“Hey! That’s not your position! And your arm angle is all wrong!”
“You’re the one who got it wrong, boss!”
“I-I didn’t mess up at all!”
The three kids started bickering.
Watching them, I couldn’t help but feel nostalgic.
‘To see this scene in real life instead of in the game…’
Despite their minor role, the Trash Sprout Defense Squad once had an incredible following.
The game developers must have anticipated this since they even created a special BGM just for them.
Every time these kids appeared, a cheerful tune would play, accompanied by a system message:
[The Trash Sprout Defense Squad has appeared!]
Of course, I couldn’t hear any BGM in reality. But that didn’t matter. My head and heart were playing it loud and clear.
Clap, clap, clap!
Applause naturally burst from me. Even Instructor Ron joined in, clapping along.
Luna, however, frowned, clearly unimpressed.
“You know these kids?”
“Keke, of course not. I’m simply applauding their splendid entrance.”
“…Splendid? That?”
Sure, their poses were awkward—something only children could pull off without embarrassment.
If someone asked me to do the same, I’d refuse outright.
‘But I’m not the one doing it, so who cares?’
Perhaps thanks to the enthusiastic applause, the boy called “boss” wiped his nose with his finger, looking smug.
“Heh! You actually get it. Even if you look lame.”
“Keke, I appreciate the compliment.”
“It wasn’t a compliment!?”
The boy stomped his feet in frustration.
As expected of the Trash Sprout Defense Squad—they were fun to tease.
Almost as satisfying as Rodelin.
“Alright, enough of that. Who are you guys? What are your names?”
“Hmph! You think we’d just reveal our identities that easily? Just because we’re kids doesn’t mean you can underestimate us! We won’t talk no matter what!”
“These little brats…”
Luna raised her fist, looking ready to flick them on the forehead at any moment.
But that couldn’t happen.
If they ran away crying, we’d lose our chance.
‘Their affection has to reach a certain threshold before they give up their information.’
These kids held valuable intel. Being too aggressive was a no-go.
I gently wrapped my hand around Luna’s fist.
“Keke, it’s a pleasure to meet you. My name is Zero.”
“Uh, uhm… I-I see. I’m Adel. Leader of the Trash Sprout Defense Squad!”
“I’m Whale! Vice-captain!”
“H-Hello! I’m Acela! I, uh… I handle strategy, supplies, cleaning, accounting, odd jobs, um… What else was I in charge of?”
They naturally revealed their names and positions.
For reference, Adel and Whale were boys, while Acela was a girl.
“…”
Realizing they had slipped up, the kids huddled together and shouted.
“We’ve been tricked! He got our identities just like that!”
“What a terrifying psychological battle! Just as suspicious as I thought!”
“S-Suspicious! Suspicious!”
They even flailed their arms and legs in panic.
Seeing this, Luna sighed and lowered her clenched fist.
She must have realized they weren’t a threat.
“So, you weren’t ordered by someone—you were just playing around? Why were you following us? Some kind of tracking game?”
“Tracking game?! It’s a proper investigation! We just followed the most suspicious-looking guy!”
“…That’s the same thing.”
“Not even close!!”
From Luna and Adel’s exchange, I discovered something crucial.
‘The order in which the Trash Sprout Defense Squad appears… depends on how suspicious the player’s character is?’
One of the long-standing mysteries among players:
“Why does the squad show up on different days for different characters?”
I had just solved it—after a whopping 18 years.
I had to give credit to Rezé for this revelation.
“Kiik?”
After all, she was undoubtedly the most suspicious member of our party.
Living in a box was strange enough, but loving carrots? That was downright criminal.
‘Liking bland carrots… That’s practically a felony.’
But why was everyone staring at me?
“The suspicious guy is laughing! He’s definitely up to something!”
“Everyone, stay alert!”
“S-Scary!”
Unbelievable.
Did they seriously find me more suspicious than that pufferfish rabbit over there?
More suspicious than someone who loved carrots? I refused to believe it.
“Keke, what exactly makes me suspicious?”
“Well, your face, obviously.”
“Hmm… You are my friend, but your face is kind of intimidating.”
“A-A demon’s reincarnation!”
“Honestly, as an instructor, I also find it scary. Do you still have mirrors in your room? If they break, please don’t request replacements. They’ll just shatter again. Waste of resources, really.”
Why were they so in sync? Had they practiced this?
I had no choice. I had to prove my handsomeness.
Sweeping my bangs back, I tilted my head at a perfect diagonal angle.
“Keke, I apologize. Being too good-looking is a crime. I seem to have caused a misunderstanding.”
“…Do you think we can get any useful information from them?”
“Rezé, what’s your take?”
“I-I think it’ll be fine. K-Kids have their own perspective on things.”
“As long as we follow protocol, it’s not a problem. Just don’t scare them too much. I don’t want complaints filed against me.”
Luna, Rezé, and Ron naturally continued the conversation.
…Why did being ignored suddenly feel so natural?
It must be my imagination.
“Alright, let’s get started.”
Luna crouched in front of the kids, striking a delinquent-like pose.
The classic “If I find money in your pocket, you get one punch per ten coins” stance.
“You called yourselves a Defense Squad, right? Then you must know a lot about this village.”
“Well, yeah, kinda.”
“Has anything strange happened lately? Like people suddenly disappearing?”
“Of course. Even Dolores disappeared yesterday… That’s why we were tracking them down.”
“You think human traffickers are some kind of game? Go home and drink some more milk, kid.”
