Hajime shuddered. The instruction manual was a whopping five hundred pages long, and Hajime had impatiently discarded it after reading a few. Yue had actually finished it, which meant... Yue really had a lot of free time. Of course, she could have stumbled upon it by accident...

No matter what, the most terrifying thing is that the stimulation Hajime receives is concentrated on the 'male vital parts'.

(She, her target is my little brother!)

Although his little brother's high endurance could protect his sleep, facing Yue's moist eyes and sexily licking her lips, Hajime's rational army was in danger, even though he had the upper hand.

So Hajime shouted the order.

「土术师移动至16-7,攻击从16-8到16-10的范围!魔法·土属性上级·崩土!」

Hajime, aware that he would be unable to move for several rounds, launched a ranged attack. Instantly, Yue let out a sensual moan, "Hmmmm!" and collapsed onto the sofa. Her body convulsed slightly, and her toes, exposed by her black dress, curled up into a ball.

"This is a game, and in a situation involving male dignity, I absolutely cannot lose. Excuse me, Yue, I'm going to give my all to win!"

“…Yeah, Hajime is attacking with all his might…”

Yue's cheeks flushed and she was sweating slightly. After thinking for a moment, she proposed to Shi:

"...If you're confident, how about a bet?"

The sudden proposal made Hajime wary, and Yue's proposal was that "the winner can order the loser to do anything." And if Yue won, her request was... "couple outfits." Of course, that was after leaving the abyss.

The guy who constantly shouted at the enemy to kill without mercy, exuding a murderous aura, but wearing matching outfits... It was extremely strange, and the serious atmosphere was completely destroyed. From the beginning, he absolutely wanted to avoid such a thing, so he put his feelings into action.

"The Queen moves to 14-5! Special Skill: Queen's Blessing!"

Hajime deliberately lets a crucial piece step into the enemy's formation, risking his life in exchange for a single, simultaneous attack! Soldiers pre-positioned around him attack simultaneously! The king's illegitimate son dies! Yue's King and Hajime's Queen wail in agony! Yue lets out a lusty, "Ahhhh!" gasp.

This attack proved decisive, shattering Yue's army. Hajime's Queen and Yue's King engaged in a poignant love affair on the battlefield, ultimately perishing together. Hajime's King remained silent until the end, finally declaring victory and ending the war.

Having finally managed to avoid the embarrassing future of traveling in another world wearing couple outfits, Hajime breathed a sigh of relief.

However, after the game, Yue was puffed up and throwing a tantrum, forcing Hajime to propose a compromise—wearing Yue's favorite clothes. Since Hajime had to please Yue, he probably won the game but lost the overall outcome.

That might mean that in the end, Yue is the only person that Hajime cannot defeat.

◆Pursue romance

"In a sense, this research is the career I've poured the most dreams and energy into."

This is a notebook-sized research log that begins with this sentence.

The faded gray cover and the yellowed, or hand-stained pages all show that this notebook has been read countless times. One can naturally feel the passion of the owner.

Each page is filled with tiny handwriting, recording the research content or results, topics and investigations. However, even so, the research was not completed in the end, and the author's regret can be seen between the lines.

"It's a shame I can't achieve my dream. It's all that guy's fault. It has to be that way, right, there's no mistake about that bastard!"

There was a sentence mixed in along the way that sounded more like an expression of anger than a complaint, but I ignored it and just turned to the last page.

"I sincerely hope that you, who are reading this, will understand my passion and be willing to inherit my unfulfilled will, complete that work for me, and reach the pinnacle of my ideal. Please, I will leave it to you from now on."

In the hushed room, the man who had watched the last words quietly sighed and snapped his notebook shut. Then, he looked up at the sky, his eyes filled with emotion. After standing there for a moment, he murmured:

"Okay, I will complete your unfinished business. I will inherit your will and ideals."

The whispered words quickly faded into the darkness and the walls of the room. However, despite being whispered softly, those words, tinged with passion, spread awe-inspiring will into the surrounding air.

