"As expected of my little Shizuku, you don't possess the body of a God's Apostle like me, but you were able to break through the trial. You're truly amazing."

Shizuku was initially a bit displeased, but the pure praise from Hajime and Kaori made her blush. Perhaps embarrassed, Shizuku turned her head away and replied a bit quickly:

"Thank you, thank you for the compliment. It's because I've not only learned swordsmanship, but I've also learned the method of keeping calm that my grandfather and father taught me. However, the situation was extremely critical... So, you bound Kouki and the others to protect me? When I was concentrating on meditation, I didn't have time to deal with other things, so you really helped me a lot. Thank you, Nagumo-san."

"It's okay, that's nothing. Amanogawa and the others... fainted? It seems they couldn't bear the pain of pleasure and passed out. Yaegashi, I'll prepare a change of clothes and a dome for you, you go wake them up... please take care of them."

"Change of clothes? Earth wall?...!"

For a moment, Shizuku didn't understand what Hajime was talking about, and tilted her head in confusion. But she inadvertently glanced down at herself, and the next moment, her cheeks flushed.

The trial of happiness is a terrifying trial... and it is a grueling trial that makes you sweat profusely even if you don't move.

Everyone was soaked, and their sweat-soaked clothes stuck to their bodies. It must have been very uncomfortable.

That's right, it's sweat. If I say it's sweat, it's sweat, no room for argument. Shizuku crouched down, her face flushing, and glared at Hajime, silently protesting.

Because he would probably get scolded no matter what he said, Hajime avoided her gaze and stood up.

Hajime gently pulled Yue and the others apart. Although their reaction wasn't as big as Shizuku's, they also sat on the ground shyly.

"The clothes are my size, so they might be a little tight for Sakagami...but if they were loose fitting, he should be able to wear them."

As Hajime spoke, he took out some spare clothes he had bought in town from the 'treasury' and threw them to Shizuku. He then used his refinement to build earth walls around the room, creating a simple changing room.

At the same time, Hajime retracted the flying stone rope, and Kouki and the others fell down instantly. Although Shizuku caught the bell in time, Kouki and Ryuutarou fell to the ground with a thud. The sound seemed to be painful, but they were heroes and their partners, so they should be fine.

"Taniguchi's clothes... considering the size, she can only wear Yue's clothes."

"...Well, I have a dress that's very similar to what she's wearing now. I'll give it to her."

When Yue took out a change of clothes for Suzu from his "treasure chest", Hajime's eyes shifted from Shia to Kaori. However, at this moment, the kind-hearted Shia stepped forward.

"Then Shizuku-san's clothes will be mine—"

"Please forgive me."

Shizuku unexpectedly knelt down and begged for mercy, and Shia screamed "Why!?", her rabbit ears erected in surprise.

"No, that's natural. You only have those overly revealing clothes... rather than clothes (?), it's more like clothes (laughs)."

"Hajime-san, do you have any opinions about my outfit? And what do you mean by clothes (laughs)!?"

Shia is obviously good at close combat, but her clothes only cover the girl's important parts.

"Hey, Shizuku-chan, it's okay. I have a pair of pants that would suit you. I saw them while shopping in the capital and I thought they would look great on you, so I bought them. So, can you please stop looking so miserable and prepared?"

"Best friend! You're my soulmate! My Kaori!"

It seems that she really doesn't want to wear Shia's clothes, and Shizuku's joyful expression even somewhat undermines her character's personality.

Shia wiggled her rabbit ears in protest, muttering "I don't understand...", but no one paid her any attention.

It was almost like a swordsman with his arms and navel exposed, his chest wide open. After escaping the crisis, Shizuku woke up Kouki and the others, explained the situation to them briefly, and hurried them into the simple changing room.

Yue used magic to create rainfall similar to a warm water shower head, which cleansed the body and even the tired mind.

While Yue and the others were gathering their strength, Hajime was quietly keeping watch over the surroundings and working on retrieving Arachne.

Hajime refined the surrounding area to a considerable extent, including the ceiling and the path leading to the giant tree, so unless the enemy used space transfer, they would no longer be attacked by the milky white slime.

Thanks to the scorched earth tactics, the view was vast. Even if there were other monsters, they would likely share the same fate as the charred "objects" on the road. Therefore, it was safe to assume this floor was safe for the time being.

Even so, Hajime still wouldn't let his guard down.

“…Master, I hope you’ll pay some attention to me. I’m the only one missing in the dressing room…”

When Hajime was thinking seriously, a trembling voice came from behind him.

That was the Wasted Dragon who had been struggling in agony until just now. Everyone could see her from the corner of their eyes, but Wasted Dragon seemed very busy, so no one noticed her.

