that be terrible? Maybe he fell into the sewer through a hole and got swept away! Mr. Shi! Let's go check!"

"Hmm..." Nagumo Hajime hesitated, as if struggling with whether or not to take action.

Seeing this, Bai Jie reached out and patted him on the shoulder: "Go if you want to. You've got nothing better to do anyway, and besides, I don't want to see my friend really turn into a cold-blooded monster."

"You're the one who turned me into a cold-blooded monster, and now you're saying things like that." Nan Yunshi rolled his eyes at Bai Jie. "Let's go then, consider it a break... Yue, aren't you coming?"

Sitting motionless in her seat, Yue shook her head: "Today is Hajime and Sia's date, so I won't interfere. Besides, I trust Hajime will handle it."

"...Alright then, be careful on your own."

After finishing speaking, Hajime Nagumo ran out of the coffee shop with Sia.

Watching the two figures disappear into the distance, Bai Jie looked at Yue with a meaningful expression: "You actually let Nan Yun be with another woman, aren't you jealous?"

"...Sia is special. She likes Hajime, and she likes me too. I also want Hajime to have more important people and more bonds with her."

"...If only my family members could be as understanding as you."

P.S.: Arifureta isn't even a 12-episode anime? It's supposed to be a series, yet it's not the last episode. And judging by this, it'll probably go up to volume 5. The production team is really fearless.

P.S.: What's going on these past few years? So many sequels keep popping up: Sword Art Online Season 3, A Certain Magical Index Season 3, Food Wars! Season 4, and Railgun Season 3. Even many of my favorite works have been adapted into anime, like Assassin's Creed and Cautious Hero... But can anyone tell me why "Only You Like Me" has also been adapted into an anime? It's okay that the novel is only one volume, but the later parts are really... I hope the anime will only go up to the end of the first volume.