There was only a pair of eyes without will or emotion, quietly watching all this.

The sound of machinery operating echoed in the room. Nagumo Hajime, with a serious expression on his face, was carrying out the delicate task of assembling the parts of the new equipment.

The location is the workshop at the bottom of the [Orcus Great Labyrinth], located in Oscar Orcus's secret base.

Beside Hajime, who occasionally shone with a shimmering red magical light, sat a porcelain doll with shimmering golden hair. Within her hands, delicate, snow-white fingers were sewing. She was, of course, the vampire princess Hajime had met at the bottom of the abyss—Yue.

While Hajime was enriching his equipment through forging, Yue would also be beside him, working hard to make durable clothes for travel and general clothes (including clothes for night combat). This had gradually become a habit.

“…Okay, done.”

In the quiet space, Hajime's voice, which seemed quite satisfied, echoed. Yue stopped and looked towards Hajime, only to see that Hajime was repeatedly clenching and opening his fist with the prosthetic hand on his left hand.

"...Is this a new piece of equipment for the prosthetic arm?"

"Yes, I'm going to test shoot now, do you want to see it?"

"……Um!"

Many of Hajime's artifacts combine magic with modern weaponry and gaming knowledge. Therefore, each one is new to Yue, constantly stimulating her curiosity. Furthermore, since the necessary equipment is mostly complete these days, Hajime is fretting over what features would make it more convenient to use. Since he hasn't created new equipment in the past, Yue is even more excited.

Hajime slowly stretched out his left hand, pointing it at the target inside the workshop. His hand formed a fist. The clenched metal fist, unadorned, gave off a sense of oppression.

Seeing Yue's excited and expectant expression, Hajime smiled smugly and declared:

"Here it comes, a man's dream, the Diamond Fist!"

As a heavy explosion resonated from within his abdomen, Hajime's left hand flew out with astonishing force. Maintaining a fist, he drew a flaming line toward the target, shattering it with a resounding explosion.

Hajime, beaming with elation, channeled his magic power into his prosthetic hand. With a crackling sound, electricity coursed through his left hand, which had been buried in the wreckage of the target, as if drawn back out of thin air. With a crisp "click!", it was loaded onto Hajime's left hand.

"How is it?" Hajime, still beaming with pride, glanced at Yue beside him, seeking her opinion. Hajime thought her soul would surely be boiling with joy and admiration.

However──

“?… Is that all?”

The response she received was indescribably subtle, a look of confusion even crossing her face. A "!?" sign appeared above Hajime's head, a look of astonishment rising in his face, as if he had seen something unbelievable.

"Y-You said that's the only way... No, this is really powerful, right? This is the Diamond Flying Fist? It crushes the opponent with one blow, and then it flies back, right?"

"...But... in terms of power, the railgun is more powerful, right?"

For some reason, Hajime, feeling extremely embarrassed, desperately defended the usefulness of the "Vajra Flying Fist," but Yue, with an even more bewildered expression, offered a reasonable rebuttal.

For a moment, Hajime uttered a "Hmm!" and was speechless. However, Hajime smiled, as if to say, "Not yet, it's not over yet!", and refuted Yue.

"Indeed, if we only look at power, the railgun is more powerful. However, the sudden flight of the extended hand is a surprise attack that only the Kongo Flying Fist can achieve."

"...Doesn't the speed of the railgun make it more like a surprise attack?"

Hearing the incredibly precise second rebuttal, Hajime was struck, and his steps staggered a few times. However, he would never fall, because how could he give up the King Kong Flying Fist!

"It's useful if you lose your weapon, right?!"

"...Would it be more useful to lose your left hand in battle?"

"..."

"...Besides, if Hajime doesn't use the railgun, using 'Shrinking the Earth' to get close to the enemy, then launching 'Vibration Smash' or 'Strong Arms' to directly attack them would be more effective—"

Hajime removed his left hand, tossed it aside, and then took out another left hand from his 'treasure vault' and put it on. He gave Yue a bold, challenging smile and held up his left hand to show her.

