Chapter 5: There is a Bit of a Harem
Hallucinations were, in the end, merely hallucinations.
No matter how much supporting evidence had accumulated so far, there was no guarantee the future would unfold exactly as the hallucinations predicted.
From a statistical standpoint alone, there still weren’t enough samples to call them fully reliable.
And yet—
despite that—
my current conclusion remained this:
There was a real possibility that the hallucinations’ prophecies could come true.
“Hey, Nekoyanagi-san. Kirishiro’s been staring at me all day. You got any idea why?”
“Huh? Ah, uhh… no? Can’t say I do.”
“Really?”
Classes ended after third period that day.
Meaning everything afterward counted as free time.
According to Meiko, “an utterly ordinary college student you could find anywhere” was most likely a member of the Go-Home Club, so I hadn’t joined any clubs or circles.
Though apparently there was also a common pattern where one got recruited into mysterious organizations midway through the story, so I had mentally prepared for that possibility just in case.
Taketsuru, like me, belonged to the Go-Home Club.
He had already exchanged brief farewells and was preparing to leave campus immediately.
I stopped him.
Because the numbers occasionally appearing in the hallucinations above his head continued ticking downward second by second.
And the notice stating that he would die in another world still had not disappeared.
I concluded that countermeasures were necessary.
Even Taketsuru probably wouldn’t make it back if he died in another world.
However, trying to hold a conversation based on hallucination-derived information was the sort of thing that made people question your sanity.
Therefore, without mentioning the hallucinations directly, I decided to summon Meiko and convene a strategy meeting instead.
“Taketsuru. I have summoned Meiko here as an advisor. More specifically, today she shall serve as our Isekai Advisor.”
“…Huh?”
“Hoeh?”
We relocated to the terrace seating area outside the cafeteria.
As I handed them canned coffee purchased from a vending machine, I solemnly declared:
“From this point onward, we shall begin identifying potential causes of death in another world, as well as strategies for avoiding said deaths.”
“Hey, Nekoyanagi-san… did Kirishiro finally snap?”
“Yeah… kinda seems like it.”
Taketsuru and Meiko both looked at me with the same expression one might reserve for a deeply unfortunate soul.
But I paid them no mind.
It was only natural that ordinary mortals could not comprehend the grandeur of my thinking.
One could not waste energy worrying about such things.
Incidentally, when Meiko and I were alone, she spoke in a rough, subordinate-like tone.
But whenever others were around, she switched to perfectly ordinary feminine speech.
Thinking about it now, that was actually kind of ninja-like.
Though it hardly mattered.
“Taketsuru. Meiko. I understand that what I’m saying may sound incomprehensible to you. Honestly, if our positions were reversed, I’d probably think the same thing. But just for now, I want you to think this through with me.”
“…I mean, if you’re asking, I’ll go along with it, I guess.”
“But isn’t this, like… a weird topic to discuss at a school terrace table?”
“Nekoyanagi-san’s got a point there.”
True enough.
Conversations involving secrets were usually held in family restaurants frequented by high schoolers, mysterious cafés, hidden bases, clubrooms, or somebody’s house.
Unfortunately, my apartment lacked the proper infrastructure required for an authentic after-school experience.
“My apologies, Taketsuru. My apartment still lacks the ‘slightly obscure manga series with the entire collection available, which the best friend always comes over to read.’ Under current conditions, inviting you over would be difficult.”
“When have I ever demanded something like that from you? I don’t need it.”
“…What?”
I stared at Meiko in shock.
What was this?
That wasn’t what I’d been taught!
──────
『Nekoyanagi Meiko』
Inner Thoughts: “Don’t look at me right now, this is awkward…”
──────
Apparently she was troubled.
Turning back toward Taketsuru, I straightened myself.
“Well, don’t worry about the people around us. I certainly won’t.”
“Yeah, you wouldn’t… Ah, whatever. Fine. Just talk already.”
“So what exactly are we discussing again?”
And thus, our strategy meeting began at the cafeteria terrace.
I should probably secure a proper location for conversations like this in the future.
An ordinary college student evidently required at least one secret hideout.
A valuable lesson learned.
“As I said earlier, our objective is to identify ‘causes of death after being transported to another world’ and ‘methods to avoid those deaths.’ In other words, the goal is to ensure that when Taketsuru suddenly gets sent to another world, he can safely return to Earth alive.”
“The premise is completely insane, but I understand what you’re saying.”
“So basically, we’re brainstorming things to watch out for in another world, right?” Meiko asked thoughtfully. “But wouldn’t that depend entirely on what kind of isekai it is?”
She furrowed her brow as she raised the issue.
Apparently, our discussion lacked necessary foundational assumptions.
“Even if you just say ‘another world,’ there’s a huge difference between a cheat-power fantasy and a realistic dark fantasy world. In a lighthearted fantasy, if you see a carriage being attacked by bandits, you save it. But in a realistic setting, charging in blindly just gets you killed alongside them. Honestly, in darker settings, conveniently attacked carriages don’t even show up in the first place.”
“When you put it that way, you’re absolutely right. As expected of Meiko. Astonishing insight.”
“I really don’t think I said anything worthy of that much praise…”
Truthfully speaking, my knowledge of isekai settings was limited.
I understood this world reasonably well, but “another world” was exactly that:
another world.
There was no telling how useful ordinary Earth knowledge would actually be there.
Situations like this clearly required consulting a specialist.
Thinking that, I turned toward Taketsuru.
“Taketsuru. What kind of isekai would you prefer to be sent to?”
“I already told you, I don’t want to get sent to another world at all.”
Taketsuru answered while wearing the expression of a man silently wondering Why exactly am I participating in this conversation?
As always, he stubbornly maintained the position of “uninvolved third party.”
But the hallucination hovering above him seemed to disagree.
──────
『Taketsuru Yuu』
69 Hours 48 Minutes 21 Seconds Until Summoned to Another World
※ A classic fantasy-style world with no cheat abilities (slightly serious tone) is calling for you.
──────
“For now, it appears to be a slightly serious classic fantasy adventure without cheat powers.”
“Gouto-kun,” Meiko asked immediately, leaning forward with surprising seriousness, “will there be a harem?”
──────
※ There is a small harem.
──────
“Apparently there will be a small harem.”
“Why are the details of my supposed isekai adventure getting so weirdly specific…?” Taketsuru groaned, staring at me suspiciously. “What the hell are you even seeing?”
I wished he wouldn’t ask me that.
Well, technically speaking, since I was the one seeing the hallucinations, the cause probably did originate somewhere in my brain…