She was obviously the only one who could withstand the trial of happiness at the beginning, but she struggled in pain until the end, which is really shaking my head.

Hajime glanced back at Tio and asked—

"Eh? Are you still there, Miss Kularus?"

"!? Master, are you still going to try this? Um, this experience is new and pleasurable, but it's a bit... You can probably talk back to your normal way now, okay? And address me as usual, okay?"

"What the hell are you talking about? I'm talking like I always do, and Miss Kularus is Miss Kularus. Ah, please don't come any closer."

“!? Master~ I was wrong! I got too carried away! I will reflect on it, please return to your usual self!!”

"..."

Tio burst into tears, a rare occurrence for her, and crawled to Hajime's feet.

Hajime looked at Tio with a ruthless look. Although Tio's cheeks flushed slightly, she seemed to be unable to bear being treated as a stranger and addressed by her surname, and she showed no signs of losing control.

As for Hajime, he had originally thought that Tio would be happy with this, so when he saw that Tio seemed really sad, Hajime thought that he had finally found an effective way to punish her, and he was immediately delighted.

Tio trembled when she saw the corner of Hajime's mouth raised.

Perhaps imagining that this might continue forever, Tio's expression became even sadder.

“Wuwu, Master, please… please call me Tio.”

Tio finally began to beg Hajime, and Hajime felt very satisfied, thinking that he had finally taught the pervert a lesson.

When Tio didn't show her abnormal personality, her pure sadness, set against her beautiful face and disheveled kimono, aroused people's sadistic psychology.

Hajime harbored an evil thought, thinking of punishing her again. Objectively speaking, Hajime was very qualified to be a perverted master...

Fortunately or unfortunately, Hajime himself was not aware of it.

“I really can’t help you. Let’s put aside the fact that you’re an incurable pervert for now. Please respect yourself – Tio.”

Hajime shrugged and said that, and Tio suddenly smiled, a smile that was not in keeping with her appearance. Her smile was so charming that even Hajime was dazzled.

Tio is knowledgeable, thoughtful, and possesses a profound understanding of human nature. She strives tirelessly to connect with others, remaining calm in the face of unexpected events. She is courageous and decisive, incredibly powerful in combat, and values ​​human connection and loyalty, while also possessing stunning beauty.

As long as she's not a pervert, she's a really good woman...

"Really? Why are you so regrettable..."

Hajime was worried in his heart, "Is this really my fault?"

That's right, the incident of Pile Bunker stuck in the butt was the culprit of everything.

Yes, that must be it. I knew it a long time ago. Everything is my fault. Hajime complained to himself in his heart, while looking at Tio with eyes full of sadness.

"What's wrong, Master?"

"...No, it's nothing. Come on, go change your clothes and freshen yourself up."

"Yes, that's right... Master, you can also help me change my clothes? And you can also wash every inch of my body, right?"

After Hajime had built a simple dressing room for Tio, Tio looked at Hajime and said this with anticipation in her eyes.

Hajime thought to himself, "Where's your self-respect?" and rolled his eyes at her while pulling out a grenade.

"...Is that so? Well, this is a rare opportunity. Let me help you blast away the skin and all the dirt along with it."

"!? I'll go change my clothes right now!"

Tio waved her hand in protest and disappeared into the makeshift dressing room.

As Hajime watched Tio's back, transformed into a hopeless dragon-man, the word "responsibility" emerged in his mind. Hajime smiled dryly and shook his head as if trying to shake off the word.

Not long after, all the members walked out of the simple locker room with a refreshed look.

As expected, leaving aside Kouki and Rin, even Ryuutarou seemed deeply depressed this time. They were dejected, as if carrying an unbearable weight on their backs, and a gloomy mist enveloped them, as if cast under a special spell.

Even if you lose your rationality due to the effects of the aphrodisiac, what you have done will still remain in your memory.

Tio speculated that this trial was to test the interpersonal relationships and the bonds between companions after Happy Hell. As if to prove Tio's speculation was correct, the relationship between Guanghui and the others seemed extremely unnatural.

Kouki and Ryuutarou didn't dare confront Shizuku and Suzu, keeping a delicate distance from them. Suzuku's usual smile was gone; she lowered her head, blushing, and hid behind Shizuku.

Although Shizuku tried to comfort her, the situation was special, so her efforts were ineffective.

Friends almost raped each other, so they feel embarrassed and deeply guilty, but there is nothing they can do about it. Especially since Ling is a girl, she not only almost had sex with her friend, but also got exposed in an embarrassing way, so her spirit must have been greatly shaken.