"Alright, Yue, I'll accept your challenge."

“???…I’m sorry, Hajime, I don’t understand what you mean.”

"Indeed, the Diamond Fist might be a little unsuitable for me. If it weren't for me, it would be a very useful weapon, but... Anyway, let's put the Diamond Fist aside for now. I'll show you the real new equipment. Don't hesitate, feel the trembling that reaches deep into your soul."

“…Uh, so I said, I don’t understand what that is—”

Hajime ignored Yue's words, becoming even more confused, and unleashed his passion for the romance that no man could compromise. As magic flowed through his prosthetic hand, its fist blazed bright red! The bright, radiant light was a testament to his passion. That was, indeed, the second weapon of romance—

"This is the Super Hot Fist."

This was the second time today that Shi showed a smug expression, and his left hand, which was blazing brightly, also brightened Shi's expression.

However──

"...Uh...what's next?"

For some reason, Yue asked to watch the sequel. She scratched her cheek and looked at Hajime with a bewildered expression. From her expression, it seemed her soul hadn't wavered even a micron.

Hajime's smug expression twitched.

"...Listen up, Yue. With this super-heated fist, I can melt any opponent and send them flying. Don't you think that's amazing?"

"...Why does it have to melt?"

This question is perfectly reasonable. If it were Hajime's fist, using only gadgets or skills would crush most targets, eliminating the need for melting. Or rather, if power were the only consideration, using a railgun or a kinetic energy system would be sufficient. Therefore, Hajime's focus in developing new equipment should be on factors beyond power—their convenience in anticipating various situations.

However, he didn't know where he went astray, which inspired the romantic Hajime, who faced Yue (reality) with an indomitable fighting spirit.

"Tsuki, think about this carefully. For example, suppose you encounter an enemy with exceptionally high physical resistance in the future? In that case, you can just grab them and deal damage, right? And if you're trapped in a maze, you can melt the walls and escape, right?"

"……Uh-huh."

Hajime released his Super Heat Fist, placed his hands on Yue's slender shoulders, and passionately persuaded her from a very close distance. Yue's eyes wandered, thinking to herself, "So, maybe using vibration crushing, thunder wrapping, or refining is better?" But she didn't say it out loud, because she vaguely sensed that this was the boy's admiration.

So, Yue, who liked Hajime the most, smiled in a troubled manner and said in cooperation with Hajime:

“…I, I feel great.”

"..."

Hajime removed his left hand and threw it away, saying, "I don't want any sympathy!"

Undeterred, Hajime once again retrieved his left hand from the 'treasure vault' and attached it. Facing Yue with a look that seemed to ask, "How about this!", he transformed his prosthetic hand into a spiral cone.

"Yue, this is my true ability. This is just the beginning. Come, open your eyes and see clearly! Be swallowed by the vortex of emotion!"

Hajime unconsciously uttered some lines full of chuunibyou, and once again, the third romantic weapon flowed in and activated—

"This is the transformed 'Drill'!"

Hajime showed his most smug expression of the day, holding up the drill that was spinning happily, thinking that she must be grateful for giving him this month. He looked over and saw her—

"...Yeah, I think it's pretty cool, no problem."

"..."

Hajime thought, “What do you mean by ‘no problem’…?” Yue’s eyes were very gentle.

As for Yue, she still had doubts about its practicality. Even so, no one knew what life would bring, so even if it was something completely useless on a daily basis, one day, yes, one day, it would become useful. Or rather, "For Hajime, that day must come soon." Yue held such a gentle feeling.

However, that gentleness turned into a railgun, piercing through Hajime. His indomitable heart began to crack, and his expression became a little self-conscious, "Am I about to fall into 'that side (the chuuni world)?'"

