Reincarnated as a Fat Bastard in an Eroge Game-Chapter 20: Cornered

[You are an idiot...]

"Why?" I asked, feigning innocence.

[Why?! WHY?! You’re actually asking me that?] the system raged.

"...Uh, yes?" I replied casually. It was the fourth day of the exam, and here I was, in a completely run-down five-bedroom apartment, cooking.

Yes. Cooking.

[Others are out there grinding to level up, but you, you’re COOKING!]

This had been going on for three days straight. The system’s constant nagging made me wish it came with a mute function, and honestly, I was starting to suspect it was only upset because I wasn’t suffering.

"Shut up and keep watch. I don’t want to die while I’m eating," I said, scooping a plateful of the questionable thing I’d thrown together. Leftover noodles, some weird onion-like vegetable that I hoped wasn’t poisonous, and a handful of random green leaves that looked like they could go either way.

"Ugh, this is disgusting," I gagged after the first bite.

Haah. Looks like I’m officially out of food.

[Tsk. If only you’d added those mushrooms.]

"And what would’ve happened then?"

[You’d die.] The system said it like it was nothing.

"...And then?"

[You’d respawn. Without any points.]

"And how exactly does that benefit you?" I asked, narrowing my eyes.

[...]

"...Is that why you sound disappointed?"

[...]

Yep. Why am I even surprised anymore?

Suddenly, BAM!

"WHAT WAS THAT?" I jumped at the loud thumping coming from the roof.

[It seems your teammates have decided to pay you a visit,] the system said, sounding almost cheerful about it.

"You’re kidding, right?" I laughed nervously, hoping it was joking.

No response.

"CRAP! How the hell did they find me?!" I shot to my feet, my mind racing through every possible way out of this. 𝙛𝒓𝒆𝙚𝒘𝒆𝓫𝙣𝓸𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝒄𝒐𝓶

[You keep forgetting. You’re their teammate.]

"But that—"

[In a party.]

I froze. The realization hit me all at once.

This was the first message the graphto-watch had shown when the party was created:

[A Party Has Been Formed.] [Party Members: Loren Mortez, Maria Kasmia.] [You can check your party members’ location and status during battle.]

’Damn. How did I forget that?’ But wait, if they could track my location, I could do the same to them.

I tapped the now-dormant watch and its neon glow returned as it powered on, several options appearing on the home screen. I could only access limited functions during the exam, but I knew exactly what I needed.

[User’s Available Points] [Guide/Manual] [Weapon/Tool Selection] [Map] [Team Members’ Status]

I hesitated for a second, tempted to check the map first, but tapped [Team Members’ Status] instead to see how far they’d gotten.

[Party Members: Loren Mortez: 2,400 points. Maria Kasmia: 84,000 points.]

"Wait, is that a mistake, or...?" I muttered, feeling the color drain from my face.

[It’s exactly what it looks like. And yes, you are screwed.]

WAIT!

I screamed internally, knowing full well the bastard system would go silent for the rest of the exam.

BAM!

This time the sound came from the floor directly above me.

"Leo~ Where are you?" a voice called out.

’I’m screwed. I’m so screwed.’

Without thinking, I bolted straight for the broken window I’d covered with torn rags and didn’t stop, I just jumped through it.

Thud!

I hit the ground hard and collapsed, pain shooting through me. Lucky it was only the first floor. I ignored the burning in my shoulder, scrambled to my feet, and sprinted down the alley toward the open road.

It was a reckless move, but I wasn’t thinking straight. I just knew I needed to stay away from Maria, no matter what.

"Ha, hah, haa," I panted, leaning against a wall and catching my breath. I tapped the map option on my graphto-watch and the screen lit up, showing the immediate area in detail.

But it wasn’t a full map of the city or the surrounding forest. It was just my location and two colored dots.

Red. Blue.

The problem? They were right in front of me.

"Boom!"

My heart nearly stopped.

I looked up, and my blood ran cold.

"What do you want from me, Maria?" I asked, keeping my voice as steady as I could. Loren stood behind her, pale and trembling, looking like someone who’d been through something he couldn’t quite recover from.

"You know, at first I wanted to torture you for going against my orders," Maria said, smiling. It was the first time I’d ever seen her smile, and it wasn’t a comfortable thing to look at. "But then I realized you didn’t completely disobey me. You’ve earned enough points for all of us to pass."

If I wasn’t so terrified, I might’ve noticed she was beautiful. But right now all I cared about was staying in one piece.

"So what do you want?" I asked, holding her gaze.

She smiled again and reached out to touch my cheek, but I slapped her hand away.

"When did you get so handsome?" she asked, a faint blush crossing her face.

’I regret every decision that led me here.’ Being too good-looking really is a curse.

"Come with us," she said, composing herself.

"No," I replied flatly. It was the only answer I had.

Her smile faltered. Loren quietly took a step back.

’What did she do to him?’

"I work alone. I don’t like being told what to do," I added, keeping my voice even.

But Maria smiled again, and this time it was a different kind of smile entirely.

"Oh, but you don’t have a choice. When I say you do something, you do it."