Epilogue

​As the game concluded, Shuuto was once again enveloped in light. When the light faded, he found himself back in the academy’s staff room. Alyssa was nowhere to be seen; the room was empty.

​“Shuuto-kun!”

​Luxuria, who had returned at the same time, threw herself at him.

​“Thank goodness! You’re safe!”

​“Same to you, Luxuria.”

​“No way, I was totally fine! My head was still intact. But you had your whole head eaten, Shuuto-kun! Just because they let you stick around as a spirit doesn’t mean you’re guaranteed to go back to normal after winning!”

​She had a point—it had been a gamble. But Shuuto couldn’t think of any other way to defeat Gula. That was how much Gula had pushed him to the brink in this game.

​“I’m fine, so it doesn’t matter, right?”

​“Geez, you’re way too brave~It’s cool and all, but it’s terrible for my heart~.”

​Pouting, Luxuria rubbed her cheek against Shuuto’s chest.

​“Shuuto-kun, Luxuria…”

​They turned toward the voice. Gula was there. Instead of her pure white Angel’s raiment, she was now dressed in jet-black clothes, and the wings on her back had turned black as well.

​“You’ve fallen?”

​“It seems so.”

​Gula gave a small, faint smile.

​“Shuuto-kun made Gula fall. Gula wants you to take responsibility.”

​She hugged Shuuto from the other side.

​“Wait, what?”

​“Shuuto-kun was so kind to Gula, but Gula betrayed you and even tried to kill Luxuria… and yet, Shuuto-kun forgave Gula. You defeated Gula just so you could forgive Gula. Gula likes you.”

​“Wh-What!?”

​“Ooh~! So Gula finally realizes how amazing my Darling is, too?! Well, since you’ve fallen, let’s be his beloved slaves together! ♪”

​“Gula will.”

​“Hold on a second. Luxuria, you’re okay with this?”

​He didn’t need any more slaves. When he said he’d make her “fall,” it had been a figure of speech—he had fought with everything he had because he thought winning would free her from the gods’ control, just like Luxuria…

​He hadn’t expected her to actually become his slave. He had hoped that Luxuria, who usually acted like his girlfriend, would object, but…

​“It’s fine, totally fine! They say great heroes have great appetites, and I’m sure I’m not enough for you on my own, right? In exchange, make sure you give me plenty of love too! ♡”

​She said this while hugging him even tighter. How did things end up like this?

＊

​“Alyssa, dear, do you have any idea what you’ve done~?”

​In the Celestial World… Alyssa Valkyria had been summoned to Freya’s office.

​“It’s such a pain, you know, having a cheat character like that dropped into the mix~.”

​“I wouldn’t call Shuuto Tsuda a cheat.”

​“He is a cheat. He’s too strong. There isn’t a single normal human out there who could figure out the winning strategy for a 《Crusade》 game that quickly.”

​Freya let out a long, heavy sigh.

​“The games for the 《Crusade》 usually have some kind of ‘comeback mechanic’ built in. Whether the Gods are winning or the humans are winning, if it’s just a safe, one-sided game, you can’t measure their true potential… or so the guys in the Game Development Department said. What Shuuto did in ‘Labyrinth Hunting’ was exactly that.”

​Freya explained while idly playing with her hair.

​“But those comebacks aren’t supposed to happen easily. I mean, obviously, right? The game would fall apart if things could be flipped that easily. It was the same this time. There’s the rule about a player being resurrected as a spirit if they’re erased first, but in a normal game, a Hunter would always erase the companion first. If you erase the companion, at least you’ve taken a life, and it’s easier to fight one person than two working together. Plus, losing a partner usually makes people lose their cool or tanks their morale. It’s all upsides. So, in a normal game, this reversal shouldn’t happen. But Shuuto made it happen anyway. He’s a scary one, that guy.”

​“Even if Shuuto Tsuda were a cheat, you were the ones who used a cheat first,” Alyssa shot back.

​“Ehh~? Whatever could you mean?”

​“Why was Shuuto labeled as ‘Unqualified’?”

​“Don’t you already know the reason~?”

​“I have my suspicions, but I want to hear the truth from you.”

​“You’re so serious. I just set the academy’s compatibility measurement range to top out at one hundred percent.”

​“Just as I thought…” Alyssa’s expression soured.

​“I didn’t do anything weird, okay? One hundred percent is the maximum value for a human. Anything higher than that is the level of the Gods. You can’t really let someone like that participate in the 《Crusade》, right? So I just made it so he’d be filtered out.”

​In other words, Shuuto Tsuda had failed the academy entrance exam simply because he was too strong.

​“The qualification for the 《Crusade》 is to have human blood. Even if he has the blood of a fallen angel, he still qualifies. That is why I had him admitted. I have committed no foul.”