"Rin, forget it, okay? It's unavoidable, and we haven't crossed that final line yet, so it's better to forget it. Everyone has one or two memories they don't want to recall, right?"

"...Little Shizuku-shizuku."

"You know what? I once raided the porn game section and loudly talked about the girls on the packaging. The way the men around me looked at me back then... Just thinking about it makes me depressed..."

Incidentally, Kaori was the mastermind behind the raid, and the one who was discussing it was also Kaori. Two beautiful girls discussing age-restricted games... and then they were both banned from the store. What a sad event.

Hajime and the others looked at Kaori, who said, "Don't look at me..." as she squatted down and covered her face with her hands.

"...Shizuku-chan, are you interested in erotic games?"

"No! It was, that's right, it was an unfortunate accident."

"...Ha, hahaha, Shizuku-chan, discussing porn games... Hahaha."

"Lin, you're going too far by laughing at me..."

Despite saying so, Shizuku seemed relieved to see Ling smile.

Because no matter how she consoled him, she was left with no choice but to bring out the dark history sealed deep within her memory, sacrificing herself in an attempt to evoke a "resonance of shame"...

Ling seemed to cheer up a little, and this powerful own goal finally paid off.

Shizuku is indeed an expert at comforting people, sometimes even at her own expense.

It was truly amazing! Hajime, Yue, Shia, Tio, and the other four applauded her in their hearts.

Seeing the situation of Shizuku and Ling, Kouki raised his head and said:

"...Nagumo, um... I'm sorry for causing you trouble. Thank you for stopping us."

"Yes, that's right. You helped us a lot, Nagumo. Thank you so much."

Following Kouki, Ryuutarou, who had been looking away awkwardly, also thanked Hajime.

"Yes, you must thank me sincerely and remember my great kindness. Never forget my favor for a moment. And then, in an emergency, be willing to become a human shield in return. Don't even think about shirking your responsibility, okay? Otherwise, I'll chase you to the ends of the earth and make you repay my kindness."

Hajime's lines sound exactly like those of a loan shark.

Because Shi always keeps his word, if someone runs away from his debt, he might really chase him to the ends of the earth to get back the favor.

He seemed to have absolutely no sense of humility in responding to others' thanks.

Kouki and Ryuutarou looked at each other, their expressions like those of fraud victims burdened with huge debts, and they couldn't help but smile bitterly.

Although the price of being rescued seemed high, in fact, no harm was done to the girls who were important companions, so the awkward atmosphere was somewhat diluted.

"Yaegashi, Taniguchi, why are you giving me those sympathetic looks? You guys are the same, right?"

""!?"

Shizuku and Suzu were startled, and their expressions were the same as Kouki and Ryuutarou's, as if they were being stared at by a scary debt collector.

Because they all became joint guarantors of the debt, this strong bond resolved the awkward atmosphere between Guanghui and others.

After that, Hajime and his companions continued their journey smoothly without encountering any more attacks from the milky white slime, finally arriving at the foot of the giant tree. This time, too, a hole appeared in the trunk of the giant tree.

After entering the cave, as expected, the cave entrance was closed to form a secret room. There was a glowing magic circle under their feet, just like last time. The vision of Hajime and others was suddenly dyed white by the strong flash.

"Hmm? Has it moved?"

“…Well, look, Hajime, there’s an exit over there.”

The place they had been transported to was a cave identical to the giant tree's. For a moment, Hajime was under the illusion that they hadn't been transported at all, but when he looked in the direction Yue was pointing, he nodded in agreement that they had indeed been transported.

Hajime glanced around. It seemed everyone had been transferred, not one missing. Even with the Mystic Eye Stone, he couldn't detect the imposter's presence. In other words, this time, they were being told to proceed directly.

After nodding in confirmation, Hajime and the others headed towards the exit where the light was coming from.

Then, when Hajime and the others walked out of the cave, they saw a shocking sight that left them speechless. Hajime was the first to blurt out his feelings.

"This scenery... is just like Feiyaberugan."

Yue and others also nodded and agreed that it was true.

There is a passage outside the cave, but first of all, that passage is not an ordinary passage.

The passage stretched out as if to guide Hajime and the others. Although it looked very solid, it was actually a huge tree branch about five meters wide that connected to the cave entrance.

Hajime and the others turned around and looked behind them. Before them was a gigantic tree trunk, its diameter impossible to measure. In other words, they were at the base of a gigantic branch of the giant tree.

The extended branches and pathways intertwined with other branches of the giant tree, forming a complex aerial corridor.

Although Shi said "like Fjallbergen", that word was not enough to describe it, because whether it was the scale, complexity or grandeur, Fjallbergen could not compare.

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