“As if we’d be scared of mere human traffickers. We’re after something far worse.”
“What? Something worse than traffickers? Who?”
“Demons.”
We all flinched.
None of us had expected the truth to spill so easily from a child’s mouth.
Adel continued, full of confidence.
“We know everything. The serial disappearances in our village—this is the work of a human who made a contract with a demon!”
“That’s ridiculous! Demons? That’s impossible!”
“Oh yeah? Then why did you flinch just now? And why is such a big group sneaking around, searching every corner of the village?”
“Ugh…!”
Luna took a step back, visibly shaken.
Seriously, our Luna was terrible at acting.
She shot Ron a pleading glance, but he only shrugged.
We couldn’t openly confirm that this was a demon’s doing.
But for me, this was a golden opportunity—I could steer the conversation exactly where I wanted it to go.
“Keke, do you have any reasons for believing this is the work of a demon?”
“We do. But we’re not telling. This information belongs to us, and no matter what, we won’t—”
“I’ll buy it.”
“…Huh?”
“I’ll buy your information. With this.”
I pulled out a gold coin and spun it between my fingers.
A dazzling 1 gold.
With just a slight flick of my fingers, the coin danced elegantly.
The kids’ eyes followed its every movement, entranced.
Naturally so—this was a fortune, even for an adult.
“S-Stay strong, everyone!”
Adel slapped my hand hard, knocking the gold coin out of my grasp. It rolled across the ground and stopped at Luna’s feet.
“Don’t be tempted by money! We are the brave Trash Sprout Defense Squad!”
“Keke, I think the word honest fits better than brave.”
“S-Shut up! Let’s go, guys! We don’t have time for this!”
Adel hurriedly moved toward the wall and cleared away some piled-up junk, revealing a small escape hole.
“You better watch out! We’re always watching you!”
“We’re watching!”
“W-We’ll keep watching!”
One by one, Whale and Acela squeezed through the hole.
Soon, only Adel remained.
“Get back here and give me that info!”
Luna lunged forward, but Adel had already slipped halfway into the hole.
She smacked him on the butt.
“Guh! Just you wait till next time!”
With a villain’s classic farewell line, the Trash Sprout Defense Squad vanished into the hole.
“Damn it… They got away.”
“Keke, don’t worry. We’ll run into them again as long as we’re in this village.”
“That’s true. Ah, the sun’s already setting.”
Luna was right. Being in the mountains, night fell faster than usual.
“We should call it a day. Let’s head back and rest.”
And so, our first day of investigation came to an end.
…But Luna.
Give me back my 1 gold.
After dinner, I was reviewing the information we had gathered when bedtime arrived.
Ron looked at me with visible concern.
“Hmmm…”
“Keke.”
“Hrmmmm…”
“Kekekeke.”
The reason for his distress was simple.
In Trash Village, it was customary for groups to share lodging together.
‘Of course, instructors are excluded. They have separate accommodations.’
The problem?
There was no gender separation.
That’s right.
I, Luna, and Rezé would be sharing the same room.
It might sound strange, but in this world, adulthood began at fifteen.
Which meant we were at the age where we could do anything(?).
Even Ron, who usually half-assed his duties, was seriously worried about this arrangement.
He kept glancing at me, uneasy.
I wished he wouldn’t look at me like that.
There was nothing to worry about—I was sharing a room with a cat and a rabbit.
I had no furry preferences, so absolutely nothing was going to happen.
Still, Ron seemed troubled. He placed both hands on my shoulders.
“Zero, absolutely not. Especially ‘Let’s just hold hands and sleep.’ That is strictly forbidden.”
“Keke, what about eating noodle dishes?”
“GRAAAAAH! NO WAY!”
Ron clutched his face in agony.
He was a surprisingly fun character.
Luna, having overheard us, approached curiously.
“Huh? Why? I was actually thinking of holding hands when we slept since it’s our first time bunking together.”
“Th-That’s, well… There are… um… certain adult reasons. Or rather, it could turn into an adult situation…”
As Ron stammered, Luna frowned.
Then she simply shoved him toward the door with her whole body.
“Hurry up and get out. This is my first time sleeping with friends! We’re gonna have fun before we sleep!”
“W-Wait! Be careful! I don’t want to hear rumors about two people enrolling and three people leaving—”
“What are you even talking about? There’s already three of us.”
“C-Come to think of it, two girls… Then if three enroll, five will— A-Aaaagh! My carefree instructor life is spiraling into ruin…!”
Thud!
The door slammed shut.
Having successfully dealt with Ron, Luna wiped the sweat from her forehead.
“Hehe! Now that the nuisance is gone, let’s have some fun!”
“Keke, it shall be a night of madness.”
With Luna in such high spirits, a wild night was inevitable.
‘Well, not that it matters since nighttime activity is impossible in Trash Village.’
Nothing ever happened at night here. The game system was absolute, meaning we could relax and enjoy ourselves without worry.
“Keke, then let’s play.”
“Yaaawn~ Time for bed. Today was fun. Let’s play again tomorrow.”
Perhaps because of the night of madness, Luna quickly drifted off to sleep while still holding my hand.
But Rezé and I couldn’t fall asleep so easily.
Especially me—I couldn’t even move.
Because outside, under the moonlight…
Caron stood watching us, dagger in hand.
–TL Notes–
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When will Zero gambled potential again,I wonder?
And Zero playthroughs after he go back to earth going to be wild