​“Yeah, yeah, I get it~,” Freya said, lazily waving her hand. “From now on, I’ll plan things assuming that monsters with over one hundred percent compatibility will be challenging us. Don’t expect us to let you win so easily anymore, so be prepared~.”

​“I look forward to it. Shuuto Tsuda’s presence will be a great stimulus for the other students and representatives. It should lead to an overall increase in our level.”

​“Ugh, this really is a drag. Can’t humans just hurry up and go extinct already~?”

​“If you want it to end quickly, you’d better work hard. We won’t let you destroy us that easily.”

​A listless expression met a fearless smile.

The meetings between the representatives of the Gods and the representatives of humanity would continue to be held regularly from here on out..

＊

​The battle was over, and Shuuto had returned home. Luxuria and Sakura were with him. Gula apparently had some paperwork to finish at the academy, so she was coming later.

​As evening approached while they were all lounging around, Gula returned.

​“I’m home.”

​“Welcome back, Gula. How did it go?” Shuuto asked.

​“Since Gula became a fallen angel, Gula will be attending Valhalla Academy as a human, just like Luxuria.”

​“So you’ve been freed from the gods’ control then?”

​“Yes. Also, Gula had her compatibility re-evaluated and received some VP. Gula used it to get her dorm room back, so Gula doesn’t need to stay here anymore.”

​“I see. It’ll be a little lonely without you.”

​“No, it won’t be lonely. Because…”

​Gula walked over and gripped the hem of Shuuto’s shirt with both hands.

​“Gula is taking Shuuto-kun home with her.”

​“Wait, wait, wait! Why!?”

​Luxuria was the first to jump in with a retort.

​“If you want to live with Shuuto-kun, you can just live here, right? Oh, or if Gula has spare VP, we could rent an even bigger room and share?”

​“No. Gula is taking Shuuto-kun. Gula doesn’t want to share the person she loves with anyone else.”

​“Whoa! You’re the possessive type!?”

​“Gula wants to hog everything. The delicious food, and Master.”

​“Mmm… this is a problem…”

​“Gula knows. Luxuria won’t back down easily either. So, in the spirit of fallen angels, let’s decide this with a game.”

​“I like the sound of that!”

​“Wait. Am I allowed to join that game too?”

​Sakura Tsuda raised her hand. Why? Shuuto wondered.

​“As his sister, I think I should take him home rather than let him fall into the hands of a lewd fallen angel.”

​(Is she saying that for my sake? Sakura’s been acting really nice to me lately…)

​After being given the cold shoulder for so long, her kindness really hit home. As for Shuuto, he didn’t really mind whose house he stayed at. Sakura’s place seemed like it would be the most peaceful, but living with Luxuria or Gula wasn’t bad either. Though he was a little worried about his virtue.

​“Fine. The three of us will play.” Gula nodded to Sakura. “Gula has already decided on the game. The name is 『The First One to Get a Kiss Wins』. The rules are simple. You have to seduce Shuuto-kun, and the first person to make him kiss them wins. The winner gets the right to take Shuuto-kun home.”

​“!?”

​Wait, I’m being dragged into this!?

​“I’m in!”

​“Understood. I’ll be the one to win.”

​Luxuria and Sakura nodded, slowly closing in on Shuuto. Gula also approached him in tandem. Three beautiful girls lined up, inching closer and closer to Shuuto.

​“Now, choose who you want to kiss.”

​At Gula’s signal, all three of them closed their eyes and puckered their lips just a tiny bit. Three incredibly well-proportioned faces were right there, begging Shuuto for a kiss. The sight was breathtaking… and terrible for his heart.

​Shuuto’s face grew hot, and his heart began to hammer against his ribs like a bell. There was a magnetic pull making him feel like he was about to just pick one and go for it.

​But which one? They were all beautiful and charming, and honestly, he couldn’t choo—

​(—Wait, what the hell am I thinking!)

​Shuuto panicked and spun around, turning his back to the three of them.

​“Sorry! I’m staying at a net cafe tonight! Use that time to figure out whose house I should live at!”

​He dashed for the front door.

​“Ah! Darling, don’t run away! Give me a smooch~~!!”

​“Choose Gula. Gula will feed you delicious food for the rest of your life.”

​“A sister is the safest choice! In other countries, family members kiss each other all the time, so there shouldn’t be a problem!”

​The three beauties chased after him. Leaping out the front door, Shuuto ran with everything he had.

​This is a problem… a real problem… he thought.

​But if he really thought about it…

​If he had suffered a crushing defeat in that last game, Luxuria and Shuuto would both be dead, the academy would be destroyed, and Gula would still be a puppet of the gods.

​If that was the alternative, then being caught up in a weird game like this and running for his life wasn’t so bad.

​The thought brought a small smile to Shuuto’s face.

​—Though he had absolutely no idea how he was supposed to escape the kisses of those three.

​The End