But just as the greatsword cannot be stopped once swung, the romance Hajime sparked cannot be stopped immediately. Half-desperately, he pulled out "Left hand transforms into a dragon!" or "Water jets spurt from fingertips," and finally, even something unrelated to guns and prosthetic arms, "※C○de's combined sword!", holding his own personal romance market. But each time, Yue smiled a gentle smile in proportion. (Editor's note: This refers to Cloud Strife in the game "Final Fantasy VII")

Finally, after throwing away all those things and before the dejected Hajime returned to normal, Yue kept a gentle smile on his face, stroking Hajime's head as if praising a child and comforting him, "It's okay, it's okay."

What is it that is okay? ...

Hajime decided to try his best not to think about this problem.

In the middle of the night, in a secret room behind a cabinet in the workshop, there was a silent and stealthy figure.

“…Done.”

The person muttering to himself was Hajime. Before his sight stood a beautiful silver-haired woman, but it was immediately apparent that she wasn't human. Her ears weren't human ears, but rather rectangular metal antennas.

Furthermore, her texture seemed hard, and her slightly opened eyes were lifeless, lacking any glimmer of will. That was natural, for her true identity was the cleaning doll Oscar had once created.

However, she wasn't completely unlike a human. She wore a dark blue dress, a pure white apron with ruffles, and a white frilly headband. Yes, she was a maid, a maid doll.

"Oscar, your excessive pursuit of realism has led you further away from reality, which is why you failed. However, I have knowledge of two-dimensional characters. Moderate unrealistic shapes... that's the answer."

In the middle of the night, Hajime muttered contentedly to himself, seemingly just an ordinary, miserable man. However, after discovering the maid dolls, numerous maid costumes, and research journals along with this secret room, Hajime learned of Oscar's endless pursuit and ideals for maid dolls, a feeling resonated with Hajime. Hajime, inheriting Oscar's will, painstakingly worked to avoid Yue's detection, and now, finally, he had accomplished his goal. It was inevitable that he would be overwhelmed by such a sense of accomplishment.

At this moment──

“…I found you, Hajime.”

Suddenly, as light streamed into the room, a familiar voice rang out. Hajime, who had been lost in emotion, admiring the maid doll, suddenly shuddered. Like a machine lacking lubrication, he turned around with stiff movements.

"Yue, Yue...why are you here? Your presence is clearly in the dormitory."

"...I've long noticed that Hajime uses aura concealment every night, and leaves behind a sacred artifact that lingers on his aura before going out. The existence of a secret room was completely unexpected...but on the contrary, as long as I use the sacred artifact, I can search for you freely."

"The artifact has been used against me!" Hajime gnashed his teeth in regret for his fatal mistake. And in that moment, Yue's cold and ruthless gaze shifted to the maid doll, and Hajime shuddered again. He looked like a husband caught in an affair.

“…Hajime, if you like maid outfits, just tell me.”

Yue's eyes blazed with jealousy. It seemed as if she was jealous of the maid doll. But that wasn't the case. It wasn't like that! Hajime spoke to Yue, as if trying to persuade her:

"Yue, listen carefully, I don't like maid outfits, it's romantic."

"……romantic?"

"That's right. Maid and doll (robot), these two elements combined together make a maid doll (robot), and that's how it has to be. Whether it's just a maid or just a doll, although that's fine too, but maid dolls aren't just the sum of two elements; they're an established category. That's every boy's romance."

Hajime then went on to express his passionate love for the maid doll (robot). He spoke for who knows how long before Yue, who had been listening silently, said, "I see," and nodded. "Do you understand?" Hajime smiled in relief—but then, with a bang, a fiery fireball whizzed past Hajime's cheek.

There was a loud bang afterwards, and Hajime looked behind him in panic. There was the maid doll that had been blown up...

"How could you do this!?"

Hajime fell to his knees, staring blankly at the burning remains of the maid doll. Then he quickly walked towards Yue and questioned her with a tone that was a mixture of sadness and anger.

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